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Election 2015: Canada Votes
By Jon The Blogcentric on 19 October 2015 | Leave a comment
Today on October 19th, all of Canada will vote for who will lead the country over the next four years. For over ten years and three terms, Conservative leader Stephen Harper has led Canada. He seeks a fourth term but faces tough opposition from Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. Possible challenges come from the Bloc Quebecois and Gilles Duceppe and the Green Party under Elizabeth May. One thing about this election is that it has proved that anything can happen and no one is guaranteed the label of 'winner.' It's been that close and full of yo-yo statistics. Here's my rundown:
-Conservative Party: Stephen Harper – You can't go anywhere without people talking about Stephen Harper. He ran for Prime Minister for the first time in 2004 and was seen as the one to help put conservative muscle back into Canadian politics. Even though he didn't win, he did succeed in bringing the conservative side back into politics. The Conservative party had 99 seats, up from 72 in 2000, and the victorious Liberals under Paul Martin were left with a minority government after three terms as a majority under Jean Chretien.
Then in January 2006, a new election was held at the sudden revelation of the corruption of Liberal leader Paul Martin and after Governor General Michaelle Jean dissolved parliament. This worked for the benefit of Stephen Harper as the Liberal Party lost enough seats to give Harper's Conservatives victory. Sure it was a minority with 124 seats but it was enough to give the Liberal party their first loss on the national level since 1988. This meant new changes for Canada with a Conservative government having most of the power albeit only with a minority.
There were many varied opinions about the first term of Stephen Harper. There were many on the left who felt he was too right-wing or making a lot of decisions they felt were wrong. There were others who admired him simply because 'he says he's gonna do some thing and he does it.' I think that's what wins people: a politician that actually delivers on their claims. This was enough for Harper to be able to win the next election in 2008. He increased the number of seats from 127 to 143 but it was still a minority.
Over time, people across Canada, especially in BC, were expressing their disappointment with his policies. I especially remember the arts community unhappy about the cuts in funding they were dealt in 2008. Then in March of 2011, the Conservative Party was found to be in contempt of parliament. The Government General, like in 2005, again dissolved parliament. This time things went the reverse. Harper's Conservatives won a third term, this time with a majority of 166 seats.
The time since has been loaded with corruption and complains to Harper and the Conservatives. They run the gamut from political overspending on advertising to reducing door-to-door delivery of mail to the point there will only be mail boxes by 2019, to denying funding for science to promoting the controversial Keystone pipeline for boosting the export of crude oil to the controversial bill C-51 which appears to threaten Canadian's privacy freedoms the same way the Patriot Act threatened Americans' privacy rights. A lot of his misdoings appear to make good things he did like provide tax breaks to families and transit users.
-Liberal Party: Justin Trudeau – The Liberal party is one party that has had its biggest struggles ever these past ten years. It started with the Paul Martin fiasco leading the Liberals to their first ever election loss after winning the previous four. It continued with Stephan Dion in 2008 as their seat total declined from 95 to 77. However it was at the 2011 election under Michael Ignatieff where the Liberal party hit what appeared to be rock bottom by winning only 34 seats. They weren't even the official opposition. After Ignatieff's resignation just days later, they looked for a leader who could fill the spot. They found it in Justin Trudeau, the 43 year-old son of Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. In fact, Justin was born while his father was Prime Minister.
The buzz around him grew but it hasn't been without controversy. Justin has been faced with accusation that he's riding off the coattails of his father's legend. His only jobs before have either been a raft guide or a school teacher. This was especially noteworthy in Stephen Harper's ads attacking Trudeau with the claim he's "Just not ready." It included the comment, 'Nice hair, though.' I myself even felt he didn't deserve my vote because "He hasn't proven himself politically. He's all image and no real cred." Even some of his campaign claims like his promise to legalize marijuana or prostitution have caught the disgust of many. Last poll had him in the lead. Whatever the situation if he wins, he will have to prove he deserves it.
-New Democratic Party: Tom Mulcair – The 2011 election was a landmark for the NDP. Actually it started months after the 2008 election when the NDP led by Jack Layton teamed up with the Liberals for a coalition takeover of parliament in order to reduce Harper. It didn't work but it did catch the eye of the nation and it caused Canadians to look more favorably to the NDP party: a national party who were often lucky enough to just finish third in national elections.
The 2011 was a landmark for the party as they won 103 seats, up from 36 and the most they've ever won. Leader Jack Layton became the head of the official opposition. He only had months to enjoy his victory as he would die of cancer later that year. It would take time to find a new leader of the party and they found it in Tom Mulcair. Since he assumed power, he has been seen as Harper's toughest political rival most able to put pressure on the Conservatives. He has hoped to take that with him to the election. It worked in August when the campaign trail began. However the NDP have been in a struggle since to win back the approval ratings they had back then and sit third. Only tonight's election will tell the tale.
-Bloc Quebecois: Gilles Duceppe – If any party has had it harder than the Liberals since 2011, it's the Bloc Quebecois. It's not even just because of slipping to two seats. It's of going through three different leaders after Duceppe resigned from incumbents to leaders voted in. After all the frustration, Duceppe is back in. He's hoping to bring the Bloc's power back into Canadian parliament and push for Quebec independence.
-Green Party: Elizabeth May – One party on the grow is the Green Party. They've been around for decades but it's only in this century that they've been able to see their political power grow. I know. I'm from BC where the Green Party appears to have possibly its biggest support. Elizabeth May has done a lot to boost this party which holds left-wing policies and ideas noticeably different from the other two leading liberal parties: Liberal and NDP. In fact the Greens won their first ever seat in Parliament back in 2011 but it was not May.
The Green Party may have a candidate in almost every riding and their policies may appear to be the best for the country but they still have to develop more political muscle before they can be considered a serious contender. However May has done nothing wrong as a leader and should keep doing what she's doing and take it further.
Since the start, the election has been called anyone's game and hard to predict. The NDP had a lead at the start but it appeared to deteriorate over time and they hang at third in the polls. Harper and the Conservatives only had a brief lead in September for a week or two but found themselves soon slipping and now find themselves at second. Right now the Liberals lead at 37% at the last polls. Anything can happen on Election Day. In fact in BC, Christy Clark's Liberals were expected to lose according to the polls but they won. The biggest shocker is the advance polls held during the long weekend of October 9-12. Voter turnout was way higher than expected. An increase of 16%. The increase resulted in a lot of long line ups. I myself had to wait almost a full hour to vote. nevertheless this is an optimistic sign as it shows more Canadians are willing to vote in this year's election as compared to 2011.
Whatever the situation, it will be decided by 8pm Pacific Time who will be the Prime Minister of Canada. It could be decided earlier upon final results in Ontario but you never know. Anyways history will be decided tonight.
Funny thing but if the US presidential election can best be described as "two five year-olds fighting over the same toy," what should the Canadian national election be described as?
Posted in: The Body Politic, The Body Politic - Canada	| Tagged: 2015, Bloc, Canada, conservatives, Duceppe, election, Elizabeth, Gilles, Green, Harper, Justin Trudeau, Liberal, May, Mulcair, NDP, New Democrat, Party, Quebecois, Stephen, Tom
Election 2013: British Columbia Votes
By Jon The Blogcentric on 13 May 2013 | Leave a comment
It's happening. British Columbia will be voting for a premier: the first such election in four years and two days exactly. There's reigning BC Premier Christy Clark and there are challenging Party leaders, most notably Adrian Dix and Jane Sterk. But how do they stack up for the vote on May 14th?
CHRISTY CLARK: LIBERAL
She is the reigning premier, albeit not elected into office. Those of you living outside of British Columbia may not have known the state of politics in the 21st century. From 2001 to 2011, the province has had Liberal Gordon Campbell as premier of the province. He has been elected into office three times having to resign back in 2011 because of his approval rating declining to the point of single-digit percentage. Christy Clark has taken the role of premier ever since. Since becoming premier of BC, her approval rating as well as the approval rating of the BC Liberals improved greatly even superseding the rating of the NDP for some period of time. However the period has been short-lived.
The opposition Clark has faced during her premiership has not been as heated or intense as Gordon Campbell's. Nevertheless she has faced heat of her own. One former Liberal MLA accused her of conflict of interest in assisting with the selling of BC Rail during the Campbell administration while cabinet minister. She has also been witness to seeing many key Liberals resigning from parliament.
With the provincial election approaching, Clark still faces a lot of heat from the opposing parties for a lot of what Gordon Campbell did during his administration. Remember I told you about her pre-election baggage? It didn't completely go away. Her appearance at the Party leader's debate gave her a chance to improve her political reputation as many felt she won the debate. The BC Liberal Party has greatly decreased its gap behind the BC NDP in the past three weeks trailing them only slightly. However many journalists are claiming it may be too much too late for her political career. Only the results on Tuesday will tell.
ADRIAN DIX: NDP
He's already been written as the frontrunner for the race for premier. But it doesn't mean that his chances of winning are unbreakable.
One of the reasons many claim Gordon Campbell has continued to be elected premier is because there hasn't been an NDP skilled enough to rival him. Adrian may not have much experience as a Party leader but he does have considerable political experience under his belt. Dix was born the son of an insurance agency owner. He has been with the NDP Party since 1996 and like Clark has also been a political media personality for newspapers like The Sun Columnist and the Source. Dix has been the MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway since his election in 2005 and his prime areas of focus while MLA have been Children and Families and Health Issues. His biggest achievements have been bringing insulin pumps to children with type 1 diabetes and successfully preventing three Vancouver-Kingsway schools from shutting down.
