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Safety first when reopening lobbies
This post is provided by Credit Union National Association (CUNA), World Council's direct member organization in the United States.
As organizations across the United States reopen, credit unions are keeping one thing in mind when deciding when to resume branch operations: Safety.
That means "safety for our staff, their families, our members, and our community," says Bridget Staffileno, vice president of community affairs at $343 million asset Jolt Credit Union in Saginaw, Michigan.
In many cases, that means installing plexiglass shields, wearing masks and gloves, enforcing social distancing measures, establishing cleaning protocols and taking other steps. Ultimately, each credit union determines when it's time to reopen its lobby doors.
Jolt created an internal task force to develop a "Staff Stay Safe Playbook." It outlines steps to ensure safety, such as adding signage, installing germ shields, requiring masks, limiting the number of people in branches and enforcing social distancing, says Staffileno, who serves on the Michigan Credit Union League's COVID Crisis Response and Recovery Task Force.
Jolt rolled out a "slow and measured process toward being fully open to members again," Staffileno says.
While it won't be business as usual, the credit union will provide "a 'wow' member experience in-branch, online, and through mobile," she says.
A phased-in approach
In Pennsylvania, the government is reopening the state with a three-phase system for each county. Ardent Credit Union in Philadelphia plans to reopen its lobbies in a phased approach that mimics how the counties in its membership area progress through the state's three phases, says Rob Werner, president/CEO of the $719 million asset credit union.
The approach calls for first reopening branches with vestibules or plexiglass dividers set up near the door to conduct transactions. This allows Ardent staff to maintain social distancing while serving members, which is safer for all involved.
The second phase will enable opening the branch lobbies for sit-down visits by appointment only. The final phase will include fully opened lobbies with plexiglass separators at the teller pods.
Ardent has provided branch drive-thru lanes since the beginning of the pandemic.
"This feels so counter to how we typically operate," Werner says. "We're such a people-based organization, and putting any sort of separation between us and the member feels different to us from a culture perspective. But the safety of everyone is our highest priority right now."
Some credit unions have already found that level of safety and have reopened lobbies.
Canvas Credit Union in Lone Tree, Colorado, is one.
The $2.7 billion asset credit union did a soft opening of its branch lobbies May 11 so staff could get used to the new routines and procedures. Foot traffic was not heavy, and the process went smoothly.
The credit union did more member outreach, including a video from the CEO about the reopening, later in the week.
"The safety of our members and our internal family is paramount to our operations," says Chris Chippindale, chief operations officer. "Canvas has assessed in detail how we can continue to support our community while ensuring we remain steadfast in our health efforts. And while all of our remote services and drive-thru operations will always be available for our members, we now have a strong approach that supports wellness in our lobbies, too."
One member, a doctor, commented positively about the steps Canvas took to support health and wellness in the reopening, says Tansley Stearns, chief people and strategy officer.
Never closed
During the height of the pandemic, lobbies at most of Peach State Federal Credit Union's branches remained open.
As of May 15, only two of the $544 million asset credit union's branches remained closed. Lobby access at all other locations is now limited to no more than 10 people in a branch at a time, with six-foot social distancing.
"As conditions and guidance changed, we made the necessary adjustments to protect our members and employees while keeping branch lobbies open," says Crystal Schmidt, executive director of retail services at the Lawrenceville, Ga., credit union. "For lobbies that were closed, the primary factor for reopening is staff availability."


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Who Dealt The Winning Hand???
Bob Kane was arguably the most successful artist to sell an idea to Jack Liebowitz and Harry Donenfeld aka the publishers of DC comics. Unlike Siegel and Shuster whose experience of achieving worldwide fame as the creative duo behind Superman was tarnished by years of having to bitterly come to terms with the fact that in doing so they had lost ownership of their brain child and millions of dollars in revenue. A very late in the day and miserly annual stipend from a company that had greatly benefited from the efforts of the two Cleveland visionaries was scant consolation.
When the young Bob Kane successfully pitched the idea of a bat-winged man of mystery to Donenfeld and Liebowitz, he had the advantage of a contractually savvy adviser (Kane senior) to ensure that he continued to hold a significant financial stake in his creation. In truth, Batman was also the creation of Bill Finger, but Kane mindful of the need to keep things as simple and expeditious as possible, treated Finger as very much the junior partner, Finger would eventually die in relative poverty, while Kane transmogrified himself into a minor celebrity, on the back of Batman's success.
Part of the deal which Kane senior extracted from Donenfeld and Liebowitz was that in exchange for relinquishing ownership of Batman, his son's name would become a statutory byline in all appearances of the caped crusader. And as the work load got too intense for any single artist and writer to maintain sole production of the scores of stories required to satiate public demand a host of auxiliary artists had to sign their work with the Bob Kane flourish.
These auxilliaries included the third member of the initial Batman triumvirate, Jerry Robinson who Kane had espied selling ice creams with a hand emblazoned jacket which immediately took Kane's eye. Robinson it was who at the age of 17 joined Kane's production team, sharing an apartment with another DC artist; Bernie Klein over at 33rd Street.
In Robinson's mind the job was going to be a short term way to fund himself through college so that he could pursue his passion for writing and as demand for Batman scripts increased with the near imminent launch of a quarterly Batman comic, he set about the task of writing a story and in doing so created one of the twentieth century's most memorable villains, the Joker.
Robinson put it like this:
"The first thought that I had was to create a villain that was – we didn't use the word supervillain at that time – a larger-than-life villain, one that would be worthy of Batman. To set the scene, at the time we were just coming from Prohibition and the Depression in the late '30s and certainly the early '30s when I formulated my whole psyche, so who were the villains at the time? They were the Dillingers, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machinegun Kelly. They were small time bank robbers, embezzlers, hijackers. So those were most of the villains with the few exceptions of the mad scientist here and there in the comics at the time. [From my own studies of literature – English was my major – I knew that all great heroes had some (antagonist) that really tested the hero, everybody from David and Goliath, Bible heroes, to contemporary literature and classics, Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty.] It seems obvious now, but at the time it was thought by a lot of the field that if a villain was too strong – remember, we were focused on Batman, that was the new creation – that the villain would overpower Batman. Well, I had a different view, and I thought Bill was won over as a writer eventually. So that's what I set out to do: someone who would test Batman and almost be more interesting. I always felt that heroes were essentially dull. Villains were more exotic and could do more interesting things.
I wanted somebody visually exciting. I wanted somebody that would make an indelible impression, would be bizarre, would be memorable like the Hunchback of Notre Dame or any other villains that had unique physical characters. The other major thing that I realized is as with that a lot of writers, you draw upon your life experiences in some way. Even though at 17 it was limited, I had a life before Batman. In my own family, playing cards played a big role, socially at least. One of my brothers – I had three older brothers –was a lawyer, a Yale graduate, and while he was at college, became a champion bridge player which he continued after college. So cards were always around the house. That's one influence why I immediately thought of the Joker playing card. What preceded that was that I wanted a villain that had some attribute that was some contradiction in terms, which I feel all great characters have. To make my villain different, to have a sense of humor would be different. That's how I came upon the name.
Names, of course, are very important. It's one of the first things we try to associate with a character. At least I did. So once I thought of the villain with a sense of humor, I began to think of a name and the name "the Joker" immediately came to mind. There was the association with the Joker in the deck of cards, and I probably yelled literally, "Eureka!" because I knew I had the name and the image at the same time. I remember searching frantically that night for a deck of cards in my little room in the Bronx where I was holed up and did my work. Luckily I had it and it had somewhat the same image as the classic one, and that was the marriage. That's how the Joker came into being."
Now it has to be said that both Kane and Finger have taken credit for the Joker's creation, but Kane's testimony was always colored by the need to retain his intellectual stake in Batman. Finger as Batman's primary writer would have been involved in the development of the Joker supplemental to Robinson's groundwork and out of all three of them was the one with the real penchant for movies and had recently seen Conrad Veidt's performance in "The Man Who Laughs" and even provided Robinson and Kane with pictures of Veidt's horrific makeup for the role. Who really created the Joker will always be up for a degree of speculation but my money would be on Robinson.
Robinson's earliest art contributions to Batman were somewhat compromised by the need to retain the Bob Kane house style and so he emulated Kane's wooden figure-work to a tee. But as his confidence grew and as artists like Irwin Hasen and most importantly Mort Meskin (whose fluid artwork would prove an inspirational touchstone for Robinson) dropped around to their 33rd Street apartment to share drawing boards and deadlines, so Robinson's own distinctively lithe and pleasing style begin to assert itself on his Batman assignments.
So here's an example of one of Robinson's distinctive Joker stories along with some early covers and his own initial drawing of the first (???) super villain.
All images © DC Comics 2010.
The interview with Robinson can be read in full at the excellent blog "Rocket Llama Headquarters"
"A very late in the day and miserly annual stipend from a company that had greatly benefited from the efforts of the two Cleveland visionaries was scant consolation."
They were compensated exrtremely well- a ten year contract worth an estimated $50k-100k per year, EACH...at a time when the avg annual salary was $1300. After 10 years when the contract was due to expire and the duo hadn't created anything else of note (and thus would obviously not be getting a similar deal), THEN they decided to sue DC for the rights they willingly and freely signed away in favor of a big payday. The "miserly annual stipend" was actually $35k per year...sevaral times the national avg annual HOUSEHOLD income when the deal was signed, and still above the national avg by the time of Siegel's death 30 years later in 1996 and certainly FAR more than any average pension. It's unfortunate the way things ended up for them but it wasn't due to any egregious or shady actions on DC's part. I'm SO tired of hearing about how they were mistreated by big, corporate DC.
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The Rainbow Orchid Has Blossomed!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Lord we thank You for every promise You have given concerning Revival and Awakening in this nation. We praise You for new levels of unity, for the depth of Your word and the sensitivity to Your Spirit which are increasing in our land and we cry out for Your love, Your kindness and Your mercy to be released.
We declare as the fire of Your Spirit comes upon us, criticism and judgment will cease, and Your love will be released through Your people in great measure, healing and transforming not only the lives of individuals, but that of families, communities and the world around us.
Now, in the Name of Jesus, over every aspect of party unity and leadership, over the Brexit negotiations and the final Brexit Bill, we declare a union of the government of God's Kingdom purpose and plan, with the government of the United Kingdom, will be established.
On the Sunday after 9/11 I was at a service in Westminster Central Hall in London and remember being moved to tears as we cried out for our city and nation. Since then we have seen terrorist attacks in cities around the world including Manchester and London. Jeremiah was calling the Jewish people to pray for the peace and prosperity of the city where they were to be exiled. As Christians with a heavenly home that awaits, we are exiles - strangers and aliens wherever we live. Whether we face acts of terrorism, the increase of gun and knife crime on our streets, or an uncertain political climate, we are called to pray for our city.


