Amazing Sunset! The best in Crete!
Turquoise waters and pure white sand!
One of the most famous and beautiful beaches in Greece!
Falasarna beach is located 59km west of Chania and it is one of the most famous beaches in Greece. That is because it has been voted in the past as the best beach in Crete and one of the 10 best beaches in Europe. The sand is white making it look quite exotic.
It covers quite a long distance and in essence, these are 5 continuous beaches with the two most central being the most popular.
The surounding area to the beach is just magical and it is one the protected areas of Natura 2000.
It is the ideal place for swimming, snorkeling and relaxation at the beach. Also, the perfect place for those looking for something romantic. Falasarna's sunset considered to be the best in Crete!
How could it not be…?! The place is majestic and someone can admire the natural beauty of the horizon without any interferences between the sea and sky!
Departure from the hotel at 17:30, arrival at our destination around 18:15. Then we head towards the most northern beach of the all five ones, a small beach, organized enough for you to relax and enjoy your swimming and your drink. For those of you with extra energy to spend, snorkeling and the use of SUP surfing are two very interesting options to consider. After you have enjoyed the mythical sunset, we will depart around 21:00hrs.
We will pick you up from your hotel at 9:00am and we will arrive to our destination around 9:45am. Then we will head towards the most northern beach of the all five ones, a small beach, organized enough for you to relax and enjoy your swimming and your drink. For those of you who want something more active, snorkeling and SUP surfing are two very interesting options to consider. Ideal place for those of you that love snorkeling, as the area is so rich in underwater life.
Once you decide for your favorite Van Tour and the date of your convenience, please complete the booking form and send it to us. We will then check the availability and provide you with a booking confirmation including all necessary information and details.
Pick you and drop off for all our Van Tours is at the road in front of your hotel.
Your booking does not require a prepayment. Since all our activities are weather dependent we prefer full payment at the beginning of the Van Tour.
A few days before the tour you will receive a further email and we will ask you to confirm again your attendance.


