Minor update to the scrollbar - the grip will now follow the stylus correctly even if the stylus isn't positioned above the scrollbar. Much nicer.
Another DMA fix, too - the SuperBitmap still wasn't drawing properly. I think there's probably a good reason for libnds' DMA functions waiting until DMA has finished before they allow the program to continue. It seems to go against the whole purpose of the DMA hardware (asynchronous memory copying), but in the SuperBitmap code I've had to add DMA_Active() checks before and after any calls to DMA_Copy() and DMA_Force() in order for the filled rect functions to work properly. DMA calls elsewhere in the code only have one check, and they probably don't need that - VRAM is much faster than main memory (the latter being what the SuperBitmap interacts with, hence the problem), so there's generally no need to hang around for the DMA hardware.
There are two problems with DMA and I bet you are treading on one or both of them, because I just had exactly the same problem(s) and the symptoms (black lines showing up) seemed to match what you've described in the past.
The DMA controller doesn't see the cached main memory - thus, if you change a location in main memory (perhaps the first byte in line) and then ask the DMA controller to propagate it on, the DMA controller won't necessarily see the value you just wrote.
This turned up because I was constructing a bitmap in memory before blitting it to the screen with graphicPort::drawBitmap() - which uses DMA internally. The top-left corner of the bitmap would sometimes be black pixels.
prior to calling graphicPort::drawBitmap(). All my DMA access now checks BEFORE the copy, but not AFTER.
The DMA controller isn't very good at reading from the STACK at all. When I had my buffer allocated with malloc(), or created static, it worked fine. When I had it as an auto array (on the stack frame), I got black rectangles.
Solution to this: don't try to DMA out of stack variables.
Ahh, that all makes sense. Brilliant! I'll add that in.
It doesn't save yet, because I'm trying to work out the vagaries of writing to SRAM to make its memory persistent. Once I get it neatened up (with the GPL commitments met), I'll upload it, um, somewhere? Got any suggestions?
Bloody hell, that's good! And that's Woopsi? Fantastic!
Woopsi's BSD licenced - unless you're using other libraries too you can ignore the GPL. As far as Woopsi is concerned, the only reason you'd need to follow the GPL was if you were distributing a build of your app that used the SDL layer, and only then if you statically linked the SDL libs (dynamic linking lets you use the LGPL instead).
I like SourceForge. If you're just looking for somewhere to host the file, though, I can add it to a "Woopsi Applications" section of this blog if you like.
I admit it doesn't appear to use much of Woopsi, from a windowing perspective. But its definitely Screen's and GraphicPort's and event handlers and such doing all the heavy lifting.


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Home News BLM Pinedale Field Office invites public to campground cleanup for 2017 National...
BLM Pinedale Field Office invites public to campground cleanup for 2017 National Public Lands Day
Camping Near Warren Bridge. Photo courtesy of BLM Pinedale Field Office.
PINEDALE, Wyo. – The Bureau of Land Management Pinedale Field Office is inviting families, individuals, clubs and organizations to help cleanup and complete needed maintenance at the Warren Bridge Campground and recreation area on the Green River, north of Pinedale. The cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 9. This event is part of a celebration of National Public Lands Day.
Volunteers of all ages are welcome to participate. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. at the BLM Pinedale Field Office, located at 1625 W. Pine Street. The group will then travel to the site and start cleanup at 9 a.m. The event will run until approximately noon.
Proper work attire including hats, long pants, sturdy shoes, sunscreen and insect repellent are highly recommended. Water, gloves, and safety glasses will be provided. Volunteers will also receive National Public Lands Day t-shirts and participation certificates.
Each year, NPLD is a highly-anticipated opportunity for the BLM to partner with communities to support conservation in a multiple-use capacity. It began in 1994 with 700 volunteers and three sites, and has since greatly increased in interest and participation. In 2013, approximately 175,000 volunteers worked at 2,237 sites in every state, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.
For more information about the event, contact BLM's Kellie Roadifer, 307-367-5309.
For more information about NPLD, visit: https://www.blm.gov/get-involved/volunteers/national-public-lands-day
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2015, the BLM generated $4.1 billion in receipts from activities occurring on public lands.Â
Bureua of Land Management
Warren Bridge Campground
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Imprint: Vintage Digital
The Secret World of the F1 Pitlane
Marc 'Elvis' Priestley
Meet Marc 'Elvis' Priestley: the former number-one McLaren mechanic, and the brains behind some of Formula One's greatest ever drivers.
Revealing the most outrageous secrets and fiercest rivalries, The Mechanic follows Priestley as he travels the world working in the high-octane atmosphere of the F1 pit lane. While the spotlight is most often on the superstar drivers, the mechanics are the guys who make every World Champion, and any mistakes can have critical consequences.
However, these highly skilled engineers don't just fine-tune machinery and crunch data through high-spec computers. These boys can seriously let their hair down. Whether it's partying on luxury yachts or gravity-defying photos aboard aeroplanes, this is a world which thrills on and off the track.
This is Formula One, but not like you've seen it before.
The principle is sound, as are the author's credentials… [A] genuine attempt to reflect the day-to-day realities of a relentless life on the road. And it is relayed by someone who doesn't feel duty-bound to toe the corporate line
Here we are privileged to have Marc's take on the Formula 1 world from the inside… Marc was lucky enough to work alongside David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, among others, but it is his close relationship with Kimi Raikkonen that we gain most insight into as we read… In short, it is a must read for any F1 fan, and I can highly recommend
Sarah Merritt, Badger GP
Marc 'Elvis' Priestley worked for McLaren Racing as a Formula One mechanic and member of the pitstop crew from 2000-2009. He worked with a distinguished list of drivers including Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkonen, Jean Alesi, Juan Pablo Montoya, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Following his retirement from McLaren, Elvis's first broadcast role was as pitlane reporter for BBC Radio 5 Live, where he was able to share his vast technical experience of the cars and equipment with listeners. Since then, Elvis has become an integral part of Sky's F1 coverage. He is now a co-host on the channel's studio-based chat show, The F1 Report, as well as attending a number of Grand Prix events. Twitter: @f1elvis


text:
Monopoly - Jail
Availability: Available | SKU: 712969969
Size (in inches) What Size Will Fit My Wall 12 x 18 18 x 24 30 x 40 40 x 60 (Gallery Depth Only)
Canvas Depth Depth Guide Standard (.75") Gallery (1.5")
Frame (Standard Depth Only) Frame Guide No Frame Modern Black
`); 12 x 18 / Standard (.75") / No Frame 12 x 18 / Standard (.75") / Modern Black 12 x 18 / Gallery (1.5") / No Frame 18 x 24 / Standard (.75") / No Frame 18 x 24 / Standard (.75") / Modern Black 18 x 24 / Gallery (1.5") / No Frame 30 x 40 / Standard (.75") / No Frame 30 x 40 / Standard (.75") / Modern Black 30 x 40 / Gallery (1.5") / No Frame 40 x 60 (Gallery Depth Only) / Gallery (1.5") / No Frame
Officially Licensed Monopoly Canvas Art
"Monopoly - Jail" Canvas Art by IKONICK.
Life is full of decision points. In fact, we can make up to 35,000 choices each day. That may seem excessive, but when you break it down it starts to add up: Deciding to wake up to the alarm in the morning or hit the snooze button, deciding which side of the bed to roll out of, what to eat for breakfast, when to check your phone, what texts you want to respond to, whether to pick the thimble or the top hat game piece for Monopoly...
Most of these decisions come as easily as instinct. Many are built into our daily routines and become second nature. (Of course, I'm going to eat a Jimmy Dean sausage biscuit sandwich for breakfast, just like yesterday and the day before.) But the tough ones aren't so black-and-white.
Cartoons have helped to visualize the Devil and Angel, hovering over opposite shoulders and offering their advice. But what do we do when it's not a simple question of right versus wrong? We listen to opinions.
We share this planet with 7.5 billion people, and every one of them has an opinion on any subject you could bring up. Allowing yourself to listen to them is like opening Pandora's Box. With so many inputs, there will always be conflicting beliefs to your own. It becomes paralysis by analysis.
There's always going to be haters. That's never changing, so why let it stop you? Why conform to what's expected?
It comes down to a fear of failure, but it's more than that. It is a fear of being judged for your failure—a fear of what others think of you. That is the real jail sentence. When you are too afraid to break out of your comfort zone, you're locking yourself in a box and denying yourself the freedom to enjoy the life you were meant to live.
There is no "Get out of Jail Free" card in life. You have to break free of outside judgement and learn to live according to you and only you. No one ever looked back on their life and was happy that they played it safe.
This all-new addition to the officially licensed Monopoly Collection uses the iconic artwork of America's favorite board game to illustrate that point. Hang this canvas in your home or office and remember, every time you look at it, that the only opinion that matters is your own.
Origins Of Monopoly
The earliest known version of Monopoly, known as The Landlord's Game, was designed by Elizabeth Magie in 1904 to teach people about realty and taxation. It was a practical demonstration of the present system of land grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences. In 1935, It then inspired the game we know today.
Collection Inspiration
The Inspiration for IKONICKs collection comes from the same very origin Elizabeth Magie had to educate and teach. This new collection is meant to rewrite the nostalgic stories we all played growing up. We created our own world with the intention to inspire and motivate a new generation of entrepreneurs and dreamers that want to build their empire through hard work, patience, risk-taking, leadership, optimism, focus, and gratitude.
Blue Bandana Lips
Monopoly - Risk Not Regret
Monopoly - You Can't Deposit Excuses
Monopoly - Stay Hungry. Stay Humble


Diane Clancy works closely with individuals to create web sites that express their vision. Diane will work together with you to design your web site to represent your work or yourself. If you wish, Diane's images may also enhance your web site.
Susan continues, "I really have enjoyed working with you and I love my site!" Thomas Williams says, "Diane and Susan helped us design a web-presence that more than communicated our vision; its sincerity and simplicity lent credibility to our cause."
Pam Roberts says, "I enjoyed working with Diane as she shepherded me onto the wide world of the web. She was kind, gentle and knowledgeable; she understood what I wanted and she did it quickly and effortlessly. After our meeting she made herself available by phone for questions and assistance as I made my first steps into blog-land."
"I was amazed at how easy and inexpensive it was to get a webpage and blog. Working with Diane is blog-a-licious!" Pam continues.
Diane Clancy's specialty is implementing your creative ideas. Diane hopes you will consider using her as your web designer. Diane Clancy would be delighted to talk with you at 413.773.7333.


