text:
Henry J. Kaiser High School is a small to medium-sized high school located at 11155 Almond Avenue in Fontana, California. Kaiser High is one of five comprehensive high schools within Fontana Unified School District. The school is named after renowned American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, who founded the famous Kaiser Steel Mill, which helped to revolutionize the city of Fontana.

The school was established in 1998. As of 2021, the principal is Jose A. Espinoza.  Kaiser High School has been experimenting recently with small learning communities.

Demographics
As of 2013, the student population was 84.5% Hispanic, 5.1% White/Non-Hispanic, 6.8% of African American, 1.4% Asian, 1.1% Filipino, .3% American Indian or Alaskan Native, .3% Pacific Islander,  and .5% other or not specified ethnic backgrounds.

Athletics

Football
Kaiser High School is known for its successful football program under coach Dick Bruich. Under his supervision, he led Kaiser Football to one state championship, two CIF championships, one CIF runner-up award, two CIF semi-final appearances, eight Sunkist League titles, and eight consecutive playoff berths, before retiring in 2009.

In 2006 Lonyae Miller was a standout on the football team, chosen as All-CIF Southern Section at running back and named the Sunkist League Offensive MVP. Miller later attended Fresno State and is now a professional player in the NFL.

As of 2014 the football team were back-to-back Sunkist League champions. In 2012, the Kaiser Football team made it to the SS-CIF championship, where they defeated Rancho Verde to claim the 2012 CIF Central Division Championship Title.

Student activities

Catamount Pride Marching Band & Color Guard
Kaiser High School is home to the Catamount Pride Marching Band and Color Guard. In 2008, and most recently 2014, the band won the sweepstakes at the Azusa Golden Days Parade. They've also won sweepstakes in the Riverside King Band Review, 2nd place in the Chino Band Review, 10,000 dollars at the LA County Fair, sweepstakes and music award in the Ganesha Band Review, and 1st place in the Arcadia Band Review.

The Kaiser Catamount Pride Marching Band hosted the first annual Kaiser Band Review September 26, 2009.

In 2019, the band participated in the 2019 Rose Parade with Grand Marshal Chaka Khan in the opening show.

Kaiser Artistic and Theatrical Society
Kaiser Artistic and Theatrical Society, known as "K.A.T.S. Productions", is the name of the drama club at Henry J. Kaiser High. The club is responsible for producing the school theatrical productions each year. In addition, the club engages in other theatrical activities, like improvisational workshops and field trips to see professional productions. The club includes an active troupe of the International Thespian Society, number 6721.

Shows performed at Kaiser High School include:
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, The Devil and Daniel Webster, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Harvey, Annie Get Your Gun, Picnic, Little Shop of Horrors, Arsenic and Old Lace, Into the Woods, Little Women, Once Upon A Mattress, The Mousetrap, A Christmas Story, Once On This Island, Fools, A Christmas Carol, Seussical the Musical, Twelve Angry Men, Taming of the Shrew, West Side Story, The Diviners, Hamlet,  Midsummer/Jersey, Spoon River Anthology, Romeo and Juliet, Fame, Alice, Rent, Julius Caesar, Les Misérables, The Winter's Tale, Legally Blonde, Peter and the Starcatcher, Lazarus Rising, 1984, Alice in Wonderland, The Laramie Project, The Addams Family, Titus Andronicus,  Twelfth Night,  Little Women,  Bridge to Terabithia, The Wizard of Oz, A Piece of My Heart, and The Crucible.

Awards

4 CIF Football Championship(2003,2004,2012, and 2018)
1 CIF Softball Championship(2012)
Inland Empire Team of the Decade for football(Sunkist league champions 2001–2011)
2nd Place at SCSBOA 35th Annual Chino Invitational Band Review
1st Place at SCSBOA 2005 La Palma Days Band Review
5th Place at SCSBOA Arcadia Festival Of Bands (2005, 2006)
Sweepstakes at SCSBOA Riverside King Invitational Band Review (2006, 2008, 2013, 2014)
4th Place at SCSBOA Annual Chino Invitational Band Review (2006, 2007)
Sweepstakes at SCSBOA Azusa Golden Days Parade (2007, 2008, 2011, 2014)
3rd Place at SCSBOA Riverside King Band Review (2007, 2009)
2nd Place at SCSBOA 2007 La Palma Days Band Review
3rd Place at SCSBOA 2007 Arcadia Festival Of Bands
3rd Place at SCSBOA 38th Annual Chino Invitational Band Review
Sweepstakes at SCSBOA 2008 Ganesha Band Review
1st Place at SCSBOA Arcadia Festival Of Bands (2008, 2009)
3rd Place at SCSBOA 2009 San Dimas Western Days Parade
1st Place at SCSBOA 2009 Ganesha Band Review
1st Place at SCSBOA Azusa Golden Days (2010, 2012, 2013) & Riverside King Band Review (2010 & 2012)
1st Place at SCSBOA 41st Annual Chino Invitational Band Review
2nd Place at SCJA Eisenhower & Patriot Field Shows 2012
2nd & 3rd Place at the Los Angeles County Fair Marching Band Competitions (2006-2011, 2013)
Sweepstakes at the Los Angeles County Fair Marching Band Competition (2014)
3rd Place at the MBOS Vista Murrieta Field Tournament 2013
5th Place at the SCSBOA 43rd Annual Chino Invitational Band Review
4th Place at the SCSBOA 44th Annual Chino Invitational Band Review
Overall Winners of the SCJA Eisenhower & San Gorgonio Field Shows 2014

Notable alumni
 Tyler Allgeier (Class of 2017) Professional Football Player NFL, Atlanta Falcons
 Chris Carter (Class of 2005) former Professional Football Player NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers
 David Carter (Class of 2006) former Professional Football Player NFL, Arizona Cardinals
 Lonyae Miller (Class of 2006) former Professional Football Player NFL, Dallas Cowboys
 Jason Shirley (Class of 2003) former Professional Football Player NFL, Cincinnati Bengals
 Josh Shirley (Class of 2010) former Professional Football Player NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

References

External links
 Official website

Education in Fontana, California
High schools in San Bernardino County, California
Public high schools in California
1998 establishments in California
Educational institutions established in 1998


The ambitious undertaking was unveiled this week by Belgian North Sea Minister Johan Vande Lanotte, as he reported on the implementation of marine special planning.
Storing excess energy is a common problem for electric grid management. Consumption of electricity varies greatly between daytime and nighttime, so balancing the load often requires generating and storing extra energy overnight and releasing those reserves during peak hours. This is a particular issue for many forms of green energy; for example, the output of a wind farm depends on whether there is enough wind to spin its turbines.


text:
His identity remains unknown, even after over 20 years of being involved with the graffiti scene. His work not only includes many powerful, often controversial images, but they may also be found throughout the Internet as viral images.
Banksy began his graffiti art lifestyle by admiring the works of Blek Le Rat and often recycling his old ideas. He has been very active in the graffiti scene since the early 1990s.
The most common form of street art Banksy uses are stencils. These are often in the form of multi-layered stencils and/or combined with other media sources, such as spray-paint. He also includes anything found in the streets like street signs and other objects to convey his message by crafting beautiful street art installations. His artwork is often satirical and combines dark humor with graffiti and also spread messages across art, philosophy, and politics.
By the early 2000s, Banksy relocated to London, where he began to gain notoriety and even worked on a series of international exhibits. Eventually, he decided to travel to Palestine and the West Bank, where he stenciled nine images on the Bethlehem Wall. These images were an instant hit and virally exploded in the Internet.
At this time, Banksy's silkscreen prints and stencil paintings were racking up record-breaking sales in storied art auctions such as Sotheby's and Bonham's of London. These successful sales officially broke him into the commercial business. In 2010 Banksy became a successful author and filmmaker for the film "Exit Through the Gift Shop."
Very little is known about Banksy himself, as he refuses to be interviewed and keeps his identity carefully maintained. A world-renowned mystery man, Banksy has risen through the ranks to become one of the world's greatest street artists partly by creating an urgency to understand his character. Street art fanatics are consistently satisfied with every piece of art he delivers, though he often leaves them wanting more. This tactic carries one's curiosity to explore a completely new perspective or idea, leaving his artistic creations to inspire beginning and advanced artists. This inspiration is also known as the "Banksy Effect."
Category: All Other
Rage, the Flower Thrower

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Whether you have been here as a retreat attendee, an Ahau guest, or have been lucky enough just stumble upon this the vegan dreamland known as Raw Love… you will know all about their divine smoothie "The Green Goddess"! Here we have the fabulous recipe for the world famous "Green Goddess" smoothie exclusively for you!
With minimal peeling, chopping and fuss – place all of the following ingredients into your blender and whizz it all up for 1 minute until it's smooth and velvety – gleaming with green goodness!
This recipe contains 2 important superfoods that combined together bring you an excellent amount of protein. While moringa leaf is a non-sugar based energy booster, spirulina is rich in minerals and folic acid that allow for the body's proper function.
Spirulina's weight is about 65% protein, listing it on top of almost any other vegetable in protein content. Moringa acts as a coagulant attaching itself to harmful bacteria and matter. Both have strong detoxifying, alkalizing and antioxidant effects that make this combination ideal for anyone interested in rejuvenating the body while ridding it of waste.
Together with all of the fresh fruit, ginger, and spinach you are going to be feeling and looking like your true Goddess self before you you know it!


This peculiar cnidaria belongs to the order of Siphonophores. Siphonophores are often several individual cnidarians fused together into a large colony. This colony can reach a total length of 8-12 cm, and are widespread in the Atlantic, Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
The top part is comprised of swimming bells, that pulsate like individual medusae. These grow to 20 mm in height, and are arranged in two rows, approximately 30 cm each. Underneath the swimming bells are several banana-shaped, orange or violet colored tentacles arranged in a hula-skirt resemblance, giving this deep-sea carnivorous species the name of Hula Skirt Jellyfish.
The tentacles functions as gas-filled floats that helps with buoyancy, but do also cause painful stings. At the base of the float there are long threads packed with small animals with specialized tasks in the colony.


