text:
NSA Resolution on School Safety Guidelines
The National Sheriffs' Association supports the mission of National School Safety Guidelines and recognizes our schools as critical infrastructure requiring the protection of America's classrooms, students, teachers and staff.
Final, June 18, 2018
WHEREAS the National Sheriffs' Association acknowledges School Safety as a priority in our nation's counties, parishes, cities, etc. and America's schools are critical infrastructure and key assets to our communities; and
WHEREAS School Safety and security remains a priority of the National Sheriffs' Association; and
WHEREAS enhancing physical security of school facilities and improving incident response are priorities; and
WHEREAS hardening (layered security) and making each classroom and our schools a protected space must become a priority; and
WHEREAS among those efforts are priorities to enhance immediate notifications directly to emergency public service access points (E911); and
WHEREAS school emergency systems should be required and enable interoperable video, voice and data communications among schools, first responders and other vested stakeholders; and
WHEREAS by implementing these technologies students are better protected in the event of an active shooter event; and
WHEREAS law enforcement response can be greatly enhanced to mitigate serious bodily injuries and loss of life; and
WHEREAS the National Sheriffs' Association recognizes intervention and prevention as critical components to enhancing school safety; and
WHEREAS this strategy calls for an increase in the number of highly trained School Resource Officers with a committed purpose to law enforcement and security; and
WHEREAS the National Sheriffs' Association believes all school threats and crimes committed on school property should be shared information with all stakeholders; and
WHEREAS the National Sheriffs' Association strongly supports national school safety guidelines and standards that follow best practices, as recommended by America's sheriffs; and
WHEREAS the National Sheriffs' Association feels national school safety guidelines will encourage America's schools to make school safety a more uniform system and priority in their communities; and
WHEREAS the National Sheriffs' Association also recognizes all communities have different needs in securing their schools;
NOW, therefore, be it resolved, that the National Sheriffs' Association establishes that our schools are a part of our critical infrastructure and should be protected as well as government buildings, thereby securing our most important assets which are "Our Children".
NOW, therefore, be it resolved that the National Sheriffs' Association will create National School Safety Guidelines following best practices, as recommended by America's sheriffs, in creating a layered school safety system that prioritize making each classroom and each school a protected space.
NOW, therefore, be it resolved that the National Sheriffs' Association urges Congress, state legislatures and county governments to appropriate funding necessary to allow America's communities to enhance safer schools and follow best practices as recommended by the National Sheriffs' Association.
View the PDF of the National Sheriffs' Association resolution.
Schools Included as Part of Infrastructure Spending Discussions
Insights, Lessons from CSSC School Safety and Mental Health Briefing
Five Steps on the Path to Greater School Security
The Importance of Mental Health in Comprehensive School Safety and Security Efforts
Consider the Student Perspective in School Security


