text:
Has pop music been salvaged?
I feel like every six months I write a post about how pop music may finally be becoming respectable, only to see it go down the shitter again a few weeks later.
I don't normally discuss the type of music I listen to on this blog, but I definitely do not to listen to pop music. In fact, I don't even listen to the radio. I enjoy seeking out my own music and I strictly listen to my iPod. At least once a week I check out indie music blogs so I could learn of a few new bands to listen to. Call me a hipster if you wish.
That being said, I certainly like to follow pop culture, which includes pop music. I like keeping tabs on what the majority of America is listening to, and I enjoy being extremely judgmental about it. Just one glance at the Billboard Hot 100 usually gives me a feeling of superiority, when I witness the atrocities that reside on that list.
However, I looked today, and I must admit, I see a vast improvement. Now the Hot 100 will never be something I look at with firm approval, but given what is usually on there, I can occasionally look and be pleasantly surprised by what I see. Which includes today. Let's take a look at the top ten.
It'll probably look small, so just click on it to see it enlarged (no, that's not what she said.)
First, let me skip straight to #8. I first heard the song "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen about a week ago, when I happened to stumble upon it on the radio (okay fine, very, very occasionally, when I accidentally leave my iPod at home, I will listen to the radio), and when I heard it, all I could think of was that this sounded like a pop song that would have come out during the 90s.
After about a week, I couldn't stop thinking about the song. I couldn't even remember how it went, to be honest, but I knew that it was something that was upbeat and catchy. So recently I looked the video up on YouTube, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Carly Rae is extremely hot, bordering on gorgeous. She's also a little older than you'd expect an emerging pop star to be, at 26.
I mean, just listen to this song, and I dare you to tell me that you hate it.
When you combine the hotness of the singer, the sexiness of her voice, the poppy, upbeat, playful sound, and the overall catchyness, then I can safely say that if any song ever had to be exposed to me at length by the mass media — I'm glad it's this.
Repsen, who came in third place on Canadian Idol a few years ago, saw her career flat lining until recently when — who else — fellow Canadian singer Justin Bieber tweeted about her song, and within a week, she blew up. I swear, Justin Bieber seriously controls our country. It's only a matter of time until he gives political endorsements.
Another thing I am pleased with in the top 10 is that for the first time in about 15 years, the top two songs are by genuinely good singers/musicians. Somebody Who I Used to Know, by an Australian singer-songwriter named Gotye, is a freaking good song. The whole album is good actually. Everybody probably knows the song by now, but it's good to see a genuinely good musician getting his props.
Also, everybody probably knows that song by Fun., called "We Are Young." To be honest, I'm not too big on that song. But I like the band. I was a big fan of their first album, Aim and Ignite, which has a ton of good songs. They're pop music to a T, but that doesn't mean they're not quality. In fact, I have tickets to see them live in July.
As for the rest of the list, this may be the first time ever that two boy bands are in the top 10 since the days of the Backstreet Boys and *NSync.
Both One Direction and The Wanted are European boy bands. The latter are English, and the former are English and Irish. Now, I have to be honest here. I thought the golden age of music existed when BsB and *NSync were on top of their games, and thus, I have absolutely no problem with the presence of these two groups on the list. As the case with Carly Rae Jepsen, if I am going to be exposed to something — I can live with this.
I both heard this song and watched this video for the time last night, and I was laughing the entire time. Not because it's awful, but because it's just humorous to see teenagers hopping around on a beach singing about how beautiful girls are. It's pretty funny how easy is to manipulate girls into liking a band. Just take five dudes, tell them not to get a haircut for six months, some of them get earrings, some bleach their hair, and then sing about girls = platinum.
The rest of the list is pretty much garbage. I don't think there's been a top-10 list in the past five years that didn't have either Bieber, Katy Perry, Lady GaGa and some awful rap music on it, and that pretty much comprises the rest of the top 10. Plus Kelly Clarkson.
Another thing about this list that I thought was interesting:
Gotye: Australian
Fun.: American
The Wanted: Irish/English
One Direction: English
Bieber: Canadian
Flo Rida: Who cares
Nicki Minaj: Alien
Rest of list can go die.
The majority of the top 10 aren't even from America. I guess that is the old Beatles effect, where some musicians come over from a different country, and the mystery and intrigue of their foreignness immediately appeals to us. I think that's the case for non-musicians too, actually. Just talk to a girl in a British accent and her pants automatically come off.
Anyway, the point is that for the first time in a long time, popular music may actually be slightly tolerable, which from me, is an enormous compliment.
And from now on, whenever you read my blog, I want all the females to envision everything what I say in a British accent.
So girls, read my blog, maybe.
← Did you ever wish Barbie was real? Well, be careful what you wish for.
Is there such a thing as too quirky? →


Reciprocating compressors are characterized as being positive displacement machines, meaning they increase air pressure by reducing volume. Reciprocating compressors take in consecutive volumes of air that are then confined to a closed space and elevated to a higher pressure. The most common types of reciprocating compressors are single-stage and two-stage.


text:
;(function(window, angular){
  'use strict';

  var HTTPSnippet = require('httpsnippet');

  angular.module('rHttpSnippet', [])
    .factory('httpSnippet', function () {
      return {
        getInstance : function (config) {
          return new HTTPSnippet(config);
        }
      };
    });
})(window, window.angular);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
module MediaWiktory::Wikipedia
  module Actions
    # Log in to the wiki using the interactive flow.
    #
    # Usage:
    #
    # ```ruby
    # api.clientlogin.requests(value).perform # returns string with raw output
    # # or
    # api.clientlogin.requests(value).response # returns output parsed and wrapped into Response object
    # ```
    #
    # See {Base} for generic explanation of working with MediaWiki actions and
    # {MediaWiktory::Wikipedia::Response} for working with action responses.
    #
    # All action's parameters are documented as its public methods, see below.
    #
    class Clientlogin < MediaWiktory::Wikipedia::Actions::Post

      # Only use these authentication requests, by the id returned from action=query&meta=authmanagerinfo with amirequestsfor=login or from a previous response from this module.
      #
      # @param values [Array<String>]
      # @return [self]
      def requests(*values)
        values.inject(self) { |res, val| res._requests(val) }
      end

      # @private
      def _requests(value)
        merge(loginrequests: value.to_s, replace: false)
      end

      # Format to use for returning messages.
      #
      # @param value [String] One of "html", "wikitext", "raw", "none".
      # @return [self]
      def messageformat(value)
        _messageformat(value) or fail ArgumentError, "Unknown value for messageformat: #{value}"
      end

      # @private
      def _messageformat(value)
        defined?(super) && super || ["html", "wikitext", "raw", "none"].include?(value.to_s) && merge(loginmessageformat: value.to_s)
      end

      # Merge field information for all authentication requests into one array.
      #
      # @return [self]
      def mergerequestfields()
        merge(loginmergerequestfields: 'true')
      end

      # Preserve state from a previous failed login attempt, if possible.
      #
      # @return [self]
      def preservestate()
        merge(loginpreservestate: 'true')
      end

      # Return URL for third-party authentication flows, must be absolute. Either this or logincontinue is required.
      #
      # @param value [String]
      # @return [self]
      def returnurl(value)
        merge(loginreturnurl: value.to_s)
      end

      # This request is a continuation after an earlier UI or REDIRECT response. Either this or loginreturnurl is required.
      #
      # @return [self]
      def continue()
        merge(logincontinue: 'true')
      end

      # A "login" token retrieved from action=query&meta=tokens
      #
      # @param value [String]
      # @return [self]
      def token(value)
        merge(logintoken: value.to_s)
      end
    end
  end
end


Approximately half of the training and consulting undertaken for clients by CTA is with internal consulting units.
Internal consultants are 'taken for granted' and generally undervalued while external consultants come with the 'messiah halo'.
The consultant remains on-site - or at hand, after delivery. It is necessary to fix things that are not fixed first time.
d) can be efficient II: they 'hit the ground running' and may well know the precise situation.
Here are some of the situations where we have assisted internal consultants.
A team of internal consultants in one of Australia 's largest fund managers wanted to improve the quality of their service delivery: to increase the success rate of their interventions with their clients.
We designed and conducted workshops comprising consulting process and tools relevant to their situation.
The program was successful and we have run a similar program in four other organisations by participants in that original program.
The University leadership saw attainment of information literacy as the strategic pathway to achieve its goal to be rated as a member of the leading tier of Australian Universities. Information professionals from the Library were to be the agents of this change and to be successful, they needed to move to a consultative service model.
We designed and conducted workshops from the consulting and relationship skills suite. The liaison librarians were trained in the consulting process and in how to conduct their own relationship marketing programs and in how to re-position themselves as 'proactive partners' rather than as 'responsive supportive service providers.
They were given skills and the confidence to approach more Heads of Faculties, academics and researchers and to diminish the time spent at the Reference Desks in libraries. More time with university leaders who could then give the messages to the students freeing the information professionals to assist in more internet based learning and research activities.
The program is very successful and has now run in five universities in two states with more in the pipeline. In some of the universities it has been extended to IT, teaching and learning and other internal consultants.
The shared service unit was severely under-utilised by the business units yet there were many opportunities for business systems improvement which the internal consultants could deliver but were unwelcome to do so. Morale was understandably low in the shared services division.
We designed and conducted a workshop for the internal consultants to change their positioning first from their own perspective, and then from their business colleague / clients perspective. This involved a self-description change from 'Shared Services' to 'Internal Consulting'. A marketing program was workshopped for each of the consultants and for the internal consulting unit as a whole.
Success stories were collected and published, marketing events trialled, refined and implemented and 'products' developed. Improved communications with the business units was also an aspect of the program.
The workshop action plans were implemented over an extensive period and the position of the internal consulting unit was consolidated and slowly expanded. Some of the more mundane functions were decentralised to the business units and the internal consultants implemented higher value solutions across the whole company.
Designed for consultants who want to enhance their skills in building relationships with clients to complement their professionalism as 'subject matter experts'.