The United States Peace Corps program in Indonesia seeks qualified and motivated candidates for General Services Manager position. Peace Corps Indonesia is a US government program partnering with the government of Indonesia to help meet training needs in Indonesia and encourage the bond and cultural understanding between the two countries. Peace Corps brings volunteers from the United States to work in Indonesian schools to assist in the development of English language instruction. Our mission here will be opening in or around January, 2010.
The General Services Manager is responsible for post logistics, maintenance, purchasing, and inventory records. GSM coordinates Peace Corps' motor pool and oversees official vehicle maintenance. The GSM is responsible for locating and obtaining various services and materials needed or the operation of the post. The incumbent is responsible for the delivery of mail and shipments, and works with the US Embassy and Consulate and customs officials to ensure timely customs clearance of Peace Corps property. The GSM also monitors utility providers ensuring the most reliable service possible. Other logistical, reporting, and monitoring tasks will be assigned to the GSM as required to aid the operation of the Peace Corps program. This is a multi-function position requiring a great degree of energy, flexibility and creativity. Due to the myriad of duties required, the GSM will need an internal sense of prioritization and organization.
Language Requirement: Fluency in Bahasa Indonesian and English.
Academic: Completion of secondary education required. University degree preferred.
Work Experience: At least three years experience in related field.
Qualified and interested candidates should send a description of their qualifications and CV by e-mail to pcjobs@mk.peacecorps.gov no later than January 9, 2010. In subject area, state position for which you are applying.
Trim's ya mas atas info"nya ini sangat bermanfa'at bagi kami.


text:
Mesquite Police Arrest Man Accused of Sexual Assault of a Child
Mesquite police arrested Billy A. Williams Tuesday
Published at 9:47 am on January 29, 2019
A Forney man was charged Tuesday in the sexual assault of a child Monday morning near Poteet High School, police say.
Billy A. Williams was arrested after giving a full confession to police, according to a Mesquite Police Department news release.
Williams, 36, is charged with one count of sexual assault of a child, the release said. No bond information was released and it was not clear if Williams has obtained an attorney.
The latest news from around North Texas.
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On Tuesday, Mesquite Police obtained two additional warrants for Williams for indecency with a child. They said the charges are related to a separate female who reached out due to recent news coverage and knew Williams through youth sports.
The Kaufman County Referees website listed Williams as president of the organization from 2016-2017. When reached via email, the organization said "The news of his arrest was a shock to all those who knew him as he was well respected within the community. Mr Williams is not the current president of our chapter and is no longer involved in our organization. Our thoughts and prayers are with the young victim, her family and Mr Williams family."
According police, the child told officers she was walking near North Galloway Avenue and Town East Boulevard Monday morning when Williams pulled up and asked her if she would like a ride because of the cold weather. Police said the girl accepted the half-mile ride down the street.
When they arrived at her destination in the 3300 block of Poteet Drive, the girl told police that Williams sexually assaulted her.
"At the conclusion of the ride when they reached their destination, our victim attempted to exit the vehicle and at that point was sexually assaulted," Mesquite police Lt. Stephen Biggs said. The girl, described as a minor under the age of 17, exited the vehicle and reported the incident to a witness, police said.
Investigators had released a picture taken from a nearby traffic camera of the suspect vehicle, a 2011 to 2014 black Chrysler 300. Police were unable to pin down a license plate number, but they hoped someone would recognize the vehicle.
Mesquite ISD sent a notice to families on Tuesday morning, asking parents to talk with their kids about being on alert.
Mesquite ISD strives to keep our families informed of any situation that might impact student safety. And we are vigilant in our efforts to determine the facts surrounding any safety situation so that we can provide you the most accurate information. It is with sad hearts we inform you that we have been notified that a person reported she was sexually assaulted after accepting a ride from a stranger yesterday.
The victim reported she was walking in the area of North Galloway Avenue and North Town East Blvd when the suspect vehicle pulled up alongside her. The driver asked if she would like a ride due to the cold weather. The victim willingly entered the vehicle and the driver pulled away. According to the victim, the driver sexually assaulted her. The victim notified an independent witness of the incident, who in turn called Mesquite Police.
The suspect is described as a light-complexion black male with a bald/shaved head. He was last seen wearing a black jacket and grey athletic style shorts. The suspect vehicle is a 2011-2014 Black Chrysler 300.
This reported situation provides a timely opportunity to remind your children about the possible dangers of accepting rides from strangers and to encourage them to always be aware of their surroundings.
Anyone with information about the identity of this suspect is asked to contact the Mesquite Police Department immediately at 972-285-6336.


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text:
http://www.freedomworks.org/content/nsas-collateral-spying
The NSA's Collateral Spying
Machiavelli would have admired the NSA's tactics.
By Logan Albright
On Saturday, the Washington Post published a detailed exposé on the spying practices of the National Security Administration during the four year period from 2009-2012. By now, it is no longer any secret that the NSA has been up to no good with its surveillance of innocent people, but the sheer extent of these violations is shocking, even in light of what we already knew.
In short, the report, based on information obtained by Edward Snowden, reveals that during the course of its ordinary, otherwise legal surveillance operations, the NSA also collected data on large numbers of people who were not specifically targeted. The agency calls this practice "incidental surveillance." I call it "collateral spying." The report found that, on average, 9 out of every 10 people spied on were not the intended target.
The NSA has the legal authority to obtain a warrant based on probable cause in order to surveil an individual. No one is disputing that. But when this targeting results in collateral spying on vast numbers of innocents, in the absence of probable cause and the corresponding warrants, that is a major problem. The NSA has asserted that such incidental data collection is inevitable, and to a certain extent that's likely true. It is understandable that in some situations the NSA may learn information about people other than the direct target, but this should obviously be minimized as far as possible, and at the very least the information should be immediately purged from government databases, not stored for years on end. In any case, the whole situation is indicative of the agency's cavalier attitude towards individual rights.
While national security is a concern we all share, the ends do not justify the means when those means involve violate the constitutional protections afforded to citizens by our nation's founders. It is not okay to violate the rights of an innocent in the process of achieving a broader goal, even if that goal is noble.
The way the NSA has been behaving is Machiavellian in the most literal sense. In his 16th century political treatise, The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli recognized a harsh reality of politics that still plagues us half a millennium later, writing, "A prince wishing to keep his state is very often forced to do evil."
Taking Machiavelli's advice as a green light for immoral behavior has been the problem with governments throughout history, a problem the founding fathers sought to avoid by setting down precise guidelines for what the government could and could not do in the form of a Constitution. The disregard of these rules, and the argument that there should be a national security exception to the Fourth Amendment, undermines the entire purpose of the American experiment, and restores the European-style tyrannies the revolutionaries fought against.
The more information we learn about the NSA and its operations, the clearer it becomes that its actions constitute a gross violation of the Fourth Amendment, and as more details emerge, the news is sure to get worse before it gets better. This is why FreedomWorks has partnered with Sen. Rand Paul and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to sue the NSA, and demand that our right to privacy be taken seriously.
Support Freedomworks' Lawsuit Against the NSA
Tags NSA, NSA lawsuit, Machiavelli
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Top 10 Reasons to Reform Section 702
BY Garrett Kehr
Section 702, the controversial aspect of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which allows for mass surveillance of American Citizens, is set to phase out at the end of 2017. Some in congress have introduced measures that would make Section 702, in its current form, permanent law and avoid any reforms which might grant Americans greater privacy protections. Here are 10 reasons why that is an absolutely horrific idea.
Send A Message To Congress
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A Digital Bill of Rights to Protect You from Government Backdoors
Over the past several decades cars have become increasingly high tech allowing for computers to take larger roles in the routine functions of the car. Computerized functions have been a boon to consumers, who gain greater reliability and efficiently, but it has also increased the vulnerability to criminal hacking.
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The NSA Must Be Reined In
More than 230,000 computer systems from across the globe were recently attacked by a vicious ransomware virus, named "Wanna Cry," that crippled computers for some of America's largest companies, including FedEx. The virus, one of the largest of its kind, was paid for by the American taxpayers. How did this happen? How did this life threatening tool end up in the hands of seemingly illiterate hackers? Simple answer: government incompetency.
Endorse the Digital Bill of Rights
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Welcome to the Terrifying New World of Pre-Crime
If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear, you just need to trade a little liberty for security against the bad guys. After all, what good is freedom when you're dead?
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Hypocrisy Is in the Air in Lawmakers' Reaction to NSA Snooping
Following the news of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence's intent to probe the National Security Agency's snooping lawmakers who had been in contact with Israeli officials, FreedomWorks Legislative Affairs Manager Josh Withrow commented:
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Republican Debate Reveals Sharp Divisions on Surveillance
Last night's Republican debate drew a sharp contrast between candidates on the question of how surveillance ought to be used to fight global terrorism. Tempers flared as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio engaged in a heated back and forth over the wisdom of bulk spying in general, and the USA Freedom Act in particular.


text:
Q: Eloquent way to determine if any variables are equal I have a class and some optional configuration options on the constructor. The rule is that none of the values are allowed to be === to each other. What is an eloquent way to determine if any are equal to each other. All characters are strings, and will also have a validation to ensure that none are longer than 1 char.
constructor(options?: ClassOptions){
    this.leftWrapperChar = options.leftWrapperChar || '{';
    this.rightWrapperChar = options.rightWrapperChar || '}';
    this.commandChar = options.commandChar || '%';
    this.variableChar = options.variableChar || '+';
    this.commentChar = options.commentChar || '#';
    this.variableAssignmentChar = options.variableAssignmentChar || ':';
    this.stringEscapeChar = options.stringEscapeChar || '\\';
    // Determine if any are equal to each other
}

Obviously this could be accomplished with a !== b && b !== c && c !== d && ... but this list will likely grow and the permutations would be exponential.
My current solution is putting all options into an array and sorting them, then comparing them with the next index
const array = [
    this.leftWrapperChar,
    this.rightWrapperChar,
    this.commandChar,
    this.variableChar,
    this.commentChar,
    this.variableAssignmentChar,
    this.stringEscapeChar].sort();
for(let i=0; i< array.length - 1; i++){
    if(array[i] === array[i + 1])
        throw new Error('Options Error: All Options chars must be unique');
}

But I feel that there might be a more elegant way of handling this.

