According to Politico.com, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), unhappy with the witnesses slated to testify at Wednesday's Judiciary Committee hearing on guns, will hold her own hearing on her proposed ban on assault weapons.
… Wednesday's witnesses include NRA President Wayne La Pierre; Mark Kelly, husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, Nicholas Johnson, law professor at Fordham University School of Law; James Johnson, chief of police for Baltimore County; Gayle Trotter, general counsel of the conservative Independent Women's Forum.
That witness list looks pretty balanced to us. I guess she's upset there are ANY pro gun witnesses addressing the committee.
Can't have all that fairness clouding the debate.


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Opinion: One-third of Canadian seniors who rent or pay a mortgage are struggling to pay their bills
Canadians need to take steps to better address the financial insecurity of seniors. Otherwise, Canada may encounter a growing tide of desperate seniors in the near future.
The Conversation Feb 22, 2022 9:10 AM
Many Canadian seniors who rent or pay a mortgage are having trouble making ends meet.PamelaJoeMcFarlane/E+/Getty Images
Seniors are being forced out of their homes due to rent increases. They're having trouble finding new, affordable accommodations. And the rent for senior housing can be more than a pension pays.
Our recent survey shows that these aren't isolated incidents. Many Canadian seniors who rent or pay a mortgage are having trouble making ends meet.
In September 2021, we worked with the Angus Reid Forum to survey over 4,000 people. We asked people from all across Canada between the ages of 65 and 85 about their recent financial experiences — whether they had trouble paying for bills, necessities and whether their debt had increased.
And our results were consistent and disturbing.
Cutting back
Many seniors are struggling to pay bills. Over a third of older adults who rent or pay a mortgage reported trouble paying bills, while only about 12 per cent of outright homeowners struggled with their bills.
And they're not just struggling with rent and mortgage. Seniors are also having trouble affording basic necessities, like food. We asked people about eating less than they thought they should because of a lack of money — over one-quarter of renters and almost one-fifth of people paying mortgages reported having eaten less. Meanwhile, less than 10 per cent of Canadian homeowners also reported cutting back on food.
Medical care is another big issue. With Canada's publicly funded healthcare system, it may seem like seniors shouldn't have trouble affording medical care. But many still do, and paying for a home is a major risk factor.
We asked people whether they delayed or skipped medical care or prescriptions because of the costs. About 13 per cent of outright-homeowners told us they had. Almost double for those paying a mortgage and it was even worse for people paying rent. About one-third of senior renters had trouble affording medical care or prescriptions.
The finances of seniors who rent or pay a mortgage also got worse during the pandemic. Over 30 per cent reported increased debt in the past year. While only about 12 per cent of outright-homeowners reported greater debts.
Reigning in rent
The financial plight of renters and mortgage-holders is likely to become an even more pressing issue. Larger groups of people are entering their senior years, while more seniors are being burdened by debt than in the past.
Some provinces are trying to address these issues by reigning in rent increases. Provinces like British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island (PEI) restrict how much landlords can raise rent — these limits are usually between one and two per cent.
But rent control isn't enough. When finances are stretched so thin, even small increases in housing costs may be a serious threat to financial stability. Rent control also won't help people who pay a mortgage and mortgage-holders are subject to fluctuations in interest rates that can increase required payments.
Building more housing is also unlikely to be a solution because supply of housing is only one factor in housing prices. Also, landlords still need to take in enough rent to cover the costs of building and operating rental housing — that limits how much rent can decrease, even if new rentals are built.
This is why greater directed subsidies to assist financially vulnerable seniors may be a better solution. Financial supports can contribute to helping older adults avoid having to choose between keeping a roof over their heads or food on the table.
The federal government is taking steps to assist financially vulnerable seniors. Supports for those aged 75 and over are increasing by 10 per cent in July 2022. But this change won't help those younger than 75.
Although government support for low-income seniors has increased in recent years, it clearly isn't enough. And financial shortfalls are forcing many seniors to make tough decisions when it comes to being able to afford a home or other needs.
Alex Bierman has received funding from SSHRC and the CIHR. He is a member of the American Sociological Association, Association for the Sociology of Religion, Religious Research Association, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion,and Inter-University Seminar on the Armed Forces.
Yeonjung Lee receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
'Significant challenges': Metro Vancouver rental market tightens, vacancy rates cut in half
'It wasn't the same as the photos': Mom swindled in Burnaby bait-and-switch rental scam

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Liverpool sell 22-year-old fullback to Scottish Premiership outfit
Farrell Keeling
Follow @farrellkeeling
Liverpool fullback Tony Gallacher has parted ways with the club following a four-year spell in Merseyside, linking up with St. Johnstone.
This comes from the club's official website, with the 22-year-old joining the Scottish outfit as their second signing of the winter window.
The left-back understandably struggled to break into the Reds' first-team – a position heavily contested by world-class option Andy Robertson and superb understudy Kostas Tsimikas.
READ MORE: 'I'd be hating' – Pundit weighs in on 'tradition' Jurgen Klopp will rue as Reds face 11-point mountain to climb
Whilst it's always a shame to see a young talent go in a different direction, we can certainly admire the Academy star's decision to see more regular first-team minutes elsewhere.
At his current age, Gallacher has what we hope will prove to be a long and successful playing career ahead of him in the Scottish Premiership.
There's no doubt the defender will have learnt plenty from his experience in the Academy and being around players like Robertson and Tsimikas over the years, and we'd like to take the opportunity to wish him the very best of luck for his future.
#Ep28 of The Red Nets Podcast (Special Edition): The Koppies Awards…
More Stories: Liverpool, Tony Gallacher


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5 reasons I still use the Echo Show 15 everyday
By Patrick Hearn July 3, 2022
The Echo Show 15 first released in December 2021. Much of the initial conversation around the smart display was that it was a large novelty — a huge display that didn't have the same functionality as the Echo Show 10. It released in the midst of the work-from-home surge, and without video conferencing capabilities, the Echo Show 15 just didn't seem like it offered much.
Widgets. Widgets everywhere
That couldn't have been further from the truth. The large amount of screen real estate introduced a lot of utility that previous models didn't have. Widgets make it one of the most useful smart displays I've ever used, and that's saying a lot for someone who routinely works with these devices.
I have the Echo Show 15 on my desk, and a Nest Home Hub relegated to a far corner.
I review a lot of smart devices. A lot. Most of them don't get used terribly much beyond the first couple of months. If it doesn't fit into my day-to-day routine or benefit my workflow in any way, it gets boxed up and put into storage.
The fact that the Echo Show 15 still retains a place of pride on my desk says a lot about its utility. The smart display had a lot to offer when it first launched last year, and is even better now.
I have four widgets displayed on my Echo Show 15 at all times: My to-do list, my calendar, the recipe of the day, and my shopping list. Two are work-related, two are home-related. I do the cooking in my house, so dinner ideas are always welcome when I need to look away from the monitor and focus on something else. I can always add items to my shopping list as need demands.
My to-do list is linked through Todoist, so I have easy access on the go, in my browser, or anywhere else. I can even cross out items straight from the Echo Show 15. My calendar widget helps me stay on top of meetings, upcoming deadlines, and more.
There are several other widgets (and Amazon has added yet more), but these four I find myself using all the time.
My Echo Show 15 screen is divided into two sections. Half of it is for widgets, while the other half is a digital photo frame. I keep pictures of my wife, my cat, and family and friends on it in a constantly rotating slideshow.
It's just a touch of home in an office space that's otherwise work-focused. At the bottom of the photo display, the Echo Show 15 also shows the time, current weather, and outside temperature. Given that it's summer here in Georgia, that number isn't always something I want to see.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, or so they say. The Echo Show 15 is a great tool for entertainment, and its video options range from YouTube to Hulu, Prime Video, and more.
For the most part, I use it for YouTube. It's nice to have a visualized soundtrack in the background (yes, I'm old enough to miss the Windows Media Player visualizations), and I almost never work without music. Even just an image of rain falling out a window while music plays over it is better than a lifeless speaker thumping out beats.
But it's also nice for catching an episode of whatever my current binge-watch is during lunch.
My entire home runs on Alexa. Though I have both Google Assistant and Siri set up for testing purposes, I use Alexa to control my security cameras, lights, and more. The smart home control section of the Echo Show 15 lets me see the current status of every connected device at a glance.
I can turn things on and off, dim the lights, and much more with just a few taps. This is ideal for turning the lights up in the middle of a meeting when I don't want to provide vocal commands to Alexa. The rest of the time, keeping the smart display on my desk makes it incredibly easy to just ask Alexa to do anything I need her to do.
The final reason I continue to keep the Echo Show 15 on my desk is for the sake of security. As long as you have a compatible security camera, you can ask Alexa to show its feed on her display via picture-in-picture.
When I hear my doorbell ring, I just ask Alexa to show the feed. If it's a solicitor, I can safely ignore it, especially in the middle of a busy workday — but if it's a delivery person, I can go sign for the package. It's also useful for checking on any motion that triggered a security camera without reaching for my phone.
The Echo Show 15 is one of the first truly useful smart displays, at least in my opinion. It goes beyond just a display — it offers a lot of utility for day-to-day workflows. Combined with its facial recognition features (which let it distinguish between myself and my wife and show us each our individual to-do lists), it's a powerhouse for the entire household.
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The event was hosted in Gurgaon and saw participation of over 1,000 people from across Delhi and NCR.
The steering committee has been calling the state government's loan waiver scheme as one that has cheated the farmers.
Organised by Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, event also saw participation from senior citizens.


Welcome to The New Post-Literate: A Gallery of Asemic Writing. This gallery serves as a base for an international group of artists, writers, readers, and viewers. I am currently seeking submissions for April 2019. Please send your submissions, under 8mb, as jpgs, gifs, and png.
Available Now! from Post-Asemic Press!!
Available Now! From Post-Asemic Press!
Visit My Cyberspace Studio @ Ello!
The Moria asemic issue is now live!
CRUISE T-SHIRT - #5 in the Whitehouse collection is now available! As usual, a limited edition of 100 with numbered tags.
visual sound drawings - A selection of visual sound drawings, 2018, ink on polyester film / 16x20"
"your skin, a kind of detonated tulle" - "your skin, a kind of detonated tulle"
Visual Poetry Mailart Exhibit at Skylab!


Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Medium warning signs with RH. Click here to check it out.
RH is a luxury retailer operating in the $109 billion home furnishing industry. The company offers merchandise across many categories including furniture, lighting, textiles, bath, decor, children, and more. RH innovates, curates, and integrates products, categories, services, and businesses across channels and brand extensions (RH Teen, RH Modern, and Waterworks, for example). The company is fully integrated across store, Web, and catalog channels, with around half of sales from the direct-to-consumer channel.


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Гео́ргий Фи́рсов:
 Фирсов, Георгий Гаврилович (1902—1990) — советский библиотековед, библиофил, преподаватель и филателист.
 Фирсов, Георгий Кириллович (1908—1995) — советский футболист, футбольный и хоккейный тренер.
 Фирсов, Георгий Фролович (1917—1960) — заместитель Главного конструктора НПО Энергомаш.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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If India's Credit Rating Gets Downgraded..
Posted on June 2, 2020 June 2, 2020 by Puneet Agarwal
It is happening again. In 2012, we had Fitch downgrading its India's rating outlook to Negative. In 2020, we now have Moody's downgrading its rating from Baa2 to Baa3. What would would this mean? This post aims to demystify the importance and actions of Rating agencies. It will also try to reflect the consequences of a rating downgrades and upgrades on the direct financial well being of a country and its indirect impact on the residents. However, just an important point before we move ahead, Moody's rating downgrade aligns its rating given to India with other reputed rating agency. India post this rating downgrade is at 'Investment Grade'.
Challenges Imposed Under Covid
The scale of Global humanitarian, medical and financial tsunami brought in by COVID is unprecedented. The first priority of any Government has been to ensure the medical, followed by financial well being of its residents. The large scale lockdowns spanning over 2 months in India has hit both the business communities as well as the individuals on their financial budgets.
While COVID was on the doorsteps of India, the economic situation of the country was already reeling with a multi-year slow down triggered by extreme shocks in past couple of years from events such as Demonitisation, GST, massive Credit frauds caused by IL&FS, excessive defaults and NPAs for banking sector, not to mention collapse of Yes Bank and DHFL. A combined impact of all this was impacting the revenue source of the country via a weaker Tax revenue which does not give india much of a head room for finance dole outs like any other Country. The Finance ministry would have been in a Catch-22 situation. If they give a massive dole out, it would need to stretch beyond its purse risking its Credit Rating. If they don't, the residents would be hit.
Credit Rating Agencies (CRA)
CRAs are corporate bodies who have over a period of time earned a reputation of being able to analyze the financial well being of Individuals, Corporate Bodies and Countries. Amongst the list of credible Global Credit Rating Agencies are S&P (Standard and Poors), Fitch Ratings, Moody's Investor Services, etc. In India, CRISIL, CARE, India Ratings and ICRA are the reputable CRAs.
CRA review the financial position of entities to identify their credit worthiness and the ability of any entity to meet it's credit obligations. How do they do that ? Simply putting how would you identify if a person is credible enough to repay his debts ? Analyze existing incomes, expenditures, available assets, liabilities and future earning potential of a person and you would get a good idea about the person's credit worthiness. The same applies for a country. Does the country earn enough income via taxes so that it can meet its expenses such as subsidies, interest payments, infrastructure programmes, etc ? If its incomes are less than its expenses, it must be borrowing money to meet its requirement. Is the country borrowing more than more than its sustainable level ? If the country's growth rate is fast enough, then it should be alright for it to borrow now as the same can be repaid in future by the growth it achieves. But what if the growth slows down and the Country continues to borrow ? This is where the CRAs may start becoming uncomfortable and would challenge the Country's rating.
The end product of a CRA is reflected in the form of a Credit Rating. It is a rating scale which reflects the credit worthiness of the entity. Generally these scales are in the form of alphabets and numbers. Comparative ratings scales of the three major Rating agencies is below. The most broad categorisation is Investment Grade and Non Investment Grade. Further, the investment grade is broken down into granular ratings as detailed in the chart below
A bit in detail for Moody's is below
Source moodys.com
So when a CRA says that they have downgraded an entity, it would mean shifting down lower in the table of their Ratings. In the example above, it would mean from BBB to BB or from AAA to A. It would entail that the respective entity's financial health has deteriorated and the entity can no longer sustain the benchmarks of the respective credit grade.
Illustration of Country Credit Ratings
You may be wondering what's India's comparative ranking amongst other countries in the world when it comes to Investment based credit rating. The info graphics below showcase S&P ratings of all countries as of Mar 2019. AAA (Dark Green) is the highest rating, while CC/D is (Black) is the lowest. India is at BBB (Amber).
Wikipedia : Countries by Standard & Poor's Foreign Rating (March 2019)
How are the Ratings Used in Practise ?
All the financial institutions in the world analyze the credit worthiness of the Countries in which they want to take investment exposure. For example, before taking a decision to invest in India, the respective investment bank would want to analyze India's credit worthiness to conclude if it would be a good investment or business outcome. In order to perform the analysis, financial institutions build comprehensive credit analysis decision models in which one of the key input is also the rating issued by reputed CRA for the respective country.
Hence if a CRA downgrades a country's credit rating, it would feed into the credit analysis models of all major financial institutions across the globe and the consequences can be any or all of the following :
Expensive Credit – This is the first and the most obvious change which happens as a direct consequence of a downgrade. If a country's credit rating is downgraded, it becomes more risky in comparison to the peers. The lenders would want to get more return for the increased risk they have to take to lend a downgraded country and the corporates residing in the country. In a worse case situation, the funding to a downgraded country may also get stopped as not all institutions intend to invest in countries which are below 'Investment Grade'. A rating downgrade can also have a negative impact on the prevailing Government Bond yields (interest rate), increasing the borrowing cost by the Government. The government bonds are considered as the 'risk free rate of return' in a country and all other borrowings in the country get benchmarked against the risk free rate of return. An increase in the risk free rate of return will eventually drive up the rate of borrowing within an economy.
Less allocation of investments and Capital – International investment banks & pension funds diversify their investment allocation across different countries to reduce the risk of excessive exposure to a single country on the overall portfolio. The credit rating of a country widely influences how much percentage of the funds would get allocated to a specific country. Generally, low risk countries enjoy higher allocation of investments compared to high risk countries. If a country gets downgraded, it would result in reshuffling of investments from the respective country in favour of other countries and hence preventing any further flows of capital into the downgraded country.
Flight of Capital Outside India – If a country gets downgraded, international institutions would revisit their investments in such country and it is likely that they may want to trim their holdings in the downgraded country and invest it in other countries. This would involve a flight of capital from the country, negatively impacting the Balance of Payments position of the country
Currency Depreciation – If country's credit ratings downgrade has an immediate impact on the depreciation of its currency as a downgraded country would have find lesser demand for its currency. For more details on currency depreciation, please read Rupee Depreciation- – How Does it Affect YOU.
Rating Downgrade of the Corporates – Many financial institutions across the globe follow a principle – Credit Rating of a Corporate can not be greater than the Credit Rating of the respective country in which they reside. As a result, irrespective of the credit worthiness of the Company, they face the credit rating downgrade hammer. This reduces their ability to raise finances at a competitive rate from foreign sources at a cheaper rate and hence increasing their overall borrowing costs.
Downgrades are Not Permanent
Though it is vital to know the consequences of a credit downgrade on the country and the residents, but at the same time it is important to know that a downgrade is not permanent. It comes when the financial position of a country deteriorates. If the associated elements which have resulted in the deterioration of the financial position are rectified, the health will get restored – resulting in reinstating of the credit rating – or a Credit Rating Upgrade. For now, it is a wait and watch game to see how fast the economy comes back to its foot after the COVID shock.
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The Commission approves an application for a broadcasting licence to operate a regional, video-on-demand service largely composed of feature films.
The Commission further approves the applicant's request to distribute programming that contains commercial messages where those messages are already included in a program previously aired by a Canadian programming undertaking. The program's inclusion as part of the video-on-demand offering must be in accordance with the terms of a written agreement entered into with the operator of the Canadian programming service that broadcast the program. The program must be subsequently offered on an on-demand basis at no charge to the subscriber.
The Commission received an application by Wightman Telecom Ltd. (Wightman) for a broadcasting licence to operate a regional, video-on-demand (VOD) programming undertaking to serve Clifford, Teeswater, Mildmay, Neustadt, Gorrie and Ayton, Ontario.
The applicant indicated that the new VOD service would consist primarily of feature films but may also include other types of programming such as long-form documentary, drama, comedy, and general entertainment and human interest.
the program is offered to subscribers on an on-demand basis at no charge.
Wightman stated that it would provide closed captioning of its VOD programming to serve the needs of viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. The applicant committed to ensure that 100% of all English-language titles in its inventory are closed captioned, beginning in the sixth year of the licence term. Wightman also indicated that a minimum of 55% of all English-language titles in the inventory would be closed captioned beginning in the fourth year increasing to 65% in the fifth year of the licence term. However, the applicant did not commit to abide by these levels by condition of licence.
Wightman stated that it would attempt to make its VOD programming accessible to persons with visual impairments through audio description and endeavour to obtain titles with video description (also known as described video) where possible and practical. Further, the applicant proposed to work with its program suppliers to meet industry standards with respect to described video services.
The Commission is satisfied that the application is in conformity with the licensing framework for VOD services set out in Public Notice 2000-172. Accordingly, the Commission approves the application by Wightman Telecom Ltd. for a broadcasting licence to operate a regional, video-on-demand programming undertaking to serve Clifford, Teeswater, Mildmay, Neustadt, Gorrie and Ayton, Ontario. The terms and conditions of licence are set out in the appendix to this decision.
The Commission has approved a number of applications for amendments to the broadcasting licences of VOD programming undertakings to permit them to offer programming that includes commercial messages subject to the same criteria as proposed by Wightman. In these decisions, the Commission indicated that the approval of these applications "would not represent a significant departure from the Commission's framework for the licensing of VOD undertakings."
In light of the above, the Commission also approves the addition of a condition of licence authorizing the applicant to distribute programming that contains commercial messages where those messages are already included in a program previously aired by a Canadian programming undertaking, the program's inclusion as part of the VOD offering is in accordance with the terms of a written agreement entered into with the operator of the Canadian programming service that broadcast the program, and that program is subsequently offered on an on-demand basis at no charge to the subscriber. A condition of licence to that effect is set out in the appendix to this decision.
Issuance of the broadcasting licence to operate a regional, video-on-demand programming undertaking to serve Cliffton, Teeswater, Mildmay, Neustadt, Gorrie and Ayton, Ontario.
1. The licensee shall adhere to the Pay Television Regulations, 1990, as amended from time to time, with the exception of section 3(2)(d) pertaining to commercial messages and section 4 pertaining to logs and records.
3. The licensee shall maintain for a period of one year and submit to the Commission upon request a detailed list of the inventory available on each file server. The list must identify each program by programming category and by country of origin, and indicate the period of time that each program was on the server and available to subscribers.
11. The licensee shall adhere to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Equitable Portrayal Code, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission. However, the application of the foregoing condition of licence will be suspended if the licensee is a member in good standing of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.


