text:
The Voynich Manuscript
On February 1, 2018 January 31, 2018 By A.P.In Uncategorized
The pages of the Voynich Manuscript, estimated to have been written between 1404-1438, have puzzled researchers for over a century.
by Michael d'Estries
The 600-year-old book no one can read has been fascinating us for decades, but we're only recently starting to learn more about it.
Named after the Polish-American bookseller Wilfrid M. Voynich, who acquired it in 1912, the Voynich Manuscript is a detailed 240-page book written in a language or script that is completely unknown.
Some folks have labelled the Voynich Manuscript as nothing more than an ancient hoax, including Gordon Rugg of Keele University in the U.K., who has spent more than a decade studying the manuscript. Rugg writes in a 2016 paper that the text would be easy to fake if the author was familiar with simple coding techniques. "We have known for years that the syllables are not random. There are ways of producing gibberish which are not random in a statistical sense," he told New Scientist. "It's a bit like rolling loaded dice. If you roll dice that are subtly loaded, they would come up with a six more often than you would expect, but not every time."
But other researchers don't necessarily agree. In a 2013 study published in the journal PLoS One, Dr. Diego Amancio, a professor at University of São Paulo's Institute of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, explained how the book's beautiful gibberish is likely an actual language.
"We show that it is mostly compatible with natural languages and incompatible with random texts," he writes. "We also obtain candidates for keywords of the Voynich Manuscript, which could be helpful in the effort of deciphering it."
Deciphering it with artificial intelligence
More recently, Greg Kondrak, an expert in natural language processing at the University of Alberta, used artificial intelligence to try to crack the code. With the help of his grad student, Bradley Hauer, Kondrak used samples from "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," which was written in nearly 400 languages, running algorithms to identify the language of the text. Although they hypothesized it was written in Arabic, it turned out the most likely language was Hebrew.
The researchers hypothesized the manuscript was created using alphagrams, where the letters of a word are replaced in alphabetical order. With that assumption, they tried to create an algorithm to read the text.
"It turned out that over 80 percent of the words were in a Hebrew dictionary, but we didn't know if they made sense together," said Kondrak, in a statement.
After being unable to find Hebrew scholars to confirm their findings, the researchers turned to Google Translate. "It came up with a sentence that is grammatical, and you can interpret it," said Kondrak, "she made recommendations to the priest, man of the house and me and people. It's a kind of strange sentence to start a manuscript but it definitely makes sense."
Without historians of ancient Hebrew, Kondrak said that the full meaning of the Voynich manuscript will remain a mystery.
The beautifully illustrated plants that fill up the pages of the Voynich Manuscript have never been accurately identified.
Bringing the puzzle to the people
It may seem far-fetched, but this famous manuscript could become a bestseller.
Siloe, a small publishing house in Spain specializing in handcrafted replicas of ancient manuscripts, in 2016 was granted the exclusive rights to create 898 facsimiles of the Voynich.
"It's a book that has such an aura of mystery that when you see it for the first time, it fills you with an emotion that is very hard to describe," Juan Jose Garcia, the editor of Siloe, told AFP.
No ordinary scan-and-print project, the Voynich replicas will be meticulously crafted to match every "stain, hole, and sewn-up tear in the parchment," according to the news agency. The publishing house has even created a secret paste and aging process to make the more than 200 pages of the book appear and feel indistinguishable from the real thing. The process is expected to take a full 18 months to complete.
Siloe had reportedly been petitioning the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale, which took possession of the Voynich in 1969, to publish a replica for the last 10 years. The library finally acquiesced after both an increase in scholarly interest in the Voynich and quality assurances from experts associated with previous rare manuscript copies completed by Siloe.
"We thought that the facsimile would provide the look and feel of the original for those who were interested," Raymond Clemens, curator at the Beinecke library, told the AFP. "It also enables libraries and museums to have a copy for instructional purposes and we will use the facsimile ourselves to show the manuscript outside of the library to students or others who might be interested."
A work of curious art
Besides its indecipherable characters, the manuscript is also crammed with illustrations of astronomical charts, human figures, and plants, the latter of which have never been positively identified as anything found on Earth. These puzzles have led to the manuscript being classified as everything from the work of aliens to the musings of an inter-dimensional Medieval sorcerer.
Whatever the true answer, you don't have to shell out the expected $8,000 to $9,000 cost for an exact replica. In addition to offering high-res digital scans of the Voynich pages online, Yale is selling hardcover copies for $50 that include accompanying research on the manuscript.
You can also view a digital overview of the 250 pages of the Voynich Manuscript in the video below.
https://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/blogs/publisher-replicate-600-year-old-Voynich-manuscript
bookhistoryMichael d'EstriesmysteryVoynich Manuscript
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Seriously, every time Fawkes and Phoenix seem to be on the verge of consistently sleeping well, we get a night or two of bad sleep. Last night they were both awake a little after 11:00 with no signs of going back to sleep, unless kicking and flailing and making noise is a sleep sign we missed. Same thing happened just a little bit ago tonight, too, although at least this time Phoenix had the excuse of having produced a Phoenix nugget.
Phoenix was then up this morning at 5:13. I tried to settle him down until 5:30 then brought him into our room, thinking maybe he'd settle down if he slept with me and Tristen. Tristen took him pretty quick and got him to settle down after a few minutes. We might have had a good 30 minutes of sleep the rest of the night-morning.
Their sleep schedule was off pretty much the whole rest of the day. Despite being obviously tired at times, I don't think they slept more than an hour at a time. Good times.
On a nicer note, Tristen was off today. Torrie came by and picked her and MIlly up and after picking Sebastian up from school they went to one of those pottery painting places. Hot Mess, I think it's called. They seemed to have a good time. They had lunch at Chick-Fil-A and brought a sandwich home for me.
Milly: Is this your galaxy remote?
Me: Galaxy remote? (Thinking of a Galaxy phone or something.) No. I'm not sure what you mean.
Me: I typed in "Vizio." It's for the TV.
Milly and I had another conversation earlier in the day, this one about babies. I used to tell her they came from Wal-Mart and I think at one point I said they come out of belly buttons, but we just had babies you know, and so we've talked a little about it here and there. It kind of flowed from the conversation we were having, and she's old enough that I didn't feel the need to say anything silly anymore. Well, she knows for sure they don't come from Wal-Mart now. "That's gross," was her response. Keep thinking that way for as long as you like, kid.
I did get some work done, and I made some progress on a largish project I'm working on with my former boss, Scott, and Autumn, a graphic designer he works with sometimes.
There wasn't a ton more to the day today. Milly and I watched a Face Off after dinner. It was one where they had to a design based on sea monsters and featured some really good ones. I think Mel is going home. If I remember correctly, she did really well the season before when she was on, but she's had a few stinkers this season and the competition is getting tougher. Actually, the next episode has already aired, so I suppose I could find out, but despite this paragraph being about a fifth of this whole blog post, I don't actually care all that much.