He came to be elected leader of the NDP Party in 2011 upon the resignation of leader Carole James. Issues that led to his election have been Eliminating the HST, reducing business taxes, redirecting carbon tax, and increasing the minimum wage to name a few. For the provincial election, Dix has had ads marketed with the theme 'time for a new government'. Those ads have been on television not as frequently as the BC Liberals but more commonly on Youtube. Dix has led through most of the pre-election polls and appears to be the heavy favorite to win.
However he does face stiff opposition. Firstly there was the recent Party leader debate where Christy Clark presented herself and her platform the best. That caused her to jump in the polls and even tied Dix on May 8th. Then there was bringing back the controversy Dix was responsible for during the scandal of 1990's premier Glen Clark when Dix was Chief of Staff from 1996 to 1999. Back then he back-dated a memo to protect Clark from conflict-of-interest charges. That led to the resignation of both Clark and Dix. Dix has since redeemed himself as the MLA for Vancouver-Kingsway but the incident has arisen again by the opposing parties. That could hurt him.
Yes, Dix has a lead over Christy Clark in the polls right now but it's too close to call right now. Don't forget polls can say one thing and elections can say another. The big question is will it be a night for the first NDP premier in 12 years? It will all be at the buzzer Tuesday night.
JANE STERK: GREEN
Outside of the Liberals and the NDP, the only other Party making the biggest news in the election is the BC green Party and its leader Jane Sterk. The Green Party is a relatively young Party that started in 1983 but it fields policies that appeal to many BC residents like environmental issues, tolerance and diversity, social justice as well as personal and global responsibility. The questions has always been would they have what it takes to win elections and would they have what it takes to be good strong leaders?
The Green Party first made a name for itself under the leadership of founder Adrianne Carr back in 2001 when the Party finished third in the provincial election with 12.4% of the vote. They would continue to finish third in the next two provincial elections but with declining percentages of votes. In the 2009 election–the first in which Jane Sterk was Party leader– the Green Party finished with 8.1% of the vote and no seats.
The position of the Green Party here in BC is still a big question mark. Even in this election the Party won't be fielding candidates for all 85 ridings like the NDP and Liberals: 61 to be exact. However this could be the Party's best election. Right now the election is between two leading Party's candidates who have both been involved with a former premier and the infamies of their administrations, even scandal involvement. The Green Party has been over 10% in the polls for most of the upcoming election period however their popularity has taken a bit of a dip in recent days. Also what should be remembered is that Sterk is native to Alberta and she didn't move to BC until 2000. That could hurt her since the leading two candidates and many other candidates have spent most of their life in BC.
The question is will the Green Party finally make a name for itself and be able to land its first ever MLA seat? Best chances could be with Sterk in her Victoria-Beacon Hill riding but she would have to win over former NDP leader Carole James who is the incumbent leader in that riding. This will be a question not just of whether the Green Party can land a seat but its ability to strike a chord with voters. It has what it takes and now's a better time than ever but can they do it?
JOHN CUMMINS :CONSERVATIVE
The Conservative Party is a long-standing Party like the NDP and Liberals and had it's biggest heydays from the 30's to the 50's. However it has had rollercoaster success since then as the Party has had a very hard time not just trying to win seats but also trying to field seats. This year the Conservative Party has fielded candidates for 56 of the 85 MLA seats, their biggest number since 1972 and double the 24 seats they fielded candidates for in the 2009 election.
Its biggest challenge has to be with the general public. I live in New Westminster and work in downtown Vancouver. Already I can tell that the big cities are not known for welcoming politician with a right-leaning platform. Most of the bigger cities have a huge and very vocal animosity for right-wing politicians that are even as much as right-to-centre. Sometimes I think Vancouver is the capital of 'Harperphobia.' However it's another story in areas like Langley and Abbotsford which are known for its conservative beliefs. In fact leader John Cummins is running in the Langley riding. Cummins himself is a former MP in the Canadian Parliament under the Reform Party and the national Conservative Party under the leadership of Harper. He resigned his seat in the Richmond-Delta national riding to pursue provincial Party leadership.
This could be the first chance in decades for the Conservative Party to make a name for itself in decades however it does face opposition of its own especially from BC residents that disagree with the Party agenda very vehemently. Like the Green Party, it too has had times where it has seen days of 10% approval or higher this past month. Also like the Green Party, it's currently sitting below the 10% mark. There's no question that it will have a higher percentage of votes than the 2.1% received in the last election. The question is not only what percentage of votes will it receive but also what will Tuesday's results tell for the future of the Conservative Party?
Only the four parties I mentioned above have candidates running for more than half the MLA seats in the BC parliament. Actually only those four have candidates running in even as little as ten provincial ridings. The biggest Party with less than ten candidates in the running is the BC Libertarian Party. If you go to their website, you will see that the BC Libertarian agenda has a lot in common with the agenda of the American Libertarian Party. Libertarianism is still a definition that's hard to define in terms of a political stance. Bill Maher, possibly the most famous Libertarian right now, defines a libertarian as a 'pothead in a business suit.' For the BC Libertarian Party, just go to their website.
The Libertarian Party of BC started in 1986 with three candidates and rose to 17 upon the 1996 provincial election. There would be no Libertarian candidates back in 2001 as Party president Paul Geddes ran for the BC marijuana Party. In the provincial elections since, the BC Libertarian Party has been putting efforts into reestablishing itself. In both previous provincial elections, the Party fielded six candidates and achieved just under 1500 votes both times.
This year the Party field eight candidates including one in my riding of New Westminster. This could be the Libertarian's best election since 1996 when they had 17 candidates and won just over 2000 votes. However lacking a Party leader could cause some problems. Plus its lack of advertisement to the public could make a lot of people unaware of Libertarian candidates in their area. This election should give a picture of where things are going for the Party.
INDEPENDENT'S DAY?
Of all the candidates running, the most interesting should be the Independents: those that won't be running for a Party or its agenda. Independents have always been unique candidates as it has always been a case of the politician promoting their agenda that's often unique in comparison to most formed parties' agendas. Last year one independent candidate–Vicki Huntington of Delta South– was elected MLA. Most interesting is that since the 2009 election, two NDP MLAs and one Liberal MLA have become independents themselves. Three of the four incumbent independent MLAs will be running in this election.
This election will see 35 independent candidates running for MLA seats in 31 ridings. Each one will have their own unique agenda and/or run for their own purposes. Many have run for some of the major parties in the past. And one, Kelowna-Mission's Dayleen Van Ryswyk, was running for the NDP three weeks ago but had to resign from the Party because of past comments that appeared bigoted in nature. She started her campaign as an independent the next day but has recently hired a bodyguard for fear of threats.
Tuesday could give a surprising glimpse as the independents could win some seats and could provide an outlook on the political culture of BC.
And there you have it. A brief rundown of the candidates for the 40th British Columbia General Election. Sure, I could talk about all the other fifteen political parties but it would be too tedious. Remember there are 85 MLA seats in BC's parliament and the winning Party is the one that wins 43 seats for a majority. You can click on the Wikipedia link–which also happens to be my Works Cited page– here to get all the info of who's running and which parties. So on the 14th, will it be Premier Clark elected into office or will Adrian Dix be elected BC's new premier? Stay tuned!
Posted in: The Body Politic, The Body Politic - British Columbia	| Tagged: Adrian, BC, British, christy, clark, Columbia, Conservative, Cummins, Dix, election, Green, independent, Jane, John, Liberal, Libertarian, NDP, Provincial, Sterk
Jack Layton: 1950 – 2011
By Jon The Blogcentric on 23 August 2011 | 1 Comment
It's extremely rare when a major politician dies in the middle of his term. It's also unfortunate that Jack Layton dies soon after the biggest success for himself and his political party. Nevertheless his influence in Canadian politics will always be remembered.
John Gilbert Layton was born in Montreal on July 18, 1950 to a family with a huge political background. His mother Doris Steeves was a grand-niece to a Father of Confederation. His father Robert Layton was a Progressive Conservative MP who served as a Cabinet Minster during the Mulroney administration. His grandfather was a cabinet minister in Quebec parliament. His great-grandfather was an activist for the blind. Naturally he would follow in his family's footsteps. He was elected student council of his high school and studied Political Science at McGill University. In 1969-1970 he was a member of the Quebec Youth Parliament. In 1970, the family moved to Toronto where he attended York University and received his PhD in Political Science. He became a professor at Ryerson University, was a prominent activist and wrote many books on political issues and his beliefs.
He first entered politics on a civic level. He was elected to Toronto City Council in 1982 and soon became one of the most outspoken members of the council and a leader of the left wing. He was one of the first advocates for rights for AIDS patients and spoke his opposition to the building of the Skydome and Toronto's bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 1985 he moved on to the Metropolitan Toronto council. In 1988 he became returned for the election to Toronto City Council. He not only won but his reformist coalition for which he headed gained control of City Council. In 1991, he made the move to run for mayor of Toronto. His opposition to the Olympic bid and the low popularity of the NDP party at the time caused him to lose the election. Layton would return to teaching and later founded an environmental consulting business, the Green Catalyst Group. He ran for the House of Commons twice in the 90's and lost both times.
Then in January 2003 came the biggest breakthrough of his political career. He was elected leader of the federal NDP party. Before the 2004 election, Layton was already known for making some eyebrow-raising statements about the Liberal party led by Paul Martin shifting to being too right-wing. During the 2004 National Election, Layton accused the Liberal Party for the increase in homelessness and homeless deaths in Canada. Many people complained that it was negative campaigning. Layton caused another controversy during that election when he suggested the removal of the Clarity Act and allowing Quebec to declare independence upon a referendum vote. In that election the Layton-led NDP party had 15% of the popular vote, the highest in 15 years, and 19 seats in the House of Commons.
