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The Wilmington Bulletin
News and Politics with a Local Focus
Issues and races I will be watching this fall
August 1, 2016 ~ Tyler Williams	~ 2 Comments
We are officially one hundred days from the November 8th election, one which carries massive consequences both locally and nationally. Here are four races that I am watching closely, from a local tax issue to the Presidential election:
The Proposed Municipal Tax Increase for the City of Wilmington
City Council has decided to put a 0.5% temporary income tax increase on the ballot in November. This is probably the issue that I have written the most about in this space (here and here and here), so I think my thoughts are well-documented on the issue. I have taken a role in the campaign to pass the tax increase, so most of my efforts on communicating the need for the tax will be made through the campaign. Bottom line-I have had conversations with people at the City Building, and there is no doubt in my mind that we must pass this tax. It is imperative. Whatever your beliefs on taxes, if you want our safety services (police and fire) to stay close to where they are, I believe it is in our best interest as a community to emphatically pass this tax.
Clinton County Commissioner
The election to replace Mike Curry, who is retiring from his post at the end of this term, took place in the spring Republican Primary. Brenda Woods, who has significant administrative experience in city, township, and county government, won the five person race.
The other race is still ongoing, as incumbent County Commissioner Kerry Steed has a Democratic challenger in Dean Feldmeyer. Democrats in county-wide races have faced an uphill battle, and Feldmeyer will probably be no different. Feldmeyer, whose involvement in several local organizations including Community Action spurred his entrance into the race, is running an unabashedly progressive campaign focused on what he calls a "caring economy campaign." Mr. Steed focused his rhetoric of his campaign in the spring on his experience as County Commissioner and his focus on fiscal responsibility. Feldmeyer's goal will likely be to continue to push for more local control of money from the Clinton County Senior Levy and continue his conversation on the "caring economy" model.
Not only is Ohio one of the most important states in the presidential election, but the election for Rob Portman's Senate seat is arguably the most important senatorial race in the 2016 election. Challenging Portman for his seat is former Congressman and Governor Ted Strickland, who has spent the last few days campaigning with Hillary Clinton on the trail in Ohio. Portman, on the other hand, has endorsed Donald Trump, despite being openly critical of him.
Portman has opened up a 4-point lead in the polls, although they were taken before Strickland went on the road with Secretary Clinton. Recently, Portman has picked up a few union endorsements, including from the Teamsters organization that endorsed Strickland in his gubernatorial runs. Strickland does have several other big endorsements, including President Obama and several other unions. This race will likely come down to the wire, with Strickland touting his progressive agenda while Portman hits him hard on the job loss during Strickland's time as Governor of Ohio. It also may be affected by rhetoric of the candidates for President, as Trump has already shown Portman's early endorsement of him to be a questionable decision.
Presidential Race
I have written about Donald Trump before, and even gave my prediction for the contest at the state and county levels. Mr. Trump, of course, is running as the Republican nominee against former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was officially named the Democratic Party nominee last week. This is a race of historic proportions. On one side, Hillary Clinton has been involved in politics and government for thirty years, while Mr. Trump has often discussed entering politics but finally decided to pull the trigger last summer. There is not much more that I can say on this race that I haven't said before. A Trump presidency would be a true disaster, and his comments about minorities and women, as well as his complete lack of understanding of foreign affairs, make him unelectable. If one of the candidates decides to swing through any small towns in southwest Ohio, I will cover it, but there are many out there who can do a much better job than me of covering this particular race.
This election is important and historic on a local and national level. If you are reading this, and you are eligible but not registered to vote, please click here to see more information on registering. Do it today! If you have questions or comments about the article, feel free to comment below or email me at thewilmingtonbulletin@gmail.com.
We Have an Open Meetings Problem in Wilmington and Clinton County
July 1, 2016 ~ Tyler Williams	~ 7 Comments
Let's say you are a person who is interested in an issue being presented at a Clinton County Commissioner's meeting, and you want to attend. You do your homework, prepare your statement, get some supporters to join you. Only one problem-you can't because you have a job. As you may know, our Clinton County Commissioners meet at 8 am on Mondays and Wednesdays. This is a time that allows retirees and the lucky few who can get off work to be a commissioner or participate in meetings, but prohibits those of us who work full-time to attend meetings.
City government is not immune to this issue. I challenge you to find the regular meeting times for the commissions that are administered by the City on the city's website. Personally, I have ties to multiple commissions/boards, and I struggle to understand or know when these meetings are.
Several local public bodies do a much better job of getting the word out for their meetings. City Council has their meeting times readily available online for both council committees and council at large. They even post the agendas for full council meetings online the day before (and have an email list you can join for the agendas). Council meeting times give more of an opportunity for people who do work to attend. The Clinton County Regional Planning Commission has their next meeting front and center on their website, showing that there are easy ways to do it.
So why do we have so many government organizations that have the issue of inconvenient meeting times or non-posted meeting times? The former is the biggest concern. It raises questions about who these boards serve, especially for the Commissioners. These meetings should be for the benefit of the public, as we are the people who are affected by their decisions. The meeting times also prevents many working people from not only attending meetings, but potentially being a county commissioner.
It is time for us, as a community, to move forward from the days where everyone who lived here, worked here, and people were more available for public meetings during the day. We must demand that our local governmental organizations abide by the spirit of the Open Meetings Laws and accommodate the vast majority of people who are unable to attend meetings during the day. Our elected and appointed officials need to know that these meetings should be held at the public's convenience, not their own. Wilmington will likely be putting an income tax increase on the November ballot, and citizens should know that their city is actively working to make citizens be a part of the decision making process. Hopefully, the County Commissioners will consider holding their meetings at a time that will actually allow ordinary, working citizens to attend and have their voices heard. The government must work for the people-not the other way around.
Episode 4 of the Wilmington Bulletin Podcast
June 8, 2016 ~ Tyler Williams	~ Leave a comment
Here is my newest podcast episode, featuring Mark Rembert of Energize Clinton County (and formerly the Wilmington-Clinton County Chamber of Commerce). It was a great discussion about local economic data that he has presented to Wilmington City Council. Click the link below for the slides that we refer to when we are talking.
Economic Data Slideshow
Wilmington Bulletin Podcast, Episode 2
May 4, 2016 ~ Tyler Williams	~ Leave a comment
An addendum to my fluoride article…
Clinton County Election Review
March 16, 2016 ~ Tyler Williams	~ Leave a comment
A quick review of the 2016 Primary Election Results for Clinton County
County Commissioner-Open Seat
Winner: Brenda Woods
Mrs. Woods ended up winning with almost one-third of the vote, with Mike McCarty and Terry Habermehl finishing second and third, respectively. Woods ran an impressive campaign, with well-designed signage and campaign literature. Additionally, she received broad support from community leaders, including current Commissioner Mike Curry and President of Wilmington City Council Randy Riley. Woods performed well in precincts throughout the county, including some in areas that figured to be strongholds for other candidates. She will bring years of experience in both county and city government to her new post.
County Commissioner-Kerry Steed's seat
Winner: Kerry Steed, Incumbent
Steed won a very close race with Fife. Steed ran a strong campaign with good social media presence and advertising. Fife kept this race close, despite an apparent lack of campaigning beyond his statements to the Wilmington News Journal and his participation in the candidate forums. Steed will have to get by Dean Feldmeyer in the General Election, where he will need to answer questions about transparency with the usage of the hospital money.
Republican Presidential Primary
CC Winner: Trump
Ohio Winner: Kasich
Neither result is really surprising. Trump was strong in a place that has seen difficult financial times and is overwhelmingly white, doing particularly well outside of the city of Wilmington. Kasich did take the state, however, slowing the apparent Trump juggernaut.
Democratic Presidential Primary
CC Winner: Sanders
Ohio Winner: Clinton
Clinton winning Ohio after her loss in Michigan wasn't a surprise, but it was certainly a disappointment to those who still think Bernie Sanders has a chance of winning the Democratic Primary. Sanders winning Clinton County, however, was interesting to me at first glance. I do wonder if it has to do with the strong pacifist Quaker community here and Mr. Sanders' history of strongly pacifist rhetoric. Either way, Ohio was part of a fantastic night for Clinton, and it would be a shock for her to not get the nomination at this point.
2016 Primary Preview for Clinton County
With the Ohio primary elections quickly approaching, here is a quick preview of some select races that have been closely followed in Clinton County.
Running: Greg Grove, Terry Habermehl, Scott Holmer, Mike McCarty, and Brenda Woods
This race has been closely followed by many in the county, in part because of the number of people running and their ties across the county. All five candidates have been pushing hard throughout the county and attempting to separate their message from the message of their competitors. Driving through the county, you can see signs for all five candidates everywhere. I believe that there will be a geographic slant to this race, with certain candidates winning areas where they either live or work due to name recognition. Many are championing Mrs. Woods and Mr. Habermehl for their experience in government, while the others have been touted for their records in business or elsewhere. This race will likely come down to who voters believe has the best plans for the two main issues that have defined this race: the sales tax rolloff and the "hospital money."
Running: James Fife and Kerry Steed
