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Ali Akbar Sultan Ahmed takes the legacy of Sultan Ahmed forward
Talks about future plans on Sultan Production's golden jubilee
December 25: Late filmmaker Sultan Ahmed's immense contribution to the film industry can never be put into bland words. His mastery in the craft, sheer passion and dedication in filmmaking, and the resilience to take Indian cinema to the front have been commendable. Carrying his golden legacy forward is his son – Ali Akbar Sultan. Predominantly working in Sultan Productions, he is a producer, entrepreneur and sports enthusiast.
Hunting for new content and designing creative elements that engage the audience more holistically is Ali Akbar's prime focus now. He has been predominantly cultivating the scope of art developing in Maharashtra and believes that art should dwell not only in studios and theatres but be intermingled in every sphere of a person's life. Art should dwell in communities, in classrooms, in galleries, and on every street. He is thus investing to critically engage, analyze and experiment art into various spheres. With the presence of virtual and augmented reality, he feels that he can bring about and produce great work in the future.
Thus, he is currently working on new genres and trying to intermingle art and culture through a delphic medium as well. Talking about the production house's upcoming works, he said, "Currently, under Sultan productions, we have been acquiring a few contents for film and web series. We are in the planning stage and shall announce the subjects soon. I have learned from my father Sultan Ahmed to never compromise on the story and content while working. Thus, now I am looking up to directors and writers more than the actors." Sources reveal that the production house also has upcoming music videos lined up other than films and web series.
Ali Akbar Sultan Ahmed even added, "I would like to work with the artists of Sultan productions again and again. To name a few – Rekha, Mithun Chakraborty, Sanjay Dutt, and the list goes on. " He also stated how he admires the work of these living legends and the inspiration they are to the youth of the country.
Finally, he concluded by saying that he is way left to reach the zenith. He has started the journey, and it would take time to acquire all the elements that are required to reach the top. So he is in the process of curating and grooving great content in the near future.
By News Radian Bureau December 25, 2021 EntertainmentLeave a Comment on Ali Akbar Sultan Ahmed takes the legacy of Sultan Ahmed forward
LIVE YOUR LIFE BY DESIGN, NOT BY DEFAULT by Bhavin Desai, Founder of Ubikaa Mind
Writer-Creator of acclaimed Marathi Horror/Thriller BALI by Amazon Prime – Swapnila Gupta emerges as the trailblazer!


Want less traffic? More walkable streets? Cleaner air? Make it tougher or more expensive to find a parking spot. Donald Shoup, the parking "rockstar" has been encouraging cities to use pricing as a way to manage parking (and driving) demand for over 40 years now in the United States, and cities around the world are starting to wake up and take notice. But there are other tools that can be used to put parking in its place.
In addition to reducing traffic congestion, appropriate parking management can save residents and businesses time and money, and lead to more attractive and livable communities. Considering the fact that downtown parking (both on- and off-street) occupies some of the world's most valuable real estate, it's worth considering how we allocate space for it, and how we choose to price it.
ITDP has recently released two reports on this topic, documenting best practices in the United States and Europe respectively. Next year we will release a third looking at best practices around the globe. Over the next few weeks we'll be running a series of posts that will highlight best practices and some of the biggest challenges to parking management as observed by our staff and consultants.


Wendy launched her line with a collection of 18K yellow gold limited-edition and one-of-a-kind designs focused on real-life fascinating women — everyone from the renowned Elizabeth I to more-obscure royalty such as Isabella, "the She-Wolf of France." The designer's world-class workmanship is instantly recognizable, as is the unusual heft of her rings and pendants; her warm satin finish; and use of contrasting, blackened gold details. The gold collection often features hidden gems and figures, as well as surprising mechanical elements, such as the spinning lapis lazuli globe ensnared by a dragon's teeth in Brandes's Empress Wu ring. Supermodel Christy Turlington captured the spirit of the collection when she wrote that the Empress Wu ring is "a bit scary, but really a cool piece of art," after seeing it spotting the ring on Vogue Paris's website.
In 2015, Wendy launched her Punk Platinum collection to pay tribute to her longtime fascination with punk music and fashion, as well as the then-pending 40th anniversary of the movement. She takes special delight in "dirtying up" the ultra-precious metal most associated with bridal jewelry and extravagant red-carpet loaners for celebrities. The Punk Platinum line proves that platinum can be fun and accessible to any rebel who just so happens to have sophisticated taste. Many of the designs are also available in 18K gold and silver.
Silver is Wendy's go-to metal for lightning-fast commentary on developments in current pop culture and politics. It began with her much-imitated swear ring set. Later, she introduced a middle finger emoji earring … before middle finger emojis existed on phones. Her silver NASTY necklace was available for pre-order mere days after the infamous 2016 "nasty woman" presidential debate.


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White Trash Heroes is the fourth studio album from the indie rock band Archers of Loaf, released in 1998 by Alias Records. In 2012 the album was reissued by Merge Records on two CDs with new, re-imagined art by Casey Burns.

Track listing
All songs written by Eric Bachmann, Eric Johnson, Matt Gentling and Mark Price.
  "Fashion Bleeds" – 3:59
  "Dead Red Eyes" – 4:03
  "I.N.S." – 2:56
  "Perfect Time" – 4:35
  "Slick Tricks and Bright Lights" – 5:28
  "One Slight Wrong Move" – 3:20
  "Banging on a Dead Drum" – 3:12
  "Smokers in Love" – 2:40
  "After the Last Laugh" – 3:45
  "White Trash Heroes" – 7:47

2012 Reissue Bonus CD/downloads
  "Jive Kata" - 3:38
  "Fashion Bleeds (4-Track Demo)" – 4:10
  "Dead Red Eyes (4-Track Demo)" – 3:51
  "Slick Tricks and Bright Lights (4-Track Demo)" – 5:12
  "One Slight Wrong Move (4-Track Demo)" – 3:35
  "Banging on a Dead Drum (4-Track Demo)" – 2:49
  "Smokers in Love (4-Track Demo)" – 2:35
  "After the Last Laugh (4-Track Demo)" – 3:46
  "White Trash Heroes (4-Track Demo)" – 5:03
  "Untitled and Forgotten (4-Track Demo)" - 3:22
  "Walk of Shame" - 2:58
  "Untitled" - 1:40
  "Whooh!" - 3:03
1 is from the band's 1997 fan club 7" single; 11-13 are unreleased B-sides.

Personnel
Eric Bachmann - vocals, guitar
Matt Gentling - bass
Eric Johnson - guitar
Mark Price - drums

References

Archers of Loaf albums
1998 albums
Alias Records albums
Merge Records albums
Fire Records (UK) albums

