State government plays an important role in the lives of people across Massachusetts. From turning around low performing schools to making the health care system more cost-effective, from developing new approaches to reducing youth violence, to supporting job creation and economic development – state government is making a difference on critical issues that matter to the people it serves. Success on these issues in recent years stems in part from the unprecedented investment the Patrick-Murray Administration has made in these areas and that are prioritized in the FY2014 budget. However, how much money is spent by state government is not the benchmark this Administration uses to determine whether the state's goals have been achieved. Ultimately, it is the results of those investments that matter. Has school performance improved, has health care cost growth been contained, are kids safer in their neighborhoods, are jobs being created in all parts of the Commonwealth – those are the real tests of state government's success.
That is why as part of its FY2014 budget, the Patrick-Murray Administration is launching the MassResults initiative, which seeks to further embed a results-oriented culture in state government. In launching MassResults alongside the investments proposed in this budget, the Administration is making a further down payment towards changing the way state government does business.
Painting a clearer, more complete picture of state spending and performance so that residents can more effectively engage with state government and hold it accountable for results.
Building a more results-oriented government is the specific charge of the Office of Commonwealth Performance, Accountability and Transparency (CPAT), which was created by the legislature in 2012 and housed within the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. CPAT has: directed the Administration's comprehensive strategic planning and performance management efforts; brought a greater level of coordination to federal grant management than ever before; led efforts to enhance controls to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse; and improved economic and caseload forecasting capabilities to enable state government to better predict and address fiscal impacts. CPAT will lead the MassResults initiative to make government more effective, accountable and open.
Presentation of a Program Budget – This budget is presented in a new, more accessible and easily understood program-based format. Instead of simply presenting the agency or line-item account for each area of spending, this budget shows how much is being spent on the real functions of state government. Additionally, newly launched web-based tools provide the public with the ability to interact and engage with the budget in a way that has never been possible before. The new program-based budget also goes beyond simply making recommendations for annual operating funds. State government is a $50 B a year enterprise, only $34 B of which is allocated via the annual operating budget. This budget presents a broader and more transparent view of how state government invests the resources it has – whether from operating, federal, capital or trust fund sources.
Articulating what success looks like and being held accountable for results is something that every resident should expect from state government. Together, the publication of strategies for the Governor's four priorities, the Secretariat strategic plans and the new all-funds program-based budget show the public not just how much state government is spending, but what it plans to achieve with these investments. This is something that state government has never done before and should never fail to do again.
Many state agencies have been using performance management practices to achieve better outcomes and improve service delivery. Already this year, the Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has conducted its first-ever public accountability meeting to share its results with interested residents. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) revamped its EHS Results performance management system to measure progress across its agency clusters. The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) led the development of business plans with outcome measures for all of its 18 public and quasi-public economic development agencies. And to support the spread of these practices, CPAT, in partnership with the Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts in Boston (UMASS Boston), has trained more than 300 state managers in performance management techniques and implementation.
In 2009, the Human Resources Division and the Massachusetts Office on Disabilities implemented a strategic plan to establish the Commonwealth as a model employer of people with disabilities. As a result, the percentage of self-identified persons with disabilities working in executive branch agencies increased from 1.7 percent at the start of the Patrick-Murray Administration to 2.9 percent in 2012, exceeding the Federal target.
In addition to implementing performance management, the Patrick-Murray Administration has sought to change the way state services are paid for and delivered – requiring local and private partners to measure results, using incentives to reward success and pioneering the use of innovative funding models. Reforms to health care payment methods encompassed in the recently passed landmark health care cost containment legislation are but one such example. The Administration's Safe and Successful Youth grants program, which is aimed at reducing youth violence, has outcomes built into its grants and recipients are required to report regularly on progress meeting them. The state's accountability and assistance framework for elementary and secondary schools requires that turnaround plans for low-performing schools include measurable goals on indicators such as participation rates, educational attainment, college readiness and school culture.
Additionally, the Administration is finalizing a pay-for-success contract to reduce juvenile recidivism in the Youth Recidivism Project, outlined in more detail in "Positive Youth Development and Violence Prevention." Under the contract, the state will only pay when a successful intervention has been delivered by providers, using agreed upon data and performance measures to determine whether outcomes have been achieved. The Administration is also partnering with providers and funders to create stable housing for several hundred chronically homeless individuals, and is developing a similar pay-for-success mechanism to address this issue.
EOHHS oversees a Competitive Integrated Employment Services (CIES) contract that pays vendors a uniform rate across four EOHHS agencies. The vendors submit client outcome information, which allows departments to direct clients to vendors that have had greater success than others. CIES helped the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) to narrow its pool of vendors and expand the purchase of service from the most successful providers. Using CIES, the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission has experienced significant increases in Successful Employment Outcomes (SEOs) for its clients, at a reduced cost per SEO.
Further reforms to change the way state government pays for and delivers services have also been developed as part of the Governor's FY2014 budget. Building on the enactment of landmark reforms to the community college system last year, the Administration is proposing that community college funding become performance-based to reward better student outcomes, workforce development and the completion of certificates and degrees in fields of high employer need. The Administration is also seeking to provide incentives for local communities to improve their effectiveness and efficiency. A new incentive aid pool has been proposed to reward cities and towns for adopting better financial practices and policies and participating in performance management programs. Through these efforts, state government can stretch taxpayer dollars to get better results.
The Administration has also started to apply a results-oriented philosophy to tax expenditures – the provisions in the tax code that are designed to encourage certain kinds of activities or investments. In April 2013, the Tax Expenditure Commission, which was formed to study and recommend methods for measuring and reviewing the effectiveness of tax expenditures, charged CPAT and the Department of Revenue with identifying the public purpose and desired outcomes for each expenditure and to develop metrics for assessing tax expenditures' effectiveness at achieving these purposes and outcomes. The first part of this charge has been met, with public policy purposes and outcomes identified. These are now being vetted with stakeholders and legislators. Metrics and data are also being collected for a number of grant-like tax expenditures. This work will continue throughout 2013.
Supporting Performance Management at the Local Level – CPAT will continue to work with the Collins Center for Public Management at UMASS Boston to support local communities to adopt and expand their performance management capabilities. During 2012 and 2013, the Commonwealth funded a municipal performance management program to help drive the use of performance management practices at the local level. Additionally, cities and towns were offered the opportunity to participate in New England StatNet, a network of municipalities using CitiStat or other data-driven performance management approaches, at no cost. More than 45 communities are currently participating in the program as a result of this investment. As mentioned previously, as part of reforming state aid to local government, another important initiative announced with this budget, the Administration is planning to provide incentives for cities and towns focused on use of strong fiscal management and performance management practices. Together, these initiatives support cities and towns in their efforts to become more effective and efficient.
Today's fiscal reality demands that every taxpayer dollar is stretched as far as possible and utilized to its fullest extent. Three important elements of CPAT's charge are to better manage federal grants; provide leadership in program integrity efforts across state government; and use economic and caseload forecasting to better assess impacts on the state's finances.
The Federal Grants Management Office (FGMO) in CPAT was created after the state government's successful coordination of $7.5 B in additional funding through the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In managing ARRA funds, real time information was used to track usage and outcomes. This ensured ARRA funds were spent in a timely manner to create and retain jobs and support economic recovery.
Completed Impact Analysis of Potential Federal Grant Reductions – a detailed impact of federal budget sequestration and potential grant reductions was completed and has informed both short-term budget development and long-term fiscal policy planning scenarios.
Going forward, the unit will continue to work to maximize federal awards, ensure federal funding is aligned with Administration priorities and that it best supports the goals state government is working to achieve.
Improving How State Government Tracks and Responds to Audit and Investigative Findings – led efforts to improve collaboration between the executive and oversight offices including the State Auditor, the Inspector General and the Attorney General. A standardized tool was developed that will allow agencies and oversight offices to track oversight findings and agency responses, which will be piloted and implemented in 2013. This is a critical step forward in improving accountability and making government more effective and will allow state government to spot opportunities for control enhancements.
These efforts will support continued improvement and learning in preventing and detecting fraud, waste and abuse throughout state agencies.
Evaluated the Economic Impact of the "Fiscal Cliff" – working jointly with CPAT's FGMO, analysis was conducted to assess the impact of federal funding cuts on state programs and the state's economy, tax revenues and overall fiscal health. This analysis is being updated to assess the outcomes from budget negotiations in Washington.
The Economic and Caseload Forecasting Unit will work to expand the Long-Term Fiscal Policy Framework, including estimating the impact of further federal deficit reduction policies and Affordable Care Act implementation. The unit also is taking on responsibilities related to the health care cost containment legislation in forecasting economic growth.
The Patrick-Murray Administration has been committed to an unprecedented level of transparency since it took office six years ago. At that time, Massachusetts was given a failing grade for sharing information on state spending with the public according to the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MassPIRG). Since that time, the Commonwealth's transparency rating has steadily improved and MassPIRG gave the state an A- in 2012. Fulfilling a promise to build a more open government, the Administration, through CPAT, has created new tools and strategies to share more information than ever before on state governments' spending and performance.
The most important transparency initiative implemented in recent years is the Commonwealth's Open Checkbook. Launched in December 2011, the Open Checkbook provides the public with easy access to state spending information. During the last year, the Administration has continued to make enhancements to the site, adding new content such as information on 13 categories of tax credits. Since its launch, the Open Checkbook has received more than 420,000 hits and will continue to be an important source of spending data for residents of the Commonwealth.
All funding sources supporting these programs (including federal, capital, trust and budgetary or operating accounts) – not just the budgetary appropriations that have been traditionally presented in the Governor's Budget Recommendation.
Publish Performance Information – as mentioned above, performance reports for each Secretariat will be published next year with the Governor's FY15 Budget Recommendation. These reports, which will contain detailed performance data, will update the public on progress made in delivering Secretariat strategic goals.
The Patrick-Murray Administration is committed to making government more effective, more accountable and more open. It recognizes however that changing the way government does business cannot occur through the actions of government officials alone – it requires the collaboration and support of an engaged citizenry. Ultimately the results achieved by government matter only if they are the results that people want to see.
Your ideas and insights are therefore essential to this effort so please visit the MassResults website: www.mass.gov/MassResults. There you will be able to find more information about this initiative and contact us with ideas and feedback.


