This is now becoming a series in its own right, hence the change of titles (with appropriate backdating). The context should now be really easy to find, but just in case … ANT1, ANT2 and ANT3.
You want to introduce epistemological uncertainty, but I'm not sure it makes sense to talk about experience of selfhood. As I stated before, I think experiencing anything at all justifies self-existence, but I cannot think of a specific "selfhood experience" that we could choose to accept or doubt. Acknowledging selfhood is a matter of rational argumentation, not phenomenological experience.
You seem very troubled by the idea of self because it seems to relate to the soul even though it is material, emergent, and ceases to exist upon death (quite un-soul-like). The concept contained herein I feel is inescapable. Either you endorse eliminativism or the self must exist. But, I understand your concern here. Daniel Dennett and other naturalists have the same concern. He thinks self is an illusion whereas freewill exists as an emergent phenomenon (note: Sean Carroll also holds this view on freewill). What exactly is free to act though? We cannot both say that something has freedom and does not exist, this is a logical contradiction. That thing that performs the action, if we trace it backwards from the tip of the finger through nerve fibers to brain to electrical impulse to emergent thing to whatever, that thing we could label as self. Of course science doesn't understand it, theists hijack it to argue for dualism, and it may be enormously complicated and dynamic. But, it seems to be a center of receiving input and giving output. Some naturalists have conceived of it as a processing system. I don't think Dennett or Carroll would deny this kind of self. They are simply denying the kind that singularitarians are saying can be uploaded only a silicon chip or potentially transferred between human brains. BTW these guys are not theists either.
It must be ironic for you to hear that your reformulation of the problem begs the question for naturalism since you ask "by what causal mechanism" as if we know for certain that a causal mechanism is responsible for partitioning selves to genetic and local conditions. This is what we are inquiring about. When causal mechanisms are nowhere to be found, we can employ an old atheist debate tactic – absence of evidence is evidence of absence. Therefore, if the self exists, and mental states, intentionality, experience, and so on really do exist in some sense, then naturalism is an incomplete worldview. Or otherwise, what explains the connection between specific selves and specific genetic and local conditions?
True, the idea of gifts from a deity deserves more specification because it is distant from naturalism. Seeing your thoughts on the connection between gift and evidence, I think we might ultimately agree on this part. This is conditioned on whether we agree on what counts as evidence. If evidence is restricted to what can be published in modern science journals or what is permissible in law courts, then we have none. If evidence includes what is internal to the person, then some people might have evidence. For example, after I "reconverted" I analyzed the situation to the nth degree and found what really drove my belief was something internal and compelling. I cannot say what the force is or from where it originates. This is not what I wanted to happen! I wanted my worldview to be discovered by sheer power of intellect or an accomplishment worthy of respect, but what ended up happening was humbling.
Your point about the content of the belief is well taken. There are beliefs that are bad for the world, and we don't have to search long to find examples. So a gift from a good deity would have to be a good gift, and if this were a belief, a good belief rather than one that leads to harm. Also, yes, it's conceivable from my worldview that the light could go out so-to-speak and I could become an atheist. Job said it best, "The Lord gives and he takes away". The point of this reality is not to homogenize human belief across the earth and not to create a futuristic superhuman or super-society. The point is to let people live and freely, both good and evil, and judge them, so that when evil and suffering are removed from the structure of reality at the apocalypse, only those who earnestly and humbly sought the good will be brought back.
There are two hypothetical deities we have compared here. The first rewards gullibility which makes the deity not good. The second rewards those who put their gifts to good use and demonstrate their faith in some way (not necessarily religious conviction). Though it does not nullify the problem of evil, this shows that we can be treated fairly with respect to the great cultural diversity on earth.
Does this go off track somewhere? I'll be interested to hear from you.
Do I want to introduce epistemological uncertainty? Well, I suspect that I am a little uncertain about that, but I don't know for sure.
I find it a bit difficult to parse the concept of epistemological uncertainty. I've heard of "epistemic uncertainty", but I am reasonable certain that you don't mean that (neither in principle nor in practice). I take it that you really mean doxastic uncertainty, which would cover both uncertainty with respect to the provenance of our beliefs and uncertainty as to what should be the content of our beliefs. I would maintain that when we talk about knowledge there is a level of uncertainty built in (and that therefore epistemological uncertainty is a given).
What I mean here is that we can only truly know A if A is true (where the truth of A is necessary, but not sufficient). However, as individuals, and maybe even as a species, we only have beliefs about what we think we know. We'd know what we think we know if and only if what we think we know is true. And we can't know that, so … we don't truly know what it is that we know and what it is that we only believe.
Housekeeping note: for the purposes of this discussion, I am going to try to maintain the distinction between epistemological (pertaining to a consideration about what we know) and doxastic (pertaining to a consideration about what we believe). I'm aware that in most constructions belief is an element of knowledge, such as in the tripartite theory of knowledge alluded to above, but I am also aware that faith is thought to be tripartite by some believers – consisting of knowledge, belief and trust.
It's possible to have doxastic uncertainty, I suppose, since people do sometimes find themselves in the position where they claim to not know what to believe, bringing us to evidence. If I were to stumble upon evidence that challenged my world view, I could possibly be unable to decide as to what I should believe. I'm reasonably cynical about human perceptions, including my own, so I'd probably solve any dilemma quite quickly by choosing to doubt my faculties. But there are people out there who are far more confident about the accuracy of their perceptions and, in the face of world-view disconfirming evidence, they might be uncertain as to which they should abandon their overweening perceptual confidence or their world-view, which one would assume they would also have considerable confidence in.
I'm not suggesting that it would be appropriate to have doxastic uncertainty of this sort with respect to the self. However, if you consider my base position, that is being cynical about human perceptions, to be signalling doxastic uncertainty, then yes, I am suggesting doxastic uncertainty with the proviso that it is a nuanced doxastic uncertainty.
My personal experience of self certainly suggests the existence of something that is undergoing the experience of self and that would be, to all intents and purposes, my self. I consider it reasonable enough, therefore, that experience of self is evidence of self. What it doesn't tell me, however, is anything about the nature of self, other than it (whatever it is) is capable of experience. It doesn't tell me whether the experiences I have are veridical. It follows, at least in my world, that I should remain agnostic as to the nature of self … and I think we disagree significantly on the nature of self.
When I use the tools to hand to investigate the nature of self, in order to obtain a belief about that nature (not the existence) of self, all I am able to do is eliminate a few theories from contention. The most reasonable theory among those that remain is that the nature of self is that of an emergent phenomenon that manifests in my physical brain, that self is categorically not an independent feature of that brain (or any other part of my body or of my "being").
This doesn't actually trouble me. I'm quite comfortable with the idea that whatever self I have will dissipate on my death or the death of my brain and that, whatever it is, self isn't even contiguous within my lifetime. I sleep at night and like everyone I have episodes of microsleep. Sometimes I drift off into my thoughts and become oblivious to the world around me while at other times I am so engrossed in a task that time will fly by as if I am being magically transported into the future, missing what transpires in the meantime. I have had both general anaesthetic and something similar to propofol – which is administered immediately prior to unpleasant procedures which require the patient to be calm and relaxed but not necessarily unconscious or inert and it has the added benefit of preventing the laying down of memories for the short period that it is active.
Some version of "me" would have experienced the discomfort the procedure at the time but I don't remember anything about it. I just remember being wheeled into the surgical theatre, the anaesthetist putting a mask on me and asking me to count back from 10 to 1 and then I was in the recovery ward. Anything that happened in the half hour or so in between might well have not happened.
I would have to say that the self who experienced discomfort in the surgical theatre was "me". But while I remember being the person who was going into theatre I don't have any recollection of being a person for about half an hour after that. Because of the nature of the drug, I know that there would have been a contiguous "me" in there, experiencing being a self in discomfort, but there is no chain of experience between the "me" I am today and that person. In other words, there was some form of "me" in the past that is disconnected from the "me" of today, a "me" that bravely suffered and was no more, allowing another version of "me" to continue on without any sense of being inconvenienced or discomforted by minor surgery.
You want to tie me to eliminative materialism, which I suppose is okay if we limit that concept to the idea of the soul – so if we think of materialism eliminating the soul. Just note, however, that there may be more to eliminative materialism than the negation of the soul and I am not signing myself up to an entire school of thought just because we have identified this one element of concordance. The key question is whether I am being eliminative with regard to the self. The answer would be no, not at all, so long as we permit consideration of an emergent phenomenon that we call "self".
Could we simulate this emergent phenomenon in silicon? I don't know, I personally doubt it, but perhaps we will be able to and the transhumans and singularitarians will eventually have their day. But I suspect that if I were ever to be "uploaded", the upload would result in a "me in simulation", not a "me in actuality", because I consider being manifested by my own brain within my own body to be a key feature of the phenomenon of self that I refer to as "me". If an upload does happen in the future, I am quite sure that my simulation will have a different opinion and might consider that the silicon manifestation of "me" is just as much "me" as my wetware version is today. The "me" of today will then become a little like the "me" on propofol, yet another non-contiguous version of my self.
I don't know what you mean by "partitioning selves to genetic and local conditions". It seems like partitioning is the wrong word here and you are trying to find another way to say "attributing/designating/allotting selves to genetic and local conditions", as if the causal mechanisms were distributing pre-existing selves to young humans on the basis of the genetic and local conditions. That would be soul-like indeed, and I am quite convinced by the arguments against the soul concept.
The first issue revolves around evidence for a deity. I had said "a true gift would be the provision of evidence that would support a belief, rather than the mere imposition of that belief". What you seem to be focussing in on is the veracity of the belief and thus we seem to be blurring the line between the epistemological and the doxastic. (I'm not sure how I should conjugate "doxastic" into a noun to mirror epistemology, I'm leaning towards doxasty but it could be doxastology or doxastemology.) With the sort of imposition of belief that we are talking about here, do we know something that we believe or believe something that we know? Or both? Or neither?
You ask what counts as evidence and hint that if there is a deity, and that deity is an inherently good deity, then belief in that deity (as imposed on us by the deity) would be good evidence. Well, possibly, but what would it be evidence of? It can't be evidence in support of the belief (other than mere existence of the belief, in the tautological sense that evidence is evidence of evidence). Perhaps you mean as evidence for the existence of the deity. But this doesn't work, because the existence of the deity is a prerequisite for the belief to be good evidence. You'd have to present a compelling argument that the only way you could come to such a belief, which you experience as imposed upon you rather than coming via intellect, must be from an existent deity – but if you are successful then you won't need the evidence of your belief anymore. So, as far as I can tell, it's not really good evidence.
You apply similar thinking to the idea of imposed belief as a gift. Let me try to unpack what you wrote: "a gift from a good deity would have to be a good gift, and if this were a belief, a good belief rather than one that leads to harm". This assumes the existence of a deity, and that the deity is good, and that a good deity cannot give any other gifts than good gifts.
I agree that a good belief would not lead to harm, but I note that "harm" here is undefined. We might consider the condemnation of your immortal soul to be "harm" and not be overly concerned about the thousands of kafir, infidels and apostates you might have to kill and torture in order to preserve your soul. A belief that it's alright to kill people for not believing correctly would thus be a "good" belief. A belief that it is better to live and let live could, in this context, be a "bad" belief, because even though you might be dedicated to minimising short-term harm you are enabling long-term harm. You and I might shy away from this, but only because we don't have this particular belief (and belief set) imposed on us. We not only think this is morally wrong, but also factually wrong.
What I am aiming at here is that belief as a good gift would not only be good in the moral sense, but it would also have to veridical. I think that this strikes at the heart of the beliefs held by religious universalists – the idea that behind all forms of theism (including polytheism and deism, but not atheism and probably not henotheism) is the one god (or a specific group of gods) making all the various faiths true, in a sense. But surely an untrue belief cannot be a good belief – and even if it were good in some sense, such a belief would be suboptimal, given that there would exist a potential belief that is as good, if not better, and also true.
I made the original comment in the context of the "evidence" that is supposedly provided by the standard Christian deity and the supposed rewards for belief based on such "evidence". I'd need more than the "evidence" that is currently available if I were to believe in the existence of this or any other deity. Now, if belief were imposed on me directly by the deity or if some clarity of mind were granted so that the existing "evidence" became significantly more compelling, then I suppose that might be considered the "more" that I am demanding. Until then, however, I am simply not inclined to "fake it until I make it".
You do suggest, however, that the other type of deity, the good one that doesn't reward gullibility, but instead "rewards those who put their gifts to good use and demonstrate their faith in some way (not necessarily religious conviction)". As someone outside of your worldview, I don't really understand why this faith, which is the problem we started with, should be being rewarded – because "faith" appears to be no more than belief with insufficient evidence. Therefore, as far as I can see, you're just moving the problem back a step – no longer is your deity rewarding gullibility per se, but gullibility becomes an essential prerequisite for reward.
I could stomach the idea that your deity might reward people for what good they do in their lives, irrespective of what faith they have or whether they have any faith at all, but as soon as you admit that as a possibility, the whole motivation for being a theist drops away … unless faith in the (correct) deity is posited as some sort of shortcut to reward. Even then though, this seems to be predicated on the idea that your deity benefits in some way from having humans believe in it and when we look closely at this, such a situation would imply that your deity is less than omnipotent (cue WLC argument with respect to necessary omnipotence). It also makes the idea of heaven even less appealing that it is already. There would be those who are there on the basis of their good works and then a group of people, some of them quite horrible people, who are there merely because they had faith. That doesn't sound like the game plan of a good and just deity to me.


