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Home » Lifestyle » Sex + Love
8 Famous Dicks That Weren't the Worst
By Sarah Hartshorne | February 27, 2020 | Leave a Comment
Dicks are slowly going extinct, and dick pics may be to blame. Famous Dicks are few and far between these days, and no new ones are stepping up to replace them.
In the early 1900s, Dick — nope, not Richard, just plain old Dick — was a relatively common baby name. According to the Social Security Administration, we reached peak Dick in 1934, when the name ranked at #138 among baby names for boys. Which is how we ended up with a famous dick as a president… Richard Nixon.
But ever since '69, Dick hasn't even scratched the top 1,000 baby names. As of 2014, it didn't even register on the SSA's name tally, meaning fewer than five were born that year.
The reason for Dick's decline in popularity is probably obvious. While it's been a slang term for, well, dick since 1836, the word became the go-to euphemism in the last 50 years. Not surprisingly, that's right around the time people started to pump the brakes on the name and there haven't been many famous dicks since.
But we have another theory for the recent near-extinction: Dick pics were the final nail in their coffin.
Who Actually Sends Dick Pics?
According to one government survey, 53% of millennial women have received a dick pic, 75% of which were unsolicited. The bulk highest group of senders seem to be guys with postgraduate degrees who live in the Northeast and who make over $80k (or who prefer not to disclose their income).
Those pics were received — and apparently, sent — with the amount of enthusiasm you'd expect, with women and men describing them as stupid (48%), gross (41%), sad (25%).
So, guys, you might be smart, but considering a paltry 9% of women rated them as sexy, think twice before sending your eggplant through the Internet. However, we think it's totally ok to someone a pic of one of these famous Dicks we love.
8 Famous Dicks
(And yes, we realize some of these are Richards, but we make the rules around these parts.)
1. Dick Butkus
This guy definitely did important sports stuff. The NFL named this former Chicago Bears linebacker Defensive Player of the Year twice. Great job, Dick Butkus! Go sports!
A post shared by Chicago Tribune Sports (@chitribsports)
2. Dick Tracy
Sometimes the best dick is a fictional, hard-boiled detective one. That's why we cuddle our body pillow every night.
A post shared by My Madonna Items (@mymadonnaitems)
3. Dick York
Dick York had an illustrious film and television career, but was best known as Darrin, the patient, mortal husband of Samantha on Bewitched. Sadly, he left the show after debilitating health issues stemming from a spinal injury, only to be replaced by Dick Sargent.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7SHNv7n7AI/
4. Dick Cavett
This Dick redefined late-night television with his deeply personal interviewing style. The beloved talk show host was known for being a consummate professional — although he did walk off the set of his own show once when Cassavettes showed up hammered. What a jerk.
A post shared by Dick Cavett Fan (@dick_cavett_is_a_legend)
5. Dick Pole
A mediocre pitcher with an amazing name, Dick Pole's baseball career including a brief stint with a minor league team called the Portland Beavers.
A post shared by Glenn Olfe (@gant_bobo)
6. Dick Haskins
Look, you're just going to have to trust me on this one. This Dick ran the dump in my hometown, and he was really nice.
7. Spotted Dick
Thank you, Great British Baking Show, for introducing so many of us to this traditional British pudding and saying the name of the dish repeatedly. Fun fact: a Parliament dining room reportedly tried to change the name of the dessert to "Spotted Richard" in 2018, but go figure, it didn't catch on.
A post shared by Kevs Snack Reviews (@kevssnackreviews)
8. Dick Van Dyke
Ah, our favorite Dick on the list. We love Dick Van Dyke and are happy that, like Betty White, he's clearly decided to live forever.
Sarah Hartshorne
Sarah Hartshorne is best known as the plus-size contestant on Cycle 9 of America's Next Top Model, and was voted the least annoying contestant of her cycle by the now defunct annoyingornot website. After the show, she modeled all over the world for clients like Glamour, Vogue, Skechers, and more.
Since "retiring" from modeling, she's performed standup all over NYC and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She was featured in the female orgasm episode of the Netflix show "Explained" and HBO's Vice. She was also recently retweeted by JK Rowling, so she can die now, right?
Follow her on Twitter at @sarahhartshorne
Latest posts by Sarah Hartshorne (see all)
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Your Guide to Gel Nails (Including How to Get Them Off) - August 31, 2021
Celebrate Your Pride With These Nail Designs Featuring the Bisexual Flag - June 16, 2021
50 of My Hinge Matches Told Me This Was the Last Book They Read
How to (Easily) Determine the Right Condom Size
15 of the Most Interesting Pornhub Search Statistics
Woman Recreates Engagement Shoot With a Bag of Doritos


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Home » Car Reviews » Rugged new Lexus NX PHEV Offroad Concept launched at Tokyo
Rugged new Lexus NX PHEV Offroad Concept launched at Tokyo
01/15/2022 mediabest Car Reviews
Lexus's off-road version of the NX gets chunky tyres, tough off-road alloys and a few bolt-on off-road trinkets
Lexus went a bit off-brand for this year's Tokyo Auto Salon, launching the ROV off-road buggy and this – an off-road version of its famously tarmac-biased NX crossover. It's called the NX PHEV Offroad Concept, and it was designed to show how Lexus can balance driving fun with its climate ambitions.
It's based on NX 450h+ and is powered by the brand's 2.5-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain, the combustion portion of which produces 180bhp and 270Nm of torque. The petrol engine is supported by an 18.1kWh battery pack and a 53bhp electric motor mounted on the rear wheels, giving the car four-wheel drive.
• New Lexus RZ 450e electric SUV teased ahead of 2022 launch
To turn the standard NX into the Offroad Concept, Lexus started by swapping its standard wheels and tyres for tougher 17-inch off-road alloys, shod in BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres. The firm also bolted on some new matt-black roof rails and a carrier basket.
Other cosmetic tweaks include a new Iron Oxide paint finish, a Lexus-branded sunstrip across the windscreen, gloss black window surrounds and matt-black replacements for the car's radiator grille, door handles and badges.
The car's ride-height has also been raised slightly, to provide some extra clearance for the knobbly off-road tyres. The lifted platform also allows the Offroad Concept to crest obstacles that would likely strand the road-going SUV.
Although it's not a particular concern for this concept, the electric portion of the NX 450h+'s powertrain should also allow the Offroad concept to cover at least 30 miles on EV power alone – albeit only driving the rear wheels.
Lexus hasn't confirmed the SUV's pure-electric capabilities, but we expect the heavier alloys and off-road tyres will reduce the powertrain's efficiency. For comparison, the standard NX can cover 40 miles on electric power alone, at speeds of up to 84mph.
Now read all the latest on the new Lexus ROV concept…
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


People have always wanted to get rid of nail fungus. As you may know, this is a very embarrassing condition that a lot of people in the world have, and this triggers the advance on knowledge for treatments, both medical and alternative. Medicine treats the condition through chemical formulas that a lot of people reject, because they come with side effects that can be pretty serious, including liver damage. Alternative medicine, seeks the other way, trying to find natural cures, and one of those cures involve the use of powerful essential oils.
The Oregano Oil is "the" essential oil preferred as a treatment for nail fungus. It is a topical application, although some specialists may find necessary oral ingestion to fight the fungus from within (this oral ingestion must be properly controlled by a specialist). Oregano Oil has a powerful penetrating power and this makes it excellent for battling nail fungus that spreads under the nail bed.
To use oregano oil for nail fungus, you must adhere to a strict daily habit of rubbing it on the affected nails. Do not miss a day! If you put oregano oil one day, and then the other day you forget, you are doing little to help the condition of the nail improve. Remember that fungus spreads easily and quick.
Tea Tree Oil comes from an Australian plant called Tea Tree. It contains a powerful substance called terpinen-4-ol. This substance has been proved by scientific research to have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. As the oregano oil, tea tree oil has also powerful penetration power to act ton the nail bed, but unlike oregano oil, oral ingestion is not safe. The directions for use are the same, with same warning of not avoiding a single day.
Both essential oils are easy to use, freely available, and a lot cheaper than a medical treatment using prescribed medications such as Terbinafine or Sporanox. However, you must always consult with a doctor first that can help you through this natural treatment, and can answer your questions along the way to a healthy nail. Remember that this is all about your health and auto-medication can sometimes be dangerous.