text:
Posts Tagged 'The Homeshoppinista'
Chef Wolfgang 'F—k' Lets Loose On HSN
Wolfgang Puck has had at least one temper tantrum on HSN that we blogged about. Now the celebrity chef used some really salty language on the home shopping network, according to TMZ.
http://www.tmz.com/2017/02/13/wolfgang-puck-hsn-f-word/
We don't know how they got the video, or who other than nuts like us were watching HSN late-night, but Puck used a naughty word starting with "F" that rhymes with his last name. He said it very nonchalantly, as if forgetting he was on-the-air live.
We thought there was a time-delay on home shopping channels to avoid just this kind of thing, but the censor did not catch the profanity.
Host Susan Runyan, ever the pro, just glossed over it and pretended like Wolgang hadn't said anything out of the ordinary.
Tags:celebrity chef, F-bomb, HSN, The Homeshoppinista, Wolfgang Puck
HSN Readies New Model Host Amy Bravo For Duty
HSN has a new host coming, one with apparently Hispanic roots.
She's Amy Bravo, who has previously served as a host for HSN's "Boutique" on segments on Univision, the Spanish-language broadcast giant. Bravo has also been a model on the English-language HSN.
Amy Bravo
On Facebook veteran HSN host Colleen Lopez posted an item about Bravo.
"I could not be more excited to introduce you to our newest HSN Host in Training – the beautiful and talented Amy Bravo!!!" Lopez wrote. "As one of our fabulous models for many years, Amy is already part of our HSN family – I'm so proud to watch her spread her wings and fulfill her dreams of becoming a Host. Much love and congratulations, Amy! ♥♥♥"
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=627768473&fref=ts
Tags:Amy Bravo, Colleen Lopez, host, HSN, The Homeshoppinista

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home » World
French snub biggest film hit
Source: Agencies | March 1, 2009, Sunday | Print Edition
FRENCH cinema has held its version of the Oscars in a ceremony where self-congratulation after a year of box office and critical triumphs was dosed by claims that the biggest hit of all was snubbed.
The annual Cesars awards on Friday provide the local industry with a glitzy if rarely glitch-free night often mocked in France for its mix of gushing tributes and gaffes by stars and presenters.
French cinema had an unusually successful year to look back on, with actress Marion Cotillard winning an Oscar, the first French film winner at Cannes in more than 20 years, and the country's biggest box-office take.
But controversy is rarely far away and this year there were claims that the Cesars ignored the popular comedy "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" (Welcome to the Sticks).
The Best Film award went to "Seraphine," the true story of a domestic servant who became an artist before World War I. The film won good reviews but it was no match for "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" at the box office.
The story of a post office executive transferred to the far north of France and forced to deal with rain, strange food and incomprehensible accents, "Les Ch'tis" was seen by more than 20 million to become the biggest French hit of all time.
Star and director Dany Boon, reported by the daily Le Figaro to have earned 26 million euros (US$33.06 million) from the film, had declared he would not attend the ceremony because it has only been nominated for one award - Best Screenplay.
But he relented and even presented an award. "I was at home in front of the television and I said to myself. 'Don't be stupid, Dany, go on'," he said. "I'm not going to sulk."


Cylindrical Lithium-ion phosphate has the best safety characteristics, long cycle life (up to 2000 cycles), and substantial availability. It is well suited for high discharge rate requirements such as the demands of the military, Medical Device, Electrical Vehicles, Power Tools, Mobile needs, UPS, (Interrupt/Back-Up) and Solar energy systems.
Prismatic Aluminum Lithium-ion phosphate has the best safety characteristics, LiFePO4 battery cell from 6Ah to 50Ah with 1-3C discharge, 10C, 20C peak discharge, and with screw design easy to assemble. long cycle life (up to 2000 cycles), and substantial availability. It is well suited for high discharge rate requirements such as the demands of the military, Medical Device, Electrical Vehicles, Power Tools, Mobile needs, UPS, (Interrupt/Back-Up) and Solar energy systems.
reference only, not for as inspection standard.
With more than 20+ years' specialized in batteries products supplying.
Our Lithium-ion cell along with the best BMS making our battery one of the very best available.
With in-house product engineering and design assistance, in order to meet your plastic injection molding needs, we build our own tooling to bring your product to fruition.
Block B,Juhao International Building, Donghuan 2nd Road, Longhua, Shenzhen, China.


text:
ACS > ACS Blogs > Expert Forum
Law and Policy Analysis
Is an ALJ an Officer or Employee? And What Difference Does It Make?
William Funk Lewis & Clark Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, Lewis & Clark Law School
For more than a half century since the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) became law, everyone had assumed that a hearing examiner, whose title became Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in 1978, was an employee, not an officer of the United States. Indeed, this belief predated the APA, as hearing examiners had been used by various agencies prior to the APA. Recently, however, that assumption has been questioned in a number of cases challenging the use of ALJs by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The APA states that "each agency shall appoint" ALJs, leaving ambiguous how the agency appoints them. The SEC's ALJs have been appointed upon recommendation by the SEC's Chief ALJ to the agency's Office of Human Resources, but if ALJs are inferior officers rather than employees, this method of appointment would be invalid under the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which would require them to be appointed by the head of the department, which in this case would mean the SEC itself. In Lucia v. SEC, the D.C. Circuit held that the ALJs are employees, because, as it interpreted the Supreme Court's decision in Freytag v. Commissioner of the IRS, the ALJs do not have the power to finally bind the agency – all of their decisions must be ratified (or reversed) by the SEC itself. The Tenth Circuit reached a different conclusion in Bandimere v. SEC, interpreting Freytag to hold that persons who possess significant duties and discretion, as evidenced by the ability to take testimony, conduct trials, rule on the admissibility of evidence, and enforce compliance with discovery orders, are officers, not employees. Monday the Supreme Court will hear argument in Lucia to resolve this issue.
Many commentators agree with the Tenth Circuit's reading of Freytag, and the SEC itself has switched positions from saying its ALJs are employees to saying that they are inferior officers, and it has newly appointed its ALJs. If the Court finds that ALJs are inferior officers, which unless it somehow distinguishes its language in Freytag it seems bound to do, it will raise a host of additional questions, which the Court may or may not address. First, what would this say about the thousands of non-ALJ hearing officers in various agencies, including the 334 immigration judges who engage in collective bargaining with their employing agency? They too have the ability to take testimony, conduct trials, rule on the admissibility of evidence and otherwise act in almost an identical fashion to ALJs. But for many of these administrative judges there is no statutory provision authorizing their appointment by anyone, so that until legislation was enacted their appointment would have to be by the President and confirmation by the Senate.
Second, and more importantly, would this make the for-cause removal protection for ALJs unconstitutional? In Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), the Supreme Court held that inasmuch as members of the SEC, who were considered to have for-cause removal protection, could only remove members of the PCAOB for cause, the PCAOB members' for-cause removal protection was unconstitutional. The Court viewed two-levels of for-cause removal protection as depriving the President of adequate ability to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Precedent approved of one level of for-cause removal protection, but two levels were just too much. The Court's solution was to declare the PCAOB members' removal protection unconstitutional, so that the SEC could remove them at will. SEC ALJs (and all ALJs in independent regulatory agencies) have arguably three levels of removal protection. First, they can only be removed if their agency (whose members can only be removed for cause) files a complaint with the Merit Systems Protection Board (whose members can only be removed for cause), which has the power to remove ALJs – for cause. If this were seen as unconstitutional, then – using the same remedy as in Free Enterprise Fund – ALJs removal protection would be invalid so that they could be fired at will. Of course, a founding principle involved in the creation of ALJs was that they would be independent of their agency, and it was precisely for that reason that agencies were not allowed to rate, reward, punish, or remove their ALJs. To subject them to removal-at-will by their agencies would destroy that independence.
One simple way to avoid this outcome would be to distinguish Free Enterprise Fund by noting that the PCAOB, while it had some adjudicatory responsibilities, also had significant policymaking responsibilities. ALJs, however, only have adjudicatory responsibilities. In Wiener v. United States, the Court said that the members of an agency whose sole function was to "adjudicate[] according to the law that is, on the merits of each claim, supported by evidence and governing legal considerations, by a body that was entirely free from the control or coercive influence, direct or indirect," could not be removed at will. The same concept should apply to ALJs; the President has no need to have significant control over ALJs, when it would be improper for him to interfere in the adjudication of their cases.
The Solicitor General has suggested a different solution. To save the constitutionality of the for-cause removal protection, in his brief before the Court he is arguing that "for cause" should be broadly construed. That is, it would permit an agency to remove an ALJ for personal misconduct or for failure to follow lawful agency directives or to perform his duties adequately. Thus, agency heads would be able to remove ALJs who refuse to follow agency policies and procedures, who frustrate the proper administration of adjudicatory proceedings, or who demonstrate deficient job performance. He argues that this would provide adequate independence to ALJs in making their adjudicatory decisions but would allow for appropriate executive oversight, thereby safeguarding the President's power to control and supervise the Executive Branch. Several commentators have suggested that such an interpretation of "for cause" would effectively eliminate any protection for ALJs, and others have gone further to say that this argument is a stalking horse for removing special counsel Robert Mueller, who can only be removed for cause under Department of Justice regulations.
Of course, if the Court finds that ALJs are mere employees, all these questions go away. That by itself may prove a powerful incentive to reach such a finding, and as argued by the amicus appointed by the Court to defend the D.C. Circuit's decision and an amicus brief on behalf of several administrative and constitutional law professors, there are substantial bases for a conclusion that ALJs are employees. Even if the Court finds ALJs to be inferior officers, one might imagine that the Court will take the narrowest approach, having the least disruptive effect on government as we know it, as it did in Free Enterprise Fund. But then, all things are possible.
acsblog
The Defense Production Act's Secret Weapon to Fight Climate Change
Partners in the Fight for Environmental Justice: Ways That State Attorneys General Can Support Community Efforts
OSHA and Local Whistleblower Laws: How the Plaintiffs' Bar Uses Creative Lawyering To Achieve Justice