text:
Getting glued in the sea
New bio-inspired hydrogels can act like superglue in highly ionic environments such as seawater, overcoming issues in currently…
Research offers new thoughts on how carbonates record global carbon cycle
Calcium carbonates, the most ubiquitous forms of carbonate, are minerals that precipitate from seawater and form layered sedimentary…
Sunscreens release metals and nutrients into seawater
Beachgoers are becoming increasingly aware of the potentially harmful effects UV filters from sunscreens can have on coral…
Researchers develop technology to harness energy from mixing of freshwater and seawater
Salt is power. It might sound like alchemy, but the energy in places where salty ocean water and…
Nanoporous Material Nets Contaminant from Water
Toxic chemical contaminates water in 43 states. Barely visible material that looks like tiny grains of sand may hold…
Bio-inspired material targets oceans' uranium stores for sustainable nuclear energy
Scientists have demonstrated a new bio-inspired material for an eco-friendly and cost-effective approach to recovering uranium from seawater.…
Stanford researchers create hydrogen fuel from seawater
Stanford researchers have devised a way to generate hydrogen fuel using solar power, electrodes and saltwater from San…
New Seawater Desalination Method to Prevent Looming Water Shortages Estimated to Affect Billions of People
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, massive water shortages could affect almost 2 billion people around…
Manta rays' food-capturing mechanism may hold key to better filtration systems
Manta rays strain their tiny food from mouthfuls of seawater in a novel way that could hold the…
Seawater yields first grams of yellowcake
For the first time, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and LCW Supercritical Technologies have created five grams…
Behind the Iron Curtain: How Methane-Making Microbes Kept the Early Earth Warm
For much of its first two billion years, Earth was a very different place: oxygen was scarce, microbial…
Wave-powered Off-grid Desalination System
An American startup EcoH20 Innovations is looking to turn seawater into drinking water using only the motion of…
Deep, old water explains why Antarctic Ocean hasn't warmed
The waters surrounding Antarctica may be one of the last places to experience human-driven climate change. New research…
Nanopores could take the salt out of seawater
University of Illinois engineers have found an energy-efficient material for removing salt from seawater that could provide a…
Less ice, more water in Arctic Ocean by 2050s, new study finds
By the 2050s, parts of the Arctic Ocean once covered by sea ice much of the year will…
Monsoon Mission: A Better Way to Predict Indian Weather?
To better understand global weather patterns and increase scientific collaboration between the U.S. and India, researchers supported by…
Molting elephant seals add mercury to coastal seawater
As fish-eating predators at the top of the marine food chain, elephant seals accumulate high concentrations of mercury…
New research shows seawater involved in making diamonds beneath NWT
Some of the rich diamond deposits in the Northwest Territories may have been formed as a result of…
New Shellfish Reference Material Will Help Monitor Oceans' Radioactive Contamination
A new reference material that will help laboratories accurately measure radioactive contamination in seawater is now available from…
Shellfish toxin study reveals the impact of warmer waters
A collaboration between UTS scientists and the NSW Government is addressing, for the first time, the influence of…
Schnapps from the sea
Students have developed the first spirit in the world made using ordinary sugar kelp from Danish coastal waters.…
A mile deep, ocean fish facing health impacts from human pollution
Deep-water marine fish living on the continental slopes at depths from 2,000 feet to one mile have liver…
Desolenator transforms sunshine into water
Desolinator is a solar powered water desalination system, which converts any type of water (including sea water) into…
The power of salt: power generation from the meeting of river water and seawater
Where the river meets the sea, there is the potential to harness a significant amount of renewable energy,…
Scale Model WWII Craft Takes Flight With Fuel From the Sea Concept
Navy researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Materials Science and Technology Division, demonstrate proof-of-concept of novel…
New sorbents efficiently extract uranium from seawater
Uranium mining for the nuclear industry causes immense environmental damage, which becomes more severe as reserves are depleted.…
Can We Make Jet Fuel From Seawater?
Turns out…Yeah, it looks like we can. Refueling navy vessels, at sea and underway, is a costly endeavor in terms…
Seawater bacteria provides leads to fight melanoma
New research reveals low-oxygen impacts on West Coast groundfish
UCLA faculty voice: Could drinking seawater be good for us?
Toyota is joining forces with the leader of commercial eVTOL technology – electric air taxis are coming (Yesterday)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


1. Eur Heart J. 2012 Oct;33(20):2551-67.
2. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014 May 27;63(20):2079-2087.
3. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017 Sep 26;70(13):1569-1572.
4. Circulation. 2017 Jan 10;135(2):116-127.
5. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2015;17(2):478.
6. Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2017 Aug;27(6):408-417.
8. JAMA. 2018 Jun 11. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.7125.
10. Eur Heart J. 2017 Dec 14;38(47):3514-3520.
11. Circulation. 2018 Mar 20;137(12):1236-1245.