Poor, closed early and despite customers in the bar and staff behind, they "could not justify staying open". Other pubs nearby could be bothered and clearly they got my custom. Never again.
A Sunday evening, and much quieter than the previous evening. The only thing that stopped me staying longer was that they rang the bell at closing time.
Fuller's - London Pride 4.10 A really well kept pint of London Pride.
Wye Valley - Bitter 3.70 Not Tried This ran out, the landlord informed me that it will be replaced by Castle Rock Harvest Pale.
Saturday evening, there was live music in one bar, and football on the television in the other bar. I found that this combination just did not work as I could hear both at approximately the same volume. A good crowd of people in the bar, and good service.
Fuller's - Chiswick 3.50 A really good refreshing and flavoursome pint of Chiswick.
The pub is found in Havant, Hampshire, PO9 1DA.
A good traditional two bar pub situated in Havant town centre in South Street. This former Gale's pub normally has one guest beer in addition to a good selection from the Fullers range.


Dublin Linen : Julies Cross Stitch, Stitching and Needlework Supplies - Fabric-Patterns-Kits-Threads, Affordable Shipping!
Dublin Linen is on sale.
Dublin linen is produced in Ireland and has an extensive history. See Julie's X Stitch Face Book page for more information. Dublin linen is 25 count, which is a great count to work with for Hardanger projects.


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Q: NSPredicate multi level filter I am trying to search on NSMutableArray with two levels drill down with custom objects, I tried using SELF and ANY but no luck.
I have an NSMutableArray say contentArray
Content Array
contentArray
    {
     OBJECTA,
     OBJECTA
    }

Which has custom objects (OBJECTA), objectA in turn has a custom object called Customer
OBJECTA:
@interface OBJECTA : NSObject
{
    @property (strong,nonatomic)   Customer * selectedCustomer;

}
@end

CUSTOMER:
@interface Customer : NSObject

   @property(strong,nonatomic) NSString* Customer_Name;

@end

Now how I will be able to search contentArray for Customer_Name using NSPredicate?

A: Try to use this code
NSPredicate *predicate = [NSPredicate predicateWithFormat:@"selectedCustomer.Customer_Name CONTAINS[c] %@", your_name_here];
NSArray *filteredArray = [contentArray filteredArrayUsingPredicate:predicate];

A: Try like this way if you want to match exact name
NSPredicate *predicate = [NSPredicate predicateWithFormat:@"selectedCustomer.Customer_Name LIKE '%@'", searchName];

If you want to check name contains than
NSPredicate *predicate = [NSPredicate predicateWithFormat:@"selectedCustomer.Customer_Name CONTAINS[cd] %@", searchName];

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For the month of March, fellow artists Zoraida Anaya, Lisa Fox and I launched our exhibition titled My World, Our World at the Smith Zone Gallery of Lakeshore Arts. The exhibition was part of the Women's Art Project artist collective, a multidisciplinary and diverse group of women artists. To close the exhibition we were invited to the gallery's special edition of Open Studio as their guests. An open studio is an event that offers art creators and enthusiasts a fun and supporting environment to discuss and create art. Lakeshore Arts hosts such an event every Friday (unless otherwise noted), from 12-4pm. If you haven't been to an open studio and are looking for a little inspiration, I highly recommend checking out Lakeshore Arts!
I used inks because they're fluid and easy to blend making them ideal for this exercise. However you can use any paint medium such as acrylics, watercolours, oils etc… In fact, I repeat this exercise using different mediums to build strength in working with them. Now with that said, let's paint!
Brushes: If using acrylic paints a round soft bristle synthetic brush will work. For inks, a natural bristle calligraphy brush, bamboo or Chinese ink brush will work best.
Note: If using heavy-bodied (thick) acrylic paints, you will need 5 small containers (one for each colour) to thin out your paint with a little water.
Since we are actually mixing the colours directly on the paper or canvas, we will not need to pre-mix the colours on a paint palette.
For this exercise I'm using Daler and Rowney Acrylic Artist's Ink: Process Magenta, Process Yellow, Prussian Blue (Hue), Black and White.
Starting with the colour, drip the blue ink/paint directly on the paper or canvas. Then drip white ink/paint over the blue.
A view on the side so you can see how thin the ink is.
While the ink/paint is still wet, with the tip of the brush start to slowly "swirl" the white ink/paint into the blue in various directions. Afterwards add drips of red and start to "swirl" that into the blue. You can also drip a little more white. As you start to swirl red into blue, you may begin to notice various shades of purples. With the additional white you will get various tints of blues and pinks.
This exercise requires a light touch with the brush. Therefore, don't over mix the colours. Work with the tip of the brush and loosely swirl one colour into the other. During this process you want to pay attention to how the primary colours mix to create other colours on the paper/canvas.
Red and blue mixed together will create purple, which is a secondary colour. Notice when white is added light blues, purples and pinks are created? These lighter shades are called tints.
While the ink/paint is still wet start to drip in yellow and begin to swirl the colour into the red and blue. Depending on where you place the yellow, you should begin to see green or orange form. Yellow and blue will create green, while yellow and red will create orange.
At this point the ink/paint may begin to dry. You can keep adding drips of red then yellow, then blue in stages, slowly swirling them together to create as many colours as you can. Adding in drips of white will give you a lighter/tint of a colour. You can also add drips of black, to get a darker/shade of a colour. Black will also create contrast. You can also swirl black with white to create shades of grey. Pay attention to how the various colours are created. Also notice the how light and dark colours lay next to each other. Continue building up the layers until you're satisfied with the result.
Notice how the primary colours; red, yellow and blue are mixed together to create the other colours.
How many colours was I able to create by doing this exercise?
Do the dark and light colours create contrast?
Is there balance in the shapes of the swirls?
There are no definitive answers to these questions. They are only guidelines to help me think about colour harmony, balance and composition.
I recommend doing this exercise numerous times until you are comfortable with blending and mixing colours. This exercise will not only build your technique as a painter but you'll get a different result each time.
Learning how to mix the primary colours will help you understand colour harmony, balance and composition. It will also help you use warm and cool colours effectively to achieve contrast.


text:
Home Government Board of Education School superintendent search gets citizen advice: Thick-skinned
School superintendent search gets citizen advice: Thick-skinned
The search to replace retiring Fayette County School Superintendent Dr. John DeCotis is on, and local folks weighed in Monday night on who should replace him.
Former Board of Education member Debbie Condon was one of several school system employees and community members who believed that the successful candidate should not be required to possess a doctorate. Condon said a superintendent should possess strong leadership skills, have tough skin and be a strong leader with courage and a vision for both academics and budget issues.
Fayette County High School teacher and Fayette Association of Educators representative Dana Camp in her comments said the new superintendent should be versed in education law and bring fresh, new innovative ideas to the school system. The new superintendent should be willing to make the organizational changes as needed and possess fiscal management experience, she said.
School system employee Sandra Watson was another who said a PhD. should not be a prerequisite, adding that the successful candidate should put students first and possess the ability to work with the school system's many stakeholders.
Patricia Moore, whose grandchildren attend Fayette schools, said the next superintendent should be a strong leader, an excellent communicator and open to diversity, a leader who will stand behind decisions once they are made.
One student took to the microphone at the meeting. Franklin Lowe, a 10th-grader at Fayette County High School, said the new superintendent should be one who cares about every type of student and strives to have them do their personal best.
Also speaking was bus driver David Gardner. He, too, believed a superintendent should be thick-skinned and one who is sharp financially with a strong business background. Gardner said the successful candidate should be one who maintains direct contact with schools, students and employees.
Another school system employee providing input was Discipline & Attendance Coordinator C.W. Campbell. Advocating for the board to look closely at who will be the next person to lead the school system, Campbell used the example of Clayton County's previous hire of an out-of-state superintendent. That person required a learning curve, Campbell said.
Campbell was one of a few speakers advocating that the board confine their search to Georgia or even inside the school system for candidates.
"There's a Fayette County way of doing things and there's another way," Campbell said. "Here in Fayette County we do listen and we do care."
The public input session drew comments from 12 of the approximately 110 people who turned out Monday night at Sams Auditorium in Fayetteville.
Relative to the online survey available on the school system's website at www.fcboe.org were the 1,233 results compiled so far. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said having a doctorate was mandatory with 52 percent saying it was important.
Fifty-nine percent said it is important for the successful candidate to have prior experience as a superintendent while 31 percent said it was mandatory.
Seventy-five percent said it is mandatory that the person have prior experience as a principal and 79 percent said it is mandatory that the new superintendent have prior classroom experience.
And in terms of special expertise, 85 percent said that talent should reside in administration while 87 percent indicated in budgets.
The public hearing was moderated by representatives from the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA), the organization hired last week to lead the process that will replace DeCotis.
GSBA representative Dr. Don Rooks prior to the public comments gave a brief overview of the selection process. Rooks also noted the online survey that, to date, has been completed by 1,233 people.
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barnerd_ on Waffle House server who left child, 2, home alone, charged with felony child cruelty: "And yes they were mean" Dec 13, 13:55
barnerd_ on Waffle House server who left child, 2, home alone, charged with felony child cruelty: "Girl you just work for the jail" Dec 13, 13:54
barnerd_ on Waffle House server who left child, 2, home alone, charged with felony child cruelty: "Ok loo" Dec 13, 13:54
barnerd_ on Waffle House server who left child, 2, home alone, charged with felony child cruelty: "Girl bye you must work for Fayetteville police" Dec 13, 13:53
Kaya on Mom, 37, son, 17, and girlfriend, 15, arrested in Peachtree City drug raid: "All need to be locked up.....for a very long time !" Dec 13, 13:47