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Royal Naval Association – Norwich Branch
Once Navy, Always Navy
Shipmates in Service
20 April 2019 5 December 2018
On This Day – 20 April – The Yangtze Incident
Posted By: RNA Norwich Norfolk, Norwich, On This Day, Royal Naval Association
On 20 April 1949, HMS Amethyst, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Bernard Skinner, was on her way from Shanghai to Nanking to replace Consort, which was standing as guard ship for the British Embassy there during the Chinese Civil War between the nationalist Kuomintang and the Chinese Communists. According to the Royal Navy, at around 08:31, after a burst of small arms fire, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) field gun battery on the north bank of the river fired a salvo of ten shells, which fell well short of the ship, and was assumed to be part of a regular bombardment of Nationalist forces on the south bank. Speed was increased, and large Union flags were unfurled on either side of the ship, after which there was no more firing.
Initial damage and grounding
At 09:30, as the frigate approached Kiangyin (Jiangyin) further up the river, she came under sustained fire from a second PLA battery. The first shell passed over the ship, then the bridge, wheelhouse and low power room were hit in quick succession, the captain was mortally wounded, and all the bridge personnel were disabled. The coxswain on the wheel was seriously injured and as a result the ship slewed to port and grounded on the bank before control of the ship was resumed. Before the ship was hit, the order to open fire had been given, but when the director layer pulled the firing trigger, nothing happened, because the gunfiring circuits were disabled when the low power room was hit. The first lieutenant, Geoffrey L. Weston, assumed command of the vessel, though wounded. PLA shells exploded in the sick bay, the port engine room, and finally the generator, just after the injured Weston's last transmission: "Under heavy fire. Am aground in approx. position 31.10′ North 119.50′ East. Large number of casualties".
The order was given to fire in local control with each turret firing independently, but Amethyst had grounded in such a way that neither of the two gun turrets at the front of the ship could be brought to bear on the PLA batteries, leaving the single stern turret to return fire. This turret was soon hit and disabled. None of the close range weapons could be brought to bear on the PLA batteries. The shore batteries continued to fire at Amethyst with their artillery, causing more damage and casualties to the ship.
Attempted evacuation
Some time between 10:00 and 10:30, Weston ordered the immediate evacuation to shore of anyone who could be spared. A boat was manned to take people the short distance to shore and some men swam ashore. The batteries switched their fire to the men being evacuated and further evacuation was stopped. Fifty-nine ratings and four Chinese mess boys made it to the Kuomintang-controlled southern bank, but two men were assumed drowned while swimming ashore. Those who survived were joined by the seriously wounded from Amethyst who had been landed by sampan, with the assistance of the Chinese Nationalists on the following day. Both parties were taken to a missionary hospital in Kiangyin where they were met by a party from the British Embassy in Nanking and put on a train for Shanghai. Remaining on board were about 60 unwounded men. The shelling had stopped, but no one could move without drawing the attention of PLA snipers.
Assistance from Consort
By the time the shelling stopped at about 11:00, 22 men had been killed and 31 wounded in all. Amethyst had received over 50 hits and holes below the waterline were plugged with hammocks and bedding. During this time the destroyer Consort was sighted, flying seven White Ensigns and three Union flags, steaming down from Nanking at 29 knots. Admiral Madden, the Flag Officer, second in command, Far East Station, ordered the Destroyer HMS Consort (Commander Robertson) from Nanking to go to the Amethyst's assistance, and the frigate Black Swan (Captain Jay) from Shanghai to Kiang Yin, 40 miles down river from the Amethyst. Consort reached the Amethyst at about three in the afternoon and was immediately heavily engaged. She found the fire too heavy to approach Amethyst and therefore passed her at speed down river. She turned two miles below and again closed Amethyst to take her in tow. But again she came under such heavy fire that she was obliged to abandon the attempt, although she answered the shore batteries with her full armament (including 4.5-inch (114 mm) guns) and signaled that she had silenced most of the opposition. Half an hour later her signals ceased, though she was making a second attempt to take the Amethyst in tow, having turned downstream again. This attempt also failed and she sustained further damage and casualties during which her steering was affected. She therefore had to continue downstream out of the firing area with 10 men killed and 23 wounded.
Refloating and the arrival of Kerans
Amethyst was re-floated just after midnight, on 21 April, after lightening the ship, and she moved up river. The Assistant British Naval Attaché, Lieutenant Commander John Kerans, joined the ship on 22 April after he had dealt with all the wounded and unwounded men who had been sent ashore. He assumed command of the ship that day.
During the next few days Amethyst moved several times, but each time she got under way the batteries opened fire at her and the ship was forced to anchor finally finishing up off Fu Te Wei.
Attempted assistance from London and Black Swan
On 21 April a signal was received: "HM ships London and Black Swan are moving up river to escort the Amethyst down stream. Be ready to move." The cruiser London and the frigate (ex-sloop and Amethyst's sister ship) Black Swan were heavily shelled as they attempted to help Amethyst and retreated with 3 killed and 14 wounded.
On 30 April the PLA demanded that Britain, the United States, and France quickly withdraw their armed forces from any parts of China. During the negotiations the Communists insisted that the British ship fired first, but eventually in 1988 the PLA commander Ye Fei admitted that it was his troops that fired first. Amethyst remained under guard by the PLA for ten weeks, with vital supplies being withheld from the ship. Negotiations were stuck because Kerans would not accept the demand from Colonel Kang Yushao, who was the PLA representative, that the British state had wrongly invaded Chinese national waters and had fired upon the PLA first. Because the communists (and later the People's Republic of China) did not acknowledge any treaties between the previous Chinese government and the British, they insisted that it was illegal for Amethyst to cruise in the Yangtze river.
On 30 July 1949 Amethyst slipped her chain and headed downriver in the dark, beginning a 104-mile (167 km) dash for freedom running the gauntlet of Communist guns on both banks of the river. She followed the passenger ship Kiang Ling Liberation in the hope that the observers ashore would be confused and not see Amethyst in the dark. When the battery opened fire, the fire was directed at the Kiang Lin Liberation which was sunk by the gun fire, with heavy civilian casualties. At 0500 hours on 31 July, Amethyst approached the PLA forts at Par Shan (Baoshan) and Woosung (Wusong) with their searchlights sweeping the river. At 0525 a pre-planned meeting with the destroyer Concord took place. Concord had been ordered to prepare to provide gun support to Amethyst if she came under fire from the shore batteries at Woosung. To achieve this she had moved up the Yangtze during the night, at action stations. Fortunately, Amethyst was not spotted by the shore batteries and the two ships then proceeded down river until at 0715 they stood down from action stations and after clearing the river mouth arrived at the Saddle Islands at 1200 hrs to anchor and transfer much needed oil and stores. After a short stay at anchor, Concord lent Amethyst sailors to fill gaps in her ship's company and the two ships set sail for Hong Kong. Next day the cruiser Jamaica (flying the flag of the Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet) and destroyer Cossack took over as escort and proceeded to Hong Kong. Concord was sent to Japan after being sworn to secrecy.
Branch Meeting Update – April 2019
On This Day – 23 April – Zeebrugge Raid
RNA Norwich
The Norwich Branch is one of 300+ branches of the Royal Naval Association world wide. It was commissioned in 1979 and today has a membership of just over 90. It is a registered charity in its own right - the Registered Charity Number is: 1068699
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Countdown to our next Branch Meeting13 August 2019
19:30 Branch Committee Meeting – August @ The Bush
Branch Committee Meeting – August @ The Bush
The Branch meets on the second Tuesday of each month at: The Canary Social Club 104, Thorpe Road (junction with Rosary Road) NORWICH The
19:30 Branch Meeting – August @ The Canary Social Club
Branch Meeting – August @ The Canary Social Club
19:30 Branch Committee Meeting – Septe... @ The Bush
Branch Committee Meeting – Septe... @ The Bush
Sep 3 @ 19:30 – 21:30
The RNA – Norwich Branch – Committee Meeting takes place on the first Tuesday of the month.
20:00 Run Ashore – September @ The Plasterers Arms
Run Ashore – September @ The Plasterers Arms
The RNA – Norwich Branch will host a Run Ashore on the first Saturday of every other month, on the months where a Breakfast
19:30 Branch Meeting – September @ The Canary Social Club
Branch Meeting – September @ The Canary Social Club
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This article will look into the top school menu templates that can be used by any school website powered by WordPress to be able to display clean , attractive and easy to use menus. You can also see Dinner Menu Templates.
Do you want top weekly menu templates? If you are an institution that is looking into starting a great weekly menu online then this is your answer. It's fully responsive and has different colors to help in menu editing. Being fully responsive students can access the menu from any device and can be able to ready through the menus with much ease.
This theme will serve you just fine. It has different colors and its will help your event menu be clearly seen since its clean and distinctive. This template will help you show the different events that take place in a certain period of time with much ease. It uses different colors and fonts in content display.
This theme will best serve a primary school that wants a great menu. This theme is easily editable and its cross browser compatible to help any student to have access to it from any device. It's easily customizable. The different colors that it comes with help distinguish the different days shown in the menu.
This template will serve you right. It's easy to customize and the easy language used is appropriate to the audience. The fonts used are also those that are easy to the eye. And since young children will be using them on a daily basis they will be able to read them easily.
Any school will love to have clean menu templates. The main features of this school menu template are; fully customizable, fully editable, has a fully responsive design and can be used in event planning too. Event menus and weekly menu templates can be produced by using this template. It also has different fonts that help in displaying different menu sections.
Are you a high school looking into launching an online school menu? This theme will help you achieve your results. The main features include; easily editable, can be customized by the change of color easily and use of different fonts in displaying the different sections of the menu. It comes with ready Google fonts that will help it in displaying top quality content.
Well, it has come a time when schools need their services online. This process of taking different activities online is beneficial in both ways. It will eliminate paperwork and the students will easily access the menus online from anywhere. The school menu templates provided above will help transform any schools' menu into one that even the students will love.


Published 04/23/2019 09:00:54 am at 04/23/2019 09:00:54 am in Integrated Led Light.
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Servicing Stop Ltd. 5/ 5 1 based on 649 reviews.
You can book your Mercedes service and just make a note of what repairs you want and we will always quote you in advance of any work being done. There after the repair work will only be done upon your approval.
1st Class for the garage that carried out the work.


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Henry Goodman >
Yes, Prime Minister Return Doubles Gold's Ratings (But It's...
Yes, Prime Minister Return Doubles Gold's Ratings (But It's Unlikely To Last)
By Contributor in Movies / TV / Theatre on 16 January 2013
Follow Henry Goodman
Henry Goodman
There was great news for UK channel Gold as its new series of Yes, Prime Minister saw figures double compared to the usual amount that tune in to the station at that time. However that was about as good as it got as the first series of the political drama since 1988 took a critical mauling, which would probably suggest Gold's success will be a fleeting one.
To the good news first though; Broadcast reports that the show took an average of over 280,000 viewers during the 40 minutes, not a huge amount by any means but over double the 114,000 average the channel can usually expect at 9pm on a Tuesday evening (January 15). Then the bad news; The Independent made a point at how dated it all felt by comparing it to the runaway success of recent political drama The Thick Of It, writing "For one thing, you just can't pretend that The Thick of It never happened, as this seemed to do in featuring a scene of political advisers wincing as their boss flounders through an interview."
The usually timid Radio Times wasn't impressed either: "The new Hacker seems much more aware of Sir Humphrey's scheming, which takes away a key dynamic of the original: Hacker mistakenly thinking he had outsmarted Sir Humphrey and made his own decision," they wrote. Digital Spy had their knives fully out; they wrote "Sadly, what could have been a triumphant return for one of the best British sitcoms is undone by bad decisions and ruinous execution." Enjoy that ratings boost Gold, it could be your last for a while.
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Match2Lists will find and delete any duplicate records in your datasets. Once you have having completed your project, you can download a cleansed dataset as well as a mapping table showing you which duplicates where removed the final records they tie into.
Start your 2 week free trial and receive information about our subscription plans and upcoming webinars.