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Vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. What is vascular dementia? Vascular dementia is the broad term for dementia associated with problems of circulation of blood to the brain.
Victoria was the first state in Australia to legalise medicinal cannabis, but other states and territories have quickly followed.
This new research indicates that exercise early in life reverses the negative effect of this low insulin sensitivity in adulthood for children and therefore can counteract the risk of diabetes. The st.
One in three Vic kids is overweight, obese – according to latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures. And childhood obesity rates are climbing higher than any other state, prompting calls from the Cancer Council Victoria for a sta.
Vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. What is vascular dementia? Vascular dementia is the broad term for dementia associated with problems of circulation of blood to the brain.
The Australian and US research on mice suggests blocking some of PEDF's action may reverse some complications – raising.
But he said new drugs could be at least five years away. Dr Victoria King, o.
She is affiliated with Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Monash University and the Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society. Dianna Magliano has been the recipient of two ARC linkage grants. V.
PI Cartridge PI Cartridge. Remineraliser/Alkaliser Inline cartridge with 1/4" John Guest ports. Promotes high level of PH in the body- helps neutralize acidic body conditions- some acidic conditions are associated with diabetes, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions.
Skyrocketing weight means skyrocketing risk of illnesses — among them diabetes, heart disease.
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The lead researcher said one of the surprising outcomes was that obese children could reverse the health impacts if they lost weight. The Menzies institute has been running clinics in Tasmania and Vic.


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Q: JGit clone repository I'm trying to clone Git repository with JGit and I have problem with UnsupportedCredentialItem.
My code:
FileRepositoryBuilder builder = new FileRepositoryBuilder();
Repository repository = builder.setGitDir(PATH).readEnvironment().findGitDir().build();

Git git = new Git(repository);
CloneCommand clone = git.cloneRepository();
clone.setBare(false);
clone.setCloneAllBranches(true);
clone.setDirectory(PATH).setURI(url);
UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider user = new UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider(login, password);
clone.setCredentialsProvider(user);
clone.call();

It will occur Exception:
 org.eclipse.jgit.errors.UnsupportedCredentialItem: ssh://git@github.com:22: Passphrase for C:\Users\Marek\.ssh\id_rsa at
 org.eclipse.jgit.transport.UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider.get(UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider.java:110)....

But if I delete file known_hosts in .ssh\ It will occur different Exception
org.eclipse.jgit.errors.UnsupportedCredentialItem: ssh://git@github.com:22: The authenticity of host 'github.com' can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is 16:27:ac:a5:76:28:2d:36:63:1b:56:4d:eb:df:a6:48.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting?
at org.eclipse.jgit.transport.UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider.get(UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider.java:110)....

Is there any possibility to type "yes" to that question or just skip it?
Thank you!

A: I think if you login with username and password, you need https. For ssh you will need a public key that matches the one on record with github.

A: I suppose you would want to check the github help:
http://help.github.com/win-set-up-git/
Especially the part about generating ssh keys (ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "your_email@youremail.com"). Read the article for your environment, and you'll understand how to get a better configuration.

A: This will do it (like @michals, only less code) if using username / password with ssh
public void gitClone() throws GitAPIException {
    final File localPath = new File("./TestRepo");
    Git.cloneRepository()
        .setURI(REMOTE_URL)
        .setDirectory(localPath)
        .setCredentialsProvider(new UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider("***", "***"))
        .call();
}

A: I had the same problem. The reason was passphrase set for rsa private key. When I remove passphrase for this key it started work without any CredentialsProvider.
UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider probably don't support passphrase. If you would like to have passphrase set, you could define you own CredentialProvider, which will support it, for example:
CloneCommand clone = Git.cloneRepository()
    .setURI("...")
    .setCredentialsProvider(new CredentialsProvider() {

        @Override
        public boolean supports(CredentialItem... items) {
            return true;
        }

        @Override
        public boolean isInteractive() {
            return true;
        }

        @Override
        public boolean get(URIish uri, CredentialItem... items)
                throws UnsupportedCredentialItem {

            for (CredentialItem item : items) {
                    if (item instanceof CredentialItem.StringType) {
                        ((CredentialItem.StringType) item).
                            setValue(new String("YOUR_PASSPHRASE"));
                        continue;
                    }
                }
                return true;
            }
        });

clone.call();

It works for me ;)

A: I had a similar issue, though my setup was a bit different. Leaving this here in case anyone else encounters something similar. I had overridden my configure method and createDefaultJSch method according to this tutorial: https://www.codeaffine.com/2014/12/09/jgit-authentication/
I had something like:
@Override
public void configure( Transport transport ) {
  SshTransport sshTransport = ( SshTransport )transport;
  sshTransport.setSshSessionFactory( sshSessionFactory );
}

@Override
protected JSch createDefaultJSch( FS fs ) throws JSchException {
  JSch defaultJSch = super.createDefaultJSch( fs );
  defaultJSch.addIdentity( "/path/to/private_key" );
  return defaultJSch;
}

I ended up changing my createdDefaultJSch method to getSch (adding the appropriate parameters) and adding removeAllIdentity():
@Override
public JSch getJSch(final OpenSshConfig.Host hc, FS fs) throws JSchException {
  JSch jSch = super.getJSch(hc, fs)
  jSch.removeAllIdentity()
  jSch.addIdentity( "/path/to/private_key" )
  return jSch
}

No idea why this worked, but I found the getSch thing from this answer (coincidentally by the same guy who wrote the tutorial): Using Keys with JGit to Access a Git Repository Securely

A: It is not clear to me whether you want to do username/password authentication or public/private key authentication. Either way, CredentialsProvider will not be used, according to this. You need to configure the transport. First, create a transport configuration callback:
SshSessionFactory sshSessionFactory = new JschConfigSessionFactory() {
  @Override
  protected void configure( Host host, Session session ) {
    // If you are using username/password authentication, add the following line
    session.setPassword( "password" );
  }
} );

TransportConfigCallback transportConfigCallback = new TransportConfigCallback() {
  @Override
  public void configure( Transport transport ) {
    SshTransport sshTransport = ( SshTransport )transport;
    sshTransport.setSshSessionFactory( sshSessionFactory );
  }
};

Then configure the command with it:
clone.setTransportConfigCallback( transportConfigCallback );

A: If the repository is private and needs authentication, you(@Scruger) will do it using username/password with ssh for clone repository.
private UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider configAuthentication(String user, String password) {
            return new UsernamePasswordCredentialsProvider(user, password );
        }

    public void clonneRepositoryWithAuthentication(String link, String directory,String branch,String user, String password){
         System.out.println("cloning repository private from bitcketebuk");
        try {
            Git.cloneRepository()//function responsible to clone repository
                                       .setURI(link)// set link to repository git
                                       .setDirectory(new File(Constants.PATH_DEFAULT + directory))//Defined the path local the cloning
                                       .setCredentialsProvider(configAuthentication(user, password))
                                       .setCloneAllBranches(true)//Defined clone all branch exists on repository
                                       .call();//execute call the clone repository git
            System.out.println("Cloning sucess.....");
        } catch (GitAPIException e) {
            System.err.println("Error Cloning repository " + link + " : "+ e.getMessage());
        }