Agnes G. (Meagher) Berkowicz, 88, formerly of Blackstone St. died Wed. May 30 at Lydia Taft House after an illness. Her husband Walter C. Berkowicz died in 1982.
She is survived by a son, Walter J. Berkowicz of Woodstock CT; 2 daughters, Kathyrn Berkowicz and CarolAnn Berkowicz both of Whitinsville; 4 grandchildren, Brian, Emily, Michael and Julia; a sister, Virginia Greenhalgh of Blackstone and many nephews and nieces. She was sister of the late James Meagher, Charles Meagher, Catherine Meagher, Eleanor Hagan and a cousin Paul Meagher. Born in Millville on Sept. 26, 1918 she was the daughter of James and Mary (Buckley) Meagher. After the death of her mother, Agnes and her siblings were raised by their aunt Ester Meagher. She lived many years in Millville before moving to Blackstone.
Mrs. Berkowicz was a winder at several area textile companies and later worked at Tupperware in Blackstone. She was a member of St. Augustine�s Church in Millville and was a member of their St. Monica�s Guild and various other church groups. She was an avid reader, enjoyed the Boston Red Sox and spending time with her family at the ocean.
Her funeral will be held Mon. June 4, from Tancrell-Jackman Funeral Home, 35 Snowling Rd. with a Mass at 10 a.m. in St. Augustine�s Church 17 Lincoln St. Millville. Burial will follow in St. Patrick�s Cemetery. Calling hours at the funeral home are Sun. June 3 from 4 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Augustine�s Church, 17 Lincoln St. Millville, MA 01529.


This physician-strength potent cream is the most powerful of all of our age reversing creams. It contains both retinoic acid and hydroquinone at high concentrations. It is not recommended for sensitive skin. Its formula is proven to improve pigmentation, texture, and fine lines.
The Acne Kit is a combination our two biggest sellers: Calming Serum and Calming Wash. The combination of Ivermectin, calming botanicals, and time-tested sulfa makes this product extremely effective for acne, rosacea, and seborrheic keratosis.
This moisturizer is packed with anti-aging ingredients as well as coffee berry, a powerful anti-oxidant. Reduce redness and inflammation, preserve the elasticity in your skin, improve radiance, and hydrate your skin.


San Miguel de Salinas. Impressive villa is located in a quiet residential neighborhood, just a few minutes walk to the beautiful village of San Miguel. Within 15 minutes by car you can reach the sandy beaches and golf courses. The house features a living / dining room with large open modern kitchen, two double bedrooms and two bathrooms. Internal stairs go down to the second living room, bedroom and large bathroom. The fourth bedroom is also located on the lower level. The villa is equipped with central heating oil, an impressive swimming pool, a large garage and additional upper terrace from which there are beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.


Painter, Potter, Speaker, Sculptor, Using Art for Spiritual Expression.
Inviting Viewers to Enjoy & Experience the Emotions in Each Piece.
As with any profession, an artist can be a Jack of all Trades or a Specialist. Usually this refers to technique, but what if you are a generalist in terms of media, good with many different types, but specialized in what you seek to express? I am greatly impressed by Austin artist Brandy Amstel and her ability to use whatever medium works best for the piece she has in mind. She is not bound by a single skill set or material. Some of her art most successfully manifests in clay while other pieces are 2 dimensional paintings. Tying these together is her colorful style and love of conveying beauty. She works both in abstract and figurative genres. You can see the clear influence of a childhood growing up surrounded by nature. It is no surprise that Brandy has always loved exploring. These days, that comes out more in the different techniques she tries in order to pin point the ideal form of expression. In some cases, Brandy will bring together more than one work as elements of the same vision. Consider for example the sculpture she calls "Take a Dip" which can be paired with a richly colored, impressionistic style painting of a flowery pond. This shows a unique curatorial mindset. Part of what Brandy loves most about clay is the malleable nature, giving her great freedom to bring her ideas to life. She comes up with such detailed sculptures. Those are some pretty talented fingers! When not wearing her ceramicist hat, Brandy can be found with paint brush in hand (or in front of a camera helping others follow in her foot steps, Living Powerfully). She uses a full palette of colors whether she's illustrating an abstract concept, a beautiful outdoor scene or a car lover's favorite toy. She has such depth as an artist, but I would argue that a consistent theme runs throughout. Brandy is all about capturing the essence of her subject and embodying that in art to share with others. What an inspiring goal in life, and what a successful journey she's trekked thus far!


text:
Gold Forex
Dubai now boasts a record high of over 4,400 private health facilities
Latest DHA figures also show a 61% increase in number of licensed medical practitioners
Published: January 23, 2023 19:41 Gulf News Report
Dubai Health Authority's main office Image Credit: Supplied
Dubai: According to statistics released on Monday by Dubai Health Authority (DHA) for 2022, the emirate has 4,482 medical facilities across the private sector - a 45 per cent growth in five years.
These facilities provide care across a range of medical specialities and sub-specialities. They are located throughout the emirate to ensure easy access for community members and an increasing number of medical tourists that choose Dubai for the quality of its facilities, care providers, and services.
Along with the growth in the number of healthcare facilities, Dubai has also witnessed a 61 per cent increase in licensed medical professionals to reach 55,208 in 2022.
Dr Marwan Al Mulla, CEO of the Health Regulation Sector at DHA, said: "We strive to fulfil the mandate of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the best city in the world. The ease of processes, investment support, Dubai's location, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and the emirate's forward-thinking approach have contributed to the growth of high-quality multinational and specialised facilities in the city."
He added: "Under the guidance of [Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum], Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, we aim to expand further Dubai's private health facilities in line with our efforts to continue to develop this vital sector."
The DHA's projections for 2023 and beyond estimate growth of 10 to 15 per cent for medical professionals and three to six per cent for facilities.
Profile of facilities
Dubai's private health facilities include 56 hospitals, 57 day-care surgery centres, 59 diagnostic centres, 21 specialised centres for people of determination, and 1,566 specialised outpatient clinics.
The facilities also include 417 school clinics, 154 home healthcare agencies, nine fertility centres, six dialysis centres, three cord blood and stem cell centres, a gastrointestinal endoscopy centre, 49 dental laboratories, 17 telehealth centres, four patient transfer service centres, 57 facilities for traditional, complementary and alternative medicine, 1,353 pharmaceutical facilities, 17 medicine storage facilities, and 410 optical centres.
These facilities offer a wide range of medical services, including advanced diagnostic procedures, specialised treatments, and surgical procedures. Many private hospitals in Dubai are accredited by international bodies such as the Joint Commission International (JCI) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), ensuring they meet the highest quality and patient safety standards.
Self-assessment tool for health professionals in Dubai now online
9 faculty members from Dubai make the cut in 'World's Top 2% Scientists'
New Dh450 million hospital coming up in Dubai
Specialised centres
Dubai's healthcare infrastructure includes several specialised medical centres that provide expert care for specific medical conditions. For example, the Dubai Diabetes Centre provides comprehensive care for patients with diabetes, while the Dubai Cancer Centre offers specialised treatment for cancer patients. Additionally, Dubai is home to several leading research centres, such as the Dubai Genomics Centre, which focuses on genetic research and personalised medicine.
Dubai's healthcare infrastructure also includes many telemedicine services enabling patients to consult with doctors remotely. This increases the accessibility of healthcare services and can be especially useful for people who live in remote areas or have mobility issues.
According to the latest Medical Tourism Index, Dubai ranks top in the Middle East and North Africa and sixth in the world for medical tourism, with the city ranking fifth globally on the sub-index of Quality of Facilities and Services.
Before licensing a facility, the DHA considers several factors, including healthcare standards and processes, quality and diversity of health services, treatment methods, equipment and modern technology to ensure the provision of high-quality, specialised accessible care for community members and medical tourists alike.
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Ideal Lives
By Stacey K. Anderson on Wed, Aug 16, 2006 at 12:00 am
Ideal Lives moves jauntily with clever hooks and swells, infused with the vivacity that makes post-punk so exciting (and typifies the Frenchkiss roster). But it still sounds like a concept album that wasn't given enough time to fly. The New York trio has high points in spades — "10,000 Horses" is an anthem with its terse guitar leaps, and somehow the creepy hooting background vocals work. It's the best singing by bassist Ryan McCoy, who goes pin-up breathy to lesser effect on the tribal, Pixies-style "In the Kitchen." Rahim's regular, more elegant crooner, guitarist Michael Friedrich, has a lighter tone. On "Forever Love," the sweetest ballad a Manhattanite could ever hope for, his acrobatic bend on the word "memory" is what rules the second verse. Still, Ideal Lives takes some unfortunate detours into surf-rock and torrential screaming, and is also stuffed with too much repetition. Refrains are repackaged toward the end of the album, and the musings of "Forever Love" seem to go on, well, forever. This reprising style might've worked on a longer, more proper concept album, where Rahim's scholarly vocabulary could spool out too. (Random word samples: antiquities, impervious, mythologize.) Here, however, it's too affected, and lessens the impact of the band's best assets.
Aug. 22, at the Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-961-4668.
Stacey K. Anderson writes about music for Metro Times. Send comments to [email protected].
Detroit's Movement Festival announces initial 2023 lineup
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Two Detroit emcees collab for a one-off free performance
Detroit drummer Spider Webb weaves a tale from Motown and beyond in new doc
By Jim McFarlin
Kansas to perform at Detroit's Fisher Theatre on 50th anniversary tour