It seems like so many of the best projects are also the messiest! This one is definitely fun and messy, but yields some really cool results.
1. Squirt some shaving cream onto the tray. Allow your child to smooth it out.
2. Put a few drops of food coloring or acrylic paint onto the shaving cream. You don't need a lot, maybe 4-5 drops at most. Drag a toothpick or plastic knife through to swirl the color.
3. Place the cardstock down onto the colorfully swirled shaving cream. Gently press down so all parts of the paper is "dipped" in the shaving cream.
4. Carefully lift up the paper and put on the piece of foil or waxed paper. Using the edge of the ruler, carefully scrape off the shaving cream to reveal your marbleized design. You can reuse the shaving cream a few times before the colors get too muddied and you'll want to make a fresh batch.
5. I kept a big bowl of water and some old washcloths on the table to wipe off hands and the ruler in between uses. You might want to use smocks for this activity, because the food coloring WILL stain, but it really was fun and worth the mess. I think it might be cool to use the marbleized paper to make notecards, since the kids wanted to make several sets of their fancy new paper.
Here's a fun snack that will take you back to your own childhood (or to your college days ~ with an extra ingredient that we won't be adding today! ;) ) It's easy, cheap, the kids love it and there's a good chance you have a few boxes of Jello in the back of your pantry so you might not even have to go out for any supplies.
Bring the water to a boil. Pour the jello into a large bowl and add the boiling water. Stir for 2-3 minutes until all the way dissolved. Lightly spray the shape molds with a little bit of cooking spray, then pour the jello into the molds. (If you're not using molds, a baking pan works just as well. You can cut the jigglers into squares or use cookie cutters to make shapes later.) Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until firm. Remove the jigglers from the molds, dipping the bottom of the mold briefly in warm water to loosen, if necessary.
Ready to go into the fridge.
So sweet, and ready to eat!
Sometimes it's tough to find something to do when school is closed for the day, especially in the winter months. Here at our house, we've had a little too much "togetherness" during winter break and a few snow days that didn't have enough snow to actually play in. When this week's calendar showed a day off for professional development for teachers, I knew I had to come up with some way to get out of the house. The problem was finding somewhere to go that wasn't packed with all the other kids in the county who also had the day off. My solution? Head out-of-state for a day trip! Our destination? The Delaware Children's Museum.
Last year, I purchased a family membership to Port Discovery here in Baltimore. One of the membership perks is participation in the Association of Children's Museums Reciprocal Program. The reciprocal program allowed us to get into the Delaware Children's Museum for free! Parking at the museum is also free, so it was a really inexpensive day trip (just a stop at McDonalds for lunch, gas and a few tolls). It's not too far of a trip either ~ about an hour and a half from our home in northwest Baltimore. And, while the DCM is definitely smaller than Port Discovery, its exhibits and activities kept the kids occupied for hours!
The "big kids" liked testing their knowledge!
Working together to learn how to build an arch.
"Let's try doing it this way!"
They could have stayed in the water area for HOURS!
"Let's see if this building will withstand an earthquake!"
Playdoh is good. Scented playdoh is even better. Scented playdoh that you can come together to make yourselves is the best yet!
1. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (KoolAid, flour, salt and cream of tartar).
2. Bring one cup of water and 1 1/2 tbsp of oil to a boil and pour into the bowl of dry ingredients. Adding the hot water really "activates" the scent and color of the KoolAid so this is a really fun step! Some flavors are more colorful than others. Our cherry had a nice bright color, but the lemonade and blue raspberry lemonades weren't as vibrant. You could always add some food coloring to the water, before adding it to the dry ingredients if you want.
Mommy adds the boiling water and oil.
3. Stir with a large spoon until cool enough to handle. (Be careful, it is really hot at first, so test it before allowing your child to handle).
It'll be crumbly at first, but comes together when kneaded.
4. When it's cool enough to touch, dump it out and knead it until it's mixed well. You can add more flour a little at a time if the playdoh seems too sticky.
Fun way to spend a snow day!
A garlic press is a great way to make "noodles"!
6. KoolAid playdoh has a really great consistency and the oil helps keeps it from drying out. You can keep it in a sealed container when not in use and enjoy playing with it for a long time.


