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text:
Going Bananas!
art as brain food, children's literature, Edgard Allen Poe, Mo Willmems, poetry as a distillation of words of meaning and music, The Bells, We Are In A book
During lunch with a resident at the retirement center, we talked about art and its effect on the aging brain. Both of us thought any form art challenged people's perceptions and kept that organ active.
From there, we took a short hop to various types of writing: fiction, non-fiction, novels, plays, short stories and poems. Poetry, we agreed, was the most challenging form as words had to be chosen for maximum value: their onomatopoeic quality, for example, as in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Bells"; their soft or harsh enunciation; their length or their ambiguity which allows various levels of interpretation. Poetry, we agreed resided in both the spheres of music and statement.
Eventually, we came round to children's books. Like poetry, they appear simple, using few words and a linear plot. That simplicity is an illusion, of course. A children's book, if done well, distills the elements of story, emotions and words into a concoction as precise and effective as a well-loved perfume. The whole also must work on two levels, capable at once of satisfying a child's exploring mind and evoking childhood reminiscence in an adult. The convergence is difficult to achieve.
My lunch companion gave one example of a book with convergence: We Are In A Book! by Mo Willems. Willems has written a series of adventures in which Gerald, the elephant, and Piggie, a… well, a pig, appear. But she loved, We Are in A Book! particularly because of the device the author uses to draw in his audience. Gerald begins by whispering to Piggie that he thinks someone is staring at them. Piggie leans out of the page to confirm Gerald's suspicion. "A reader is reading us!" he chortles and states the obvious: that he and Gerald are characters in a book A few pages of illustrated jubilation follow. "We are being read! We are being read!" Then Piggie decides to play a game. He tells Gerald he will make the reader say a word out loud. Gerald looks dubious, but giggles when he learns the word is " Banana!" More jubilation. Then Piggie asks Gerald if he'd like to suggest a word before the book ends. ENDS? Gerald looks horrified. "How many pages are left?" he asks. Piggie takes a peek. At the moment, they are on page 46. The book ends on page 57. Gerald becomes upset, realizing that now they are on page 47. No! 48. No! 49. Wait, wait. The pages are turning too fast. "I want more words, more jokes, more 'Banana," Gerald weeps to his friend. Fortunately, Piggie has an idea. When he and Gerald reach the last page, Piggie says to the reader, "Hello. Will you please read us again?"
The device is as simple and elegant as E=MC2, and it, too, is deeply complex. The writer knows the book has two readers: one looking toward the future, the other returning to the past. When Gerald discovers the book will end and sees the pages turning faster and faster, he protests. He wants more words, more jokes, more fun. The child agrees and claps joyously. But for the adult seated beside the child, the words warn of time's passage. The book of life cannot be read again and again, forcing him or her to realize that being seated beside a laughing child may be among the best moments of a life.
To write so simply and so deeply isn't easy. Would-be writers of children's books must remember banana is more than a funny word. It also nourishes.
(Originally 9/7/15)
Courtesy of www.kinderpillar.com
Betsy September 14, 2015 at 8:05 pm Reply
Ahhh, Elephant and Piggie! This book is right up there on my shelf with Man's Search for Meaning. Quiet, Stanley Kunitz The Wild Braid. And, of course, Where the Wild Things Are. Books that get the adult and child in us all life long, and the meaning we clutch as we go along.
Caroline Miller September 15, 2015 at 7:45 am Reply
Looks like I have a couple more book titles to add to my reading list. Thanks for the suggestion.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Pakistan History Timeline
7000 – 3300 B.C -Mehrgarh Culture
3000 – 1300 B.C -Indus Valley
1500 – 522 B.C -Vedic Civilisation
522 – 326 B.C -Persian Achaemenid Empire
326 – 300 B.C -Alexanders Empire
300 – 200 B.C -Mauryan Empire
200 – 100 B.C -Greco-Bactrian Rule
100 B.C – 70 A.D -The Sakas
70 – 450 A.D -Kushan Empire
450 – 1010 A.D -Hun Invasion
1010 – 1187 A.D -Ghaznavid Empire
1187 – 1227 A.D -Muhammad of Ghor
1227 – 1526 A.D -Delhi Sultanate
1526 – 1739 A.D -Mughal Empire
1739-1857 A.D -Durrani Empire
1857-1947 A.D -British Raj
Cities of Ancient Pakistan
Harappa 3300 B.C
Mohenjo Daro 2600 B.C
Taxila 700 B.C
Swat 400 B.C
People of Ancient Pakistan
Panini 520-460 B.C
Pingala 5th century B.C
Alexander's invasion had a two-fold political effect: By crushing the Achaemenian Empire it loosened the already feeble control of the Persians over Pakistan; and by creating a power vacuum in this area it encouraged, for the first time in history, intrusion by India into Pakistan. Fortunately for India, at this opportune moment a man from Punjab, Chandragupta Maurya, was able to set up a strong government in the Gangetic Valley which extended its sway over most of northern India. Alexander's successor Seleucus who had yet to grid his loins and muster his forces after the Dictator's sudden and unexpected demise, was prevailed upon by diplomacy to cede Pakistan to Chandragupta peacefully, avoiding the sufferings of war whose outcome seemed uncertain to him. Pakistan, as such, became a part of India's Maurya Empire in 300 BC without war. This was the first time in history that Pakistan was looking eastward and the first time it had become part of India and ruled by India.
The Mauryan dynasty lasted about 180 years, nearly as long as Achaemenid rule, and began with Chandragupta Maurya, not to be confused with Chandragupta I of the much-later Gupta Dynasty. Chandragupta Maurya lived in Taxila and met Alexander and had many opportunities to observe the Macedonian army there. He raised his own military using Macedonian tactics to overthrow the Nanda Dynasty in Magadha. Following Alexander's death on June 10, 323 BCE, his Diadochi (generals) founded their own kingdoms in Asia Minor and Central Asia. General Seleucus set up the Seleucid Kingdom, which included the Pakistan region. Chandragupta Maurya, taking advantage of the fragmentation of power that followed Alexander's death, invaded and captured the Punjab and Gandhara (NWFP). Later, the Eastern part of the Seleucid Kingdom broke away to form the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (third century–second century BCE).
Chandragupta's grandson Asoka (273-232 BCE), is said to have been the greatest of the Mauryan emperors. Ashoka the Great was the ruler of the Mauryan empire from 273 BCE to 232 BCE. A convert to Buddhism, Ashoka reigned over most of South Asia and parts of Central Asia, from present-day Afghanistan to Bengal and as far south as Mysore. He converted to the Buddhist faith following remorse for his bloody conquest of the kingdom of Kalinga in Orissa. He became a great proselytiser of Buddhism and sent Buddhist emissaries to many lands. He set in stone the Edicts of Asoka. In Pakistan, nearly all of the Asokan edicts are written either in the Aramaic script (Aramiac had been the lingua franca of the Achaemenid Empire) or in Kharosthi, a script derived from Aramaic.
Brhadrata, the last ruler of the Mauryan dynasty, ruled territories that had shrunk considerably from the time of emperor Ashoka, but he was still upholding the Buddhist faith. He was assassinated in 185 BCE by his general Pusyamitra Sunga, who made himself the ruler and established the Sunga dynasty. The assassination of Brhadrata and the rise of the Sunga empire led to a wave of decline of Buddhists.
Educational site covering 9000 years of Pakistani history. From the Ancient Indus Valley, to all the major empires that arose in Pakistan; Gandhara, Mughal Empire, Kushun Empire, and the more recent history of the Independence of Pakistan.
Ancient Buddhist sculptures discovered in Pakistan...
Welcome to AncientPakistan.info...
Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River...
PakHub- Reclaiming our Identity
AncientPakistan.info is looking for Partners
We are looking for partner websites based on anything to do with Pakistani history, identity, culture, languages and religions.
If you know of a website which fits the profile, please get in contact with us.
We always welcome supporting comments and ideas so drop a comment any time.
-The Management.
© Copyright AncientPakistan.info 2006. All rights reserved.