Lest you think I had a leisurely weekend, what follows is proof positive that I worked my hiney off. Well, not off. Not even a little bit off. But I did work pretty darn hard.
Without further ado… our dining room.
BEFORE. Then after. Just so you know.
Please forgive the very poor photos. I took them on my iPhone, I cannot seem to use my Nikon in the house for anything larger than a dinner plate.
Thankfully my kid's heads are smaller than dinner plates.
I know. Beauty, isn't it? The border? The coordinating upper and lower wallpaper choices?
a little spackle… a little primer… no more edges!
And yes, I did paint right over the wallpaper. Well, first I put a solid coat of primer over the wallpaper and then painted. Why? Because I'm lazy. And because I pulled the wallpaper down in our bedroom and it took me a full 4 days to complete that room.
I'm still having nightmares in which I'm standing, ankle deep, in wallpaper scraps.
Here we are mid-paint job. Since we were using such a dark color, we needed two coats (actually we could have used 3 but I'm too cheap to buy another gallon). This was after the first coat.
Voila! All done! I'm going to change out the light fixture and add some curtains, but that's pretty much all she wrote for this room.
So far we've knocked out the family room, living room, hallway and stairway, girls' room and our bedroom. We've got a couple more rooms to go, but it's starting to feel a lot more like home 'round here!
Great job! That room is lookin' mighty nice!! LOVE the wall color!
Major improvement–great job! Why do people do wallpaper….is it just to torture the next owners????
Love it! I have to admit…when I saw your post on my dashboard and saw the pic (not knowing it was the BEFORE)…I was a bit fearful. My impressions of your good taste went out the window. But thankfully, I clicked on to read and see the AFTER! Beautiful!
And as always, I love your writing. Super talented!
Can you please email me your motivation?? Great job!
LOVE the red! I don't blame you for painting over the wallpaper. I have done my share of taking down wallpaper and it is so not fun. I am all for the easy way out.
I love homes, painting, redoing- I will be following along! Can't get rid of me that easily!!
Hopefully I'll be wearing the latest and greatest wild olive tee while reading your next post!!
You are a hard worker… but nothing gets in the way of a mom making a house a home!
Blessings to all of you! I love your adorable family!!
Looks good. Do you know of a charity that helps children with limb differences? Missing limbs, amniotic banding. etc.? Thanks for all your work in China, it gives us an easy way to help to.
Every proper Southern home has a red room.
I realize you aren't in the South now, but at least you have a proper Southern home!
Very nice…I'm just thinking you can't all really sit there…cause, well there aren't really enough chairs. I'm figuring you have a plan! I just finished posting pictures of Josiah's toddler life book and those pictures didn't come out great either but I'm hoping it helps someone hesitant to begin the project. It can be overwhelming and it doesn't have to be.
I think painting over wallpaper is a GRAND idea…never.do.wallpaper.period.
What's up with your camera? Aren't you the mamarazzi? sp????
🙂 Better get that figured out before you meet the newest China blessing!!
Post photos of the other rooms… there's just something about before/after shots that most of us women love! 🙂 You're plugging right along… Superwoman!!!
I love it! It looks very New England Puritan/Hip. 🙂 Stefanie, I'm dying to know more about how the process to Vivi is going, our computer died, and I don't have your e mail anymore, drop me a line, let me know!
Thank you thank you for the post. I love the red. We are gong dark for our dining room (painted over wall paper already.) We are down to the dining Room and the 'office' then I can start decorating. I think I have finally decided on an idea for the mantle.
Beautiful! I wish we could have painted over the wallpaper here. Curls, rips, gouges, and air bubbles – no chance.
So before we started Li'l Empress's adoption paperwork, we spent our last tax return to pay someone to do all 7 areas at once. I had already done the kitchen and laundry room. It was the best $$ we ever spent, and now we only have our dining room to finish!
Wallpaper is from the devil, I'm convinced. My house was a model home and the builders put coordinating wallpaper throughout – without properly treating the wall board. It took us two months to get the giant fruit print wallpaper off my kitchen! I will never put up wallpaper, so long as I live.
Beautiful! Will look for more pics. You are doing a great job!
I think you did an amazing job! We just recently moved too and just the unpacking was enough for me lol! Can't wait to see more HI projects! Hope all is well and that you are now enjoying all your hard work!
Wow you are getting a ton done! I love love redecorating and making a new house my own. Cant wait to see MORE!
I LOVE the red!! The room looks beautiful. Great Job!
Looking forward to seeing more pictures, because I enjoy home improvement projects.
Looking good Stefanie!! I do like this sort of stuff so I will be watching!!!
Hey, so will there be more before and after photos forthcoming?? Wow, such fast work, I moved at the end of July and so far haven't painted a drop. My roommate has both her rooms decked out and painted, though!
This looks great!! You put me to shame. I've been trying to motivate to paint ONE room this summer and I have 1/2 the number of kids you do.
Can't wait to see some more before and after pics.


text:
The leading source of mining technical information since 1949.
Advertising and Marketing Program
Products and Services Showcase(PDF)
Newmont Goldcorp to sell its interest in Super Pit to Northern Star for $800 million
Newmont Mining Corp. has agreed to sell its 50 percent stake in Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM), including the Super Pit Mine and its assets, to Australia's Northern Star Resources Ltd. for $800 million. Once the transaction is completed the Super Pit Mine will have full Australian ownership for the first time. In November, Barrick Gold sold its 50 percent stake in the mine to Australian miner Saracen Mineral Holdings for $750 million (ME, Nov. 18).
Newmont Goldcorp reported that under terms of the agreement, Newmont will receive $800 million in cash for its interests in KCGM, inclusive of a $25 million payment that gives Northern Star specified exploration tenements, transitional services support and an option to negotiate exclusively for 120 days the purchase of Newmont's Kalgoorlie power business for fair market value. The $25 million payment will be credited against the purchase price for the power business or returned to Northern Star if the power business is sold to a third party. The transaction is expected to close in early January following receipt of ministerial consent required under KCGM's crown leases.
"This transaction generates exceptional value and further strengthens our financial position by increasing proceeds from our 2019 asset sale agreements to more than $1.4 billion," said Tom Palmer, president and chief executive officer of Newmont Goldcorp. "Australia remains a core operating region for Newmont, and the sale of KCGM allows us to focus on investing in profitable growth and long-term value creation at our top-tier Tanami and Boddington complexes, in addition to our active exploration campaigns across the region. Northern Star is a well-established, Australian-based gold producer with a core competency in exploration, a commitment to community development, responsible environmental stewardship and, most importantly, excellence in safety."
Combined with the previously announced agreements to sell Red Lake in Canada for $375 million and Newmont's stake in Continental Gold for $260 million, the Newmont has meaningfully exceeded market expectations, with more than $1.4 billion in fair value cash transactions announced over the past month.
"Building on Newmont's recently announced $1 billion share repurchase program, Northern Star's all-cash offer supports Newmont's disciplined approach to capital allocation, which includes strategically reinvesting in the business, strengthening the company's investment-grade balance sheet and returning capital to shareholders. The sale of KCGM also further streamlines Newmont's portfolio, with 12 top-tier assets located on four continents in the world's most favorable gold mining jurisdictions," Newmont said in a statement.
"The purchase of a 50 percent stake in the Kalgoorlie Super Pit meets our key strategic objectives of generating strong financial returns and growing our gold inventory fromTier-1 mines in Tier-1 locations,"said Northern Star executive chairman Bill Beament. "This is one of the world's greatest gold systems, as shown by its 80 million oz endowment and the fact that it contains up to 60,000 oz per vertical meter. To put this in context, our Jundee Mine, which is itself a Tier-1 asset, contains around 13,000 oz per vertical meter."
The Super Pit is one of the most significant gold systems in the world, with an estimated 80 million oz endowment and a world-class gold content of 45,000-60,000 oz per vertical meter.
The mine currently has an estimated reserve of 7.3 million oz and has produced on average 660,000 oz/year at an all-in sustaining cost of around A$1,100/oz over the last five years.
Related article search:
Newmont Goldcorp Northern Star Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Super Pit Gold Australia
©2020 SME All Rights Reserved. SME is a member society of OneMine , the SME Foundation , and the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) .
- Join Now! -
Advertising in Mining Engineering , whether via print, digital, or both, is a great way to reach more than 10,000 SME members throughout the year. Promote your company's products and services to decision-makers throughout the industry using Mining Engineering's cost-effective advertising programs that can be custom-fitted for your marketing budget.
For more information, contact SME Advertising Manager Gary Garvey, 303-948-4243, garvey@smenet.org .
Once a month, every month: 12 full print issues a year and full online access, anytime, anywhere.
Feature articles addressing the challenges and successes of the industry
Cutting-edge developments in the latest technology
Extended abstracts of peer-reviewed technical papers
Global access to mining products and services
Bonus quarterly publication - Tunneling & Underground Construction
12999 E. Adam Aircraft Circle
cs@smenet.org