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'Smash and Grab' Mob Thefts Rage Across US as Progressive DA's Won't Prosecute Shoplifting
Steve Warren
A security guard stands outside the Nordstrom store at The Grove retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
The Christmas shopping season is being marred by a new crime wave hitting America's cities as "smash and grab" attacks escalated at stores across the country on Black Friday and over the weekend.
In all of the incidents, authorities described "flash mobs" of thieves who rushed in, overwhelmed workers, looted stores, and made off with tens of thousands of dollars in goods.
California police reported a rash of such robberies, including tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise stolen from a Nordstrom. About 20 people were involved in the smash-and-grab theft, stealing about $5,000 worth of merchandise and leaving roughly $15,000 worth of damage to the store when they fled.
During the incident, the mob reportedly used a chemical agent against a security guard, who was treated at the scene.
Similar brazen thefts recently occurred in the San Francisco Bay Area and Beverly Hills in which groups of people, some carrying crowbars and hammers, ransacked high-end stores and stole jewelry, sunglasses, suitcases, clothing, and other merchandise before fleeing in waiting cars.
Organized Thefts Becoming More Aggressive
The National Retail Federation said a recent survey found stores are seeing an increase in organized thefts and perpetrators being more aggressive.
Chicago media reports at least four "smash and grab" robberies, including one involving 14 suspects who went into a Louis Vuitton store in Oak Brook, a Chicago suburb, pulled large plastic bags from their coats, and filled them with clothing and other items, stealing more than $120,000 in merchandise.
Two stores operated by the electronics chain Best Buy were also ransacked in Minnesota. Best Buy has cited organized theft as one of the reasons for a decline in gross profit margin in the third quarter.
"This is a real issue that hurts and scares real people," Best Buy CEO Corie Barry told analysts during a recent conference call.
Barry told reporters during a separate call that the company is seeing organized theft increase across the country, but particularly in San Francisco. She said the company is hiring security guards and working with its vendors on creative ways to stage products.
Criminals Recruit Young People, Sell Stolen Goods Online
The thefts are believed to be part of sophisticated criminal networks that recruit mainly young people to steal merchandise in stores throughout the country and then sell it in online marketplaces. Law enforcement officials say the thefts are ratcheting up as the holiday shopping season gets underway.
The flash mobs are usually organized by local people who recruit their crews and send them to steal specific merchandise requested by criminal organizations throughout the U.S., Ben Dugan, president of the Coalition of Law Enforcement and Retail, told the Associated Press.
Those who do the stealing get paid between $500 and $1,000 to take as much as they can and bring it back to organizers who ship it to other parts of the country.
"Crew bosses organize them. They'll give him the crowbars, and in some cases even rent them cars, or provide them with escape routes or a list of products to actually go out and steal. It looks very chaotic, but it's actually very well organized," Dugan said.
"We're not talking about someone who needs money or needs food. These are people who go out and do this is for high profit, and for the thrill," he said.
Analysts Note Progressive DA's Not Enforcing Rule of Law
And while smash-and-grab thefts are occurring nationwide, retail security expert David Levenberg said cities with progressive prosecutors — like Los Angeles and San Francisco — are especially hard-hit because the punishments for perpetrators are not as harsh as in other cities.
"The consequences are minimal, and the profits are substantial," said Levenberg, founder of Florida-based Center Security Services.
Prosecutors from seven California Bay Area counties said they will make a joint effort to combat organized retail theft and met with the state attorney general's office to "develop effective solutions to breaking up the fencing networks that are driving this kind of crime," said a statement from the office of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin.
Boudin, the chief prosecutor for the city, is facing a recall election next year over his progressive policies, according to The Guardian.
The newspaper reported Boudin's progressive policies include ending mass incarceration and promoting restorative justice. Critics say he has failed to prosecute repeat offenders, allowing them to commit more crimes that have contributed to the deterioration of the city's quality of life. They have pointed at videos of brazen shoplifting and auto break-ins during the pandemic, reinforcing the idea of the city as a lawless place.
The recall election will be held in conjunction with the California statewide primary election on June 7.
The Media Research Center's Newsbusters.org noted on a recent broadcast of CNN's New Day, a network analyst had "no idea" what was behind the smash and grab robbery wave, but then actually supplied the answer.
"Many of the young people we arrested had no previous criminal records. And why they were getting involved in something like this I have no idea . . . So I don't know what's driving this," said former Philadelphia police commissioner and senior CNN law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsay.
Then Ramsay actually answered his own question.
"The punishment for this kind of crime is very, very minimal. In most cases, it's a misdemeanor. There are some DAs that have flat-out said they're no longer going to prosecute shoplifting," he explained.
Contributing Factors and Solutions
SaveCalifornia.com says several factors are contributing to this type of criminal behavior.
There are fewer cops in Democrat cities (reduced funding + "the jab or your job")
County DA's don't prosecute thefts of $950 or less, and the criminals know it
Because of fear of lawsuits (no tort reform), employees are trained not to interfere
Thanks to government schools, these young bandits have no fear of God in them
Family destruction has bred many fatherless boys into young men without restraint
The non-profit that describes itself as a pro-family organization also offered several solutions to the problem in their state of California:
Tell others the Black Lives Matter "defund the police" agenda, the medical tyrants' "the jab or your job" threat, and politicians releasing criminals into communities are all causing the scary rise in crime
Support a future ballot initiative to repeal Proposition 47 and criminalize crime again
Prevent crime by doing marriage and family according to the Word of God, including training children personal discipline, respect for authority, and accountability to God.
The group is also promoting a California school choice initiative, calling on parents to "rescue your own children or grandchildren from godless government schools."
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Get a free audiobook
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Great book, captivating narrator
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Not a fan of the cutoff ending
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Written by: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Ann Dowd, Bryce Dallas Howard, Mae Whitman, and others
5 out of 5 stars 1,547
Margaret Atwood's dystopian masterpiece, The Handmaid's Tale, has become a modern classic - and now she brings the iconic story to a dramatic conclusion in this riveting sequel. More than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
A more satisfying ending to the Gilead story
By Blythe on 2019-09-14
Written by: Elizabeth Strout
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Prickly, wry, resistant to change yet ruthlessly honest and deeply empathetic, Olive Kitteridge is "a compelling life force" (San Francisco Chronicle). The New Yorker has said that Elizabeth Strout "animates the ordinary with an astonishing force", and she has never done so more clearly than in this book, where the iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine.
Entertaining and thought provoking
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What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know
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4.5 out of 5 stars 2,701
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Another great read by Malcolm Gladwell
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Days by Moonlight
Written by: André Alexis
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Botanist Alfred Homer, ever hopeful and constantly surprised, is invited on a road trip by his parents' friend, Professor Morgan Bruno, who wants company as he tries to unearth the story of the mysterious poet John Skennen. But this is no ordinary road trip. Alfred and the Professor encounter towns where Black residents speak only in sign language and towns that hold indigenous parades; it is a land of house burnings, werewolves, and witches.
Andre Alexis is a national treasure
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My heart ached and soared while listening to this
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Not much happens but interesting nonetheless
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Written by: Lynn Coady
Narrated by: Fiona Highet
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Written by: Jessica Westhead
Jessica Westhead's Worry, pitched as a novel for listeners of Little Fires Everywhere and Truly Madly Guilty, is about an anxious, overprotective mother who brings her four-year-old daughter to the remote family cottage of the woman who has been her best friend - and her husband's best friend - for years, and where over 48 tension-filled hours, old and new resentments surface alongside a mother's constant worry for her child and the appearance of a mysterious neighbor.
The best book ever!
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The Most Fun We Ever Had
Written by: Claire Lombardo
Narrated by: Emily Rankin
When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that's to come. By 2016, their four daughters are each in a state of unrest: Wendy soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet, a litigator-turned-stay-at-home-mom, battles anxiety and doubt; Liza, a neurotic and newly tenured professor, finds herself pregnant with a baby she's not sure she wants; and Grace, the dawdling youngest daughter, begins living a lie. Above it all, the daughters share the lingering fear that they will never find a love quite like their parents'.
By Amazon Customer on 2019-11-11
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
Written by: Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Narrated by: Beata Pozniak
In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then, a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon, other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind....
Exquisite blend of narrative and philosophy
By canuckles on 2019-10-11
A hilarious, surprising, and poignant love story about the way families are invented, told with the savvy of a Zadie Smith and with an inventiveness all Ian Williams' own, Reproduction bangs lives together in a polyglot suburb of Toronto.
Felicia and Edgar meet as their mothers are dying. Felicia, a teen from an island nation, and Edgar, the lazy heir of a wealthy German family, come together only because their mothers share a hospital room. When Felicia's mother dies and Edgar's "Mutter" does not, Felicia drops out of high school and takes a job as Mutter's caregiver. While Felicia and Edgar don't quite understand each other, and Felicia recognizes that Edgar is selfish, arrogant, and often unkind, they form a bond built on grief (and proximity) that results in the birth of a son Felicia calls Armistice. Or Army, for short.
Some years later, Felicia and Army (now 14) are living in the basement of a home owned by Oliver, a divorced man of Portuguese descent who has two kids - the teenaged Heather and the odd little Hendrix. Along with Felicia and Army, they form an unconventional family, except that Army wants to sleep with Heather, and Oliver wants to kill Army. Then Army's fascination with his absent father - and his absent father's money - begins to grow as odd gifts from Edgar begin to show up. And Felicia feels Edgar's unwelcome shadow looming over them. A brutal assault, a mortal disease, a death, and a birth reshuffle this group of people again to form another version of the family.
Reproduction is a profoundly insightful exploration of the bizarre ways people become bonded that insists that family isn't a matter of blood.
Cover image from GRANGER/granger.com
©2019 Ian Williams (P)2019 Audible, Inc.
The Future of Multilateralism
Narrator:
Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Stress
All the Way to Heaven
3 out of 5 stars 3.1 out of 5
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Audible.ca reviews
recording issues
Amazing read but audiobook comes with recording issues especially after you cross 10 hrs mark.
Onika Blackman-Lloyd
So disappointed
This is an amazing novel but the narrators were honestly insulting. If you are going to narrate a story with West Indian characters they should at least be slightly familiar with the rhythm of the accent. It was so badly narrated and flat sounding and awkward and was so distracting i had to stop and just buy the book. In comparison, i just finished little fires everywhere which has Chinese accents done and was a great listen because of it
Funny,, unapologetically Canadian...
Funny, unapologetically Canadian, with just the right amount of experimentation. What a unique offering to Canadian literature.
Quality was not good
Halfway through the book the audio was bad on and off and the lady reading it was calling Edgar different names such as Edgrad, E E E E, Esh, ect. I found that very distracting. For my first time using Audible, I was not very impressed.
Unusual Format
I found that the format was odd. Chapter titles of X and XY were strange in my mind. Some of the chapters were only one line. However, I did like the story. I was interested in the relationships within an unconventional family; some relationships by blood and some by choice of housing arrangement. The writer gave us a realistic look into the character flaws of the people in this story and yet there is an abundance of love, spoken sometimes but mostly unspoken.
I would encourage anyone to read this book because although I was frustrated with the format mostly, the book still merits consideration for its substance.
wendymcdonell
Poetic storytelling at its best
I loved the storytelling and the performance enhanced the characters and all of their emotions. Inclusive of many cultures and very easy to visualise what life in the city looks like and feels like. Classical in the themes of love, death and redemption.
I didn't want it to end.
That's all. That's the review. Unpopular opinion: I even loved the performance of the narrators.
DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE
THERE ARE A DOZEN GERMAN WORDS IN THE TEXT, AND THEIR PRESENCE IS SIGNIFICANT.. HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO TRAIN THE ACTORS TO PRONOUNCE IT CORRECTLY...THEIR VOICES WERE FLAT, BORED AND UNINSPIRING.
terrible production quality
book was great but after chapter 300 the audio is unbearable and incomprehensible. honestly felt like it was rushed to get out.
The narration is very distracting
Listening to both narrators was a painful experience. Surely, there are narrators available with Caribbean influence or experience. The fluidity of this book was lost in the static narration by both parties. Perhaps the author could have narrated instead, or at least listen to what the book became after the injection of these voices that lacked soul, diction and eloquence.
The book is promising but I just couldnt bear to listen any further.
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As owner-managers of your own business, you can choose to use your pension allowances (Currently £40,000 per annum in most cases) as a tax-efficient method of saving, especially now that dividends attract an extra 7.5% tax charge. As your tax advisers here at PJCO, we explain your options in a straightforward easy to understand way so that you can make an informed decision about your pension savings. We can put you in contact with Independent Financial Advisory firms for investment advice or self-investing pension platforms if you want to do this yourself but we do not give you direct investment advice.
Pension legislation has changed drastically over the last few years and now for some business owners, Pension saving is a very attractive tax option. If you want to look at the tax saving options available to you as an owner/manager then please get in contact.
There are simply routes to save money by reducing the cost of life insurance and key man insurance cover by obtaining a tax deduction within your company and we can point you towards a suitably qualified adviser should you wish to review these costs.
As well as considering your own pension provision as a business owner, every employer is now required to have a Workplace pension in place if they employ workers.
Every employer has immediate workplace pension duties when they take on a worker.
The Employer must put in place a Pension Scheme from day one even though the employees may not be automatically enrolled as workers can express a wish to opt-in, voluntarily.
In practice. as soon as the first employee is submitted to HMRC on an FPS, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is notified and will send a duties start date letter to the new PAYE scheme.
When you receive this letter, nominate a point of contact using the code on the letter. This will ensure that TPR can keep in touch by e-mail as the new employer progresses through their duties. The point of contact can be a payroll agent.
Within five months of the Work placed pensions start date, a new employer must complete a declaration of compliance that confirms to TPR that their duties have been met. This will include auto-enrolling all eligible workers and notifying other staff of their optional rights to join the qualifying pension scheme that the employer has chosen. We can complete the declaration of compliance as the employer's payroll agent in stages as the duties are met, and then submit the final declaration by the deadline.
Our work placed pension compliant payroll software offers an integrated facility to assess employees ( referred to as workers in the regulations) for auto-enrolment.
In employment law terms (and this is what matters for auto-enrolment) a worker is someone who is not in business on their own account (self-employed) and does not have to be offered work and be required to accept it as an employee must. So, whilst payroll records might be the right place to assess who needs to be auto-enrolled, as HMRC extend the definition of a worker, there is also a need to look at other people who may have been classed as self-employed in the past but are now deemed to be workers. There have been a number of recent tax cases in this area including Uber, Deliveroo and Pimlico Plumbers and we expect the rules to amend over the next few years.
Company directors are not classed as workers unless they have employment contracts (which is unusual). If the only person (or persons in the PAYE scheme) are directors without employment contracts there are no auto-enrolment duties. If a director does have an employment contract, there are only auto-enrolment duties once a second person joins the payroll with an employment contract. There is still a need to make a declaration of compliance for a PAYE scheme even if there are no employer duties because the only individuals involved are directors with no employment contracts.
Aged 22 to state pension age earning over £833 per month (£10,000 p.a.) who will be auto-enrolled into a qualifying workplace pension and needs to be informed of this within six weeks of the start of the pay period where this occurs.
Aged 16-21 or state pension age to 74 even if earning over £833 per month.
Both categories will be written to within six weeks of the start of the pay period where they enter that category, informing them that they can choose to join a qualifying workplace pension scheme if they complete an opt-in form.
Aged 16-74 earning less than £503 per month. You need to write to them within six weeks of the start of the pay period where they enter this category informing them that they can voluntarily join a qualified pension scheme and make their own employee contributions.
As an employer, you can postpone auto-enrolling an eligible jobholder for between one day and three months. The worker has the right to override the postponement and insist on being auto-enrolled. You must issue a postponement letter within six weeks of the worker becoming eligible.
From April 2018 whilst there is no mandatory employee contribution, as long as the total contribution is made, the split is entirely at the employer's choice.