Anyone who knows God's plan of salvation and does not share it with the lost is under this scripture. He didn't save us to "retire", but to put on the armor of faith and be servants and warriors in His army, fighting to save souls.
They are just what their name says - Fabulously Worn Cards! A dozen 11.75" intricately designed cards - gorgeous! I can't wait to get a moment to play with them myself! Wish I had room here to show you every one of them full size - they are truly fabulous and versatile. Some are dramatic and some are more neutral, all one of a kind. You'll use them over and over! Click image to enlarge. Click the Buy It Now button below the preview to purchase from my PayPal Store for $5.99. Today's gift for you will be a smaller version of the rose card...yeah!


text:
from __future__ import absolute_import
from chaco.serializable import *

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Eeva-Liisa Manner grew up with her maternal grandparents in Viborg on the Karelian Isthmus, after her mother died in childbirth. She went to a Sami school and was evacuated to Helsinki in 1939. Up to 1946, she worked in insurance and publishing, after which she earned a living as a writer, translator, and critic.
Eeva-Liisa Manner's debut poetry collection Mustaa ja punaista was published in 1944; however, her breakthrough came with Tämä matka (P) in 1956. Her writing ranges from poems about intimate states of mind and nature to culturally philosophical, political, satirical poems, of which the most important are Niin vaihtuivat vuoden ajat, 1964, Fahrenheit 121, 1968, and Kuolleet vedet, 1977. Her drama and prose works often revolved around the tough and harsh conditions of human lives and women's lives. She used the forms of myth and the everyday. Her works in this group include Poltettu oranssi (D), 1968, and Varokaa, voittajat (N), 1972.
Existential and linguistically philosophical reflection and a humanist ethic are central elements in her writing. Her style varies; it is sometimes violent, sometimes playfully grotesque, and at other times sensual and sublimely lyrical. In 1994, she published Ikäviä kirjailijoita (E).


Rice export prices remain unchanged while traders wait for the shipping arrangements to be finalized for contracts under the recent Philippines' tender.
In Nicaragua, imports of genetically engineered crops (GE) are limited to use as animal feed.
The Government of Bulgaria (GOB) continues to oppose agricultural biotechnology and generally advocates for anti-biotech policies within the European Commission (EC).
Ever since Turkey published its Biosafety Law and implementing regulations in 2010, this legislation has continued to disrupt trade and Turkey's domestic agriculture and food sectors.
Rice export prices are fluctuating as new crop rice enter the market.
Post estimates Polish corn production in marketing year (MY) 2018/19 at 3.2 million metric tons (MMT), a 20 percent decrease from MY 2017/18.
Guatemala has a population of almost 17 million inhabitants and approximately 5 million live in Guatemala City where most of the new hotels and restaurants are located in the country.
Australia's biofuels industry situation has not experienced any drastic changes and essentially remains the same as last year.
In March 2018, the Chinese State Council announced a governmental reorganization aimed at improving efficiency and customer service.
Rice export prices remain unchanged.
There is no legal impediment to use of biotechnology. Genetically engineered (GE) corn field trials were successfully completed.
Saudi Arabia's barley imports for MY2018/19 are estimated at 8.5 million MT, up by approximately 12 percent from the USDA's official estimate of 7.6 million MT.
This report contains an unofficial translation of Morocco's 2017 marketing program for common wheat, including domestic support for producers, storage, reporting, flour and transport.


text:
Dodgers News: Dan Haren Aware Of Need To Pitch Well Early In Games
by Staff Writer 06/15/2014, 9:56 AM
With a 2-3 record in his last five starts, Dan Haren took the mound Saturday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers were looking to make up more ground on the San Francisco Giants, who had lost earlier in the day.
As has been the case in Haren's starts recently, he gave up hits early and in Saturday's game, the Arizona Diamondbacks put two runs on the board in the first inning. Five men came to the plate in the top of the first and the runs were scored on the 11th home run Haren has surrendered this season.
The right-hander then settled in, which allowed Dee Gordon to tie the game in the third with a two-run home run. While Haren allowed the Diamondbacks to take the lead in the fourth, he would hold them scoreless through the remainder of his outing.
Following the win, Haren acknowledged his slow starts, via ESPN LA's Anthony Witrado:
It's been that way for a long time now," Haren said. "I'm not coming out that crisp. … It's been that way for the last eight to 10 starts now. I'm making it hard on myself."
Haren's assessment of the situation is he isn't getting batters to miss until the game progresses:
I'm not getting guys to swing and miss as much, but I'm getting more swings and misses as the game goes along."
Haren not only improved on the mound after the rocky first inning, he also helped himself with a three-run double in the fourth. The hit was Haren's first double this season and it was a moment he enjoyed:
That felt really good," Haren said. "Anytime a pitcher can help himself out it feels good. … I'm just glad the bullpen made it hold up."
Some of Haren's losses can be attributed to the Dodgers failing to provide run support. Prior to Friday, the Dodgers hadn't scored more than three runs in four of his last five starts. Granted, had Haren not hit his bases-clearing double the Dodgers may not have scored more than three runs once again.
Considering the Dodgers collected another win, that worry will can be put off for another time.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dodgers Outfielder Andre Ethier Surprises Middle School Students
Nevin E on


text:
Implementation of php_check_syntax through shell execution

When designing a PHP plugin system, a way is needed to check
a files syntax before including it. In my search I've found
that PHPs naive function for doing so, php_check_syntax()
was removed from PHP in version 5.0.5. It appears the only
way to perform a check is through the command line. This
is a wrapper function, simulating the interface of the
original PHP function.

Even though I am not sure about the error messages
provided by the original implementation, I am returning
what the shell execution returns as error message on
syntax error.


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Experience satisfaction now with our wide range of garage door products and services. Call us at A1 Garage Door Service in Houston at 713-766-5585.