A: A more elegant way? I believe not.
A better way? Don't use Array#sort. Use a simple loop instead. It will be cleaner and have a bit better performance.
function anyEqual(...args: any[]): boolean {
  const found = [];
  return Array.prototype.some.call(args, arg => {
    if (found.indexOf(arg) > -1) return true;
    found.push(arg);
  });
}

Use it like this:
if (anyEqual(...Object.keys(options).map(key => options[key]))) throw new Error;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It is Summer in India and the temperatures are scorching. In our flat, the AC is constantly on. And I dread going out! I cannot wait for the Monsoon to come and bring a fresh breeze and lower temperatures to Pune.
I have been busy attending my kids school theater week. It is the last week of school and children are performing. First I had to go and listen to my oldest sing, then it was time for each of them to perform a play with their classmates. I watched the baby's play first which was a remake of the famous kids movie Madagascar. My youngest was playing Marty, the zebra. The play was very funny and entertaining. I did not expect it to be so but the kids age two to six put on a great show. And I have to give kudos to the teachers who organized the entire event.
I have been blogging for more than eight years now. I started blogging after the birth of my first son. It was a way to record all the trials and tribulations of my life as a new mother. Then a year later, I started a fashion blog because I was bored at work. I was writing about the things I liked or disliked about fashion in general, the latest trends, my fashion obsession of the moment and such. Four years later, I started another blog dedicated to my own personal style with pictures of my outfits. I do actually have several blogs but the ones that I am focusing on are my fashion blogs.
Recently, I have been thinking about quitting. After seven years of doing this, I should have been popular by now. Call me crazy, but I was expected many followers or at least several page views and comments. I was expecting endorsement and free stuff from fashion houses. I was expecting front row seats at fashion shows.
Hello there! How are you all doing?
up to 40 degrees. One day it got so hot it started raining. It was a short term blessing but I think all Puneites welcomed it.
I was invited for breakfast last Friday with some mothers from my kid's class. I know most of them since we meet everyday for pick up and drop offs, and we briefly talk during birthday parties and other gatherings but I am not close to any of them. Actually a mom who left India last year came back for Summer holidays and arranged the meet. I was surprised because even if she was always nice to me when we met at school, I would have never thought that she would remember me. Today I got to see another side of those mothers, a side that I liked. And I hope we keep on having gatherings like these in the future.
Hello Friends from all over. I am checking my stats and I can see you reading me all the way to Russia so I want to say "Thank you" and keep on coming back. Also, Holla at me in the comment section or emails. I would love to interact and exchange ideas.
I made it following this tutorial with left over fabric I had purchased at the Pink City in Jaipur ( God, please take me back there!). It was fairly easy but my sewing machine was acting up so it took a long time. I am not hundred percent satisfied with the hemming. Furthermore, my fabric being super smooth, the kimono slips on the sleeves. I think I should have made the slits on the sleeves smaller.


2019 INFINITI QX60 for sale serving Burbank, San Fernando & Reseda, CA 5N1DL0MN1KC559181 - INFINITI of Van Nuys.
This 2019 INFINITI QX60 Pure boasts features like a rear air conditioning, push button start, backup camera, blind spot sensors, Bluetooth, braking assist, dual climate control, a power outlet, hill start assist, and stability control and will not disappoint. It comes with a 6 Cylinder engine. Don't skimp on safety. Rest easy with a 5 out of 5 star crash test rating. A timeless majestic white exterior and a wheat interior are just what you need in your next ride. Call or visit to talk with one of our vehicle specialists today!


text:
Q: Using Spring RequestContextListener If I use
@Autowired HttpServletRequest httpServletRequest;

I get an error:

No thread-bound request found: Are you referring to request attributes
  outside of an actual web request, or processing a request outside of
  the originally receiving thread? If you are actually operating within
  a web request and still receive this message, your code is probably
  running outside of DispatcherServlet/DispatcherPortlet: In this case,
  use RequestContextListener or RequestContextFilter to expose the
  current request.

Then on googling I'm asked to use:
<listener-class>org.springframework.web.context.request.RequestContextListener</listener-class>

I am able to get the IP address from the request. My query is if am using this inside a Async method will the IP address be correct when there are multiple requests coming in parallel.
It's a spring mvc application. Is there a better method to get the IP address. I want to log the IP address in my custom provider.

A: I think that You use it in a wrong way.
You can get HttpServletRequest in controller method invocation.
@RestController
public class SomeController {

   @RequestMapping(path = "/dosmtng")
   public void doSomething(HttpServletRequest request, <other params>){
      ....
   }

}

Like this,  for example.
So You cal get necessary attributes from request here and put them in other method.


With the race against the clock that most people live daily, it is not at all surprising that the slow cooker is gaining popularity. Everyone wins when it comes to saving time. Imagine just stirring together the required cooking ingredients, attending to other chores while the slow cooker does its job, and spooning out a perfect meal at the end of a number of prescribed hours.
This is possible because the slow cooker allows you to prepare dishes safely even in your absence. In addition, because the food is simmered for several hours, the taste of both meats and vegetables ends up being considerably enhanced when compared to other cooking methods.
You will find below the main points to consider before deciding which slow cooker to buy, and a comparison of the most popular slow cookers that satisfy these points.
First, you need to choose a slow cooker that is big enough. Even if you are single, you will appreciate having enough room to cook a whole chicken or a large roast, and keep the leftovers in the freezer for later so that you may have additional meals. A slow cooker with a capacity of less than six quarts (about six liters) will leave you on your hunger, and we do not recommend it.
Cleaning is a major factor that often condemns your slow cooker to being left unused in your kitchen cabinets. If laziness affects your cooking habits, you should definitely choose a model with a removable pot that can go in the dishwasher.
Are you not really technically oriented? Beware then of slow cookers with a large number of control buttons that complicate your life, but that are not really necessary. Ideally, you simply need some programming function allowing you to set the cooking temperature and time according to your recipes. You should also be looking for a model with automatic switching to "warm" setting at the end of the timed cooking so that the food does not overcook and stays warm until you are ready to serve.
The best slow cookers come with a glass lid which allows the observation of the meal while it is being cooked as well as the evacuation of droplets of steam. It is also important to choose a slow cooker with a ceramic or stoneware pot that is pretty enough to serve as a serving dish and that is dishwasher washable. Note that we prefer stoneware to ceramic as the former is oven safe and impervious to water while the latter is not. So, if you want to rewarm your meal later in the oven a stoneware pot will allow to do that.
Finally make sure your slow cooker has full-grip handles for safe transport around the kitchen.
To help you decide which slow cooker to buy, we will compare the Hamilton Beach 33969, Cuisinart PSC-650 and Crock Pot SCVT650-PS slow cookers which provide all the above mentioned features, and which are at the same time among the most popular among Amazon buyers.
Hamilton Beach 33969 has 3 cooking modes which are: Program, Manual, and Probe (see below for more details).
Cuisinart PSC-650 has 3 automatic-cooking options which are: Simmer, Low, and High.
Crock-Pot SCVT650-PS has 3 automatic-cooking options which are: Low, High, and Warm.
All three slow cookers allow programmed cooking, for details please see the detailed description section below for each cooker.
The probe cooking found on the Hamilton Beach slow cooker should be used when cooking a large cut of meat or using a recipe that requires food to reach a certain temperature. The included thermometer probe is inserted into the meat, and it monitors the cooking process until the meat reaches the desired temperature. It then switches the slow cooker automatically to a low setting to keep the meat warm until you are ready to eat.
You will find below detailed descriptions for each of the three slow cookers.
This slow cooker measures 16x10.4x16.1 inches, weighs 14.6 pounds, and it comes with a 6 quart removable oval-shaped stoneware pot as well as an LED digital control panel. The panel offers three cooking mode options (program, manual, or probe) and the very convenient automatic keep-warm feature that the unit automatically shifts over to once the cooking time has ended.
The manual mode allows for cooking the traditional way without setting the time or for heating up previously cooked food. The probe mode should be used when cooking a large cut of meat or using a recipe that requires food to reach a certain temperature. The included thermometer probe is inserted into the meat, and it monitors the cooking process until the meat reaches the desired temperature. It then switches the slow cooker automatically to a low setting to keep the meat warm until you are ready to eat. This very useful feature takes the guesswork out of slow cooking.
This slow cooker also provides attractive stainless-steel housing, power-interrupt protection, a clip-on spoon, a clip-tight gasket lid, and full-grip handles for safe transport. The removable stoneware and tempered-glass lid can be cleaned up easily by hand or in the dishwasher, and a user manual with recipes is also included. The unit comes with a one-year limited warranty.
As can be seen, this unit not only satisfies all the requirements for a good slow cooker listed in the previous section, but it also offers the manual and probe modes of cooking that can be very useful.
This slow cooker measures 18.8x15.7x10.9 inches, weighs 20.3 pounds, and it comes with a 6.5 quart removable oval-shaped ceramic cooking pot. It is equipped with three modes (simmer, low, and high). It is 24-hour programmable and has a digital countdown timer with touch-pad controls, and it has the automatic keep-warm feature that the unit automatically shifts over to once the cooking time has ended. It has a brushed stainless-steel housing, a glass lid with stainless-steel rim, and cool-touch chrome-plated handles.
Other features include nonslip rubber feet, retractable cord storage, wrap-around heating elements for thorough heat distribution, and dishwasher-safe parts (lid and ceramic pot). Accessories include a cooking rack for use with ramekins or other bake-ware, a recipe book with 70 easy to do basic to gourmet dishes, and an instruction book. It comes with a 3-Year limited warranty.
As can be seen, when you compare slow cookers, this unit satisfies all the requirements for a good slow cooker listed in the "Features to Look for" section above. It also comes in the smaller 4 quarts size.
This slow cooker measures 16.5x8.6x12.2 inches and weighs 14.6 pounds. It comes with a 6.5 quart removable oval-shaped stoneware pot and a touchscreen LED digital control panel that allows programmable cooking.
Fingertip touch controls include Low, High, and Warm cook settings, as well as Time Up or Time Down options for setting the cooking time from 30 minutes to up to 20 hours. The digital timer counts down the remaining cooking time, and the unit automatically shifts over to a keep-warm mode at the end of the cooking time. The digital timer also keeps track of time spent in keep-warm mode, counting up in one-minute increments for up to six hours.
The attractively designed removable stoneware crock can be used as a serving dish. Other features include a polished stainless-steel exterior, metal side handles with stay-cool wraps, and a large round lid handle.
The stoneware and glass lid are dishwasher-safe, making clean up a breeze. The slow cooker comes with a cookbook and a one-year limited warranty.
As can be seen, when you compare slow cookers, this unit also satisfies all the requirements for a good slow cooker listed in the "Features to Look for" section above.
So which Slow-Cooker to buy?
When you compare slow cookers, you find that all three brands described above are great products, and Amazon customer reviews are mostly full of praise for all three. However, given that the Hamilton Beach is quite a bit lower priced than the other two brands, we recommend it strongly, and in particular for the probe mode not offered by the other two brands.
With the Hamilton Beach slow cooker you will find it very useful to simply insert the thermometer probe into the meat to have it monitor the cooking process until the meat reaches the desired temperature. It will then switch the slow cooker to a low setting to keep the meat warm until you are ready to eat. There's absolutely no guessing how long it will take to cook.
Another great feature of this slow cooker is the clip-tight gasket lid. It's perfect for traveling to pot-luck dinners without to have to worry about spills.
Please click below the selected slow cooker to check the price.
Would you be interested in a Wi-Fi enabled remotely controllable slow cooker?
Now you don't have to be in the kitchen anymore to change dinnertime! The Crock-Pot Smart Slow Cooker is WeMo enabled and works with your smart device to conveniently adjust cooking settings. You can adjust cooking time and temperature, shift to warm or turn the cooker off, all from your smart device using the Free WeMo App. The free WeMo App is available for Apple (iOS 7 and higher) and Android (4.0 and higher) devices. You can connect from anywhere with Wi-Fi/3G/4G.
The slow cooker has 6-quart capacity, cool-touch handles and built-in cord storage. It comes with a removable dishwasher-safe stoneware inner pot and and a glass lid.
The complete slow cooking book.


