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Using Scoreoid for Player Stats and Progress
by spocker2 | Apr 27, 2012 | Blog | 0 comments
So very early on in the design phase of our game I knew that I wanted the player to be able to pickup and play the game anywhere, anytime and from (almost) any device. I also knew that we wanted to keep track of a number of things about the players progress in the game.
Here is on of our use cases;
Sam is playing on his iPhone in the Bus on the way home from work, he was able to complete two levels before arriving at his destination. When he gets home he goes onto the Laptop and checks the news, and looks up a recipe for dinner. After getting dinner started he decides he wants to try one more level of the game, his iPhone is still charging so he decides to play on his Laptop. He goes to the games website, starts up the game and logs in. He can see the the levels he completed are already updated on his game running on the Laptop. He starts the next level, unfortunately before he can finish he has to attend to a boiling pot of water on the stove. After having dinner and spending the rest of the evening watching a show, he is ready to bed. He decides that he wants to try completing the level he started before dinner. He starts the game on his iPad and logs in, again the levels are updated from his earlier session on the way home playing on his iPhone. This time Sam is able to complete the level. On the way to work the next morning, Sam starts the game on his iPhone on the Bus and the level he completed the night before on his iPad are updated on his iPhone.
So this seems pretty straight forward. However, using a tool like Unity3D for our development we could not achieve true cross platform functionality. Sure we do have some social networking options available with GameCenter for iOS (some of it now bundled with Unity), but that does not work with Android or Windows. There are other options out there like Player.IO (although Big DB is really sweet), but they carry alot of overhead in the form of an additional library that needs to be included at runtime. This is not a good option for running on mobile platforms.
After a lot of research, I decided that the REST architecture was the only way that we could achieve true cross-platform accessibility.
So, like any good developer, I started digging into creating our own server for hosting our own REST calls for the game. I had three initial goals I wanted to accomplish;
Keep track of the levels completed for different Trips (or Worlds for you Angry Birders).
Keep track of the Score for the player.
Keep track of the Achievements for the player.
Keep track of Items Acquired (perhaps purchased) in the game.
Keep track of the Rating (Stars) for the player for each level.
Be able to compare High Scores, Achievements and Items with other players of the Game
So with my PHP for dummies book in hand I briefly thought about creating this all from scratch. But this was going to take a lot of effort (probably 2 months of work), and there was an unknown cost of how much hardware would be needed, and where it would be hosted. I did not decide to become a part-time game developer
Fortunately, back in January of this year I stumbled upon a little start-up called Scoreoid. It was this really cool looking, cross platform, Open Web API thingy that required NO SDK to be installed in my game. Browsing their website I knew we had found the pot of gold.
Here is an excerpt from their website;
Scoreoid's goal is to make games better by handling advanced features, shortening game development time and costs, and freeing up developer time to focus on their games
I contacted Almog (he runs the show) and began a dialog and started looking at all the features that Scoreoid had to offer. It has high score tracking, it has level tracking, it has item tracking, it had almost everything I was looking for. It was a little difficult to "see" at first how I could leverage the technology available in Scoreoid, but with Almog's guidance we had a working prototype (and now working Beta) of the features we needed to deliver. On top of all that the Developer site has this incredibly slick interface that also provides a console for you to test all the API calls before you put them into code in your game.
Using the power already built into Unity3D, we are now making HTTP requests to the Scoreoid servers to manage our Player Stats and Progress in the games Beta release. No additional libraries, no directives for different platforms, no headaches.
Almog deserves an A++++ for Customer Service for all the questions he has answered from us. In addition he has been extremely open to ideas and suggestions even from a guy like me who has "zero" games published. His company has even publicly posted their roadmap for upcoming features to the system, where guys like me can vote on the features I really need. How cool is that!?!
I won't really be a "game developer" until we have actually published this first game. Until then I am a "game developer in training". We are going to publish this game for many reasons, but one of them is because I promised Almog a post-game interview after it is completed. I don't want to dissapoint him.
I will probably have a lot more to say about our Game and Scoreoid in the coming months. But for now I will close with this;
If you need to keep track of anything in your game, and you want a super easy, no frill, with no complicated delegate API callback interface to use, look at Scoreoid…now!


In 2017, the most popular short hairstyles for women are the bob and the pixie cut. Many celebrities have been seen sporting the two short hairstyles and gained positive reaction from both fans and fashion experts. With the right facial textures and cheekbones, bob and pixie haircuts can compliment women's appearance without making them look boyish.
Although we have not reach 2017 yet, we can predict that the short hair trends of 2016 will still be 'in' next year. While the bob and the pixie are classic hairstyles that will never go out of date, there are still more options for you who are brave enough to wear your hair short.
2016 will still maintain longer crops and side swept bangs to accompany the short styles. For a bolder look, the more extreme cut such as punk-inspired style is predicted to exist.
Instead of plain colored hair, it seems that 2017 is the year of colors. More highlights will be given for more definitive short hairstyle. Besides that, women are also encouraged for dyeing their hair for a fancier touch. For a more festive touch, feather hair extensions which have become a trend in 2016 can still occur in 2017 for adorning and defining short hairstyles.


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9ice Marries His Baby Mama.
Egbodo Benjamin Entertainment Gist.
Photo of 9ice and his wife reciting their marriage vows. Popular Nigerian singer, Abolore Adegbola Akande popularly known as 9ice got...
Photo of 9ice and his wife reciting their marriage vows.
Popular Nigerian singer, Abolore Adegbola Akande popularly known as 9ice got married to his baby-mama, Olasunkanmi Ajala on Thursday.
Ajala, the mother of his daughter had announced their plans to tie the knot on the 24th of December, 2919 when she shared beautiful pre-wedding photos.
However, in a new series of post shared yesterday, the new Mrs wrote: "I promise its ….You and I till the wheels fall off…You and I till the sun fades into the darkness..You and I through the raging storm and the calm waters…Its YOU & I."
She added: "She Knew 100 Little things about him But when they shared a kiss. She totally forgot the worries of her world."
See photos of the wedding below
Entertainment Gist.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Cacao Barry has named the four chefs that will battle it out for the chance to represent the UK at the 2015 World Chocolate Masters.
The competitors will take part in the UK and Ireland national pre-selection for the World Chocolate Masters at Westminster Kingsway College, London on 18 February 2015, with the winner named UK and Irish Chocolate Master and going on to represent their country at the international Masters final in Paris.
During the one-day event the chefs will be tasked with creating one chocolate and one molded praline showcase, a 'patisserie of the day' using fresh ingredients and a new concept chocolate snack.
The theme for both the national selections and international final for this year's World Chocolate Masters is 'Inspiration from Nature', with contestants challenged to play with colours, shapes, scents and textures to 'explain how natural products are shaped and transformed into a delightful story with cacao and chocolate at the heart'.


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BooksTopicsAchievers
achieversReid Hoffman
entrepreneurtechnologyventure capitalistauthor
Reid Hoffman is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur. He co-founded LinkedIn, a business-oriented social networking service, and was an executive at PayPal, an online payment company. Hoffman is also a partner at Greylock Partners, a venture capital firm. In addition, he is a board member or advisor to several technology companies and is the host of the podcast "Masters of Scale."
Reid Hoffman is also an author; he has written two books, The Startup of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career and Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies. In "The Startup of You," Hoffman writes about how to create a career and life adaptable to change and position oneself to take advantage of new opportunities.
In "Blitzscaling," Hoffman shares his experiences as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist and provides insights on how to scale a business quickly while maintaining a solid company culture and sustainable growth. Both books have been well-received by critics and praised for giving practical advice for entrepreneurs and career-minded individuals.
Reid Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn in 2002 and served as its Executive Chairman until Microsoft acquired the company in 2016. Under Hoffman's leadership, LinkedIn became one of the most popular social media platforms for professionals, with over 700 million members as of 2021.
He was also instrumental in the company's initial public offering (IPO) in 2011 and its growth and expansion in the following years. He has also been recognized for his role in developing LinkedIn as a pioneer in social networking for professionals and for his contributions to the technology industry as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist.
Best author's book
Blitzscaling
David Sinclair
10 recommend
Written books
Phil Libin
The Start-up of You
Reid Hoffman recommends
Naval Ravikant
Snow Crash
Ev Williams
Jocko Willink
The Gene
The Moment of Lift
Julian Guthrie
Alpha Girls
Tools and Weapons
David S. Rose
So Good They Can't Ignore You
Jordan Hughes
Fred Kofman
Conscious Business
Connected Strategy
Elad Gil
Kathryn Minshew
More Human
On War
Smart People Should Build Things
Leigh Gallagher
The Airbnb Story
The Evolution of God
Tim Sullivan Ray Fisman
The Inner Lives of Markets
The Meaning Revolution
The Industries of the Future
Alfred Lin
Eric Hoffer
The True Believer
Eric Weinstein
Joshua Cooper Ramo
The Seventh Sense
Anja Manuel
This Brave New World
Jay Conrad Levinson
Jake Knapp
Shane Snow
Gallup Press
Ekaterina Walter
Josh Waitzkin
Guy Kawasaki
Get inspired today by reading some of the finest literature known to man. Check out the various books that celebrities swear by. From politicians to sports legends, there are countless inspirational people here whose personal reading preferences have been made available to you. BestBooks is far from a simple collection of self-help books. It's a veritable library of the best works that fiction and non-fiction writers have to offer. You'll be pleasantly surprised to see how much variety there is standing behind the minds of so many impressive individuals. If you have something specific in mind, feel free to skip past the celebrities and dive straight into the topics. Once you've found the right book for you, you'll also receive a breakdown of all the topics within and you can see which celebrities consider that book a favorite.For every title on BestBooks, you'll also find helpful links right under the cover with the quickest ways to acquire that book for yourself. Paperback and digital copies alike are listed and encouraged. There is no wrong way to read quality written work. Don't delay your literary adventures any longer. Dive into these fantastic works of art and you're sure to find something that fits you well. Give yourself time. There's a right book for every person in every situation. You just have to reach out and find it.