    }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Vaccine use has skyrocketed in the last 30 years. Speak with virtually any medical doctor and they're more than happy to provide a long list of reasons they think children should be vaccinated. Current American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations state that children should receive 24 vaccine doses by the age of 15 months and 49 doses by age 6.
Included in those recommendations, the medical establishment even recommends that parents begin vaccinating their children the day they're born for a disease, Hepatitis B, that is transmitted sexually or thru shared needle use. Who knows why? Because the misinformation surrounding vaccination is so extensive, many parents don't even question whether or not they should vaccinate their child. However, parents should view these as very major decisions. The lifelong health and well-being of their child may depend on the critical decisions parents make in this area.
A logical look at disease and vaccine statistics may surprise many. Unfortunately, most people are not exposed to all the facts before they're convinced to inject vaccines. In every mature decision we make in life we need to consider two things: The potential upside gain, if all goes well, versus, the possible down-side risk.
2 Effectiveness: Have vaccines been proven to work?
3 Safety: What are likely or potential unwanted side-effects?
The term vaccine comes from vacca, the Latin word for cow. In 1796 the first modern vaccine was created when diseased infectious material from cow pox, a disease affecting cow's udders, was injected into humans to protect them from smallpox. Unfortunately deaths from smallpox rose dramatically about 20 years after the vaccine became compulsory.
In the US and England, the death rate from Pertussis (whooping cough) dropped from about 60 deaths per thousand in the mid 1800s to about 2 per thousand in the early 1950s, even before the Pertussis vaccine was used. Deaths from measles from the mid 1800s until the 1963 introduction of the measles vaccine fell at a nearly identical rate. In both cases, even before the introduction of the vaccines, the death rate from these diseases had already fallen approximately 97%.
According to international mortality statistics, from about 1925 until 1955, the 30 years before the first polio vaccine was invented, the polio death rate had already dropped about 50% in the US and England. However, in the year immediately following the introduction of the polio vaccine, the death rate from polio rose significantly.
Government statistics reported by the Associated Press in 1955, the year after the polio vaccine was invented and widely administered, stated the death rate from polio increased,on average, 530% in the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Fortunately the rate later continued on the downward trend that began decades before the vaccine was introduced.
Polio has since essentially disappeared in the US and throughout Europe, even in the European countries that had no mass vaccination programs. Internationally respected pediatrician, Dr. Robert Mendelsohn believes that the disease simply ran it's course.
The 1850s appear to be the turning point when death rates from many infectious diseases began to drop sharply. I think this is directly related to 2 important milestones. Based on groundbreaking research from Hungarian physician, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, and later confirmed by Luis Pasteur and Joseph Lister, doctors became aware of the existence of germs and the life saving benefits of washing their hands between patients. Then around 1900, municipalities began disinfecting drinking water. When these 2 aspects of basic modern hygiene became the norm, data clearly demonstrates death rates from infectious diseases plummeted, long before most vaccines were introduced.
Research from 1913 Nobel Prize winner in medicine, Dr. Charles Richet, demonstrated that hay fever, asthma, anaphylactic shock and other inflammatory allergic reactions were often caused by reactions to undigested proteins in the bloodstream from injected vaccines. Ask your doctor if she has even heard of this groundbreaking, 100 year old research. Then ask them why they were never taught about Richet's work in medical school. The answer is: because Big-Pharma doesn't want it taught.
Some researchers now believe that trace proteins from peanut oil, a common ingredient in many vaccines, is the likely cause of, otherwise unexplained, deadly peanut allergies. This explains why children who have never before eaten peanuts can experience deadly reactions the first time they eat the food. It's probably because their immune systems were already in hyper-drive reacting to undigested peanut proteins that had bypassed the digestive tract – being injected directly into the bloodstream It's also totally consistent with Richet's discoveries.
Like Richet's Nobel winning research, unbiased studies from qualified researchers are desperately needed so the general public and medical communities can get accurate data on which to base informed vaccine decisions.
Part 2: Vaccine Effectiveness, Do They Work?
Because vaccines are used predominately on our children, most people assume that all vaccines have been subjected to thorough trials and rigorous studies proving that vaccines are effective and safe. Parents have wrongly been told, as demonstrated in the history portion above, that mass vaccination campaigns ended multiple epidemics around the world.
However, taking the time to logically review pro-vaccine assertions, we find that they lack solid scientific backing. Not only has there never been a single long-term scientific study comparing the health and welfare of vaccinated to unvaccinated children, multiple examples can easily be found of vaccinated children acquiring the very illness they have been vaccinated against.
Even if parents find out about the risks of vaccines on their own, their doctors usually assure them that the risk is worth the almost certain, alleged benefit of freedom from infectious disease, that their child supposedly receives. However, time and again, vaccines have simply not worked against the diseases they are targeted to prevent.
A 1978 survey of 30 states showed that more than half of all children who contracted measles had been fully vaccinated. Sweden abandoned its whooping cough vaccine after it examined 5,140 cases of whooping cough in 1978 and found that 84 percent had been vaccinated three times. A 1990 Journal of American Medicine Association article stated that "Although more than 95 percent of school-aged children in the US are vaccinated against measles, large measles outbreaks continue to occur in schools and most cases occur among previously vaccinated children." The medical literature is filled with example after example of the failure of vaccination to furnish protection against common childhood diseases.
To sum up their answers: There is no way for a doctor or layperson to know if the flu shot being administered matches up with the flus that are actual threats in any given year. The years when it doesn't match up, it will provide zero benefit.
CDC says scientific testing of flu shot effectiveness would be unethical. The CDC claim that years when the vaccine matches up with the actual flu threat, "it's possible to measure substantial benefit". Notice they don't say benefit has been measured. The only way benefit could be scientifically measured would be with a placebo controlled double blind study, ie. administer the vaccine to some while administering a placebo to a statistically similar control group. The CDC website states that studies of this type are not done because it would be unethical to knowingly deprive some people of the flu vaccine. Further, they don't define the words substantial benefit. Would a substantial benefit be a 5, 10 or 50% reduction in flu cases? They don't say and the intelligent among us are left guessing what they might be implying.
They have to say in general, because they have no definitive studies. But it's ironic that people most at risk from serious flu complications, the elderly and the very young, are the ones who can expect the least benefit. And any possible benefit would only occur during years when the vaccine and the flu are a match. But, since for so-called ethical reasons, they won't do any truly scientific testing, we'll never know if any of their theories have any validity at all.
From another, so-called, authoritative source, The National Network For Immunization Information, the answer to the simple question:Because of better hygiene and sanitation, hadn't diseases already begun to disappear before vaccines were introduced?
Their answer directly contradicts all official public health data available which clearly demonstrates that many diseases that vaccines were created to eliminate had already been reduced by 97% before the vaccines were even invented. Plus, after reading their answer, any thinking person would have to ask the question: why would improvements in hygiene and sanitation improve all diseases except those that are "vaccine-preventable". Their assertions don't pass a basic sniff test and are equal parts asinine, sad and possibly criminal, if we traced their funding sources.
The experts have confusing, convoluted answers inconsistent with accepted historical data But rather than accept the possibility that the system of vaccination could be seriously flawed, the medical industry simply calls for "booster" shots and re-vaccination, without any solid, long-term studies to see whether immunity is actually achieved and, if so, for how long.
So if you are trying to intelligently do your own risk\reward analysis about whether or not to vaccinate, can you be really sure what the reward is? The CDC certainly isn't and they claim it would be unethical to do scientific studies to find out.
Most doctors are happy to administer whatever vaccine producers claim is safe but are reluctant to discuss the fact that these for-profit vaccine manufacturers are legally protected from lawsuit should their products prove to be harmful or deadly. They can pump out anything they want with no financial risk at all. I can think of no other for-profit business that is absolved of all legal liability for the safety or effectiveness of their products.
Mainstream medical professionals offer no proven explanations of why autism rates have risen to 1 in 50 except to say those outrageously high numbers can easily be explained away solely by differences in reporting methodology Additionally, serious ADD issues, acute allergies and asthma rates have all substantially increased in kids in the past 30 years, according to Center For Disease Control and The American Lung Association, with no reasonable explanations from medical professionals Maybe we need unbiased scientific studies?
In 2011 a study was published in the peer reviewed journal, Human & Experimental Toxicology, exposing the alarming relationship between vaccinating and infant mortality. Of the 34 countries studied, the United States ranked 34th (worst) in infant mortality and topped the list for the most vaccines administered under one year of age. The countries of the world that vaccinated least had the lowest infant mortality and the countries that vaccinated the most had higher rates.
To aid vaccine makers, Congress removed legal liability from them for damage done by unwanted vaccine side-effects. This occurred after the manufacturers testified the financial impact from injury awards stemming primarily from the DPT triple vaccine (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) had threatened their existence. However, because the possibility of severe harm or death resulting from vaccines was so obvious, in 1988 Congress set up an alternate system for vaccine victims to receive compensation. It is commonly known as the Vaccine Court. To date the Vaccine Court has awarded over 2.5 billion dollars to victims of serious vaccine side effects. However, it's a no-fault system. So while the evidence may prove someone was damaged from a tainted vaccine or even one that performed as designed, the vaccine makers pay nothing. It's ironic to note that the vast majority of vaccine injury awards in the Vaccine Court have, so far, been for children suffering DPT vaccine brain injuries and deaths.
There is a huge volume of evidence proving that side effects from vaccines are far more serious and common than the vaccine manufacturers admit. Since the manufacturers downplay the truth, there is almost no way for most doctors to find accurate data. It's well documented that Big-Pharma provides high dollar grants, typically in the tens of millions per year, per school, for most major medical schools in the US. Doctors are indoctrinated during their years in school with no way of knowing who is controlling the facts they are coerced into memorizing. Only 4 out of 158 US medical schools ban drug company reps from their campuses.
To more thoroughly understand vaccine consequences and effectiveness I would recommend the three resources offered at the end of this article.
Western medicine operates under the assumption that synthetic, genetically engineered drugs and vaccines heal the sick and protect the young from disease, an assumption that parents are expected to accept without question. But when it comes to your child, you are the expert most qualified to decide what is best for your child, using your intelligence and common sense in the same way we fight for our right for real food.
Abundant beneficial bacteria in the gut are a major part of the human immune system and essential for optimum health. We've all heard of people who are prescribed antibiotics from their doctor and for months thereafter catch every bug that goes around. This occurs because the antibiotics indiscriminately kill all bacteria, good and bad, thereby disrupting an important part of our natural defenses. Digestion and immunity problems after using antibiotics can usually be averted by ingesting premium "probiotics" to re-seed the gut with essential bacteria following antibiotic use.
The 60 trillion beneficial bacteria deep in a healthy human gastrointestinal tract, help prevent invading pathogens from ever reaching our bloodstream by creating a living shield inhibiting pathogens including E. coli, salmonella, unhealthy yeasts and other threats, from penetrating the intestinal lining and reaching the bloodstream. The friendly bacteria also help manufacture essential nutrients like vitamins B-12, K-2 and many immune enhancing compounds. Further, good bacteria play a vital role in the digestive process by breaking down food so it can be absorbed through the intestinal wall.
The Importance Of Breast Milk In Protecting The Newborn From Infection Is Now Recognized Worldwide. It's the single best thing any mother can do to enhance her baby's immune system Specific and nonspecific factors are transferred to the newborn through breast milk and colostrum. The most important role for breast milk in host defense against infection appears to be the supply of local protective factors to the infant's gastrointestinal tract.
In the US, back in the 1950s, many misguided doctors regularly recommended feeding infants laboratory prepared, store bought formulas because it was thought to be more " hygienic and scientific" than breast feeding. However, lab created imitation formulas do nothing to enhance immune system strength. Fortunately, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends breastfeeding for the first 12 months of life.
Nutritional Deficiencies: A poor diet has also been shown to increase susceptibility to many diseases, including polio. In 1948, during the height of the polio epidemics, Dr. Benjamin Sandler, a nutritional expert at the Oteen Veterans' Hospital in Ashville, North Carolina, documented a relationship between polio and an excessive use of sugars and starches. He compiled records showing that countries with the highest per capita consumption of sugar, with over 100 lbs per year, such as the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, and Sweden had the greatest incidence of polio. In contrast, polio was practically unheard of in China, with its sugar use of only 3 pounds per person per year.
Dr. Sandler observed that children consume greater amounts of ice cream, soft drinks, and artificially sweetened products in hot weather. In 1949, before the polio season began, he warned the residents of North Carolina, through the newspapers and radio, to decrease their consumption of these products. That summer, North Carolinians reduced their intake of sugar by 90 percent and polio decreased by the same amount. The North Carolina State Health Department reported 2,498 cases of polio in 1948, and only 229 cases in 1949 (data taken from North Carolina State Health Department figures).
One manufacturer shipped one million less gallons of ice cream during the first week alone following the publication of Dr. Sandler's anti-polio diet. Soft drink sales were down as well. But the powerful Rockefeller Milk Trust, which sold frozen products to North Carolinians, combined forces with soft drink business leaders and ran a PR campaign to convince the people that Sandler's findings were a myth and the polio figures a fluke. By the summer of 1950 sales of high sugar products were back to previous levels and polio cases returned to "normal".
Cause and Effect or A Casual Correlation? I cannot say for sure. But certainly Dr. Sandler's observations combined with the North Carolina health data from 1949 and 1950 create a powerful theory that should absolutely be investigated further.
I would also suggest supplementing with the amino acid glutathione several days before and after vaccines are administered. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that can help the liver clear toxins.
Opting Out: The Choice Is Yours….For Now. As of 2011, all 50 states have enacted vaccine laws that require proof children have received certain vaccines in order to attend daycare, middle school, high school and college.
However, in most states citizens currently have the legal right to opt out of using vaccines.
All 50 states allow a medical exemption to vaccination (medical exemptions must be approved by an M.D. or D.O.); 48 states allow a religious exemption to vaccination; and 18 states allow a personal, philosophical or conscientious belief exemption to vaccination.
However, also be aware that vaccine exemptions are currently under attack in every state because the wealthy and powerful Big-Pharma/Medical Industry lobby is trying to take them away, especially the religious and philosophical or conscientious belief exemptions.
All Americans need to know options for legally opting-out of vaccinations, but also need to know why it's so important to protect this legal option, whether or not you choose to use every government recommended vaccine for yourself and your children.
In the US, whenever reports come out about a few cases of whooping cough, measles or other diseases, why is it seldom definitively reported whether or not the affected kids had been vaccinated? That information could be very helpful but it doesn't seem that public health officials want us to have it.
A New Term To Hide the Truth: Rather than share straight talk about whether or not a sick kid has been vaccinated, health officials now often use the term, unknown status. I don't accept that as a good-faith effort to find the truth. My family was once the target of a health department vaccination investigation and I can tell you with certainty, that when health officials really want to know vaccination status, they find out, quickly and definitely.
Vaccine makers already have 95% of the the market sewn up. If they did scientific safety and effectiveness studies with the hopes of capturing the last 5%, and those studies ended up proving that vaccines were ineffective or unsafe, it would be devastating to their bottom line. Unfortunately, that's why we'll never see truly scientific studies. Vaccine makers don't want them US. government oversight agencies have made it their policy to blindly accept everything Big-Pharma claims to be true about vaccine safety and effectiveness.
Before you choose whether or not to vaccinate yourself or your child, you should do a logical, benefit to risk assessment . What are the proven, likely or possible benefits? What are the proven, likely or possible side effects?
Most medical doctors are not equipped to help you much here. You will need to educate yourself. The NVIC and the following two books can provide a thought provoking counterpoint to the predictable mainstream medical information your doctor will invariably provide.


