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World's Most Popular Painkiller Blocks People's Ability to Feel Empathy, Scientists Warn
Pomidor Quixote
Daily Stormer
After she takes paracetamol because of a headache.
Drugs don't really have a singular, isolated effect on the body. The fact that they may do the thing that people want them to do doesn't mean that they don't do plenty of other things that may go unnoticed.
Daily Mail:
Avoid taking paracetamol before heartfelt conversations with loved ones because it blocks your ability to feel empathy for them, scientists warn.
The world's most popular painkiller, taken by millions every day, blunts physical pain by reducing the flow of chemicals that make nerve endings sensitive.
But research suggests these chemicals circulate in brain regions that also control empathy and compassion.
Dominik Mischkowski, a psychologist at Ohio University, believes paracetamol, or acetaminophen, warp people's personalities by dulling their emotions.
He said the public should be more aware of their sinister side-effect so they can use 'common sense' to decide when to take them.
How many other drugs have this kind of undesired effect on people's personalities?
How many other substances have a similar effect?
Do we really know what the chemicals used in deodorants, soap, shampoo, and personal hygiene products really do to the human body?
Mr Mischkowski told the BBC: 'Just like we should be aware that you shouldn't get in front of the wheel if you're under the influence of alcohol, you don't want to take paracetamol and then put yourself into a situation that requires you to be emotionally responsive – like having a serious conversation with a partner or co-worker.
'When you give somebody a drug, you don't just give it to a person – you give it to a social system.
'And we really don't understand the effects of these medications in the broader context.
'There is a remarkable gap in the research actually, when it comes to the effects of medication on personality and behaviour… We don't understand how they influence human behaviour.'
The same can be said about technology.
Smartphones, for example, are changing the way humans experience reality and how we interact with one another.
There are kids as young as 4 sexting in some parts of the world.
We don't really know for sure what the long-term effects of all of this are.
Mr Mischkowski investigated the behavioral effect of paracetamol earlier this year in a study of 114 students from Ohio University.
He described his research earlier this year as the 'most worrisome that he's ever conducted'.
The researcher admits the drug is not constantly hijacking people's personalities, because the effects only last a few hours.
But he stressed the public should be more aware of its effects on behaviour so they can use it 'with common sense'.
Cool, so people are only turned psychopathic for a few hours at a time.
Considering paracetamol is probably the most popular analgesic worldwide, that isn't much of a reassurance.
"It's just an over-the-counter pain reliever."
We're living in an unprecedented artificial environment that is actively changing people's behaviors, emotions, thoughts, and looks.
Things like clothing, household chemicals, packaged foods, and drugs are influencing people's lives to degrees we have yet to accurately measure.
"It's just an estrogen pill."
Modernity is destroying the past, both inside and outside of people's bodies.
Drugs Empathy Painkillers Paracetamol	2020-01-10
Texas Church Shooter was a Drug Addict Mad the Church Wouldn't Give Him Cash
Mexican Cartels Expand Their Product Line to Avocados
Sloppy Goyim: 16 States Looking to Legalize Marijuana in 2020
Join the discussion at	TGKBBS
Demographic Countdown
shekels plz goyim
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Sadly, most people will only pay attention once it is to late!
As a climate scientist, I can agree to the list.
Very informative nice article. I have heard about all of those cities. Thanks for sharing.
I was expecting New Orleans.
What a very interesting read. I learned something new. Thank you.
Nice piece. I'm a lover of knowledge and I' grateful I came across this post. This is actually the first time I'm coming across "New Orleans and Katrina". I can't wait to Google what happened.
this is a post I'd like to go viral for people to understand the need of protecting environment. Thank you for this!


text:
The Future of Nanotechnology • 2014 • episode "4/10" • Curiosity Retreats: 2014 Lectures
Eric Drexler, the "founding father of nanotechnology," and Jim Phillips, the CEO of Nanomech, discuss the potential applications and implications of nanotechnology. How will this atomically precise manufacturing impact the future of technology, global governance, and the environment?
Curiosity Retreats: 2014 Lectures • 2014 • 10 episodes •
The Future of the Mind and Beyond
Michio Kaku, best-selling author and physicist, imagining the not-so-distant future, offers his projections for advancements in humanity's understanding of the brain over the next century. Kaku envisions a world in which progress in neuroscience and biotechnology will demystify the human mind.
2014 • Brain
The future of the Internet
Vint Cerf, co-author of the TCP/IP protocol suite that provides the Internet with its basic architecture, is known as "one of the founding fathers of the Internet." Cerf discusses what the future may hold for the internet: will it ultimately connect us with the universe?
Frontiers of Science
As the director of one of a world renowned institute for scientific research -- the Institute for Advanced Study -- Robbert Dijkgraaf is a pioneer in the field of mathematical physics. This string theory specialist draws from his experiences to elucidate current advances in physics.
The Future of Nanotechnology
Dr. Nancy Etcoff, a leading researcher in the field of positive psychology, reveals why it is crucial to understand exactly how our mental and physical health is benefited by emotions like happiness and joy, and how we are affected by anxiety and depression.
2014 • Lifehack
A Universe of Big Numbers
John Hendricks, founder of the Discovery Channel and CuriosityStream, explores the largest numbers in the Universe and describes how the average person might be able to comprehend their scale. How can a normal person understand "quadrillion" in real terms?
2014 • Math
Discovery in Cosmology and Particle Physics
Harvard professor and best-selling author, Dr. Lisa Randall, simplifies and expounds upon some of modern physics' most basic questions. What is dark matter and dark energy? What is the fundamental nature of space and time? What do we not know yet about the universe and its fundamental properties?
The Middle East and Global Security
Ambassador Henry Crumpton, a veteran CIA operative with experiences on the front line of America's initial campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, considers the paradigm shift caused by the increased role of non-state actors in the Mid-East and other issues facing that region and the world.
Modern China
Sheryl WuDunn, a best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, illuminates the economic, financial, political and social issues in East Asia and around the world, and the economic and political uncertainties facing China today.
Super Brain
The best-selling authors of Super Brain, Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. Rudy Tanzi, describe the basic rules about how our brain functions. Your brain always eavesdrops on your thoughts. Can you teach your brain to become unlimited, by thinking that you have that potential?
It's 1961 and the Soviets are dominating the Space Race. President Kennedy ups the stakes dramatically, giving NASA until the end of the decade to land a man on the moon. Led by Wernher von Braun, engineers across America work together to build a rocket that will get them to this seemingly impossible destination: the Saturn V. This is the remarkable story of the engineers who rose to the challenge to build the most complex and powerful machine ever made by man, and the impact their phenomenal achievements continue to have to this day.
1/6 • America's Secret Space Heroes • 2017 • Technology
Dallas Campbell and Dr Hannah Fry examine the advanced technology needed to ensure the safety of the one million people estimated to be travelling by plane at any given time. They discover the daily routines of air traffic controllers in the busiest airspace in the world and pilots flying thousands of miles at night. Plus, transporting horses by planes and in-flight medical advice.
Part 2 • City in the Sky • 2016 • Technology
Sega's Genesis console and its speedy character, Sonic, hit the market. Electronic Arts kicks off a partnership with football legend John Madden.
4/6 • High Score • 2020 • Technology
Boom & Bust
Space Invaders and Pac-Man lead an arcade craze, while Atari's cartridge system dominates home gaming until high-profile failure sparks a downfall.
Jobs vs Gates
Two brilliant minds, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, do battle and, in the process, revolutionize lives.
S1E1 • American Genius • 2015 • Technology
A.I. and the Destiny of Mankind
A.I. is a primal force, like fire. The same fire that warms us can incinerate our homes; A.I. could enslave mankind -- or, join us in a grand alliance to reach the stars.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
· Published June 12, 2020
Kyrie Irving 'willing to give up everything' for social reform
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
While Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving might not take the court when the 2019-'20 NBA season resumes in Orlando, he is ready to fight for those he cares about. He proved it on Friday night during a call with nearly 100 NBA players, expressing concern for the NBA's plan to return and stepping up for reform across the United States.
Kyrie Irving: "I'm willing to give up everything I have" for social reform
Irving was a part of a call on Friday with more than 80 players, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, serving as a leading voice for those concerned about the NBA's plan to resume the season on July 30 in Orlando. During the conversation, Irving spoke up about the NBA's wishes to play basketball in Orlando, all while millions across the country protest systemic racism in the United States following the death of George Floyd.
"I don't support going into Orlando. I'm not with the systematic racism and the b*******," Kyrie Irving said, via The Athletic. "…Something smells a little fishy. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are targeted as black men every day we wake up.""
NBA stars like Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Donovan Mitchell have admitted they might sit out the NBA's resumed season due to the health risk and the ongoing systemic issues in the country. Rather than play, the players would use their platform to help fight for social and police reform.
Irving seemed to even go a step further, indicating there is nothing he isn't willing to give up in the name of bringing positive change to the United States.
Kyrie Irving on players call Friday, per sources: "I'm willing to give up everything I have (for social reform)."
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 13, 2020
Many other NBA stars, including LeBron James, are committed to playing when the season resumes. In part, as detailed by ESPN, because players already lost $300 million in salary this year and could lose more than $1 billion if the season is canceled and the NBA terminates the collective bargaining agreement.
Yahoo Sources: The conference call led by Kyrie Irving lasted an hour and forty minutes. The Nets star let it be known he was against going to Orlando, but said he would ultimately stand with the group if they decided to play.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 13, 2020
While that would be a significant financial loss for everyone across the league, it's clear several players are willing to accept that hit if it means stepping up and fighting for the rights of others. If the players decide to take the court, though, Irving will support them all.