text:
Tuesday, 29.7.2008: National Election Committee Announced that the Election Was Fair, but Civil Society Organizations and Party Representatives Claim It Was Not
Posted on 30 July 2008. Filed under: Week 571 | Tags: election 2008, election observers, gifts, intimidation, japan, koh kong, murder, national election committee, national television, nec, nepal, opec, preah vihear, tibet, tvk, vote buying, voter lists |
"The fourth term election day passed, but what is left are irregularities during the election day, leading to the accusation that the election was not fair. As for the National Election Committee [NEC], it announced that the election proceeded freely and fairly, and that there were no significant problems disturbing the election.
"Mr. Mao Sophearith, a member of the NEC, made some general announcements about the election day in a press conference in the afternoon of 27 July 2008, one hour after the election stations had closed, that all election stations had been operational, although it was raining and windy in Koh Kong and in Sihanoukville. There were problems with some ballots, because one election office had dropped the ballots into water in Prey Veng, and the ballots of two election stations in Poipet were not usable, but they were substituted in time. As for security, there was no problem.
"Mr. Mao Sophearith added that there were some irregularities, such as the irregular issuing of Forms 1018, and names missing from voter lists, but these problems happened only in Phnom Penh, there were no such problems in other provinces, he said.
"When asked about the problem that some parties had raised, that for this election tens of thousands of voters had been omitted from the voter lists, Mr. Tep Nitha, the secretary-general of the NEC, responded that during the elimination campaign in 2006, the NEC had eliminated 585,723 names countrywide, and the NEC had announced the elimination of names to clean the list publicly and broadly, and there were monitors from the political parties and from civil society organizations involved.
"Many people said about these irregularities in the election, that they had registered very correctly, some asserted that they had voted two or three times in past elections, but now their names were not found in the voter lists, though they had not changed their place of residence; but the names of some others who had died already, were still on the voter lists.
"A person in Boeng Tumpun said that only one of the four members of their family was on the voter list – the names of the other three could not be found. An old woman said that she had voted during former elections already three times, and she had never changed her residence to any other place, but in this term, she could not find her name; then, she had to go back home with disappointment.
"A man rode on a motorbike to many election offices, but he could not find his name. He just could not believe this, so he decided to ride on his motorbike back to his home, and then returned on foot to many election offices to find his name, but he still could not find it. He said he regretted it very much that he could not vote because his name could not be found. He still cannot imagine how his name can be missing, because he has already voted there times in past elections, and he even had checked and had found his name clearly on the list before the election day.
"Different sources reported that in addition to the aforementioned people, many other people raised similar questions, and some people walked repeatedly to the election stations to find their names, because they could not believing that their names were lost.
"Unofficial sources reported that alone in Chak Angrae Kraom, in Boeng Tumpun, and in Stung Meanchey, tens of thousands of names were missing on the lists.
"Ms. Pong Chiv Kek [Dr. Kek Galabru], the director of LICADHO, said that if it is true that many names were missing, the election was not fair.
"Mr. Thun Saray, the president of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections' Board of Directors [COMFREL], mentioned in a press conference at about 7:00 p.m. of 27 July 2008 that names were missing mainly in Phnom Penh. 'Therefore, we have not estimated the definite number of voters who could not vote.' However, Mr. Thun Saray stressed that during the elimination of names to clean the voters' lists, COMFREL had already voiced their concern, because COMFREL had found that approximately 50,000 to 60,000 people's names had been omitted incorrectly.
"An announcement about preliminary results showed the following:
"On the election day of 27 July 2008, there were serious problems because many voters could not find their election stations, or their names on the lists. Such cases happened in almost all provinces and cities. These irregularities will affect the results of the election, as many people could not vote; though there are many people who could vote, but there are problems as a result of the elimination of voters from the lists, and of the relocation of election stations in some big provinces and cities, such as in Phnom Penh, Banteay Meanchey, and Kompong Cham, especially in the following areas of Phnom Penh: in Tonle Basak [Dey Krahom and 'Building Block' communities, where there had been evictions and relocations], and in Boeng Tumpun.
"Mr. Thun Saray, the president of the board of COMFREL and the director of ADHOC, said, 'Voters' lists problems, that many names of voters were missing, that voters did not have information about voting stations (they had not receive the voters' information papers), misunderstanding among voters about the purpose of voters' information papers, or they had not received information papers, was the result of technical procedures as well as of political reasons. Mr. Thun Saray added, 'There is strong disappointment about the voters' lists problems, with the missing voters' names, and with voters who did not get get the voters' information papers; all this led to the decline in the number of voters [to only about 70% of the registered voters, less than during the election in 2003].'
"Mr. Kumaoka Michiya [熊岡路矢], co-chairperson of the People's Forum on Cambodia Japan [PEFOCJ – active since 1993 – more information is here – カンボジア市民フォーラム – only in Japanese], said that he 'was disappointed that the voter listing systems was still not reformed.'
"Civil servants and representatives of the local authorities were often present at election stations like in previous years, affecting the decisions of citizens to choose their parliamentarians.
"The issues related to Form 1018, to be provided as identification to voters, still continued into the election day, like in Mondolkiri, although the instruction by the NEC allowed only to issue this form not later than 5:30 p.m. of Saturday, 26 July 2008.
"COMFREL would like to highly appreciate the work of the NEC and of the Armed Forces regarding the election – they worked hard on the election day to process everything peacefully, they prevented the sale of alcohol on the White Day (26 July 2008), and they intervened effectively to prevent the rising of the price of transportation by taxis (to ease the financial burden of citizens traveling to their home towns and villages to vote).
"However, some parties provided transportation to voters, workers from Phnom Penh, to go to other provinces on the White Day, and to cities such as Svay Rieng and Kompong Cham. Political parties also distributed presents to voters in Champei village, Angkor Chey commune of Kampot, and in Kompong Rou and Kompong Trabaek districts in Prey Veng.
"Also, the Armed Forces were sent by the Ministry of Information to stop the broadcasts of Radio Moha Nokor, FM 93.5 MHz, at night (at around 11:00 p.m. of 26 July 2008), without any related documentation from this ministry until the morning of 27 July 2008, when the Ministry of Information announced to revoke the license of this radio station, stating as the reason that this radio station had disregarded the instruction of the Ministry of Information, and the guiding principles of the NEC, which had asked the Ministry of Information to intervene. Mr. Kol Panha [the director of COMFREL] said, 'The implementation of legislation to punish any media who violate the laws, the procedures, and the guiding principles of the NEC was not handled fairly, according to the law.'
"COMFREL primarily has found some irregularities such as the following:
White Day [26 July 2008]
An activist of the Cambodian People's Party was murdered in Siem Reap.
A political party activist was intimidated in Kampot.
There were four cases of distributions of presents in Champei commune, Angkor Chey district, Kampot, and in Svay Rieng.
Election and Ballot Counting Day [27 July 2008]
A Human Rights Party activist was murdered in Kandal.
Violation of Procedures
Local authorities, village chiefs, and commune chiefs, were present near election stations to observe voters, making them afraid; this happened in almost all election stations in Labansiek of Ratanakiri, Kratie, Phnom Penh, Prey Veng, Kompong Speu, Kompong Chhnang, Pursat, and Svay Rieng.
Voters' names were missing (the voters came to the election stations, but they could not find their names) in Boeng Tumpun for more than 30% of the voters (of a total of about 10,000 voters), about 50% in the Tonle Basak district and the Dey Krahom community, about 20% to 30% in the Stung Meanchey School [the schools serving as election stations], and in the Chak Angrae Kraom School of Chak Angrae Kraom district, Boeng Reang district, Boeng Trabaek School, Tuek L'ak, Kouk commune, Dambae of Kompong Cham, Traeng Trayueng commune, Phnom Sruoch of Kompong Speu, Daem Mien commune, Takhmao of Kandal, Ou Ambel commune, Serei Saophoan of Banteay Meanchey (Prohuot Primary School), Kompong Chhnang, Pailin, Oddar Meanchey, Kandal, and Battambang.
There were cases that local authorities and village and commune chiefs continued to create Form 1018 identification documents on the election day in Labansiek, commune and district of Ratanakiri, Prek Pnov commune, Ponhea Lueu district of Kompong Cham, Sihanoukville, Kompong Speu, Kompong Chhnang, Pursat, and Phnom Penh.
There were at least 12 cases of vote buying by giving money to voters, or promising to give money to some if they do not go to vote, which happened in Khvav commune, Traeng district of Takeo, Kompong Thom, Stung Treng, Kompong Rou commune of Prey Veng, Kompong Chhnang, and Svay Rieng.
There were at least two cases where cars with sign of the Cambodian People's Party were driving up and down repeatedly in front of election stations in Pailin and in Kandal.
There were cases where political parties transported citizens to vote in Sampov Lun commune and district of Battambang (Office Number 0722), Labansiek of Ratanakiri, Svay Rieng, and Oddar Meanchey.
There were cases that the manager of a restaurant and hotel in Phnom Penh prohibited about 60% of 40 employees to vote.
There are five cases known where voters voted instead of another person, in Sralau commune, Malai district of Banteay Meanchey, Phsar Daeum Thkov, Kompong Cham, and Svay Rieng.
There were cases that thousands of voters as groups wore campaign T-shirts in Takeo.
There were four cases where voters wore police and soldier's uniforms into the election station at the Department of Culture of Ratanakiri, in Takeo, and in Phnom Penh.
There was a case that a person went to the secret voting booth to talk to a voter.
There is one case of taking back a voters list from observers in Takeo.
There was one case that an office was closed during lunchtime in Russey Keo district.
There were 10 cases where voters could vote because they had just the voter information papers and their party member identification.
There was one case where one person was able to vote twice in Phnom Penh.
There was the case that observers were not allowed to go into the Chroy Ambel election station in Chambak, Kratie."
Results by the Morning of 28 July 208: Cambodian People's Party Won 90 Seats, Sam Rainsy Party Won 26 Seats, Human Rights Party Won 3 Seats, Funcinpec Won 2 Seats, and Norodom Ranariddh Party Won 2 Seats
Twelve Hours of Cambodia-Thailand Talks Led to Agreement that Both Sides Will Withdraw Their Troops [before dealing with other problems – 28 July 2008 – Siem Reap – but no timing set for the withdrawal]
Seven Shiites Who Marched in a Pilgrimage in Iraq Were Shot Dead [by anonymous gunmen]
Samdech Euv Norodom Sihanouk Is Concerned that Siam [Thailand] Swallows Koh Kong of Cambodia [through investments by Thai former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra]
Four Parties Wining Seats [Sam Rainsy Party, Human Rights Party, Norodom Ranariddh Party, and Funcinpec] Rejected the Bad Election Proceedings on 27 July 2008 [through a joint statement on 28 July 2008]
Phnom Penh Authorities Warned [opposition party president] Mr. Sam Rainsy Not to March in Protest [against the results of the election]; They Said, 'They Should Not Cause Turmoil while Thailand Is Invading our Border'
Poipet Border Crossing Is Quiet after Invasion by Thailand at the Preah Vihear Temple Region; More Illegal Khmer Laborers Are Sent Back by Thailand
Two Cars Plunged into the Water [into a canal in Kandal and a river in Kompong Cham] Killing Four People at Two Different Places
Nepal Police Arrested 125 Tibetan Demonstrators [at the Chinese Consulate in Kathmandu]
Mr. Sam Rainsy Calls International Observers Not to Recognize Election Results [claiming that in Phnom Penh, about 200,000 voters lost their right to vote]
Japan Welcomes the Election in Cambodia to Have Been Held in the Best Atmosphere [according to a statement on 28 July 2008 by the Japanese Observer Team with 23 observers]
President of OPEC [Chakib Khelil]: Oil Price Could Drop to US$70 [per barrel if US dollar were strong and the nuclear crisis related to Iran gets solved]
70 Rebels in Afghanistan [near Pakistan border] Were Killed [in an attack by Afghanistan in corporation with NATO troops]
National Election Committee Announced that the Election Was Fair, but Civil Society Organizations and Party Representatives Claim It Was Not
National Television of Cambodia [TVK] Showed Only Leaders of the Cambodian People's Party during the Election Campaign
Click here to have a look at the last Mirror editorial – where we provided detailed information about the 2003 election results, to compare them with the election results of 2008, as they become available.
Saturday, 26.7.2008: Domestic Violence Still Increasing
Posted on 26 July 2008. Filed under: week 570 | Tags: death, domestic violence, elections, gifts, indonesia, injuries, landmines, malaria, money, murder, nationalism, neutrality, preah vihear, thailand, vietnam, violence |
"Phnom Penh: Domestic violence remains a major issue in Khmer society – prevention and solutions are need immediately. Domestic violence becomes more cruel, serious, and alarming, especially during the first six months of 2008 this happened; and this trend has increased continually form year to year.
"Officials of different organizations working on domestic violence reported to Khmer Sthapana on 24 July 2008 that, during the period of the first six months of 2008, domestic violence increased alarmingly, and it is believed to be result of a decline of social morality, of inefficient education, and of the poor implementation of regulations.
"Recently, a son killed his father by using a sickle to cut his throat on 22 July 2008 in Khvet Thom, Prey Chhor, Kompong Cham. In another case, in Koh Roka Village, Koh Roka Commune, Peam Chor, Prey Veng, on 22 July 2008, a husband cut his wife's throat with a cleaver making her bleeding all over the body because of an argument etc…
"According to a report by the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association – ADHOC- domestic violence increased in 2007. In 2006, the organization received 532 case reports, but in 2007, there were 632 cases which led to 29 deaths. This increase is a signal of inefficient law enforcement, aiming at the prevention and the protection of victims from domestic violence.
"In 2007, there were 603 cases of domestic violence that led to injuries. Such violence causing injuries resulted from drunkenness, jealousy, from asserting power as the head of the family, having extra-marital relations, gambling, poverty, and the lack of education, sexual violence, etc…
"Looking at activities which lead to violence, offenders always find reasons to create arguments – after returning home from going to places of entertainment, or when they cannot get the money they ask for; they may start to destroy everything in their house, or use insults and rude words. After that, they hit the victims with sticks, sickles, cleavers, axes, or hoes, or by kicking. Sometimes, violence leads to disability or to death of their victims.
"This report continued to explain that because of strict traditions, some victims bear to live with offenders for years without any intervention by local authorities which might have led to solutions, until they lose their lives. Obviously, in 2007, deaths by domestic violence still increased, and this was not different from 2006.
"There were deaths because victims had been suffered many injuries. They had informed the local authorities to help to solve problems, but they get no response, because the authorities still consider domestic violence to be a domestic problem of a family, and they think they should not interfere to solve such problems.
"Also, it is often seen that the authorities are slow to intervene in domestic violence, and the keep things unattended unless somebody is injured or a victim is already dead before they go to investigate. This shows that regulations to stop domestic violence and to protect victims are not implemented efficiently.
"The authorities seem not to known the regulations that allow them to intervene and to prevent arguments in time at the initial stage, in order to avoid an escalation to domestic violence.
"It should be stressed that laws to stop domestic violence and to protect victims were approved by the National Assembly, and put into force on 24 October 2005. Though those laws became valid, they seem to be inefficient and not enforced at all, even though these laws allow the authorities, officials of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, and neighbors of a victim to intervene at a site of dispute, to prevent domestic violence without asking for a warrant from the courts, and the authorities closest by have the duty to intervene immediately in cases of domestic violence happening to start, in order to protect the victim. The authorities do not use these laws to solve domestic violence. Generally, institutions involved use the new criminal procedures to deal with domestic violence, which is against Article 8 of the new code of criminal procedures." Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #59, 26.7.2008
Cambodia Needs Vietnam and Indonesia to Help Solve the Cambodia-Siam Dispute [according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong on 25 July 2008]
After a Protest, the Chhang Leang [garment] Factory Allowed Workers Free Time to Go Voting
The Number of Victims by Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance Declined to 170 Persons in Six Months [40 persons less than in the same period in 2007]
Malaria Declined by 50% Early This Year [compared to 2007, 15,500 people had malaria, and 46 people died]
A Thai Pro-Government Group Attacked an Anti-Government Group, Injuring 20 People [according to Associated Press on 25 July 2008]
Khmer Amatak, Vol.9, #5, 26-27.7.2008
[Prime Minister] Hun Sen Is Showing Nationalism [regarding the Preah Vihear Temple Issue] to Attract Voters
Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #59, 26.7.2008
Domestic Violence Still Increasing
Hor Namhong Hopes that Foreign Affairs Ministerial Meeting [with Thailand] Will Come to Solutions
Civil Society Organizations that Observe the Election Process Declared that Election Campaigning This Year Was Better than Before [25 July 2008]
China Cracked Down a Terrorist Group [in Shanghai] That Had Planned to Attack the Olympic Events [24 July 2008]
Police Just Drew a Sketch of the Faces of the Criminals Who Shot Dead Mr. Khim Sambo, a Moneaksekar Khmer Journalist and His Son [age 21]
The Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia Criticized the Lack of Neutrality, because the Armed Forces Participated to Support the Ruling Party [said Mr. Hang Puthea, Executive Director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia; when observers appeared near locations where there was a distributions of gifts and money to voters, the observers always saw also police, causing concern]
Election Campaign Finished without Violence
Police Found 6-Year-Old Swedish Girl Abducted [by her father] to Cambodia [in Pursat]
Click here – and have a look at the last editorial – The Cambodian-Thai border crisis develops while the Khmer public is not aware what the Cambodian government representatives had agreed upon, to get the Preah Vihear Temple listed as a World Heritage Site, on a most narrowly defined piece of land.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Coconut flour is produced from fresh finely grated or ground coconut meat with or without parings, or coconut sapal or defatted coconut kernels.
Sprinkling some in shakes and smoothies, or even in water, to add fiber, protein and coconut flour. Can be used as a thickener in soups, gravy and sauces, baking bread, muffins, cakes, and cookies. Coconut flour in pancakes and waffles, sweet, moist and delicious corn bread. An egg bath followed by a dredging in coconut flour and a coating of coconut flakes to make delicious fried chicken (or fried shrimp or fish).