Support for these two men has been fairly split. Steed is running heavily off of his experience as a commissioner, saying that he stuck to his campaign promises from the 2012 election. Mr. Fife has said that he will bring his experience working for a state agency (ODOT) as well as his experience as a Union Township Trustee to work on cost-saving measures. It appears that this race will be very close on election day, much like the other race.
Running: John Kasich, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Donald J. Trump
In what has quickly devolved into a race that some speculate may drastically change the GOP, four candidates have stayed in until Ohio (from over a dozen). Kasich, the current governor of Ohio, is certainly the biggest challenger to Trump's success. He is currently polling ahead of or tied with Trump in Ohio, perhaps in part to Mr. Rubio's campaign encouraging voters to support Kasich as the best chance to stop Trump in this winner-take-all state.
Clinton County's demographics point to Trump potentially taking the county because of the heavy influence of "blue-collar" jobs and large population of Evangelical Christians. Kasich's appearances in Wilmington should help him, and his balancing of the budget in Ohio (albeit controversially) will appeal to the pragmatic side of Clinton County voters. The other candidates running will certainly have their supporters in Clinton County, but it is almost certainly a race between Kasich and Trump.
Running: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders
The Democratic primary has had fewer candidates and fewer direct jabs between the candidate, but the debates have not been lacking in substance and the campaign speeches have still been passionate. So what does this mean for Ohio and Clinton County? Mrs. Clinton is leading Sanders in polling, leading anywhere from single digits through twenty-five points. Sanders could have a decent showing in the county due to his strength among working-class, white voters (with whom Mrs. Clinton did very well in 2008). This race is difficult to predict for the county, due to many Democrats choosing instead to vote in the Republican primary because of the commissioner's race.
Make sure to get out and vote on Tuesday, no matter what party. For information about where you should vote (and to make sure you are registered), check out the Clinton County Board of Elections website.
Conversation with the Candidate-Terry Habermehl
March 6, 2016 March 6, 2016 ~ Tyler Williams	~ Leave a comment
A couple of days ago, I sat down with current County Auditor and commissioner candidate Terry Habermehl for a conversation about the race and his ideas for Clinton County. Mr. Habermehl is running against Scott Holmer, Brenda Woods, Mike McCarty, and Greg Grove in the Republican Primary.
On the senior services levy…
After the forum at the senior center, senior-specific issues have been on the candidates mind. Mr. Habermehl, having just come off of a talk at the senior center, was no different. Habermehl countered some of the information that has been discussed about the contract with the Council on Aging. While some have talked about the amount of money spent on administration of the levy that is paid to the CoA, he has said that their administrative costs may well be lower than if the county tried to administer the grant themselves. He said that when he first came on as county auditor a few years ago, there were discussions between Job and Family Services and the county about the grant being locally administered(Community Action had also inquired about this). According to Habermehl, they decided that there would be too many new positions that would need to be created in order to fulfill the expertise that would be needed to administer such a levy.
However, Habermehl did say that there were some things he would like to see done regarding the levy. He said that there is not enough input from seniors right now that is shared with the Council on Aging, which could include independent surveys. Additionally, he said that he would like to keep the administration local if it were a feasible option, which would need to be researched more.
On the 0.5% sales tax rolloff
Habermehl said that he is cautiously optimistic about the possibility of a sales tax rolloff. He believes that the rolloff should happen because it was passed as a temporary tax to begin with, and from the data from the last few years it would be fiscally acceptable. Mr. Habermehl added that the county has actually seen a rise in sales tax revenue over the last few years, with each of the last 3 years showing an increase from the previous year. According to Habermehl, as commissioner, his focus would be to continually explore long-term reports for revenue and expenditures to work to avoid re-adding the sales tax.
On moving from auditor to commissioner…
One of the questions I had for Mr. Habermehl was what inspired him to run for commissioner after spending the last several years as auditor. He said that he desires to work more closely with the people of Clinton County, which is not afforded to him as often in his role as auditor. He added that as auditor his role is providing information, but that in the commissioner's role he could help people solve problems.
On the "hospital money"…
As with every candidate, the money from the sale of Clinton Memorial Hospital is an important consideration for Habermehl in the campaign. In his opinion, long-term planning is the most vital piece for using that money. He believes that money should be spent on infrastructure where possible, especially where it increases productivity in county offices and helps save money. With much of the rest of rest of the money, Mr. Habermehl believes that a legacy fund through the Clinton County Foundation should award grants with the interest earned on the money.
On efficiency in county government…
One of Habermehl's passions for county government is increasing efficiency and collective action among the individual departments in the county. One of his interests is increasing the information technology infrastructure of the county government, which he claims is inadequate right now. There is currently no full-time IT person for the county, and most individual departments are responsible for their technology needs. Habermehl believes that this is an area where the government could be more efficient and save money, because departments would be purchasing items and services together rather than separately and could therefore increase their bargaining power.
On the possibility of a community center…
Mr. Habermehl said that one question that is not answered in specifics is "what is the definition of a community center?" He stated that this needs to be answered before anyone moves forward with it, because the services it provides will affect the support of it. One thing Habermehl said he may explore is the possibility of putting it to a vote, perhaps with the additional piece of a levy for operating costs. The operating costs, he said, were his biggest concerns in the long run.
This was another interesting conversation with a commissioner candidate. Thank you for reading, and I hope to talk to more candidates before the primary on March 15th.
Conversation with the Candidate-Dean Feldmeyer
February 28, 2016 February 29, 2016 ~ Tyler Williams	~ Leave a comment
In my second conversation with a commissioner's candidate, I sat down with Dean Feldmeyer to talk about his campaign. Mr. Feldmeyer is the Senior Pastor at the Wilmington United Methodist Church. He is the only Democrat running for County Commissioner, and will face the winner of the Steed/Fife primary in the General Election. Here is a synopsis of our conversation:
On county services:
Mr. Feldmeyer said that he believes county services mostly fall into two categories: protecting and enabling citizens. In the first category, he includes infrastructure such as bridges and roads, and emergency services. He stated that in his he is also concerned with the amount of area the Sheriff's office has to cover with the manpower they currently have and that we need to be assured that they can cover it. Dean was also adamant about protecting Caesar's Creek Lake, the main source of water for the county. He proposed a study of the areas up to one mile from the lake to assure there were not any sources of contaminants for the lake for the foreseeable future.
As far as the duty of county services to enable residents, Mr. Feldmeyer placed an emphasis on providing health services for the people of Clinton County. Included in this is increasing funding for county trails and parks and providing nutrition and exercise programs for residents, especially those who could not otherwise access them.
On the Council on Aging and seniors services in Clinton County…
This is undoubtedly a major (if not the major) issue of Mr. Feldmeyer's campaign-his concerns about how the money is being spent from the senior services tax levy. His interest in working closely with seniors comes from his experience with Clinton County Community Action, where he is currently the Board Chairman. He has worked with the group for around ten years, he said, and has seen an increase in needs for services for the growing senior population in Clinton County.
This levy is administered by the Council on Aging, a group based in Cincinnati. Mr. Feldmeyer had an issue with this on its face, because "we are giving money to a group from outside the county so they can tell us how to spend our tax dollars." During our conversation, Dean expressed three main concerns: the decrease in funds from the levy geared towards recreation and fitness, the carryover of the monies from year to year, and the amount going to administrative expenses. With the first concern, Mr. Feldmeyer believes that seniors need more access to recreation and fitness opportunities, not fewer, for both social and health reasons. His concerns about the carryover of money from the levy stems from his belief that there are immediate needs not being addressed, and that "the levy is not there to create a savings account" but to provide services. As far as the amount going to administrative expenses, Dean says this runs about $80,000 per year, which again stems from his initial hesitation to pay an organization from outside of the county to spend this money.
According to Mr. Feldmeyer, these issues can be resolved by the creation of a local agency to administer these funds. That way, there is a direct link between taxpayers, those receiving the services, and those administering the services. He claims that there is no current system for oversight, even though there is supposed to be a citizens' advisory committee for the money to work with the Council on Aging.
Feldmeyer continued about his desire to see increased access to services for senior citizens by discussing the current issues with Meals on Wheels. Feldmeyer claims that dozens of seniors have been cut off from services due to changes in certain criteria for the program. He believes that many of the seniors who have been cut off from the services still truly need them. According to Mr. Feldmeyer, these issues could have been potentially avoided with more local controls of the levy money. Instead, Community Action has had to pick up some of the costs from the decrease in funding for the program in order to continue to provide services for those seniors.
On being a Democrat in Clinton County…
Considering the Republican dominance in Clinton County politics, I wanted to know how Dean planned to get voters to look past the fact that he is running as a Democrat. Mr. Feldmeyer said he was focused on targeting issues and values that are universal to all people, and he stated his belief that people will support him. His platform of governing with responsibility, strength, and compassion are what he sees as something a wide variety of people can get behind.
On the hospital money and a community center…