By Ninon Sartre. Gaming Chairs. Published at Monday, November 19th, 2018 09:08:22 AM.
By Ninon Sartre. Theatre Seating. Published at Tuesday, November 20th, 2018 07:35:46 AM.
By Ninon Sartre. Theatre Seating. Published at Tuesday, November 20th, 2018 07:35:44 AM.
By Ninon Sartre. Theatre Seating. Published at Tuesday, November 20th, 2018 07:35:34 AM.
By Ninon Sartre. Theatre Seating. Published at Tuesday, November 20th, 2018 07:35:38 AM.
By Ninon Sartre. Theatre Seating. Published at Tuesday, November 20th, 2018 07:35:41 AM.


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Through three case studies and a panel discussion, this program will examine the benefits, challenges, tools and tips of strategic planning to make it easier to streamline and execute in your own work.
This program complements USGBC Illinois' updated strategic focus on Paul Hawken's Project Drawdown, which we'll briefly highlight.


Administrative law – Natural justice – Duty of fairness – Procedural fairness – Civil procedure – Appeals – Certification of a serious issue – Immigration law – Hearings – Re-opening hearing – Right to a fair hearing.
Application for judicial review of decision of Refugee Board. The applicants, a family, arrived in the US on the father's business visa. They failed to get an extension of the visa and arrived in Canada, claiming refugee protection. The children became ill and the father became concerned that his personal information form would not be submitted within 28 days. The solicitor told him that if the forms were submitted before an abandonment hearing then the claims were unlikely to be declared abandoned. The forms were not filed within 28 days and although a request for an extension was made no response was received. The refugee claims were declared abandoned. The applicants applied to have their case reopened. Their application was dismissed. They then applied for judicial review of the decision not to reopen their claims.
HELD: Application allowed. The Board's decision was set aside. Given the very serious significance of the abandonment decision, the applicants were entitled to meaningful reasons for the decision. The reasons given were neither meaningful nor sufficient. This was a breach of procedural fairness and therefore the Board's decision was set aside and sent back to the Board for reconsideration.
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 72(1).
Refugee Protection Division Rules, Rules 44, 55.
Max Berger, for the applicants.
O'KEEFE J.:- This is an application for judicial review pursuant to subsection 72(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, S.C. 2001, C. 27 ("IRPA"), of a decision of the Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board (the "Board") dated September 11, 2003 wherein the applicants' motion to reopen their refugee claim was dismissed.
An order sending the applicants' claim to Convention refugee status back to the Board for redetermination.
The applicant, Amer Javed (the "principal applicant") arrived in the U.S.A. on July 15, 2000 on a U.S. business visa. His family, the remaining applicants, arrived in the U.S.A. two months later. A consultant who was supposed to obtain an extension of the principal applicant's U.S. business visa failed to obtain the extension.
The applicants arrived in Canada on March 6, 2003 and their refugee claim was referred to the Refugee Protection Division on March 6, 2003. The principal applicant received his Personal Information Form ("PIF") on that date. On March 11, 2003 the principal applicant retained counsel and the same day, counsel requested a copy of the port of entry notes (the "notes") in order to assist in the preparation of the PIF.
In the interim, the principal applicant's two children became ill and he took them to the doctor on March 17, March 24 and April 2, 2003.
On March 31, 2003, counsel's secretary again requested the notes.
The principal applicant was concerned about his PIF not being filed within 28 days of him receiving the form on March 6, 2003. His solicitor told him that as long as the PIF was submitted in advance of any abandonment hearing, the claims were unlikely to be declared abandoned.
The applicants' counsel wrote to the Board on March 25, 2003, requesting an extension of time to complete the PIF. No response was received to this request.
The applicants were given a notice to appear with respect to the abandonment of their claim for refugee protection on April 8, 2003, as no PIF was filed within 28 days of receipt. The abandonment hearing was to be held on May 7, 2003.
The PIF was completed following the arrival of the notes and was submitted to the Board by mail on April 24, 2003.
The principal applicant and a paralegal attended the abandonment hearing. The principal applicant stated at the abandonment hearing that the PIF was late because it took time to obtain counsel and the notes were late. The refugee claims of the applicants were declared abandoned.
On July 21, 2003, the Board received an application from the applicants' counsel to have their claim reopened pursuant to Rules 44 and 55 of the Refugee Protection Division Rules.
The application to reopen was dismissed on September 11, 2003.
The applicants stated that they have always wanted to continue with their refugee claims.
This is the judicial review of the decision of September 11, 2003 refusing to reopen the claims for refugee protection.
Did the Board make a reviewable error in refusing to reopen the applicants' abandoned claim?
A claimant or the Minister may make an application to the Division to reopen a claim for refugee protection that has been decided or abandoned.
The application must be made under rule 44.
A claimant who makes an application must include the claimant's contact information in the application and provide a copy of the application to the Minister.
The Division must allow the application if it is established that there was a failure to observe a principle of natural justice.
Le demandeur d'asile ou le ministre peut demander à la Section de rouvrir toute demande d'asile qui a fait l'objet d'une décision ou d'un désistement.
La demande est faite selon la règle 44.
Si la demande est faite par le demandeur d'asile, celui-ci y indique ses coordonnées et en transmet une copie au ministre.
La Section accueille la demande sur preuve du manquement un principe de justice naturelle.
Counsel and claimants may disagree with the RPD decision but they have not, in my opinion, shown that the decision to declare their claims abandoned breached natural justice.
In my opinion, it is now appropriate to recognize that, in certain circumstances, the duty of procedural fairness will require the provision of a written explanation for a decision. The strong arguments demonstrating the advantages of written reasons suggest that, in cases such as this where the decision has important significance for the individual, when there is a statutory right of appeal, or in other circumstances, some form of reasons should be required. This requirement has been developing in the common law elsewhere. The circumstances of the case at bar, in my opinion, constitute one of the situations where reasons are necessary. The profound importance of an H & C decision to those affected, as with those at issue in Orlowski,  B.C.J. No. 1692, Cunningham, and Doody, militates in favour of a requirement that reasons be provided. It would be unfair for a person subject to a decision such as this one which is so critical to their future not to be told why the result was reached.
I am of the view that the very serious significance of the abandonment decision for the applicants requires that meaningful reasons be given for the decision.
My review of the Board's reasons in this case lead me to the conclusion that the reasons were not meaningful or sufficient. From the reasons, I am unable to determine why the Board made that decision, as the reasons only state that the claimants did not show that the decision to declare their claims abandoned breached the rules of natural justice. On judicial review, I cannot assess the reason why the Board came to this conclusion as the reason is not stated in the Board's decision.
The failure to provide meaningful or adequate reasons for the decision is a breach of the duty of procedural fairness and therefore the Board's decision must be set aside and the matter referred to a differently constituted panel for reconsideration.
Did the Board fail to observe natural justice in declaring abandoned the Applicant's refugee claim without having provided advance notice of the specific date from which strict application of the 28 day rule for filing the Personal Information Form would be followed, given the Board's previous 14 year practice of lax application of the 28 day rule?
[para24] I am not prepared to certify this question. The respondent did not propose any serious question of general importance for my consideration for certification.
The application is allowed and the matter is remitted to a differently constituted panel of the Board for reconsideration.
No serious question of general importance is certified.


text:
Q: Prolog - Return result instead of printing in algorithm I know there is technically no 'return' in Prolog but I did not know how to formulate the question otherwise.
I found some sample code of an algorithm for finding routes between metro stations. It works well, however it is supposed to just print the result so it makes it hard to be extended or to do a findall/3 for example.
% direct routes
findRoute(X,Y,Lines,Output) :-
    line(Line,Stations),
    \+ member(Line,Lines),
    member(X,Stations),
    member(Y,Stations),
    append(Output,[[X,Line,Y]],NewOutput),
    print(NewOutput).

% needs intermediate stop
findRoute(X,Y,Lines,Output) :-
    line(Line,Stations),
    \+ member(Line,Lines),
    member(X,Stations),
    member(Intermediate,Stations),
    X\=Intermediate,Intermediate\=Y,
    append(Output,[[X,Line,Intermediate]],NewOutput),
    findRoute(Intermediate,Y,[Line|Lines],NewOutput).

line is a predicate with an atom and a list containing the stations.
For ex: line(s1, [first_stop, second_stop, third_stop])
So what I am trying to do is get rid of that print at line 11 and add an extra variable to my rule to store the result for later use. However I failed miserably because no matter what I try it either enters infinite loop or returns false.
Now:
?- findRoute(first_stop, third_stop, [], []).
% prints [[first_stop,s1,third_stop]]

Want:
?- findRoute(first_stop, third_stop, [], R).
% [[first_stop,s1,third_stop]] is stored in R

A: Like you, I also see this pattern frequently among Prolog beginners, especially if they are using bad books and other material:
solve :-
     .... some goals ...
     compute(A),
     write(A).

Almost every line in the above is problematic, for the following reasons:

*

*"solve" is imperative. This does not make sense in a declarative languague like Prolog, because you can use predicates in several directions.

*"compute" is also imperative.

*write/1 is a side-effect, and its output is only available on the system terminal. This gives us no easy way to actually test the predicate.

Such patterns should always simply look similar to:
solution(S) :-
     condition1(...),
     condition2(...),
     condition_n(S).

where condition1 etc. are simply pure goals that describe what it means that S is a solution.
When querying
?- solution(S).

then bindings for S will automatically be printed on the toplevel. Let the toplevel do the printing for you!
In your case, there is a straight-forward fix: Simply make NewOutput one of the arguments, and remove the final side-effect:

route(X, Y, Lines, Output, NewOutput) :-
    line(Line, Stations),
    \+ member(Line, Lines),
    member(X, Stations),
    member(Y, Stations),
    append(Output, [[X,Line,Y]], NewOutput).