Carmrades is a community founded by Misha aka Boosted Boris for car enthusiasts to unite, educate and share experiences.
Created in early 2016, our close knit community assembles more than 700 members from around the world who share their experiences on a daily basis.
In the summer of 2016 and with the blessing of Misha, Carmrades "the Blog" was created to enable the enthusiasts of our community to have a platform on which they can publish their experiences.
Coming from all over the globe, our dedicated writing team uses their enthusiasm and expertise to share their passion with you, our fellow Carmrades.
Originally from the south of France, I got into cars when I passed my driving license. Searching for my first car, I got addicted to TV shows like Top Gear and then by chance to Tsuchiya Keiichi's Hot Version. I absorbed as much knowledge as I could and now aim to share this knowledge with others.
At the time, I am living in Germany not far from the Nürburgring. The ideal place for car enthusiasts.
When I am not taking care of the website, I write articles about all car related things that interest me, about tuning companies and about my Honda (EG) Civic build.
A prolific car geek from the Northern tip of the Netherlands. I was brought up from an early age to like cars by a mechanic father. I hit the ground running on my introduction to the car scene. His fascination with classic Audi's, Opel's and Americana transferred to me, which lead me to my current car, a 1993 Opel Calibra 16V.
Being around racing all my life, an obsession sparked that lasts to this very day. My hunger for knowledge about racing has driven me to dredge up the most obscure and forgotten race cars from the most unheard of manufacturers, and present their stories to you in full detail.
Living in Hanoi, Vietnam, I started to find my passion for cars since a very young age. Living in a country where the car culture is not a big scene. I started writing articles to express my love for motor racing and the car culture in general.
I mostly concentrate on modern motorsports articles. Focusing on different racing cars from the 21st century and beyond.
Other than that, I'm a pretty adventurous guy and with a lot of passion for car photography. I'm also used to race in simulation such as Live For Speed and RaceRoom Racing Experience to gain more experience on the technical side of motor racing.
I still don't have a driver's license yet, as I'm soon moving to the US to study in university.
Originally from south-east coast of Victoria, Australia, I started taking an interest in cars when I was seven, watching V8 Supercars with my dad. 16 years later, I still follow Supercars closely and I also have a keen interest in Formula 1.
I've always had an interest in automotive history, and in what's happening in the car industry today. I've been watching Top Gear since I was 14 and own a copy of every Wheels magazine published in the last 12 years.
I mainly write articles about Australian car culture, history, and motorsport. Outside Australia, people only know Ford and Holden, but there's a lot more to it than that and I want to share my knowledge and passion for these cars.


Stream ad- free purchase CD' s MP3s now on out Mika Singh Is King by Mika Singh on Amazon Music. In his career Amitabh Bachchan worked in nearly 180 films Take a look at the Amitabh Bachchan Movies List. This is a list of films of Amitabh Bachchan.
Download song boom boom of film ajab gazabb love. Stream ad- free purchase CD' s , MP3s now on Singh is a Bollywood playback singer live performer. Amongst a wide catalogue of songs the prominent ones are " Bas Ek King" ( Singh Is Kinng) " Dhanno" ( ). Mika began his career at an early age and has released. Ajab Gazabb Love ( Strange Amazing Love) is a Bollywood romantic comedy film directed by Sanjay Gadhvi produced by Vashu Bhagnani. The film stars Arjun Rampal in a double role Darshan Jariwala , Kirron Kher in supporting roles, along with Jackky Bhagnani opposite Nidhi Subbaiah in lead roles whilst Arshad Warsi appears in a cameo role.
Check out Aaj Ki Party by Mika Singh on Amazon Music. The screenplay and dialogues were.