text:
Q: youtube scraper requests & urllib.parse trying to get sub count for each video channel I get but don't know why it's not working
class YoutubeSearch:

    def __init__(self, search_terms: str, max_results=None):
        self.search_terms = search_terms
        self.max_results = max_results
        self.videos = self._search()

    def _search(self):
        encoded_search = urllib.parse.quote_plus(self.search_terms)
        BASE_URL = "https://youtube.com"
        url = f"{BASE_URL}/results?search_query={encoded_search}"
        response = requests.get(url).text
        while "ytInitialData" not in response:
            response = requests.get(url).text
        results = self._parse_html(response)
        if self.max_results is not None and len(results) > self.max_results:
            return results[: self.max_results]
        return results

    def _parse_html(self, response):
        results = []
        start = (
            response.index("ytInitialData")
            + len("ytInitialData")
            + 3
        )
        end = response.index("};", start) + 1
        json_str = response[start:end]
        data = json.loads(json_str)

        videos = data["contents"]["twoColumnSearchResultsRenderer"]["primaryContents"][
            "sectionListRenderer"
        ]["contents"][0]["itemSectionRenderer"]["contents"]

        # get subscriberCountText from each video
        for video in videos:
            res = {}
            if "videoRenderer" in video.keys():
                video_data = video.get("videoRenderer", {})
                #res["id"] = video_data.get("videoId", None)
                res["title"] = video_data.get("title", {}).get("runs", [[{}]])[0].get("text", None)
                #res["channel"] = video_data.get("longBylineText", {}).get("runs", [[{}]])[0].get("text", None)
                res["url_suffix"] = video_data.get("navigationEndpoint", {}).get("commandMetadata", {}).get("webCommandMetadata", {}).get("url", None)
                res["subscribers"] = video_data.get("subscriberCountText", {}).get("simpleText", 0)
                results.append(res)

        return results

    def to_json(self, clear_cache=True):
        result = json.dumps({"videos": self.videos})
        if clear_cache:
            self.videos = ""
        return result

Everthing works except sub count and I know it's semantic error
in
res["subscribers"] = video_data.get("subscriberCountText", {}).get("simpleText", 0)

for subscriberCountText i think i should get each channel data i get but how?