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Blu Studio 6.0 HD arrives with focus on display
Brittany A. Roston - Apr 22, 2014, 6:49 pm CDT
Blu has taken the wraps off its latest handset, the phablet-sized Studio 6.0 HD. With this model comes a strong focus on the display, with Blu saying the Studio 6.0 HD is the company's best smartphone to date. Among other things, the handset offers a 6-inch 245ppi HD screen.
The display has both "advanced OGS and Full Lamination technologies", as well as thin bezels that match the phone's overall thin profile of 8.5mm. Beyond the display, the Studio 6.0 HD runs a 1.3GHz quad-core processor alongside 1GB of RAM. There's a microSD expansion slot that supports up to 32GB, as well as dual-SIM functionality.
Around back, users have access to an 8-megapixel camera with auto focus and an LED flash; recording goes up to 1080p. Though shipping with Jelly Bean 4.2, a KitKat update will be available before the end of next month, the company has promised. The handset is available now unlocked for $249 USD.
Said Blu's CEO Samual Ohev-Zion, "This is the best Studio Series phone we have ever made, using the latest display technologies for an out-of-this-world viewing experience. In addition, the Studio 6.0 HD is designed with an extremely thin bezel around the display, making the device perfect to comfortably handle."
SOURCE: PRNewswire
Topics AndroidKitKatsmartphones


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Kenya 2030 WRG Governing Board Endorses New Industrial & Urban Water Projects
November 27, 2018 /in Corporate News /by Alida Pham
The Kenya 2030 Water Resources Group Governing Board unanimously endorsed two project proposals within the industrial and urban water management workstreams aimed at improving reliable data collection of industrial water-use and addressing the challenge of non-revenue water (NRW), respectively. Following several months of bilateral engagements with stakeholders, the proposals outline fresh approaches to two intractable water management challenges: how to incentivize industries to invest in water conservation and efficiency technologies, and how to reduce national non-revenue water rates of up to 45%.
The economic growth targets laid out in Kenya's Vision 2030 and President Kenyatta's "The Big Four" agenda take for granted the long-term dependable availability of adequate and sufficient water resources – but this isn't a given. Industry's water demand is estimated to increase by 140% by 2030 amid a growing supply and demand gap that is projected to reach 63% in Nairobi by 2035.
Despite the sobering projections, making the business case for industries to invest in water conservation is a challenge for policymakers. Water is often perceived as cheap and its scarcity risks are not well understood. The challenge is complicated further by the lack of reliable data on industrial water-use. The little data that does exist is scattered among various institutions and not accessible at an aggregated level for decision making.
To overcome this, KIWA, in partnership with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), the Water Resource Authority, and the Ministry of Industrialization, proposes to develop a browser-based platform to improve reporting, data collection, and benchmarking of industrial water use. By aggregating water utilization across industrial processes leading up to the discharge, the project aims to create more awareness about companies' own performance with regards to local and international water-use benchmarks and hence be a driver for efficiency; provide a valuable source of information for planning and regulation authorities and water allocation plans; and deliver a sound foundation for evidence-based decision making and policy formulation.
Leveraging technology & innovative financing approaches to reduce urban non-revenue water (NRW)
Despite significant efforts, national NRW levels have stagnated between 42-45% throughout the last 10 years. The high level of physical and commercial water losses costs the country about KES 8 billion annually. Building on the experiences from blended financing and the on-going National Performance-Based Financing (N-PBF) initiative, the urban water management workstream project aims to support utilities in adoption of Performance Based Contracts (PBC) as a new approach to reduce NRW in partnership with private sector.
In a PBC approach, a private company is contracted to carry out a comprehensive program to cut water losses and is paid based on the performance achieved, while the ownership of the system remains in public hands. PBCs have proven to be 68% more effective than in-house NRW reduction programs, and proof-of-concept projects abound in locations ranging from the Bahamas, to Vietnam, to Bangkok, to Brazil.
A new approach with Performance Based Contracts
While PPPs can be applied through the entire water supply value chain ranging from abstraction, treatment and distribution, the PBC approach is being proposed to address NRW for urban water service providers (WSP) in Kenya because of three key reasons: first, reducing NRW offers a "cheaper" way of getting new water supply. Reducing both physical and commercial losses of water already in the distribution network delays the need for developing additional sources by optimizing what's already treated and made available to consumers in the distribution network. Second, reducing NRW will contribute to the utility's financial viability by maximizing revenues which support struggling WSPs to eventually climb up the creditworthiness ladder. And third, reducing NRW improves 24/7 reliability in water supply to consumers.
Moreover, PBCs-for-NRW reduction are an effective means of maximizing finance for development by structuring the joint ventures in such a way that the private party finances the NRW reduction investments up-front through own equity or a commercial loan or debt arrangements with local banks. The concept note proposes to identify and support preparation of 3-5 demonstration PBCs for PBC- NRW project design.
The proposals were put before the board during its second bi-annual meeting of 2018, chaired by the Hon. Simon Chelugui and Mr. Richard Fox, Chairman of the Kenya Flower Council and Director Sustainability with Flamingo Horticulture, standing-in for Mr. Vimal Shah. The board approved the projects to proceed according to the plans detailed in the concept notes, and has committed to support the initiatives in mobilizing political champions at national government and county governments levels.
https://www.2030wrg.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/KE-7th-GB-Meeting_IMG_1325.jpg 1632 2449 Alida Pham https://www.2030wrg.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WBG-2030wrg-logo-new-01.png Alida Pham2018-11-27 15:41:102018-11-27 17:27:49Kenya 2030 WRG Governing Board Endorses New Industrial & Urban Water Projects