Note also that I have changed the name to just route/5, because the predicate makes sense also if the arguments are all already instantiated, which is useful for testing etc.
Moreover, when describing lists, you will often benefit a lot from using dcg notation.
The code will look similar to this:

route(S, S, _) --> [].          % case 1: already there
route(S0, S, Lines) -->         % case 2: needs intermediate stop
    { line_stations(Line, Stations0),
      maplist(dif(Line), Lines),
      select(S0, Stations0, Stations),
      member(S1, Stations) },
    [link(S0,Line,S1)],
    route(S1, S, [Line|Lines]).

Conveniently, you can use this to describe the concatenation of lists without needing append/3 so much. I have also made a few other changes to enhance purity and readability, and I leave figuring out the exact differences as an easy exercise.
You call this using the DCG interface predicate phrase/2, using:
?- phrase(route(X,Y,[]), Rs).

where Rs is the found route. Note also that I am using terms of the form link/3 to denote the links of the route. It is good practice to use dedicated terms when the arity is known. Lists are for example good if you do not know beforehand how many elements you need to represent.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Microsoft's market value passes over $500 bn
Vineri, 27 Ianuarie 2017 18:57 2017-01-27 18:57:54 PUBLIKA.MD Comments
foto: TechCrunch
Microsoft Corp's market capitalization topped $500 billion for the first time since 2000 on Friday, after the technology giant's stock rose following another quarter of results that beat Wall Street's expectations.
Shares of the world's biggest software company rose as much as 2.1 percent to $65.64, an all-time high, in early trading, valuing the company at $510.37 billion.
The last time Microsoft was valued more was in March 2000, during the heyday of the dotcom era, when it had a market value of a little above $550 billion, according to Thomson Reuters data.
market capitalization, Microsoft, stock, technology giant, Wall Street toate TAG-urile
Microsoft retires Blue Screen of Death for some users
Microsoft invests big in cyber security research
Apple shares back in vogue as Wall Street bets on iPhone surge
Last news TECHNOLOGY:
Six new electric charging stations will be installed in Chisinau
A.I startup developed by young people to represent Moldova in international Yep!DemoDay battle
Moldova hosts the International Specialized Exhibition INFOINVENT (photo report)
Moldova's National Robotics Team triumphed three categories at the World Robot Olympiad
Sound Shirt: High-tech jacket allows you to feel music without the need to listen
IPHONE 11 PRO has a mysterious "U1" chip, APPLE says


I used (and intended to continue) to use this feature to control the access to my scores. Please, can you restore this or, at least, give an explanation to why this feature was suppressed?
No, I report it here. There is a "website" category and it's an Issue.
The "Website" component offered in the "Component" listbox here (when opening a issue), what's for? what kind of bugs, can you explain?
ps: please be kind to explain , before closing this issue.


text:
Subscribe to Age Discrimination
As employment cases go, the 2018–2019 adjudicative term (covered in Part I here) may go down as a year of missed chances. In Hawkins v. Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Patrick Smith wrote in June, the Justices failed to address an emotional-distress award's excessiveness and the permissibility of a "golden rule" argument used in…
The Iowa Supreme Court wrapped up its latest adjudicative term on June 28, 2019, having submitted 113 cases. More remarkable for the changes it witnessed than for its labor and employment decisions, the term began with the Court's first new Justice since 2011. By term's end another had been appointed. The Court that completed this…
In July 2017, a jury in Poweshiek County, Iowa returned a verdict against Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC) for $4.5 million in an age and disability discrimination lawsuit. The Grinnell Regional case was one of a trio of million dollar plus verdicts Iowa juries returned in the spring and summer of 2017 in employment discrimination…
Are You Facing a Reduction in Force? Make Sure the Release is Valid or You May Pay Severance and Still Get Sued for Age Discrimination.
By Patrick Smith on January 22, 2019
Posted in Age Discrimination, Human Resources Compliance, Litigation and Trials
In 1990 Congress enacted the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) out of concern that employees terminated as part of a Reduction in Force (RIF) did not fully understand the rights they were giving up in exchange for the payment of severance benefits. Under OWBPA, a severance agreement entered into with a terminated employee over age 40 is not valid unless the agreement contains certain provisions. Among other things, the release is supposed to be written in easy to understand language rather than legal jargon; it must advise the employee to seek advice from an attorney; it must allows the employee adequate time to consider whether to sign the release (21 to 45 days, depending upon how many employees are part of the RIF); and, in the event the employee changes his mind after signing, the employee has seven days to revoke the agreement. If the release does not comply in every respect, it is not valid, and an employee who signed and accepted the severance payments may still sue for age discrimination under the federal Age Discrimination is Employment Act (ADEA). An employee who sues may not even have to return the money received as part of the severance agreement.
Trouble Begets Trouble
By Patrick Smith on July 27, 2012
"University of Iowa College of Law" "age discrimination" lawsuit retaliation professor…
Recent 8th Circuit Case Likely to Encourage Continued Migration of Age Discrimination Claims to State Court
By Patrick Smith on January 7, 2011
Posted in Age Discrimination, Litigation and Trials
We have discussed in this blog before the migration of discrimination claims to Iowa state courts rather than federal courts. The trend is driven by a number of factors, including the recognition in 2005 of the right to a jury trial under the Iowa Civil Rights Act (ICRA) and the greater propensity of federal courts…
Whatever Happened to…Jack Gross?
Posted in Age Discrimination, Litigation and Trials, U.S. Supreme Court
Remember Jack Gross? Back in 2003 he claimed a demotion from his management job at West Des Moines based FBL Financial Services constituted age discrimination. A federal jury in the Southern District of Iowa agreed and awarded him $47,000 in damages. From there his case had a remarkable journey: first stopping in St. Louis at the Eighth Circuit…
Eighth Circuit Once Again Reviews Age Discrimination Burden of Proof–This Time Under ICRA
By Patrick Smith on October 4, 2010
Age discrimination cases tried in the Southern District of Iowa continue to generate controversy over how juries should be instructed about the plaintiff's burden of proof. First it was Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc., tried in the Southern District and ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2009. Then it was …
Gross v. FBL Remand: Eighth Circuit Considers Additional Issues
On November 30, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an opinion on the remand of Gross v. FBL Financial Group, Inc. We have discussed the Gross case in several previous posts (here, here, and here). The case has particular local interest because it was tried in…
An Interesting Interview with Jack Gross
Posted in Age Discrimination, U.S. Supreme Court
Des Moines Register columnist Marc Hansen writes about an interview he had with Jack Gross, the plaintiff in Gross v. FBL Financial, Inc., decided by the U.S. Supreme Court last June. Mr. Gross was in Washinton, DC last week to testify before the Senate Judiciary committee that is considering amendments to the ADEA that would effectively overrule the …


A two-time UEFA Women's Champions League winner with Lyon, Lara Dickenmann will attempt to deny them a third title when she lines up for Wolfsburg in the Reggio Emilia final on 26 May.
The 30-year-old Switzerland midfielder ended a seven-season Lyon spell last summer with a switch to Wolfsburg, who on Sunday completed their semi-final victory over holders FFC Frankfurt. That took the Wolves through to a repeat of the 2013 final where the German side ended Dickenmann and OL's hat-trick hopes.
Dickenmann spoke to UEFA.com about her decision to change clubs, the difference between her current and former teams, and life among Wolfsburg's Swiss contingent.
UEFA.com: You lifted the European title twice with Lyon; how great is your desire to win it again with Wolfsburg?
Lara Dickenmann: It was one reason I changed clubs, because I wanted to get to know the German Bundesliga and the German mentality. I wanted to find out why Germans always win in the end, and not the French for example, who can play football pretty well too, or any other country. Of course I was thinking about the Champions League as well: with Lyon we didn't manage to get past the last 16 in the last few years, so now with Wolfsburg I plan to challenge at the top again.
UEFA.com: How difficult was it to get used to another team and playing style, following six years at Lyon?
Dickenmann: It was not so easy at the beginning. There were a lot of changes taking place in the first team compared with last season, and some important changes too – for example [striker] Martina Müller, who is not here any more, played an important role last season. So it was not easy at the start of the season and you could see that on the pitch. Things didn't go quite so well.
But from the beginning of 2016 we've got going. We had a good preparation [in the winter break] and you can see that in matches where we would have lost in the first part of the season, or got a draw, we're winning now and getting the three points. I think we've grown as a team during the season, which is important.
UEFA.com: What are the main differences between Lyon and Wolfsburg?
Dickenmann: In France the focus is on style of play and possession – to make it look good – and in Germany it is mostly all about efficiency, it's important to leave the pitch as the winner and it doesn't really matter what it looks like. We do try to play some nice football here in Wolfsburg, but not at all costs. If you have to show some fighting spirit and passion or play more direct, then we do that.
It's very good tactically for us to be able to vary between possession and playing more direct – that was missing a bit in Lyon, but that's also to do with the league, where not all the teams are as strong and you can still play the possession game in the final third of the pitch. It's a bit more difficult in Germany compared with France, as the league is more balanced here.
UEFA.com: How much did it help you settle, to have familiar faces here in your Swiss national team colleagues Vanessa Bernauer, Noelle Maritz and Ramona Bachmann?
Dickenmann: That always helps. I was looking forward to playing with those three on an everyday basis, having already enjoyed playing alongside them with the national team. Wolfsburg is not so big and the club take very good care of new players, so I would have adapted well anyway, but it's certainly nice to have them all here. It's like a little Swiss family. We can talk Swiss German here and there, so it is like a piece of our home.
Holders VfL Wolfsburg have started planning for next season by agreeing deals with Olympique Lyonnais to sign Lara Dickenmann and Élise Bussaglia on free transfers.