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Home » Palm Springs Opera Guild To Offer A New Youth Outreach Program Called "OPERAtunity"
Palm Springs Opera Guild To Offer A New Youth Outreach Program Called "OPERAtunity"
by Gay Desert Guide 01/18/2018 12/16/2018
Palm Springs Opera Guild, one of the longest-standing cultural institutions in the Coachella Valley, has partnered with the Palm Springs Unified School District to offer an inaugural youth outreach program called OPERAtunity, a intensive opera workshop aimed at teenagers who are serious about a career in the performing arts. The workshop began January 10 and runs for ten days. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participating students will offer a performance on Sunday, January 21 at 2 PM at the Helene Galen Performing Arts Center, located at the Rancho Mirage High School, 31001 Rattler Road in Rancho Mirage, California. While the performance is free, tickets to the pre-show brunch and Q&A with the creative artists, are $50 and may be purchased from the Opera Guild office by emailing events@palmspringsoperaguild.org or calling 760-325-6107.
"OPERAtunity is a natural rounding-out of our existing successful outreach and education programs," said Bruce Johansen, Opera Guild President. "It is a pilot program that will reach high school students at a critical point in their education and lives and offers the opportunity to work with arts professionals to learn what a career in opera might be like."
OPERAtunity is a classical vocal training program for 15 qualified high school singers from the Palm Springs Unified School District. The workshops are college-level and are aimed at career preparation for students interested in exploring a career either as singers, or in the administrative world of classical music. The students will will work with a stellar team of creative artists and singers to get a unique insight into the nuts and bolts of opera. Composers Michael Ching and Craig Bohmler, together with soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra, will lead workshops on the business of opera, performance techniques, writing and composition. Singers Ben Lowe, Nathan Van Arsdale, and Andrew Eisenmann will deliver vocal lessons and rehearse the students.
During the workshop, students will be assigned at least one solo piece and one ensemble repertoire that will introduce them to the concepts and techniques inherent to classical vocal performance, including breath support, diction, practice/time-management, stage presence, historical context, and modern developments.
Throughout the workshop, students will work one-on-one with the professional staff preparing for a showcase at the end of the program which will include scenes from Michael Ching's comic opera Speed Dating Tonight. This amusing work tells the story of a single hour in the lives of a group of people experiencing speed dating for the first time. It takes place in a local restaurant and includes colorful characters like a car sales person, origami designer, realtor, techies, and an over-the-top cat lover. Love at first sight, as well as two exes running into each other, are just two of the comical and romantic moments. The students will learn and perform this modern-day opera over the course of 11 days.
In addition, the workshops will include interactive sessions with the students on a new work by Michael Ching that will premiere in 2019 and one student will take part in the Palm Springs Opera Guild's Quartetto performance at the Rancho Mirage Library on Wednesday, January 17.
Gay Desert Guide: Week of Jan. 23, 2023
Gay Desert Guide Weekend: Jan. 27-29, 2023