Re: Oxygen needs to be cross-platform!
> Please try hard to remain compatible to 'the other desktop'.
We will try hard to remain compatible when it comes to standards that actually make sense: like the icon naming specification, a common icon metaphor etc.
But like all other projects (Enlightenment, XFCE, Gnome, etc.) KDE will stick to its own style, its own color palette and its own visual identity.
> actually make sense: like the icon naming specification, a common icon metaphor etc.
Excellent, it's good to hear that.
> stick to its own style, its own color palette and its own visual identity.
... and please use a different icon for internationalisation (locale.png) than Everaldo. I think the US flag is no longer a symbol for that.
The Esperanto-flag (Green background with a white star) would be nice as symbol for internationalisation!
How about the UN flag ?
I like both ideas. UN flag is also used in Mac OS X.
How about the Olympic flag? It's probably copyrighted or something, and honestly not quite ideal: too much association with sports. Still, I like the look better than the UN flag. Just sayin.
do klingons have a flag ?
Yes, but it is oddly shaped to human eyes (a hexagon with very long sides on the upper right and upper left that results in a cut off teardrop shape). Similar to medieval war banners rather than the common rectangle flags that most governments have adopted.
How about a KDE flag? Blue with a white K on it?
"UN flag would raise some hackles in certain portions of the United States of America ;)"
But they would not have a clue about internationalization anyway, so why care?
Hey guys, what happened with Everaldo and Crystal icons? Aren't his icons not good enough anymore for you or he does not commit anymore?
His icons were nice, and most importantly the license was a very permittive one without attaching any strings and royalities (not sure if it was BSD or LGPL). Ever since I have seen many apps using this icons, and even sites (especially control panels).
Is Oxygen icon set planned to be released under license in the same spirit as Crystal was?
Re: what happened with Everaldo?
In the site it's clearly stated that the icons (SVG) will be released under a GNU License. LGPL or an equivalente license for graphics or icons.
Still many apps and sites used Crystall icons. May be they were happy enough with PNGs.
My question is will this be possible with Oxygene?
the hole set will be lgpl or somthing that works in the same way, png's, svg's, documentation, you name it.
BTW and talking about site's any kde realated site is more than welkome to contact any of us in oxygen, we hope to help to create artwork, layouts, icons, logos, for all of kde not just the icons, or the desktop. Remeber Oxygen is not just an icon set.
We are not doing an icon theme for websites but for KDE, so what webmaster will do is not very important for us. What we know is we will all the icons needed to KDE, this include apps (I mean the applications shipped with KDE).
Thanks guys! So this icons (and themes) are really going to be avail to everyone, being it hobbyist contributor, commercial vendor or webmaster, good.
Here, to the contrary, this would mean once again NOT using the default. This reminds me of the pre-crystal icons, altho they were better than the Gnome ones of the time. I'll stick with Crystal, thank-you very much.
> altho they were better than the Gnome ones of the time.
Not bad at all, but I'm not seeing the 'oh wow!' that everyone else is. The folder icons look great, but the rest are a bit, well, plain. Maybe they're too flat? Don't know, and perhaps a screenshot with them would show them off better, but for now I like Nuvola, and probably Crystal better, though.
Excellent Job David & Team!
Please move to analog measures!
**And widgets should follow the very same route. Let's control the window border size in mm, not pixel numbers.
***Once this is done there should be support for the perceived sizes. Looking at your pda, your monitor and a beamer projection results in different physical "display" sizes. But your perception might be the same as your distance to the display is different, too.
Re: Please move to analog measures!
Yes we will, that is the general idea, to make a fully svg theme. only one icon for all sizes. But also to vastly extend the svg features so that icons can starto interact with the uzer, in sum Oxigen is more than just an icon theme, itsa a second generation icon theme.
also the fact they will/might be dynamic, very cool. maybe you can make mouse-over animations?!?
128x128 pixels is different on a 19'' monitor with 1200x1024 from an 15'' with 1400x1024. You would choose the size of the icon based on the physical sizes, that is cm.
I think I understand that to gain less blur if rendered to the pixel grid in smaller sizes (-> less pixels) it is taken care to layout the shapes for this, so pixel numbers are still important. But they should not be the one we use to define the size finally rendered on the display.
Does SVG allow some kind of hinting? So details (like embedded symbols or shape lines) could be adjusted to match the pixel grid?
:: Does SVG allow some kind of hinting? So details (like embedded symbols or shape lines) could be adjusted to match the pixel grid?
Yes... thus the "32x32 svg size". They can be rescaled to any size with all the nice look of a scaled vector image.
"Analog measurements?" What the hell are you talking about?
Show me how any of the stuff you just described is "analog" in any way. It's all represented in binary at its lowest level.
While these icons in the previews are attractive. I wonder what will happen to Nuvola? Will David continue to maintain them or will they be superceded by the Oxygen icons? The folder and mimetype icons in the Oxygen preview doesn't look as sharp as Nuvola ones. Maybe a blending of the two?
They are the best icons I've ever seen. The perfect mix of colour, eye candy and easiness on the eyes. They're certainly not boring, but they're usable.
Only one thing, I saw people call the tango project crappy (joking I suppose) don't hear them, the tango project it's a good thing, and must be supported, just like oxygen it's needed in order to have complete themes for both DEs there, instead of duplicate icon themes in order to have a coherent desktop.
Same here, I don't see why everbody is loving oxygen.
Nothing against it, but crystal seems much better to me.
Anyway, this doesn't mean they didn't find Crystal nice and elegant and beautiful as well, in fact this post isn't titled: "Do you like Oxygen more than Crystal?".
> Same here, I don't see why everbody is loving oxygen.
Probably because they are not so eye-distracting and "childish" as crystal (and XP) are?
Re: No more floppy disks!
Well, we still save to harddisk, so perhaps a harddisk would be a symbol that is not too far away from the floppy symbol, so comprehensible by "older" users and also not counter-intuitive for "younger" users.
It's an experiment, but I think it works fairly well.
It would complement the icon of a folder commonly used for Open.
Random fun fact: The Xbox version of GTA: San Andreas uses a floppy as a save symbol.
or even better: get rid of the save action... seriously!
but then, what's the icon for 'name document'?
Since I'm only replying to people who say that Tango/Crystal/Whatever is better, I would like also to thanks all the people for the nice messages and interest, this was not really expected.
Also because it's just a preview, but that's good, it's incentivating.
About secretiveness, remember this is a preview, it may change a little or even a lot, folders for example are will sure been changed to scale down better, browser action may change as well. And in the end we ar just showing less than 5% of a complete theme.
They're okay. I mean, they're nice. I don't understand some of the raging boners that some guys here have for these icons, e.g., "they're the most beautiful visual expressions of icon-oriented symbology ever have I laid my eyes upon, O Beautiful Icons, Blessed Art Thou ...", etc.
I think that's a good example of how KDE has a devoted fan base that, at times, can be one toe over the Line of Rational Thought, but hey, I get it, when you're passionate, you're passionate.
Overall, the icons are all right. Good job.
So, the first question is: are the actual icons available somewhere?
The Oxygen theme appears to look more contemporary without the usability issues which I have complained about in the Crystal styles. So, they have done a good engineering job as well as good artwork. Since they look so good, perhaps they should be installed as HiColor which would solve various issues including the FD standard compliance.
I do wonder about the MIME type icon though. I think that the folded upper right corner is standard across many desktops and would be preferred. also, the shadows on the MIME type icons seem wrong for the standard light source over the viewers left shoulder.
I also wonder if some of them, while the look very nice in the large size, have too much detail and are too photo realistic to render well in 16x16 and 22x22.
22x22 suggests another issue: can we manage to switch to 24x24 (or just add it) in KDE-4? Other desktops use 24x24 and it creates real problems when optimizing an icon from the 128x128 px SVG.
> I do wonder about the MIME type icon though. I think that the folded upper right corner is standard across many desktops and would be preferred.
I also had this question. It looks as if the folding of a lower corner as opposed to an upper corner was done merely to be contrary, without an eye to why the upper corner is usually folded.
It seems that, by having the upper corner folded, the bottom is wider and flatter and appears to be the base of the icon. Thus, when in an icon-view in a file browser (the main place where mime-type icons are used), the text naming the file appears to be placed at the base of the icon. Also, as noted, the upper-corner-fold maintains cross-desktop consistency.
Of course, this may have already been addressed inside of the group working on these icons, but I wonder as to their reasoning.