The school massacre in Florida triggered this grassroots fundraiser for safer classrooms in rural Iowa.
DES MOINES — Melissa Mahon felt the same sick pang in the pit of her stomach Thursday morning many of America's parents felt.
They sent their kids to school — dropped them off, or watched as they climbed onto a school bus or backed out of the driveway — with an extra twinge of dread about what the day might hold for them.
Wednesday's massacre of at least 17 students and adults at a school in Parkland, Fla., shook the nation yet again. The latest gruesome body count of kids came on the heels of so many mass shootings that we lose count — until a story in our Facebook feed reminds us.
Mahon, who lives in Keosauqua, a town of fewer than 1,000 in southeast Iowa, is the mother of three young children: preschool, kindergarten and first grade. Her thoughts were heavy that morning at the bus stop.
No fewer than four school evacuations this week in Iowa only helped feed everyone's collective paranoia.
So Mahon and a gaggle of friends and fellow moms began commiserating at the bus stop.
They continued over Facebook Messenger.
McEntee was referring to a device manufactured by Fighting Chance Solutions in Muscatine.
About a year ago, another mom, Nasseem Hesler, who is also Keosauqua's mayor, noticed an ad for a similar device on her Facebook feed, probably because the Facebook software picked up on her time spent in the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
Hesler mentioned it to friends and school officials.
These gadgets fit over the arm mechanism of a classroom door to secure it from the inside and prevent it from opening. The theory is that even a student would be able to quickly barricade the door if a shooter lurked just down the hallway.
This time, the cumulative anxiety — a buildup after last year's mass shootings at a country music concert in Las Vegas and a Baptist church in Texas — rallied these self-described "mama bears" into action.
"We're tired of it," Mahon said. "It's like, OK, nobody's going to do anything about this: Our government, our state government, our national government.
Instead of waiting until the next school board meeting, they acted. They began to refine McEntee's idea to help secure every classroom in the small district — about 50 rooms total.
They added the PTO president to the thread. They reached out to school administrators.
Principal Chuck Banks already was familiar with the devices. While nothing is a sure preventative, Barnes considers them a valid deterrent to improve the chances that students might be defended or given enough time to escape.
Banks has worked in the district since 2000, and this is his ninth year as principal. He has lived through the transition into our modern era of school lockdowns and only one accessible entrance where strangers must buzz in.
He helped guide his teachers through the training to be certified in ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) that helps students systematically flee a scene, rather than cower beneath their desks and wait to be slaughtered.
So Banks helped the moms estimate that about $100 per classroom would cover devices to secure the doors, as well as fill a bucket with other emergency supplies (50 rooms x $100 = $5,000).
The moms began by donating money themselves to cover their own children's classrooms.
They reached out fellow parents and local business owners.
By 2 p.m. they had raised $2,500.
By 3 p.m. they reached $4,000.
By the end of the day they hit their $5,000 goal, spread among dozens of parents and businesses.
Mahon is a nurse and anesthetist based at the local hospital. She and her husband moved from Orlando in 2012 to raise their family in what they deemed a safer community.
She worked at a hospital in Florida where one of her doctors was gunned down by a patient who ambushed him in the parking garage.
She got used to rerouting her drive home because the road had been blocked as police responded to an active shooter.
But Mahon today is among of a growing number who recognize these mass shootings as an American disease that is not confined to certain regions or neighborhoods.
Mahon also can't imagine how a modern teacher copes with the responsibility of students who must not only be educated but defended to the death. As a society, we certainly don't compensate teachers at any sort of rate to qualify as combat pay.
The fact that some of his parents were "willing to do anything they can to help protect those kids" overwhelmed him with gratitude.
"It kind of makes you sad at the same time that we have to have that discussion," Banks added. "But it does give you a little bit more relief knowing that we're just doing one more thing to possibly help those kids."
There has been "no credible threat" to his district during his tenure, Banks said. But like all the unnerved parents, he doesn't hold his breath.
Parkland already had an armed officer on hand. Many of us recoil at all the suggestions to fill our schools with even more guns and militarize the hallways.
We could staff a small army and dwarf what we spend on football teams and still not do justice for our kids.
But at this point, it's easy to understand why Mahon is more worried that her kids should be prepared to respond to an active shooter, rather than a fire.
These Keosauqua parents, a mix of liberals and conservatives, clearly have been riled by a tragedy 1,400 miles away. They also felt empowered by their successful one-day fundraiser.
But what now? What next?
Many of these moms already were politically active, regularly phoning their state representative or senator.
Even as she helped raise funds, Mahon monitored the progress of the "Constitutional Carry" pro-gun bill that she opposed and that stalled Thursday in the Iowa Senate.
Some Americans want a ban on "bump stocks" (to make semi-automatic rifles fire faster) or other gun-control measures. Banks cited dwindling options for mental health care in southeast Iowa.
Some Iowans on Thursday picketed Brownells in Grinnell, the firearms-maker whose CEO also is president of the National Rifle Association.
This is the point we've reached in America: Parents are so disturbed that they're pooling funds not to buy books but to help defend their kids and classrooms from gunfire.
Maybe this modest $5,000 in southeast Iowa is a sign that we're ready not only to recoil in horror at these slayings but to reach consensus on legitimate solutions.
Because nobody wants to be the parent who doesn't realize one morning that they just said a casual goodbye to the next victim of a mass shooting.


July 1st may prove an interesting day for Atlanta area restaurateurs. According to an e-mail circulating among the city's leading operators and owners that day has been pegged for a protest in opposition to House Bill 87 (the recently passed legislation governing immigration status in Georgia.) The options listed include closing for the day, closing for an hour (most likely 11 a.m. to Noon) or going about normal business but allowing employees time off to protest. It will be interesting to see if this goes anywhere as many restaurant folks have been traditionally apolitical unless an issue directly impacts their pocketbook-as this one may do. Based on the chatter we hear from operators, this may be the one that brings about a unified front.
As we reported a few weeks back the mood at Recon 2011, the International Council of Shopping Center's annual gabfest and networking extravaganza , was distinctly upbeat from the previous few years. The momentum has seemingly changed to the positive and landlords, developers, tenants and brokers are all optimistic.
Bloggers beware….a court in Taiwan sentenced a blogger to two years probation and a $7,000 fine for writing a negative on-line review. His review, which cited a restaurant's poorly seasoned food and bug infestation problems, was declared libelous because it was based on only one visit to the restaurant according to a local judge. While it's doubtful that a similar decision would be rendered in this country it is interesting to note that the internet is a virtually uncensored wild west of opinions, mis-stated facts and observations many from anonymous sources. As we all know, once it gets on the internet it stays there forever.