text:
The Daedalnexus
Surging through life's intricate core
The Weekly Carboholic: ACCCE hired Bonner, but didn't notify Congress of forgeries when they were discovered
ACCCE hired Bonner, but didn't notify Congress of forgeries when they were discovered
Cash for Clunkers doesn't do much for climate
National Academy of Sciences: we need independent GHG emission confirmation
Climate disruption may, or may not, make disease worse
Before the House voted on the American Climate and Energy Security Act (ACES) earlier this year, someone hired Bonner & Associates (hereafter Bonner) to manufacture some grassroots opposition against ACES. At least one employee did so by forging letters from non-existent people to Representative Tom Perriello of Virginia. These letters were discovered, Bonner claims to have fired the employee, and a partner at Bonner apologized to the two minority groups from which the letters were supposedly sent. The apologies were, it's fair to say, emphatically not accepted.
Since the Bonner story broke last Friday, there have been a lot of new information about who hired them, whether there were other Congresspeople who received forged letters, the legality or lack thereof, and an official response from a House committee with subpoena powers.
We now know that Bonner sent at least 12 letters to three different Congresspeople – the aforementioned Rep. Perriello, Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, and Rep. Christopher Carney, both of Pennsylvania. We also know that these 12 letters were identified by Bonner and brought to the attention of the clients. And, as of Wednesday, we also know that two more letters have turned up in Rep. Perriello's office – these forged on letterhead belonging to the Jefferson Area Board for Aging and the American Association of University Women. We don't presently know if these two additional letters are part of the 12 discovered by Bonner or whether they represent two additional letters, for a total of 14 forged letters.
We also know that the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) was the end client (via another PR company, the Hawthorn Group, which has released its own statement) who had hired Bonner to create the grassroots backlash against ACES – they admitted so in a statement by ACCCE president Stephen L. Miller on their Website. It reads, in part:
We are outraged at the conduct of Bonner and Associates. Bonner and Associates was hired by the Hawthorn Group – our primary grassroots contractor – to do limited outreach earlier this year on H.R. 2454. Based upon the information we have, it is clear that an employee of Bonner's firm failed to demonstrate the integrity we demand of all our contractors and subcontractors. As a result, these egregious actions led to falsified letters being sent to Members of Congress.
ACCCE has always maintained high ethical and professional standards. In this case, the standards and practices that we require for grassroots advocacy outreach were not adhered to by Bonner and Associates. In this sense, the community groups involved, the Members of Congress who received the fraudulent letters, as well as ACCCE, were all victimized by this misconduct.
However, we also know that the ACCCE knew about the forgeries at least two days before the House vote and did not inform Congress of that fact. This comes from an ACCCE document describing the relationship between the ACCCE and Bonner:
Based upon information ACCCE received from the Hawthorn Group, it was Bonner & Associates' own internal that identified these false letters and it was Mr. Bonner who first brought this to the attention of the Hawthorn Group. ACCCE was then made aware of the situation by Hawthorn on July 24, 2009.
The House Roll Call vote on ACES occurred on July 26, 2009.
The Sierra Club announced on Monday that it had mailed a letter to Attorney General Holder asking the Department of Justice to investigate whether Bonner's actions were legal or not. The letter from Patrick Gallagher, Sierra Club Legal Counsel, reads in part:
First, the Department of Justice should ascertain whether forged letters were sent to other Representatives or Senators…. Second, the Department of Justice should investigate whether other community organizations were similarly misrepresented…. Finally, the Department of Justice should pursue criminal charges against Bonner & Associates.
At a minimum, Bonner & Associates, acting through its employees or representatives, appears to have violated 18 U.S.C. 1343 ("Fraud by wire, radio, or television") and 19 U.S.C. 1346 ("Definition of 'scheme or artifice to defraud'").
Representative Edward Markey, Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, sent a letter to Jack Bonner with a list of 14 questions to be answered by August 12, 2009. S&R obtained a copy of the letter – you can read it here. Some of the more interesting questions from the letter can be summarized as follows:
Who did you do your lobbying for, is your client a registered lobbying firm, and how much did did they pay you?
Did Bonner lobby other Congresspeople on ACES and for what clients?
Give us details (compensation, contractor vs. employee status, etc.) about the employee you claim to have fired.
If you script your employees, give us copies of those scripts.
We want copies of all faked letters Bonner sent to any Congressperson, and we also want to know how you got ahold of actual letterhead from the two minority groups from which letters were forged.
Explain how you caught the fakes and what methods you used to ensure that you found all the faked letters and their recipients, and if you destroyed anyting, we want to know that too.
Rep. Markey has also sent a letter to the ACCCE demanding answers to questions similar to those posed to Bonner. S&R has also obtained a copy of this letter and you can read it here. It says, in part:
Press reports indicate that ACCCE may not have told the other affected offices that they too had received fraudulent letters until Monday, August 3, 2009.
The deliberate inaction prior to the House vote and the extended silence after the House vote – some 40 days after the ACCCE knew what had happened – raises serious concerns.
This story is still developing, and S&R will bring you periodic updates as the become available.
According to an Associated Press article, Cash for Clunkers (C4C) has not had an appreciable effect on U.S. consumption of oil or its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the article, C4C reduced oil consumption by about 72 million gallons of gas per year, or the amount of gasoline consumed by Americans every 4.5 hours. Similarly, the GHG savings equates to about saving 57 minutes of GHG emissions per year.
The problem is that the estimated number of clunkers removed from the roads is only 250 thousand, compared to at total of approximately 260 million cars in the U.S.
There are certainly benefits to this program, but according to the individuals interviewed for the AP story, the benefits aren't GHGs. Instead, the benefits are to the economy as a whole and the reduction of standard pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. But two climate experts interviewed for the article had this to say about it:
"As a carbon dioxide policy, this is a terribly wasteful thing to do," said Henry Jacoby, a professor of management and co-director of the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change at MIT. "The amount of carbon you are saving per federal expenditure is very, very small."
"It's not that it's a bad idea; just don't sell it as a cost-effective energy savings method," [Michael Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University,] said. "From an economic standpoint it seems to be a roaring success. From an environment and energy perspective, it's not where you would put your first dollar."
It's also entirely possible that these complaints are actually the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. As S&R reported last month, GHG and pollution emissions vary with the total lifecycle of that transportation method. For this reason, replacing "clunkers" that aren't truly clunkers could actually increase GHG and pollution emissions as a result of the emissions created in the process of manufacturing the new vehicle.
Whether this is actually so remains for someone else to determine.
Last week, the National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) Committee on Methods for Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the National Research Council sent NASA administrator Charles Bolden a letter expressing their support for the replacement of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) that failed to reach orbit earlier this year. The letter says that a replacement OCO is necessary for independent verification of carbon emissions reports that are presently self-reported by nations on an irregular basis.
National emission inventories, required under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, are self-reported and are not required regularly for all countries. Verification requires checking these self-reported emissions estimates. However, independent data against which to verify the statistics used to estimate CO2 emissions, such as fossil fuel consumption, are not available.
In addition, while the Japanese GOSAT has the ability to monitor CO2, the letter claims that GOSAT's spatial resolution is too low and it's accuracy insufficient to measure the emissions of a power plant against the background CO2.
The letter points out that, while OCO's short on-orbit lifetime and poor global coverage makes OCO unsuitable to observe trends, but that OCO would be an ideal testbed for the technologies that could monitor the entire globe for years or decades at a time. And given the significant limitations of terrestrial monitoring of GHGs, satellites will be necessary to confirm the self-reported national emissions.
It's long been a tenet of climate disruption that increasing global temperatures will result in a wider range for tropical diseases and thus greater incidence of disease. But a feature article in Conservation Magazine asks a number of questions about the accuracy of this understanding and ultimately concludes that there are too many unknowns at this point to really know how diseases will respond to a warming world.
The basic problem is this: when there are so many other possible factors in the spread of disease, how can you accurately attribute the wider spread of a disease to climate disruption? The examples provided in the article illustrate this difficulty.
According to the article, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) increased in the Baltics at the same time that the region warmed up significantly. But the Soviet Union collapsed over the same period as well, and the rate of poverty rose as a result. Since poorer people are less likely to get vaccinated and are more likely to forage for food in areas where ticks are more common, TBE researcher, Sarah Randolph concluded that "the disease surge probably had far more to do with human actions than planetary changes."
Mosquitoes are some of the most prolific disease vectors in the world, spreading malaria and West Nile Virus among dozens of other pathogens and parasites. According to the article, West Nile cases in the U.S. appear to have more to do with the lifecycles of the mosquitoes that carry the virus than with climate change. Specifically, in the western U.S., West Nile cases spike the year after a dry year, while West Nile cases spike in wet years in the eastern U.S. These differences result from the relationship between different mosquitoes and their predators. Hot years in the West kill off mosquito predators and the mosquitoes recover before the predators do, leading to an increase in mosquitoes and accompanying West Nile cases. In the East, however, mosquitoes breed in standing water (water-filled tires, for example), and so rainier years produce more mosquitoes and more West Nile cases.
However, the data is only over a few short years, and whether this relationship holds for longer periods is, as yet, undetermined. But the observed reaction of West Nile to precipitation and heat illustrates that whether the disease gets more common and widespread or not will vary from region to region.
The questions are not limited just to human disease and parasites – how animal parasites, and the animals afflicted, will change as a result of climate disruption is also uncertain. According to the article, monarch butterflies are often afflicted by a parasite that makes the butterflies less able to fly long distances. Because so many monarchs migrate to Mexico, the migrating butterfly population remains healthy. But non-migrating monarchs in Florida have a much higher incidence of parasite infection than the migrating monarchs do. And so it's possible that, if monarch wintering sites move further north out of Mexico and into Texas, the incidence of parasitic infection in monarch butterflies could rise.
But other parasites, such as those that infect musk ox in the Arctic, may respond differently, according to the article. The parasites infect the musk ox via accidental ingestion of slugs. If climate disruption kills off the slugs, then musk ox may actually get healthier as a result of climate disruption.
At this point there's not enough information to know.
PhotoCarsOnline.com
← 31,478… 13,245… 152 OISM "scientists" can't be wrong
The Weekly Carboholic: U.S. Chamber of Commerce files for EPA climate disruption trial (update #2) →
3 Responses "The Weekly Carboholic: ACCCE hired Bonner, but didn't notify Congress of forgeries when they were discovered" →
jeff watson
Cash for clunkers might not do much for the environment, but it did make Ford stock go from 5.10 a share to 8.39 a share in 3 weeks. Since I own a big block of Ford, that program has made me the winner as I've covered my nut for the year. This is proof of the law of unintended consequences.
Brian Angliss
From what I recall of the discussion of C4C in Congress, boosting Ford and GM actually was the purpose, while getting gas guzzlers (I guess "cash for guzzlers" doesn't sound as good, even though it's more accurate) off the road was important, but still secondary.
The complex set of variables is, imo, the most difficult issue facing predictions about what climate change will/can/might do…and it works both ways. The people saying that it's a hoax don't deal with the variables; those most concerned with the issue regularly gloss over those same variables. Granted, trying to present the variables to the public will make most eyes glaze over. (This is one of the reasons why i value your environmental writing so much, Brian, you're one of the few i've read who honestly deals with the variables.)
I think that CfC needs to be evaluated wholly as an economic stimulus at this point, because the rest appears to have been mostly window dressing…though it does appear that a significant amount of fuel may be saved over the long term because of it. As an economic stimulus, it seems to have done a better job than most of the other plans.
City Park Sunrise
It's quiet…
Your Daily Devotional for January 8, 2020
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The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.
A memorial stone was inaugurated in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer in the Calvados département on June 5, 2017, to honor the Native American soldiers who died during the Normandy Landings on Omaha Beach in 1944. A chapter of history that deserves to be remembered.
Almost 25,000 Native American soldiers fought in World War II. History (and Hollywood) have remembered the role played by Navajo messengers, whose language was used as a secret code during battles in the Pacific. But the Native regiments were in fact deployed across the entire warzone. Dutch anthropologist Harald E. L. Prins is a researcher at Kansas State University and an expert in the First Peoples of North and South America, and estimates that 175 Native American soldiers charged the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944.
Now 92, Shay is the last surviving Native American soldier to have fought on D-Day.
The memorial to Native American Soldiers of D-Day in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer in Normandy.
Shay was in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer in Calvados on June 5 of this year. The town is one of three which fronted Omaha Beach, and inaugurated the first French monument in honor of the Native American soldiers who took part in the Landings. The memorial stone is crafted in granite from a quarry in the Manche département, and was sculpted by Shay's nephew into the shape of a tortoise.


