text:
Underwater espionage: Can fish be used for underwater surveillance?
12/13/2019 / By Michael Alexander
If the Pentagon is going to get its way, then chances are, it's Nemo who'll soon do the finding for the U.S. military.
According to a statement published in its website, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) – the Department of Defense's experimental research arm ?– says it is looking to recruit fish and other forms of undersea life in its Persistent Aquatic Living Sensors (PALS) program to improve its underwater surveillance capabilities, as well as enhance its ability to detect possible enemy ships and vessels.
"The PALS program was developed to leverage the great sensitivity that organisms have in the ocean to changes in their environment," Lori Adornato, program manager of the PALS program, said in a statement published in the U.K. news website The Independent. In a separate DARPA statement, he expounded that since living organisms are ubiquitous, self-powered, self-replicating and can sense visual, magnetic, auditory and chemical cues, they are ideal candidates for sustained underwater surveillance.
"By taking advantage of organisms, you can then look at persistence and wide-scale coverage as opposed to using one single sensor that does the whole job," Adornato said in a statement published in Scientific American. (Related: Researchers create robot fish that can swim right next to real ones in coral reefs.)
According to DARPA, its researchers aim to field fish such as the goliath grouper and black sea bass, as well as invertebrates like snapping shrimp, and other microfauna and microflora such as bioluminescent plankton and other microorganisms into the four-year program.
These animals are noted for their sensory responses when it comes to changes in their environment: Goliath grouper and snapping or pistol shrimp are known to emit loud sounds when they sense intruders, while schools of black sea bass are known to visibly change their behavior when startled by undersea vehicles and the like.
"Tapping into the exquisite sensing capabilities of marine organisms could yield a discreet, persistent, and highly scalable solution to maintaining awareness in the challenging underwater environment," Adornato said in a separate statement in the DARPA site.
According to DARPA, five teams of researchers are currently developing new types of sensor systems that can detect and record the behaviors of the above-mentioned marine organisms and interpret them to identify, characterize, and report on the presence of manned and unmanned underwater vehicles operating in US waters.
"This new, bio-centric PALS technology will augment the Department of Defense's existing, hardware-based maritime monitoring systems and greatly extend the range, sensitivity, and lifetime of the military's undersea surveillance capabilities," DARPA said.
Adornato, in a statement published in the DARPA site, says that while the department's ideal scenario for the program is to "…leverage a wide range of native marine organisms, with no need to train, house, or modify them in any way", DARPA will still accept proposals and suggestions from researchers regarding modified organisms. Adornato, however, adds that "…at no point in the PALS program will DARPA test modified organisms outside of contained, biosecure facilities."
Make way for Tunabot
While DARPA is looking at living organisms for its PALS project, researchers from the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science, in collaboration with biologists from Harvard University, recently unveiled their latest creation: a tuna-inspired robot.
According to team leader Hilary Bart-Smith, a professor in UVA's mechanical and aerospace engineering department, the robot – affectionately dubbed Tunabot – was designed to help humans better understand the physics involved in fish propulsion, as well as eventually inform the possible development of the next generation of underwater vehicles driven by fish-like systems "better than propellers."
"Our goal wasn't just to build a robot. We really wanted to understand the science of biological swimming," Bart-Smith said in a news story posted on the UVA website, adding that their team's aim was "…to build something that we could test hypotheses on in terms of what makes biological swimmers so fast and efficient."
According to the data, published in the journal Science Robotics, while Tunabot's speed did not exactly match that of a real tuna's, it still surpassed that of other swimming robots.
"These results highlight the capabilities of high-frequency biological swimming and lay the foundation to explore a fish-like performance space for bio-inspired underwater vehicles," the research concluded.
According to Bart-Smith, her team is currently working on adding sensors to the Tunabot – itself the product of a five-year, $7.2 million multi-disciplinary university research initiative from the U.S. Office of Naval Research – so that it can be used as a possible undersea surveillance system.
DARPA.mil 1
Independent.co.uk
ScientificAmerican.com
Engineering.Virginia.edu
Robotics.ScienceMag.org
Tagged Under: DARPA, drones, espionage, fish, future tech, military tech, Oceans, Pentagon, robots, surveillance, US Navy, weird science
China to unveil nuclear hypersonic missile that can hit every city in the United States… NO DEFENSES exist
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A blast from the past: Cold War "doomsday plane" can withstand a nuclear explosion
12/22/2019 / By Janine Acero
Navy pilots recall encounters with "fleet of UFOs" from 2014 to 2015
Computer scientists design AI system with human-like vision, with possible applications for search-and-rescue missions (or building terminators)
UK troops will soon have palm-sized drones for monitoring enemies on the battlefield
11/26/2019 / By Edsel Cook
We see you! US Army working on "Google Earth on steroids" 3D map that can simulate the inside of buildings
11/22/2019 / By Lance D Johnson
Thought-controlled weapons: DARPA funds 6 organizations in a bid to develop BRAIN-MACHINE interfaces for soldiers
US Army-funded research team develops framework that will help AI systems become continuous "learners"
11/11/2019 / By Vicki Batts
French researcher develops TCAPS-based shooter location tech to help soldiers identify enemy snipers in less than a second
As Trump prepares to sanction Turkey over Syria invasion, Ankara may hold 50 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in the country hostage
New polymer conductor films are lightweight and perform better than most metals
10/14/2019 / By Darnel Fernandez
U.S. China Lake military weapons research facility likely targeted with exotic "tectonic weaponry" that caused billions in damage… is China behind the stealth attack?
China announces plans to build a scientific "research" (i.e. military) station on the moon within a decade
China unveils "doomsday" hypersonic missiles that can strike any U.S. city in 30 minutes, while the Pentagon is focused on making sure transgenders feel safe in the military
Is China using deepfakes to fool the U.S. military?
10/01/2019 / By Ralph Flores
Google claim of achieving quantum computing will change everything
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The USVI Attractions | Caribya!
The US Virgin Islands offer travelers interesting vacation opportunities; while much of these American island have an urban feel, there is plenty of nature to experience - mingled in with a rich culture and history.
There are a large number of beaches to enjoy in the area. Regardless of whether you'd rather be part of a busy beach scene, or you'd rather find a more secluded spot, you're likely to find what you want. Just click on each beach name to read a detailed article concerning that beach.
If you are hoping to snorkel, a beach offering that option is Hansen Bay Beach. Hansen Bay Beach is located just off East End Road.
Another good option for those who enjoy snorkeling is Turtle Beach. You can only reach this beach by taking a boat from St. Croix. You can charter a boat, or take an excursion from Christiansted.
Cinnamon Bay: Located on the northern coast of St. John, Cinnamon Bay provides a long strip of white, sandy beach, surrounded by the natural foliage of the Virgin Islands National Park. A nature trail with information signs on tropical foilage is just across from the campground and begins at the ruins of a sugar mill.
These examples are just a sample of the options that are available. For a more detailed look at this topic, read this article.
Many travelers choose to visit Steeple Building. It is found within downtown Christiansted. Exhibits at the Steeple Building include ancient Indian artifacts, Victorian and Danish architecture, and a study of the plantation era with a great deal of emphasis on the slave industry.
Another landmark worth visiting is Lawaetz Family Museum. It is Frederiksted Southeast, in southern the USVI. For more than 120 years, a prominent Dutch family has owned the beautiful white plantation home that is the Lawaetz Family Museum. The family opened the building to the public over a decade ago, sharing their interesting history with visitors.
St. Thomas Historical Trust: The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
These examples are only a few of what's available. For more information on other enjoyable places to visit in this area, visit this page.
Virgin Islands National Park is one of the natural attractions you might consider visiting. Virgin Islands National Park is a huge endeavor, encompassing more than 7,000 acres on the island of St. John. The diverse landscape of the park lends itself to everything from trail hiking to swimming, and even camping.
Hassel Island Historic Park is another attraction worth a visit. Once connected to St. Thomas at the edge of the harbor, this island was separated and turned into a completely new island by the Dutch who hoped to create better water circulation. Today it is privately owned, but an important natural and historical landmark.
Luckily, you'll find additional options too. To get more information about natural attractions in this area, visit this page.
In the mood for some action? Guests wanting to try their luck on the slots will find a few venues where they can do so in this area.
Divi Carina Bay Casino offers dining on-site, so you can grab a bite to eat before, during or after the gaming action. At once stylish and relaxed, the Divi Carina Bay Casino is an exciting spot to spend your night on the town.
Parrot Club, a part of Wharfside Landing, is found in downtown Cruz Bay. They are open from 12:00 pm to 12:00 pm Monday through Saturday and from 4:00 pm to 12:00 am on Sunday.
Check the following chart for more about gaming opportunities in the USVI.
So whether you're looking for a day at the beach or a bit of a history lesson, you'll have plenty of choices when you come to the Virgin Islands. You'll be sure to find something to make your vacation special.
Discover the gorgeous natural environment that made the US Virgin Islands famous.
Take advantage of some of the amazing activities found throughout the US Virgin Islands.
Click here to learn more about what to expect year-round from the weather in the US Virgin Islands, this will help you to plan what to do during your vacation.