General information about the various mods available to 4x4 vehicles covering pros and cons to assist in the decision of "Is this the right mod?"
PAOLI, Pa. (April 18th, 2019) – In this episode of AmericanTrucks' (AT) 'The Haul' YouTube Series, Adam Maqboul talks truck lift kits; specifically, lifting a 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500. With 6" lift kits being one of the most popular sizes in AT's catalog, Adam produced this video to highlight an effective solution to making clearance for larger wheels and tires in the Silverado's notoriously square wheels arches.
PAOLI, Pa. (April 16th, 2019) – In this episode of ExtremeTerrain's (XT) "Throttle Out" YouTube series, host Merideth Evasew selects her top picks for the first 5 mods you might want to do to your JK Wrangler. With the latest generation JL Wrangler taking a lot of the spotlight, this video shines light on the longest running generation of the Wrangler since the CJ. From Jeep Armor to Jeep Wheels and Tires, Merideth covers it all in this episode of XT's Throttle Out.
Top Modded Gladiator Concepts Explained + Giveaway!
PAOLI, Pa. (April 9th, 2019) – With the official release of the highly-anticipated Jeep Gladiator, this year's Easter Jeep Safari (EJS) in Moab, Utah is all about Jeep Truck inspired concepts. In this episode of ExtremeTerrain's (XT) Jeep News, Ryan Huck brings his perspective in describing and critiquing the top-6 Gladiator concepts at EJS.
Avon Lake, OH, (April 1, 2019)…DEI is pleased to launch the DEI Garage Video Series to help customers understand the right way to improve the comfort of their vehicle, protect them from damaging heat and reduce noise and vibration. The company's YouTube channel currently includes over 100 videos with playlists like the DEI Garage Series, DEI's Installation and Application series, in addition to tech tips that explain in detail how to properly use and install exhaust wrap, or how to block heat and vibration from transferring into the interior.
PAOLI, Pa. (Mar 12, 2019) – In this episode of ExtremeTerrain's (XT) "Throttle Out" YouTube series, Ryan Huck visits Teraflex in West Jordan, Utah to talk all about Jeep Wrangler shocks. From piston size and valving, to materials and real-world testing, Ryan spends some one-on-one time with Teraflex's Chief Technology Officer, Paul Cox, to discuss the three different shock styles before testing them out for himself in the frozen Utahan wilderness.


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Culture Calls Set To Promote Chimanimani Tourism
By Steve Ephraem
WHILE most of us acknowledge that we are living in a global village where people of different cultures live together and interact, the sad story comes when we look at how our young generation is alienated from their African identity.
When it was said that globalisation should make people tolerate each other's cultures, it wasn't said that one has to first destroy the indigenous culture, therefore adopt a foreign one. If people claim anything along those lines, it will be just hiding behind the finger.
Even if the young generation has lost touch with the African culture, there are some positive developments that are taking place in the eastern border region.
Youths in Chimanimani have embarked on a journey to restore the pride of African culture under the banner called, Culture Calls.
Tinovimbanashe Hilda Tendeukai, the secretary of the group, told Post on Sunday that their program is to empower Chimanimani rural communities through cultural tourism.
"Culture Calls shall be operating in the Chimanimani communities and seek ways of preserving African culture and heritage by so doing boosting cultural tourism.
What we are simply saying is that communities should benefit through upholding to their culture.
"We want communities to return to their basics. Our culture has conservation methods. This is what we want to promote and keep our place attractive to tourists. We want the young generation to at least appreciate the good aspects of our culture," said Tino.
Born in Chipinge 21 years ago, Tinovimbanashe herself loves to be identified with her culture.
"Personally, I love African traditional attire which identifies me as an African.
Our African culture has norms such as respecting our parents and elders, respecting our bodies and respecting other people's belongings, and conserving nature, to name just but a few.
"Promotion of cultural attire, is one way we convey to the world that this is our identity so visit us and experience our African dressing in particular and the culture at large," she added.
Culture Calls shall market Chimanimani culture on various digital platforms.
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Alejandro Buchner was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
At a young age, he felt he could express himself best through art. He began drawing and sculpting and it became clear that he had a natural talent. He studied visual arts at La Universidad de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
After years of working in the industry; storyboarding and advertising in Buenos Aires, and a set designer in Paris, France he moved to California. There he found himself wanting to focus his attention on more education in Sculpture, Drawing and Painting.
Studying at the Florence Academy of Art during the summer of 2017, and previously at Concept Design Academy and 3 Kicks Studio in Pasadena and Gnomon School in Hollywood, he has been able to increase his skills and technical level.
Alejandro is currently teaching Fundamentals of Figure Drawing, and Figure and Portrait Sculpture at Laguna College of Art and Design in Laguna Beach, Ca. He also teaches small group sculpture classes at his studio Alejandro Buchner Sculpture Studio in West Hollywood, Ca.
Alejandro uses the human form as the foundation for his work. He finds this the most natural way to communicate beauty through exploration, discipline and a true understanding of human anatomy.


One of San Francisco's most unique real estate assets: a merged, 4,000±sf colossal loft in a rare warehouse conversion building ideally located South of Market. ByantLoft's massive size, layout, hi-tech infrastructure and amenities designed by renowned architect Jim Jennings create the ideal space for igniting collaboration, entertaining and living for start-ups, incubators, teams, or as an entertainer's San Francisco home.
Most recently home to a technology & creativity incubator where award-winning film technologies were conceived, BryantLoft's infrastructure includes residential space, studios, a theater and multiple offices.
A direct entrance from Bryant Street introduces BryantLoft's dramatic architecture & uncommon scale. The Foyer leads to several multifunctional Offices, Studios, Kitchen & two full Baths. Throughout, form & function integrate among partitions, privacy switch glass & exposed vintage brick and timber. A 17ft. ceiling showcases a Great Room that enables several Entertaining/Collaborating Areas and a platformed Dining/Conference space. To entertain, black out shades & screen descend to view theater-quality images from an ultra-high-density projector. Ascending the steel stairway & catwalk on the Mezzanine further expands usage opportunities. The Master Suite includes an impressive Bath, large Walk-in Closet, multiple flat screen TVs and an adjoining Lounge, currently styled as a one of several Collaboration Spaces.


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Q: Hiding code when php field doesn't have value I need to hide the code if a PHP field value is empty.
Here's the code:
<?php if( get_field('volunteer_causes') ): ?>

Volunteer Causes

                    <?php
                    $terms = get_field('volunteer_causes');

                    if( $terms ): ?>

                        <?php foreach( $terms as $term ): ?>

                                <?php echo $term ?>

                        <?php endforeach; ?>

                    <?php endif; ?>

As it is, if there's no value in the 'volunteer_causes' field then the HTML will remain.
I've tried using echo for each line containing the HTML.
Example: <?php echo '
Volunteer Causes
'; ?>
However, this changed nothing.
This method works to remove all code when there's no value present in the field:
<?php if( !empty(the_field('volunteer_causes')) ): ?>
... however, my HTML is missing when the values do show up.

A: You can shorten this by assigning in the if and you may have forgotten to close the first if:
<?php if( $terms = get_field('volunteer_causes') ): ?>

Volunteer Causes

            <?php foreach( $terms as $term ): ?>

                    <?php echo $term ?>

            <?php endforeach; ?>

<?php endif; ?>

A: Try This

  <?php

   $terms = get_field('volunteer_causes');

   if (!empty($terms)) {
    echo
     '
Volunteer Causes

';
     foreach ($terms as $term) {
      echo
       '
' . $term . '
';
     }
     echo
     '
';
   } else {
     echo '
No Record Found
';
   }
 ?>

A: I ended up paying someone $5 on a freelancer site to get it to work. This is what they came up with and it works!
<?php
$volunteer_causes = get_field('volunteer_causes');
if($volunteer_causes[0]){ ?>