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Cardiff City v Real Madrid, 1971
March 10, 2019	0	By MisterPBLW
Cardiff City v Real Madrid was a famous night at Ninian Park in March 1971, as the Second Division side took on the Spanish giants in the first leg of a European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final tie. Cardiff, who knocked out French side Nantes in the previous round, had cup pedigree – their 1927 FA Cup win remains the only time the trophy has left England – and qualified for the competition as winners of the Welsh Cup. The European Cup Winners' Cup ran between 1960 and 1999, after which it was incorporated into the new UEFA Europa League. Tottenham were the first British club to lift the trophy, in 1963; later winners included Chelsea (twice), Arsenal, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, West Ham, Aberdeen and Rangers. The 1970-71 competition was won by Chelsea for their first-ever European trophy, beating Real Madrid 2-1 in a replay after knocking out holders Manchester City in the semi-finals.
Cardiff City 1970-71
As well as losing the final, Real, already six-time European Cup winners at that date, finished the 1970-71 season in a disappointing fourth place behind champions Valencia in La Liga. Despite selling their star striker John Toshack to Liverpool in November, the season was a successful one for Cardiff City under manager Jimmy Scoular. They finished third in the Second Division, though only the top two were promoted at that time, long before the play-offs were introduced. Much-travelled English forward Brian Clark, the hero of this game, finished the season as the club's top scorer. Clark later had the distinction of scoring the first Football League goal on a Sunday, for Millwall in 1974. Another Welsh Cup win in 1971 secured European football again for Cardiff the following season; they qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup 14 times overall, a now-permanent record for any club in Europe.
From Bangor City beating Napoli 2-0 in 1962 to Merthyr Tydfil's 2-1 victory over Atalanta in 1987, Welsh teams have provided many one-off upsets in the Cup Winners' Cup. Cardiff's best season was 1967-68, when they reached the semi-finals, which remains the furthest any Welsh side has gone in European competition. Wrexham made it to the quarter-finals in 1975-76, only beaten by eventual winners Anderlecht, an achievement matched by Newport County in 1980-81. Clubs competing in the English league system were allowed to enter the Welsh Cup up until 1995 but if an English side, such as Chester or Crewe, won, they could not enter European competition; the best-placed Welsh side entered instead. Cardiff City won the competition 22 times, second only to Wrexham with 23, while Shrewsbury Town hold the record for English teams, with six wins between 1891 and 1985. The last English winner of the Welsh Cup was Hereford United in 1990.
CategoryMatch of the Month
Tags1970-71 Brian Clark European Cup Winners' Cup Jimmy Scoular Welsh Cup


WordPress 3.6 is right around the corner, due to be released in early May. What can you expect from the next version of this popular blogging and CMS platform? A lot! This release's underlying theme has been "Improving the Editing Process," and a lot of attention has been given to user interface and workflow processes. Oh, and we also have a shiny new default theme to play with!
Post formats have been a bit of a hidden gem in WordPress. Not quite a post type in of themselves, they are instead more of a way of classifying posts in a way that is different from your standard category and tag taxonomies. They've actually been a built-in feature of WordPress since version 3.1, although in order to use them they had to be enabled by the theme. Also, the user interface was a bit on the kludgy side, and as a result post formats were underutilized and under appreciated.
WordPress 3.6 addresses these issues and makes post formats a whole lot easier to use. The radio button meta box has been replaced with a selection of the available post formats above the content editor field. When a particular post format is selected, any fields that it requires appear automatically; a URL field for the "link" post format, a "Select / Upload Image" button for the image one, etc.
WordPress 3.6 brings post formats front and center.
For theme developers, there are new template tags to help you take full advantage of the improved support for post formats. Functions such as the_post_format_video(), the_post_format_url() and the_remaining_content() will let theme developers pull the meta information from the post and apply a unique design treatment to each format.
WordPress themes will still need to support post formats in order to reap their extra benefits, of course, so don't expect legacy or abandoned themes to take advantage of them. As existing themes are updated and newer themes are developed, post formats will become a much more important piece of the theme landscape.
One of the more popular post formats is video, and WordPress 3.6 makes working with video easier than ever before. When you choose a video post format and enter a URL from a popular video hosting service, WordPress 3.6 will automatically embed that video into your site. You read that right. No more plugins just to embed your favorite YouTube "cat falling into water" video.
What's more, that video will be viewable and playable in the edit window on the admin size, to make that content all the easier to manage in your post. If your post isn't necessarily a video post format, you can still embed videos from your media library in the main content area with the use of the short code. Audio content can now also be embedded (or included in audio post formatted posts) with similar ease, using the short code. Got a video on YouTube you want to embed? That's even easier: just drop the link in your post where you want the video to appear.
No plugins were harmed in the embedding of this video.
This is functionality that WordPress.com users have enjoyed for a while now, and I, for one, am very excited that this is coming to the self-hosted WordPress world.
This one is sure to make the managers of multi-author blogs very happy: improved post locking. In previous versions of WordPress, the only warning one had when another author was editing the same post as you was a warning in red across the top of the screen. WordPress 3.6 beefs up the post locking notifications, so now you really have to be determined before stepping on someone else's post.
To that end, autosave has been improved, and will now write your autosave information directly to your modern browser's local storage (where available). So now when you're on the train and you hit a tunnel, or your Verizon FiOS connection cuts in and out (not like that's ever happened to me… repeatedly… when trying to meet a client deadline… grrr), you can be assured that whatever you've just written is safe and sound on your local machine, ready to sync up again at the next signs of life from the interwebs.
But what happens when you're working on a post, and you get suddenly called away to work on an emergency? Or your ten minute trip to the sandwich shop turns into an hour and a half long team lunch, and when you get back, all your login cookies have expired? Nothing to worry about there, either. Now if something happens where you lose your session authentication, WordPress will prompt you to re-log in once you resume editing your post. No, not take you to the login screen, but ask you right there, in the post editor screen, for your login credentials. Reenter them as normal, and boom! You're back right where you left off! Another awesome feature when life gets in the way of your WordPress work.
No session? No problem! Log back in right on your edit post screen.
So what happens when you decide you need to go back in time and retrieve that version of the page you edited three days ago, or three weeks, or three months? The revision management screen has gotten a dose of love now too, with a great slider that lets you easily retrace your steps. Even when you need to compare two historic versions of the posts, the slider will let you scrub to both versions you want to compare.
Scrub your way back in time in the improved revision management screen.
The customize menus interface was a huge boon for content managers when it first appeared in version 3.0, and now it's even better. No more having to scroll horizontally through the names of menus along the top of the window; with just three or four long-named menus that got a bit clunky. Instead, you now choose the menu you want to edit by selecting it from a drop-down field. In the left column of the menu management screen, the meta box to select the menu's location has been removed (it now has its own separate tab at the top of the page), and only collapsable meta boxes related to what can be put in the menus appear.
Menu management is now more intuitive.
To really showcase the bright new future of post formats, the WordPress core team is releasing it's annual new default theme, Twenty Thirteen, with the 3.6 release (yes, I know Twenty Twelve came out with 3.5, but that is so last December…). This default theme represents a true departure from the previous default theme efforts. Whereas Twenty Ten, Twenty Eleven and Twenty Twelve could safely be described as monochromatic, Twenty Thirteen is bold! A bright orange banner says to the world "I am no ordinary WordPress default theme!", and the "bands of color" produced by the variations from different post formats really take advantage of the post format's new prominence in the WordPress world.
The new default theme, Twenty Thirteen, is a theme of a different color.
Even if the colorful, retro styling is not to your personal taste, the code behind the colors showcases what you can really do with post formats when you put your mind to it. It's always the hope of the default theme team that theme authors can use it to dissect it and really learn how to take advantage of new WordPress features via the themes they create. I certainly will going forward.
Can't wait for the released version to try out these new features? You can check out the beta for yourself by heading to http://wordpress.org/news/2013/04/wordpress-3-6-beta-1/. As is always true, beta software is in flux and features are always subject to change before the final release. Use beta software with caution, and never on a production level site.
The WordPress core team is always striving to do one thing: improve the WordPress experience. And with 3.6, I think they've hit it out of the park. The new revision management, post locking, autosaving and menus administration will make life much better for content providers and site editors. The new post formats UI and template tags will bring out the creativity of theme developers. And the new default theme, Twenty Thirteen, will certainly have heads turning. Look for the final release to drop in early May.
Tracy Rotton is a web developer for RP3 Agency in Bethesda, Maryland with a passion for standards-based front-end development. A big fan of WordPress, she is a contributor to the new WordPress default theme, Twenty Thirteen. When Tracy isn't building websites, she enjoys skiing, watching Redskins football and spending time with her two young children.
Thanks Tracy for the reveiw.
Pretty exciting stuff here! Sure does look like WordPress is floating towards the Tumblr format, but I think it's a good one. WordPress still remains a more robust system. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Looking forward to these updates and even more so when you can integrate custom post types into WP's standard list of default post types to create a unified UX for the end users.
Tracy, thanks for posting! I'm excited about all the new features that are coming to WordPress 3.6 that will make it more user-friendly for everyday editors and general business owners.
As a web designer/developer, I'm always looking to improve the editing experience of my client's websites. It's exciting to see the WordPress team working toward this common goal as well.
I can never understand what Post Formats are for and I've tried reading a few blog posts about it.. do you have any of your own explaining further about why should we use one?
Re: revisions, yeah, they were never really my thing either, but that's because most of what I do for myself is by myself (except for what I write here, pretty much). The revision feature, along with the enhanced post locking are more designed for blogs with teams of authors so that it's easier for an editor or an author to sift through prior drafts of an article.
As for post formats, they are quick ways to get specifically formatted content onto your website. Once you're running 3.6, try dropping a video URL into a video post format, and you'll see what I mean. The post formats make creating a video page, an image page, a gallery page, etc. dead simple.
There are also themes out there right now already taking advantage of post formats, although sometimes in more limited ways. The collaborative theme P2 is a good example: links are styled differently, for example which makes it easy to find them when your scanning the page.
It kind of seems like WordPress is taking the Tumblr route with Post Formats, but hey — why not I guess… I only wish they would introduce a visual query builder as powerful as Drupal Views, I think that would make me switch to WordPress permanently.
I'm not familiar with Drupal. What is this visual query builder, and what's it for?
HI Hamish – Drupal Views allows you to create queries in a visual environment and organize the content in your website without having to code your SQL queries directly in your templates. It's a really powerful tool and it makes up for the fact that Drupal has such a steep learning curve… and the fact that it's kind of a resource hog.