Our clients choose us over our competitors because we offer highly reliable, environmentally friendly, and innovative engineering solutions at competitive pricing with great customer service.
PEN-VN executed Vietnam's first Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Electricity of Vietnam, the largest state-owned power company in Vietnam.
The PEN-NKF-LSE-CSEPDI-HKDS Consortium will implement a 1320-MW ultra supercritical coal-fired power plant, costing approximately $2.7 billion, which could start commercial operation in December 2020.


im horse crazy because they're beautiful creatures and i have been riding all my life and just bought my first horse a couple weeks ago and im in complete love with her! her name is jayde and she is a four year old mare who is pretty much my entire life and the only reason i live. I LOVE HER SOOO MUCH!!!!!!


text:
Outdoor and Nature Activities in Florida
Visit Hog Island, Florida for Camping, Boating and Nature Trails
- Kevin Mims
By Kevin Mims
Friends, I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Withlacoochee River (South) is one of Central Florida's best-kept secrets. Ancient Bald Cypress trees line the black waters of the Withlacoochee State Trail, while Limpkins make mysterious cries in the distance. In some places, you feel a million miles away from anywhere.
Truth be told, it's not a million miles from anywhere, and I grew up very near the spot where I took this panorama. Hog Island is located between Bushnell and Nobleton on the Sumter and Hernando County line. Today, it's still a pretty wild place, but it's starting to catch on as the new hot paddling place in the area.
If you haven't made it out to Hog Island Recreation Area, do so. There's a good campground with showers and electric hookups, so you aren't going to spend a few days completely off the grid. Cellular service is spotty, but mostly usable. Just a few steps away is the Hog Island boat ramp, nature trail and a section of the Florida National Scenic Trail. You've got lots to do.
Take a spin around the panorama, and you'll see a small sample of what attracts people to Hog Island, Florida. When you are ready to start planning out your trip, check out this link.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Bandara Resort & Spa, Samui is located on the tranquil Bophut Beach, north coast of Samui Island amid charming fishing villages and uncrowded beaches. The resort's 168 rooms comprise well-appointed accommodation as well as lavish villas with private garden and plunge pool.
© 2018 Complete Travel Marketing. All rights reserved.


Description: Only by doing God's will does a person enter the Kingdom of God; and His will is Holy. This holiness and glory must be manifested in your life, whether you're a child, teenager, parent or grandparent. If you as a pastor or father in the house wants godly authority over your congregation or children you must have intimate fellowship with God, daily. Abraham had the most intimate relationship with God; and God testified of him that He knew him. A congregation reveals what a pastor is like and children reveal what the parents are like. If you have truly met with God, your one desire will be God's will, and you will live for Him, regardless of your circumstances. Paul was persecuting the church, when the Lord met him on the road to Damascus. His life was changed forever. Within three days he was filled with God's Spirit.
Description: Before the revival I was troubled, for I would go around holding services and many would repent. But after 2 or 3 years when I return to visit them again I would find the Christians in disunity. But we read in Acts how the early Christians were of one heart and soul (Acts 4:32). But what I found among the Christians were in opposition to this, the one would criticize the next; the other would complain that they're not treated well or greeted properly. I knew that revival wouldn't start if things didn't come right among the Christians first, for the Bible says that judgment must begin in the house of God (1Pet 4:17). The reason the Word of God, the Bible, doesn't cover the earth, is not because of the heathen, but because of the Christians that aren't living according to the Word of God. Jesus said that the one who believes in Him as the Scripture has said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of Living Waters. Rivers of water cannot be stopped. You might try to stop a river by building a restraining wall in the river, but the water will only build up on the one side and eventually break the wall in a massive flood, or the water will rise up and flow over the wall.
Description: The day of Pentecost is the start of the feast of weeks, referred to in Ex 34:22, "And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest." It was when the firstfruits of the crops were brought as a gift to God; everyone had to bring something - not a single man was to appear empty-handed before God. Today some churches still have the tradition to hold this type of feast where the people bring thanksgiving gifts to God. A little boy was present at one of these offerings, and when the others brought their thanksgiving gifts, he realised that he had nothing to give to Jesus. Suddenly he got a bright idea, rushed to the front and got into the gifts basket, saying, "Lord Jesus, I haven't got anything; but I give myself to you". This is a sermon to each one of us.
Description: What is believing? James tells us that the demons also believe in God, but they tremble and shake. James continue to say that unless you continue to show by your life that you have the true faith, your faith is worthless. Faith is directional in a Person. Faith not only requires that something is held true, but that Someone has entered into your life. Grasp this secret or you've missed the crux of the matter. Faith is not believing a set of historical facts. All the historical facts about Jesus, that He was the perfect spotless Lamb of God, born of a virgin, died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day - all of this the demons know to be true, but it doesn't help them. You need a special agreement with Jesus Christ, and then confess that commitment before people publicly. You must believe with the heart unto righteousness and confess with your mouth unto salvation (Rom 10:10).
Description: Erlo Stegen speaks a powerful word on failure in preachers and calling ministers to be lights in the evil dark world. Why is it so dark in the world? Because many stars have fallen, the preachers of the Gospel have fallen. Ministers and preachers are being caught in evil things. It is getting dark in the world. It seems as if the sun is indeed going down. It seems as if we're coming to the end of the world and the end of time. We read that in the last days it will indeed go difficult, and that the powers of heaven will be shaken (Matt 24:29).


The WorkStar® 3000 is a professional, commercial grade, handheld, USB rechargeable LED work light that produces 700/350/175 lumens, runs for 2/4/7 hours and is competitively priced.
The Maxxeon WorkStar® 3000 Technician's Professional LED Work Light is a handheld, Li-ion rechargeable light. It is the perfect commercial-grade light for people who work with their hands. It features a powerful 700 lumen wide beam COB LED in front, a handy narrow beam penlight LED on the top surface, a nylon hook and a magnetic base.
Charging: The WorkStar® 3000's 18650 Li-ion battery is charged via a micro USB jack, so it can be charged in a vehicle or anywhere there is a USB port. A small wall plug with USB output is included. The battery should last for many years in normal operation.
Front Light: The 6 W COB LED has 3 brightness settings. The HIGH setting produces 700 lm with a run time of 2 hours, the MEDIUM setting is 350 lm for 4 h and LOW setting is 175 lm for 7h. The LED color is daylight white at about 5800K with CRI>75. The beam ratio is 1.5:1, which means the diameter of the beam is 1.5 times the distance from the light to the object or in other words, a wide beam. Just as important, the beam is consistent over the entire beam diameter, no hot spots, dark spots or rings.
Top Light: The 3 W Cree LED on the top of the light produces 150 lm and has a run time of 7 hours. The LED color is daylight white at about 5800K with CRI>65. The beam ratio is 1:2, which means the diameter of the beam is one half the distance to the object which is a narrow beam.
The body is made from ABS and has soft rubber coating that provides a secure grip. The 2 main features of the body are the hinge and the magnetic base. The body tilts 180 degrees in 7 indented positions, so the 2 lights can be aimed as necessary. The powerful, rubber covered magnetic base works in conjunction with the tilting body and the wide beam to provide superior hands-free operation. A nylon hook swivels out the back of the body, allowing the light to be positioned as required. It's only 9 in long and weighs less than a pound. With an IP65 rating it is water resistant to water jets and rain. With an IK07 impact test and 6 ft drop test ratings, it is a dependable, professional tool.
Front Beam Ratio Lens creates an wide floodlight beam - no rings, no shadows, no hot spots. The beam diameter to distance ratio is 1.5:1, for example, the beam diameter is 3 ft wide when the light is 2 ft from an object.
Top Beam Ratio Lens creates an narrow penlight beam - no rings, no shadows, no hot spots. The beam diameter to distance ratio is about 1:2, for example, the beam diameter is 1 ft wide when the light is 2 ft from an object.