In the next federal election, in January 2006, Layton attempted to cast himself as the sole remaining champion of universal health care. Layton constantly repeated during the campaign to Canadian that they have a 'third choice.' Some conservative pundits mocked Layton and his stances. Some would paste Layton-styles moustaches on them and say things like 'raise my taxes' or 'I'd like to pay higher gas prices.' Layton also went all out in attacking the scandal-ridden Liberals at the time and pledged to use his minority clout to keep the Conservatives in check. The election resulted in 29 seats in the House of Commons for the NDP: 11 more than the previous election. Layton's wife Olivia Chow was also elected to the House of Commons making them the first couple to be elected to the House.
During the 2008 Federal election, many were comparing Layton as trying to pass himself off as Canada's Barack Obama. He shunned the comparisons and reminded people that he only simply shared the same views as him like the working class and the middle class. Layton also mentioned he told Obama and Hillary Clinton the North American Free Trade Agreement was hurting people on both sides of the border. Layton also spoke out about internet freedoms and his stance in favor of net neutrality, torrent sites, video-sharing sites and social networking sites. The NDP would go on to win a total of 37 seats in the House but would only be the fourth-most populous behind the Conservatives, Liberals and Bloc Quebecois. Shortly after the election in November 2008, Layton negotiated with Liberal leader Stephan Dion and Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe on forming a coalition to replace the Conservatives as the government. Prime Minister Stephen Harper responded by suspending parliament until January 2009. After Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff signed a budgetary agreement that would end the coalition, Layton declared: "If you oppose Mr. Harper and you want a new government, I urge you to support the NDP."
In 2011, a new national election was called as the Conservative party was defeated in a Vote of Non-Confidence for contempt; the first time in the history of the Commonwealth for a government to receive a Vote on Non-Confidence. That resulted in Prime Minister Harper dissolving parliament for a new national election. During the election, appeal for the NDP started slow but Layton's NDP party soon increased greatly in popularity after the leadership debates. The NDP moved past the Liberals into second place in the polls behind the Conservatives and first in Quebec. Soon after his popularity rose, a smear campaign came about as a retired police officer stated he saw Layton naked in a massage parlor back in 1996 but didn't charge him. Layton responded that he was just simply getting a massage. In the end, no charges were laid against Layton. In the election, held May 2, 2011, the NDP won 103 Seats. That was the highest-ever total of seats for the NDP party and made the NDP the Official Opposition party to the Commons for the first time ever with Layton as the official opposition leader.
One thing known to few was of Jack Layton's illness and the severity of it. In February 2010, he announced he had prostate cancer and vowed to beat it and continue to pursue his duties as the leader of the NDP. On July 25, almost three months since the national election, he announced he would take a temporary leave to fight an unspecified newly diagnosed cancer. He announced he planned to return as leader of the NDP once the House of Commons was to be resumed September 19, 2011 and recommended NDP caucus chair Nycole Turmel serve as interim leader. On the morning on August 22, 2011, Jack Layton died at his Toronto home. He was 61.
Jack Layton was a unique politician. He came from a family who had a lot of political experience. He rallied and campaigned for causes that were popular with the left and he strongly believed in as well. As a leader of a national party, he brought ideas and spoke of issues in ways unheard of before by leading Canadian politicians. He brought ideas unheard of before in Canadian parliament. Overall he was one p[politician who believed in a better Canada and wasn't afraid to speak out about it. After his death, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said: "On behalf of all Canadians, I salute Jack's contribution to public life, a contribution that will be sorely missed. I know one thing: Jack gave his fight against cancer everything he had. Indeed, Jack never backed down from any fight."
As a fitting final tribute, Jack wrote a letter two days before his death. His family released the letter the day of his death that ended with these final words:
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
WIKIPEDIA: Jack Layton. Wikipedia.com. 2011. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Layton>
Posted in: The Body Politic - Canada	| Tagged: Canada, cancer, Commons, elections, House, Jack, Layton, NDP, official, opposition, Toronto
Christy Clark's Pre-Election Baggage
By Jon The Blogcentric on 2 March 2011 | 1 Comment
Hi. This is my first non-movie article. Hope you like it.
The BC Liberal Party announced a new leader on Saturday, February 26th. Her name is Christy Clark. She is to replace Gordon Campbell who has served as Premier since 2001 but recently resigned due to low ratings. Being Premier of BC is a big job for the 45 year-old, especially after Campbell's recent resignation. The big question is how will she and the BC Liberal Party hold in the next provincial election?
Currently Premier-Designate Christy Clark is no stranger to politics. If you saw her resume, you'd see she has quite a list of accomplishments. Her first political victory came at the age of 30 when she was elected MLA for the Port-Moody-Westwood riding in 1996. At the start, while the Liberals were the official opposition party in BC, she served as the Official Opposition critic for the environment, children and families and for the public service. As the Liberal Party headed by Gordon Campbell prepared for the provincial election of 2001, she served as the campaign co-chair in which the Party won 77 of the 79 seats. Once Gordon Campbell was sworn in as Premier, she was appointed Deputy Premier and the Minister of Education. She would be appointed Minister of Children and Family Development in January 2004. In September of that same year, she quit provincial politics and did not seek re-election of her MLA position in 2005. She would later seek leadership of the Non-Partisan Association for the Vancouver mayor election that same year, but lost to eventual mayor Sam Sullivan.
She's also a popular media figure too. She was a weekly columnist for the Vancouver Sun and Vancouver Province during the 2005 provincial election and was a television election analyst during the 2006 federal election. She also hosted a Vancouver radio show: The Christy Clark Show from 2007 until she decided to enter the premier leadership back in December.
Even though no provincial election has been called yet, she faces a bumpy road for the BC Liberal Party firstly based on past election results. On the provincial side of things, leading provincial parties face a huge electoral loss after their leader resigns as premier. Past history in the last 30 years have proven so. In Manitoba, NDP Howard Pawley, who was elected premier in 1981, resigned. The leadership then went to Gary Doer. The NDP finished the election with the third-most ridings. Doer would have to wait until three more provincial elections before being elected premier of Manitoba. BC premier Glenn Clark, who headed the NDP Party, resigned in 1999 and would be replaced by Dan Miller and Ujjal Dosanjh the following year. The BC NDP, headed by Dosanjh would face a humiliating loss of winning 2 of 79 seats, paving the way for Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals. Carole James, the NDP leader since, has headed the party in two provincial elections, regaining many seats for the NDP but losing to Campbell both times.
Nationally, political parties have had its own dark days when their leader resigns as Prime Minister. In 1984, Pierre Trudeau resigned as Prime Minister and John Turner would be voted head the Liberal Party. In the national election, his Liberal party would lose to the PC Party headed by Brian Mulroney. Turner remains the Prime Minister with the second-shortest leadership. He would head the federal Liberal party in the following federal election in 1988 and would lose to the Mulroney PC's again. The PC Party would soon face its own party troubles after Mulroney resigned in 1993. Kim Campbell succeeded him. However Campbell and the PC's would face a crushing defeat in the federal election that same year by winning only two seats. The Liberal's headed by Jean Chretien would win the federal election. Chretien would be re-elected twice more while Canadian Conservatives would struggle with political parties for many years. The PC Party ran again in 1997, would reconstruct themselves at the Canadian Alliance Party for the 2000 federal election, and would them become the Conservative Party in time for the 2004 election.
If past elections aren't enough for Christy to cause concern, it would be the Campbell leadership, especially in the last year. Campbell's leadership has always been through a rocky road ever since he was elected but he would be hit hardest in 2010 upon introducing the HST. The introduction of the tax, and the rapid implementation if it, proved to be very unpopular amongst British Columbians. Soon after, the polls had him at an approval rating of just 9%, the lowest of any provincial premier. This was cause for him to resign in November of 2010.
Now despite party problems, Christy Clark has had some political problems of her own once she's sworn in on March 14th. As Minister of Education, she introduced changes like stronger parental power, increased accountability and provided greater parental choice in the flexibility in the school system. This proved unpopular with teachers, school board members and union officials as they believed it resulted in funding gaps. She also sought to increase the independence of the BC College of Teachers against strong opposition from the BC Teachers Federation. She also has allegations against her regarding a BC Rail scandal when she was deputy premier, although nothing has been proven against her. Those could hurt her come election time.
Currently no provincial election date has been set, and there may not even be one for a full year. Dawn Black is currently interim leader of the BC NDP Party, succeeding Carole James. Jane Sterk leads the Green Party. The BC Conservative Party is not associated with the national Conservative Party and may have a slim chance in the election. Nevertheless all opposition parties have a good chance at rivaling Clark and the Liberals in the eventual provincial election. In this period of time, Sterk and Black have to prove themselves worthy of the office of provincial Premier. Black already has a lengthy resume of her own political accomplishments while Sterk has yet to prove herself. In the meantime, Clark can use the time to her advantage to improve her political image and the image of the Liberal Party in this post-Campbell era as an effort to win the next election. She would also have to use the time to prove she is worthy of being Premier of British Columbia.
With the next provincial election happening anytime, Christy Clark arrives at the Premier's desk with a lot of baggage of the Campbell Administration and of her own doing. Despite it all, only time will tell whether she has what it takes to be Premier of British Columbia and whether she and the BC Liberals deserve to win the election.
WIKIPEDIA: Christy Clark.Wikipedia.com. 2011. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christy_Clark>
Posted in: The Body Politic, The Body Politic - British Columbia	| Tagged: 2011, BC, British columbia, Canada, christy, clark, Designate, election, Gordon Campbell, Green, Liberal Party, NDP, New Democrat, Premier, upcoming
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Q: Java unhandled file type on object constructor I'm trying to have the file "TutorialMap" used as the map in this TutorialMission. I keep getting told that the MapReader "reader" needs to be static, but when it's static, I get told "Unhandled exception type FileNotFoundException" with the error on the constructor of reader.
static MapReader reader = new MapReader("TutorialMap");