Mr. Feldmeyer views a community center as not a goal, but as a tool to achieve goals. During our conversation, he said that the question that needs to be answered is "how would a community center meet the needs of the community?" Before he would commit to something like the center, he said he wanted to truly see if it was something that would be fiscally responsible and a true community need. Dean pointed out that it could be worth doing an exploratory committee to assess the needs of Clinton County, as well as the short-term and long-term costs. He pointed out that a concern with the center would be operating costs, which it would be difficult to guarantee from the county's standpoint over the long-term.
With the hospital money, Mr. Feldmeyer noted the importance of the restrictions on its use. His focus would be on health and safety of Clinton County residents. He wants to invest in recreation and fitness opportunities for all people, including parks. Additionally, Dean stated that he believed the county needs to find programs to support the efforts of Judge Rudduck's drug court. He said that exploring the possibility of a drug and alcohol treatment center in Clinton County could provide a lot of support to residents struggling with those issues and allow their families to provide more support to them while in treatment.
Finally, Mr. Feldmeyer emphasized that we should be using the money we have to address current needs. While he supports the creation of an endowed fund, he said that the county needs to address immediate needs while looking at the long-term. He believes that there are many needs in relation to health and safety throughout Clinton County that the money could be used for right now.
As I did after my last conversation with the candidate, I invite all other candidates for a one-on-one conversation about the issues currently facing Clinton County. If you (or a candidate you know) is interested, please let me know!
Wilmington Hampered by Budget Shortfall, Inaction
February 22, 2016 ~ Tyler Williams	~ 4 Comments
At the Wilmington City Council meeting on January 7, 2016–the first council meeting of the year–City Auditor David Hollingsworth issued a dire warning to the council. If spending and revenue stay the same, the budget deficit for 2016 will be roughly $1.3 million. During 2015, the deficit was $925,000. All told, the city's General Fund carryover for the end of 2016 could be down to $416,000 from $2.7 million at the end of 2014 (and closer to $8 million just a few years prior). Hollingsworth expressed concern about what the small carryover could do both for the flexibility of spending for the city and the bond rating for the city. He acknowledged that he is not able to make legislative decisions regarding the budget, but that he was counting on council to decide what happens.
And therein lies the problem…
So, what has city council done? After Mr. Hollingsworth's presentation, Councilperson Mark McKay said that as the Finance committee chair, this was their number one issue on the agenda. One would assume that Finance committee, led by Mr. McKay, would be exploring all options. However, there is no evidence of this happening. In fact, as of the council meeting on February 18th, there had been only one finance committee meeting the entire year. Reports at City Council meetings from the Finance committee have concerned only the transferring of miscellaneous funds, not updates on the progress towards addressing the deficit as one might hope.
The time for action is now
The proverbial can representing the City of Wilmington's fiscal issues has been kicked for many years, and we are now seeing the point where it can be kicked no more. The City has been able to use its significant carryover from just shy of a decade ago to allow itself to keep taxes the same while working to cut some expenditures. Unfortunately, this has gotten the city to the point where it is today. Only a few council members in recent history have been willing to stand up and say that there is an issue that must be fixed, and this council's hand has finally been forced.
The lack of discussion on real issues at the last two council meetings has been disappointing and, at times, embarrassing. A likely non-existent lead problem, bridge issues at the cemetery, an extended reading of a social media post, and a long presentation by an outside group have taken up at least half of the previous two council meetings. I believe that council takes this seriously, but this type of inaction at council makes any decision that council makes difficult to defend.
The Possibility of a Tax Levy
So what can council do? It seems like cutting, cutting, and cutting more has not quite worked. It is difficult for a city to make too many more cuts when so much of its money is geared towards necessary services. I am sure there are small cuts that departments can make, but these could certainly hurt some of the basic services. One option that City Council and Mayor Stanforth need to consider is an increase in the city income tax. There may be no other way around it at this point. However, this will be an uphill battle for council. Unfortunately, some have made ill-advised pledges not to raise taxes. This levy will need support from the city to pass. And it needs to happen soon. If council does not bring this to the discussion soon, they run the risk of rushing it to the ballot, which has the effect of leading to a backlash from the public.
This budget issue will be a focus for The Wilmington Bulletin in the coming months. Council must act to be a bellwether in the fight to balance the budget and help ensure Wilmington's fiscal stability. If they don't, it is residents of the city that will likely feel the consequences.
A Conversation with Kerry Steed
February 21, 2016 February 21, 2016 ~ Tyler Williams	~ 3 Comments
This is the first of what will hopefully be a series of conversations with candidates in the commissioner's race. I am inviting all candidates to sit down for a conversation to expand on their expressed views in both forums.
I sat down with Kerry Steed, current Clinton County Commissioner running for re-election in the Republican Primary against James Fife. We discussed a variety of topics. I will summarize our conversations on each topic.
On using hospital money for a community center:
This was one topic that has been brought up by a variety of residents of the county since the YMCA financial situation became obviously dire several years ago.When I asked Kerry about the possibility of building a community center locally, he acknowledged that it was something that the commissioners had considered. Steed said the main problem with this idea is that "building the center is the easy part, but maintaining operations is where you run into trouble." He stated that this is what they have been told during discussions with governmental organizations about their centers. He cited the YMCA building repair costs as an example of a potential long-term issue with regards to costs.
On the creation of an endowed fund for the remainder of the hospital money:
For anyone that has read the Wilmington News Journal, the creation of an endowed fund is something that has been discussed for the hospital money. Steed emphasized his belief that an endowed fund is the best way to ensure that the money is safeguarded for the long term. Under Steed's estimation, putting the $3 million alone into an endowed fund would lead to somewhere between $150,000 and $280,000 available for a committee to give out each year.When I asked Mr. Steed about using the money immediately, he said that any large-scale project would require extensive operating fees, which could potentially negate positive effects from the money in the long-term if those were not viable.
A little later on in our conversation, I questioned Kerry about the apparent lack of action related to the $3 million endowment fund. I compared it to the movie Groundhog Day, where I felt like I was reading the exact same report about every commissioners' meeting since the beginning of the year, especially regarding the need for more legal counsel in regards to who can sit on a board to give out the money. Mr. Steed explained that there were a variety of legal issues surrounding the investment of the money and who had to be in control of it. Apparently, this had to do with how the money could be invested from a governmental organization.
On the 0.5% sales tax rolloff:
After talking about the investments from the "hospital money," Kerry and I turned our attention to the oft-discussed potential 0.5% sales tax rolloff. As I had mentioned about the commissioner's forum, all of the candidates said that they supported lower taxes in principle, but a couple (Mr. Fife being one) reiterated that it was something they needed to examine how it fits into Clinton County's fiscal future. When I asked Mr. Steed about it, he said that it is something he has been looking at for a few years, and is still looking into. Kerry stated that he views the .5% tax as a "tool to balance the budget." He also said that he tries to abide by statements by the Ohio Tax Commissioner encouraging local governments to "tax what you need and spend what you tax." For Steed, this means that governments should not be in the business of collecting tax revenues for the future as much as they should focused on providing services to taxpayers, but that they should not be imposing taxes without a need.
Another important part that I was curious about (this will be covered in an upcoming post) was whether he was worried that allowing the tax to roll off would lead to a situation like the City of Wilmington is currently in, with years of declining revenues and a sizable budget deficit. Here, Steed was bullish on Clinton County's future, emphasizing that revenues are going up as more businesses are moving in. This, Steed said, has been a factor in the discussions regarding the sales tax rolloff.
On the future of Clinton County:
As I previously stated, Steed was very bullish about the future of Clinton County. Steed told me that according to his figures, Clinton County has 400 jobs waiting to be filled by qualified candidates. He said that we need to continue discussing plans for workforce development so we can match workers with appropriate skills to jobs. In addition, he said that he wanted to see more partnerships like the partnership between Laurel Oaks and AMES with their aircraft maintenance program.Steed was also adamant that, as a county, we have to start looking forward towards attracting more people who work here to live here too. He looks to the construction area as a place that can be a major part of the focus on the future, building spec homes so that when people decide to take a job in Clinton County, they could move her right away as well.
Overall, I thought it was an enlightening conversation with Mr. Steed. I was able to get more of a perspective on local issues and what the commissioners are doing to try to plan for the future. In the future, I believe that the commissioners must do a better job in communicating some decisions. Obviously, this is not all their fault, but it seems that they could avoid criticisms about their lack of long term planning or their handling of the hospital money with more communication with the public.
I hope that more candidates and/or local politicians are willing to sit down for a conversation. We are at a crossroads locally, and it is vital to have an informed electorate. The invitation is open to all candidates-I would be happy to hear from you!
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Discussion on Fluoride, Landfill Doesn't Lead to Action
City Council has First Reading on Fluoride Ordinance
Where does Wilmington go from here?
Council needs to take control of conversation on City's CVB Funding
budget candidates City Council City of Wilmington Clinton County Commissioner county commissioner finance committee fluoride income tax local politics Ohio Politics taxes Wilmington