text:
Girl, 14, sexually assaulted by gang of seven males in Arch Way, High Wycombe
Matthew Clark | March 11, 2019
CCTV images released by Thames Valley Police of a group of youths who might have vital information following a sexual assault in High Wycombe.
A 14 year old girl was sexually assaulted by a group of seven males in Arch Way, High Wycombe on Sunday 3rd March 2019.
At about 6.40pm a group of seven young males approached two 14 year old boys and a 14 year old girl, whom they did not know. The group of seven males managed to split the group of 14 year olds up before stealing money from one of them.
The 14 year old girl was then led away and sexually assaulted near the underpass on Arch Way, High Wycombe. One of the group forced the girl to touch him inappropriately.
The victim then managed to get away from the group who were seen leaving the area in silver vehicle similar to a Volkswagen Touran.
None of the victims sustained any injuries.
Investigating officer, PC Claire Philpott, based at High Wycombe police station, said: 'This is a concerning incident in which a group of youths has sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and stolen money from another young victim.
I would like to speak to the group of males in these images [above], as I believe that they could have information which is vital to our investigation.
If you recognise the people in these images, please call us. I would also urge members of the public to come forward if they witnessed this incident, or if they have any other information which they think could be relevant.
If you have any details which you think could help, please call the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number on 101, quoting reference number 43190066584.'
« Bus stop closures and diversions for the week ahead – Mon 11th Mar 2019
Residents at The Heights nursing home in Downley enjoy a slice of the action during British Pie Week »
New bus route 8 to link Handy Cross with business park and High Wycombe town centre
On Monday 29th July 2019 a new bus route will start in High Wycombe linking Handy Cross with Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe rail station and the town centre.


text:
What Were You Thinking?
Posted at 7:45 am on April 24, 2012 by onorth
My dear friend and fellow Marine Joe Foss — a Medal of Honor recipient — would ask me occasionally, "What were you thinking?" The question usually was prompted by my missed shot on a hunt or when he heard me make a confusing comment on radio or television.
Given the recent revelations of bad behavior, incompetence, corruption, waste and fraud — and a deluge of mystifying and misleading explanations — the potentates of the press are asking the wrong questions. The American people need to ask our nation's leaders and the masters of the so-called mainstream media, "What were you thinking?" A few recent examples:
–The Secret Service scandal. On April 11, security cameras in Cartagena, Colombia, captured images of 11 Secret Service agents and at least 10 U.S. military personnel in the company of prostitutes.
Set aside for a moment the lack of moral judgment by the participants or how an "advance team of experts" for the upcoming Summit of the Americas could be ignorant of security cameras. In the aftermath of this incident and an ongoing investigation, the president and likely GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney — also a Secret Service protectee — both have told reporters repeatedly that they still "have confidence" in Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan. "Why?" That ought to be the next question. But that isn't asked.
Perhaps the most unusual response to this event came from the lips of Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At an April 16 news conference on the Middle East, the general was asked for his reaction to the caper in Cartagena. His answer was blatantly political: "We let the boss down, because nobody's talking about what went on in Colombia other than this incident."
Let "the boss" down? What about potentially catastrophic security breaches, the incredible lack of judgment or even letting down the American people? But those questions aren't asked, either.
–Hillary's high jinks. On the evening of April 14, day one of the two-day, 33-nation summit, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently decided to take the heat off the Secret Service by performing for the cameras herself. Her antics at Cafe Havana nightclub were reminiscent of government bureaucrats on a taxpayer-funded General Services Administration boondoggle or a sorority gal at a frat party.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner dismissed the exhibition, saying: "I can confirm that she did indeed have a very good time and was just enjoying some of the nightlife in Cartagena. … There's nothing to it." In a subsequent interview on CNN, Clinton laughed and said: "It was a lot of fun. We had a very good time just enjoying beautiful Cartagena."
–Offending allies. At the conclusion of the Cartagena summit, during a joint news conference with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, President Barack Obama was asked by a member of the Latin American press corps about future U.S. policy toward Cuba and the Malvinas.
Apparently unwitting to the fact that April marks the 30th anniversary of the bloody fight to retake the Falkland Islands from Argentine invaders, our head of state replied, "In terms of the Maldives or the Falklands — whatever your preferred term — our position on this is that we are going to remain neutral."
This had to disappoint our British allies. President Ronald Reagan backed them in the two-month operation — during which they lost more than 250 soldiers, sailors and airmen. Obama's statement also had to stun any student of geography, because the Maldives are an island chain south of India. There was no follow-up question for our Nobel laureate.
–Afghanistan. The craziness in Cartagena did serve one purpose for the O-Team. It distracted attention from at least seven nearly simultaneous terror attacks April 15 in Kabul, Jalalabad, Gardez and Pul-e-Alam, the capital of Logar province. U.S. and NATO officials praised the effectiveness of Afghan national security forces for their "effective response" and noted that there were no American or NATO casualties. But Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the attacks were proof of an "intelligence failure for us and especially NATO."
Pentagon officials deny this charge but acknowledge there was "very little 'chatter' in advance of the attack." Unfortunately, this admission confirms what nobody seems ready to admit: The fight in the shadows of the Hindu Kush is dogged by inadequate human intelligence. This crucial deficiency will exacerbate the danger to U.S. and NATO troops as they begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan this summer.
By the end of the week, even this story was eclipsed by the publication of 2-year-old photos showing U.S. troops posing with the remains of dead suicide bombers. The reaction to these images by senior government officials, from the commander in chief on down, is to express "shock," apologize and promise "to hold those responsible accountable." But events this week indicate that those "in charge" need to ask themselves, "What were we thinking?" And members of the so-called mainstream media ought to remind them all that leadership begins at the top.
Author's Bio: onorth
https://bearingarms.com/author/onorth/


