text:
Aaron Main
Are you Aaron Main? If so, email [email protected] to claim this critic page.
GamingBolt
6 / 10.0 - Everybody's Gone to the Rapture
Everybody's Gone To The Rapture really tried to be something more powerful than a video game. It tried to be art. However, instead of becoming a Mona Lisa, it felt as though the paint was still awaiting its first brush stroke. It never quite got there, but if it ever achieved that first stroke, it was bound to be brilliant.
7 / 10.0 - Mega Man Legacy Collection
Still holding up after nearly 30 years, and still, every bit as challenging, Mega Man Legacy Collection is a great buy for the asking price. Even if it is a bit insecure with extra features.
9 / 10.0 - Forza Motorsport 6
Forza Motorsport 6 is a game that should be a Day One purchase, and on every kid's holiday list. It should be celebrated by its leaps forward in the racing simulator genre and its attention to realism and physics. It should be yours.
9 / 10.0 - Pro Evolution Soccer 2016
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 is going to be fierce competition for any soccer games coming up. This is currently the definitive vision and version of how being on a real teal should feel.
7 / 10.0 - Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below
Dragon Quest Heroes is a fun game. But nothing more. It doesn't revolutionize anything, but in fact sets some RPG styles back a decade. Without engrossing characters or even story plot, it's worth little more than one, light hearted play through.
8 / 10.0 - Halo 5: Guardians
Halo 5: Guardians proves that 343 Industries are up for the challenge. With solid combat, weapons, worlds and a killer story, the only thing needing more attention is multiplayer. Though solid with good framerate, online felt as though it borrowed more from past Halo games instead of evolving from them, never showing anything new. But online is still really fun!
9 / 10.0 - Transformers: Devastation
Transformers: Devastation is a rare gem that never lets off the gas. When other games try too hard to be more than they are Devastation truly is more than meets the eye.
9 / 10.0 - Fallout 4
Fallout 4 delivers exactly what everyone has been holding out years for, plus so much more. It is a game with multiple layers to discover, and thousands of ways to decide how to purse quests. It is a game designed with the player in mind and how we want to go about discovering this crazy, viscous, new land.
6 / 10.0 - Need for Speed
Need For Speed is an okay racer. But with the likes of Forza 6, Project Cars and others that completely out performed this one, it's very hard to recommend.
6 / 10.0 - Kromaia Omega
Kromaia wants to be more than what it is, but it tries too hard with too many active parts all at once. Falling flat while at the same time continually exploding images on screen to achieve a more frenzied momentum feels desperate.
4 / 10.0 - Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair
Earth Defense Force 4.1 is a game only for diehard EDF fans. Other than that it will look and play like a shovelware title that can be found on the Wii back in 2005.
7 / 10.0 - Amplitude HD
Amplitude is a game trapped in the PS2's past but brought back through the developers' passion. There really isn't any innovation in this version, but it's not expensive so a lot can be overlooked. This game works best at a college dorm party or somewhere with lots of friends. But there's little more to do once everyone has gone home.
7 / 10.0 - Resident Evil 0 HD
Resident Evil Zero is a game best remembered through nostalgia rather than revisiting it. But its single player/co-op game style and item searching add a few interesting moments.
9 / 10.0 - This War of Mine: The Little Ones
For those looking for a unique and unexplored side to war in a slow, gruelingly unforgiving setting, this game is perfect. It will take several tries to get it right, but the truth behind it is there really is no "right" way to survive in war.
7 / 10.0 - LEGO Marvel's Avengers
For a LEGO game, LEGO Marvel's Avengers is adequate but not complete. It has a lot going for it, but it's starting to feel like Call of Duty in the way that it's blurring with all the others in the franchise.
9 / 10.0 - Unravel
Unravel is a game that everyone should experience. It will pull you in from the moment you enter to the moment you have to let it go.
8 / 10.0 - Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
There is just way too much to do in this game and it can get confusing without some sort of organized menu system. But if you can stick past that, be okay with having to walk to each event rather than click a button on a menu, you should be fine. Multiplayer will keep this game alive with so many options to choose from and it's suitable for all ages.
8 / 10.0 - Far Cry Primal
Far Cry: Primal offers a beautifully laid out and vast land crying to be explored. It has strong moments in its empty wilderness but is missing that "X Factor" that keeps it from feeling like a complete, genre defining experience.
6 / 10.0 - Hitman GO: Definitive Edition
Hitman Go: Definitive Edition is a simplistic travel game that doesn't fit on the PS4. If you own a Vita, travel a lot and don't have much time to game, this is perfect for you.
8 / 10.0 - Hitman - Episode 1: Paris
Hitman's season premiere is a nice opening act that's centers around a luxurious world that feels authentic. If you can overlook the stagnant, often useless AI and enjoy the real fun of figuring out how to get to the kill, you'll have a great time.


MPs begin debating the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, an updated version of the current legislation which became law in 1990, this week.
It was drafted because of a feeling the existing law was increasingly out-dated and irrelevant to scientific advances made in the last 20 years.
But several of the key issues are causing bitter divisions of opinion.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown was forced to offer a free vote on three controversial areas in order to avert a rebellion by Catholic MPs.


Inventors: First Inventor To File Forum By USPTO!
A public forum will be hosted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on the one year anniversary of the First Inventor To File provision.
First to file changed the law for inventors in the United States meaning that the first inventor to file for a patent will own the rights to the product, not the first to come up with the idea and prove it.
This measure makes it imperative that all inventors protect their product with some form of a patent before they begin any process of showing to individuals or companies. The forum will be held Monday, March 17, 2014, at the USPTO headquarters, Madison Auditorium, in Alexandria, Virginia from 12:30 to 5 pm ET.
If you or anyone you know has an invention idea and needs help protecting it, please contact us at New Product Consulting.


text:
International day for Disaster Risk Reduction marked
Representatives of the Municipality of Kakanj, the Swiss Embassy in BiH and the United Nations agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, have marked the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR Day) under the theme "It is all About Good Governance". The purpose is to bring to attention the fact that we should not be waiting for a disaster to happen but, act preventively through joint actions.
The event is organized within the Joint Programme "Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina", worth BAM 8,4 million, which is funded by the Government of Switzerland and the United Nations (UN) and is implemented by the UN agencies: UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA and FAO. The goal of the Joint Programme is to address the key priorities of disaster risk reduction (DRR) identified by the local governments and stakeholders in various sectors: protection and rescue, education, social and child protection, health and agriculture. The Programme places a particular emphasis on improvement of local coordination mechanisms for disaster risk reduction and on promotion of the risk-informed strategic planning processes, with a strong focus on the most vulnerable groups of population.
Head of the Department for Local Governance and Municipal Services of the Swiss Embassy, Maja Zarić said: "Recent disasters significantly slowed down the development of all local communities and the country in general. To prevent similar situations in the future, a systematic governance of disaster risk is necessary. The Municipality of Kakanj is one of ten local governments that with the support of the Joint Swiss-UN Programme introduce measures for disaster risk prevention, ensuring close cooperation of different sectors."
An online DRAS platform was launched as a part of the Programme, which provides up-to-date information on exposure to floods, landslides and earthquakes throughout BiH, including the Municipality of Kakanj. In addition, a process of mapping of institutions, organizations and services in the area of sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence was made, including their roles in situations of disasters.
Dr. Rownak Khan, UNICEF BiH Representative and acting UN Resident Coordinator in BiH, emphasized that human activity contributes to increasing disaster risks. Economic and social instability, migrations, displacement, urbanization, poor environmental management and climate change are all important factors which contribute to ever bigger and more complex consequences of disasters that we are facing. For this reason, the UN is actively involved in development activities which reduce disaster risks and help us adapt to climate change. Within the Joint Swiss UN Programme, in cooperation with our partners and local governments, we have undertaken concrete measures to strengthen multisectoral disaster risk reduction capacities. We are changing the way in which we are approaching the challenges posed by disaster risks, focusing on prevention and early response as well as on systemic investment in building resilience of communities and population, particularly of the vulnerable groups."
A simulation exercise was conducted at the Secondary Technical School "Kemal Kapetanović" under a pre-defined scenario by representatives of the Municipality of Kakanj Civil Protection and Professional Fire Brigade Kakanj, Fire Brigade "Kakanj", Police Station Kakanj, Health Center Kakanj, Red Cross Kakanj, and staff and students of the Technical High School "Kemal Kapetanovic" Kakanj, who "saved" the lives of 120 pupils through a fire evacuation. This is one of the schools in BiH in which risk assessments were completed, trainings conducted and disaster risk reduction plans developed within this Joint Programme.
"I am happy that we are marking this important date in Kakanj. In the past, we faced many challenges and drew lessons from each of them. This is the reason why we are aware of the need for prevention. In addition to natural disasters, our area is exposed also to disasters which are the product of an industrial character of our region. Along with floods, fires, droughts, heavy snowfalls and extremely low temperatures, we also had huge waste rockslides and penetration of water into an incomplete mine tunnel through which the river Ribnica flows, in the last stage of its flow. There are also two large waste rock dumps and a dross and ash depot. We had one more problem: combustion of coal, deep underground. Moreover, there are mine pits deep in the bowels of the earth. There are also thermal power plants here. The life has taught us that prevention and networking is the best life saver and this is why we are pleased to participate in the Programme "Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina", said the Mayor of Kakanj, Mirnes Bajtarević.
Mayor Mirnes Bajtarević signed a Declaration for the implementation of Go Green - Initiative for Greener and More Sustainable Future. The goal of the Declaration is greening of the area of Kakanj, protecting the water source "Pitka voda" from drying up and pollution and preventing landslides and flooding at the settlement of Ričica. With today's tree planting, the Municipality of Kakanj has officially started implementing the Initiative and the planting of 1000 seedlings of pine, maple and ash trees.
For more information, please, contact:
Ajla Mostarac, UNDP: ajla.mostarac@undp.org
Nineta Popović, UNICEF: npopovic@unicef.org
Majda Prljača, UNFPA: prljaca@unfpa.org
Lejla Hrelja, UNESCO: l.hrelja@unesco.org
Vlado Pijunović, FAO: Vlado.Pijunovic@fao.org
34 Coordination and Camp Management Trainers Certified
Following a five-day training aimed at enhancing capacities and preparedness of the local communities in BiH to respond to displacement, 34 persons were certified...
DRAS platform supports institutions and residents of Bihać in their planning of protection and response to crises
Online platform provides decision-makers and residents with open access to scientific data on hazards, raising awareness of the risk of disasters per locations.
Transitioning to renewables
Ribnik je u planinskom kraju, drvo je naše bogatstvo. Mnogo javnih ustanova ga i dalje koristi. Ono nam je poznato i pristupačno. Kada su nam rekli da prelazimo n...
Sweden and the Government of the Sarajevo Canton are allocating 2.9 million BAM for the replacement of coal and other solid fuels powered furnaces
Due to the great interest of citizens for subsidies for the replacement of furnaces, the Ministry of Communal Utility Economy, Infrastructure, Spatial Planning, C...
Museum renovation leads to rediscovery of forgotten exhibition
After being closed for 30 years, the prehistoric exhibition will once again shine in early October, offering evidence and records of a distant past.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Polo returned to the Hurlingham Club following an absence of years, with Polo in the Park, founded by Daniel Fox Davies, which is a tournament with revised rules between Teams London, New York, Moscow, and Buenos Aires.
Polo enthusiasts, Jack and Jodie Kidd, greeted a mixture of celebrities, socialites and VIP guests who flocked to Hurlingham, and were served a sumptuous lunch in the Clubhouse by Searcy's. The guests then proceeded to the Park to watch the fast, exciting matches and enjoy the skills of world class players. The crowd were enthusiastic and even the threat of rain did not dampen their spirits as Blake sang the National Anthem.
The event was a huge success, and very well organized, and poised to become a highlight of the polo calendar in the years to come.