About of Atomizer: This Perfume Atomizer Bottle is size. Easy to use and easy to fill/refill, no leakage. Smaller container without having to take the whole bottle, Simple to refill in seconds. Unique Visible Window Design-easy to shows you how much liquid is still in the bottle, this is fantastic because with a bottle this small it is hard to tell by weight how much is left. Plastic Inner container with the shell. A good way for your perfume in travel just put it in your purse makeup bags fit nicely.
Different Color Packs: Cute cool refillable atomizers, you can refill them with different perfume without, no more dragging around big perfume bottles in your pocketbook during travel. Also great for friends and family who you want to share fragrance with and who want to try out a scent without buying a bottle. The shell is made of high quality and the inside of the glass.
Easy refill: Innovated design with a valve on the bottom of the atomizer, different with the common atomizer, it's easy to refill, insert the nozzle of your perfume bottle into the valve at the base of the atomizer Pump up and down firmly until full but does not overfill. Each bottle consists of a hat and a solid metal shell and clear glass inner container.


A successful Small Business SEO package should be flexible. It should also provide immediate benefit to the company in terms of increased sales and website traffic. In many cases we recommend using both SEO and Paid Advertising to market a small business on the internet. Once we understand which keywords are profitable, we then work to reduce the cost of acquiring new clients by using such keywords. SEO should reduce a businesses online marketing costs.
Running a small business is a difficult challenge. Especially when the majority of businesses fail within the first five years. A professional SEO strategy can help increase your chances for success by effectively targeting profitable customers. Our SEO professionals are trained to take the extra time to understand what results are important for your business.
We can help increase the number of visitors to your website via a low cost search engine marketing campaign. Our cost effective SEO strategies will help your small business grow organically.
Many small business owners leave marketing out of their business model. In many cases they only begin to think about marketing after they set up shop and begin their business. Many business owners believe that they can master internet marketing while also managing their business. Unfortunately, the internet is constantly changing and requires constant monitoring and adjusting to new marketing techniques. Luckily, we offer small businesses a chance work beside one of our digital marketing professionals.
They'll take the time to explain how the internet works and what you should know in regards to your business. Their expertise will save you many hours and days of aggrevation of trying to learn about online marketing. Our services cover search engine optimization, website design, website maintance, web hosting, Social media marketing.
Google Search Engines are designed to give local business the upper hand in search results. They offer several Google Products that can be used to enhance a local business search ranking. One such tool is a Google business page called Google My Business. Another benefit in local search comes from Google Maps, as Google will show your business on their map when requested. These benefits can significantly impact a small businesses website traffic.
In many instances, Google users use the internet to search for goods and services in their community. Google understands the users needs and filters search results as "localized" results.
In many cases small businesses are unaware of Google's special treatment and do not take advantage of Google's special treatment. Our SEO professionals are trained in local SEO and will make sure your company benefits.
Localized search begins by using key attributes such as name, address and phone numbers (NAP) which help search engines determine that your business is valid and deserves to be served in local search results.
Google My Business is a great place to start any localized SEO campaign. The My Business Page literally put your business on the map for local search topics.
Many local businesses do not understand the power of a well organized and maintained My Business Page. At Malaysian SEO Services, we leverage every SEO benefit for our clients.
While it's easy to sign up for a Google My Business account, it does take some professional skill to rank a business above your competitors. Contact us today to learn how to rank your business higher in Google My Business.
a healthy digital marketing campaign involves a diversified approach. Diversity allows a business to balance their marketing resources while adding a sense of insurance if one marketing channel losses its effectiveness.
The use of multi-channel marketing allows small businesses to capture a potential customers attention on several different occasions. Today's advances in online marketing allow us to retarget website visitors via Google AdWords or Facebook.
Malaysian SEO Services strives to offer the lowest cost digital marketing solutions for our clients. We start every contract with a strategic analysis of your competitors where we deterimine the most effective marketing solution for your company objectives. We will tell you which marketing channel is best for your business. In addition to Search Engine Optimization, we offer Google AdWords management, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), User Experiance Analysis and Data Analysis. Our goal is to lead your company to the top of its industry.
A search engine marketing campaign should be diversified to help weather any competitive pressures or changes in Google algoryhims.


rubbish bins or fire hydrants. Please ensure you look at signage regarding parking options.
Entry: via Silver Door on Grange Road.
Wait Area: Yes. No food or drink is to be consumed.
Dance Studio: No outside shoes are to be worn in the dance studio.
We would prefer for prams to not be in the dance studio.
No food or drink (except water) allowed in the dance studio.
Classes will continue regardless of the weather.
Click on the "Ballerina" below to view our timetable at Betty Ballerina.


Imperial's state-of-the-art facility and processes are designed to accommodate large as well as small quantities while maintaining strict separation and integrity of our customers' linen items.
How does Imperial's system work?
We schedule regular pick-up and delivery by Imperial's courteous, uniformed employees who are fully trained and insured. Soiled linen is collected in carts furnished by Imperial. Clean linen is returned to you in carts with custom-designed plastic liners that are heat-sealed after being filled with your laundry to keep it clean and fresh. Imperial owns all of its trucks, meticulously maintained by our in-house staff.
How is the schedule individualized for your clients?
We adapt to your holiday and vacation closings. We accommodate your needs in time of emergency.
How are Imperial's services priced?
Imperial's prices are all inclusive and very competitive for comparable services. We only charge for services rendered, not for extras you may not need or over which you may have no control. You benefit from the economy of scale we are able to offer because of our large, efficient facility.
Does Imperial give individualized attention to my linen items?
We make sure that all your items are kept separate throughout the process. All items are processed in separate batches so the integrity of your linen items are maintained from start to finish.
What if my company is currently renting our linen?
Imperial primarily processes customer-owned goods. Although renting initially may seem convenient, it quickly becomes substantially more expensive when all charges are considered. Rental companies have multiple built-in fees, which are not always applicable or necessary to your situation. Fees to cover linen replacement, whether it is replaced or not, can end up costing you several times more than the cost of new linens during their useful life. When you own your linen, you control the quality and the quantity of your goods, along with the image it presents to your customer.
How can Imperial turn a cost center into a revenue-producing center?
How can I find out the cost of Imperial's service for my particular needs?


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Monuments of Buenos Aires: Monument of the Two Congresses
One of the largest sculptural monuments and the largest fountain in the city of Buenos Aires are located at Plaza del Congreso, opposite the National Congress (Av. Callao & Av. Rivadavia).
This imposing monument, inaugurated in 1914, is called Monumento de los Dos Congresos (Monument of the Two Congresses), in commemoration of the Constitutional Assembly of 1813, and the Congress of Tucuman of 1816, which declared the Independence of Argentina from the Spanish Empire.
The Monument is the work of Belgian sculptor Jules Lagae, who created the figures, and Eugenio D'Huicque, the Belgian architect who designed the basement, entirely constructed in stone from the French city of Nancy. It consists of a large fountain and an elevated platform surrounded by three flights of stairs.
The main allegory in the center represents the Argentine Republic, holding a branch of laurel in one hand, and the other hand resting on a plough. At its feet, the snakes of evil and a figure representing labor. Below on each the sides, two female figures represent the 1813 Assembly, and the Congress of Tucuman.
The fountain, which is oriented towards the East, represents the Rio de la Plata, and two allegoric figures represent its tributaries, the Uruguay and Parana rivers. The fountain is surrounded by bronze sculptures of animals representing the national fauna, a group of horses, condors, and rounds of cherubs representing Peace.
The Monument to the Two Congresses and the three plazas where it is located, were designated a National Historic Monument in 1997.