LERC faculty conduct research on issues related to employment, labor relations, economic affairs, race and gender in the workplace, and workers' legal rights. Our studies and reports have been used by academics, unions, government agencies, community organizations, and elected officials in developing policies and programs that address the needs of working Oregonians.
As the following studies and reports indicate, LERC faculty members possess wide-ranging scholarly and research expertise. We are committed to making this expertise readily available to the University community and the broader Oregon community, as an essential element of our public service.
In September 2017, Gordon Lafer co-authored an academic paper together with former US Department of Labor Chief Economist Heidi Shierholz. The paper, titled What union coverage numbers might look like without NLRA preemption, is available for download here. The paper addresses recent suggestions that effective union representation might be improved by waiving federal preemption under the National Labor Relations Act, and allowing states to set private sector labor law, as they do for the public sector. The paper was presented at a conference of the Harvard University Labor & Worklife Program, and is slated for publication in a special issue of the online Harvard Law Journal.
"Spending Blind," by Gordon Lafer of LERC, was published in April, 2017 by The Public Interest. It's the first study of its kind in the country, and examines how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year on renting, leasing or building buildings for California charter schools, but it all takes place without any effective policy guidance. Schools get built regardless of whether they have a good or bad track record in education, regardless of whether there is need for another school in the community or whether there are already enough seats for all the kids who need one. In this way, desperately-needed education dollars are being wasted by paying to open schools that in many cases are both not needed for the population of students and do not provide an education that is new, different or better than what is already available in nearby public schools.
In the aftermath of the 2010 Citizens United decision, it's become commonplace to note the growing political dominance of a small segment of the economic elite. But what exactly are those members of the elite doing with their newfound influence? The One Percent Solution provides an answer to this question for the first time. Gordon Lafer's book is a comprehensive account of legislation promoted by the nation's biggest corporate lobbies across all fifty state legislatures and encompassing a wide range of labor and economic policies.
The LERC Monograph Series on public sector labor relations includes definitive research and commentary on the workings of Oregon's Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA) by labor and management advocates as well as neutrals.


text:
AsiaJul 20th 2002 edition
Don't call me a private eye
Investigators stay under cover
YANG HAI, a former policeman, believes China's entry into the World Trade Organisation will do wonders for his private detective agency. More foreigners doing business with China will mean more demand for a host of services that China's law enforcement agencies usually will not provide, among them background checks on prospective business partners, and investigations of insurance claims and trademark theft.
But despite being a member of the World Association of Detectives (as a certificate displayed in his office declares), Mr Yang is anxious to avoid the use of the word "detective" in connection with his business. A government directive issued in 1993, though patchily enforced, bans any "private detective agency-like non-governmental organisation". In China, only the state has the power to investigate criminal activity. Instead, Mr Yang runs what he cautiously calls an "investigation service" for foreign and Chinese businesses. Chinese who buy life insurance in America, then make fraudulent claims on their return to China, are among the targets of his inquiries.
Mr Yang's ten years as a policeman should have equipped him well to stay on the right side of China's often blurry laws. They certainly helped him get established nine years ago, when he took "sick leave" from the force and set up an investigation service under the wing of a Beijing law firm, which provided him with his first cases. A year later, his police supervisor, worried about Mr Yang's prolonged moonlighting, told him to return to work or resign. "You need a lot of resolve to quit a government job," says Mr Yang. But the market beckoned. He resigned and set up the Steele Business Investigation Centre, with the help of two other ex-cops.
Mr Yang is one of the few in this fast expanding business in China willing to identify themselves publicly. His company even has its own website. Most others prefer to advertise in local newspapers, often targeting a useful potential clientele: women whose partners have been unfaithful. China's economic reforms have created a growing middle class, many of whose male members travel frequently on business. Their mobility gives them greater opportunities for affairs.
A new provision in China's marriage law adopted last year allows women to sue their husbands if an affair leads to their divorce. Advertisements abound for "lawyer's offices" specialising in "marital investigations". The official Chinese media often portray these as shady operations. They may have a point. "I learn about the law on the job," admits one investigator who handles marital cases. He describes himself as a private entrepreneur who, among other things, dabbled in petty smuggling before setting up his agency last year. He asked not to be named.
The industry received a boost in December when the Supreme People's Court ruled that legally obtained clandestine recordings made by private citizens would henceforth be admissible in court in civil cases. Legal experts believe this should apply to evidence gathered by private detectives by filming, photographing and recording their targets in public places or, with permission from a chief occupant, in private residences. "This has made room for the development of private detective agencies," says He Jiahong, of People's University in Beijing, who estimates that several hundred such companies have been established over the past decade.
Foreign companies have also been making inroads into the Chinese market, offering investigations into copyright and trademark violations and due diligence checks. But they avoid registering themselves as private investigators, using instead such labels as "business research" or "consultants". But the government turns a blind eye, aware of the necessity of giving foreign companies in China the means to protect their commercial interests. "It's not reasonable to put a complete stop to private investigations," says Mr He. "The state can't take care of all these things."
The state, as always, is fearful of ceding its jealously guarded privileges to ordinary citizens. Few expect the government to give explicit sanction to private investigators any time soon. To do so could empower citizens to find out more than the government wants them to know. Much commercial wrongdoing (and marital infidelity) involves government and Communist Party officials. In criminal cases, giving ordinary citizens the power to gather evidence would considerably weaken the party's sway over the country's legal apparatus. Mr Yang, running his "investigation service", has strong advice to any Chinese gumshoe who dares call himself a private detective: it would delay official recognition of the business for years.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Don't call me a private eye"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I'm in a sewing article on AOL.com! – Everything Your Mama Made & More!
I'm in a sewing article on AOL.com!
I think I briefly mentioned something about this a few weeks back, but I was emailed about being part of an article about the 'Sewing Renaissance' for AOL's DIY section. Judy (who is writing a book 'Sew Retro') had stumbled upon my blog at some point & wanted to have me take part in it. Anyways it is done & went up today!
To get to the different lady's featured click on the pictures & scroll through… mine are the only ones with kids in them even though almost all the ladies have kids I was apparently the only one who sent pictures of them? I am very happy with the blurbs about me… a little disappointed that they didn't use the picture of me that I sent in, especially since most of the pictures of the kids I had in mama made were horrible & I couldn't take new ones because my sewing machine broke in the middle of make the girls stuff that fits (they grew since the last batch of dresses). But I get it, because my girls are totally cute! I was even able sneak a pic of B in… his mama is gonna like that!
Anyways I am really excited & just had to share!!! I am super excited she used the part about my grandma because she meant a lot to me & I miss her!!!


text:
Google's latest attempt at conference room equipment focuses on simplicity
2 years ago Theodore Meeks
To see everyone better, the Series One groupset either comes with a standard smart camera or an "extra large" version up to 4K. It uses a 20.3MP sensor with 4.3x optical zoom and provides digital panning, tilt and zoom movements due to this higher resolution. Google is also using a similar program to the Nest Hub Max here by offering participant auto-framing. It works with rooms for 10 to 18 people
When there is only one person in a large room, they can use the one-touch auto zoom option on the control panel so that callers can better see them. When other people join the meeting, the smart camera will zoom out for inclusion in the frame. Google said its system recognizes the number of people in a room "based on physical objects and other attributes and voice" and that it does not use face scanning. He also said that each group can "anonymously sense the number of meeting participants to help monitor room use and maintain safety protocols."
This means cameras can help keep track of the number of people in the room, and group product manager TJ Varghese briefly said this could extend to "any new types of requirements, be it social distancing requirements etc."
Varghese also said that the company is aware of issues with cameras that make skin darker. "I think this is something that has been finally recognized and accepted by the industry, and we are actively working with partners to develop algorithms that can do that," he said. The company has a roadmap in place that will consider "continuous improvements in lighting, low-light processing, HDR processing, etc." We'll learn more in the coming months, Varghese said, adding that "our goal like Google is to develop and represent dark skin tones in a much better way than conventional cameras."
The remaining pieces of the kits are fairly simple. The 10.1-inch touchscreen control panel looks a lot like the Nest Hub Max, while the microphones are like pucks we've already seen in many offices, with the exception of the fabric cover that appears in other Google smart home devices. In fact, all Series One products feature the same rounded corners and texture as other Google devices. Controllers (both touch screen and simple manual remote control) will support voice control so you can call into a meeting by asking the assistant to connect you.
Two color options will be available for the entire series – charcoal and chalk – and a small room set will cost $ 2,699. Google said it designed Series One as a "long-term investment" and is expected to last for at least five years. While Lenovo is a partner in the launch of the new equipment, Google also said it may have other products with different device makers for the series in the future. Although the company has partnered with companies like ASUS and Lenovo on conference room hardware in the past, the One Series appears to be a concerted effort to make their own devices with Google's well-integrated software.
Theodore Meeks
Lifelong foodaholic. Professional twitter expert. Organizer. Award-winning internet geek. Coffee advocate.
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Most Likely to Strike Where?
Although June 1 is the official start of the 6-month hurricane season, June is a good time for a Caribbean vacation or Caribbean cruise.
Hurricane activity is normally low to nonexistent in June although occasional storms have struck the Caribbean then.