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Jimbo Goes to the Movies!
This Week in SJW-Dom
Politics & Culture
B-Movie Review
PROPAGANDA REVIEW
Obscure Media
Dissident Viewpoints
In the ATL...
Guide to Life
A Sick World
Opinions, the old adage goes, are alike sphincters. Needless to say, I've had some pretty unpopular sphincters over the years.
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Wonder Woman ISN'T Empowering, You Dumb Broads
Is There a Scientific Explanation for Homophobia?
Sorry, But Smoking is Sexy
The Only Good Pedophile is a Dead Pedophile
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Seven Ways Social Media Has Destroyed Society
"Girl Meets World" SUCKS
100 People You Should Definitely Ignore
Why I Don't Drink
Why America DESPERATELY Needs Another War
"Breaking Bad" Sucks
Why 3D Printing is Stupid
Why Journalism Today Sucks
The Truth About "Rape Culture" in the U.S.
The Truth About Depression
Why Zombies Suck (And the Entire "Living Dead"Genre Needs to Die For Good)
Excited about "Superman vs. Batman?" Then You're Probably an Idiot.
What's Wrong with Generation Y?
Why I'm Proud to Be a Bastard
What the Popularity of "Fifty Shades of Grey" REALLY Tells Us About U.S. Culture
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Even MORE Things You Can't Talk About at U.S. Colleges
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Daytime TV and the Facsimile of American Justice
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An Ode to Our New Lord and Savior, Chris-Chan
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An Argument in Favor of Zero Population Growth
Five Things Your College REALLY Doesn't Want You to Ask Questions About
Five Things You Need to Know About White Trash
Why U.S. College Students Are So Stupid
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How to Save Modern Journalism
The Dark Knight (and GOP Propaganda?) Rises
A Rant Against the Radical Health Food Agenda
And In Case You Forgot, Steve Jobs Was a Real Jerk, Too
Paranoia = Profit$
Tweets by jimbo_american
Your Friendly Neighborhood Jimbo
Greetings, Intraweb travelers! My name is Jimbo X (an unusual surname, I know...I think it's Greenlandic) and I'm your kindly proprietor of IIIA. You're probably wondering what the intent of this site is, so that makes two of us. I suppose it's an info-dump for all of the stuff that I find fascinating/irksome about American culture and society, so you'll find a nice jumble of high culture snobbery and low culture sleaze here. It's also a place for me to rant, rave and ramble about all sorts of things that matter and don't matter, so prepare yourself for some heavy-handed bloviating about politics and consumption. Well, that, and lots of stuff about video games and junk food. The things that matter the most obviously.
People Who Are Officially Awesome
"Faces of Death" is Fake?
An expose on arguably the most famous - and infamous - Mondo movie of all-time E ven if you've never seen it, you've probably heard a ...
Five Reasons Why The Beatles Suck
Exposing Irrefutable Proof that the "Fab Four" were the Most Overrated Musicians of All-Time It was the '60s. Nobody knew everythi...
The 50 Greatest Neo Geo Games of All Time! (Part Four: #20-#11)
Part four of a five-part series celebrating the best SNK and pals had to offer! HEY! Looking for other installments in the series...
The 50 Greatest Sega CD Games of All-Time! (PART FIVE -- #010 to #001)
A Five-Part Countdown of the Greatest Games the Sega CD Had to Offer! Hey You! Looking for the Previous Installments in this Series...
Five Reasons Why American Kids Falter in Higher Education A fter a good four plus years in college, I've had enough time to evaluate...
The Nine Most INSANELY Violent Pro Wrestling Matches Ever!
Celebrating the zaniest, goriest bouts of all time! Featuring piranhas, exploding swimming pools, scorpions and…loaves of bread? I n ...
41 Things I Hate About Modern Society
Some aspects of modernity make me quite happy. Today, we will not be talking about any of those things… T hanksgiving is a time to be...
Let's Face It: Kurt Cobain Sucked.
Two decades after the Nirvana front man's self-administered demise, we reflect upon the grunge icon's hallowed legacy. And as it turns out,...
Why Led Zeppelin Sucks
Why the undisputed "rock and roll gods" are among the most overrated acts in music history M usic fans, in a lot of ways, might just ...
The 50 Greatest Sega Game Gear Games Ever! (Part Four of Five)
HEY! LOOKING FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTDOWN? PART ONE IS RIGHT HERE . PART TWO IS RIGHT HERE. . PART THREE IS RIGHT HERE . PA...
The Non-Communist's Guide to the 2020 Democratic P...
McDonald's Worldwide Favorites Menu: A Retrospecti...
Why Must Women Ruin EVERYTHING?
Fond Recollections of Mountain Dew Liberty Brew
Jimbo's Quarterly Rasslin' Round-Up (Q2 2019 Editi...
The Top 25 Games of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs
They Actually Made a 'Child's Play' Video Game
LIVE Round-By-Round Coverage of UFC 239: Jones vs....
Taylor Swift and the Tragedy of the 21st Century "...
A Tribute to USHRA Monster Wars!
My Seven Favorite Things About Spider-Man (2002)
The Ten Greatest Spider-Man Video Games of All-Tim...
Total # of Faces Rocked
ALLIES IN THE WAR ON MEDIOCRITY
Condor's two cents
A Look Back At....... - *Vengeance 2002* Welcome, one and all! This go-round at Cannonball's Corner, we're going to take a trip down memory lane to THE first WWE PPV I ever saw l...
Kev's Cranium
Predicting the Browns 2019 Record - How I Think the Browns Will Perform in the 2019-2020 Season [image: Image result for browns logo] (Division games are in bold.) (*indicates a Primetime ...
liberalmuffin
Forget - A nihilist and an idealist Jamming along in an amateur midnight Mass Chance and circumstance melt our past and present regret Chaos in sync with beating ...
THE SURFING PIZZA
Thrift Store Monday #005: A Fine Specimen - This week, I cleared space on my deck. I took measurements for my hot tub. Not because I'm remotely anywhere close to buying it. It was a desperately sad l...
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Educators call it social-emotional learning – skills that ensure students are better learners; better neighbors; better citizens, employees or bosses; and better team players. Lakeshore is among 48 of the district's 107 elementary and middle schools that are incorporating a program called Second Step, which teaches a range of skills in each grade, kindergarten through eighth, including how to listen, how to manage stress, how to be empathetic and deal with conflict. Program expandingEventually, all K-8 students in the district will participate in Second Step lessons as part of their regular schooling, learning self management, self- and social awareness, and relationship skills. […] it's what great teachers already do. The Lakeshore student turned to a classmate and whispered the sentence he had heard, who then repeated it into the ear of the next person and so on until the last student in the circle whispered the sentence back to the teacher. The eight California districts incorporating social-emotional school won't make sure every student is taught the skills, but schools will be held accountable for whether kids learned them. […] the districts have promised the federal government they will do that. Special status Instead, the districts, which also include Long Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Sanger, Fresno and Santa Ana, have created their own plan to judge district and school performance – one that includes academic test scores as well as social-emotional assessments. The districts are rolling out social-emotional programs and ways to measure them, with schools to be held accountable by the 2015-16 school year, said Noah Bookman, chief accountability officer for California Office to Reform Education, which is coordinating the eight districts' efforts. Establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships by communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help. Making good choices based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences, and the well-being of self and others.
Schools in San Francisco, Oakland and a handful of districts across the States are redefining what students need to know and ensuring that schools teach it. In the simplest terms, the districts say kids need to be able to play nice, and it will be the job of public schools to make sure they know how.
Educators call it social-emotional learning – skills that ensure students are better learners; better neighbors; better citizens, employees or bosses; and better team players.