static Territory[][] missionMap = reader.getMap();

public TutorialMission() throws FileNotFoundException {

    super(missionMap, Size, AircraftCarrierID, AircraftCarrierID);

}

The Super class' constructor:
public class MissionIF extends Map {
public MissionIF(Territory[][] load, String size, int StartingMoney, int powerLevel)
{
    // Set money per mission.
    super();

Thanks for your time.

A: surrounds the code throwing  "Unhandled exception type FileNotFoundException"  with try catch block. Your are getting this exception because its a checked exception and you are forced to handle this. i would suggest using IDE like eclipse(if you are not using this already) which is really helpful for development.
try {
        reader = new MapReader("TutorialMap");
    } catch(FileNotFoundException e) {
        throw new RunTimeException(e);
    }

A: I don't know why it must be static, but since the constructor throws the checked exception, it has to be handled at the place of calling. Therefore do something like this:
static MapReader reader = null;

static Territory[][] missionMap = null;

static {
   try {

        reader = new MapReader("TutorialMap");
   } catch(FileNotFoundException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
   }
   missionMap = reader.getMap();

  }

A: Compiler requires your reader to be static because you invoke it when initializing other static variable missionMap.
When you mark it as static compiler is going forward and sees that you do not catch exception thrown from your constructor TutorialMission.
Since I do not understand what do you really want to do I can just suggest you:
If you want all this stuff to be static initialize reader into static initializer and catch exception:
static MapReader reader;
static {
    try {
        reader = new MapReader("TutorialMap");
    } catch(FileNotFoundException e) {
        throw new IllegalArgumentException(e);
    }
}

Your checked exception is now wrapped by unchecked one.
Alternatively (if you do not really want to hold this data in static variables just remove static modifier and perform initalization in constructor:
public TutorialMission(MapReader reader, Territory[][] missionMap) throws FileNotFoundException {
    super(missionMap, Size, AircraftCarrierID, AircraftCarrierID);
    missionMap = reader.getMap();
}

Now caller is responsible on creating and passing here the reader.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: AVCapturePhotoOutput orientation cannot be changed on ios I am using ios 11, swift 4 and  capturing a picture with av foundation library. I have a custom preview as shown and mysettings are as suggested. The problem is when I capture and save the CMSample buffer, it is leftLandscape oriented. I tried to change CapturePhotoOutput orientation but it resist to change?(changing photoOutputConnection.videoOrientation changes nothing?)
if let photoOutputConnection = capturePhotoOutput.connection(with: AVMediaType.video) {

    if(photoOutputConnection.isVideoOrientationSupported)   {
        print("video oryantasyonu = \(photoOutputConnection.videoOrientation)")
    } else {
        print("video oryantasyonu desteklenmiyor ?!")
    }
}

Here is the preview (phono screen):

and here is the capture output taken from xcode debug quick view:

Here is session configuration :
self.capturePhotoOutput = AVCapturePhotoOutput()

capturePhotoOutput.isHighResolutionCaptureEnabled = true

//  A Live Photo captures both a still image and a short movie centered on the moment of capture,

//  which are presented together in user interfaces such as the Photos app.

capturePhotoOutput.isLivePhotoCaptureEnabled = capturePhotoOutput.isLivePhotoCaptureSupported

guard self.captureSession.canAddOutput(capturePhotoOutput) else { return }

//  The sessionPreset property of the capture session defines the resolution and quality level of the video output.

//  For most photo capture purposes, it is best set to AVCaptureSessionPresetPhoto to deliver high resolution photo quality output.

self.captureSession.sessionPreset = AVCaptureSession.Preset.photo

self.captureSession.addOutput(capturePhotoOutput)

self.captureSession.commitConfiguration()


NEW YORK (WABC) -- There are four new millionaires thanks to the New York Lottery.
More than $13 million was handed out to four big winners Thursday.
One of them is a pizzeria owner from Long Island who won a million dollars on his 73rd birthday.
The man from Lake Grove says he got to the bank too early so he went to a nearby store and bought scratch tickets.
He won $25. So, he used some of the money to get a Holiday Millionaire ticket.
He says he now plans to pay some bills and visit his mom in Greece.
A couple from Glen Head, Long Island also won $5 million.
The big winner was a store owner from Queens. He won $7 million.