text:
Mov[i]ember 2019
The baby and I came home from the park (the nut thinks she can do the climbing wall---and she darn near can*) and the two younger boys were watching an excellent print of Modern Times they'd found on YouTube. We'd missed the first twenty minutes, but who cares? It's Chaplin! (I imagine the impetus for this viewing decision was the elder of the two dressing as Chaplin for Halloween [the younger went as Harpo] and thus developing a Jones to revisit his work.)
The movie's terrific. Although some parts I had forgotten so thoroughly as to doubt I had seen the movie before, other parts were as familiar as any film I'd watched twice yesterday. I will admit that sometimes it's hard to focus on the story because Paulette Goddard is just so stunningly beautiful. This is not something that happens to me often in film and movies are chockfulla beautiful women, but Paulette Goddard in Modern Times is just astonishing. It's like being in love.
A side comment: watching Modern Times so close upon finishing Player Piano emphasized to me just how awful Vonnegut's world would be and exactly why it would be so tempting.
I haven't seen Singin' in the Rain for over a decade which is a shame because I love it (I discovered it in high school and made all my friends watch it for my birthday either just before or after senior year). My mother gave me this deluxe dvd also over a decade ago and it only tonight came out of the plastic so I could show it to the boys. I'm glad to report they enjoyed it. Of course, they loved Cosmo the most.
After my second-ever viewing, the the sunset and modern dance numbers grew tiresome and it wasn't until my most recent viewing that I began to appreciate them. Tonight was the largest screen I've ever seen the film on and it (well, the screen and maybe age?) gave me a much greater appreciation for the modern number.
On the special features (which I've been drooling over for over a decade but, well, you know), I've just paused the series of film clips showing where the songs originated after Broadway Rhythm. It's weird, but I had always thought of the songs being from long before Singin' in the Rain, but Broadway Rhythm was released only eight years earlier---that's the distance we stand today from Scott Pilgrim! So, for all I know, that might still have been the freshest looking thing around.
I'm hardly musical educated. But I know what I like.
And I like this jukebox musical. Somehow, this film that should not have been good, was. And just like Casablanca, a movie that had no right being better than mediocre became one of the greatest of all time.
Sing it.
It's been a long time since I've seen this movie. And the only part I really remember finding funny the first couple times is Keenan Wynn shooting the vending machine. I found it much funnier this time around, but it's still not a film of hilarity for me. I can see how, at a time of ultimate tension, this would have been just the right film. I think had I been around in 1964, yes, funniest film ever.
One thing I find interesting about the film is how the structure of it. The stuff on the plane, for instance, is set up as a traditional will-our-boys-pull-it-off war film. Yet simultaneously, we want them to fail. We want them to both win and die. That's an additional tension to keep things tight and let the jokes ricochet off.
Okja (2017)
The first half of this movie I absolutely loved. The actors are great, the direction is energetic, the film is dripping with fun and just enough style. A corporation has bred superpigs and ten are being raised by farmers around the world. The pig on top of a remote Korean mountain grows up with a little girl and they spend their days together. Okja (the pig) is clearly intelligent---far more than even a regular pig---and their relationship is sweet and strong.
Then the film gets into satire. It's satire of corporate greed seems pretty spot-on. Its satire in science is embarrassingly simpleminded and, frankly, kind of ruins the movie for me. I still like it, but before recommending it I would have to apologize in advance for the dumb way it gets into GMOs and suchlike. It's ... sad.
But it's probably worth it for the sheer joy of those moments unsullied by hamhanded attempts at satire.
It's been a long time since I've seen this film. The Joker and Two-Face interpretations remain excellent. I find though, hearing my kids watch Christian Bale parodies for literally years, has made, at times, Batman himself unintentionally kinda silly. Frankly, this pisses me off.
One thing I love about this film is the ferries scene. It's one of the most optimistic and beautiful things said about people in movies in many a film---and certainly in superhero film. And by people, I don't so much mean individuals, but people.
I did think Ramirez was Renee Montoya, so the turn of her character was a bit of a shock....
Anyway, I miss this movie being new. I miss it filling the air and making us think and feel and fear in new ways.
It's a shame the finale can't compare. I wonder if, with Heath Ledger's survival, that might have been the case.
Paddington 2 ()
I've seen bits (sometimes most) of several movies this month that I haven't recorded---Infinity War, Back to the Future III, Dr Strangelove again), but even if I had seen less of Paddington 2 I might have included it, because it is beauty and joy and it makes me cry. These films are among the best "family" films there are. I rank them with Babe and Pixar's top-enders. They're just dang good. And such terrific casts. And such fine use of CG. You can't say that about every movie, you know. You really can't.
ELSEWHERE/HOME
In its newly-restored-with-lost-footage edition, this is still a long movie. Over two and a half hours. But riveting throughout. Brilliant. I wish the still-missing pieces were intact!
I didn't know it as well as I thought. (Like many old movies, it's one I'd thought I had seen before but clearly had not.) And what I love most is the poetry of the imagery. Fritz Lang is an artist. And while I imagine that silent film, perhaps by its inherent visualness and irreality, is more able to showcase "art," it may actually be that this is the time Modern Art was at its peak. Frankly, although abstraction is shorthand for art today, we're not that bought into it. You can't make this movie today. Even directors with a strong visual style from Wes Anderson to Zach Snyder can't do what Lang is doing.
One interesting thing: the mad inventor has a prosthetic hand. I don't know a tradition from, for instance, Greek myth, for the robot-handed person, but it's huge in film. Did it start here? Both Luke and Anakin Skywalker have a false hand. The burgermeister in both Son of and Young Frankenstein. Dr Strangelove. The villains of both Inspector Gadget and Pound Puppies. It's everywhere!
(Oh! One more! The bands over the lady in the lab are reminiscent of both the monster and the bride of Frankenstein and Leeloo of Fifth Element!)
My favorite actor is Brigitte Helm. Playing both Maria and the robot lets her inhabit completely opposite characters in identical dress and near identical makeup. She's amazing.
Anyway. Nice to have a masterpiece live up to the name!
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
We had to rush out to see this before Netflix pulls it into their prison forever. And I'm so glad we did. Each story is wonderful, and although they are tied together by violence and death and are set in the Old West, otherwise they are startlingly different. Although I probably enjoyed the title story best, I think my favorite tale was that of Alice Longabaugh. And (indirect spoiler alert) I thought for certain we were finally getting a happy ending.
About halfway through, the ending of each story felt like the right way to end the film. But the final story, when it finally arrives, ties them all together quite nicely. It'll unsettle you. You'll want a firm answer as to whether these people are even alive. Are they even alive? You'll want to know.
If Netflix ever lets it out of prison, I'll hope to see it again.
I've only seen this once, maybe twice, nearly twenty years ago. It's good. I still don't enjoy it as much as I once enjoyed Flying Circus, but that's okay. I don't have to enjoy all things equally. It is time for me to watch some of the other movies, however.
One great thing about the Holy Grail, however, is that it is the one Python event practically everyone can swap quotes from. There are plenty of good ones and sharing is fun and thus they are reason enough to priority this movie over all other Python stuff.
Lynsey and I were pumped for this movie ten years ago. Then the reviews were not so shiny and we passed. Until today.
The film's fascinating from a character-development angle. The moments characters' relationships are static moment are excellent---well rounded and believable. But the moments of transition from one type of relationship to another are terrible. Just: really, really bad. Not good.
But most of the movie is pretty great. It helps that Tina Fey and Amy Pohler and Steve Martin and Greg Kinnear are four of my favorite actors, of course. And Sigourney Weaver is great. But if we're counting percentages, most of this movie is good. Only the most pivotal moments tend to fall flat. And really, it's just lazy screenwriting. Although not an example of what I'm talking about, the twist in the last ten minutes works as a twist only because it was so, so, so much lazier than I ever imagined this film would be, even after all the sloppy relationship transitions.
From a writerly perspective, I highly recommend this film just to watch the great and the terrible sit side by side. Entertainmentwise, you could do worse.
The 'Burbs (1989)
I finally got around to watching this movie because two avid movie watchers a decade-plus younger than me love it. Love it! A movie from my childhood which I have no clear memories of people talking about! So, clearly, it was time to watch it.
I started firing it up on Prime and watching it in twenty-minute increments. When Lynsey caught me, she couldn't believe it was watching it without her! She'd always intended to see it. So tonight we started back at the beginning and watched it together.
It's a great movie. The use of sound (effect, music) and the camera are brilliant, hilarious. I need to watch more Joe Dante movies.
(I mean, this shouldn't be a surprise. He is the director of Gremlins 2.)
WarGames (1983)
Believe it or not, I've never seen this movie before. But unlike Cloak & Dagger (which was a bigger deal to my friends at the time), people still talk about WarGames. In fact, the reason I'm seeing it now is because Son #2 is in love with Ready Player One. So why not?
Lady Steed and I missed the first little bit as we were at a high-school play, but I feel like the kids caught me up pretty well. (And I wonder if I have seen the beginning before---that grade-altering scene sounded very familiar. But I suspect that's so because I'm pretty sure the same thing happened in Sneakers ... and maybe Ferris Bueller too?
Anyway, the one thing I knew for sure coming in to WarGames is probably the same thing you know about WarGames: The computer's famous line at the climax of the film. But you know what? Even missing the first half hour, even knowing that line was coming and roughly how it would get there and what would come next---even knowing all these things? It was still a terrific moment of movie magic.
I didn't expect much from WarGames even though it's a well loved film. Lots of films from people's childhoods are well loved. But this was a pretty good movie. And my kids dug it. I finally made them go to bed, but they're planning to get up early tomorrow to finish the special features. That's not something they often do.
So. Does this mean I watch Cloak & Dagger next?
(Aside: Dr Strangelove has been sitting around all month and my kids have expressed some interest in seeing it. WarGames owes a lot [a lot] to Dr Strangelove so maybe I should stoke that interest again and show it to them. I doubt they'll like it as much, but maybe it'll be a nice thing for them to have seen.)
jan feb mar apr may jun jul&aug sep oct nov dec
Nod then laugh/nod then laugh then really laugh then stroke thy chin
094) The Möbius Strip Club of Grief by Bianca Stone, finished November 2
The collection's split into two parts. I is entirely about the titular club save the final poem. II is not about said club until a couple near the end.
The Möbius Strip Club of Grief itself is a nice conceit. It's a play on another poem's title, the author of whom's foundation Stone now runs. In the Möbius Strip Club of Grief, the dead do the entertaining. Most of the poems that explore this place are quite good, though a couple approach fillery.
It was also a surprise to have a Mormon poem:
Back during our brief Mormon days
Mom wouldn't let us go to temple
out in Utah and baptize the dead.
"But I can baptize your father," I insisted,
who'd hanged himself all those years ago.
"He was a Jew," Mom said. "He doesn't want
to be baptized into the three Mormon heavens."
Soon after, we stopped attending, and really
I was glad. I didn't want to baptize the dead so much
as get into a swimming pool and be held down
by a gentle hand of the priesthood.
"Your brother got too serious," Mom said, smoking
in the car in her wool jacket with the elastic loops for
and the flannel insert and loose M&M's in the pockets
(I loved her coat). "He said I was sinning for
drinking coffee." (59)
This is a bit of the third part of "Blue Jays," a paean to Stone's mother. Some of the collection's best lines are in this poem, but, like all of the longer poems, it also has patches that reveal Stone's distinct need for a limiting (and thus liberating) form. By the end of the book, her poetic techniques at times feel like poetic crutches. And the longer poems, in general, come off more as lazy prose than poetry. The reason I quoted only a bit of III from "Blue Jays" is because the rest of it didn't feel that connected. Not lazy prose, in this case, but disconnected. And that might be the same problem---an unwillingness to trim. Use of form would help.
That said, back to the Mormon bit, pretty good, right? Clearly she wasn't an attending Saint for more than a few months, but it's a good poem.
weekish
095) Jokes: Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters by Ted Cohen, finished November 7
I'm fascinated by the science and philosophy behind humor. I love this Wired article, I love Asimov's musings, I love what the Whites have to say. And now I'm charmed by Ted Cohen, philosopher.
Like Asimov (relevant fact: a fellow Jew), Cohen muses at length at the traits and uniquenesses of Jewish humor. On the one hand, is this just because it is their native waters? Or is there really something different? I'm coming to believe there is. I'm a bit unsold by all the reasons proposed, though that soup of reasons is probably more or less accurate. With a book only sniffing a hundred pages to dedicate more than twenty to this question is fine as a case study, but I'm ... I don't know. It's hard, in American culture, in which we are simultaneously aware of these things and attempting not to be to know how to juggle the two demands.
Cohen's arguments regarding jokes (that they signify community, create intimacy, etc) and compelling and he is a jolly host. I'm not interested in reading his book on metaphor and, at least, the essays on baseball and Hitchcock here. Off the library!
probably two years
096) Sunday Funnies by Gahan Wilson, finished November 9
Gary Groth wrote a brief afterword and from it we learn that Wilson doesn't really remember how he started drawing this newspaper strip, which newspaper took it, how many papers carried it, or why he quit. How about that?
The strip is a collection of gags. Some are better than others, a couple are repeated. The strip works best later on as he started matching the gags thematically---sign painters, optometrists, hats. Sentient furniture. Often the final gag is either Future Funnies (a space-themed strip that tells us more about the '70s, naturally) or The Creep (a spy/vampire/weirdo being over-the-top macabre). This strip makes Wilson's role as missing link between Charles Addams and Gary Larson is clear.
Another thing revealed by this collection: that tired gag style of shoulda-been-retired strips still appearing in papers? Either Wilson is satirizing that gag style or it was popular then even when it's grotesque rather than cute.
maybe a week
097) Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, finished November 15
At BYU, I started hearing about the movie. Which I finally saw circa 2001 but barely remember. Mostly Stephen Fry talking about whether or not women have souls.
Some years later I started hearing about the book. With at least the enthusiasm with which the movie had once been discussed. And I developed an interest and a must-someday-read opinion. Well, that day has come. The Relief Society's ancient but unofficial book club selected it and read along with them. And I'm so glad I did.
As a comic writer myself, I don't laugh at books often. Instead, I appreciate them. I see the joke, I nod with professional respect, I mumble things like "Well done" or "What a clever way of doing that" or "Yes, quite funny" and then I move on. I rarely actually laugh. I envy people who laugh at books.
I laughed frequently at Cold Comfort Farm.
One unexpected blow hit me at the end of chapter three as I was walking home. I immediately stopped walking beause it is unsafe to laugh as I was laughing and walk simultaneously. I cried out to the empty air around me such things as "What the---" and "How did she---" and "I can't even didn't---" and other such unprofessional nonsense.
For those who are familiar with the book, I am referring to a certain bovine ailment.
It is a brilliant piece of comedy. So brilliant I, like most readers of comic art, am barely aware after first read of the art. I can smell it under the surface, but I barely noticed it, to be frank. I was too busy trying to marshall all the funny. Which is no easy task, believe me.
The aspect of Cold Comfort I was most looking forward to is that it takes place in the near future. I'm quite fond of near-future fiction. That's largely why the final season of Parks & Recreation might be my most believed final season of a television show. The weird thing was, everytime I mentioned this aspect of the book to its fans, they all told me I was wrong. But then I started reading and a clear announcement that the novel is near-future was in large letters right below the epigraph! What the heck!
The near-future aspect is not glaring, as it ends up. Rich people own personal aeroplanes and you can go in town to use the television-enhanced telephone, and you get details of future history like an annual Spanish Plague and the Anglo-Nicaraguan wars, but it's not much. And the details of life feel, from here, honestly, pre-1932 if anything.
Still. One more thing I like about it.
I reread so rarely I don't want to make a promise, but Cold Comfort is a book I hope I'll reread someday.
maybe two weeks
098) Green Monk: Blood of the Martyrs by Brandon Dayton, finished November 15
I preordered this book shortly after I learned Image was publishing it. I had been trying to follow it online, but it wasn't getting updated regularly and I kept forgetting to seek it out. I was also stoked that Image picked it up. I love Brandon's work and I want it to find a larger audience.
This volume picks up long before the original independently published version---it's an origin story, really. (Upon finishing Blood of the Martyrs, the first thing I wanted to do was reread that first book, but ... I can't find it. Dang it, Theric.) How the orphaned child was raised by monks. How, when he came of age, he first joined the monastery, then had to leave in order to redeem his sins. I loved the in media res-ness of the original, but this is a lovely and moving origin story. I hope it sells well and we get to hear many more tales of the Green Monk in years to come.
(In the meantime, you can read a related story I commissioned for Sunstone 160.)
Labels: comics, five books at a time, mormon arts, poetry
Nod then laugh/nod then laugh then really laugh th...