text:
Tag: japan
Over 400 Pinoys expected home from Covid-hit cruise ship in Japan
MANILA — Over 400 Filipino nationals from the MV Diamond Princess are expected to arrive in the country on Tuesday night, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said as two flights…
Japan has no plans to postpone 2020 Olympics over Covid-19
TOKYO — Japan is not considering cancellation or postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games over the outbreak of a new coronavirus, Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee chief Yoshiro…
Filipinos Covid-19 positive in Japan climbs to 11: DFA
MANILA — The number of Filipinos onboard a quarantined ship in Japan who tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has climbed to 11, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)…
DOTr eyes Feb. 27 Metro Manila subway launch
MANILA — The launching of the Metro Manila Subway is set to be held by late February, an official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Friday. "February 27 is…
Japanese firm plans to invest P40-B to expand operations in PH
Kris Crismundo-PNA
MANILA — Japanese electronics firm, Murata Manufacturing, plans to invest PHP40 billion to expand its operations in the country, Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Charito Plaza said Monday. Plaza…
3 Pinoys to be feted for bridging Japan-PH ties
MANILA — The Japanese government on Saturday announced it will confer decoration to three Filipinos who made their mark in bridging Japan-Philippines relations. Among them is Feliciano Torres, chairman of Yazaki…
Palace offers prayers to Hokkaido quake victims
MANILA — Malacañang has sent prayers to victims of the magnitude-6.7 earthquake, which hit the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan on Thursday morning and triggered landslides and power outages. "Our prayers…
Japan floods, landslides death toll rises to at least 112
TOKYO — The death toll from landslides and floods caused by widespread torrential rain across western Japan has risen to 112, with at least three others in a critical condition, public…
Palace condoles with victims of massive quake in Japan
MANILA — Malacañang offered prayers to victims of a massive quake that shook Osaka on Monday, killing three people and injuring hundreds of others. "We offer our prayers to the people…
3 dead, over 10 injured as 6.1-magnitude quake rocks western Japan
TOKYO — Three people have been confirmed dead, including a nine-year-old girl, and more than 10 others have been injured as a result of a powerful earthquake that struck Osaka prefecture…
Japan dethrones Chinese Taipei as Asian junior softball tourney champ
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — Japan now holds the Asian Junior 19-Under Women's Softball Championship title after dethroning erstwhile champ Chinese Taipei by a 4-0 shutout in the final at the Clark…
Jetstar Asia starts new direct Clark to Osaka flight
CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga — Jetstar Asia announced on Friday a new direct service from Clark International Airport to Kansai International Airport in Japan. Starting March 27, this year, Jetstar Asia…
Japan, US to play 'lead role' in bolstering reg'l security: Abe
MANILA — Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday night vowed to join the United States in maintaining peace and security in the region, during the closing rites of the 31st…
Japan vows to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN
MANILA — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to deepen cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in various areas such as maritime security, defense, trade, infrastructure development, combating…
PRRD arrival at Haneda Airport
Presidential Photo
Japan installs extra missile defense after N Korea threat to Guam
TOKYO, Aug. 12 — The Japanese Defense Ministry on Saturday finished deploying Patriot missile defense systems in the country's south in anticipation of North Korea's possible strike on Guam, the…
Evacuation orders issued as Japan's northern regions battered by torrential rain
TOKYO — Torrential rain hit Japan's northern regions of Fukushima and Niigata prefectures on Tuesday with the threat of floods and landslides leading to evacuation orders. According to local media…
Elephant kills handler at Japanese amusement park
MOSCOW — An elephant killed an animal handler at an amusement park in Japan March 12. The elephant, a 40-year-old, 3.5 ton female, flung her Thai mahout (elephant handler) Wichai…
1st LD: 6.1-magnitude earthquake rocks Japan's Fukushima prefecture, no tsunami warning issued
TOKYO, — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 rocked Japan's Fukushima prefecture at 6:23 a.m. local time, Japan Meteorological Agency said on Thursday. The temblor was centered in…
DFA: Filipinos in quake-stricken areas in Japan are safe and staying in evacuation centers
Sammy Martin-Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Filipinos affected by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck northeastern Japan Tuesday morning are safe with some of them staying in evacuation centers. The Department of Foreign Affairs…


The previous month was all about starting fresh, deciding what your resolutions for this year are and creating goals.
And you might even started implementing these updates into your life. But this month you should think more seriously about them.
How serious are you in bettering your life and becoming the best version of yourself?
1. Take one of your goals from the previous month and make an actionable step.
The previous month was all about getting motivated and creating resolutions and goals. But as February comes this momentum of motivation tends to fade away.
Let me tell you something, motivation is not that important, discipline is what keeps you going.
That's why you should take one of the goals you've written when you were motivated and create an actionable plan with clear steps of how to realize it. And the most important thing, take the first step!
2. Remove one thing from your schedule that wastes your energy.
As you implement new activities and hobbies into your life you should also get rid of the old ones.
Start with the ones that waste the most amount of your energy and you just do not enjoy anymore.
This way you will save yourself a big chunk of energy to focus on the new hobbies and activities that bring you closer to your goals.
3. Decide what it is that you really love to do.
Most of us have no idea what we really want. We think we do, but we don't!
Probably one of the most important steps in becoming the best version of yourself and improving the quality of your life is finding out what sparks the fire inside you.
Sit down, take a piece of paper and start writing possible answers to this question. Once you strike the true answer of what you really love doing you will know. Just think what's the one thing you'll do even if you know you'll fail. What's the one thing that you just love doing and you do not even care of succeeding.


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Islanders all-star Tavares has 2 goals, 2 assists in 5-2 win over Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. - John Tavares scored two goals and had two assists to lead the New York Islanders over the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Tuesday night.
P.A. Parenteau and Matt Moulson scored power-play goals to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead after two periods and help New York move two points ahead of Carolina at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Carolina rallied with goals from Brandon Sutter and Tim Brent early in the third period to get even, but Tavares put the Islanders back in front, and Kyle Okposo added an empty-net goal with 1:22 left.
Kevin Poulin made 26 shots to earn his first win of the season. The Islanders, who snapped a two-game losing streak, are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.
The Islanders scored two goals in four power plays against the Hurricanes, who hadn't allowed a man-advantage goal in eight games.
Parenteau scored for the second straight game and has seven points in six games. He took advantage of Jay Harrison's penalty for delay of game 5:49 into the game.
Moulson's goal at 16:19 of the second gave the Islanders a two-goal cushion. Moulson got the puck in the slot off the stick of Carolina's Eric Staal and flick a shot past goalie Cam Ward.
Sutter made it 2-1 at 3:15 of the third with help from defenceman Tim Gleason, who earned his 100th NHL assist one day after signing a four-year contract extension with the Hurricanes.
Brent tied it with a power-play goal after Poulin got caught out of the net at 6:55.
Tavares answered 41 seconds later when Ward was out of position while trying to play the puck outside the crease.
NOTES: New York D Mark Streit had two assists and posted his sixth multipoint game of the season. ... Moulson has seven goals and 10 assists in his last 14 games. ... Gleason, now under contract through the 2015-16 season, could have become an unrestricted free agent this summer.