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Terrell Stoglin is mad, bro
By Nick Fasulo@nickbfasulo Feb 11, 2012, 7:19pm EST
Share All sharing options for: Terrell Stoglin is mad, bro
In today's world, there's two ways for athletes to tip their hand to the public that they're ticked off. One is to sulk when the cameras are rolling, the other is to whine on Twitter.
Today, Terrell Stoglin did both.
Down only three at halftime, Maryland was within striking distance for a huge conference road victory against Duke but it slipped away in the second half.
After watching his star player shoot his way into a cold, Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon benched the nation's fourth leading scorer and let him think about what he did. Stoglin finished with 13 points, but was 0-6 from beyond the arc.
As the game played out, the sophomore sat mean-mugging on the sidelines while his teammates took an 18-point loss on the chin to the Blue Devils. Once he was able to get a hold of his phone post-game, Stoglin let everyone know how he felt about sitting by using a vernacular that some people would call a derivative of Swag.
The first time we've seen this from a college basketball player? Absloutely not.
But why not make an example of Stoglin, whose tweets suggest that some of the Terrapins players are not on the same page with each other and/or their coach? It's the lowest of low hanging fruit!
With Pe'Shon Howard done for the season with a torn ACL, it would have been nice to see Stoglin step up his game and leadership abilities. Instead, he's got the college basketball world saying unfavorable things about him and making assumptions about his character.


Interactive installation and light show created for the BLIK BLIK 2018 light festival. The realization took place in cooperation with Vít Trunec under the FABLAB DEPO2015 (CZ).
The 108 half a meter tall ludo game pieces created a colorful show on an area of 230 square meters.
Location: St. Nicholas Square in Pilsen (Mikulášské náměstí v Plzni).


The US-Saudi coalition warplanes on Saturday launched five strikes on Taiz province, a military source said.
The five air raids hit Aynain mount of Habshi mount district, the source added.
The Saudi-led coalition warplanes waged three air strikes on Hodeidah province in the aerily hours of the day.


Using a solution of aspirin water can prevent certain plant diseases. Dissolve three aspirin and a half for 2 gallons of water. You can just spray this concoction to help them fight disease. Try to apply the mixture to the plants with this around every three weeks.
If you are growing your organic plants inside of your home or office, evaluate the amount of natural light that is present. If your apartment or home does not receive a huge amount of sunlight, it will be best that you grow plants that are ideal for this type of environment. You can also consider using grow-lights for this exact purpose.
Put used coffee ground into your soil. Coffee has a lot of nutrients that plants can use.
Try not to let the chores associated to your garden chores build up. Even if you end up being too busy to do garden chores every day, you can do little things to help so that there is not a huge amount of work to be done when you are ready to get back to it. For example, if you are playing in the yard with your child, such as when you take your dog out for a potty break.
Your compost pile should contain green plants and dry plant materials. Green plant material consists of spent flowers, fruit waste, spent flowers, grass clippings, and fruit and vegetable waste. Dried plant material includes straw, shredded paper, cardboard, straw, and dried and cut-up woody material. Avoid ashes, charcoal, diseased plants and meat-eating animal manure.
If you're planning on selling crops to people and labeling them as organic, you need to secure organic garden certification. This will increase sales and shows your customers they've been buying from the best to them.
While gardening organically requires more work than gardening with the help of chemicals, the produce that will come out of your garden will be healthier for you. While the chemical companies claim great benefits, growing organically is a great reward to whomever eats your produce.
Add mulch to your soil healthy.The right amount of mulch in a garden also works to protect the soil under it. Mulch will keep the soil is kept cool on hot days and protect your roots. It will also stop the soil retain moisture in the evaporation rate. It is also serve as a method of controlling the weeds.
Organic foods do not been contaminated by pesticides. This will improve your family's overall health, but you will still have to regularly check your plants for bugs and pests.
Gather together as many tips and tricks for improving your organic garden as possible. The more you have, the more knowledge you can potentially gain. These listed tips are just the beginning of an exciting and organic journey.


Burnology brings together extensive experience in command, control and coordination, the operational use of geospatial systems, development of IT systems, web site management, IT project management, cybernetics, user interface design and graphic design. The company has a focus on research and development, especially using automated artificial intelligence powered geospatial systems in command, control and cordination and in the automatic generation of intelligence. The company holds a number of Australian and international patents and is the developer of Unite, a mobile friendly real time collaborative artificial intelligence powered geospatial system.
The design and building of geospatial artifical intelligence algorithms that enable the automatic generation of spatial intelligence from a range of data sources and their distribution to multiple heirachical levels in real time. The algorithms use experientual data collected as a by-product of the operational use of a field spatial data collection and collaboration system to automatically learn and make spatial predictions. This includes enabeling actionable intelligence generated ('learnt') in one location to be automatically shared with people operating in other locations in real time.
A unique combination of field operational, IT and design knowledge and experience. A unique combination of knowledge and experience in automation, cybernetics, artificial intelligence and spatial modelling. Ability to describe highly technical concepts to non-technical field - based end users. Use of an annotated screen shot based method of describing functionality ensuring requirements are undertood by end users. Use of an interative agile development method. Access to Unite, a mobile friendly real time collaborative artificial intelligence powered geospatial system.