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

namespace CertificateManager.Entities
{
    public class AddAuthenticablePrincipalEntity
    {
        public AddAuthenticablePrincipalEntity() { }

        public AddAuthenticablePrincipalEntity(AuthenticablePrincipal entity)
        {
            this.Id = entity.Id;
            this.Name = entity.Name;
            this.LocalLogonEnabled = entity.LocalLogonEnabled;
            this.Enabled = entity.Enabled;
            this.AlternativeNames = entity.AlternativeNames;
        }

        public Guid Id { get; set; }
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public List<string> AlternativeNames { get; set; }
        public bool Enabled { get; set; }
        public bool LocalLogonEnabled { get; set; }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Microsoft Blog
Microsoft search ad admits latecomer status
By Todd Bishop on October 30, 2006 at 10:09 AM
Microsoft's Windows Live Search team took an unusual approach in a full-page advertisement published Friday in several newspapers around the country. Here's a PDF, in case you missed it. Prior to a discussion and demonstration of Windows Live Search's features, the ad copy began with an admission:
"Before we begin, let us state the obvious. We're late to the game. We admit it. But instead of shrugging our shoulders and becoming a footnote in search history, we've decided to write a few new chapters. Because, quite frankly, it's just the beginning."
Although the circumstances are different, the opening statement is somewhat reminiscent of the Internet Explorer team's "We messed up" acknowledgment earlier this year. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said publicly that Microsoft made a mistake by initially overlooking the search business. But that's not the sort of thing you typically see in an ad. It will be interesting to see how people react to the approach, and to the campaign in general.


Hi-Tech for DLE is an excellent template for news sites about gadgets, technologies, as well as for magazines, newspapers and other. The template has an adaptive light design, not loaded with graphics. The template menu is drop-down, under which there is a news feed and a large slider. Different blocks for output of content will allow you to select one or another category of the site. The right column of the template is fixed. It added the output of the latest comments, as well as several banners.
Subjects: news, IT, technology, magazine.


About | We Can Do It!
Si Se Puede! Women's Cooperative, We Can Do It! Inc.was founded in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, in August, 2006, to bring together immigrant women to create a women-run, women-owned, eco-friendly housecleaning business. The cooperative is designed to create living wage jobs that will be done in a safe and healthy environment, as well as to provide social support and educational opportunities for our members.
We have over 100 members (as of April of 2018), all of whom have completed a probationary training. All of the members, who are also immigrants, have an equal voice in decisions regarding policies and operations. In addition, members work together to promote the business and meet bi-weekly for on-going training and support.
The 14 founding members chose the name Si Se Puede! Women's Cooperative, We Can Do It! Inc. because we feel that it embodies the spirit of the group. "Si Se Puede!" also has resonance for many of our members, as the phrase is often heard in political and social change movements throughout Central and South America.
Si Se Puede! works in mutual support with Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, a nonprofit community-based organization providing social services for children, youth and families in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, since 1978.
¡Si Se Puede! in the News!


text:
'Hello Kitty' Movie Coming in 2019
Outside of the warehouses' worth of merchandising, there have been multiple television series and video games about the beloved Hello Kitty character. It's a multi-billion dollar character that has existed since 1975, and yet no one has thought to make a Hello Kitty movie until now.
Japanese lifestyle brand Sanrio recently launched a United States subsidiary called Sanrio Media & Pictures Entertainment. They'll use that company to finance and produce the new Hello Kitty film. The project is being overseen by Sanrio managing director Rehito Hatoyama.
While details are extremely scarce, Deadline reports that the Hello Kitty movie will arrive in 2019.
Sanrio also has some other iconic characters with projects in the works. Their Mr. Men and Little Miss characters, specifically, have been aquired by Fox Animation, who are working on a film or series of films based on the characters.


Director Angelina Jolie might have been snubbed by her peers at various awards ceremonies, but that in no way diminishes the exceptional job that she did with this true story of Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell), a gold medalist at the 1938 Games in Berlin, who went on to become a B-24 bomber pilot in WWII, ditched in the Pacific, and after 39 days in a life raft, was "rescued" by the Japanese Navy and placed in a prison camp. The challenges experienced by Zamperini and his peers were beyond the capacity of most humans to endure. This is a story of overcoming the most difficult of odds. Great performance by Takamasa Ishihara as the prison camp commander. Rated 14A.
For me, definitely the best of the three Hobbit movies, the other two burdened by too much exposition and not enough action. Here, whether it's the dragon Smaug, or all manner of warring creatures, the action is non-stop, the special effects are spectacular, and the characters are well-drawn. Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) steps up to become brave and heroic, doing what needs to be done to fight the various factions bent on sending the world into darkness. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, Orlando Bloom is back as Legalos, and Evangeline Lilly is Tauriel, a character not in the book, created for the movie. Rated 14A.
Although it got a lot of good press and a fair dose of Oscar nominations, I was unable to warm up to this musical that ties together a number of Grimm's Fairy Tales into an interconnected story of hope and of loss. Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel are all in this together as a wicked witch (Meryl Streep), who is secretly the mother of Rapunzel and has relegated her to an isolated castle tower, fights to keep her preferred place in the world. Magic abounds, Anna Kendrick is fine as Cinderella, but the all-musical aspect with no recognizable songs left me cold. Rated PG.
In western movies, "broken arrow" means an end to war. In the parlance of today's military, it refers to a nuclear missile that has gone missing. John Travolta takes a turn at being the bad guy here as Major Vic Deakins, a US military pilot turned rogue who takes off with a pair of nukes and heads for the home of the enemy. Action-adventure director John Woo takes us on a pretty good ride as Captain Riley Hail (Christian Slater) gives chase, along with a park ranger (don't ask) played by Samantha Mathis (Under the Dome). Rated 14A.
Warner Brothers cartoons were at their peak when this movie was released, and since that time, the ravages of time, of television, and of changes in the way we go to the movies have changed all that. Bugs Bunny (voice of Mel Blanc) is our host and narrator as he ties together several unrelated WB cartoons for our viewing enjoyment, including starring turns by Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and of course Wile E. Coyote. There are also some inside goings-on when Bugs reads off a list of those who were responsible for these Warner cartoons, including refusing to acknowledge Robert Clampett who spent a decade saying that he alone, and not Chuck Jones, created Bugs. Despite the politics, for those of a certain age, it's still great fun!! Rated PG.