text:
Can Someone Who is Bankrupt Transfer Property to Another Person?
Can an individual who is declared bankrupt transfer a movable property to another person?
Make an appointment with Company Secretary and Business Lawyer for advice and consultation:
make an appoiment
This issue is dealt with in Yui Chin Song & Ors v Lee Ming Chai & Ors. While the case dealt with other matters of law, we will be solely focusing on the above issue in this article.
Brief facts of the case
Tampin Theme Park is a family company founded by Yui Cha Bok and his wife, Lee Tui Eng. In 2003 all their shares were transferred to their son and wife, Yui Chin Chau and Tew Su Keow. Once that was done, the plaintiffs (Yui Chin Song and others) were also made shareholders and directors of the company.
The company however, was suffering from financial difficulty. To circumvent this issue, the company made Ming Chai as one of the directors of the company on a promise to obtain a bank loan for the company and to exonerate Cha Bok of his debts. It was alleged by the plaintiffs that once the bank loan is obtained, Ming Chai will resign as a director and surrender the shares of the company back to the plaintiffs.
Ming Chai obviously did not kept his promise. To make matters worse, Cha Bok, Tui Eng and Chin Chau were made bankrupt in 2007. Before Chin Chau were declared a bankrupt, he and his wife transferred all their shares to the plaintiffs. However, the plaintiffs subsequently discovered that they were no longer the directors or shareholders of the company (the plaintiffs alleged that the shares were purchased and transferred to Ming Chai and the new directors of the company i.e. the rest of the defendants by fraudulent means, which was dismissed by the court as there was no evidence adduced by the plaintiffs their claim).
Chin Song and the rest of the plaintiffs brought the matter before court, seeking to invalidate the entire transfer of the shares (from Chak Bok and Tui Eng) based on section 52 of the Bankruptcy Act (now known as Insolvency Act).
The decision of the court
The High Court and the Court of Appeal held that as Cha Bok and Tui Eng were declared bankrupt, as any transfer of movable properties by a bankrupt to another person is null and void up to a certain period of time. The Federal Court agreed to a certain extent. In the judgement, the Federal Court held that:
While it is not disputed that Cha Bok and Tui Eng were declared bankrupt and the transfer of the shares falls within the time limit stipulated under section 52 of the Act, only the Director of Insolvency ('DGI') can invoke section 52 of the Act.
In any event, the High Court and the Court of Appeal had erred when it decided that the transfer from Chin Chau and Su Keow to the Plaintiffs were void. This is because section 52 of the Act was created to invalidate only immediate transaction i.e. between the bankrupt and the immediate transferee (the transfer of shares from Cha Bok and Tui Eng to Chin Chau and Su Keow).
Section 53B (3) of the Act which states that the DGI does not have any recourse against any person (not being immediate transferee) to whom the movable property was sold, resold or otherwise disposed of, had paid or given valuable consideration and acted in good faith in acquiring the shares; and
Section 54 (d) of the Act states that nothing can invalidate any contract, dealing or transaction that took place before the bankruptcy provided that the contract, dealing or transaction was done for valuable consideration i.e. the movable property was paid for with a fair and reasonable money value and that the transferee was unaware that he was dealing with a transferor who is facing a potential bankruptcy suit.
Based on the facts of the case, the court held that as Ming Chai and the rest of the defendants obtained the shares through valuable consideration (they bought the shares for RM60,000.00) and the fact they could not have known Cha Bok, Tui Eng and Chin Chau are facing imminent bankruptcy (the shares were bought more than one year before Cha Bok, Tui Eng and Chin Chau were declared bankrupt), the transfer or the sales of the shares to them could not be declared void.
To summarize, if an individual who is bankrupt wishes to transfer movable properties to another person, it has to fulfil the strict requirement that is laid down (amongst others) in the provision of the Act. If not, the transfer will be considered null and void by the court.
© 2022 Neve Agency & Fareez Shah & Partners