text:
The Digital Nib
The Blue Nib Literary Magazine Poetry, Fiction, Essays & Reviews
Digital Access this issue only €7.50
Home #Blue Nib Issues
#Blue Nib IssuesIssue 44 | December 2020 |
'Because One Thing Leads to Another' by Sarah Leavesley
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If I had to sum up my writing life in one sentence, 'one thing leads to another' might be the phrase. It covers the cause-and-consequences chains in writing itself, such as plotline and characterisation. Also, the way that one idea/ image/line/clause/sentence flows naturally into the next. I say 'naturally', though this may in fact be the result of hours of re-drafting, whittling and crafting.
For me, this is more like nature's flow in the changing seasons than the order of clocks and calendars. Still a continuation and accumulation, but one that links or spools onwards through patterns and recurring motifs rather than exact measurements, though such elements may also be present in the form, for example, of metre.
Spring: Honey bee. Think of something you really like – honey, flowers, sunshine… What things have to happen beforehand in order for that thing to be, and for you to enjoy it?
In my life, 'one thing leads to another' has applied in career terms too. It can be useful to have an end-game, assessing everything along the way to check it fits that ultimate goal. But many of my writing milestones have happened more serendipitously, through shorter-term aims and being open to spontaneous possibilities. This is partly my making sure I'm not so focussed on a final outcome that I lose life/living/enjoyment along the way. I'm also aware that too narrow a focus might shut off amazing opportunities which I'd never have thought to dream of.
My best example is my third poetry collection The Magnetic Diaries (Knives, Forks and Spoons Press, 2015) – a narrative in poetry and emails based on Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary brought into a contemporary English setting. I'd never envisaged turning it into a poetry-play. But then I saw a call-out from Hereford's The Courtyard theatre for new scripts for a one-off performance. Malvern company Reaction Theatre Makers not only staged the play but also took it to Edinburgh Festival Fringe and on an Arts Council England funded tour.
Meanwhile, poetry's brevity and intensity made writing flash fiction a natural side-step for me as a poet. That this should develop into flash sequences (like poetry sequences) then to a novella/novel in flash isn't surprising. At least, not in hindsight, though I never set out expecting these developments. Flash gave me a structure of small steps that somehow felt less overwhelming than sitting down with the intention of writing a full novel. One thing led to…
Summer: (Un)cluttered seas. Are beaches really just sun, sand and surf? Consider the grittier side of holiday experiences and/or the marine life/pollution below the ocean surface's blue sheen.
So far, so good for my guiding rule. Or maybe not. Actually, one thing often leads to more than just one other. In writing, that's where editing decisions have to be made, or one option tried, and then another until a piece finds its shape – as feels right to the author/ a publisher, at that point in time in those circumstances at least. (Yes, fiction might become poetry, poems might become flash and some poems in my collections are different to their earlier published versions, while others have slightly different lines when I perform them.)
Opportunities too may develop simultaneously due to several starting/inspiration/motivation factors coinciding. This could mean working on various projects concurrently or prioritising which to go with first, hopefully returning to others later. Like inspiration, progress can come in fits and starts, or loop back multiple times. Meanwhile, the words 'plan' and 'unplanned' acknowledge the future as part of the present. How many of us would start writing something we knew we'd never complete? Even the seasons repeat, if not exactly identically.
I could say I've increasingly developed my photography skills since 2015, knowing I was likely to need to produce covers for my small poetry and flash fiction press V. Press. This is true. But my first photography prize was in a local competition in 2008. In 2012, I'd combined art and poetry for an exhibition as part of my Masters in Creative Writing. Then nothing more, until I become interested in the possibilities of photography initially for sharing poetry on social media, later as a combined photo-poem art form (see my previous Blue Nib article on this here) No neat, direct and undeviating timeline here.
My poetry film work has followed a similarly indirect trajectory. Partly, this is because all art forms have technical tools and terminology that take time, reading and practice to learn. Film production, in particular, is hard without specific training or working in collaboration, and self-doubt can corrode a creative's toolkit. My interest in poetry film might have died had I not discovered Poetry Film Live. (Helen Dewbery's The Blue Nib article 'Writing For Poetry Film' can be found here) Poetry film has been a jolting journey, but 10 years after I started 'dabbling' in this art form, I got my first paid commission 'Mosaic Modern Worcestershire'.
Autumn: T-trunks. Traditionally, autumn is harvest time and red leaves, falling. What has been the best/worst thing that has happened to you, or a fictional character, this year? Celebrate fruits, vegetables and crops, your creative produce as a writer, or life's highlights and joys. Alternatively, focus on hunger/drought, your or a fictional character's wants, needs and disappointments.
All my creative projects are a balance of some structure and sketched planning, while remaining open to inspiration and experimentation. Rather than 'one thing leads to another', maybe 'one space leads/unfolds into others…'.
For me, this is inherent in the mantra about writers reading others' work – opening the mind to new styles or techniques and getting into the zone/space where inspiration may strike. Walking, cycling or swimming alone give me this too. While the body's preoccupied by movement, my subconscious is nudged into motion with ideas, or edits on existing pieces. Like Aristotle's famous 'Nature abhors a vacuum', where there is a space, inspiration and creativity rush to fill this.
If this space exists already, all well and good, hopefully… If not? Procrastination may be a writer's best friend in this sense, but it's not the only one. Free writing – a stream of consciousness flow of non-stop writing for five or ten minutes – can be a useful practice. As with brainstorming, after I've finished I can go back and find words or phrases that act as windows/doors/openings into a new piece. Prompts, workshops and collaboration also work similarly.
Yes, time, energy and commitment are needed to make these spaces happen when they aren't naturally apparent. This isn't easy when most of us are constricted by time, energy and financial constraints. But, in fact, as long as space is possible, the need to sometimes fight for it can generate writing power and intensity. If I'm honest, I wrote most intensively when my children were toddlers and I never knew when I'd next have time and energy. Without some sense of urgency, it's easy to slip into an 'it can wait until tomorrow…' frame of mind. If I don't have an external deadline, I'll often create one for myself (from competition or submission deadlines etc).
Winter: Behind the webs. The cold season may be a time of hibernation, with a sense of anticipation/expectation. What are you, or your fictional character, waiting for – in nature, life or another setting? What surprises might lie in hiding?
I've already circled back several times in this article – just as the seasons, life and often writing do. The new year, a new leaf, a new start has become a custom – or cliché, depending on how you choose to look at it. As we move towards the winter solstice and year's end, now might be a good point for reflecting on what's gone before and what might lie ahead. But the truth is that actually we can do this whenever it's useful to us as writers.
Even when neither structure nor flow is immediately apparent, chances are it's there somewhere. The prompt photos in this article are from an ongoing experimental project 'eco-alphabetics' (using manipulations of different letters to explore human impact on the environment). The pieces here don't start with 'a'. Spring features 'b', summer has 'c' but autumn is 't' and winter 's'. You may not initially have even registered this without zooming in or enlarging the images. I've ordered the photos here as somehow partially representative of these seasons. However, they might not typify that season at all for some. Shifts, overlaps, divergences can be the very spaces where creativity thrives most strongly.
Space then is vital, and some structure essential to hold/create space. Balancing risk may also come into a play. How and at what point will differ. Take my novel in flash example. I don't currently have a traditional novelist's bravery. For me, a standard novel structure would mean all my eggs/words in one basket. But, in addition to its creative possibilities, an 'in flash' structure gives me many individual pieces that might be published even if the whole culminating manuscript isn't.
With everything, there is always a learning curve and the risk of not pulling off a project as well as we hope or others might expect. Fear is natural. But what is left for us as writers if we don't take, and keep taking, creative challenges?
A Mountainous Art
The poet-climber wants to speak in leaves:
a whisper like spring unfurling; long vowels
harvested from summer trees, shorter ones
falling from swaying autumn branches;
a blizzard of soft consonants nearing winter,
an occasional howl to match the wind…
But the ascent is more a steep rock face,
fingers reaching for nooks, un-metric feet
inching slowly forwards, her voice trapped
inside a cavity of fear. The only sound:
her rasped breathing. Even her silence
feels un-belayed – like any second now,
she might fall from her lines' sharp edges.
Or, grit her teeth, hammer in a new piton,
test her weight, and push onwards, upwards.
Sarah Leavesley
Sarah Leavesley's latest published books include a poetry pamphlet How to Grow Matches (Against The Grain Press) shortlisted in the International Rubery Book Awards 2018 and a novella Always Another Twist (Mantle Lane Press, 2018). This is a sequel or companion novella to her novella Kaleidoscope, published by Mantle Lane Press in March 2017.
#Blue Nib Issues
Three Poems by Mark Tredinnick
Australian poet Mark Tredinnick's poetry is a nothing less than a hymn of gratitude to the natural world and a rare rhythmical treat!
Booker prize winner, Roddy Doyle talks to Dave Kavanagh
Doyle's most recent books include The Dead Republic (2010);Two Pints (2012); The Guts (2013), which takes us back to Jimmy Rabbitte, now in his forties; Two More Pints (2014); Dead Man Talking (2015); Smile (2017); and Love (2020).
That final wonderful someplace; Short fiction by John Saul
Fiction by John Saul, shortlisted for the 2015 Seán Ó Faoláin international prize and runner-up in Forge magazine's 2018 competition.
Festive greetings & big news to end the year! | Sarah James Writes December 23, 2020 At 3:28 pm
[…] Because One Thing Leads to Another an article on writing life, including creative flow, space leading to inspiration and fear as a challenge to be embraced, published in The Blue Nib (online and print versions) Issue 44 in December 2020. […]
Poetry by Patricia Hemminger
Patricia Hemminger grew up in rural East Yorkshire, UK and her poems are often inspired by nature.
Three Poems by James Strowman
James Strowman's poetry pulses with the energy of industrialisation
Issue 44 | December 2020 |
Issue 44 Of The Blue Nib
Issue 44 of The Blue Nib. Order now for despatch December 10
Copyright @ The Blue Nib 2020. Design by Lance Desk
<# print( 'The Blue Nib' ) #>


text:
Q: discord.py music bot: Bot doesn't return to queue after finishing the first song I did everything but couldn't get the bot to play the second song on the queue. When bot finishes the first song, it stops. I have to add another song to queue in order to get the bot to play the second song. How can i make it auto?
Code:
queue=[]

@commands.command()
async def play(self,ctx,message):
    if len(queue) <=5 :
            if r"https://www.youtube.com/watch\?v=(\S{11})" is message:
                queue.append(message)
                await ctx.reply(message+" added to queue. ")

            else:
                keyword=(message)
                print(keyword)
                htmlurl="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=" + str(keyword)
                html=(urllib.request.urlopen(htmlurl))
                pattern=(r"watch\?v=(\S{11})")
                video_ids=re.findall(pattern, html.read().decode())
                print(video_ids, ".")
                urlh=("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v="+video_ids[0])
                print(urlh)

                queue.append(urlh)
                await ctx.reply(urlh+" added to queue ")

    else:
        await ctx.send("Queue is full. Limit: 5 videos.")
        return

    for oyn in range(len(queue)):
        if ctx.voice_client.is_playing():
            return
        else:
            FFMPEG_OPTIONS = {'options':'-vn', 'before_options':'-reconnect 1 -reconnect_streamed 1 -reconnect_delay_max 5'}
            YDL_OPTIONS = {"format":"bestaudio",'cachedir': False}
            vc = ctx.voice_client
            await ctx.send(queue[0]+" is now playing. ✨")
            with youtube_dl.YoutubeDL(YDL_OPTIONS) as ydl:
                info = ydl.extract_info(queue[0], download= False)
                url2 = info["formats"][0]["url"]
                source= await discord.FFmpegOpusAudio.from_probe(url2, **FFMPEG_OPTIONS)
            vc.play(source)
            del(queue[0])


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The ASP.NET MVC Framework provides a powerful Model View Controller (MVC) approach to building web applications and provides separation of concerns, control over HTML output, intuitive URLs, and increased testability. We will start by looking at the -what and why of ASP.NET MVC. Then we will explore the various pieces of ASP.NET MVC including routes, controllers, actions, and views. If you are looking to get started with MVC then don't miss this session.