These settlements have been built on land expropriated from the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. These are illegal under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Currently their stores in central London are being picketed to hilight this breach of international law.
In association with IHRC we are currently running a letter writing campaign to pressure Selfridges to stop supporting Israel.
"The 'Made in Israel' label is not as simple as it seems"
Israel exports products manufactured in the settlements but labeled as Israeli products, thus illegally benefiting from a trade agreement with the European Union.
Any moment now, a letter from the Belgian Finance Ministry should be landing on the desk of the European Union Commission in Brussels. The commission has been aware of the contents of the dawdling letter for weeks or even months now. It is "like a hot potato," according to one commission source. Commission officials fear the moment this hot potato lands in their lap and are still pretending that it does not exist.The letter is supposed to inform the commission that according to information received by Belgian customs authorities, there is firm proof that Israel is violating its trade agreement with the EU, giving its goods preferential status in European markets.
The commission is responsible for the satisfactory implementation of agreements signed by the EU and the violations could invite a partial or complete suspension of the agreement. An official letter of this kind obligates the commission to take immediate steps to clarify the situation with Israel.
In an embarrassing turn of events over a year ago, a Belgian customs official performed a rather ordinary technical action, asking the Israeli customs authorities to send him post-verification of a certificate of origin for cosmetics products made by the Israeli Ahava company. According to the certificate of origin in his possession, Ahava's products are manufactured in the State of Israel. To the best of that anonymous clerk's knowledge, there are clear boundaries to the State of Israel and the preferential terms are granted only to products made within them. But he also received a bundle of documents and photographs that proved that the Ahava products are manufactured beyond these borders. He thus asked an Israeli colleague to re-verify the origin of the goods. The answer came a few months later: Ahava products are manufactured in the State of Israel.
The obedient clerk brought the contradiction to the attention of his superiors at the political level and the information was leaked to the Belgian Parliament. Someone submitted an oral parliamentary question on July 1 and the course of events became known to all, including Belgian non-governmental organizations and members of the European Parliament, who pressured the political ranks to act in accordance with its declared position.
The pressure, however, had begun much earlier. In early March of this year, 47 members of the European Parliament from different parties submitted an oral question to the commission with regard to the "irregular application" of the EC-Israel trade agreements.
They defined the problem in the question: "Consistent with the obligations of the member states under international law, all EC trade agreements with Israel have limited their scope of territorial applicability, on the part of Israel, to the 'territory of the State of Israel,' excluding the occupied territories, and, therefore, Israeli settlements."
This determination follows from Paragraph 83 of the trade agreement - the association agreement between Israel and the EU that was signed in 1995 and came into permanent effect on July 1, 2000; and Paragraph 49 of the Geneva Convention, to which all EU member countries are signatories. This paragraph prohibits any occupying country from transferring or exiling part of its civilian population into the area that it occupies.
This was not only the interpretation of the European MPs who submitted the question, led by veteran left-wing activist Louisa Morgantini of Italy. It is also the official interpretation of the commission, as shown by a communication drafted in May 1998: "Preferential access to Community markets for exports originating in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and those from East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights contravene agreed rules of origin because under public international law, these territories do not form part of the State of Israel."
The communication also declared: "There are indications that these exports are taking place. The European Community will take steps to verify the accuracy of this information according to the procedures that have been agreed upon with Israel ... Should it be confirmed, such violations of the rules should be brought to an end."
In 1995, ratification of the trade agreement between Israel and the EU was imminent. It was formulated in parallel with the Oslo talks and was evident of European satisfaction with the policies of the Labor government and the expectation that an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was in sight.
But Mattin, a small Ramallah-based policy research and advocacy partnership, which focuses on Palestinian economics and human rights, began to nag the European Commission and a few EU member countries, reminding them about the settlements and their goods. The trade agreement was not ratified, as required, by all 15 member states: France and Belgium refused to do so. The preferential trade relations between the two parties were, therefore, grounded in an interim agreement. The association agreement was finally ratified on June 1 of this year, following the establishment of Prime Minister Ehud Barak's government and after France and Belgium had signed it.
It is no coincidence that the communication of the EU was composed and distributed in 1998, during the term of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. European governments believed Netanyahu's policies were in contradiction to the Oslo process and thus permitted themselves to carry out a series of checks and declarations to express their dissatisfaction. It is also no coincidence that in January 1998, the Dutch Ministry of Development Cooperation hired Mattin to investigate and gather evidence on the source of various Israeli products. Some observers also say that transparency issues came to the fore in the wake of the corruption cases at the top echelon of the European Commission.
Questions were asked in the European Parliament, and in September 1998, a special European delegation was sent to Israel and the Palestinian Authority to assess the trade and customs procedures between Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and members of the European Union. In its report, the delegation concluded that the rules of origin were not honored. In other words: Israel was exporting products that were not manufactured within its borders.
Beginning in early 1999, Mattin began providing findings and evidence regarding the source of various goods, all or some of which where manufactured beyond Israel's pre-1967 borders. The European customs authorities also came into possession of a list of products - released by the Gush Shalom peace movement - manufactured beyond the pre-1967 borders. Gush Shalom supported a boycott of these products.
This was apparently the stage at which the Belgian clerk displayed personal initiative. In his determination, he beat dozens of customs officials from other EU countries to the punch by at least a full year. It turns out that from June this year, the Israeli customs authorities received about 300 similar letters - primarily from England, Holland and France - requesting verification of the certificates of origin of a list of products, all of which were produced beyond the pre-1967 borders.
Since May 1999, however, when the Barak government came into power, the nagging from within and without no longer matched the line taken by Europe's political echelon. By January 2000, the European Commission gave the following response to Morgantini's question on the examination of product origins: "At this stage, it has not been possible to determine with certitude the origin of the products concerned. We are at a very delicate stage in the peace process, which must not be endangered by positions that would result from blindly applying legal rules."
Representatives of the Foreign Ministry would gladly have signed such a statement. Victor Harel, deputy director-general of economic affairs at the Foreign Ministry, sums up what he and Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami tell their colleagues in Europe and in the commission: "For years, the European Union did not care the slightest bit about products from the settlements, in the understanding that it is a gray area, unique and special. Why the rush now, when we are at the height of negotiations with the Palestinians? At Camp David there was Palestinian recognition of a few settlement blocs. Determining the borders is an issue between us and the Palestinians, so why be so strict all of a sudden?"
It is not a matter of a ruse or falsification, Harel emphasizes: "Israel does not conceal the locations in which these products are made."
Last March, the Israeli delegation to the EU proposed setting up an informal, three-way committee, in conjunction with the Palestinians, which would discuss the question of the settlements. In exchange for Palestinian and European recognition of products from the settlements as Israeli products, Israel would recognize a separate trade agreement to be signed between the EU and the Palestinians. Such recognition is important: the Palestinians, as well as a few sources in the commission, argue that non-recognition leads to innumerable Israeli restrictions and harassments that delay the growth of independent Palestinian trade.
Harel says this is a serious overstatement.
In any event, the commission informed European Parliament members that in January 2000, the Palestinian leadership expressed willingness to participate in this tripartite committee. But the rejoicing turned out to be premature, because in March 2000, Dr. Nabil Sha'ath, Minister of Planning and Internal Cooperation in the PA, sent a correction to the commission's announcement.
"The Palestinian side will not entertain any discussion of matters concerning products from the settlements or legitimizing their importation into the EC under preferences. The Palestinian National Council and the PLO cannot and will not be party to any arrangement that would contravene the principles of international law."
Harel expresses regret over this position. He believes that all these difficulties are hindering economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians: An Israeli investor who exports goods to Europe would hesitate to launch a joint venture with a Palestinian; Israeli factory owners beyond the pre-1967 borders could decide, in response, to dismiss their Palestinian employees.
The trade agreements grant a ten-month grace period to respond to requests for post-verification of certificate of origin. Harel does not hide Israel's intention of taking full advantage of this period in the hope and assumption that a permanent agreement with the Palestinians will be signed by then. According to a European source, the EU political echelon is counting on the ten-months period just as much as Harel.
Nevertheless, one diligent Belgian clerk did get the jump on all the rest. The responses that he has already received, as well as his findings, obligate Belgium's diplomatic echelon to take action to avoid being found guilty of violating the Geneva Convention (which also prohibits states from profiting from illegal activities such as transferring populations to the occupied territory of another country).
Europe is Israel's most valuable trading partner. Israel earns around $14bn (£9.7bn) a year from Europe - one-third of its total exports. Europe could use this influence towards achieving a just peace - if only the member countries agreed on a course of action.
Last week, France hinted at economic measures to show European disapproval of Israel's policies and EU foreign ministers may discuss it further when they meet in Brussels on May 14.
One option would be to cancel or suspend the trade agreement which, since 1975, has allowed Israeli goods to enter Europe on preferential terms. Any decision to do that would have to be unanimous and, on past form, there is no chance of it happening.
There is, however, an interesting alternative which does not require a political decision, merely an administrative decision of the kind that no reasonable person can disagree with: to clamp down on fraud.
One of the great unpublicised scandals of the EU is that Israel has been cheating on the trade agreement for years and depriving the EU of revenue in the process. It is known, for example, that Israel has imported Brazilian orange juice, labelled it as Israeli and sent it on to Europe - thus allowing the Brazilians to evade European taxes.
The preferential terms under the agreement apply to goods produced wholly or substantially in "the territory of the state of Israel". Europe has a similar agreement with the Palestinians, but by controlling exports from the occupied territories, the Israelis bar the Palestinians from making use of it.
Jars of Palestinian pickle, for instance, are handed over to the Israelis who stick a "Made in Israel" label on them and export them to Europe. Flowers grown by Palestinians in Gaza, strawberries, oranges, lemons and aubergines are all sent to Israel, mixed with Israeli produce and exported to Europe with Israeli certificates of origin.
In 1998 a Palestinian grower told the European commission that he allowed his flowers to change their nationality in order to avoid the risk of damage and delay "as a result of Israeli treatment of Palestinian produce". This was a polite way of referring to the Israeli authorities' practice of thrusting metal spikes through boxes of Palestinian flowers, rendering them unsaleable. Ostensibly this is done for security reasons.
Israeli companies import leather from Europe and pass it to Palestinian companies, who turn it into shoes and jackets. The Palestinians pass the goods back to the Israelis, who then send them to Europe as Israeli products. The point of this is that Israeli importers and exporters cream off a percentage that would otherwise have gone to Palestinians.
Another - politically more serious - fraud arises because produce from Jewish settlements in the occupied territories is not covered by trade agreements with Europe and is therefore not entitled to preferential treatment.
Europe has made its view of the settlements extremely clear. "Settlements change the physical character and demographic composition of the occupied territories. All settlement activities are illegal and constitute a major obstacle to peace," a statement from EU presidency said recently.
But what Europe says and does are two different things. By allowing settlement products to be imported under an Israeli guise, Europe helps to keep the settlements in business.
The more farsighted Israelis recognise this as an obstacle to peace. The Gush Shalom organisation, for example, urges Israelis themselve to boycott settlement produce, under the slogan, "A penny to the settlements is a penny against peace."
In some cases there is no attempt to disguise the origin of these products. The Golan Heights Winery exports 38% of all "Israeli" wine - from vineyards on occupied Syrian land. It markets them under the labels "Yarden", "Gamla", and "Golan", and the company's website lists distributors in nine European countries, including House of Hallgarten in Luton.
Ahava produces bath salts and cosmetics from the Dead sea on the occupied West Bank. Its website lists outlets in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom (including Selfridges in London). Other products would not be difficult to track down: a long list is published on Gush Shalom's website.
The EU has known about this for a long time but it held off taking action on the grounds that there was no point in making a fuss while peace seemed imminent. But in the last few months that has changed and peace seems further away than ever. Action now could help to get it back on course.
existence and continuing expansion, a symbol of the ongoing occupation, has been identified as a major obstacle to peace at this sensitive time.
settlement expansion through subsidising the settler economy. Whilst settlement trade flourishes, Israel continues to strangle the Palestinian economy by denying it free access to the outside world.
The EU has knowingly ignored taking decisive action against Israel over this flouting of its own rules, so we are bringing this to the attention of the public.
The BIG campaign urges the public to boycott companies that sell Israeli goods until Israel ends its illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, abides by UN resolutions and obeys International law.
Please voice your concerns to Mr Vittorio Radice, Chief Executive of Selfridges, 400, Oxford St, London W1A 1AB.