China's unemployment rate rose to 5.3% in January and February from 4.9% in December, said the South China Morning Post.
The growing unemployment rate adds to the economic difficulties of a shrinking labor force.
The pressure is on for Beijing to create 11 million new jobs this year to cap the urban unemployment rate at 5.5% the SCMP said.
Last year, China's State Council announced incentives to encourage firms to avoid lay-offs, including offering 50% unemployment insurance refunds for companies who avoided or kept redundancies to a minimum.


text:
jest.autoMockOff();

var ParsePromise = require('../ParsePromise');

var asyncHelper = require('./test_helpers/asyncHelper');

describe('Promise', () => {
  it('can disable A+ compliance', () => {
    ParsePromise.disableAPlusCompliant();
    expect(ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()).toBe(false);
  });

  it('can enable A+ compliance', () => {
    ParsePromise.enableAPlusCompliant();
    expect(ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()).toBe(true);
  });
});

function promiseTests() {
  it('can be initially resolved', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.as('foo');
    promise.then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('foo');
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    });
  });

  it('can be initially resolved with multiple values', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.as('foo', 'bar');
    promise.then((result1, result2) => {
      expect(result1).toBe('foo');
      expect(result2).toBe('bar');
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    });
  });

  it('can be initially rejected', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.error('foo', 'bar');
    promise.then((result) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }, (error, unused) => {
      expect(error).toBe('foo');
      expect(unused).toBe(undefined);
    });
  });

  it('can be resolved later', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var promise = new ParsePromise();
    promise.then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('bar');
      done();
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
      done();
    });

    setTimeout(() => { promise.resolve('bar'); }, 10);
    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can be resolved with multiple values later', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var promise = new ParsePromise();
    promise.then((result1, result2) => {
      expect(result1).toBe('bar');
      expect(result2).toBe('baz');
      done();
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
      done();
    });

    setTimeout(() => { promise.resolve('bar', 'baz'); }, 10);
    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can be rejected later', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var promise = new ParsePromise();
    promise.then((result) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
      done();
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('bar');
      done();
    });

    setTimeout(() => { promise.reject('bar'); }, 10);
    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can resolve with a constant and then resolve', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var promise = new ParsePromise();
    promise.then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('foo');
      return 'bar';
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('bar');
      done();
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
      done();
    });

    setTimeout(() => { promise.resolve('foo'); }, 10);
    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can reject with a constant and then resolve', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var promise = new ParsePromise();
    promise.then((result) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('foo');
      return 'bar';
    }).then((result) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        expect(result).toBe('bar');
      } else {
        // Errors remain errors in jQuery-style Promises
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      }
      done();
    }, (error) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        // In Promises/A+l, errors are handled
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      } else {
        expect(error).toBe('bar');
      }
      done();
    });

    setTimeout(() => { promise.reject('foo'); }, 10);
    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can resolve with a promise and then resolve', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var promise = new ParsePromise();
    promise.then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('foo');
      return ParsePromise.as('bar');
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('bar');
      done();
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
      done();
    });

    setTimeout(() => { promise.resolve('foo'); }, 10);
    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can reject with a promise and then resolve', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var promise = new ParsePromise();
    promise.then((result) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('foo');
      return ParsePromise.as('bar');
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('bar');
      done();
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
      done();
    });

    setTimeout(() => { promise.reject('foo'); }, 10);
    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can resolve with a promise and then reject', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var promise = new ParsePromise();
    promise.then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('foo');
      return ParsePromise.error('bar');
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }).then((result) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
      done();
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('bar');
      done();
    });

    setTimeout(() => { promise.resolve('foo'); }, 10);
    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can reject with a promise and then reject', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var promise = new ParsePromise();
    promise.then((result) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('foo');
      return ParsePromise.error('bar');
    }).then((result) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
      done();
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('bar');
      done();
    });

    setTimeout(() => { promise.reject('foo'); }, 10);
    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can handle promises in parallel with array', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var COUNT = 5;

    var delay = function(ms) {
      var promise = new ParsePromise();
      setTimeout(() => { promise.resolve(); }, ms);
      return promise;
    };

    var called = 0;
    var promises = [];
    function generate(i) {
      promises[i] = delay((i % 2) ? (i * 10) : (COUNT * 10) - (i * 10)).then(
        function() {
          called++;
          return 5 * i;
        });
    }
    for (var i = 0; i < COUNT; i++) {
      generate(i);
    }

    ParsePromise.when(promises).then(function(results) {
      expect(called).toBe(COUNT);
      expect(COUNT).toBe(results.length);
      var actual = results;
      for (var i = 0; i < actual.length; i++) {
        expect(actual[i]).toBe(5 * i);
      }
      done();
    });

    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('can handle promises in parallel with arguments', asyncHelper(function(done) {
    var COUNT = 5;

    var delay = function(ms) {
      var promise = new ParsePromise();
      setTimeout(() => { promise.resolve(); }, ms);
      return promise;
    };

    var called = 0;
    var promises = [];
    function generate(i) {
      promises[i] = delay((i % 2) ? (i * 10) : (COUNT * 10) - (i * 10)).then(
        function() {
          called++;
          return 5 * i;
        });
    }
    for (var i = 0; i < COUNT; i++) {
      generate(i);
    }

