text:
Who Owns TikTok? Users Or Someone Mightier Than Them
TikTok has become more than an app in the modern age and time and it can be said without any iota of doubt that it has turned itself very swiftly into a popular phenomenon with its edited video-making features especially among the youth around the world.
TikTok has revolutionized the way our societies are consuming their entertainment content today as now it's no longer about what is your height and what is your eye color or even you are fat or thin but the whole ballgame now revolves around you being capable of using TikTok and make good videos from it.
Previously, it was only the big stars of tinsel town who had easy access to great quality video making and the rest of the populace were just the spectators of their art but now the trend has changed as a commoner can now make his/her own movie type thing by just compiling two or three of their best TikTok compilations.
TikTok has turned the old perception of reality upside down too with its novel advancements in the field of showbiz as now you don't have to approach some renowned movie director or movie maker for casting you in their next big-budget would-be blockbuster ( which has equal chances of turning into either a flop show or a disaster too depending on the kind of content, script and acting it entails).
Now you are a star in your own right as you have a nice toolkit of editing special effects at your disposal when you open the TikTok app on your cell phone and without even queuing up in front of the grand entrance of some movie studio you now make a video in your home and in your room which can get you more views on the internet than even a movie these days.
Chances are you will become more of a viral sensation as compared to the movie you couldn't be cast in and you may get more mass following and likes, comments, and DMs and shares on your account than the entire star cast of some big-budget movie.
These days everyone is following Tik Tokers from politicians to bureaucrats to sportsmen and actors themselves so stay sure of the fact that you are in the better and bright hands of TikTok but now the main question that arises here is that what exactly is TikTok and if it is a popular video making app catapulting one to stardom overnight then what is the real force behind it? Who runs it? Who owns TikTok?
Who created Tiktok?
TikTok is a mobile video sharing and social networking app launched in September 2016. It is developed by the Chinese company ByteDance for the non-Chinese market. Its counterpart for the Chinese market is called Douyin ( literally means "short vibrato video" in Chinese language). Its logo evokes a musical note.
Who owns Tiktok?
ByteDance, a digital technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming and based in Beijing, launched in September 2016 Douyin, a mobile application for sharing short videos for the Chinese market.
In 2017, ByteDance launched TikTok, Douyin's version for markets outside China. Both applications are very similar but operate on different servers and have different contents, in order to meet the requirements of Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China and the Grand Firewall. Thus, TikTok is not accessible in China, while Douyin is present only on Chinese application stores.
Fastest growing application
The app allows users to create short videos with music, from 3 to 180 seconds. TikTok becomes the main service of its kind in Asia, and the application is considered the fastest growing in all countries. It is the music video sharing app that brings together the largest community. In June 2018, TikTok reached 150 million daily active users (for five hundred million monthly active users). In the first quarter of 2018, it was the leading mobile app in terms of downloads (an estimated 45.8 million).
Acquisition of Musical.ly
On November 9, 2017, ByteDance acquired the competing Chinese video platform Musical.ly, for nearly one billion US dollars. On August 2, 2018, the company merged the two applications, while retaining the TikTok name. This merger, including the TikTok name and YouTube and Snapchat advertising campaigns, has been criticized by French-speaking users. However, the former francophone community of Musical.ly quickly adopted the new platform.
Fined by the FTC
In February 2019, TikTok was fined a record $5.7 million by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States. The platform is found guilty of illegally collecting and leaving public data on children under 13. This sanction prompted the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO) of the United Kingdom to open an investigation into the protection of children on the platform.
Change in Chinese lobbying strategy
In 2019, as a result of regulatory concerns and controversies over its ties to the Chinese state, TikTok hired staff to lobby in the United States,and in Europe, where the action is seen as proactive, the company did not have significant problems. ByteDance is one of the few Chinese internet companies to lobby on the continent. For an expert in lobbying the European Union, this also represents a change in China's lobbying strategy, through both private companies and the government, and an increased use of Western methods.
Active users of the app and the lockdown
At the end of 2019, the app has more than a billion users—the third most downloaded app in the world on smartphones—especially teenagers, and is the only social network as popular in the East as in the West. In January 2020, the application reached 800 million active users per month, a figure approaching one billion at the end of April 2020.
The lockdown periods observed during the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 in almost every country in the world are seen as favouring this bond. TikTok would thus equal Instagram, which had reached one billion active users per month according to its latest figures of June 2018.
American CEO of Tiktok
In May 2020, TikTok, who was looking for an American CEO, appointed Kevin Mayer, then Director of Video-on-Demand at Disney. Mayer also assumed the position of Chief Operating Officer of ByteDance. This recruitment is described as strategic, aimed at gaining the confidence of the United States in a context where the application is criticized by authorities who suspect it is a threat to national security.
Banned in India
In June 2020, the app was inscribed on a list of 59 banned Chinese apps in India, its first market with 158 million users, shortly after a deadly clash between the two countries' armies on their border. The decision is made to ensure "the security and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace", with the application being accused of "stealing and transmitting data from Indian Internet users on servers located outside the territory".
Head office outside China in the aftermath of Indian and American bans
Following the ban on application in India and the possibility of a ban in the United States, the management of TikTok and its parent company ByteDance are considering the creation of a head office outside China for the company, and a dedicated board of directors that allows it more independence from ByteDance.
Hong Kong and TikTok
After the introduction of a national security law in Hong Kong, ByteDance withdrew access to TikTok for the territory, citing "recent events", while leaving the Chinese version of the Douyin application accessible.
The app has offices around the world, including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul and Tokyo.To consolidate its growth, it would use "aggressive" methods to attract staff from major Internet firms such as Google and Facebook, including many high-ranking individuals, and would offer large-scale sales.
In July 2020, its parent company ByteDance employed 60,000 people, and in March 2020 stated that it wanted to reach 100,000 employees by the end of the year. At the same time, the number of TikTok employees visible on the LinkedIn professional social network was more than 4,600.
European data center and an American blow to the app
On 6 August 2020, TikTok announced the opening of its first European data center in Ireland, at a total cost of 420 million euros.
On August 27, US Kevin Mayer, who took office as General Manager of TikTok and Chief Operating Officer of ByteDance in May 2020, announced his resignation, citing a change in the political context. This decision is described as a blow to TikTok.
Microsoft and TikTok
Following the US government's decision to ban the application in the US if it has not found a US buyer by September 15, Microsoft is entering into discussions with ByteDance to take over the US markets, Canadian, New Zealand and Australian platform.
In September 2020, Microsoft's offer was rejected by ByteDance, in favour of Oracle's bid which was selected, the company taking an interest in TikTok's US operations and serving as a technical intermediary and trusted user data management.
This agreement was rejected on September 18 by the US government, which banned the download of the application in the United States.
Most downloaded app, Facebook and ban in USA
At the same time, the government blocked the WeChat application and announced the blocking of TikTok on US territory by 12 November 2020. On September 20, the US government announced its approval of the agreement with Oracle as well as with Walmart and the postponement of the TikTok download ban to September 27, 2020.
On 30 April 2021, the parent company ByteDance announced a change of management within Tiktok by appointing Shou Zi Chew, already ByteDance's Chief Financial Officer, as Chief Executive Officer of TikTok.
In 2020, TikTok will become the most downloaded application in the world in front of Facebook.
Function of the app
TikTok allows users to view music videos, but also to film, edit and share their own clips. The user selects a song, then films over it for 60 seconds. The app features numerous titles as well as many musical genres, including hip-hop and electronic music.
Viral tendencies
As a result of its influence, the app has seen the rise of several viral tendencies, popularized several songs, propelled users to the rank of personalities on Web, and is also known to be popular with celebrities.
Competitors and TikTok
The success of the app is worth some of its features to be taken over by its competitors, including Instagram which announced a feature called Reels, and a new similar American platform named Thriller. In 2018, Facebook launched Lasso, a similar and competing application, which it abandoned in 2020.
Prior to the ban of the platform in India, a significant proportion of users were from that country, 43% according to a March 2019 study. TikTok is particularly appreciated by teens in Generation Z. A September 2019 YouGov survey indicates that 40% of Americans aged 13 to 16 use TikTok, equal to Facebook and Twitter, but less than Snapchat (68%), Instagram (79%), and YouTube (used by almost all).
Business Insider 2019 survey
However, a January 2019 survey on the Business Insider website found that 11% of US Internet users aged 13 to 21 use TikTok daily, significantly less than these other platforms. In France, the platform has 4 million active monthly users at the end of June 2020.
In China, the app will have 500 million users in September 2021.
Emergence of Tiktok celebrities
The platform propels teenagers and young adults to the status of full-fledged celebrities, many of whom then sign contracts with sponsors and art agencies and whose fame may extend beyond TikTok's scope. It makes famous the American teenager Charli D'Amelio, who downloads TikTok during the summer of 2019 and becomes known for her dance videos, before being joined by her sister Dixie D'Amelio, whose account also becomes extremely popular.
Queen of TikTok and other stars
In November 2019, the two sisters joined the TikTok Hype House collective of content creators, which includes 19 influencers/tiktokers including Addison Rae and Chase Hudson. In January 2020, Charli D'Amelio signed with the talent agency UTA and the New York Times called her "Queen of TikTok".
In 10 months, his account became the most followed on the platform, surpassing that of Loren Gray on March 25, 2020. It subsequently reached more than 100 million subscribers, as well as 35.859 million on Instagram, 861 million on YouTube and more than 2.2 million on Twitter.
Victim of harassment and mockery on his body, Charli D'Amelio and her sister Dixie join forces with UNICEF to denounce online bullying and the dangers of celebrity on the platform.
Media on Tiktok
With the success of the application among the youngest, various Western media joined the platform, publishing videos adopting its codes, to take advantage of the site's large audience to try to rejuvenate their audience by reaching a generation whose media consumption is different from previous generations.
Washington Post on TikTok
The head of video creation at the Washington Post explains that TikTok is very useful, making a parallel with its crossword section. For a long time, it was denigrated by readers before it became very well known and represented real money inflows and a source of new subscriptions.
Le Monde on TikTok
The newspaper Le Monde joined the platform in June 2020, after the lockdown in France which encouraged its growth in the country.
Media concern on TikTok's concern towards Uighurs
The head of its Snapchat/TikTok department says that success on the social and current issues platform such as the #BlackLivesMatter movement is a testament to a generation of users who can take an interest in complex topics, and often asks to address "difficult" issues, such as the situation of Uighurs, which is also known to cause controversies related to censorship on the platform.
Tiktok: an app belonging to China as an important tool of influence
Since 1980, China has experienced considerable economic development, to the point of surpassing the United States in several areas: economic, technological and scientific. The rivalry exacerbates diplomatic relations, as the Huawei case is one significant example. A start to the Cold War seems to be taking place between the two powers, even if the United States retains an advantage which is shrinking faster than expected (Woodward,
2017; Fontanel, 2020b).
Power of China
China has developed powerful industries in the nuclear, mobile telephony, rail, space and intelligence in the digital economy, sectors that are likely to be masters of the power of the future. The dictatorship of the party is opposed to democracy, which vacillates in the United States under the political power of the billionaires who seem to impose a plutocracy. China is conquering, it is one of the forces of government and the Chinese Communist Party, it's probably even the national unity cement (Gravereau, 2017; Frankopan, 2019).
2049 Chinese vision and much more
For 2049, Xi Jinping's China wants to become the economic power global dominant (Donnet, 2020; La Maisonneuve, 2019). It because of a support from the Chinese youth, overwhelmed by a competition geopolitics that can only be won by being good citizens obedient to the orders of the Party On June 20, 2020, Donald Trump probably did not know TikTok, until, as part of its electoral campaign, the Tulsa's recovery did not turn into a failure, a disaster. In overwhelming the online reservation center, democratic opponents may have found the parade at what was an electoral steamroller in 2016.
Donald Trump, US politics and Tiktokers
Many teenagers, tiktokers (TikTok subscribers), had reserved seats with the instruction to leave the bleachers This presentation was challenged by Donald Trump, claiming his teams were checking the numbers of and assigned entries in order of arrival.
The official cause of the failure is therefore Covid-19 and protesters who prevented families from returning. The action of Tiktokers has not been denied, and it is necessary to add that the Democrats, including Bernie Sanders, had already participated in a number of collective actions undertaken as part of an application very looked at and supported by young people from all over the world.
TikTok and US institutions
However, the lesson was not forgotten, especially when the one who has it is a political action intended to harm it and therefore to attack American democracy. In this context, targeting the President of the United States constitutes violence against all the American nation, especially when behind the application of adolescents hides a Chinese owner. In this context, it is the national security of the United States which is directly concerned. It is then appropriate to prevent it from harming American institutions.
What are the criticisms made against Chinese app TikTok?
First, TikTok was investigated by the CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the USA), the agency to ensure that foreign investment does not pose no particular risk to national security.
The suspected the parent company of acting under the control of the political authorities of Beijing, which censor content that is not in line with its Conservative American politicians have also expressed their concern that the very popular video platform would be
used by Beijing to undermine the democratic values of the United States, in particular by transmitting and storing the personal data of its users for political purposes.
This is not the first time that Washington accuses China of using apps to spy and to undermine American national security. Kunlun Group, owner of Chinese meetings for LGBT, had already been led to sell its shares on the same charges.
Chinese ploy of TikTok
Washington is convinced that the Chinese Communist Party has the means to use all applications of Chinese origin and use them for purposes that compromises the national To maintain its Chinese application, more than 10,000 people who have been employed by ByteDance, recruited most often among the members of the Communist Party. They have the task of scrutinizing the messages to avoid all attacks against social and moral rules of socialism.
TikTok and Chinese laws
The Chinese cybersecurity law requires that all citizens cooperate with national intelligence under penalty of criminal prosecution. In this context, ByteDance and its founder are obviously concerned. Tiktok tries to be free from the demands of Beijing, by accepting in particular in its foreign versions the dissemination of positions of individuals in favour of the Uighur minority.
Its owner, accused of seeking to sell its application in the United States, is sometimes presented in China as a traitor to the homeland. security of the United States.Founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming, still based in Beijing, ByteDance, owner of TikTok, is today the third Chinese Internet company after Alibaba and Tencent.
Beijing censorship and success of TikTok
The success of TikTok came with the acquisition of Musical.ly in 2017 for a billion dollars. This is the second busiest application in the world after WhatsApp. The company has a similar application in China, under another name (Douyin or Doyin). Since its creation its creator has offered an international version different from the Chinese version.Both applications are presented as being hermetically separated, especially as Douyin is firmly controlled by Beijing censorship, just like Google, WhatsApp or Facebook.
She has often had to defend herself from her ties to the Chinese government and denied sharing data with Chinese authorities. To the contrary, its relations with the Communist Party are often stormy, the contents of messages that do not meet the defined criteria by Beijing.
Center for Strategic and International Studies, Disney and geopolitics of TikTok
ByteDance has committed both not to have the intention to accept Beijing requests that would affect the confidentiality of data and messages and to present a high level of transparency up to control of its algorithms, to reassure users and regulators. James Lewis, Chief of Technology Policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, considers that the United States incurs using TikTok is almost zero.
It is true that TikTok teams in the United States are managed by employees. Director Kenin Mayer is the former Chairman of Disney. ByteDance planned to hire 10,000 people for all of its activities and new employees in the year 2020. Today, the Chinese startup most successful overseas finds itself between the hammer American and the Chinese anvil in geopolitical and geoeconomic relationships between the two world powers.
No matter who remains the real owner of TikTok, whether it is the Chinese government or some random Chinese business magnate running several businesses while being constantly monitored by the radar of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China, what is important is the impact of this app.
TikTok today has become a force to be reckoned with and it can be said that it is now more powerful than even the law enforcement agencies of many countries.
TikTok has gone crazy for many like some wildfire unabated with many dangerous implications too on the society and the existing generational gap as chances are with kids practicing a weird form of entertainment every day on the app due to one trend or the other, there will come a day they will completely stop listening to their parents and elders and would only sing to the tune of what's new at TikTok.
The world of TikTok looks glittery and glamorous but has its dark side too as seen in how it maltreats and ultimately discards people who become irrelevant and unpopular overnight to the stature of the app due to them being in hot waters over a certain opinion they expressed at a press talk or due to some leaked video leading to a disastrous scandal for their career.
Odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi.
How To Find Slack Communities Of Freelancers? & Build A Following January 14, 2023
Can Athletes Consume Red Vein Kratom As A Pre Workout Supplement? December 5, 2022
Let's Meet the Influencer and Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon, Cameron Chesnut, MD November 2, 2022
Need a Business Idea? Here Are the Best Businesses to Start in Colorado July 29, 2022
The Best Casinos to Visit Around the World June 30, 2022
8 Car Problems And Their Solution June 14, 2022
What Are The Real Ways To Make Money From Home? November 29, 2021
DETAILED DEFINITION OF BUSINESS INSURANCE July 23, 2020