Volunteer Causes

<?php
$terms = get_field('volunteer_causes');

if( $terms ): ?>

<?php foreach( $terms as $term ): ?>

<?php echo $term ?>

<?php endforeach; ?>

<?php endif;
}
?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Information published on 20 March 2018 in the UIC electronic newsletter "UIC eNews" Nr 589.
Railway Talent's 4th networking and collaborative event to be held on 20 September 2018 in Berlin
Rail Event
Railway Talents
For its fourth meeting, Railway Talent invites you to Berlin on the occasion of the Innotrans event.
The 4th networking and collaborative event, organised in partnership with DB, ETCR and UITP, will focus mainly on the theme of Innovation.
Understanding the needs and desires of customers, as well as the user-centred development of products and services, is essential to business success.
In this seminar, you/your employees will learn about the "Design Thinking" innovation method and thus get a feel for its potential applications.
You will experience design thinking through hands-on exercises, reflect on the potential together, and get a sense of the different uses of this innovation method in your business.
The training will be followed by a "get-together" snack/dinner.
Don't wait and register now as the number of seats is limited:
https://events.uic.org/4th-talent-collaborative-and-networking-event
You can find more information in the dedicated flyer:
https://uic.org/com/IMG/pdf/depliant_railway_talents_sept2018.pdf
For further information please contact Nathalie Amirault, Head of Expertise Development:
amirault@uic.org
www.railtalent.org
https://uic.org/expertise-development-training
10th UIC World Congress on High Speed Rail to be held from 8 – 11 May 2018 in Ankara, Republic of Turkey Collaborative interoperability through ERTMS basic e-learning module Don't forget to register for the 5th UIC Asia-Pacific Control-Command, Signalling & Telecoms Workshop from 3 – 4 May 2018 in Sydney, Australia Finland: Study on the Arctic rail line completed: Kirkenes routing to be examined further Horizon 2020 EU-funded project NeTIRail-INFRA to hold its final conference on 24 May 2018 in Ljubljana, Slovenia Instagram account of the week Kazakhstan: IT Council of JSC NC KTZ develops technological platforms in the railway industry Latvia: Organisation has begun to operate container train through Baltic States Only a few days to go before the 1st UIC Global Signalling Conference! Station Managers' Global Group (SMGG) met on 12 and 13 March in Paris, France at the Gare & Connexions (Stations & Connections) Office
e-News articles with keyword Training
First UIC TrainRail Hackathon held at the University of Žilina in collaboration with the ASTONRail Eramus+ project (12 January) UIC Africa: 1st cycle of the Training session on Management of Railway Projects Organized by UIC, ONCF and SNTF (29 November 2021) UIC's partner, the Railway Training Institute (IFF), is ISO 21001-certified by AFNOR (10 November 2021) Railway engineering: play and learn (15 October 2021) Seventh UIC ASEAN online meeting on expertise development and training held on 14 September 2021 (12 October 2021)
e-News articles with keyword Promoting
Slovenian officially becomes the 24th language published in RailLexic online (17 January) UIC International Sustainable Railway Awards postponed to 1 June 2022 (17 January) "Delivering Multimodal Door-to-Door Travel Services": executive report published on UIC website (11 January) Connecting the world of Railways – a conversation with François Davenne, Lucie Anderton, and with the participation of Members and partners (15 December 2021) 14th International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) 9 June 2022, Denver (USA) (8 December 2021)
e-News articles with keyword Railway Talents
First UIC TrainRail Hackathon held at the University of Žilina in collaboration with the ASTONRail Eramus+ project (12 January) Save the date: UIC to launch its first in a series of Trainrail hackathons on 26 November (23 September 2021) Kick-off meeting of TEDP (Talent & Expertise Development Platform) new working group "Future of work and training" (22 January 2019) Anniversary event of Women in Transport – EU Platform for Change (4 December 2018) 5th UIC World Congress on Rail Training: call for abstracts postponed until 12 October 2018! (18 September 2018)
e-News articles with keyword Rail Event
UIC opens its fourth Security Week from 18 – 21 June 2018 in Paris (19 June 2018) VNIIZhT, the largest Russian Scientific Research Institute of Railway Transport, celebrates its 100th anniversary (24 April 2018) UIC participates in European Rail Safety Summit in Dubrovnik (17 April 2018) UIC participates in European Rolling Stock Forum held on 21 March 2018 in Warsaw (27 March 2018) Railway Talent's 4th networking and collaborative event to be held on 20 September 2018 in Berlin (20 March 2018)


ARE YOU A POSTGRADUATE STUDENT AT QUEEN'S?
The Learning Development Service supports undergraduate students in Queen's. If you are a postgraduate student and require academic skills support, please contact The Graduate School at pg.skills@qub.ac.uk.


text:
Kyle Busch A Weekend for the Red, White, and Blue
Getty Images for NASCAR
The last weekend in May always has special meaning to Americans, for whom it is a time to remember and honor the soldiers who lost their lives while serving in the United States military.
For race fans, in particular, the weekend is uniquely special in that America's fallen soldiers are honored in the many festivities surrounding what is widely recognized as the biggest racing weekend of the year. In the United States, the racing day starts at historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the iconic Indianapolis 500, and finishes under the lights at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway with the longest race of the Monster Energy NASCAR's Cup Series – the Coca-Cola 600. Not only are they famous and historic racing events, but both host many active duty military and both have traditions that honor soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
With that, a familiar way of honoring fallen soldiers returns with the NASCAR Salutes program over the summer, beginning with this weekend's Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR Salutes at Charlotte features "600 Miles of Remembrance," during which each car in the field will carry the name of a fallen soldier on the windshield. Busch has the honor of displaying the name of SGT Eric Toth on his M&M'S Red, White, and Blue Toyota. Toth, a native of Glasgow, Kentucky lost his life in Iraq in March 2005.
In addition to honoring a fallen soldier, the No. 18 M&M'S Red, White and Blue Toyota Camry features a patriotic paint scheme itself that celebrates M&M'S Red, White and Blue Mix.
Busch will look to honor Toth and all fallen soldiers with a strong run in his patriotic scheme, and he'll be heading into the 13th points race of the season still looking for his first points-paying win at Charlotte.
Busch actually broke through in the Cup Series at Charlotte in the last year's non-points All-Star Race for his first Cup Series win of any kind at the 1.5-mile oval. Ever since his childhood in Las Vegas, some of Busch's favorite race-watching memories came during Charlotte's iconic Coca-Cola 600 and All-Star Race during the month of May. He dreamed that one day he, too, could be the one hoisting the trophy at one of stock car racing's most hallowed grounds, and he finally accomplished that goal with last year's All-Star win at Charlotte.
He now has his sights set on Charlotte's biggest prize – a Coca-Cola 600 win. In his 28 previous Cup Series starts there over the past 12-plus seasons, Busch has managed to enjoy plenty of success on the oval nicknamed the "Beast of the Southeast" with 11 top-five finishes to go with his 16 overall top-10s. In addition to solid Cup Series finishes, Busch has captured eight NASCAR Xfinity Series wins – May 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2010, October 2008 and 2009, and both May and October 2013. He also has seven NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins at Charlotte – 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2017.
So, this Memorial Day weekend, Busch will look to accomplish a career goal – a win at the only track among the 23 on the current Cup Series schedule where he has yet to visit victory lane in a points-paying race, and at the same time honor Toth and all troops who have given the ultimate sacrifice, as well as all those who continue to serve America and the Red, White, and Blue.
« Daniel Suarez Scoring a First Menards/Knauf Ford To Remember Leevi Barnard In Coke 600 At Charlotte »


text:
sound_type snd_make_buzz(long n, rate_type sr, double hz, time_type t0, sound_type s_fm);
sound_type snd_buzz(long n, rate_type sr, double hz, time_type t0, sound_type s_fm);
    /* LISP: (snd-buzz FIXNUM ANYNUM ANYNUM ANYNUM SOUND) */

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This motivational print features a collage of good advice from top professionals. Whether you are starting a new job or looking to take your career to the next level, this print is a beautiful way to receive great and practical work tips to get you ahead of the curve. This print is available in 2 color options.


Eliminate paper, increase productivity and ensure precise MP2* data.
MVP Capture, an MP2 add-on, is a barcode software solution that works with wireless barcode scanners to track complete and accurate data. Updates are instantaneous and immediately reflected in MP2 and on each wireless handheld device – devices never have to be cradled. Work orders, equipment, parts, etc. are identified with a barcode label. Personnel simply scan the barcode label they need to enter, eliminating all data collection and entry errors while saving significant time and money.
Parts & PO Receipts: 100% of all parts transactions are tracked, making inventory management easy. Downtime due to out-of-stock parts and costs associated with overnight deliveries are minimized, if not eliminated.
Meter-based PMs. Set meter-based PMs to generate based on the no. of outputs, cycles, hours, etc. instead of a calendar date to prevent equipment from being over-maintained – only maintain equipment when truly needed.
Predictive (PdM) Work Orders: Set limits for measurements such as temperature, vibration, current, etc. to get notified when equipment is on its way to failure before actually failing.
Green Movement: Eliminate paper and the costs associated with buying and processing it.
Increased Productivity: More time becomes available to ensure higher levels of uptime and customer satisfaction.
Maintenance and facilities personnel no longer have to go back to the shop to update work orders or to obtain new job assignments.
Parts personnel no longer have to go back to a computer to update part check outs, returns, counts or receipts.
Data: All transactions are complete and accurate, resulting in precise report data needed for optimal decision-making.
Contact us today for more information or to schedule a demo!
*MP2 is a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), also known as an enterprise asset management (EAM) system or a facilities asset management system (FAMS).
* In addition to the hardware listed above, MVP Capture will run on any barcode scanner with Windows Mobile 5 (or newer).