Increase access to ultrasound imaging by introducing smart phone and cloud services based systems that are accessible, affordable, and connected.
Significant documented need exists in emergency medicine and vascular access for point-of-care ultrasound imaging. Furthermore, globally more than 70% of the population doesn't have access to diagnostic ultrasound imaging because it is expensive, hard to use, and not portable. Mobisante proposes to change that by bringing to market accessible and mobile point-of-care ultrasound imaging embedded in an affordable service well suited for providers.
Prior to Mobisante Sailesh managed $100m worth of exploratory research investments in emerging technologies to identify and seed new businesses at Microsoft. He also led the turnaround of WebTV acquisition into a profitable business launching multiple new product and services, with revenues that peaked at $220m. His first start up Transarc was acquired by IBM.
David has 18 years of experience in various aspects of ultrasound hardware and software design and development. He was a co-founder of two start-ups; Z&R Technologies and BLENDICS. He has written device drivers and user applications, as well as designed hardware used in ultrasound imaging. He has a track record of pursuing cutting edge research and translating research into successful products.
Dr. Nassi has been a successful MedTech Silicon Valley Entrepreneur, R&D Executive, and CEO since 1991, The companies include: DiaSonics (Director R&D, Ultrasound Division), Cardiometrics (CEO), EndoSonics (BoD), PharmaSonics (CEO), MedGenics (CEO), ReVascular Therapeutics (CEO), NextRay (CEO), Advanced Bifurcation Systems (Interim CEO).
He successfully led Cardiometrics IPO in 1995 and M&A with EndoSonics in 1997.
Jeff has over 20 years' experience in sales and sales management in point-of-care devices. As VP of Sales for EPOCAL, he led efforts for the acquisition by Alere Medical for $252 million. Jeff also helped raise $5mil in funding for Wellness Environments, a startup company based in TN. Prior to EPOCAL, he was VP of Sales at i-STAT. As one of their top salesperson he helped grow the business leading to the acquisition of i-STAT for $650 million.


Concession is granted only on basic fare of Mail/Exp trains irrespective of type of trains, i.e. Mail/Exp or passenger by which the passengers travel. No concession shall be admissible in respect of other charges, viz, super fast charges, reservation charges and safety surcharges, etc.
No concession in rail fare is admissible by Rajdhani/ Shatabdi Express trains, except for senior trains.
Your concessional ticket cannot be changed to a higher class even if you are willing to pay the difference of fare.
No concession is granted for a journey, the cost of which is borne by Central/State Governments/Local bodies/Corporations or Government undertakings.
Some of the concessions are admissible subject to the minimum distance of journey which have been specified in the relevant categories.
First class coupon books for press correspondents will be valid in AC classes in accordance with the specific concession entitlement for higher class.
No person or party will be allowed two or more concessions at a time.
All concessions are to be granted across the counters/ at stations/reservation office/Booking office only. If some person enters the train without ticket or without proper ticket or extends journey or concession ticket to the higher classes etc. he/she shall not be granted any concession in the train even he/she otherwise eligible for concession under the rule.
Person eligible for concession in First class may travel also in AC-2 tire/Sleeper Class on payment of difference between normal AC-2tr sleeper and first class fare plus First class confessional fare.


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James Franco Addressed The Rumors Of A 'Freaks And Geeks' Reunion
by: Rachel Handler February 10, 2016
Rumors of a potential Freaks and Geeks reunion have persisted for years, despite Judd Apatow and Paul Feig alternately denying them completely and making purposefully opaque statements like "you never know," which is Hollywood-speak for "absolutely not." But we Freaks and Geeks obsessives beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past anyway, hoping that if we continue to put light pressure on Apatow, Feig, James Franco, Linda Cardellini, Busy Philipps, Jason Segel, and Seth Rogen, they'll eventually break.
They haven't yet. They've even gone so far as to suggest the reunion would be a terrible idea, one that would systematically destroy all of our pleasant memories associated with the cult hit. Apatow recently joked that "all of those characters died in a Supermax prison" and, earlier this year, painted a similarly bleak portrait of the fates of some of the less-ambitious Freaks. "I don't know if you really want to know what happened to those people," said Apatow. "I don't think good things happened to a fair amount of them, so it might be deeply sad to see what happened to Jason Segel's character or James Franco's character."
Even though Apatow has essentially told us get a grip to move the hell on with our lives many times over, we're still not ready to let go. Even Rolling Stone's guilty of clinging desperately onto the past, asking Franco about the chances of a reunion in a piece published today. During an interview with Franco about his forthcoming Stephen King adaptation, 11.22.63, Andy Greene explains, "we couldn't resist asking about the possibility of [Freaks and Geeks] returning." We get it, Andy.
Franco, for his part, took the question in stride, and gave a more hopeful answer than Apatow's, what with the Supermax prison and the deep sadness. "I mean, I don't know what that would look like," Franco said with a laugh. (A James Franco laugh could mean literally anything, especially in this context. Is he laughing with us? At us? At the moon? Hard to say.) "Everybody's kind of old," he added. "I think for the most part we've had these little reunions just for photo shoots over the years, and everybody seems to still really like each other and still have a great love for what we did on that show. And obviously I still work very closely with Seth [Rogen] all the time. So, if somebody came up with an idea that didn't totally suck, I'm sure it's a possibility."
Hear that, fellow Freaks fans? The dream of once again seeing Cardellini don Lindsay Weir's army jacket is still alive. Somebody come up with an idea that doesn't totally suck.
Topics: #James Franco, #Judd ApatowTags: Freaks and Geeks, james franco, JUDD APATOW, REUNIONS


A five-piece band that combines the influences of Indian ragas, Spanish flamenco and Arabic music with the art of improvisation to create music that ranges from the dramatic to the sublime.
Plus: a performance of classical Indian Bharatanatyam dance.
The evening will include a meal of authentic vegetarian Punjabi Cuisine.


text:
Q: PHP / MySQLi - How to get value of one row and store in a variable? I am going through my code and I am running so many queries it is getting long.  If I just want to store a single variable with a value, I have to do this:
switch($type) {
    case "next":
    if ($stmt = $mysqli->prepare("SELECT sort_order FROM user_slides WHERE user_id = ? AND sort_order > ? ORDER BY sort_order LIMIT 1")) {
        $stmt->bind_param('is', $user_id, $sortId);
        $stmt->execute();
        $stmt->bind_result($next_sort_id);
        $stmt->store_result();
        $stmt->fetch();

        return $next_sort_id;

        $stmt->close();
    }
    break;

    case "first":
    if ($stmt = $mysqli->prepare("SELECT MIN(sort_order) as max_slides FROM user_slides WHERE user_id = ?")) {
        $stmt->bind_param('i', $user_id);
        $stmt->execute();
        $stmt->bind_result($first_sort_id);
        $stmt->store_result();
        $stmt->fetch();

        return $first_sort_id;

        $stmt->close();
    }
    break;

    case "last":
    if ($stmt = $mysqli->prepare("SELECT MAX(sort_order) as max_slides FROM user_slides WHERE user_id = ?")) {
        $stmt->bind_param('i', $user_id);
        $stmt->execute();
        $stmt->bind_result($last_sort_id);
        $stmt->store_result();
        $stmt->fetch();

        return $last_sort_id;

        $stmt->close();
    }
    break;
}

There has to be an easier way to do this.  Where I can just do it like this:
$first_sort_id = QUERY HERE
$last_sort_id = QUERY HERE

So it doesn't have to be so long, it can be nice and short.
Does anyone know what I need to do to accomplish that?

A: First
If you use return the statement $stmt->close(); will be never executed.
Second
Get rid of two vars, you just need one. Don't get fooled by semantic meanings.
Third
A simple reorganization could be this:
switch($type)
{
   case "next":
      $Query = "SELECT sort_order";
   break;
   case "first":
      $Query = "SELECT MIN(sort_order)";
   break;
   case "last":
      $Query = "SELECT MAX(sort_order)";
   break;
}

if ($stmt = $mysqli->prepare("$Query as max_slides FROM user_slides WHERE user_id = ?"))
{
      $stmt->bind_param('i', $user_id);
      $stmt->execute();
      $stmt->bind_result($value);
      $stmt->store_result();
      $stmt->fetch();
      $stmt->close();

      return $value;
}
else
   return NULL;


The man, the myth, the father of needlessly obscure German philosophers.
So one day when I was really bored in my modern philosophy class, a not infrequent occurrence, I wrote a poem using only Kantian terminology which I found, and still find, ridiculous. I presented it as a token of my appreciation to my TA at the time. She said I used all the terms properly, which I took as a victory. I present it to you now because it's my blog and why not?
Depending on the response, more ridiculous poetry might follow. I have a classic one about neutering a dog and another about ties. My college years were fecund with creative rapture. Also, I had an intro to poetry writing class.
Hahaha, I can very much relate. I just did a project emulating Dorothy Wordsworth.
Nice. Yeah, this was years ago, but I consider it one of my best poetic achievements. I realized that in my intro to poetry writing class, I can only write free verse. Of course, I feel like that's not really writing anything, at least when I do it.
Well, thanks for stopping in.
Great Post. I took a class on Kant in college, and it was the most difficult philosophy class EVER. I still have trouble understanding him! But of course he was brilliant and an amazing philosopher. Good emulation!