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Biological toilet is a very important technology for saving the environment in a humanly way. It is a tool that transforms human waste into a valuable soil amendment. They are an alternate to flush toilets. As fresh and pure water is becoming scare in the world, this toilet system helps in saving precious water. Million gallons of water are used every day in flush toilets. If as humans, a little percentage of this water can be saved then the scarcity of water will reduce. As these toilets rely on no water or very little water, the waste is easy to dispose and composting becomes easy.
Composting toilets are quite convenient and easy to use. They look like conventional toilets but used in a slightly different manner. The toilet uses peat moss, saw dust and other dry brown organic matter to create a balance in composting human manure. Composting toilet manufacturers offer different types of biological toilet systems that have different functioning. An important benefit of these toilets is that they prevent contamination of water. Most developing countries face this problem due to lack of infrastructure. These toilets can help to prevent diseases that happen due to water contamination.
People accustomed to using flush toilet will initially face problems with composting toilets. For some it might take some time and adjustment to be comfortable with maintaining and using these toilets. A drawback of these toilets can be said to be the constant attention of the user to monitor the balance of materials. If the compost is too dry it can lead to smell and if it is too moist, it can lead to more smell. Therefore a constant check is necessary to maintain the optimum temperature. Though it may seem very easy for a person to simply flush the waste away, learning to deal with your own waste in a positive manner would help become responsible and at the same time help in aiding the environment.
There are several types of biological toilet models available. These models are available with reputed manufacturers located throughout the world. While shopping for a proper toilet it can become quite confusing for anyone. As these systems come at different prices, they often confuse user on their types. Some toilets are free standing and can be installed anywhere and taken everywhere. These are perfect for use by one or two person. Centralized toilet systems contain a large composting chamber and separates toilet part for use by several individuals. Biological systems are also available for moving vehicles and camping.
Today there are variable tools available in the market that can be used to compose a self made, environment friendly lavatory. People who think buying one is expensive can surely build one, but it is always better to remember that a little expense done now can save you from long time maintenance and trouble. Look for a reputed company offering such products , they offer useful deals from time to time that can help you save some money.


text:
MANSUN TO SPLIT
NME May 2, 2003 4:14 pm BST
The band call it a day after nearly eight years together...
Mansun are to split.
The group had been working on a new album for much of the last year. Last time NME.COM spoke to frontman Paul Draper was in May 2002, when he said Mansun had almost completed 15 new songs.
However the group have "called it a day" after realising "the life of the group had come to an end".
A spokesman for the band said: "After nearly eight years together, they decided that Mansun had run its course and it is time to do other things."
Guitarist Dominic Chad added: "(There's) nothing sinister behind it, it was completely amicable. We all just want to be able to do other things."
The band scored a UK Number one album in 1997 with their debut effort 'The Attack Of The Grey Lantern'.