text:
Q: Designing custom adressable RGB PCB I want to design a custom PCB to connect to my addressable RGB motherboard.
My question is, I have researched the WS2812B led, which seems to be capable of addressable RGB connection.
Would it suffice to just connect an addressable RGB header with decoupling capacitors on the VCC and connect the D pin to Din, and the Dout of the led to the next Din and so on?
Or am I missing something.
And if people have a suggestion for maybe a better/easier design, let me know.
*edit for clarification:
link to led I found:
https://www.seeedstudio.com/document/pdf/WS2812B%20Datasheet.pdf
link to addressable RGB: https://www.msi.com/blog/top-5-accessories-for-rgb-gaming-pc-build-guide
An RGB connector sends as far as I understand 5V to power the leds, and D signal for the colors and brightness.
*edit after some more research:
I found a picture of the ledstrips which use the WS2812B led.

*update 1:
I made the first prototype and found out (if I had read the datasheet a little bit more closely) that the data send to the leds, is only for 3 leds chained together. So I adjusted my design and will post an update in a few weeks if it works (with pictures).

A: WS2812B LED strips contain just the WS2812 LED/chip packages, with one capacitor (no marking on it, the datasheet will probably have a recommendation) per chip. Ground and +5V go to all chips, data pins daisy-chained (Dout of chip 1 connects to Din of chip2, et)c.
With large amount of chips, separate (parallel) thicker wires are use for GND and +5V.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Teplice (pronuncia , fino al 1948 Teplice-Šanov, in tedesco Teplitz-Schönau) è una città della Repubblica Ceca, capoluogo del distretto omonimo, nella regione di Ústí nad Labem.

È sede di stabilimenti termali.

Geografia fisica
Teplice è situato a nord-ovest della Boemia, vicino al confine con la Germania (Sassonia). È situato nella pianura del fiume Bílina, ad un'altitudine di  sul livello del mare.

Storia
Gli scavi archeologici testimoniano che i primi insediamenti si stabilirono tra i  e i  anni fa. A partire dal IV secolo vi vissero i Celti, seguiti dai Marcomanni e dai Quadi.

Le prime sorgenti termali vennero scoperte nel 762, ma la prima autentica menzione dei bagni si è verificata nel XVI secolo. La prima testimonianza è del 1158, quando Giuditta di Turingia, regina consorte di re Vladislao II di Boemia, fondò un convento di monache benedettine, che fu distrutto nel corso della crociata Hussita. Nel tardo XV secolo, la regina consorte Giovanna Rožmitál, moglie di re Giorgio di Poděbrady, vi eresse un castello sulle rovine.

Durante la Guerra dei trent'anni era un possedimento del nobile boemo Vilém Kinský, che venne assassinato insieme al generale Albrecht von Wallenstein a Cheb, nel 1634. L'imperatore Ferdinando II lo diede al generale Johann von Aldringen, che tuttavia fu ucciso nello stesso anno, e allora Teplice venne data alla sorella Anna Maria von Clary-Aldringen. Di conseguenza, fino all'espropriazione del 1945, Teplice è stata la sede della famiglia von Clary und Aldringen.