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Previous (Iron Cross)
Next (Iroquois)
Countries behind the Iron Curtain are shaded red.Yugoslavia, although communist-run, was independent of the Eastern Bloc. Similarly, communist Albania broke with the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, aligning itself with the People's Republic of China after the Sino - Soviet split.
The Iron Curtain is a Western term made famous by Winston Churchill referring to the boundary which symbolically, ideologically, and physically divided Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II, until the end of the Cold War, roughly 1945 to 1990. After the end of the Cold War and the spheres of influence were determined by the Allied powers at Potsdam and Yalta, the divisions between the wartime allies soon reappeared as the struggle between capitalism and communism heated up. These tensions were felt as, one by one, communist governments were installed in the Eastern European states under the Soviet sphere of influence. The "iron curtain" became the symbol of the division between two competing ideologies and systems as the competition for world dominance of these two systems dominated the last half of the twentieth century. The fall of the Berlin Wall signaled the end of the iron curtain, as communism collapsed and freedom and democracy came to the Eastern bloc. The West finally prevailed, demonstrating that ideals cannot be artificially kept behind walls and boundaries.
1 Origins of the Iron Curtain
2 Political, economic, and military realities
2.1 East of the Iron Curtain
2.2 West of the Iron Curtain
2.3 The Iron Curtain as a physical entity
3 Reactions to Churchill's speech
3.1 Antagonism between East and West
4 Earlier usages of the term
5 The Iron Curtain today
Origins of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain in Germany
The first recorded use of the term "iron curtain" was in 1819, in the general sense of "an impenetrable barrier." By 1920, it had become associated with the boundary of the Soviet Union's sphere of influence.
It was used during World War II by German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels and later Count Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk in the last days of the war; however, its use was popularized by the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who used it in his "Sinews of Peace" address March 5, 1946, at Westminster College, Missouri, in Fulton, Missouri:
From Stettin (Szczecin) in the Baltic [Sea] to Trieste in the Adriatic [Sea] an "iron curtain" has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia; all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow.
After its fall, a section of the Berlin Wall was transported to and erected at Westminster College.
Political, economic, and military realities
East of the Iron Curtain
While the Iron Curtain was in place, the countries of Eastern Europe and many in Central Europe (except West Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Austria) were under the political influence of the Soviet Union. Indeed the Central European states to the east of the Curtain were frequently regarded as being part of Eastern Europe, rather than Central Europe even though geographically Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is considerably further West than Vienna, the capital of Austria. Berlin, the capital of the reunited Germany, is only slightly to the West of Prague.
Many of the states were members of the Soviet Union itself (the Soviet Socialist Republics), while, with two exceptions, the neighboring countries of the Eastern bloc were ruled by pro-Soviet governments, kept in place by the threat of military force. The two exceptions were Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which retained its full independence, and Albania, which escaped Soviet influence in the 1960s, and aligned itself with China; both Albania and Yugoslavia were Communist states.
To the east of the Iron Curtain, the states developed their own international economic and military alliances, COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistanc) and the Warsaw Pact.
West of the Iron Curtain
To the west of the Iron Curtain, the countries of Western and Southern Europe, along with Austria, West Germany, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, operated market economies. With the exception of a period of fascism in Spain and Portugal and military dictatorship in Greece, these countries were ruled by democratic governments.
Most states to the west of the Iron Curtain—with the exception of neutral Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Sweden, Finland, and Republic of Ireland—were allied with the United States within NATO. Economically, the European Community and the European Free Trade Association were the Western counterparts to COMECON.
The Iron Curtain as a physical entity
The Iron Curtain took physical form in the shape of border defenses between the countries of the western and eastern blocs. These were some of the most heavily militarized areas in the world, particularly the so-called "inner German border"—commonly known simply as (die Grenze in German)—between East and West Germany. The inner German border was marked in rural areas by double fences made of steel mesh (expanded metal) with sharp edges, while near urban areas a high concrete barrier similar to the Berlin Wall was built. The barrier was always a short distance inside East German territory to avoid any intrusion into Western territory. The actual borderline was marked by posts and signs and was overlooked by numerous watchtowers set behind the barrier. In some places, a "death strip" was constructed on the East German side of the barrier, in which unauthorized access would be met with bullets. The strip of land on the West German side of the barrier—between the actual borderline and the barrier—was readily accessible but only at considerable personal risk, as it was patrolled by both East and West German border guards. Shooting incidents were not uncommon, and a total of 28 East German border guards were killed between 1948–1981 (some may have been victims of "friendly fire" by their own side).
Elsewhere, the border defenses between west and east were much lighter. The border between Hungary and neutral Austria, for instance, was marked by a simple chain link fence which was easily removed when it became the first part of the Iron Curtain to be dismantled in 1989.
In parts of Czechoslovakia, the border strip became hundreds of meters wide, and an area of increasing restrictions was defined as one approached the border. Only people with the appropriate government permission were allowed to get close to the border.
The creation of these highly militarized no-man's lands led to defacto nature reserves, creating a wildlife corridor across Europe that helped the spread of several species to new territories.
The term "Iron Curtain" was used to describe the isolation of Eastern countries from Western Europe. It also applied only to the fortified borders in central Europe; it was never used for similar borders in Asia between communist and capitalist states. The border between North Korea and South Korea is very comparable to the former inner German border, particularly in its degree of militarization, but it has never conventionally been considered part of the Iron Curtain.
Reactions to Churchill's speech
Detail of a literal Iron Curtain
At first, many countries in the West widely condemned the speech. In the context of the recent defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan by the Allied Powers, which included the Soviet Union, much of the Western public still regarded the Soviets as close allies. Many saw Churchill's speech as warmongering and unnecessary. In light of Soviet archives now public, many historians have now revised their opinion.
Although the phrase was not well received at the time, as the Cold War progressed, it gained popularity as a short-hand reference to the division of Europe. The Iron Curtain served to keep people in and information out of the Eastern countries, and the metaphor eventually enjoyed wide acceptance in the West.
In the Soviet Union, the speech was seen by Joseph Stalin as reinforcing his view that a future conflict with the West was inevitable. Over the following months, through a mixture of persuasion and purges of those holding contrary views, the Soviet Union did indeed come to see the West as a threat, rather than the ally they had been during World War II. The Cold War had begun in earnest.
Antagonism between East and West
The antagonism between the Soviet Union and the West that led to Churchill's speech had various origins.
The United Kingdom, France, Japan, Canada, the United States and many other countries had backed the White Russians against the Bolsheviks during the 1918–1920 Russian Civil War, and the fact hadn't been forgotten by the Soviets. In the build up to World War II and in the face of the Western appeasement of Hitler, the Soviets signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany, one of the intentions of which was to divide the border states between them to form a buffer zone. Following the war Stalin was determined to acquire a similar buffer against Germany with pro-Soviet states on its border, leading to strained relations at the Yalta Conference (February 1945) and the subsequent Potsdam Conference (August 1945).
In the West, there was not only opposition to Soviet domination over the buffer states, but the fear grew that the Soviets were building an empire that might be a threat to them and their interests. And, in particular, Churchill was concerned that the United States might return to its pre-war isolationism, leaving the exhausted European states unable to resist Soviet demands. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had announced at Yalta that after the defeat of Germany, U.S. forces would be withdrawn from Europe within two years (Antony Beevor, Berlin: The Downfall).
Earlier usages of the term
There are various earlier usages of the term "Iron Curtain" pre-dating Churchill. Some suggest the term may have first been coined by Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians after World War I to describe the political situation between Belgium and Germany, in 1914. An iron curtain, or eisener Vorhang, was an obligatory precaution in all German theaters to prevent the possibility of fire from spreading from the stage to the rest of the theater. Such fires were rather common as the decor often was very flammable. In case of fire a metal wall would separate the stage from the theater, secluding the flames to be extinguished by firefighters. Douglas Reed used this metaphor in his book Disgrace Abounding: "The bitter strife [in Yugoslavia between Serb unionists and Croat federalists] had only been hidden by the iron safety-curtain of the King's dictatorship."
On February 25, 1945, Joseph Goebbels wrote of an "iron curtain" in his weekly newspaper Das Reich:
If the German people lay down their weapons, the Soviets, according to the agreement between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, would occupy all of East and Southeast Europe along with the greater part of the Reich. An iron curtain [ein eiserner Vorhang] would fall over this enormous territory controlled by the Soviet Union, behind which nations would be slaughtered. The Jewish press in London and New York would probably still be applauding.
The first oral mention of an Iron Curtain was in a broadcast by Count Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk to the German people on May 2, 1945:
In the East the iron curtain behind which, unseen by the eyes of the world, the work of destruction goes on, is moving steadily forward.
The first recorded occasion on which Churchill used the term "iron curtain" was in a May 12, 1945, telegram he sent to U.S. President Harry S. Truman:
I am profoundly concerned about the European situation. … 3. An iron curtain is drawn down upon their front. We do not know what is going on behind. There seems little doubt that the whole of the regions east of Lübeck-Trieste-Corfu will soon be completely in their hands. To this must be added the further enormous area conquered by the American armies between Eisenach and the Elbe, which will, I suppose, in a few weeks be occupied, when the Americans retreat, by the Russian power. All kinds of arrangements will have to be made by General Eisenhower to prevent another immense flight of the German population westward as this enormous Muscovite advance towards the centre of Europe takes place. And then the curtain will descend again to a very large extent, if not entirely. Thus a broad land of many hundreds of miles of Russian-occupied territory will isolate us from Poland. …
Churchill repeated the words in a further telegram to Truman on June 4, 1945, in which he protested against such a U.S. retreat to what was earlier designated as, and ultimately became, the U.S. occupation zone, saying the military withdrawal would bring:
Soviet power into the heart of Western Europe and the descent of an iron curtain between us and everything to the eastward.
At the Potsdam Conference, Churchill complained to Stalin about an "iron fence" coming down upon the British Mission in Bucharest.
Allen Dulles used the term in a speech on December 3, 1945, referring to only Germany:
It is difficult to say what is going on, but in general the Russians are acting little better than thugs. They have wiped out all the liquid assets. No food cards are issued to Germans, who are forced to travel on foot into the Russian zone, often more dead than alive. An iron curtain has descended over the fate of these people and very likely conditions are truly terrible. The promises at Yalta to the contrary, probably 8 to 10 million people are being enslaved.
The Iron Curtain today
There is an Iron Curtain monument in the Southern part of the Czech Republic (at approximately 48.8758 N, 15.8737 E). A few hundred meters of the original fence, and one of the guard towers, has remained installed. There are interpretive signs in Czech and English that explain the history and significance of the Iron Curtain. This is the only surviving part of the fence in the Czech republic. (A number of guard towers and bunkers can still be seen. Some of these are part of the Communist Era defenses, some are from the never used Czech "mini-maginot line" in defense against Hitler, and some towers were, or have become, hunting platorms.)
Churchill Speeches. Index. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
CNN. Soviet reaction to Churchill's speech. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
The Answer Bank. Where did the term Iron Curtain originate? Retrieved February 6, 2008.
iron_curtain history
History of "Iron curtain"
Retrieved from //www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Iron_curtain&oldid=998716
Politics and social sciences