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Why Do Snakes Yawn?
As a snake owner, you will have noticed that your snake yawns occasionally. But unlike in humans, it's not because they're feeling a bit tired. There are many reasons for yawning in snakes, and none of them are to do with how much sleep your snake got last night.
There are three reasons for mouth gaping in snakes. 1/ Snakes yawn because they have to realign their jaw after a large meal. 2/ Snakes are picking up chemical cues from their environment. 3/ A yawning snake could be a sign of disease.
By identifying some of the most obvious clues, you can figure out why your snake is yawning. You can then determine whether it's something worth investigating further.
Do Snakes Yawn When They're Tired?
A study in the journal Physiology & Behavior sought to prove that humans yawn due to temperature. A big inward breath cools the body by cooling down the blood that visits the lungs.
The scientists took a look at when people yawn to try and prove their idea and found that yawns were far more contagious during the summer rather than winter. Whether they were entirely correct isn't certain because, like all ideas in science, it's still possible that it could be disproved.
And if this is true, it would mean that snakes wouldn't yawn because they're tired. In truth, we don't yawn because we're tired—the scientific evidence seems to suggest we yawn because we're too warm, or because our breathing has slowed down. And because snakes are cold-blooded whereas we're warm-blooded, it's unlikely that they would yawn for the same reasons that we do.
Whatever the case, snake owners don't report any link between snakes being tired and yawning.
So Why Do Snakes Open Their Mouth Randomly?
What does it mean when a snake opens its mouth if it's not to do with tiredness? It can be one of these things:
It can be due to eating and the unique mechanism behind their jaw. They have to yawn to be able to use it properly because unlike us, they don't eat in tiny portions.
Sometimes snakes yawn because they're picking up on chemicals in the air. They usually use their tongue to do this, but sometimes it just doesn't provide enough information, and they yawn to pick things up instead.
Your snake could be yawning because it's ill. The reason why we humans yawn might be to do with not getting enough oxygen, and as it turns out, snakes might do the same.
Do Snakes Yawn Before Eating?
Yes, they most definitely do. It's all down to the kind of prey they eat, and how they eat it. Snakes don't have incisors and molars like humans. Of course, most have fangs.
What you might not know is that snakes can stretch their jaw incredibly wide, so that they can eat all of their food at once. And this isn't done by dislocating their jaw, as you might have heard.
Snakes don't have a chin that connects to their upper jaw and skull. All they have are stretchy ligaments that hold their lower mandible in place. This means that they have to stretch their ligaments to be able to swallow prey that can be even bigger than their head.
To us, though, that looks like yawning. So if you notice your snake yawning before they eat, it's nothing to do with them feeling sleepy before their supper. It's to do with them preparing their jaw to eat their prey in one go.
They can also yawn after a heavy meal. This is because they're realigning their lower jaw after they opened it so wide. It could also be because they swallowed a lot of air after their meal, and they're breathing out, not in. To put it simpler, it could be because they're burping after they've eaten.
And in case you didn't know, this instance of yawning isn't a problem. It's all a part of natural snake behavior that you can find either in captivity, or in the wild, and it's nothing to worry about.
Snake Keeps Opening and Closing Mouth
The frequency and timing of your snake yawning are what can give you a clue.
If you notice that your snake only yawns before and after food, then there isn't a problem. They're aligning or re-aligning their lower jaw after they had to stretch it out to eat a large prey item. That's a part of their behavior in the wild, no matter what species you keep as a pet.
However, if you notice that your snake keeps opening and closing mouth regardless of what they've been doing, this could be a sign of sickness. Let's take a look at what might be wrong.
Is Snake Yawning a Sign of Disease?
It definitely can be. Yawning is a symptom of some illnesses, although not all.
The most obvious connection is between yawning and respiratory disease. Respiratory issues in snakes, like those in any other animal, cause the animal to have trouble breathing. They, therefore, need to expend extra effort to breathe in, to keep functioning normally.
Snakes normally breathe through their nose, and if they're having difficulty keeping their airways open, they won't be getting anywhere near enough air this way. That's when they start yawning.
If the problem is pneumonia, you'll notice them yawning consistently. Other symptoms include anorexia, gurgling noises, bubbles around their mouth and nasal discharge (snot/mucus). They may start rubbing their nose against the walls of their enclosure, which can help clear their airway.
Respiratory infections can come about because of a variety of causes. Most are related to incorrect care, in that either the temperature is too low, or the humidity is too high.
These things can help the infection to flourish. But the underlying cause may also be related to heavy infestations by mites or other parasites, or even malnutrition.
Inclusion Body Disease
Inclusion Body Disease is a relatively new infection that affects snakes and is always deadly. It's vital that you spot it, at least to prevent your snake ever passing it on.
IBD usually affects Boids (boa constrictors and other related snakes) but can affect other species too. It's an infection that spreads from snake to snake, similar to human infections like flu.
Unfortunately, people aren't sure how it spreads from snake to snake. It seems to be through direct contact, but it may also be passed on during birth or spread by mites.
IBD has many symptoms, although some may occur while others don't. The most common are corkscrewing of the head and neck, where the snake curls itself up like a corkscrew and stargazing where the snake gets stuck staring upwards at an unnatural angle.
Stargazing may also co-occur with mouth gaping, where the mouth is held open for extended periods of time, which is the same as snakes do when they can't breathe properly. So, look out for the following signs of IBD:
Corkscrewing
Moving in a disoriented fashion
Regurgitating or not eating
Then the problem may be inclusion body disease. There is no known cure for IBD, and it has been killing pet snakes for decades now with no way of stopping it in sight.
Other Reasons for Snake Yawning
Like we said from the start, snake yawning also seems to be linked to chemical communication.
Chemical communication is where an animal picks up cues from its environment about mates, threats, prey and so on using the chemicals they can find in the air, or that another animal left behind. An example that even we humans use is hormones and pheromones.
Even though we can communicate through speech and other means, we still give off pheromones just like other animals, although we're not that great at detecting them.
Snakes have a fantastic sense of smell. They have a specialized organ in the area of their nose dedicated just to detecting these chemicals, called the vomeronasal organ (or Jacobson's organ).
This organ is similar to the sense of smell but specifically finds the chemicals that prey and other predators give off. This helps snakes either find something to eat or avoid being eaten themselves.
We have a vomeronasal organ too. It's located in the nose, but unfortunately, scientists can't tell if it does anything. It's also present in other mammals like dogs, and you can see them using it when they sniff around searching for scents. They do something called the 'Flehmen response,' where they move their lips back and expose their gums while sniffing.
A paper in the journal Heliyon examined the issue, specifically related to the topic of yawning. The team of scientists discussed how rattlesnakes seem to 'yawn' more often when they're exposed to certain chemicals in the air.
So, presumably, yawning could be helping them pick up these smells from the environment.
How to Help a Snake that Won't Stop Yawning
So, is mouth gaping in snakes normal? By now, you should know that the answer depends on what's wrong. And it's crucial that you figure out what's wrong, just in case there's something that your snake needs help with. Diagnose your snake with the following checklist:
Does your snake only yawn when they're offered food, or after they've eaten? If so, this is nothing to worry about.
Does your snake yawn when you introduce them to something new, either in their enclosure, or when you're handling them? If so, this is a sign that they're using their vomeronasal organ to investigate their surroundings.
Does your snake yawn and display other symptoms? If so, this might be a sign of disease.
If your snake only yawns in specific scenarios, then leave them be, because they're fine. If your snake also displays other symptoms, either those associated with RI (respiratory infection) or IBD (inclusion body disease), then take them to the vet for a formal diagnosis. If your snake has RI, then your vet will be able to prescribe them something to help beat the infection.
Unfortunately, if they have IBD, then there's nothing that anybody can do to help. You should make sure that your snake doesn't come into contact with any other snakes you keep (if you have any), and that you wash your hands whenever you handle them.
Why Are Snakes Cold-Blooded?
Almost everybody's heard of the terms 'cold-blooded' and 'warm-blooded.' And we all know common examples of each: snakes and reptiles, for example, are cold-blooded. But what most people don't know is why some animals are cold-blooded…
Why do Snakes Have Forked Tongues?
No doubt the last time you saw a snake in a movie, they showed the snake hissing—and displaying their forked tongue. Their tongue is instantly recognizable, but why is it so different from humans? Forked tongues…
Why Is My Snake So Active?
It can be a little concerning when your snake is active all of a sudden. Snakes, and reptiles aren't energetic creatures. Since they're cold-blooded, they need to save their energy and use it only for crucial…
Why Do Snakes Attack Themselves?
The visual image of a snake eating its own tail, known as Ouroboros, is famous throughout the world. Used to represent the concept of infinity, the symbol is based on real reptile behavior. Snakes usually bite…
Why Do Corn Snakes Rattle Their Tails?
Corn snakes are harmless to humans. But sometimes, when they're eating or feeling threatened, they might shake their tail like a rattlesnake. The noise even sounds a little like a rattle. North American corns snakes make…
Why Did My Snake Die Suddenly? (10 Causes of Death)
It can be a huge shock to find out that your pet snake has died overnight. If your snake has passed away all of a sudden, you'll want to know why it happened. If you have…


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Home » Blu-Ray » Escape From L.A.
Reviewed on May 3, 2010 by Guido Henkel in Blu-Ray, Reviews // 0 Comments
Escape From L.A. (1996)
Paramount Home Video
Cast: Kurt Russell, Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, Pam Grier, Cliff Robertson
15 years after making the incredible "Escape From New York, " John Carpenter and Kurt Russell decided that if might be a fun idea to re-team and create a sequel to the cult classic. This 1996 film, called "Escape From L.A., " has now arrived on Blu-Ray Disc, courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.
Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is in trouble again. After having safed the president's life years earlier, he finds – not unexpectedly – that despite all the promises the government had made him, he is once again at the top of their most wanted list for things, he would consider negligible.
When he is brought in to be sent off to Los Angeles Island, a prison colony off the coast of Southern California that has developed after a major earthquake, officials take him aside and offer him a deal. Evidently, the President's daughter has stolen an all-important gadget and has disappeared among the criminals on Los Angeles Island. Since no self-respecting officer would ever get their hands dirty with that kind of filth, they forcibly enlist Plissken, poisoning him and giving him 8 hours to retrieve the gadget before the poison will kill him.
Under such pressure, Plissken agrees and sets out to the island. With only a few high tech gadets at his disposal he immediately sets his sights on the prize. But surviving even one hour turns out to be a lot tougher than he expected,as violence and crime runs rampant in the city. Dark, gritty and dangerous, Plissken needs to chose his allies wisely when he realizes that there is no way he'll succeed on his own.
The premise of the movie is resembling "Escape From New York" closely enough to instantly create a connection with fans of the earlier movie, yet at the same time it is different enough to set apart the movie itself. Kurt Russell once again slips into the role of Snake Plissken with ease, though I do have to admit I find his ultra-coolness a bit unnatural in retrospect. It suited him very well so early in his career when "Escape From New York" was made, but after having become such a prolific and funny actor in the years in-between the films, somehow it is a little harder for viewers to accept his über-macho performance.
Be that as it may, though, because the film has other, more serious problems. One of the biggest issues is, without a doubt, the low quality of the special effects. This film was made at the dawn of CGI and it mixes CGI with more traditional matte-paintings. Sadly, the CGI looks very artificial and the matte paintings, which sometimes fill practically the entire screen, look too static to be really convincing.
For my taste, the film also lacked some of the real edginess that made the original "Escape From New York" so memorable, where characters were truly dark and ominous, and where a sense of foreboding permeated every frame. In "Escape From L.A." for some reason that was mostly missing and replaced by a desolate backdrop and a string of non-stop stunts.
Having said all that, "Escape From L.A." is still a fun ride, though, that entertains thoroughly. It just doesn't live up to be a classic or an original. A cool cast helps infuse the film with life, including Stacy Keach, Pam Grier, Peter Fonda and Steve Buscemi, but somehow you just can't shake the feeling that you've seen it all before.
Paramount Home Entertainment is presenting the film in a new 1080p high definition transfer. The image is vibrant and features some amazingly rich colors that help bring the futuristic vision of the story to life. Free of defect or blemishes, the transfer also holds an incredible level of detail – a little too much so,I fear, as it makes the special effects so much more noticeable. Black levels are incredibly deep, rendering the image with good visual depth and deep shadows that add to the film's overall look.
A Dolby Digital 5.1 TrueHD audio track supplements the feature presentation, ensuring a powerful experience throughout with a wide frequency response and clear high ends. The film has a solid dynamic range but it has to be noted that the mix is a bit unbalanced and made me jump for the remote control more than once to compensate for sudden sonic blasts.
Unfortunately there are still no extras included with "Escape From L.A.", mirroring the bare-bones DVD Version hat has been available for 12 years. For fans of the film and John Carpenter's body of work, that is a bit of a disappointment.
Revisiting "Escape From L.A." was a fun experience for me. It is not Carpenter's best work by a long shot but I found that it does have redeeming values and makes for a fun 100 minutes.
The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre
Hatari!
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Season 1, Volume 2
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows
Road House 2