text:
Cap on teachers' work hours 'unrealistic' as some will still exceed call of duty for students: Chan Chun Sing
SINGAPORE — A hard cap on teachers' working hours is "unrealistic" as some teachers will still want to go beyond the call of duty to help students, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said on Monday (March 7).
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing speaking in Parliament on March 7, 2022.
Navene Elangovan
By Navene Elangovan
Mr Chan said that the Government tried to alleviate the workload of teachers by partnering them or not overly burdening them with unrealistic expectations.
"(But) I think it's also very unrealistic for us to put such a cap on our teachers.
"And even if I do, I don't think my teachers will stop just because they consciously calculate that 'my time is up and therefore I will not respond to this high-need student of mine'," said Mr Chan during the Parliamentary debate on his ministry's spending.
He was responding to a clarification sought by Dr Wan Rizal, the Member of Parliament for Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency, who had asked if the Ministry of Education (MOE) would consider a hard cap on teachers' working hours as their work, such as marking, tended to go beyond working hours.
In response, Mr Chan said that he had posed similar questions on the practicality of imposing a cap on working hours to teachers he met and had been "heartened" by their responses. Mr Chan did not elaborate on the responses provided by teachers.
Mr Chan acknowledged that teachers work "way beyond" what is expected of them when taking care of children.
He raised the example of teachers at NorthLight School in Balestier, which focuses on providing vocational skills to students who are less academically inclined.
At NorthLight School, teachers have "no cap whatsoever" when dealing with "a very challenging group of students".
These students sometimes get into trouble with their families or get kicked out of their homes in the middle of the night, said Mr Chan.
"But guess what — so many teachers in NorthLight gave their personal handphone numbers to their students to call them if they ever get into trouble outside school or if they ever got kicked out of their homes.
"And we have teachers who have responded in the middle of the night — way past midnight — to pick up a student to take care of them," he said.
Mr Chan added that the way in which teachers attended to their students even after their work hours was "immeasurable". It "speaks to the quality of (Singapore's) educational workforce" and made the education system continue to function notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
Mr Chan said that MOE will continue to look at how to lighten the workload of teachers by reviewing the curriculum and applying new technology.
"But I think it's also not realistic for us to therefore say that every teacher should not work more than 'X' hours because their conditions are different.
"The types of students they are managing are different and I have seen all my teachers, including the very good teachers and counsellors in NorthLight, going way beyond their call of duty in order to take care of all our children," he added.
Chan Chun Sing MOE teachers Parliament


text:
Following the path over the fields from Thropton we arrive on the riverside path over from the Rothbury Golf Course, from 1759 until 1965 the location of the well known Rothbury Racecourse. The next image (courtesy of Google Earth) shows the course in present times and the following map (courtesy of John Slusar) shows the ground when it was the venue for horse racing.
Continuing our walk along the riverside brings us into Rothbury, a place with a special place in my memory because I used to order coal and paraffin at the ironmongery shop, with transport to the Rose and Thistle in Alwinton where Geoff Foreman would arrange a tractor up Clennel Street to Wholehope.
Anciently known as 'Rodeberia', the pretty little town was founded as a Crown manor after the Norman conquest and can justifiably claim to be the jewel in the crown of Coquetdale – were it not for a superabundance of parked cars. Despite a free car park on the south side of the river, the town is completely clogged with cars on busy weekends and the enjoyment
Around Rothbury
Downstream view below Rothbury, photo by Paul Franks.
'The Thrum' strid, where the Coquet runs through a cleft in the rocks below the restored 'Thrum Mill' (now a private residence). A 'strid' is defined as a narrow passage between precipitous rocks or banks, which looks as if it might be crossed at a stride. Following fatalities, The Thrum was artificially widened to dissuade people from attempting to jump the gap.
Built by the Duke of Northumberland and adopted by the county in 1888, the elegant five arch bridge at Pauperhaugh (pronounced 'popperhoff') is one of the most attractive on the river. The Coquet is prone to flash floods and the outer arches are spate arches to cope with rapid rise after heavy rain. Come on a stormy day in October or November to see salmon skeetering across the bridge apron.
Near Pauperhaugh Bridge is this lozenge-shaped 'Coquet Pattern' pillbox, another WWII relic of the COQUET STOP LINE
Image courtesy of Google Earth
About four miles downstream from Rothbury the Coquet loops around Brinkburn Priory. Fully restored in the 19th century, little survives of the original medieval buildings apart from the Grade 1 listed Priory Church. Now stark in appearance, the church interior shows that it was once on a grand scale, the acoustics being much appreciated by the lone cornet player who performed during our recent visit.
The Priory was founded as an Augustinian priory by William Bertram during the reign of Henry 1, becoming independent in circa 1180 when construction of the monastic church began. Little is known of the early history of the priory, although it is known that it survived some difficult times.
Following dissolution in 1536, ownership passed to the Fenwick family who built a Manor House nearby.
The church was maintained in a fair state of repair until in 1602 it was reported to be in a state of decay, then before 1700 the roof collapsed and services were abandoned.
By the 19th century the Cadogan family owned the estate and revived plans for the restoration of the church, this major work was consecrated in 1868.
The Devil's Causeway Roman road from Hadrian's Wall to Berwick crosses the Coquet near the Priory, just one of the many ancient tracks that crisscross what was once wild country harbouring thieves and brigands.
A brooding riverside scene at Brinkburn.
Downstream from Brinkburn, Coquetdale gradually opens out and vistas expand as the banks become less steep and the river takes a more serpentine form and it is hard to envisage the green and peaceful valley as a centre for coal extraction, but this table lists the victorian era collieries and drift mines within a few miles radius.
Colliery Name Location (near) Distance from Brinkburn (approx)
Chirm Colliery Longhorsley 4.4m/7.1km
Forestburn Colliery Forestburn 4.5m/7.2km
Healey Cote Colliery Pauperhaugh 1.3m/2.2km
Hesleyhurst Drift Longframlington 3.8m/6.2km
Hunter Pit Newton-on-the-Moor 2.5m/4.0km
Lee Colliery Brinkburn 3.8m/6.1km
Newton Colliery Newton-on-the-Moor 3.5m/5.7km
Plough Pit Longhorsley 4.4m/7.1km
Success Pit Longhorsley 4.4m/7.1km
Wards Hill Drift Longframlington 4.6m/7.5km
Whittle Colliery Newton-on-the-Moor 4.0m/6.5km
(Table adapted from material on the Durham Mining Museum website)
Path above the river near Felton
Further downstream is this wartime reminder of desperate times. Originally a WWII RAF establishment, Eshott (aka Bockenfield) is now an active civil airfield with both tarmac and grass runways.
Opened in 1942, Eshott was built as a training airfield, with three runways in the typical 'A' layout and a perimeter track linking the runways. Operational Training Unit 57 was the only resident, arriving when the airfield opened and disbanding when the war ended. This was an extremely busy airfield with around 100 Spitfire aircraft and eventually had to expand by forming a satellite at RAF Boulmer.
There is much more to Felton than the excellent 'Running Fox' artisan Bakery and Cakery. For example, the next pic shows the exterior of 'St Michael and All Angels' church, given by William Bertram (grandson of William Bertram I founder of Brinkburn Priory) to Felton in CE 1199. The church has a beautiful and well kept interior and consists of a chancel and nave with north and south aisles and a south porch. Aisles were added in the fourteenth century.
Look for this window in the eastern end of the south aisle, inserted circa CE 1331. The construction is very unusual because it is worked in a single 6 foot 6 inches by 4 foot stone, possibly brought here from Brinkburn.
The old stone bridge at Felton. This bridge was apparently built in the 15th or 16th century and is still in excellent condition. In contrast, the 'modern' bridge already has a badly rusted handrail that urgently requires replacement.
The 1776 dam constructed to power the Acklington works is considered to be one of the finest in England and is the site of a WWII tragedy, where ten trainee soldiers were drowned during a river-crossing exercise that went wrong when their boats went over the top of the dam in spate conditions. The next photo shows the well-kept memorial to these poor lads.
The sad and derelict 19th century Guyzance Mill.
The idyllic little Guyzance village comprises one small street of facing cottages surrounded by scattered cottages, farms and large houses (photo by J Thomas).
This was originally the Acklington Park Ironworks, subsequently used as a cloth mill and paint factory and now converted as private housing (photo by Russel Wills).
The remains of the twelfth century Brainshaugh Priory are in a loop of the Coquet at Guyzance. Constructed by Richard Tison for the benefit of nuns from an Alnwick religious community, the chapel fell into disuse during the eighteenth century, although burials took place until the nineteenth century. The grounds were used as a private burial place for the Milburne family.
This aerial view (courtesy of Google Earth) shows the extensive water treatment works just upstream from Warkworth.
Further downstream and past the waterworks, these well worn steps lead up to a quaint oratory known locally as the 'Warkworth Hermitage'. Probably constructed in the middle years of the 14th century, the original rock-hewn rooms were later supplemented by stone built exterior accommodation (now ruinous) possibly to house a 'chantry priest' – the incumbent of a 'chantry' endowment to pray for the soul of a departed person.
The balladic story behind the construction of the Hermitage is tragic and romantic (and very likely apocryphal!) and concerns Sir Bertram of Bothal Castle. Heavily edited, my version of the tale reads like this:
'Urged on by his lady love Isabella, the bold Sir Bertram went raiding into Scotland and was wounded in a skirmish. Isabella rushed north to be with Bertram, but was kidnapped by a Scottish admirer. In rescue mode, Sir Bertram and Isabella's brother set off in 'hot trod' pursuit but agreed to separate in order to cover the ground more effectively.
Bertram discovered Isabella's location and was covertly watching the place when he saw her descending a rope ladder aided by a youth wearing Scottish clothing.
Rushing forward, Bertram attacked the youth and killed him, accidentally killing Isabella in the fray. The youth was Isabella's brother. Bertram's penance was to build the hermitage and to spend the rest of his life in mourning.'
Warkworth Castle seen from the riverside path while the daffodils were in bloom.
Weir across the Coquet just upstream from the riverside car park at Warkworth.
WARKWORTH CASTLE
Downstream is Amble, from 1838 to the 1960s an important port for the shipment of coal from adjacent collieries. Radcliffe pit in Hauxley was operational from the early nineteenth century until flooding in 1892. Togston pit opened a few years later and Newburgh pit opened in 1900 very close to the original pit at Radcliffe but was flooded out in 1926. All assets, including pits, railways and coal staithes and Amble harbour itself were amalgamated and renamed Broomhill Collieries. The last coal ship left the harbour and the staithes were demolished in the late 1960s.
Photo courtesy of Peter Cannon
Jimmy Morse's pic
Subsequent open-cast mining brought some new employment and most of the land has now been returned to agriculture, with some transformed into Hauxley Nature Reserve.
We're getting very close to the end of our journey together down the Coquet, this wonderful river so steeped in the history of Northumberland and Mark Hume's photos of the sunrise at Hauxley and the undersea sandstone reef that leads the eye out to Coquet Island are the last images in this story.
My original plan for this walk was to start on the Border Ridge and to simply to get my boots on the ground and to keep walking until some sort of insight emerged about how things were with the Coquet
Map extracts are courtesy of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved.
I gratefully acknowledge my principal written references;
1) Road Guide to Northumberland and The Border – Robert Hugill 1931
I use my own photos wherever I can, otherwise I use 'Creative Commons' images from geograph.org. Thanks to Andrew Curtis, Paul Franks, J Thomas and Russell Wills for 'Creative Commons' permission to use their images. Thanks also to Mark Hume and Jimmy Morse for their pics and to John Slusar at GREY HOUND DERBY for the map of Rothbury Racecourse.
If you can help with photos, information or factual corrections to improve this article, or if I have inadvertently ignored your copyright, then please click here to email me.
See Part 1 of this article