text:
Dorman: PGA TOUR Canada strengthens feeder system
Dykes/Getty Images
Plenty of Canadian golf fans -- such as those of Canadian golfer Graham DeLaet -- will enjoy PGA TOUR Canada.
Just in sheer geographic terms, the deal was significant. After a year of due diligence that included lending strategic planning and financial support to the Canadian Tour, the PGA TOUR officially announced on Thursday that it had assumed operational control of Canada's 41-year-old professional tour, effective Nov. 1.
Thus the high-level developmental tour that had sent numerous Canadian graduates to the PGA TOUR through the years -- among them 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir and TOUR winners Dave Barr and Dan Halldorson -- was renamed PGA TOUR Canada.
If adding the professional tour from our northern neighbors had been all there was to it, the acquisition would have been an important strategic move by the TOUR. For one thing, the study produced during the past year revealed that 21 percent of Canada's population of 34.5 million people identify themselves as golfers. That's a large, and very enthusiastic, fan base to begin with.
Short-range plans are for PGA TOUR Canada in 2013 are to play a minimum of eight tournaments in the summer of 2013, each with a purse of at least $150,000, with the top five money winners getting direct access to the Web.com Tour. PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said the schedule eventually is expected to grow to 12 or 13 events, with a focus on the Eastern portion of Canada.
Of course, what gives all of this the potential to eventually grow into something much bigger is its timing, coming slightly more than a month after the launch of PGA TOUR Latinoamerica. To get the real picture, take a look at a map. Better yet, dust off the old globe and give it a spin.
That extremely large land mass floating in the Atlantic? The rather expansive portion below the permafrost that extends from the Maritimes in the North Atlantic east of Quebec to Tierra Del Fuego at the tip of South America is pretty much where the PGA TOUR will be expanding its brand reach and providing the opportunities for competitive golf to players with PGA TOUR aspirations.
Weir: Offers 'great incentive'
It's now PGA TOUR Canada
Your thoughts on new Tour?
Announcement transcript
Canadian pro: Great idea
If the PGA TOUR were a publicly traded company, there's a good chance Wall Street analysts might have a permanent "Buy" rating on its stock, but it's doing just fine, thank you, with its existing structure. The brand building campaign with the "These Guys are Good," theme from a couple years ago could easily be redone with Finchem and his formidable team of suits doing their thing at a boardroom table.
It bears repeating that the PGA TOUR avoided any retrenchment during the economic downturn, was not forced to lower a single tournament purse and is within a couple events of having all tournament sponsors signed through 2016. At the top end of the chain, Tiger Woods heads a field of 48 players playing for a purse of $6.1 million at the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this week and Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose will all be among the 78 players on hand playing for $7 million next week at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions on the Olazabal Course at Mission Hills in China.
Back at the inspirational end of the spectrum, where it's easy to see why players dream about making it to the all-caps TOUR, the genius of the two-Tour feeder system into the Web.com Tour is evident. What it accomplishes immediately is to assure that developing talent will have the benefit of a major league organization overseeing the details as they churn away at honing and hardening their games to become battle-ready for the bigs.
"Now there is a way you can go to the Web.com Tour in South America," Finchem said. "Now there is a way can you go in Canada. That will attract players from Australia. Because these two Tours now will come up in stature in terms of the kind of competition they are, and because largely because of the nature of the players.
"Behind that, would be the structure of the TOUR. Then from then on, it's how well a player plays."
The task ahead is for the TOUR to help both Canada and Latinoamerica to secure and retain the type of strong corporate sponsorships and community ties that underpin the events on the PGA TOUR. Jeff Monday, a PGA TOUR senior vice president who teamed with Paul Johnson, TOUR Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, on the Canada effort said that's the focus.
"It all starts with the community, the sponsors and the golf course," said Monday, who has worked at the TOUR for 25 years. "We were very impressed with the foundation of the existing tournaments as well as the potential to develop new markets, particularly with the assets and resources that we have.
"It all goes hand in hand. You elevate the profile of the Tour, you're delivering more value to the sponsors. If you deliver more value to the sponsors you elevate the profile of the Tour. Now it's incumbent upon us to make that work."
Competition for spots on the PGA TOUR just got tougher. That's the driving force behind all this. It always comes down to, as Finchem said, how well a player plays. This week at the Web.com Tour Championship, the top 60 players from the 2012 money list will vie for 25 PGA TOUR cards for the 2013 season.
Each of the 60 has a mathematical chance to move into the top 25 and get their card. That's a competitive formula that works. It should be a tournament worth watching, this year and in the years to come. It's where the future of the TOUR stars of the future will be forged.


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Prepay your baggage & save
Christmas & New Year holidays in Ukraine
Ukraine International Airlines confirms air accident in Iran
Today, on January 08, 2020, a "Ukraine International Airlines" aircraft while operating flight PS752 from Tehran to Kyiv disappeared from the radars a few minutes after departure from Tehran International Airport.
The aircraft departed from Tehran International Airport at 06:10hrs. Iran local time.
According to preliminary data, there were 167 passengers and 9 crew members on board. UIA representatives are currently clarifying the exact number of passengers on board.
Passenger lists will be posted on the airline's website after final confirmation of their presence on board of the aircraft.
The airline expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the air crash and will do everything possible to support the relatives of the victims. With immediate effect, UIA has decided to suspend its flights to Tehran until further notice.
As at 09:30hrs, UIA in close cooperation with the aviation authorities, takes all measures to determine the causes of the air accident. In parallel, the airline will be contacting the relatives of the passengers, providing all possible assistance in the current situation.
The flight was operated on a Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft (registration UR-PSR). The aircraft was built in 2016 and delivered directly to the airline from the manufacturer. The last scheduled maintenance of the aircraft took place on 06 January, 2020.
For information about passengers who were onboard of flight PS752, contact Ukraine International Airline by phone: (0-800-601-527) - telephone is free for all calls within Ukraine or for international calls (+38-044-581-50-19).
A briefing will take place for media representatives.
Place: Conference Hall of Boryspil International Airport.
Time: 08 January, 2020 at 10:00hrs.
Meeting place for journalists - Information Desk, Terminal D, International Flights check-in area.
Investigation will be conducted with the involvement of the aviation authorities of Ukraine, Iran, representatives of the Boeing manufacturer, the airline, and the National Bureau of Air Accidents Investigation of Ukraine. The airline will inform about the progress of the investigation and the causes of the tragic event as soon as they are identified.
UIA is providing ongoing support and assistance to the families of our passengers and crew
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Networding.net | Networking for the geekishly inclined.
So, while waiting for the much anticipated end of the work week, I realized that today marks the one month anniversary of this blog. That was quick!
Ok, I know one month isn't that long in blog terms but for me it's been a stepping stone to something I've been meaning to do for years and is still very much a personal journey to discover exactly what I want to share with the world.
Honestly I really didn't expect to have enough time to post what I was able to this first month. I'll be pleasantly surprised if I can continue to do the same over the coming months.
With that being said, I expect things to grow outside of the bounds of my reflections and weird sense of humor. I personally hope to be able to post more of my enjoyments and things that I find interesting in addition to the educational and nostalgic.
In addition to being a big fan of gaming in general, I've also got a huge respect for acoustic music. With Alvarez being one of my favorite brands of guitar, seeing this cover done for such an amazing game on an MD70 is simply epic.
The politically correct way to say no.
Often in my job I'm asked to do things that I'm just not able to say yes to. Most of the time it's security related and sometimes is just because there's no money available. Sometimes it's both.
The professional answer is that sure it can be done but the infrastructure needs to be upgraded as well as the internet connection if it's going to meet their security requirements as well as provide some form of reliability for business purposes.
As thats not usually acceptable by management standards we must resort to PC (politically correct) speak to sound more professional as well as to play the convenient cover our [bleep] card. What comes out is almost form letter like yet technically professional and accurate.
"Currently the internet connection at [site] is running off of service provided by [isp] and is non-secured through the facility for direct internet access to the public. The access points at this location are not considered to be enterprise class nor is the internet service connection to [isp] guaranteed by any service level agreement.
We have enterprise access points budgeted for next year for the site however a secondary router would need to be purchased in order to secure any traffic that is not considered "public" access. This hardware was not budgeted and would cost approximately [money] on top of the AP costs.
To be there… or not to be.
Taking a right turn from my previous post I want to talk about something more geeky than technical. Conventions!
Not /those/ conventions… The Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Cosplay / Comic conventions!
Most of my friends already know that I'm a big fan of Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA. It's one of my favorite places to go and even though I have missed more than I have attended over the years, it was my first large convention to partake of.
My first journey to Atlanta was in 1994 with my best friend Rodney, and even back then the attendance was around 11,000 people. I was so awestruck and lost even then. I still get shocked every time I arrive and am reminded of how massive it has grown.
Last year there were over 53,000 people who went and this year it's expected to have been closer to 60,000. No wonder hotel rooms are so impossible to get!
Some of the biggest things that sparked my enjoyment were the sheer number celebrities, the amount of merchandise, the cos-players, and all the geeks! Even more amazingly, all these people enjoyed the same things I did!
It wasn't until years later that I realized that the social aspect of going to conventions is what helped me get past any social anxiety I had in my professional life. Most people consider computer geeks to be overly clinical and socially awkward. People are always wondering why the current generation of geeks are so much less socially awkward than the last and I can only surmise that it has to do with the evolvement of geek culture in the mainstream media.
Don't get me wrong, this trend has made life so much better for all of us geeks in general. I'd have never thought I'd see shows like Heroes of Cosplay, King of the Nerds, Face Off, and other similar reality style geek shows on television not to mention all the Anime, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and popular fiction that has the current generation even on track to be more geeky than all of the previous generations combined.
Locally, I've noticed that even smaller citys are hosting successful geekdom conventions. Even in our city of < 70,000 people we had just over 3,000 people attend and enjoy the Arklatex Comic Con with all the accoutrement's that go with the fandom.
For those attending a large convention this year that isn't of the technical nature, kudos to you. To those who are thinking of going to one of the smaller homegrown conventions, I definitely encourage you to do so. Even the largest fan made convention such as DragonCon started somewhere. It makes me excited just thinking about what we'll all get to see in the next twenty years.
So today as I was going through my project list I realized that sometimes I get so caught up in busy work that I forget about the proverbial "learn something new every day" that my dad pushed me towards every day he was alive.
I sometimes feel like I'm always re-learning the same things and I've started to worry that everything I've forgotten over the years is catching up to me. I've even had crazy dreams that obviously relate to the sometimes insecurity that even those of us who have been doing this for 15+ years runs into seemingly all the time.
I'm sure all of the current frustration has been due to just one of my projects, a Lync 2013 deployment that has been going on for a month or two now. In lab and in class everything is always so much easier than the real world. In the real word we have issues like proxy and firewall problems mixed with certificate errors and just plain topology differences that make things hard to remember without checking through exhausting pages of notes. Even then all it takes is one minor misstep and now you have to go back and triple check what you've already triple checked twice. I've beat my head against the wall, walked away from my monitor, moved onto other projects, fought to clear my head, and came back to try again.
Realistically, I know that this is only just a project and eventually everything will line up and then be forgotten about until the next problem arises with something else. It's just part of being a network engineer and even a computer person in general. With that being said, it reminds me of one of the first things I mentor to new hires, and one of the things it took (and still sometimes takes me) the longest to embrace even after all the years it was repeated to me by my father. It's become my mantra and it's so simple we forget it.
I'll get in trouble! – This will look bad if I don't get it done! – I've got all these other projects that have to be done too! – Everyone is calling me and asking when this will be done! – I'm behind schedule! – I can't handle this pressure!
Sound familiar? Yeah it does to me too. The thing is, it is up to us as individuals to communicate our limitations to those around us as well as our supervisors, managers, significant others, kids, but mostly ourselves. Sometimes we don't even know our own limitations and it's nice to be surprised when things go perfectly. When it comes down to it, we get frustrated because we have conditioned ourselves to always go faster, be better, do things quicker, become "that guy" that everyone depends on. When we sometimes don't live up to that expectation of ourselves we get angry, frustrated, and beat ourselves up. I don't think I'm the best co-worker or family member to be around when that happens… I'm sure if we're all honest, none of us are.
Sometimes we need to take a step back and look at things in perspective. I know for myself, I've got experience in a LOT of areas outside of my primary network administration life. Windows server administration, AIX, *nix, project management, security, the list goes on. If you ask me if I know anyone who is better at any of those than I am, the answer is absolutely.
With that being said, no matter how much others know or even how much we know as individuals, most of us could not do our jobs if we did not have the experiences of others (and google) to fall back on when we get stuck. Luckily I've been in a position over the years to help others just as much as they've helped me. I appreciate so many people in my life, and am thankful for my dads advice over the years. He always told me to learn something new every day, and I've expanded that include teaching as well.
So feel free to prepend this revised project list to your daily routine.
4. Step back and let others help when you are stuck.
5. Realize you're only one person and remind yourself daily that you can only do so much.
Prioritize these five things every day and how can you be frustrated when you've already accomplished so much?