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See our Ski Pass Options guide for full details on which passes to buy and our Lift Pass Prices guide for summer lift pass price comparisons. For all ski-pass price comparisons, read on.
There are three main types of 'Chamonix Ski Area' passes: the Mont-Blanc Unlimited (MBU) is a full area pass, including neighbouring resorts; the Chamonix Le Pass (CLP) is a local area pass suited to beginners and short breaks; the Rapid Card is a prepaid, pay-as-you-go, non-consecutive, multi-day loyalty pass. The most popular ski passes are the 6-day Mont Blanc Unlimited ones, which are suitable for most visitors to Chamonix.
You can buy your pass online but, before you buy anything, we recommend you check the weather forecast and/or speak to your accommodation provider, who should be able to advise you on the best options.
Read our separate page for Summer Lift Pass Prices.
The Chamonix ski season generally runs from late November to the beginning of May each year. For the 2018/19 season, the dates are November 17th 2018 to May 1st 2019. Depending on the conditions, there are the are three season bands which apply to lift-pass prices.
The Mont Blanc Unlimited Pass (MBU) is valid for Brevent-Flégère, Grands Montets, Balme (Tour-Vallorcine), Les Houches, Aiguille du Midi, Montenvers-Mer de Glace train, and the Tramway du Mont-Blanc, as well as all the beginner areas in the valley. It also offers access to ski areas outside the Chamonix Valley: Evasion Mont-Blanc (accessed from Saint Gervais or Megève – with a 2-day MBU pass and over), Courmayeur and the Skyway Monte Bianco in Italy (with a 2-day MBU pass and over) and Verbier 4 Vallées in Switzerland (50% discount with a 6-day MBU pass and over).
The Chamonix Le Pass (CLP) is valid for Brevent-Flégère, Grands Montets, Balme (Tour-Vallorcine), as well as the beginner areas of La Vormaine, La Poya, Les Chosalets, Le Savoy and Les Planards.
There are special rates on ski-passes in Chamonix for families comprising at least two adults (parents or grandparents) and two children. Additional children are free, up to a maximum of 3 extra, after which the usual child prices apply.
There are a number of valley-level lying beginner ski areas where you can try your hand at ski or get the kids going. Tickets can be bought on site at the ticket offices. In some places, there are special rates for students and seniors – ask at the ticket desk for details. Beginner ski areas are at low altitude and can be closed earlier than higher parts of the main ski area.
Discounted lift-passes for non-families or groups in Chamonix are limited to early and late season price reductions when snow cover is less certain.
These ski-passes are on sale at the cross-country ski lodges in Chamonix, Les Houches, Vallorcine and Argentiere.
The Nordic Pass 74 gives access to all the circuits in the Haute-Savoie, as well as a 50% discount in Suisse Romande (Switzerland) and Val d'Aosta (Italy). The Nordic Pass Rhône-Alpes gives access to 83 circuits in the 7 departments of the region: Ain, Ardèche, Drôme, Isère, Loire, Savoie and Haute-Savoie. Discounts are available for the season and Nordic passes from 1st October to mid-November when booked online at Haute-Savoie Nordic. Pass also gives one access to swimming pool or ice rink per day.
At certain times of the year, it is necessary to book your time slot on certain lifts, ahead of time. This includes mainly the Aiguille du Midi in peak holiday seasons. When the online booking isn't available for either of these, you can still book in advance at one of the lift pass offices in resort.
The Mont Blanc Rapid Card is a subscription-based annual card that gives you access to all the Compagnie du Mont Blanc lifts including Les Houches, the Aiguille du Midi, the Montenvers-Mer de Glace Train, the Tramway du Mont Blanc and those starting in Megeve in both summer and winter. Benefit from special, discounted daily rates for adults, children, families and students when purchasing the €50 card (€25 when bought between December 1st and 21st 2018). This is a pay-as-you-go service and your account is debited on a weekly basis, calculated depending on where and when you've used it. Other discounts include a free pass every 7th day and special offers that they will communicate by email.
There are separate rates for Les Houches and Megeve. Discounts for students aged 18 to 30 are available upon presentation of a student card. The Mont Blanc Rapid Card is valid from December 1st 2018 to November 30th 2019.
Prices shown above are without insurance, which you can add on when buying online or at the Ski Pass Offices in the valley. E-gloo ski insurance covers you for rescue and evacuation (search and rescue costs), ski pass reimbursement (and ski lessons if unused) and offers additional benefits. It costs €3 per day for 1-5 days duration or €18 total for 6-21 days duration.
Read more about the ski lift system in Chamonix and find out more about the variety of winter activities you can do on your visit.


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Grown-ish actor and reported onetime Kourtney Kardashian suitor Luka Sabbat is facing down a lawsuit from Snap Inc.'s public relations firm, PR Consulting, for allegedly violating the terms of an "influencer" agreement worth £46,000.
Influencer is a vague term that basically translates to anyone with a social media presence who is willing to cash in on it, such as by accepting money to endorse products or simply be seen using them. For marketers, influencers are great, because celebrities can pitch products directly to their fans, and it's often more cost-effective than a traditional advertising campaign.
For those who are not marketers or influencers, the line is a little murkier: No one is really under the illusion that, say, those hundreds of millions of dollars were not on LeBron James' mind when he signed his Nike contract. But influencer marketing on social media is often associated with ethically questionable behaviour in violation of Federal Trade Commission rules, such as failure to disclose what influencers have been paid to promote. Then there's the fact that sometimes, self-described influencers are only vaguely influential.
In this case Sabbat, who is a genuine celebrity, is accused of not even bothering to follow through on the terms of his influencing agreement.
Variety reported that the lawsuit (visible here on the New York state court website) alleged that Sabbat, who has 1.4 million followers on Instagram, took a £35,000 upfront payment on a £46,000 deal promoting Snap's Spectacles product before reneging. In the documents, PR Consulting alleged that Sabbat was expected to "create original content for a minimum of four (4) unique posts: one (1) Instagram Feed post and three (3) Instagram story posts." The posts in question were supposed to be made during New York Fashion Week as well as fashion shows in Milan or Paris, and Sabbat was additionally expected to pose for photos wearing the Spectacles during the European shows.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Sabbat only made one Instagram Feed Post and one Instagram Story post and failed to post 1 additional Instagram story in New York, with a swipe-up link, 1 Instagram story in Milan or Paris, with a swipe-link, and failed to be photographed in public at least once (1) in the aforementioned cities while wearing Spectacles product.
... Furthermore, Sabbat did not submit the post to PRC prior to pasting and failed to provide analytics to PRC for his first Instagram Story, as required by the Agreemêñt. Analytics for his one Instagram feed post were provided past the agreed 24-hour mark from posting.
PR Consulting added in the filings that "Sabbat admitted his default but nonetheless, refused to return any of the funds paid by to him PRC," and is seeking the return of the £35,000 upfront payment as well as £35,000 in damages, plus interest and attorney's fees.
A Snap spokesperson told Gizmodo via email that they had no involvement in PR Consulting's decision to file suit.