text:
Content related to "A Personal Story About Discovering and Testing Limits"
Show: Articles Reviews Videos Series
Showing 41 to 50 of 1456.
Kink and Mental Health
Being an emotionally healthy person is a goal that all of us have but a smaller margin actually accomplish. With the constant stress of commitments and modern day obligations, our emotions face the brunt of it. The goal of a submissive is to seek that balance in emotional states so that our service appears stress-free and sincere; even if we have a lot going on in the background. Living as an emotionally healthy submissive takes knowing what is considered healthy to begin with.
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Submissive Mindset
The submissive mindset is the inner joy that manifests in many ways for each person. When someone says they have to be in the submissive mindset it means they have to feel a connection with what they are doing and the bliss of service and submission. But for many it's hard to maintain or achieve in the first place! Let's dive into the sticky details.
A Non-Romantic BDSM Relationship, Is It Wise?
Do you think it is wise to approach D/s as a non-romantic exchange, or am I just fooling myself? Do you have any advice on how I can remain focused in this kind of arrangement?
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The Posh Girl's Guide to Play
Sure she has some creative ideas on how to play out scenes, but she won't get my support for this book.
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Spanking for Lovers by Janet Hardy
Whether as just a spanko or as part of a power exchange relationship, this is a great book for all parties involved to check out. Janet Hardy knows her stuff and you can tell that her knowledge is from years of experience on both sides of the paddle.
Sub v. Slave: A Second Opinion
To me there is quite a difference between being submissive and a slave. A submissive retains the power over themselves and their body. Many are not going to agree with me on this. I don't feel that discipline, true discipline should be put in place with a sub. If a submissive still has power over themselves then how can they really mess up to the point of punishment outside of play. Slaves on the other hand, particularly those who live it 24/7 sometimes need punishment just for the sake of training, being kept in line and as a reminder of their place.
Read The Article | Find Similar
Let's Party! Finding Local Play Parties
Parties are a 'rite of passage' for some in the BDSM community. How do you find one? What can you expect? And most importantly (for me) what on earth can you wear?
What to Do When Your Dominant is Not Emotionally Available
It is possible that emotional availability is not the problem at all -- it's just plain availability. All of us have busy lives these days.
Why I Could Never Return to a Vanilla Relationship
We are the sum of our experiences, after all, and if I hadn't learned these lessons I don't think I'd be where I am today.
In a New Relationship and Self Conscious About My Body
Here are a few tips for moving from sweating over this prospect to looking forward to sharing your body with a new partner.


text:
August 31, 2020 / Pediatrics
Here's How to Manage Your Child's Asthma and Allergies as They Head Back to School
Be ready ahead of cold and flu season
With school getting underway across the country, it's a reminder that fall will be here soon and no matter where your child is studying — in school or virtually at home — that means fall allergies are almost here, too.
And this year, helping your child manage their asthma and allergies takes on extra importance as allergist Sandra Hong, MD, points out that symptoms for those conditions have overlap with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Says Dr. Hong, "Someone who has a coronavirus infection really can present with a cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fatigue and sometimes they have a loss of taste and smell, but very frequently people with allergies, and severe allergies, and asthma can have very similar symptoms."
We talked to Dr. Hong about both asthma and allergies, how to help kids deal with them and what to keep an eye out for as the seasons change in the middle of a pandemic.
Even without the concern over the coronavirus, Dr. Hong says it's important to stay on top of both your child's asthma symptoms and asthma control medications at this time of year as the cold or flu can cause respiratory complications.
Dr. Hong says, "If you're noticing symptoms more than two times a week of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or you're needing to use your rescue inhaler frequently, the answer is that you need to have a better controller medication to keep you from feeling those symptoms."
And if your child is attending school in person, Dr. Hong recommends checking with the school to make sure they have an "asthma action plan" to assist children who suffer an attack, including emergency inhalers.
Allergies can be a frustrating experience for kids. Besides breathing difficulties that can be brought about by a stuffy nose, allergy flare-ups can make it difficult for children to concentrate in class, especially in classrooms where they may be exposed to environmental allergens like pollen and mold.
For issues like that stuffy nose, itchy eyes and post-nasal drip, Dr. Hong says nasal steroids are good for controlling those symptoms. She also recommends an antihistamine for helping with itching, dripping and sneezing.
Finally, there's the issue of masks. While the research has shown that masks are very effective at preventing the spread of coronavirus, it's understandable some parents might be concerned that they could cause issues for children with respiratory issues.
But Dr. Hong assures us that, at school and elsewhere, it's safe for children with asthma and allergies to wear masks. And by staying on top of medication and symptoms, she says, you can ensure that wearing a mask, especially for long periods of time, is tolerable for your children.
asthma children's health classroom allergies coronavirus COVID-19
September 3, 2020	/ Allergies
Your Child's Classroom May Have More Allergy and Asthma Triggers Than Home
July 7, 2020	/ Allergies
Suspect Your Sniffling Child Has Seasonal Allergies? Look for This Sign
June 2, 2020	/ Allergies
A Seasonal Allergy Survival Guide
November 5, 2020	/ Allergies
How to Help Your Child Deal with Food Allergy Bullying
May 28, 2020	/ Allergies
How to Live With Pet Allergies If You Have No Choice
July 15, 2021	/ Allergies
Could There Be a Cure for Peanut Allergies in Children?
What Are Chickpeas and Are They Healthy?
How To Do an At-home COVID-19 Test
How to Do a Digital Detox for Less Stress, More Focus
With coronavirus, it's especially important this cold and flu season to make sure you're managing your child's asthma and allergies symptoms.


text:
namespace Azure.ResourceManager.Compute.Models
{
    /// <summary> This is the regional replication status. </summary>
    public partial class RegionalReplicationStatus
    {
        /// <summary> Initializes a new instance of RegionalReplicationStatus. </summary>
        internal RegionalReplicationStatus()
        {
        }

        /// <summary> Initializes a new instance of RegionalReplicationStatus. </summary>
        /// <param name="region"> The region to which the gallery Image Version is being replicated to. </param>
        /// <param name="state"> This is the regional replication state. </param>
        /// <param name="details"> The details of the replication status. </param>
        /// <param name="progress"> It indicates progress of the replication job. </param>
        internal RegionalReplicationStatus(string region, ReplicationState? state, string details, int? progress)
        {
            Region = region;
            State = state;
            Details = details;
            Progress = progress;
        }

        /// <summary> The region to which the gallery Image Version is being replicated to. </summary>
        public string Region { get; }
        /// <summary> This is the regional replication state. </summary>
        public ReplicationState? State { get; }
        /// <summary> The details of the replication status. </summary>
        public string Details { get; }
        /// <summary> It indicates progress of the replication job. </summary>
        public int? Progress { get; }
    }
}


Buy the Blue Underground Limited Edition Combo here!
Buy the Vinegar Syndrome Limited Edition Blu-ray here!
Buy the Music Box Films Blu-ray here!
Get the Scream Factory Blu-ray here!
Buy the Scream Factory Blu-ray here!
Kevin and I each listed off five horror movies centered in or around schools.


text:
A Toxic Love Story
Susan Freinkel
"This eloquent, elegant book thoughtfully plumbs the . . . consequences of our dependence on plastics" (The Boston Globe, A Best Nonfiction Book of 2011).
From pacemakers to disposable bags, plastic built the modern world. But a century into our love affair, we're starting to realize it's not such a healthy relationship. As journalist Susan Freinkel points out in this eye-opening book, we're at a crisis point. Plastics draw on dwindling fossil fuels, leach harmful chemicals, litter landscapes, and destroy marine life. We're drowning in the stuff, and we need to start making some hard choices.
Freinkel tells her story through eight familiar plastic objects: a comb, a chair, a Frisbee, an IV bag, a disposable lighter, a grocery bag, a soda bottle, and a credit card. With a blend of lively anecdotes and analysis, she sifts through scientific studies and economic data, reporting from China and across the United States to assess the real impact of plastic on our lives.
Her conclusion is severe, but not without hope. Plastic points the way toward a new creative partnership with the material we love, hate, and can't seem to live without.
"When you write about something so ubiquitous as plastic, you must be prepared to write in several modes, and Freinkel rises to this task. . . . She manages to render the most dull chemical reaction into vigorous, breathless sentences." —SF Gate
"Freinkel's smart, well-written analysis of this love-hate relationship is likely to make plastic lovers take pause, plastic haters reluctantly realize its value, and all of us understand the importance of individual action, political will, and technological innovation in weaning us off our addiction to synthetics." —Publishers Weekly
"A compulsively interesting story. Buy it (with cash)." —Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
"What a great read—rigorous, smart, inspiring, and as seductive as plastic itself." —Karim Rashid, designer
"What is plastic, really? Where does it come from? How did my life become so permeated by synthetics without my even trying?" Surrounded by plastic and depressed by the political, environmental, and medical consequences of our dependence on it, Freinkel (The American Chestnut) chronicles our history with plastic, "from enraptured embrace to deep disenchantment," through eight household items including the comb, credit card, and soda bottle (celluloid, one of the first synthetics, transformed the comb from a luxury item to an affordable commodity and was once heralded for relieving the pressure on elephants and tortoises for their ivory and shells). She takes readers to factories in China, where women toil 60-hour weeks for $175 a month to make Frisbees; to preemie wards, where the lifesaving vinyl tubes that deliver food and oxygen to premature babies may cause altered thyroid function, allergies, and liver problems later in life. Freinkel's smart, well-written analysis of this love-hate relationship is likely to make plastic lovers take pause, plastic haters reluctantly realize its value, and all of us understand the importance of individual action, political will, and technological innovation in weaning us off our addiction to synthetics.
OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC


Now that CA mainframe user documentation is being made available to the public and can be found via popular search engines such as Yahoo and Google, keep in mind that public content enables other ways of sharing content such as via FLIPBOARD. For those of you that have not yet looked, download the FLIPBOARD app on your IPAD and search for CA Technologies Information Services. CA now has 9 magazines out there with over 2600 users.
Note: FLIPBOARD is a news aggregator that has over 100m users and is growing fast.


text:
Home > Libraries > Library Philosophy and Practice - Electronic Journal > 701
Nailing Jelly to the Wall: Understanding Postmodernism's Influence on Library Information Science
Bob LeMoine, San Jose State UniversityFollow
How did we get into this anyway? "Defining" postmodernism
Q: What do you get when you cross a postmodernist with a Mafia boss?
A: Someone who will make you an offer that no one can understand!
(Cook, 2001(b), p. 18)
This is the attempt to define something which by its very nature avoids definition. Before we can speak of the influence postmodernism is having on library and information areas, we have to at least make the attempt to understand what postmodernism is. Several of these "definitions" are what postmodernism is not while others focus on what postmodernism seeks to be.
What it is not: the Enlightenment rationalistic tradition. Postmodernism is a critique of all that the Enlightenment stood for. Rationalism, logic, reason, and scientific method (to name a few), are questioned by postmodernists who throw the Enlightenment's entire presuppositions out the window. Deodato (2006) calls it a "critique of Enlightenment rationalism and universalism which emphasizes the role of underlying structures and power relationships in the construction of truth and knowledge" (p. 52).
Old methods of discovering truth and reality are questioned, as are those so-called "experts." Walter Truett Anderson (1991) calls it a threat to all existing constructions of reality, and people aren't going to like it. For many, the collapse of their belief system is the end of the world itself. This is a collapsing of our social roles as well as our concepts of personal identity. People go crazy when they don't know who they are. (pp. 26-27).
Kruk (2002), in a less-than-flattering view of postmodernism, says:
For post-modernists, grand questions about the nature of reality and our place in the universe are pointless. There is no Truth; there are only provisional statements that are neither valid nor invalid. Distinctions between good and evil, beautiful and ugly and true and false are not discernible any more. There are no good books and no bad books. No one has the authority to make such judgments. Consequently, there is no canon. No group of people can claim that they know what reality is. We apparently create meaning and do not discover it. Post-modernist librarians do not pay much attention to collection development. Books are to be read here and now because they will soon be superseded by new books. Books resemble newspapers in their ephemerality and unimportance. Reading is not a serious engagement and does not lead to the discovery of truth. It is rather like a distraction. (para. 20)
Despite his critique, Kruk's analysis seems to illustrate postmodernist themes very well. For the postmodernist, knowledge does not exist apart from human construction. We need a paradigm, a reality, a set of truths and creeds, so we create this "reality." Reality comes via our humans searching for some type of meaning, and we convey these myths and tales in our storytelling, and these limited local narratives differ from group to group. (Yoder, 2003, p. 383) Postmodernism ultimately has no final answer. There are no "universal" truths. When we have one conception of knowledge, another layer of thought is introduced. (Ibid, p. 385)
Postmodernism is not Positivism, a philosophy which arose in the 19th Century modernist era. As Flew (1984) defines it:
The term "positive" has here the sense of that which is given or laid down, that which has to be accepted as we find it and is not further explicable; the word is intended to convey a warning against the attempts of theology and metaphysics to go beyond the world given to observation in order to enquire into first causes and ultimate ends. All genuine human knowledge is contained within the boundaries of science…whatever answers cannot be answered by scientific methods we must be content to leave permanently unanswered. (p. 283)
Positivism traditionally pigeon-holed reality into what could be observed and "proven" through the Scientific Method and would not go beyond this boundary. Librarians were also pigeon-holed into two images. The first saw the librarian as expert of obscure facts they pull up instantly. Librarians even "get a kick" from fact-finding of the trivial, and get something like a drug-induced "high." (Radford, 1998, p. 409) Another model from positivism comes via the novel The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, which portrayed librarian monks as a bunch of OCD, all-powerful guardians. (Ibid) I guess we in the LIS world hate to admit it, but we know people such as these. Both images, according to Radford, are accurate depictions, but even more so are examples of positivism in that "knowledge, as contained in texts, constitutes an independent object that can be stored, classified, and arranged in an objective manner…in both accounts, the assumption and implicit acceptance of an objective view of knowledge is crucial to the understanding of the descriptions and the power they possess." (Ibid, p. 410)
The library is burdened with these images from positivism, and librarians are perceived as system-oriented rather than person-oriented. Library "science" in fact is viewed exactly as that: it "operates according to the ideals of the scientific method, the a priori principles that define the relationship between data and hypothesis… to provide a theoretical and rule-governed basis with which to make library practices more effective intermediaries…to develop general and a priori rules with which to build systems that permit efficient and accurate access to knowledge." (Ibid, pp.412-413) The library, burdened with this positivism worldview, has become known more for its structure and classification system than for its usefulness. We memorize Dewey numbers so we can speak a jargon no one else does, and then shake our heads at the ignorance of our patrons. Perhaps we are so proud of our structure and system so we can appear as experts. Maybe we view our classification as a neurosurgeon views the brain as their special area of expertise no one but them really understand. "In a predominantly positivistic conception, a library system is concerned with knowledge (its acquisition, coding, and retrieval) and only marginally concerned with users and their problems." (Ibid, p.413)
Postmodernism is not the Scientific Method. Foucault replaced the word "knowledge" for "knowledge claims" and questioned any behavior or thought "perceived as self-evident, natural, and unproblematic." (Ibid, p.416) Systems of study change through time and change the criteria by which something is observed. (Ibid, p.417) Whatever is considered scientific truth at the moment is based on whatever scientific system is dominating at that point in time. What we claim as truth is actually a product of the system we are using to determine truth at that given moment. One only has to imagine the truths of medicine using a medieval handbook to realize truth not only evolves (along with us) but also depends on the current criteria for study.
Rationality, objectivity, and universal truth are questioned and ultimately rejected. The Scientific Method is an incomplete science because the observer can never be a completely rational, objective individual who is free from subjectivity. Postmodernists question any "proven fact" coming out of the Scientific Method and consider it another flawed, biased, and inconclusive finding. An adequate conclusion is impossible because no one can speak of the world from an objective standpoint. (Stark, Stepanovich, Poppler, & Hopkins, 2008, p. 259)
As rationalism and scientific inquiry dominated the Enlightenment, so the rejection of such "truths" has dominated the thinking of postmodernism. We wrestle with the eternal questions of whether there is external truth and reality beyond us or whether we simply create these. Much of our Western society is based on the assumption that there is a truth beyond us and it is documented in literature and history. Ideas such as "Manifest Destiny," as well as other nationalistic, social, political, or religious ideals, tell of heroes who have been guided by an "invisible hand" to fulfill the wishes of a deity or the longings of a people.
"Whereas modernism has been characterized by the extension of human reason based upon (imperfect) theoretical understanding, postmodernism is characterized by diffidence about knowing anything and a lack of possibility for broad based effective change- a seeming abandonment of hope." (Buschman & Brosio, 2006, p. 411) Not only do we see the postmodern emphasis on the lack of knowing absolute truth, but there is also suspicion of those who do claim any kind of authority. Gergen (1991) in The Saturated Self puts it this way:
Where modernism prepared the way for the suspicion of authority…postmodernism finishes the coup de grace. For if the subject of knowledge is deconstructed, and telling cannot in principle be true or false, then all authoritative claims (and claims to authority) are placed in doubt. Scientists, elder statesmen, Supreme Court justices, ministers, rabbis, business leaders, medical doctors, psychiatrists, economists, professors…all those traditionally granted status as "knowing something" are brought into question…They are victims, like the rest of us, of communal tastes, values, and ideologies, all of which color the ways they understand the world. (p. 124)
Libraries were born in the modern world (roughly defined as 1750-1950), and could be called the "engine room of the project of modernity, with the librarian, both educator and technician, as a kind of enlightened mechanic." (Muddiman, 1999, p. 4) The public library is defined by the modern era and its industrialization, urbanization, and other movements. (Rasmussen and Jochumsen, 2007, pp. 45-46) This is why, it seems, the public library of today is wandering without a sense of direction. "The book is dead." "No it isn't." "The library should go all to cyberspace." "No, libraries need a physical presence." (Ibid, p. 46) Who are we and where are we going? We are leaving modernity behind, but do not know what is ahead.
Modern librarians are comfortable with stability, postmoderns are more comfortable with "fluidity in communication, organizational dynamics, and information seeking…Certainty is preferred by modern librarians; postmodern professionals tend to feel more comfortable with uncertainty. Modern scholars seek a degree of distance in interactions…postmodern professionals seek participation." (Frank, 2004, p. 415) Modernists favor design, totalization, the individual, and determinancy, while postmoderns are like chance, deconstruction, relationships, and interdeterminancy. (Ibid, pp. 415-416)
Postmodernism is not metanarratives. Metanarratives seek to classify all of life into one grand, over arching scheme. Whether they are religious, political, social, cultural, or gender-based, metanarratives frequently exclude "the other." "The other" is defined as those whose race, gender, religion, socio-economic status or other factor excludes them from the metanarrative. These are the "others" whose culture is exterminated by the "heroes" of history, or whose beliefs and culture simply die out. When one metanarrative becomes the norm of a culture, several of these smaller metanarratives are lost or obliterated. Those unjustly excluded from fair treatment, those called "the other," are subjects who suffer by those in power. (Buschman & Brosio, 2006, p. 410)
Engagement with the world forces us to become aware of more narratives, voices, worldviews, and realities making a metanarrative obsolete. Narratives come from many sources, as Cook (2001b, p. 23) describes, which involve the "other," or those who have a different race, class, gender, or sexual orientation different from the metanarrative. Metanarratives had incomplete views of social reality. Postmodern sees documents, text, discourses, etc. as only one aspect of reality, and one narrative among many so that nothing is neutral or objective (Deodato,2006, p. 54). "What was once perceived to be natural, self-evident, or just plain normal is revealed to be socially and culturally constructed and thus in need of deconstruction …" (Ibid).
Postmodernism focuses on "the other." It seeks to hear the lost voices of the marginalized and oppressed- whose mere existence proves metanarratives are a lie (Ibid, p. 53).
Deodato (2006) cites the work of Lyotard (1984) in describing postmodernism as "incredulity towards metanarratives." Metanarratives refer to any type of "sweeping explanations premised on some version of monolithic human experience" (Deodato, 2006, p.53). Postmodernists emphasize the many narratives that have survived over the course of human history, including those who aren't dead white males. (ibid.)
Postmodernism eschews metanarratives, those sweeping interpretations that totalize human experience in some monolithic way, whether it be capitalism, patriarchy, imperialism, the nation state, or the Western 'canon' in literature or philosophy- almost anything that reflects the past or present 'hegemony' of dead white males. For example…Western literature was, until recently, a vehicle for buttressing patriarchy or colonialism. In contrast, postmodernism seeks to emphasize the diversity of human experience by recovering marginalized voices in the face of such hegemony, and hence its emphasis across a whole range of academic disciplines on issues of gender, race, class, sexuality, and locality. (Cook, 2001b, p. 17)
The big metanarratives offer a distorted and incomplete view of human nature. The right-brain irrational and subjective disciplines which favor passion, imagination, sexuality, art, etc. (which are a major part of the human soul), were absent from the left-brain scientific rationalism in Enlightenment-based metanarratives. And they are all conspicuously absent from the archives, as they were deemed unimportant (Ibid).
Postmodernism is pluralism. Postmodernists seek to dismantle the power structures and systems that have placed people into the categories which created "the other," including persons of color, women, and gay men and lesbian women (Buschman & Brosio, 2006, p. 410). Walter Truett Anderson (1990) saw three emerging trends related to postmodernism: 1) an unregulated marketplace of belief systems for public consumption 2) a new polarization, and 3) globalization which spreads multiple belief systems. (p. 6) Of course this is not entirely a recent phenomenon, as conflicts over belief systems through the centuries led to crusades, inquisitions, and revolutions, as well as concepts of human rights and separation of church and state. But through all the bloodshed, people have gained the ability to make their own choices about reality. They in fact became consumers of reality who have the ability to create new realities for themselves. (p. 7) Humans create reality rather than find it, (Stark et al., 2008, pp. 261-262) and there is no "objective reality" to point to as both the observer and the observed are interdependent of each other. You cannot objectively study something when you yourself are another study.
Postmodernism is not Platonism. Platonists see the universe as intelligible and understandable through reason and language. Humans naturally seek and share beauty, truth, and good. Knowledge is different from opinion; truth and knowledge transcend culture. Libraries store and disseminate knowledge as well as store knowledge and truth. Lastly, the "primary concern of librarians is how to serve truth and not their political masters nor the multitude." (Kruk, 2002, para. 17)
A Platonist librarian builds a book collection not based on what a patron wants, but on a desire for discovering truth. Reading for mere entertainment is nonsense: the quest for the best in humanity is a far better goal. Only books that make people think are worth reading. (Ibid, p. 19)
Library and Information Science Commons