We are at the stage of actively pursuing Middle Years development options for Generations Christian Education. We will continue to inform you of our progress.
Please pray that we will have all wisdom and discernment as we research plans and opportunities. Pray, whatever our course of action, that we will meet the needs of our community.


text:
Q: How to close Flume with kafka as Source I'm upgrading Flume1.7 to 1.9.I have 5 Kafka sources and 7 aws-s3's sinks in FLume's conf.
  Firstly I need stop Flume 1.7.So I execute the command
'kill ps -ef |grep flume |grep bidinfo | awk '{print $2}'' to stop the bidinfo task,but this process still exists.22 hours later ,this process always alive until now. What else can I do without this command 'kill -9 xxxx'.Welcome to suggest!!!
This server has been running for 60 days with Flume 1.7,kafka ,I've tried to execute the command 'kill -3 xxxx',However, only two sources and two sinks have been stopped and the others have been running.
  I read the source code of flume-kafkaSource and observed flume's log.
It is possible that two methods(Consumer. wakeup ();Consumer. close ();) are not completed.
#flume-conf
ag.sources = src_1 src_2 src_3 src_4 src_5
ag.channels = ch
ag.sinks = sk_1 sk_2 sk_3 sk_4 sk_5 sk_6 sk_7

#source:kafka
ag.sources.src_1.type = org.apache.flume.source.kafka.KafkaSource
ag.sources.src_1.kafka.bootstrap.servers = xxxx
ag.sources.src_1.kafka.consumer.group.id = flume.xxxxx
ag.sources.src_1.kafka.consumer.retry.backoff.ms = 10000
ag.sources.src_1.batchSize = 5000
ag.sources.src_1.batchDurationMillis = 2000
ag.sources.src_1.kafka.topics = xxxx
ag.sources.src_1.interceptors = i1
ag.sources.src_1.interceptors.i1.type = xxxx.interceptor
ag.sources.src_1.channels = ch

#sink:aws S3
ag.sinks.sk_1.type = hdfs
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.path = s3a://xxxxxxx
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.filePrefix = %{minute}
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.fileSuffix = .xxx.1.lzo
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.rollSize = 0
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.rollCount = 0
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.rollInterval = 0
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.idleTimeout = 180
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.callTimeout = 600000
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.closeTries = 5
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.retryInterval = 60
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.batchSize = 3000
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.codeC = lzop
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.fileType = CompressedStream
ag.sinks.sk_1.hdfs.writeFormat = Text
ag.sinks.sk_1.channel = ch
#channels

ag.channels.ch.type = memory
ag.channels.ch.capacity = 2000000
ag.channels.ch.transactionCapacity = 100000

Error Message
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,010 ERROR [PollableSourceRunner-KafkaSource-src_2] (org.apache.flume.source.kafka.KafkaSource.doProcess:314)  - KafkaSource EXCEPTION, {}
org.apache.flume.ChannelException: java.lang.InterruptedException
        at org.apache.flume.channel.BasicTransactionSemantics.commit(BasicTransactionSemantics.java:154)
        at org.apache.flume.channel.ChannelProcessor.processEventBatch(ChannelProcessor.java:194)
        at org.apache.flume.source.kafka.KafkaSource.doProcess(KafkaSource.java:295)
        at org.apache.flume.source.AbstractPollableSource.process(AbstractPollableSource.java:60)
        at org.apache.flume.source.PollableSourceRunner$PollingRunner.run(PollableSourceRunner.java:133)
        at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
Caused by: java.lang.InterruptedException
        at java.util.concurrent.locks.AbstractQueuedSynchronizer.tryAcquireSharedNanos(AbstractQueuedSynchronizer.java:1326)
        at java.util.concurrent.Semaphore.tryAcquire(Semaphore.java:582)
        at org.apache.flume.channel.MemoryChannel$MemoryTransaction.doCommit(MemoryChannel.java:119)
        at org.apache.flume.channel.BasicTransactionSemantics.commit(BasicTransactionSemantics.java:151)
        ... 5 more
#this place I think is the main problem

09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,011 INFO  [PollableSourceRunner-KafkaSource-src_2] (org.apache.flume.source.PollableSourceRunner$PollingRunner.run:143)  - Source runner interrupted. Exiting
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,011 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.kafka.clients.consumer.internals.AbstractCoordinator$2.onFailure:571)  - LeaveGroup request failed with error
org.apache.kafka.clients.consumer.internals.SendFailedException

#-------------
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:149)  - Component type: SOURCE, name: src_2 stopped
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:155)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. source.start.time == 1567911973591
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:161)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. source.stop.time == 1567998858018
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. source.kafka.commit.time == 2470886
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. source.kafka.empty.count == 0
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. source.kafka.event.get.time == 78823378
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. src.append-batch.accepted == 0
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. src.append-batch.received == 0
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. src.append.accepted == 0
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. src.append.received == 0
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. src.events.accepted == 767319160
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. src.events.received == 767366357
09 Sep 2019 11:14:18,018 INFO  [agent-shutdown-hook] (org.apache.flume.instrumentation.MonitoredCounterGroup.stop:177)  - Shutdown Metric for type: SOURCE, name: src_2. src.open-connection.count == 0