text:
Unofficial web-site of Argentinian striker
Higuain can get even better, says Benitez
The Spaniard was thrilled with the striker's efforts as his double secured a 2-0 win over Torino to maintain the Partenopei's title challenge
Napoli coach Rafa Benitez believes Gonzalo Higuain is still not at his best despite his double in Sunday's 2-0 win over Torino.
The Argentina international scored twice from the spot in the first half to secure maximum points for the Partenopei at Stadio San Paolo, and Benitez was thrilled with his all-round contribution, despite insisting he can still improve.
"Higuain is still not at his best but he works hard for the team and does it well," he told Sky Italia after the match. "Even when he is not playing at his best he is still a great player that can make the difference for us. It's very positive that he put in a good performance after the victory against [Olympique de] Marseille."
Napoli's win keeps them level with Juventus on 22 points, five adrift of leaders Roma, and Benitez is fully confident his side can maintain their Scudetto challenge throughout the campaign.
"It's a result that satisfies me although we could have scored more goals," he continued.
"I will not look at the games of Roma or Juventus. My team has the quality to do well and fight for the title, I am convinced that Inter and Fiorentina can also fight for the title, it will be a race of five teams."
This entry was posted in News on 27/10/2013 by mirsinho.
← Higuain can emulate Maradona – Reina Napoli 2-1 Catania: Callejon inspires Partenopei to victory again →
Former Argentina manager Sabella dies aged 66
Napoli stadium renamed after Maradona
Maradona's room-mate remembers 1986
Alex Sandro: 'Milan are doing well, but we're Juve'
Juventus: Morata ban reduced to one match


text:
Observable objects shared between server and client

## Example

    // client.js
    var observable = require("observable"),
        Things = observable("Things")

    Things.on("change", function (key, value, observable) {
        assert(key === someUuid)
        assert(value.thing === true)
        observable.on("change", function (key, value) {
            assert(key === "foo")
            assert(value === "bar")
        })
        observable.set("foo", "bar", function optionalCallback() {
            // the property has been set everywhere now
        })
    })

    Things.push({ thing: true })

    // server.js
    var http = require("http"),
        server = http.createServer(),
        observable = require("observable")(server),
        Things = observable("Things")

    ...

The same code can be shared server and client.

The observable set (Things in the example) is shared across server and all browser clients. This means any changes to the set will fire change handlers on all browsers.

This makes for a great way to share realtime state between servers and clients

## Tests

Soon

## Documentation

Soon

## MIT Licenced

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Cape Girardeau History and Photos
Coming of Age in Cape Girardeau
Posted on May 1, 2012 October 19, 2016 by Ken Steinhoff
Fire Engine at Capaha Park
The negative sleeve says "airport fire truck 6/12/67." The Missourian didn't have any stories about it for a couple days on either side of that date, so I assume it was just something I spotted and snapped off nine frames before moving on. (Click on any photo to make it larger.)
Looks like they might be practicing drafting water from the Capaha Park Lagoon, a common practice for rural fire departments without access to fire hydrants. The firefighters drop 10-foot lengths of hard suction hose with a strainer on the end into a pond or other water source, then use the engine's pump to either fill the engine's water tank or distribute it through smaller diameter hoses to fight the fire.
Water supply is critical
If the water source isn't close to the fire, then the water has to be shuttled from the pond to the fire using a series of trucks. For long distances, two or more pumpers could be spaced out over a long run of hose to boost the pressure. That takes a LOT of hose and a lot of manpower. That's one reason why rural volunteer fire departments were called "chimney savers." By the time they could get to a fire, establish a water supply and a resupply, too often a chimney would be the only thing left standing. That's not to criticize the firefighters who were putting their lives on the line; it was just a fact of life.
Even hydrants fail
Murphy's Law works in town, too. These two Gastonia, N.C., firefighters are looking down the street for the surge of water that's going to charge their hose. It never came. There was a problem with the nearest hydrant. By the time a supply line was laid from the next nearest hydrant, the house was a loss. You can tell from their expressions how frustrated they were.
Fire-related stories
1989 Idan-Ha Hotel fire
Lily pond behind Fire Department No. 1
Pi Kappa Alpha's fire truck
Scott City Fire Department
Old Fire Station No. 2 on Independence next to Pak-a-Snak
A home dies
The fire that could have wiped out downtown Cape
CategoriesParks TagsCapaha Park, Capaha Park Lagoon, Fire Engines, Fire Equipment, Firefighters, Gastonia NC
5 Replies to "Fire Engine at Capaha Park"
Fred Lynch says:
Frony shot a picture in 1956 of how the newly-formed Rural Fire Department Inc. of Cape Girardeau County would pump water from farm ponds to fight rural fires.
http://www.semissourian.com/blogs/flynch/entry/42683
Dick McClard says:
I remember several times in grade school and Jr. High school when a ladder truck would visit the school. We would gather outside and a fireman would climb the extended ladder for our entertainment. At the time it looked like it would be fun to climb the ladder. Now I better understand how climbing in full gear on a springy ladder was a braver act than it first appeared to us so many years ago.
Lana Baker Parmenter says:
Dick, those firetruck demos would have been in October which is Fire Safety Month. My dad was stationed at firehouse #3 for a number of years and might have been one of those who climbed the ladder.
Bill Stone says:
Drafting in the fire service use to be very important and still is in areas without water hydants. A water source is found that could be a creek, pond, lake or river, even a swimming pool. You then set up a several truck shuttle behind a portatank set up on the fire scene and the water source. One time I was on a water shuttle when there was a fire on Chuck Berry's property. No, I didn't see Mr Berry, he wasn't there!
Ken Steinhoff says:
Son Adam just bought a house way out in the boonies, far from any hydrants. I was thinking that he was lucky that his next door neighbor has a small pond behind his house, but we've had so little rain that it's almost dry.
Then it dawned on me that the kid's new house has a larger-than-average swimming pool. You can't beat that for an emergency water supply.
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Robert Duvall on Reminds me of the 1930s
Michael. Sterling on Civic Center Holds Sock Hop
Ken Steinhoff on Matthews Store in Randles
Sonia on Matthews Store in Randles
Judith Prather Coffman on First Presbyterian Church
G. Paul Corbin on Esquire Gets New Life
Brenda Hayes Blevins on Archie Smiley's Family Christmas
connie caldwell on Cato Cemetery Near Arab
Ken Steinhoff on Blue Hole Garden BBQ
Chris Taylor on Blue Hole Garden BBQ
Cape Central High Photos
Ken Steinhoff, Cape Girardeau Central High School Class of 1965, was a photographer for The Tiger and The Girardot, and was on the staff of The Capaha Arrow and The Sagamore at Southeast Missouri State University. He worked as a photographer / reporter (among other things) at The Jackson Pioneer and The Southeast Missourian.
He transferred to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, his junior year, and served as photo editor of The Ohio University Post. He was also chief photographer of The Athens Messenger.
He was chief photographer of the Gastonia (NC) Gazette for a long 18 months until he could escape to The Palm Beach Post, where he served as a staff photographer, director of photography, editorial operations manager and telecommunications manager. He accepted a buyout in 2008, after 35 years at the paper.
Most of the stories are about growing up in a small Midwestern town on the Mississippi River, but there's no telling what you might run into.
Please comment on the articles when you see I have left out a bit of history, forgotten a name or when your memory of a circumstance conflicts with mine.
(My mother said her stories improved after all the folks who could contradict died off.)
Your information helps to make this a wonderful archive and may end up in book form.
© Ken Steinhoff – All Rights Reserved
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text:
BYD will supply batteries for Jaguar Land Rover
June 9, 2020	0	By autotimesnews
Jaguar Land Rover is in talks with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD to launch production in the UK.
Automotive News Europe, citing its own sources, says that if the agreement is signed, BYD may open its production in the UK. Such a step will be a serious incentive for the British industry in the production of electric cars, the volumes of which are quite modest in comparison with other world markets. The government launched the Faraday Battery Challenge in 2017, which was supposed to stimulate the production of battery cars.
The source also claims that JLR and BYD are considering collaborating on the development of electric power plants. The British manufacturer already has an alliance with BMW to develop electrified powertrains. It is not clear whether the BYD deal will change the terms of cooperation with the Bavarians or not.
Until recently, BYD's European presence was limited to the electric buses the company is building in Hungary and France. Last month, the Chinese automaker launched the Tang EV600 electric SUV, which will mark the brand's entry into the European market and should go on sale in Norway later this year.
JLR invests heavily in electrifying its range. The company invested about £ 1 billion in its plants in Castle Bromwich and Solihull to upgrade them in preparation for the launch of a new modular platform that allows the use of internal combustion engines, hybrid and all-electric engines.
BMW 2-Series Gran Coupe gets new diesel versions
BMW X8 M45e may be hybrid