    ParsePromise.when.apply(null, promises).then(function() {
      expect(called).toBe(COUNT);
      expect(COUNT).toBe(arguments.length);
      var actual = arguments;
      for (var i = 0; i < actual.length; i++) {
        expect(actual[i]).toBe(5 * i);
      }
      done();
    });

    jest.runAllTimers();
  }));

  it('immediately resolves when processing an empty array in parallel', asyncHelper((done) => {
    ParsePromise.when([]).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toEqual([]);
      done();
    });
  }));

  it('can handle rejected promises in parallel', asyncHelper((done) => {
    ParsePromise.when([ParsePromise.as(1), ParsePromise.error('an error')]).then(null, (errors) => {
      expect(errors).toEqual([undefined, 'an error']);
      done();
    });
  }));

  it('can automatically resolve non-promises in parallel', asyncHelper((done) => {
    ParsePromise.when([1,2,3]).then((results) => {
      expect(results).toEqual([1,2,3]);
      done();
    });
  }));

  it('passes on errors', () => {
    ParsePromise.error('foo').then(() => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }).then(() => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }).then(() => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('foo');
      return ParsePromise.error('bar');
    }).then(() => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }).then(() => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('bar');
      return 'okay';
    }).then((result) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        expect(result).toBe('okay');
      } else {
        // This should not be reached
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      }
    }, (error) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        // This should not be reached
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      } else {
        expect(error).toBe('okay');
      }
    });
  });

  it('runs an always method when resolved', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.as('foo');
    promise.always((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('foo');
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe(undefined);
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    });
  });

  it('runs an always method when rejected', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.error('foo');
    promise.always((error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('foo');
    }).then((result) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        expect(result).toBe(undefined);
      } else {
        // This should not be reached
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      }
    }, (error) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        // This should not be reached
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      } else {
        expect(error).toBe(undefined);
      }
    });
  });

  it('runs done callbacks on success', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.as('foo');
    promise.done((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('foo');
    }).then(function(result) {
      expect(result).toBe(undefined);
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    });
  });

  it('does not run done callbacks on error', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.error('foo');
    promise.done((result) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }).then((result) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('foo');
    });
  });

  it('runs fail callbacks on error', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.error('foo');
    promise.fail((error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('foo');
    }).then((result) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        expect(result).toBe(undefined);
      } else {
        // This should not be reached
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      }
    }, (error) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        // This should not be reached
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      } else {
        expect(error).toBe(undefined);
      }
    });
  });

  it('does not run fail callbacks on success', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.as('foo');
    promise.fail((error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('foo');
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    });
  });

  it('runs catch callbacks on error', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.error('foo');
    promise.fail((error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('foo');
    }).then((result) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        expect(result).toBe(undefined);
      } else {
        // This should not be reached
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      }
    }, (error) => {
      if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
        // This should not be reached
        expect(true).toBe(false);
      } else {
        expect(error).toBe(undefined);
      }
    });
  });

  it('does not run catch callbacks on success', () => {
    var promise = ParsePromise.as('foo');
    promise.catch((error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('foo');
    }, (error) => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    });
  });

  it('operates asynchonously', () => {
    var triggered = false;
    ParsePromise.as().then(() => {
      triggered = true;
    });
    if (ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
      // In Promises/A+, callbacks shouldn't run immediately
      expect(triggered).toBe(false);
    } else {
      // In jQuery style, callbacks run immediately
      expect(triggered).toBe(true);
    }
  });

  it('catches exceptions', () => {
    if (!ParsePromise.isPromisesAPlusCompliant()) {
      // jQuery semantics are to not catch exceptions
      return;
    }

    ParsePromise.as().then(() => {
      throw 'hello';
    }).then(() => {
      // This should not be reached
      expect(true).toBe(false);
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('hello');
    });
  });

  it('can check if an object is a thenable promise', () => {
    expect(ParsePromise.is(null)).toBe(false);
    expect(ParsePromise.is(void(0))).toBe(false);
    expect(ParsePromise.is('a string')).toBe(false);
    expect(ParsePromise.is({})).toBe(false);
    expect(ParsePromise.is(ParsePromise.as())).toBe(true);
    expect(ParsePromise.is(ParsePromise.error())).toBe(true);
  });

  it('can be constructed in ES6 style and resolved', asyncHelper((done) => {
    expect(ParsePromise.length).toBe(1); // constructor arguments

    new ParsePromise((resolve, reject) => {
      resolve('abc');
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('abc');

      return new ParsePromise((resolve, reject) => {
        resolve('def');
      });
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('def');
      done();
    });
  }));

  it('can be constructed in ES6 style and rejected', asyncHelper((done) => {
    new ParsePromise((resolve, reject) => {
      reject('err');
    }).then(() => {
      // Should not be reached
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('err');

      return new ParsePromise((resolve, reject) => {
        reject('err2');
      });
    }).then(null, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('err2');
      done();
    });
  }));

  it('can be initially resolved, ES6 style', asyncHelper((done) => {
    ParsePromise.resolve('abc').then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('abc');

      return ParsePromise.resolve(ParsePromise.as('def'));
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe('def');
      done();
    });
  }));

  it('can be initially rejected, ES6 style', asyncHelper((done) => {
    ParsePromise.reject('err').then(null, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('err');
      done();
    });
  }));

  it('resolves Promise.all with the set of resolved results', asyncHelper((done) => {
    let firstSet = [
      new ParsePromise(),
      new ParsePromise(),
      new ParsePromise(),
      new ParsePromise()
    ];

    let secondSet = [5,6,7];

    ParsePromise.all([]).then((results) => {
      expect(results).toEqual([]);

      return ParsePromise.all(firstSet);
    }).then((results) => {
      expect(results).toEqual([1,2,3,4]);
      return ParsePromise.all(secondSet);
    }).then((results) => {
      expect(results).toEqual([5,6,7]);
      done();
    });
    firstSet[0].resolve(1);
    firstSet[1].resolve(2);
    firstSet[2].resolve(3);
    firstSet[3].resolve(4);
  }));

  it('rejects Promise.all with the first rejected promise', asyncHelper((done) => {
    let promises = [
      new ParsePromise(),
      new ParsePromise(),
      new ParsePromise()
    ];

    ParsePromise.all(promises).then(() => {
      // this should not be reached
    }, (error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('an error');
      done();
    });
    promises[0].resolve(1);
    promises[1].reject('an error');
    promises[2].resolve(3);
  }));

  it('resolves Promise.race with the first resolved result', asyncHelper((done) => {
    let firstSet = [
      new ParsePromise(),
      new ParsePromise(),
      new ParsePromise()
    ];

    let secondSet = [4, 5, ParsePromise.error()];

    ParsePromise.race(firstSet).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe(2);

      return ParsePromise.race(secondSet);
    }).then((result) => {
      expect(result).toBe(4);
      done();
    });
    firstSet[1].resolve(2);
    firstSet[0].resolve(1);
  }));

  it('rejects Promise.race with the first rejected reason', asyncHelper((done) => {
    let promises = [
      new ParsePromise(),
      new ParsePromise(),
      new ParsePromise()
    ];

    ParsePromise.race(promises).fail((error) => {
      expect(error).toBe('error 2');
      done();
    });
    promises[1].reject('error 2');
    promises[0].resolve('error 1');
  }));

  it('can implement continuations', asyncHelper((done) => {
    let count = 0;
    let loop = () => {
      count++;
      return ParsePromise.as();
    }
    ParsePromise._continueWhile(
      () => { return count < 5 },
      loop
    ).then(() => {
      expect(count).toBe(5);
      done();
    });
  }));

  it('can attach a universal callback to a promise', asyncHelper((done) => {
    ParsePromise.as(15)._continueWith((result, err) => {
      expect(result).toEqual([15]);
      expect(err).toBe(null);

      ParsePromise.error('an error')._continueWith((result, err) => {
        expect(result).toBe(null);
        expect(err).toBe('an error');

        done();
      });
    });
  }));
}

describe('Promise (A Compliant)', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    ParsePromise.disableAPlusCompliant();
  });

  promiseTests();
});

describe('Promise (A+ Compliant)', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    ParsePromise.enableAPlusCompliant();
  });

  promiseTests();
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Enjoy a premium half day wine tour on the legendary Golden Mile Wine Trail in the South Okanagan!
What makes us special? Your tour guide is either a Naturalist or Biologist which makes for a more informative and interesting experience!
The wines of the Golden Mile Trail are distinctive with their own unique flavors and aromas. This is due to the rare minerality found only here in Canada's only true desert. The hot dry summers create the perfect climate for late-ripening premium grapes. This area is also known for their bold red wines, so make sure to try a variety. Your tour guide is not only knowledgeable and passionate about wine varietals and the unique geography of the Golden Mile, but also about nature. Your interpretive guides may be either a Naturalist or a Biologist! Either will teach you about the ecology, wildlife, native plants and cultural history of the Okanagan Valley. Feel free to ask questions, plus you may also get to see some local wildlife.
Pickup times depend on location, (the vendor will confirm). Wine tours are designed to reach the first winery at opening time, which in the high season is 10 am, therefore pick-up times will vary. For example Kelowna guests for the Golden Mile Wine Tour should expect to depart at 9am or earlier, while Osoyoos guests will be picked up between 9:30 and 10am.
A minimum of four guests total is required to confirm the tour.