This year's International Day of Persons with Disabilities falls just a week before the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United Nations is commemorating both under the theme, "Dignity and justice for all of us".
We have much to celebrate this year. The entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in May was a turning point. When the first Conference of the Parties convened in October, participants immediately began considering how the Convention can serve as a tool to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This progress has been made possible thanks to the active participation and leadership of persons with disabilities, by ensuring that they have access to — and are included in — all aspects of our work.
The United Nations remains committed to this approach. The renovation of our Headquarters complex through the Capital Master Plan will bring our facilities up to the latest standards of accessibility. These advances are long overdue.
The General Assembly has stressed that, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, we must include persons with disabilities in all processes. With 80 per cent of persons with disabilities — more than 400 million people — living in poor countries, we need to do much more to break the cycle of poverty and disability.
In that same spirit, I urge Governments and all stakeholders to ensure that persons with disabilities and their organizations are an integral part of all development processes. In this way, we can promote integration and pave the way for a better future for all people in society.
The above comments from the UN Secretary General were recently circulated on several different international disability-oriented email discussion lists, including the one for RatifyNow. RatifyNow is an organization devoted to promoting the ratification and implementation of the CRPD.


Research conducted at Brown University describes how alcohol hijacks a conserved memory pathway in the brain and changes how memories are formed at the fundamental, molecular level. It is these changes that elicit the cravings that fuel alcohol addiction.
More than 15 million people in the United States struggle with an alcohol use disorder.
Alcohol addiction can affect anyone, and factors that may predispose someone to develop the disease have yet to be identified.
Psychological, genetic, and behavioral factors all appear to contribute to the development of alcohol addiction.
One of the things I want to understand is why drugs of abuse can produce really rewarding memories when they're actually neurotoxins. All drugs of abuse -- alcohol, opiates, cocaine, methamphetamine -- have adverse side effects. They make people nauseous or they give people hangovers, so why do we find them so rewarding?"
Their research, which used genetic tools to selectively turn off key genes while training the flies where to find alcohol, showed that the protein 'Notch' was needed to elicit the flies' preference for alcohol.
Notch sets in motion a cascade of events that ultimately leads to expression of receptors that recognizes dopamine, the "feel-good" neurotransmitter.
Kaun commented, "We don't know what the biological consequences of that small change are, but one of the important findings from this study is that scientists need to look not only at which genes are being turned on and off, but which forms of each gene are getting turned on and off".
If this works the same way in humans, one glass of wine is enough to activate the pathway, but it returns to normal within an hour. After three glasses, with an hour break in between, the pathway doesn't return to normal after 24 hours".


Cupim prosciutto porchetta, biltong shoulder burgdoggen strip steak corned beef ribeye chuck bacon. Boudin pork chop chuck strip steak meatball filet mignon turkey salami pig shoulder swine sirloin. Beef ribs bacon venison, ribeye short loin pork chop jerky chicken kevin rump brisket leberkas tri-tip. Salami cupim sirloin prosciutto filet mignon pork chop beef bresaola venison ball tip shankle.
Short loin ham leberkas, beef ribs shank tail rump drumstick beef brisket frankfurter jerky chicken. Ham hock shankle turducken jerky, spare ribs doner boudin bresaola landjaeger cupim. Swine turkey chuck jowl picanha tenderloin ribeye drumstick shoulder chicken kielbasa flank landjaeger ham hock. Pork kielbasa ribeye, shankle fatback sausage capicola cupim ham hock picanha tri-tip pork chop. Leberkas andouille jowl meatball frankfurter. Andouille capicola shoulder turducken strip steak t-bone turkey biltong tenderloin chuck.


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The wind howled, the rain beat at the windows and trees toppled over around us, but inside our house it was a blissful scene of warm, cosy domesticity, with my brother Matty and his girlfriend Kate joining us for the long weekend.
As consummate dumpster-divers, Matty and Kate arrived bearing bag-loads of food salvaged from supermarket dumpsters in Canberra, which all needed to be cooked and consumed as Matty was going overseas and had to clean out his fridge. So Kate rolled up sleeves and dived in to chop up masses of butternut pumpkin, while Phil prepared pizzas, and Matty and I stood around looking beautiful (it's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it).
The hideous weather (which unfortunately claimed nine lives in NSW) meant we were largely confined indoors for most of the weekend so occupied ourselves with eating, talking, reading and even working. Very relaxing it was, although I'd like to brag that I single-handedly cleared our road of a large fallen tree, armed only with a hacksaw and plenty of pride.
What a beautiful new kitchen! Jealous - I want a Mountain hideaway.
Hey - would you guys be able to make it down to town on June 30 th? Jade is organising a low-key farewell in a Newtown pub - be good to catch up.


How to make sure your action is fret totally free.
The very first step is locating an absolutely reliable business. You could start with the net and also use other sources such as neighbours, friends and family. The objective must be to find a minimum of 4 established business that have been in business and could give referrals.
Call the firms as well as arrange a time for the moving companies to check out and provide a quote. After you have actually obtained a couple of different quotes, slim the selection by the impact the hire best moving service left you with. If a moving company says they will certainly not visit your home to give a price quote, continue the search.
Make certain to ask the right inquiries to the movers you have actually selected. You could find out if they will certainly be doing the step internal or sub-contracting. It's extremely important that they are not marketing the contract to a third party. You can be direct and ask questions regarding the quotes you have obtained to the moving companies.
Be careful and also make it an indicate examine that the moving business workers are bound and also guaranteed. Find out if they have an in-house insurance claims agent or if the insurance policy case is with a 3rd party. Understanding the personnel is bonded offers you peace of mind. A relocation could additionally be stressful for the moving companies and sometimes they make mistakes. A firm that has full insurance coverage is extra dependable. You could ask concerns regarding exactly what occurs if something breaks and what the insurance claims procedure requires. The procedure must be plainly clarified prior to signing the contract.
Ensure you confirm the firm name, variety of years in service, address as well as permit. You can obtain further confidence by going to the company workplace and also making certain that it exists and also is legitimate. Maintain your eyes on the company lorries and storage space location. A specialist moving company that is well developed in the industry will certainly have proper logos on cars.
A company that has a great track record should additionally supply you with references that you could call. If the firm is disrespectful as well as says this is a privacy concern, you must beware. See to it you examine the referrals as well as actually call them.
Do not make the mistake of hiring a firm that provides you a quote merely based upon cubic feet as well as do not sign contracts till you are confident with the company.
. Examine the net as well as see to it the moving company you are considering is not pointed out in any of the records online. The steps you take currently will have a large influence later on.
When you have actually selected the moving company you like best, ensure that you are clear concerning the relocating price. We have listened to stories including pledges of a great reduced rate for top notch service. However, on relocating day the business concerns your door, loads all your prized possessions and afterwards presents you with an agreement for a higher cost. In this circumstance the consumer usually opts to go ahead and also pay even more.
People who are uneven misrepresent themselves in various markets, not just moving. In this instance a shady relocating company will recognize that you have a whole lot on the line and that your move is time sensitive for you and the other parties included. Ensure your get in touch with is clear and complete. Credible firms will put whatever on documents to ensure that information are clear. This need to consist of full information regarding the costs.