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Tagged: public
Disclaimer: I don't intend this blog post to be a blanket statement about people getting erections in public. Oftentimes it's not personal nor intended. I totally get that. I just think that the details in yesterday's scenario make it so that this could not have been a coincidence.
Where I work, there's a grown man who comes in often enough that I recognize him and consider him a regular. I knew his order and always greeted him with a smile, making conversation because I genuinely believed that he was a delightful, pleasant person, but I never (until very recently) took a look at his pants.
How could I miss something so…obstructive??
It turns out that this was not a unique occurrence but rather, a tradition of sorts…
In my mind, I was grossed out. I started panicking. It was disturbing! God damn sir, you're in freaking public! In gym shorts! There are children at that table! And grandmas!
What even is sexual harassment anyways? Or is this sexual assault, or abuse, or is this all just in my head? I don't care about some official definition; if something makes me so uncomfortable in my own skin that I get upset at work, it's sexual harassment to me.
Written by catdiggedydog 11 Comments Posted in General Opinion	Tagged with adolescence, objectification, overreact, public, sexual harassment, society
How to act like an introvert in a public setting
Look around the room with wide eyes, never allowing any other emotion but interest and curiosity to take over your face.
Appear as though you've always got something to smile about, but only to a certain extent.
If you're smiling with a smirk, you are content as an introvert. If you grin like a madman, people will ask what you're on.
Written by catdiggedydog 11 Comments Posted in creative writing	Tagged with cat, creative writing, introvert, public, smile
The Risk Calculus of Large Asteroid Collisions
Hi readers! This is a formal essay I wrote for my sophomore English project at school. It's a pleasant deviation from what I normally post on this blog; there are parenthetical citations and a bibliography included.
At even the suggestion of an asteroid hurtling towards earth that will wipe out all living creatures, people tend to giggle, a serious miscalculation of the nature of the threat of an asteroid collision. In reality, we, as the dominant species of earth, have become much more susceptible to "existential risks" than ever before. Yet, no one has stepped up; no one has brainstormed any sort of international framework for mitigating these threats. Biologically biased, we cannot calculate the severity of the collision because we have not experienced it in our lifetime, and so we have not become aware of the probability and magnitude of consequences like bioterrorism, resource depletion, unstable government transitions, and of course, asteroid collisions. Therefore, activities like policy debate or just research and rationalization can educate us so that we can accurately weigh such risks. In the case of a menacing NEO – Near Earth Object – not only does civilization today face a dire threat, but future generations do as well. While people generally disregard the risk of an asteroid collision, it indeed exists as the greatest natural disaster threat that humanity faces, mainly because of the public distortion of the threat, lack of government action, and the existential risk that it poses.
Initially, the media plays the biggest role of explaining the public's ignorance of the risks of asteroids. Hollywood glamorizes an NEO impact, either portraying it as a measly threat that a heroic figure can easily fight off, or an event that only happens in the movies (National Academies of the United States 96). Thus, the public assumes that the government will protect them in the instance of an asteroid collision, but the government often does not have other nations' interests at heart; it has not invested money or time to defend another country, rather, it assumes that another government will step up to defend the world (National Academies of the United States 27). The status quo reveals that the government has not sufficiently funded appropriate programs, actually cutting off funding for research and detection at the Arecibo Center – a key component in the detection of perilous asteroids – to a total of two million dollars each year, compared to the seventy four billion dollars that a program like the F-22 raptor fighting aircraft receives (NASA; Axe).
Equally important, the government only has three potentially feasible options for deflecting NEO's. First, the nuclear reactor, a method of nuclear pulse propulsion, would explode on the surface of an asteroid, changing its momentum (National Academies of the United States 4). However, unstable rogue states such as North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan would easily perceive any sort of nuclear technology as an offensive measure from the United States. Easily provoked, they could potentially deploy their own offensive nuclear weapons, which would likely trigger a nuclear conflict, potentially snowballing into a nuclear war (David). In a second scenario, a kinetic impactor would send a heavy object like a spaceship to collide with the menacing asteroid, slowing down the velocity of the NEO. Finally, the gravitational tractor would land on the surface of the NEO and gravitationally oppose its direction, gradually slowing it down so that it would pass through Earth's orbit after the Earth had already passed. However, none of these options will succeed; only the kinetic impactor has been tested, and the rest exist as solely hypothetical ideas (National Academies of the United States 4).
Furthermore, the most significant component for the success of an asteroid deflection remains early warning detection, acquired from an NEO detection telescope deployed specifically in a Venus orbit. Current day, earth orbiting telescopes have blind spots that prevent them from having one hundred percent accuracy; thus, with a telescope in a Venus orbit, the government could acquire decades of prior notice (Lu). In 1989, the NEO 4581 Asclepius missed Earth by only five hundred thousand miles, a comparatively small distance on the cosmic scale, which scientists discovered ten days after it had passed through Earth orbit. Had it collided with the earth, scientists predict it would have had the energy of twenty thousand hydrogen bombs (Marsden; United Press International).
Above all, the most important component of deciding the degree of risk remains existential risk calculation; Nick Bostrom – a philosopher of existential risk – defines it as "one [occurrence] where an adverse outcome would either annihilate Earth-originating intelligent life or permanently and drastically curtail its potential" (Bostrom). Having never actually encountered an NEO that has caused extinction in our lifetime, humanity faces an especially large danger because of our ignorance and biological bias; we tend to overlook and underestimate the dangers of an NEO (Posner). In terms of an NEO collision, while the odds of such an occurrence remain extremely low, its aperiodic timeframe and nearly infinite magnitude of consequences indicates that a large asteroid collision poses the greatest existential risk to humanity (Matheny).
Moreover, the probability of an asteroid exists as the most underestimated component in the risk calculus of an NEO threat. As Gerritt Verschuur – a radio astronomist specializing in NEO's – puts it, "What is most important is how we react to the idea that extinction is literally inevitable. We will ignore it until we actually discover an asteroid hurtling toward us that will cause extinction, because the easiest way to confront the idea of extinction is through denial"; he believes that the magnitude of destruction should guide risk calculus, as opposed to the likelihood of it happening, which the general public uses to weigh risk (Verschuur 158). The chances of an asteroid collision become complicated because of its aperiodicity and its inevitability; no empirical logic can predict when an NEO will strike or any reason as to why it would not ever hit again (Brownfield). To depict an example, the government invests billions more for counterterrorism, than for NEO detection and deflection, regardless of the fact that statistically, death by asteroid remains far more likely than death by terrorist attack (Plait).
Despite the dangers, the US has done nothing to prepare for a dangerous NEO. Multiple ideas have been proposed; first, the US should raise more awareness about the threat by conducting more research on the location of potentially dangerous NEO's (Bostrom). Current systems have detected solely ninety percent of dangerous asteroids so far, but this does not suffice; an extinction-causing asteroid looms in the remaining ten percent (National Academies of the United States 1). Second, the National Research Council has suggested that the US cooperate to create a framework for international action, with other countries such as China and the European Union, who have advanced space development systems, capable of asteroid detection (Space Daily; Vieru). Also, the government should arrange a last resort option, if an NEO gets detected without sufficient early warning time; as of now, the government has only prepared underground evacuation bunkers, initially prepared for important government officials, but later expanded to house millions of refugees. Construction of these underground safe havens continues today, and started decades ago (Bostrom; Slavo). Moreover, for general existential threats such as nuclear weapons, the US should prepare a pre-emptive strike option for rogue countries that have been predicted by the government to use offensive technologies like nuclear weapons (Bostrom). Finally, the government should attempt to limit technological development of certain concepts that could lead to an existential risk catastrophe, such as international relations disputes, nuclear war, and nanotechnology, which has dual-use capabilities (Bostrom; Center for Responsible Nanotechnology).
In contrast, to relate my personal life to the topic of extinction-causing asteroids, my experience in debate has taught me much about policymaking and decision-making. We debate the pros and cons of a specific occurrence, rationalizing about the likelihood and how long it would take to occur, and how badly it would affect the world. Especially in the case of existential threats like asteroids, if a catastrophe could potentially curtail the possibility of future development, and if there exists even the slightest possibility of its occurrence, that disaster would have the greatest risk. The public, when presented with the idea of an extinction-causing asteroid collision, will offer up statistics about the probability of its occurrence; these only provide a metric of hope, suggesting denial of the threat. After two years of debating such consequences, I have come to believe that considering the intensity of the consequences of an existential danger should precede weighing the probability or the timeframe, because if we base our decisions primarily off of the likelihood, we tend to miss the big picture threat. Making decisions based on the magnitude of the consequence will improve the world's wellbeing over the long term.
Likewise, the aftermath of an asteroid collision exists as another big factor that contributes to its huge existential risk. The heat released had the energy of one million Hiroshima bombs, vaporizing the ocean and incinerating the world's land through global wildfires that raged on for days. The actual impact of the blow intensified natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, literally flattened forests, and projected debris into space, creating a dust cloud that blocked the rays of the sun, which brought temperatures plunging, causing an Ice Age that killed most of the remaining animals. After potentially hundreds of thousands of years, when the dust finally settled, the trivial number of survivors on earth faced acid rain and rapid global warming from the deadly ultraviolet rays that shone through the remains of the ozone layer, destroyed when the NEO tore through the atmosphere. From the dust and hazardous nitrous oxides released from these catastrophes, photosynthesis stopped completely, destroying food sources and resulting in mass famines (McGuire).
Furthermore, an asteroid poses an even greater danger to today's civilization because of our dangerous capabilities; with nuclear technology but not yet adequate nuclear weapons detection systems, the panic and confusion resulting from an impact would surely cause countries like India or Iraq to miscalculate a collision as a nuclear attack, fueling conflict, potentially sparking a nuclear war (McGuire; David). The wildfires, acid rain, and termination of the process of photosynthesis would destroy crops, causing, as Bill McGuire describes it, "widespread disruption of the social and economic fabric of developed nations." Because of large building structures, the hyper-tornadoes and stronger-than-ever earthquakes would become even deadlier. With limited options consisting of solely hypothetical, never-been-tested asteroid deflection ideas, the world would have to live in underground bunkers, which have not been built to house the entire planet's population (Slavo).
More importantly, the NEO threat should be our first priority, because the consequences of extinction by asteroid would encompass those of other disasters, permanently stopping the development of humans, plants, and animals. With humans extinct, future species would not evolve with the brain capacity of humans to avoid threats such as anthropogenic global warming, or genetically engineered diseases (The Daily Galaxy). Without humans, Earth would not have the ability to fend off a natural existential catastrophe, such as a super nova, a super volcano, or possibly, another dangerous asteroid (Matheny).
Generally, any sort of existential risk could result in a plethora of catastrophes, be it a natural event like an asteroid, or a human-caused consequence. After any extinction-risking event – including an asteroid collision – takes place, we face dangers such as a loss of ethical sense after a revolution; confusion and nuclear war could cause a shift to a dystopian government, leading to transitions from capitalism, to an unstable state of government, like communism, or maybe even to cannibalism. The consequences of an accidental nuclear war caused by an asteroid collision could create human mutated super viruses or genetically engineered disease, easily obliterating the world, no matter how low the probability. Faced with the threat of resource depletion from crop failures, many governments depend so highly on resources for survival and economic preeminence; thus an asteroid could cause a chain reaction that would collapse economies and global trade systems (Bostrom).
Indeed, although it exists as the largest existential threat, humanity in today's world cannot easily perceive the intensity of a large asteroid collision; the public faces psychological biases due to inadequate education, and the government does not take appropriate action to mitigate the impact (Bostrom; Posner). Only hypothetical ideas exist to effectively combat NEO's, and the government does not invest enough in early warning or asteroid mitigation in general. However, the greatest factor in proving an asteroid as the greatest existential threat remains the aftermath of a collision, and what the damage would inflict on evolution, impacting future generations (Matheny). Therefore, given the severity of the aftermath of such an NEO disaster, today's generation should first become educated, learning efficient decision-making and risk calculating, realizing that the aperiodicity and magnitude of consequences should guide their actions and opinions, and finally make the choice to prepare themselves adequately for an asteroid collision. Yet, despite the infinite dangers, the government has yet to conduct enough research, come up with a backup plan involving international action, or even become conscious of limiting development of potential existential threats. Through my personal experience in debate I have become aware of dangerous threats like asteroids, rationally assessing them. Education about such impacts will help to make the public and government more aware, which will hopefully lead to diminishing the risk of the greatest existential threat out there today.
Axe, David. "Buyer's Remorse: How Much Has the F-22 Really Cost?" Wired.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2012. <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/12/f-22-real-cost/>.
Bostrom, Nick. "Existential Risks: Analyzing Human Extinction Scenarios and Related Hazards." NickBostrom.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://www.nickbostrom.com/existential/risks.html>.
Brownfield, Roger. "A Million Miles a Day." Planetary Defense Conference. 26 Feb. 2004. AIAA. Web. 20 May 2012.
David, Leonard. "First Strike or Asteroid Impact? The Urgent Need to Know the Difference." Cambridge Conference Correspondence. University of Georgia Library, n.d. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/cc060702.html>.
"EcoAlert: NEO Shield –Early Warning of the Potential Threat to Earth from a Comet or Monster Asteroid." The Daily Galaxy. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/01/ecoalert-neo-shield-early-warning-of-the-potential-threat-to-earth-from-a-monster-comet-or-asteroid.html>.
Lu, Edward T. "Stop the Killer Space Rocks." Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stop-the-killer-rocks>.
Marsden, Brian G. "How the Asteroid Story Hit: An Astronomer Reveals How a Discovery Spun Out of Control." Minor Planet Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/pressinfo/1997XF11Globe.html>.
Matheny, Jason Gaverick. "Ought We Worry About Human Extinction?" JGMatheny.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://jgmatheny.org/extinctionethics.htm>.
McGuire, Bill. A Guide to the End of the World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print.
NASA. "NASA Support to Planetary Radar." NASA. N.p., 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2010/04/27/NASAsupport_to_Planetary_Radar.pdf>.
National Academies of the United States. National Research Council. Defending Planet Earth: Near-Earth Object Surveys and Hazard Mitigation Strategies. Washington, D. C. : National Academies Press, 2010. PDF file.
Plait, Phil. "Death By Meteorite." Discover Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/10/13/death-by-meteorite/>.
Posner, Richard A. Catastrophe: Risk and Response. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Google Book Search. Web. 19 May 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=SDe59lXSrY8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false>.
"Russia And Europe May Join Forces To Protect Earth From Asteroids." Space Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russia_And_Europe_May_Join_Forces_To_Protect_Earth_From_Asteroids_999.html>.
Slavo, Mac. "The US Government Is Prepping For Unlikely Events Like War, Catastrophic Collapse of Society, and Even Asteroids – Are You?" shftplan.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/the-us-government-is-prepping-for-unlikely-events-like-war-catastrophic-collapse-of-society-and-even-asteroids-are-you_10262010>.
United Press International. "Asteroid's Passing a 'Close Call' for Earth, NASA Says." LA Times. N.p., 1989. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/1989-04-20/news/mn-2278_1_asteroid-nasa-project-national-aeronautics>.
Verschuur, Gerrit L. Impact!: The Threat of Comets and Asteroids. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Print.
Vieru, Tudor. "ESA Space Assets Defense Program Gets Boost." Softpedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://news.softpedia.com/news/ESA-Space-Assets-Defense-Program-Gets-Boost-206891.shtml>.
"What is Nanotechnology?" Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://crnano.org/whatis.htm>.
Written by catdiggedydog 2 Comments Posted in General Opinion	Tagged with asteroid, existential risk, extinction, formal writing, government, international, media, mind blowing, politics, public, risk calculus, scary, science, technology, united states, usa