text:
HomeGazeta
Australia vs Germany – Confederations Cup Preview
Fussballstadt 0	June 17, 2017 10:23 am
Australia vs Germany – Monday 16:00BST/17:00CEST/18:00MSK – Olimpiyskiy Stadion Fisht, Sochi.
Australia vs Germany will take place at the Olimpiyskiy Stadion Fisht in Sochi (Photo ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Australia couldn't have asked for a more challenging start to their Confederations Cup campaign, an opening group match against World Champions, Germany, awaits on Monday. Although Germany have travelled to Russia with a relatively young squad, it is still littered with talent. Having leaked a goal inside 12 seconds to Brazil, in a recent friendly, the prospect of a wild German youth side looms large for Australia's Socceroos. With spies in the camp, in the form of goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak and midfielder Mathew Leckie, they should be well briefed on the danger presented by this crop of Die Mannschaft.
Australia arrive in Russia by virtue of their 2015 AFC Asian Cup victory. Competing on home soil, the Socceroos eventually overcame South Korea 2:1 after extra time to claim their first Asian Cup triumph since leaving the Oceania Confederation on New Year's Day 2006. Their form over recent years has been steady, in their last 15 games they have reigned victorious on eight occasions. Drawing four times and only losing three fixtures—their recent defeat against Brazil, on 13 June, ended an undefeated streak of eight games stretching back 371 days. Nestled in the highly competitive Group A of the Confederations Cup, the fixture against Germany marks the start of a testing run of games. Should the Australians leave the Olimpiyskiy Stadion with a positive result, they must then face back-to-back Copa America champions Chile, as well as African stars Cameroon—a tough, ask for any international side.
Joachim Löw certainly has an eye on the future as he takes an inexperienced, but talented, Mannschaft to the scene of next year's World Cup finals. The current world champions will be keen for their fledgeling stars to gain an experience of playing in some of the stadia where they will most likely be based out of next year. Established players such as Mesut Özil, Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer and Jérôme Boateng have been left at home, while Löw has opted for a mixture of youth and talent. Leverkusen's Julian Brandt, Bayern's Niklas Süle, and RB Leipzig's Timo Werner all received senior call-ups. While Germany place less emphasis on international friendlies—viewing them as a place to blood youth—they do tend to perform well at competitive tournaments. Unbeaten in 2017, they recently faced Denmark, in a friendly fixture, and European minnows, San Marino, in a World Cup qualification match. Unsurprisingly die Mannschaft swept aside their opponents from the Italian enclave, running out 7:0 victors in Nuremberg.
Australia vs Germany – Players to look out for:
Mathew Leckie of Australia and Hertha BSC shields the ball during the recent match between Australia and Brazil at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 13, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Mathew Leckie #7 – Australia
Leckie played 32 times for Ingolstadt last season. Unable to avoid relegation with the Bavarian club he performed well enough to earn a €3 million summer move to the German capital, Hertha Berlin agreeing on a deal which will see the midfielder move clubs on 1 July. With World Cup and Asian Cup, experience in the yellow shirt of the Socceroos the midfielder has represented Australia 41 times—notching five goals and three assists. Scoring in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers earlier in the year he will no doubt relish the opportunity to face his many friends in White. A versatile midfielder he can play centrally, or on either flank. Strong in the air the 26-year-old also likes to run at opponents, taking them on and linking with those around him.
Timo Werner of Germany and RB Leipzig in action during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier between Germany and San Marino at on June 10, 2017, in Nuremberg, Bavaria. (Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Timo Werner #11 – Germany
Werner's 21 goals in 32 games for RB Leipzig last season saw him rise from the edges of potential to the forefront of quality. His goal against champions, FC Bayern München, on the Bundesliga's Matchday 33 epitomised his deadliness in front of goal this season. Werner featured seven times for the German U21 side, and scoring on three occasions; it was unsurprising to see him called up to the senior Mannschaft by head coach Joachim Löw. Coming on as a substitute against England and recently against San Marino, he should be used to the tempo now required at senior national level. Deadly from outside the box, as well as inside it, this tournament could be the coming of age for the Leipzig star.
Australia vs Germany – Match Stats
The teams have met five times in the past – GER W3, AUS W1, D1
AUS only win versus GER came six years ago in Germany – AUS 2:1 GER
These sides face each other in the 2005 Confederations Cup group match – GER winning a fascinating encounter 4:3
They last faced off in a friendly in 2015 at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion, home of FC Kaiserslautern – The score finished 2:2
Australia have two players who ply their trade in Germany – Goalkeeper, Mitchell Langerak (VfB Stuttgart) and Midfielder, Mathew Leckie (Hertha BSC)
Prediction: Australia vs Germany – 0:3
Possible Lineups
Langerak; Wright, Sainsbury, Degenek; Milligan, Luongo, Kruse, Troisi, Behich; Cahill, Leckie
Coach: Ange Postecoglou
Ter Stegen; Hector, Süle, Ginter; Draxler, Goretzka, Can, Kimmich, Rudy; Werner, Wagner
Coach: Joachim Löw
Chris Williams is a freelance European football journalist. Covering the Bundesliga, Premier League and both of UEFA's European club competitions — he can be found somewhere between the Kop and Yellow Wall. Published in both local and international publications, such as the Liverpool Echo and Sport Bild, he also contributes to television and radio across the United Kingdom. A member of the UK's Sports Journalist Association and the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) he lives and breathes football. Follow Chris Williams on Twitter @Chris78Williams
Featured 1397 Gazeta 583 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup 15 Australia 1 Germany 34 Nationalmannschaft 82 Socceroos 1
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Portugal vs Mexico – Confederations Cup Preview


text:
Q: Delete subdirectories of other subdirectories but keeping the "root" subdirectories We have a network share that has backups from multiple machines throughout the company.  Once a quarter it gets copied off site and then we wipe out the contents.  The share has a subdirectoy for each machine and then within that subdirectory are more folders with the backups.  The machine subdirectory has sharing enabled and permissions set for that individual machine so we do not want to delete those but we do want to delete all the subdirectories. So it looks like this:
Machine 1
 - My Documents
Machine 2
 - My Documents
 - Database Config
Machine 3
 - My Documents
 - Desktop

In the above example all the Machine directories are in a folder called Backups and we want to delete all the sub directories of them (My Docs, Database Config, Desktop, etc).  There are about 190 machines so manually going into each directory then deleting the contents is very time consuming.  This will preferably be a DOS based batch file that will be run manually by a admin.  I've been playing with a For Do loop and can't get it to work as expected.  Any suggestions?

A: use a FOR command with the /D option to iterate over all the directories in the network share. Then, for each directory found, use FOR /D again to iterate over all the subdirectories and wipe out them with RD /S
something similar to this...
FOR /D %%a in (*) DO (
  PUSHD "%%a"
  FOR /D %%b in (*) DO RD /S /Q "%%b"
  POPD
)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package vn.cybersoft.summerms.utils;

import android.annotation.SuppressLint;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Calendar;

public final class StringUtil {

	/**
	 * Determine the given string is null or empty
	 *
	 * @param s
	 *            the given string
	 * @return TRUE if the given string is empty or null
	 */
	public static boolean isEmptyOrNull(String s) {
		return s == null || s.trim().length() == 0;
	}