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Road trips are a fantastic way to see the country, to discover new delights and experience life away from the bright lights and extravaganza of tourist spots. My family and I are now old hands at road tripping, so much so that a four-hour drive now seems like a quick trip up the road for us. We have travelled all over southern Africa by car and had many adventures, but perhaps none so ridiculously challenging and fun as our two trips through Tanzania into Mozambique. Our first trip had us travelling from our home in Northern Mozambique up to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, and back. Our second trip was part of a massive drive from South Africa, up through Botswana, into Zambia and then across to Tanzania and finally down into Mozambique. That trip was wrought with many hilarious moments, and plenty of hairy ones too. I'll be posting more stories about that trip in the future. For now, this post will be focusing on Tanzania and on how to survive when unexpected situations arise.
Before you set out on the road, you need to make sure you have the essentials to keep you going. Even more so in Africa where there generally isn't the convenience of having service stations every fifty kilometres with the luxury of flushing toilets, refrigerated drinks and fuel for the car. Therefore, by far the most essential item to bring with you on an African road trip is... toilet paper. Ah yes, that simple little item that is often taken for granted in the western world is a definite essential for the African bush. If you are so blessed as to find a service station in the middle of nowhere, Africa, and if it actually has a toilet (which might actually be just a hole in the ground with a few pieces of bamboo stuck around it for minimal privacy), then the chances are that there will be no toilet paper to accompany said toilet (and probably no flushing mechanism either). No, the majority of the time, your toilet experience will be stopping in the bush, squatting down behind a tree and being extremely grateful that you brought toilet paper with you.
Other essentials include plenty of food and water, a torch, wet wipes and duct tape, which can be used for practically anything, including mechanical and medical patch-ups in the bush. You might want to bring a jerry can full of fuel, too, depending on the size of your fuel tank.
Now that you have packed the essentials, you are ready to go. Learning from our mistakes, though, is a great idea... and trust me, we have made many of them! Here are a couple of things to consider before taking off.
Oh, the joys of African road travel. Before setting out for Tanzania the first time, my husband and I checked our GPS to map out the route, which told us how many kilometres we were from the border, and how long it would take us to get there. It wasn't far at all - only two hours away - so we planned to drive to the border before we took our first break. Of course, we didn't take into consideration that the GPS assumed that the road would be paved, seeing as it was the trans-national road into Tanzania. In reality, the drive took us seven horrifying hours braving roads not only made of dirt but with huge fissures slicing through them and 'potholes' large enough to eat the car. We have a very good four-wheel drive vehicle, thankfully, and could handle the road conditions - would have enjoyed it, even, because we generally love off-roading. However, the problem came with the extra five-hour delay which we had not factored into our plan, and which caused more problems later, as you will read soon.
That first trip was in the dry season when the roads had been baked by the hot African sun for months and were hard as rock, if not cracked and fissured. Our second trip, after days and days of adventures travelling through Botswana and Zambia, occurred in the wet season, and all that dirt had turned into a river of sliding mud.
Mudding can be extremely fun: slipping, sliding and whooping with joy. On this particular trip, however, we were carrying in excess of 300kg worth of supplies for our home in Mozambique on the roof of the car, which made the slipping and sliding a little hair-raising as the car threatened to topple over a few times whenever it slid into the deep trenches made by passing trucks.
On that particular trip, travelling through the Tanzanian side, we came across a section of 'road' which the council was working on. A detour had been made through the bush - basically just a wide stretch of mud - and as we inched our way across it, we passed many large trucks that had become stuck in the mud. Consequently, they left huge craters in the road as they dug themselves out, which we had to dodge as we edged our way slowly around the trucks. Eventually, we made it to the border, piled out of the car, and went to get our passports stamped in the little customs hut. The passport officer looked at us and then leaned over to look out the window behind us.
"It's a good thing you have a four-wheel drive," He said conversationally, "Otherwise I would have advised you to turn around. The road ahead in Mozambique is practically impassable right now. Knee deep with mud."
"Oh, that's fine," We naively replied, "We just made it through all the mud in Tanzania."
"It's worse." Was all he said as the stamp banged down onto our passports like a gavel, sealing his ominous words.
We didn't make it far before the road became so ridiculous that we could do nothing but laugh and cringe as the car nearly tipped over again and again. There were deep crevasses everywhere filled with sucking mud and hip-deep water. The car would not drive in a straight line, no matter how we wrestled with the steering wheel. Our friend, who was driving her car in front of us, eventually became thoroughly stuck and try as we might, we could not get her car out of the mud. What was worse was that it only became more treacherous further ahead so even if we managed to get her out, it would probably only happen again. And again. We couldn't go back, however, because this was the only way home.
We were stuck for over an hour, scratching our heads and trying to plan a way forward. We found some locals with machetes and thought about asking them to cut a new path for us through the undergrowth to the side of the road, but it was just as muddy there too. No other cars had passed us on the road. We were truly stuck with nowhere to go and no way out of it. We always believe in looking on the bright side of every situation, though, and managed to find something to be thankful for... we had remembered to pack toilet paper. We had been through many impossible situations in the past and always managed to find a way out of it. The most important thing to do in these situations is to remain calm and not panic. There is always a way. It might just take some time to discover what it is.
Eventually, after another hour had passed and we were beginning to despair of ever getting out, the impossible happened in the form of two huge trucks with monster tires as tall as me appearing out of nowhere. One appeared from behind us, and the other in front. They both arrived at the same time after hours of not seeing a single vehicle. The truck driver in front of us took one look at our predicament and promptly pulled out a massive chain, attached it to our friend's car and towed her out of the mud and to the road ahead. Our car was able to make it through, but we were still scratching our heads wondering how we could continue without getting stuck again, all while thanking our angel in disguise profusely as he grinned at us and continued on his way, when the truck driver who had come up from behind told us he would drive in front of us and we could follow his tracks. If we got bogged, he would tow us through.
Full of joy and renewed determination we set off once more, following the truck which literally made waves of water and mud as it thundered through the craters, leaving them clear for us to get through. He took us all the way to the paved road, and when we thanked him with our rudimentary knowledge of the Swahili language and tried to give him some money for his trouble, our second angel in disguise of the day vehemently refused, patted us on the shoulders and went on his merry way.
As a result of road conditions and the GPS' total lack of ability in calculating times on African roads, it becomes very difficult to plan and time arriving at a border to correspond with the border post's hours of operation, but you should always check operating hours before you travel to at least try and avoid being stuck overnight at a border. We have experienced that several times, and it's not fun.
The first time we travelled from Mozambique to Tanzania when we were so completely put out by the extra five hours of driving, we ended up making it to the border half an hour after it closed. We had planned to get there by lunchtime. Plans are always so nice and perfect. Too bad they often need to be thrown out the window on an African road trip. About the only thing you can plan properly is the actual route you will take. Everything else needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, an open mind and a heaping spoonful of flexibility.
We made it to the border to find the gate shut and a guard standing beside it pointing his AK-47 at us.
"Hello, Chief." (They love it when you call them Chief or Boss.) We smiled respectfully at him.
"Border's closed. Come back tomorrow." He replied gruffly. We gave him sad eyes - the children are experts at it - explaining that we had nowhere to go. This border post was in the middle of nowhere, not even a small village nearby. No hotel. No restaurant. We would be roughing it that night. He eventually relented, opening the gate for us and allowing us to park our car inside the compound where we would have a little protection as we slept in the car, waiting for the passport officer to arrive the following morning at 6 am. We made a dinner out of the various small snacks we had in the car, making the most of the situation as we laughed and joked and squeezed into the car to lie half on top of each other and doze until the morning.
It is essential that you keep your humour during trips like these. As long as you can laugh, everything will be fine. Frustration and impatience should never be passengers on your road trip.
After reading about road conditions, unexpected mishaps and border crossing times, it should become clear that the best way to road trip long distance in Africa is to have a very flexible plan if any at all. We never bother to book accommodation beforehand, as we just don't know what time, or day, we will make it to where we are going, and find it best to just drive without a destination, allowing the path to take us where it wills, as fast or as slow as it wills. This takes the pressure off trying to make it to a certain destination at a certain time, which leads to major frustration and even panic when unexpected adventures creep up on you. It's much better to just go with the flow and enjoy every moment, good and bad. Live for the adventure. It is, after all, the journey that changes us and not the final destination.
On our first trip up to Dar Es Salaam, we had planned to arrive in Dar at a respectable hour, maybe in time for some dinner and a leisurely search for a nice hotel. Of course, due to the road conditions, it was almost midnight when we eventually rolled into the sprawling city wondering how on earth we would find accommodation at this hour. We ambled wearily through the city, eventually stopping at a service station to ask someone for directions. As soon as we pulled up, a man approached the car, trying to sell us a mobile phone, which is a regular occurrence in Africa. We asked him if he knew of any accommodation in the area. He smiled wide and informed us that he lived in a holiday apartment complex and the owner was his friend. He immediately phoned him and organised a 2 bedroom apartment for us at a discounted price! The apartment turned out to be wonderful and the perfect place for us to stay while we were there. Things always work out in the end.
So after reading my account of some truly challenging moments, you might be thinking, "Why on earth should I ever consider a road trip in Africa?"
The answer is simple. It is truly the best way to see this magnificent land, experience the life and end up with plenty of stories to tell the grandkids one day! I'll never forget the magical moment we were driving at dawn through Botswana, the sun just rising and beginning to kiss the world awake, when an elephant ambled out of the bushes and stopped by the side of the road to watch us pass; or the time we stopped at a small Tanzanian village after a long day's drive to buy some chicken and flatbread being cooked on a fire by the side of the road, laughing with the locals as I tried out my extremely basic Swahili on them; and then there was the enchanting time we stopped for cocktails at sunset overlooking the great Zambezi River at Victoria Falls in Zambia, letting the peacefulness of the place wash over us and rejuvenate us after days of driving. There are so many reasons to road trip, including the adventures and challenges which just add to the extraordinary delight of it all. So off you go. Get in your car and drive off into the sunrise... and don't forget the toilet paper.
Love these stories! So good!