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Q: I want to get rid of all the special characters like [(' and im really stuck in how to def trackItems():
    cursor.execute("SELECT ItemsBought, COUNT(*) FROM Purchase GROUP BY ItemsBought")
    stock = []
    Graphs = cursor.fetchall()
    print(Graphs)
    separator = " "
    f = open("Stock.txt", "w")

    values = ','.join([str(i) for i in Graphs])
    f.write(values)

Output
('DONT', 1),('MY', 2),('PLEASE', 2)
How can i get rid of opening and closing brackets and all the quotation marks. If anyone could help, it would be much appreciated

A: You can replace substrings from a string with "" (so it will remove it) using str.replace(substring, "") e.g.
    "(abcd(.ad".replace("(", "") #output: abcd.ad

Then you can just write this string to the file.
Code:
    def trackItems():
        cursor.execute("SELECT ItemsBought, COUNT(*) FROM Purchase GROUP BY ItemsBought")
        stock = []
        Graphs = cursor.fetchall()
        print(Graphs)
        separator = " "
        f = open("Stock.txt", "w")
        values = ','.join([str(i) for i in Graphs]).replace("(", "").replace(")", "").replace("'", "")
        f.write(values)

A: Rather than thinking about this as a problem about special characters, think about it as flattening a sequence (list) of subsequences (tuples, the rows) into a list of individual elements, which can then be joined.
You could do this with a for loop:
 >>> flattened = []
>>> for row in Graphs:
...     flattened.extend(row)
...
>>> flattened
['DONT', 1, 'MY', 2, 'PLEASE', 2]

but a list comprehension is more idiomatic
>>> Graphs = [('DONT', 1),('MY', 2),('PLEASE', 2)]
>>> values = ','.join([str(i) for j in Graphs for i in j])
>>> print(values)
DONT,1,MY,2,PLEASE,2


text:
module RSpec
  module Matchers
    class << self
      # @private
      attr_accessor :last_matcher, :last_expectation_handler
    end

    # @api private
    # Used by rspec-core to clear the state used to generate
    # descriptions after an example.
    def self.clear_generated_description
      self.last_matcher = nil
      self.last_expectation_handler = nil
    end

    # @api private
    # Generates an an example description based on the last expectation.
    # Used by rspec-core's one-liner syntax.
    def self.generated_description
      return nil if last_expectation_handler.nil?
      "#{last_expectation_handler.verb} #{last_description}"
    end

  private

    def self.last_description
      last_matcher.respond_to?(:description) ? last_matcher.description : <<-MESSAGE
When you call a matcher in an example without a String, like this:

specify { expect(object).to matcher }

or this:

it { is_expected.to matcher }

RSpec expects the matcher to have a #description method. You should either
add a String to the example this matcher is being used in, or give it a
description method. Then you won't have to suffer this lengthy warning again.
MESSAGE
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Bird of Paradise is my contribution to a wall hanging in memory of Hilary who was part of our Thursday stitching group and sadly died of cancer last year. The Hanging will be made up of six panels stitched by different members of the group. The centre panel of Doves of Peace is being created by Jane using silk painting and various techniques using a soldering iron, which I don't fully understand but it will look wonderful when completed. The finished wall hanging will probably go to Hillary's church in Whitstable Kent, UK.
The Sunburst Doily is from Contemporary Tatting by Judith Connors which I got for Christmas from my daughter.
The Blackwork piece of St. Peter's Church is now a finished item in the embriodery section.
The Winter scene is now a finished item in the Embroidery section.
The piano hanging that I'm working on, now called the boring sermon quilt, will be hung over the back of a piano in a Methodist Church, when its finished. Go to Other Stitchers for more information.
Each cat in the Round Robin was stitched by a different forum member on Forums America. I was the first to stitch on this one and it came back to me for finishing off. Each stitcher ends up with a finished piece that everbody else has stiched on.
I designed the piece below for my grand daughter Sophie by cutting out the letters of her name and appliqueing them onto slub silk fabric and then embelishing them. It is being working on an embroider/tapestry frame.
The Sophie piece is now completed and framed and the finished image is in Fabric Manipulation because this is the nearest way to describe the method used.
The Six Little Bears is from a pattern called Country Folk by Brenda Walker. finished size is 17" X 10". Now finished, see Fabric Manipulation.


Welcome to PopStyleBlog.com!! I love everything about Pop Culture…… the People, the Events, the Performances, the Style….. everything!! I sometimes feel that my real job gets in the way of me knowing everything that happens in the "real world." haha PopStyleBlog is a way for me to express my thoughts and opinions on a world that I would love to be part of. And somebody I believe I will be.
I'm a high school dance teacher in the DMV and I absolutely wouldn't trade it for the world.


text:
Q: str_pad() anonymous function explanation Please explain to me why I can't put an anonymous function as an argument to str_pad().
Ex:
str_pad(function ($num) {
  return ($num > 5) ? "greater" : "less than";
}, 57, '_');

Since the function returns a string, how come I can't do this?

A: Because str_pad does not expect a function as its argument, period. It expects a string. You give it a function. It doesn't know what to do with a function. It would need to execute the function to receive a string, but that's simply not what it does.

A: Because str_pad takes a string as the first argument, not a function.
Just nest your conditional directly, no need for a function.
str_pad(($num > 5) ? "greater" : "less than", 57, '_');

A: Because PHP doesn't work that way. The definition of str_pad() is that it wants to receive a string there, not a callable. While some functions will let you do that, str_pad() is not one of them.