	/**
	 * Get current time include time zone to save to DB
	 * @return time string
	 */
	@SuppressLint("SimpleDateFormat")
	public static String getCurrentTimestamp() {
		return new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss").format(Calendar
				.getInstance().getTime());
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Open Access and Peer-reviewed
Home Journal Issues Guide for Authors Editorial Board Aims & Scope About Journal News & Announcements
NARAYANA MEDICAL JOURNAL GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS AUTHORS
NARAYANA MEDICAL JOURNAL
NMJ is a biannual peer-reviewed journal published by the Narayana Medical College; NMJ publishes original articles that offer significant contributions to knowledge in all the broad and super specialties. NMJ is designed to serve as a medium for rapid dissemination of new and important information about medicine and health care. Articles that are accepted for publication are done so, with the understanding that they, or their substantive contents, have not been and will not be submitted to any other publication. The journal will cover technical, clinical and bioengineering studies related to human well being including ethical and social issues. The journal gives preference to clinically oriented studies over experimental and animal studies.
Editorial Process: A manuscript will be reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that it is being submitted to NMJ alone at that point in time and has not been published anywhere, simultaneously submitted, or already accepted for publication elsewhere. The journal expects that authors would authorize one of them to correspond with the Journal for all matters related to the manuscript. All manuscripts received are duly acknowledged. On submission, editors review all submitted manuscripts initially for suitability for formal review. Manuscripts with insufficient originality, serious scientific
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The manuscript consists of
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Title page:
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Sampath Kumar KL Spontaneous rupture of spleen
BMJ 1992: 304(2): 1491-1494
(Name of the author. Title of the article .Name of the journal. Year of publication volume (Issue) and the Page numbers)
Up to Six authors:
Swamy A, Bhargav B, Srinath J, Reddy DN, Rao KLV, Rao S.
Primary peritoneal hydatidosis. Lancet 2014; 13(12): 1228- 1240.
More than Six Authors
Kumar S, Rao A, Sastry RAS et al.The systemic immune response to trauma: an overview of pathophysiology and treatment. Lancet 2017; 384 (99) : 1455- 1460.
Books and Monographs.
Personal Authors – Hoffman R, Benz EJ ,Silberstein LE, Heslop HE, Weitzji M Anastasi J, editors Hematology: Basic principles and practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders; 2013 p 361- 365.
Editor (s) compiler as author – Dausset J, Colman J, editors. Histocompatibility testing 1972.Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1973.
Chapter in a book – David WB .The safety and quality of health care. In:
Dan LL, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL ,Jameson JL, Loscalzo J, editors. Harrison's principles of internal medicine. 18th ed. New York: Mc Graw Hill Professions; 2011 .p 85- 92.
Conference papers- Harley NH. Comparing radon daughter dosimetric and risk models. In: Gammage RB, Kaye SV, editors. Indoor air and human health..Proceedings of the Seventh Life Science Symposium; 1984 Oct 29- 31; Knoxville (TN). Chelsea:: Lewis, 1985: 69- 78.
Conference proceedings – Vivian VL, editor. Child abuse and neglect: A medical community response. Proceedings of the First AMA National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect; 1984 Mar 30-31;Chicago Chicago: American Medical Association ,1985.
Scientific or technical report- AkutsuT. Total heart replacement device. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Health, National Heart and Lung institute : 1974 Apr. Report No.: NIH –NHLI -69-2185-4.
Dissertation or Thesis- Mohamed S. A study of lipid profile in young smokers [dissertation] .Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka: 2006.
Newspaper Articles- Rensberger B, Specter B. CFCs may be destroyed by natural process .The Washington Post 1989 Aug 7; Sect. A: 9(col.5).
Magazine Articles – Roueche B. Annals of medicine: the Santa Claus Culture .The New Yorker 1971 Sep 4; 66-81.
Journal Article on the internet –Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in a advisory role. Am J Nurs (serial on the internet) 2002 Jun (cited 2002 Aug 12); 102 (6): (about3 P). Available from http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june / Wawatch .htm. Accessed on mm/yy.
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Student research:
This aims towards encouraging the undergraduate students for their participation in medical research and publication .Any fresh findings /research or research or done by students as part of ICMR may be considered.
[Format for the entire above category except for original articles- key words: instructed abstract: introduction: Results v (if applicable); Discussion]
Case Reports: A case report should communicate a message regarding diagnosis/ management of a new and emerging disease, an unexpected association between disease or symptoms, a rare feature of a disease or unique therapeutic approach, an unexpected event while observing or treating a patient. Only rarity of particular case does not merit publication of the case report. As a routine, maximum of four authors are permitted for a Case Report.
Keywords; unstructured abstract; Introduction; Case Report; Discussion.
Discussion should highlight unusual features of the report and briefly discuss pertinent literature.
Images in Medicine: This consists of a n interesting clinical or radiological image which is typical and diagnostic of the described condition .Maximum word limit is 1000 words. Figures / Illustrations to be limited to 4 (including sub figures) and reference up to 10.
'Letter to the Editor' and their replies: These should be brief with objective and constructive criticism of published articles .A short pertinent title accompanied by a covering letter should be given. The recent past or current issue publications based Letter to Editor should be given. Current interesting medical topics /anomalies can also be considered for Letter to Editor.
Title of the book ; name of the editor/authors; name and address of the publisher; year of publication; number of pages; number of illustrations; hard bound or soft bound, price, ISBN number, text of review. AS a policy we do not encourage submission of reviews of books that are more than a year old.
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These include Editorials, Guest Editorials and Symposia, which are solicited by the editorial and symposia, which are by the Editorial Board.
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Type of Article
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20(including sub figures)
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And Why Signs are Pointing to Such, Along with a Definite Return?
COMMENTARY: 12.7.07-- Everyone keeps talking about what will probably be the hottest ticket at Macworld Expo 2008. No, not the one that gets you in to see Steve-o, but the product that may become known as the MacBook nano, or the mini MacBook Pro. And while rumors have been flying about the return of the ultra-portable Mac notebook for quite some time?
That rumor may have finally found a place to land, with breaking news from a CNBC report yesterday afternoon, which immediately became the top story on Mac news sites everywhere.
AD: Compare prices on MacBooks at Mac Prices. Trackers updated daily. Right now, save up to $200 off MSRP!
I started writing this piece back on November 19th, just days after acquiring my newest Mac portable--a "new" aluminum 15-inch PowerBook G4--with plans to publish it this month as a lead up to Macworld Expo 2008 (which by the way, we will be covering again this year). Being a 12-inch PowerBook G4 user and loving every aspect of it since day one, the topic was?
Why Apple needs a MacBook Pro mini (or MacBook Pro nano) in its notebook line-up.
So of course, with the news yesterday that Apple is indeed creating a new ultra-portable Mac, or, well, at least a "sub-notebook" Mac, it bumps up the need to publish this story. Like today. (Funny thing is, I totally missed that report and didn't come across it until I read about it on the other Mac news sites... usually I'm watching CNBC and passing on the news to all of you!).
Rumors have flown about this since the day the MacBook "non-pro" edition came out and replaced the 12-inch iBook and aluminum PowerBook G4 lines. It was a sad day for sub-notebook Apple computing. And a sad day for all those 12-inch PowerBook G4 users like me, who thought that logically, all the silver-clad portables would get an Intel-based replacement.
As we all know by now (if you haven't, lucky you, or, where have you been all these "years"?), the smallest powerhouse portable Apple ever created--along with its consumer-oriented brethren in the 12-inch iBook and its somewhat cherised "son of Pismo" behemoth, er, brother, the 14-inch iBook (the Pismo is another powerhouse story)--made an exit in 2006.
Hello, I'm a Mac. And I'm a, what the heck is that huge thing?? Oh, it's a MacBook. Gross. With a glossy screen and a gigantic 13.3" LCD display. That's our replacement? Yup.
Apple decided to get rid of the iBook consumer line and introduce in its place, the "MacBook" line sans "Pro" moniker to differentiate it from the, well, Pro line (duh). It was made in white like the iBook, but as a go between, instead of having a small and big version of it, they went down the middle and created just one. A 13-inch MacBook. Oh yes, it also came in black.
(The black was supposedly to make it look more "pro"-like, but that wasn't enough for us!).
Steve Jobs didn't want too many distinctions in the notebook line. 12-inch, 14-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch. Thus the 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch models, the first on the list being for the consumer (or pro on a budget... it was well-equipped), and the last two for the professional.
The underlying theme there was there were "too many" out there before. Two 12-inch models, the iBook and the ultra-portable PowerBook G4, the 14-inch dud in the high-end iBook, and then the 15 and 17-inch PowerBook G4s. In an effort to streamline the whole product offering, they kept the 15-inch as the standard, the 17-inch as the high end, and on the low end?
The then new 13-inch MacBook line, consolidating three models into one. The 12-inch and 14-inch iBook models, and the beloved 12-inch PowerBook G4. And that's when the world stopped spinning for all the "mini-Me" professional users out in Apple land. No more tiny powerhouse--nor no new replacement at that--and we were forced to stick with our old hat.
But with the report from CNBC yesterday afternoon, maybe our time has finally come?


text:
Uruguaytherium beaulieui — вид вымерших млекопитающих из семейства Astrapotheriidae, живших во времена верхнего олигоцена — нижнего миоцена ( назад) в Южной Америки. Типовой и единственный вид в роде Uruguaytherium.