text:
Posted on January 3, 2022 by Betsy Povolny
Payix Acquisition Enhances REPAY's Position in the Key Automotive Loan Repayment Vertical and Accelerates Expansion in the Buy Now, Pay Later "BNPL" Market
The Company Also Announces Upsizing of Revolver Capacity
ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 3, 2022– Repay Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: RPAY) ("REPAY"), a leading provider of vertically-integrated payment solutions, today announced it has acquired Payix for up to $115 million. The acquisition was financed with cash on hand and available revolver capacity. REPAY also announced the upsizing of its revolver capacity by $60 million, increasing its existing $125 million Revolving Credit Facility to $185 million.
Founded in 2016 and based in Fort Worth, Texas, Payix is a leading omni-channel payment technology platform providing solutions that facilitate payments, data exchange, and communication to support customer service and collection efforts in loan repayment verticals. Payix's software supports a wide range of payment options and modalities, and integrates into loan management systems ("LMS") and dealer management systems ("DMS") by providing a SaaS approach to collections technology.
"We are thrilled about the acquisition of Payix, a highly complementary business to REPAY," said John Morris, CEO of REPAY. "With its robust and highly flexible technology platform, Payix creates a uniquely positive experience and adds value for both the lender and borrower. Payix also has a strong pipeline and product roadmap, positioning it well for 2022 and beyond. We look forward to welcoming the Payix team into the REPAY family."
REPAY acquired Payix on a cash-free, debt-free basis for up to $115 million
$95 million paid at closing
Up to $20 million may become payable through an earnout, which is contingent on Payix's performance in 2022
Net leverage is expected to approximate 3.6x1 on a post-transaction basis and is expected to be below 3.0x by year end 2022
In 2022, Payix is expected to generate revenue of over $15 million, with gross and adjusted EBITDA margins of approximately 65% and 40%, respectively
On an organic basis, Payix top line and gross profit are growing substantially faster than the overall REPAY historical corporate average. Based on historical growth trends, Payix is expected to generate top line and gross profit growth in excess of 40% annually through 2023
Strategic Rationale
Further enhances REPAY's position in the large and growing automotive vertical, and accelerates expansion into the attractive buy now, pay later ("BNPL")space
Payix has generated strong topline growth and has highly predictable and recurring transaction revenue
Complementary sales distribution model, driven by deep integrations with leading LMSand DMS platforms to accelerate new merchant acquisitions
Payix's platform serves 300,000+ underlying borrowers
Proprietary software platform, offering a wide range of omni-channel borrower payment options including via mobile app, web, SMS, agent-assisted, and interactive voice response ("IVR")
Troutman Pepper served as legal advisor to REPAY. Capstone Partners served as exclusive financial advisor and Gunderson Dettmer served as legal advisor to Payix.
About Payix
Payix helps lenders and loan servicers improve their ability to engage with borrowers and collect payments. Payix's borrower-facing tools – with real-time loan management and dealer management system integrations – display client branding for quick borrower adoption and lasting utilization. Using Payix state-of-the-art technology, lenders and loan servicers can instantly communicate with borrowers across multiple channels and secure qualified promises, one-time and scheduled payments.
This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, REPAY's and Payix's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as "is expected to," "is anticipated," "estimated," "believe," "projection" or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements include: anticipated benefits from the Payix acquisition, future opportunities for REPAY and Payix, REPAY net leverage estimates and the level of Payix's expected growth and financial contributions, including revenue, adjusted EBTIDA and gross profit growth. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of REPAY's management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control.
In addition to factors disclosed in REPAY's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as amended, and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the subsequent periods, and those identified elsewhere in this communication, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results and the timing of events to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements: any inability to integrate and/or realize the benefits of the Payix acquisition; that the announcement of the proposed acquisition could disrupt REPAY's or Payix's relationships with customers, employees or other business partners; changes in the payment processing market in which REPAY and Payix compete, including with respect to the applicable competitive landscape, technology evolution or regulatory changes; changes in the vertical markets that REPAY and/or Payix target, including the regulatory environment applicable to those customers; risks relating to REPAY's and Payix's relationships within the payment ecosystem; changes in accounting policies or methodologies applicable to REPAY; and risks relating to data security.
1 As of 11/30/21. Based on pro forma metrics for Payix, assuming full twelve months contribution of recent acquisitions.


text: Q: How to call the storedprocedure using simplejdbc call with annotation mapping in spring application? I have the spring rest apllication in java 11 where i have to call postgreSql storedprocedure and process the result.so decide to go with simplejdbccall template but not sure if we can use this with @annotation mapping. please suggest how to do this?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
var TaskResponse = require("./response").TaskResponse;

var TaskResponseTranslator = function(){};

TaskResponseTranslator.make = function(){
    var translator = new TaskResponseTranslator();
    return translator;
};

TaskResponseTranslator.create = function(){
    var translator = TaskResponseTranslator.make({});
    return translator;
};

TaskResponseTranslator.prototype.translate = function(raw_response){
    var delimiter_pos = raw_response.indexOf(' '),
        payload = raw_response.substring(delimiter_pos + 1),
        params = JSON.parse(payload);

    return new TaskResponse(params);
};

module.exports.TaskResponseTranslator = TaskResponseTranslator;


text:
COVID-19 causes Augusta-area Christmas event changes, cancellations
Miguel Legoas
mlegoas@augustachronicle.com
Christmas will look different in the Augusta area as several festive functions have had to pivot because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Columbia County, Evans on Ice at Evans Towne Center Park has been canceled this year. Organizers said on Facebook that they plan to bring it back next year.
Also canceled is the "Return to Bethlehem" live Nativity scene put on by Grace United Methodist Church in North Augusta. It is also scheduled to return in 2021.
However, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Augusta will offer a free drive-through live Nativity scene Dec. 9-11 from 7 to 9 p.m, its first ever live Nativity. Administrative assistant Sandra Inouye said guests will listen to a recorded narration as they move through scenes depicting the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The recording can be listened to on a smartphone or with a CD. When finished, guests will be able to come into the church narthex for snacks.
Lights of the South in Grovetown is open now through Dec. 30 from 6 to 10 p.m. but will be closed Christmas Day. General admission tickets cost $15, fast passes are $25, and children 3 or younger get in free. According to the event's Facebook page, masks and social distancing will be recommended, but otherwise, things are largely unchanged. Guests will still be able to visit Santa Claus, have a hay ride, and enjoy treats from Mrs. Claus' kitchen.
The North Augusta Lions Club canceled the 40th Annual Christmas Parade, but the city's Christmas tree lighting is still on and set for Tuesday, Dec. 1 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Chamber of Commerce is encouraging mask use and social distancing.
In Aiken, the 29th Annual Christmas in Hopelands at Hopelands Gardens on Dupree Place will be held Tuesday through Dec. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It will still be free, and there will still be thousands of lights to enjoy, as well as the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and the Rye Patch Stables.
However, there are some changes: Masks will be required, there will be no shuttle service from Citizens Park; parking will be available at Rye Patch on Berrie Road SW and the Green Boundary Club on Whiskey Road; and there will be no complimentary refreshments or children's activities at Rye Patch.
Aiken's 50th Annual Christmas Craft Show is scheduled for Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center. The city says masks and social distancing will be required, and many vendors will be going cash-free this year to minimize the spread of germs. Directional signs will be posted to indicate appropriate flows of traffic.


text:
Q: How can I use map on the resulting list of another function? mean :: (Real a, Fractional b) => [a] -> b
mean xs = (realToFrac(sum xs) / realToFrac(length xs))

sqDiff1 :: (Fractional b, Real b) => [b] -> [b]
sqDiff1 xs = map(subtract (mean xs))xs
sqDiff2 :: Num b => (t -> [b]) -> t -> [b]
sqDiff2 sqDiff2 xs = map(^ 2)(sqDiff2 xs)

sqDiff1 subtracts the mean of a list from each of the elements.
Basically what I'm trying to do is square the elements of sqDiff1.
How can I achieve this?

A: If you want to square the differences from only that function, you don't need a function parameter:
sqDiff2 :: Real b => [b] -> [b]
sqDiff2 xs = map (^ 2) (sqDiff1 xs)

If you really intended to have a function parameter, pass the one you want to use:
*Main> sqDiff2 sqDiff1 [1,2,3,4,5,6]
[6.25,2.25,0.25,0.25,2.25,6.25]


We've been patiently waiting for Ford to update their web site to include a configurator for the 2013 Mustang, but currently the "build and price" option as well as the online customizer only includes 2012 Ford Mustang models. For right now the 2013 Mustang is simply listed as a "future vehicle" with a few photos and a short overview of the car.
That's not the case for those Mustang customers in Canada, though. The Ford Canada web site has the option to build and price the 2013 Mustang to your heart's content. The functionality of the web site isn't a complete carryover from the U.S. version, though, and there are some distinct differences in how the Mustang is offered in Canada. The biggest difference is with the Mustang GT which is only offered in one flavor – no base or premium packages – with SYNC, Track Apps and heated leather seats all standard. Unfortunately for Canadian buyers, that means the starting price of a V8-powered Mustang is significantly higher than in the United States. Interestingly, some options like the Recaro seats are cheaper ($1,000 vs $1,595) while other options like the Brembo brake package are more expensive ($2,200 vs $1,695).
Head on over to Ford Canada's web site to play with their 2013 Mustang configurator, and we'll be sure to tell you when the U.S. configurator goes online.
This entry was written by by MustangsDaily (Mustangs Daily) and posted here on Friday, March 2nd, 2012 at 1:10 pm and is filed under 2013 ford mustang, 2013 ford mustang configurator, 2013 mustang, 2013 mustang configurator, ford canada, News. This article was not written by us, rather gathered using RSS feeds listed here. We take no credit for this article. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


MEOW …. Congratulate HK pop singer Stephanie Cheng on her new release "EVO" this month which is her 9th album! Stephanie is known for her upbeat music and dance moves, so in this album there are several dance beat songs and each has different style. For example, her new song "The Fifth Category" has mixed modern dance beats with ballet, Spain and Chinese dance music elements … Want to sEE/hEAR Stephanie talking more about her new alum, click/touch the video and sound buttons below.
Mao Ning, used to be a very popular Chinese singer in the 90s who had numerous big-hit songs. His weibo (Chinese version Twitter) now got more than 1 million fans! Though after the "stabbing incident" in year 2000 (he was attacked by a man and hospitalized with stab wounds. Some tabloids guessed the attacker was his boy friend. ), he has disappeared from the music circle for many years, he came back this year with a new album. "Now my mind has changed. I won't have any ambitious career plan, this new album is just for fun only," said Mao Ning.
** special thank to GM KITCHEN for providing us the shooting location.
HotCha used to be a 3-girl hk pop dance group. Last summer one of its members Regen left the group. Many people thought this group will break up, but it's NOT. The other two members Crystal and Winkie still continue their music career. Crystal also participated in some theater performances during the past one year. This summer the 2-girl HotCha will release their new album "O1O3" and not only an album, they will release two new books separately. Crystal 's new book is a novel and Winkie 's one is a fashion/travel book. Want to hEAR/sEE them talking more about their latest creations, click/touch the links below.