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Ok, I Think I Understand Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries near Me, Now Tell Me About Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries near Me!
1 area that few are referring to, nevertheless, is how legal marijuana will influence residential property markets. At this https://www.northeastern potster.edu/universityscholars/scholars-resources/ time the cannabis business is similar to the wild west and the rules and demand appear to change each day. Marijuana dispensaries ought to be brought out of the shadows and allowed to work with banks.
Make certain you go to the health marijuana clinic in your state and you might also contact the health marijuana community and foundations of marijuana to be able to check different documents needed for the granting of medical marijuana card. Depending on the place you reside, it's not essential that the nearest dispensary is truly near to your place. If you're thinking about how to purchase marijuana in Vegas, our marijuana dispensary is conveniently located and hassle-free to make it through.
If you've got a Marijuana Brand or non-dispensary company, you may add your brand page free of charge. You cannot merely go to a physician and request a prescription, nor can you buy medical marijuana by means of a pharmacy. Upon receiving your healthcare cannabis recommendation, you are going to be in a position to walk into your nearest dispensary and get started using MMJ, legally.
Individuals are understanding what it is and unique strategies to consume. High Times marijuana dispensaries oxnard is a famous publication that has existed since 1974. In the USA today, an increasing number of people begin to apply the advantages of medical marijuana.
California is already the agricultural capital of the nation, therefore it makes sense that when and if cannabis joins interstate commerce, the majority of the legal weed in the united states will come here. Regardless of the stringent rules in Colorado, Colorado dispensaries still appear to entice a great deal of businessmen. Recreational Marijuana Shops must continue to keep the age information of the buyer before selling.
The issue is that major research institutions are highly regulated also. As is true for most dispensary owners, it was not all smooth sailing in the burgeoning industry. Be Careful in selecting an illegal place as it can acquire problematic.
How to develop into a medical marijuana patient is surprisingly straightforward, all you will need is to get a health marijuana doctor near you. The simple fact that marijuana has been demonstrated to be beneficial in the treatment of multiple diseases that hinder Americans today has seemingly been overlooked by the legal system in the usa, until now. Others are going to sell to patients illegally should they get the opportunity to achieve that.
Buy Marijuana Seeds Online is a valuable resource for patients appearing to connect with accredited doctors and find out more about the health care cannabis market. As a consequence, patients should have accessibility to it. So as to be taken through marijuana therapy, each patient needs to be approved for and issued a marijuana card by a trustworthy doctor with a marijuana license.
Therefore, if you're a frequent consumer of health marijuana, make sure to download our app and have a weed finder while you're on the go. You only need to pay a visit to our weed finder, allow location solutions, and you'll be supplied with a complete list of places where you are able to purchase medical marijuana and recreational weed. The organic weed plays an important part in the health care world.
If you or somebody you know think you may benefit from the effects of health cannabis, now's the opportunity to receive proactive and see if marijuana is best for you! Because of this, folks need to take into account when and the way in which they use marijuana and the way it may impact their employment. Both states don't factor in the unusable part of the marijuana plant in determining the most weight of marijuana that's permissible for possession by a cardholder.
If you're in the lovely state of Washington, we wish you good luck on the beginning of your health care marijuana shipping enterprise! One of the greatest ways is to find advice from those who have already started their own shipping service and have been through what it is that you're just beginning to learn about. Premium products and exceptional customer service is the thing that makes us the most effective medical marijuana shipping services.
The excise tax on purchases will go towards funding schools, the way the tax is going to be allocated will still will need to be set by the state. When you go to a Carson, CA medical marijuana dispensary, it's vitally critical that you stick to all rules and regulations and present the correct identification in any way times. It's premature to say we have a particular plan, he explained.
The ideal way to analyze the caliber of the item is to utilize it, although at times it may turn expensive in the event the quality fails to satisfy the requirements of the purchaser. Having a broad range of goods will be added advantage for those buyers looking for medical marijuana as they'll be offered with the ideal choice to select. The business products are well readily available for assorted nations.


Talk with ladies from all over the World.
Where Are All The Greeks???
Why Are You Shy About Your Sexual Orientation: Does Anyone Feel Like Me?
Anybody Out There From South Africa??
If You Could Learn It For Free?
Amazing Bi Things In Your Part Of The World?
Anyone Living In Vienna, Austria?
Meet Up In Rhône-Alpes Area?


text:
<?php

use Foundation\Pagination\SimpleFoundationFivePresenter;
use Illuminate\Pagination\LengthAwarePaginator;

class SimplePaginationPresenterTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase {

    /**
     * Setup the test environment.
     */
    public function setUp()
    {
        $this->records   = range(1, 30);
        $options         = ['path' => 'http://website.com', 'pageName' => 'foo'];
        $this->paginator = new LengthAwarePaginator($this->records, 30, 10, 1, $options);
        $this->presenter = new SimpleFoundationFivePresenter($this->paginator);
    }

    public function testOutput()
    {
        $this->assertEquals(
            '

«

»

',
            $this->paginator->render($this->presenter)
        );
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Category: Archive
Return to Archive | Back Issue list
All articles in this volume are available for free download. Click on the icon to download.
Aquatic Mammals, Volume 22(1), 3-10
Food preferences communicated via symbol discrimination by a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)
Authors: Cox, M., Gaglione, E., Prowten, P., & Noonan, M.
Aquatic Mammals, Volume 22(1), 11-21
Growth comparison in striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba, from the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of France
Authors: Di-Méglio, N., Romero-Alvarez, R., & Collet, A.
Drinking speed of Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) pups
Authors: Kastelein, R. A., Postma, J., van Rossum, T., & Wiepkema, P. R.
Gross pathology of the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli) in the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica
Author: McFarlane, R. A.
Morphology of the Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene) in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Author: Jefferson, T. A.
Investigations on cetacean sonar XI: Intrinsic comparison of the wave shapes of some members of the Phocoenidae family
Authors: Kamminga, C., Cohen Stuart, A., & Silber, G. K.
Cystoisospora delphini N. Sp. causing enteritis in a bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Authors: Kuttin, E. S., & Kaller, A.
Vocalizations and associated underwater behavior of free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis and bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus
Author: Herzing, D. L.
Aerial hearing sensitivity tests with a male Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), in the free field and with headphones
Authors: Kastelein, R. A., Mosterd, P., van Ligtenberg, C. L., & Verboom, W. C.
Aquatic Mammals, Volume 22(2), 95-125
The anatomy of the walrus head (Odobenus rosmarus). Part 4: The ears and their function in aerial and underwater hearing
Authors: Kastelein, R. A., Dubbeldam, J. L., de Bakker, M. A. G., & Gerrit, N. M.
Aquatic Mammals, Volume 22(2), 127-130
Recent sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) sightings in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Gendron, D., & Rosales, S. C.
Ecotourists' beliefs and knowledge about dolphins and the development of cetacean ecotourism
Author: Amante-Helweg, V.
Frequency resolving power of the dolphin's hearing measured by rippled noise
Authors: Tarakanov, M. B., Pletenko, M. G., & Supin, A. Y.
Changes in the abundance of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in Alaska from 1956 to 1992: How many were there?
Authors: Trites, A. W., & Larkin, P. A.
Geographic variation in external morphology of Dall's porpoise, Phocoenoides dalli
Authors: Amano, M., & Miyazaki, N.
Patterns of dolphin sound production and ovulation
Authors: Moore, S. E., & Ridgway, S. H.
Southward range extension of Steno bredanensis in the Southwest Atlantic and new records of Stenella coeruleoalba for Brazilian waters
Authors: Ott, P. H., & Danilewicz, D.


text:
Water crisis cannot be a reason for illegal water extraction: Madras HC
The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by PR Sivakumar against illegal groundwater extraction from private lands.
PTI/Image for Representation
news Water Crisis Saturday, July 20, 2019 - 08:30
The Madras High Court on Friday came down strongly over illegal groundwater extraction in the city. Citing Section 3 of Chennai Metropolitan Area Groundwater (Regulation) Act of 1987 which states that to sink a dug well, open well, tube well or bore well in any part of Chennai city requires a permit from Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), the Madras High Court called for details regarding the number of permits issued so far across the city.
Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad directed Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department Secretary to submit the list by August 2. They also directed the municipal administration to take action against government officials who failed to stop indiscriminate water extraction, abetting the crime.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by PR Sivakumar against illegal groundwater extraction from private lands at Pidarithangal village in Poonamallee Taluk of Tiruvallur district.
It also directed the Secretary to submit a report on the complaints received so far on illegal groundwater extraction. A TOI report states that the judgement passed in this case was applicable throughout the state.
The court, while observing that the city's acute water scarcity cannot be a justification to draw groundwater illegally from suburban localities, also pointed out Section 5 of the Act which mandates license to be obtained first from CMWSSB for extraction of groundwater for any purpose other than domestic, to be transported through lorries.
The Hindu states that the judges were shocked to learn that as many as 130 illegal borewells were detected in a massive raid conducted in nine villages in the Tiruvallur district.
According to TOI, Tiruvallur sub-collector filed this report claiming 130 deep bore wells have been dismantled and 34 apparatus used for illegal water extraction seized as part of the inspection.
Also Read: Chennai border district cries foul as tankers for city suck their groundwater dry


The Dugong (Duging Dungon) is a gentle marine mammal commonly known as Sea Cow, found near sea grasses. It is highly endangered species and requires urgent conservation measure.
DISCLAIMER: Content owned, maintained and updated by Department of Environment & Forest, A & N Administration.