On Mindfulness: This Moment In Time.
and all of the miracles.
I am certain this is not news to anyone that trying to live a philosophy or concept you believe in 100% can still be trying.
For instance just the day to day logistics can try to get in the way, and old habits are hard to break even when you want to.
Some say Being Mindful of the Moment is just an expression, I disagree. "No surprise there" I hear someone saying.
it's true I believe mindful is a verb.
I often use to find myself feeling needy of knowing what tomorrow would bring. Today I know this is a feeling I do not have to react to, it is not my need to know what tomorrow will bring.
Because in all honesty my future is not where I want to be. I want to be mindful of just this moment. I want to be fully present in the here and now.
But because often with that needing to know I could also make myself wicked crazy waiting for the answers.
It has only been in the last decade of my life that the realization and wisdom come to me that fretting over what tomorrow or even hours from now will bring serves no rational purpose. Least of all it does not serves me.
I've researched, studied, observed, absorbed, and experimented with ways to help myself remain mindful of Staying in the Moment. I needed some lessons, teachings, or maybe some magic tricks that would help me remember to be mindful.
Once I had some logistics in place, some 'teachings' I could grasp, that which allow now to be gently reminded to remain in this moment by practicing these lessons daily.
Practicing even one of these teachings helped me remain grounded, to retain a balance in my small world in the beginning. I say go slow..
It was quite remarkable how when I chose just one teaching that seemed like magic in that it helped decrease my level of predilection for wanting (read need) to know what the future is going to bring.
In the spirit of this blog I'd like to share the teachings that work for me. My wish is that you are able to take something away, and please be welcome to leave something behind in your comment.
I wear or carry "totems" (an Native North American term) sometimes also referred to as prayer beads, worry stones, or even amulets. My affinity for doing so came from my youth. I found great comfort in a "smoothed by time" river rock in the shape of a flat heart. I found beautiful comfort in holding its warm stone between my forefinger and thumb, or in the closed palm of my hand. I loved the connection with earth as a girl, I treasure it now as an adult woman.
*On Mediation: I prefer to mediate regularly; typically it is once every day for at least 15-20 minutes. I found it is that regular practice of meditation that really starts to shape my mind and the way it works. I have heard that this has been backed up by the latest brain studies. I find it easier to maintain focus, have that stillness of mind I am looking for. Being mindful is becoming my norm.
Journaling: This is probably not a surprise to those of you who know a bit about me. Keeping a daily journal of my goals and my accomplishments while articulating (what I like to think are wise thoughts) into my way of living can be remarkably effective. Absolutely it's a habit that requires practice. A lot of practice. Journaling at night when I can't sleep and reviewing in the morning helps keep these teachings alive throughout the day.
Reminder Notes: By placing inspirational/motivational notes, and self-affirmations around my small world (as done even on this post) these become helpful reminders for staying grounded and not getting distracted. This can be favorite quote, important concept, notes from loved ones, or even a short narrative or a poem. A personal favorite are two prayers sent from a very good friend who is one of my spiritual mentors.
Mind-fullness Alarms: I loved this teaching especially when I began my quest of mindfulness. Although I don't do this as a norm anymore; setting alarms to go off at regular intervals throughout the day can be a very effective teaching to help kick-start good mindful habits. This is especially helpful when marathon writing by the way. Having that reminder alarm helps me to get out of my head for a time with regularity.
It is also important I believe to note of what to be mindful of. Buddhists refer to this as the Right Thought and Right View.
Things that consume us during the day, like anger, fear, worry, or frustration, comes from unwise or misguided perspectives. Having a wider & more open mind to other perspectives than our own is a big help. I heard once about a very effective practice of referring to the issues of certain circumstances in our life as "third-world problems". This is short-hand for a reminder that while dealing with issues we think are monumental, we might instead be mindful that there are people in our world who don't have access to enough to eat.
It is all about perspectives.
Can this kind of daily practice of mindfulness achieve a state of bliss In The Moment?
So….I think… I shall stay right here in this moment….this here and now – and absorb it for all its worth.
And this moment in time?
I have noticed a bit of a strange happening across our blogosphere lately, I thought I'd share my observation and maybe incite some dialogue here at Barefoot Baroness. Who knows, you might even blog about the same thing.
And that right there is the rub of which I'd like to focus my thoughts on.
Is this a form of flattery?
When you have worked to create something with that hope that there is original thought some where in your piece, and that it's also worth sharing. You hope that you will strike a chord in a reader's heart. Thirdly, you also ask yourself; how much has this been done? How many posts like it are there? It's a relative question in my mind. Once this criteria has been met only then publishing is a real possibility.
But if these three questions needing to be addressed, or any one of them are not met whats does it mean? You have met the first two; you have your original thought, or the way you present it is different enough. And of course the topic and its contents are worth sharing. Now what about the 3rd point? How often and close to your own blog has the topic been done already?
It matters a lot to me, and to some of my fellow bloggers who have been having an ongoing discussion about just this point. I am no doubt going to catch a wrath for writing this, going out on a limb. I am a rebel and I am used to this. That being said, I have to add that I find someone who follows me, and then who creates a post so like my own to not be the least bit flattering. I question why?
I have to wonder why? Is it flattery in their minds? Or is it just imitation?
I honestly feel that after I have developed the idea, creating the post which in my case is always a personal narrative on what my thoughts are, and should not be up for grabs. My work from my outline, research, the message & the take away, all are which I want my post to stand alone on. And to me, maybe most the important aspect is that it is original work. Both in thought & content.
I am not the least bit flattered when another blogger/writer grabs what they like from another's work and takes off on their own with it.
Imitation is not the best form of a compliment in my mind and heart, and I would think that since most "WordPressers"are writers who are "hip" to the idea of original and innovative work, I tend to believe that this is what they also want. This is not a new concept. I accept that inspiration comes in many forms, from thousands of places. I support finding inspiration where you can, when you can. Your own muse could be right beside you. What or who my muse is can change tomorrow from today. It always does as I go through my reflective writing about his life.
Now you all may say I am eating sour grapes here and maybe so.. not sure I'm ready to give you this though….. just not sure.
I am at a stand still in terms of what to think or feel when I and others I follow work hard on posting original content and topics only to find the next day that a reader has used the same topic, if not the same copy.
I'm curious… what do you think?
I love life's progression. How things unfold themselves for you if only you keep your heart open to possibilities. I love waking up on the morning of a new day and finding welcome words in my email. I am blessed that it happens almost daily. I am a very blessed woman there is no doubt. There are happy messages, messages from friends that have been far away, but feel close to home now, messages from family, and then there are the messages that rock my soul.
I received two messages this morn that rocked my soul. One of from a friend you all know. The Universe. Now I realize these messages are somewhat tongue in cheek., and I say somewhat because I have not been able to understand how the messages I receive are so relatable to what is happening in my life. Things not many, if any know. Things I do not share. Not once or twice but on a regular basis. The Notes From The Universe that I receive are always spot on. If I was not a person of strong faith it might even cause me to be suspicious. But I am not the least bit concerned. It has happened so often, and touches something so deeply felt that it will set me back in my chair and cause me to have to so sit back and reflect; How does this happen? Is there a little bird that sits on my shoulder with me everywhere I go? In everything I do? How else then?
Thankfully, I know it is not necessary to have all the answers, as long as my faith carries me. I've really stopped asking and just started accepting. And believing even more in dreams & hopes. The Notes From The Universe that I receive are being fed my life's imprint from somewhere, someone, something, and are more powerful than I.
"Well, Barefoot Baroness, by this point in the day, if my calculations are correct, I expect you've already begun thinking of yourself as "mere mortal." Somewhat alone, a little bit confused, and responsible for figuring out how to make your life take off.
So… just thought I'd send you a reminder that at this very moment, there are a million eyes upon you, grateful for your courage; that you already know all you need to know; and that whether or not you can see it, you're already soaring.
Cee would love to have you all jump on board. Starting any where is a perfectly acceptable. Don't let that stop you. Go on.. give it a try. If you find it's not your thing what have you lost?
Cee's Share Your World question's this week.
1. Do you believe in the afterlife? Reincarnation?
Really? In how many pages I should have to share? Yes. I believe in all things possible.
2. For your computer Mac or Windows-based computer? Desktop, laptop or other?
Windows, Laptop Gave my desk top to kids last year and have not regretted it,I've never even used a MAC operating system..hmm…maybe I am missing something?…….Nah!
3 If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?
My grandchildren's births again.Historic for me.
4. What are you reading fiction or non-fiction or studying and would you recommend it?
Patricia Cornwell: "Black Notice" Richmond VA Chief Medical Officer's nightmares begin when a cargo shop arrives at the shipyard's water terminal from Belgium – holding a deceased stowaway. Always a good read.
Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach – pretty self-explanatory. The first writing exercise Bill has you attempt is writing about the first home you lived in as a chid, & your neighborhood. He suggests you start with a sketch. I was blown over, time and time again ss I drew. Memories would flood over me. By the time I moved to the narration I had so much material I then had to sort. pretty cool.
Thanks Cee! It's always a party! ~no one should listen to Cream do "I Feel Free" At 2:30 in the morning unless it's a party Right?
The piece above I am afraid I have no clue the source. It has been many moons since I tucked this away in a hard bound journal of mine. Tonight/today I see it again as it tumbles out of the book. I'd even forgotten I had it. I do that find or jot down quotes, little tidbits that speak to my mind, heart and soul. My goal is to one day gather them all from their own little stash place and put them in book. This has been my plan for as long as I have been collecting these kinds of snippets. and that has been longer than I am willing to admit here.
I've just now decided it should go on my blog, even though I cannot give credit where credit is due. If anyone has any information I'd greatly appreciate it.
I hope these words have an impact on you as they still do me.