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The unique feature of the draft Treaty establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia is its provision making compliance with the IAEA Additional Protocol legally binding for the states of the region
MOSCOW, SEPTEMBER8, 2006. PIR PRESS – "The unique feature of the draft Treaty establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia is its provision making compliance with the IAEA Additional Protocol legally binding for the states of the region", PIR Center director of information projects Daniil Kobyakov.
On 8 September 2006, the representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan signed a Treaty establishing the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ).
The idea to establish the CANWFZ was introduced for the first time on 25 September 1992 at the 47th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), when Mongolia announced itself a nuclear-weapon-free state. In his statement, the president of Mongolia also did not rule out the possibility of creating a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia; however since Mongolia is surrounded by nuclear states (Russia and China), it cannot join other nuclear-weapon-free zones.
In 1993 the president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov at the 48th session of UNGA introduced a proposal to create the CANWFZ, in the spirit of article VII of the NPT.
On 27 February 1997 the leaders of five Central Asian states signed the Almaty Declaration, in which they expressed concern over the situation with the environment in the region, which had suffered damage during the operation of the USSR nuclear complex in the region, and fully supported the idea to create the CANWFZ .
As the result of the conference "Central Asia – Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone", which took place in Tashkent on 15 September 1997, the Group of Experts was created for examining the forms and elements of the preparation of the treaty establishing the CANWFZ.
Negotiations of specific provisions of the future treaty took quite a lot of time. Meetings on elaboration of the language of the treaty took place in Geneva, Tashkent, Sapporo, Ashghabad, and Samarkand.
On 27 September 2002 at the Samarkand meeting, the treaty text was agreed upon, and experts could find compromise on the majority of the provisions of the treaty except several points. UN secretary general representative Jayantha Dhanapala even said that the treaty would be signed very soon. However, because of the position of nuclear countries, most notably the United States and France, the process became protracted. The Central Asian states hoped to sign the treaty in April 2003, but final work on the treaty took additional three years. At the seventh Tashkent meeting of the regional expert group the Tashkent statement on creation of CANWFZ was adopted. Almost seven years of negotiations resulted in the final draft treaty, which was quite different from its initial version. It was expected that the treaty would be signed in Semipalatinsk in mid-2005. However it took an additional year to coordinate the positions of the countries of the region with the positions of nuclear-weapon states.
The CANWFZ will become the fifth nuclear-weapon-free zone in the world. At present there are nuclear-weapon-free zones in Latin America, Southeast Asia and in the South Pacific. The treaty establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Africa has not yet come into force.
According to the draft CANWFZ treaty the nuclear-weapon-free zone will have several unique features:
The CANWFZ is the only zone comprised entirely of landlocked states.
For the first time the CANWFZ treaty includes provisions, according to which the countries of the region are bound to comply with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the IAEA Additional Protocol. Besides, the treaty obliges the states of the region to comply with international requirements regarding the security of nuclear facilities.
The CANWFZ will become the first nuclear-weapon-free zone entirely located in the northern hemisphere, where much of the territory is occupied by nuclear-weapon states.
The CANWFZ treaty calls on supporting environmental protection measures aimed at repairing the damage of Cold War nuclear programs in the region.
Commenting the signing of the CANWFZ Treaty, PIR Center Director of Information Projects Daniil Kobyakov said: "the unique feature of the draft Treaty establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia, which makes compliance with the IAEA Additional Protocol legally binding for the states of the region, will further strengthen the global nonproliferation regime".
PIR Center previously published materials dedicated to the CANWFZ issues. Among them are the following articles in Yaderny Kontrol journal:
Nuriya Kutnaeva. The prospects of signing the Treaty on the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. Yaderny Kontrol. 2006. # 1, P. 59. (in Russian)
Ivan Safranchuk. Creation of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Central Asia: Russian Views. Yaderny Kontrol. 1999. # 4, P. 40. (in Russian)
Additional information on security issues in the region, including PIR Center publications, interviews of officials, and documents could be found in "Central Asia" section of PIR Center website (in Russian).
For additional information about the activities of PIR Center and comments of PIR Center experts please contact PR coordinator Pavel Mansurov: phone + 7 (495) 234-0525 e-mail: mansurov@pircenter.org
Mailing address: PO Box 147, Moscow, 119019, Russia
Copyright by PIR Center 2020. All rights reserved.
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Last Look at Ed Policy Before Election
A+ November 1, 2012
Before next Tuesday's presidential election, the National Education Writers Association has published some clarification of the candidates' differences in Education Policy. The following is a summary for your information:
Romney Obama
Would rescind NCLB waivers, reauthorize NCLB, and allow NCLB pre-waiver laws to be enforced in the interim Would reauthorize NCLB, but allow the approved state waivers to replace the accountability plan if approved
Says he supports pre-k, but cut pre-k funding and vetoed a bill that would've allocated $10M to expand pre-k in Massachusetts Says he'll 'redouble' his commitment to pre-k, and continue providing the opportunity for its expansion through Race to The Top
Would re-route funds for financially-needy and special-education students from schools to parents to help them pay for private schools of their choice (via vouchers) Does not support the voucher concept, but supports charter school concept and any opportunities to expand school choice for parents. Also supports the increased investment in public school education reform
Says he will not cut education, but has not stated plans to increase its funding Asking for $1B to train new STEM teachers, hire more teachers, new school construction projects and 1st-responders
Calls for colleges to slow tuition increases. Says he will keep the Pell Grant program growing, although his running mate's proposed budget cuts discretionary spending by 19%, a line item that includes Pell Grants Calls for colleges to slow/cease tuition hikes. He has steadily increased the funds to the Pell Grant program, while reducing the number of students receiving the maximum grant award.
Will reverse the Obama administration's moves that resulted in the expansion of college aid – Romney would return to the former model of private banks receiving fees from the students and the government for administering student loans Ended the relationship with financial institutions, saving money for students and the government, which were paying the banks to manage the loans.
Supports tying teacher performance with pay. Does not have the support of teacher unions because his of past anti-union remarks. Supports tying teacher performance with pay. Retains union support.
Supports Common Core State Standards, but often incorrectly describes it as a 'federal initiative' which draws bipartisan criticism of Romney Supports Common Core State Standards and describes it correctly as a state collaboration initiative
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Turin (Torino) serves as the capital of Piemonte and is located on the Po' River. It is an ancient and well laid out city. Wide streets, town squares and churches add to the charm of this emerging city. Previously, virtually unknown, this flourishing town has grown increasingly popular due in large part to its industry and arts. Torino serves as a reminder of ancient monarchies while incorporating 20th century industry.
The Fiat factory is located in Torino and has greatly contributed to the economy of the city. Stylish shops cater to the taste of the wealthy and surrounding suburbs play host to some of the most expensive and magnificent homes in the area. Turin offers an array of attractions, one of the most famous being the Cattedrale di San Giovanni which serves as home to the Holy Shroud. This sacred cloth is believed to have covered the body of Christ following his crucifixion. Other popular sights include the Egyptian Museum and Sabauda Gallery.
You cannot leave Turin without enjoying a Bicerin!


The lyric's significance rushed over me. The words reverberated in my head and grew wildly in my heart as I realized the power within them.
And right there, face pressed into the shag of the bedside rug, I laid it all down. Jesus, my everything, even if I have nothing. The nothing represented by loss, sorrow, and void. Dreams that seemed like dust swept away. Hopes that bore no fruit.
But to still have Jesus is joy. As the power of those words rushed over me, I thought of our series on joy and saw how the lyrics supported the idea that joy isn't a fluctuating emotion, but joy is completed in Jesus.
Jesus paid our ransom and gave us new life so that we might return to God. Our heads are crowned with everlasting joy, and as we allow salvation's gladness to overwhelm us, our sorrow and sighing abate.
But as we learn to live this new life, we discover that renewing our mind is a process, and we struggle against sinful behavior because of the battle between the flesh and the spirit that rages inside our heart.
Jesus completes our joy when he rescues us from a life of eternal separation from the Lord. He took this captive–bound by her sin–and set her free. He can do the same for you.
The Old Testament Israelites show us that outward rules and regulations don't change the heart. Jesus makes a way for hearts to unite with the Father's. God is joyous. He delights in you and me. He looks upon us with joy, but he's holy, righteous, and just too.
And so Jesus made a way that enabled God to write his heart on our hearts, to complete the joy he has about us in us through Jesus. We don't have to live our lives separate from God, thinking that salvation comes through what we do.
Salvation is God's free gift through belief in his son. He asks us to believe.
Joy is like the fireworks painting the night on the fourth of July. You anticipate it, but you don't know exactly when it will happen. You hear the explosion, the sky lights up, and sparkles with the designs of the creator.
Salvation's joy is like that firework display that elicits ooo's and aah's and smiles that stretch a mile wide.
We're saved from captivity, ransomed for freedom and joy overflows.
Abiding takes place as we surrender, submit, and obey the Lord.
Imagine a tank of water and standing beside it is someone holding a bolt in one hand and a piece of wood in the other and drops them both into the tank.
The bolt sinks. The wood floats.
But if the bolt is attached to the wood, the nature of the wood transfers to the bolt and the bolt floats.
If we attempt to live this Christian life in our own strength and understanding, we're like the bolt and we sink. But if we abide in Christ and take on his nature, we float.
Jesus completes God's joy because he ransomed and saved us.
Our joy is complete when we believe and abide in him.
Some links on my site are affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation if you purchase the product or service. The compensation, however, will never influence the content, topics, or posts made on this blog. I only link to products I have used or personally recommend.


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Ask Darren
Lorem ipsum heading
With just a little over a month since the the 59th annual Cattle Call Rodeo was held, work is already underway for the 60th rodeo to be held in November 2016, and for the Cattle Call Rodeo Committee it will be a busy year of preparation.
To make Cattle Call a success every year, it takes a year of preparation, so for the Rodeo Committee there is never down time.
As volunteers, they are willing to give their time every year to provide the Imperial Valley its own true professional sporting event, and every year they set the same goal – to make sure Cattle Call Rodeo is the best it can be and a match for any professional rodeo across the nation.
The Cattle Call Rodeo Committee includes Chairman Curtis Rutherford and members Robin Williams, Donald Alford, Larry Allen, Carson Kalin, Joanie Moore, Danny Williams, and Mark Huber. Most have been part of the committee for years—some for decades. Many have been involved with the Cattle Call Rodeo since they were children.
For each it is a labor of love that fills up an entire year, and the work never stops. The work cannot stop if all the pieces are to come together for the annual rodeo, which each year is attended by tens of thousands of rodeo fans, over the course of three rodeo performances held for two days in November.
Few events bring the Imperial Valley together like the rodeo. For a week leading up to the rodeo, the city of Brawley—where Cattle Call is held—enjoys a week worth of community events, organized by the Chamber of Commerce, that end with a parade and finally the rodeo events.
Rutherford is following in the footsteps of his uncle Ed Rutherford, who along with Carson Kalin's mother, Louise Willey and friends Rick Smith and Al Smith, founded the Cattle Call Rodeo Committee. Al Smith is the lone surviving member of the original committee.
Curtis Rutherford recalls serving as a ticket taker and usher at the first rodeo along with Kalin. His love for rodeo began all those years ago and has never faded. He gets just as excited about the rodeo today as when he first started on the committee.
"I like the response of the crowds to the rodeo, to the events, and the clowns," Rutherford said. "The fans keep coming back every year. They help keep it fresh."
He also enjoys that the rodeo is a part of his family. Not only has he served on the Rodeo Committee for years, but his children have helped with the rodeo and his wife, Suzanne, has done her part as well. In fact, for the 59th rodeo, she designed and been the seamstress for new vests to be worn by the young Valley women who will participate in the rodeo.
Danny Williams is another longtime member of the committee who can remember helping out with the rodeo when he was a boy.
"Growing up, the rodeo was just instilled in me and was part of me," he said. "I love rodeo. I love the people I've met through the rodeo. I just like to keep the tradition going. It holds a special place in my heart."
Williams said that while the professional sport of rodeo is all about the competitors who show their riding and roping skills in the arena, no rodeo would be possible without the work of committees like the Cattle Call Rodeo Committee and the countless other volunteers whose hard work set the stage for competitors.
"Without the community support, there would be no rodeo," he said.
Joannie Moore has been on the Rodeo Committee since 1988, but her history with the rodeo dates back years before when her father competed in roping events, and she herself was a Cattle Call queen.
She said she gives of her time every year because it means something to the community.
"I like being able to bring the professional sport of rodeo to the Imperial Valley," she said, adding it is important to note that Cattle Call is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeos Cowboy Association and is one of the rodeos leading up to the Nationals held in Las Vegas.
Along with providing a professional sporting experience for the Valley, the rodeo raises millions of dollars for Brawley and Imperial County, which makes it an important economic event as well.
Much of the money from the rodeo goes back into Cattle Call Park, which keeps the park and the arena in operation year round.
Moore pointed out that thanks to the rodeo the Valley has upgraded horse pens where people can board their horses. Moore, who manages the pens for the Rodeo Committee, said what the facilities provide a state-of-the-art and safe facility for boarding horses.
To see the kind of upgrades and premier facilities at Cattle Call Park, it is easy to forget that 60 years ago the basin was an overgrown mix of brush and weeds. It was the vision of the original Cattle Call Rodeo Committee together with the city of Brawley and volunteers that over the course of a few months cleared out the basin and built the first arena so that rodeo would forever have a home there.
That vision has never faded for those who continue to make the rodeo happen.
Today the Cattle Call arena is viewed and recognized as being one of the finest facilities in the country. Cotton Rosser, who has been providing livestock for the rodeo since 1967, said the arena is one of the best he has been in and he credits the Rodeo Committee for its commitment to create such a "high-class" rodeo facility.
Rodeo committee members said they look forward to serving on the committee and organizing the rodeo for years to come and thank the community for its generous support and for the fans who come out each year to enjoy the fun of rodeo.
To nominate a deserving community member, fill out the attached form, which will be sent electronically to Water Authority staff member Darren Simon.
The Water Authority looks forward to featuring the person you have suggested for the Community Feature page. Should there be a backlog of nominations, it may take time to for your nomination to be highlighted, but we will strive to have a story done in a timely manner.
© San Diego County Water Authority 2016