In order to unlock the chain that grants this pet as a reward, you must first go to Flamestar Post and speak to Ariok who will ask you to kill black whelps and their trainers (Burning Vengeance). Then he will request you to bring him Scorpid Barbs, Worg Hides, and Obsidian Flecked Mud.
After these tasks are complete, he will send you to talk to a goblin, he needs some more items, specifically, The Sand, the Cider, and the Orb.
Once he has his items, he will want to accompany you to Chiselgrip and of course fight along the way.
At Chiselgrip, his father has some jobs for you. You'll have to wear a disguise for this part. Follow all directions, and when you get back, accept and complete every quest in Chiselgrip. DO NOT get rid of your disguise! Once you've completed them (it's only a few, won't take you long) Eitrigg will have more work for you.
This time you're back in your disguise, and you're off to see the General. He'll have a few things for you to do, fighting, and keeping the soldiers in line.
Eitrigg will also have a task for you over there.
Once you get back, Eitrigg and his son will accompany you to Flame Crest, where Kibler will FINALLY give you this quest.
just a side note - make sure you do "Done Nothing Wrong" from Mouton Flamestar - because this is also part of unlocking "Chiselgrip"
I'd like to add that you have to do the quest from Mouton Flamstar (also at Flamestar Post) in order to get the Chiselgrip quest from Ariok.
Peñasco Llamarada Flame Crest quest requires you to be friendly with Booty Bay. so if you did the Bloodsail Admiral thing, dont waste your time trying to do the questline for the pet.
Thinking of it as a questline is a bit misleading as the quests dead end at a couple points and you need to know where to go to continue. Here are my notes that I used to get the pet on 3 different toons. Good luck!
Notes on time: After doing this line on one lvl 80 toon, the second lvl 80 took me about an hour. The biggest time sink is Scrapped Golems until you get the hang of it. Would appreciate a time estimate on the level if anyone has one.
Incorrect, I Completed the whole chain while only Neutral with Booty Bay.
Just understand that the quest giver is of Booty Bay. If you have rep with bloodsail and you want the pet, get farming.
You can gather the Flameflies while mounted.
You have to do the quest to free the hatchings by Ariok the lil dwarf dudes too.
Also the perfect costume .. on the table get 3 hides 2 muds and 1 thread.
KIBLER is with the Booty Bay faction, so BEWARE if your rep is hated!
If you click on the flameflies quick enough, you could get credit for 2x while looting 1 flamelfly.
**Edit: Just did it again on my alt, and yes you could get 3x credits(thanks Nold for the info) if you loot it extremely fast!
So what happens when you lose your disguise?
I clicked on 1 really fast and got 3 credits.
If you like to run with your Creepy Crate out to help your critter kill count, make sure you put it away before trying to do this final quest. I learned the hard way that mine has a taste for tiny flameflies, and is generally quicker about catching them than I am!
If you are fast at right clicking you can get credit for 3-4 or more per 1 Flamefly.
La mayor parte de mis compañeros residentes en el Peñasco Llamarada parecen haberlo abandonado en algún momento. Supongo que Las Estepas Ardientes no eran lo bastante INTERESANTES para ellos.
No es mi caso. Yo siempre encuentro motivos para quedarme, y el último resultan ser las moscallamas que han aparecido últimamente.
Aparecen cerca de la lava durante el día. Por la noche, se las encuentra casi por todas partes.
Si no te importa reunir unas cuantas, te recompensaré por ello.
Nice work! More pets for Kibler!


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text:
Court Street fire considered suspicious
AROUND 50 FIREFIGHTERS from three departments responded in the predawn hours of Monday morning to a hot fire that destroyed this apartment building at 74 Court St. near Middlebury Union High School. Officials said the cause of the blaze was suspicious. Independent photo/Steve James
MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury police and fire officials continue to investigate a suspicious fire that ravaged a duplex apartment building at 74 Court St. and significantly damaged two adjacent structures during the early morning of Monday, June 10.
Middlebury Fire Chief David Shaw said it was a fortunate "fluke" that no one was hurt — or worse — during a blaze that he believes might be rooted in a dispute between a local person and one of the 74 Court St. tenants.
"There could really have been loss of life here," Shaw said.
Investigators aren't yet sharing many details, including names, due to the ongoing probe.
"There's been activity between a tenant and another town resident," Shaw said Monday morning after having put in a long morning with dozens of other firefighters from three area departments.
The Vermont State Police Arson Unit is working to determine the exact cause and origin of the fire, according to a press release issued by Middlebury police on Monday afternoon. Addison County Firefighters Association investigators have also been combing the scene, Shaw confirmed.
"Evidence has been taken away from the scene to the state lab in Waterbury," said Shaw, who added he believes the fire was the product of "malicious intent."
It was at around 3:45 a.m. that Middlebury firefighters and police were toned out to the blaze at 74 Court St., which is near on the west side of the street near the high school. Shaw said the building was fully engulfed and flames were threatening two nearby structures. A combined total of approximately 50 firefighters from the Middlebury, New Haven and Salisbury departments responded to the scene, according to Shaw.
Middlebury Regional EMS and the American Red Cross also assisted at the scene.
Fortunately, all residents had successfully evacuated from the duplex after smelling smoke, according to Shaw. The downstairs tenant was visiting the upstairs apartment at the time the fire was detected, Shaw said.
"This is a reminder to citizens that they should practice their fire escape plan," he said.
Once on location, firefighters used Middlebury's formidable new ladder truck to quickly direct water onto the roof of 74 Court St., according to Shaw. This was key in containing the blaze.
Weather was also on the firefighters' side, Shaw explained, noting he absence of a south wind that could have hastened the spread of flames.
Shaw and his colleagues had the fire under control within 40 minutes and had it fully extinguished within an hour. The nearest hydrant wasn't working properly, according to Shaw, whose crew was able to redeploy hose to access water from other sources.
Shaw called 74 Main St. a total loss, though the two nearby structures can be repaired.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the Middlebury Police Department at 388-3191.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected]