Some parts of Bengaluru city, including Peenya, might soon get uninterrupted electric power supply. The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) began work on upgrading the substations. The corporation expects to complete this project by December 2018.
The KPTCL has already started work near Brindavan Alloys in Peenya, Kumbalagodu in the western suburb of Bengaluru, opposite ITI Township on Old Madras Road and near National Games Village in Koramangala.
especially in and around Peenya. The industries here have had to face the challenge of power outage while striving to accomplish the customer orders on time.
According to a senior KPTCL officer, the work to lay new power lines has started already and is in full swing. The upgrade will ensure uninterrupted power supply to the city. Once the upgraded stations start operating, there will be no power interruptions or load shedding.
The KPTCL has opted to upgrade the existing power stations instead of establishing new stations either in the hearts of the city or on the outskirts, due to lack of space and cost factors.


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Tag: Animal
Activists Speak Out Against Turkish Camel Wrestling.
Photo Credit Reuters
According to News Source Reuters, In Istanbul, Turkey. There is a traditional Camel Wrestling Festival. That attracts thousands of people every year. On Jan 16, This cruel festival garnered attention from Animal Rights Activists who had plenty to say about this.
According to many Activists/Advocates, the camels in question are abused and even injured during the events that take place. According to Reuters, The 40th International Camel Wrestling Festival was held in Selcuk, part of the Aegean province of Izmir, on Sunday with 152 camels sporting saddles and ornamental cloths and embroidery of various patterns and colours on their humps and necks.
The Camels are led/brought into a Sandy Arena where they are pitted against each other. Although According to Reuters they are equipped with muzzles to "prevent" bite wounds. Allegedly there is also other personnel in the ring with the camels, along with a Referee.
Gulgun Hamamcioglu, the Izmir representative for the Animal Rights Federation (HAYTAP), said goading animals to fight each other was a "big crime". "You see an animal, a live being fight in front of you and it is suffering, is wounded and maybe they kill each other. People enjoy this and maybe make a financial profit," she said. "Please let's all together stop this picture of shame, this scene that makes us ashamed of humanity," Hamamcioglu added.
Unfortunately, Turkey Does not have laws against camel wrestling and these matches last 10 to 15 minutes at a time. If this happened in the states it would be a major animal abuse crime. This kind of event should not be forcing Camels to fight. Even if they have muzzles, the camels still become injured by that blunt face gear, not to mention the body blows that camels do. It still leaves the camel injured with wounds. If you have ever watched a Documentary with camels fighting (during mating) you would know how powerful these body blows are.
Male Camels are aggressive during the mating season especially, when a female is near and in heat. Male Camels will literally fight to the death, just to ensure they can pass on their genes. Additionally not just camels, yet Monkeys, Lions and other animals will do the same. In their world it is actually survival of the fittest.
If you want to have a camel festival, how about we judge them based on Health, and looks. This way no animal is harmed during the festival. Just a thought. Respect the animal instead of destroying.
It's time to break away from barbaric traditions, create new ones that don't entail violence of animals or humans for that matter. We as people need to do better.
Read more of the Camel Wrestling here: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/animal-rights-activists-slam-turkish-camel-wrestling-festival-2022-01-16/?fbclid=IwAR29DxzgkJr9YoIUBtlWW3lvDVsuNH_xXJ3-i_6ONdD-kpma3Gj9HP8sK-A
Necip Cotura, who has three camels and participates in the festival as a hobby, said the event was a longtime tradition. "It is something that is done with love. It is not a fight, it is wrestling – just like how humans wrestle," he said.
Wrestling is actual Staged fighting when it concerns humans, they barely touch each other and they, the wrestlers are professionals and go under immense training. CAMELS literally hit each other with "Body Blows and Kicks". You cannot compare this to a human sport. Forcing animals to fight/wrestle IS NOT LOVE. You are FORCING the Camel to go against the natural order. This is the kind of Twisted Mentallity that gets Animals Culled and Euthanized.
I agree with Mrs. Hamamcioglu, we need to come together and end this violent tradition of using animals as entertainment purposes. Find other ways for entertainment one that does involve harming animals.
If people truly respected or loved their animals, this would not be a thing. It would have been abolished ages ago. It's time to start protesting the government for change, light that fire for change. Animals Should Have Rights EVERYWHERE.
Posted on January 16, 2022 Author Fusia RobbinsCategories AnimalsTags Animal, Animal Lives Matter, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Animals, Camel Wrestling, Camels, Information, Lives Matter, News, TurkeyLeave a comment on Activists Speak Out Against Turkish Camel Wrestling.
Etowah County man faces animal cruelty charges after shooting neighbor's dogs
UPDATE– The Etowah County Sheriff's Office served a summons to Ricky Gladden Tuesday morning for two counts of animal cruelty after shooting a nearby neighbor's dogs, killing one of them.
According to Kaley and Jerry Richards, their dogs, Maverick and Mosely, got out the morning of November 12th, after their underground fence was damaged by construction workers putting in a pool.
Kaley said the pair had never gotten out before–immediately causing concern.
The sheriff's office says Gladden admitted to shooting the dogs and burying one on his property after the incident.
— Read on abc3340.com/amp/news/local/etowah-county-family-concerned-after-dogs-shot-one-killed-by-neighbor
Posted on November 16, 2021 November 16, 2021 Author Fusia RobbinsCategories NewsTags Animal, Animal Lives Matter, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Animals, NewsLeave a comment on Etowah County man faces animal cruelty charges after shooting neighbor's dogs
Animals need infrastructure, too
$350 million of Biden's INVEST in America Act isn't for people. It's for wildlife that needs help crossing the road. By Ben Goldfarb Nov 12, 2021, 10:00am EST
Fifty miles east of Seattle, a bridge crosses a steep stretch of Interstate 90 known as Snoqualmie Pass. This is no ordinary bridge, meant for automobiles or pedestrians. Covered in topsoil, boulders, and seedlings, it is intended to convey wild animals from one side of the highway to the other — and it's working.
Since 2018, when the bridge opened and the first animal, a coyote, scampered over the six lanes below, the structure has carried creatures as large as elk and as small as toads. And it should attract even more users as the seedlings grow into trees and animals acclimate to its presence.
"As we get more shade, it's going to be different," Patty Garvey-Darda, a Forest Service wildlife biologist, told Vox during a recent visit to Snoqualmie Pass. "Hopefully someday we'll see the exact same species up here as we see in the forest."
The Snoqualmie Pass bridge is one example in a broader category of infrastructure, known as wildlife crossings, that help animals circumvent busy roads like I-90. Crossings come in an array of shapes and sizes, from sweeping overpasses for grizzly bears to inconspicuous tunnels for salamanders. A body of research demonstrates that crossings can reconnect fragmented wildlife populations while protecting human drivers and animals alike from dangerous vehicle crashes. "This structure is paying for itself because of the accidents we haven't had," said Garvey-Darda, as trucks roared by 35 feet below.
The construction of such crossings has never been more urgent. Roadkill rates have risen over the past half-century; today, around 12 percent of North American wild mammals die on roads. And new satellite tracking and genetic technologies have revealed subtler harms. Busy interstates prevent herds of elk and mule deer from migrating to low-elevation meadows in winter, occasionally causing them to starve. In California, freeways have thwarted mountain lions from mating, leaving the cats so inbred that they've fallen into an "extinction vortex." Wildlife crossings allow animals to find food and each other across sundered landscapes and help them access new habitats as climate change scrambles their ranges.
Read more here: https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2021/11/12/22774958/animals-wildlife-crossings-bridges-infrastructure
Posted on November 14, 2021 Author The Guardian - Gwen ChoCategories NewsTags Animal, Animal Infrastructure, Animal Lives Matter, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Animal, Animal Welfare, Animal Rights, Environment, Lives Matter, Habitat, Nature, Wildlife,, Animals, Environment, Habitat, Information, Lives MatterLeave a comment on Animals need infrastructure, too
Owner faces Animal Cruelty Charges.
The owner of 3 missing zebras faces animal cruelty charges. One caught in a snare died, while another in the herd has died in PG County
By Kristin Danley-Greiner, Patch Staff.
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Two zebras remain on the lam in Prince George's County and their owner now faces three counts of animal cruelty. A third zebra originally on the loose was caught in a snare and died from its injuries mere feet from an enclosure where the herd of 36 zebras is kept.
Snare traps are illegal in Prince George's County and the animal's death is being investigated. Initially, it was reported that five zebras had escaped, but authorities later said only three originally escaped from the farm. All charges are related to the zebras at large.