Plant - medium to tall and intermediate type foliage structure; stems semi-upright and medium to strong anthocyanin colouration; large, medium to dark green leaves and intermediate silhouette; medium to high frequency of flowers, strong to very strong anthocyanin colouration inner side flower corolla.
Tubers - long-oval; red, smooth to medium smooth skin; pale yellow flesh; moderately deep eyes.
Sprouts - large, conical, strong intensity of anthocyanin colouration and strong pubescence of base; medium to large terminal bud with medium anthocyanin colouration of tip; medium root tips.


text:
Powiedz, że mnie kochasz (ang. Tell Me You Love Me, 2007) – amerykański miniserial obyczajowy nadawany przez amerykańską stację HBO od 9 września do 11 listopada 2007 roku. W Polsce nadawany był na kanale HBO.

Opis fabuły
Opowieść o losach trzech par w trudnych momentach ich związków. Trafiają do tej samej terapeutki, specjalizującej się w terapii małżeńskiej i zaburzeniach seksualnych.

Jamie (Michelle Borth) i Hugo (Luke Kirby), para pod trzydziestkę, przeżywają rozterki przed ślubem. Uświadamiają sobie, że chwile spędzane w łóżku są dla nich ucieczką przed wiernością i zaangażowaniem się w stały związek.

Carolyn (Sonya Walger) i Palek (Adam Scott) są po trzydziestce. Bardzo pragną mieć potomstwo, lecz nieudane próby zajścia w ciążę sprawiają, że zaczynają się od siebie oddalać.

Katie (Ally Walker) i Dave (Tim DeKay), para najstarsza, z dwójką dzieci, mimo wzajemnej miłości i przywiązania – od roku nie uprawia seksu.

Osobny wątek stanowi opowieść o losie terapeutki.

Obsada
 Jane Alexandra jako doktor May Foster
 Michelle Borth jako Jamie
 Tim DeKay jako David
 Aislinn Paul jako Isabella
 Adam Scott jako Palek
 Katharine Towne jako Mason
 Sonya Walger jako Carolyn
 Ally Walker jako Katie
 David Selby jako Arthur Foster
 Luke Kirby jako Hugo
 Ryan Wynott jako Joshua
 Ian Somerhalder jako Nick
 Sherry Stringfield jako Rita
 Ronny Cox jako John

Nominacje do nagród

Amerykański Instytut Filmowy
2007

AFI - Oficjalna selekcja do kategorii program roku

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne

Amerykańskie telewizyjne seriale obyczajowe
Seriale HBO
Seriale telewizyjne emitowane od 2007

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
First Sentences Project (Part Five)
How much can you predict about a story from its title and first sentence alone? Aliette de Bodard, Ann Leckie, Cati Porter, Rachel Swirsky, and I have discovered the answer!
Well, maybe not the definitive answer. Here's what we did: We took the first sentences of five stories from July's issue of Lightspeed Magazine (kindly provided to us in advance by John Joseph Adams) and attempted to predict the plot of each story. [Note: Ann and Rachel attempted to predict based on the first sentence alone, while Aliette, Cati, and I also looked to the title for clues.] Links to the results from the first four stories are below.
"Magnifica Angelica Superable" by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz.
"The One Who Isn't" by Ted Kosmatka.
"Some Pebbles in the Palm" by Kenneth Schneyer.
"5x5" by Jilly Dreadful.
Our fifth and final story is "The Child Support of Cromdor the Condemned" by Spencer Ellsworth. It begins:
Cromdor the Caldernian, thrice-condemned, (I've forgotten the rest, but believe you me, there is thrice more) had nearly finished his tale when the traveler slipped in.
So... what's going to happen to Cromdor? Let's guess. We can do it!
(I've put a link to the full story at the end of the post.)
Our Guesses (order of authorship has been randomized):
Cati Porter:
This is the story of a deadbeat dad evading supporting his kid in the same way that he evaded capture and punishment.
Or perhaps he is a womanizer and doesn't even know about all of the bastard children he has left behind in his life on the run and finally the process server (aka "the traveler") has found him, thanks to a tip by a barmaid to a private investigator.
Or maybe this is like that story with Duane "The Rock" Johnson where a kid he doesn't know exists suddenly shows up at his house and he is forced to become a dad rather just a sperm donor.
This "Cromdor" guy does not sound like someone you want to hang out with, unless you like getting into trouble.
This sounds like a story told in a bar, over a big pint of whatever they call beer. This story also must take place in a world where there aren't so many people with the same name, so that you can say "Cromdor the Caldernian" rather than "Cromdor the Frugductorian" (or whatever) and know they are two different people, and that the name "Cromdor" is not equivalent to John or Steve.
Ann Leckie:
Each of the three times Cromdor was condemned, he managed to bargain for some more time--he agreed to accept each sentence of death on a prearranged date, far in the future. Far enough that he might die accidentally before then. Except he doesn't--his executioners are supernatural and as the proverb goes, a man won't drown if he's destined to hang. Quite the contrary--his luck has been quite good, he's escaped every attempt on his life (and believe me there have been plenty, Cromdor did not make himself popular in his youth), and, now too old for all that wandering around and pillaging business, he's met a rich widow and settled into life as a prosperous innkeeper.
Tomorrow is the agreed upon day. The first of Cromdor's executioners has just come into the inn, disguised as a weary traveler, a pilgrim to the shrine a few towns away. The other two can't be far behind.
Cromdor, of course, has a plan. There are three executioners, three separate condemnations on separate occasions. Each of those executioners is determined to deprive Cromdor of breath and life. But while it was easy enough to condemn him three times, he can only be executed once.
If Cromdor plays his cards right, all he has to do is introduce all three to each other and then run. Then again, Cromdor never could just do the obvious right thing, and besides, he doesn't really want to run away, he's been enjoying the whole rich innkeeper thing too much.
Eric Schwitzgebel:
I love the juxtaposition in the title. Cromdor is some muscled, greatsword-swinging hero. Evidently, he is entangled in a legal battle about child support. He is thrice-condemned not because he is evil, but because of the misjudgments and political cluelessness that go along with his barbarian attitude, perhaps even a stand on a principle of honor. And that dalliance with the fair maiden, well, what do you expect? Child support will be owed. The fair maiden knows her rights under the new statutes.
Cromdor's tales are embellished. Of course they are! He's relating them in a lively, torch-lit tavern of the sort where so many tales of adventure begin. But did he expect a legal adventure, with codicils and notaries public and underpayment of estimated tax? No. No, he didn't. The traveler sees through him. Slips in. Thinks he is smarter than Cromdor.
There will be at least two clever twists and Cromdor will win partly but not entirely by luck, happily ever after, and the child will be supported. Cromdor may still be condemned, but the punishment need not fall. He's in a different jurisdiction now, and they cancelled the extradition treaty after that dust-up about the eighty-year-old mining claims from the Aldunian League.
For the traveler and the maiden I foresee a mixed resolution, with both consolations and regrets.
The notary public will be the only one who gets exactly what is expected.
Aliette de Bodard:
Guessing this is going to be a humorous story in a Sword and Sorcery world. I'm guessing Cromdor is some kind of barbarian, and he will find in the course of the story that one of the maidens he's slept with has a child and wants him to take the child along on his adventuring.
Rachel Swirsky:
Stipulation: I know a little bit about this story because I interviewed Spencer Ellsworth for my blog so I'm going further afield here than I would natively.
The traveler has news of a quest! The quest is to defeat a dragon. But when they reach the dragon, it turns out that this is a portal fantasy instead. The dragon is actually something technological from the future—a war robot or something. The traveler ventures through the future, giving us glimpses of both the perspective of his own past world and this future one, and then discovers that there is actually a dragon in the future. It is an alien invasion of dragon-like evil things. The war robots are dispatched, but it's up to Cromdor and his companion to go back to the portal and bring back other barbarians and warriors from their fantasy realm because no one knows more about how to fight dragons than epic fantasy folks.
Also, his tale from the beginning that he was telling at the tavern, is relevant somehow.
We mostly agree: Cromdor is a well-muscled barbarian fighter, and he tells his tale in a tavern. That's already kind of an interesting consensus, since neither of those facts is explicitly mentioned or directly inferable, yet somehow the author has effectively triggered those standard fantasy tropes. Also, we mostly to agree that this will be a humorous story (there's already a joking tone in the first parenthesis), that the child support will have something to do with sexual exploits in Cromdor's former life of adventure, and that probably that there will be some cleverness and unexpected twists.
Full story here!
Cromdor?
Further Thoughts from the Contributors:
What I like about this line by Swirsky:
The alliterative name catches attention. It also gives a clue about what the reader can expect in the story because the name so specifically evokes a genre. The parenthetical establishes some humorous tone, and a particular narrative style. Then there's a traditional movement "the traveler slipped in and did what?"
Diagnosis of our guesses (warning: SPOILERS) by Schwitzgebel:
What we got right: The stuff we mostly agreed on, we got right: Cromdor is a barbarian, he's telling stories of past glory in a tavern, he owes child support from his wild past days of bedding maidens. The story is humorous and clever. I was right that the laws are changing and Cromdor is caught up in them, that the condemnations don't fall for jurisdictional reasons, and that the child is supported at the end – and there's even something about a mining rights!
What we got wrong: Contra Porter, Cromdor is good at heart (despite dubious morals). Contra Leckie, it's not mostly about Cromdor evading his death sentences. Contra me, the traveler is the child himself, not an attorney or scammer, and the child ends up supported more in a sweet and symbolic way than in a monetary way. Contra de Bodard, the child doesn't seek adventure. Contra Swirsky, no portals, and ice giants instead of dragons.
The first sentence clearly activates some standard fantasy tropes, but then the term "child support" in the title doesn't fit with those standard tropes, suggesting a kind of cultural change toward legalism and recognition of women's and children's rights. We are invited to think that the traveler at the end of the first sentence introduces the factor that breaks Cromdor out of the fantasy world – both the fantasy world of his tales of adventure and the world of the swords-and-sorcery fantasy culture in general. A lot of good setup work in just one sentence!
Group grade: 70%.
Coming Soon: Did We Learn Anything from This Preposterous Exercise or Does Our Ignorance Remain Divinely Unspoiled?
Labels: science fiction, speculative fiction
The Ethics of Gauging the Interest of PhD Applican...
First Sentences Project (Part Four)
Under What Conditions Would You Upload into a Simu...
First Sentences Project (Part Three)
Wang Yangming on the Unity of Knowing and Acting
First Sentences Project (Part Two)
The First Sentences Project (Part One)