Новые вид и род описаны аргентинским палеонтологом Лукасом Краглиевичем в 1928 году по окаменелости, найденной в формации Фрай Бентос в департаменте Рио-Негро в Уругвае. Родственные роды Xenastrapotherium и Granastrapotherium, с  которыми Uruguaytherium составляет подсемейство Uruguaytheriinae, также родом из Южной Америки, но их представители жили в экваториальной зоне.

Голотип вида (без номера) представляет собой часть нижней челюсти (левая нижнечелюстная ветвь) с сохраненным третьим моляром, или M³.

Филогения
Кладограмма, основанная на филогенетическом анализе 2015 года, показывает положение рода в семействе:

Примечания

Астрапотерии
†
Млекопитающие олигоцена
Млекопитающие миоцена
Ископаемая фауна Южной Америки
Фоссилии, описанные в 1928 году

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


as recorded by Ur'Vashi of the Isles, Winter Solstice, 2148, C.E.
It is the best of times. Technology has advanced to within seconds of being able to feed, clothe, educate, and employ all those who desire such things in life. There is clean water and power, amazing medicines that prolong healthy life: replacement organs, gene therapies that have tamed cancer and other scourges. There is bioengineered food, created with the intention of preserving genetic diversity and answering the needs of specific micro-environments. We have bio-based super-computers programmed with the latest complexity equations that allow constructive interface with natural systems previously impervious to human understanding, and nano-machines that build everything we need from the ground up, including recycling of waste by-products of manufacturing! There is the Internet, which provides concourse between individuals at all levels of our global society.
It is also the worst of times, in fact, it has become the End Times feared by Christians as all the weak spots inherited from ancestral ways of thinking have caused many societies to simply unravel at the seams.
In paternalist societies, thousands of years of defining women as unimportant, intersecting with profound over-population and medical technology permitting gender selection of fetuses, in the presence of a will to power worthy of Herr Nietzsche himself, resulted in control of female lives from conception through death. Some were simply aborted at the fetus stage. Some were left to die in various kinds of servitude. Female mortality, especially during childbirth, is high in such societies.
The truth is females actually do have value. That value comes from their natural role as mothers, sisters, lovers, and the thought structures based on such. They provide critical balance to male striving which is essential. Ratio is all important. The current state of constant warfare eroding paternalist societies is clear evidence of what happens when that ratio is disturbed.
On the bright side, paternalist over-population problem is being solved. Paternalist numbers have plummeted in the last 25 years to less than 300,000,000. This condition of decline shows no signs of abating. As usual, the top echelons of their society live well, economically speaking, and do have access to the advantages I mentioned above. As yet, they see no reason to change.
A sad example is Africa. For thousands of years many African societies elevated the male above all other considerations, but there were traditions and taboos in place that allowed females a reasonable and secure status. However, European colonial adventuring and the imposition of their Christian beliefs reshaped African societies, leading to severe social consequences. In the past century. whole countries have fallen to starvation, slaughter and disease, victims of increasingly brutal mores; these operationalized by the unfortunate intersection of an hereditary system of tribal warfare with modern war-fare technology. Under these circumstances, only their top echelons continue to live well. The rest of the members of their societies suffer greatly. The total population of the entire African continent is now less than 200,000,000. No amount of aid from the Euro-Americano complex has been able stave off their suffering or decimation. As any counselor of substance-abusers knows, the crux of the problem is in the abuser's own head. Until they make a change in their ways of thinking, their lifestyle won't change, nor will the consequences for actions they refuse to stop taking. Efforts to spread information, education, and medicine continue and are working to create pockets of stability and hope.
As for the West and its passionate dedication to lucre…that continues until this day. It is so easy to let lucre convince you there is something worth killing and dying for. Millions continue to face off on both sides of all kinds of lines drawn in the sands of their minds—and ideas are as owned as stuff. The two chief instigators, the Muslim and Euro-US cultures, are as addicted to this way of being as an alcoholic is to the way of drink. Their populations have also declined for two reasons: 1) Outright murder – the killing – 2, 4, 24 – here, there, everywhere adds up after awhile. They are nickel and diming themselves to death. 2) More seriously, they are declining because living simply doesn't shimmer anymore. Oddly, just when they can have things exactly the way they have always said they wanted them – virtually perpetual health, beauty, abundance of food, clothes, money (on the Euro-US side) or being left isolated with their traditional ways of life (on the Muslim side)—a huge majority have found they just don't care anymore. Lassitude is their chief disease, one for which their magnificent technology or traditional ways provides no cure.
The balance of things is upset. This is the clue everyone needs to get. You can't have just males or just females. You have to have both – free, healthy, fully functional on their own recognizance, in fact, you can't have castes, classes, races, any social group that is rigidly defined and isolated from influence by circumstance. You can't have just one ideology anymore than you can have just one kind of wheat. Biodiversity is necessary for a thousand reasons and one. So is diversity of thought, and that includes all the children of our thoughts—economies, political systems, cultural traditions – all the various ways we relate to each other. And finally, there is no such thing as unlimited growth. There are cycles of increase and decrease, expansion and contraction. These cycles are related to the whole of things. Instead of fighting cycles, we need to ride them, release into them, learn from them, let them carry us onward.
Until our societies realize these things, the consequences of our actions, regardless of technology or ideology, will continue to mount. The weak spots will continue to unravel, we will be torn apart.
Perhaps, in the end, for the sake of the biosphere itself, our current cycle of decline is not such a bad thing, especially for the sake of the human race. Maybe it will show us that our vast potential can only be realized when every life is succored within the context of us all.
As I stand here at the far edge of my own life, looking back, looking forward, there is slender hope right here in our own minds and bodies – built to be free to adapt within the biosphere we are just barely beginning to comprehend. Should we act from this truth instead of any other, we will find all the strength we need to take this best of times and come into balance. Then we can march forward, finally gift our progeny with the capacity to realize themselves fully as no other generation before us has ever done.