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Stop guessing and blaming related to Covid cases, premier and health minister tell Nunavummiut
by Nunavut News November 12, 2020
Premier Joe Savikataaq and new Health Minister Lorne Kusugak delivered a stern message to Nunavummiut on Thursday, telling them that speculation about Nunavut's three existing Covid cases is harmful.
"Please stop spreading misinformation and rumours, and needlessly attacking people," Premier Joe Savikataaq urged Nunavummiut who are speculating on the origin of Nunavut's three Covid cases.
Trevor Wright/NNSL photo
"The positive cases are not exempted, critical workers. Anyone who implies or says otherwise is wrong," said Savikataaq. "This kind of blame serves no purpose. It definitely doesn't help the people with Covid or our communities. Please stop spreading misinformation and rumours, and needlessly attacking people. Your energy is better used trying to maintain public health measures and staying up to date with the facts. No one wants Covid-19, and no one deserves to be blamed."
The premier added that there are no known links among Nunavut's confirmed cases of the virus – two in Sanikiluaq and one in Rankin Inlet.
Kusugak shared a similar message.
"Let's please stop guessing about who, what, where, when and how this happened, and focus more on what we need to do to stop the spread. Let's use common sense and follow the public health measures. Limit visiting, wear a mask, keep washing your hands and coughing into your elbow, and stay calm," he said. "Let's support our health care workers. They are working around the clock on the frontlines and behind the scenes to ensure we are cared for. They deserve our support and thanks, not disrespect."
The premier acknowledged the anxiety associated with the spread of the virus into the territory.
"I know this is a very uncertain time. I know that a lot of people may feel overwhelmed or scared. I know that it's tiring," Savikataaq said. "I also know that Nunavummiut are caring, thoughtful and community-minded. This means that we now need to step up and be more compassionate and careful than ever before."
Chief public health officer Dr. Michael Patterson clarified Nunavut's Covid restrictions in light of the diagnosed cases:
• Schools in the Kivalliq outside Rankin Inlet and schools in Iqaluit are advised to remain open and follow the Department of Education's opening plan for Nunavut schools.
• All food service establishments in the Kivalliq Region outside Rankin Inlet and in Iqaluit may remain open for on-premises dining, delivery, and take-out service.
• Seating capacity may be no greater than 50 people or fifty percent (50%) of the regular seating.
• There must be at least two meters of separation between tables and between persons in line for take-out or counter service.
• There shall be no more than six people seated at or congregating near a table.
• Food service establishments may continue to establish their own hours for onpremises, take-out and delivery services.
• Licensed premises in Baker Lake may open remain open for regular business hours, subject to any applicable licensing conditions. Physical distancing should be observed at all times.
• All organized public gatherings shall be restricted to:
▪ 50 people for outdoor gatherings.
▪ Five people in private dwellings in addition to household members.
▪ Other facilities used for community events or meetings, including places of worships, are to be limited to 50 people or 50 per cent of the rated capacity for the facility as established by the Office of the Fire Marshal.
• Non-essential travel is not recommended.
• Anyone who develops flu-like symptoms is asked to contact the health centre or Covid-19 hotline immediately.
• All government offices are to remain open.
• All government services to continue as normal.
Tagged: #Nunavut, #Nunavut News, COVID-19, Joe Savikataaq, Lorne Kusugak
kivallirmiutaq says:
Why waste so much time & energy telling us how not to feel. Of course people are scared & trying to trace how, where, from who it may have spread. That's your guys job anyway. When you do not provide that info., then ppl. will try & establish how it came about.
Eena says:
Agreed. I'm getting pretty tired of being takled to like a child… wash my hands, cough in sleeve. Give us a break, not parent. Makes me want to go shake my finger at them, tell them how to wipe them selves in the morning.
Hunauva ling ling says:
"Licensed premises in Baker Lake may open remain open for regular business hours, subject to any applicable licensing conditions.
I guess, you where wrong again Joe. The hamlet you represent shut things down before the government even recommended a shut down. You should be fired
Beverley Cooke says:
Absolutely good advise for everyone. I believe that if we ALL follow basic guidelines instead of bitching about them we can beat this thing.


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Home » Asian Rugby News Rugby Results in Asia Teams Tournaments
SEA Games rugby 7s 2019 results
rugbyasia247 Posted On December 9, 2019
Clarke, Philippines successfully hosted the SEA Games rugby 7s 2019 over the weekend with the Thailand women claiming another gold while the Philippines men also won gold.
The rugby sevens at the Southeast Asia Games had fewer teams compete this year, but the top team were still involved over the course of two sunny and fiercely competitive days at the Clarke Parade Grounds. You can find out more about the pools in our pre-tournament write-up, but as predicted the usual suspects were in the medal contention by the second day of action.
Women's Rugby Sevens – SEA Games 2019
Thailand were firm favourites going into the SEA Games, having claimed every gold in SEA Games women's rugby sevens to date. However, the Philippines were hoping to upset the Thai team and looked strong in their pool games, winning all of their matches except the game against the Thais. In what was shaping up to be a gold medal match, the Thai women easily dispatched the Philippines 38-12 in the pool game.
Indonesia was the surprise package over the weekend, looking very physical and vastly improved from a couple of years ago.
The Singapore women, despite the best efforts of one of the players of the tournament in number 12, Jayne, were disappointed not to make the medal playoff games. They came up against Laos in the 5th-6th match and easily put away the Laos team with Jayne scoring 5 tries in the game. Laos was no match for any team on the weekend and played with heart but lack the physicality to compete with the other teams at this level.
In the bronze match, some poor discipline cost the Indonesians but they fought back hard from 19-0 to narrowly lose 19-12. The Malaysian were happy to retain bronze and had too much pace out wide.
In the final gold game, the Philippines were looking for a massive game to upset the Thais but conceded a try and needless yellow card within the first two minutes. Although they stayed in touch and the game was far closer than the pool game, the Thais were superior and came out on top 17-7 to maintain their 100% record in winning women's rugby 7s gold at the SEA Games.
Women's Rugby Sevens results
5th-6th playoff: Singapore 43-0 Laos
Bronze playoff: Indonesia 12-19 Malaysia
Gold-Silver playoff: Thailand 17-7 Philippines
Men's Rugby Sevens – SEA Games 2019
The Philippines men were one of the leading contenders going into the Games, especially with the home ground and fan support, and on the back of recent impressive performances. However, Malaysia was not going to relinquish the gold spot easily. In their group game, however, the Philippines won convincingly 24-0 to confirm they would be favourites heading into the medal matches.
Laos and Indonesia had a tough weekend and endured some big losses against far superior teams despite some gutsy displays. In their 5th-6th match, it was the Indonesians who came out on top 21-7.
Singapore and Thailand had mixed results in the group games but in the bronze medal match, it was the Thais who edges a tough and passionate game 12-5 to deny Singapore any medals in the rugby 7s and complete a poor 2019 for their national teams in rugby.
In the final, the Philippines men conceded an early yellow card but were still too powerful for the Malaysians to score 3 tries and shut out the Malaysians. The final score of 19-0 was well deserved, and with some fervent home support, the Philippines men claimed gold and ended the weekend on a high.
Men's Rugby Sevens results
5th-6th playoff: Indonesia 21-7 Laos
Bronze playoff: Singapore 5-12 Thailand
Gold-Silver playoff: Philippines 19-0 Malaysia
All of the results from the Rugby 7s at the SEA Games can be seen here.
Read more about Asian rugby
The best rugby tournaments this December.
Read our thoughts on the new Asia Rugby Exco challenges.
Find out about the best national team Asian rugby 7s events here.
Asia Rugby U19 Men's Divisions 2019