text:
ACCEPTED

#### According to
Index Fungorum

#### Published in
null

#### Original name
Cladosporium cornigerum Bubák

### Remarks
null

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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A Week in Belize, Where it's Always Sunny with a Chance of Beautiful
It requires a fair amount of hubris and cheek to go on vacation and assume that anyone anywhere would care to have you share the gritty details of how you idled endless hours in a hammock munching on fresh fruit and being lulled to sleep by the ocean's waves…so allow me to express my gratitude to the many people who have sent messages expressing their anticipation of my doing just that. That you would want to participate in my experience, albeit it vicariously, means a lot!
Me and my hammock were like *this*!
MOM Squad. Man. There's just so much to tell. I could write and vlog for weeks and still not properly convey the mix of sounds, smells, sights and emotions I experienced on this short trip. Still I must try so, I will begin by sharing my most immediate reactions and observations. Also, it is incumbent on me to advise that if you ever have the opportunity to visit Belize (or Placencia, to be precise), seize it! There's no way you'll regret it.
Marshall and I visited the country in order to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. We had originally planned to visit Greece, but changed our minds when Belize literally dropped in our spirits.
"Let's go somewhere super exotic. Like Ibiza or Las Trampas (not a real place)," I said.
Marshall was Googling the earth and said, "What about Belize?"
And that's how we ended up on its sunny shores instead of Greece's debt-ridden coast.
The entire trip was fraught with excitement. After we landed at the international airport in Belize City, we took a much smaller aircraft to the peninsula of Placencia. The 10 seater plane, about the size of matchbox, was piloted by a handsome West Indian chap who handled the craft like it was a Hyundai taxi. Our landing strip at the Placencia airport – which was constructed to look like someone's house – was the size of a postage stamp. A dog jogged onto the runway as we offloaded our bags. A shuttle driven by a stocky Mayan man named Cirilo took us to Robert's Grove where we would spend the week.
The first thing we both noticed about Belizeans is how friendly they are – and not in that trained, tourist tolerating way that you become accustomed to when you walk into a Hilton hotel or Five Guys hamburger chain. Belizeans connect with you on a human level. It's amazing. Marshall and I spent the first 36 hours trying to ascertain whether they were putting on or if this was their demeanor as a culture until I finally put an end to the query.
"Let's not question this anymore! This is the problem with Americans….always so suspicious! This is just the way life is here, babe."
Poor Marshall. All he could do was nod and agree with his wife.
To be honest, this aspect of Belizean culture has proven to make my re-entry to the United States most difficult. Since I have been back, I have had to make a conscious effort to "unlook" passersby and people with whom I share public space. When I first came from Ghana to the US, I would offer a greeting or at least nod in deference if I happened to make eye contact with a stranger. I was greeted with hostile stares in return. Then I moved to the South (Atlanta) and continued with the practice. True Southerners will nod and greet in response. But since there has been an influx of Northerners to this part of the country, that culture has quickly died as well. Now, I have learned to stand my ground, continue walking in a straight line and coldly refuse to look anyone in the face in passing. The person coming in the opposite direction does the same. But in Belize? My word… I couldn't say "hello" enough! Every who walked by offered a hearty "Good day!" or "Good afternoon!" with a smile. A real, honest from the soul smile. I looked forward to making my way to the street just so I could interact with people in this way.
The second thing that has been hard about returning to the US has been that you can't see the stars at night. Do you know how devastating it is to look up at the night sky and KNOW the stars are there, but be unable to see them? All the night pollution and artificial light blocks their view. I've been back two days and still haven't adjusted.
I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the food. It's absolutely incredible. We eat crap – actual, verifiable CRAP – in this country. Rafi, our tour guide told us as much. On our way to Nim Li Punit, we passed several cashew, orange and banana plantations. There were bright, blue plastic bags covering the hanging fruit of the banana trees. Marshall enquired about them.
"Oh that?" said Rafi. "That's so that the pesticides that they spray from the airplane don't get on the banana fruit itself."
"Oh. Ok."
"We don't eat dat sh*t," he continued. "That's they stuff we ship to you all in de US. Our food is organic."
No apologies, no remorse. And why should he be remorseful? The FDA and grocery chains are the ones who request and approve the chemical covered and infused swill that we stuff into our bodies and call "food". It's not Rafi or Belize's fault. They are just giving the customer what they asked for. But by God, you haven't tasted a mango or a pineapple until you've had one in Belize, one grown in "good ground" as they call it. Rafi gifted us a mango from his yard which we ate on the morning of our departure. I had just gorged on fresh coconut and don't particularly care for mango, but Marshall didn't care. With a wide-eyed stare, he commanded me to eat this.
It wasn't just a mango. It tasted like honey, nutmeg cinnamon and fleshy joy. It felt like pleasure sliding down my throat. It was divine. I never want to eat another mango after that. Every other mango will fall short.
In my next post, I will tell you about the sea. In Ghana, to ocean makes me very sad. Apart from the fact that it is absolutely filthy and fetid, the ocean holds a particularly melancholy place in my heart. It's deep and spiritual. I didn't feel that when I looked over the beach in Placencia at all… and I was shocked (and pleased) when I unearthed why that was.
*Check out my IG @ malakagrant if you want to see a few pictures! My iPhone was acting up, so there aren't that many. 🙁 Boo. I know!
Explore: Belize, Belize City, Placencia
I'm Considering Getting A 'Sleep Divorce'
Are You Going to Marry The Man of Your Nightmares?
Should You Have Sex When You Are Fasting?
Should Your Spouse's Enemies Also Be Your Enemies?


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You are here: Home 2013 February 14 Super Rugby – Round 1 Preview and Betting Tips
Super Rugby – Round 1 Preview and Betting Tips
Posted on February 14, 2013 by admin | 0 Comments
The following are previews and betting tips for Round 1 of the 2013 Super 15 Rugby competition. This round is an all-Australian affair. There will be two more such rounds later in the season as the Super Rugby schedule is adjusted to fit in the British and Irish Lions Tour of Australia in June.
If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out our 2013 Super Rugby Season Preview.
Friday, 15 February
Rebels v Force
7:40 PM AEDT, AAMI Park, Melbourne
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The Rebels and Western Force had forgettable seasons in 2012, finishing 13th and 14th respectively in the overall standings. The Rebels picked up four wins last season, with two of them coming against the Force. The Force managed just three wins, however those did include the scalps of the Reds and Waratahs. Both sides will be keen to start 2013 on a positive note after the Rebels and Force ended 2012 on four-game and three-game losing streaks, respectively.
In the off-season the Rebels made a great acquisition in Scott Higginbotham, however they will miss Mark Gerrard. The Force, meanwhile, have had a fair amount of player turnover in the off-season and will be hurting from the losses of Nathan Sharpe and David Pocock. They also have a new coach in Michael Foley, who comes over after just one season with the Waratahs. They will be without captain Matt Hodgson who picked up a hamstring injury during training.
The two Rebels' victories over the Force last year were by just one point. In fact, in their four-game head-to-head history the Rebels have beaten the Force by just one point on three occasions and lost to the Force by three points on one occasion.
Bookmakers have installed the Rebels as 6.5 point favourites for this fixture, which indicates they feel the Force have weakened since last year. The primary area of concern for the Force will be the strength of their forward pack. The absence of Matt Hodgson doesn't help.
Tip: Rebels
Betting: I fancy the Rebels to win this, however the Force will be an unknown quantity with a new coach and plenty of turnover in the off-season. I prefer to err on the side of caution in early rounds of a season, so if I had to bet I would take the Rebels at 1.42 (Pinnacle Sports) in the head-to-head.
Saturday, 16 February
Brumbies v Reds
7:40 PM AEDT, Canberra Stadium, Canberra
This game features the top two sides in the Australian conference last season. The two were separated only by points difference at the end. Much was made of the relative weakness of the Australian conference last season, with the Reds and Brumbies ranked 6th and 7th on raw points on the overall table.
Very little was expected of the Brumbies last year, but former Springboks coach Jake White had an excellent first season in charge. The Brumbies start this season with much higher expectations. They made an excellent acquisition over the off-season in David Pocock, however they will miss Michael Hooper. Fly-half Christian Lealiifano is back from injury and the Brumbies will be hoping he can remain match fit for the duration of the season after losing him for the latter part of last year.
The Reds have made relatively few changes to the squad from last year, with the loss of Scott Higginbotham being the only major talking point. This should bode well for their continuity on the field at the start of this season. The Reds have said James Horwill will miss the game with injury, however Brumbies coach Jake White doesn't buy it. Will Genia is still injured with reports saying he will be back sometime between rounds 4 and 8.
The Reds beat the Brumbies twice last season and they'll fancy their chances here again. It was a tight tussle last year in Canberra, with the Reds prevailing 13-12. In fact, the biggest winning margin between the Brumbies and Reds has been eight points over the last four encounters.
Tip: Brumbies
Betting: I like to be more conservative during the opening rounds of a new season. I find it very difficult to separate the two teams, so for this fixture I would be tempted to back both sides to win by 1-12 (Brumbies 1-12 at 2.62 with bet365, Reds 1-12 at 3.25 with bet365.
Filed in: Super Rugby


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text:
TheBlast
Reba McEntire's Christmas Tradition With Her Son Shelby Is A Little Strange
Clark Sparky
American country music artist and actress
Reba McEntire loves enjoying holiday traditions with her family, specifically her son 29-year-old son, Shelby. The country icon opened up to the The Boot about what she loves most about Christmas. She started by talking about their holidays when Shelby was a little boy.
If This Celebrity Wouldn't Have Turned Down 'The Voice,' Blake Shelton Wouldn't be on the Show
Reba McEntire's A New Viral Sensation After Her Amazing CMA Performance
Reba McEntire Is the Newest KFC Colonel Sanders!
Reba McEntire Changed a Billion Times During CMA Country Christmas
"He would open gifts, and I would say, 'Shelby, who's that from?' and he would say, 'Uh, I don't know.' He was like, 3 years old," McEntire said with a laugh. "And I'd say, 'Shelby, that's from Santa Claus.' And he'd say, 'Oh yeah, I forgot! He's a really good guy.'
"So, watching the excitement of a child opening gifts, that's the best thing about Christmas. Opening presents and watching them. It's so much fun," she added.
Now that he's grown, she says one of her favorite traditions involves watching an usual movie with Shelby.
"Shelby and I, we used to always watch Christmas Vacation on Christmas Eve night. Now, we watch Elf and Nacho Libre," McEntire shares. "If you've never seen Nacho Libre, you're probably thinking, 'What on Earth?! That's not a Christmas movie,' but it's a lot of fun! We laugh a lot."
"We hang out at home a lot more," McEntire continued. "And then, of course, after Christmas, we take off and go on vacation."
PopCulture.com shared what's next for McEntire after the holidays:
McEntire will have a few months at home in 2020 before hitting the road in March. In April, she will return to Las Vegas for her residency with Brooks & Dunn, Reba, Brooks & Dunn: Together in Vegas, at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. With the 24 new shows announced for 2020, the residency will officially be the longest-running country-music show in Las Vegas. The residency began in 2015 and will see performances next year in April, June, October and December.
McEntire shares Shelby with her ex-husband, Narvel Blackstock, whose other son is married to Kelly Clarkson. Shelby is a professional race car driver.
Would Trump Throw His Own Kids Under the Bus to Save Himself? We May Soon Find Out.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesWe've been lulled into believing Donald Trump is made of Teflon. He was, after all, the guy who boasted that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a vote.But Trump's luck began to run out in early 2021—when he lost the White House, Air Force One, and his Twitter account inside a few weeks. His days of getting away with conduct that would sink anyone else appear to be over. He could even start losing so much that he'll get sick of losing.Trump was met wi
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Case C-103/05 Reisch Montage AG v Kiesel Baumaschinen Handels GmbH (13th July 2006) concerns the interpretation of Article 6(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters.
Can a claimant rely on Article 6(1) of Regulation … No 44/2001 when bringing a claim against a person domiciled in the forum state and against a person resident in another Member State, but where the claim against the person domiciled in the forum state is already inadmissible by the time the claim is brought because bankruptcy proceedings have been commenced against him, which under national law results in a procedural bar?
Article 6(1) should be interpreted strictly in order to preserve the dominant rule in Article 2(1) (see Case C-51/97 Réunion européenne and Others  ECR I-6511, paragraph 16, and Case C-265/02 Frahuil  ECR I-1543, paragraph 23).
National courts must have regard for the principle of legal certainty (see Case C-281/02 Owusu  ECR I-1383, paragraph 38). That principle requires, in particular, that the special rules on jurisdiction be interpreted in such a way as to enable a normally well-informed defendant reasonably to foresee before which courts, other than those of the State in which he is domiciled, he may be sued.
The provisions of the regulation must be interpreted independently, by reference to its scheme and purpose. Since Article 6(1) is not one of the provisions, such as Article 59 of Regulation No 44/2001, for example, which provide expressly for the application of domestic rules and thus serve as a legal basis therefor, Article 6(1) of the Regulation cannot be interpreted in such a way as to make its application dependent on the effects of domestic rules.
Therefore, the Court ruled that Article 6(1) must be interpreted as meaning that, in a situation such as that in the main proceedings, that provision may be relied on in the context of an action brought in a Member State against a defendant domiciled in that State and a co-defendant domiciled in another Member State even when that action is regarded under a national provision as inadmissible from the time it is brought in relation to the first defendant.
Case C-103/05 Reisch Montage AG v Kiesel Baumaschinen Handels GmbH [click for full judgment].
Next post: Rome I Regulation – A Dangerous Proposal?