Solemn celebration of the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation is very important, Tahir Rzayev, an Azerbaijani MP, told Trend Sept. 17.
The MP noted that Sept. 15 is a special page in the history of Azerbaijan.
Rzayev said that Sept. 15 is a very significant date for both Azerbaijan and Turkey.
On Sept. 15, Azerbaijan marked the centenary of Baku's liberation from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation and a solemn parade marking this event was held at the Azadliq Square.
Despite that during 70 years of the Soviet rule, this event was purposefully explained in an erroneous context, the Azerbaijani people never forgot the heroism of Turkish soldiers.


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How to Build Trust – 10 Lessons from Content Marketing World
As I continue to digest everything I heard at this year's Content Marketing World in Cleveland, themes have begun to emerge. Because it's my fourth visit to the conference, I've been able to view what I've learned through a lens of comparison. What were the new trends this year? And what hasn't changed?
The overarching theme that stands out to me is – TRUST. Trust must exist for any transactions to take place. But how do we as content marketers, public relations professionals and social media managers work to establish that trust that we seek with our audiences?
Here are 10 of the lessons I learned at CMWorld related to trust:
1) It's the long game – not the hustle: Trying to get results overnight just doesn't cut it. We need to slow down, think, plan and THEN execute.
Joe Pulizzi, founder of CMI and The Orange Effect Foundation, emphasized that there should no more one night stands with content marketing. "Content campaigns are the devil," Pulizzi said in his opening keynote. Think less about campaigns and more about ongoing content experiences that inspire and delight, says Dennis Shiao, who covered Pulizzi's talk for CMSWire.
2) Slow down: You can't build trust overnight. Speakers including Ann Handley talked about slowing our marketing efforts down. If we rush to try to guess what our customer wants, we may miss the mark – and the opportunity, since we didn't first build the trust that's necessary for a prospect to want to do business with you.
The brilliant example she used was Bun, a wild bunny living in her backyard. To make friends with Bun, she had to slow down to think about what HE wanted – not what she thought he wanted. It took some research and some trial and error, but eventually, Bun came around. Lesson? Instead of just trying to shove things in their faces, think about what your audience needs – then deliver on that.
3) Show up: What else builds trust? Consistency. Per Amber Naslund of LinkedIn who spoke about thought leadership, you've got to keep showing up. Consistency counts. My tweet when I saw this:
OMG – she is singing my song. Doesn't happen overnight.
Gotta be consistent – and keep showing up. @AmberCadabra #CMWorld #thoughtleadership
Think about businesses or colleagues you may have worked with who seemed to only post on social media once in a while. Or worse, suddenly disappear. Doesn't do much to help build trust, especially if you want to be a thought leader in your space.
4) Get third-party validation: Margaret Magnarelli of Morgan Stanley spoke about creating trust with your buyers through third-party validation. If you can incorporate certifications, licenses, reviews and so on into your content, that helps. Leverage your PR team for earned media, awards and reviews that back up your claims.
5) Don't go negative: Magnarelli also explained how too much negativity in our content could make people feel anxious – and in turn, affect their trust level. This includes tactics like trying to create fear in your audience in order to get them to buy from you. To build trust, try to strike a more positive tone.
6) Do your research: Data, numbers and statistics stand out, which can also help create trust. We know this to be true in PR, as reporters love data in pitches and press releases.
Andy Crestodina of Orbit Media and Michele Linn of Mantis Research drove this point home in their presentation with SurveyMonkey about how to conduct original research that you can leverage in your content to back up any claims you may make.
7) Provide the right content: Marcus Sheridan spoke about providing content that meets the buyers' needs – content that no one else in your industry is providing – to build trust. Sheridan talked about his days as a "pool guy" and how through publishing a guide to fiberglass pool costs, his company was able to beat the competition – because no one else was offering this information.
If you don't publish the information the prospect is looking for, that may create doubt – they may go elsewhere. "When seeds of doubt exist, trust is gone," Sheridan said.
8) Be yourself: Brian Fanzo talked about how audiences are craving authenticity. If you deliver on that, you'll stand out. Along with that goes relatability. If you're relatable, people are more likely to trust you – and buy from you.
9) Spend more time preparing to write: Instead of just churning out another piece of content that may be subpar, take more time preparing to write. As many of us probably know from experience, rushing to write a piece of content doesn't always make for the most impressive end product, which can definitely impact trust. If readers feel let down, they may not come back.
Thoughtful writing requires deep thinking, which can require research and reading. Sometimes stories come together AFTER you've let them simmer a while. Often the best content comes from an amalgamation of ideas that have come together from different points of inspiration.
One way to prepare? Jonathan Kranz of Kranz Communications spoke about immersing yourself in the client's business so you can write more colorful content. Don't just sit in your office all day. Get out there, see stuff and talk to people BEFORE you write.
10) Connections matter: And a final takeaway – this one from me – connections matter. While it's all well and good to connect with your audience online, provide opportunities for them to meet you in person, as well. Whether that's through events or experiences, people want to feel as though they know you.
People are more likely to buy from those they know, like and trust – we've heard it a million times. Having in-person connections can help build that trust.
Don't forget the importance of connecting with your audience in person.
Oh, and I got to meet Henry Rollins. We chatted about his show on the History Channel, 10 Things You Don't Know About.
How can I help you with your content today?
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About the author: You'll find Michelle Messenger Garrett at the intersection of PR, content marketing and social media. As a public relations consultant, content creator, blogger, speaker and award-winning writer, Michelle's articles and advice have been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, Muck Rack, Ragan's PR Daily, Meltwater, ThomasNet, FairyGodBoss, Freelancers Union and others.
"Michelle plays an integral role in developing and executing Supplybase's marketing and public relations strategy. Her years of experience are an asset to our marketing team–she works with our marketing managers to develop messages and strategize how best to deliver them to the media and analyst community. Her writing skills and media relations expertise are invaluable to us, as is her ability to turn materials around under short deadlines!"