Dopo un incendio nel 1793, gran parte della città venne ricostruita in stile neoclassico. Come località termale è stata un popolare luogo di ritrovo per i ricchi borghesi, come il poeta Johann Gottfried Seume, morto nel 1810, o come Ludwig van Beethoven, che vi incontrò Johann Wolfgang von Goethe nel 1812, così come per monarchi europei.

Durante la Guerra della Sesta coalizione, Teplice fu il luogo dove l'imperatore Francesco I d'Austria, l'imperatore Alessandro I di Russia e il re Federico Guglielmo III di Prussia firmarono l'alleanza contro Napoleone.

Nel 1895 Teplice si unì alla vicina Lázně Šanov (Schönau). Alla fine della prima guerra mondiale, la maggioranza della popolazione di origine tedesca si trovò nel nuovo Stato della Cecoslovacchia. Gruppi politici di destra, come il Partito nazionalsocialista tedesco dei lavoratori, definivano se stessi come Volksdeutsche e cominciarono a sollecitare una riunificazione con la Germania. I loro sforzi gettarono le basi per l'ascesa del partito tedesco dei Sudeti sotto Konrad Henlein dopo il 1933. Con il territorio dei Sudeti, Teplice fu annessa alla Germania nazista in base all'accordo di Monaco del 1938. Allo stesso tempo, la persecuzione e l'espulsione della popolazione ebraica si concluse con la demolizione della Sinagoga di Teplice, una volta la più grande della Boemia. Dopo la seconda guerra mondiale, il governo cecoslovacco ha promulgato i decreti Beneš. Nel 1945, i principi von Clary und Aldringen, signori di Teplice dal 1634, sono stati espropriati dallo Stato.

Nel 1994 Jaroslav Kubera, del Partito civico democratico, è diventato sindaco di Teplice e mantiene la posizione fino ad oggi. Molti sostengono che egli abbia portato di nuovo Teplice in una posizione di tutto rispetto tra le città ceche. Siccome le terme locali attirano turisti principalmente dal Medio Oriente, così come da altre parti della Repubblica Ceca e della Slovacchia, Teplice è soprannominata "Piccola Parigi", anche se l'aumento della criminalità e della disoccupazione nella regione hanno danneggiato la sua reputazione.

Monumenti

Architetture religiose

  Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista : si trova nella parte inferiore della piazza del Castello. Fu costruito dopo l'anno 1585 sul sito di un vecchio edificio, la torre è stata completata nel 1594, ma nel 1645 la facciata della torre ovest venne colpita da un fulmine.
  Chiesa di Elisabetta di Turingia: venne costruita dall'architetto viennese Heinrich Ferstel tra 1864 e il 1867.
  Cappella di Santa Croce: in origine era un cimitero risalente al 1728/1730.
  Chiesa del Sacro Cuore: basilica risalente al 1910, costruita in mattoni e acciaio.

Altri edifici
  Il castello: è un grande complesso di edifici. Sul lato ovest vi è un museo con una notevole collezione di sculture.
  Giardino e Ball House: è un edificio barocco, costruito nel 1732. L'ala ovest è aperta al pubblico e il piano terra è ora un caffè.

Società

Etnie e minoranze straniere
Nei secoli precedenti fu presente una minoranza ebraica. Nel marzo 1939, tuttavia, il ghetto venne bruciato, e durante la guerra morirono  ebrei nei campi di sterminio. Oggi vi è una piccola comunità ebraica, e la maggior parte dei suoi membri è costituita dai pochi sopravvissuti della Shoah.

Cultura
Il principale evento tradizionale è la cerimonia di apertura annuale della stagione termale, l'ultimo fine settimana di maggio (tranne che per l'anno 2010, quando il lancio della stagione termale a causa delle elezioni venne ritardato di una settimana).

I principali centri di cultura sono:

 Krušnohorské: teatro nel centro della città
 La Casa della Cultura
 Museo Regionale di Teplice
 Biblioteca Regionale
 Giardino Botanico
 Boemia Gallery of Art
 Osservatorio

Sport

Calcio
La squadra principale della città è il Fotbalový Klub Teplice.

Note

Voci correlate

 FK Teplice

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Città della Repubblica Ceca

Località termali della Repubblica Ceca

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Former Crystal Palace and Bristol City man favourite to land Gillingham job
Croydon-born man Keith Millen is favourite to become new Gills manager
Keith Millen had several spells as caretaker manager during his time at Crystal Palace. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Former Crystal Palace assistant boss Keith Millen is in the frame to become Gillingham's new manager.
And the bookmakers believe the Croydon-born man is the favourite to land the vacancy for the League One strugglers.
Gillingham are understood to have started their interview process at the start of this week.
The Gills currently have Peter Taylor as interim boss following the departure of Ady Pennock recently.
A host of names have been linked with the vacancy, while Taylor is believed to have now thrown his hat into the ring for permanent consideration.
Former Palace skipper and now Cambridge United boss Shaun Derry is also believed to be in the running, as is Mansfield Town boss Steve Evans.
Sky Bet and BetVictor are currently holding odds for a list of managers either in work or out of work.
Keith Millen during a press conference at Crystal Palace's Beckenham Training Ground, London in August 2014. Photo: Daniel Hambury/PA Wire.
Millen is 11/10 favourite with Sky Bet, while BetVictor are offering odds of 2/1.
Millen had three different spells as caretaker boss at Palace in the Premier League before he left last January following the arrival of Sam Allardyce, and he has since been coaching and scouting around the south east. He also managed Bristol City in the 2010-2011 season.
Can Crystal Palace avoid making more unwanted history when Chelsea visit Selhurst Park?
Millen, a former defender in his playing days, fancied the Palace job when he was caretaker second time round in 2014, but the Eagles brought Neil Warnock back.
He was highly respected by everyone associated with the Eagles, but could he now be about to make a return to first team management?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Are You Making These Costly Online Travel Booking Mistakes?
Americans spend a significant portion of their income on summer vacations. According to Isar Meitis, President at Last Minute Travel Club and a ten year veteran of the travel industry, studies show the average vacation expense per person in the United States is $1,145, or $4,580 for a family of four.
1. Relying Upon Low Price Guarantees. Shoppers should scrutinize the wording of the guarantee. In most cases, the online travel agency (OTA) guarantees only that the traveler is getting the lowest advertised price. However, many of the best prices for hotel rooms and flights are secured by private agreements, with the stipulation that these discounts cannot be advertised to the public.
2. Assuming OTA Sites are Competitors. Users of online travel agencies have a great many travel sites to choose from, yet most seem to have the same rooms and flights at similar prices. "Most travelers don't know that the largest two OTA's control 80 percent of the U.S. market for online travel bookings or that they own many of the other popular online travel agency websites," said Meitis.
3. Ignoring the Fine Print. Often, the lowest priced plane ticket is non-refundable and the fine print contains details that raise the cost of a flight. For example, some airlines charge extra fees for checked bags or carry on bags that are not included in the ticket price. Be sure to read the fine print and understand how changes and cancellations work before you book.
4. Forgetting to Use a Discount Club Membership. Millions of Americans join retail discount clubs to gain access to member-only rates, and the same is true within the travel industry. Many of the best prices on travel are negotiated with the stipulation that they cannot be advertised. Consider joining a discount travel club to cut vacation travel costs. Last Minute Travel Club (JoinLMTClub.com) is currently offering an annual membership (normally $50) for $10 with a $15 coupon on the new member's first hotel booking.
5. Limiting Lodging Choices. Particularly for larger families, renting a villa or townhome can be less expensive than booking several hotel rooms. Last Minute Travel Club offers homes and villas in popular destinations and the ability to check availability and reserve directly on the club site (LMT.com).
LMT Club is powered by a billion-dollar, 20-year old travel company headquartered in Orlando, Fla., and is one of America's fastest growing travel membership sites with more than 500,000 members.


There is a new release of Amphis Customer CRM Invoicing Software available. This release is version 3.0 build 75.
These are the new features that are in v3.0.75.
2 new columns are added to Itemized Quotes and Invoices to show the Default Price (which is the price specified when you added the Product to the database) and Discount Percent which is the discount (if any) you specified when adding the Product to the Invoice or Quote. If you don't want to display these new columns you can switch them off in Options->Preferences if you go to the Itemized Quote/Invoice tab.
In Options->Preferences on the Itemized Quote/Invoice tab, you can change the column headers displayed on the Itemized Quotes and Invoices eg change Quantity to Qty.


text:
Q: android menu button and action bar I would like to build an app that work for android versions  2.3 and up , so i think to use the menu and don't use the the action bar because android lower than 4 doesn't has action bar.
But I know that there are some devices don't have menu button, so how the user could open the menu, if there is no menu button and also action bar.
please help me
thank you

A: You can insert an ImageButton (with the three dots from the holo action bar) that opens the settings activity.