Works together with the Global Medical Affairs Cross Rheumatology initiatives Director to deliver GMA activities enabling all activities for Cross-Rheumatology Initiatives & Integrated Communications across the Therapy Area.
With supervision, oversees the direction, planning, execution of Global Medical Affairs activities, this may include developing/execution of scientific exchange programmes, congress activities, and integrated multi channel communications.
Works closely with Global Medical and Brand Teams, cross-functional teams including area/affiliate medical teams, to provide strategic input into cross rheumatology strategy, and to drive GMA activities.
Ensure budgets, timelines, compliance requirements are met within programs' scientific activities.
Hire will be at Associate Medical/Scientific Director level determined through assessment of experience and education.
Proven leadership skills in a cross-functional global/regional team environment. Ability to interact externally and internally to support global business strategy. Knowledge of clinical trial methodology, regulatory requirements governing clinical trials and experience in development strategy and the design of protocols. Expert knowledge in a relevant therapeutic specialty.


Soon after Samsung and Huawei launched their respective foldable smartphones, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has now teased a video of its upcoming foldable smartphone prototype. Xiaomi Mi Fold foldable smartphone was first seen in January, packing a double-folding design.
Xiaomi shared the video on its official Weibo account that shows a person using the Mi Fold in portrait mode, first in an unfolded state and then changes the orientation of the phone and lastly folds it from both sides.
Last month, Samsung and Huawei have launched their respective foldable smartphones globally. While Samsung has opted for an in-folding design for Galaxy Fold, the Huawei Mate X is seen in an out-folding design.
Mate X is also Huawei's first 5G foldable smartphone that comes with the falcon wing mechanical hinge, 7nm multi-mode modem chipset Balong 5000, a high-capacity 4,500mAh battery supporting the world's fastest 55W HUAWEI SuperCharge.
When folded, the device is a huge display smartphone with a 6.6-inch screen, and when opened, it turns into a slim tablet with an 8-inch screen. The 6.6-inch dual display panel equipped on the Mate X is a true FullView display. When unfolded, it transforms into an 8-inch tablet at only 5.4mm thick.
The innovative flexible OLED foldable FullView display, unique falcon wing mechanical hinge and the industry's best 5G modem chipset Balong 5000 combine to deliver a new mode of interfacing, in which the large-screen experience and portability co-exist in harmony.
Known for making affordable smartphones for the masses, it will be interesting to see how Xiaomi engineers its foldable smartphone to make it relatively affordable as compared to Huawei Mate X and Galaxy Fold.


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BFTB Weekly Poll Question: which new Charger will have the biggest impact?
It's Saturday and that means it's time for the weekly poll question.
Share All sharing options for: BFTB Weekly Poll Question: which new Charger will have the biggest impact?
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
This offseason, the San Diego Chargers made a number of big signings in free agency and picked near the top of each round in the NFL draft. The question this week is which of those players will affect the upcoming season the most.
Brandon Mebane will give the Chargers the first legitimate nose tackle they have had since Jamal Williams, but he's likely going to be playing more zero technique than he ever has before.
Travis Benjamin is a deep threat with speed unlike any player the Chargers have had in years. He had the best season of his career in 2015. It is very uncertain if he will be able to build on that or even repeat it.
Casey Hayward is one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the NFL and should represent an upgrade on Patrick Robinson who was already very good last season. He most likely will not play in the base defense.
Matt Slauson represents an upgrade at center or either guard position. He will most likely start at center and be the best performer at that position we have seen since Nick Hardwick.
Joey Bosa was the third overall pick in the draft for a reason. He is tremendously talented. He will play mostly as a five technique and should be a massive improvement over the likes of Kendall Reyes. He will free up players like Corey Liuget whom opposing teams were previously able to focus their attention on.
Hunter Henry is the heir apparent to Antonio Gates and should give Ken Whisenhunt a lot of opportunities to use 12 personnel thanks to his great hands and capable blocking.
Max Tuerk is an impressive athlete, especially for an interior lineman. He could push any of the three projected starters for playing time. His ability to get to the second level would change the run game.
Joshua Perry could push Manti Te'o for playing time. He's a very capable player and could represent an improvement on the interior of the defensive front seven.
Jatavis Brown is a dynamic athlete that should immediately push for time in the sub packages. He could play in the nickel from day one if all goes well. He's a raw player, though, and could take longer to settle in.
Vote in the poll to let us know which offseason acquisition will have the biggest impact on the 2016 Chargers. Then let us know in the comments why you voted that way.
Chargers given 8th-best chance to win 2024 Super Bowl among current playoff losers The Bengals and Bills sit at the top after playing each other in the divisional round.


text:
Charles Antzelevitch
Professor and Executive Director of Cardiovascular Research
FAHA FHRS FACC PhD
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnewood, PA, US
Dr Antzelevitch is Professor and Executive Director of Cardiovascular Research at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research and Director of Research at Lankenau Heart Institute in Wynnewood, PA.
He is awarded with the Distinguished Scientist Award from the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (Heart Rhythm Society), Carl J. Wiggers Award of the American Physiological Society, the Distinguished Scientist Award of the American College of Cardiology and the Distinguished Service Award of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society.
Awards & Honors : Honors, Awards and Citations
1996–1998: President, International Cardiac Electrophysiology Society
1998–Present: Secretary/Treasurer, International Cardiac Electrophysiology Society
2002: Distinguished Scientist Award, North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE, currently Heart Rhythm Society)
2003: Excellence in Cardiovascular Science Award, NE Affiliate American Heart Association
2007: Carl J. Wiggers Award, American Physiological Society
2011: Distinguished Scientist Award, American College of Cardiology
2015: Distinguished Service Award, Cardiac Electrophysiology Society, Boston, Mass.
Dr Antzelevitch is a member of the Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review editorial board.
Electrophysiology & ArrhythmiaAtrial Arrhythmias
Articles by Charles Antzelevitch, Professor and Executive Director of Cardiovascular Research
Mechanisms Underlying the Actions of Antidepressant and Antipsychotic Drugs That Cause Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Serge Sicouri, Charles Antzelevitch,
Citation: Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology Review 2018;7(3):199–209.
https://doi.org/10.15420/aer.2018.29.2


This is a landscape painting. It shows the balance of shade and light. This painting depicts the Crawford Market of Mumbai. Artists beautifully portray the wonders, big and small, of this world which ceaselessly gives us reasons to be happy. Here's a delightful artwork created by artist Prashant Kulkarni. This painting framed and fixed on your wall, is sure to give you your moment of solitude and tranquility, in the hustle-bustle of a busy day.


text:
Q: Qt json parser return parse error I try to parse json string using this method:
QString ourJSONData = QString('{"couchdb":"Welcome","version":"1.0.1"}');
QString response = QString("[") + QString(ourJSONData) + QString("]");

QScriptEngine engine;
QScriptValue sc = engine.evaluate(response);

ui->label->setText(sc.toString());

But label return

SyntaxError: Parse error

I using Qt 4.7.4
What i do wrong? Thanks.
UPD:
Sorry, problem was in that string:

QString ourJSONData = QString('{"couchdb":"Welcome","version":"1.0.1"}');

need change to:

QString ourJSONData = QString("{\"couchdb\":\"Welcome\",\"version\":\"1.0.1\"}");

P.S. this method i found at http://blog.siegerstein.com/archives/134

A: I built your code in QtCreator in got a very helpful error message:

character constant too long for its type

It's because your ourJSONData variable is initialised with a text in single quotes, which is for single characters.
This will correct that initialisation. (I put a \ before each double-quote, and then changed the single-quotes to double):
QString ourJSONData = QString("{\"couchdb\":\"Welcome\",\"version\":\"1.0.1\"}");