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Gary Haber
Michael Lisicky has a fascination with long-gone urban department stores, the lost giants of retailing's gilded age whose tea rooms, book departments and prime downtown locations gave way to suburban shopping malls, big-box retailers and online shopping.
Lisicky, who grew up in Cherry Hill, N.J. outside Philadelphia, has penned books on Philadelphia's Wanamaker's, Baltimore's Hutzler's and New York's Gimbels among other defunct retailers.
With his seventh and latest book, "Shop Pomeroy's First" (History Press, paperback, $19.99), the Baltimore-based department store expert turns his attention to a beloved southcentral Pennsylvania department store chain that helped turn Bon-Ton Stores into the national retailer it is today.
Pomeroy's roster of stores included locations in Camp Hill, Harrisburg and Lebanon at the time Bon-Ton Stores bought the chain from Allied Stores in 1987.
Pomeroy's Harrisburg location boasted a large book department and a restaurant on the mezzanine level that offered local favorites like cinammon sticks and cheese omelets with grape jelly.
Bon-Ton's purchase of Pomeroy's, led by Bon-Ton's Tim Grumbacher, not only increased the retailer's presence in Pennsylvania but also launched a series of acquisitions that took Bon-Ton from a regional chain to a national retailer.
"Bon-Ton never could have learned how to expand without its acquisition of Pomeroy's," Lisicky said in a phone interview.
Lisicky, whose day job is playing oboe in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, interviewed Grumbacher for the book. He also snagged another retail veteran -- Boscov's Chairman and CEO Albert Boscov -- to pen the book's foreward.
Bon-Ton gave Lisicky access to the archives at the company's Springettsbury Township headquarters. There, Lisicky found items relating to Pomeroy's, including the painting of a Pomeroy's store that graces the cover of Lisicky's book.


We are happy to introduce SmartDock, a prototype system to discriminate binders and non-binders from docking results based on Artificial Intelligence.
The pharmacologic impact of drugs depends on their ability to engage and occupy physiologically relevant target receptor binding sites. However, this binding is not static but dynamic and the pharmacologic action is determined by the temporal stability of the drug-target complex. Very often, drug-target residence time is directly linked to the ability of the drug to establish specific molecular interactions with the target protein.
In this regard, computational docking is widely used in drug discovery for the study of these interactions and also as a tool for virtual screening and profiling. However, despite recent improvements in docking and scoring methods, docking calculations are still challenged by the generation of enormous amounts of false positives. That is because very often only ligand-target binding energies are used to determine positive or negative results. As an example, Figure 1 shows that there are not real significant differences in terms of energy between active and decoys in PARP1 model.
In order to discriminate binders (true positives) and non-binders (false positives) in docking experiments, SmartDock uses information from the tons of structural data deposited on the PDB to develop an intelligent system able to learn the interactions pattern leading to experimental ligand-protein binding and, thus, to the desired biological effect. With this data, models for 700 protein targets have been built based on active and decoy compounds, extracting an interaction model for active compounds. Three decoys have been used for each active compound.
SmartDock has been validated with excellent results on PARP1, a protein involved in DNA damage repair and with an important role in both cancer and aging. Our software outperforms traditional enrichment processes, promoting thus the use of ligand docking methods as reliable virtual screening/profiling tools. Thanks to this intelligent system we build ROC curves with AUC higher than 0.9, and in the case of PARP1, AUC=9.4 (in red). This contrasts the AUC=0.75 (in blue) obtained if you only use the docking results.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Anyone can write a sentence.
This is a favorite phrase of one of my harshest critics.
Perhaps it is not surprising that she is also one of my oldest and most loyal clients.
She has seen, time and again, how writing skills (not just writing ability) can get her better results.
There was the job posting that got all the applications she needed after a few 'tweaks' to the lonely original.
Everyone enjoyed the boost in clients she saw with a few attractive Facebook ads.
She was particularly proud of the articles that gained her community support.
You can get better results in your materials, too, by doing one simple thing.
No, I don't mean close your eyes and visualize, though that wouldn't hurt either. Whatever it takes to stand in the shoes of your reader will help your message.
This technique can be just as quick.
Literally, put a picture in front of you. Print a photo of the kind of person you're writing for and tape it to the edge of your monitor while you write. Or split screen it while you're working on your writing.
Using my client's example from above, we would have used an image of a young person ready to work for the job posting, our target customer for the Facebook ads, and maybe a group photo from the last community picnic we attended, or a group of people involved in our same industry, for the articles.
You don't have to get too carried away with a whole dream board of this person, just a snapshot image that immediately represents the individual you're trying to reach.
No matter what you're writing, you're going to play with a few different ways to say it.
Think about it. Even when you're dashing off a social media post, you probably change at least a few words while you're writing. I hope you put a bit more attention into the things you write for your business.
As you play with the message, your eyes will naturally drift over the photo at the edge of your screen and remind you who you're talking with. Seeing that person eye-to-eye, so to speak, will automatically inspire you to take on the tone of voice appropriate for your message.
See the job applicant on the screen?
You'll remember you're the boss in this situation and use professional language focused on the job you're offering.
That happy customer smiling back at you will help you stay professional yet friendly, and the community crowd will keep you focused on the bigger picture and your role in it.
It's human instinct to write the way we're thinking at the moment. As you look at your employee / client / community / fill in the blank image, your mind will be focused on the conversation you'd be having with them.
Effective writing makes a connection to the person the message is intended for. There can be a lot of interior parts to this, but the bottom line is undeniable. For proof, just look at this infographic created by CopyBlogger.
Knowing how to frame your messages with just the right language can be a tricky topic at any time, but you can give yourself the DIY edge you need by incorporating this simple little practice into each one of your writing sessions.