Tropical Storm Irene left behind businesses that were severely damaged. We continue our post-storm coverage with a look at how businesses are coping after the flooding and destruction.
Deputy Commerce Secretary Patricia Moulton-Powden and Carl Sherrill of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance discuss the resources that are available to businesses and how towns are balancing the need to stay open while trying to re-build roads and infrastructure.
Plus, in our series of reports on how our lives have changed in the 10 years since September 11, 2001, we hear how the events of that day are being taught in Vermont schools.
We get an update on the Federal assistance that has been awarded to those who suffered losses during Tropical Storm Irene and we hear how mobile home owners have fared after the storm.


text:
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		android:id="@+id/action_export"
		android:icon="@drawable/action_share"
		app:showAsAction="always"
		android:title="@string/menu_action_export"/>
</menu>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
/**
 * \file LabelMapScene.h
 * \author Rémi Blanc
 * \date 29. February 2012
 */

#ifndef LABELMAPSCENE_H_
#define LABELMAPSCENE_H_

#include "BaseScene.h"
#include "ObjectPixelSet.h"
#include "PixelSetUtils.h"

namespace psciob {

/** \class LabelMapScene
 * \brief LabelMapScene
 *
 * This scene uses the itkLabelObject structure (i.e. a run-length encoded object) to physically represent the objects
 * Internally, when adding an object, it asks the ParametricObject to update its LabelObject representation, and simply cast it into the scene frame
*/

//CONCRETE CLASS
template <unsigned int VDimension, class TAppearance = unsigned char, class TObjectId = unsigned short, class TAssociatedData = ObjectCostsContainer, class TInteractionData = typename LabelObjectIntersectionContainer<TObjectId, VDimension>>
class LabelMapScene : public BaseScene<VDimension, TAppearance, TObjectId, TAssociatedData, TInteractionData> {
public:
	/** Standard class typedefs. */
	typedef LabelMapScene                 Self;
	typedef BaseScene                     Superclass;
	typedef itk::SmartPointer<Self>       Pointer;
	typedef itk::SmartPointer<const Self> ConstPointer;
	/** Run-time type information (and related methods). */
	itkTypeMacro(LabelMapScene, BaseScene);
	itkNewMacro(Self);

	/** Give Information about Self */
	std::string GetClassName() const { return "LabelMapScene"; }
	void PrintInfo()           const { std::cout<<"LabelMapScene containing "<<GetNumberOfObjects()<<", for a total of "<<GetNumberOfParameters()<<std::endl;}

protected:
	LabelMapScene();
	virtual ~LabelMapScene() {};

	void AllocateFromPhysicalDimension();

	//Test methods
	SceneObjectOverlapCode TestOverlap_Internal(ObjectInScene *object);
	SceneObjectOverlapCode TestOverlapIgnoringObjectID_Internal(ObjectInScene *object, IDType id);
	bool TestObjectFullyOutside_Internal(ObjectInScene *object);

	//Draw methods
	void DrawObjectInScene(IDType id);
	void EraseObjectFromScene(IDType id);
	void UpdateObjectInScene(IDType id, ObjectInScene *newObject);

	typename LabelMapType::Pointer m_dummyLabelMap;
private:
	LabelMapScene(const Self&);				//purposely not implemented
	const Self & operator=( const Self & );	//purposely not implemented
};

} // namespace psciob

#include "LabelMapScene.txx"

#endif /* LABELMAPSCENE_H_ */


text:
namespace yadi {

std::string formatFields(std::vector<std::string> const &fields) {
    std::string fieldsStr{"[ "};
    for(auto const& f : fields) {
        fieldsStr += (f + " ");
    }