text:
27/05/1986 Video game Dragon Quest is released in Japan
Dragon Quest is RPG video game and the first in the Dragon Quest media franchise. The game was published by Enix in Japan. In the game, players control a hero character who is charged with saving the Kingdom of Alefgard and rescuing its princess from the evil Dragonlord. Dragon Quest was a commercial success with more than 2 million copies sold.
Playing11:15
DRAGON QUEST - Evolution (2015 Ver.)
[MSX2] Dragon Quest (1986) (Enix)
Dragon Quest - Did You Know Gaming? Feat. JonTron
Spike Chunsoft
Video Game Facts
Development and release
Reception and sales


text:
Only A Real Nascar Fan Will Know These 17 Facts
by Nabeel Malik
The concept of motorsports isn't new. In fact, it's been around ever since men learned how to drive. Currently, there are quite a few of them out there, but perhaps, one of the most well known is the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, also known as "NASCAR."
What started out as a small band of thrill seekers in the 1940s has now turned into a racing empire worth a billion dollars. The league currently sanctions the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck series with the France family as the majority owners of the league. It now has millions of fans all over the world, and surely, where there is popularity, there's also controversy, and NASCAR has surely had a fair share of those. Ever since its inception, there have been events and drivers whose names have stood out among some of the most controversial tales in NASCAR history. That's why we did some digging and came up with 17 of the most famous controversies that have surrounded NASCAR in the past and in recent times. So, whether you're a fan of NASCAR or motorsports in general, you want to sit down, relax, and enjoy this one!
17 Controversies With Tony Stewart
Via insurancejournal.com
Off the track, Tony Stewart is a nice, funny, and generous guy. On the track, however, he has an entirely different persona, a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sort of situation. This Tony has a terrible temper, and you don't want to piss him, off even in the slightest.
Throughout his racing career, he was notorious for starting fights with other drivers and even members of the press.
In 2009, Stewart stopped racing himself and became a team owner, something that most people thought would help calm him down, but things couldn't be more opposite. He still doesn't hesitate in punching journalists or other team owners. Very recently, after a race event in California, Stewart didn't even think twice before starting a fight with Joey Logano after accusing him of foul play.
16 The 2016 Sprint All-Star Disaster
The year 2016 was full of some of the craziest controversies in NASCAR history. One of these was the Sprint All-Star race, and while everything should've been fine, things didn't really go according to plan because Sprint and NASCAR decided to move some of the rules around.
Teams had to make multiple pit stops, and the field was shuffled, which resulted in a lot of confusion among the drivers. Chase Elliott even ended up causing a huge crash during the event. To decide the number of teams that needed to pit before the final segment, Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers was called to pull a random number. The notorious Tony Stewart remarked that this was one of most screwed-up All-Star races that he had been a part of.
15 Angela's Motorsports Never Really Happened
Via motorsport.com
Do you remember Angela's Motorsports? Well, it's okay if you don't because the whole thing was a disaster from start to finish. The story begins with Fatemeh Karimkhani, who also went by the name of "Angela Harkness," and when she was working as a stripper in Austin, Texas, she ended up meeting the branch vice president of Well Fargo, Gary D. Jones.
Together, they formed Angela's Motorsports for which they ended up purchasing cars from Robert Yates Racing. They assembled an excellent team and made a debut at the NASCAR Busch Series in 2002. Something that both of them didn't realize, however, was that staying in the NASCAR business required a large sum of money—$6 million, to be exact. This was an amount that the owners didn't have, and Angela Motorsports ended up being kicked out of the league.
14 Jeremy Mayfield's Problems
Via sportingnews.com
The story of Jeremy Mayfield is a sad one involving numerous drug-related scandals throughout his life. Initially, he was notorious for squabbling with his own teammates and switching teams every now and then, something which would cause a lot of trouble for so many other people.
His career, however, came to an end when NASCAR decided to suspend him indefinitely on May 9, 2009 after he failed to pass a methamphetamine drug test. He continued to plead innocence after that, but soon, other scandals came to light, one of the most notable ones involving his arrest for possession of drugs and stolen property. We can only hope that he's able to kick his drug addiction and return to the world of NASCAR someday in the future.
13 Manifold Controversy At The 2007 Gatorade Duel
The 2007 Gatorade Duel was one that proved to be the setting of yet another big NASCAR scandal and controversy. During the event, a penalty of 25 championship points was put on Evernham Motorsports after officials had discovered an illegal modification done by the team.
Countless individual penalties were also handed out, including those to Kenny Francis and Robbie Reiser, both of whom were penalized 50 championship points. The competition director of Michael Waltrip Racing and Michael Waltrip himself were ejected from the track after an unknown substance was discovered in the intake manifold of their car. What's crazy is that the same thing was found in their backup car after which the drivers who were involved were suspended from racing.
12 Lee Petty's Aggressive Attitude
Via bigracenut.com
The Petty family is among some of the most well-known family names in the history of NASCAR. They were also one of the first few people to take part in racing as a means of living, and it all started with the great Lee Petty.
He was a pretty controversial figure during the 1950s simply because of his aggressive style and attitude when he was out on the track.
This obviously didn't sit too well with some of the other racers since Petty would often put his and their lives at risk. In 1957, NASCAR decided to issue him a warning with a letter which read, "We have received a great many complaints this season about rough driving on your part, and they are now piling in so fast and from so many different directions that it is going to be necessary for someone to put the 'eye' on you for the next several race meets."
11 Richard Petty's Big Engine Fiasco
Via foxsports.com
This was perhaps one of the biggest cheating incidents to occur in the history of NASCAR. At the time when Richard Petty was racing, the legal engine size allowed by the league was 358 cubic inches.
Turns out that the car Petty was driving had a much larger engine, 31 cubic inches larger, to be exact.
Later, it was also discovered that Pretty's pit crew had also cheated by placing left-side tires on the right side of his car, something that would provide him with an additional advantage on the track. One would assume that Petty's win would've been canceled right there and then, but instead, NASCAR went on to maintain it saying that they didn't want fans to read about a change in the decision on the media.
10 The Curtis Turner And Tim Flock Union
Via nascar.nbcsports.com
In September of 1961, two drivers by the names of "Curtis Turner" and "Tim Flock" decided to form a union with some of their other fellow drivers. It was called the "Federation of Professional Athletes," and the point behind it was to start a movement that would result in bringing to effect better conditions for the race drivers.
Many of them were interested in the idea and ended up signing on to the union; however, Bill France decided to ban both Turner and Flock from NASCAR.
His famous statement, which went something like "After the race tonight, no known union member can compete in a NASCAR race. And if this isn't tough enough, I'll use a pistol to enforce it," effectively put an end to the union. The drivers were reinstated later on and were allowed to resume racing.
9 NASCAR's History Of Racism
Via aljazeera.com
The 1960s in the United States were not too great, especially with racial tensions at an all-time high. Minorities, and more specifically black people, had a difficult time settling into and participating in white-dominated sports, and NASCAR was no different.
Promoters for NASCAR weren't very comfortable with the idea of Wendell Scott, who was a black man, standing in the winner circle and ending up kissing a white beauty queen during the celebrations. This is probably why Scott's win in Jacksonville was completely ignored even though he had done two extra laps compared to the crowned winner, Buck Baker. Four weeks later, however, the decision was overturned, declaring Scott as the winner of the Jacksonville race. Baker also accepted this decision and didn't contest Scott's win.
8 Clint Bowyer And The Richmond Scandal
When Clint Bowyer and his team decided to pull this stunt off, they seemingly forgot that there was a camera inside the car as well. In a chase for the Sprint Cup at Richmond, Virginia, Bowyer decided to purposefully spin his car out, which resulted in a caution when there were only seven laps left.
The ensuing sequence of events forced Jeff Gordon to be removed from the race, causing Bowyer's teammate to win as a result. The maneuver by Bowyer famously became known as "The Itch" since Brian Pattie, Bowyer's crew chief, asked him to itch his arm, which was obviously a cue to spin the car out of control. This event was regarded as one of the most unsportsmanlike acts in the history of NASCAR.
7 The Environment Doesn't Really Matter
Via sportsblog.com
Climate change has slowly become a global issue, and regardless of whether you believe in it or not, many big corporations are now actively involved in looking out for the environment and reducing our carbon footprint. In the automotive industry, this is being done via the introduction of hybrid and electric cars, so surely, a racing league as big as NASCAR would have some rules in place for emissions, too, right?
Well, sadly, the league has no regulations when it comes to reducing emissions or pollution.
It remains an independent and unregulated entity outside the control of the Environmental Protection Agency. Equipment such as catalytic converters or other devices that could help reduce emissions isn't used in NASCAR, which is a shame, really, since this is a billion-dollar racing empire.
6 Bad Decisions And An Ugly Business Structure
Via orlandosentinel.com
Ownership and decision making is one thing about NASCAR that has remained controversial ever since the inception of the league in the late 1940s. Unlike some of the other sporting leagues where owners and players are supposed to split the proceeds and then bargain for contract rights, majority ownership for NASCAR has always been with the France family.
This also means that the league provides the participants with almost little to no bargaining power. The influence of the France family also exists outside the league where they've silenced entire television shows that went on to criticize the league's policies and regulations. This abuse of power and putting the family's interests before anything else is proof of a bad business structure and decision-making strategy.
5 Drivers Failing The Laser Inspection Station
Via autoweek.com
Another huge controversy that popped up in the year 2016 was related to the Laser Inspection Station, a piece of equipment that's supposed to measure the body length of the car in a very precise manner. This usually isn't a problem; however, this time around, multiple drivers failed the LIS, including Chicago Land Speedway winner Martin Truex Jr.
Turns out, Truex had failed the test by only 0.030ths of an inch, but despite this, fans started questioning his credibility, which led to the adjustment of penalties by NASCAR. This essentially allowed almost all the drivers to pass the inspection with the only exception being any car that was well beyond the given size limits. Thankfully, all talks of this controversy soon faded, and the season resumed with its full glory.
4 Safety Issues Over Lug Nuts
During the racing season of 2015, NASCAR decided to loosen up on the policy of having all five lug nuts fully secured on each wheel of the car before heading out. In early 2016, Tony Stewart, whom we've already talked about in some of the previous entries, had returned from a back surgery and believed that the lug-nut issue was serious and could result in a major accident.
Shortly after Stewart's comments, NASCAR reinstated the penalty for any loose or missing lug nuts and sent out a memo to each team, asking them to ensure the safe and secure installation of all the lug nuts. Elliott Sadler ended up being affected by the penalty after two of the lug nuts on his car were found to be loose, also resulting in the suspension of Kevin Meendering, his crew chief.
3 The Notorious Dale Earnhardt
Via usatoday.com
Dale Earnhardt is known by many as a racing legend at this point; however, what some people might not know is that he was a very controversial figure when alive. He was hated by pretty much every other driver out there on the track simply because of his aggressive driving style.
Because of this, he had also earned the nicknames "The Intimidator" and "The Man in Black." Earnhardt knocked other drivers out of the way and didn't really care about the consequences. Despite all of this behavior, Earnhardt became an icon of NASCAR after his tragic death in a crash. Controversies related to him still exist. Even after his death, there were several lawsuits that occurred regarding safety equipment for drivers, and more recently, it's been about whether or not to retire his racing number from the Sprint Cup.
2 Junior Johnson's Personal Rule Book
Via meridian.net
Junior Johnson simply didn't have a care in the world. The consequences of an action would simply be the last thing on his mind despite being aware of the fact that he could get into trouble. He was once arrested and spent a year in prison for carrying illegal moonshine. So, what does he say after he was released? Well, he simply stated that he could use a drink.
According to him, his philosophy had always been the "win at all costs" type and that failure was never an option.
After his career as a racing driver, he went on to become an owner and, in fact, was one of the first people to own two teams simultaneously. He had memorized the entire NASCAR rule book and would always use any shortcuts that he could find while still staying within the realm of the given rules.
1 Tim Richmond And His Battle With AIDS
Via nascar.com
During the 1980s, there wasn't much research that had been done on AIDS, and to a lot of people, this new disease was quite scary. Due to his flamboyant and playboy-esque lifestyle, Richmond was eventually diagnosed with AIDS in 1986, a revelation that took the NASCAR world at the time by storm.
Richmond attempted to make a comeback in 1988; however, NASCAR officials refused to let him compete unless he decided to release all of his medical records. Richmond was obviously quite furious over this but decided to drop from the radar until 1989 when news of his death was announced. At the time, he was only 34 years of age, and his legacy went on to inspire the famous Tom Cruise movie Days of Thunder.
10 Best 80s Driving Songs, Ranked
10 Cars From the 80s That Everyone Forgot Existed
10 Unsettling Images Of Cars Covered In Disgusting Bugs
Gender Reveal Goes Horribly Wrong As Family Car Catches Fire
10 Most Realistic Car Tuning & Racing Games For Real Gearheads