BERKELEY - California was one of 16 teams named to the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championships on Tuesday by the NCAA office. The national regatta, hosted by Villanova, is scheduled to take place May 29-30 at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill, N.J. The Golden Bears hosted the NCAA Divisions I, II and III Women's Rowing Championships last year, when they finished third overall and fourth in the varsity 8+ grand final at Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif.
The Bears are coming off a Pac-10 team championship on May 17 in Gold River, where Cal's second varsity 8+ and varsity 4+ boats also won conference crowns. Cal's varsity 8+, currently ranked No. 2 in the latest USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll, and the Bears' novice 8+ each finished second at the conference regatta.
The other Pac-10 teams in the NCAA field are Washington, Stanford, Oregon State and USC. The rest of the field consists of Brown, Clemson, Dartmouth, Harvard, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Princeton, Virginia, Wisconsin and Yale.
There were no at-large boats selected to this year's NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championships.
Last season, Brown won the overall team title and Yale won the varsity 8+ crown at Lake Natoma.


Nominated For Five WGA Awards, Including Four Noms for Critically Acclaimed Original Series "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad"
2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Written by Billy Kimball, Aaron Lee, Jennifer Celotta, Rainn Wilson; IFC/AMC.
"We thank the WGA for acknowledging and nominating the superb work of these writing teams. When AMC embarked upon original programming, it was under the directive to look for author-driven projects and allow them the artistic freedom to create what can only be described as cinematic television. We are incredibly proud of the shared nomination with IFC, and of Vince Gilligan, Matthew Weiner and their entire writing teams."


ISSAQUAH, Wash. – October 5, 2017 – Summit Homes of Washington and Presidio Residential Capital recently announced the opening of Forest Heights, a 24-home community nestled within the Issaquah Alps, minutes from Seattle and Bellevue and surrounded by Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. Homes at Forest Heights will be similar in design and style as Summit's sister property called Pickering Estates. Interested homebuyers are invited to tour the model home on Saturday, October 7 from 10 AM to 6 PM at Pickering Estates located at 910 11th Place NW in Issaquah. Five homes will be released for sale during opening weekend.
The two- and three-story single-family Craftsman-style homes at Forest Heights range from 2,400 to 3,180 square feet with up to five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, two car garages and daylight basements. Luxury finishes include engineered hardwood flooring, gas fireplaces, open rail stairways, designer lighting, gourmet kitchens with walk-in storage pantries and master suites with soaking tubs and walk-in showers.
The homes are priced from the mid-$800,000s to the high $900,000s.
Forest Heights is a joint venture project with Presidio Residential Capital, a San Diego based real estate investment company.
Presidio Residential Capital is a real estate investment company focused on the residential housing sector. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the firm provides capital in the form of joint ventures for the entitlement, development and build-out of for-sale residential projects throughout the Western United States. Presidio has infused more than $1 billion into the economy to capitalize the housing industry. The firm's goal is to invest in excess of $150 million in capital for home-building projects in the Western United States in the next 12-plus months. It currently has investments in Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado and Washington with current committed capital of $800 million focused on 100+ projects. The firm is affiliated with a privately held registered investment advisor specializing in alternative investment strategies who has a long history of investing in the home-building sector. Current assets under management total more than $2.5 billion. Online and social media: www.presidioresidential.com, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.


Pro One Productions Inc. Miami Beach. Fashion House. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.
Select Services. Miami. Next. Countywide, Miami Beach citywide.
Markus Mueller Productions. Miami Beach. Swimwear 17. Countywide, Crandon Park Beach, Miami Beach citywide.


With so many of us living in smaller spaces (flats, newly built houses, etc) keeping our homes neat and tidy seems almost impossible, but with these 5 interior design ideas for a clutter free home we can all make the most of the available space as well as keep our houses a little more organised. Here's how we can do it.
1) Hide Away pieces: furniture that conceals large items or have dual purpose are great always a great buy for small homes. We all love our flat screens TV but do we really need to see it when it isn't in use? By placing it behind a sliding screen allows you to be more versatile with the room. The same applies to hidden bureaus, guest beds, sofa beds, etc.
We are all guilty of buying furniture because we love the look of it, but next time you buy new furniture consider all the different purposes it might serve. You'd be pleasantly surprised with how you can transform your room just by buying clever items.
2) Don't use it, lose it: January is the perfect time to be ruthless with your beloved furniture, ornaments, pictures, paintings, etc. As you put away the Christmas decoration, have a long hard look and think… "if I was shopping today, would I really buy this? Do I need it? When did I last use it?" If the answer is "No" then perhaps is time to take it to a new home and donate it to charity. Charitable organisations such as Princess Alice Hospice and Petit Miracle Interiors will be delighted with your donation.
Not sure to part with it? Move it into storage for a few months and see how much you really miss it.
3) Layer your furniture: when we talk about layering furniture, it's easy to think about the bedroom isn't it? The sheets, the duvet, the bedspread. A similar philosophy can be applied to the rest of the house too.
Take the living room for example, instead of using a coffee table, how about using nesting tables?Clear nesting table sets offer a great, contemporary look.
If you are set on having a coffee table, be sure to pick one with a self and preferably a glass top to avoid the 'over furnished' look in the living room. Trunk that are used as coffee table are also good buys as the can double up as storage. A final tip of layering furniture is to use the space in front of cabinets you hardly open!
4) Think vertically: you may be short of floor space, but how about wall space? Consider using the space above eye level where possible, this is particular handy if you are lucky to live in a house with high ceilings. There are great shelf solutions in the market at the moment, I particularly love the modern, contemporary look of high gloss modular shelves.
Another great tip is to use ladder shelves. It allows you to display pretty much anything from photos, books, vases, etc. Combine it with a couple of wicker baskets and you can install a ladder shelf in pretty much any room you like.
By keeping the colours muted and understated, it will be much easier to give the room a fresh look later on with new accessories, cushions, etc without having to spend too much money or time repainting everything.
Well, I hope that by following these 5 Interior Design Ideas for a Clutter-Free home we can all live in a more organised, spacious home even if we don't have much space at all!