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HPPR News
Can't get enough of elections? May offers two opportunities for Texans to vote
KERA | By Julián Aguilar | The Texas Newsroom
Published April 25, 2022 at 4:14 PM CDT
Voters in Texas can decide on several local ballot initiatives — plus two constitutional amendments — on May 7 before heading back to the polls on May 24 for primary runoff elections.
Texas voters will be treated to a "bonus" election in May during an election cycle that already features primary runoff elections and local ballot races.
In addition to the regular helping of local elections for city councils, school boards and other local government positions, two amendments to the Texas Constitution will also be on the ballot for the May 7 election. Then voters can return to the polls to cast their ballots in local and statewide runoff elections to determine which Democratic and Republican candidates advance to the November general election. Runoff election day is May 24 for both political parties.
This is a bit different than usual. Normally, the state constitutional amendment election would have been conducted earlier. But because Texas lawmakers met well into the summer of 2021, those initiatives were added to the May 7 ballot instead.
"The Legislature met really late last year and during those second and third special sessions of the Legislature, there were constitutional amendment propositions passed by two thirds of both houses," said Sam Taylor, the assistant Texas Secretary of State for Communications. "So those, by default, automatically got put on the May ballot rather than the November ballot … when they usually appear."
Taylor described this as "sort of have a bonus election that we usually don't get, which is those statewide constitutional amendment propositions in all 254 counties."
Early voting kicked off on Monday, April 25 and runs through May 3.
What's on the ballot on May 7?
The two constitutional amendment propositions involve property tax relief for some Texas homeowners. The first proposition, if approved, would annually decrease the amount of school district property taxes for senior citizens and disabled Texas. The second proposition, if approved, would increase a homeowner's homestead exemption from $25,000 to $40,000.
In addition to the Constitutional amendment propositions, several local entities will have contests for municipal, school board and other positions, as well as some local propositions. The local ballot depends on where a person lives. For example, Austin residents will get a chance to weigh in on no-knock police warrants and penalties for marijuana possession, KUT reported. In North Texas, several local entities have races to decide city council and mayoral seats. And in San Antonio voters will decide the fate of several bond proposals for possible funding of roads, sidewalks, parks, recreational centers and more, Texas Public radio reported.
Taylor told The Texas Newsroom he's hopeful turnout will be higher than usual because of the statewide initiatives on the May 7 ballot. In the past, not every county had a local election at the same time, so he thinks interest this year could increase.
"Because every single county will be voting and there are two big property tax related propositions on the ballot … I think we'll definitely have higher turnout than we usually have in a May election," he said.
Taylor added that due to recent news about property valuation increases in some of the state's metro areas, people will be more inclined to make their voices heard on anything related to property taxes.
"Looking at past Constitutional amendment elections that are in November, usually the turnout is in the single digits. It's somewhere between maybe five and eight percent, or sometimes even lower than five," he said. "It really depends on what's on the ballot. But because property taxes are such a visible issue and an issue that a lot of Texans are talking about and thinking about, then I think that has the potential to drive voters to the polls."
The May 24 runoff election
Later in May voters will return to the polls to finally set the ballot for the November general election. Several candidates for local and statewide offices failed to garner the votes needed during the March primary – 50 % plus one vote – to advance to the general election. Those races include the Republican primary for Texas Attorney General, which pits incumbent Ken Paxton against state land commissioner George P. Bush. The candidates for Texas Land Commissioner are also on the ballot, including Republicans Dawn Buckingham, a current state senator, and Tim Westley. Democrats Jay Kleberg and Sandragrace Martinez will also be on that party's ballot.
Several local races may also be on May 24 ballot depending on where a person lives, including congressional runoffs and Texas House and Senate seats.
Early voting for the May 24 runoff election runs from Monday, May 16 to Friday, May 20.
Which primary can I vote in?
Texas law mandates that voters cast ballots in the same party election during the runoff as they did during the primary. That means a voter can only vote in the Republican runoff election if they voted in the Republican primary in March. The same goes for Texans who cast ballots in the Democratic primary.
However, if a voter didn't cast a ballot in March, they are free to choose which party's runoff election they participate in. Taylor said, given the way the current voting system is set up, it's very difficult for a voter to switch parties during a runoff. But if that does happen, the voter could be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, according to state law.
"It's highly unlikely a voter would even get that far. Since voting history, including which party's primary a voter cast a ballot in earlier in the year, is included in a voter's registration file, the voter would not even be able to check in at the polling place to vote in a different party's primary runoff, nor would an election official be able to issue a mail ballot for a different party's primary runoff," explained Taylor.
Copyright 2022 KERA. To see more, visit KERA.
HPPR News TexasTexas votingTexas elections
Julián Aguilar | The Texas Newsroom
Texas added more jobs than any other state in the country last year
Sarah Asch
The state had a banner year in job growth, though economists say the spike is not sustainable.
In Texas, you can be forced to sell your condo
Audrey McGlinchy
A state law passed three decades ago allows a sale to go ahead with just 80% of a condo complex in agreement. Once the deal is final, the remaining objectors have to sell their homes.
Green comet appearing in Texas skies over the next few weeks
Jerry Clayton
TPR's Jerry Clayton recently spoke with Lara Eakins, program coordinator in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin about its discovery, what to expect and the best way to view it.
Extra SNAP food benefits for Texans set to expire next month
Sean Saldana
Obstacles keep many Texans who qualify for the assistance from enrolling.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis inspiring plenty of bills in the Texas Legislature this session
Michael Hardy of Texas Monthly argues DeSantis has increasing influence in Texas as his political star continues to rise.


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College of Arts & Sciences | Saint Joseph's University
Sociology Major
Criminal Justice Major
Criminal Justice Studies BLS
Sociology Minor
Gender Studies Minor
Criminal Justice M.S.
Behavior Analysis: Criminal Justice Post-Master's
Criminal Justice Online M.S.
Behavior Analysis: Post-Master's Certificate in Criminal Justice Online
Why Sociology?
Welcome to the Department of Sociology
The Department of Sociology is home to both Sociology and Criminal Justice majors at Saint Joseph's University. Our faculty are leaders in their fields and are great resources for students of both majors.
Our department prides itself on excellent teaching and on individual faculty members bringing their research interests and expertise into the classroom. We have national experts on teenage pregnancy and binge drinking. We have faculty members doing hands-on research in some of the poorer neighborhoods of our nation's cities, while others are interviewing former cult members to better understand the attraction to these groups. We are attempting to understand the causes of crime in Philadelphia and elsewhere so that we can help find solutions to the rising tide of violence. We undertake all of these initiatives in an effort to better understand the social world around us and, in the spirit of Jesuit education, to teach students that they can make a difference by being "men and women with and for others."
The Department of Sociology provides students with opportunities for intellectual growth both inside and outside of the classroom. Our major curriculum is designed to insure that Sociology and Criminal Justice students are prepared to immediately take their place in the world of work and service as soon as they graduate.
Department Events and Notices
Summer/Fall 2017 newsletter
Summer Fall 2016 Newsletter
Kim Logio, Ph.D,
Professor and Chair of Dept. of Sociology
Post Hall, Office 131
logio@sju.edu 610-660-1640
njohnson@sju.edu 610-660-1640


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Austria did not fear Snowden was on Morales plane: Minister
Jul 3, 2013, 2:27 pm SGT
http://str.sg/ZqTE
VIENNA (REUTERS) - Austria allowed Bolivian President Evo Morales' plane to land because it did not share other countries' worries that former United States (US) spy agency contractor Edward Snowden might be on board, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said on Wednesday.
France and Portugal abruptly cancelled air permits for Mr Morales' plane en route from Moscow, forcing the unscheduled stopover in Vienna late on Tuesday.
An Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman said rumours that Mr Snowden was on the plane were untrue.
"Austria did not close its airspace and the plane could of course land although many other countries apparently feared that Snowden was on board too," the minister told ORF radio. "Austria did not do that, which means there is no fear here."
Wanted by Washington for espionage after divulging classified details of US phone and Internet surveillance, Mr Snowden apparently remains in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
He applied for asylum in Austria - and several other countries - via the country's Moscow embassy on Monday, which the government said was insufficient to grant him refuge.
Mikl-Leitner said it would be up to Austrian asylum authorities to decide what to do in the unlikely case that Mr Snowden arrived there.
She defended Austria's position that Mr Snowden would have to apply in person for asylum, saying this was clearly spelled out in the law.
"This is in the hands of the authorities and independent courts. The important thing here is that this would be judged individually, as in every other case," she said.