text:
Genesee Community College's Nursing Program Receives
Genesee Community College has received notice from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc. that it has approved the College's associate degree in Nursing for continuing accreditation. This letter follows an in-depth evaluation process and assessment of the quality of Genesee's long-standing and successful Nursing Program. Members of the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission were on campus in October 2004 to meet with numerous members of the College's nursing staff, tour the classrooms and laboratories, and also receive comments about the Nursing Program from the public.
Accreditation is a self-regulatory process by which institutions and academic programs are periodically reviewed and assessed against given standards and criteria ensuring quality. The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the national accrediting body for all types of nursing education programs. Through the accreditation process, institutions improve their programs and determine how to best allocate resources for progressive academic learning outcomes. The NLNAC accreditation review process of Genesee Community College occurs once every eight years. It is closely tied to the state examination and licensing rules, and to the oversight of preparation for work in the profession.
"We are always pleased to receive information from accrediting agencies that study our programs and evaluate student outcomes," said Dr. Claudia Moore, Genesee's Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs. "We value recommendations and see them as opportunities to further enhance the education of our students and their preparedness for life-long meaningful careers."
Genesee's Nursing program is one of the College's earliest academic programs to be established, and has graduated over 1200 nursing students through the past three decades. Approximately 60% of the health care professionals at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia are alumni of Genesee Community College, and graduates are also working in hospitals and health care facilities around Western New York.
The College's two-year Nursing program trains students in the wide array of nursing specialties, including emergency care, geriatric, pediatric, maternity, nurse practitioner, educator, as well as home-care and hospice care. The program offers students an integrated approach to learning, combining nursing theory and lab time with supervised real-world clinical experience on the site of regional health service providers. Upon graduation, Genesee's Nursing program students are well prepared to pass the national Registered Nurse licensing examination.
For further information on Genesee's Nursing program go to: http://www.genesee.edu/academics/programs/Health/Nursing/


Detect would like to welcome Bishopsgate School as a new client. At Detect we work with many Schools, Colleges and Universities providing part or all of their Fire and Security requirements.
The school motto is Nil Nisi Optimum which means nothing but the best and we are sure that Detect fits in with these standards.
Bishopsgate School is a thriving co-educational preparatory school for 370 children, aged from 3 to 13. Set in 20 acres of beautiful woodland close to Windsor Great Park. The emphasis is on happiness, well-being and a lifelong love of learning.
Karen Stacey our Business Development Manager for the Surrey contacted the school and identified that there was a need for an efficient, simple door access system, Detect were there to help.
Thirteen doors, across the sites three buildings, are now controlled by Net2, Paxton's flagship access control system. Net2 is a user friendly and flexible networked access control system designed to make the management of any building incredibly simple.
The external doors of the main building are secured using Net2 plus controllers, to allow the children to move around freely. The use of cards in place of keys means that all of the pupils and staff can easily move about the site, whilst reducing the cost of replacing lost keys and increasing peace of mind that the school will remain secure.
If you are an educational establishment and would like our help please contact us.
"All here at Langrish House are very grateful for the manner in which the works were handled." NEC Talbot-Ponsonby Director. Langrish house Hotel Ltd.


Produktinformationen "2017 GA Kites Watts"
The Watts is defined by its double concave channel and wood core construction which make it the perfect crossover between freestyle and freeride. It not only has a huge range of use but can handle a massive wind range.
The wider tips and the double concave deliver incredible upwind abilities and early planing at the same time.
The controlled pop is perfect for huge boosts but also suits unhooked tricks. If you look for big controlled carves with some extra spray this is your board. A smooth but direct board with a huge range of use.
Weiterführende Links zu "2017 GA Kites Watts"


text:
"""Library handling the model agnostic TensorFlow graph.

Model Agnostic Prediction is the flow to generate FeaturesPredictionLabels
when the training eval model is not available. Currently, this flow supports
converting tf.Example protos to FPL provided an explicit key -> [F,P,L] mapping
and a parsing spec. This represents the minimum amount of information needed
to derive FeaturesPredictionLabels. This feature is useful when a user wants to
run tf.Metrics or postExportMetrics when the training eval model is not
available.

An example set of inputs is:

  tf.Example{ features {
      feature {
        key: "age" value { float_list { value: 29.0 } } }
      feature {
        key: "language" value { bytes_list { value: "English" } } }
      feature {
        key: "predictions" value { float_list { value: 1.0 } } }
      feature {
        key: "labels" value { float_list { value: 2.0 } } }
    }
  }

  feature_spec = {
      'age':
          tf.FixedLenFeature([], tf.float32),
      'language':
          tf.VarLenFeature(tf.string),
      'predictions':
          tf.FixedLenFeature([], tf.float32),
      'labels':
          tf.FixedLenFeature([], tf.float32)
  }

  model_agnostic_config = model_agnostic_predict.ModelAgnosticConfig(
      label_keys=['labels'],
      prediction_keys=['predictions'],
      feature_spec=feature_spec)

Then the expected output is:

  FPL.features = {'age' : np.array[29.0],
                  'language': SparseTensorValue('English')}
  FPL.predictions = {'predictions' : np.array[1.0]}
  FPL.labels = {'labels' : np.array[2.0]}
"""

from typing import Any, Dict, List, NamedTuple  # pytype: disable=not-supported-yet

import tensorflow as tf
from tensorflow_model_analysis import types
from tensorflow_model_analysis.eval_saved_model import encoding
from tensorflow_model_analysis.eval_saved_model import util
from tensorflow_model_analysis.utils import util as general_util

class ModelAgnosticConfig(
    NamedTuple(  # pylint: disable=invalid-name
        'ModelAgnosticConfig', [
            ('label_keys', List[str]),
            ('prediction_keys', List[str]),
            ('feature_spec', Dict[str, Any]),
        ])):
  """A config spec for running ModelAgnostic evaluation."""

  def __new__(cls, label_keys: List[str], prediction_keys: List[str],
              feature_spec: Dict[str, Any]):
    """Creates a ModelAgnosticConfig instance.

    Creates a config spec for doing ModelAgnostic evaluation (Model evaluation
    without the training eval saved model). This spec defines the basic
    parameters with which to define Features, Predictions, and Labels from
    input Examples.

    Args:
      label_keys: A list of Text, the keys in the input examples which should be
        treated as labels. Currently, this cannot be empty.
      prediction_keys: A list of Text, the keys in the input examples which
        should be treated as predictions. Currently, this cannot be empty.
      feature_spec: In the case only FPL is provided (via Examples), a dict
        defining how to parse the example. This should be of the form "key" ->
        FixedLenFeature or VarLenFeature. This is required to parse input
        examples.

    Returns:
      A ModelAgnosticConfig instance.

    Raises:
      ValueError: This inputs supplied are properly defined..
    """

    if not label_keys:
      raise ValueError('ModelAgnosticConfig must have label keys set.')
    if not prediction_keys:
      raise ValueError('ModelAgnosticConfig must have prediction keys set.')
    if not feature_spec:
      raise ValueError('ModelAgnosticConfig must have feature_spec set.')
    for key in prediction_keys:
      if key not in feature_spec:
        raise ValueError('Prediction key %s not defined in feature_spec.' % key)
    for key in label_keys:
      if key not in feature_spec:
        raise ValueError('Label key %s not defined in feature_spec.' % key)

    return super(ModelAgnosticConfig, cls).__new__(
        cls,
        label_keys=label_keys,
        prediction_keys=prediction_keys,
        feature_spec=feature_spec)

class ModelAgnosticPredict:
  """Abstraction for using a model agnostic evaluation.

  This class is an API interface to interact with the with Model Agnostic graph
  to do evaluation without needing an eval_saved_model.
  It serves two primary functions:
    1) Be able to generate an FPL given FPLs encoded in the tf.Examples input.
    2) Be able to do metric evaluations against the FPLs generated.

  Design Doc: go/model-agnostic-tfma
  """

  def __init__(self, model_agnostic_config: ModelAgnosticConfig):
    self._graph = tf.Graph()
    self._session = tf.compat.v1.Session(graph=self._graph)
    self._config = model_agnostic_config
    try:
      self._create_graph()
    except (RuntimeError, ValueError) as exception:
      general_util.reraise_augmented(exception,
                                     'Failed to initialize agnostic model')

  def _create_graph(self):
    """Creates the graph for which we use to generate FPL and metrics.

    Create a pass-through graph which parses the input examples using the
    feature spec.
    """
    with self._graph.as_default():
      serialized_example = tf.compat.v1.placeholder(dtype=tf.string)
      features = tf.io.parse_example(
          serialized=serialized_example, features=self._config.feature_spec)
      self._get_features_fn = self._session.make_callable(
          fetches=features, feed_list=[serialized_example])

  def get_fpls_from_examples(self, input_example_bytes_list: List[bytes]
                            ) -> List[Any]:
    """Generates FPLs from serialized examples using a ModelAgnostic graph.