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FEB 05, 2014 9:00 AM PST
Certifying competence
Presented at: Lab Animal Sciences 2014
C.E. Credits: CE
Bryan R Howard, PhD
Veterinary Surgeon, Retired Director of Animal Welfare, at the University of Sheffield, UK
Public concerns over animal experimentation are becoming felt on both sides of the Atlantic, and a dangerous chasm is appearing between those who conduct such experiments and those who are opposed to them. This is a dangerous development, not only because a divided society loses efficiency, but the element of secrecy which it engenders can impede scientific progress and hinder the deployment of resources. It is my thesis that scientific investigations designed and carried out by competent personnel, better support animal welfare, are less likely to be flawed or lack rigour and are likely to be more acceptable to the general public. Competence is much more than the possession of manual skills or knowledge. Many of the qualities associated with competence will be acquired in the workplace rather than during formal training although the quality of the latter is paramount in establishing the correct personal development trajectory. This presentation addresses not only the characteristics and validation of that basic training, but the importance of continuing professional development, the need for ongoing guidance and the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to assessing the competence which an individual has attained. Application of a quality assurance scheme based on external standards and applied across a number of different establishments serves not only to facilitate free movement of personnel, whose qualifications can be recognised by other parties, but also provides reassurance that valid standards are being sought and attained and can act as an important motivator for those both delivering and receiving the experience, education and training that lead to competency. Learning objectives. 1. It is important to focus on competency rather than the delivery of education and training. 2. Impartial and objective validation of the assessment of competency is key to setting and maintaining appropriate standards.
SEP 14, 2021 7:00 AM PDT
C.E. CREDITS
What prevents you from increasing your PCR productivity?
Date: September 14, 2021 Time: 7am PDT, 10am EDT, 4pm CEST A conventional thermal cycler has long been a commodity product in the lab and end-point PCR techniques can be completed almost wit...
Speaker: Arora Phang, PhD
Sponsored By: Eppendorf
SEP 17, 2021 12:00 PM CST
Developing better techniques for 3D culture and analysis.
Date: September 16, 2021 Time: 9:00pm (PDT), 12:00am (EDT) 3D cellular models like organoids and spheroids offer an opportunity to better understand complex biology in a physiologically rele...
Speaker: Edwin Golez , Bhaskar Mandavilli
Sponsored By: Thermo Fisher Scientific/Gibco
NOV 30, 2021 10:00 AM PST
The Role of the Laboratory in Managing Thyroid Health
Date: November 30, 2021 Time: 10:00am (PDT), 1:00pm (EDT) The prevalence of thyroid disease worldwide has served as a catalyst for healthcare providers to study various tools and methods to...
Speaker: Dr. Tar-Choon Aw
Sponsored By: Abbott
OCT 12, 2021 9:00 AM PDT
An overview and demonstration of SCIEX Biologics Explorer software...
Date: October 12, 2021 Time: 9:00am (PDT), 12:00pm (EDT) SCIEX's next-generation Biologics Explorer software is an innovative platform for the comprehensive and deep characterization o...
Speaker: Mona Hamada, Ph.D. , Stephen Sciuto, Ph.D.
Sponsored By: SCIEX
Comprehensive characterization of Etanercept using the ZenoTOF...
Date: October 27, 2021 Time: 6:00 AM PDT, 9:00 AM EDT Etanercept is a recombinant Fc fusion protein therapeutic that has a complex distribution of post-translation modifications (PTM), such...
Speaker: Xuezhi Bi, PhD
OCT 20, 2021 10:00 AM PDT
DIABETES AND THE CLINICAL LABORATORY
Date: October 20, 2021 Time:10:00am (PDT), 1:00pm (EDT) As the prevalence of Diabetes continues to rise in many areas across the globe, healthcare providers continue to look for methods that...
Speaker: Professor Garry John, PhD, FRCPath
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Animal Diets
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- 2 space indents.
- all new classes have a documentation block describing their responsibility.
- constants are ALL_UPPER_CASE
- Everything must pass jshint using the checked in config.
- declarations with var always (eg no implicit global objects)
- variables should be camelCasedLikeThis not snake_cased_like_this
- use bower for external dependencies, adding AMD shimming if necessary.
- handlebars templates should be loaded with the `hbs!` require extension, not the `text!` require extension.

##### multiple variables are either default-initialized, or separated one per line.

```js
// GOOD
var x = 1;
var y = 2;

var x, y, z;

// BAD
var x = 1, y, z;
var x = 1, y = 2;
```

##### Do not throw strings as exceptions.

```js
// GOOD
throw new Error("text here")
// BAD
throw "text here"
```
##### Do not use bitwise operators unless doing actual bit manipulation.

```js
// GOOD
Math.floor(1.2)

// BAD
~~1.2  // turns the number into 1
```

##### Do not use preceeding `+` to convert string to number.
```js
// GOOD
Number('1.2')

// BAD
+'1.2'
```

##### Prefer to ellide else statements for ifs that early return.

```js
// GOOD
if (x) {
  return 1
}
return 2

// BAD
if (x) {
  return 1
} else {
  return 2
}
```

##### Do not use single-line if statements.

```js
// GOOD
if (x) {
  perform(action);
}

// BAD
if (x) perform(action);
```


text:
openDemocracy
openDemocracy Foundation for the Advancement of Global Education
Anthony Barnett, David Hayes, Susan Richards and Paul Hilder
Magnus Nome
Slogan(s)
Free thinking for the world
www.opendemocracy.net
May 2001 (2001-05)
openDemocracy is an independent global media platform covering world affairs, ideas and culture which seeks to challenge power and encourage democratic debate across the world. openDemocracy was founded in 2000 by Anthony Barnett, David Hayes, Susan Richards and Paul Hilder. Publishing started in May 2001.[1]
Prominent contributors to the webzine have included Kofi Annan, George Soros, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Shirin Ebadi, Sidney Blumenthal, Peter Hain, Pierre Bourdieu, Manuel Castells, Fred Halliday, and David Blunkett. openDemocracy's mission statement asserts: "openDemocracy is committed to human rights and democracy. We aim to ensure that marginalised views and voices are heard. We believe facilitating argument and understanding across geographical boundaries is vital to preventing injustice".[2]
openDemocracy is owned and published through a non-profit foundation.[3] It has been funded by a number of philanthropic organisations, including the Ford Foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, as well as a base of individual donors.[4] High profile individual supporters have included Heidi Bergemann, John Cleese, Carl Djerassi, and Pamela Raspe, and Reinhard Hesse.[4]
Today the principal columnists are Paul Rogers (Global security), Li Datong (China from the inside), Mary Kaldor (Human security) and Daniele Archibugi (Cosmopolitan Democracy).
Founder Anthony Barnett, Charter 88 organiser and political campaigner, was the first editor (2001-2005) and Isabel Hilton was editor from 2005-2007. She was succeeded by Rosemary Bechler who has been editor since 2010. Since 2012 editor-in-chief has been Magnus Nome, with former editor-in-chief Tony Curzon Price as contributing editor.
One section of the site is devoted to Our NHS and another to OurBeeb.
↑ Tony Bennett (Autumn/Winter 2005-06). "Opening up democracy, interview with the founder of openDemocracy.net Anthony Barnett" (PDF). Society Matters (8): 15. Retrieved 2008-08-17. Check date values in: |date= (help)
↑ "About openDemocracy". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
↑ openDemocracy Foundation for the Advancement of Global Education listed at Companies House
1 2 "Our supporters". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2008-08-17.


text:
Prigorje Brdovečko - plaats in Kroatië
 Prigorje (Đurmanec) - plaats in Kroatië
 Democratische Prigorje-Zagreb Partij - politieke partij in Kroatië