It was a colourful traditional engagement in Lagos last week, when Christabel & Zacheus, the children of 2 prominent families, started their matrimonial life as husband and wife. One of Nigeria's finest Pilot, Captain Chris Najomo and his lovely wife, Martha, who is a top Jewelry Merchant, hosted over 2000 guests at their daughter's wedding. The groom, Zaccheus Mouka is an accomplished Kenyan Engineer. The Najomos received their in-laws in Lagos at the Balmoral Event Centre, inside Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday, 3rd of January 2019 and it paraded top dignitaries and society women from all works of lives. Citypeople Society Editor, TAYO FAJORIN OYEDIJI was at the classy party which lasted for over 7 hours.
The beautiful traditional engagement took place at one of the busiest event centres in Lagos, Balmoral Convention Centre inside Federal Palace Hotel, V.I. The venue sat over 3000 guests and was filled to the brim. The hall was well decorated with lovely décor which must have also gulped millions of naira. The venue costs about 8million There was heavy security at all strategic areas and made it comfortable for guests to walk in majestically into the heavenly transformed venue.
The parents of the couple were the chief hosts of the day. They made sure everyone was well taken care of. The parents of the groom, Mr and Mrs Mouka flew in from Kenya. They both run thriving businesses in Kenyan. They flew into Lagos with some members of their families. The brides couple are very popular within the social space in Nigeria. The bride's father is Captain Chris Najomo, one of the finest pilots at Arik Air, while his wife, Mrs Martha Najomo is a top Jewelry merchant.
2 pastors who run top churches in Lagos were in charge of the wedding. The parents of the bride are one of the staunch members of Clam Church and top Pastors from the church represented pastor Wole Oladiyun who was absent at the wedding. They held a special prayer for the couple. Also, pastor Anslem Madubuko also shares a close family tie with the Najomos and he was the one who gave the opening prayer.
The couple, Christabel and Zacheaus are 2 lovebirds who shone how much they love each other at the wedding. They kept giving each other eye contacts, smiling to each other and most of all hand in hand all through the party. Their love glowed and all could see that there was no barrier in terms of country diversity as the groom is a Kenyan. The bride and the groom met in the US, became friends and started their relationship over there before coming home for their wedding. Christabel is a young entrepreneur while Zacheaus is a chemical engineer in the US.
2-time senator and one of nigeria's finest Edo women, Senator Daisy Danjuma was not only at the party as close friend of the bride's mother, Martha Najomo but she doubled as the coordinator for the cutting of the wedding cake. She supervised it well and gave a thorough meaning of what all the ingredients in the cake connotes as it relates to wedding. Give it to the woman of style, she alsyed in a lemon green all stone judge and nailed it with an emerald green diamond jewelry and just finished her outfit with a diamond wristwatch.
Davido lit up the venue of the wedding when he surprisingly stormed the stage with 2 of his members. He got a standing ovation and the ambience of the venue took a new turn as he dished out close to 5 of his hit songs to the admiration of all. All guests were all on their feet especially celebrity women who were all feeling the vibes of the songs.
Newton and David is one of the most sought after event decorator companies in Nigeria, infact unarguably the biggest because of the array of the super-rich who she decorates for. She is not for everyone but for only the celebrities who can pay for her services. She is the leading light in using fresh flowers to decorate party venues and they usually don't come cheap. She decorated the venue amd made it heavenly and hardly will you not mistake the ambience for a fairy tale white wedding despite it being a traditional wedding. Give it to Mrs. Uche Majekodunmi, her team who are majorly not Nigerians were all on around to give the venue a beautiful look.
MEET THE STYLISH MOTHER OF THE BRIDE!
Mrs Martha Najomo pulled a big crowd for her daughter's wedding and the event was well attended by celebrity women from all walks of life. She is a top jewelry merchant who deals in high end luxury diamonds and rare gold. She is the younger sister of former Senate President's wife, Felicia Wabara. The beautiful and tall woman sits atop a thriving jewelry company in Nigeria,Seraphina Gems and have been in the business for over 20 years. The 56th year old looks younger than her age and she is a great collector of diamonds which does not come cheap. She dazzled in a sea blue full stoned Swarovski judge attire and matched it with a collectors diamond with coral beads at the tip which costs over 10million naira for a complete set.
It is only a super celebrity party that will have 3 aso ebis for its guests. The mother of the groom made sure she catered for all categories of guests who dazzled at the wedding. She chose 3 aso ebis for the wedding and the lemon green goes for 165k, there is also a Blush pink version which goes for 80k and the last one goes for 30k.It was worn by over 90 percent of the guests.
The groom is from Kenya and it is expected that some of their family members will be represented at the wedding. We also saw many of their well-wishers who came to celebrate with them at the wedding. They were all decked in their Kenyan attire.
Mike and Mary Inegbese are society couple who always grace high celebrity parties. The couple are stunners anytime they step out. They have been married for many years. Mary Inegbese is the beautiful wife of Chief Mike Inegbese of Ineh Mic Motors, she is also a director at her husband's company. She was at the party wearing the 165k aso ebi matched with a pearl jewelry.
The Lagos PDP chieftain, Chief Bode George is not your regular Owambe person but he came all out to support the Najomos at their daughter's wedding. He came into the hall with his pretty wife, Roli Adeniyi who was surrounded by paparazis to take a shot of her. She looked beautiful in the 165k aso ebi too.
It is barely few days into the year 2019 and this society wedding has lit up the whole social milieu ushering us into the new year. It has surely set the pace for the what 2019 shindigs will be looking at due to the finesse, class, fashion and all that went into the wedding. The wedding has now become the benchmark for other celebrity events to come as it has set the pace of what to expect at upcoming society events.
At the party were also celeb men who came to support the Najomos. Sighted were Chief Bode George, Sophisticat boss, Lanre Ogunlesi, popular designer, Mudi, Mayor Akinpelu, Mike Inegbese, Commissioner for info in Ogun state, Dayo Adeneye and many others.
The beautiful wedding was put together and made successful by professionals in the event business. Newton and David led by Mrs Uche Majekodunmi decorated the Event Venue. Zapphire events led by Funke Obruthe was the wedding planner. Victoria Folarin of Victoria F décor was in charge of the luxury gifts, Lanre Esho Films was in charge of videography, Tasty Smiling, Ahuola caterings were in charge of food, Ebony Band on the bandstand, BJ Sax, Davido, were part of the artists, notable comedians, Media outfits, City People Magazine, Ovation and BOS crew and many others.


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Nucleus Eliquid has arrived at North Coast Vape! 120mls ALWAYS 29.99! Produced and sealed in a best in class ISO lab for maximum flavor, purity, and exact nicotine measurements. Available in glass bottles- 0, 3, 6mg and 10 amazing flavors to choose from:
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Pasteur- Classic strawberry milk
Oppenheimer- A sweet and citrusy key lime
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Liturgical Education Series This series of homilies were given by the late Fr. Steve Tokarski.
Baccalaureate Address This address was given by Director of Billings Catholic Campus Ministry Mary Ronan Williams.


text:
Girls' swim looks to improve in meets with help from new coaches
The girls' swim team has been working hard through their first two meets despite the hard changes the have faced with the coaching staff.
The girls have had two meets so far, and have fallen short in both. They lost to Hobart in a close meet, 97-86, and a much better Lake Central team, 134-52.
According to the swimmers, the coaches have been bringing a new attitude to the team.
"Things have been a little hectic with the big switch up, but everyone's adjusting really well to the change," said senior swimmer Lea DeYoung. "The new coaches have really helped us a lot so far in practice and meets."
The results may not be where they want, but the team says the effort has been there. According the DeYoung, the team has been working rigorously at practice.
"We were hoping for better, but we're working hard at practice everyday to get better," DeYoung said.
According to junior Erin Burke, practice has involved a lot of work with the new coaches to improve.
"Practices have been a little different as far as focusing on certain techniques everyday," Burke said. "It has definitely taken a little bit of getting used to, but the new coaches have been awesome so far."
Burke says the things the new coaches focus on verse the old coaches leave the team with different style practice, but the swimmers have been able to work through the struggles together. This has allowed the team to bond with each other more than years before.
"We're a lot closer as a group with all we've gone through together," DeYoung said. "All of the girls this year are really motivated to improve their skills as athletes."


Two Chicks On Books: M9B Friday Reveal- THE SKY THRONE by Chris Ledbetter Chapter 1 & A Giveaway!
M9B Friday Reveal- THE SKY THRONE by Chris Ledbetter Chapter 1 & A Giveaway!
Today Chris Ledbetter and Month9Books are revealing the cover and first chapter for THE SKY THRONE which releases April 18, 2017! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to be one of the first readers to receive a eGalley!!
Since my father put the first book of mythology in my hand, I've loved myths and legends. I always favored Greek mythology. I actually think I was Greek in a past life. Beginning in 2011, I conceived a story to sit down and have Zeus tell me what his childhood was like, especially his teenage years. All I did was listen to what he told me and put it down on paper.
Since the moment I started at Eastern Crete Lower Academy two years ago, I'd felt like such an outcast. The guys, mostly Potamoi and sons of Headmasters Okeanos and Tethys, never regarded me as an equal. I didn't even warrant bullying. It's like I never even existed. If only I'd known how visible I'd become in the coming days. I always got picked last for swim team and crew in physical fitness class. I actually was the third best wrestler overall in school and peerless in javelin throwing due to superior training from my guardians, the Kouretes. When Eastern Crete competed in the Mediterranean Invitational Games against academies from Phoenicia, Egypt, and Libya, I placed first in the javelin event, beating Gurzil from Libya who was the reigning champion from years past. I even won my weight class, the lightest class there was, in wrestling by beating Melqart from Phoenicia. But none of that mattered.
I loved science class. The lessons where we studied energy and matter were like fresh spring water to a parched throat. But the rest of my classes bored me to tears. We had language arts, music, and math in the mornings. Physical fitness, agriculture, and science took up our afternoons. I wouldn't say I was intellectually ahead of them, because, hey, that'd be conceited. But my mother prepared me well, with all the goat tending and such. And she always said when I came home from classes each night that they just didn't know how to teach me on my level.
After the big Invitational Games win, I was posted up at the school's entry columns with my best friend, Anytos, watching the Oceanids as they arrived for classes one morning. Sisters to the Potamoi, the Oceanids were the sea nymph daughters of our headmasters. Okeanos and Tethys, aside from being our school administrators, were also Elder Deities of the vast ocean, which is why we at Eastern Crete dominated all water sports. Swimming. Cliff diving. Crew. We bested all comers. But not me. I dove and swam exactly the same … like an anvil.
"Well … " A pink tint rose on her high cheek bones. "We shall see. But first you have to show up." Her lips twitched gain. "I have to go to class. See you tomorrow?" She disappeared inside the school hall.
"Place your hand on the desk, palm down," I said.
"Go ahead, then," she said, placing her left hand atop her right.
"All right then, I'll see you next week. Have a good weekend." I walked quickly to the door.
Tos opened the door and we both rounded the corner in a flash. We were halfway to period two music when I heard an unholy roar across campus.
Upon reaching music class, Tos and I took our positions near the kithara and lyre. Our teacher, Professor Leucosia and several more students entered and we prepared for instruction. Leucosia had the most beautiful singing voice. Simply spellbinding. Sometimes, I felt light-headed when she'd sing along with our accompaniment. Shortly after arriving in class, Headmasters Okeanos and Tethys shadowed the doorway to our room. The expression on Tethys' face could have killed a wild boar at forty paces.
"Zeus, Anytos, we need you to step outside right now." Tethys said. Her eyes mirrored the Aegean during a storm.
I looked at Tos. My heart rate quickened to a pace I'd only felt after running sprints. Slowly, I rose to my feet. This couldn't have been good.
We walked over to Okeanos. I had to crane my neck just to see the Headmaster's eyes. His biceps were bigger than my head, despite silvery blue hair atop his head and an aged, wrinkly face.
"But they were just pranks," I pleaded.
Tethys pointed east toward Mount Ida, the highest peak on Crete.
3 winners will receive and eGalley of THE SKY THRONE, International.