Prosecutors say Jerry Lee Holly, 76, the owner of the exotic animal farm where the zebras lived, did not provide proper care and sustenance to his zebras, according to charging documents.
An investigator with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said in charging documents that "the animal should have been seen or heard while it was dying from being caught in the snare if the caretaker had attended to the zebras in the fenced enclosure."
Read more here: Zebras Missing and one more has died.
Posted on October 21, 2021 Author Fusia RobbinsCategories NewsTags Animal, Animal Cruelty, Animal Lives Matter, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Animals, Fight for life, Information, Keep them safe, Lives Matter, Maryland, News, Save the Animals, Zebra, ZebrasLeave a comment on Owner faces Animal Cruelty Charges.
A rare two-headed turtle is alive and thriving, surprising scientists
Photo Credit: PopSci
A diamondback terrapin turtle hatched a couple weeks ago with two heads, a condition called bicephaly. The two-skulled, six-legged reptile was brought into a Massachusetts wildlife center, and while it currently seems healthy, veterinarians are continuing to closely monitor its health.
The hatchling looks like a pair of conjoined twins, with two independently moving heads poking out of its green shell. When the turtle splashes around in water, each skull comes up at different times to breathe, and each head controls its own set of three legs. X-rays also show that hidden inside the shell are two distinct gastrointestinal tracts—though they partially share a spine. The Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, MA, has a terrapin program, so the two-headed reptile was brought in on September 22, shortly after hatching at a protected terrapin nesting site in Barnstable.
The Center introduced the little guy in a recent Facebook post.
"When they came in, wow—it knocked us on our butts because we've never seen a bicephaly animal or turtle before," Katrina Bergman, CEO of the New England Wildlife Centers, told The Washington Post.
Read more here PopSci
Posted on October 15, 2021 October 15, 2021 Author Fusia RobbinsCategories Animals, NewsTags Animal, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Environment, Habitat, Lives Matter, Nature, Turtles, two-headed turtle, WildlifeLeave a comment on A rare two-headed turtle is alive and thriving, surprising scientists
Lanternfly population continues to grow
At first glance, the adult lanternfly is a beautiful spectacle with spotted, bright red wings and a little bumble bee-esque body. But as the species continues its trek across the U.S., federal and state officials have a unified message: If you come across the insect, kill it.
The lanternfly is an invasive species from China that wreaks havoc on agriculture. They aren't physically harmful to humans, but they threaten everything from oak, walnut and poplar trees to grapes, almonds and fruit orchards. It was first detected in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2014, but it has now spread to at least nine states, primarily in the Northeast. Growing numbers have been spotted in New York City this summer.
Source CBSNews
Although we value all life here at Guardians Of Life. This specific insect is causing havoc with the ecosystem.
Therefore we urge people to follow the request officials have put forth. Otherwise, a majority of food source as well as habitat for animals and people will be diminished.
We also urge businesses who use overseas transports to examine their cargo before allowing their shipments to come through, in order to lessen the access of Lanternflys.
Precautions should be taken. No matter what.
Posted on September 17, 2021 Author Fusia RobbinsCategories Information, NewsTags Animal, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Delaware, Earth, Ecosystem, Environment, Habitat, Information, lanternfly, Lives Matter, Nature, New Jersey, New York, North East Coast, Pennsylvania, Responsibility, Take Action, United States, Warnings, WildlifeLeave a comment on Lanternfly population continues to grow
'Obese' Potbellied Pig 'on the Road to Recovery' After Being Abandoned in Las Vegas Heat
The Potbellied Pig named Cupcake whom was abandoned in Las Vegas, during the terrible heat wave happening. Is now on the way to recovery.
Earlier this week, The Animal Foundation – a nonprofit animal shelter and low-cost vet clinic in Clark County, Nevada – shared on Facebook that the animal was discovered outside a Las Vegas home earlier this month. At the time, temperatures in the area were surpassing 107 degrees, according to CBS-affiliate WKBN.
In their social media post, the shelter added that Cupcake was "dumped" in the yard in a large wire dog crate.
"She was alone, uncomfortable and severely overweight," the organization added. After taking in the overweight pig, who could "hardly move," The Animal Foundation determined that Cupcake weighed 175 pounds. The pig also had overgrown hooves and dirty ears.
the organization is looking for an owner to love and take care of Cupcake.
The shelter – which said they take "in an average of 25,000 animals each year" – notes that as Cupcake continues to lose weight, it will be easier and more enjoyable for her to walk.
"She will need a caring owner who will help her on her weight loss journey and show her the love she deserves," The Animal Foundation wrote on Facebook.
"While we can't erase the trauma and abandonment that Cupcake has experienced, we are doing everything we can to make up for it with love," they continued, adding, "Some, like Cupcake, need extra time and specialized care before they can find their happily ever after."
Posted on June 25, 2021 June 25, 2021 Author Fusia RobbinsCategories Animals, NewsTags Animal, Animal Lives Matter, Animal Rights, Animal Welfare, Animals, Information, Lives Matter, News, Potbellied Pig, The Animal FoundationLeave a comment on 'Obese' Potbellied Pig 'on the Road to Recovery' After Being Abandoned in Las Vegas Heat
Biologists Discover New Species of Glowing Pumpkin Toadlet | Science | Smithsonian Magazine
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM
Pumpkin toadlets look exactly like what their name suggests. Less than half an inch-long, these tiny, orange frogs hop around the sweltering forests along Brazil's Atlantic coast. But how many species of these frogs are there? The question isn't just important to biology, but for conservationists seeking to preserve unique rainforest amphibians.
To researchers, pumpkin toadlets belong to the genus Brachycephalus. Determining how many Brachycephalus species exist, however, isn't easy. As many as 36 have been named, but researchers sometimes disagree on which species are valid or which species a particular population of frogs should be assigned to. Different populations of these frogs look very similar to each other, not to mention that their genetic makeup only varies slightly.
— Read on www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/biologists-discover-new-species-glowing-pumpkin-toadlet-180977610/
Posted on April 29, 2021 April 29, 2021 Author Fusia RobbinsCategories NewsTags Animal, Animals, Earth, Ecosystem, Environment, Exotic Animals, frogs, Habitat, Information, Nature, New Species, News, Pumpkin Toadlet, Toads, WildlifeLeave a comment on Biologists Discover New Species of Glowing Pumpkin Toadlet | Science | Smithsonian Magazine
Humane Society president discusses the surge of pet ownership during the pandemic — and what animals can teach us – The Washington Post
Kitty Block, 56, is president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States and CEO of Humane Society International, an affiliate. Trained as a lawyer, Block has spent decades advocating on behalf of animal welfare, domestically and around the world.
During the pandemic, there's been a huge surge in adopting pets. What do you think are the benefits of that trend, and also, maybe, the potential perils?
In a time of crisis, when people feel things are uncertain and people feel isolated or scared, to be able to bond with an animal is so important. For so many people, it wasn't just: Oh, it's convenient. I'm working from home. It's: I need to have this kind of connection, this unconditional love. And [animals] provide that. That's who they are. That's what they do.
— Read on www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/humane-society-president-discusses-the-surge-of-pet-ownership-during-the-pandemic–and-what-animals-can-teach-us/2021/04/27/198f5bcc-9269-11eb-a74e-1f4cf89fd948_story.html
Posted on April 28, 2021 Author Fusia RobbinsCategories NewsTags Adoption, Advocacy, Animal, Animal Lives Matter, Animal Rights, Animal Shelters, Animal Welfare, Animals, cats, Companion Animals, Companion Safety, Companions Are Family, dogs, Environment, Habitat, Information, Keep them safe, Lives Matter, Nature, News, Pandemic, Pets, Protect Companions, Save the Animals, Wildlife, WorldwideLeave a comment on Humane Society president discusses the surge of pet ownership during the pandemic — and what animals can teach us – The Washington Post


text:
Q: ASP.NET Button Click event does not appear to fire I'm relatively new to ASP.NET. I have a ASP.NET MVC 2 Web Application project (created in Visual Studio 2010). I added a method to HomeController called Search
public ActionResult Search()
{
    return View();
}

and created a corresponding view (web page) called Search.aspx onto which I dropped a button. I double-clicked the button to add a handler for the button click event which sets the text of a TextBox, then built the application.
<script runat="server">

protected void MyButton1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("Undo button clicked");
    m_search_text_box.Text = "MyButton1_Click";
}

...

When I click the button in my browser (I tested in Chrome and Internet Explorer), nothing happens. The text box is not updated. Nothing is written to the Output window either. So, it doesn't look like the event is firing. Can anybody offer any suggestions? I'm using Visual Studio 2010 on Windows 7.
Thanks

A: You are mixing WebForms event handling into an MVC app.  MVC does not work like WebForms.  Check out the tutorials on MVC2 to help get you started down the right path.
Here's a sample app with step by step tutorials to help get to the basics of MVC down.