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Located 7 km southeast of the CBD, Balaclava is a quieter sister neighborhood of St Kilda, located centrally between the beach and the city. The population consists largely of residents who have never married (58.1%) and those that have (29.7%). A large proportion of residents are professionals (35.8%). The median age is 32. 17.3% of houses are fully owned. It is largely a Jewish enclave. There are many synagogues and kosher shops in the area and, as such, properties are highly sought after. Serviced by Balaclava train station and major tram routes operating on Chapel Street Balaclava Road, Carlisle Street, Dandenong Road and St Kilda Road, it is one of Melbourne's most accessible suburbs via public transport.
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House Styles: Victorian terraces, Edwardian duxplexes, 1960s apartments, ultra-contemporary new developments and homes
Best known for: Cafes on Carlisle Street, kosher establishments and synagogues, historic and heritage registered buildings including St Colman's Church and St George's Presbyterian Church.
Nearby Shopping Centres/Strips: Carlisle Street, Chapel Street, Acland Street, Ormond Road Shopping Strip.
Popular Cafés/Restaurants: Las Chicas, Ziggy's Eatery, Feedme, Senor Taqueria, Lava in Balaclava, Yebisu, Carlisle Seafood, Uncle, Nogga Café, Yo-Chi Frozen yoghurt, Ilona Staller, Wall Two 80, Dana Patisserie
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Schools: St Kilda Primary School, Ripponlea Primary School, Elwood Primary School, Stonnintgon Primary School, Yeshivah College, Beth Rivkah Ladies College, Mount Scopus Memorial College- Gandel Besen House, Yasodei Hatorah College, Caulfield Grammar School, St Michael's Grammar School, Elwood College
Surrounding Suburbs: Elwood, Ripponlea, St Kilda East, St Kilda
Median House Price: $925,000
Population: 5,383
Local Government: City of Port Phillip


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Carbon dating shroud of turin 2016
As for the possible Indian manufacture, it's just as likely that Indian DNA got onto the object during its 20th-century testing, he said.
To truly determine where the cloth was manufactured, the researchers would need to analyze the DNA from the flax seeds used to make the linen shroud, which was not done, he added.
The new study suffers from the same issues that made past studies of pollen on the shroud unreliable, said Renée Enevold, a geoscientist at the Moesgaard Museum in Denmark who has analyzed ancient pollen in the past.
By Brian Chilton| The Shroud of Turin is perhaps one of the most controversial artifacts of all-time.
Though the Catholic Church has never taken an official stance on the object's authenticity, tens of thousands flock to Turin, Italy, every year to get a glimpse of the object, believing that it wrapped the bruised and bleeding body of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. 1204, the cloth was smuggled to safety in Athens, Greece, where it stayed until A. Centuries later, in the 1980s, radiocarbon dating, which measures the rate at which different isotopes of the carbon atoms decay, suggested the shroud was made between A. What's more, the Gospel of Matthew notes that "the earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open" after Jesus was crucified.
[Religious Mysteries: 8 Alleged Relics of Jesus] According to legend, the shroud was secretly carried from Judea in A. 30 or 33, and was housed in Edessa, Turkey, and Constantinople (the name for Istanbul before the Ottomans took over) for centuries. So geologists have argued that an earthquake at Jesus' death could have released a burst of neutrons.
"So the proper thing to do is to maintain an open mind at the moment." However, using DNA analysis and more sophisticated scientific techniques could ultimately settle the question, Farey said.
For instance, geologists can now determine the origin of rock with incredible precision, by analyzing its ratio of isotopes of certain elements.
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Currently on loan with Vitesse, Miazga remains convinced he made the right move. "I had a good string of games earlier in the season but for whatever reason I wasn't playing a bit anymore," Miazga told American Soccer Now from Arnhem.
I've gotten my chance this past month and I've made sure that when I got my chance against, I wouldn't let it go.So far I've performed really well and it's been going well." Miazga, 21, saw his opportunity come on February 11 when central defender Maikel van der Werff went down with an injury.In an online forum in December, Arena did say he was monitoring Miazga's progress.For now, Miazga is pleased with where things stand. U-20 team's upset win over Mexico and the start of the season for his former club, the New York Red Bulls.He is confident from his recent performances and he still followed the progress of American soccer from the Netherlands. He is proud to represent American soccer in Europe and acknowledges that he took a challenging career path because signing for a top club like Chelsea requires a very high level to get on the field (which he did twice in 2016).
Despite the obstacles ahead of him, Miazga hopes others follow in his footsteps because he believes the talent is there and that it will only help to elevate all areas of American soccer—including MLS.This is the first Grand Slam in 18 years, with San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone himself the last one to achieve the feat in 1996 with Alaska.From the physically and mentally draining classic battle between two of the PBA's best teams, to the polarizing anguish of a loss and the euphoria of a victory, Rappler captured the historic moment unfold the Smart Araneta Coliseum."That matures you and helps you as a player because you realize, 'Wow, sometimes things don't go your way in football and you have to find a new answer.' For me, I was training very, very hand and working hard off the pitch as well after training to get back into the squad."In football sometimes you get lucky and you get another chance.MANILA, Philippines – Everything the San Mig Coffee Mixers' worked for in the past year culminated in one historic night when they accomplished a very rare feat – winning the Grand Slam.


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Q: Why getting run-time error after updating to latest stable version of xamarin?
*

*Updated 'xamarin for visual studio' and 'xamarin studio' both.

*Debugged our application after up-gradation, it has given some run time error on both the IDE (VS2015 and XS6.0).

*Getting an exception in run time "System.Argument.Exception : Set Method Not Found For 'Element' ".

*It was running well before the up-gradation to cycle 7 .

*Attached an screen shot for your reference please have a look on it.

*And please provide some assistance otherwise it will be difficult to find the reasons behind the issue.

Thanks
Link for error message screenshot -  http://i.stack.imgur.com/K5TjG.png

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Guest Post: Maybe Stop Caring So Much About What the President Tweets
This guest post was submitted by Fargo attorney Mark Western
It's Groundhog Day yet again.
Over the weekend, the Twitter-verse has been upended yet again with the President's incendiary statement admonishing four Democratic members of Congress to "go back" to where they came from. While some have interpreted this as a taunt to go back to their congressional districts, most of the media, members of Congress, and other people who offer opinions on such things have determined that the President's suggestion was for the members of Congress to go back to their "home" countries, and that the President's comments are racist. Each of the members of Congress singled out by the President are female and all of them are of a minority ethnicity. Despite continued demands by many, the President has refused to apologize.
Frankly, this discussion is not good for the country and it is not good for the President and the President's party. By his continued incendiary comments, the President puts Republicans (and anyone who has or does support the President) in an awful position.
Rather than focus on legislation, taxes, the budget, tariffs, foreign affairs, or even confirmation of judicial nominees, the President's supporters are reduced to being hall monitor style Twitter-reactors who are now expected to respond to every idiotic and hateful thing that pops into the President's mind that he feels the need to Tweet to the world. If the supporters of the President do not roundly condemn every vile Tweet that comes from the President, they risk being labelled as racist, sexist, and so forth. If they miss just one Tweet, then the opposition can say that "Congressman so-and-so sat silent while the President tweeted such-and-such."
[mks_pullquote align="right" width="300″ size="24″ bg_color="#ffffff" txt_color="#000000″]We elected our members of Congress to so something other than watch Twitter and cable news.[/mks_pullquote]
We elected our members of Congress to so something other than watch Twitter and cable news. They're supposed to do all the stuff that high school seniors are taught in government textbooks like, you know, legislate, or something.
If I were a member of Congress, I would issue the following statement: "This office is not going to publish reactions to each and every Tweet from the President. To do so ends up dedicating too much time and too many resources that are better spent on helping people in my congressional district and making our country a better place. The President speaks only for himself in his Tweets and other statements and he is accountable for his statements, not me."
A couple of years ago I was confident that the President was not racist but because he could get carried away in rallies, he often said incendiary things in the heat of the moment. At this point, I'm not sure anymore. I don't want to believe that any President of any party is racist, sexist, or any -ist that separates people based on the accident of their birth or their upbringing by their family.
The President's continued antics are a distraction to the business of our country and beneath the dignity of his office. But this has already been said over and over and nothing has changed other than the topic and victim of the President's Twitter whims.
I am tired of trying to find ways to explain the President's behavior, other than the President appears to be the biggest internet troll there ever was. He might be racist, or he may not be, but he says things that are at a minimum, racially insensitive over and over and over and does not seem to care. This is not going to change, and that makes me sad, both for the state of political discourse in our country and because a President should be a role model for citizens, and not an internet bully.
One of the worst parts of this is that in three months, there will likely be another half dozen instances of the exact same behavior with the exact same cycle of hysteria, demands, refusals to apologize, and rounds of reactions from members of Congress and talking heads, and then this week's outburst will be forgotten.
How insane.
Guest Post: A Lot of Union Members Think Democrats Are Not Focused on the Issues Impacting People's Lives
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Despite Impeachment and Scandal, Trump About as Popular as Ever With North Dakotans