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New president of Ukraine can count on EU assistance in terms of anti-corruption reforms, - MEP
The EU institutions will support the next Ukrainian leader on the way of reforming the country and sovereignty, Rebecca Harms said
The member of the European Parliament Rebecca Harms
Euromaidanpress
The European Parliament will support the future president of Ukraine in terms of continuation and enforcement of reforms, specifically those against corruption and poverty. Rebecca Harms, the member of the European Parliament said this April 23.
'We're sure that the newly elected president is fully aware of his commitments. Conducting these reforms, he can surely rely on the support of the European Union. As European Council President Donald Tusk said yesterday, the future president of Ukraine can count on the decisive support of the EU on the way of reforming the country and preserving the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine', Harms said.
Related: G7 calls on Ukraine to continue reforms and to fight against corruption
She added that the reform program should be conducted willingly and in close cooperation along with other state authorities, including the Ukrainian Parliament.
Related: Why Ukrainians perceive current 144 reforms as dead
Earlier on April 23, G7 Ambassadors congratulated Volodymyr Zelensky on victory in the presidential run in Ukraine, as the French representation of G7 to Kyiv reported on Twitter.
European Parliament Rebecca Harms reforms in Ukraine
Ukraine's Acting Energy Minister, IMF mission head hold online talks 24 December 2020, 12:29


Love to Eat, Hate to Exercise: ZUMBA!
I love me some Zumba! I go 2-3x a week!
I love zumba!! I've only done it a couple of times, but it is so much fun. And you are right--it is totally a dance party that just has the benefit of scorching calories. That's my kind of work out!
I tried it for the first time last night as well! Holy moly. Bollywood, salsa, and hip hop. Intense, fast, fun. Nothing but smiles the whole time!
I've had 2 classes and I'm hooked. The first exercise (what exercise? it's fun!) I've really liked in a long time. I loved Jazzercize back in the day but I don't see classes available anywhere. So Zumba it is. Glad you like it too.
it's next on my list. i'm conquering spinning this fall, and hope to add zumba in november. thanks for the reminder!!!
You're like the fifth person to recommend Zumba to me...so I think I need to finally get to a class. Thanks! Good luck with the Challenge.


text:
Q: Masking date appends extra character in IE8 but works fine in IE11, chrome and other browsers I have this below function to mask the date when user types the date in the field. I've used jquery-ui-datepicker and the strange thing is when datepicker is not associated with the field this works as expected.

Note - I am getting this problem in IE8 but works fine in IE11, Chrome etc.,

DEMO
Problem example: Type 121 in date field it should replace it with 12/1 but its placing extra character like 12/11. Can anyone let me know what's causing this issue:
function maskDate(element) {

    var chr = window.event.keyCode
    var str = document.getElementById(element).value

    var lastindex = str.length - 1
    var lastchr = str.charAt(lastindex)

    if (chr < 48 || chr > 57) {
        if (str.length == 1 && (chr == 45 || chr == 47)) {
            document.getElementById(element).value = "0" + str + "/";
            return false;
        }
        if (str.length == 4 && (chr == 45 || chr == 47)) {
            document.getElementById(element).value = str.substr(0, lastindex) + "0" + lastchr + "/";
            return false;
        }
        if (chr == 47 && (str.length == 2 || str.length == 5)) return true;
        else {
            if (chr == 45 && (str.length == 2 || str.length == 5))
                document.getElementById(element).value = str + "/";
            return false;
        }
    }
    else {
        if (str.length == 2 || str.length == 5) {
            document.getElementById(element).value = str + "/" + String.fromCharCode(chr);
            return false;
        }
        if (str.length > 9) return false;
        return true;
    }
}

UPDATE :
Just placed a debugger and noted that
document.getElementById(element).value = str + "/" + String.fromCharCode(chr);

in the above line the value of document.getElementById(element).value is getting set properly but then I am not getting where the extra value is getting set because the control is getting passed to jquery.js after return false which makes complicated to understand the exact flow then!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
L'Anoa des plaines (Bubalus depressicornis) est un mammifère appartenant à la famille des Bovidae. Cette espèce vit uniquement sur les îles de Célèbes et de Buton, en Indonésie.