The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights considered whether criminal law was retrospectively applied to convict Mr Kononov, in violation of art 7 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
The Grand Chamber had to assess whether, at the time of the offence, international law provided a legal basis to convict Mr Kononov for war crimes and, furthermore, whether he could he have foreseen that his actions would make him guilty of those offences. Unless both tests were satisfied, the conviction would contravene art 7. The Grand Chamber also considered how the extension of statutory limitations should be treated under Article 7.
Any person found guilty of a war crime as defined in the relevant legal conventions…shall be liable to life imprisonment or to imprisonment for between three and fifteen years.
The 'relevant legal conventions' are the Hague Convention 1907, the Geneva Convention (IV) 1949 and the Protocol Additional to that Convention 1977. Also relevant was Article 45-1 of the 1961 Code, which specifies that no statutory limitation applies to war crimes.
No one shall be held guilty of any criminal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a criminal offence under national or international law at the time when it was committed.
The majority of the Grand Chamber affirmed that the guarantee against retrospective criminal liability is 'an essential element of the rule of law' (at 185) and should be applied to protect against arbitrary conviction and punishment. Article 7 embodies the principles that a crime and its penalty can only be defined and prescribed by law, and that the criminal law should not be broadly construed against an accused. Article 7 therefore requires that the law clearly define an offence.
An offence will be clearly defined in law if it can be known from the wording of a provision (and judicial interpretation and legal advice) which acts or omissions attract criminal liability. A law can be written or unwritten, but must be accessible and foreseeable. Gradual clarification of the criminal law through judicial interpretation is not caught by art 7, as long as it is consistent with the essence of the offence and is reasonably foreseeable.
Turning to Mr Kononov's case, the majority of the Grand Chamber said that Article 68-3 was based on international, not national law. It was therefore irrelevant that war crimes were not domestic offences at the time. After assessing the state of international law on 27 May 1944, the majority held that it provided a sufficiently clear legal basis to convict Mr Kononov for war crimes.
Furthermore, as Mr Kononov was a commanding military officer, it should have been foreseeable that his actions would constitute war crimes for which he could be criminally prosecuted. Interestingly, the majority held this despite noting that the relevant international laws and customs were not published in the USSR or the Latvian SSR at the time.
The majority also held that, as Mr Kononov was convicted under international law, the statutory limitation under the 1926 Criminal Code did not apply. At the time of the offence, international law did not prescribe a time limit for the prosecution of war crimes. Nor have subsequent developments introduced such limits. Therefore the conviction was not statute barred.
Accordingly, as Mr Kononov was convicted of an offence that was a crime under international law at the time it was committed, art 7 was not violated.
In a joint concurring opinion, four judges departed from the reasoning of the majority on the statutory limitation issue. They preferred to see it as a procedural issue relevant to fairness of proceedings and art 6 of the Convention, rather than art 7. They held that the belated conviction of Mr Kononov on the basis of laws existing at the time involved no question of retrospective application of substantive law.
It is questionable which is the better approach. On a literal reading, art 7 is concerned solely with whether an act or omission constituted an offence at the time it was committed. It is not concerned with whether prosecution of the offence was subsequently statute barred. However, as the majority pointed out, art 7 should be construed broadly to protect against arbitrary conviction and punishment. Therefore, it is arguable that the courts should read into it a prohibition on the arbitrary extension of time limits for criminal prosecution.
The dissenting opinion by three judges disagreed with the majority on the factual question as to whether international law at the time provided a sufficiently clear legal basis for Mr Kononov's conviction. They also held that the prosecution was statute barred under the 1926 Criminal Code. The overriding of this limitation by Article 45-1 of the 1961 Criminal Code involved the retrospective application of the criminal law in contravention of art 7. As discussed above, it is debatable whether art7 should apply to time limits on prosecution.
The guarantee in art 7 is substantively the same as the protection against retrospective criminal laws in s 27 of the Victorian Charter. Specifically, s 27(1) says that a person 'must not be found guilty of a criminal offence because of conduct that was not a criminal offence when it was engaged in'. Section 27(4) says that the section does not affect acts or omissions that were criminal offences under international law at the time.
Kononov's case adds to the jurisprudence on this fundamental protection. In particular, it should guide Australian courts in determining whether an act or offence was a criminal offence under international law at the time it was committed. The proper approach in such cases is firstly to determine whether an offence was clearly defined by international law at the time. It must then be assessed whether the law was sufficiently accessible and foreseeable. This will be satisfied if an accused could reasonably have been expected to know that their actions would make them criminally liable.
The decision is at www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2010/667.html.


Dakpathar is a toy-town nestled near the silvery bank of river Yamuna. It is famous for housing the Dakpathar Barrage which forms a reservoir along the tinsel town. The environs of this place are endowed with natural beauty. It has dense woodlands and sprawling gardens. Its proximity to Yamuna Hydel Scheme makes it ideal for bird watching. Varied bird species flock this place often.
Dakpathar is popular for its untouched natural beauty. It has emerged as a popular recreational place for nature lovers and solitude seekers. Earlier this place was a lesser known attraction. But now it has been developed as a tourist attraction by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam.
Some people also spell it as Dakpatthar or Dakpather. It is a popular recreational place in Doon. Over the years, it has emerged as a popular weekend destination for Doonites. They wish to spend some time in the verdure of nature.
And tranquillity in the lap of nature.
If you visit here then don't forget to see the Hydel Power Station. It stands near Yamuna river. Its mammoth size and dimension will leave you awe-struck.
The park also has a kid's play with swings. Here you can also let your children free. Canteen facility and parking facility are also available here.
The travellers can time travel to early India, by visiting the ancient Rock Edict of King Ashoka at Kalsi. It is about 7 km from this place. The adventure seekers can throng the Asan Barrage Water Sports Resort Complex. It is approximately 11 km from this place. It also offers an array of water sports activities. For bird watching, you can visit the Asan Barrage Bird Sanctuary, an abode for several migratory birds.
For the spiritual quest, head towards Paonta Sahib Gurudwara located about 25 km from this place. If you have ample time then you can explore Lakha Mandal. It is about 80 km away from this place. Here you can discover several stone effigies and artifacts of historical significance. For picnicking, you can go to Vikasnagar. And for sightseeing drive all the way to Chakrata, a picturesque hill station.
One can have a pleasurable stay amidst the piercing beauty of nature. You can book your stay at Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) Tourist Rest House in Dakpathar. The TRH is well-facilitated with modern facilities and also offers sightseeing options.
One can visit Dakpathar all around the year. However, summer and monsoon months are the best to travel Dakpathar. Because nature is in full swing here during these months. Winters are chilly here so do carry warm clothes.
Dakpathar nestles on the left bank of Yamuna river. It sits 790 metres above sea level on the foothills of Shivalik range. Dakpathar lies on the border of Dehradun district and Sirmaur district. Sirmur district Paonta Sahib is west towards this place. It is near the Himachal Pradesh state border.
Dakpathar is a tiny village, which cocoons in the Vikashnagar block of Dehradun district. It lies on Dehradun-Chakrata road about 40 km away from the main city. It is only 5 km away from Vikasnagar. Dehradun railway station at 40 km away is the nearest railhead. Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport at 63 km away is the closest air connectivity from here.


You continue but still fanatasize mere nonesense.
It is twice in two weeks, steev - only a pedantic professor=clown like yourself would cling to "being right" when you are wrong.
On Friday, Dec 3rd 01:09:49 PM Author: Steve Price wrote: "Hi JC For someone who never looks at ****, you manage to quote us often enough. This is the second or third time this week. Which of your long time readers sent you that e-mail? Was it India's president, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam? If so, I'm honored."
Even a lame bogus pedagogue like you, professor clown, can realize anything made after that wouldn't be considered part of your complaint. So why cite them, you dope.
Oh, that's right, this is the "scientific method" pseudo-scientists like you use to "prove" your theories. How foolish of us here at RK.com to forget that.
Since only two of the instances you so sophomorically mention occurred prior to the date of your initial post that started this futile exercise anyone with enough cranial capacity to open a package of cereal (and that we guess includes you steev) would conclude there were only two mentions, not the three or, as you now see fit to argue, four citations.
Calling you an idiot, steev, gives you too much benefit so why don't we put this to bed now that everyone of our readers has seen you prove once again your even less than idiot status.
As we told you before, steev, better get in the corner with your dunce cap on before you wet yourself. But this time face the wall and no talking to your fellow carpet-clod, jr. howe.
Are you hard of reading or hard of counting?
What was it you were saying about people who insist that they're right even when it's obvious that they're wrong?
I love how most of the posts you make quoting Turk0tek include a statement about how that post doesn't change the fact that you don't quote Turk0tek. It must be wonderful to be so undisturbed by facts.


text:
Q: Is it possible to set the number of entries HUD returns? I would like the HUD to return at least ten entries. Can I do that somehow?
(use case: in Texmaker, I can have ten different user tags - I do not remember their names, so I would like to display all (after typing user tag), but HUD now shows only five)

A: It seems from my investigation that this is not (yet) possible in Unity's HUD.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
#ifndef _IHEAD_H
#define _IHEAD_H

/************************************************************/
/*         File Name: IHead.h                               */
/*         Package:   NIST Internal Image Header            */
/*         Author:    Michael D. Garris                     */
/*         Date:      2/08/90                               */
/*         Updated:   3/14/05 by MDG                        */
/************************************************************/