A: Actually Android have support for ActionBar on devices with Android version lower than 4.0. Look at this tutorial of the support library AppCompat http://antonioleiva.com/actionbarcompat-how-to-use/


Please use the links and navigation to the right for more specific information on Town of Ossining Empoyee Resources, Health Care, and Benefits, including County and State.
The Ossining community has many individuals with a wide variety of talents. If you would be willing to share your talents with your community as an instructor or volunteer, please contact the Recreation Office. We are always interested in presenting new and exciting programs.
Please contact the Parks and Recrecreation Department, 914-941-3189.
We have openings in a variety of areas. We need lifeguards and counselors at the Day Camps.
American Red Cross Lifeguarding/First Aid and CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer - ask in office.
We need you to help us save lives!
"Oh, and how great is it to help save a life? — It's really great!"
Even if you cannot make the commitment to join the Corps, there are many ways to help support our efforts. OVAC depends on the generosity of individuals and businesses. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Contact the Corps at the email address above.
Community Helping Hands is a non-profit, Aging in Place Organization.
CHH was formed to assist older adults who choose to stay in their own homes as they age.
We are looking for volunteer fundraisers, administrators, event planners and drivers. Whether you have an hour to spare or can devote more time, we have an opportunity for you.
Working hand in hand to build a community that welcomes and honors our senior population.
The Town of Ossining is currently accepting applications from high school and college students for after school and summer internships. Students chosen for the internships will work in the Supervisor's office and in various other Town offices. Students will gain office skills, writing experience, and project management knowledge, and will meet and work directly with municipal leaders. The timing of internships can be tailored to other academic or work obligations. Internships are unpaid positions.
Internships give students valuable work experience and the satisfaction of serving their home community. Internships are also an excellent way to learn in a real-life setting, and to explore possible interests for future career or academic choices. Any student interested in government or management are encouraged to apply.
For more information, contact the Town Supervisor's office: 914-762-6001.
myUHC.com – United Healthcare - Enroll and see all for the coordination of benefits forms that have been processed for the last 18 months, and download the data for your records.
Looking for a rewarding career in public service? The Westchester County Department of Human Resources administers civil service examinations for jobs at the County of Westchester, its local jurisdictions, and Westchester Medical Center.
You can find out about our current job openings, and jobs in demand for which there is an urgent need to fill. As part of our commitment to helping Westchester County residents find the right job, we provide a list of on-line job search resources.
If you are already a County employee or are interested in becoming one, you can get valuable information about benefits, including education, retirement, the Westchester County Telework program, and employee discounts.
Where you will find information on the New York State Health Insurance Program for State and Local Government for active employees. If you are a retiree, please visit NYSHIP Online for Retirees. In order to provide you with targeted information about your benefits, you will need to select your group (negotiating unit) and health insurance plan (Empire Plan or HMO) from the drop-down menu. If you are a New York State Active Employee and unsure of your group, our Enrollee Group Wizard will ask you a series of questions in order to determine which group you should select.
My New York State Health Insurance Program (MyNYSHIP), the online source to your personal enrollment record as a participant in the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP). This service is currently only available to New York State active employees.


text:
Category Archives: Epetitions
Brexit, the four directions: part 3
There are four ways the UK can go from here with regard to Brexit, and all of them are bad. Read the first and second directions: hard Brexit, or no deal, soft Brexit, or the EU's deal.
There is no good way to do Brexit: there is only a choice between catastrophe and different flavours of disaster.
Third: Another EU referendum
The consistent argument of MPs and others against stopping Brexit – even now when it's clear that hard Brexit is catastrophic and soft Brexit is not going to benefit the UK in any measurable way – is that a majority who voted in the EU referendum, voted to Leave the EU, so they have no choice: the UK government must obey the will of the people and the UK must Brexit.
But what if the UK ran the EU referendum again?
Filed under Brexit, Epetitions, EU referendum, European politics, Politics
Tagged as after the referendum, Article 50, Britain First, David Cameron, David Davis, EU referendum, hate crime, Jo Cox, second EU referendum, Theresa May
Brexit Day: independence for Scotland
EU Referendum Results Map
Yesterday, the Scottish Parliament voted by majority both for the government's resolution to hold a second independence referendum, and for the Scottish Green Party's amendment, that sixteen-to-eighteen-year-olds and EU citizens should be able to vote in the second independence referendum.
Labour, the Conservatives, and the Scottish LibDems all voted for Scotland to Brexit.
Today, Theresa May invokes Article 50, and the UK begins its two year departure from the EU. On Friday 29th March 2019, short of some fairly major political upheavals in the Conservative Party, the UK will no longer be a member of the European Union.
According to report, Theresa May believes that in eighteen months time, the UK's Brexit deal will have been fully negotiated and voted on by the EU Parliament. Whether she is right or not in that assessment, we will certainly know by that time whether or not the UK is likely to have a Brexit deal, or if the UK is likely to leave the EU with nothing but unpaid debts and no deal at all.
No deal at all, means an end to the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland: it means the the multiple essential agencies dealing with atomic energy, prescription-drugs regulation, etc, will cease to include the UK as from 29th March 2019 with certainly quite a gap before the UK can set up any replacement.
"No deal" means that millions of EU citizens currently legally resident in the UK, may become illegal aliens who can, if they refuse to leave their familes and homes when told to do so, quite lawfully be taken to centres such as Dungavel, locked up, and deported. "No deal" means the beginning of the end for the City of London as a financial centre: an end to the car industry in the UK: and all the food we import from the rest of the EU will become a lot more expensive.
Theresa May is likely to see as a "bad deal" any deal that includes requiring the UK to pay its full debts owed on leaving, and above all, a "bad deal" that requires the UK to be part of the Schengen Area or equivalent in freedom of movement.
But Scotland voted by majority to Remain in the EU. The only way this can be achieved, is for Scotland to become an independent country and rejoin the EU.
The second independence referendum for Scotland is likely to be held sometime in October or November 2018.
I voted No in 2014, believing that the SNP government had not properly thought through their plans for independence. I plan to vote Yes in 2018, or whenever the next independence referendum should take place.
I think Theresa May has three choices with regard to our independence referendum.
Filed under Epetitions, EU referendum, Politics, Scottish Politics
Tagged as Brexit, Euratom, Good Friday Agreement, independence referendum. indyref2, Nicola Sturgeon, Ruth Davidson, Scottish independence, Theresa May
Gay marriage: a question that expects the answer Yes
How students at a Minneapolis-St Paul Catholic high school reacted to a presentation against same-sex marriage only a couple of months ago:
"The first three-quarters of the presentation were really good," said [Matt Bliss, senior student at DeLaSalle High School]. "They talked about what is marriage and how marriage helps us as a society. Then it started going downhill when they started talking about single parents and adopted kids. They didn't directly say it, but they implied that kids who are adopted or live with single parents are less than kids with two parents of the opposite sex. They implied that a 'normal' family is the best family."
"When they finally got to gay marriage, [students] were really upset," said Bliss. "You could look around the room and feel the anger. My friend who is a lesbian started crying, and people were crying in the bathroom."
Bliss was one of several students who stood up to argue with the representatives from the archdiocese. One girl held up a sign that said, "I love my moms."
Filed under Epetitions, LGBT Equality, Religion, Scottish Politics
Tagged as Cardinal Keith O'Brien, gay marriage, homophobic Christians
Our constitution, July 2012: public scrutiny of legislation
"Public scrutiny of legislation; right of committees to conduct hearings, pre-legislative consultation; active petition system; guaranteed rights of opposition."
You may ask, why do we need to make such a point of this? This is what we already do in Scotland. Why would we stop?
"There are two things in the world you never want to let people see how you make 'em: laws and sausages." – Leo McGarry, The West Wing, "Five Votes Down".
I haven't heard from Better Together voters who don't like the idea of a constitution for Scotland.
But Yes Scotland voters who don't like the idea of drafting a constitution for Scotland prior to the referendum or eve independence day, usually say something along the lines of: "Don't you trust the SNP?" and when I say no, suggest that this is partisan. (Examples in comments at Our constitution: beyond yes and no and A New Claim of Right for Scotland.)
But I don't trust any political party that far. Or any government. There is nothing special about the air of Scotland that makes politicians more anxious to have legislative work completely open to scrutiny: it's just that the law requires it. The law that was passed at Westminster: the Scotland Act.
Public scrutiny of legislation
In the Scottish Parliament, this is a three-stage one-chamber process, described in Chapter 9 of the Parliament's Standing Orders:
The introduction of a Bill in the Scottish Parliament (SP) is roughly equivalent to the First Reading stage of a Bill in the UK Parliament, but more is required of the member in charge of the Bill in the Scottish Parliament, in the sense of accompanying documents. This is in order to give the members of the committee more information.
Stage 1: After the committee has prepared the legislation, the Parliament will debate and vote on it and if agreed, it will proceed to Stage 2. The latter part of Stage 1 is equivalent to the Second Reading in the UK Parliament.
Filed under Elections, Epetitions, Scottish Constitution, Scottish Culture, Scottish Politics
Tagged as David Cameron, independence referendum, Kailash Chand, Leo McGarry, problems with e-petitions, SCC21st, Scottish Constitutional Convention, Scottish devolution, Scottish independence, West Wing
School Dinners and Spygate
Why have Argyll and Bute Council been so foolishly high-handed with such a brilliant blog as Never Seconds? Explanation could lie in Spygate, which if you don't live in the Argyll area, you probably don't remember or never heard of.
I think Never Seconds is one of the most important Scottish food blogs. It hasn't been going very long (first post 8th May 2012) and it's a very simple and very effective concept and it was clearly making a real difference – both at the school and in the wider Scottish discussion about what children get to eat at school.
As Maryn McKenna says at Wired.com:
Can we all agree how monumentally stupid this is?
Here we have a kid who got excited enough about feeding children well that she not only changed the food in her own district — within two weeks, officials were allowing children in her school to have "unlimited salads, fruit and bread," which apparently was the policy all along only someone forgot to say so — but also got children around the world excited about their lunches too.
Every day VEG goes to school, she gets a meal for which her parents pay £2. (If you want to find out roughly how much Argyll and Bute spend on each school meal they serve, the Scottish Government's data is here.) And she takes a photo of it. She's not the first photo blogger to do that and she started doing it because her parents assumed she was exaggerating about how bad the school meals were.
It seems everyone who had school dinners remembers hating them. (I was a vegetarian back before Scottish schools did a vegetarian option: I went home for lunch or had sandwiches, so my memory of school dinners is the glorious smell of chips. Mmm, chips. And then not getting any.) But then you leave school and well, they couldn't have been that bad, could they? Continue reading →
Filed under About Food, Education, Epetitions, Scottish Culture, Scottish Politics
Tagged as Argyll and Bute, Never Seconds, school dinners
Skintland, NATO, and nuclear weapons
I have at the moment exactly one positive reason for voting Yes to independence.
I and others have a lot of negative reasons for voting Yes, which Kenny Farquarson has observantly summarised as:
And perhaps the biggest group of all in the "I'm not a Nat, but…" category is those whose vote in the referendum in October 2014 will depend on who, at that point, is most likely to win the UK general election in May 2015. If it looks like the Tories, these people might well choose independence. Their view will be: "I'm not a Nat, but I'm damned if I'm going to put up with this shower for another five years." After all, in Scotland we talk about Tories in the way Americans talk about buffalo – you can still see one or two dotted around the plains, but the days of the great herds are gone forever.
(David Cameron, if you're still reading the #TellDaveEverything hashtag, the only way you can save the union is to call a general election in May 2014, and make sure Labour wins.)
Filed under Epetitions, Scottish Culture, Scottish Politics
Ms is the word
Ms Rosie Campbell has put forward a petition to remove "Miss" from official documents (as the French have removed Mademoiselle). While the Daily Mail and other aggressive tabloiders would doubtless claim this means women "can't" use Miss, there would of course be nothing to prevent a woman from doing so if she chose: but there is no reason why an official document or form should provide three options for women's marital status – "Married, Single, and Mind Your Own Business" when all that's needed is one, just as men have.
I would love to see David "Calm down dear" Cameron forced to engage in a debate on Ms.
Meantime, there's this for guerrilla action:
When women of my generation (I'm 59) introduce themselves as Mrs or Miss, it sounds quaint to me. As for the unfilled field on the computer screen, why don't we all opt for Lady or Baroness. It will screw up the statistics something rotten.
It would also make us all look like we were the denizens of a Gothic romance. We'd have really nice houses.
Filed under Epetitions, Women
Tagged as David Cameron, e-petitions, feminism
Dear LibDems, climb out of the window now
I woke up yesterday to a Tory on Twitter accusing all of us who have protested the NHS Reform of being "hysterical". A Lib Dem suggested that we really shouldn't call it privatisation because that's just a dystopic fantasy. She and another LibDem were telling me that I shouldn't blame the Liberal Democrats or the Tories because this was all Labour's fault really, I ought to be complaining about what the Labour government were doing back when they were in power, not about what the Tories and LibDems are doing now.
[And by Friday, Lord Ashcroft had published a concern troll at ConHome: update below.]
Filed under Epetitions, Healthcare
Tagged as Cameron's deckchair game on the Titanic, David Cameron, David Owen, Doctor Who, NHA Party, NHS, NHS Reform, Nick Clegg
David Cameron: Give citizens more power
People have been shut out of Westminster politics for too long. Having a single vote every four or five years is not good enough – we need to give people real control over how they are governed. So, with a Conservative government, any petition that secures 100,000 signatures will be eligible for formal debate in Parliament. The petition with the most signatures will enable members of the public to table a Bill eligible to be voted on in Parliament. And we will introduce a new Public Reading Stage for Bills to give the public an opportunity to comment on proposed legislation online. (Tory Manifesto, page 77
The Drop the Health Bill epetition passed the 100,000 mark some time ago and is now heading for 200,000: it has 173,903 signatures as of today.
Filed under Epetitions, Healthcare, Travel
Tagged as Andy Burnham, cheap-work conservatives, David Cameron, Kailash Chand, NHS Reform, privatisation, Tory Manifesto
Nick Clegg: Heel Face Turn
Apparently at the Lib Dem conference in Gateshead last weekend, Nick Clegg tried to claim that the NHS Reform bill is strictly Tory.
This is of course not true. While it originates with the Tories, and will obviously benefit their donors, the Liberal Democrats are directly and very publicly responsible for ensuring that the bill will pass – even though it was not part of the original coalition agreement, was not even on the Tory manifesto, and has been comprehensively rejected by both the general public and the NHS professionals who would be required to implement the changes.
The emergency motion that Dr Evan Harris had proposed for debate Sunday morning, to have the LibDem conference vote to drop the bill, was defeated because Nick Clegg's office instructed Shirley Williams to put forward a competing motion.
While the defeat of the Shirley Williams motion has been billed as a defeat for Clegg, in fact Nick Clegg won as soon as the motion his office had drafted had been chosen for the emergency debate Sunday morning: Continue reading →
Filed under Elections, Epetitions, Scottish Politics
Tagged as independence referendum, Liberal Democrats, NHS Reforms, Nick Clegg, Shirley Williams, TV Tropes