Though the blockchain technology was introduced some years back, it is now this technology is making waves in various sectors of the economy. There have been attempts to integrate blockchain into the billing software. The technology has shown potential to address issues faced by several industries including fraud, security and the storage of immutable data.
t can provide transparency into the payments. Furthermore, this technology can cut the processing cost of each transaction made to and fro a business by eradicating the need of a middleman. Not just this, but the technology can provide several others perks to the businesses.
The blockchain technology can totally revolutionize the way invoices are created, transactions are processed as well as validated, and payments are disbursed. Blockchain technology uses 'blocks' that records transactions. Cryptography secures each block and links it to the transaction that is visible to all the concerning parties thereby mitigating the need of an intermediary.
There is a decentralized blockchain network that holds all the documents. The documents can then be accessed and modified by different users and a record of all the modifications is also maintained for the information of all the concerned users. Thus, the technology is transparent and tamper-proof.
Its integration into a billing and invoicing software will facilitate seamless payments, such that all the payments made from the customer's end will automatically get credited into the digital wallet of the company. It would make it much easier to keep a track on the transactions and to access the transactions history as and when required, by simply downloading it.
When the B2B businesses take the help of other payment merchants to accept or make their payments , they are required to pay some transaction charges to the merchants. Since the system is managed by the merchants or banks, they may demand unfair charges in lieu of their services from the companies. These transaction charges may vary from 0.5 % of the total amount to as much as 7% of the total cost. Paying so much for the payment can be a concern for the SMEs. However, the integration of billing and invoicing software with blockchain technology can eliminate this problem.
The blockchain-poweredbilling software will offer direct peer-to-peer contact that facilitates direct payments without any mediator. So, the businesses can save the transaction fees and get paid more effectively. In fact, the blockchain-powered billing and invoicing software come with rewards and other offers where the users will receive monetary benefits for making transactions. So, instead of paying, business will get paid for each transaction, which in itself is a bonus for all the businesses.
Another problem that the businesses face is related to the security of the transaction details. Again blockchain-powered billing software can address this issue effectively. The software offers fast, safe and reliable payment ecosystem.
The traditional method of invoicing and billing is opaque and there is no provision for auditing or tracking. With the traditional method, the debtors can easily delay the payments and there are even chances that the claiming demand is either lost or held up.
However, blockchain can totally transform this system. It provides detailed penetration into the entire payment process thereby facilitating the businesses to monitor all the transactions step-by-step. The owners can see the amount that they are owed to pay and the amount that is expected to arrive thereby allowing them to make their financial plan accordingly. Thus, blockchain facilitates increased visibility into the financial aspects of the business.
Trust and reliability are two virtues that businesses consider before doing business with other company.
In the business world, 'human trust' is everything. However, in the cyberspace, businesses happen across countries and it is not feasible as well as viable to have face to face interaction. Furthermore, the cyber world is prone to identity thefts, malware, and security attacks, so there are chances that the funds may be released to the criminals.
Blockchain technology comes as an element of reliability in such a scenario. The blockchain technology is used to verify the identity of the clients and it even authenticates the price that is agreed by both the parties thereby eliminating any fraud. Thus, the element of trust is inbuilt into the blockchain-powered billing software. So, there won't be any need of any paper trail.
All the financial transactions go through several steps and at times, they may be held up due to some of the other reason. This tends to delay the payments. However, with blockchain technology, the payment process becomes faster and more efficient. Since the intermediaries are eliminated, both the parties can monitor the transactions detail in real-time and verify them to process the payments.
In the case of blockchain technology, the information (detail of each transaction) is stored in blocks. Details such as the time and date of the transaction are also recorded. Both the parties can make changes to the transactions after mutual agreement and these changes are again stored into the blocks and verified by the parties. In this way, blockchain gives transparency into the whole system.
The blockchain technology is promising and will surely lead to seamless billing and invoicing. Its integration with billing and invoicing software is ground-breaking and totally lucrative. However, everyone is not a tech geek and au fait with the technology, so companies that provide billing software like HyperDrive, reachaccountant etc. may gradually embrace the blockchain technology with the billing software.
The small and medium businesses may take even more time to adopt the technology to handle their invoicing and billing process. They may refrain from the technology considering it a pricey investment. But they may gradually embrace if after watching its progress.


text:
{0} Home - Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP)
Samuel Proctor Oral History Program Home
Addiction Oral History Project
Asian American History Project
Florida Queer History
Mississippi Delta Freedom Project
Latinx Diaspora in the Americas
Ottoman Greeks of the US
Florida Topical Oral History Collections
Miscellaneous Oral History Collections
Native Peoples of the Americas
University of Florida History
Joel Buchanan Archive of African American Oral History at the University of Florida
Realtime Protests
SPOHP Internship
Tidewater Main Street Development Project
Include the document text in search
The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program Digital Collection includes the digital holdings of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP) at the University of Florida. With over 8,000 interviews, of which over 3.600 are online, the SPOHP collection is one of the largest oral history archives in the South and one of the top collections in the country. The largest collection contains more than 900 interviews with Native Americans including Seminoles, Cherokees, and Creeks. Other major holdings include projects on African Americans in Florida in the Joel Buchanan Archive of African American Oral History, Civil Rights action in St. Augustine (1964), and the University of Florida. Over 100 oral histories from the Matheson Museum are included.
SPOHP also houses sound archives, which include University of Florida-related speeches; videotapes of television interviews with Dean Rusk, William C. Westmoreland, and George McGovern; Native American slides and photographs; and 350 recordings of music, including concerts, folk music, and Native American chants.
Browse all items in the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program Digital Collections. >>
The SPOHP archive is available for use by research scholars, students, journalists, genealogists, and other interested groups. Documents may be accessed through this digital collection, as well as the archive in Pugh Hall on UF's campus. When using any content, please make sure you reference it properly and make sure you are in compliance with the Copyright Notice.
Please use the following format to cite the material:
Transcript, (Name of interviewee) Oral History Interview with (Name of interviewer), (Date of interview), (page number), Samuel Proctor Oral History Program Collection, P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History, University of Florida.
More About the Collection
The digital collections cover only a small sample of the projects in our vast collection. For more, see the 2004 Catalog of Collections.
For more information on the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP), see:
SPOHP website
SPOHP on YouTube
SPOHP on Facebook
SPOHP podcasts
RSS feed for new items in the SPOHP Digital Collections
The transcripts and podcasts for the Addiction Oral History Project are the result of a semester's work by the Spring 2015 undergraduate internship class to explore historians' understanding of the complex phenomenon of addiction. The transcripts of this product include interviews with former addicts, treatment providers, addiction researchers, drug historians, and representatives from the criminal justice system. Longtime drug users from a variety of backgrounds discussed their thoughts on what causes addiction and what it means to be "recovered," and academics, clinicians, and others also offered their own perspectives on these questions based on years of professional observation. Several interviews feature the onset and maintenance of addiction, law enforcement protocol, demographic changes, and life in cities like Gainesville and Jacksonville since the 1960s. Addiction Oral History Project
Art of Aging Art of Aging
Asian American History Project Asian American History Project
Florida Queer History Florida Queer History
The Mississippi Delta Freedom Project includes oral histories and related materials from the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program (SPOHP). Mississippi Delta Freedom Project
Latinx Diaspora in the Americas Latinx Diaspora in the Americas
Ottoman Greeks of the US Ottoman Greeks of the US
Florida History Oral History Collections Florida History
Grouped among the Florida Topical Oral History Collections are interviews representing campus life and the history of the University of Florida. Florida Topical Oral History Collections
Miscellaneous Oral History Collections Miscellaneous Oral History Collections
Native Peoples of the Americas Native Peoples of the Americas
University of Florida Oral History Collections University of Florida History
The Joel Buchanan Archive of African American Oral History, funded by the UF Office of the Provost, has resulted in over twenty-five public history programs, university seminars on African American history, community-based oral history workshops, and over six hundred oral histories with African American elders in Florida covering topics including family memories of slavery, resistance to segregation, the coming of the modern civil rights movement and intersections of Black and Latinx narratives. Joel Buchanan Archive of African American Oral History at the University of Florida
Realtime Protests Realtime Protests
SPOHP Internship SPOHP Internship
The transcripts and podcasts for the Tidewater Main Street Development Project are the product of two years of fieldwork by Jessica Taylor, a former graduate coordinator of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. In October of 2014, she organized the inaugural Virginia Fieldwork in Folklore research trip, leading a research team of interns, SPOHP staff and graduate students to the Tidewater region of Virginia to record oral histories focusing on folklore, traditional crafts, and rural development. This ongoing fieldwork trip and collection has produced over 150 interviews with residents of Mathews, Middlesex, Gloucester, Lancaster, Northumberland, and Accomack Counties. Tidewater Main Street Development Project
Veterans History Project Veterans History Project