RCW 69.43.140: Civil penalty—Pharmacy quality assurance commission waiver.
Civil penalty—Pharmacy quality assurance commission waiver.
(1) In addition to the other penalties provided for in this chapter or in chapter 18.64 RCW, the pharmacy quality assurance commission may impose a civil penalty, not to exceed ten thousand dollars for each violation, on any licensee or registrant who has failed to comply with this chapter or the rules adopted under this chapter. In the case of a continuing violation, every day the violation continues shall be considered a separate violation.
(2) The pharmacy quality assurance commission may waive the suspension or revocation of a license or registration issued under chapter 18.64 RCW, or waive any civil penalty under this chapter, if the licensee or registrant establishes that he or she acted in good faith to prevent violations of this chapter, and the violation occurred despite the licensee's or registrant's exercise of due diligence. In making such a determination, the pharmacy quality assurance commission may consider evidence that an employer trained employees on how to sell, transfer, or otherwise furnish substances specified in RCW 69.43.010(1) in accordance with applicable laws.
Intent—Severability—2001 c 96: See notes following RCW 69.43.010.


text:
Could Democrats lose it all in November?
By BY Examiner Staff • September 3, 2010 12:00 am
Indications from many sources continue to suggest that November could be a sledge-hammer-to-the-forehead election for Democrats. Political pundits have watched as poll numbers have worsened even during this "summer of recovery," as it was billed by Democratic President Barack Obama … but there appears to be no recovery in sight.
Democrat cheer leaders began the summer by publicly dismissing the doom-and-gloom predictions as they tried to rally the troops and Democratic candidates even as the President's approval rating dipped to 46% and three-quarters of those polled disapproved of Congress.
That "summer of recovery" has turned into the Summer of Economic Discontent, according to Michael Boskin, an economics professor at Stanford University, who wrote in the Wall Street Journal:
The Obama administration's "summer of recovery" has morphed into a summer of economic discontent amid anxiety over the weakening economy. The greater than 4% growth and less than 8% unemployment envisioned by the president's economic team are nowhere to be seen. Almost everything that is supposed to be up—the economic growth rate, the stock market, bond yields—is down. And almost everything that is supposed to be down—unemployment-insurance claims, new mortgage delinquencies—is up.
The rosy outlook Democrats had at the beginning of summer is not so rosy in September as some begin to realize they may be hit with a November landslide. Sean Trende wrote in Real Clear Politics:
There has been a flurry of political stories in recent weeks about the electoral difficulties Democrats face this fall. It seems Washington is finally catching on to the fact that the Democrats' hold on the House is in dire jeopardy, and that a 1994-style, 52-seat pickup is a real possibility.
"November is coming," as many like to point out. Things haven't worked out quite the way liberals thought they would, as noted by Michael Barone, senior political analyst at the Washington Examiner, who pointed out:
Scads of liberals gleefully predicted that the financial crisis and deep recession would destroy Americans' faith in markets and increase their confidence in Big Government. Many conservatives gloomily feared they were right.
Hasn't happened. If anything, public opinion has moved in the other direction, with most Americans rejecting the stimulus package and the health care bill, denying that government action is needed to address global warming, expressing negative feelings about labor unions.
Perhaps the most telling of all is from within the Obama administration itself. Dana Milbank at the Washington Post attended Wednesday's lunch at the National Press Club featuring the farewell speech of the departing Christina Romer, chairman of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. As Milbank described, Romer dished up indigestion for many with her report on the economy:
She had no idea how bad the economic collapse would be. She still doesn't understand exactly why it was so bad. The response to the collapse was inadequate. And she doesn't have much of an idea about how to fix things.
As soon as Obama was sworn in, Democrats pushed, shoved, and strong-armed their progressive agenda through Congress at break-neck speed, spending taxpayer money at a rate voters had not seen before. It was too much, too fast — and alarmed Americans took action a mere two months into Obama's term by publicly protesting on the streets, something rarely seen in conservative ranks until 2009.
Perhaps the straw that broke the camel's back was the overwhelming, overreaching government-controlled health care reform bill, popularly called ObamaCare, that was passed in March. Over 2,000 pages long, the bill had not been read by many of the very Democrats who were pushing for its passage, an admittance that did not sit well with Americans who had been brought up to "read the fine print."
Questions from an alarmed electorate brought only dodging and weaving from Democrats, many who refused to hold town hall meetings or respond to phone calls from worried constituents who were arrogantly told they would learn the details after the bill was passed.
Late-night marathon sessions gave the appearance of brow-beating with the House passing the bill on Christmas Eve 2009 and the Senate confirming in March. The vote for ObamaCare, against the wishes of the majority of American taxpayers, proved to be the end of some political careers.
Because of multi-issue discontent, conventional thinking indicated Republicans would pick up the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives with conservative estimates of 47-52 seats going to the GOP. The new twist in November's elections is that a number of political pundits are now suggesting the U.S. Senate, once thought to be safely in Democratic hands, could also fall into Republican control. The GOP needs 10 seats and all estimates are giving them a relatively solid 8-seat gain with the possibility of one or two more. Republicans are also expected to add to their gubernatorial numbers with 6-8 pick-ups.
University of Virginia political professor and guru Larry Sabato</a> sees a trend in past elections that suggests this could be another historic November:
If the Republican wave on November 2 is as large as some polls are suggesting it may be, then the surprise on election night could be a full GOP takeover. Since World War II, the House of Representatives has flipped parties on six occasions (1946, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1994, and 2006). Every time, the Senate flipped too, even when it had not been predicted to do so.
How could Barack Obama, the darling of the left who swept into office in 2008, fall so far so fast? Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner, looked at how the Democrats threw away their advantage over the GOP:
Many political observers were stunned by the new Gallup poll showing the Republican party with a 10-point advantage in the so-called "generic ballot" question. Now we have a better idea how that happened.
According to new, more detailed Gallup numbers, Democratic advantages on issues like health care, the economy, and handling corruption in government have simply disappeared. Democratic leads that were enormous when the party took control of Congress in 2006 have dwindled to nothing or have now become Republican advantages.
His article goes much more into detail, a good read for trying to understand what happened to the Democratic majority in Congress.
As America slips into the fall campaign season, a few Democrats cling to the hope that the outcome for their side will be better than predicted. However, others see the handwriting on the wall even as they study the polls and look at past elections and, perhaps most telling, as they look at the mood of America. November is coming and for Democrats that may spell disaster.
Tags: Bay Area News, Government & Politics, Politics


ISO 27001 is the international standard for securing your information assets from threats. It is the best-known standard that provides precise requirements for a holistic information security management.
ISO 27001 standard will help your organization manage the security of sensitive assets such as financial data, intellectual property, employee records, customer data, and other sensitive information. It mandates that enterprises enforce information security, thereby reducing the possible risk of data thefts and breaches.
EventLog Analyzer can make your organization to comply with the ISO 27001:2013 controls A.12.4.1, A.12.4.2 and A.12.4.3, These controls help organizations to record events and generate evidence. EventLog Analyzer also fulfills the controls A.9.2.1, A.9.2.5 and A.9.4.2 that ensures authorized user access and prevents unauthorized access to systems and services.
How EventLog Analyzer fulfills the requirement?
Event logging Event logs recording user activities; exceptions, faults and information security events shall be produced, kept and regularly reviewed. EventLog Analyzer software enables organizations to completely automate the entire process of managing terabytes of logs by collecting, analyzing, searching, reporting, and archiving it in a central location. It archives all log data on the EventLog Analyzer server itself.
All user activities, server activities, errors, security events, information events, application events, and other events are monitored and analyzed by EventLog Analyzer in real-time.
All the critical security events such as user activities, server activities, errors, and other events such as information events, and application events are monitored and analyzed by EventLog Analyzer in real-time. The solution also reviews all the above said events regularly with its out-of-the-box reports.
Protection of log information Logging facilities and log information shall be protected against tampering and unauthorized access. EventLog Analyzer encrypts the event log archive files to ensure the log data is secured for future forensic analysis, compliance and internal audits by hashing and time stamping the log data.
The solution also securely stores the archived log data files by employing hashing and time stamping techniques. The time stamping technique ensures that the archive data files are tamper proof. If there is a modification, in the archived log file, then this technique will reveal that the file had been tampered.
EventLog Analyzer's object access monitoring and File Integrity Monitoring capability ensures that the log information is kept secured from all threats.
Administrator and operator logs System administrator and system operator activities shall be logged and the logs protected and regularly reviewed. EventLog Analyzer provides you with PUMA (Privileged user monitoring and audit) reports. The solution closely monitors the user activity of system administrators and operators and gives you detailed security reports for any specific period of time. The graphical reports give the complete picture of user activities and also allow you to drill down to the level of raw logs which give in-depth security insights. You can also export the reports in PDF and CSV formats.
EventLog Analyzer captures all user audit trails to ensure that the log files that capture the activities of system administrators and system operators are protected from unauthorized access and threats.
EventLog Analyzer monitors and analyzes important log events such as User Logons, User Logoffs, Failed Logons, Successful User Account Validation, Failed User Account Validation, Audit Logs Cleared, Audit Policy Changes, Objects Accessed, User Account Changes, User Group Change and more.
Review of user access rights Asset owners shall review users access rights at regular intervals. EventLog Analyzer generates security reports that can tell you the list of devices generating maximum number of successful and failed login events.
Monitoring the login events in real-time will allow asset owners to know when their network is vulnerable to security threats.
Secure log-on procedures Where required by the access control policy, access to systems and applications should be controlled by a secure log-on procedure.
EventLog Analyzer collects and generates reports on all account management and account usage activity events. Changes to accounts, user policies, domain policies, and audit policies are monitored, analyzed, and reports are generated in real-time.
The solution monitors and analyzes in real time, user access events related to access and authorization of critical systems, devices, and applications. It also monitors and tracks the security level permission change events as well.
User registration and de-registration A formal user registration and de-registration process should be implemented to enable assignment of access rights. EventLog Analyzer generates detailed reports and alerts you in real-time upon the occurrence of new user account creation, deletion and modification, across your network. The solution also sends out Email/SMS alerts when a user account is locked out.