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


To invest in their crops, smallholders need loans. Often, however, accessing credit is hard for individuals. In India, we're taking a team approach to improving farmers' position.
Many farmers find it difficult to get loans on their own. Organization into larger units can open bank doors that previously seemed closed to individuals. In India, Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) are a good example.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development first promoted such groups in 2004-5. "Since then, JLGs have been instrumental in getting institutional credit to farmers' door-steps", says Parikrama Chowdhury from Syngenta Foundation India (SFI).
As their name suggests, Joint Liability Groups divide the risk of a loan. That is important for Indian finance institutes. Across the country, many farmers have defaulted on repayment in recent years. There are multiple reasons for this credit record, but the result is the same: many bankers shy away from smallholders as potential clients. "JLGs make it easier for them to reach out to otherwise unreached and under-served households", Parikrama explains.
A JLG is an informal group of four to six people who engage in similar economic activities, and are willing jointly to repay their loans. The group provides "social collateral". This can replace more conventional security such as land deeds. The bank sanctions the lending based on a number of criteria. These include the group's knowledge, functioning and business potential, and the possibility of regular monitoring after credit receipt.
SFI wants more farmers in Odisha to benefit from this arrangement. The Foundation works through its network of Agri-Entrepreneurs there. Across Junagarh and Dharamgarh blocks in Kalahandi District, 93 farmers in 17 JLGs have received a credit of INR 1,095,000. That is about $165 per head. Sums of 40 - 60,000 rupees go to each group; two nominated farmers per JLG disburse the money to fellow members. The bank sanctioned these loans in a fast time of less than two months. With 47 further groups now applying, some 300 farmers stand to access institutional credit through this approach.
Our Agri-Entrepreneurs (AEs) have been working with these smallholders for two to three years. They are therefore an ideal bridge to the bankers. The AEs know the farmers very well and have built up trusting relationships. The AEs help identifies suitable members for the JLGs. They also organize regular meetings to increase farmers' financial literacy and knowledge of good credit practices.
SFI Credit Head Vikram Borade, Odisha Project Lead Purna Chandra Singh and colleagues reached out to the Lead Bank Officer at State Bank of India (SBI). They suggested JLGs as a new route to financing farmers' investments. For the SBI team in Dharamgarh, this was the first credit allocation ever through JLGs. The bankers now aim steadily to increase the number of borrowers. "One focus area for us to focus on is increasing the number of women benefiting from JLG loans", says Parikrama.


I've just gotten a flu shot and will be taking antibiotics and cough preparations for a particularly nasty bout of flu I contracted. I'm very drowsy now from the shot and will be getting some much needed Z's. Now all I need to do is to let the X-Wing take care of the TIE fighter and get rid of the influenza in my system. I hope I feel much better tomorrow. Cheers all!


The Cannon Zone Down Alternative Pillow was one of the least durable pillows that we tested. However, it fit nicely into a standard pillowcase, and it performed well in our "break test," meaning it retained its cushion and support even after washing. Take note: this pillow is only available in standard/queen size. cannonpillows.com.


text:
Conor McGregor has a laugh at Michael Chandler's prediction (February 6)
Sergey Spivak Taps Out Derrick Lewis at UFC Vegas 68 (February 5)
UFC Vegas 68 Live Results: Lewis vs. Spivak (February 4)
featuredConor McGregor has a laugh at Michael Chandler's prediction
featuredSergey Spivak Taps Out Derrick Lewis at UFC Vegas 68
featuredRyan Bader stops Fedor Emelianenko in the first at Bellator 290
featuredUFC Vegas 68 Live Results: Lewis vs. Spivak
Fedor's Former Manager Says Last Emperor Working with 'Shady Enterprise'
Ken Pishna
Everyone may be quick to blame Fedor Emelianenko's manager Vadim Finkelchtein for the "Last Emperor" returning to mixed martial arts competition, but once again avoiding the UFC. There is just one problem with that, however, Finkelchtein, if he is to be believed, is no longer Fedor's manager.
In fact, Fedor sidestepping the UFC in favor a working with former Pride FC boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara and his new Rizin Fighting Federation promotion in Japan was solely the former heavyweight kingpin's decision.
RELATED > Report: Fedor to Face 1-0 Jaideep Singh in New Year's Eve Event
"Fedor makes all the decisions by himself now. In our past, all troubles and accusations used to fall on me. They said that I was the reason that Fedor didn't fight in UFC," Finkelchtein told M1Global.tv. "But now I say officially: I don't have any relations to this one. Nothing."
Finkelchtein, who operates the M-1 Global promotion, says that he was approached about a year ago by Sakakibara to see if he would be interested in partnering with the latter's Japanese revival, but had trouble envisioning how the whole operation would unfold, and he still does.
Sakakibara is currently partnering with the likes of Bellator, KSW, King of Kings, Bushido, BAMMA, and Jungle Fight, and there are plans to air his three-day year-end event on Spike TV in the United States.
Finkelchtein, however, isn't sold on how this partnership is going to be spread equitably amongst all parties.
"I don't think this is a serious initiative," he said. "Who will own all of this? My professional opinion: all they do now is some kind of shady enterprise. But I don't have enough info, so let's see where will they come in the end."
Currently, Rizin's drawing card is Fedor, who has been rumored to be matched against kickboxer Jaideep Singh, who is 1-0 in MMA. Finkelchtein doesn't believe that Singh would be a proper match-up for Fedor, but he also doesn't believe that Rizin can rest on Fedor's comeback alone, if it is to succeed.
"That's clear, they have (a draw in) Fedor, but you can't ride on his back forever. You don't play cards with the Ace only, right? They need to entice more fighters, and pay huge money. Where do the Japanese get top fighters? I don't know. Maybe some of them will be provided by Bellator or KSW. Still, I don't know any fighter of top-level in KSW, except Mamed Khalidov."
Bellator 290 Official Weigh-in Results


Today was our first play date of our J.A.R (Joel.Addison.Ruby) group and so of course I did my best to take lots of photos. Because I took so many shots I'm going to break this up into a few posts.
First we have the morning session. With three babies at this age (all born October 2010) they all have different schedules so for this to go smoothly was very hopeful thinking. They all need sleep and food, and yes they have their grumpy moments…but they did have some fun times too!


Success! Isn't it beautiful? And so tasty. Every problem that I had with my previous attempt was magically solved.
Combine both flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Cream together sugar, oil and eggs in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add vanilla and beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients and beat on medium just until combined. Add carrots and orange zest and stir by hand just until combined.
Pour batter evenly (I actually weighed my empty batter bowl and then the bowl filled with batter so I would know how much total the batter weighed, then placed each pan onto the scale to measure exactly a third of the batter into it) into three 8" round cake pans (greased, bottom lined with parchment, then greased again). Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean (depending on your oven, you may need to rotate your pans halfway through cooking time). Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and allow to cool completely.
Cream together the cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add vanilla and salt and beat until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, with mixer on low, beating until smooth between each addition. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before using.
After frosting, pat chopped nuts around sides of cake and/or sprinkle on top if desired.
TGIP Rating--Three-Layer Carrot Cake--KEEPER. I love this cake like I have never loved carrot cake. I will make it many times in the future. A hint--if you want a frosting that is absolutely delicious on homemade cinnamon rolls (like these), use the frosting recipe as is (maybe a half recipe), plus 1/2 tsp. of orange zest. So delicious.
Next up: Grasshopper Pie with Thin Mint Crust.
Of course, it didn't help that I had to transport this cake. Or that in order to transport it I had to move it onto a large plate from the cake stand I originally put it on. Now, the question is, is this because carrot cake is just too heavy to stack 4 layers tall? Can't be. I've seen plenty of carrot layer cakes. Or is it because my frosting wasn't thick enough? Because I didn't allow the frosting to refrigerate long enough? Is there a very good reason why carrot cake is most frequently seen in 13x9 shape? I want a carrot LAYER cake! I'll make it fit! And in the process, I will make some adjustments and most likely incorporate ideas from a few other recipes.
I did learn a couple of things that I need to remember for the next trial, which probably won't be too long from now.
Zoe of Zoe Bakes had a brilliant idea (link above) to shred the carrots and then put them through the food processor. I don't like the idea of stringy carrots in cake, so I did this. And it worked perfectly.
Refrigerating cream cheese icing goes a long way towards making it stiff enough to frost rather than...you know...plop...and slide.
In his Devil of a Cake episode, Alton Brown made a Red Velvet Cake (link above) and talked about why it is that two cakes well-known to be Southern staples, Red Velvet and Carrot Cake both traditionally have cream cheese frosting. Thing is, buttercream doesn't hold up well at room temperature in those hot (and slide-y) Southern temperatures. But the addition of cream cheese makes the frosting more stable. Fascinating, right?!
Toasted walnuts are delicious with Carrot Cake. But I prefer them on the outside, not the inside.
And also--a mystery...the outside of the layers was pretty crunchy, the way banana bread gets. Is it from the sugars in the carrots? Is there a way to prevent this happening? Ideas?
TGIP Rating--Carrot Cake--Delicious tasting. I mean, really delicious. The cake was good enough to say that it's not just a vehicle for the frosting, which was the goal. I just need to tweak some things. And the cake is good enough that, honestly, experimenting isn't a problem.
Next up: Another stab at Carrot Cake? This week's BAKED Sunday Mornings recipe? A pie using my new leaf lard from Prairie Pride Farms? Grasshopper Pie with a Thin Mint cookie crust? I can't decide!
So, I've been threatening to do it for a while and today I...almost did. I would like to start using leaf lard in my pie crusts. I've read that it is far superior to the lard that can be found in the grocery store. And I've heard great things about a couple of online sources. Here's the rub: one of them requires a phone call (really?? It's 2011 and my boss would overhear the conversation and lard has nothing to do with my job), and the other charges more for shipping than for the lard itself (insulated packaging--also, really?? It's the dead of winter. I dare the lard to get melty between Minnesota and here). My search will continue. I'll try some local places and see if they have a source. Although, I'm skeptical. So, if you know a hog butcher who doesn't know what to do with all that kidney fat...send him my way.
At any rate, here's the best tool I've found for measuring lard. Obviously, these work equally well for other sticky substances: honey, molasses, peanut butter, shortening, you get the idea.
Because you load up the dry measuring side and then just plunge it right out. I have the somewhat less fancy version of this kind of tool. And the markings are starting to disappear. So, now you know what to get me for...St. Patrick's Day.