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The Rise of Dorothy Hale
St. Luke's Theatre
The Rise of Dorothy Hale Email Alerts
Suicide Mystery 'Dorothy Hale' Rises Off-Broadway 9/19
The Rise Of Dorothy Hale, a new play by Myra Bairstow, debuts off-Broadway with performances beginning September 19, opening October 4 at St. Luke's Theatre.
New Georges to Present Premiere of Weiner's HILLARY: A MODERN GREEK TRAGEDY With Mia Barron
New Georges (Susan Bernfield, Artistic Director; Sarah Cameron Sunde, Associate Director), the OBIE Award-winning downtown theater company founded in 1992, will present the world premiere of Wendy Weiner's 'HILLARY: A Modern Greek Tragedy With a (Somewhat) Happy Ending,' directed by Julie Kramer. Mia Barron, last seen on Broadway in Tom Stoppard's Tony Award-winning Best Play The Coast of Utopia, and stage and television's Darren Pettie will head up the eight-member cast as Hillary and Bill Clinton.
Cast of 'Dorothy Hale' to Ring NASDAQ Bell Oct.18
The cast of The Rise Of Dorothy Hale, Michael Badalucco, Patrick Boll, Sarita Choudhury, Laura Koffman, Mark LaMura and Sarah Wynter will preside over the closing bell on Thursday, October 18 at 4PM at the NASDAQ MarketSite
Photo Coverage: 'Rise of Dorothy Hale' Cast Opening & Party
by Walter McBride - Oct 1, 2007
The Rise Of Dorothy Hale, a new play by Myra Bairstow, celebrated its company opening performance on Sunday, September 30 at St. Luke's Theatre, followed by a cast party at Sardi's Restaurant. Because of a change in directors, opening night is scheduled for October 4.
'The Rise of Dorothy Hale' Welcomes New Cast Nov.12
by BWW News Desk - Nov 6, 2007
The Rise of Dorothy Hale, the new mystery/thriller by Myra Bairstow, directed by Pamela Hall, welcomes Purva Bedi, Dina Ann Comolli, and Matthew Cowles to the cast, joining remaining cast members Patrick Boll, Laura Koffman, and Mark LaMura, beginning Monday November 12.
BroadwayWorld Strike Coverage: Off-Broadway Remains Open
by BWW News Desk - Nov 12, 2007
In-light of the Broadway stage-hand's strike, theatre-goers are reminded that New York's Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and variety shows are still open and operating.
Hudson Warehouse Announce Free Classics in the Park
Hudson Warehouse announced today the company's fifth season of Free Classics in Riverside Park.
DANNY AND SYLVIA The Danny Kaye Musical Opens At St. Luke's Theater 5/13
Hy Juter and Edmund Gaynes will present 'DANNY and SYLVIA: THE DANNY KAYE MUSICAL' at the St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street, beginning Saturday, May 2nd at 2 pm with the official opening on Wednesday, May 13 at 8 PM
'The Rise of Dorothy Hale' Closes Off-Bway Jan.27
The Rise Of Dorothy Hale, the new mystery/thriller by Myra Bairstow, directed by Pamela Hall, will play its final performance Sunday January 27.
SILENCE!, COUGAR and More Join Off-Broadway Panel Discussion at Snapple Theater, 2/3
The Off Broadway Alliance, the organization of Off Broadway producers, theaters, general managers, press agents, and marketing firms, will hold another in its series of seminars focused on the culture, business and history of Off Broadway this Sunday, February 3rd.
Off-Broadway 2-for-1 Deals in 'Live Theatre Week' Jan.21-27
The League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers will celebrate the first-ever 'Live Theatre Week,' as proclaimed by the New York City Council, to be held the Week of January 21-27, 2008 - where theatre-fans can get 2-for-1 tickets for some of New York's hottest Off-Broadway shows!
Mysterious 'Dorothy Hale' Rises Off-Bway 9/19
The Rise Of Dorothy Hale, a new play by Myra Bairstow premieres off-Broadway at St. Luke's Theater on September 19, opening October 4.
by BWW News Desk - Apr 9, 2009


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I had an excellent experience at the store. N was very helpful. I came in for a lip gloss and left with 3 lip glosses, foundation and powder. When she found out the mineral foundation stick I usually use wasn't in stock, she color matched me to a liquid foundation. She was very helpful and informative. I'll be back to the store for more in the future.
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The lady was not very helpful and tried to sell me a foundation that didn't even match. I had to ask a fellow customer about her opinion.
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text:
\begin{thebibliography}{9}

\bibitem{}
  OS Dev Wiki,

  disponible en \url{http://wiki.osdev.org/Main_Page}.

\bibitem{}
  Operating System Development Series,
  BrokenThorn Entertainment,

  disponible en \url{http://www.brokenthorn.com/Resources/OSDevIndex.html}.

\bibitem{}
  MosquitOS,
  Open-sourced hobby operating system,
  Tristan Seifert,

  disponible en \url{https://github.com/tristanseifert/MosquitOS}.

\bibitem{}
  Skelix OS Tutorials,
  Mo Xiaoming,

  disponible en \url{http://skelix.net/skelixos/index_en.html}.

\bibitem{}
  Cedille,
  A microkernel with a purpose - to keep most of the code out of the kernel,
  Corwin Mcknight,

  disponible en \url{https://github.com/Lionel07/Cedille}.

\bibitem{}
  pcore,
  Student project of OS kernel in C/C++,
  Korepwx,

  disponible en \url{https://github.com/korepwx/pcore}.

\bibitem{}
  A small hobby OS,
  Eduardo Veiga,

  disponible en \url{https://github.com/cinemascop89/kernel}.

\bibitem{}
  Creating a NES emulator in C++11,
  Joel Yliluoma (Bisqwit),
  disponible en \url{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y71lli8MS8s}.

\bibitem{nesdoc}
  Nintendo Entertainment System Documentation,
  Patrick Diskin,

  disponible en \url{http://nesdev.com/NESDoc.pdf}.

\bibitem{}
  NES Devolpment Wiki,

  disponible en \url{http://wiki.nesdev.com/w/index.php/Nesdev}.

\bibitem{techdocs}
  NES Technical Documents,

  disponible en \url{http://www.castledragmire.com/hynes/reference/docs/}.

\end{thebibliography}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Append the DataFrame and add the conditions in the for loop I am trying to return the data frame by using the conditions. How to handle the condition when there are two features like height and weight in the below example as my code right now takes only the second condition by replacing the previous one.
df['conditions'] values are as follows: height <= 9.10 & weight <= 89
Right now it only does the following while returning :
df_store_cond1 = df_store.loc[(df_store[weight] <= float(89))]
However what I would want to do something like below before returning the dataframe so it checks both the conditions:
df_store_cond1 = df_store.loc[(df_store[weight] <= float(89)) & (df_store[height] <= float(9.10))]
def func(sno):
    df_store = X_train.copy()  #copying the dataframe to another df
    features = features_list = df['conditions'].tolist()[int(sno)]
    if '&' in features:
        if '&' and '<=' in features:
            for k in features.split('&'):
                print(features)
                j = k.replace(' ','')
                if '<=' in j:
                    operator1 = j.split('<=')
                df_store_cond1 = df_store.loc[(df_store[str(operator1[0])] <= float(operator1[1]))]
            return df_store_cond1

A: Your code create new df_store_cond1 every for loop.
Try to update your code like this:
def func(sno):
    df_store = X_train.copy()  #copying the dataframe to another df
    features = features_list = df['conditions'].tolist()[int(sno)]
    if '&' in features:
        if '&' and '<=' in features:
            for k in features.split('&'):
                print(features)
                j = k.replace(' ','')
                if '<=' in j:
                    operator1 = j.split('<=')
                df_store = df_store.loc[(df_store[str(operator1[0])] <= float(operator1[1]))]
            return df_store

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How to save winston log file into mysql database? I've configured the winston logger like this :
import winston from "winston";
const { SqlTransport } = require("winston-sql-transport");

const transportConfig = {
  client: "mysql2",
  connection: {
    host: "localhost",
    user: "root",
    password: "Mahdi54321",
    database: "todos",
    // port: "3307",
  },
  tableName: "logs",
};

const alignColorsAndTime = winston.format.combine(
  winston.format.colorize({
    all: true,
  }),
  winston.format.label({
    label: "[LOGGER]",
  }),
  winston.format.timestamp({
    format: "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss",
  }),
  winston.format.printf(
    (info) => `${info.label} ${info.timestamp} ${info.level} : ${info.message}`
  )
);

export const logger = winston.createLogger({
  level: "debug",
  transports: [
    new winston.transports.Console({
      format: winston.format.combine(
        winston.format.colorize(),
        alignColorsAndTime
      ),
    }),
    new winston.transports.File({
      filename: "logs/example.log",
      format: winston.format.combine(
        winston.format.timestamp({
          format: "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss",
        }),
        winston.format.json()
      ),
    }),
    new SqlTransport(transportConfig),
  ],
});

It only saves the first log and the next one is only saved in the file and not the database .
I'm guessing the  new SqlTransport(transportConfig), doesn't run everytime so it can save every log to database .
How can I save every log one after another into mysql database ?