text:
Watch: First TV Spot for Kosinski's 'Tron Legacy' Hits the Web!
Source: TheMovieBox.net
On last night's premiere episode of "The Walking Dead" on AMC (which everyone was hopefully watching), Disney debuted one of the very first early TV spots for Joseph (Joe) Kosinski's Tron Legacy that I've seen air. This was uploaded by TheMovieBox.net, hence the tag, so send them the thanks. This TV spot contains mostly old footage from the latest trailer, give or take that awesome shot of five, count 'em five, lightcycles lining up on the grid to take on some bad "orange" guys. Yes, this still looks awesome. It's interesting to see how they're selling it at this stage, with solid TV spots like this hitting very wide demographics. Check it out!
Watch the first TV spot for Joseph Kosinski's Tron Legacy:
[flv:https://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/tronlegacy-firstTVspot-598.flv https://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/tronlegacy-firstTVspot-598.jpg 598 336]
Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father's disappearance and is pulled into the digital world of Tron where his father has been living for 25 years.
Tron Legacy is directed by first-time filmmaker Joseph Kosinski. The screenplay was co-written by Adam Horowitz ("Lost"), Richard Jefferies (Blood Tide, Living Hell), Edward Kitsis ("Lost"), and the director of the original movie, Steven Lisberger. This first got the greenlight last year because this early teaser played well at Comic-Con. Disney is bringing Tron Legacy to theaters in 3D starting on December 17th. You in?
Find more posts: Hype, Tron Legacy, TV Spots
can't wait for this to come out. Had my ticket for about a month now, saw the original, looking forward to this one.
Mike McRorey on Nov 1, 2010
This has now been hyped into oblivion. Tbh it does not look that good.
Shoge on Nov 2, 2010
December, hurry your ass up!
Big Boss on Nov 2, 2010
Suh Weet.
Joe Gillis on Nov 2, 2010
I thought it was a little rushed, but they did get a lot in there. CANT WAIT FOR THIS MOVIE!
George on Nov 2, 2010
I've been looking forward to this but I'm a bit pessimestic now after that. I hope its not too much of an action formula stuck into a shiny new tron world.
Ross on Nov 2, 2010
This really doen't look that great, but I am looking forward to the film. Later today I will see the first private screening of next month's Narnia 3 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
David Sutton on Nov 2, 2010
Whateva. This looks awesome!
Bobby on Nov 2, 2010
Who uses a pager in 2010?
Shannon Kolvitz on Nov 2, 2010
Not really a wide demographic...with Tron your corr audience is fanboys geeks and nerds, most of those who are fans of The Walking Dead, genre lovers and the like, seem like the same kind of folksthey'd be targeting by putting up ads on this site. I will concede however that besides the fanboy scifi/horror lovers, the film has a broad appeal, given it's rating and Disney tie-in...but I really wonder if it'll be the big hit everyone is hoping for...the first clip doesn't inspire confidence in the cinematography and overall the worry is that this has less of a real audience than speed racer.
LINKFX on Nov 2, 2010
yeah , whats up with the pager?
cjstearns on Nov 2, 2010
What's the digital equivalent to wooden acting? "Sam!" "Dad!" That's some high quality delivered dialogue...Still want to see it though.
jamdolin on Nov 2, 2010
@9 and @10 saw the 20 minute preview and dont worry they explain/make fun of the pager.
krztov on Nov 2, 2010
This movie looks awesome, and everything about it looks awesome, and i know i am going to love it, but honestly, the only reason i'm going to go and see this movie, is to see the Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Teaser Trailer during the movie trailer previews, before Tron Legacy starts playing after the movie trailer previews, when i go to see Tron Legacy on December 17th, which is when Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Teaser Trailer is released to theaters with Tron Legacy, and on the internet on the same day, if not, the Teaser Trailer will be released on the internet a few days later, after Tron Legacy comes to theaters on December 17th.
Sean on Nov 2, 2010
I fear over-saturation soon. Its time for me to start looking away from this movie and keep all the excitement for the actual full-length flick....
Voice of Reason on Nov 2, 2010
cant wait
A5J4DX on Nov 2, 2010
@ sean, your comment was the absolute most redundant comment ever written? Are you high?
Not a question, sorry about the ? mark.
You cannot oversell a movie. This is not being over saturated. If you're all ready to be depressed, I've got a little revelation for you: The vast majority of people out there have NO IDEA that they're making a Tron sequel. I would often bring it up to people, even just in the last couple of weeks, and they'd say "They're making a sequel to Tron!?". Now that there's a TV spot the majority of people out there are just now going to figure out that this movie exists. People like us who go to websites dedicated to film previews and industry news are in a very tiny minority. Maybe 0.1% of the movie-going population.
Squiggly_P on Nov 2, 2010
SWEET 😀
DaftPUNKFAN on Nov 2, 2010
ani on Nov 2, 2010
Sqiggly_P, who are you fucking talking to? Um, I think any reasonably intelligent person can agree with you on that, your revelation isn't special. We film nerds understand that the majority of people don't know about insider news. But I highly doubt your claim of us being .1 percent. The fact is, the movie industry is the heaviest traffic to these websites, followed then by fans, thats 10's of millions of people. That's a fucking fact. Sure the commenters like us are .1 percent, but websites like this and aintitcoolnews score millions of hits a day from all around the world. Entertainment Weekly is one of the most popular magazines and it is essentially the paper form of firstshowing and aintitcoolnews, a ton of people read that shit. Variety magazine is also extremely popular and widely read. California is the center of the film industry, more than half of the people of Southern California are employed in it, it is also the state with the most theaters and the highest attendance levels. And Tron has been marketed pretty heavily here for almost a year now. It's a sequel to a reasonably popular cult hit that is remembered fondly by many. I don't know where you're hailing from where people don't know about Tron yet. It has posters in theaters and trailers before other movies for several months now, movies like TOY STORY 3 which almost everyone fucking saw btw. So please stow it unless you know it.


DNA Testing for Fitness and Weight Loss: Free DNA Chart Helps You Find the Best Workout.
If popular workout plans from fitness magazines really worked for you, you wouldn't need to find a new one all the time.
For people who are putting in the hours to get a better body, getting disappointing results is frustrating.
Strength, Fat Loss, Heart Attacks, and More: It's All Genetic.
Now, this doesn't mean your genetics should stop you from pursuing your goals.
Instead, you should tailor your approach to achieving your goals based on the workouts and strategies that will work best for you.
If you believe someone who tells you that you can't run fast or lift heavy weights, you will perform at a lower level.
Your beliefs change how you behave.
But at the same time, genetic traits are simply not affected by your beliefs.
Your risk for a heart attack during a marathon, for example, has nothing to do with how much willpower you have. It's simply genetic.
These undeniably genetic influences are the things we need to be aware of if we're going to safely and effectively achieve our goals.
Free DNA Chart Reveals Specific Genetic Links to Your Biggest Fitness Challenges.
This chart is only a small sample of the 723+ genes we analyze, so it's not recommended that you base your workout plan on these results alone.
However, it may help you understand some of your more frustrating challenges in the gym.
Jogging should make up more of your workout routine than weight lifting for general health benefits.
Low level of antioxidant protection during exercise.
Your body requires more rest after a workout than most people.
High risk of exercise-induced ischemia (heart attack or stroke).
Closely monitor your heart health. Very slowly increase your exercise levels.
You may need to pay close attention to your body in order to prevent injuries caused by excess exercise.
Again, this chart only covers 4 of the 723+ genes analyzed in our DNA reports.
More importantly, this is not enough information to determine your whole workout plan.
There are more than 16 genes that determine your response to weight lifting and endurance exercises alone, so be sure to review your whole DNA report before making any changes to your workout plan.
To get your complete genetic analysis and a fitness plan based on your DNA and personal goals, click here.