text:
M&T Bank reports 'significant increase' in bad real estate loans
1199SEIU reaches three-year accord with hospital group
NYP/Queens to add new ICUs as part of $80M upgrade
New York Presbyterian/Queens is seeking approval from the state Health Department for an almost $80 million construction project to upgrade and expand its intensive care units and create a medical-surgical unit.
The renovations will create more private rooms and expand ICU capacity by adding three dedicated units without increasing the hospital's overall bed capacity, according to the certificate-of-need application.
The project will result in the addition of 60 new ICU beds. NYP/Queens is increasing high acuity specialty services such as cardiovascular, surgical, medical and neurosciences which requires additional ICU beds and the renovation of existing ICUs, said Jaclyn Mucaria, president of the hospital.
The upgrade will allow NYP/Queens to improve patient privacy, enhance infection control and allow for more flexibility in operations, The hospital anticipates beginning construction Dec. 3 and completing the work by early February 2022.
NYP/Queens said it will work with the Metropolitan Area Regional Office to schedule preoccupancy surveys to minimize the impact to patient services. —R.S.
AbleTo hires new CEO from CVS
AbleTo, a Manhattan behavioral health startup that has raised $65.8 million, has hired Trip Hofer from CVS' specialty pharmacy division to lead the company into its next phase as it looks to add more employer and insurance clients.
The company, backed by Aetna's investment arm, analyzes employee claims data to identify people who could benefit from behavioral health outreach. It can then connect users to a network of about 500 therapists and behavioral coaches. AbleTo has 125 employees, primarily in New York.
Hofer had served as president of CVS specialty's Accordant Health Services, which provides care management for people with diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis and ALS. He previously worked for UnitedHealth Group in its Optum and United Behavioral Health divisions.
"This is the next phase of AbleTo's growth. I bring a lot of experience with large health plans and self-insured employers," he said. Payers are "clamoring for the support that this provides."
Behavioral health has attracted startups catering to individuals who seek convenient access to therapy, such as Talkspace, and those aiming to be part of employers' benefit packages, such as Spring Health, which said last week it raised $6 million. AbleTo focuses on mental health issues that do not require inpatient treatment or care from a psychiatrist.
Hofer said AbleTo is different in that it focuses on people who have behavioral health issues as well as another condition, such as diabetes or hypertension.
A patient with diabetes often won't be able to address that problem before treating an underlying issue like depression, Hofer said. —J.L.
Business group praises lower workers' comp costs
The Business Council of New York State said Monday it expected lower workers' compensation premiums next year following a decision by state regulators on expected costs.
The New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board, a nonprofit association of insurance carriers that collects financial data, said July 13 that regulators had approved its proposal to lower the overall loss-cost level by 11.7%, effective Oct. 1. The loss-cost level, which includes insurers' claim expenses but not overhead, taxes or profit, are used to set premiums.
The council said that recent reforms to coverage helped to lower workers' compensation costs by more than $1 billion. Further savings could be achieved if the state adopts a pharmaceutical formulary, the council said.
"Employers of all sizes and from all regions of the state will see a significant reduction in their workers' compensation costs," said Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of the business council, in a statement. —J.L.
HEALTH PULSE SURVEY: Health Pulse subscribers, please help us meet your needs by taking our readership survey. We look forward to your input and appreciate your participation.
WHO'S NEWS: Daniel Widawsky has joined NYU Langone Health as senior vice president and vice dean, chief financial officer. Widawsky was most recently director at EFO Management, an investment firm. From 2014 to 2016 he served as comptroller for the city of Chicago.
Dr. Robert Cerfolio is now senior vice president and vice dean, chief of hospital operations at NYU Langone Health. He was previously chief of clinical thoracic surgery.
Tom Melillo is the new director of marketing, communications and public affairs at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island. He most recently was director of communications for the Nassau Queens Performing Provider System.
ACCOUNTABLE CARE: Federal officials are considering compelling Medicare Shared Savings Program accountable care organizations to take on risk after they have participated for a certain amount of time, according to a new Health Affairs blog post. But given the startup costs involved in creating an ACO and providers' improvement over time, pushing organizations toward risk might not be the best option, the authors wrote.
A group including some of the city's largest private hospitals has agreed to a three-year contract with 1199SEIU, the state's biggest health care union, after settling a dispute over employer pension contributions that threatened to derail negotiations.
The League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York, which covers about 90 facilities in the metro area, including hospitals that are part of Mount Sinai Health System, Montefiore Health System and Northwell Health, agreed to give workers 3% raises annually for the next three years, starting Oct. 1. The contract covers about 90,000 workers, according to the union, such as nurses, nursing assistants, lab technicians, clerks, housekeepers, dietary workers and transporters.
The league agreed to increase its contributions to the national pension fund to 12.6% of workers' salaries from 10% in the previous contract.
The contract also preserves workers' health benefits, which provide coverage without premiums, deductibles or copays, at a time when many employers have shifted costs to their workforce.
"Through this agreement, we have maintained the benefits that help to protect the health and well-being of 1199SEIU families while securing guaranteed annual raises for the next three years and protecting our pension fund to ensure that our members are able to retire with dignity," George Gresham, president of 1199SEIU, said in a statement.
The parties agreed to the deal well ahead of the Sept. 30 expiration of their previous contract.
The union agreed to certain modifications to pension eligibility. The pension fund currently has a $2 billion deficit and making the changes will close that gap by 2034, according to a spokesman for the league.
To qualify for a full pension, workers must be 62.5 years old with 25 years of service. Previously, union members could retire at 60 with 20 years of service, and that standard will remain for people who are 59.5 years old on Dec. 31.
For workers that retire early, the formula for calculating their pension payments will change. When workers retired early, but met other pension criteria, they previously had a flat discount rate applied to their payments until they reached retirement age. That discount will now be tied to an actuarial rate that is likely to be higher, the league spokesman said.
The contract also changes benefits for new hires. Workers who start after the contract begins on Oct. 1 will not get credit toward their pension during their first year of service.
"This agreement takes meaningful steps to put the pension fund on a more sustainable path—ensuring it will be there for future retirees, like it has been for current retirees," Bruce McIver, president of the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes, said in a statement.
In recent years the union and the city's private hospitals have worked together on several issues, including fighting the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act and lobbying for more money in the state budget to support hospitals if federal funding declined. Of course, many of the state's worries about lower federal support for Medicaid did not come to pass.
Gresham told Crain's in an interview last year that threats from the federal government had brought labor and hospital management closer.
"We've decided at this point that the greater enemy is the funding, or the lack thereof. At this time we don't have the luxury to have a labor-management adversarial relationship," he said then. —J.L.
Test & Trace Corps executive director: Even with vaccines, we can't let our guard down
MetroPlus, Healthfirst receive top ratings for Medicaid health plan in city
How the city's hospitals are responding to a squeezed vaccine supply
Sponsored Content: New Jersey beckons as New York City employers explore satellite office options


text:
Q: Passing custom tag name via props in React + TypeScript The solutions with string templates like
// var name must start with a capital letter
const CustomTag = `h${this.props.level}` as keyof JSX.IntrinsicElements;

<CustomTag>Hello</CustomTag>

(source1, source2) are invalid for TypeScript case. In below example
import React from "react";
import type { ReactNode } from "react";

function OverflowSafeSingleLineLabel(
  properties: OverflowSafeSingleLineLabel.Properties
): JSX.Element {

  const RootElementTag: string = properties.rootElementTag ?? "div";

  return (
    <RootElementTag className="OverflowSafeSingleLineLabel">
      <span className="OverflowSafeSingleLineLabel-TextWithIncreasedLineHeight">
        { properties.children }
      </span>
    </RootElementTag>
  );
}

namespace OverflowSafeSingleLineLabel {
  export type Properties = Readonly<{
    rootElementTag?: string;
    children: ReactNode;
  }>;
}

export default OverflowSafeSingleLineLabel;

I got error
TS2322: Type '{ children: Element; className: string; }' is not assignable to type 'IntrinsicAttributes'.
Property 'children' does not exist on type 'IntrinsicAttributes'.

Hope it has clean the solution without any and as.

A: Change the type of rootElementTag to keyof JSX.IntrinsicElements so that Typescript knows you are passing a valid tag
namespace OverflowSafeSingleLineLabel {
    export type Properties = Readonly<{
        rootElementTag?: keyof JSX.IntrinsicElements;
        children: ReactNode;
    }>;
}

And in your component add the same type to RootElementTag
const RootElementTag: keyof JSX.IntrinsicElements = properties.rootElementTag ?? "div";

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Popular Breakfast/Drunken Late Night Restaurant in Tyler, TX Closing Temporarily
Buddy Logan Published: December 2, 2021
Tim Mossholder, Unsplash
If you live in Tyler it looks as if you'll be going on a Grand Slam fast this December, whether you want to or not. Since Denny's is open seven days a week, 24/7, they have truly become a wonderful spot for breakfast, and a go-to for drunken late night hangs.
The diner recently came under new ownership, and the new owners will be making several long-awaited updates; including a brand new store front.
In fact, it's been No. 1 in both categories for me for nearly two decades. Man, I used to mess up some late night T-bone steak and eggs in my college days, two sometimes four nights a week. Ah the good ol' days.
And who doesn't love the OG Grand Slam: two buttermilk pancakes, two beef bacon strips, two sausage links and two eggs -- that's literally everything you need on one plate.
Well, be sure to get your Moons of My Hammy fill by Monday Dec. 13th, that's when the Denny's location on Gentry in Tyler will be closing down for just over a week for some renovations and upgrades.
I spoke to a team member today and she informed me that they recently came under new ownership, and the new owners will be making several long-awaited updates; including a brand new store front.
But don't worry, you'll be back slurrily ordering both the Slamburger and Flamin' 5-Pepper Burger cause you "can't pick just one" in no time.
The Tyler location is set to reopen at 6 a.m. on Thursday Dec. 23rd. So while it may be a slight inconvenience, it's just a short one. Hey, chin up, you'll be able to enjoy a Classic Benny Breakfast on Christmas Day if you want.
East Texas' Top 16 Craziest, Busiest, Hardest-to-Park-in Parking Lots
This doesn't mean the business is bad. In fact, usually it's the contrary. I'll park four blocks away from Stanley's and brave being run over by an ambulance on Beckham Avenue for a Mother Clucker, all while wondering to myself "how in the hell did this wild-ass intersection even come into existence?" every week.
Top 14 Ways to Annoy a Friendly East Texan
Most of the time we are a fairly laid back people, but there are, without a doubt, a few ways to get us fired up. Here are The Top 14 Ways To Annoy a Friendly East Texan Today.
Filed Under: breakfast, dennys, diner, dinner, Tyler TX
Categories: East Texas News, Family, News