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I recently posted my review of The Rising (Painted Maidens Trilogy Book #1) by Terra Harmony, which I loved because of it´s uniqueness. In the Rising you can read about mermaids, werewolves and a wonderful underwater landscape that is slowly destroyed by careless human behaviour.
Terra Harmony writes eco-fantasy novels, which means she focuses - among other things- on certain problems concerning our nature and wants to alert the reader, using subtle narrative techniques.
I´m beyond thrilled to welcome Terra Harmony, Author of The Rising, to my blog! She will answer a few really interesting questions concerning her series and her writing process.
Hi Lea! First, thanks so much for having me on your blog – and of course, for your wonderful review of 'The Rising'! I'm glad you enjoyed the book, and I'm already hard at work on the second one!
Lea had several questions/suggestions for a guest post, and I wanted to be sure to address them all!
Why did you choose to write a trilogy featuring mermaids?
Mainly because I like a challenge. Mermaids have been done, but not really in their element. Most books have the mermaids on shore, and when they are underwater they are using telepathy to talk. That is totally cheating! My goal was to show the mermaids in their own environment, and hopefully the readers will fall in love with the mermaids, their society, and their environment (which is where the whole 'eco' part of the book comes in – it is subtle, but the underlying theme of 'save our oceans' is definitely there).
What does your writing process in general look like?
I can tell you it looks a whole lot different than what I imagine it to be before I start a project. I am very image-driven, so before starting a book I like to ramp up my pinterest boards (http://www.pinterest.com/terraharmony/mermaids/). I also spent hours and hours cutting out pictures from my husband's scuba diving magazines and National Geographic to transform our office space into a collage of underwater pictures.
I get nervous that I won't be creative enough, so I'll have to draw on sources like these.
The reality is I wrote almost the entire book on my laptop – in bed – still wearing pajamas – before the sun came up each morning. It is the only time of day when a quiet house and a functioning brain coincide. Not once did I even attempt to write in my underwater office!
Also, no outlining and very little world-building beforehand for me. Working like that, I tend to get bogged down in details. I will say I rely whole-heartedly on my critique group, beta readers, and editors to really help make my book shine!
I love to write, and now on my seventh book I don't see that changing anytime soon. Even if I didn't make a dime off my novels, I couldn't force myself to stop writing! I have an overactive imagination, which helps with inspiration, but sheer drive is the only thing that can finish each book.
What do you have in store for the next book?


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OFFICIAL MERGER
We are pleased to announce the official merger of Banque Pâris Bertrand SA with Rothschild & Co Bank AG in Switzerland.
Rothschild & Co Bank AG has successfully completed the acquisition of Banque Pâris Bertrand SA, first announced on 16 December 2020. The completion of the acquisition follows approval from the shareholders of both companies and the consent of the relevant regulators, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in Luxembourg.
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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Construction has started in Turkmenistan on a four-lane highway across the gas-rich ex-Soviet nation.
The $2.3 billion project is designed to link Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat, the largest city in Central Asia and located not far from Iran's northern border, to Turkmenabat near the border with Uzbekistan.
Government newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan said Friday that the highway will stretch across 600 kilometers (372 miles) of desert.


April 2, 2018 | Filed in: Mistakes To Avoid When Building A Chicken Coop.
Just How Much Ventilation Will a Chicken House Need?
Considering Building Your Personal Chicken House?
Our top pick for chicken coops!
A chicken house must be ventilated constantly. So don't think that you'll be fine should you simply keep your door open all day long lengthy, after which lock the hens into an united nations-ventilated coop. This may lead to sickness as well as dying.
Yes, even just in winter, you shouldn't close the ventilation of the chicken house – unless of course there's torrential rain that may enter into the ventilation and maintaining your ventilation open would cause more damage than good. However a situation like this is actually the exception.
Lots of people result in the mistake of believing that coops need higher insulation levels during wintertime. But I've come across chickens in Scotland succeeding in snow and cold conditions. Insulating the coop and shutting the ventilation can really be considered a mistake it'll cause additional dampness within the coop.
This dampness results in the down from the chickens becoming moist, too. And moist down cannot get the job done correctly! Chickens possess a thicker undercoat during cooler several weeks, they adjust to the cold temperature, however with wet down, they can't secure heat that's created by their physiques.
The key factor in the winter months is nice food that provides chickens the power they have to produce enough body heat and to possess a coop that's well ventilated although not drafty.
In summer time, plus winter, the build-from ammonia could be a serious issue in chicken coops that aren't well ventilated. Ammonia isn't a huge problem for humans, but it can result in respiratory system problems in chickens. Due to this, you must have a properly-ventilated coop and fix it regularly.
You must also discover a chicken house that you can seem to be a draft is totally different from a properly ventilated chicken house! A draft could be rather harmful for your chickens' health, particularly when you blend it with moist conditions. Guess what happens drafts do in order to humans, so don't expect your chickens to love it much better than you need to do.
Ventilation implies that there's a means for air, moisture, and ammonia to flee in the chicken house. The ventilation is generally underneath the roof and includes holes or slits within the wood. That old air is substituted for outdoors – the fundamental idea behind ventilation.
A draft is a continuing movement of air with the coop, and never very healthy. In summer time, it may be welcome to possess a soft, gentle, awesome breeze, however in most conditions it's not ideal to possess a drafty chicken house.
You may be impressed by just how much ventilation a chicken house needs. It differs from an outdoor shed or perhaps a dog house. Yes, chickens have a tendency to require more ventilation than the usual dog.
It may be rather complicated to calculate the precise quantity of holes you'll need for the coop (you can even choose fan ventilation as if you use within shower rooms, but that's additionally a different story and never suggested for novices.) The safe strategy is to possess more, instead of insufficient.
You can always design the ventilation in a manner that allows you to easily close and open some of it. This really is frequently suggested in areas that will get hot summers (then you definitely open everything), and cold, windy winters (and you only open the ventilation holes on a couple of sides to prevent drafts).
Now that you've got learned how important ventilation is, you will possibly not be too pleased with a few of the coops you can purchase in stores. Or else you simply desired to construct your own coop anyway, but desired to make certain you are making no mistakes. In the end, the calculations of the number of square ft of ventilation you'll need per chicken, or per square meter of chicken house floor, could be complicated.
Even though you may do not have the skills, you can study building a chicken house using the proper ventilation. The hem ebook Creating a Chicken House not just provides you with a number of different plans, additionally, you will get a material list, instructions, and knowledge on keeping chickens. You will not need to bother about calculating anything – the ventilation continues to be taken proper care of perfectly in individuals plans.
Have you ever dreamed of creating your personal chicken house, we've your back!