A: ASP.NET MVC doesn't use code behind handlers like that.  You use controller actions to respond to requests, and decide how to visually handle them (ie: you can render a view, or return a JSON object, or redirect to another Action etc).
In your instance, if you want to put some text in a textbox after the user has clicked the button, you'd want to put a Submit button in a form, and create a controller action to respond to it:
[HttpPost]
public ActionResult Search()
{
    var model = new SearchModel();
    model.StatusText = "MyButton1_Click";

    return View(model);
}

In your view, you want to use this model, and put its StatusText property value into a textbox:
<%= Html.TextBoxFor(x => x.StatusText) %>

Have a look at the ASP.NET MVC website which has a lot of great getting started tutorials, and the Nerd Dinner tutorial (a free chapter in the book).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Die Deutsche Cadre-47/2-Meisterschaft 1966/67 ist eine Billard-Turnierserie und fand vom 15. bis zum 18. Dezember 1966  in Unna zum 40. Mal statt.

Geschichte
Knapp vermied der Titelverteidiger Siegfried Spielmann eine Niederlage gegen den Berliner Dieter Müller. Im entscheidenden letzten Spiel der beiden gegeneinander ging Müller mit einer 210er Serie klar in Führung. Aber Spielmann ließ sich nicht aus seiner bekannten Ruhe bringen und drehte das Spiel noch. Mit seinem Generaldurchschnitt (GD) von 50,00 stellte er bei dieser Meisterschaft einen neuen Deutschen Rekord auf. Platz drei sicherte sich der Essener Norbert Witte. Leider liegen von diesem Turnier keine Ergebnisse der beiden Vorrundengruppen vor. Somit ist nur das Endklassement bekannt.

Turniermodus

Zunächst wurden zwei Ausscheidungsrunden im Round-Robin-System bis 400 Punkte mit Nachstoß gespielt. Der Letzte jeder Gruppe schied aus. Dann wurde eine Endrundengruppe gespielt bei der jeder Spieler gegen die Gruppenbesten der jeweils anderen Gruppe spielte. Die Spiele gegen die ausgeschiedenen Spieler kamen hierbei mit in die Wertung.

 MP = Matchpunkte
 GD = Generaldurchschnitt
 HS = Höchstserie

Abschlusstabelle

Einzelnachweise

1966/67
Karambolageveranstaltung 1966
Sportveranstaltung im Kreis Unna
Sport (Unna)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Netflix, not content with unleashing 700 original movies and TV shows on its subscribers this year, was also looking for ways to strengthen the bond between users and their platform – and recent internal testing suggested they were looking to train users at a young age.
What's a good way to increase Netflix binging among children? The streaming service recently offered rewards called "patches" aimed at its young users, but they've already cancelled their testing due to poor reception online. But how else could they put that technology to good use?
Certain shows were marked with red locks on a user's home page, and once a select episode was viewed, users collected patches as a reward. The patches themselves didn't provide any actual value, and users couldn't use them for anything. They were just kind of…there, ostensibly to provide you with an endorphin rush every time you unlocked one.
Instead of providing patches that don't actually do anything, I'd love to see Netflix use this methodology to unlock bonus features for users interested in viewing them. My friends and I grew up poring over making-of featurettes, commentaries, and deleted scenes on DVDs, and making them available on the streaming service would be a great way to add additional value to Netflix subscribers – especially with Disney's service gunning for them next year.
There might be some rights issues involved with making those old featurettes and commentaries available, but hell, it'd be cool even if Netflix produced new bonus content solely for their own original shows and movies. They clearly have enough money to make that happen, and with a constantly increasing supply of new materials, it would provide fans with hundreds more reasons to spend more time on Netflix instead of seeing what the competition is up to.


text:
Home Film/Televison It's All About the Vessel
Film/Televison
It's All About the Vessel
Ricky L. Brown
In 1961, Science Fiction producer director Irwin Allen brought us the film Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. The fast paced disaster movie revolved around a newly designed submarine called the U.S.O.S. Seaview. The crew's mission was to launch a nuclear missile into the sky in order to save the planet from the fiery Van Allen belt which had been ignited by a meteor shower. This was great near apocalyptic drama filled with mystery and suspense. (C'mon. It had what I like to call "forgivable plausibility" for a 1961 science fiction story.) Later that year, Pyramid Books released the novelization of the film under the same name, written by Theodore Sturgeon.
The movie recently aired on television, so I made a point to sit down with my kids and share this cherished memory with them. To my pleasure, they enjoyed it as much as I remember enjoying it at that age. Much wiser now, I laugh at the science while still admiring the creativity that made it such a classic. But my journey down memory lane did not stop there. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a paperback copy of the novelization (fourth printing, 1967) at a used books store and all of my childhood memories of the story came storming back yet again. I don't believe in coincidences. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea needed to be reviewed.
So I sat down and read the book. Though the gist of the story remains loyal to the original film, there are a few acceptable discrepancies between big screen and book. When the story later moved to television in 1964, the adventure took on even broader challenges and exotic locations. But after seeing the movie again and rereading the book, I realized my "review" was becoming clouded through my childhood fondness of the Seaview. That's when it hit me. It was all about the vessel. Sometimes, no matter what plot, setting or character development evolves from the story, a prop can become the most valuable element. And in the case of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, it didn't matter which media outlet was used. The stylish craft was the main character, the primary setting, and essentially the plot of the story. It's simple as that. Review complete! Read the book. See the movie.
My earliest recollection of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was from the television series. And as a young viewer, it was the image of that awesome submarine that stood out. Even later in my teens, I dedicated hours meticulously painting and gluing together a plastic model of the sub. In my eyes (then and now), it had more character than any one person who appeared in the story. Though the Flying Sub was astonishing in its own right, we will leave the craft which made its debut in the second season of the television series out of this discussion. Like most well developed characters, it was the Seaview which had the personality to stand out from all of the others.
Okay. Its 1961 and massive atomic submarines with top secret technology are things of science fiction. A vessel like the Seaview cannot operate without an equally massive crew. But regardless if they appear in film or in print, a talented crew is nothing without a charismatic character of the Seaview.
With sweeping manta ray wings flaring out from the nose of the sub, the unique design became the soul of the Seaview character. Various versions of the sub appeared on the screen throughout the years. To devoted fans, there is the notorious eight-window vs. four-window conspiracy. But looks can be deceiving. According to the book, hull plates were made of transparent "X-tempered herculite" which gave the illusion of forward ports. On film, distinct rectangular windows made up the front viewports. Not as magically perceived as the book, but visually effective none the less. To a fan blinded by the sub's pure awesomeness, the character still came from the pectoral wings.
I understand the generation gaps where old becomes new. I also understand that with all of the retreading of story ideas and the plethora of movie "remakes" flooding the theatres, it's refreshing when something new comes along. That is unless somebody decides to revisit Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. This science fiction classic needs to be revived for an entirely new generation to enjoy (that is, as long as J.J. Abrams is not involved). But if it does ever happen, the design and character integrity of the U.S.O.S. Seaview needs to remain. Face it. It's all about the vessel.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
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http://www.rickylbrown.com/


Incline High grad Kaitlyn Wright is seeking to make the jump from collegiate golf at the University of Nebraska to the professional ranks.
Golf is an expensive sports, and Wright needs help accomplishing her dream of reaching the professional ranks. She's seeking sponsorships and offering share purchasing opportunities to help alleviate the costs. Anyone interesting in helping support her may do so through her new website, www.katelynwrightgolf.com.
Back in her Incline High School playing days, when four-time state champion Katelyn Wright ruled Nevada's 2A golf landscape, she dreamed of one day bursting onto the LPGA Tour.
She clung to the dream throughout her four-year career at the University of Nebraska, where she developed into one of the nation's top Division I collegiate players.
Now, the time has come to turn that dream into a reality.
"She has the passion and desire to play professionally and is willing to do what it takes. As long as she stays positive and keeps working hard, and doesn't worry about the little missteps, I think she's going to do great," said Robin Krapfl, Nebraska's longtime women's golf coach.
Leading the way as the Cornhuskers' No. 1 golfer her senior season, Wright wrapped up her college career this past spring with a 15th-place finish in the Big Ten Championships. She recorded four career top-five finishes and 15 times finished among the top 25.
While Wright has one more semester to complete at Nebraska before earning her degree in merchandising and business, she's ready now to take a shot at the professional ranks.
She'll compete later this month in the first of three LPGA Tour Qualifying School events, which are used to whittle down the field of aspiring pros until only the elite remain. Among those who advance past the first two qualifying tournaments, only the top 20 players from the third and final event in December receive their LPGA card.
In high school, Wright dominated like few others in state history, winning the 2A (now Division III) state title all four years. She won state by a 28-stroke margin her junior year and by 26 strokes as a senior.
Her play was good enough to attract the attention of Krapfl, who played with Wright's mother Shelly at Nebraska. Wright was offered a full-ride scholarship and left for Lincoln, Neb., after graduating from Incline in 2010.
As solid as she was for the Highlanders, however, Wright had to learn to accept an entirely new approach with the Cornhuskers, as Krapfl went to work on rebuilding her promising freshman's swing from the bottom up.
"It took a year and a half to start seeing results, but I'm really glad that she had that vision for me, because I didn't," Wright said of the change.
After posting an average score of 80.08 as a freshman, Wright lowered her score to 79.06 her sophomore year. She continued to improve while leading the Huskers as a junior, shaving her average score to 77.39 and recording two top-five finishes. Wright enjoyed her best results as a senior, when she led her Nebraska team with a 75.71 stroke average and produced seven top-25 finishes in 12 tournaments, including three top-10s.
She was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week on two occasions — in April 2014 and October 2012 — and also held her own in the classroom, receiving Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2012 and making the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2010 and 2011.
Wright is on track to graduate in December. She's still riding her full-ride scholarship, meaning she has access to the university's facilities and can practice with the team. In fact, she'll serve as a volunteer assistant coach with the Nebraska squad this fall, allowing her the opportunity to give back to the program by mentoring the young team members.
While knocking out her final classes before graduation, Wright said she looks forward to a more relaxed playing schedule as she attempts to earn her LPGA Tour card.
The first stage of the LPGA Tour Qualifying School is scheduled for Aug. 26-29 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The second stage is in late September and the third stage in December, Wright said.
Making the cut will not be easy, and Wright knows it. Yet she remains confident in her ability and determined to achieve her dream.
"It takes on average about four years for somebody to make it onto the LPGA Tour. But I am very ambitious, and I'm really dedicated and love what I do," she said. "If I don't make it, there are a lot of mini tours and stuff and you can still make a good amount of money.
Wherever her playing career takes her, Wright said she plans to use her merchandising degree to remain in the industry. She's always wanted to start a golf clothing line for girls, ideally while she's still playing.
Before diving into that endeavor, however, Wright has a dream to pursue.