Are annual releases of AAA games bad for gaming?
Tom Marks wants the public to think of gaming as more than just Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty.
Chris Livingston doesn't love annual AAA games, but lots of people do. And who is he to say they're wrong? Just look at him.
Tom: YES, it oversaturates the gaming market with unfinished and unoriginal games, warping the perception of gaming as a whole. When you make games for a deadline, the games don't get finished. Plain and simple. It's the reason I don't usually mind when a game is delayed, because the developer has recognized they need more time to finish it. But annual or biennial releases restrict a dev's ability to rethink the amount of time they need. Now, a game being unfinished on launch doesn't hurt gaming on its own, but these games are the ones being heavily marketed and inevitably seen and played by the average joe—not just gamers. Madden, Call of Duty, and Assassin's Creed now represent all of gaming to the mass market, and I wish it was represented better.
Chris Livingston: NO. No one has to buy annual AAA games, but they do, by the millions, which seems to indicate they're happy with them. Happy gamers are good for gaming, even if I personally think they're a little crazy for being happy. Not every gamer out there plays dozens of games a year, and not everyone eats, breathes, and lives gaming in general: I have friends who only buy one or two games a year, usually from an annual series. They don't love them all, but they enjoy them enough to keep coming back. If they're happy, I'm happy. Why don't you want my friends to be happy, Tom?
Tom: Because your friends never invite me to any of their parties, Chris. I'm not saying that AAA studios releasing big games for a wide audience is a bad thing—I love the idea of more people playing and having fun with games—but can't they vary the experiences they are selling a bit? The same gameplay in a different setting year after year is a poor representation of what games can be, and what I know a AAA budget can achieve. The lack of creativity is nothing more than a money grab, because you can save costs by varying gameplay as little as possible. It's the videogame equivalent of cartoon shows only animating two frames for someone talking. It saves time, but noticeably so.
Chris: I agree, variety is great, and I do wish my friends played more types of games. But you've got to start somewhere, and as a jumping-off point, AAA games might not be a bad place to start. At the very least, playing a ho-hum shooter might leave someone wanting a bit more, at which point they'll really start looking for other titles. After all, most people's love of cinema doesn't begin with watching quirky indie films or foreign dramas but probably from watching big, popular, not-so-great movies, like 2009's Fast and Furious. But it might spark their interest and get them looking for something better, until they eventually find a truly remarkable, deeply-nuanced film, like 2011's Fast Five.
Besides, if CoD didn't come out every year, they might not play anything. I figure playing something might lead to someone eventually playing something else, and something better.
Chris: I definitely wish there was a bit more risk-taking and less formula to these games, but even churned-out annual games can wind up being sort of okay. I haven't played many Call of Duty games, and the ones I've played have been far too linear, follow-the-guy, do-what-the-guy says affairs, but I can't say I didn't enjoy at least some parts of them. I stabbed a dude in the neck while running down the side of a building, and shot a terrorist in the face on a space station. That was cool. Stupid, but cool.
Besides, just because a developer waits years to release the next game in a series doesn't necessarily mean it's been completely rethought. Skyrim, honestly, isn't all that different from Oblivion at its core, and yet it was still good. Is it maybe that your objections come from the fact that you just personally don't enjoy these annual games? If a new Hearthstone came out every year, you wouldn't be a little stoked? If the delay between Half-Life games was only two years instead of infinity years, you wouldn't be down for that? Maybe enormous gulfs of time between games in a series isn't so great for gaming, either.
Tom: I suppose you are right (and that feels icky to type.) My problem might not specifically be with annual releases, but more with what those annual releases have turned into. I would be fine with a new Half-Life game came out every year if each one of them held up to the same standard of quality, but my point is that's impossible. Rigid, publisher mandated timeframes do not breed good games, they breed safe concepts that will be purchased. I guess there isn't anything inherently wrong with that—unless we keep getting glitchy, broken games on release—but my frustration stems from the fact that the developers doing this are some of the only ones who can afford to make large, envelope pushing experiences. And, for the most part, they aren't.
They aren't releasing a new game because they have a great concept for one, even if they sometimes do. They are releasing it because it's expected of them, by the public and their stockholders. Being stuck in that cycle isn't good for anyone and it's degrading how we think about games.
Chris: It is definitely a case of quantity over quality. It's like British TV versus American TV, in a way. With British TV you only get a couple episodes and sometimes years between seasons, but it's almost always better. Sometimes, though, it can be nice to have a ton (or tonne) of something even if it's not quite as well-crafted, for those weekends where you just want some noise and images thrown at you without having to actually think.
Here's at least one perk. AAA developers employ hundreds of people to make their games. Releasing games on an annual basis means they can afford to keep their employees on staff year-round. I think we all groan when we hear about layoffs hitting developers the moment their game is sold, simply because they can't justify the overhead because their next project isn't immediately underway. Or do you prefer when a dev lays off people as soon as their game is released? You hate my friends and you hate jobs.
Tom: I hate a lot of things, not least of which is that you make a pretty good point. Layoffs in the game industry happen far too often.
It might be petty, but I just worry about the long term effect this release cycle will have on the perception of gaming. I don't want the mass market to stop caring about games because all they know is annual rehashes.
Chris: No, that's a valid concern, and probably not one I've considered until now. It would be great if the world at large didn't only see big annual AAA titles when they took a peek at gaming, but from the outside that's pretty much all that can be seen, and that's probably not good.
How about we bury our differences with a film? There's a wonderful quirky French indie film you should see. It's called La Fast et La Furious.
Tom: Sorry, I've gotta go see Fury Road tonight.
Chris: I think I'll wait for Fury Road 2. It should be out next year.


text:
Tagged: A-Rod Trade
Exclusive: Yanks, Marlins Talk A-Rod Trade (Confirmed)
Updated 10:45 PM EDT: ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews has the moving parts of the Jeffrey Loria/Randy Levine conversations that kicked off the trade talk between the Marlins and Yankees about Alex Rodriguez.
According to the source, Loria said in his conversation about A-Rod with Levine, "Alex is Mr. Miami; it would be great if he played here for us."
To which Levine is said to have replied, "You can have him."
Included in there is the bombshell detail that explains the unfortunate Brian Cashman's denial this afternoon. He might be the Senior Vice President/General Manager of the Yankees, but he doesn't make all the deals and some of them they don't even give him a much of a heads-up on.
Updated 4:04 PM EDT: Yankees' Senior Vice President Brian Cashman has denied to MLB.Com's Yankees' beat reporter Bryan Hoch that there have been any A-Rod trade talks with the Marlins.
Cash – whom I like – is, say, incorrect.
I'd also like to point out that the last time Brian Cashman denied something involving me, it was to tell me and a crowd of reporters that my tweet showing Rodriguez receiving post-pitch detail signals from the stands on Opening Day in 2011 was not an issue for the ballclub and the team was just fine with me and had no problem and everything was just fine.
Three months later they threw me out as Bob Wolff's assistant at the P.A. microphone for Old Timers' Day and leaked it to The New York Post.
UPDATE 4:19 PM EDT: I'd also point out that Cashman may not know about any of this – yet. Not two years ago ownership – by his own admission – essentially signed a free agent without telling him. Cashman said the other 29 GMs would have loved to have "their owner force Rafael Soriano down their throat."
The New York Yankees have held discussions with the Miami Marlins about a trade involving their third baseman in crisis, Alex Rodriguez.
Sources close to both organizations confirm the Yankees would pay all – or virtually all – of the $114,000,000 Rodriguez is owed in a contract that runs through the rest of this season and the next five. One alternative scenario has also been discussed in which the Yankees would pay less of Rodriguez's salary, but would obtain the troubled Marlins' reliever Heath Bell and pay what remains of the three-year, $27,000,000 deal Bell signed last winter.
None of the sources could give an indication as to how serious the discussions have already gotten, but one of them close to the Marlins' ownership said he believed the trade made sense for both sides, and would eventually be made in some form.
Not only are the Yankees one loss away from elimination in the American League Championship Series (and as of this writing, one loss away from an ignominious sweep), but in the post-season Rodriguez is just 3-for-23 with twelve strikeouts, has been pinch-hit for twice, and was left out of one of the Division Series games against Baltimore entirely. He last homered on September 14, and has only one extra base-hit and six RBI in the 24 games since that date.
Rodriguez has become a Gordian Knot for the Yankees. As the roster grows old and the farm system is in a fallow period for position players, the Steinbrenner family wants to reduce payroll, not increase it. And while the precise salary numbers are not known, Rodriguez is scheduled to earn approximately $28 million next year, $23 million in 2014, $22 million in 2015, $21 million in 2016, and $20 million in 2017 – when he will be 42 years old. His physical fragility and declining power now make him just slightly less valuable than the average American League third baseman (by one calculation, Rodriguez's WAR number – "wins above replacement player" – was 2.0, seventeenth best among Major League third basemen, just behind obscure rookie Luis Cruz of the Dodgers).
Nevertheless, paying Rodriguez $114 million not to play for them would seem to be against the new – cheaper – thinking at Yankee Stadium.
But to a Marlins' franchise facing financial calamity after the failure of its combination of splashy free agent signings, a high-profile new manager, and a brand new downtown stadium, a "free" Alex Rodriguez has serious upside. He grew up in the community, owns an incredibly high-priced home there that he has been unable to move, and might be refreshed by both the release from the New York cauldron, and a possible move from third base to first base with his new club. Such a position change would be blocked in New York by the presence of first baseman Mark Teixeira and the club's self-perceived need to rotate the aging Yankee regulars in the Designated Hitter spot.
The degree to which the cauldron was heating up was underscored by a dubious story in Tuesday's New York Post, which claimed Rodriguez was trying to get the phone numbers of two women seated behind the Yankee dugout during Saturday's American League Championship Series opener by utilizing the age-old athlete trick of having autographed baseballs delivered to them.
This followed last week's episode in which tv game show host Donald Trump – tweeting last Wednesday from a team-provided freebie seat in a Yankee Stadium suite – also heated up the cauldron by resuming his online attacks on Rodriguez. Trump invoked Rodriguez's admission of steroid use during his time with the Texas Rangers by using the more generic and damning word "drugs," and admitted he had a personal animus towards Rodriguez dating back to what had also tweeted were "dishonorable dealings with me on an apartment deal."
Trump was sitting in the team suite at Yankee Stadium – on the ballclub's dime as usual – when he tweeted this:
But the "drugs" tweet was only the culmination of a day of off-and-on attacks on Rodriguez by Trump.
Before the same game:
For more than a year the club has been aggressively retaliatory towards those – like Trump – who have invoked Rodriguez's admission of steroid use, and others who have been critical of him in any other way. Over the past summer the team suspended team Advisor and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson for questioning what impact Rodriguez's confession would have on the legitimacy of his career statistics. Later in the season, a Yankees' media relations staffer bypassed a new formal appeal procedure and was heard shouting at an official scorer who had given an error to an opposing player rather than a base hit to Rodriguez. Yankees' media relations director Jason Zillo was described in a 2011 book as being "close" to Rodriguez. In the same book Rodriguez called Zillo a "friend." In 2011, Zillo and the Yankees had similarly tried to squelch stories about the seeming deterioration of the play of Derek Jeter.
Trump's call for the Yankees to "terminate" Rodriguez's contract for "misrepresentation" is not a practical solution in a time with a strong players' union, and given the fact that in the off-season of 2007-08 the Yankees happily kept Rodriguez from leaving for free agency by giving him a new ten-year contract that ensured that his pursuit of the career home run record would come while wearing their uniform. More over, the confession came in February, 2009, and if any claim to void the contract could ever have been made, it would have been then, and not now.
The Yankees presumably are not happy with Trump's tweets. But they are less so with Rodriguez's vanishing adequacy. And if the Marlins provide an escape hatch – even an escape hatch costing them either $96,000,000 (if they were to swap Rodriguez for Bell) or $114,000,000 (if they just give him away, or obtain low-cost players or prospects in return for him) – the Yankees are prepared to ignore the business consequences to offload a formerly great player who with each week seems to turn into simply a more and more painful headache.
Written by Olbermann 88 Comments Posted in Uncategorized	Tagged with A-Rod Trade, Alex Rodriguez, Brian Cashman, Donald Trump, Heath Bell, Jason Zillo, Keith Olbermann, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Reggie Jackson, Twitter, WAR