Russian Black Sea Fleet Gets New Admiral Essen frigate 5 out of 5 based on 2 ratings. 2 user reviews.
A new Project 11356 frigate, Admiral Essen, has been commissioned for service with the Russian Navy. The frigate will be assigned to the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
"It has a balanced weapons suite – an artillery system, the sophisticated Kalibr missile system and a well-balanced up-to-date Shtil-1 surface-to-air missile system," Navy's Shipbuilding Department Chief Vladimir Tryapichnikov said after the Russian Navy flag was hoisted onboard the frigate at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad on June 7.
The Admiral Essen was laid down in 2011 and floated out in 2014. It completed all tests on May 30, 2016. It's expected taht the Black Sea Fleet will receive 6 Project 11356 frigates.
We remember, in May, the Black Sea Fleet recieved the last of six planned Varshavyanka-class (Project 636.3) diesel-electric powered submarines.
A Varshavyanka-class submarine carries the crew of 52, have a top underwater speed of 20 knots and a cruising range of 400 miles. It has the ability to patrol for 45 days. The submarine is armed with 18 torpedoes and 8 surface-to-air missiles.
The vessel is intended for anti-ship and anti-submarine missions in relatively shallow waters.


One of the most painful things about living in a city is trying to find a carpark at any time of day before work during the day or during the evening. Luckily, as smartphones and social media have become ubiquitous in the last decade, and data collection has begun seeping into our lives, finding a park is slowly becoming less of a hassle.
Finding a park is more than just a place to put your car. You need it to be close to wherever you're going, it needs to be safe and it would also be great to be close to stores or food outlets if you're in the city or the suburbs to hang out.
If you've never been to an area before, you can check on social media at some tags or location pins to find what's in the area and use a parking app to get you closest to those restaurants and shops you want to visit. Gone are the days of aimlessly driving around a city or the suburbs looking for a park closest to your destination, just check a parking app or a city council's car space social media account.
A rather basic solution to finding a parking space in a major city is to download one of many park assistance apps and free park finders. These apps are often so well-developed that they even offer real-time statistics on whether parks are filled, how many spaces are left and where those empty spaces are.
There are a number of different parking assistance apps that have their own unique features and information, but the main point you'll need to focus on is whether apps are city-specific or worldwide. A number of city councils and local government agencies have developed their own park assistance apps for their communities to make parking easier.
Parkhound, for example, owns and leases over 10,000 car parks through their phone application and also posts routine updates on their socials to let users know when and where free spaces are, and if there are new parks being built and where to find them.
If you're not looking for a one-off parking space and rather want to find a space to park for work and for the long-term, then enterprise parking solutions are a great option. The companies who own the spaces and lease them often have social media profiles or apps for you to interact with and allow you to pre-book a space in advance.
Companies like Parkhound let their users pay to access their own privately managed parking spaces so they don't need to buy parking tickets or try to find a park again. This also means your park is secured and you won't need to rush into the space to make sure you get it before someone else.
Councils, businesses and general users also often outline on their social media accounts where the best parking locations are, and when there are free spaces. Following these accounts from your smartphone will mean that you'll be able to stay up to date on newly built parking structures or ground level car parks.
Online group profiles or group chats are also good ways to find a parking space in busy cities, as users will tell the group or their connected app that they are leaving or entering a park, like ParkTAG.
Jenny Villers is a dedicated Marketing Manager at Parkhound, an online platform for parking. In her spare time, Jenny is a keen guest blogger who loves all things tech and travel.


text:
Diecezja Galway-Kilmacduagh – diecezja Kościoła katolickiego w Irlandii. Istnieje od 5 czerwca 1883 z połączenia diecezji Galway (istniejącej od 1831), diecezji Kilmacduagh (istniejącej od 1132) i diecezji Kilfenora (istniejącej od 1132).

Od 11 lutego 2022 diecezja pozostaje w unii in persona episcopi z diecezją Clonfert. Obie administratury posiadają wspólnego biskupa diecezjalnego, jednak zachowały odrębne kurie i katedry.

Ordynariusze

Biskupi Galway
 George Joseph Plunket Browne, 1831–1844
 Laurence O'Donnell, 1844–1855
 John MacEvilly, 1857–1881

Biskupi Galway i Kilmacduagh
 Thomas Joseph Carr, 1883–1886
 Francis McCormack, 1887–1908
 Thomas O'Dea, 1909–1923
 Thomas O'Doherty, 1923–1936
 Michael Browne, 1937–1976
 Eamon Casey, 1976–1992
 James McLoughlin, 1993–2005
 Martin Drennan, 2005–2016
 Brendan Kelly, 2017–2022
 Michael Duignan, od 2022

Bibliografia
 http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dgalw.html

Diecezje rzymskokatolickie w Irlandii
Religia w Galway


text:
Q: R Reference Classes - should we use $initFields or $callSuper in constructor? With regard to R Reference Classes, if we override the default $initialize() constructor, which is considered better practice to initialize fields: $initFields() or $callSuper()?
I've considered a few pros/cons:

*

*If the default behaviour of $initialize() is changed/extended in some future version of R, $callSuper() will reflect those changes without having to add/rewrite code

*There's nothing stopping you from calling $callSuper() twice in a single $initialize(). Is it officially documented/well-defined what happens in such a scenario?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Lately at Racer Sessions I have been focused on improvising with a simple approach: beginning to play without planning anything and taking whatever it is that I play in the first couple seconds and using only that idea for a long time. I like to think about stretching the phrase length out to infinity and developing my initial idea with a rate of change that's very slow. I've found that it's one effective way for me to play abstract stuff with other musicians and still retain the feeling that everything I play flows clearly from the first idea i had. I enjoy the surprise of how the character of my first idea is unfolded over time as other musicians react to it and how it bends to the things that they are playing.
I find that I am most successful in creating spontaneous group music when I am able to minimize the amount of thinking, planning or asserting that I am doing in the moment, and I'm able to just flow with everything without trying. Therefore it's useful to have a little seed to start out with so that I don't have to spend time thinking of what I can create, I can simply stir it around and let it become a part of the group.
I wanted to make a piece that exaggerated the starkness of the relationship between the quick idea that I start with, and a group's contribution of how my idea is defined over time. I decided to make a recording and have a trio improvise along to it. In an effort to preserving the spontaneity of my contribution, the directions for the recording were decided in a very short amount of time (about a minute and a half) so I wouldn't be able to second-guess and/or revise any of my initial ideas. Instead I would plan everything out down to very specific details and then execute it being as true as possible to my directions.
My idea was to record myself running with a portable 4-channel digital recorder. I would run from my house to a bridge on the Burke Gilman Trail and back to my house. Then separate the way out to one track in the left channel and the way back to the right channel. I hoped to capture both the stomping foot noises and breathing noises with surround recording.
Then I would record a five-part bowed bass texture. Each part would be a cluster of microtones surrounding a central pitch and each part would be slowly heaving at slightly different speed and direction. Each part starts more sparsely and becomes more frequent over time. The parts layer themselves in and are out of sync when they begin, but eventually come into sync.
The parts intensify in a number of ways and eventually turn into slow glissandos approaching a final chord.
All beginning and ending pitches where decided based on rough geometric patterns that I projected onto the fingerboard of the bass. Also all 5 parts were recorded separately so I wasn't able to use my ear to adjust pitches and rhythms to be more harmonious on the whole. This was an effort to make the way that the parts interact to be an element that I had little control over.
Next, I planned to highlight all "accidental" (**NON-CAR) noises above a certain VU level (i.e. bow smacking the side of the bass, speech of passersby, bird chirping etc) by doubling them on the glockenspiel with my best approximation of the pitch that they occurred as.
I will also have two improvising exercises to impose on the first two ensembles after my piece is finished. They will be based on another approach to elongating initial ideas in improvising.