So last night, I had my third Fashion Design class. I am obviously trying to still manage the stress of trying to be "competitive" and "creative", being back in school, wondering if I am good enough and all those insecurities that I have, that really, no one but me can understand. The drive in to Boston after work on Tuesdays has just begun to be irritating because contrary to what I believed to be true, traffic goes both ways at rush hour. Also, sitting in work clothes for another 6 hours is uncool. Do see where I am going here? I can certainly pick out the negative in any situation.
Last night's class, we were going to do a few different things. On the docket was learning to use the school's sewing machines (home and industrial sewing), a worksheet on color blocking and also having individual consultations with our teacher about our non-textile projects (what we planned to use, our design, possible difficulties). I was not the first to go up to talk to teach about our plans. What I was hearing with the first few people were negative negatives... "That material will be hard to work with", "This is boring", "I am expecting more from you in this class", "I don't like this design"... I don't know if it's because Tuesday is my teacher's "long" day or if she was just plain cranky, but she was not hiding her feelings at all. I was pretty much freaking out that I just signed up for a class that I wasn't good enough for.
So then it was my turn. I had put together the materials that I had bought at Dollar Tree (for only $26 dollars, people) which included tea bags, coffee filters, cabinet liners (in this light pink/beige/pistachio color) and this eucalyptus that had been spray painted gold. I glued a sample of each to a piece of sketch paper and then proceeded to design a dress using those materials on the same piece of paper. Here is a shot of what I showed her.
She looked at it, let me explain what I was planning on doing, then looked me in the eyes and told me she loved it. She loved the materials, thought they would work well and thought the design was fantastic. It was really opposite of what she had told the first 6 or 7 people, so I really trusted that she meant it. She did make mention of my sketch having "Lois Griffin" hair, which amused the class but only gave me one constructive remark and that was to think about adding a little color. I am not going to lie, I was pretty, pretty, pretty stoked at the feedback. She did give a couple other people some really positive remarks but I am pretty sure I was one of her top 3, second only to a girl who had already started cross hooking streamer and the lone man in our class who worked his design out in CAD.
And just like that, with a little positive reinforcement, the traffic, uncomfortable work clothes* and insecurities sort of flew out the window. I needed some self confidence in the form of support from someone else, whose creative opinions matter to me. That little push was the fuel I needed to get this fashion train chugga chugga choo-chooing along!
* I have decided that I will pack a bag every Tuesday with Yoga pants and sneaks... I don't care, comfort is key.
you rocked it out! That is awesome. A boost of self confidence is so important to keep all the negative nellies inside at bay. I love the yoga pant and sneaks idea. Why suffer?be competitive, creative and comfortable!
Yay! I am so happy for you! Your design is amazing and I admire your creativity. I am with ya on packing the bag w/comfy clothes. You will love Tuesdays much more!


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Giuliano da Maiano
woodworker (intarsiatore), architect and engineer; b. 1432; d. October 17, 1490.
A brother of Benedetto da Maiano. In ascribing the Palazzo di S. Marco and other important buildings in Rome at this period to Giuliano da Maiano, Vasari probably confuses him with Giuliano da San Gallo. His name does not appear in the Roman records. In 1468 he designed the Capella di S. Fina at Saint Gemignano near Florence. In 1472 he designed the Palazzo del Capitano at Sarzana near Spezia, Italy. May 26, 1474, he began the cathedral of Faenza, and at about this time built the palace of the Cardinal Concha at Recanati. April 1, 1477, he was elected capomaestro of the cathedral of Florence. Between 1475 and 1480, with Francione, he made the wooden doors of the Sala d'Udienza at the Palazzo della Signoria, Florence. He also assisted Baccio Pontelli at the ducal palace of Urbino. In July, 1487, Giuliano was paid through the bank of the Gondi in Florence two hundred ducats for the models of the palaces of Poggio Reale and of the Duchesca near Naples. February 17, 1488, he entered the service of Alfouzo, Duke of Calabria, afterward King Alfonzo II, and constructed for him these two palaces. Of the Poggio Reale, Giuliano's most important work, nothing remains except a drawing by Serlio.
Luciano da Laurana
architect; d. 1483.
Luciano came from Laurana or Lovrana, a little city in Istria, then Venetian territory. Frederico III, Count of Montefeltro and first Duke of Urbino, issued letters patent (now in the Vatican Library) dated June 10, 1468, creating Luciano chief architect and engineer of the palace which he had begun to erect at Urbino. According to Baldi, Luciano had worked on the Poggio Reale, near Naples, and was recommended to Montefeltro by the Neapolitan court. Assodated with him were Baccio Pontelli, and probably Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The principal sculptor employed was Barocci of Milan. (See Bramante.) The palace is also attributed to Luciano.
Jehan Ranconval or Ranguevaux
A son or pupil of Henri Ranconval, maître des œuvres of the city of Metz (Lothringen, Germany). In 1468 he was architect of the cathedral, and about 1473 succeeded his father as maître des œuvres of the city of Metz. In 1477 he designed the tower of La Muette at the cathedral. In 1481 he commenced the church of S. Symphorien at Metz.
Verrocchio (Andrea di Michele de Coine)
sculptor, painter, and goldsmith; b. 1435; d. 1488.
Andrea was apprenticed to a goldsmith, Verrocchio, by whose name he was known. Of his work as goldsmith nothing remains except a bas-relief in the silver retable at the baptistery in Florence (1478-1480). In 1468 he assisted Luca della Robbia in casting the bronze doors of the sacristy of the cathedral of Florence. About 1471-1472 he made the monument of Piero and Giovanni de' Medici in the church of San Lorenzo at Florence. He visited Rome during the pontificate of Sixtus IV (Pope 1471-1484), and made there the tomb of Francesca Tornabuoni, some bas-reliefs from which are now in the Museo Nazionale (Florence). The charming fountain (boy with dolphin), now in the court of the Palazzo Vecchio (Florence), was intended for the Medici villa at Careggi. Verrocchio's greatest work is the equestrian statue of the general, Bartolomeo Colleone, at Venice (begun 1479). The work was left incomplete at the death of Verrocchio. It passed through the hands of Lorenzo di Credi to Alessandro Leopardi, who cast the statue in 1496 and signed his name on the saddle girth.


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Jul 13, 2016 – Inspur and Ericsson have announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). With this new agreement, the two companies will expand their collaboration into new business areas such as cloud infrastructure, TV and media, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Oct 22, 2013 – Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has announced that Shandong Cable Network has deployed the latest generation of its Multiscreen TV solution. Its core functionality includes content management, VOD back-office and digital rights management.
Jan 31, 2013 – STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) has reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2012. Fourth quarter net revenues totaled $2.16 billion.
Jan 8, 2013 – STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) has added two new devices to its range of set-top box (STB) system-on-chip ICs. The STiH253 integrates a DVB-T2 demodulator for terrestrial STBs. The STiH271EL is targeted at price-sensitive basic zapper markets.