    Args:
      input_example_bytes_list: A string representing the serialized tf.example
        protos to be parsed by the graph.

    Returns:
      A list of FeaturesPredictionsLabels generated from the input examples.
    """
    # Call the graph via the created session callable _get_features_fn and
    # get the tensor representation of the features.
    features = self._get_features_fn(input_example_bytes_list)
    split_features = {}
    num_examples = 0

    # Split the features by the example keys. Also verify all each example
    # key has the same number of total examples.
    for key in features.keys():
      split_features[key] = util.split_tensor_value(features[key])
      if num_examples == 0:
        num_examples = len(split_features[key])
      elif num_examples != len(split_features[key]):
        raise ValueError(
            'Different keys unexpectedly had different number of '
            'examples. Key %s unexpectedly had %s elements.' % key,
            len(split_features[key]))

    # Sort out the examples into individual FPLs: one example -> one FPL.
    # Sort them into Features, Predictions, or Labels according to the input
    # config.
    result = []
    for i in range(num_examples):
      labels = {}
      predictions = {}
      features = {}
      for key in split_features:
        if key in self._config.label_keys:
          labels[key] = {encoding.NODE_SUFFIX: split_features[key][i]}
        if key in self._config.prediction_keys:
          predictions[key] = {encoding.NODE_SUFFIX: split_features[key][i]}
        features[key] = {encoding.NODE_SUFFIX: split_features[key][i]}

      result.append(
          types.FeaturesPredictionsLabels(
              input_ref=i,
              features=features,
              predictions=predictions,
              labels=labels))