What is this? A Fantasy model by me? What's going on here? Actually, this guy is my contribution to the Knights of Bal Timorea Project over at Santa Cruz Warhammer.
He's my contribution to the Bal Timorea project over on Santa Cruz Warhammer. I've managed to get him cleaned up and primed this weekend among other projects. It's crazy right now with Christmas right around the corner, but I still manage to sneak some hobby time in between other things.
I'm honored that John thinks highly enough of my painting to have included me in the project. He went so far as to send me the horse so I wouldn't have an excuse to bow out. I even got to pick what kind of helmet I wanted.
I plan on doing a little bit of work on him over the holiday, so look for more updates in the coming weeks on this guy as I get him finished. I'm sure my Daughter and Wife will be giving me lots of expert advice on what color to paint the horse since both of them absolutely love horses.
I've got him primed black right now and I'm thinking I'm going to use some blues, greens and a bit of white for the palette. That combined with the warm tones for the metals and the weathering should make for a nice model in the end.
So if you haven't heard about the project or you're looking to get involved yourself, head over to Santa Cruz Warhammer for more info on it.
How can your Knight already look good?
H. E. Double Hockey Sticks!
I will also note that the "due date" has been pushed back into January to relieve some of the holiday stress, so its not too late to get involved and you might win a little Fantasy army.
I almost choked on my drink when I saw this. Great to see some Fantasy content, no mater how minor, on the front page.
Torpedo Vegas: More Fantasy on Wednesday... part of the Back to Basics series. It's quite the refreshing change and my Wife says she likes the the models better than all the "machines" I usually paint.


text:
Q: Visual Studio indentation set to two spaces instead of four space tab I have just opened an old project here at work.   Someone appears to have changed the indentation.   It's set to 2 spaces instead of four space tabbing.

What I have tried:

*

*I tried doing a Ctrl + KD but that hasn't changed it back to proper indentation.

*I Deleted the _ReSharper.Caches directory, and a new one is just created, no change to the indentation.

When those didn't work, I have started comparing settings in my visual studio with two different solutions.
Resharper settings appear to be identical so are the settings in visual studio.
Re-sharper settings

Visual studio settings

Which makes me think this must be in one of the project files or something?  If it's not an issue with the settings in my visual studio, what's overriding the tabbing?
Of note when the project loads I swear it loads with proper indentation and then it's reformatted in the last second. Not sure it matters, but the projects are .net core 1.0 there are three projects in the solution all three appear to be affected.
Hope someone has a fix for this; it's really hard to read it like this.

A: Visual Studio may be using an .editorconfig file in the project's directory (or in any parent directory) which allows for a consistent code style within a codebase regardless of user settings.
Visual Studio should indicate this in the lower left-hand area of the IDE window.
If this is the case, you'll need to modify .editorconfig and define a new style in order to change the configuration for the automatic formatting tools.

A: As people says in answers and comments this is probably a .editorconfig. In our case a developer started using VS Code and when upgrading to VS 2017 Visual Studio also accepts these files.
This was the value in the file that was automatically added:
[*]
end_of_line = crlf
insert_final_newline = true
indent_style = space
indent_size = 2
trim_trailing_whitespace = true

By adding this we could use C# normally and the developer who wanted to use VS Code could continue to do that:
[*.cs]
indent_style = space
indent_size = 4

https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/content/problem/44231/cant-set-indent-level-to-4-spaces-in-vs-2017.html


> xcb backend because glx requires it, as it needs the xlib display.
> xcb backend has been simplified by having the xlib dependency.
If it's only glx, then maybe the goal should be that xlib shouldn't be necessary when using EGL, or no OpenGL at all (in which case you could still have widgets anyway), right?


Our Serengeti Tours take you to the world's largest protected grassland and savannah ecosystem. This UNESCO World Heritage site is famous for the annual migration of the wildebeest. The Serengeti's endless grassy plains dotted with water holes flaunt wildlife sightings such as prides of lions and leopard along with elephants and giraffe.
With a wildlife overdose you will be spoilt for great photo opportunities on your Serengeti Safari Tour.


This Melissa and Doug wooden 24 piece set tool kit includes wooden nails, screws, nuts, and bolts for hours of creative, "constructive" fun. You can have your own little fixer to 'help' around the house - the next flat pack furniture will be assembled in no time with help from your little one! Joking aside Toddlers and preschoolers will love using the hammer, wrench, and screwdriver to build their projects and you might find they are earnestly 'mending' all sorts of things you didn't even know were broken! tables and chairs seemed to be a firm favourite around here.


text:
HomeNewsStevens Researchers Build Deep-Learning Model That Reads Between the Lines to Predict Bankruptcy
Stevens Researchers Build Deep-Learning Model That Reads Between the Lines to Predict Bankruptcy
Professors Say Collaborative Culture at the School of Business Led to Innovative, Interdisciplinary Research
Despite coming from different backgrounds, professors Feng Mai and Chihoon Lee said they were able to work together to break new ground because of the culture at the School of Business, which fosters innovative research.
When Paul J. FitzPatrick published his study comparing the accounting ratios of successful and failed companies from 1920 to 1929, he said the amount of literature on the topic was meager.
That was in 1932. Today, bankruptcy prediction is among the most robust areas of research in the business world, with thousands of studies dedicated to forecasting corporate financial distress.
So how were two researchers from Stevens Institute of Technology able to build a more accurate model?
By thinking outside of the typical business-school box.
Dr. Chihoon Lee (left) and Dr. Feng Mai.
"Most of the other studies used numeric data for prediction, but our model takes the traditional numerical data and combines it with the textual data each public company files annually," said Dr. Chihoon Lee, an associate professor at the School of Business who collaborated with assistant professor Dr. Feng Mai for this study, published in the European Journal of Operational Research.
They used deep-learning techniques to analyze text within the Management Discussion & Analysis section of annual filings for nearly 12,000 publicly traded U.S. firms from 1994 to 2014.
Although other models have included text, Dr. Lee said none have been as comprehensive as this model.
"Those models just count the important words," he said. "They don't go as deep into the meaning of words. We go beyond that and extract more information, which improves prediction power."
Extracting information from the MD&A text wasn't without its challenges. The researchers had to find a way to quantify the unstructured textual data in a way that a machine could understand.
"The beauty of a neural network is that it can automatically learn more abstract representations of the words," Dr. Mai said. "The meaning of the word is condensed into a list of numbers, which only the machine can understand. But it turns out that list of numbers captures the meaning of that word really well."
Finding new research areas to explore
This research marks a convergence of parallel paths for professors Lee and Mai, who both began teaching at Stevens in the fall of 2015. Although neither had a background in finance, both found themselves drawn to the field.
"I didn't have too much experience in finance-related research," said Dr. Mai. "My main area is computational methods, especially machine learning, to analyze text data. But finance is one of the pillars of the School of Business, and I started collaborating with those professors frequently."
"There's a collaborative culture at School of Business that encourages us to make bold moves."
Dr. Feng Mai, assistant professor
Dr. Lee, who focuses on using statistics in operations research to optimize systems under uncertainty, said he left Colorado State for Castle Point because "[he] could do more impactful research here."
"Before Stevens, my work was more about proving mathematical properties on certain stochastic systems," said Dr. Lee. "Now I'm thinking beyond that — not only mathematical properties, but real implications."
The financial crisis of the late aughts was the most recent reminder of just how real bankruptcy's implications are. Their model is a way to help shareholders and investors interpret more of the information provided by companies in order to make smarter decisions.
"I think it can help the efficiency of the market if investors have a more accurate way of understanding the textual documents and realizing what kinds of risks are out there," Dr. Mai said.
Bold moves and unconventional methods
They hope to continue working together to improve the model. One avenue they are exploring is the possibility of adding another, ostensibly more objective, layer of textual data in the form of news. It's the sort of research risk-taking the School of Business fosters.
"There's a collaborative culture at the School of Business that promotes interdisciplinary, tech-driven research," Dr. Mai said. "Two professors from distinct backgrounds can work together because there isn't a rigid departmental structure. And the leadership here encourages us to make bold moves while using untested methods on important problems."
By working together, Stevens faculty are able to glean valuable insights and learn about the latest methods from each other. This project marked Dr. Lee's first foray into deep learning, while Dr. Mai had never used deep learning to process financial data. The novelty of this prediction model is a byproduct of the novel tools that researchers at the School of Business are eager to explore.
"Deep learning is definitely not in the traditional toolbox of a business researcher," Dr. Mai said.
Then again, Stevens isn't a traditional business school.
M.S. in Business Intelligence & Analytics M.S. in Financial EngineeringBusiness research
Books of Genesis: Building Models to Help Pharma Consulting Firm Find Insights in Research
Business Intelligence & Analytics Master's Program
Ph.D. in Financial Engineering
Financial Engineering Master's Program


St. Regis is one of the world's most prestigious hotel brand with provenance and history. Alchemy was tasked to position the ultra-luxury St Regis The Residences in Lijiang. We tagged into the core essence of the SR brand of 'insidership' and 'high society' to position the Residences as THE insider vacation destination in China – like the Cotswold in England, Provence in France or Hampton in NY. Besides the website and a sales app , a consistent set of multi-sensory experience is designed and produced that speak to the quality and specialty of the project.The package included a brass display stand with St. Regis branding, an exclusive custom-made fragrance for the Residences, and a 65-page brochure that takes the reader through the history of St. Regis and Lijiang.