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My that's a beautiful pix of you!
i decided it needed to come with me.
i posted more pics on my flickr account.
Wow! I haven't heard that name "Etienne" in years! He was sorta legendary in leather circles.
I've always been a biker; never had a bike...rings true with me. My best friend up on the river was a straight biker who hadn't ridden in years. He had a huge scar across his stomach to prove he once rode, but then he discovered the joys of alcohol.
He taught me welding and helped me build my bike. And when it was finished, he was always available for riding on the back. Since he was a foot taller than me, running through a mud hole or a wet street would coat his upper torso, and he'd be happy that I was actually getting off on it.
I'm really sorry we didn't meet while you were in SF.


text:
import json
import logging
import time
from threading import Event, Lock, Thread

import os
import re

import cook

class ProgressUpdater(object):
    """This class is responsible for sending progress updates to the scheduler.
    It throttles the rate at which progress updates are sent.
    """

    def __init__(self, driver, task_id, max_message_length, poll_interval_ms, send_message_fn):
        """
        driver: MesosExecutorDriver
            The mesos driver to use.
        task_id: string
            The task id.
        max_message_length: int
            The allowed max message length after encoding.
        poll_interval_ms: int
            The interval after which to send a subsequent progress update.
        send_message: function(driver, message, max_message_length)
            The helper function used to send the message.
        """
        self.driver = driver
        self.task_id = task_id
        self.max_message_length = max_message_length
        self.poll_interval_ms = poll_interval_ms
        self.last_reported_time = None
        self.last_progress_data = None
        self.send_message = send_message_fn
        self.lock = Lock()

    def has_enough_time_elapsed_since_last_update(self):
        """Returns true if enough time (based on poll_interval_ms) has elapsed since
        the last progress update (available in last_reported_time).
        """
        if self.last_reported_time is None:
            return True
        else:
            current_time = time.time()
            time_diff_ms = (current_time - self.last_reported_time) * 1000
            return time_diff_ms >= self.poll_interval_ms

    def send_progress_update(self, progress_data, force_send=False):
        """Sends a progress update if enough time has elapsed since the last progress update.
        The force_send flag can be used to ignore the check for enough time having elapsed.
        Using this method is thread-safe.

        Parameters
        ----------
        progress_data: map
            The progress data to send.
        force_send: boolean, optional
            Defaults to false.

        Returns
        -------
        Nothing
        """
        with self.lock:
            if progress_data is not None and self.last_progress_data != progress_data:
                if force_send or self.has_enough_time_elapsed_since_last_update():
                    logging.info('Sending progress message {}'.format(progress_data))
                    message_dict = dict(progress_data)
                    message_dict['task-id'] = self.task_id
                    progress_message = json.dumps(message_dict)

                    if len(progress_message) > self.max_message_length and cook.PROGRESS_MESSAGE_KEY in message_dict:
                        progress_str = message_dict[cook.PROGRESS_MESSAGE_KEY]
                        num_extra_chars = len(progress_message) - self.max_message_length
                        allowed_progress_message_length = max(len(progress_str) - num_extra_chars - 3, 0)
                        new_progress_str = progress_str[:allowed_progress_message_length].strip() + '...'
                        logging.info('Progress message trimmed to {}'.format(new_progress_str))
                        message_dict[cook.PROGRESS_MESSAGE_KEY] = new_progress_str
                        progress_message = json.dumps(message_dict)

                    self.send_message(self.driver, progress_message, self.max_message_length)
                    self.last_reported_time = time.time()
                    self.last_progress_data = progress_data
                else:
                    logging.debug('Not sending progress data as enough time has not elapsed since last update')

class ProgressWatcher(object):
    """This class tails the output from the target file listening for progress messages.
    The retrieve_progress_states generates all progress messages iteratively.
    """

    @staticmethod
    def match_progress_update(progress_regex_str, input_string):
        """Returns the progress tuple when the input string matches the provided regex.

        Parameters
        ----------
        progress_regex_str: string
            The progress regex to match against, it must return two capture groups.
        input_string: string
            The input string.

        Returns
        -------
        the tuple (percent, message) if the string matches the provided regex,
                 else return None.
        """
        matches = re.findall(progress_regex_str, input_string)
        return matches[0] if len(matches) >= 1 else None

    def __init__(self, config, stop_signal, task_completed_signal):
        self.target_file = config.progress_output_name
        self.progress_regex_string = config.progress_regex_string
        self.progress = None
        self.stop_signal = stop_signal
        self.task_completed_signal = task_completed_signal
        self.max_bytes_read_per_line = config.max_bytes_read_per_line

    def current_progress(self):
        """Returns the current progress dictionary."""
        return self.progress

    def tail(self, sleep_time_ms):
        """This method incrementally generates lines from a file by waiting for new content from a file.
        It behaves like the 'tail -f' shell command.

        Parameters
        ----------
        sleep_time_ms: int
            The unit of time in ms to repetitively sleep when the file has not been created or no new
            content is available in the file being tailed.

        Returns
        -------
        an incrementally generated list of lines in the file being tailed.
        """
        try:
            sleep_param = sleep_time_ms / 1000

            while not os.path.isfile(self.target_file) and not self.task_completed_signal.isSet():
                logging.debug('{} has not yet been created, sleeping {} ms'.format(self.target_file, sleep_time_ms))
                time.sleep(sleep_param)

            if self.stop_signal.isSet():
                logging.info('No output has been read to parse progress messages')
                return

            logging.info('{} has been created, reading contents'.format(self.target_file))
            target_file_obj = open(self.target_file, 'r')
            while not self.stop_signal.isSet():
                line = target_file_obj.readline(self.max_bytes_read_per_line)
                if not line:
                    # exit if program has completed and there are no more lines to read
                    if self.task_completed_signal.isSet():
                        logging.info('Done processing file for progress messages')
                        break
                    # no new line available, sleep before trying again
                    time.sleep(sleep_param)
                    continue
                yield line
            if self.stop_signal.isSet() and not self.task_completed_signal.isSet():
                logging.info('Task requested to be killed, may not have processed all progress messages')
        except:
            logging.exception('Error while tailing {}'.format(self.target_file))

    def retrieve_progress_states(self):
        """Generates the progress states by tailing the target_file.
        It tails a target file (using the tail() method) and uses the provided
        regex to find a match for a progress message. The regex is expected to
        generate two components in the match: the progress percent as an int and
        a progress message string. When such a message is found, this method
        yields the current progress as a dictionary.