text:
With One Voice
The Catholic Parishes of St Agnes' Crawcrook, St Joseph's Highfield and Our Lady of Lourdes Chopwell
Part of the Ovingham Parish Partnership in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
St Agnes' Crawcrook
St Joseph's, Highfield
Our Lady of Lourdes, Chopwell
Parish News & Events 2016-2019
Christmas and Advent 2019
Diocesan Festival 2017
Summer Picnic and BBQ 2017
Holy Week and Easter 2019
Ovingham Partnership
Reconciliation and First Holy Communion
Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
St Agnes' Catholic Primary, Crawcrook
St Joseph's RC Primary, Highfield
St Thomas More School
Schools Gallery
Joint Schools Stations 2017
Holy Week in Schools
The theme for the Diocesan Festival 2017 at the Emmaus Youth Village on 24-25 June was titled "Changing Hearts - The challenge of discipleship." The programme included speakers, drama, music, testimony, prayer opportunities and sessions for children and young people. On Saturday evening there was a family céilidh. Two families for our parishes attended this year and all had an amazing time. Bishop Séamus was present for the entire weekend and in his concluding comments, he challenged every Partnership to bring a coach full of people to next year's festival. Please get in touch if you're interested and would like to know more.
Parish Priest: Father John James
St Agnes' Presbytery
Westburn
Crawcrook
NE40 4ET
stagjol@gmail.com
© 2020 The Catholic Parishes of St Agnes' Crawcrook, St Joseph's Highfield and Our Lady of Lourdes Chopwell.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Dylan Carlson Live Review + Photo Gallery // TLE
Full feature via The London Economic
St John's on Bethnal Green, London 26/03/2019
Pictures: Graham Berry
There's something imposing about a gig in a church. Heavy music and religion has a sometimes symbiotic, sometimes diametrically opposed relationship which can make the coexistence of the two in the same room an uneasy thing. As a space, they also pose a special challenge for an artist, tackling the unusual space and acoustics, as well as the overtly different vibe of a show hosted in the shadow of a pulpit.If anyone's capable of harnessing this odd and ominous atmosphere it's doom icon Dylan Carlson, who brings his cavernous, desert-inflected solo work to the vaulted ceilings of St John's. Tonight, Dylan looks as comfortable at the altar as he does in front of his amp, running through crushing cuts from Conquistador to a slightly-boozed congregation in the pews. Check out the full gallery on HERE.


text:
Overbilling CL&P owes city over $380,000
BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT - A year after several city officials fiercely criticized Ken Johnson's contract to get the city a hefty refund on streetlight bills, the project is suddenly winning praise at city hall.
Johnson's company recently projected that Connecticut Light & Power owes Bristol slightly more than $380,000 because of years of overbilling.
Johnson, a former CL&P manager, has worked as a contractor for several Connecticut municipalities in recent years to investigate whether the utility overcharged them for streetlights.
The utility has offered refunds to communities after acknowledging inadvertent overbilling, but Johnson and his company, Municipal Energy Consulting Group LLC, maintain that many municipalities would still be shortchanged.
Bristol officials were lukewarm when Johnson offered to review its bill and records, but ultimately gave him a $10,000 contract to seek a refund above the roughly $84,000 that CL&P has offered.
That contract became controversial last year when Johnson emerged as a potential Republican challenger to William Stortz, a Republican in his first term as mayor. Stortz publicly complained that Johnson's company wasn't doing research or filing the progress reports it owed the city, and Johnson countered that Stortz's administration was uncooperative and appeared to be deliberately blocking progress.
Stortz and Johnson ended up in a bitter disagreement, with city council Democrats split — some agreed that Municipal Energy wasn't meeting its obligations, while others rapped Stortz for taking a harder line with Johnson than he did with other contractors. Stortz abruptly opted against seeking re-election; the GOP chose Johnson as its candidate, but Democrat Art Ward beat him in November.
In recent months, city staff members have provided Johnson with the old bills and streetlight inventories that he couldn't get last year. After reviewing them, he concluded CL&P billed the city over decades for illuminating dozens of streetlights that didn't exist. He said the utility owes more than four times as much as the settlement it has offered, and city council members from both parties recently agreed they want to pursue the matter fully.
"I intend to demonstrate our findings to the Office of Consumer Counsel and the Attorney General's office as well to seek their support and bolster our claim," Johnson said.
Hartford Courant


Does the thought of skin care stress you out? Have you grown frustrated after not getting the results you want? You should be able to have the great skin you want. This article will show you how it is done.
To have smooth, clear skin, get some sun and spend a lot of time outdoors. Use a sunscreen, too, of course. This can be accomplished by heading out to the park during your lunch break. Whatever you do, find excuses for going outside every day. Vitamin D helps your skin, and you get this naturally from the sun.
Never go to bed with any makeup on. Your skin needs to heal itself overnight too. When makeup is not removed before retiring, you're preventing the skin from healing and not giving it the oxygen it needs to breathe and repair itself. Take the time to remove all of it before you head to bed.
When you go outside during the summer, use a sponge applicator to put sunscreen on your face rather than your fingers. The sponge surface contributes to even application and penetration, making it do its job much better. The sunscreen will be applied evenly and your face won't feel greasy.
The first step in fixing your skin problems is figuring out what type of skin you have. By knowing what your skin type is, you can choose effective skin care products that help to heal your skin. It is important to know your skin type prior to starting a skin care regimen.
Jasmine extract is an excellent way to add moisture to dry skin. Jasmine extract contains antioxidants which will make your skin have a healthy glow. This product contains antioxidants which will make your skin smoother. Often, it is more difficult to find than other moisturizing lotions. Jasmine extract can also be slightly more expensive than normal moisturizing products.
Use oil-free foundation, especially if you suffer from oily skin. The powder will absorb the excess oils to help give your face a fresh healthy appearance. People with oily skin should avoid liquid foundation.
If you start using products to care for your skin, make sure that you are consistent when you use them. The product will work a lot better if you use it on a frequent basis. If you are often forgetful, keep your skin care products out where you can see them. If you use the products before you sleep at night, consider putting them next to your bed.
The use of olive oil to care for your skin is not a new idea. People have been using olive oil since the days of Cleopatra. This delicious pantry staple can improve both your food and your skin. Olive oil enables you to have a radiant complexion, it improves the skin's elasticity and it aids in healing brittle nails. Hair also benefits from olive oil since it adds shine and conditioning.
People with oily skin should only use products that are formulated for their skin type. Remove excess oil gently with a daily toner. Moisturizers that are used for oily skin can also aid your face in staying oil-free.
Regular soap might be doing you more harm than good if your skin tends to be very dry. Many soaps are drying, so go for a nourishing body wash to use on your body. Bubble baths also have a drying ingredient that can dry your skin. Rather use an oatmeal-based body wash or bath oil to sooth your dry, itchy skin. Apply moisturizer before showering to avoid the drying effects of water.
Jasmine extract is a great skin care treatment. This oil has lots of antioxidants that help skin appear clear and healthier. It also conditions the skin. Dermatologists highly recommend products using jasmine extract.
Exfoliation is all about quality, not quantity. A long, yet gentle, exfoliation several times per week will provide you with healthy, rejuvenated skin. Just cause it is called a "scrub" doesn't mean you need to rub your skin raw with it.
Smoking can lead to your face looking aged and unhealthy. Smoking affects the blood vessels that feed the face, shrinking them and decreasing blood flow. Wrinkles can also appear because of the facial expressions made while smoking.
If you have skin problems that cannot be handled at home, contact a dermatologist. If certain skin issues cannot be taken care of on your own, it may be something more serious, and you should consult a dermatologist. Speak with a skin specialist anytime you have tried simple home remedies and cleansing and they have failed to work.
Sleep is extremely important. The number of hours you sleep are crucial to your health, as well as your skin. Not enough sleep leads to dark eye circles, and skin that looks dull or washed out. You'll probably suffer from acne breakouts more frequently. You will wake feeling refreshed, and your complexion will have a healthy glow.
See if your dermatologist will prescribe you anti-aging cream if you feel you need it. There are lots of FDA-approved anti-aging creams you can use to reduce wrinkles and fine lines that appear on your skin. However, anti-aging creams are contraindicated in women who are pregnant or nursing, or for individuals who have been prescribed certain types of medications.
Have cold sores regularly? Keep in mind that you should not pick them. Not only does this cause them to take longer to heal, it can introduce bacteria, causing infection. If you get an infection or it heals very slowly, you are more likely to have a scar.
As you can see, there are many ways to work your way towards the younger looking skin you will love to have. Issues like blemishes and marks don't need to be an problem when using these great skin care tips.


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"Dedicated to Douglas Adams (1952-2001)"
This is the home base of fiction's most insulting character, Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, who wishes you an ill-bredly tumultuous day!
It allows for creative insults of both friendly and truly insulting nature to be generated in a variety of the world's languages.
There is no more insulting place on the web...GUARANTEED...as evidenced by the 85,663 total insults created since March 2013!
I am looking for people to help me extend the Wowbagger library by adding insults in Sami, Latin, Catalan, Romanian, Frisian, Faeroese, Slovak, Swahili, Norwegian, Danish, Albanian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Swiss German, Greek, Turkish, Irish, Bulgarian, Slovene, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and your language! Feel free to contact me using the button in the menu above or follow the directions using the "How to Help" pages.