We saw what appeared to be the new UI that's going to be featured on LG's upcoming LG G3 flagship smartphone. And now it looks like a photo of the back of the handset itself was revealed by GSMarena.
Unfortunately, said photo embedded on the left is heavily altered, and only shows the back of a white G3.
The rear of the handset matches the design of these protective cases that are purportedly made for the G3. We can see a rear camera with a Flash on its right side, and a a mysterious sensor on the left. Below the camera there's a set of buttons similar, and yet different from what we can see on the LG G2, or on the G Pro 2.
Today, we got some New Screenshots of the upcoming LG G3 with latest Optimus UI user interface on KitKat. The screenshots shows a New flat design and confirms the QHD display resolution 2560x1440 pixels.
These screenshots were leaked from a credible industry source. The title "You may want to take an umbrella since rain is expected during this afternoon" on the first screenshot (above) is in fact a New feature, which combines the weather forecast with your habits to provide you with a personalized recommendations for your daily routine.
The overall look and feel of the latest Optimus UI (on top of Android 4.4 KitKat) is very clean and flat, a trend that a lot of manufacturers are embracing. Everything from the icons, launcher and notification drawer is less cluttered and looks very nice.
The quick settings toggles are rounded icons, similarly to the latest Samsung TouchWiz UI on the Galaxy S5. The position of the QSlide Apps remains unchanged, but still, the notification drawer seems too busy for our taste. The LG G3 is expected on June. Stay tuned!
We already have all the LG G3 Specifications leaked which confirms it will pack a QHD display. Today, we've got an even more exiting News... A Photo of the Upcoming G3 Retail Box leaked. the photo shows a Golden box with LG G3 logo on it which confirms there is a Gold Version of the G3 coming very soon.
Like Samsung, HTC and Apple, LG is going to release a Gold version of its upcoming flagship, fashionable color options is invading the smartphones market since last year. The only unconfirmed information about the LG G3 is its weight and thickness.
LG will launch the G3 on an event in on 17,May but the date is not yet confirmed.
We cannot conclude very much about the LG G3 from this photo, but we're definitely looking at a large display (though less than 6-inches), surrounded by bezels that seem just slightly thicker than the LG G2's famously thin side frames. To compensate, the top bezel is heavily reduced, lets wait and see what future leaks will bring us.
We already know that the upcoming flagship LG G3 will be coming with a QHD Display, Snapdragon 801 CPU along with Adreno 330 GPU. Today, we got the first live photo of the LG G3 device itself in white color but it only reveals a small part of the G3's front panel.
The LG G3 rumored specs so far, which also include 3 GB RAM LPDDR3, and a 13 MP camera with OIS+ technology. We've come to expect a 5.5" display from the handset, with the said 1440x2560 pixels of resolution, which returns 538ppi pixel density this will be the highest ever announced on a brand name flagship.


"The Walking Dead" declined a little bit more with its third episode of the season Sunday, but it still had no real competition for the top spot in the cable rankings.
The show drew a 5.7 rating in adults 18-49 and 11.72 million viewers, down from 6.1 and 12.46 million the previous week. Its 18-49 rating was still more than three times better than the No. 2 show, "Talking Dead" (1.8).
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" opened its ninth season on Bravo a little lower than the Season 8 premiere, scoring a 1.1 and 2.59 million viewers vs. 1.4 and 2.97 million last year. "Westworld" (0.7) and "Shameless" (0.5) were both up week to week, as was "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" (0.7).


Above: Remi Racine, CEO of Behaviour Interactive, at the company's headquarters in Montreal.
Game developers usually go through an evolution, growing from a tiny amoeba to a complex organism. That's the case with Behaviour Interactive, a 24-year-old game studio in Montreal that had its first huge original game this year with Dead by Daylight.
The PC title is a multiplayer horror game where a killer played by a real human hunts down four victims (also played by real humans). Starbreeze published the game in June, and it has been growing every month, peaking in October thanks to an update that included killer Michael Myers of the Halloween movies.
The success is a heady moment for Behaviour, which has spent most of its existence as an outsourcing company, making parts of games for other developers or publishers. One of its big successes was Fallout Shelter, the mobile title published by Bethesda Softworks.
But Behaviour now has hundreds of employees and multiple divisions. The company can now make multiple games at the same time even as it does traditional outsourcing.
"Our company has reached a new level of success with Dead by Daylight," said Remi Racine, CEO of Behaviour, in an interview.
During the Montreal International Game Summit (MIGS 2016) event, I visited Behaviour and caught up with the executive team. That included a joint interview with David Osborne and Stephen Mulrooney, chief technology officer and vice president of Behaviour Digital. They talked about how they prototype new gameplay ideas and turn them into full-fledged games like Dead by Daylight.
And I also met with Racine and Jimmy Gendron, head of mobile publishing at Behaviour. Here's an edited transcript of our interview about moving up the food chain in the game industry.
Above: The haunting atmosphere of Dead by Daylight.
GamesBeat: Dead by Daylight seems like a solid new franchise for you guys. How important is it relative to the whole company?
Remi Racine: We've created some IP over the years that weren't really successful. Or they weren't unsuccessful, but they weren't very successful. Wet sold a million units, but to be successful at that time, with that budget, we needed at least twice that. Dead by Daylight is already very successful, and we still have years to go. We're ecstatic about it. It did better in October than it did in all the previous months. It's growing. We started very high in June, slowed down in July-August-September, then jumped up in October.
GamesBeat: The Halloween update probably had something to do with that.
Racine: Right. We have a plan to release DLC through the end of June, a very strong plan. It's a mix of internal and external IP. Some of the DLC will be original and some will be licensed.
GamesBeat: Has the team size gone up since launch?
Racine: Yes. It launched at 25 and we're probably around 40 now. We started this three years ago, when Dead by Daylight was a prototype from Hugo. It created a buzz as soon as we had the first demo. We even had a board game concept to test it out. We do demos in about a month to six weeks, so they're pretty rough. But they're playable. Even at that point, we understood we had something very good.
For us, it's the gameplay first. Then we put in the backstory and the environments afterward. The fact that it's a horror game — at first it was just a game of hide and seek. That was it. Then we felt that, to put some emotion in the game, horror was the right theme for the gameplay.
GamesBeat: It's more interesting than something like Evolve, which had a similarly asymmetric concept, but it didn't last like I thought it would. It was very difficult to play, trying to master what you had to do. Here, my first games, it wasn't hard to pick up.
Racine: Most people can play it, yeah. If you're not afraid — some people get too scared — you're going to have fun. What I like about it, some games you can learn. You master the levels. This one is difficult to learn that way. How many rounds did you play?
GamesBeat: Just once on each side.
Racine: If you try it more and more, you'll see that it's never the same. People's reactions aren't the same. The environment isn't the same. The tactics aren't the same. We saw that even when we were playing the board game.
We went through about 10 prototypes. Seven of them were throwaways. How we do this, the creatives sit down and there's a spark of some idea. Then a team of two does a prototype. We play that prototype and if it's not fun, it goes into the archives, although we might go back to it later. Sometimes you're inspired by events in the world or something and you think, "That'd be a great game," but when you do the prototype it's not.
One idea we had — you know how in the news you hear about brawls at European soccer games? Fans fighting each other. We had a game about that. As much as it seemed like a good idea in concept….
Jimmy Gendron: Fighting in a pub, yeah. It was almost like Clash of Clans with people in a bar.
Racine: But it wasn't fun. You try stuff and you see if it's good or not, and eventually you come up with something. Now we have two ideas that have made it to a point where we've presented them to partners. We want to co-finance those projects, so we're talking with several partners. We'll co-finance and keep the IP. We want to make them like Dead by Daylight, PC first and console after.
Above: Yikes. Dead by Daylight features a killer, played by a human, hunting down four other human players.
GamesBeat: How does Dead by Daylight's success advance your plans along, as far as doing more original and independent projects? Is it going to help you in that direction?
Racine: I think so. Our next game — anybody we approach, they're interested in hearing about it, just because of Dead by Daylight. When we present our next title, some of them will say they don't like one thing or another about it, but most of them understand where we're going because — you could call it the next level of Dead by Daylight.
Gendron: An evolution of Dead by Daylight.
Racine: It's not by the same team, but yeah, you could call it an evolution of the gameplay.
GamesBeat: This was PC first. How are you spread out among the different platforms — mobile, PC, console?
Racine: We're about 40 percent mobile and 60 percent PC and console. Including our work for hire. We're still more focused on PC and console than on mobile. The studio in Santiago does only mobile, though, at the moment. In Montreal there are probably two or three projects. The bigger project is in Montreal.
GamesBeat: Do you have any concern that mobile is changing, or it's gotten too hard to break into? Kongregate just decided to expand into Steam games after having a big focus on mobile. I see a bit more of that happening, with mobile companies going toward VR or going toward Steam or selling to larger companies.
Racine: In mobile you need something huge in terms of marketing to reduce the risk of failure. Our strategy on mobile is to partner with big licenses, both on work for hire and our own mobile publishing strategy. We need a great concept, but also, there needs to be an IP or some kind of marketing that helps you get recognition in the app stores. For us, building Dead by Daylight — if it gets big enough on PC and console, it might be a mobile opportunity, because then it will reduce our risk. But going original on mobile right now — you need a concept that's so strong and so different that the risk is very high.
Gendron: The vast majority of recent mobile games that have made it into the top-grossing spots and stayed there have been either license-based, or they're coming from top publishers with the financial capability to push those games to the top.