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DDAL08-10 The Skull Square Murders
Levels 5–10
When Volothamp Geddarm hires you to recover a missing key, you find yourself wrapped up in a series of murders in Lower Skullport. Can you find the killer before they find you? Part One of the Skullport Shakedown trilogy. A Two- to Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 2 Characters. Optimized For: APL 8
One Night Amongst the Necromancers
Levels 2–4
An evil cult gathers for one night of dark acts, and on this night a group of brave adventurers enter their hide out. It is a mission of stealth and subterfuge for the dark forces are powerful, and quick thinking is needed to succeed for one night amongst the necromancers. The adventure introduces several new monsters and magic items. Originally from the Danish convention Fastaval as part of the living campaign, Hinterlandet. Now presented here for the first time in English. It is an adventure with emphasis on exploration and meeting the unknown.
The city of Stonewood has seen a number of strange disturbances of late: grave robbings, disappearances, and recently a spate of murders. Adair Wyatt, a local merchant, has asked you to help him find his missing brother Dayton. His last known whereabouts? Stonewood's necropolis, where he works as a gravedigger... The Graveyard Shift is the first in the Adventure on Tap series. The adventure centers on the city of Stonewood but can easily be transferred to any medium or large settlement as long as there is a graveyard nearby and access to a local forest. The adventure was designed to have an equal balance of combat, exploration, puzzle, and role-playing encounters.
A Conspiracy Of Doors
A Conspiracy of Doors is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure for five player characters of 11th level. It can serve as an introduction to Sigil, the City of Doors, as well as a group of adventurers' first taste of action at the paragon tier.
X10 Red Arrow, Black Shield
BECMI
Levels 10–14
A cloud of dust forms over the horizon as a titanic army of evil threatens the entire civilized world! The Master of the Desert Nomads and his legions are back, and they form the greatest threat that you have ever faced. You must persuade powerful rulers to join you cause, stave off threats to the alliance, and lead your armies to victory! This adventure contains a full-color map of the D&D Expert Set game world, 200 counters, and a special expansion of the War Machine mass combat rules that allows you to fight the entire war as a strategic wargame! Major battles and engagements can be fought using the BATTLESYSTEM Fantasy Combat Supplement for incredible tabletop action. Never-before-published information on all the nations of the Expert Set game world provides background and detail that will enrich your campaign. This adventure includes large-scale battles and uses an expansion of Douglas Niles and Gary Spiegel's warfare system, "The War Machine", developed as part of the D&D Companion Set (BECMI Ed.) from 1984. "Red Arrow, Black Shield" is more than just a follow-up to X4/X5; it's a lynchpin for the entire B/X/CM adventure sequence. The players travel through many lands that were home to past adventures, and their past interactions with those places could affect diplomacy in this new adventure. TSR 9160
The Nightmare Lands
AD&D
It's just a bad dream-a very bad dream.... Beware the night, for sleep provides another path to the Demiplane of Dread. In the unique domain called the Nightmare Lands, darkness offers not blissful slumber, but ultimate terror. Heroes enter this realm at the bidding of the night, drawn from their dreaming bodies and captured by an enigmatic figure known only as the Nightmare Man. Trapped in this region of psychological fear, heroes face their worst nightmares in strange surrealistic terrain. If they escape the treacherous clutches of dark slumber, they'll be safe-at last until the nest time sleep overtakes them... This box set Campaign Expansion contains 4 adventures: Dreams Within Dreams: https://www.adventurelookup.com/adventures/dreams-within-dreams Dark Harvest: https://www.adventurelookup.com/adventures/dark-harvest The Loathsome Deep: https://www.adventurelookup.com/adventures/the-loathsome-deep The Rose of Midnight: https://www.adventurelookup.com/adventures/the-rose-of-midnight TSR 1124
Old Sea-Dog
A barque with a bark; or, You can't be Sirius! Another day, another kidnap victim to rescue - but this victim has four feet and likes old soup bones. An adventure with some bite. Sir Veneti of Chardon's prize mastiff was stolen just before the city's mastiff duel. He knows that it was his biggest rival, Sir Machi. Sir Veneti needs the party to seize Sirius, the mastiff, from a ship called Gale's Teeth. What the party doesn't know is that a pirate stranged in town is also planning a heist on this ship the very same night that they plan to steal back the mastiff! This adventure has opportunities for both combat and roleplaying, and allows for multiple ways for the players to finish the adventure. Pgs. 32-38
Castle Spulzeer - Classic Modules Today 5e Conversion
An omnious encounter with a fortuneteller sends a party of adventurers on a 200-mile journey across the Lands of Intrigue. While traveling throught the towns and terrain (detailed here for the first time) that lie in their path, they hear rumors and obtain clues about their mission. Their ultimate destination is Castle Spulzeer, a once proud stronghold that has become a den of terror. When the heroes enter the haunted keep, they meet a terrifying trio of residents: a madman armed with stolen magical power, a liche whose secret laboratory houses untold horrors and treasure, and a furious ghost bent on revenge. These three ensnare the party in their fight over an ancient weapon. Each will stop at nothing to keep it from the other two. The heroes must choose with whom they will ally - and the wrong choice could lead to their doom. Castle Spulzeer is an adventure complete in itself. However, as a crossover story, it offers every Dungeon Master a choice between two endings. The first leaves the party in the Realms. The second transports the characters to the Demiplane of Dread, where the plot continues in the Ravenloft adventure The Forgotten Terror. For 4 to 6 Characters of Levels 8-12 This conversion guide allows DMs to run the original module with 5th Edition rules. To use this conversion guide you will need a copy of Castle Spulzeer, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in digital format on the DMs Guild. Visit Classicmodulestoday.com for instructions on creating your own classic module conversions and selling them on the DMs Guild. Castle Spulzeer was originally scheduled for publication by TSR in June 1997. Then, near-bankruptcy caused a total failure of TSR's schedule, resulting in no books being published from February through the very end of July. Some books would be delayed for over a year, and others would disappear altogether, but Castle Spulzeer was relatively lucky: it was just delayed four months, until October 1997. The reason may well have been its theming, and its crossover with the Ravenloft line, which made Castle Spulzeer a great Halloween release. Castle Spulzeer has an even more far-reaching connection: its ending can lead players to the demiplane of Ravenloft and The Forgotten Terror adventure. This was probably intended as a bit of advertising for Domains of Dread (1997), the third edition of Ravenloft which was released in August 1997. In other words: in their last days, TSR was working very hard to cross-market their products, but they didn't live long enough to see the success of the Spulzeer-Intrigue-Dread connection.
Blood & Gold
Low, Medium Level
Blood and Gold is an adventure involving crime, drugs and vampires. The quest takes place in an urban area and can be played in any (low) fantasy campaign setting. This scenario features a new captivating and deadly drug. The storyline is hardboiled and probably better fitting for characters of low morality, who won't take to heart when it comes down to beating people in order to extract information and working for thugs and criminals. Still, the party can be kindhearted and their reasons for meddling with a shady crowd can be for a just cause. But by the end of the day, they themselves will be tempted with the pleasures of sinister life. Adventure Synopsis: Vampire Aris is a self-proclaimed prince of thieves and murderers. He is a ruler of the underground and a demon of night. Aris rose to power through gold and a drug he created from his own blood. Red Sinew is highly addictive, but gives pleasure mortals can't resist. Aris is a sole vampire who knows how to create this potent toxin, or at least that's what he thinks. Couple of months ago, his business got stale. There is a new dealer on the street who did not only steal Aris' local customers but also his exporters. The ancient Vampire is furious as his dominion is shaken. He is set on revenge and blood will be shed, mortal and immortal alike.
Signs in Shadow
3.5 Edition
The insurgent agent Adan, a spy in Alvedara, came across plans for an upcoming assault on Bodrun, the largest remaining dwarven clanhold in the South. Though the dwarves were unknown to him, this Sarcosan rebel decided that he must do his best to get word to these allies in the mountains. He stole the plans and abandoned his cover identity, fleeing east along the Eren and hoping to find succor in the Forest of the Sahi before his trek into the Kaladruns. He didn't make it that far. A legate spyhunter was on his tail within hours of his departure, and with his stronger mount and divinatory magic, was sure to run him to ground on the Horse Plains of Erenhead. Adan hoped to throw off the scent of his tracker in the town of Malima, where he had contacts and might be able to wait out the legate in a safehouse. Unfortunately, the situation in Malima had worsened since Adan had last been there, and it had become a place of exile for Alvedarans with the plague. It was a question of choosing the lesser of two evils: plague and possible death in Malima, or torture, betrayal, and certain death at the hands of the legate. Adan chose to hide in Malima, but contracted the plague while hiding from his pursuers. Though unable to contact the outside world, Adan sent his familiar, a raven, eastward in the hopes that it would reach a dwarven settlement that could send agents to aid him. The raven made it to the Hagaran Observatory in the Forest of the Sahi, where the PCs have been assisting the sages of the observatory. Midnight Runner Up - Gen Con 2005
The Alchemists' Guildhall
"The Alchemists' Guildhall" is a rusalka lair suitable for four or five 6th-level characters. This adventure can be completed in one session.
The Haunt 2
Just when you thought it was safe to take a long rest. She's Back! The terrifying SEQUEL to the PLATINUM bestselling, and Dragon+ Magazine featured horror adventure: The Haunt. The Haunt 2 is both a one-shot, and a sequel that can be run as either. Long, long ago St. Greycastle's Hospital served the city through the years, mainly treating the wounded and sick among the militia. Over time, the lower basement was converted into a sanatorium, housing those who became maddened from enduring the violent, brutal orcs raids which plagued the region during that time. This was the place where Gertrude, the night hag, tormented patients, and created her masterpiece, the Evil Doll. Now, after all of these years, Montarthas Manor has finally fallen, and the Evil Doll has been wounded. She has returned to the only familiar and safe place she remembers, to lick her wounds and plot her next move. Her presence in the hospital awakens the evil inside, creating a nightmarish charnel house of terror. In addition, the hospital itself feeds on fear. Do your players have what it takes to enter the haunted and evil hospital, to finally end the haunt and terror of the Evil Doll?! Published by P.B. Publishing.
King to an Empty City
What good is a king without a city to rule over? What happens when everyone in a city disappears, gone without a trace? This is the state in which an adventuring party, your characters, finds Sheol in; a city devoid of all life forms, claimed by Hegemon, a Wraith that used to be its king. Explore the empty city! Be mindful of the thieves' guilds! Find your way to the portal that leads to the castle! Fight your way through the hoards of undead to foil Hegemon's insidious plan! An adventure perfect for the middle part of any campaign, full of plot hooks, possible plot points and areas of exploration! Tons of places, like the Tower of Eiden, with backstories to tie in with any existing campaign! Discover the "Hell's Gifts", red gems that defy space! This adventure offers: 30 pages of exploration of an empty city and a castle swarming with undead. Maps for major locations Two new Monsters, Hegemon and Corvus, also usable as NPCs. 3 new magic items. A plethora of plot hooks, possible plot points, and setting-neutral lore. Many hours of fun gameplay A Dungeons & Dragons adventure written for 8th level player characters, with level adjustments for levels 5-10 for the encounters.
CCC-NBDD01-02 Where Can She Be
A master criminal has been making her way across the	Moonsea, stealing priceless treasures at every stop. It's up to you to trace her steps, find her allies, and stop her before she can claim her final prize. A Two to Four-Hour Adventure for	Tier 2 Characters. Optimized for APL 8.
DSM3 Marauders of Nibenay
When the brides of death become the marauders of Nibenay, When the dead must die and the unsleeping must wake, Then the Dragon shall be born anew. For centuries the Veiled Alliance has been a thorn in the side of the mighty sorceror-king Nibenay. Now the stars are right and the mysterious Shadow King has decided to rid himself of his unremitting rivals. But the Veiled Alliance is not easily defeated. They too have been watching the stars, and they know that the history of the great city has reached a crucial juncture. Both sides stand ready for a great battle, but neither is prepared for the disaster that looms over the city. By the time the sun rises again, the city will be in ruins and the task of rebuilding it will fall squarely on the shoulders of a small band of adventurers. The future is theirs to decide, for good or evil.
HHQ3 Thief's Challenge
Thief's Challenge is primarily a mystery, a story thick with finger-pointing and double-crosses. It takes a thief to catch a thief in this ONE-ON-ONE™ adventure for one player and the DUNGEON MASTER™. A low- to mid-level character will need sharp wits to bag the Gullwing Bandit! TSR 9420
Voyage of the Crimpshrine
Up the river "Just sit right back, and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip..." Pgs. 58-67
Katha - the City of Potential
Katha is a fully built city with nearly a hundred NPCs, dozens of shops, and many different factions all vying for power over this growing city. Katha is a growing city-state that can expand (or regress) in any direction depending on the choices of your group. It can easily suit any party of any size or level but is designed for mid-level parties with money to spend. The city will grow (or shrink) and change at the party's every move, making it a city full of potential. The document also includes a map and key for the city, four stat blocks for two major NPCs, a new monster, a boss fight, and a dungeon map. Katha is designed to be placed into any setting with only minor alterations. Advice for how to fit Katha into your setting is provided throughout the document. Included is also a plotline that can span anywhere between four and ten sessions. The Cult of the Storm, a mysterious and millenarian cult, hopes to bring about the end of the world so that it may be reborn. Several of the groups and NPCs in Katha are secretly working for the Cult. Will your party realize that they are accidentally helping them in time to stop the Cult from assembling the four parts of the weather control artifact and starting The Storm? The plot will also develop the city and reward your party not with wealth, but with property and the ability to build what they want and invest their time and energy into growing Katha.
Deep Horizon
The Underdark holds many secrets. A series of earthquakes and eruptions have rocked a normally placid land. Strange creatures sighted in the dark of night raise fears across the already disturbed countryside. As tales of a lost race that once warred with the drow begin to surface, only the boldest adventurers dare to descend into the shadowy darkness.
Spears of Glip Dak: Four Adventures
Inside this full-color, 124-page anthology you'll find four best-selling Adventurer's League quests for level 1-10 characters set in the hobgoblin fortress of Glip Dak. Also included are instructions on how to weave these adventures into an ongoing story arc as part of your campaign. Tier 1 (Level 1-4): Glip Dak (CCC_GLIP-01-01) The Kroth Magg hobgoblins run the trade city of Glip Dak in the Troll Hills of Thar. From there they have taken control of the trade routes along the northern Moonsea. A young noble has been captured for refusing to pay their tariffs and his house looks to hire adventurers to rescue him. Beneath Glip Dak (CCC_GLIP-01-02) A series of unusual heists has both the thieves' guild and city guard scrambling to uncover the culprits before the burglaries destabilize the thriving trade within the city, threatening the budding kingdom the Kroth Magg have fought and died to forge. Citadel of Vlaakith (CCC_GLIP-01-03) The adventurers are tasked with rescuing a group of heroes who vanished in the pearlescent fortress that manifested on the border between the Kroth Magg kingdom and the Varkonin empire in the Steppes of Thar. Tier 2 (Level 5-10): Blue Scales (CCC_GLIP-02-01) A behir has been hired to destroy the herds of aurochs necessary to feed the hobgoblin city of Glip Dak. Patrols and scouts continue to go missing, forcing the hobgoblins to hire mercenaries to track this behir as they recall their troops to the capital to maintain order as food riots break out.
Adventure Lookup
Adventure Lookup is a catalog of adventures for Dungeons and Dragons and its clones. We need your help to expand the catalog and ensure each entry is reasonably accurate. Simply create an account to start adding adventures or submit change requests!
Matt Colville first talked about the idea in a video of his in 2016. It wasn't until August 2017 before the site went live.
Feel free to ask any questions in the official /r/AdventureLookup subreddit. If you want to report a bug, typo or suggest a feature, you're welcome to create a new issue in our GitHub Repository.
If you know how to code, checkout the GitHub Repository and help implement new features or join our Discord developer chat. Contributions and questions are always welcome!
AdventureLookup also has a REST API.
Adventure Lookup is made possible by @cmfcmf and other fine people.
Disclaimer: All information listed on this website comes with absolutely no warranty and may be incomplete or outright wrong. We rely on contributors from the community to add and curate adventure data. The publisher and original adventure authors are not usually involved in the process. In many cases, we have no way to verify that the data we show for an adventure accurately represents the adventure's content. If you find incomplete or wrong data, please login and create a change request on the adventure details page.