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text:
package com.intel.analytics.bigdl.dllib.feature.image

import com.intel.analytics.bigdl.dllib.feature.transform.vision.image.augmentation
import com.intel.analytics.bigdl.dllib.feature.transform.vision.image.ImageFeature

/**
 * Adjust image hue
 * @param deltaLow hue parameter: low bound
 * @param deltaHigh hue parameter: high bound
 */
class ImageHue(deltaLow: Double, deltaHigh: Double) extends ImageProcessing {

  private val internalCrop = augmentation.Hue(deltaLow, deltaHigh)
  override def apply(prev: Iterator[ImageFeature]): Iterator[ImageFeature] = {
    internalCrop.apply(prev)
  }

  override def transformMat(feature: ImageFeature): Unit = {
    internalCrop.transformMat(feature)
  }
}

object ImageHue {
  def apply(deltaLow: Double, deltaHigh: Double): ImageHue =
    new ImageHue(deltaLow, deltaHigh)
}


text:
Q: Help with enable disable checkboxes using Jquery I am trying to enable and disable checkboxes based on selection of checkboxes. If you take a look here for a live version of my code
http://jsfiddle.net/prady/VZ4yW/3/
What i want is there cannot be 2 checkboxes selected in the same row and there cannot be 2 checkboxes selected in the same column. Looking at the link might give you a clear understanding of what i wanted.
There can be only one checkbox selected in the column "Change this parameter" and "Generate simulated value for this param" but both cant be of the same row.
Just in case you are not able to view the link here is the code

Change this parameter
Generate simulated value for this param

Project cost
<input type ="text" id ="pc"/>
<input class="change" type="checkbox" name="chkBox" id="chkBox"></input>
<input class="sim" type="checkbox" name="chkBox1" id="chkBox1"></input>

Avg hours
<input type ="text" id ="avghrs"/>
<input class="change" type="checkbox" name="chkBoxa" id="chkBoxa"></input>
<input class="sim" type="checkbox" name="chkBox1a" id="chkBox1a"></input>

Project completion date
<input type ="text" id ="cd"/>
<input class="change" type="checkbox" name="chkBoxb" id="chkBoxb"></input>
<input class="sim" type="checkbox" name="chkBox1b" id="chkBox1b"></input>

Hourly rate
<input type ="text" id ="hr"/>
<input class="change" type="checkbox" name="chkBoxc" id="chkBoxc"></input>
<input class="sim" type="checkbox" name="chkBox1c" id="chkBox1c"></input>

A: You need to store busyRows and busyCols and add row and col attr to checkbox;
Update them after each change event and then update disabled attributes.
function getCB_x(elt) { return elt.parentNode.cellIndex; }
function getCB_y(elt) { return elt.parentNode.parentNode.rowIndex; }
$(document).ready(function(){
  var busyRows = [], busyCols = [];

  var checkboxes = $("table input[type=checkbox]");
  // get topleft checkbox
  var firstCb = checkboxes[0];
  // and calculate its offsets
  var colOffset = getCB_x(firstCb);
  var rowOffset = getCB_y(firstCb)

  // get bottomright checkbox
  var lastCb = checkboxes.last()[0];
  // calculate offsets and init busy flags
  for (var i = getCB_x(lastCb) - colOffset; i >=0; i--) busyCols[i] = false;
  for (var i = getCB_y(lastCb) - rowOffset; i >=0; i--) busyRows[i] = false;

  // define callback
  function updateCB(){
    var col = getCB_x(this) - colOffset;
    var row = getCB_y(this) - rowOffset;
    // set corresponding row and col as "busy"
    busyRows[row] = this.checked;
    busyCols[col] = this.checked;
    // update column with current checkbox
    for (var r = 0; r < busyRows.length; r++) {
      cb = checkboxes[r*busyCols.length+col];
      if ((busyRows[r] || busyCols[col]) && !cb.checked) {
        $(cb).attr('disabled', 'disabled');
      } else {
        $(cb).removeAttr('disabled', 'disabled');
      }
    }
    // update row with current checkbox
    for (var c = 0; c < busyCols.length; c++) {
      cb = checkboxes[row*busyCols.length+c];
      if ((busyRows[row] || busyCols[c]) && !cb.checked) {
        $(cb).attr('disabled', 'disabled');
      } else {
        $(cb).removeAttr('disabled', 'disabled');
      }
    }
  }
  // update state for already set items
  for (var i = 0; i < checkboxes.length; i++) {
     var cb = checkboxes[i];
     if (cb.checked) updateCB.call(cb);
  }
  // assign onlick handler
  checkboxes.click(updateCB);
});

This code will work for any regular dense grid of checkboxes. Regular means that every row should have the same amount of checkboxes and every column should have the same amount of checkboxes. Dense means there should be no rows w/o chekcboxes between rows with checkboxes. The same for columns.
If you'll have additional checkboxes in table, which should not be included in grid, add some class to them (e.g. "non-grid") and select only cb's w/o that class:
var checkboxes = $("table input[type=checkbox]:not(.non-grid)");


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The Tyldesley Loopline was part of the London and North Western Railway's Manchester and Wigan Railway line from Eccles to the junction west of Tyldesley station and its continuance south west via Bedford Leigh to Kenyon Junction on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The line opened on 1 September 1864 with stations at Worsley, Ellenbrook, Tyldesley, Leigh and Pennington before joining the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at Kenyon Junction.

Construction
The London and North Western Railway Bill received royal assent in July 1861 and the first sod was cut at Worsley by the Earl of Ellesmere in the September.  During construction, a Roman road was uncovered at Worsley. The railway was just over 16 miles long with 88 bridges, a sandstone cutting at Parr Brow, Tyldesley and a 22-arch viaduct which took the railway through Leigh and over the Bridgewater Canal. The work was expected to have been completed by May 1863 but lasted until the summer of 1864.

Development
Stations between Tyldesley and Wigan at Chowbent, Hindley Green and Platt Bridge opened on the same day. A branch line leaving the Tyldesley to Eccles line at Roe Green Junction with stations at Walkden, Little Hulton and Plodder Lane was authorised in 1865 and opened in 1870. The line was extended to Great Moor Street in Bolton in 1874. Monton Green station  between Eccles station and Worsley station opened in 1877 to serve new housing. In 1876 Bedford Leigh was renamed Leigh & Bedford and in 1914 was again renamed to Leigh. Chowbent was renamed Howe Bridge in 1901.

Stations on the line became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, and the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

Collieries
Coal, and the many collieries that were being developed in the area, was the chief motivation for building a railway in the area and the railway's supporters included many local colliery owners and industrialists. These included the Earl of Ellesmere owner of the Bridgewater Collieries, the Fletchers of Fletcher, Burrows and Company and millowner Caleb Wright.  Collieries linked to the railway include Astley and Tyldesley Collieries' St George's, Nook and Gin Pit Collieries which were connected at Jackson's sidings, Bedford Colliery in Leigh was connected at Speakman's sidings on the Pennington branch and the Shakerley, Yew Tree and Cleworth Hall Collieries belonging to the Tyldesley Coal Company had a connection at Green's Sidings to the east of Tyldesley station and Ramsden's Shakerley Collieries had its own sidings. Mosley Common Colliery was connected at Ellenbrook and mines connected to the Bridgewater Collieries system including Sandhole Colliery joined the line between Roe Green and Worsley at Sanderson's Sidings.

Closure
The Tyldesley Loopline closed following the Beeching cuts on 5 May 1969 and Leigh, Tyldesley, Monton Green and Worsley stations were closed. The former trackbed which passes through the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan area was reserved in the Unitary Development Plan in case the rail route could be reinstated. A guided bus route running along the former trackbed to Ellenbrook was proposed but was not universally popular. Salford City Council used the railway trackbed outside the Wigan boundary for recreational purposes turning it into a rail trail. The Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit opened in April 2016. Its 4.5-mile guided busway section from Leigh via Tyldesley to Ellenbrook operates along the old rail alignment. Of Transport for Greater Manchester's (TfGM) £122m overall spending on the bus route to Manchester Central Hospitals via the city centre, £68m was spent on the guided busway track and associated infrastructure.