Description
L'anoa des plaine est un des plus petits bovidés. Il est très semblable à l'anoa des montagnes, et est à peine plus grand que celui-ci. Il mesure à peine plus de 90 cm au garrot et pèse entre 150 et 300 kg. Il est solitaire, sauf en période de reproduction, et vit dans les forêts de plaine, se nourrissant de feuilles, de fruits, de fougères et de rameaux. Il présente une fourrure marron foncé à noir et des taches blanches sur la tête et les pattes. Pour faciliter l'évolution dans les sous-bois denses, les cornes sont orientées vers l'arrière.

Les individus captifs ont une espérance de vie de 20 à 30 ans. Les anoas atteignent la maturité sexuelle vers deux ou trois ans et ont en moyenne un veau par an.

Comportement
Le mode de vie des anoas est encore mal connu. Sur l'île de Buton, les Anoas semblent utiliser les forêts indépendamment de leur nature primaire ou secondaire, le principal critère rédhibitoire étant l'activité humaine qui y règne. Dans le parc national de Lore Lindu, au centre de Célèbes, la densité de traces est plus élevée dans les zones de plus haute altitude, loin des limites du parc. Dans le passé, l'espèce aurait été commune le long des côtes. Les Anoa des plaines se trouvent également à haute altitude dans les zones montagneuses. Comme les autres bovins sauvages, les anoas se vautrent et se baignent dans des mares d'eau et/ou de boue. Il est probable que des sources minérales soient également nécessaires à leur développement, bien que les anoas boivent de l'eau de mer, ce qui pourrait satisfaire leurs besoins en minéraux dans les régions dépourvues de sources.

Les individus captifs ont une espérance de vie de 20 à 30 ans. Les anoas atteignent la maturité sexuelle vers deux ou trois ans et ont en moyenne un veau par an.

Répartition
Cette espèce est endémique d'Indonésie, où on ne la trouve que sur les îles de Célèbes et de Buton au large de la côte sud-est, sans qu'aucune espèce d'anoas ne soit signalée dans les autres petites îles voisines de Célèbes. Sur Célèbes, on le trouve jusqu'à 1 000 m d'altitude. Dans l'ensemble de Célèbes, la distribution des espèces d'anoas reste incertaine, car elles peuvent se trouver en sympatrie. Les enregistrements de crânes et les descriptions morphologiques de cette espèce suggèrent qu'elle est présente dans le nord de l'île, et à l'Est jusqu'au parc national de Bogani Nani-Wartabone. On la trouve également dans la région centrale et jusqu'à l'extrémité des péninsules de l'est et du sud-est, mais elle n'est plus présente dans la péninsule du sud-ouest. L'anoa des plaines est également présent dans le centre et le nord de l'île Buton.

Les deux espèces d'anoas étaient autrefois présentes sur l'ensemble de Célèbes.

Conservation
Cette espèce est considérée comme étant en danger par l'UICN. On estime sa population à moins de 2 500 adultes et que son taux de déclin serait supérieur à 20% sur deux générations (14 à 18 ans). Aucune sous-population ne compterait plus de 250 individus matures.

La conversion des terres à l'agriculture et la chasse sont les deux principales menaces qui pèsent sur cette espèce, ainsi que l'exploitation de mines d'or. Des rapports récents indiquent que la chasse est de loin la menace la plus sérieuse, contrairement au commerce d'animaux vivants.

La population captive d'anoas des plaines compte 257 animaux. Fin 2015, elle se compose de 46 en Europe, 166 en Amérique du Nord et 45 en Asie. Au sein de la population asiatique de 45 individus, 34 sont détenus dans trois zoos indonésiens (13 mâles et 21 femelles) . Parmi eux, un petit nombre serait des anoas de montagne, bien que le statut taxonomique de la plupart des individus reste non confirmé. Une nouvelle initiative est en cours pour mettre en œuvre un programme mondial de reproduction des espèces afin d'améliorer la représentation génétique de la population ex situ.

Liens externes

Notes et références

Mammifère (nom scientifique)
Bovidae
Faune endémique de Célèbes
Mammifère d'Indonésie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Joys Of Being Back At Work!
Normally at the end of the summer holidays a part of me is ready to return to school. There's a feeling of excitement about the new year ahead and the chance for a fresh start. This year that feeling isn't there. I feel nervous about returning on Monday and a little teary at the thought of going back to "normal" life.


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Well, it's not that simple, but a couple of months ago, I did a NOESY analysis of an alkaloid. I acquired the spectrum, integrated the peaks, and got the interproton distances, which looked fine. Then I tried to do a similar analysis for the salt. That's it, nothing much different, just the salt. And now, try as I may, I could never get decent distances. Most of my distances seemed too short (<2.4 A) I reran the NOESY with different parameters, integrated the peaks tediously, and everything looked fine. But again, when I calculated the distances from the intensities, everything was messed up. Finally, the cost-benefit analysis of spending the time on the compound and getting it done from an expert was carried out, and it was quickly decided that it would be best to send it to an expert.
A couple of days ago, we got the intensities of the peaks from the expert, and guess what. The distances are still terrible, at least most of them. So that means that maybe it was not my fault. Maybe it wasn't me, it was you (you=the machine, the parameters, the molecule itself). I am not blaming the expert, because there seems to some unique feature of the molecule itself that's causing trouble. So in some ways, I am happy that it wasn't just me. But I am also sad that this means that our analysis is even further prolonged. This is a project which I want to get done with and publish. And it never seems to be getting close to that goal.
But this also is making the situation more chemically interesting. Why would a simple transformation from the alkaloid to its salt make the analysis so much more difficult? The 1D spectra look ok, so we are pretty sure no decomposition/chemical transformation has taken place. And yet the problem suddenly became thorny because of such a simple change. It seems that the vagaries of SAR reflect in SNR (Structure-NMR Relationships) too.
I have never had the opportunity to determine H-H distances via NOESY, do you happen to have a lead reference on the technique?
There's a reference from 1992 (J. Am. Chem. SOC.. Vol. 114, No. 9, 1992, p 3272-3277) in which there are two methods for getting distances from peak intensities in NOESY. As for the intensities themselves, there is a straightforward procedure in the Varian INOVA 600 spectrometer that we use, which I am guessing would be similar for others (eg. Bruker). I would be happy to give you the procedure if you are interested.
The JACS ref answered all! Thanks!


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text:
Herbert Arthur Loveitt (Easenhall, Warwickshire, 8 de març de 1874 - Coventry, West Midlands, 18 de febrer de 1909) ser un jugador de rugbi anglès que va competir a cavall del  i el . El 1900 va prendre part en els Jocs Olímpics de París, on guanyà la medalla de plata en la competició de rugbi, com a integrant de l'equip Moseley Wanderers RFC, que exercia d'equip nacional en aquesta competició.

Referències

Medallistes britànics als Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1900
Jugadors de rugbi XV anglesos
Persones de Warwickshire
Morts a Anglaterra


text:
Ray Winstone wants to see HS2 scrapped so money can be spent elsewhere
The actor said the billions of pounds that will be spent on HS2 should go to hospitals and schools instead
Zoe Drewett
Actor Ray Winstone told LBC Radio that he was angry the government would be spending money on HS2.
He said: "Don't kid to me that my tax is going to the right places, cos it's not. They want to build a new railway track to get us to Birmingham 15 minutes earlier and spend billions of pounds on that - well not for me.
"Let's build a hospital, lets make sure our education is proper and kids go to school and learn something.
"If I pay the amount of tax that we all pay, I'd like to see where it goes, I'd like to spend it on the things that we all want it spent on."
The actor, famous for his hard-man characters, was promoting his latest film Noah at the station earlier this week when he said politicians should be held accountable for not fulfilling their manifesto promises.
"They say they are going to attempt to do something and they never even attempt to do it. For me, that's fraud," he said.


text:
Q: Karaf - TransactionRequiredException I am running Karaf, I have a DataSource in persistence.xml (pointing to a SQL Server DB), and I am trying to execute an insert query.
But I am getting this exception:
javax.persistence.TransactionRequiredException: Executing an update/delete query at
  org.hibernate.jpa.spi.AbstractQueryImpl.executeUpdate(AbstractQueryImpl.java:71)

My transaction-type is set to JTA.
I think I need to configure some transactions but I am not very familiar with this. I think it's something simple but I don't find many ideas when googling.
What do I need to change in my XML descriptors (persistence.xml or blueprints.xml)?
Please provide some sample XML snippet. Many thanks in advance.
     71 | Active |  80 | 2.3.0               | Apache Aries JPA Container API
     73 | Active |  80 | 2.3.0               | Apache Aries JPA container
     74 | Active |  80 | 2.3.0               | Apache Aries JPA support
     76 | Active |  80 | 1.1.1               | Apache Aries Transaction Blueprint
     77 | Active |  80 | 2.1.0               | Apache Aries Transaction Blueprint
     78 | Active |  80 | 1.3.0               | Apache Aries Transaction Manager

A: Take a look at the aries jpa examples. There are examples for blueprint and declarative services. For blueprint there is support for standard annotations like @PersistenceContext and @Transactional.
For DS you can use the JPATemplate to run code in a transaction and with an EntityManager.