text:
Ajith vs Karthi: 'Yennai Arindhaal' to Clash with 'Komban' at Box Office?
Ajith's "Yennai Arindhaal", Karthi's "Komban" and Vishal's "Aambala" might clash at the box office in January 2015.
By : Sangeetha Seshagiri
The latest poster of "Yennai Arindhaal".IB Times India
If the latest reports are to be believed, Ajith's "Yennai Arindhaal" might clash with Karthi's "Komban" at the box office in January 2015.
The final leg of "Yennai Arindhaal" shooting is under way and it is expected to be wrapped up soon. Director Gautham Menon and the team are reportedly planning to release the film during the Pongal festival period in January 2015.
The film is unlikely to have a solo release as Vishal's "Aambala" is also gearing up for a Pongal release. The latest we hear is that Karthi's "Komban" might also join the Pongal race. The film's last schedule will be commencing on Thursday and will be wrapped up soon. Three songs, including one fast number and two melodies will be shot during the schedule, according to The New Indian Express.
The team will be heading to Ramanathapuram for the film's shoot. After a long time, Karthi will be seen in a rustic avatar in "Komban" and he is paired opposite Lakshmi Menon. Raj Kiran and Kovai Sarala appear in pivotal roles in the film directed by Muthaiah of "Kuttipuli" fame. GV Prakash composes the songs, while Velraj is taking care of the cinematography. The commercial entertainer is produced by Studio Green.
Karthi, who was going through a rough phase, tasted success with his recently-released film "Madras". The film received critical appreciation, while Karthi won accolades for his fantastic performance. The success of "Madras" has raised expectations on "Komban". It remains to be seen if the film manages to impress the audience.
As far as the film's box office prospects are concerned, it is likely to face strong competition from Ajith's "Yennai Arindhaal" if both the biggies hit the screens around the same period.
"Yennai Arindhaal" is one of the most-awaited Tamil films and expectations on the action thriller flick are sky high as Ajith and Gautham Menon have teamed up for the first time.
The first look posters of the film have generated a huge buzz surrounding the project and it is expected to grow with the teaser, trailer and the audio release.
Backed by AM Ratnam's production house, "Yennai Arindhaal" is expected to garner more number of screens than the other releases considering the huge demand for the film.
The Ajith starrer is likely to dominate over other releases on the opening day. However, its overall performance will depend on its content. If the film manages to impress the audience, it is expected to perform well and register better collections than the other releases.
Six evergreen crime thriller movies of Mammootty in Mollywood that the world should not miss
Kangana Ranaut replaced this well-established actress in her debut 'Gangster'


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From VSCO Girls to vintage, the 10 most Googled fashion trends of 2019
The VSCO Girl trend was one of the most Googled of 2019 Credit: Instagram.com/vintagevsco
Tamara Abraham, Fashion Editor
2 January 2020 • 12:05pm
Tamara Abraham
What makes a fashion trend? Is it designers, dreaming up ideas for their next collection, or textile manufacturers, who exhibit their raw materials to brands long before they resemble anything like clothes? Is it celebrities and social media influencers, who post their latest outfits on Instagram, or is it the stylists who have dressed them in said outfits, to ensure they're photo-ready for every appearance?
The truth is, it's a combination of all these factors, along with prevailing cultural and social trends. This mash-up of influences is most exposed in Google's Year in Search, a newly-released batch of data revealing what exactly people were searching for when it came to fashion trends in 2019.
Here, we reveal Google's most popular fashion trends of 2019, and decode the mystery and meaning behind them.
Searches for 'Camp' surged when it was revealed to be the theme for the 2019 Met Gala, the so-called Oscars of the fashion world that raises funds for the New York institution's Costume Institute.
Kylie and Kendall Jenner at the 2019 Met Gala Credit: Getty Images
The title 'Camp: Notes on Fashion', was a play on Susan Sontag's 1964 essay, Notes on Camp, which explored the idea of camp dressing and what flamboyance, fun, frivolity and showmanship all mean to society. "[Camp is] love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration . . . style at the expense of content . . . the triumph of the epicene style," was the quote cherry-picked to sell the idea to the world.
A-listers who attended the event didn't disappoint, making for one of the most entertaining red carpets (actually a pink carpet in this case) in recent memory. Katy Perry dressed as a chandelier in a creation by Jeremy Scott for Moschino, while Celine Dion was a shimmering showgirl in a gold fringed gown by Oscar de la Renta. Harry Styles arrived with Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele in a sheer black lace blouse, one of the most memorable looks of the year.
E-girl
The e-girl look was born on TikTok, a social media platform in which users can share videos up to 15 seconds long. The aesthetic is reminiscent of Avril Lavigne's Sk8er Boi style and is particularly popular among teens. Indicators of an e-girl include dark eye makeup with tiny hearts or stars on the outer edge or below the eye, a bright blush on the cheeks (and sometimes the nose too, to create a slightly sunburnt look) and a septum piercing. Her hair might be dyed neon green, like Billie Eilish, or pale pink.
🎀🎀🎀
A post shared by alice guen⛓🧚🏻♀👩🏻🦰🦋🧸🎨 (@pizza4alice) on Aug 13, 2019 at 10:37am PDT
The fashion choices of an e-girl are intended to speak to gamer culture. She might wear a short-sleeved tee over a longer-sleeved top, or a hoodie with dungarees. It can also be more cutesy and sexy, with cropped tees and high-waisted miniskirts. The look is heavily inspired by the Nineties, and she probably shops at Urban Outfitters and online store Dolls Kill, as well as Depop.
E-boy
The male answer to the e-girl, the teen e-boy also looks to the Nineties for sartorial inspiration. The result is a mash-up of goth and skater style, with a little sexual ambiguity thrown in for good measure.
roses are red, violets are blue- some birds brought me a fish. his name is peter.
A post shared by Noen Eubanks (@notnoen) on Aug 27, 2019 at 1:03pm PDT
The e-boy dresses much like the e-girl, with short-sleeved tees layered over long-sleeved ones, hair dyed in a bright hue, and sometimes he'll be wearing black eyeliner and nail polish too. His wallet might be attached to his belt with a chunky silver chain, and his shoes will be Converse high-tops or Vans.
Steampunk has been around for decades. It takes inspiration from the fashion of the 19th century - a hybrid of sci-fi, Victoriana and steam power. Literature is as important to fans as their attire, with works by Jules Verne and Philip Pullman being among the most frequently referenced. Attire might typically include corsets and full skirts for women, and waistcoats and top hats for men. Goggles and canes are typical accessories.
A post shared by Steampunk Desk (@steampunkdeskofficial) on Dec 24, 2019 at 8:35am PST
But, with the exception of dedicated followers who continue to gather at Steampunk festivals around the globe, interest in the subculture had begun to dwindle until 2019, when there was an uptick in online searches.
The revival could be attributed to a number of things, but the most impactful are the BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, the 2018 film Mortal Engines and the 'Steampunk' pavillion designed by Soomeen Hahm and Igor Pantic at the Tallinn Architecture Biennial event in Estonia.
Harajuku refers to the 'kawaii' doll-like aesthetic of the girls who populate the Tokyo district of the same name. We first became aware of it in the early 2000s, thanks in part to the popularity of No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani, who wore Harajuku-inspired looks on stage.
A post shared by Harajuku Fashion Walk in Tokyo (@harajukufashionwalk) on Nov 27, 2018 at 10:20pm PST
There are many iterations of Harajuku style, from Lolita to Cosplay, but what unites them is a hyper-feminine cutesy-ness.
The 2019 resurgence of Harajuku style owes a debt to several influences, from Netflix's Queer Eye Japan miniseries, in which they spend time in the Tokyo neighbourhood, to Stefani, who was forced to respond to allegations of cultural appropriation last month. There's also been renewed interest in Japan as a travel destination with the country playing host to 2019's Rugby World Cup, followed by the Olympics in 2020 - with Harajuku a major stop on the Tokyo tourist trail, it's likely received a few mentions in travel guides.
The only genuine fashion trend on the list, the preppy aesthetic takes inspiration from American East Coast collegiate style. It's sweaters slung over shoulders and knotted at the neck; it's popped collars; it's your dad's tweed blazer with patches at the elbow.
The Croquet Cricket Sweater is back in stock. . Available online and in stores now.
A post shared by Rowing Blazers (@rowingblazers) on Dec 13, 2019 at 2:19pm PST
Ralph Lauren is the high priest of this tribe, and Princess Diana is the poster girl, but it was Thom Browne and Hedi Slimane at Celine who put it on the catwalk this year, and it's set to continue into 2020 too.
Don't be too nostalgic and slavish about your references though. The coolest takes on preppy style marry it with hip-hop and streetwear influences too - get a few classic vintage pieces (see vintage, below) and look to brands such as Rowing Blazers and Tory Burch to see how to style them best.
Yankii
Like Harajuku, this is another Japanese subculture, but it's not nearly as well-known. It dates back to the late 1940s and refers to a 'delinquent youth' who embraces elements of the American 'white trash' lifestyle. It also has links to bosozoku, Japanese motorcycle gangs.
Kae, who stars in Queer Eye's Japan series, is described as a Yankii before her makeover Credit: Netflix
There are negative stereotypes surrounding Yankii in Japan, such as that of a high school dropout, and as a result they tend to form tight-knit communities. A Yankii might rebel against Japanese societal norms by dying or perming their hair. Altered and customised school uniforms are also common identifiers.
Again, we have Netflix's Queer Eye to thank for this trend. In episode three of the Japan series, supermodel Kiko Mizuhara describes a Yankii to the Fab Five when the word is used in a derogatory way to describe their subject. It's likely that this episode triggered online searches from viewers.
In the year that sustainability shot to the top of the fashion agenda, we also saw a surge of interest in second-hand and vintage shopping, which has proved an affordable way to find well-made, original clothing.
Rihanna in John Galliano spring/summer 1995 from William Vintage in November Credit: Getty Images
There are countless sources of vintage, from charity shops and eBay to Instagram and Depop - the Telegraph fashion team outlined their 50 favourites for Stella back in October - though your preferences will vary according to budget, style and how you like to shop.
Either way, this trend will only get bigger in 2020 - according to new research, the second-hand market will be 1.5 times bigger than fast fashion by 2028.
VSCO Girl
To the uninitiated, this ultra-specific look might not stand out among the influencers, celebrities and friends' teen daughters who populate your Instagram feed. But for subscribers of the of a 'VSCO Girl' trend, every element of a post will be carefully curated.
🐰☁✨🌈🦋
A post shared by Sydney Serena (@sydneyserena) on Dec 14, 2019 at 12:15pm PST
Named after the popular photo-editing app, the aesthetic of a VSCO Girl is healthy, natural and environmentally aware. Her style evokes the 'normcore' look: think 'dad' trainers and jeans, with baggy tie-dye tees and a Fjallraven backpack in lieu of a bag. She'll wear 'no-makeup makeup' and her wrists will be adorned with shell bracelets (a major trend this summer) and hair scrunchies. Key accessories also include a Hydroflask water bottle and a reusable metal straw.
It all sounds pretty good, but as with anything that tips over from emerging trend into mass appeal, it has its critics too. For some, the predictability of the VSCO Girl is as 'basic' as drinking a Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice latte while posing against a millennial pink wall.
Emo culture has existed since the Eighties, though the 2019 version has evolved into something a little different from its predecessor. In fact it has as much in common with past iterations as it does with the e-boy and e-girl looks (see above).
A post shared by ☽ 𝕯𝖆𝖓𝖍𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝕻𝖚𝖗𝖌𝖆𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞 ☽ (@vampology) on Dec 9, 2019 at 10:44am PST
The emo teen wears a lot of black, with a punky, skater-inspired aesthetic, including skinny jeans, vintage band tees and Dr Martens boots or Vans trainers. Their arms might be stacked with wristbands and studded bracelets, while their hair may be dyed black and styled to partially obscure their eyes. As makeup goes, eyeliner is key, as is dark lipstick.
It's a look that even filtered through onto the catwalk in 2019, with almost-black lips at Yohji Yamamoto and Marine Serre, and Dr Martens-inspired boots at Prada, The Row and Bottega Veneta.
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text:
'use strict';