text:
Health Security Threat Landscape and the Effects of COVID-19
Jul 01, 2021 | Shanlynn Bias
The United States continues to face diverse and evolving health security threats from a variety of origins such as emerging infectious diseases, natural disasters, and other biological threats. These threats can be natural, accidental, or deliberate as the current health security environment is diverse, complex, and ever changing. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) coordinates the development, implementation, and evaluation of the National Health Security Strategy (NHSS) and National Biodefense Strategy (NBS) in an effort to address these threats and advance the U.S. health security enterprise through prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts.1,2,3
This article is the second in a series of articles aimed to provide education regarding key national health security concerns such as new and evolving 21st century health threats, federal government mitigation strategies used to support state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) authorities, and future health security priorities. If you have not yet read article one, Introduction to the National Health Security Strategy and National Biodefense Strategy, consider doing so for additional background information.
The NHSS offers a health security threat assessment identifying emerging trends in the complex and diverse threat landscape. The 2019-2022 NHSS focuses on threats that have not been emphasized in previous preparedness activities; threats that have evolved or increased in severity; and low risk threats that can potentially have catastrophic impacts. This includes extreme weather, infectious disease with pandemic potential, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats, and cyber and health technology vulnerabilities. Strategic approaches to address this threat landscape are as follows:
Creating distribution networks to incentivize the U.S. health care system to collaborate and function efficiently in matters of national health security;
Capitalizing on the advanced biomedical research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing infrastructure to promote innovation and improvements in the medical countermeasure (MCM) sector;
Empowering communities, family units, and individuals with preparedness and response information to improve their resilience to health security threats; and,
Helping stakeholders and decision-makers understand the real risks from these threats.2
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has further exposed vulnerabilities in national security infrastructure and underscored the need for adaptable, reliable, and resilient medical and public health systems that enable effective response operations. Pathogens with pandemic potential require swift response and simultaneous health threats, such as COVID-19 and coinciding weather disasters, require unique mitigation efforts. In addition, a pandemic event can create opportunities for malicious actors to exploit health security vulnerabilities and catalyze interest in deliberate attacks against the nation.
Critical concerns exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic include:
Disruptions to the medical product supply chain due to dependence on foreign sourcing of raw materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Increased vulnerability to COVID-19 for health disparity populations (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities).
Increased vulnerability of vital public health and health care technology.
The NHSS and NBS have both played an integral role in improving preparedness to disasters and public health emergencies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a strategic approach is being taken to emphasize collaboration between the nation's communities and stakeholder networks to address health security threats, including supply chain, health technology, and health disparities. Several resources are available to help address these areas, including:
COVID-19 supply chain management and drug shortage updates from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.
HHS's Healthcare System Cybersecurity Readiness and Response Considerations.
Health equity guidance and resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What threats are you most concerned about in your jurisdiction or work?
What health security priorities should be included in the next iteration of the NHSS?
How can national strategies such as the NHSS better inform and support your work?
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that there are areas to continue to improve national strategies, and feedback from stakeholders such as local health departments is essential before, during, and after a public health emergency. Response on the local level is critical for the nation's communities' health and endurance. Sara Garrington, the Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager from the Tri-County Health Department serving Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas Counties in Colorado, participated in the 2021 NACCHO Preparedness Summit on-demand session titled National Health Security and National Biodefense Strategy: Adapting to Evolving Health Security Threats When Crisis is Commonplace. ASPR presenters discussed Sara's thoughts on top health security priorities moving forward given the COVID-19 environment and evolving threat landscape.
Per Garrington, "although it is challenging to pinpoint priorities with various future unknowns, it is important for the Tri-County Health Department to focus on being capability-based versus threat-based. All threats are interconnected (e.g., climate change, increase in infectious disease outbreaks, etc.) and how we respond to and mitigate the consequences of these incidents through our response infrastructure is directly tied to our capabilities. Because the future is unknown, there is an ongoing need to continue to build capacity and capability depth rather than plan for the specifics of a particular threat."
As the 2023-2026 NHSS is being developed, ASPR is looking for input from stakeholders on the following:
If you represent a local health department in your area and would like to submit feedback, email [email protected].
Please continue to follow this topic series as we further cover the following features of national health security concerns and corresponding mitigation strategies:
Key Accomplishments and Priorities of the NBS
Examining the National Health Security Strategy Through a Local Health Department Lens
Health Security Issues of Concern from the Federal Government Perspective
Looking to the Future: Informing Development of the 2023-2026 NHSS
1. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. Retrieved on June 7, 2021 from: https://www.phe.gov/about/aspr/Pages/default.aspx
2. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. National Health Security Strategy (NHSS). Retrieved on June 7, 2021 from: https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/authority/nhss/Pages/default.aspx
3. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. National Biodefense Strategy. Retrieved on June 7, 2021 from: https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/biodefense-strategy/Pages/default.aspx
2019-2022 NHSS
About Shanlynn Bias
More posts by Shanlynn Bias
The Essential Elements of Local Public Health provides updates and information from NACCHO's Environmental Health and Infectious Disease portfolios.


text:
require "benchmark"
require "solve"
require "solve/gecode_solver"
require_relative "large_graph_no_solution"
require_relative "opscode_ci_graph"

PROBLEM = OpscodeCiGraph
# PROBLEM = LargeGraphNoSolution
N = 100

def demands
  PROBLEM::DEMANDS
end

def artifacts
  PROBLEM::ARTIFACTS
end

require "pp"

def create_graph
  graph = Solve::Graph.new
  artifacts.each do |name, all_artifact_versions|
    all_artifact_versions.each do |artifact|
      graph.artifact(name, artifact[:version])
      artifact[:dependencies].each do |dep|
        dep_name, dep_constraint = dep
        graph.artifact(name, artifact[:version])
          .depends(dep_name, dep_constraint)
      end
    end
  end

  graph
end

STATIC_GRAPH = create_graph

def solve_gecode
  Solve::GecodeSolver.new(STATIC_GRAPH, demands).resolve({})
rescue Solve::Errors::NoSolutionError => e
  # Uncomment to look at the error messages. Probably only useful if N == 1
  # puts e
  e
end

def solve_ruby
  Solve::RubySolver.new(STATIC_GRAPH, demands).resolve({})
rescue Solve::Errors::NoSolutionError => e
  # Uncomment to look at the error messages. Probably only useful if N == 1
  # puts e
  e
end

Benchmark.bm(12) do |x|
  x.report("Create graph")   { N.times { create_graph } }
  x.report("Solve Gecode") { N.times { solve_gecode } }
  x.report("Solve Ruby") { N.times { solve_ruby } }
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Do NOT camp at this location in the rainy season (June-Nov)! We made the mistake of doing so and our rig was washed away in the middle of the night. Water rose about 1 foot within a few minutes, very scary! We are lucky we woke up and noticed it and got out on time, but our trip had to be ended because of it. We could tow our car out when the water went back down the next day, but all our interior and many possessions were damaged. Be very careful and ask the locals if you're not sure. If we had asked, they would have told us camping here was a stupid idea.


Tool for your research on books and journals in stock of the library of the UAS Ingolstadt and KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. In addition, you can order those titles, that are not available in Ingolstadt via interlibrary loan.
Via this Link you can also use e-books outside the campus.
Informations about alloys, supplier and others.
Rights-cleared images for non-commercial use.
Dictionary with specialized vocabulary in more than 20 languages.
Structured collection of terms which you can use for your research.
Collection of terms from technology and management.
Collection of economic terms inside the Business Source Elite Database.
Multi-disciplinary database containing full-text information from more than 2,100 journals. (Quick help ASE (PDF)).
Collection of databases on all subjects (german language).
Worldwide largest collection of case studies from economy. Cases only purchased in context of a teaching course. For this purpose the lecturers can contact erwerbung@thi.de. Students can only use the research tool.
Your access to revenues for the largest 6,735 online stores worldwide.
Central gateway for a broad range of economic information.
Explore and analyze how consumers think.
Detailed and up to date: References and full texts from science and practice.
Take advantage of our databases for company and market data.
Please use our german language offer.
Information from the Association for Computing Machinery - top in electrical engineering and computer science (Quick help ACM (PDF)).
Portal for Renewable Energy Technologies.
Portal for science and technology.
Technical papers, standards and e-books dealing with the subject automotive and aerospace engineering.
DEAL negotiations. As a result you have no access to the current articles in Science Direct.
Furthermore you can use Science Direct as a research tool and you have access to our current E-Books.
Database of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office for online searches on patent publications from around the world (Quick help DEPATISnet (PDF)).
Patent publications of the European Patent Office.
DIN standards (including DIN EN, DIN EN ISO and DIN ISO) and VDI guidelines in full-text as well as evidence of other standards (Quick help Perinorm (PDF)).
Attention: Please use for Perinorm the Internet Explorer!
Access to VDE standards is only possible with a single license on a PC in the entrance hall of the library.
Website of the Federal Statistical Office Germany.
Leading Statistics Portal with data on 600 international industries (Quick help Statista (PDF)).
Information of the Statistical Offices of federal and state government.
Financial database with information on more than 10 million companies from 41 European countries.
Information about Bavarian companies, research institutions, specialised government agencies and associations.
Over 11,000 scientific journals on various topics.
Overview of approximately 100,000 journals, partly in full text.
Access to more than 4,000 journals from 97 countries in 54 languages.
Breaking news from world newspapers.
Access to E-Book in Computer Sciences.
Access to E-Books with specialized content.
More than 700 E-Books in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
E-Books of highly specialised engineering and technology content.
Selected E-Books of the Computing and Engineering Collection.
Selected E-Books in Computing, Engineering and Technology.
E-books, videos and tutorials in german and english.
This library offers the subjects economics and computer science.
Selected E-books in mobility engineering.
Fulltext Search of licenced E-Books and E-Journals puplished by Springer.
Deepest multidisciplinary collection of E-Books and E-Journals.