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text:
Ты́елга — река в России на Южном Урале, протекает по Челябинской области мимо одноимённого посёлка. Берёт своё начало на склонах Большого Таловского хребта. Устье реки находится в 546 км от устья Миасса по левому берегу, возле Новоандреевки. Длина реки составляет 18 км.

Данные водного реестра
По данным государственного водного реестра России относится к Иртышскому бассейновому округу, водохозяйственный участок реки — Миасс от истока до Аргазинского гидроузла, речной подбассейн реки — Тобол. Речной бассейн реки — Иртыш.

Код объекта в государственном водном реестре — 14010500812111200003558.

Примечания

Притоки Миасса
Реки Миасского городского округа


Movavi Photo Editor is suitable for use in editing photos for personal or work. If you are a web designer, you can use the software to edit web images for your clients. People who have a habit of taking a lot of photos in the country where they are on vacation will find the software handy as it allows them to quickly edit the photos and share them with their friends on the social media. Movavi Photo Editor is useful for editing the small blemishes on photos that you want to use for brochures.
Movavi Photo Editor is designed to help you complete your photo editing work in the shortest timeframe. You can open more than one image files to edit them. If you open more than one image file, you can use the left and right arrows at the bottom to go from one photo to another. Clicking on the hand icon at the bottom allows you to move the photo as you edit it. You can zoom in or zoom out on the photo by using the percentage slider. There is a refresh button which you can click if you don't see any changes applied on the photo after editing it.
The object removal tool and background removal tool are the two key features in the picture editing software. The object removal tool allows you to remove objects that are not supposed to be in the photo. For example, you want to display a photo of you and your friend posing at a landmark but there happens to be passerby that walk across. You didn't notice the passerby and just snap the photo once. With the object removal tool, you can remove the stranger that walk pass you so that the photo only show you and your friend just as you wanted.
The background removal tool is a great tool for creating GIF images with transparent background. You don't have to spend hours using an eraser to erase away the background. The tool will remove the background professionally without making intrusion on the main subject of the photo. You simply draw a rough silhouette on the main subject that you want to retain. The background that you want to discard should be marked with the red brush. The software will automatically identify the pattern in the background and remove it. You can add any new background that match with the main subject of the photo after removing the original background.
As you adjust the photo, you will be able to see its changes in the preview pane. Movavi Photo Editor works fast and save you a lot of time when you have a lot of photos to edit. The software comes with its own collection of font styles but the font styles installed on your computer will also display in the available font list. Captions can be rotated or moved around the photo during editing. You can download the trial version of Movavi Photo Editor from the official site to test some of the features.


Community is one of the four tenants of the ASC program. In order to understand how significant community is to the program, it is important to know how I define community. To me, community is about furthering my relationships with other people, becoming a better person because of those relationships, and giving up part of myself to helping others. The communities that we experience this year at Jesuit: family, friends, coworkers, students, and many more, unite us all in order to further the mission of being "Men for Others" in our lives. Communities like these build a foundation for us to grow together as individuals, sharing our unique talents with others. Looking forward, we will grow and join other communities in the future, learning more about ourselves, but always bringing them part of the Jesuit community. This is what makes community so important to both me and the ASC program. The Jesuit community is what makes this place so special; without it, we miss life's greatest lessons.
It is a rare treasure to be able to truly live. Although it may sound easy to accomplish, it is a challenging thing to carry out with the stressors of everyday life. The ASC program allows for the chance to rekindle and cultivate both old and new relationships and to rid myself from the distractions that come with adulthood. Because of this rewarding gift, I am able to fully immerse myself in a year of service to the Jesuit community. Of the four pillars, service strongly resonates with me. Throughout the year, we serve in multifaceted roles, including teaching courses, assisting with Kairos retreats, and working with the community service team. The service component of the ASC program provides me with an opportunity to not only use my talents to help others but also an opportunity to be enriched by others, a lesson that will continually shape my personal, professional, and spiritual journey.
The Alumni Service Corp is a humbling experience, and through that humility one grows in his relationship with God. As an alumnus of Jesuit, I am challenged daily to live the ideal of the Magis. Through the tenets of the Alumni Service Corp, we are able to fulfill the Profile of the Graduate. Each of us in the ASC program are expected to lead the students closer towards the Jesuit ideal and closer towards the heart of Christ. Due to this expectation, I find myself praying in the school chapel asking God for the graces and gifts to be the leader that is expected of us. Through this program, one is given the blessings of encountering God in our daily lives. Whether this encounter occurs when celebrating Mass with the Jesuits, being a group leader at the Kairos retreats, saying rosaries in the Prayer Garden, or serving the poor by the side of the students; we are able to see God's graces transform the lives of ourselves and the Jesuit community.
Life is busy—whether we commit ourselves to our schoolwork, career, relationships, family life, or anything else—it can, at times, be difficult to live simply. In devoting myself to a year of service, I have changed my definition of simplicity several times. Simplicity is not merely a synonym for "easy" or a lack of material goods, nor does it refer to a lack of commitment or responsibility. Rather, I've come to learn that living simply means making a difference and experiencing personal growth by living out a balanced lifestyle. The ASC program strikes a pivotal balance between service to others and personal growth. Working at Jesuit as a young alumnus comes with a series of expectations, expectations that can seem daunting to live up to at times. However, in letting go of superficiality and trusting the process, I am able to fully commit myself to my various responsibilities—as an instructor, coach, mentor, and leader. While this model does not necessarily conform to the one adopted by the world around me, living simply fosters an environment geared toward personal development, relational growth, and perhaps most importantly, a recommitment to Ignatian principles.


Motorcycling legend Graeme Crosby, a man familiar with ludicrously fast speeds on bikes, has a message for the two motorcyclists clocked at speeds in excess of 300km/h.
"Do it on the track."
Police are hunting for two motorcyclists seen travelling at speeds of over 300km/h near Upper Hutt over the Queen's Birthday weekend.
Wellington road policing Senior Sergeant Thomas McIntyre said the actions of the riders were "beyond dangerous" and the risks they had posed to themselves and other road users was unimaginable.
Crosby said he had travelled at speeds in excess of 300km/h many times during his time racing in the 1970s and 1980s.
Now in his 60s, Crosby famously claimed first at the Isle of Man Senior Tourist Trophy race in 1980, eventually claiming three wins in the series between 1979 and 1981.
Once you began travelling at speeds in excess of 100km/h the margin for error grew smaller at an exponential rate, he said.
At speeds over 200km/h everything happened a lot quicker.
Peripheral vision was closed and tunnel vision took over, making it more difficult to identify and react to potential hazards.
"You work in a narrow performance band, the road is narrow and anytime you change the set-up of the bike it takes time and distance before it can happen."
The bike often arrived at the location before the brain could even compute it.
"You have to be ahead of the bike mentally."
The location where the renegade riders were spotted, the Remutaka Range, had been a haven for motorcyclists for decades, he said.
"It goes back to the 60s; the style of the road is a perfect road to have a play on."
However, Crosby said the open the road was no place for such excessive speed.
"If you get caught you should have your bike taken off you it is a simple as that."
The difference between racing on the track and on the road was that the circuits, excluding the Isle of Man, were built for such speeds.
On the track obstacles and barriers were not positioned close to the road, but "passive" safety systems were in place.
"The road is for moving people. There is a fundamental difference there.
"If you want to go over the speed limit, go to the race track.
"There are plenty of race days, do it in a controlled environment."
Crosby was also credited with winning the prestigious Daytona 200 and Imola 200 races, and is a board member of the Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council.
At about midday on Saturday, two Japanese 1000cc sports bikes were spotted by police travelling on State Highway 2, just south of the Remutaka Range, at 247km/h.
At 247km/h, the riders would have been travelling at just under 70 metres per second — had they crashed they would have killed themselves and possibly other road users, McIntyre said.
Anyone with information about this incident or the riders involved is urged to contact their local station or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 55 111.