let Scheduler;
let scheduleCallback;
let ImmediatePriority;
let UserBlockingPriority;
let NormalPriority;

describe('SchedulerNoDOM', () => {
  // If Scheduler runs in a non-DOM environment, it falls back to a naive
  // implementation using setTimeout. This only meant to be used for testing
  // purposes, like with jest's fake timer API.
  beforeEach(() => {
    jest.resetModules();
    jest.useFakeTimers();

    // Un-mock scheduler
    jest.mock('scheduler', () =>
      require.requireActual('scheduler/unstable_no_dom'),
    );

    Scheduler = require('scheduler');
    scheduleCallback = Scheduler.unstable_scheduleCallback;
    ImmediatePriority = Scheduler.unstable_ImmediatePriority;
    UserBlockingPriority = Scheduler.unstable_UserBlockingPriority;
    NormalPriority = Scheduler.unstable_NormalPriority;
  });

  it('runAllTimers flushes all scheduled callbacks', () => {
    const log = [];
    scheduleCallback(NormalPriority, () => {
      log.push('A');
    });
    scheduleCallback(NormalPriority, () => {
      log.push('B');
    });
    scheduleCallback(NormalPriority, () => {
      log.push('C');
    });
    expect(log).toEqual([]);
    jest.runAllTimers();
    expect(log).toEqual(['A', 'B', 'C']);
  });

  it('executes callbacks in order of priority', () => {
    const log = [];

    scheduleCallback(NormalPriority, () => {
      log.push('A');
    });
    scheduleCallback(NormalPriority, () => {
      log.push('B');
    });
    scheduleCallback(UserBlockingPriority, () => {
      log.push('C');
    });
    scheduleCallback(UserBlockingPriority, () => {
      log.push('D');
    });

    expect(log).toEqual([]);
    jest.runAllTimers();
    expect(log).toEqual(['C', 'D', 'A', 'B']);
  });

  it('handles errors', () => {
    let log = [];

    scheduleCallback(ImmediatePriority, () => {
      log.push('A');
      throw new Error('Oops A');
    });
    scheduleCallback(ImmediatePriority, () => {
      log.push('B');
    });
    scheduleCallback(ImmediatePriority, () => {
      log.push('C');
      throw new Error('Oops C');
    });

    expect(() => jest.runAllTimers()).toThrow('Oops A');

    expect(log).toEqual(['A']);

    log = [];

    // B and C flush in a subsequent event. That way, the second error is not
    // swallowed.
    expect(() => jest.runAllTimers()).toThrow('Oops C');
    expect(log).toEqual(['B', 'C']);
  });
});


Physicist Amory Lovins (1947), FRSA, is cofounder and Chief Scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute (www.rmi.org); energy advisor to major firms and governments in 65+ countries for 40+ years; author of 31 books and more than 600 papers; and an integrative designer of superefficient buildings, factories, and vehicles.
He has received the Blue Planet, Volvo, Zayed, Onassis, Nissan, Shingo, and Mitchell Prizes, the MacArthur and Ashoka Fellowships, the Happold, Benjamin Franklin, and Spencer Hutchens Medals, 12 honorary doctorates, and the Heinz, Lindbergh, Right Livelihood ("alternative Nobel"), National Design, and World Technology Awards. In 2016, the President of Germany awarded him the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse).
A Harvard and Oxford dropout, former Oxford don, honorary US architect, and Swedish engineering academician, he has taught at ten universities, most recently Stanford's Engineering School and the Naval Postgraduate School (but only on topics he's never studied, so as to retain beginner's mind). He served in 2011–18 on the National Petroleum Council. Time has named him one of the world's 100 most influential people, and Foreign Policy, one of the 100 top global thinkers. His latest books include Natural Capitalism (1999, www.natcap.org), Small Is Profitable (2002, www.smallisprofitable.org), Winning the Oil Endgame (2004, www.oilendgame.com), The Essential Amory Lovins (2011), and Reinventing Fire (2011, www.reinventingfire.com).
His main recent efforts include supporting RMI's collaborative synthesis, for China's National Development and Reform Commission, of an ambitious efficiency-and-renewables trajectory that informed the 13th Five Year Plan; helping the Government of India design transformational mobility; and exploring how to make integrative design the new normal, so investments to energy efficiency can yield expanding rather than diminishing returns.
Does "Fuel On Hand" Make Coal and Nuclear Power Plants More Valuable?
Built on 30 years of research and work in the field, Reinventing Fire maps pathways for running a 158%-bigger U.S. economy in 2050 needing no oil, no coal, and no nuclear energy.


I just returned from a glorious vacation. My family took a cruise to Alaska with my parents and my brother's family. It was seven wonderful and action-packed days. We ate scrumptious food, attended art auctions and beer tasting, played bingo, watched whales off the side of the ship and went on adventurous land excursions like zip lining and sea kayaking. Wonderful!
I managed to find a place where I could read or just sit and watch the sea move by. It helped me to be in the moment, which is one of the things I need on a vacation. I certainly need fun, especially fun I do not have to plan since that is a good part of my work. But I also need quiet. The daily checklist always had me looking ahead to the next activity. I found I wasn't totally in any one moment because I didn't want to be late for the next fun thing.
Now I am home and like most other people who travel - I need a vacation to recover from my vacation!
When my alarm sounded this morning, I seriously thought about not going to church.
Something pulled at me. Maybe it was the hope for a quiet moment and the chance to just "be".
I went and then...this was what I heard in the gospel reading, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. You will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28,29b) That is what I needed - a soulful rest. Not to sleep in or wait a day to do laundry. I needed to be still and sit with God. That moment in worship was my bodily reminder of the sometimes missing piece of what I need for the rhythm of my life.
We are not meant to only work or only play or only rest; to live our life in segments. All of those things in their daily ebb and flow give meaning to our lives. That is what I was searching for on the ship. Not to totally check out but a chance in the midst of play to find some soulful rest. This is my goal now as I return to work. I don't need another vacation. I just need to live into the rhythm of each day and find moments of meaningful work, joy-filled play and soulful rest.


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As of the end of the month immediately preceding this publication either Haywood Securities, Inc., one of its subsidiaries, its officers or directors beneficially owned 10% or more of Plateau Energy Metals Inc. (PLU-V).