Do you work between PowerPoint and Excel, importing tables and graphs to present data in PowerPoint, such as business or analytic results? I did so when I was working for a multinational company in FMCG. I decided to write this guide as a summary of everything I wanted to know when I was in your shoes, about presenting data in PowerPoint.
Analytics are the base of the strategic decision-making in structured organizations. In business, I believe that you should always use all possible data before making a decision on investment. For example, the most structured organizations have roles dedicated to analyzing and presenting performances.
Nowadays, the hunger for data to support decisions is transversal and affects practically every company function, from line functions to staff functions.
I often work with people in roles such as finance or accounting, who send me complete presentations made exclusively from charts and tables.
They certainly don't want to add some images to make their tables more appealing!
They look for visual effectiveness and communication strategy, because behind a table or a chart, there are messages that could support stakeholders in making one decision rather than another.
Presenting data in PowerPoint can often make the difference between success or failure.
If, until now, you thought that your role only included numerical presentations and therefore Lean Presentation Design cannot help you, this guide will change your mind.
A presentation made of tables and graphs can be boring, lack design of the visual path (where would you like people to look?), may be missing an information hierarchy, or simply missing a story, therefore, missing an appealing flow.
Among the many methodologies of data storytelling that you can find online, there is one that has a very close approach to Lean Presentation Design, and it is the Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic.
We can learn from her methodology of effectively presenting data in PowerPoint and improving the strength of your presentations.
Before you even think about graphs, numbers or tables, you need to understand the context in which you operate. The first fundamental distinction is between exploratory analysis and explanatory analysis.
Usually in a process of analysis, synthesis and presentation of data, the phase in which you are presenting is the last one, in which you should expose the results of your work.
The analysis often begins with the exploratory phase. In fact, doing data analysis is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack: digging through reports, crossing numbers and trying to identify a pattern or insight that allows you to identify or understand the dynamic of a problem, and then make a forecast.
Cole compares the analysis of the data with a search of pearls in shells: to find one, you probably have to open a hundred oysters, and this takes time and effort.
When we do a hard job, we often forget to present the whole process to support the final discovery, as though you were telling the story of all the time spent in the haystack to look for the needle and all the corners where you looked without success, without finishing the story.
However, your role is to manage this complexity and present only the solution, not all the work that was behind it. Otherwise you will make the presentation unbearable and extremely tiring for those who listen to you, who will then experience the same frustrations you suffered during the research activity.
Presenting in PowerPoint, you have to share the synthesis and shed light on the discoveries without wasting time, thus focusing on what Cole defines as the explanatory analysis.
If you have already read the guide "How to create effective tables in PowerPoint", it is the same consideration I was explaining, in that you don't need to show all the steps necessary to get the number you want to present but focus on "actionable numbers".
By "actionable numbers", I refer to all the numerical data you need to support the recommendation you want to give the audience.
In short, use only the numbers that you need to convince them to take the decision you want them to take. Remember that your role, as a presenter, is to recommend one decision over all others.
To convince who? To do what? And how do you plan to do it?
These are the three fundamental questions you must answer to contextualize your presentation with respect to the people you are facing while presenting data in PowerPoint.
The first step when you prepare a presentation, is to know the people listening to you well (WHO). Cole says that it is not enough to know the job title or their role in the organization and I agree with that.
It's a difficult task to know your audience at this level of detail, right?
This is a reading that I highly recommend if you are willing to do a presentation in public for your work (see the book on Amazon).
In my opinion, all you really need to know about your audience are the reasons behind their resistance to change.
In Change Management, we talk about resistance to change, referring to all the stakeholders within the organization who oppose a potential change.
After all, we know that people don't like doing something different than what they've always done, because it means getting out of one's comfort zone and that makes them uncomfortable.
The discomfort often arises from the need to make the right decision (WHAT). In business, the stakes can also be very high and the decision can therefore be difficult to make.
Think of a startup presented to investors to raise funding. Investors are desperate for quality projects in which to invest and multiply their earnings.
What happens if they invest in the wrong startup?
In most cases, they lose their investment.
So, investors want to be sure before making such an important decision. They obviously cannot predict the future, but during the pitch presentation, they will probably try to figure out if the project aims at an interesting market, if the team is solid, if a useful problem is solved, if there is any evidence of the fact that people would pay to solve the specific problem, etc. (View the ultimate guide to creating a brilliant startup pitch presentation).
All these doubts must be clarified by those who present, otherwise they will, almost certainly, be the subject of questions and discussions.
In general, all these reflections are the obstacle that exists between the startup and it's financing, hence the reasons that prevent the investor from making the investment decision. I call them, "Resistances".
Why are Resistances so important?
Simple. If you know them, you can overcome them by including answers strategically within your presentation (see the Act strategically in your presentation with the Lean Presentation Design approach).
If you are able to overcome audience resistance during the presentation, you will have a good chance that your recommendation will be accepted.
Once you have clarified the action that you want your audience (WHO) to undertake following the presentation (WHAT), you are able to define a communication flow that allows you to overcome the resistance and communicate effectively (HOW).
Okay, I must always have a goal. Can't I present just to inform?
I believe that a good presentation always has a goal and therefore a final call to action. Cole points out that, in certain organizational contexts, you may not be in a position to tell your superiors what to do, but that does not mean that you can't propose a moment of discussion supported by the results of your analysis (and this could be your call to action).
I invite you to observe that all this is true, whether you are presenting in person or whether you are sending the document by email.
What changes is the level of detail in the contents.
If you present in person (live), you will have a greater control of the situation, as you will directly manage the interaction with the audience, and therefore you will need much less detail.
Can't I take advantage of the slides to remember what I have to say later?
There is nothing worse than a speaker who does not know his speech and reads the side in front of everybody. What do you think every time someone reads his slides in front of you?
Do I have to memorize all the presentations I make?
No, after all it would be a hard work and I think that for many, it would be unsustainable. For example, I would have a to undertake a huge effort to memorize a presentation.
Also, consider the moment when you are presenting, regardless of your ability to speak in public, as a moment of stress.
Under stress, memory is the first ally to abandon you. You may find yourself in front of your audience without remembering what you have to say.
For this reason, I suggest you never learn the presentation by heart.
I personally support myself a lot with the PowerPoint presenter view mode.
Do you know how the presenter view works? I find it brilliant!
There were events where I cancelled the presentation due to the absence of the possibility of using this method.
With this mode, PowerPoint projects the current slide on the projector, and on your laptop; this allows you to see both the projected slide and the next one.
Knowing what comes next, it is easy to anticipate and give continuity to the speech. Anticipating the next slide, you will communicate security and ability to lead the discourse, unlike all those speakers who seem to be guided by their own slides.
So, prepare well, because you should have enough information at a glance on the presenter mode to continue talking; you certainly will not stop to look at the screen of your laptop in front of everyone. But do not memorize the presentation, it is both useless and far more risky.
It may happen that you arrive in the meeting room ready to project and come across an instrument called clickshare. When you start the wireless connection with the clickshare, you will not be able to start the presenter view mode and on both the screens (pc and projector), you will see the same slide.
If this is the case, do not despair. I found a simple enough solution to activate the presenter view even if you present with clickshare (Enable Powerpoint presenter view using clickshare).
So, focus on your audience, understand their resistance to your proposal, and define a communicative flow valid to overcome them without leaving any doubt.
Cole focuses on 12 ways of presenting data in PowerPoint, commenting on those I think are more frequent in presentations and thus you may meet more frequently.
If you have any numbers to present, it does not mean that you necessarily need to use a chart or a table.
Especially when it comes to small numbers, a good alternative is to play with text graphics and take advantage of the typography to solve the problem.
The following example is comparing how many users use the Instragram Stories compared to Snapchat (the numbers are for example).
At the top of the graph you will find a title and a subtitle, and below the graph you will find a comment explaining the message.
I'll ask you a question: if you need all this text to explain the message, do you think the chart may not be sufficiently explanatory?
The alternative is presenting data in PowerPoint only using text, intelligently formatted.
Thanks to the use of the text, I immediately made the key message clear. I also synthesized the two numbers and highlighted their difference.
I hypothesized that the message was to communicate the strength of Instagram compared to Snapchat and thus, it was not important to keep absolute numbers.
I also highlighted some keywords that made the message stand out right away.
Do you ever have tables in your presentations? When I was working in the marketing of a multinational in FMCG, it happened to me every day.
Ideally, it is not advisable to use tables within presentations, but my approach is very pragmatic and coming from the business world, I realize that it is a problem to be faced, not to be avoided.
For this reason, I dedicated one of my most read blog guides to this topic: How to create cool PowerPoint tables.
Cole simply suggests cleaning the tables as much as possible by highlighting the contents and eliminating edges and fills as much as possible.
I fully agree with the need to be able to focus on the contents and remove all the disturbing elements.
Excel allows you to apply conditional formatting to tables.
This is a good technique for quickly locating the highest or lowest numbers within the table. The colors will guide you.
I often find myself presenting data in PowerPoint leveraging Excel's conditional formatting, especially in the exploration phase. That is when I analyze the data to find explanations for the events.
They help me extract the message from the numbers right away, and will help your audience understand you at a glance.
A widespread graphic in the scientific and business fields.
It is mainly used to show the correlation between two variables such as, for example, the correlation between the price of lemonade and the temperature.
In this case, it would be really difficult to understand the correlation between these numbers by analyzing the table.
By plotting the numbers on a Scatterplot, the reports become clear at a glance.
The graph suggests that the price of lemonade grows as the temperature increases.
As you can see, this type of chart can be very useful even during the exploration phase, not just during the presentation phase.
Line charts are useful for comparing multiple sets of data that evolve over time.
Take the trend of the market shares of a group of competitors.
Line charts can also be optimized by applying a series of small details that we will see later in this article.
Graphic that I have never seen in a presentation so I avoid commenting on it. If, however, you should be interested in further reading I recommend reading Cole's book.
A family of numerous charts with different types all very common in the business world and in presentations in general.
First of all, Cole is keen to underline the ethical use of this type of graphics in communication.
If you're wondering how a chart can be used in an unethical way, that's exactly what I asked myself the first time I read Data Storytelling.
I found this concept curious and that's why I want to show it to you.
Imagine having two bars representing two percentages. I could tell you that the change from A to B was radical and brought an important increase.
However, if you look carefully at the axis of the ordinates, you immediately realize that it does not start from zero and this means that the difference between the two bars is much more pronounced.
What happens if I report the ordinate axis on a scale that starts from zero?
The difference between the two bars is greatly reduced.
Clearly, it is up to you to understand when and how to use this technique, Cole invites caution and exposes a rather curious example used in US politics in the second chapter of Data Storytelling.
The vertical bar graph is one of the most common to meet in presentations.
It works very well because it is easy to determine the length of one segment compared to another. The chart becomes more complex when you add more categories.
Another fairly common but more complex readability chart is the graph called "Stacked vertical bar".
Cole rightly points out the difficulty in comparing the segments with each other and I find myself in complete agreement.
These graphs can also exist in a horizontal version. Specifically, Cole claims that the horizontal bar graph is to be preferred over the vertical bar chart because, people read from left to right and they are therefore easier to process.
I add that we, as human beings, are horizontal readers, and thus it is easier for us to read from one side to the other than from top to bottom (at least in the part of the world where I am). Given the importance of learning to lead the audience's gaze in your slides, I spent some time doing eye tracking studies on presentations and published the results in the guide that explains how eye path control can dramatically improve presentations.
Finally, the dreadful waterfall chart, a nightmare of all first-time analysts for its complex feasibility through office apps over the years, cannot be missed.
In reality, today it is very easy to carry out both in Excel and in PowerPoint.
One of the use ms in which I happen to see it often are long-term strategic plans, in which each category corresponds to one year and this chart shows the increases in performance from year to year.
There is also a PowerPoint addin historically known to facilitate the creation of Waterfall, called ThinkCell. See the video below.
Cole says that almost no area graphics are used, except for rare exceptions, because they are hard to read. I fully agree with the point and add that I almost never find them in a presentation. So let's proceed with the next example and if you are curious, I encourage you to read Cole's book.
How could it be that I'm just now talking about the pie chart? ? Didn't you expect it to be among the first covered?
The reason is simple and is related to the fact that Cole does not fully endorse this type of chart.
Look at the cake below and tell me what the biggest slice between C and D is, in your opinion?
The question is not difficult, it is the answer that becomes very difficult in a situation where you can not match one segment with another unless you insert the data labels on the slices.
For this reason, Cole suggests not using 3D, and I add that 3D is a concept that should be forbidden in presentations in most cases. It does not add value, it wastes time and the results obtained are always mediocre.
If we look at the above chart in 2D, it becomes easier to identify the smaller slice, in my opinion.
For this reason, unlike Cole, I do not completely exclude the use of pie charts, but I invite you to use them, always making a check that you can clearly perceive the relationships between the slices (which is bigger).
One last comment goes to the management of the secondary axis, but I will comment it only if you ask about it in the comments of this post. The first one who requests it in the comments will have an explanation and a recommendation.
You are monitoring the performance of your company's market shares compared to the two main competitors in the 4 quarters of the year just ended.
A and B are the competitors with whom you compare. To better visualize the context, I decide to plot the table using lines.
Does this chart seem clear to you?
If you think about it for a moment, this is exactly the default result that Excel returns to you when you chart that table.
How can you optimize it to improve its visual effectiveness?
Begin by removing the edges of the graph that do not add any value and generate noise.
In the same way, remove the grids.
See how the lines already stand out compared to before, when they seemed to be caged in the grid?
Eliminate markers that do not add any value. As Cole rightly points out, markers are not forbidden and we are not recommending you to always delete them, but to use them only when you really need them.
To delete them, you must change the type of chart.
The result is a much cleaner and slimmer chart.
Now, apply a color that highlights your company over the others.
Emphasizing your company is essential to put the line at the center of attention, but A and B that have remained the background are now virtually indistinguishable through the legend.
Also, reading the legend below and then taking your eyes back to the right curve on the chart is a waste of time.
Do not let the eyes of your audience search, make sure they already have the information close and easy to find.
Give the lines the name, consistent in color, positioned at the end of each line. By doing so you could also eliminate the legend that did nothing but add to the confusion.
Finally, add the numerical labels and delete the ordinate axis.
Make consistent colors, which link numbers, lines and text labels.
Have you seen how, a few simple tricks, can radically change the readability of a chart? I'll let you compare the "before" and "after" with the next image.
Clean up your charts following the same logic as Lean Presentation Design: use only the elements that are used for communication, eliminate embellishments.
The attention of the audience is mainly attracted by the contrast that you can create, for example but not only, with an intelligent use of colors.
As part of this example I have kept the focus on your company by highlighting the curve over time thanks to the application of the main color.
If instead I wanted to talk about the explosive growth of competitor A, how would you have been able to draw attention to its curve?
You could have created a strong detachment thanks to the use of the complementary color to the main orange.
In this example, we can clearly see, like the same graph, the same numbers, can be presented according to certain messages according to the elements that are being highlighted. I'll let you read Cole's book which extensively illustrates various techniques to create visibility around certain elements rather than others.
In 1979 James Gibson in "An ecological approach to visual perception" defines the concept of "Affordance" (invitation to use) as the physical quality of an object that suggests to a human being the appropriate actions to manipulate it.
A small cup with a side handle suggests holding the handle as a floor suggests walking on it.
Basically, every object, if properly conceived should not leave doubts about its use.
When you optimize the user experience in your presentations thanks to Neuro Presentation Design you are making slides so intuitive that they could not be understood in any other way.
Can you do the same thing on the charts?
Is the way in which it is to be read absolutely clear? That is, is the message revealed at a glance?
In my opinion, not yet.
Try to reprocess the title as follows.
Take advantage of the main color to create contrast and similarity (How to take advantage of 4 basic design principles to dramatically improve your presentations ).
Finally, Cole suggests using the principle of alignment to create uniformity and cohesion in the chart lines.
For you this translates into the alignment to the left of the title.
Unlike the previous step, thinking like a designer means designing with the needs of the end user in mind.
The goal is to draw so well that you do not leave doubts about the message you want to pass.
By now it is quite recognized that stories have an enormous communicative force in the world of communication.
To be precise, I do not share the idea of always introducing a story within each presentation. Now we see presenters entering the meeting room and telling personal stories, jokes, etc. Thinking this is essential to awaken the audience at the beginning of the presentation.
Although it is certainly correct to try to grab the audience at the beginning because after a few minutes it may already be too late.
The real strength of the stories lies in their narrative structure that, if applied to a presentation or a chart, makes the difference seriously (Storytelling techniques for presentations – Bosch case study).
How does this apply to the world of graphics?
Simply telling the facts in the footsteps of an interesting narrative thread.
Follow me that I show you the example.
Initially you could introduce the context of your company that is not going very well compared to its competitors and that there is one in particular that is growing in a worrying manner.
In reality, competitor A only grows for the launch of a new advertising campaign and you feel that the effect will not last long. Your company, on the other hand, has no structural flaws for which it should cede further market. In fact, already in the second quarter we can see a stabilization of the shares. For this reason you propose to stay focused on the long term and to ignore peaks in the short term.
In summary I used two more slides with the slightly modified graph (in PowerPoint) to tell you the story of what happened.
Charts and tables can be phenomenal tools to presenting data in PowerPoint. However, they are often used inefficiently and this causes frustration in the audience and the ineffectiveness of the communication itself.
In Data Storytelling, Cole offers a methodology that goes well with the Lean approach to presentations.
Have you already tried this methodology to better presenting data in PowerPoint? Let's leave a comment, then we'll talk about that.
If you looking for descriptive PowerPoint shapes or tables then these are some of the best one.
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A new blockchain trade finance and supply chain test is underway involving big banks in India, led by IT multinational InfoSys.
Seven of India's largest banks have joined a Blockchain-powered trade finance initiative led by Indian IT giant InfoSys, a press release announced May 16.
According to the press release, testing by the seven Indian banking institutions is already underway.
Multiple efforts are attempting to improve the areas of trade finance and supply chain in modern banking in 2018. Earlier this week, Cointelegraph reported that UK-based banking giant HSBC completed the world's first ever blockchain-powered trade finance transaction, shipping soybeans from Argentina to Malaysia.
In India, ICICI's own blockchain initiative for domestic and international trade finance transactions attracted 250 corporates, it disclosed last month.