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Quick & Easy Dinners
Holiday & Occasion Food
Party Food & Drink
Idea Houses
Paint & Color Palettes
Inspired Communities
The Grumpy Gardener
Fruit, Vegetable, & Herb Gardens
South's Best
Biscuits & Jam Podcast
Etiquette & Manners
House Plans & Builders
Party Food And Drink
How Much Food To Make Based On Your Party Size
Plan perfectly so you don't make too little—or too much.
By Maddy Sweitzer-Lammé
I can't count the number of times I have found myself standing in a grocery aisle, holding loaves of bread, bags of chips, and bottles of wine, trying to do the mental math of how much food and drink to buy to feed a crowd.
I've done it at the holidays, trying to figure out how big a turkey I need for 12 people, and I've done it in the summer, calculating how much cold beer and sandwich meat my friends and I will need for a week at the beach.
The good news, though, is that professionals, like bartenders and caterers, have clear rules they use to make all these decisions, and you can apply them to your own events. Here's what you need to know.
The overall rule that most caterers and party planners use is to calculate a pound of food per person, and a half pound per child.
Professionals typically recommend breaking it down further from there: Aim for 2 to 4 ounces of appetizers per person—think 5 to 6 bites. Depending on what you're serving, you might do two pieces of shrimp cocktail per person, a few slices of cheese, plus a handful of nuts, or a few pieces of crudité.
Calculate for 6 to 8 ounces of protein per person for the main dish. If you're serving something bone-in, like a roasted turkey or bone-in pork shoulder, calculate a pound and a half per person of the uncooked product. You'll lose weight from the bone, and water will cook off during the roasting process, leaving you with about 8 ounces per person.
Aim for another 8 ounces of sides—about 3/4 cup per person for each dish of things like mashed potatoes and cornbread dressing.
Holiday meals, in general, will have more sides, so you may find yourself going over the weight estimates. For these types of meals, calculating the amount per dish, rather than the total amount of food on the table may serve you better.
Our Favorite 9x13 Thanksgiving Sides That Feed A Crowd
Condiments and Dessert
Extras like gravy and cranberry sauce that you'll serve as condiments won't be included in the final count, but you'll want to make sure you have plenty. In general, aim for at least 1/3 cup of gravy per person, with about an extra cup for every six people.
Desserts are also not included in that estimated one pound of food per person. Instead, aim for a slice of pie, cake, or tart per person, 5 ounces of ice cream, or about 4 ounces of pudding or mousse.
Again, for holidays like Thanksgiving, all bets are off: Most people will eat several slices of pie so they can sample all of their favorites.
Vintage Southern Pie Recipes We Still Love
Conventional wisdom says that most guests will have two drinks in the first hour of a party, and then one drink per hour after that.
For a dinner party or holiday meal for 15 people, calculate for 4 hours, which comes out to 5 drinks per person, which is 75 drinks. Keep in mind that a bottle of wine holds 5 drinks, and a 12-ounce can of beer or an ounce of liquor counts as a drink.
It's always good to consider the crowd you're serving—if you know your family drinks a lot of wine at the holidays, round up. If you're mostly serving people who aren't big drinkers at a barbecue, round down, or add more non-alcoholic options to your beverage selection.
22 Non-Alcoholic Drinks To Make At Home
The Time of Day Matters
In general, people will eat and drink more in the evening than during an afternoon event. If you plan to serve a full meal, you'll obviously need more food than, say, an afternoon cocktail party or an after-dinner event.
At an event without a full meal, caterers typically allot about six bites per person per hour, or a total of six bites before the full meal.
Roasted Turkey Legs
8 Holiday Mistakes That Almost Certainly Will Get You An "Oh, Bless Your Heart" Response
Want To Roast, Fry, Or Smoke Your Turkey? This Is What To Buy Now
100 All-Time Best Comfort Food Classics
6 Reasons You Should Be Using A Kitchen Scale
How Much Ham Do You Need Per Person?
This Is How Much Turkey To Make Per Person For Thanksgiving
Here Are the Best Turkeys to Order for Thanksgiving Before They Sell Out
What To Do When Your Party Size Is Bigger Than Your House
How Much Prime Rib To Buy For Your Holiday Dinner
How To Cook A Turkey
How To Plan a Successful Friendsgiving Menu
9 Hostess Mistakes to Avoid This Fall, According to 'Southern Living' Editors
The Ultimate Thanksgiving Grocery Shopping List
How Layer Cakes Became A Southern Party Essential
How To Host Thanksgiving For the First Time
Diversity and Inclusion Pledge
Southern Living is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.