Rated 5 out of 5 by purpleporpoise from I love this one! Fun game - great graphics, medium difficulty HOG I'm really having fun with this game! I'm a beginner with hidden-object games, but I think I can reasonably say this is of medium difficulty as far as HOGs go. It's not too difficult, but not too easy either. Some of the objects are more difficult than others to find (you can always use a "hint" and it recharges), so there is definitely a level of challenge. However, perhaps not challenging enough for expert HOGgers. I can't really say anything about the length of the game, because I'm not finished yet. The story line is simple, but fun. You have to leave Magic Island and make it back to the school in order to become a wizard! I really enjoy games with a medieval or magical theme and this has both. I like that you can actually move some of the hidden objects around to find others - that's the first time I've seen that. Lots of moving back and forth between scenes and the puzzles are fun, not so difficult that you can't solve in a reasonable amount of time to keep game moving ahead at a decent pace. The music and sounds are pleasant, not intrusive and the graphics are very good to excellent IMO. I tried this game as a daily deal through the game club after reading reviews of it in the forum, but it would have been a definite buy for me even at full price.
Rated 5 out of 5 by asiaball from enjoy hidden object games enjoyed this game very much found some things hard to deside what to do next but by looking arround was able to find the next step. items were not very easy but not as hard as somethings. great visual and sound. fun to find a way off the island.
Rated 3 out of 5 by pmods from Better for Beginners or children This review is based on the full game. Although I did enjoy the game, I gave it 3 stars based on -the length, which was quite short, I played through very quickly. -the navigation system, which I didn't like, often I had to hunt for a way to leave a scene, which I cant stand in a game. -the level of tedium, there was a lot of back and forth, and pointless (in my opinion) tasks, for example having to light 4 lamps in a row in the same way. -the difficulty, which I felt was unbalanced. Some puzzles/tasks were hard while some were simple. Good points were the journal which I liked, and the game was bright, upbeat, colourful and overall, enjoyable. As I said in my title, I think this would be a really good game for younger players, beginners or someone looking for not too much of a challenge.
Rated 3 out of 5 by emeraldorchid from Cute game If you like magic, making potions and have a love of HOGs then this is a nice little game. Its very simple, thus giving you a relaxing atmosphere and not very much challenge to minigames. So it's not a buy if you want mindrending minigames. Storyline very linear, but its all about the magic anyway. Like i said, its cute, nothing special.
Rated 3 out of 5 by BlueOctober from Could have been better I enjoyed the story - I'm an apprentice that is sent to the island and has to learn enough magic and spells to find my way back. I'm a sucker for a good magic story. I even enjoyed the mini-games/puzzles. What I didn't like was the confusion that was created several times throughout the game when you're not told to do something until after you've already done it....or when you're tasked with creating an "oil potion" and the name on the recipe you're given is "fire potion". Is that the same thing? Turns out it was, but how confusing! Looks like a good concept that was rushed to completion. A good time waster, though.
Rated 3 out of 5 by kivancmuslu from Add one more star if you love HOG Okay first of all story: we are playing an apprentice who wants to get into the school of magic. To do this, we need to pass through a test. During this time, we are forced to solve some hidden object games, some minor puzzle and mini-games and we learn 4 different kind of magic: fire, lightning, water and air. Game play: About 4 hours including 1-hour trial. Pros: - Okay game in general, might be good if you like hidden object games. - The scenes and story really merges with the game and objects that are searched for. - Adding of spell-like structures is always welcome. Cons: - The usage (and need) for spells is very limited. - No real voice in the game, just text (this is a big turn down for me) - Most of the mini games and puzzles are either a little weird, or very simple. Verdict: I bought the game while it was 2.99. I would suggest it for the same price, but probably not for the full price.
Rated 3 out of 5 by MEnr56 from WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE IF... While the graphics are fantastic and the hidden objects not THAT hard to find, the instructions for the mini-games (particularly towards the end) are SLIM to almost virtually nil which made the game playing more of a task to finish rather than a continued joy to play. The hint button in each area would let you know if there's anything more to do or to return to do but again, towards the end the hint button ALMOST became totally useless except in the hidden object scenes. This game would have been much more enjoyable if the mini-game instructions had been just as clearly explained in the journal as they are in the walkthrough as well as the hint button continuing to point out actions needed in all the areas throughout the game rather than just the beginning up to the middle of the gameplay. I was also disappointed in that the map can not be used to travel to different locations and so there's alot of back pedalling and then return using the "long way" around. A game player also has to be careful in using the earth symbols (particularly the wind) as other inventory objects will NOT work properly until a former action is COMPLETELY done. BTW, the game developers must enjoy the actor, Tom Selleck's TV movie series: Jesse Stone -- as that was the soundtrack throughout this game.
Rated 3 out of 5 by CobaltCat from Nice time waster Nice as far as logic goes, but the images are small and hard to see sometimes. Not a bad time waster.
Rated 2 out of 5 by AaronzDad from Blah and slightly annoying For me any game is all about the story line. There has to be a reason you're looking for that magic prune or digging up the yard behind the church. This game has quite nearly NO story at all. You're on an island trying to get back home? That's it? OooooK. I strongly dislike HOGs that won't give you the complete list of items you're looking for right from the start. In this game you get five or six things listed at the bottom of the screen and as you find those items the listing is replaced with the next thing you're supposed to look for. This is like going round and round through the drive-thru ordering one thing at a time. "I'd like a bacon double cheeseburger"... "Now I want some fries".... "This time I'll get an orange drink"... After playing for only a few minutes I realized I really just didn't care about anything in this game.
Rated 2 out of 5 by sueandjack from Not all that magical of an Island An OK HOG. Not real easy but doable. The puzzles were not as good and near the end it became very frustrating to me. This game is not in my top 100.
Rated 1 out of 5 by Scarlitlake from I didn't like this game at all I tried to like it since it got such great reviews but I couldn't even finish it. It just irritated me. I didn't like the artwork and couldn't see the hidden objects well. There wasn't enough storyline for me.


"We love when our special Critter Sitter comes over to play! She's been our friend for 42 (doggie) years! She feeds us and takes us outside and even gives us our medicines (yuck!!). She always helps us when we need some extra special attention. But how does she always know when Mommy isn't coming home till later?! Thanks,"


Our charming Garden Villas are located in our lovely tropical gardens.
Surrounded by exotic plants and flowers they are a very peaceful and relaxing place to stay. Garden Villas are all less than a minutes slow walk to the beach.
Please note that all villas have unique furniture and ornaments of a similar standard as shown. Our Garden Villas have not been upgraded yet.


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Development of solid state thick film zirconia oxygen gas sensors.
Ioannou, Andreas Stylianou (1992) Development of solid state thick film zirconia oxygen gas sensors. PhD thesis, Middlesex Polytechnic. [Thesis]
Aspects relating to and including the development of thick film amperometric zirconia oxygen sensors were investigated. These devices, which were operated in the range 550-950°C, had a laminated structure in which a cathode, an electrolyte and an anode were printed, in that order, onto a planar alumina substrate. The anode and electrolyte were porous and during sensor Operation also acted as a diffusion barrier, restricting the rate of oxygen diffusion to the cathode. A thick film platinum heater was also developed to maintain the sensor at its operating temperature while acting simultaneously as a résistance thermometer; it was screen-printed onto the substrate on the reverse side to the sensor. The individual components were characterised and optimised prior to assembly of complete sensors.
Zirconia films were deposited by screen-printing onto alumina substrates. Careful attention was paid to formulation of zirconia inks, drying and firing procedures. Temperatures above 1350°C were necessary to sinter the zirconia to a low (<0.1%) though not zero porosity. The high sintering temperatures were found to result in the diffusion of impurities from the 96% alumina Substrate into the zirconia film which accelerated grain growth. X-ray diffraction showed that the grain growth resulted in transformation of the metastable tetragonal zirconia to the monoclinic form: where this occurred frequency response analysis of the films showed the expected decrease in ionic conductivity. These effects were absent on high purity (99.6%) alumina substrates.
Platinum-zirconia cermets were investigated as possible electrodes. When screen-printed and fired at 1000°C for 1 hour and operated in the range 500-700°C, electrode activity was orders of magnitude greater than for pure porous platinum electrodes and increased substantially with increasing zirconia fractions provided electronic continuity was maintained within the film. High firing temperatures (>
1000°C), which were necessary for preparing a sensor with co-fired electrolyte and electrodes, decreased electrode activities although cermets remained greatly superior to pure platinum.
Planar amperometric zirconia oxygen sensors were prepared using thick-film technology exclusively. When a voltage (0.5-1.4 V) was applied between the electrodes, a current flowed which was directly proportional to the oxygen concentration in the range up to 21%; this has not previously been achieved with such sensors. Characteristics were shown to be dependent upon firing temperature
and substrate purity. Interestingly, temperature coefficients of the output were positive and negative for sensors fired at temperatures up to 1400 and above 1450°C respectively. Operation in the combustion products of a gas-burning flue demonstrated linear dependence upon calculated oxygen concentration.
Heaters, printed using either fritted or unfritted platinum inks, were given extended treatments in a furnace at elevated temperatures (1000-1300°C) to accelerate ageing effects. Measurements were made of résistance (at 20°C), platinum evaporation rate and film cross-sectional area and these were correlated with the microstructure. The variation of résistance (at 20°C) of the films was analysed using effective medium theory invoked in order to quantify the blocking effect of the non-metallic
fractions. During the initial phase (résistance decreasing) the governing factor was probably the high resistance of necks between contacting platinum particles. During the subsequent phase (resistance increasing) the resistance was controlled principally by the formation and growth of voids.
A thesis submitted to the Council for National Academic Awards in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
B. > Theses


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Google 's driverless car project has been getting plenty of attention for the kinds of changes it could bring to transportation, but buying an entirely new, self-driving car is out of most people's budgets and many years away. Cruise Automation is a San Francisco-based startup that thinks it can get the technology to market sooner with something far more simple: a $10,000 accessory you can strap to the roof of your car and plug into your footwell.
As of Monday, Cruise is taking pre-orders for 50 units of its RP-1 product, and says it will start installing them in cars early next year. One caveat: the system only works on Audi A4 and S4 vehicles, but Cruise is working towards making its technology compatible with other car manufacturers too.
Vogt refers to his product as a "highway autopilot." To work, drivers take their car onto the highway and onto the lane they want to be in, then they push a button for the system to take control of the accelerator and brake pedals, along with the steering. Drivers can then turn the system off in several different ways, including by tapping the gas pedal or by taking control of the steering wheel.
Though he's a serial entrepreneur, Vogt says Cruise is his "true calling." He's been interested in driverless cars since he was kid, and he expects to be working on the project for the next 10 to 15 years. Part of what's driving him is the fact that some 33,000 Americans are killed by highway accidents each year, 90% of the time because of human error.