#include <stdio.h> /* Added by MDG in 03-14-05 */
#include <stdlib.h> /* Added by MDG in 03-14-05 */

/* Defines used by the ihead structure */
#define IHDR_SIZE	288	/* len of hdr record (always even bytes) */
#define SHORT_CHARS 	8	/* # of ASCII chars to represent a short */
#define BUFSIZE		80	/* default buffer size */
#define DATELEN		26	/* character length of date string */

typedef struct ihead{
   char id[BUFSIZE];			/* identification/comment field */
   char created[DATELEN];		/* date created */
   char width[SHORT_CHARS];		/* pixel width of image */
   char height[SHORT_CHARS];		/* pixel height of image */
   char depth[SHORT_CHARS];		/* bits per pixel */
   char density[SHORT_CHARS];		/* pixels per inch */
   char compress[SHORT_CHARS];		/* compression code */
   char complen[SHORT_CHARS];		/* compressed data length */
   char align[SHORT_CHARS];		/* scanline multiple: 8|16|32 */
   char unitsize[SHORT_CHARS];		/* bit size of image memory units */
   char sigbit;				/* 0->sigbit first | 1->sigbit last */
   char byte_order;			/* 0->highlow | 1->lowhigh*/
   char pix_offset[SHORT_CHARS];	/* pixel column offset */
   char whitepix[SHORT_CHARS];		/* intensity of white pixel */
   char issigned;			/* 0->unsigned data | 1->signed data */
   char rm_cm;				/* 0->row maj | 1->column maj */
   char tb_bt;				/* 0->top2bottom | 1->bottom2top */
   char lr_rl;				/* 0->left2right | 1->right2left */
   char parent[BUFSIZE];		/* parent image file */
   char par_x[SHORT_CHARS];		/* from x pixel in parent */
   char par_y[SHORT_CHARS];		/* from y pixel in parent */
}IHEAD;

/* General Defines */
#define UNCOMP		0
#define CCITT_G3	1
#define CCITT_G4	2
#define RL		5
#define JPEG_SD		6
#define WSQ_SD14	7
#define MSBF		'0'
#define LSBF		'1'
#define HILOW		'0'
#define LOWHI		'1'
#define UNSIGNED	'0'
#define SIGNED		'1'
#define ROW_MAJ		'0'
#define COL_MAJ		'1'
#define TOP2BOT		'0'
#define BOT2TOP		'1'
#define LEFT2RIGHT	'0'
#define RIGHT2LEFT	'1'

//#define BYTE_SIZE	8.0

/* getcomp.c */
extern int getcomptype(char *);
/* getnset.c */
extern char *get_id(IHEAD *);
extern int set_id(IHEAD *, char *);
extern char *get_created(IHEAD *);
extern int set_created(IHEAD *);
extern int get_width(IHEAD *);
extern int set_width(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_height(IHEAD *);
extern int set_height(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_depth(IHEAD *);
extern int set_depth(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_density(IHEAD *);
extern int set_density(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_compression(IHEAD *);
extern int set_compression(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_complen(IHEAD *);
extern int set_complen(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_align(IHEAD *);
extern int set_align(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_unitsize(IHEAD *);
extern int set_unitsize(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_sigbit(IHEAD *);
extern int set_sigbit(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_byte_order(IHEAD *);
extern int set_byte_order(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_pix_offset(IHEAD *);
extern int set_pix_offset(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_whitepix(IHEAD *);
extern int set_whitepix(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_issigned(IHEAD *);
extern int set_issigned(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_rm_cm(IHEAD *);
extern int set_rm_cm(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_tb_bt(IHEAD *);
extern int set_tb_bt(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_lr_rl(IHEAD *);
extern int set_lr_rl(IHEAD *, int);
extern char *get_parent(IHEAD *);
extern int set_parent(IHEAD *, char *);
extern int get_par_x(IHEAD *);
extern int set_par_x(IHEAD *, int);
extern int get_par_y(IHEAD *);
extern int set_par_y(IHEAD *, int);
/* nullihdr.c */
extern void nullihdr(IHEAD *);
/* parsihdr.c */
extern void parseihdrid(char *, char *, char *);
/* prntihdr.c */
extern void printihdr(IHEAD *, FILE *);
/* readihdr.c */
extern IHEAD *readihdr(register FILE *);
/* valdcomp.c */
extern int valid_compression(int);
/* writihdr.c */
extern void writeihdr(FILE *, IHEAD *);

#endif  /* !_IHEAD_H */


The Ed-Fi Community and Tech Team were hard-at-work at the end of 2017, they release several important artifacts listed below. This news was also announced in real-time on the Ed-Fi Slack channel and we'd encourage you to join if you haven't already.
This is the long awaited preview release of the next major release of the ODS/API – aligned to the forthcoming Data Standard v3.0.
There are a host of new and valuable capabilities in this release – see v3.0 Tech Preview – Feature & Change Summary.
The Data Standard v3.0a RFC is also released, and implemented in the Tech Preview (a) release.
TechDocs info can be found here, and API documentation can be found here.
This is a maintenance release for the current ODS/API, that is backwards-compatible with previous ODS/API v2.x releases, and is aligned to the Data Standard v2.0.
We will release binaries for the Cloud ODS aligned to v2.3.1 January.
A big thank you to the Enumerations SIG , and the Expanding Date Support SIG whose contributions factored into this release.
A valid question is: Which version should I be using?
Should start working with the v3.0 – Technical Preview, and plan for production deployment for the 2019/20 school year.
Consider upgrading to v2.3.1 for the 2018/19 school year if there are improvements or bug fixes of interest in the release notes.
Your implementation is dependent on being populated with data from Ed-Fi Certified SIS's (certification against ODS/API v3.0 is anticipated to start sometime in the 2nd half of 2018).
If you have a longer timeline and want to future proof your implementation, or do not have a dependency on data from certified SIS's in 2018, then you should consider starting to work with the v3.0 Technical Preview.
If you are a certified SIS vendor, you should start to work with the v3.0 Technical Preview, to understand and plan for supporting agencies that move to this version, as well as updating your Ed-Fi certification.
v2.3.1 is backwards compatible with previous versions of the ODS/API, so your application should work unchanged.
v2.3.1 the reference platform for the Ed-Fi RFC 8 – Assessment Outcomes Management API.


A beautifully presented period cottage occupying a private village location with large well manicured gardens, clear span barn with alternative use potential (STP), ample parking and detached studio. More land available if required. No onward chain.
This charming cottage is believed to date back to the 16th century in parts and boasts a wealth of character features. Constructed of rendered stone elevations under a pitched thatched roof the accommodation has been significantly improved over the years to create a fabulous village residence. In brief the accommodation comprises an entrance hall which leads to a fabulous kitchen/breakfast room with traditional solid wood units, island and a stunning inglenook fireplace containing a Heritage Range cooker. A door off the kitchen gives access to a walk-in larder and two openings have been created to flow into an oak framed garden room which is currently used as a dining area. Patio doors open out to a glazed oak veranda ideal for alfresco dining and summer entertaining. Also on the ground floor are two spacious reception rooms, both with open fireplaces, a conservatory, music room, utility and study which could also be used as a fourth bedroom if required. On the first floor are three double bedrooms with one bathroom and one large shower room both with modern suites.
The property is situated in the small hamlet of Curload which sits between the highly desirable villages of North Curry and Stoke St. Gregory. Stoke St. Gregory offers two local pubs, primary school, church and convenience stores whilst North Curry (2 miles) includes similar facilities including a modern health care centre and coffee shop. Access to Taunton is very easy via nearby roads where a wide range of shopping, recreational and scholastic facilities will be found including three noted public schools. Taunton is a thriving market town and enjoys excellent communication links to the rest of the UK with mainline rail service to London Paddington and M5 interchange (J25) which lies about 7 miles away. Airport facilities can be found at both Exeter and Bristol, each within a 40 minute drive.
The property is approached over a gravelled driveway with a central turning circle, flanked on either side by well established herbaceous borders. The driveway continues past the house where there is parking for several vehicles and a detached clear span barn (13.6m x 9.19m) currently used as a car port, workshop and utility but could easily be converted to an annexe, home office, games room or other similar uses subject to the necessary consents. The primary gardens lie to the front and enjoy a south easterly aspect and are predominantly lawned with well manicured floral borders and a number of sun terraces, perfect for summer entertaining and alfresco dining. In the corner of the garden is a stone built studio with heating and double glazing with separate sun terrace which could also be used as a home office or guest accommodation if required. The gardens are a particular selling point to this property which can only be fully appreciated when viewed.