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1986 French legislative election
1986 French legislative election explained
Election Name: 1986 French legislative election
Type: parliamentary
Ongoing: no
Previous Election: 1981 French legislative election
Previous Year: 1981
Next Election: 1988 French legislative election
Next Year: 1988
Seats For Election: All 573 seats to the French National Assembly
287 seats were needed for a majority
Election Date: 16 March 1986
Leader1: Laurent Fabius
Party1: Socialist Party (France)
Leaders Seat1: Seine-Maritime
Last Election1: 283 seats
Seats1: 206
Seat Change1: 77
Popular Vote1: 8,693,939
Percentage1: 31.02%
Leader3: Jean-Claude Gaudin
Party3: Union for French Democracy
Leaders Seat3: Bouches-du-Rhône
Last Election3: 62 seats
Popular Vote3: 2,330,167 (alone)
6,008,612 (RPR-UDF)
Percentage3: 8.31% (alone)
21.44% (RPR-UDF)
Leader2: Jacques Chirac
Party2: Rally for the Republic
Leaders Seat2: Corrèze
Percentage2: 11.22% (alone)
Leader4: Georges Marchais
Party4: French Communist Party
Leaders Seat4: N/A
Seats4: 35
Seat Change4: 9
Percentage4: 9.78%
Leader5: Jean-Marie Le Pen
Party5: National Front (France)
Leaders Seat5: Paris
Last Election5: 0 seats
Before Election: Laurent Fabius
Before Party: Socialist Party (France)
After Election: Jacques Chirac
After Party: Rally for the Republic
The French legislative elections took place on 16 March 1986 to elect the eighth National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. Contrary to other legislative elections of the Fifth Republic, the electoral system used was that of party-list proportional representation.
Since the 1981 election of François Mitterrand, the Presidential Majority was divided. In March 1983, Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy renounced the left's radical Common Programme which had been agreed in the 1970s. Wages and prices were frozen. This change of economic policy was justified by the will to stay in the European Monetary System. One year later, the Communist ministers refused to remain in Laurent Fabius' cabinet.
In opposition, the two main right-wing parties tried to forget their past quarrels. They were able to win the mid-term elections (1982 departmental elections, 1983 municipal elections, 1984 European Parliament election) and succeeded in forcing the government to abandon its policy of limiting the financing of private schools in 1984. The Rally for the Republic (RPR), led by Jacques Chirac, abandoned the traditional dirigiste and Eurosceptic Gaullist doctrines about the economy and European integration. It was then able to sign an electoral platform with the Union for French Democracy (UDF). It proposed notably to sell the companies nationalized by President Mitterrand and Pierre Mauroy.
However, France had also witnessed the electoral rise of the National Front (FN). Its leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, made nationalist and xenophobic remarks. He appealed to part of the conservative electorate, notably some RPR voters. The right-wing opposition was divided on the question of an alliance with the FN. In 1985, President Mitterrand's decision to re-establish party-list proportional representation at the legislative election caused political outrage. The RPR/UDF opposition accused him of wanting to strengthen the FN in order to weaken the Republican Right, which was favourite to win according to the polls. Indeed, proportional representation was the only electoral system which was considered likely to allow the election of FN deputies.
While the polls indicated a win by the RPR/UDF coalition, the former UDF Prime minister Raymond Barre argued that the next parliamentary majority should refuse to govern if President Mitterrand did not resign. Advised by Edouard Balladur, Jacques Chirac noted, however, that impeachment did not exist in the French Constitution. Instead, the next majority would "cohabit" with Mitterrand. The right-wing cabinet would enforce its domestic policy programme and Mitterrand would keep control of foreign and military affairs.
Eventually, the RPR/UDF coalition obtained only a two-seat majority. Consequently, for the first time of the history of the Fifth Republic, the parliamentary majority was opposed to the President. Nevertheless, the Socialist Party held more seats than the polls had indicated. The FN was able to form a parliamentary group with its 35 elected members. The decline of the French Communist Party continued. Mitterrand nominated Chirac as Prime Minister. The first "cohabitation" of the Fifth Republic started. The new cabinet abolished proportional representation for the next legislative elections. The "cohabitation" ended with the 1988 legislative election.
8th Assembly by Parliamentary Group
Caucusing
Socialist Group 196 16 212
RPR Group 147 8 155
UDF Group 114 17 131
Communist Group 32 3 35
FN Group 32 3 35
Non-Inscrits 9 0 9
Total: 557 20 577
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "1986 French legislative election".


Conquer Your Family's Fitness: 3 ways to utilize technology in your quest for a fit and physically strong family.
According to Fitness.Gov, only one in three children are physically active every day and less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day; only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week. These facts seam quite gloomy for your quest for a healthier lifestyle.
It is understandable that we might excuse ourselves from pursuing a healthier and leaner lifestyle. Our family lives are getting busier and busier and we do not even have time to get 8 hours of sleep. So how do we get our children to set a trend early and start the rest of their lives living fit and happy?
There is evidence technology is causing health issues in our young. Obesity and anorexia are now major concerns throughout the world. Young people playing mind-numbing games with no breaks or physical activity making weight gain an issue and the loss of weight by young girls trying to stay true to their internet idols by not eating.
With the plethora of apps and technology that are available in the market the question is how can we use technology to counter where technology may be causing the problem? It's easy to use the iPad as the child pacifier but this may send the wrong message. So let's use technology to encourage children to get more active.
How easy is it to get them to develop habits of maintaining a reasonable fitness level? Here's three easy ways to utilize technology in your family's quest for fitness.
Let's take the Apple watch for example. Upon examining it, it has built in fitness apps called "Activity" and "Workout". When you use the app "Activity", it shows a dynamic representation of the steps you take by utilizing a built-in accelerometer. It also dictates "inactivity" like how much time you've spent sitting down or being in a stationary position for long. It also counts how many calories you've burned doing "activities". Another built in app is the one called "Workout". This traces specific exercises such as running/ walking/ cycling/ rowing. It shows how far you've done and how many calories you have burned. It also shows the pace you are taking and the average heart rate.
2. Encourage your children to listen to music and dance, run or ride. Music is a natural motivator to stay fit.
Listening to Music whether from your phone or iPod is maybe one of the most frequent means to enhancing your workout. Listening to your favorite artist while working out can enable you to focus, break monotony and sometimes, it also helps to pass time. Your children can still use their phone or iPod to be up to date on what is going on in the world and while keeping with their fitness regime.
3. Set up training achievement levels for your children and measure things like heart rate.
With the tip of your thumb, your heart rate can be measured instantaneously. With the advances in technology, the optical heart rate monitor is one of the main selling points of some fitness apps and gadgets. It is especially seen helpful during intense workouts. It makes keeping fit more informative and educational also it makes it more fun.
With these top 3 useful ways, it is obvious that fitness and technology can go hand in hand.


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Sunday School is for children ages 2 through 6th grade and meets at 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. in our children's area. Students meet together for worship time, and then break out into age groups for Bible story time, application time in the form of fun projects and activities, and snack time, culminating in a time of prayer.
Special Events in our Children's Ministry include outreach projects, a fall Harvest Party, a Christmas Musical, and Kinder Camp, Day Camp, and Drama Camp in the summer months.
For more information on our Children's Ministry see our Calendar or contact our Children's Ministry Director, Marissa Eastling – marissaatjoy@msn.com or call the church office at 651-687-9010.