text:
Revolutionize your training online with a full-featured Learning Management System
Tenn. county officials admit wildfire text alert never sent
Sevier County officials stated during a news conference Friday that they sent the evacuation notice via text, radio and TV
By Don Jacobs
Knoxville News-Sentinel
GATLINBURG, Tenn. — Sevier County officials admit they never issued a mobile evacuation alert ahead of the wildfire that swept through town and killed 13 people Monday, but blame "communication failure" due to weather disruption.
"Communications between the agencies was interrupted due to disabled phone, internet and electrical services," according to a joint release issued Saturday by the county mayor, the city of Gatlinburg, the National Park Service and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. "Due to this communication failure, the emergency notification was not delivered as planned."
Some walls of a burned-out business remain after a wildfire swept through the area Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Officials didn't explain why no one attempted an alternative means of communication such as radio or why the city at first downplayed the threat of the fire — or whether TEMA even would have issued such an alert if reached.
The fire began last week as a 1.5-acre blaze when first reported on the nearby Chimney Tops trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park but was fanned by hurricane-force winds Monday around 6 p.m.into a blaze that roared through Gatlinburg and has so far consumed almost 18,000 acres. The fire damaged or destroyed more than 1,400 homes and businesses.
"Officials worked diligently to coordinate the warning to the public before and during the catastrophic wildfire event that impacted Gatlinburg, other communities in Sevier County and the park," authorities said in the release, insisting officials used social media, sent news releases and held briefings "to alert the public about the status of the fire" and the "continuously evolving situation."
Those briefings included announcements that downplayed the threat from the fire. At 5 p.m. Monday, the city issued a news release to local media that flames had not threatened any structures.
More than five hours earlier, the National Weather Service had issued an alert that "strong gusty winds will develop today and persist overnight."
By 6 p.m. Monday — barely an hour after the city's initial news release — more than 20 buildings were ablaze as winds that approached 90 mph whipped embers onto city structures and toppled power lines.
The release states downtown Gatlinburg siren system was activated "to warn the public about the impending dangerous winds and fire threat." Officials didn't say when the siren system was used, what area it covered, how many sirens went off or what message was conveyed. Gatlinburg spokeswoman Marci Claude didn't respond to phone calls Saturday.
Many residents and visitors to the tourist town have complained they received no mobile alert notification to evacuate the city Monday night.
Gatlinburg officials at 8:17 p.m. used the city's Twitter page to issue an evacuation order for the Ski Mountain, Savage Gardens, East Foothills Road and the Turkey and Davenport areas. At 9:12 p.m., the city expanded the earlier tweet to include evacuation of downtown and along the Spur toward Pigeon Forge.
Saturday's release stated the command center contacted TEMA at 8:30 p.m. to request a mandatory evacuation order be transmitted to mobile devices over the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. Officials said that conversation was disrupted by the loss of communications
Emergency officials didn't use a statewide Motorola radio communications system when other communications options failed. The Motorola radio system, which cost more than $100 million, is used by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security and several counties in East Tennessee. Sevier isn't one of those counties.
John Mathews, director of the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency, said Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller requested the evacuation order after the chief conferred with his colleagues.
The citywide evacuation order was broadcast live on local TV and radio. The only emergency alert that finally came — at 9:04 p.m., according to TEMA records — went out more than three hours after the flames had swept into Gatlinburg and went only to broadcast media.
The IPAWS alert was developed because "less than 12 percent of the population" watches television in the middle of the night and about 5 percent listen to a radio in those hours, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The IPAWS alert appears as a text message on mobile devices, accompanied by a special tone and vibration. The IPAWS alerts target all mobile devices in a specified area, so even out-of-state visitors would be warned.
Mathews said Friday he thought an evacuation alert had been sent to mobile devices.
"If people did not receive the message we sent out, of course, we are unsatisfied with it," he said.
There was some confusion over who was responsible for putting out the alert.
Mathews indicated he had relayed to TEMA officials the decision to evacuate as flames began to overrun the town.
TEMA spokesman Dean Flener previously said records show the Sevier County EMA had asked the National Weather Service office in Morristown to announce the evacuation.
"I did not call the National Weather Service — I called TEMA," Mathews said Friday.
He said he didn't know with whom he spoke.
Communications between the command post and TEMA later resumed, resulting at 10:40 p.m. in TEMA issuing an alert to mobile devices using IPAWS. That alert told recipients only to avoid using mobile devices except in case of an emergency.
Flener has said TEMA did not issue an evacuation order because of the 90-character limitation of IPAWS alerts. He said telling people to evacuate without explaining more could lead to panic.
Flener on Saturday wouldn't say whether TEMA would have issued the IPAWS evacuation order at 8:30 p.m. if communications with the command center had not been disrupted. He also wouldn't say why TEMA didn't issue a two-part IPAWS alert if more information was required.
According to the FEMA fact sheet about IPAWS, recipients of alerts on mobile devices are encouraged to seek more information from local authorities or broadcast media.
Copyright 2016 the Knoxville News-Sentinel
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2018 8:17 pm Post subject: Hip-Hop Remain The Dominant Musical Genre?
I don't see it fading away for good, but I wonder how many years it will take for another form of "music" to take over to charts. Rap is making billions from affluent, white, suburban kids who are very fickle when it comes to their musical tastes. It is only a matter of time before they move on to The Next Big Thing.
The songs themselves agressively mine existing works, mostly tracks written after 1970, which means eventually there will be nothing left to "sample". (or, in many cases, rip off completely, remember "I'll Be Missing You") Remember Bono's warning about those people "Who glorify the past, while the future dries up"? Comments?


text:
Q: Config Error on different iis version? I am getting the this error message
HTTP Error 500.19 - Internal Server Error
The requested page cannot be accessed because the related configuration data for the page is invalid.

Module: IIS Web Core
Notification: Unknown
Handler: Not yet determined
Error Code: 0x800700b7
Config Error There is a duplicate 'system.web.extensions/scripting/scriptResourceHandler' section defined

I have migrated a site from one server(iis6) to another(iis7) and when running on the new server I get the error in question. I cant seem to find a solution to this anywhere? Can anyone shed some light?


text:
By default, the Structurizr for Java client library will not create implied relationships. For example, let's say that you have two components in different containers, and you create a relationship between them.

```
SoftwareSystem softwareSystem = model.addSoftwareSystem("Software System", "");
Container container1 = softwareSystem.addContainer("Container 1", "", "");
Component component1 = container1.addComponent("Component 1", "", "");

Container container2 = softwareSystem.addContainer("Container 2", "", "");
Component component2 = container2.addComponent("Component 2", "", "");

component1.uses(component2, "Sends data X to");
```

At this point, the model contains a single relationship between the two components, but there are three other implied relationships that could be added:

![Implied relationships](images/implied-relationships-1.png)

- Container 1 Sends data X to Component 2
- Component 1 Sends data X to Container 2
- Container 1 Sends data X to Container 2

To have the client library create these for you, set an ```ImpliedRelationshipsStrategy``` implementation on your model. Possible implementations are as follows.