A: The package you use is deprecated, instead, you can use the winston-mysql package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/winston-mysql
implementation example as per documentation:
const options_default = {
    host: 'localhost',
    user: 'logger',
    password: 'logger*test',
    database: 'WinstonTest',
    table: 'sys_logs_default'
};

//custom log table fields
const options_custom = {
    host: 'localhost',
    user: 'logger',
    password: 'logger*test',
    database: 'WinstonTest',
    table: 'sys_logs_custom',
    fields: {level: 'mylevel', meta: 'metadata', message: 'source', timestamp: 'addDate'}
};

//meta json log table fields
const options_json = {
    host: 'localhost',
    user: 'logger',
    password: 'logger*test',
    database: 'WinstonTest',
    table: 'sys_logs_json'
};

const logger = winston.createLogger({
    level: 'debug',
    format: winston.format.json(),
    defaultMeta: { service: 'user-service' },
    transports: [
        new winston.transports.Console({
            format: winston.format.simple(),
        }),
        // or use: options_custom / options_json
        new winstonMysql(options_default),
    ],
});

const rnd = Math.floor(Math.random() * 1000);
const msg = `test message ${rnd}`;

logger.debug(msg, {message: msg, type: 'demo'});
logger.error(msg, {message: msg, type: 'demo'});
logger.info(msg, {message: msg, type: 'demo'});
logger.warn(msg, {message: msg, type: 'demo'});


text:
Almost But Not Quite Circular
Claims are not proof. But nobody looks for proof unless some kind of claim has first been made.
A few weeks ago I wrote about Andy Stanley's assertion that the Genesis account of Adam and Eve is history, not just spiritually valuable mythology. For Andy, it is how Jesus spoke about Adam and Eve that is definitive.
I agree with him on at least two things: first, that Genesis is historical, and second, that the words of Christ are of vital importance to the believer. They are there to be pored over, memorized, analyzed with all the faculties God has given us, meditated upon and lived out wherever they apply to our lives.
Good so far. And then, me being me, I have to lob a monkey wrench into the machinery.
The Monkey Wrench
This is what I wrote:
"Stop and consider: how did we get these words in the first place? The fact is, we only know what Jesus said because Matthew, Mark, Luke and John recorded his words for us, and we believe they got it right because John tells us that Jesus promised they would:
'But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.' "
There's a certain circularity to this that may at first seem disconcerting, though it's really nothing remarkable, and we are better to confront it than gloss over it. Let me just map it out:
Andy believes in Adam and Eve because Jesus spoke about them as if they were real people.
I believe in Jesus because Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and others wrote about him.
I believe what these men said about Jesus is accurate because Jesus promised in the upper room discourse that the Holy Spirit would teach the apostles all things and bring to their remembrance all he had said to them.
Almost but not quite circular, and look where it leaves us. Now we're depending on John to have accurately reported the Lord's promise about accuracy. What if what John wrote about the Holy Spirit wasn't exactly what Jesus said? How would we know? What if he just concocted the promise to invest his writing and that of his fellow apostles with greater authority?
John the Religious Fraud
I will avoid the obvious comeback: that assuming John was a religious fraud doesn't help us explain why he was telling his story almost 40 years after the original events took place, in the face of ongoing persecution, exile and the same sort of mixed success in discipling and church planting that we often see today. John's gospel, his epistles and Revelation were among the last books of the New Testament to be written and circulated. If there had been anything chimerical or false about the words and events that were the foundation of John's faith, he and others in-the-know would almost surely have recanted or at least shut up by then.
But let's leave that minor problem out of our reckoning for now. What we have in John's history (and more explicitly in Paul's and Peter's epistles) are claims.
Now, a claim is not in itself proof, but neither is it nothing at all. Claims may be tested over time, and then we all get to see how they stand up in the face of lived experience. Everything that has been eventually demonstrated to my satisfaction and yours in this life was once nothing more than a claim, a theory or a hypothesis. Claims are what the scientific method feeds on, demonstrating the truth of one claim here and debunking another over there.
Claims vs. Historical Data
First, a claim to historical truth may be tested against available historical data, at least insofar as that data may enable us to quickly falsify it.
This is admittedly a bit tough to do from our perch fully two millennia down the road, but it was a lot easier 25-30 years after the original events when Matthew's, Mark's and Luke's gospels were first circulated, especially since they were almost surely being regularly read, heard and copied in the immediate area of the events they describe, and read and heard by people who either experienced those events themselves or had been hearing stories about them for years.
For me, thirty years ago is Elvis Costello's Spike album, a move to a big city, my first $16/hour job, living in a friend's basement, a new home church and a nasty accident making a left turn in my new Ford Tempo, give or take a few months.
Even with my now-spotty memory, if today I were to come across a popular new book claiming that in 1987 there had appeared in my then-neighbourhood a Bible teacher of such unique skill that thousands would gather in public in the middle of the workweek to hear him teach; that he had performed miracles, healed the sick, driven out demons and given sight to the blind; that after teaching for three years throughout my home province he had been publicly executed by the powers-that-be and that hundreds of his followers at that time had claimed he had shortly thereafter risen from the dead, well …
Duh. Of course I'd remember. More importantly, I'd CERTAINLY remember if it hadn't happened at all; such a thing would be utterly impossible to forget. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of other people would also remember it hadn't happened. Public rebuttals would be written by the dozens saying, "Wait, this NEVER OCCURRED!" The author of the book would either respond to these rebuttals by doubling down with a new flurry of evidence, or else he would run away and hide and never be heard from again.
The Acid Test of Contemporary Criticism
Well, the gospel accounts were given exactly that sort of acid test, even if it was a very long time ago. Now, the absence of evidence of contemporary written rebuttals to the historical facts laid out in the gospels doesn't prove anything, of course. Such rejoinders, even if they came from rabbis or Jewish historians, would probably not have been considered sufficiently valuable or important to preserve for posterity much past the immediate flurry of controversy. If they were ever written, they may well have been buried in the shifting sands of the Middle East.
On the other hand, the absence of evidence of any response at all from the writers of the New Testament to pushback about the very basic facts they were laying out with respect to the life and teaching of Christ strongly suggests to me that no massive public resistance to at least the core factual elements of their story occurred at the time (their interpretation, of course, being another story entirely). Had it done so, at least one or two of the apostles' responses to the fact-debunkers would almost surely have been preserved for us by exactly the same means as the gospels themselves have been preserved.
As the apostle Paul confidently said to King Agrippa, "This has not been done in a corner."
Of course none of this constitutes proof, let alone irrefutable proof. But at least I am able to say to my own satisfaction that the available historical data from the period in which the Lord Jesus is alleged to have lived does not appear to clash irreconcilably with the broader historical strokes of the gospel writers' accounts.
That's all anyone would really expect to be able to say with confidence from this distance. Inconclusive, but not completely useless.
Spiritual Truth vs. Reality
Much more importantly, though, claims to spiritual truth may be tested against the evidence of our own eyes and hearts, and the great thing is that no historians are required for the exercise:
Jesus said, "The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." Hey, we're looking at darkness all around us these days. Our culture constantly redefines morality so it can hide in plain sight. But it hates being exposed all the same. Next time you run across an abortion proponent, try using the phrase "pro-death" or "anti-life" to describe their position. Truth hurts.
More personally, Jesus said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' " I've been getting my spiritual sustenance from him for over thirty years now, and he's never let me down yet. Moreover, to my complete shock, I'm still repeatedly being told that the truths I've shared with others from the Bible have made their lives better, sometimes decades after the fact. Living water indeed!
Jesus said, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." I know the Lord had a specific truth in mind here, but this statement even works at the level of truism. Whenever I hear the truth or tell it, big 'T' or small, I find myself liberated from ignorance, manipulation, politics, self-indulgence, slavery to false narratives, and fear of what other people think. What a great thing!
Finally, Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Guess what? I came to him and he did. I found relief from anger, guilt, anxiety and the frantic exertion of trying in my own energy or from my own strength of will to be the person I thought I should be. I found genuine rest for my soul. I've yet to come across a philosophy, an ideology or a political or religious system that can do the same.
Jesus said lots of other things too, and I can't even come close to listing them all here. But neither can I find any I disagree with. Jesus accurately depicted the human condition precisely as I observe it, diagnosed my own needs, failings and the desires of my heart with greater precision than the most skilled physician, and offered me a solution that still works: himself.
Subjective it may be, yes. But to me it remains evidence more convincing than anything else I've encountered.
Either / Or
Claims are not proof. But when I properly understand what the Bible is claiming, I find it perfectly describes both what I see in the world around me and what I find in the murky depths of my own heart.
Moreover, nothing but total inspiration really helps us, and this is exactly what we've been given: men "carried along by the Holy Spirit", not men using their own best human judgment and memory supplemented with the occasional burst of divine understanding.
Words like "all" and "everything" are pretty binary. If Jesus had told his disciples, "I'll send the Holy Spirit to give your memories a bit of a nudge from time to time," that would've been a promise of limited utility to their readers today. We'd be left guessing which bits got the spiritual boost and which bits didn't.
But that's not the claim being made. So either the Holy Spirit taught the disciples all things or he didn't. Either he brought to their remembrance everything Jesus had said to them or he didn't. Either we believe it or we don't. There really is no good position halfway in between the two.
The Bible claims it. Faith accepts it. And it's still holding me up.
The evidence for some claims may look circular to us. But if the claim turns out to have been true, our perception of its shape doesn't matter much, does it?
Labels: History / Inspiration / John / Truth
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