text:
ASRS
OIS@ASRS 2019
Presenting Companies
OIS RETINA 2018
Older ASRS Events
AAO
OIS@AAO 2019
Apply To Present
Dinner Gala
Older AAO Events
OIS@SECO 2020
Older SECO Events
Dry Eye Innovations Dinner
Glaucoma Innovations Dinner
ASCRS
OIS@ASCRS 2019
Older ASCRS Events
OIS PRESS
Devices and Diagnostics
Eye On Five
OIS Index
Advertise With OIS
OIS Podcast Guest Application
Presenting Companies Application
Register For OIS@ASRS 2019
Register For OIS@AAO 2019
Register For OIS@SECO 2020
Lessons and Pearls for Moving the Dry Eye Space Forward
December 5, 2018 / Steve Lenier
Before he was chairman of Oyster Point Pharmaceuticals, Michael Ackermann, PhD, worked with a team developing an implantable device. It looked promising, but it was expensive. The team decided to abandon the program, realizing that it was no longer realistic to think the device would receive a high-dollar CPT code to cover the cost of the procedure.
"Where I think that's really relevant today is that we need to remember we're not developing for what the market is now, we're developing for the market that we're going to be launching into, and the market that we're going to be competing in for years to come," Dr. Ackermann said during the breakfast breakout session "Evolution of the Dry Eye Market" at OIS@AAO 2018.
That was one of the lessons for moving the dry eye space forward that Dr. Ackermann and other experts shared based on their experiences.
Caroline Blackie, OD, PhD, medical director, ocular surface disease at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, said successful innovation can provide an opportunity to change the way medicine is practiced, to have a profound effect on patients' lives.
In a previous position at TearScience, she saw that there was a significant lack of clarity over not only why meibomian gland dysfunction should be seen as important, but also even what it was. The company realized that it was extremely unlikely that doctors would physically manipulate the gland to evacuate stagnant content, for rehabilitation. So, the firm innovated a device that would perform that function.
What no one expected was that because the technology worked, a number of other device treatments now exist with an add-on manual expression of the gland. "So the base point," she maintained, "is that when you innovate something that truly works, you have the opportunity to change the face of medicine."
Christian Roesky, MD, PhD, managing director and CEO at Novaliq, said his group encountered resistance to its decision to try to redefine cyclosporine for dry eye disease. People didn't believe its use could be improved after 10 years on the market, but eventually the treatment succeeded. "We need headwinds," Dr. Roesky explained. "If we just follow trends, we will not explore something new."
Clinical Trial Design
Saying clinical trial design is extremely critical in dry eye disease, session moderator Preeya Gupta, MD, of Duke University Eye Center, asked the panelists for key issues related to clinical trial design.
Dr. Blackie stated that clinical trial design, whether for a diagnostic or therapeutic product candidate, comes down to knowing three things:
What you're doing.
Why you're doing it.
How to measure it.
She said the "why" is usually to try to elevate and potentially transform the patient experience. But for the "what" and "how," there needs to be extreme clarity about what component or components of the ocular surface system are to be affected and perturbed.
"As we think about the dry eye patient and how we collect that patient, if we think about the system in general it becomes overwhelmingly complex," Dr. Blackie continued. "We really need to titrate and drill down to what components of that system we're looking to address so that we can home in on the appropriate metric."
She also said it's important to work closely with the appropriate regulatory body to be sure the metric is aligned with other validated metrics, to be set up for success when communicating the data.
Dr. Roesky believes it's important to spend time and effort on Phase II clinical trials, and not just hunting endpoints or regulatory approval. "There's so much that we don't know," he stressed. "So, we have a commitment that in all our trials we have exploratory – investigations, endpoints, devices. We need to learn."
Dr. Ackermann agrees with giving appropriate time to Phase II, to truly understand how the product works, and the way that it impacts the disease, before moving on to Phase III. "Once you optimize the mechanism of action," he said, "you're at least going to do the best that you can do for that particular product, and then you can layer in all the other endpoints that maybe are more global and less driven by your business."
Quinton Oswald, CEO of Notal Vision, added that for venture-backed companies, venture capitalists sometimes think that the chemistry, manufacturing, and controls phase can be done at the end. But that's not the case, he said. A company should start early on with its supply chain because products can fail at the approval level due to lack of control. "Push very hard on your boards to allow you to invest in that specific area," Oswald said.
For questions about this article, please contact Steve Lenier at Steve@healthegy.com.
STAY UP TO DATE WITH OIS
Get the Latest News, Podcasts and Videos.
OIS Podcast
Be Our Podcast Guest
© 2019 · Ophthalmology Innovation Summit · Powered by Healthegy · Terms & Conditions · Privacy Policy


The first and only homepage entirely dedicated to the life time achievements and global recognition of the great Paul Ehrlich.
available material to this collection.
In the course of the 17th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases we present a Paul Ehrlich Exhibition which will be open from 31.03.2007 – 02.04.2007. This exhibition shows a variety of exhibits, including Ehrlich's microscope, his letters and laboratory journals, as well as dye ampoules from his laboratory.


Is snoring purely a human practice? Or do other animals regularly snore too?
I've known one or two dogs to do it now and then when 'dreaming' - But is snoring mostly a human thing?
Re: Is snoring purely a human practice? Or do other animals regularly snore too?
Lots of animals snore, dogs, cats, pigs, and - if you ever hear an unearthly and terrifying growling sound from your garden at night . it will be a hedgehog. They must be the champion snorers of the world!
Hedgehogs snore? Well, I never knew that, Jacques. But then again, I haven't seen a hedgehog for years - at least, not an un-flat one.
The reason I originally asked this snoring question was because a friend had had told me that of all the animals in the world only gorillas habitually snore...and I think the emphasis here has to be on 'habitually snore' as in regularly snore. Not just sometimes snore.
That probably lets out cats and dogs and maybe even pigs I think - but, like most people, I can't say that I am at all well acquainted with sleeping pigs.
All told, I have to say I am not quite sure about your snoring hedgehogs either, Jacques. Do they regularly snore? Or only after a particularly heavy Friday night out?
ya got me. Regularly was the word I obviously ignored. May well be that hedgehogs only snore after a night out, or that they snore only when they have head colds or sinus problems. Beyond me, I'm afraid.


text:
Линия 6 — шестая линия метрополитена Мехико (Мексика).

Проходит через 11 станций; общая протяженность 13 947 м, в основном под землей. 11 434 м используются для обслуживания пассажиров, остальная часть — для служебных целей. Расположена в северной части города и проходит с востока на запад.