Day Two of the journey was spent in Shirdi singing bhajans and visiting saints. Walking through the temple of Shirdi Sai and the town as well, many were reminded that Shirdi Sai was both a Muslim and a Hindu. One important element of his mission was to reconcile these two religions and show the unity behind them; very similar to Sri Swami Vishwananda's way of showing us the same, but through Hinduism and Christianity.
Sri Swami Vishwananda and the Bhakti Marga devotees where invited to sing bhajans (devotional songs) at the temple of Shirdi Sai.
Thursday is considered the main day for pilgrims to visit the temple and it is estimated that around one million people visit the temple throughout the day.
It was a beautiful and powerful experience. The traditionalists in the room were somewhat surprised by the Bhakti Marga style of dancing and singing. But soon everyone joined in and were singing and dancing with them all in the Name of the Divine.
After the bhajans finished, Swamiji gave a few interviews to the media. Swamini Vishwamohini and Swami Paranthapa also gave interviews about the "Shirdi experience".
1. First, we went to a place where Baba had meditated for some time. This was the same place that he had sent Upasani Maharaja to do his sadhana as well.
2. The second place we visited was the samadhi ashram of Chaval Baba, who was known for receiving a vision of Sai and afterwards becoming his disciple. They had an OM appear on the floor of the temple, an image of Sai appear on the wall of the dhyaan mandir (meditation room), and various other miracles still happen there on a regular basis.
3. The last place was to see the samadhi of Ramdasi Baba. It was a lovely temple. One story says that Ramdasi chanted Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram as japam 200,000 times. When he finished his last mantra, a monkey jumped down from a tree and hugged the saint very tight. Then the monkey disappeared on the spot. Jai Hanuman!


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Edition No. 268 August 31 – September 6, 2019
In a new book, veteran journalist Brian Toohey argues that covert CIA operatives have worked in Australia for decades, something the government has long denied. By Karen Middleton.
CIA agents in Australia
A covert operative of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency conducted a secret affair with a senior Whitlam government minister who was of interest to America in the lead-up to the 1975 dismissal, according to a new book on the use and abuse of secrecy in Australia.
Journalist Brian Toohey writes that the woman was the spouse of a US official and worked at an Australian university while she was also undercover for the CIA.
Toohey reveals the alleged affair in his new book, Secret: The Making of Australia's Security State, to be published next week by Melbourne University Press, to illustrate what he sees as a too-cosy relationship between Australian intelligence agencies and the CIA and too little Australian scrutiny of the pros and cons of the US alliance.
He writes that he confirmed the woman's relationship with the then minister and, separately, her status as an undisclosed CIA officer, something he believes the minister did not know.
Toohey says it is unclear if her liaison with the now-deceased minister, whom he does not name, "related to her CIA job or was strictly recreational"; however, the minister was "of interest to the US".
Toohey, one of Australia's most credentialled journalists on national security and intelligence, has been writing in the field since 1972, when he left the office of then Labor defence minister Lance Barnard to become a journalist.
Toohey's revelations about the clandestine affair form part of his book's portrait – based on decades of interviews, archival material and leaked documents – of a country engaged in an unequal diplomatic and security relationship, too willing to accept US assurances about its activities both on Australian shores and abroad.
He writes that an officer of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), who became friends with the American couple, knew of the woman's clandestine CIA role but did not notify ASIO's director-general that she was a secret agent of a foreign power.
"His failure to do so illustrates the difficulties of relying on ASIO to conduct an effective counterintelligence operation against its dominant partner," Toohey writes. "It also demonstrates why there is no reason to believe ASIO assurances that there are no undeclared CIA officers in Australia."
Toohey takes issue with similar assurances contained in the three-volume official history of ASIO, which suggests there is little evidence that covert CIA agents have been active in Australia.
He alleges that while governments – and the media – have focused on the dangers of agents from countries such as Russia and China, US agents have had more influence.
Toohey says the growing Australian culture of secrecy is distorting knowledge of its history, allowing nationalist sentiment to flourish.
His book arrives in the shadow of hearings at the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption into allegations that the NSW Labor Party received potentially illegal cash donations from billionaire Chinese property developer Huang Xiangmo.
Toohey alleges that, historically, the CIA engaged in funding both the Liberal and National parties, whose policies they favoured.
Toohey has long raised questions about the CIA's covert influence in Australia, publishing correspondence revealing the agency's uneasiness with Gough Whitlam as prime minister and suggesting it played a role in his dismissal.
He believes CIA involvement was a factor – although not the only one – in governor-general Sir John Kerr's decision to terminate Whitlam's commission and spark a constitutional crisis.
Toohey's book, which traverses the years of his own national security reporting, also examines the erosion of civil liberties in Australia – especially since the US terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 – and the increasing use of secrecy as a weapon.
He says the book aims to provide a counter-narrative to the official accounts of Australia's war fighting and the role of its intelligence services and foreign bases. It devotes considerable attention to the role of those US bases, at Nurrungar in South Australia, now closed; North-West Cape in Western Australia; and Pine Gap in the central desert.
Toohey lays out details of Whitlam's displeasure at discovering, contrary to US assurances, that Pine Gap was being run by the CIA, not the US Defense Department.
He revisits and elaborates on a time line featuring the US's 1975 concerns that Whitlam might be planning to terminate the agreement governing the Pine Gap base. The agreement had been signed in 1966 and a decision to either renew or terminate with a year's notice was due by December 10, 1975.
Toohey writes that Whitlam had planned to stand up in parliament and formally reveal the CIA's role at Pine Gap on November 11, 1975 – something overtaken by his dismissal.
He argues that, for all the sentiment around the Australia–US alliance, America's primary interest in Australia has been as a base for covert CIA activities, using its monitoring facilities, and for its increasingly overt regional military presence, in recent years via US Marine rotations in Darwin.
In a position long dismissed by the security establishment, he questions why Australia persistently goes to war at the behest of or in support of the US when it is not always in Australia's direct interests.
His intervention comes just a week after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australia would join the US, Britain and Bahrain in a maritime protection force in the Middle East's Strait of Hormuz, seen as part of a US strategy to put pressure on Iran.
Based on archival documents reaching back to Korea, Vietnam, the world wars and earlier, Toohey lays out what he argues is a pattern of Australian acquiescence to US and other interests – sometimes with its leaders conceding as much. He notes the US has refused previous Australian requests for support, including from then prime minister John Howard when violence broke out in post-independence East Timor in 1999.
He also notes that the ANZUS treaty that underpins the alliance does not actually bind either country to assist the other, contrary to popular belief.
"I can see the arguments for getting out of it, the arguments [the late former prime minister] Malcolm Fraser made in his book," Toohey told The Saturday Paper this week. "New Zealand hasn't suffered by being out of it."
But he said, primarily, Australia and the US would be better served by adhering properly to article 1 of the treaty. Article 1 says the parties must undertake to settle any international disputes "by peaceful means" and refrain from threatening the use of force in any way inconsistent with the United Nations charter."I'd like people to go back – both countries – to obeying article 1," Toohey says.
He accuses Australia and its allies of double standards in opposing other countries' activities – such as electronic espionage – while undertaking similar activities themselves.
An example is in the prosecution currently under way in secret hearings of a former Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) agent turned whistleblower, Witness K, and his lawyer, Bernard Collaery, over the disclosure that Australia bugged the Timorese cabinet room during Timor Gap negotiations.
Toohey says the growing Australian culture of secrecy is distorting knowledge of its history, allowing nationalist sentiment to flourish and causing the subjugation of Australia's genuine interests to those of its bigger allies.
"Secrecy often hides incompetence and rewards conformity," Toohey writes.
He argues that while it has a legitimate place, secrecy is increasingly used to dismantle civil liberties and entrench government power, reaching far beyond the usual justification of fighting terrorism.
"State-enforced secrecy in the name of national security increasingly covers up war crimes, phoney intelligence, abuses of power, incompetence, folly and hugely wasteful spending," he writes.
"Too often new laws make it legal for governments to take actions that would be illegal if done by corporations or individuals, including breaking and entering, assault, electronic eavesdropping and stealing computer hard drives."
A slew of new national security laws – 75 since September 11, 2001 – have expanded Australian agencies' remit, allowed them to bypass traditional restrictions or undermined civilian protections by permitting the passing of information to other countries' agencies, including the CIA, which are not similarly restricted.
Toohey is not against espionage. He argues it can help avoid accidental escalation and prevent wars by providing information that "convinces each side that the other has no aggressive intentions".
But he warns that agencies – and successive governments – are overreaching with increasingly draconian security legislation and policing practices that undermine democratic values and criminalise public-interest journalism.
"No major political party is offering to restore the values of the earlier era, when habeas corpus prevailed, the onus of proof was on the prosecution, the accused was allowed to see the evidence relied on by the Crown and ASIO officials could not legally kidnap people, or raid a lawyer's offices and seize documents in a commercial case in which the government was part of the opposing side," Toohey writes.
Fostering public support for the work of intelligence and law enforcement agencies featured at the yearly conference of Australia's spy association, the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers, in Sydney last week.
Made under Chatham House rules, contributions are not attributable to individual speakers, who included the head of the Office of National Intelligence, Nick Warner, and the chairman of the Foreign Investment Review Board, former head of ASIO and ASIS David Irvine.
Summary notes provided to The Saturday Paper show speakers emphasised the continuing value in agencies collaborating and sharing information securely but also the need for greater transparency and accountability in relation to sources of information.
They also discussed the need to ensure artificial intelligence enhanced – but did not replace – the work of human agents and analysts and that technology ensured compliance with legal and privacy obligations.
Brian Toohey's book emphasises the dangers in uncontested intelligence and the risk that it can be manipulated, confected or retrofitted to match the policy position of a government that wants, for example, to go to war.
Toohey says that to "keep Australians safe" – regularly cited as a primary objective of every prime minister – governments should "avoid participating in wars that pose no specific threat to Australia". He adds a caveat: helping out a country invaded by another.
Toohey points to both history and the rising tensions between China and the US as evidence Australia should not assume the US will offer its protection and backing in circumstances where the two countries' interests may not coincide.
His bottom line on Australia–US relations is that the junior partner should prostrate itself less often."Instead of fumbling for a non-existent security blanket," he writes, "a little dignity wouldn't go astray."
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on Aug 31, 2019 as "Secrets and ties". Subscribe here.
Karen Middleton
is The Saturday Paper's chief political correspondent.