"From the Texas Revolution, Texas Independence, Republic of Texas, Texas Annexation, Texas Statehood, to Texas Timeline..."
The recorded History of Texas begins with the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadors (conquerors) in the region now known as Texas in 1519, who found the region populated by numerous Native American tribes. Their ancestors had been there for thousands of years. During the period from 1519 to 1848, all or parts of Texas were claimed by six countries: France, Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States of America—as well as the Confederate States of America in 1861–65.
The first European base was established in 1680 in El Paso, Texas with the exiled Spaniards and Native Americans from the Isleta Pueblo during the Pueblo Revolt, also known as Popé's Rebellion, from northern New Mexico. In 1682, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle established a French colony, Fort Saint Louis, near Matagorda Bay. The colony was killed off by Native Americans after three years, but Spanish authorities felt pressed to establish settlements to keep their claim to the land. Several missions were established in East Texas; they were abandoned in 1691. Twenty years later, concerned with the French presence in neighboring Louisiana, Spanish authorities again tried to colonize Texas. Over the next 110 years, Spain established numerous villages, presidios, and missions in the province. A small number of Spanish settlers arrived, in addition to missionaries and soldiers. Spain signed agreements with colonizers from the United States. When Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, Mexican Texas was part of the new nation. To encourage settlement, Mexican authorities allowed organized immigration from the United States, and by 1834, over 30,000 Anglos lived in Texas, compared to 7,800 Mexicans.
After Santa Anna's dissolution of the Constitution of 1824, issues such as lack of access to courts, the militarization of the region's government (e.g., response to Saltillo-Monclova problem), and self-defense issues resulting in the confrontation in Gonzales, public sentiment in Mexican Texas turned towards revolution. Santa Anna's invasion of the territory after putting down the rebellion in Zacatecas provoked the conflict of 1836. The Texian forces fought and won the Texas Revolution in 1835–36.
Texas became an independent nation, the Republic of Texas. Attracted by the rich lands for cotton plantations and ranching, tens of thousands of immigrants arrived from the U.S. and from Germany as well. In 1845, Texas joined the United States, becoming the 28th state. Texas declared its secession from the United States in 1861 to join the Confederate States of America. Although only a few battles of the American Civil War were fought in Texas, most Texas regiments served in the east and in the Army of Northern Virginia. When the war ended, Texas was under Military Law and subject to Reconstruction.
After Texas's annexation, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with the United States. While the United States claimed that Texas's border stretched to the Rio Grande, Mexico claimed it was the Nueces River. While the former Republic of Texas could not enforce its border claims, the United States had the military strength and the political will to do so. President Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor south to the Rio Grande on January 13, 1846. A few months later Mexican troops routed an American cavalry patrol in the disputed area in the Thornton Affair starting the Mexican American War. The first battles of the war were fought in Texas: the Siege of Fort Texas, Battle of Palo Alto and Battle of Resaca de la Palma. After these decisive victories, the United States invaded Mexican territory ending the fighting in Texas.
After a series of United States victories, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the two-year war. In return, for $18,250,000, Mexico gave the U.S. undisputed control of Texas, ceded the Mexican Cession in 1848, most of which today is called the American Southwest, and Texas's borders were established at the Rio Grande.
The Compromise of 1850 set Texas's boundaries at their present form. U.S. Senator James Pearce of Maryland drafted the final proposal where Texas ceded its claims to land which later became half of present day New Mexico, a third of Colorado, and small portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming to the federal government, in return for the assumption of $10 million of the old republic's debt. Post-war Texas grew rapidly as migrants poured into the cotton lands of the state. They also brought or purchased enslaved African Americans, whose numbers tripled in the state from 1850 to 1860, from 58,000 to 182,566.
Texas is the second most populous (after California) and the second largest of the 50 U.S. states (after Alaska) in the United States of America, and the largest state in the 48 contiguous United States. Geographically located in the south central part of the country, Texas shares an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and borders the U.S. states of New Mexico to the west, Oklahoma to the north, Arkansas to the northeast, and Louisiana to the east. Texas has an area of 268,820 square miles and a growing population of over 26.4 million residents (July 2013).
One Texas industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle. Due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The state's economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated an economic boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy and high tech industry in the mid-20th century. As of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57.
With a growing base of industry, the state leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace, and biomedical sciences. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product.
Key Words and Related Studies: Texas Timeline History Texas Revolution Texas Independence History of the War for Texas Independence, Battles Timeline Battle, History Texas Map Photos Photographs Pictures, Battle of the Alamo Map, Articles of the Gadsden Purchase with the United States, Year Ratified, Copy of the US Treaty with Mexico, Results, Details, Summary of the History of Texas, Essays, Free Essays of Texas, Battlefields, Results of Mexican War, Where is the Alamo located year of the Battle of the Alamo, History of the Republic of Texas, War of Independence Texas, San Antonio Texas Detailed History, Picture Photograph Photo of the Alamo, Battles, History Timeline of Texas.


text:
import java.awt.AWTException;
import java.awt.MouseInfo;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.Robot;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.Timer;

/**
 * Increments the cursor position by a random signed int value whenever the cursor position changes.
 *
 * @author Felix Milea-Ciobanu
 * */
public class MouseTrollRobot
{
	/**
	 * Max absolute value in pixels of the delta. The delta can be either positive or negative.
	 * A new delta is generated after every update delay if the cursor position
	 * has changed since the last update.
	 */
	private static final int MAX_TROLL_DELTA = 20;

	// Time interval in ms at which the program should check the mouse position for changes.
	private static final int UPDATE_DELAY = 200;

	private int startDelay;
	private Robot robot;
	private Timer updateTimer, startTimer;
	private Point lastPoint;

	public MouseTrollRobot (int startDelay) throws AWTException
	{
		this.startDelay = startDelay;
		robot = new Robot();
		setupUpdateTimer();
	}

	/**
	 * Sets up update timer loop. It checks the cursor position since the last
	 * interval and alters it in a random manner if it has changed.
	 * */
	private void setupUpdateTimer ()
	{
		updateTimer = new Timer(UPDATE_DELAY, new ActionListener()
		{
			@Override
			public void actionPerformed (ActionEvent e)
			{
				// if the program has just been started
				if (lastPoint == null)
				{
					lastPoint = MouseInfo.getPointerInfo().getLocation();
				}

				// else if the mouse position has changed
				else if ( !lastPoint.equals(MouseInfo.getPointerInfo().getLocation()) )
				{
					// update the mouse position and keep track of the new position
					lastPoint.x += randomDelta();
					lastPoint.y += randomDelta();
					robot.mouseMove(lastPoint.x, lastPoint.y);
				}
			}
		});
	}

	/**
	 * Generate a new random delta to be used to update the mouse position.
	 */
	private int randomDelta ()
	{
		return (int)Math.round( Math.random() * MAX_TROLL_DELTA * 2 ) - MAX_TROLL_DELTA;
	}

	/**
	 * Starts the update timer which checks and alters the mouse position.
	 * */
	public void start ()
	{
		startTimer = new Timer(startDelay, new ActionListener()
		{
			@Override
			public void actionPerformed (ActionEvent e)
			{
				updateTimer.start();
			}
		});

		startTimer.setRepeats(false);
		startTimer.start();
	}

	/**
	 * Stops the update timer, which stops the mouse listening/altering.
	 * */
	public void stop ()
	{
		updateTimer.stop();
	}

}


TV presenter, actor and singer Phillip Schofield picture(s)/pic(s), wallpaper and photo gallery.
Born: April 1, 1962 in Oldham, Lancashire.
-Stephanie Lowe (1993 - present) they have two children.
When he was 17, he moved with his family to New Zealand where he made his TV debut presenting the children's music programme Shazam! on February 23, 1982. In 1985, he moved back to England, where he became the first in-vision continuity presenter for Children's BBC on weekdays for two years from September 1985. He left the "Broom Cupboard" to present the iconic Going Live! on Saturday mornings between September 1987 and April 1993.
He then moved onto adult-oriented TV with various documentaries and holiday programmes for ITV. From 1994 to 1997, Schofield presented Talking Telephone Numbers for five series, and the National Lottery Winning Lines programme for BBC One between June 2001 and October 2004.
His two current assignments with ITV1 are as presenter of daytime TV talk-show, This Morning (since September 3, 2002) with Fern Britton (Mondays-Thursdays) This has proved to be one of ITV's most successful partnerships, winning the pair a number of awards. He also presents with Ruth Langsford on (Fridays). Schofield has recently scored a huge hit with the BAFTA nominated celebrity reality television show, Dancing on Ice (since 2006) alongside Holly Willoughby. The show has proved to be a massive hit for ITV with audiences in excess of 10 million.
Following the success of that show and his continued spot on This Morning, ITV signed Schofield to an exclusive two year contract (a so-called Golden handcuffs deal) in July 2006. Alleged to be worth �5 million.
The exclusive deal also meant he could no longer present the BBC nationwide quiz Test the Nation - which he'd presented for 15 editions with Anne Robinson between 2002 and 2006. Schofield was replaced by Danny Wallace.
During the run of the ITV reality show I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here!, Schofield co-hosted the new ITV1 spin-off series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here! Exclusive with Sheree Murphy. He has also presented 2 series of Have I Been Here Before? a programme, in which a celebrity attempts to use regression to get in touch with a previous life.
On February 23, 2007, Schofield celebrated his 25th anniversary as a television presenter. A surprise feature on This Morning showed highlights of his career, along with tributes from his parents, Pat and Brian, wife since 1993, Stephanie (n�e Lowe), daughters Ruby and Molly, and brother, Tim. At the conclusion of the tribute, Gordon the Gopher, on the beach at his "retirement clinic" in Hawaii, was blown up via a detonator manned by Fern Britton.
During the same period Schofield was presenting Going Live!, he was also broadcasting on BBC Radio 1 with a Sunday show (also called Going Live).
When Radio 1 made the switch from medium wave to FM Stereo in 1988 he was one of the presenters chosen to help with the launch by officiating at the turning on of the Southend transmitter. During his 2005 appearance on Room 101, Schofield recalled how a large crowd gathered in expectation of Simon Mayo arriving by helicopter to turn on the transmitter. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, Mayo instead flew to nearby Norwich. Realising the crowd would be disappointed by Mayo's failure to appear Schofield and an unnamed producer fled in a Radio 1 outside broadcast vehicle without revealing the bad news and leaving the crowd - which included the town's mayor - still watching the sky. For this reason, and as a result of a later incident involving wing walking on a plane leaving Southend Airport, Schofield chose Southend as one of his pet hates for the programme.
To many people's surprise (but to enormous acclaim), he also elected to try theatre and took over the role of Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat from Jason Donovan on the West End stage. As a consequence he achieved a moderately placed single in the UK charts with Close Every Door. Another theatre production he was involved in was Dr Doolittle.
Schofield is constantly remembered as the companion of Gordon the Gopher, a hand puppet from his Children's BBC and Going Live! days. The Gopher is often mentioned, and sometimes appears, on Schofield's TV interviews, usually as a joke or novelty. When Schofield appeared on Room 101 Gordon was the first thing Schofield asked to be interred there - however, the audience took the side of the rodent. His four choices for inclusion were Gordon the Gopher (rejected), Rooks (accepted), Southend-on-Sea (accepted) and Satellite navigation systems (accepted).
* Schofield was rugby tackled by Fruitbat from Carter USM in front of millions of television viewers at the children's music awards TV show Smash Hits Poll Winners Party in 1991.
* Schofield was twice gunged on Noel's House Party.