Имеет переходы на линию 7 на станции El Rosario, на линию 5 на станции Instituto del Petróleo, на линию 3 на станции Deportivo/18 de Marzo и на линию 4 на станции Martín Carrera. Отличительный цвет линии — красный.

См. также
 Метрополитен Мехико

6
Линии метрополитена, построенные в 1983 году


Korean professional gaming team, SK Telecom T1 has both unsurpassed skill and the very best gear, which is why it is the only team to win multiple League of Legends World Championships and also the only team to win the "Triple Crown": victories at the IEM World Championship, Riot Mid-Season Invitational and World Championship.
The Razer DeathAdder Elite SK Telecom T1 Edition features the world's most advanced optical sensor, renowned Razer™ Mechanical Mouse Switches as well as esports-preferred ergonomics, so you'll have the unsurpassable accuracy and speed worthy of three-time world champions, SK Telecom T1.
Engineered to exceed the exacting demands of three-time world champions, the highly-adaptable Razer Goliathus SK Telecom T1 Edition is optimized for all mouse sensitivity settings and sensor types, and comes with a patterned rubber base to provide secure grip even on smooth surfaces.


The Anna-Maria Kellen Clinical Accelerator is a unique nonprofit-academia-industry partnership model designed to develop, organize, and de-risk clinical study of next-generation combination cancer immunotherapies.
This combination therapy incubator model enables multi-center studies to be conducted with centrally organized oversight, data collection, clinical operations, regulatory support, medical writing, and translational and correlative research.
A global immuno-oncology network of 90 leading clinician-scientists works collaboratively to identify potentially transformative treatments, to design cutting-edge clinical trials, and to devise correlative investigations to test them. Prioritized studies are launched with a comprehensive set of nonprofit resources and a unique IP model that facilitates access to top drugs from different companies.
Clinical Accelerator currently has more than 18 significant industry and nonprofit partners. A nonprofit, philanthropic venture capital fund—which powers the model—provides financial support alongside other partners. The agreements don't request royalties or IP on any agents used in the studies.
At the moment, the program invests approximately $20 to $30 million in innovative clinical trials each year. It's a win-win-win model: cancer patients gain access to promising new treatment options; scientists gain extraordinary clinical research and publication opportunities; and company partners gain valuable investment of nonprofit resources and expertise in their drugs.
Do you want more information on the Clinical Accelerator?


Grabity is an open Blockchain technology that converts the Web perspective from a centralized system to a distributed network. The execution of the current hardware has improved considerably, even though mobile phones work better than previous servers, however, it does not use 100% of its storage capacity or its data processing capacity. Anyone can share their computing assets through inactive devices they already own, for example, mobile phones, tablets and PCs, users can earn rewards and resources, and DApp developers can use their PC resources to work with services at a lower cost.
Orbits Network is Grabity's decentralized core network detailing a P2P network that is genuinely distributed through the use of all inert PC computing resources connected by cable or remotely. Orbits Network transactions are efficiently monitored using Genesis Hoisting technology, which can process transactions simultaneously and quickly. In addition, intelligent contracts and resource files can be stored in separate sections for each by using distributed storage technology and defragmentation function technology that can remember each part and run in transmission format.
1. System Layer: Overlay arrangement based on P2P. Check and then extend exchanges between hubs through the layer. The main one is to take full advantage of the fundamental system's data transfer capability.
2. Information Layer: Blockchain data structure and physical storage space. Including Merkle Tree, Hash Function, Data Block, digital signature and others that store blocks and DApp files that contain the transaction history.
3. Layer of Agreement: The nodes that generate transactions directly verify the transactions themselves, and the transactions that have been verified by most of the nearest nodes are generated as blocks. This is distributed to other nodes, and if a node is configured as a malicious attack, the transaction details are initialized and synchronized with the details of the verified transaction.
4. Application Layer: Provide the application interface through Blockchain. Bright contracts, virtual machines, DApp, etc. are incorporated and connected directly between information clients.
5. Administration layer: The toolkit and SDK are given to shape the advancement of the environment and meet the outsider.
Currently, DApp stores only the database in Blockchain, and the source files are stored on a central server. Due to the fundamental limitations of Blockchain technology and communication, the hybrid architecture is operating. This is a vulnerable structure where data can be protected through the Blockchain, but when the central server becomes ineffective, the system will collapse.
A truly distributed application should be able to distribute and execute source files as well. However, if you place the source files in Blockchain, the capacity grows exponentially, so efficient storage and processing systems are needed. Unlike the existing structure in which functions are stored in the entire memory and the function of a specific function is accessed, the program source in Orbits Network stores the function as a basic unit.
Tokens except for the pre-sale and public sale are sold in private rounds. Unsold tokens are due to be incinerated.


all our clients' needs. Considering your budget and preferred modes of transmission, we provide all kinds of vehicles to suit the functionality you desire. What's more, we assure you that the cars we offer are the best in the rental market today.
diesel automatic rental cars. These are cars that use diesel oil instead of gasoline for their fueling. The main advantage of these cars is that they have a better fuel economy. This means that they use lesser fuel for the same distance traveled as compared to a car running on gasoline. Some of these diesel cars can improve fuel mileage by 20% or more. Get that large, powerful engine feel with a diesel car. Hurrying somewhere or forgot something back at your hotel? A diesel car's faster acceleration will get you there faster, therefore saving you invaluable time.
Driving on the highway is also more efficient with a diesel car. If you plan to explore greater parts of Antalya and its environment, then this car is for you. These cars can reach up to 43 miles per gallon on the highway, saving you a lot of money you could have spent on fuel. Use this money to enhance your travel experience instead and get a more satisfying visit to Antalya. Carrying a heavy load? Diesel cars are your best choice. This is because these cars have better torque than their gasoline counterparts. greater the torque, the greater the load you can carry. This would be very beneficial if you intend to go camping.
The automatic transmission of the car also provides a wide range of benefits to our clients. This is because automatic cars are easier to drive since you do not have to make the extra effort of changing gears yourself. This can be very useful while driving in the city where the amount of traffic on the roads varies all the time. Additionally, driving in hilly terrain is also easier. This is because there is no rollback of the gears as you wind up hills. Making a pitstop in the middle of a hill? Then automatic transmission could be very useful so as to easily start the car and go on with the journey.
Further, an automatic car would be your safest option if there are multiple drivers for the car. This is because not everyone knows how to drive a manual car with the skill and consistency it requires. Additionally, you may be tired along your journey and the ease of driving an automatic car could save you the little energy you have and ensure you get to your destination safely.
You will definitely not go wrong in considering these two factors and renting yourself a diesel automatic car from our Antalya car rental services With this combination, you are assured value for your money. Our cars are a reflection of who we are. Rent a car today and experience Antalya on your own terms today. Happy driving!


text:
New Lab City: A Public-Private Partnership Program
New Lab City creates public-private partnerships to define the future of cities.
We believe that fostering a deeper connection between cities and entrepreneurs will yield important advances in technology for a more sustainable, resilient, and accessible future. We achieve this through the following programs.
Circular City
Launched by New Lab and NYCEDC in 2018, Circular City empowers urban tech startups to help make New York City more equitable, livable and resilient by convening diverse stakeholders to champion frontier technologies and human-centered outcomes. We are on a mission to accelerate product development, adoption and investment in urban technologies proven to be effective in tackling the increasingly complex and urgent challenges facing New York City.
Circular City is seeking startups globally that are building frontier technologies and developing novel products that address urban challenges in transitioning to a circular economy and improving energy efficiency in buildings.
Learn More & Apply
Photo by James Chororos
Urban Tech Hub
The Urban Tech Hub supports a cluster of New Lab member companies who are building products to improve the quality of life in cities. The program is designed to provide resources that ensure the urban tech sector flourishes in New York City, a top priority of our partners at the City of New York's Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). The current cohort focuses on one or more of the following areas: energy, mobility, waste and water management, food systems, built environment and digital infrastructure, and across such disciplines as robotics, AI, and connected devices.
Offerings include access to the New Lab City team, which is dedicated to facilitating strategic introductions and connecting companies with resources, events and programming to help scale their businesses and the opportunity to pilot products or technology in the Brooklyn Navy Yard's 300 acre campus.
New Lab City News
New Lab City Partners
Receive the latest updates from our community and be the first to hear about New lab events and programming.
Affiliation *EnterpriseStartupCityAcademicOther
By submitting you agree to our


Join our course and take study material of over 800 pages with 5000+ MCQs!
Join our course and enjoy full unlimited online support having questions and solution from recruitment exams (Junior Engineer/Civil). Regular periodic updates.


Jacinto ES is responsible for business development of the Food-2-Waste-2-Food concept and will focus on finding the best industrial partners and launching customers.
Jacinto ES wants to grow in the technological development and introduction to market of breakthrough engineered solutions.
for the waste market. They want to grow to 10 fte in engineering and re-invest our profit in new projects.
agricultural land for energy use. We want to use our engineering know-how to convert waste into food and green energy. To be sustainable in the long run, we design our systems to be profitable without grants and other government support.Therefore we focus on selecting the best available technologies and develop only the missing components.