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Down the Byline
Four Reasons Why Sporting Can Make the Playoffs and Four Reasons They Won't
Kansas City has a hill to climb to make the playoffs, but it isn't impossible. That said, it's a big hill.
By Mike Kuhn@downthebyline Aug 29, 2019, 11:00am CDT
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Sporting Kansas City's playoff hopes are still quite slim, even after their two wins in a row against the San Jose Earthquakes and Minnesota United, fivethirtyeight.com gives Kansas City only a 19% chance of making the playoffs. With seven games left there's little to no room for error for Kansas City as they close out the season and hope to make the playoffs for the ninth straight year. The first step for Sporting comes this weekend against the Houston Dynamo at Children's Mercy Park. With the final stretch underway, here are four reasons why Sporting will make the playoffs and four reasons they won't.
Why Sporting will make the playoffs.
1. All seven of Kansas City's remaining games are against teams that are within eight points of Kansas City. While Kansas City sit in ninth place on 34 points they finish the season vs Houston (31), at Portland (37), at LA (42), vs Colorado (27), at Minnesota (42), vs Portland (37), at Dallas (40). After Los Angeles FC running away with the West, everything else is close from top to bottom. Ninth place Kansas City is just eight points behind 4th place LA right now so things are tight still in the West.
2. Of Kansas City's remaining seven games, three games are against the two teams directly between Kansas City and a playoff berth. KC plays three games against the Portland Timbers and FC Dallas in their final seven games. Dallas currently occupies the final playoff spot on 40 points and has played one more game than Kansas City has at this point. Portland meanwhile is in eighth place, but sits three points ahead of Kansas City. Winning all three of these games is an absolute must for Kansas City to make the playoffs.
3. One of the main issues that have plagued Sporting all season has been their health. Multiple times this season Kansas City has had to dress fewer than 18 players for MLS games and one time this season KC was so short on players due to injury that they had to call up Wilson Harris from the Swope Park Rangers to be available on the bench for a game. Kanas City though is finally healthy with only Rodney Wallace (who is out for the season) and Adrian Zendejas (who played Saturday for Swope Park) listed on the injury report at this point. Having a healthy team for the stretch one is something very few teams can say right now.
4. One of the big things that have plagued KC for much of the season has been their penchant to leak goals this year. The once stingy Kansas City defense has been leaking goals a lot in 2019. Over the past few games though the defense has settled down with Graham Smith coming into the middle of defense with Matt Besler. Keeping a strong defense, similar to a level that Kansas City has had in prior seasons is going to be key for Kansas City to make a run to the playoffs.
While there are positives for Kansas City's ability to make the playoffs, the more likely thing to happen is that Sporting isn't going to make the playoffs they dug themselves into a hole that they'll likely be unable to climb out of, here are four reasons why Sporting won't make the playoffs.
Why Sporting won't make the playoffs.
1. The center forward position is a position that Kansas City hasn't gotten much production out of since the club traded Dom Dwyer in the middle of the 2017 season. Since then KC has gone through the likes of Diego Rubio, Khiry Shelton, Krisztian Nemeth, Yohan Croizet, and now Erik Hurtado. Recently the production has been struggling even more. Since Nemeth scored his last goal for Sporting on May 18th against Vancouver, Kansas City have scored four goals from their center forward in the last 17 games across all competitions. Croizet has two of them against LAFC when he came on as a substitute and eventually moved to center forward after Nemeth subbed out and against the Chicago Fire. Hurtado has scored the other two against Seattle and Minnesota.
2. While three of Kansas City's final seven games are against the two teams directly between them and a playoff berth, the spot really is Portland's to lose at this point. They've played one fewer game (26) than Kansas City, and have two fewer than seventh place Dallas. Portland also has the lowest opponent's points per game for their remaining schedule at just over a point per game. That's helped by the fact that Portland plays seven of their final eight games at the friendly confines of Providence Park, with their one road trip, a trip to Kansas City on September 29th. Portland is 5-3-2 currently at home so far this season, so it's not a great home record, but that 1.7 points per game, if they hold that the rest of the season they'd have 49 points. For Kansas City to surpass that total, they'd have to get 2.14 PPG the rest of the way. So far this year they've averaged 1.26 PPG.
3. Speaking of the Timbers, Kansas City's next game after they play Houston this coming weekend is in Portland on September 7th. Making the playoffs is very much going to be dependent on beating Portland and Dallas in the three games against those two teams. Unfortunately, Kansas City will be going into that game in Portland shorthanded. Kansas City will be missing six players for that game on September 7th, including two starters and four other players that are regularly in the 18. Sporting will be missing their leading scorer in all competitions (Krisztian Nemeth), their leading scorer in league play (Felipe Gutierrez), and their assist leader this season and second leading scorer in league play (Johnny Russell). Those three players alone have a combined 37 goals and assists in league play this season, the rest of the team has a combined 36. Add in Gianluca Busio's three goals and Nicolas Hasler's assist, and the rest of the team has scored 10 goals and 22 assists in league play this season. That's a lot of production that Kansas City is going to need to replace in that game against a team that will have Diego Valeri, Sebastian Blanco, and Brian Fernandez.
4. The tiebreakers are not currently in Kansas City's favor, meaning a tie on points isn't going to help KC out. Currently the two teams right in front of Kansas City, Portland and Dallas, both have two more wins (wins are the first tie breaker) than Kansas City, meaning that's another thing that Kansas City will have to overcome to make the playoffs. The other problem with the tiebreakers for KC is the fact that the second tiebreaker is goal difference, and that's another area where Kansas City has themselves in a hole. Currently Kansas City is at a -5 goal difference while eighth place Portland is seven goals ahead at +2 and Dallas is 12 goals ahead at +7. What that means is that not only is Kansas City going to have to make up the point gap, and at least equal both teams on wins, and then they'll need to improve their goal difference while getting assistance from Dallas' and Portland's opponents to help make up the goal difference hole that Kansas City is in.
So there are certainly some things to be optimistic about heading into these final seven games, teams have gotten hot before and gone on runs to get into the playoffs. That said, it's a very steep mountain that Sporting is going to have to climb and with a tight stretch to end the season, there is absolutely zero margin for error. Unfortunately for me, while I think Sporting will make things interesting down the stretch, the hole they dug themselves is too deep to get out of now.