This charger has the look of a sleek, miniaturised windmill, with three blades fanning out from a central swivel. The swivel is hollow, and sits on an effective silicon suction cup, allowing it to be adhered to the inside or outside of a window.
Should I buy the Solio charger?
There are cheaper portable chargers out there, and other types of solar chargers, but none can match the elegance and flexibility of the Solio's pin-wheel design. Because it stores up power, it's a must-have for outdoor types or anyone who wants to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The Solio is intuitive to use – there's only one button. This glows in different colours according to its use: red when charging up; flashing green when charging a device; and a succession of greens after pressing, to indicate the power level.
It comes with a travel charger with a UK adaptor; Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and Mini-USB connector tips; a female USB cable; a 12V Universal Adaptor and a window suction cup. An iPod connector tip is sold separately for £7.95, along with tips for other mobile phones and devices.
The travel adaptor enables it to be charged via a wall socket if sunlight is scarce. The company claims the internal battery holds a charge for up to a year.
For optimum solar charging, Solio needs direct sunlight so you may have to move it about to gain maximum rays. In the weak autumn English sun, this is crucial, but less so on a holiday in the tropics.
Other factors to bear in mind are that standard glazing will reduce the sun's intensity by around 10 per cent, thus increasing charging time – this doubles for tinted, double glazed and dirty glass.
However, with a conscious effort to maximise light conditions, Solio did move towards the performance levels its manufacturer claims: at least ten hours of direct UK summer sunlight over three clear days fully charged it. This is enough to charge an iPod nano twice, and is the equivalent of nine hours' playtime.
If the weather fails you, charging the Solio from mains power takes around 4.5 hours using the travel adaptor. The Solio charges iPods at about the same rate as a normal power source. You may also charge an iPod or other device while the Solio itself is being charged.


The first therapeutic benefit of the baby massage is the action on the digestive system. During the first months of their lives, many babies have digestion problems, constipation, colic, or gas. A specific stomach massage will restore a good digestive function and help facilitate transit . This massage must be performed with very specific techniques in order to follow the colon and not disturb transit system. Done correctly, this massage is extremely effective and relieves the baby very quickly.
Another benefit of the massage is the relaxing effect on the baby. The hand touch on various parts of the body stimulates the skin receptors, which reassure and calm. Feeling the touch of the hands relaxes and reassures him because of the focus and special attention from the parents. This massage is very effective for babies who have trouble sleeping because it calms their anxieties and allows them to have a deeper and less disturbed sleep . A baby who sleeps well is a welcome relief for exhausted parents.
This massage also stimulates the baby's circulatory system and improves elimination of toxins from the lymphatic system, which, in turn increases overall vitality.
The baby makes his first tactile experience in the first months of his life, the stimulation of the skin receptors can also help with neuro-motor development and thus enables him to develop his movements and walk faster. This is beneficial for babies with a slight delay.
If your baby has walking or developmental delays in London our specialised paediatric neuro physiotherapist can offer a specific treatment to your baby.
Our Baby massage in London is done by an experienced physiotherapist but can be taught to either parent who will be able to introduce massage to their daily routine. Be aware, some parts of this massage must be done very precisely in order not to go against the direction of the digestive system or the circulatory system of the baby . At Baby Physio, we offer baby massages in London done by a specialized physiotherapist, but also courses teaching parents the essential gestures and especially those to avoid.
The fact that parents do the massage themselves helps strengthen the bond with their child. Massaging your baby has also a relaxing effect on parents as they create a moment of complicity and calm with their child.


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Kevin Hern
Conservative for Congress
Meet Kevin
Promises Kept
Born on an Air Force Base, Kevin Hern gained an early appreciation for the sacrifices that military families make. In high school, Kevin earned an Architectural Drafting Certificate in concurrent Technical enrollment, which he used to work and pay for his Engineering degree. Later in life, he earned his MBA.
He went on to work as an Aerospace Engineer for Rockwell. Then began saving to purchase his first McDonald's Restaurant by small business ventures: writing computer programs to automate tasks for businesses, real estate, and even hog farming.
In 1999, Kevin literally sold the hog farm to buy two McDonald's restaurants in Muskogee. He later started an organization that owns 10 McDonald's restaurants. It employs over 400 people in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.
Kevin has worked across every aisle by serving in various leadership positions within the McDonald's system – what he dubs the most grassroots business in the world. He served 13 years on the National Leadership Team that represented all of the 3,500+ U.S. Franchisees, serving for 8 years as the Ombudsman and 5 years as the chairman of the Systems Economic Team.
In addition to McDonald's, Kevin has part ownership in a manufacturing facility in Muskogee, real estate ventures, three technology companies, he helped start a community bank and currently serves on their executive board. He uses this business acumen to help aspiring entrepreneurs create new businesses, so they can pursue their American Dream.
Kevin Hern was sworn into Congress on November 13th, 2018 serving the remainder of the term. Kevin and his wife Tammy live in Tulsa and have three children. They are members at the Church at Battle Creek.
Support Kevin
Sign up today to get the latest news from Kevin's campaign!
Hern for Congress
8630 South Peoria Ave - Tulsa, OK 74132
PAID FOR BY HERN FOR CONGRESS


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Tag: LEGO Friends
The day The LEGO® Group turned its focus to girls
LEGO® play has always been a joyful and imaginative building experience for both girls and boys. But while many sets that boys could identify with were developed over the decades, it took The LEGO® Group several attempts to come up with a girls range that worked.
In fact, 90% of the LEGO® customer base before 2011 was made up of boys, according to reports by the company. It's no surprise then that The LEGO® Group chief executive officer Jørgen Vig Knudstorp announced their intention to "reach the other 50 percent of the world's children" that year.
An animated TV series of LEGO® Friends premiered in 2014. While another series Another series titled 'LEGO® Friends: The Power of Friendship' aired on Netflix in 2016.
The company knew there was plenty of demand for a girls range. However, previous girls ranges weren't successful as they focused too much on the play factor, and not enough on the LEGO® brick and its element of construction, which is what appealed as much to girls as it did to boys.
After careful market research, the toy company at last introduced a girls range that worked in 2011: LEGO® Friends. The range focused on giving girls between the ages of 5 and 8 an immersive LEGO® experience that focused on "realistic role-play, creativity, and a highly-detailed, character-based world with the core values of LEGO® building."
"What LEGO® Friends does differently is deliver the beauty, details, accessories, real world themes and need for strong interior play that the research revealed would make all the difference for girls ages 5 and up." – Nanna Ulrich Gudum
The range was groundbreaking in yet another sense: it introduced the curvy doll-like minifigure that LEGO® research suggested girls could identify with, focusing on five characters in particular: Andrea, Emma, Mia, Olivia and Stephanie.
These friends would adventure in their hometown of Heartlake City. Each character has her own interests and strengths such as animals, performing arts, invention and design.
The main characters in the LEGO Friends range from top left: Emma, Stephanie, Andrea, Mia and Olivia.
LEGO® Friends came under some criticism for its seemingly limited role-play for girls to which the company responded by introducing a new range of sets for the characters offering a more diverse range of activities, including a veterinarian centre, an adventure camper and a tree house to name a few.
Even with this criticism, the overall response to LEGO® Friends exceeded the company's expectations in its first year.
"[I]t has been amazing to experience the enthusiastic welcome, which consumers have given the new range, as well as know that we through LEGO® Friends have managed to introduce LEGO® play to millions of girls who had never received a LEGO® product before," said LEGO® Chief Marketing Officer, Mads Nipper.
Find the amazing LEGO® Friends range at Kiddiwinks online shop or at our four stores!
What do you think about the LEGO® Friends range? Tell us in the comments below.
Author Posted on 13th Sep 2018 Tags girls, kiddiwinks, kids, lego, LEGO FriendsLeave a comment on The day The LEGO® Group turned its focus to girls