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Sprite Zero Sugar And Target Team Up For HBCU Steam Challenge, Inspired By Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper on November 28, 2022
Sprite® Zero Sugar and Target have teamed up with Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and are celebrating the creativity and ingenuity of HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and University) students through a STEAM creation challenge.
No Vibranium Needed
Current HBCU students can accept the challenge by showcasing their coolest inventions in the spirit of Wakanda, the most technologically-advanced, fictional country in the Marvel cinematic universe. Students are encouraged to dial up their creative prowess by entering a description and sketch of their best science, technology, engineering, art or math inventions using a Sprite® Zero Sugar bottle/can and up to five eligible Target-branded items.
Epic Battle, Zero Limits
Through December 4, invention sketches or drawings, along with a 250 word or less description of the idea will be accepted from students 18 years of age or older pursuing a bachelor's degree and enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis at an accredited HBCU. All entries will be evaluated by a panel of qualified judges from Target and The Coca-Cola Company with three finalists selected on December 13, 2022, based on appropriateness to the contest theme, marketability, innovativeness and uniqueness of the creations.
The Throne Awaits
The finalists will be announced at the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta on December 17, where attendees will begin to cast their votes, with public voting open until December 26. The $5K grand prize winner will be announced on December 30, with runners-up receiving $1K cash awards and all finalists receiving mentoring sessions with Target and Coca-Cola executives.
Visit www.HBCUSTEAMChallenge.com for further details and Official Rules.
President, Fulfillment and Web Services, HBCUCONNECT
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There are numerous technologies catering to various applications in 3D Printing. The most commonly used technologies are Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Stereolithography (SLA), and Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). To elaborate the varied nature of 3D Printing processes, here's an article that gives detailed insights and compares the different 3D Printing technologies: SLS vs SLA vs FFF, thereby giving a cue as to what to expect from each of them and how they fare in comparison with each other.
The primary distinguishing factor in all the aforementioned 3D Printing technologies is the method of 3D Printing process and the energy source. SLS technology consists of a bed of powder material, build platform, a laser and a recoater. The laser scans and sinters the powder based on the input part geometry. Then the platform goes down by an amount equivalent to one layer thickness value. The recoater then moves the new layer of material in its place. The laser scans and sinters the new layer of powder material, and the platform goes down again and this process continues till the entire part is fabricated bottom-up. Watch the video below.
On the other hand, SLA technology consists of a vat of photopolymer resin material, a UV laser, and a recoater blade. The resin material is cured (hardened) using a UV laser source. Then a new layer of resin is deposited in place using a recoater blade, and the process repeats itself until the entire part is fabricated. Watch the video below.
FFF is a filament-based technology. A typical FFF setup consists of a material filament, a build platform and an extruder-nozzle assembly. The material enters the extruder in the form of a solid filament where it is heated and melted to a temperature of about 200˚C. The nozzle then deposits this semi-liquid material on the build platform. After depositing a layer of material, the platform goes down by an amount equivalent to one layer thickness, to pave way for a new layer of material to be deposited. This process repeats itself until entire part is fabricated bottom-up. The working of FFF is fairly similar to that of FDM so the video attached below should come in handy in understanding the working principle.
The material used in SLS technology is in powder form, whereas the one used in SLA technology is a highly viscous resin (liquid) material. In FFF technology, the material is in the form of a solid filament wound around a spool.
If you are dealing with engineering applications, this is one of those parameters that you may be most interested in. Accuracy is different from part resolution. Accuracy is the degree to which the manufactured part accurately conforms to the input 3D CAD design. Based on our experience we have observed that, the part accuracy in SLS technology is (+/-) 200 µm; the part accuracy in SLA technology is (+/-) 150 µm; the part accuracy in case of FFF technology is anywhere between (+/-) 300 µm to 400 µm.
In SLS technology, you can fabricate multiple part models in one single build by nesting the parts throughout the bed volume. Whereas in SLA and FFF technology, multiple parts can be fabricated at a time, provided all the parts fit into one single horizontal plane. Although in case of FFF technology, it is highly recommended that only one part be fabricated at a time owing to the nozzle traverse distance and temperature gradients. Thus SLS is the most scalable 3D Printing technology, leading to a shorter lead-time for multiple part quantities.
Layer thickness is the resolution in Z-axis. Finer the layer thickness, better the surface quality, but more time is required to fabricate the parts and thus higher the cost, and vice-versa. The industry standard layer thickness is SLS & SLA technology is 100 µm. There's no standard layer thickness is FFF technology. It differs from one service provider to the other. Thus, one should definitely enquire the layer thickness while printing the part in FFF technology. Invariably, the FFF layer thickness is anywhere between 180 µm to 300 µm. Chizel operates FFF technology at 140 µm. Just for your reference, a human hair is about 75 µm in size.
For any overhanging feature or an unsupported part geometry, support structures will be generated in SLA and FFF technology. The removal of supports may leave burr marks on the surface. Thus usually, these parts are post-processed. But in SLS technology, since the unsintered powder itself acts as support, there is no support structure generation. Thus SLS technology can truly exploit the potential of 3D Printing by catering to intricate & complex part geometries with utmost ease.
Since SLS is a powder-based process, the parts have a grainy surface finish owing to the powdery nature of the material. SLA parts have a smooth surface finish, whereas, owing to the process characteristics and larger layer thicknesses, FFF parts have a rough surface finish. Due to larger layer thicknesses, the parts have distinct layer marks on the surface. That's not the case in SLS and SLA technologies unless the part has a curvature, in which case the layer marks are visible, as is the case in any 3D Printing technology.
We hope that this article was helpful and that it will assist you in making informed decisions while dealing with 3D Printing technologies in future.
Do let us know your feedback, and what topics you'd like us to address in the forth-coming articles. Also, to stay updated with the latest 3D Printing news and industry trends, kindly subscribe to our Newsletter.
SLA vs SLS vs FFF - What works best for your 3D printing prototype ?
To elaborate the varied nature of 3D Printing processes, here's an article that gives detailed insights and compares the different 3D Printing technologies: SLA vs SLS vs FFF, thereby giving a clue as to what to expect from each of them and how they fare in comparison with each other.


A-1 Technology - Innovation in the Software Industry: Successful Facebook Applications Start from Successful Design.
Successful Facebook Applications Start from Successful Design.
Design is extremely important for Facebook application success. In order to provide good look and feel of your facebook app take the facebook developer should take into account the following points.
* Design should be an integral part of a general application concept and convey ideas and feelings behind it.
* Design should be user-friendly, intuitive, and of playing style to some extent, because Facebook apps are entertaining by their nature. That extent depends on your application niche.
* Design should be social-networking and viral - and give a user a supporting environment to socialize with other users. Does your design encourage people to communicate and make invitations? Does your design help people to express themselves and show them in a favorable light among their friends? Will users say each other "Wow, just take a look at that app!"?
* Design may impose certain restrictions on a Facebook application and, therefore, cause problems when programming the app and afterwards when adding new functional features. As a result, a Facebook application design should be flexible and simple enough to be able to reflect that constant Facebook growth we've discussed above.
* Also remember that potential users are spoilt by numerous already existing applications competing for their attention. So, analyze your competition to understand what and why is popular and how it can be overcome.


The complainant was hospitalised following an attempted suicide. He said that after he underwent treatment and was discharged, his employer dismissed him and told him he was a very sick man and should apply for a disability pension. He made a complaint of disability discrimination.
The employer said that during his three years of employment the complainant had taken substantial periods of time off work. They said they had taken many steps to accommodate his mental health by allowing extended periods of unpaid leave, and had not actually terminated his employment in this instance.
The complainant did not accept the employer's explanation and said he had lost trust in the employer. At conciliation, both parties agreed to end the employment relationship. The employer agreed to pay the man $9,000, and provide him with a statement of service and a statement of regret. This resolved the complaint.