text:
26-Feb-2013 7:45 PM
Virgin Australia's profit falls despite reaping the benefits of its global alliance network
Virgin Australia is reaping the benefits of its global network of alliances, with a strong increase in interline and codeshare revenue in the six months to 31-Dec-2012, but lower yields in the embattled Australian domestic market meant the carrier posted a sharply reduced tax-paid profit of AUD23 million (USD23.6 million).
The carrier blames most of the AUD28.8 million (USD29.6 million) profit reduction on the introduction of the carbon tax levied on domestic flying. Lower domestic yields in a market suffering from over-capacity meant Virgin Australia was not able to recoup the AUD24.4 million of carbon tax through fares. The first half of FY2012 was also inflated by a one-off approximately AUD6 million gain from the Qantas grounding in Oct-2011.
Revenue growth slowed to 5.4% in the first half in FY2012 to AUD2.1 billion (USD2.16 billion), from 18% growth in the first half of FY2011, despite a flood of capacity entering the market as Virgin Australia and Qantas battled for government and corporate market share.
Passenger numbers across the group reached a record 10 million in the half.
Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti said: "Over the half, we have maintained our strong focus on positioning the company for profitable growth. We have outlined a multi-faceted plan that includes expansion in the high-growth regional and budget markets through the proposed acquisition of Skywest Airlines and the proposed acquisition of 60 per cent of Tiger Australia. If approved, the Virgin Australia Group will have the lowest cost-base in the full-service, budget and regional markets".
Virgin Australia has added 73 new codeshare destinations, growing international EBIT
Alliances are a cornerstone of Virgin Australia's strategy – a total of 73 new codeshare destinations were added in the six month reporting period and at least another 24 are planned in the second half of the financial year.
Virgin Australia global alliance route map
Source: Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia in FY2012 implemented its alliances with Air New Zealand on the trans-Tasman routes, Delta Airlines between Australia and the United States, Singapore Airlines between Australia and Singapore and onwards to Southeast Asia and Etihad for connections to Europe and the Middle East.
These relationships have provided Virgin Australia with a strong virtual network without the need for expensive investment in aircraft of its own.
Interline and codeshare revenue grew 56% in the half year. Much of that was for sales on the domestic network made by alliance partners. These sales are "cream on the cake" because the revenue is earned with little or no additional cost being incurred. As the alliance network grows, this revenue is projected to grow dramatically.
International EBIT was AUD35.4 million (USD36.4 million) up from AUD32.2 (USD33.1 million) on a 7.9% increase in revenue to AUD595.4 million (USD611.9 million) as the turnaround of the business continued and its alliances with Etihad, Singapore Airlines, Delta and Air New Zealand came on stream. Total passenger number was up 100,000 to 1.4 million.
Revenue growth through the four strategic partner airlines has grown 79% while passenger numbers have gained 69% indicating strong yields.
Mr Borghetti said Virgin Australia was on track to earn AUD40 million (USD41.1 million) in revenue in FY2013 from its alliance network. He also expects to exceed the previously announced target of AUD150 million (USD154.1 million) from interline and codeshare sales by FY2015
Strategic alliances revenue growth (1HFY2012 to 1HFY2013)
Strategic alliance passenger growth (1HFY2012 to 1HFY2013)
Virgin Australia takes advantage of Qantas' Singapore to Dubai hub switch
Virgin Australia is taking full advantage of Qantas decision to switch its hub for European services from Singapore to Dubai as part of its alliance with Emirates, announcing it will expand its Europe codeshare with SIA to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in 3QFY2013.
Mr Borghetti said the carrier wanted to give passengers the choice of travelling to Europe via Singapore or the Middle East with Etihad. This is undoubtedly a plus for customers – but will need to be carefully managed to account for the partially overlapping interests of two of its partners on these routes.
See related articles:
Australia-Asia market shake-up Pt 1: Qantas increases focus on Asia with new targeted schedules
Australia-Asia market shake-up Pt 2: SIA and Virgin in lead position as Qantas faces challenges
Qantas-Emirates alliance receives full (draft) approval from Australia's competition authority
Qantas presses ahead with post-Emirates European & Asian restructure as competitors show no leniency
The battle for the domestic market moves to the regions
The attack on Qantas' supremacy is progressively coming under attack on numerous fronts. Virgin Australia announced it will break Qantas' monopoly on the Brisbane-Moranbah and Brisbane-Bundaberg routes. The carrier will launch three ATR services per weekday in Apr-2013 between Brisbane and coal mining town Moranbah, and daily ATR-72 services between Brisbane and Bundaberg in May-2013.
Year-round fares would be about 15% cheaper than current fares to Moranbah and about 20% cheaper to Bundaberg, Mr Borghetti said.
Qantas currently offers about 2,800 one-way seats a week from Brisbane to Moranbah operating Bombardier Q400 aircraft and about 1,600 one-way seats between Brisbane and Bundaberg using a mix of Q400 and Q300 aircraft.
In addition Virgin Australia will on 15-May-2013 replace two of its weekday Brisbane to Perth Boeing 737-800 services with A330-200s, adding capacity and allowing it to better compete with Qantas on the route.
An additional three ATR-72s will be delivered by FY2015, taking the fleet to 19. These aircraft will be aimed at the lucrative regional market, where Qantas has enjoyed a massively dominant and often monopoly position.
Qantas is of course not standing still either; on 22-Feb-2013 it moved to shore up its position on regional routes in New South Wales, including adding capacity to two monopoly routes between Sydney and Tamworth and Sydney and Armidale.
Carbon tax and capacity flood hit Virgin Australia domestic profit
Negative factors in the domestic market were the new carbon tax which is levied on domestic flights, which helped drive down domestic EBIT to AUD49.3 million (USD50.7 million), down from AUD87 million (USD89.4 million), as well as the reduced yields in a market suffering from over capacity.
Virgin Australia increased capacity on the domestic routes by 8.9%, in line with guidance. Most of the increase was on transcontinental routes to Perth where widebody A330-200s replaced Boeing 737-800, which were described as unsuitable and uncompetitive on the route. Capacity was also increased on the golden triangle routes of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as well as on regional routes.
Mr Borghetti pointed the finger at the Qantas group for capacity growth levels on domestic routes that were the highest since the launch of Jetstar in 2004, causing a 10.8% overall increase in the half year.
Sydney-Melbourne capacity growth by airline (1HFY2013)
Virgin Australia now plans to increase capacity by between 5% and 7% over the second half of FY2013, including the new routes announced.
See related article: Australian domestic airfares tumble as airlines wage a capacity battle
Virgin Australia has maintained its 20% share of corporate and government revenue achieved in FY2012. Having achieved its target revenue from the business travel market, Virgin Australia is no longer updating this figure other than to say that it is increasing. Qantas again is fighting a tough battle for this valuable market segment, claiming last week to have won at least two corporate clients back from Virgin. However, with the addition of Virgin's new fitouts, business class passengers increased nearly 92% in the half compared to a year earlier.
Sabre switch over driving growth in Virgin Australia's business market
Virgin Australia's largely successful cut over to Sabre in Jan-2013 has already increased bookings through the GDS five-fold as corporate agencies and international travel agents gained easier access to the carrier's seating inventory. GDS bookings also typically carry a 10% yield premium to average bookings, despite the often controversial GDS charges.
"The Sabre system will accelerate our growth in the corporate, government and high yield markets. With the stabilisation of load factors following the change in our business model and further growth in higher yield markets, we anticipate improved RASK performance going forward" Mr Borghetti said.
Sabre has also allowed Virgin Australia to launch round-the-world fares with SIA and more are planned with other alliance partners, filling an important gap in the airline's product range.
Virgin Australia is on track to achieve AUD200 million in annual cost reductions
Virgin Australia reduced costs by AUD25 million (USD25.7 million) in the half and is on track to achieve AUD60 million (USD61.7 million) by the end of FY2013, and AUD200 million (USD205.6 million) a year by FY2015. Underlying CASK reduced by 1.5% (excluding fuel) despite extensive investment in product and services.
Group average yield slipped 1% to AUD12.16 cents (USD12.50 cents), reflecting the aggressive capacity growth and resulting fare reductions. Mr Borghetti said Virgin Australia's yields were still ahead of the market.
Virgin Australia launched a three-year Game Change programme at the beginning of FY2011 to reposition the business for a more stable future. The major targets have been achieved a year ahead of schedule in FY2012. The carrier has moved to the next phase of its development programme focusing on realising the benefits of the complete overhaul of the business in the previous two years by driving growth through product and service improvements.
Profit summary six months to 31-Dec-2013
Tiger Australia and Skywest acquisition will give Virgin Australia a lower domestic cost base than Qantas
The proposed (and already approved) takeover of Perth-based regional carrier Skywest and the acquisition of a controlling stake in LCC Tiger Australia will provide Virgin Australia with a lower cost base than the Qantas Group, Mr Borghetti said.
Mr Borghetti remained confident that the competition regulator will approve Virgin Australia's proposed acquisition of a 60% stake in LCC Tiger Australia, reiterating that the deal will increase competition to the benefit of consumers. "By partnering with Tiger Airways, we can use our expertise to leverage Tiger Australia's low cost base and build a competitive and sustainable budget carrier."
Virgin Australia and Tiger Australia's parent, Singapore-based Tiger Airways, announced the deal on 30-Oct-2012 as part of a trifecta that also included buying all of Western Australian regional carrier Skywest and SIA taking a 10% equity stake in Virgin Australia.
Tiger Australia would provide Virgin Australia with a ready-made LCC platform to take on Qantas and Jetstar across all market segments in a similar two-brand strategy.
The deal also throws a lifeline to beleaguered Tiger Australia which has yet to make a profit in Australia. Tiger Airways has strongly indicated that if the ACCC does not approve the equity deal, it may close its Australian operation. It has said it will not seek new investors for the venture if the deal is not approved.
Under Virgin Australia's stewardship, Tiger Australia would undergo rapid expansion, building its current fleet of 11 A320s to up to 35 over the next five years, ensuring there will be no let-up in the domestic capacity war. Tiger Australia will continue to operate as a stand-alone entity with its own air operators certificate (AOC).
But Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Rod Sims is concerned the AUD35 million (USD36.6 million) proposed merger will remove the third player in the aviation market. However he has said that the risk of Tiger Australia leaving the market will be a significant factor in the regulator's final decision due on 14-Mar-2013.
The ACCC is currently seeking comments on what is likely to occur in the event the proposed acquisition does not proceed and the potential competitive effects the acquisition may have on price sensitive leisure travellers. The ACCC is also seeking feedback regarding the reduction in the number of airline groups and the loss of competition from Tiger as an independent low-cost carrier, if the proposal is approved.
Mr Borghetti said Virgin Australia would not give the ACCC any undertakings for Tiger Australia to increase capacity, arguing that it was impossible to forecast what would happen over the next five years. However, he maintained that the intention was for Tiger Australia to add up to 24 aircraft over that time.
Virgin Australia-Tiger Australia acquisition creates "competition concerns" for the ACCC
Virgin Australia comes full circle with the acquisitions of Tiger Australia and SkyWest
Skywest deal awaits shareholder and court approval
The takeover of Western Australian based regional operator Skywest has been approved by the ACCC and is now awaiting approval from Skywest shareholders and the Singapore High Court. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of Apr-2013.
The Skywest transaction allows Virgin Australia to accelerate growth in the very valuable fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) mining charter sector, expand its regional network and enter the corporate charter market. Skywest currently operates a fleet of 20 aircraft consisting of A320s, Fokker F100s and Fokker F50s.
Skywest also operates a fleet of eight ATR 72 turboprop aircraft on behalf of Virgin Australia as part of their 10-year strategic alliance under the Australian Regional Airline Network (ARAN) agreement, which was signed in Jan-2011.
Velocity Frequent Flyer adds another 500,000 members
On yet another front, Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer programme added another 500,000 members, taking the total to 3.5 million as the carrier marches on to achieving a target of five million members by the end of FY2015.
Points earned on airline partners increased by more than 113% as reciprocal earn and burn programmes took effect.
Velocity membership (Dec-2010 to Dec-2012)
The programme has 400 partners with reward redemptions growing 48% in the six month period.
It is time for Virgin Australia to focus on finding a Northern Asia partner
Virgin Australia has built a strong international network covering Southern Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. But like Qantas, Virgin Australia will now need to turn its attention to finding a partner in Northern Asia which is able to connect the increasingly important Australia-China routes. While SIA and its hub at Singapore are ideal for Southeast Asia, India and Europe, they are not efficient for North Asia.
Cathay Pacific is considered an ideal fit, but the Hong Kong-based carrier is notoriously independent. Cathay Pacific is also a member of oneworld along with Qantas, but those two carriers have never seen eye to eye and Cathay Pacific could well relish the opportunity to compete with Qantas while also gaining access to the Australian domestic market. (And on the basis that my enemy's enemy is my friend, Cathay has just announced a new codeshare arrangement with British Airways to serve Australia over Hong Kong. Australia is Cathay's largest long-haul market after North America.)
China Southern has also made public overtures to Virgin Australia and is rapidly expanding its presence in the Australian market from its Guangzhou base, just inland from Hong Kong.
Qantas and China Eastern are meanwhile keen to build on their partnership in Jetstar Hong Kong, to be launched in the second half of 2013, by establishing a codeshare between Australia and China. 2013 looks likely again to be distinguished by partnering – and partner hunting.
See related article: Qantas & Virgin Australia look for new Asian partners: China Eastern for Qantas, Cathay for Virgin?