    return result


text:
Catalina's Jazz Club
Hollywood, CA 9002
Tickets, click here!
Chicago-based vocalist Sam Fazio has established a name for himself in the music scene over the past several years. Sam brings new life to jazz standards and pop classics. Sam has entertained audiences at some of the most prestigious venues in the country, including Green Mill, Jazz Showcase, Andy's Jazz Club, City Winery, Untitled, and SPACE (Chicago); Cliff Bell's (Detroit); Blues Alley (DC); and Iridium, Feinstein's at the Loews Regency and 54 Below (New York City)-to name a few. Sam has also taken the stage at numerous performing arts centers, including Overture Center, Schauer Arts Center, Trueblood, and Metropolis. Sam has held residencies at many renowned hotels including the Knickerbocker, LondonHouse, Chicago Hilton, and a 6-year run at the historic Drake Hotel. In addition, Sam has performed at many events and festivals throughout the year, including the Chicago Jazz Festival and Taste of Chicago.
Sam's first three CDs have been reviewed by many media outlets and tracks can be heard on radio stations throughout the country and around the world. Sam's sophomore CD was released on Blujazz record label, and his holiday CD was named one of the best holiday jazz albums by jazz critic Howard Reich.
New CD: Let's Go
Fazio collaborated with the legendary jazz duo Tuck & Patti on his forthcoming CD, Let's Go. As the title suggests, Let's Go is about moving forward and in Fazio's case, with songs he loves to sing-no matter the genre. Tuck and Patti worked with Sam to find songs that showcase the depth of his rich and multi-faceted voice. Whether it's the pure simplicity of a duo or the energetic beat of a full rhythm section, Fazio doesn't disappoint. The new CD includes unique arrangements of jazz standards and pop classics, as well as several original songs by Fazio, Cathcart and Andress, and the combination. Tuck teams up with Fazio on Eleanor Rigby and Patti adds harmonic depth on My Baby Just Cares For Me.
West Coast Pre-Release:
Sam is joined by his longtime piano player and musical director, Chris White, along with a full band to preview songs from his new CD at Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood. Fazio's pre-release show will take place on Wednesday, July 17 at 8:30pm. Tickets available at catalinajazzclub.com.
JAZZ JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2019 AWARDS NOMINEES
NEW YORK CITY — Finalists for the 24th annual Jazz Awards presented by the Jazz Journalists Association have been announced at www.JJAJazzAwards.org, showing the generational continuity and diversity of talent making music and creating media about today. Elder and younger musicians, first-time nominees and veterans with career-capping works, women in the vanguard as composers, bandleaders and instrumentalists — some 400 nominees in 39 categories of excellence in jazz music and jazz journalism demonstrate the strength of a creative community.
See the entire list of nominees here: https://www.jjajazzawards.org/p/2019-nominees.html The JJA also has announced 22 Jazz Heroes, being celebrated by local jazz fans in 20 US cities. See Jazz heroes here: https://www.jjajazzawards.org/p/2019-jazz-heroes.html
Nominees are chosen by the votes of the professional journalist members of the Jazz Journalists Association, based on work done in calendar year 2018 (with the exception of Lifetime Achievement Awards categories).
Among Jazz Award ballot highlights: Three unique pianists — Chick Corea (77), Ahmad Jamal (88) and Harold Mabern (83) — as well as bassist Ron Carter (81) and saxophonist Pharoah Sanders (78) — are the Lifetime Achievement in Jazz nominees. All are highly acclaimed, much recorded, widely traveled innovators, composers, improvisers and ensemble leaders, whose accomplishments define six decades' of jazz-in-development and fruition.
Jazz Musician of the Year nominees represent a different demographic. Although 85-year-old saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter is nominated, so are electric guitarist Mary Halvorson (39),bassist-bandleader-broadcaster Christian McBride (46) and vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant (29), requiring JJA's member voters to compare apples to oranges in determining the single most representative musician of calendar year 2018.
That same challenge confronts the JJA's professional members as they vote in journalism categories, with nominees for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism including Nate Chinen, WBGO director of editorial content and former New York Times critic; Eugene Holley, Jr., a much-published freelancer; Dan Ouellette, an author, columnist and contributor to DownBeat, among other publications; Ben Ratliffe, author and former New York Times critic, and John Szwed, biographer of Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and Alan Lomax as well as contributor to the Village Voice and emeritus professor at Columbia and Yale universities.
Winners of the 2019 JJA Jazz Awards in all categories, determined by second-round voting by the JJA's professional journalist members, will be announced at jjajazzawards.orgon May 1, with Awards presentations to be made at recipients' performances throughout the summer. For further information about the JJA Jazz Awards or the JJA itself, email jazzawards@jazzjournalists.org If you are a 2019 Nominee, and would like a "badge" to display on your website, click here
(Thursday, February 14th, 2019 through Sunday, February 17th, 2019)
Newport Beach Jazz Party welcomes Sue and Paul Lowden, who have now taken the reins of running the NBJP each February. Thanks also to their son Chris and his team for helping to coordinate the many jazz artists performing at this iconic yearly event. John McClure and Joe Rothman have done a tremendous job these many years. The new musical director is well-known Ken Peplowski, who will also participate in some of the concerts. Joe Rothman and John McClure will still be taking care of the Sunset Jazz at Newport, which runs eleven weeks during the summer.
I attended the Saturday, February 16th event at Newport Beach's Marriott for a good part of the day. Beginning this beautiful day , was the jazz brunch which included, not only a great breakfast spread, but the fourth year celebrating a tribute to David L. Abell, now called Piano Rama. Abell had an excellent piano store that many, many pianists and also composers and educators visited regularly over earlier years. Abell helped many musicians generally with things that they needed. Pianist and regular participant, Shelly Berg, hosted the event. Mike Wofford, Emmet Cohen, Larry Fuller, Bill Cunliffe and Tamir Hendelman were part of the one and one half hour show. They shared jazz tunes and American Popular Songbook favorites, also performing some selections on two pianos that they all shared. It was a marvelous showing of how much music of great content can be made to shine impressively.
Some of the song numbers jointly performed as a duo were, Shelly Berg with Emmet Cohen, "It's All Right With Me" (Cole Porter), Tamir Hendelman with Emmet Cohen, "My Foolish Heart" (Victor Young/Ned Washington), Mike Wofford with Tamir Hendelman, "Yesterdays" (Jerome Kern), Larry Fuller with Mike Wofford, "Gone with The Wind" (Allie Wrubel) and Bill Cunliffe with Larry Fuller, "The Days of Wine and Roses" (Henry Mancini) to name several. All were outstanding performances. There were other singular choices. One that stood out to me was, Wofford playing "Lucky to Be Me" and "I Am Just a Lucky So and So." and also Wofford again, playing "Easy Living." The tribute concluded with all six esteemed pianists taking turns on both pianos playing Charlie Parker's "Au Privave" with lots of applause and a standing ovation from the entire audience.
The four afternoon pool concerts for this day had to be moved into the main concert ballroom because of the colder weather. Up first was the Wycliffe Gordon, Tom Scott Quintet with pianist, Tom Ranier, bassist Mike Gurrola and drummer Butch Miles. This group played very well and performed several tunes in the hour they were allotted: "It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't got that Swing" began with excellent solos, especially from Gurrola and Miles drumming. A favorite for everybody was "Stars Fell on Alabama."
All the pool concerts were at one hour each. The Peak Experience always puts on an impressive show. They had Barbara Morrison as special guest. "Blues Walk" was their first number, giving way for Carl Saunders fine trumpet solo. Jazz standard, "Ceora" made room for pianist Ron Kobayashi to fill in the tune in expert fashion. Morrison added to their set with the great, "I Love Being Here with You" and "Lullaby of Birdland." Much applause was given during all these afternoon concerts.
One of my personal favorites was seeing and hearing Holly Hofmann, Mike Wofford Quartet with Mike Gurrola (b) and drummer Kendall Kay. Holly and her husband Mike Wofford always put on the best performances. Beginning with "Just in Time," wowed the audience. Hofmann plays two different flutes, a regular C flute and a bigger G alto flute making lower bass notes possible. A highlight was "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To." She referred this song to husband Mike Wofford. Hofmann called up two surprise guests, tenor saxophonist, Harry Allen and trumpeter, Terell Stafford for "Exactly Like You," and "Cousins," a bluesy number made to shine by all.
The Chuck Redd, Butch Miles Sextet played, ending the late afternoon performances. Their sextet included Ron Stout (trpt), Scott Hamilton (t/s ), Tamir Hendelman (p) and John Clayton (b). They opened with the classic "Laura," a gem of a song to always play with very good solos by Hamilton, Stout, Hendelman and Clayton. This number ended up with a superb jazzy riff. "Strike up the Band" continued. This song is also a classic. Same round for the sextet members gave contributing solos with rounds of gracious applause. "All or Nothing at All" continued. Chuck Redd played his vibraphone backed by everyone's fine playing. Closing their set was a tune, named "Corner Pocket," by Count Basie. This was a standout number and featured tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton. A standing ovation was given for all these well-deserved stellar musicians.
The great tenor saxophonist Houston Person's Quartet began the evening's musical activities with Emmet Cohen's trio with bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole rounding out the quartet.
Joining the Person quartet was special guest trumpeter James Suggs. The quartet only opened with a blues and then the pretty tune, "All My Tomorrows." Trumpeter, Suggs added in with the quartet with "When I Fall in Love," and also making a solo with the group on "Someone to Watch Over Me." Bassist Hall played a bigger bass solo with the quintet in "Perdido." The audience loved this quartet plus one.
Vocalist great, Clint Holmes was backed by some very special musicians for the nearly one hour show. Special guest pianist Shelly Berg, vibraphonist Christian Tamburr, bassist Katie Thrioux, drummer Gregg Field and trumpeter Arturo Sandoval made this show quite amazing. Holmes sang his whole show, with the band backing him, as a serenade to a woman. He has the charisma and delivery to make his tunes very appealing to women listening to him. His show was excellent and, of course, the special musicians of the band made it even better. His songs were: "I've Got a Woman," "On the Sunny Side of the Street" and "Nature Boy." He talked about that this was 100 years of Nat King Cole's birthday. Trumpeter great, Arturo Sandoval was featured in Clint singing "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To." The quintet kept the music going with another superb standard, "My Foolish Heart," and Holmes delivered a splendid version of this wonderful tune. The audience liked Clint Holmes presentation, along with this exceptional band, very well and gave him a standing ovation.
The very last mid-evening presentation was a tribute to Charlie Bird with strings and also Eddie Sauter and Stan Getz's "Focus," a string ensemble plus rhythm section with guest soloists Terell Stafford, Harry Allen, Holly Hofmann, Tom Scott, Ken Peplowski, Tom Ranier, Joe LaBarbera and Chuck Berghofer. This was a very productive show and lasted a little over one and one half hours with a very interested and appreciative audience.
There were many things to see and hear over this four day yearly jazz celebration. Please check out the new concerts listings for Sunset Jazz at Newport coming out in April, 2019, www.sunsetjazzatnewport.com.
Glenn A. Mitchell
On Saturday, February, 9, 2019, Orange County Musicians' Local 7 hosted a beautiful jazz concert bringing master guitarist Ron Eschete's Trio for a benefit performance to support a Musicians in Need Fund Raiser. There were at least fifty members and also jazz fans who showed up for this stellar performance.
Eschete brought superb bassist Bruce Lett and excellent drummer Kendall Kay on board for this show. This concert was also an extension of O.C. Jazz Bash Series.
Opening for the evening, was the Fullerton College Quartet performing several numbers before the start of the Eschete Trio. The group consisted of Oscar Rodriguez (guitar), Nico Vasquez (drums), Steven Wood, (saxophones) and Cole Sainburg (bass). This quartet gave a lively performance of all the jazz that they played. Their tunes were: "On Green Dolphin Street," "Like Someone in Love," and "Yes and No" by Wayne Shorter. These young players received a lot of applause for not only their good solos but for their cohesive playing as well.
Several executive board members of Local 7 were on hand to welcome many of those who attended. During the middle break of the Eschete performance, Vice President, Edmund Velasco, announced that a special day of this date would be remembered as Ron Eschete Day.
Terence M. Love, former longtime owner of Steamers Jazz Club, hosted and presented the Eschete Trio. Ron Eschete and Terence have been friends for a number of years. Terence lauded Eschete and his spectacular playing and mentioned the many amount of times he has performed at Steamers in previous years.
Ron Eschete started performing very early on guitar before even finishing high school. He had an early break working with singer Buddy Greco in Las Vegas. He moved to Los Angeles, CA and worked with Gene Harris and also Dave Pike and continued building his career upwards all the way from 1970 to present. He has played with Ray Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson and Diana Krall to name a few of many.
For those of you who have never heard Ron Eschete, you will amazingly surprised. Eschete has his own very dignified sound. No one plays the guitar like Ron Eschete!
The Eschete trio started with a good swing number, "Lookin' For The Back Door," written by amazing composer, Alf Clausen. This tune was written originally for big band in swing format. Eschete reduced it down to play for his trio. Alf Clausen with (30) Emmy nominations has received more nominations than any other musician for his longtime movie and television scores. The trio made this tune move excitingly. The balance between Eschete guitar, Lett's bass and Kay's drumming was excellent. A pretty ballad followed, "Only Trust Your Heart." Lett made a distinguished bass solo for this gem. Late, great pianist, Jimmy Rowles, created a superb classic called, "The Peacocks." This tune seems never to be played enough and has a memorable melody that easily stands out. The audience gave some great appreciative applause for this classic.
Eschete took a break from his trio and played a solo medley of four songs, "Goodbye" (Gordon Jenkins), "This is all I Ask" (also Gordon Jenkins), "A Face Like Yours" (Victor Feldman) and "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" (Duke Ellington).
The Eschete trio resumed their show with a Blossum Dearie tune, "Sweet Georgia Fame." Excellent trio work here again with great solos from Lett and Kay.
Finishing tunes for this longer one set show were: "Fungii Mama" (Blue Mitchell), with Kay playing a vibrant drum solo and doing exceptional cymbal work. Continuing with Herbie Hancock's "Driftin'," Chick Corea's "Humpty Dumpy," and "You Make Me Feel So Young," (by Josef Myrow, arr. by Gene Harris).
This concert was so good and the audience gave them all a standing ovation! It would be great, in my opinion, to see this same trio of outstanding musicians recorded in a future CD sometime coming soon.
Please be sure to visit Ron Eschete's website for much of his current musical activities and gigs: www.roneschete.com .
Vocalist and friend, Peggie Perkins sent me a notice recently on FACEBOOK re: a regular jazz music event every Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Every Wednesday Big Band is made up of mostly professional senior musicians. Peggie Perkins sings and also emcees the activity. This is a great gig for seniors, of which we are many! This senior center is very big and has a lot of room for seniors and dancing as well. It is also very well attended.
This Seniors (19) piece big band is made up of four trumpets, Terry Baylor, Tom Cunningham, Johnny Kleker and George Lucas. Trombones include Bob Adams, Mike Henshall, Darrel Anderson and Don McGurn. Saxes include Alden Waldo, Rob Kilgore, Adrian Tapia, Paul Delgado and Jim Travers. The Rhythm section has John Hoehn (piano), Pete Ritter (guitar), Pat Morvan (bass) and Dick Castanos (percussion). Vocalist/Emcee is Peggie Perkins. Today, John "Chris" Christensen leads the band and is their fine drummer as well. Other weeks, a selected few musicians in the band, take turns leading this superb organization.
Their two sets included a wide variety of music that everyone enjoys. "A Pretty Girl is like a Melody" (moderate swing) and "Biscuits 'n Honey" (latin rock) started the band's afternoon. Perkins sang "I've Got the World on a String" and "Could I Have this Dance the Rest of my Life." These were good picks that the audience liked a lot. Her voice accentuates the song lyrics very well. Both songs were good and fine arrangements for this big band. A Count Basie number, "Straight Ahead" moved ahead to a fast swing number. A longtime Latin classic, "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" livened up the dance floor in cha-cha mode. Peggie Perkins sang another favorite, "Hey Mambo, Italiano." Before ending the first set, the band performed a Latin Fantasy, a medley, (beguine/samba) with two very recognizable tunes that I did not get the name of, bringing just about everybody to the dance floor. Many members of the band, especially the horn sections took and gave many excellent solos during all of the afternoon.
Set Two was musically exciting, starting with "Little Brown Jug," a famous number from the earlier big band era, (Glenn Miller), (medium swing). Peggie Perkins sang two more classic numbers, "Makin' Whoopee" and "The Nearness of You." Her song style fits comfortably with this big band and delights the entire audience. Continuing with other numbers, the set
included "Margie" (moderate swing), "Blue Tango," "Brasilla" (bossa nova/samba), a definite highlight of the afternoon. Peggie sang a fine version of "Our Love is Here to Stay," the band supporting her excellently. Closing the segment for the afternoon were: "Spanish Eyes," "Moon River," and "Moments to Remember" (rock ballad).
This big band is well worth seeing and hearing and will be a regular attraction for a good long time at Eldorado Park Senior Center, 2800 N. Studebaker Road, Long Beach, CA 90815, (562) 570-3225.
info@lajazzscene.buzz
20304 Adriana Place
Santa Clarita CA, 91351


A theatre team has dedicated a show to its talented choreographer who died suddenly while abroad.
Rugby Theatre's Vicki-Jo was a month into choreographing the all-singing, all-dancing production of Hairspray when she died suddenly of a heart attack on March 31, aged just 41.
Vicki-Jo was part of the three-strong creative team which started work on the blockbuster musical, holding auditions in October last year.
Director Bryan Jones said: "The show will be wonderful - but it's not the show we wanted audiences to see.
"We wanted them to see a show choreographed by the brilliant, beautiful and talented Vicki-Jo.
Speaking shortly after Vicki-Jo's death, Bryan said: "It's hard to explain what a massive impact Vicki-Jo has had on so many people's lives.
Choreography for the show has been taken over by Jo Walker and Ellie Michael, two of Vicki-Jo's teachers at CATS, the Christine Anderson Theatre School where she was principal.
Bryan added: "We've all had a tough time coping with losing Vicki-Jo.
Hairspray will be performed at Rugby Theatre from June 6 to 13.