chatta has been available to schools, nurseries and childminders for just 6 short months and we continue to take great pleasure in welcoming new members to the "chatta family." Every day we hear powerful and exciting news from practitioners and parents about successes and achievements of children, because of chatta!
For nurseries and schools wanting to get started with chatta, all of the training is available, online in the "chatta practitioner's area." This allows all staff to take part in training in a way that works best for them and to maximise the impact of training. There are already many teachers and practitioners who have completed the training and received "chatta champion" certificates.
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Here is a portion of the Adversity Quotient Resolution chapter from my new book RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE.
Learned Helplessness, by definition, is a learned behavior; therefore, it can also be an unlearned behavior.
This is exactly what leaders do for other people, helping them unlearn poor attitudes, expectations, and thoughts.
Let's make 2012 the year you breakthrough, leaving learned helplessness and mediocrity behind!
One such compromise was discovered Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, in 1965, when he stumbled across what the American Psychological Association has called the Landmark Theory of the Century – Learned Helplessness.
Learned Helplessness is a belief that what a person does cannot alter his outcomes, that somehow life's cards are stacked against him.
Seligman's studies created a revolution in the psychology field, displacing Skinner's hopeless behaviorism (Stimulus controls response).
In Pavlov's original study, where he rang the bell and provided food, showing that dogs would salivate after ringing the bell, seemed to prove that humans only responded to the stimulus provided.
From this experiment, Pavlov, and later Skinner, concluded that man lived by learned behaviors only, leaving no room for thinking, responsibility, changing, and therefore, no room for destiny.
But Seligman's experiments altered the field forever with the hopeful cognitive psychology revolution (thinking determines behavior).
His experiments revealed, in other words, that what we do matters.
Seligman tested three groups of dogs on Pavlov's foundation, but with a key variation in the stimulus.
Group A dogs were harnessed individually, hearing a bell tone and receiving a harmless electric shock afterwards.
Group A dogs could stop the shock by pressing a bar with their nose, which they quickly learned to do.
Group B dogs, on the other hand, heard the bell tone and received the shock, but had no ability to stop the electric shocks.
Lastly, Group C received no shocks at all, merely heard the bell tone.
The breakthrough occurred on the second day of testing when each of the dogs from the previous day were randomly placed into a shuttle box; a box with a low barrier down the middle.
One at a time the dogs were place in the shuttle box.
Each dog heard the bell tone and received the shock, but the different responses of the three groups initiated the cognitive revolution.
Both Groups A and C quickly jumped the middle barrier, eliminating the discomfort of the electric shock.
But Group B, contrary to expectations, did not attempt to jump over the barrier, instead the dogs merely crouched down and whimpered.
When a person believes that he cannot change his situation, he won't even try, becoming hopeless because he believes he is helpless.
On the other hand, people can change nearly anything with the right knowledge applied consistently and persistently.
Learned helplessness, because it destroys this hope for change, must be exposed for the lie that it is, teaching one's self and others that change is possible only when a person believes that he can change.
Indeed, leaders must rid themselves and their teams from Learned Helplessness as its acid is fatal to all personal growth.


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Teapot Tantrums
Born to be riled, MizDi strikes again ... musings, rumblings, and sharing of an eclectic assortment of news, information and opinion.....and whatever else strikes her fancy. Please restrict your feedback to the comments section of any given blog post. If you choose to email, please be sure to read the email policy *first*.
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Be Careful of the Words You Say ....
My grandma used to caution us kids sometimes when we were being unkind to each other, or making things up:
Be careful of the words you say
Keep them nice and sweet.
You never know from day to day
Which one you'll have to eat.
You'd think that anyone currently in national-level political office would be old enough to have heard this adage at least once. Well, maybe some of them have heard it, but some need to remember it ... particularly President ObaMao.
Remember "back in the day" when he was being critical of the War in Iraq?
"We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there."
On US troops in Afghanistan
So what happens his first week in office, as the most powerful man in the world? (Please wake me up now and tell me it's just been like a bad episode of Dallas!!!)
Courtesy of Gateway Pundit:
Bombs away...
President Barack Obama air-raided two villages and killed innocent civilians today.
ABC reported:
The CIA's bombing campaign against al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan continued with two more attacks today, an indication, senior officials say, that President Barack Obama has approved the U.S. strategy that has killed at least eight of al Qaeda's top 20 leaders since July 2008.
The two attacks today in Pakistan were the first since President Obama took office on Tuesday.
Asked about it at his daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, "I'm not going to discuss that matter."
During the campaign, Obama called for cross-border attacks against high-value al Qaeda targets in Pakistan, even before the CIA campaign began.
Pakistani officials and villagers told ABCNews.com that 17 people were killed in two successive strikes against compounds in North and South Waziristan.
It looks like the Barack Obama Administration is determined to start a civil war in nuclear Pakistan.
During the campaign Barack Obama said he would invade American ally Pakistan.
Maybe he's putting that off until week two.
Now let's look at this in a bit of a different way. Courtesy of the Looking Glass News (Posted by Lissa on January 26, 2009), what would have happened if the same thing took place had John McCain gained the office of POTUS:
Within the first week of President-Select McCain's term, he has proved that his aggressive, unilateral policies will follow in the footsteps of former President Bush. Like his predecessor, President McCain seems to have little concern for world opinion; he looks to squander international goodwill at a record-setting pace. The Times of London reports:
"Missiles fired from suspected US drones killed at least 15 people inside Pakistan today, the first such strikes since John McCain became president and a clear sign that the controversial military policy begun by George W Bush has not changed.
Security officials said the strikes, which saw up to five missiles slam into houses in separate villages, killed seven "foreigners" - a term that usually means al-Qaeda - but locals also said that three children lost their lives. "
Naturally, Op-Eds condemning President McCain as a warmonger have appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post; McCain was excoriated on Hardball by Chris Matthews and declared the "Worst Person in the World" by Keith Olbermann.
. . . no? That's not how it happened?
Welcome to Through the Looking Glass News.
Are there legitimate complaints to be made about the Obama government? Sure. Will there be impotent kvetching and whining regarding actions by the Obama White House that aren't really important? Absolutely!
But what really chaps my ass (besides the fifteen degree weather) is that McCain would not receive one iota of the understanding, the perspective, the nuance that the Obama government enjoys. Can you imagine that McCain would have gotten an article like this from Reuters?
The News wrote that the 'rather optimistic assurance" given by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani earlier on that the Predator drone attacks would stop once Obama took charge had been dashed. And it added that it wasn't clear why or how Gilani made such a statement when he was in no position to issue a guarantee on behalf of the Americans.
The missile attacks, and there have been around 30 over the past year, have caused both physical and psychological damage in Pakistan, it said. But what is the way out? Islamabad must somehow persuade the Americans that fighting the militants on its soil was something best left to Pakistani forces. "The U.S. decision-makers need to be persuaded of the damage caused by the drone attacks and how they contribute to the growth of militancy," it said.
Somehow, I don't think McCain's treatment for the EXACT SAME ACTIONS would have been as favorable.
(In other news, I think the sun will rise in the East tomorrow, and set in the West.)
Yeah, looks like another new site I need to check regularly, along with The Daily Beast.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 | Permalink
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Think About It ...
**GANDALF THE WHITE said...
"Other evils there are that may come... Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule"
**JOHN STUART MILL SAID**...
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text:
Q: In heroku python tutorial, virtualenv issues installing wsgiref (ez_setup syntax error?) I'm going through the Heroku tutorial "Getting Started with Python." I'm at the step where I want to build my environment locally with virtualenv so I can run the test app locally. The requirements.txt includes
wsgiref==0.1.2