Only by a supreme force of will did I keep myself from jolting, hitting my head on the pipes that ran above. Tianna, on her back next to me holding a wrench to the pipes we were fixing, glanced over, eyebrows raised.
Stanton said nothing, but I knew he was out there, waiting, lurking. But as long as he didn't keep talking now, I'd take it.
Tianna repositioned the tool and I braced my arms. She might have been my senior by a couple of decades, but she was way stronger than me. If I let my piece of the piping slip while she tightened against it we'd be down here for another half hour trying to get this perfect angle again. And I'd never hear the end of it.
Finally, the job was done. Tianna and I slid out from underneath the unit.
Yep. He was still there, carefully not touching anything.
Stanton's mouth pursed, just a flicker, but enough for me to see that I'd scored a point.
I followed her into the main office of Mechanicals, the section that controlled so much of what happened in The Compound. Another series of tremors last week had tripled her repair and maintenance list, and she was short-staffed enough to let me help.
"I don't plan to get in trouble." I swallowed, my throat suddenly tight. To be honest, I didn't really plan anything. I wasn't sure if there was a point.
"But it seems to follow you, anyway," Tianna put the tools away, wiped her hand on the ever-present rag that poked out from her overalls and tapped up the next repair job on her tablet.
Just because it wasn't a surprise didn't mean it wasn't infuriating. The one section of the Compound I wanted to get into, and the one that no one, not even my friends, could let me enter. I shrugged, shucked out of the dirty coveralls and left them where they lay while I pulled on my overcoat.
"Val! Valrea!" I heard her call me through the hallways, but I didn't care. I passed through the hallways without speaking to any of the few people I saw. It wasn't hard. Most people were never entirely certain how to treat me, what to think of me.
Which was fair. I wasn't always sure myself.
I took the stairs two at a time and came out in the bright afternoon light.
The sun-warmed grass mixed with the heavy smell of machinery washed all around me as I took a deep breath.
Stanton couldn't hurt me, not really. And he'd be an idiot to screw with Tianna. Her division was well-trained, but no one knew Mechanicals as well as she did.
Certainly not me. I was good for fetching, carrying and holding stuff in place, but mostly I hung out there because she was one of the few people who didn't seem to have a problem with me.
From the small hut that housed the stairway to Mechanicals, I turned away from the majority of the buildings on the compound. Barracks, dormitories, laboratory, armory. The Hall.
My path twisted between waist-high bushes of thin light green foliage dotted with burgundy blooms until they thinned out at the edge of the bluff.
Through the golden dome, I could almost see the true color of the sky. We only saw flashes of the deep blue when the iris opened for shuttles, an infrequent enough event that the younger children always pointed and gasped.
I followed the curve of the dome until it faded into the dark water before me, watched the tell-tell breaks in the waves revealing the existence of the Devourers below. No other sea life came near the island, not with them constantly patrolling the waters.
A flutter of something on the beach far below caught my attention.
That was new. From here I couldn't make out what it was, but it looked like something had washed up from the sea.
Something new might be a tool, something I could use. I looked around quickly. No one was near, no one from the Compound willingly ventured near the sea.
The cliffs looked sheer, but there were plenty of handholds if you knew where to look. On the way down, I ran through my litany.
If you're reading this, then I have failed again. I'm sorry for us both.
I didn't have to hold the pages in my hands anymore. I'd read the words so often they'd burned into my mind, the slanting script as familiar as my own.
Never take this book elsewhere. We'll always find it here.
I'd found the note rolled behind a loose tile in my room, thin pages crowded with lines and lines of handwriting. Handwriting I recognized. Handwriting that shouldn't, couldn't have been there.
The brisk ocean breezes swirled around me as I climbed down, but my shivers and shakes had little to do with the temperature. Soon enough, the fire would burn my veins. After that? I didn't know. The symptoms had never been consistent enough for me to be sure.
I don't know what they'll do to you. Make a note here, for the one of us that comes after. We'll learn, a little at a time. It's all we have.
She was right. My own punishments were unique. Reading about our previous experiences, I couldn't decide which were worse. It didn't matter.
All that mattered was trying to end it. And for that, I needed something different. Something new.
With luck, the sea had given me just that.
The cliff face warmed my back as I turned to find a man, laying on the sand, water-darkened hair plastered to his scalp. One outstretched arm was flung over his head, still gripping a long knife. His exposed back was a mess of cuts. The tattered strips of his vest were what had caught my attention.
No one escaped the sea. I'd watched enough executions to know that. So, he had to be something new, something different. Something that could break the rules.
But it wouldn't matter if I let him die.
My thoughts of dragging him to shelter died quickly as I got closer. There was no way I could lift him. I dug my hands into the sand under his shoulder and heaved.
Dammit. I couldn't even roll him over to see how bad the damage was.
Just as importantly I needed to get him out of view.
I strained again, grunting with effort as I tried to budge him, then froze at his low groan.
What if I was just making his injuries worse? I fell back, frustrated.
Which sounded like a petulant six-year-old, but begging was the only thing I had going for me.
Maybe I could pull him by the arm. But first, I needed to get that knife away. The last thing I needed was for him to flail about and slice either of us open.
Not wanting to go anywhere near that edge, I fought to pull his fingers up from the handle.
"Seriously guy, let go already." I tugged at the knife again, trying to wrestle it out of his hand. He was unconscious and injured, how hard could this be?
With a grunt he rolled over, half-closed golden eyes unfocused, but all of my attention was on the knife that he now held steady towards my throat.
He tilted his head to the side, then shook it. His hair fell back from his ears, revealing slight tips. I'd never seen that before, but I hadn't had much chance to see many people close up.
Over the ocean, the glow of the sun behind the dome shone visibly lower. I'd never made the climb up the cliff in the dark, and I didn't want to start.
I gritted my teeth as I turned my back on him and that knife and walked towards the overhang of the cliff.
I ducked beneath it at the deepest point of shadow, my hands in front of me. No matter how often I came here, I still felt the way, half-certain I was going to walk into a rock wall.
But I didn't, and just as it always did the old tunnel worn away by the constant ebb and flow of the tides opened before me. I refused to look back until I reached the open cavern.
Shafts of light from the far side of the cliff shone through the rock. I'd wondered if they were burrows, trails from some long-gone animal.
It didn't matter, I'd never seen anything else living here. The passage to the cave was too narrow and shallow for anything dangerous to come in from the sea, and I'd never seen a land animal in the compound.
The tiny openings allowed plenty of light to navigate the cavern, even in the late afternoon. I crossed to the other side and curled up on a broad flat ledge, waiting to see if the man would follow.
A quick glance at the golden pinpricks overhead let me know how much time I could wait. Hopefully, he hadn't collapsed in the tunnel. The rising tide that would fill the passageway in a few hours would make it easier to float him to the entrance of the cavern, but I didn't want to be trapped in here all night with no one but a stranger and the sea monsters for company.
Craved is now live on Amazon!
Awesome so far. Thank you.
This is terrific so far, love it!
Can't wait to read what happens next.
So far good. Keep us guessing.
Hints that she is related to the real bad guy and now she's about to help a spy. Love it.
So far I really enjoyed the story, can't wait for the rest !


Comes with sensitive electronic chips and components. Available in various densities, soft or stiff. Good for pressure sensing.
what can anti-static foam be used for?
I have very old conductive foam but it doesn't work.
Where can i find conductive foam???


We offer a totally student oriented approach to our Youth Ministries. Meeting on Wednesday Nights at 7:00pm, our Youth Pastor Luis & Amanda Burgos create an atmosphere where God is experienced in a relevant and passionate way. We are very passionate about using students gifts.
Middle and high school students gather for games, worship, and a message. Our goal is to see every student develop a real relationship with Jesus.