        Returns
        -------
        an incrementally generated list of progress states.
        """
        if self.progress_regex_string:
            sleep_time_ms = 50
            for line in self.tail(sleep_time_ms):
                progress_report = ProgressWatcher.match_progress_update(self.progress_regex_string, line)
                if progress_report is not None:
                    percent, message = progress_report
                    logging.info('Updating progress to {} percent, message: {}'.format(percent, message))
                    self.progress = {cook.PROGRESS_MESSAGE_KEY: message.strip(), 'progress-percent': int(percent)}
                    yield self.progress

def track_progress(progress_watcher, progress_complete_event, send_progress_update):
    """Sends progress updates to the mesos driver until the stop_signal is set.

    Parameters
    ----------
    progress_watcher: ProgressWatcher
        The progress watcher which maintains the current progress state
    progress_complete_event: Event
        Event that triggers completion of progress tracking
    send_progress_update: function(current_progress)
        The function to invoke while sending progress updates

    Returns
    -------
    Nothing.
    """
    try:
        for current_progress in progress_watcher.retrieve_progress_states():
            logging.debug('Latest progress: {}'.format(current_progress))
            send_progress_update(current_progress)
    except:
        logging.exception('Exception while tracking progress')
    finally:
        progress_complete_event.set()

def launch_progress_tracker(progress_watcher, progress_updater):
    """Launches the threads that track progress and send progress updates to the driver.

    Parameters
    ----------
    progress_watcher: ProgressWatcher
        The progress watcher which maintains the current progress state.
    progress_updater: ProgressUpdater
        The progress updater which sends progress updates to the scheduler.

    Returns
    -------
    The progress complete threading.Event.
    """
    progress_complete_event = Event()
    progress_update_thread = Thread(target=track_progress,
                                    args=(progress_watcher, progress_complete_event,
                                          progress_updater.send_progress_update))
    progress_update_thread.start()
    return progress_complete_event

def force_send_progress_update(progress_watcher, progress_updater):
    """Retrieves the latest progress message and attempts to force send it to the scheduler.

    Parameters
    ----------
    progress_watcher: ProgressWatcher
        The progress watcher which maintains the current progress state.
    progress_updater: ProgressUpdater
        The progress updater which sends progress updates to the scheduler.

    Returns
    -------
    Nothing.
    """
    latest_progress = progress_watcher.current_progress()
    progress_updater.send_progress_update(latest_progress, force_send=True)


text:
import MdImageArea from 'react-icons/lib/md/image'

export default MdImageArea


text:
What is Betta?
You might have seen the term 'beta reader' as you're browsing writing websites, or maybe this is the first time you've heard of it.
Basically, a beta reader gives you feedback on your finished manuscript, so you can adjust it before you set it loose on the world. I consider them the superheroes of self-publishing (and great for traditional publishing, too).
What a weird term!
"Beta reader" has apparently been adapted from the software industry, where programmers release a 'beta' version of a new program to people who will test it. The beta version comes after the alpha version (which to a writer might be the first draft). I would have thought the alpha version was the one that goes on sale, but apparently not. Confusing, huh?
Don't worry, just remember: Beta Reader means someone who evaluates a manuscript.
Beta testers find the bugs and improve the software's usability before the final "release" version goes on sale. A beta reader tests your manuscript (by reading it), and tells you about the 'bugs' so you can improve its readability, its usefulness and even its saleability.
It's an especially valuable step if you are planning to self-publish, but can also help you in the quest to get an agent or publisher if you are planning on going the traditional route with your book.
How to say it
Unfortunately, it's one of those tomayto-tomahto kinda words. I say it "beeta", like most Australians and quite a few Brits. In the US, it often seems to be "bayta". And apparently in some parts of the world, it's more like "betta"!
I think the take-home message is: Say "beta readers" however you like, just get some! 🙂
Why do I need a beta reader?
The fact is, we spend so much time on our own manuscripts that we can't see them objectively — no matter how diligently we self-edit. These can be some of the outcomes (there are plenty more):
We create anticipation or an expectation early in the book, but forget to deliver on it.
We describe events in a way that is clear to us but not clear to a reader who can't see the pictures in our head. (At least, we hope they can't see them. Are you looking inside my head??? Eek!)
We leave out vital steps in an explanation and don't realise it, because we know what we mean.
The characters in our books (whether fictional, or real as in a memoir or non-fiction anecdote) are not convincing, because we know them so well we don't realise we haven't developed them thoroughly on paper.
Is it the same as a critique group?
Some people are in critique groups of writers who give each other feedback in a group setting. Some people love critique groups and others hate them, which probably depends a lot on which group you ended up in!
If you're in a good one and finding it useful, that's fantastic. People like Tolkien and CS Lewis were in what were effectively 'critique groups' (see this article about the Inklings), so you're following in some quality footsteps. 😉
But it's not quite the same thing as a beta reader, largely because of the group vs individual dynamic.
You may have experienced a group setting where a kind of groupthink happens, and everyone thinks it's fabulous or alternatively everyone is tearing it down, and individual voices get lost. The big swirl of group discussion can also make it harder to identify which are the really useful comments, and which are less discerning about the purpose of your particular book.
How is it different?
The beta reader's report cuts through this "noise". A beta reader will read your entire manuscript, on their own, and develop a personal response to it, uninfluenced by the opinions of others. The thing I particularly like about this is that reading is generally a solitary pursuit, and books 'happen' in the mind of the reader. So it's an authentic way to encounter your book.
The best beta readers will give you a written report on their responses (which could be several pages long), and they often also will make notes in the text, to show their reaction to specific sections of the book.
And no, the best beta reports are not always the ones you pay for. In fact, most people get beta reads by an exchange of favours with other writers.
Ideally you'll get at least two or three or four beta reads, so you can then weigh them up carefully. The responses will be very different, so don't be alarmed by that! (I'll write more soon about how to respond to a beta read.)
But surely good writers don't need beta readers?
Oh yes they do.
Getting another opinion is one of the foundations of the book industry.
Publishers have been doing the beta reader thing for years, they just don't call it that. 😉 When I worked as a specialist editor for a Sydney non-fiction publisher, after I'd read an unsolicited manuscript, if we were interested in it we would send it out to one or more other readers. Commissioned manuscripts likewise went through a multi-reader process.
Those readers were chosen for various reasons: sometimes because they had particular expertise relevant to the topic; sometimes because they had no special expertise, and could represent Every Reader.
Also, in my ongoing work for publishers, I can always tell very quickly which manuscript has had a lot of skilled beta readers before it was submitted.
These are non-fiction books that have been commissioned — they are not trying to fight their way out of a slush pile — and yet that author has still taken the time to run his or her work by friends and colleagues to get another perspective. The quality shines out of those manuscripts. They almost edit themselves!
You can imagine that a book in the slush pile will have a much harder time "shining" if it's had no feedback!
Don't imagine for a moment that seeking a beta reader is an admission that you don't know what you're doing as a writer. Quite the opposite. It's the professional way to go.
I've been writing for a living for decades, but I still seek opinions from beta readers on my own books. And for my novel, because it's my first foray into fiction and a whole new set of rules, I've had almost a football team of beta readers at different stages and with different specialties! 😉 I'm determined it's NOT going to be one of those First Novels that never sees the light of day. And so I get targeted feedback and work hard at applying it.
My betas point out all sorts of things I've missed — which is painful! — but I know they help me make it a much better book. And so I look forward to their responses with a kind of eager terror! 😀
I'm such a fan of beta readers that I'm writing a series on the topic. These are already published:
How to respond to a beta report — Yes, of course there'll be chocolate, weeping and despair, but after that?? 😉
How to be a beta reader — Ooh, some secret tips gleaned from the way I do edits myself!
How to write a beta report — How to present your reactions in the most useful way.
If you'd like to get these upcoming articles straight to your Inbox, use the form below to subscribe to this blog, and you'll get them fresh from the oven. (I'm making up the part about the oven, but doesn't it make you think of hot bread? Yum… hot bread…)
Source: www.smallbluedog.com
Show quality Betta
Female Betta with other fish
Betta fish Setup
Breeding of Fighter fish
Betta fish water type


Run on the first Sunday of the month and set amongst the trees on the Iluka Sports Ground, the Iluka Markets have become widely recognised as having a friendly and relaxing atmosphere.
Wander through this market and you will find variety and quality stalls. There is locally inspired art, original craft and woodwork, handmade jewellery, locally produced soaps, cakes and preservatives - the list goes on with this growing market, only 12 minutes off the Pacific Highway.


Showcasing the best short films from around the world, this evening organised by Short Cut Cine aims to be a movie experience with a difference.
Chill on the rooftop terrace of A Landing Pad - Barcelona's hip co-living space - and watch the sunset with your friends with a drink in hand. Doors open at 7.30pm and the screenings will begin at 9.30pm, featuring a range of documentaries, animations, dramas and more.
The 10 films will be in English, Spanish and Catalan, all with subtitles.
Entrance (including a drink) costs €7 and can be reserved online.
For more summer chill events in Barcelona, check our online events calendar.