## DefaultImpliedRelationshipsStrategy

This strategy does not create any implied relationships.

```
SoftwareSystem softwareSystem = model.addSoftwareSystem("Software System", "");
Container container1 = softwareSystem.addContainer("Container 1", "", "");
Component component1 = container1.addComponent("Component 1", "", "");

Container container2 = softwareSystem.addContainer("Container 2", "", "");
Component component2 = container2.addComponent("Component 2", "", "");

model.setImpliedRelationshipsStrategy(new DefaultImpliedRelationshipsStrategy()); // default
component1.uses(component2, "Sends data X to");
```

Relationships that exist in the model:

- Component 1 Sends data X to Component 2

## CreateImpliedRelationshipsUnlessSameRelationshipExistsStrategy

This strategy creates implied relationships between all valid combinations of the parent elements, unless the same relationship already exists between them.

```
SoftwareSystem softwareSystem = model.addSoftwareSystem("Software System", "");
Container container1 = softwareSystem.addContainer("Container 1", "", "");
Component component1 = container1.addComponent("Component 1", "", "");

Container container2 = softwareSystem.addContainer("Container 2", "", "");
Component component2 = container2.addComponent("Component 2", "", "");

model.setImpliedRelationshipsStrategy(new CreateImpliedRelationshipsUnlessAnyRelationshipExistsStrategy());
component1.uses(component2, "Sends data X to");
```

Relationships that exist in the model:

- Component 1 Sends data X to Component 2
- Component 1 Sends data X to Container 2
- Container 1 Sends data X to Component 2
- Container 1 Sends data X to Container 2

## CreateImpliedRelationshipsUnlessAnyRelationshipExistsStrategy

This strategy creates implied relationships between all valid combinations of the parent elements, unless *any* relationship already exists between them.

```
SoftwareSystem softwareSystem = model.addSoftwareSystem("Software System", "");
Container container1 = softwareSystem.addContainer("Container 1", "", "");
Component component1 = container1.addComponent("Component 1", "", "");

Container container2 = softwareSystem.addContainer("Container 2", "", "");
Component component2 = container2.addComponent("Component 2", "", "");

model.setImpliedRelationshipsStrategy(new CreateImpliedRelationshipsUnlessAnyRelationshipExistsStrategy());
container1.uses(container2, "Sends data to");
component1.uses(component2, "Sends data X to");
```

Relationships that exist in the model:

- Component 1 Sends data X to Component 2
- Component 1 Sends data X to Container 2
- Container 1 Sends data X to Component 2
- Container 1 Sends data to Container 2

This strategy is useful when you want to show a summary relationship at higher levels in the model, especially when multiple implied relationships could be created between elements.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Groome M, Lindsay J, Ross PE, Cotton JP, Hupp TR, Dillon JF. Use of oesophageal stress response proteins as potential biomarkers in the screening for Barrett's oesophagus. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2008 Oct;20(10):961-5 Abstract available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18787461.
Are there biomarkers for the diagnosis (presence) of BO?


Since that first glimpse, I've been psyched to see Ready Player One. The trailer looked amazing. And to the movie's credit, the movie delivered on those stunning visuals... It just let us down in a lot of other areas that mattered.
No one's denying the movie is gorgeous. The eye candy is everywhere, and the easter eggs are almost countless. It's just that the movie is only as satisfying as the popcorn I had with it, and just about as memorable.
I confess I haven't read the book yet— I've preferred to see the movie first since Jurassic Park. So any merits or shortcomings in this review are strictly about the movie.
The problems with Ready Player One come down to three things: An over-stuffing of nostalgia, a plot that moves in one direction only, and zero attention paid to character.
RPO's addiction to nostalgia— while impressive— feels artificial because it was re-created by Steven Spielberg, with music from Alan Silvestri: the people directly responsible for the material that nostalgia feeds on. I'm deeply curious about a version of Ready Player One directed by someone who grew up on a diet of Spielberg's films, not Spielberg himself.
The plot moves forward like a conveyor belt. This is a problem inherent to stories about a game, let alone a game created by someone who's died. It can only end satisfyingly on the game maker's terms. In such an arena, the hero can only do what someone smarter anticipated he'd do.
Let's move on to 'characters'. Tye Sheridan plays Parzival, taking his name from the Arthurian Knight who found the Holy Grail. He's brave, down-trodden and staunchly independent, right up until the moment that he's not.
His chief rival is Art3mis, played by Olivia Cooke. Art3mis is capable, resourceful, also independent-until-she-isn't, and most importantly, accessible. She resists Parzival's romantic overtures for the standard opening salvo, but gradually comes around to him with little motivation. Rest assured by the end of the movie, they've achieved their relationship upgrade.
The villain Sorrento is played by Ben Mendelsohn, perfectly cast as the corporate bad guy who stands in the hero's way because greed and power and blah.
Playing actual characters are Lena Waithe and TJ Miller as Aech and I-Rok respectively. What sets them apart? Intrigue, drive, relationships, and above all the ability to change. Aech is clever, funny, and cares about their companions. I-Rok is a leet gamer who actually disagrees with other characters and demonstrates the ability to change his mind.
Which brings us to the movie's main problem: none of the main characters change. They learn nothing, and nothing they do is motivated by any personal reason— at least, nothing that could be shown rather than explained through heavy-handed exposition.
Parzival refuses to Clan Up until he doesn't. Art3mis isn't interested in Parzival romantically until she suddenly is. Parzival's rallying cry to raise an army to help him with the final challenge is grand, sweeping, and completely unearned. There's no lesson of teamwork, there's no ego to overcome, he simply does the thing because the story demands he do the thing.
Aech chooses their moment to reveal themselves, it isn't forced because Parzival blurted something out at the wrong moment. I-Rok shows independent thinking and changes his mind when he realizes just how desperate Sorrento is to win the game. A story where the supporting characters are more interesting than the leads is a story with problems.
Ready Player One is absolutely gorgeous to look at. It's fun, with moments of genuinely surprising cleverness, and it will flood your brain with all the Nostalgia Happies the trailer promised. Beyond that, it's a forgettable but enjoyable popcorn flick, albeit one overly dependent on exposition.


Precision healthcare, also known as personalised medicine, is based on our understanding of the fundamental building blocks of biological systems, with the ultimate aim to clinically identify the best therapeutic strategy for each individual. Genomics and sequencing technologies have brought this to the foreground by enabling an individual's entire genome to be mapped for less than a thousand dollar in just one day. Recently, metabolomics, the quantitative measurement of small molecules, has emerged as a field to understand an individual's molecular profile in terms of both genetics and environmental factors. This is crucial because a genome could only indicate an individual's susceptibility to a particular disease, whereas a metabolome provides an immediate measurement of body function, enabling a means of diagnosis. However, the current approach of measurements depends on large-scale and expensive equipment such as mass spectroscopy and NMR instrumentation, which does not offer a single analytical platform to detect the entire metabolome.
This thesis describes the development of an integrated CMOS sensor array technology as a single platform to quantify different metabolites using specific enzymes. The key stages in the work were: to construct instrumentation systems to perform enzyme assays on the CMOS sensor array; to establish techniques to package the CMOS sensor array for an aqueous environment; to implement and develop a room temperature Ta2O5 sputtering process on CMOS sensor array for hydrogen ion detection; to collaborate with a chemist and investigate an inorganic layer on top of the CMOS ISFET sensor to show an improvement of sensitivity towards potassium ion; to test several different enzyme assays electrochemically and optically and show the functionalities of the sensors; to devise microfluidic channels for segregation of the sensor array into different compartments and perform enzyme immobilisation techniques on CMOS chips; and integrate the packaged chip with microfluidic channels and enzyme immobilisation using 2D inkjet printer into a complete system that has the potential to be used as a multi-enzyme platform for detection of different metabolites.
Two CMOS sensor array chips (1) a 256×256-pixel ISFET array chip and (2) a 16×16-pixel Multi-Corder chip were fully understood. Therefore, a high-speed instrumentation system was constructed for the ISFET array chip with a maximum readout speed of 500 frames per second, with 2D and 3D imaging capability, as well as single pixel analysis. Follow by that, a miniaturised measurement platform was implemented for the Multi-Corder chip that has three different sensor arrays, which are ISFET, PD and SPAD. All the sensor arrays can be operated independently or together (ionic sensor and one of the optical sensors).
Several post-processing steps were investigated to allow suitable fabrication process on small 4×4 mm2 CMOS chips. Post-processing of the CMOS chips was first established using room temperature sputtering process for Ta2O5 layer, achieving Ta:O ratio of 1:1.77 and a surface roughness of 0.42 nm. This Ta2O5 layer was then fabricated on top of CMOS ISFETs, which improves the ISFET pH sensitivity to 45 mV/pH, with an average drift of 6.5 ± 8.6 mV/hour from chip to chip and a working pH range of 2 to 12. Furthermore, a layer of POMs was drop casted on top of Ta2O5 ISFET to make ISFET sensitive to potassium ions. This was investigated in terms of potassium ions sensitivity, hydrogen ions sensitivity and sodium ions as interfering background ions. The POMs Ta2O5 ISFET was found to have a net potassium sensitivity of 75 mV/pK, with a linear range between pH 1.5 to 3. Moreover, the POMs ISFET has -5 mV/pH in pH sensitivity, showing that it is selectivity towards potassium ions and not hydrogen ions. However, sodium ions were found to produce a large interference towards the pK sensitivity of POMs ISFET and reduced the pK sensitivity of POMs ISFET. Hence, further work is still required to modify POMs layer for better selectivity and sensitivity. Besides that, microfluidic channels were fabricated on top of the CMOS chips that could provide segregation for multiple enzyme assays on a single chip. In addition, a PDMS and a manual dam and fill method were developed to encapsulate the CMOS chips for wet biochemistry measurements.
The CMOS sensor array was found to have the ensemble averaging capability to reduce noise as a function of √N , where N is the number of sensors used for averaging. Several enzyme assays that include: hexokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, urease and lipase were tested on the ISFET sensor array. Moreover, using an optical sensor array, namely a PD on the Multi-Corder chip and using LED illumination, quantification of cholesterol levels in human blood serum was demonstrated. Enzyme kinetics calculations were performed for hexokinase and cholesterol oxidase assays and the results were comparable to that obtained from a bench top spectrophotometer. This shows the CMOS sensor array can be used as a low cost portable diagnostic device.
Several enzyme immobilisation techniques were explored but were unsuccessful. Alginate enzyme gel immobilisation with a 2D inkjet printer was found to be the best candidate to bio-functionalise the CMOS sensor array. The packaged chip was integrated with microfluidic channels and alginate enzyme gel immobilisation into a complete system, in order to perform an enzyme assay with its control experiments simultaneously on a single chip. As a proof-of-concept, this complete system has the potential to be used as a multiple metabolite quantification platform.
CMOS, biosensor, enzymes, ISFET, metabolomics, microarray, precision healthcare, photodiode.