text:
Inky Pursuits, April 2022 round-up.
April 30, 2022 April 30, 2022 ~ rupertarzeian ~ 8 Comments
Here it has been an extraordinary week for new arrivals. I have just totted up that, of about 13 fountain pens acquired so far this year, six arrived in the last week.
I have been feeling very satisfied with my pen accumulation and had resolved to try not to buy more pens this year, (or inks or note books for that matter). Indeed it is very nice to be able to reduce the number sometimes. Four of the pens that I bought early this year, have been gifted to others, which gives joy to both parties.
But in case this sounds boastful, the pens that I gave away were all modestly-priced (but in my opinion, very presentable) pens, namely two Online Campus Fluffy Cat editions, one Cross Bailey Light (of which I am a big fan) and one Delike New Moon, the latter being a spontaneous give-away for which I immediately bought myself a replacement.
Compare this then, with my good penfriend and penefactor in Australia, who sent me an unexpected package containing three vintage Montblanc pens and a Waterman, knowing that I had been feeling under pressure at work lately.
Some of these pens will be given their own early thoughts reviews in due course, but for now here is a look at the recently incoming!
Speedball 1.1mm calligraphy pen.
This was a spontaneous purchase, which came about whilst browsing in a large art supplies store called Great Art, Kingsland Road, in London's trendy Shoreditch. Speedball is a new name to me but an American brand established in 1899. I saw some of their dip pens hanging up on the shelves, and then found their Calligraphy pen sets, available in either 1.1, 1.5 or 1.9mm stubs. I have a hard time resisting a cheap calligraphy pen, as this purchase shows. Also it was reduced from £11.99 to £8.99. I chose the 1.1, thinking it would be good for letter writing. It came with two standard cartridges, of black ink. I couldn't wait to try it out and even popped a cartridge in whilst waiting for the train home.
A Speedball, calligraphy pen with 1.1mm stub.
Ink soon started to flow, and the nib looked to be well set up, and ground to a comfortable writing angle, and with corners that were not too sharp. The pen is rather plasticky, with two gaping holes as ink windows in the barrel. The section is of plastic, and has four "ribs" to aid grip. One annoyance was that with one of the supplied cartridges installed, the section would no longer screw back fully into the barrel but left a tiny gap. It transpired that the cartridge nozzle was just slightly longer than usual. I ditched the cartridge and popped in a cartridge of Graf von Faber-Castell Cobalt Blue, and suddenly all was well and the section screwed in all the way.
Also the name of a cocktail of drugs, I was horrified to learn on Googling.
Delike New Moon, fude nib pen.
This pen has been a revelation, a surprise discovery of the year so far. Having given mine away I ordered a replacement and more photos of this can be seen in my previous post.
Majohn P135, fude nib pen.
Whilst ordering the replacement Delike New Moon on Amazon, I came across this interesting pen. It had a fude nib, (similar to the Delike New Moon's nib) but was in a blue barrel with a shiny metal end piece, and a hefty metal cap, deeply engraved with some shapes. The design was very suggestive of the Montblanc 146 "the Little Prince" edition which features references to the well loved book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Let's say the P135 is a "homage" to that.
Majohn P135 fountain pen.
The pen is more weighty than the Delike New Moon. I have not used it very much yet (mainly because the Delike New Moon is so good). It is just a little on the short side unposted, whilst posting the metal cap makes it back heavy. The nib tines were not completely level and there was a slight prominence on one side with a sharp leading inside edge to the tipping which caused it to feel scratchy in cross-strokes. It can probably be improved easily by a little smoothing on the micromesh pads.
Another homage pen.
Montblanc 34.
And now here is a proper Montblanc! This was in a wondrous package, which arrived out of the blue from my friend in Melbourne, who knows of my new-found liking for oblique nibs. This one has a juicy oblique double broad in 14k gold, and is a piston filler, with a screw cap and a blue plastic ink window. It may date from the 1960's and yet seems to be in great condition. I have inked it with Pelikan 4001 Konigsblau and it promises to be a great letter writer.
Montblanc 34, piston filler with an OBB nib.
Montblanc Carrera.
As well as the Montblanc 34, I was given a Montblanc Carrera fountain pen, with a matching ball point and a new Montblanc refill! This model was unknown to me but I am told they were "cheap" school pens, at the time, with stainless steel nibs but which are now sought after on ebay. It has a brushed steel barrel, a metal cap which has a smart gun-metal finish, a distinctive pocket clip with holes in it (as I imagine an accelerator pedal on a feisty Italian sports car) and the Montblanc white star emblem on the finial. This one is a cartridge converter pen. I have popped in a cartridge of a dark orange in from Paperchase. It writes well for me, in my lefty-overwriter mode although you need to find and keep it at the best angle, or sweet spot for smooth writing.
Montblanc Carrera with steel OB nib.
The matching ball pen is very nice to have and is unusual for Montblanc in having a clicky action rather than twist action. I have never owned a Montblanc ball pen before. The metal grip section is slippy and also tapers towards the tip, whilst the top part of the pen is of black plastic. The blue refill writes super smoothly and needs barely any pressure. Again, it has the Montblanc emblem on the push button, which is very cool.
With matching ball pen.
Waterman Hemisphere, Havana brown.
Finally, I was given this Hemisphere, which my friend tells me is a pre-2010 model and slightly wider than the current Hemisphere models. The mottled brown lacquered barrel and gold coloured trim look very elegant and vintagey. It has a steel nib, a medium which writes very well. Early impressions are very favourable and I can see myself enjoying this one too. I plan to ink it up with some Waterman Absolute Brown.
Waterman Hemisphere.
And so, my pen cups runneth over. I feel extremely fortunate. Many of these pens would be enough for anyone and would last a lifetime, but having them all to pick from, is an abundance of riches.
A good mail day! 🙂
More thoughts on the Delike New Moon fude nib fountain pen.
April 28, 2022 ~ rupertarzeian ~ 6 Comments
My previous post was about my Delike New Moon, a fude nib fountain pen that I had bought on Amazon not long ago. That pen was a great success and I enjoyed using it.
I no longer have it, as I gave it away to a young lady who was serving me in the phone shop, helping me to renew my mobile phone contract. Fountain pens came up in the discussion as I mentioned that I probably used the phone more for Instagram and the internet and other functions such as photographing pens, than I did for making phone calls. She immediately lit up and told me that she liked to use a fountain pen too. I showed her the couple of pens that I had with me, one of which was the New Moon with its unusual fude nib. After I had talked about the pen so enthusiastically, it seemed a good idea to give it to her and I knew that I could easily replace it.
Writing sample – all from one Delike New Moon with fude nib.
The best endorsement I can give for the New Moon is to say that once I no longer had one, I immediately ordered another one. I would not say that about all of my pens.
The delivery time from China was estimated at about six to eight weeks but as before, the pen arrived about a month earlier than expected. I was glad to see that my second New Moon's nib was also set up perfectly and wrote every bit as wonderfully as the first one. The acrylic body of the pen, with its random patches of green, brown, purple and turquoise was of course different as each one is unique but the overall look was the same.
My second Delike New Moon pen.
I have only these two New Moon purchases to go on but have been delighted with them both. As a lefty overwriter, I have a number of pens which work well for me in overwriter mode, and others that write better in an underwriter style, but the New Moon is equally at home whichever way I write with it. You also have the option of producing several different line widths, all from one nib which is very useful but also a lot of fun. For its modest cost it represents great value. I shall try to hold on to this one.


text:
Tico Poulakakis
In the past few years Tico has gone from one of our most in demand commercial DPs, to one of the most in demand television DPs. His TV credits include Season 2 of the Starz/Freemantle/Playtone TV series AMERICAN GODS, which has gained wide acclaim, Season 2 of the Warner Bros/Jerry Bruckheimer series LUCIFER for Fox, Sky's series THE FIVE, NBC's HANNIBAL (2nd Unit) and SyFy/ Atlas's 12 MONKEYS (2nd Unit). Tico also lensed the feature films I'LL FOLLOW YOU DOWN, directed by Richie Mehta and IN RETURN with Director Chris Dymond.
His commercial campaigns include prestigious brands such as Audi, FedEx, Volkswagen, Tropicana, Bombardier, McDonalds and Captain Morgan, to name a few.
Tico Poulakakis | Website


We exceeded our campus goal of 350 shoe box gifts for Operation Christmas Child and collected 405 boxes this morning!
Our collection service and students are scheduled to be featured tonight on WLKY-32 during a portion of their evening broadcast between 5-6:30 p.m. (be aware that any story is subject to being pre-empted). Any coverage should also be shared on their website in the next few days.
In addition, WHAS-11 broadcast Great Day Live! was here this morning for our collection service. We are hopeful that their coverage will be placed on their website in the next few days as well.
Thank you to everyone who gave so generously to the ministry of Operation Christmas Child! Because of your gifts, 405 children will have the opportunity to hear the saving message of God's love for all of us and the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.


SOLD OUT! (Back In Line CEDAR RAPIDS PICK UP LOCATION) A TASTE OF SPRING: 4 weeks of beautiful lettuce, spring greens, asparagus, and rhubarb.
4 weeks of lettuce, spring greens, asparagus, rhubarb and other veggies (beginning in May). Back In Line – Cedar Rapids Pick Up Location.


text:
Silver BookMedicaid Costs, Slowed Progression
Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease: How a treatment by 2025 saves lives and dollars
Innovative Medical Research
Medicaid Costs, Slowed Progression
Alzheimer's Association. Changing the Trajectory of Alzheimer's Disease: How a treatment by 2025 saves lives and dollars. Washington, D.C.: Alzheimer's Association; 2010. http://www.alz.org/documents_custom/trajectory.pdf
Researchers have found how to manipulate embryonic stem cells to form dopamine-producing brain cells. This new source of cells could someday be used to replace cells lost to Parkinson's. [ Get More Details ]
It is imperative to weigh costs of implementing new technologies for predicting onset of Alzheimer's disease through biomarkers and delaying onset earlier against the potential benefits of improving health. Overall…	[ Get More Details ]
A treatment that delayed the age of onset of Alzheimer's disease by five years would reduce the proportion of Americans age 65 and older with the disease from 10% to…	[ Get More Details ]
If the progression of Parkinson's disease were slowed by 50%, there would be a 35% reduction in excess costs. [ Get More Details ]
If an Alzheimer's disease treatment breakthrough that delayed the age of onset by 5 years was introduced in 2015, by 2050 out-of-pocket costs for individuals and families dealing with the…	[ Get More Details ]