text:
© Clive Mason - Formula 1
From Indy 500 disappointment to F1 excitement
By Max Chilton 28 August 2020
After the anti-climax of last week's Indy Car race, Max Chilton looks ahead to Sunday's F1 grand prix and the rise of Max Verstappen
After a very challenging month in the US building up to and racing in the Indy 500, I am back in the UK for the next month or so. As always, to be involved in the Indy 500 was an honour, although it was a challenging weekend for us overall.
© Michael Conroy/AP/Shutterstock
As I explained last week, there are practice sessions and qualifying sessions that happen a week before the race and unfortunately the car had not moved on as much as we had hoped over the past 12 months and so I only qualified a few cars from the back row. It was definitely not where we wanted to be. Having said that, we had a long race ahead of us to make up places and we always felt we had a stronger race pace than qualifying pace.
Race day itself was very strange. It definitely wasn't as fun and as special as normal years and the build-up was massively stripped back. We did the driver introductions, the national anthem and the flyover, but there were no marching bands, no canons and of course no fans in the grandstand – 300,000 people replaced with a fraction of that number.
© Andy Lyons
Having said all that, I don't think it really affected myself or the other drivers. The Indy 500 is like no other race on earth, and despite there being no fans and little pomp and circumstance compared to normal, there was still a huge sense of occasion and everyone wanted to win.
We raced pretty well, not the fastest, not the slowest, and I managed to keep out of trouble. As a team we had a really good strategy and I finished in 17th place in the end, which made me be the fourth-highest mover on the day, making up 13 places in total.
In the pre-race briefing we were told on average there are seven yellow flags during the Indy 500 and this year there were exactly that number. Fortunately there were no multiple pile-ups, but there were a lot of individuals having big shunts, which led to the safety car being deployed for the last five laps, which was a shame.
© Gregory Shamus
Overtaking at the Indy 500 is really challenging and I think there are two reasons for that. Firstly, the cars are heavier this year due to the new Aeroscreen. And secondly, Firestone, with this in mind (because it would be worried about the impact of the extra weight on the tyres), has stiffened the tyre up, meaning less grip.
When you haven't got enough grip following a car through a corner at 230mph you know about it. You have to lift off the throttle, meaning you can't overtake the car in front. In years gone by, when the car is really good you can keep on the throttle behind another car and slip-stream down the straight.
My next race will most likely be the Indy Grand Prix in early October, so I will have a bit of time at home to recharge the batteries before heading back to the US and back to work.
© Mario Renzi - Formula 1
On to the F1. What a season we are having. They have done a great job to make a great spectacle in very tough circumstances. One or two of the races haven't been great, but in general they have delivered and this weekend they have Spa-Francorchamps, which is always good.
Spa is my favourite track in the world; there are lots of straights, lots of overtaking and edge-of-your-seat wheel-to-wheel racing. I expect Mercedes to dominate, with McLaren and Racing Point doing well. I am also looking forward to seeing Max Verstappen at his "home" circuit.
Max is undoubtedly a highly talented driver with incredible natural ability to go very, very fast and manages to look so relaxed doing it. Some people have to be really focused to go at that speed and he seems to be just joking around. A special driver.
Max, like Lando Norris, has raced every day of his life and has definitely completed his 10,000 hours. So, what is his ceiling? There are a lot of really good drivers on the grid and it is an incredibly competitive moment in the sport. His next move needs to be right. Being the best in F1 is often about timing.
Fernando Alonso won two World Championships, moved to Ferrari and then McLaren and won none. There is no doubt that he was (and still is) a brilliant driver, and yet he didn't reach the heights he should have just because he moved to the wrong team at the wrong time. Max has to get that right.
© Malcolm Griffiths
Finally, I am really excited to see the Intercity Istanbul Park Grand Prix coming back to F1 after nine years. I raced there in GP2 in 2010 and 2011, but never got the chance in F1. It is an incredible track; a proper driver's track, really fast and flowing. I am expecting a great race.
People talk about Maggots and Becketts at Silverstone being the most technical fast section of corners on the calendar, but the corner at Turkey will be the most demanding on the cars now. It is a four-apex left-hander, which in modern cars will be just flat the whole way through – so fast the drivers' heads will want to be falling off. I can't wait to see this young, talented bunch of drivers take it on. A great addition to the calendar.
IndyCar is back! Max Chilton on the return of motorsport
F1 teams are working together in a race to build ICU breathing aids
Motor racing returns: 'Lando Norris could make a huge statement in F1'
CarsSportFormula 1Travel
Why Lewis Hamilton will stay at Mercedes
By Max Chilton 6 November 2020
'Lewis Hamilton could not have driven better to win his seventh world championship'
By Max Chilton 21 November 2020


Veteran trade union activist Tony Staunton was disgracefully expelled from his Unison trade union last week following more than six months of suspension as branch secretary of the Plymouth council branch.
More than 40 supporters held a rally outside his hearing in Plymouth.
After 23 years of active service as an elected representative to Unison, Britain's largest public sector trade union, and its predecessor Nalgo, Tony was found guilty of a series of political contraventions of the union's rules – all of which he denied.
Additional charges relating to the improper spending of money or use of Unison photocopy equipment were disproved during the three day hearing.
It was found that Tony had been given computer equipment by the branch. This was in recognition that he produced all minutes, records and correspondence, leaflets and flyers, a periodic eight page magazine and regular newsletters outside of work time at home at nights and weekends.
Branch officers offered formal evidence that the equipment was gifted to him over a period of many years.
Yet the disciplinary hearing decided that all purchases from branches remain the property of the trade union even after full depreciation, and rejected that the equipment could have been gifted.
Further offences were committed by Tony refusing to return the equipment he considered to be his to Unison following the written demands of the union general secretary.
Tony offered a strong defence, answering all allegations with witness statements and documentary evidence, despite having no access to relevant records.
But the hearing panel spent less than two minutes per charge in closed session before announcing its decision.
Over 40 full written testimonials from trade union activists, including branch secretaries of seven trade unions in Plymouth, were offered as evidence of Tony's commitment to trade unionism in the city, along with hundreds of signatures to a collective testimonial.
The panel spent 14 minutes considering these documents before expelling Tony.
Trade unionists across Plymouth and the south west of England have declared their shock at the outcome. Motions from the PCS civil service workers' union and Plymouth's trade union council have already been passed condemning the decision and calling on Unison's general secretary to intervene.
Without any evidence the panel determined that a United Left leaflet and other political documents had been produced on the machines in Tony's home, and that he had therefore breached union rules.
A small number of emails and downloaded images from "party political" websites found on branch office machinery were accepted as evidence of the use of union resources for political purposes.
Names and addresses from Tony's personal calendar and electronic address book shared between the union office computer and his mobile phone were also considered evidence of political use of union equipment.
In all, Tony faced 23 charges surrounding the ownership and use of computers for purposes outside of the rules of the union, all of which he denied.
The decisions of the union panel have significant implications for all those on the left in Unison.
Charge B2, for example, makes clear that "participating in, organising and allowing resources of the union to be used in support of a factional organisation", Unison United Left, breaches Rules B.2.1, B.2.4 and B.2.5 and breaches Rule I.2.2 by "acting in a manner prejudicial or detrimental to the union, his branch or service group".
The effect of this ruling is to give guidelines surrounding union activity the force of formal and binding regulations for the first time. This places all those activists supporting and promoting left wing ideas or organisation within the union at risk of their membership.
This is in contravention of basic political rights as well as the union's agreed rulebook and must not be allowed to stand.
It is clear that the use of computers and communication technology by union activists is now widespread and routine. Yet no clear guidelines, let alone instructions and regulations exist for locally elected representatives at branch level.
To consider the viewing of party political documents on a computer to signify the use of that computer for party political purposes is patently absurd.
Unison local government branches routinely download the manifesto of councillors seeking election, to understand the potential policies of their local employers.
Labour Party policies and documents are transmitted and quoted routinely in Unison's official email correspondence to branches and members using Unison equipment.
The findings of the disciplinary represent a political witc-hunt and must be challenged.
The case now goes forward to appeal.


The flavor of dried chiles is developed by toasting them over direct heat, and it blossoms into its full complexity when the chiles are soaked in a little water. Once soft, the chiles can be pureed and worked into the recipe by simmering with other ingredients or frying to intensify the flavor.
To toast dried chiles, stem, split, and seed the chiles and remove any ribs. Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chiles to the dry pan and press down firmly with a spatula until the chiles blister, soften, and darken, being careful not to burn them. Turn the chiles and repeat. Transfer the chiles to a bowl and pour hot water over them as directed in the recipe.
through a food mill to remove any traces of skin or fiber from the sauce, if you like. The chile puree may now be added to the slow cooker, or it may be cooked in a skillet to thicken it and concentrate the flavors.
The following are the dried chiles most commonly used in Mexican Food, listed from the mildest to the hottest.
Deep flavors of fruit, hay, tobacco, and chocolate characterize this wide chile, 3 to 4 inches in length, with wrinkled skin that is reddish-black to black.
Similar in flavor to the ancho chile, this long, narrow chile has smooth, thin flesh that is dark brown to black in color.
The most commonly used dried chile in Mexican cooking, narrow guajillos are 4 to 6 inches in length and have smooth reddish to dark red skin and leathery flesh. This sweet-smelling chile, often used in enchilada sauce, has a pure chile flavor.
Similar in appearance to the guajillo, this chile may be dark red to red-brown and usually has medium-spicy leathery flesh. Not sweet, this herbaceous chile features the flavors of hay and tobacco.
Narrow and 3 to 4 inches in length, this red, smooth-skinned chile, also known as a japonés chile, is medium-hot, with a fruity taste.
brown with dry-looking skin. It is smoky, slightly bitter, and very spicy.
A small, thin red chile with many seeds, this is hot, with a bitter edge.
Pequín. This tiny red chile is very hot.