One way to quickly identify copies and forged products is the use of informative product designations with encoded manufacturing dates, batch numbers and other data. When inspecting incoming goods, parts with such detailed information are much easier to distinguish from counterfeit products.
Another advantage of product labeling is traceability. In the event of a manufacturing fault, defective parts can be identified and scrapped based on their identification. Standard labeling methods include 1D and 2D bar codes, as well as alphanumeric texts, graphics and logos. For example, with a data matrix code (DMC) it is possible to encode the production workshop, time stamp, batch number and other similar information in a compact code.
If a batch needs to be recalled, then the manufacturer can accurately identify the affected parts and exchange them.
If the individual parts were not marked, service, quality assurance, traceability and anticounterfeiting protection for spare parts would not be possible. Depending on size and model, cars today have more than 10,000 parts and many hundred meters of cable.
Virtually no area of the electrical and electronics industry is unaffected by it: Product pirates unashamedly make reproductions of high-quality products and, in the worst cases, damage the reputation of the trademark owner with their inferior articles. Marking specialist Koenig & Bauer Coding offers marking solutions featuring coded imprints to make it easier to identify counterfeit products and guarantee the traceability of the original products.
In cooperation with numerous machine builders (OEMs - especially in the field of final finishing) we have developed a range of low-maintenance and reliable marking solutions.


Always hard to find these candlesticks but especially nice to find a matched pair & a tall pair.
Dating to the Early 20th Century they are white ironstone & shaped like columns on plinths. These have both been drilled & have been used as lamp bases....and can easily be rewired again or put a candle in as they were made to do & as my photographs.
All over great condition...chip to one corner on one of the bases.


Zoo Fusion (Micro) is a powdered food for carnivorous corals, filter feeders, anemones and other marine inverts.
Great for either broadcast or target feeding individual animals.
Simular to our standard zoo fusion but without the larger particle sizes of pellets and whole shrimps - this is a fine powder only.
Ingredients Include: Copepods / Rotifers / Atlantic Krill Powder.
note: Zoo Fusion is also available which contains a larger range of plankton sizes such as whole shrimp & pellets - if you want a product specifically to feed carnivorous corals & anemones then Zoo Fusion Micro is recommended - if you also want to feed your fish or animals capable of capturing larger prey then choose standard Zoo Fusion available separately.
Long shelf life, does not require refrigeration, simply mix with a small amount of aquarium water before use.
a concentrated product that will go a long way!
One pack will last for ages and feed many many times!
Most reef aquarists would agree that certain corals and anemones need target feeding for continued health and growth, this is a great product for use in conjunction with frozen and live food to provide fully balanced nutrition. Always monitor your water parameters - never overfeed!


This discount cannot be combined with any other specials. Savings on hotels, car rentals, goods and services, Costco membership, AT T as well as short term loans and special..
Deal ends 2/13 119.00 170.00 Artis Elite Mirror 5 Piece Set 252.00 360.00 Artis Elite Mirror 10 Piece Set.40.00 Artis Elite Mirror Oval 7 HOT 9 mins. Andrew Weil..
at m when you check out and witness the magic! Get Deal Save Up to 50 on Sale Items Discounts will apply automatically on the landing page northwest children's theater discount code of Pick'N Save. Every cut of AngusPride premium beef is selected from only the top 20 percent of all Angus beef. Our Featured Departments and Services: Pick'n Save Flowers Too is proud to offer you beautifully designed bouquets, cut flowers, plants, balloons and gifts. Open 6AM-12AM, click Here for this week's specials! See our latest, pick n Save posts.
Available only at Pick 'n Save locations. Claim extra savings if you use this 5 Off Coupon at Pick'N Save. Get Deal Transfer Your Prescriptions to Save 25 on Groceries It's a great deal to look if you are shopping at Pick'N Save. Get Deal, pharmacy: Save an Average of 15 on Brand and 75 on Generic Prescription Medications with Inside Rx Pets. Get Deal, buy 5 Participating st louis zoo membership promo code Products Save. The Pick'N Save offer may expire anytime. Be sure to link your Fresh Perks Card to your account. Only the best Angus beef can become AngusPride. Third, you apply the discount code at checkout. Just by shopping at any one of our SpartanNash retail stores.
As a mild, womans brand. These are only available to people who have registered to use the site. Buy specially marked packs to get rewards. Marlboro Ultra-Lights, marlboro Blend.


Thale Noi Waterbird Park is an extensive basin of water on the east coast of south Thailand, which can be reached quite easily from Trang or Hat Yai. From there you can see different types of water plants, birds and herds of swimming buffalos. By January and February are the months when thousands of birds from north come to Thale Noi to spend some time there.
Thale Noi - Patthalung is a swamp area, one of the largest freshwater lakes in southern Thailand, classified as a 'Non-Hunting Area' and protected by the Department of Forestry.


The Library will digitize existing DVDs and provide them in streaming format for courses under specific conditions explained below.
Fill in the form Requesting streaming video of DVDs for class viewing to request streaming video.
Contact media@sfu.ca with any questions about this service.
The policy for providing online access to streaming video reserves via Canvas is derived from the 2012 Copyright Modernization Act, specifically section 30.01. Section 30.01 facilitates the use of copyright protected works in the online environment that matches how copyright protected works can be used in the physical classroom. Copying of the DVD is done in accord with Section 41.1, Technological Protection Measures, which makes it an offence to break a technological protection measure when copying a copyright protected work.
The film must not already be available commercially as a streaming video.
The DVD must be required viewing for the class and form an integral part of classroom or tutorial discussions. Supplemental or optional material is not eligible but may be placed on traditional hard copy library reserve.
SFU Library makes DVD video available as streaming video in Canvas based on faculty request in compliance with sections 30.01 (exceptions for online instruction) and 41.1 (technological protection measures section).
The DVD must either be part of the SFU Library's collection, or be owned by the instructor. We are not able to use Blu-Ray DVDs or VHS.
The Library requires 2 (two) weeks lead time to capture and stream the DVD.
The Library will delete the file from the streaming server within 30 days of the last day of classes.
send the instructor a proxied link to the file along with a required copyright statement.
The link and copyright statement is placed in Canvas by the instructor thus allowing their students, and only their students, to access the streaming video.


The new iBRoad report defines the scope and use of a buildings renovation logbook, setting the boundaries about which data can be accessed and used to design renovation plans while protecting confidentiality at the same time.
As the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is set to generate greater confidence among European consumers on the personal data processed by third entities, understanding which data will be in the logbook, its sources and how they will be used, is imperative.
The new report provides guidance on how to set up a logbook: what data should be sought and why it should be collected, which stakeholders could provide or benefit from accessing that information, where the information is to be stored, who owns the data and how it could be safely accessed and protected.
Find the relevant press release here and the full Report here.


Here are a few photos I shot at today's Lunch 2.0 event at Hitachi Data Systems in Santa Clara. A special thanks goes out to Jeremiah Owyang for organizing and hosting the event and to Mark Jen for starting the Lunch 2.0 event series.
Thomas Hawk and Kristopher Tate were there as well, showing of the new features in Zooomr. Here's Thomas' write-up and photos.