text:
Jack Levin
Serial Killers and Sadistic Murderers - Up Close and Personal
Serial Killers and Sadistic Murderers Up Close and Personal
Serial Killers and Sadistic Murderers - Up Close and Personal was written by and Jack Levin. The 233 page book was published by Prometheus Books in 2008 with an ISBN 10 of 1615920757. Most books are now available in ebook, pdf and audible formats. If you need more information about this publication, it can be purchased at Amazon.com or Google Books. If the book is older and/or out of print book try to locate a copy on eBay.com. Serial Killers and Sadistic Murderers - Up Close and Personal mentions 3 serial killers including Cesar Barone. The author Jack Levin has 9 book(s) listed on Killer.Cloud used for the purpose of documenting facts about Serial Killers listed in our database.
Cesar Barone
Elias Abuelazam
Orville Lynn Majors
Foreword by Robert K. Ressler, FBI (ret.), Founder and Former Director of the Violent Criminal Apprehension ProgramAbsolutely gripping from the first page to the last. Drawing from his vast experience of researching serial killers Jack Levin takes the reader into the minds of some of the most calculating murderers and lets us feel what it is like to be in close proximity to them. Chilling, but compelling, this book is essential reading for all those with an interest in criminology and criminal justice, and for those with simply a desire to look inside some of the darkest criminal minds.-PAUL IGANSKI, Lancaster University, UK, Author of Hate Crime and the CityA remarkable book by a remarkable man, a genuine expert. No one in this country kno...
9 Books Books By Jack Levin
Author Jack Levin
10 Books Books about Elias Abuelazam
Serial Killer Elias Abuelazam
6 Books Books about Orville Lynn Majors
View 6 books that mention
Serial Killer Orville Lynn Majors
8 Books Books about Cesar Barone
Serial Killer Cesar Barone


On a cool overcast day in New York, I did my first hip hop style photoshoot . The dancer , Victoria , does many styles of dance from contemporary/ hip hop / to ballet , but for me she had the look I wanted to do in an alleyway in the city .
Victoria, herself ,is from Sweden and is currently in the States on an artist visa . You will find that's how most of the dancers are here in the country . But anyways , it was a fairly quick shoot , most of the time I don't like to stay in 1 area and shoot , but we had worked this area pretty well and didn't really need anything else , it was also looking like rain so we wrapped it up after we finished this area .
Next PostPress pass and birds ..


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