and upon getting to that step virutalenv outputs the following error message
Downloading/unpacking wsgiref==0.1.2 (from -r requirements.txt (line 8))
  Downloading wsgiref-0.1.2.zip
  Running setup.py egg_info for package wsgiref
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "<string>", line 16, in <module>
      File "/private/var/folders/v6/zf84tlbn19zcqlbx977nlrmh0000gn/T/pip_build_jeremy/wsgiref/setup.py", line 5, in <module>
        import ez_setup
      File "./ez_setup/__init__.py", line 170
        print "Setuptools version",version,"or greater has been installed."
                                 ^
    SyntaxError: invalid syntax
    Complete output from command python setup.py egg_info:
    Traceback (most recent call last):

  File "<string>", line 16, in <module>

  File "/private/var/folders/v6/zf84tlbn19zcqlbx977nlrmh0000gn/T/pip_build_jeremy/wsgiref/setup.py", line 5, in <module>

    import ez_setup

  File "./ez_setup/__init__.py", line 170

    print "Setuptools version",version,"or greater has been installed."

                             ^

SyntaxError: invalid syntax

It's clear to me what's happening: at some point python3.3 (my default) is being used to install something through a python2.x script. I just don't know how to fix it. My virtualenv only has Python3.x utilities, and I'm not sure what ez_setup is, even after reading its worrisome-looking PyPI entry.
How can I fix this?

A: Heroku supports Python versions 2.4.4 through 3.4.1.
The tutorial you are using is designed for Python 2.7.8, which is why your application is not working locally. If you were to push the application up to Heroku, it would work properly.
You have two options here, you can either install Python 2.7 on your local machine, or you can modify the tutorial to work with Python 3.x
For the first option, using your package manager or other normal tool, install Python 2.x. If you are using redhat or other rpm-based distribution (like centos, fedora, etc.) be careful not to overwrite the system Python, as rpm tools like yum will stop working.
Once you have installed Python 2.7.x, you'll have to install pip and setuptools against that version of Python. Finally, create your virtual environment and then continue with the tutorial.
If you want to stick with Python 3.3, then you'll have to make the following adjustments from the repository you have cloned:

*

*In runtime.txt, change python-2.7.8 to python-3.3

*Change your requirements.txt to the following:
django-toolbelt

You don't need anything else, django-toolbelt is just a meta package which will install django, gunicorn, psycopg2, dj-database-url and dj-static.
Create a new virtual environment and then install these requirements.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Schedule and Programme
Networking+
Programme Chairs
The DPI: UK's main conference and training venues are located in central London. Both are walking distance to hotels and Underground stations on the Circle line.
Trainings and Workshops (Monday, 9 March – Tuesday, 10 March)
etc.venues Monument
8 Eastcheap
London EC3M 1AE
Click here for a map and directions.
Main Conference (Wednesday, 11 March – Thursday, 12 March)
etc.venues 133 Houndsditch
133 Houndsditch, Liverpool Street
London EX3A 7BX
The Andaz
40 Liverpool Street EC2M 7QN
Distance: 500 ft
Apex London Wall Hotel
7-9 Copthall Avenue, EC2R 7NJ
South Place Hotel
3 South Place, EC2M 2AF
Dorsett City Hotel
9 Aldgate High Street, EC3N 1AH
There is an NCP car park situated within close proximity to Monument.
Click here for parking details.
Minories Car Park is a 10-minute walk from 133 Houndsditch.
Heathrow is London's largest international airport, with 80 airlines flying to more than 180 destinations in 82 countries worldwide. It is connected to central London by three Underground stations, with trains running from the airport to London from 5:02 a.m. to 11:35 p.m. The main conference venue, etc.venues 133 Houndsditch, is walking distance from the Aldgate Underground stop on the Circle Line. The training venue, etc.venues Monument, is walking distance from the Monument stop, both on the Circle line. Taxi fare to central London is £45-70. There is also a variety of bus, coach and chauffer services listed on the airport website.
Located 27.4 miles (44 km) outside London, Gatwick serves 53 airlines flying to 228 destinations in 74 countries. Three rail operators run trains to London, the fastest being the 30-minute Gatwick Express to Victoria Station. Thameslink provides service from Gatwick to London Blackfriars station. From Blackfriars, take the Underground Circle Line to Aldgate station for etc.venues 133 Houndsditch or Monument station for etc.venues Monument. Southern rail also provides service to Victoria Station. From Victoria Station take the Circle Line to Aldgate Station, which is walking distance from the venues.
Located with the city limits, London City Airport provides service to 40 destinations. From the airport, take the Dockland Light Rail to the Tower Gateway Underground Station. From Tower Gateway, take the Underground Circle Line to Aldgate station for etc.venues 133 Houndsditch or Monument station for etc.venues Monument. Taxi fare to the venue is about £40.00.