    return fieldsStr += "]";
}

} // end namespace yadi


text:
Home Technology Metaverse
Will The Metaverse End The Megachurch? – The Christian Post
in Metaverse
By Leonardo Blair, Senior Features Reporter | Sunday, April 03, 2022
Months before the coronavirus pandemic hit, many churches struggled to acknowledge that an increasing share of their audience had been migrating to online teachers and worship experiences.
When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020, data from the Nashville-based LifeWay Research suggests that many churches were not prepared to take their services online.
At the time, just 22% of pastors livestreamed their entire service, and about 10% only livestreamed their sermon. Some 41% of pastors admitted they didn't post any portion of their church service online, while about 52% said they posted the sermon online after the church service.
Less than two years after enduring the ravages of the pandemic, however, a lot has changed.
Data collected in a survey of nearly 2,000 decision-making church leaders for The 2021 State of Church Technology Report from Pushpay shows that most American churches now embrace technology as an important tool in achieving their mission and agree that the digital church is here to stay. The report finds that churches, more than ever, "are enthusiastic to adopt technology for the long haul" as the pandemic "erased any doubts regarding the viability of a digital Church."
Earlier this year, Pastor Touré Roberts of the Potter's House of Denverannounced his congregation would sell their $12.2 million, 137,000-square-foot church in Arapahoe County, Colorado, and go completely virtual after COVID-19 wreaked havoc on their in-person attendance and donations.
Many other churches sold or shuttered their church buildings for good. Others have been trying more creative ways to survive outside of migrating online completely or merging with another church, as the pastors of Hope Church in High Point and Renaissance Church in Jamestown, North Carolina, did earlier this year.
While many churches are wrestling with the basics of the constantly evolving wave of online technologies impacting the way people live, major technology companies and a minority of churches are already getting ready for the future of the internet, what some are calling the metaverse.
Che'von Lewis, a representative of social media giant Facebook, whose parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is investing heavily in the development of the metaverse, described it to The Christian Post as "a set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren't in the same physical space as you."
"We see the metaverse as the next evolution in social technologies and the successor to the mobile internet," Lewis said. "It will feel like a hybrid of today's online social experiences, sometimes expanded into three dimensions, or projected into the physical world — and seamlessly stitched together so that you can easily jump from one thing to another."
In the metaverse, Lewis said, people can work, play, learn, shop, create and hang out with their friends, among other things.
"The metaverse isn't a single product one company can build alone," Lewis said. "And it won't be built overnight. Many of these products will only be fully realized in the next 10 to 15 years."
Some have raised concerns that the metaverse isn't safe for women and children, with reports of women being "groped" and asked if they watch porn. Children are particularly vulnerable, according to Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the United Kingdom. Burrows told The Times of London that one problem is that parents cannot see what their children are viewing.
Meta told women who have complained about harassment on the platform that they should have used an optional safety feature called "Safe Zone." That feature disables other users' ability to talk to or interact with the user.
In the view of Katherine Cross, who researches online harassment at the University of Washington, Meta's response that the user is responsible for protecting themselves from the bad behavior of others is problematic. "When companies address online abuse, their solution is to outsource it to the user and say, 'Here, we give you the power to take care of yourselves,'" she told MIT Technology Review.
Church in the metaverse
Last summer, during a virtual faith summit with several religious groups, Facebook's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg highlighted the role Facebook played when communities of faith were unable to gather in person due to the pandemic. She said she was looking forward to the day when churches and other religious groups begin hosting services in virtual reality on the platform.
"I know that faith organizations and social media are a natural fit because fundamentally, both are about connection," Sandberg said. "This was true long before the pandemic. Back in 2017, we changed our mission to give people the power to build community around the world closer together.
"We envisioned a world where our platform could help people build community by connecting with others who shared their interests. … Our hope is that one day people will host religious services in virtual reality spaces as well or use augmented reality as an educational tool to teach their children the story of their faith."
Bishop D.J. Soto, who began preaching in the metaverse in 2016, had initially planned to plant physical churches but now leads the VR Church, one of the few prominent congregations in the metaverse.
"VR Church is a spiritual community which exists entirely in the metaverse to celebrate God's love for the world," the church declares on its website. "We believe church can be anywhere at any time with anyone…even in the metaverse."
Soto, who was previously involved with the ministry of a megachurch, believes that church in the metaverse, or the "MetaChurch," as he calls it, is the successor to the megachurch.
"I was part of a megachurch, and in 2016, we left to go to what we thought would be physical church planting. So that's what we set out to do. And it was about the same time Facebook bought Oculus, and we got into VR and entered into the metaverse, via Altspace, which is owned by Microsoft," Soto told Carey Nieuwhof during a podcast interview earlier this year.
Nieuwhof is a former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church in Ontario, Canada.
"When we got in there, I was like, wow, this is amazing. I just was blown away. I've never seen anything like it. You think you've seen everything. And I was only in there a couple of hours. It was a Friday; we were shifting our lives into this physical church plane, but I thought, man, what if we did a little experiment and had church in this metaverse? And so three days later, I had my first church service in VR, and I was so pumped because five people came to launch day," Soto recalled.
And more than five years later, the VR Church continues to grow.
"When thinking about megachurch to MetaChurch, I just look back at our five years of our ministry in Virtual Reality Church and the experiences that we've had have been so compelling. And the spirit has just been alive in our community, and we've experienced God in our environment, within our relationships," Soto said. "And so just experiencing that and just saying, 'Wow, this is such a powerful tool.' God's here. He's with us. He's not just in the physical. He's sharing His love with people all across the metaverse."
To participate in the VR Church experience, Soto and his team recommend that worshipers get a quality virtual reality headset, like the Oculus Quest 2, which retails for $299.
Facebook declined to share sales numbers for the headset, which it launched in October 2020, but said it was a popular holiday gift last Christmas and "remains a product in high demand." Lewis said the Oculus app reached No. 1 in the App Store for the first time on Christmas Day in the U.S. in 2021.
Even though the VR Church exists in many metaverses like VRChat, RecRoom, AltspaceVR and Facebook Horizons, first-time visitors are asked to join through AltspaceVR, a social virtual reality platform.
"In my ministry, in our church, I am an avatar a hundred percent. And so it's part of just coming in with a 3D representation of my physical self," Soto said. "And when I put on the virtual reality headset, it mirrors my movement. So if I turn my head to the left, my avatar, his head would turn. If I raised my hands, it would do the same things. And so when I preach every Sunday, people are seeing that avatar, and I'm interacting with people all over the world.
"Sometimes, I do interviews in my avatar. … I think church leaders are trying to wrap their brain around that. But I think our church represents what church is going to look like in 2030, where it's going to be very normal for you as a senior leader, senior pastor, teacher to preach in your avatar. I think that's where we're heading."
Pastor Craig Groeschel's Life Church launched its metaverse campus in December 2021. | Life Church
Life.Church
The Craig Groeschel-led Life.Church, which spans some 40 campuses and owns the popular YouVersion Bible app, has been a leading voice for innovation among churches in America for a while now.
The church has hosted a booming online community for more than 10 years and tells CP that as far back as 2007, they were already experimenting with church in the metaverse. It was no surprise last December when the church added a campus in the metaverse.
"This isn't the first time we've held services in the metaverse. In 2007, we held services in Second Life, which was a 3D virtual environment similar to what you see today in the metaverse, except you didn't have the option to use VR to navigate it," Life.Church pastor and innovative leader Bobby Gruenewald told CP in a statement. "As people spend more time in digital spaces and as the technology improves, it's important to us that the Church has a presence so we can bring hope and encouragement."
Gruenewald said that compared to building a physical campus, the cost to set up a campus in the metaverse using AltspaceVR was nominal.
"Initially, we didn't create our own building there. We used a theater-style venue that was available as a template," he said. "It was fairly quick and easy to set up and worked well for our first couple weeks. Recently, we modeled a venue to look like one of our physical locations in dimension, shape, color and experience. It took our team a couple weeks to build, but it was a nominal budget, certainly in comparison to one of our physical locations.
"We also began this effort with just a couple of team members giving their time to host services in the metaverse. Now, we are in the process of building a volunteer team to help support it."
But not every Christian leader is excited about the church's march toward evolving online technology.
G. Craige Lewis, EX Ministries founder and leader of Adamant Believers Council in North Richland Hills, Texas, believes the devil is "forcing everyone into the bottleneck of the internet, which may seem like a good idea for some now." But he contends that "it's a setup."
"Even the metaverse … it's a setup," Lewis told CP. "Once you're in that space, he (the devil) holds the power of the club. And they can pull the plug. That's already happened in other countries, other continents, especially China, where you can't even mention Jesus Christ online," he added.
"All they have to do is create a synthetic robot or whatever online to go through, and clean it up of every mention of Jesus Christ," Lewis said. "The church is done if their only presence is online."
Gruenewald, however, maintains that the presence of churches in the metaverse is valid.
"When someone doubts the validity of church in the metaverse, our response is similar to what we've said for years about church online. There are unique benefits to church in digital spaces. It's a way to reach people who might never set foot in a physical church," he said.
"Maybe they have health limitations, so they can't leave their home, or they live in a part of the world that makes it difficult to meet in person," he continued. "Others may be too intimidated to walk into a church building, but they're comfortable exploring church in an online environment.
"We recently talked with a dad whose son has social anxiety. He wouldn't walk into a physical church, but he felt comfortable coming to church in the metaverse. That's why we're passionate about leveraging technology to share the Gospel. We know that to reach people no one is reaching, we'll have to do things no one is doing."
Gruenewald noted that, in some ways, it's easier to connect with people online than in the physical church setting.
"We've… found that people are often willing to be vulnerable more quickly when they're online than when they are face-to-face with someone," Gruenewald said. "People hide behind facades in both online and physical spaces. In person, people tend to put up emotional facades. They're afraid of what might happen if they let someone in, so they build walls.
"Whereas the physical façade of an avatar gives people a sense of anonymity that helps them feel more comfortable letting their guard down. They'll talk about their struggles with depression, difficulties in their marriage, and other intimate details of their life that people don't usually talk about as quickly or easily in a physical setting."
The Life.Church leader said he sees the relationship between church in the metaverse and physical services as complementary and doesn't believe one will replace the other.
"At Life.Church, we will continue to take a hybrid approach," he said. "We're all-in on physical church and all-in on digital church. They're both effective in different ways, and they're both important. One doesn't replace the need for the other. As new technologies have emerged throughout history, there have always [been] bold predictions about how things will change."
"When the telephone was invented, there were those who worried no one would meet together or leave their house again. Those arguments have been around for decades, but they don't hold up. If the isolation of the last couple of years has taught us anything, we know we have an inherent human desire to be together," Gruenewald added. "At the same time, digital tools are now woven throughout people's lives, and we don't want the Church to miss out on digital opportunities."
Contact: [email protected] Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost
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School officials said that school would continue as scheduled on Wednesday.
Online threats made against Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls on Tuesday have been deemed "not credible" by school officials and police.
"After talking with SFPD officials, there is no evidence of credibility in these threats, which would lead us to disrupt educational services," Sioux Falls School District Superintendent Brian Maher said in an email to parents on Tuesday evening. "We do not take threats of any nature lightly, but we are confident in that there is no threat to our students or staff."
School officials said that school would continue as scheduled on Wednesday, albeit with heightened security.
Police spokesman Sam Clemens said "there's been some progress made" in determining who posted the threats, but that detectives have not been able to definitely identify anyone. No one has been arrested, he said.
The threat was posted to a Sioux Falls Reddit thread at about 4 a.m. Tuesday, by someone with the screen name SchoolBsho. Sioux Falls police first received notification about the threat at 4:45 a.m.
"Tomorrow I'm going to do a school shooting at lunch," the threat stated. "I hate my boss. Kill the student with a gun. Roosevelt high school SHOOTING 11-06-2018."
Throughout the day, more posts with a similar message appeared on Reddit and Twitter. Many Roosevelt parents chose to remove their children from school on Tuesday after news of the threat spread, although the school chose to hold classes as usual.
Clemens said Reddit has been working with detectives, but that getting exact user information has been difficult because of the site's trademark anonymity.
When asked if the threats are believed to be an attempt to disrupt mid-term elections, which took place the same day, Clemens said there was no indication that the two were related.