References

Citations

Bibliography

Closed railway lines in North West England
History of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Tyldesley
Rail trails in England

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Some of the biggest names in Southern rock and the world of jam bands will be setting forth on the high seas in search of the newest innovations in brewing. The first Lebrewski Cruise will take place from March 1-5, 2016 and feature music from Molly Hatchet, the Fabulous Thunderbirds as well as a focus on craft beer.
The Norwegian Pearl ship will set sail out of Miami and make stops at two locations in the Bahamas, Paradise Island and Great Stirrup Cay. In addition to the two bands mentioned above, will be performed by Blackfoot featuring Rickey Medlocke of Lynyrd Skynyrd, O.A.R., Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers and many more. There will be daily performances on five stages, with meet-and-greets and other photo opportunities.
For those interested in the growing field of craft beer, there will be daily tastings, a home brewing workshop, a roundtable with four of America's top brewmasters and a "Beer Olympics," including beer pong and the World Series of Quarters. Participating breweries include Boulder Beer, Cigar City Brewing, Lagunitas and Stone Brewing, Dogfish Head, Rogue, Cascade Brewing and Funky Buddha. There will also be special events that pay tribute to the classic cult movie The Big Lebowski.
Those who book before Sept. 30 can take advantage of an early booking price as low as $499 per person for a double-occupancy room. To see the full lineup of bands and to learn more about the beer-related activities, visit the cruise's website.
Where is the new studio album? It's September and I haven't seen it yet! 2016. Mike French, Melbourne,Fla.


For 30 picarats, can you tell if this game is as good as the first one?
'Professor Layton & the Curious Village', the first game in the Layton series launched in America, was one of those rare titles that no one really awaited with hand rubbing expectation when it first came out, but that captivated everyone with its elegant simplicity, its remarkable ingenuity, and its extremely well-told story. It was a title that easily engraved for itself a place in my heart. So I took great joy in hearing that the second adventure of the riddle-solving professor and his enthusiastic young apprentice had been released for the DS in Western markets.
As we rushed to acquire it, the questions raced through my mind. What mess has the ever curious Professor Layton managed to get himself and Luke involved in now? Would it be much different from their first quest? Would the riddles be 'dumbed down' to pander to younger or lazier segments of the market? Or would they go the other way and place the puzzles beyond the bound of mere mortals' (non-MENSA) reach? How many characters would be returning? Would we see more of the cute Flora or of the mysterious Don Paolo? How smoothly would they work in the endless puzzles into the storyline? In synthesis, would it be one of those rare videogame gems: a worthy sequel?
Read on to find the answers to these and other questions, but let me go ahead and answer the last one right up front. Yes, it is indeed a remarkably good sequel.
On a purely quantitative analysis, Professor Layton & the Diabolical Box actually surpasses its predecessor on many levels. The number, quality, and duration of the cinematic clips have increased, the voice acting is more frequent and prominent than in its predecessor, and the backdrop where this story develops is much, much grander. Whereas in the first adventure one was trapped in a small and lackadaisical village, in this second quest we find a more fast-paced plot spanning out from downtown London to a luxury train through the English countryside and at least two outlying rural communities. All along the way, you enjoy the stunning animated vistas that one has come to associate with Layton. This great visual feel (somewhat reminiscent of the dreamy images from Hayao Miyazaki's legendary film 'Spirited Away') is excellently complemented once more by the upbeat ambient sounds and impeccable voice acting performances by Christopher Robin Miller (as Prof. Layton & Inspector Chelmey) & Lani Minella (as Luke & Flora).
The number of puzzles and extras has also increased. There are at least 150 riddles, and new menu items have appeared. The riddles themselves are on a par with those seen on the first installment; neither much more difficult, nor any simpler. They are, in general, as amusing and creative as they had been before. I did have some issues with the hint system, since many of the hints are really just a rephrasing of the original question with no new clues to help you. It was a little frustrating and I still feel the game owes me back a few hint coins, but let's not dwell on that. On the extras department, we have three new mini-games. In one, you gather pieces to reassemble a broken photographic camera, in another you have to help an overweight hamster to get in shape, and in a third one you brew tea combinations to satisfy the tastes of the story's main characters.
Professor Hershel Layton, the respectable archeologist and puzzle enthusiast receives a letter from Dr. Schrader, an old colleague and friend, who claims to have secured the prized Elysian Box, a mythical artifact upon which a dark legend has been woven. According to the myth, all who have dared to open the box have found an untimely death falling upon them. Aware of his friend's stated intent of opening the box and dispelling the mystery once and for all, Dr. Layton grows apprehensive and immediately decides to head for his friend's studio.
Just like its predecessor, this second Professor Layton installment is strictly a single player game. However, this doesn't necessarily mean the game has no life beyond the end of its main storyline. There is always the puzzle index where you can revisit old or unsolved riddles; or the promise of a new downloadable riddle every week via the Nintendo Wi Fi connection. Also, the challenge of comparing your Picarat scores, progress time, and hint coins used with friends is quite irresistible, even if only for the sake of claiming bragging rights as a puzzle solver.
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is one of those great games that can be enjoyed by anyone from ages 9 to 90. It once again manages to present us with such a compelling story that you'll have a tough time setting your DS to rest once you start playing. The main characters, now better established, are as charismatic as ever, and the new supporting cast is woven brilliantly into the story. The riddles are fun, varied, and challenging without becoming overly frustrating. Another good thing about this Layton game is that it works out beautifully both as a sequel as well as a stand alone story, and newcomers to the franchise won't be penalized with the continuity issues so common in other videogame series'.
In conclusion, this is a tight and solid game, more than worth its price for the 20 or 22 hours you'll enjoy playing it, and the many more days you'll spend feeling proud for having completed it. So will it eventually be as successful as his predecessor? I think so; and in fact I'm willing to bet you ten hint coins on it!


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3 Different "Crimes of the Century" and Kim Kardashian Has Connections to All of Them!
You read that right. Kim Kardashian has connections to three crimes that were referred to as the "Crime of the Century". The first taking place one hundred years before her famous sex tape!
First off, let me apologize, my mind is working a bit sideways and thanks to lots of sinus medication random thoughts pop into my head. This one was so random I had to share it!
Kim Kardashian is famous for her reality show and her escapades on and off television (does she even have a life off of television?). Anyway, I was reading about her support of Bruce Jenner's transition. Suddenly, I'm thinking about how amazing it is that Bruce is doing all of this and making history in a way with his honesty. Well (and here's where things start to go sideways), I start thinking about how Kim Kardashian was a part of pop culture history going all the way back to her father defending OJ in the "Trial of the Century"...And we're off!
So, her connection to the most recent Crime of the Century (OJ Simpson Trial) is pretty direct. Her Dad defended OJ and her Mom was a friend of the victim. But the term "Crime of the Century" was also used for the Stanford White murder and even though it happened in 1906, there is a connection to Kim Kardashian.
A young chorus girl named Evelyn Nesbit was introduced to Stanford White in 1901. He was 47 and she was 16. The two began an affair, mostly in his apartment above the FAO Scharz toy store, then located on West 24th Street. His apartment featured unusual decor including a red velvet swing on an upper floor. At some point the two parted and Evelyn became involved with the volitile Harry Kendall Thaw. He took her to Europe and there, under some physical abuse, Evelyn confessed her relationship with White. The short version is that when they returned to New York and happened upon White at Madison Square Gardens one evening, Thaw shot and killed White.
Now, ready for the Kardashian connection? The story of Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, and Harry Kendall Thaw was eventually made into the movie The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing starring Joan Collins...Who now stars in The Royals which is on E! which also features...You got it! Keeping Up With The Kardashians with...Kim Kardashian!
Another "Crime of the Century" would be the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's young baby boy. Charles Lindbergh was the famous aviator and his 20 month old child was kidnapped in 1932. The child was taken from his bedroom and found dead two months later. A man named Bruno Richard Hauptmann was arrested and charged with the crime. He was found guilty and eventually sentanced to death. So how on earth would this connect with Kim Kardashian?
Okay, this one is actually pretty short. The kidnapping has been featured in pop culture almost from the start including music, novels, film, and television. One being American Dad season 5, episode 18 where a man asks Roger and Stan "If I just found out I'm the Lindbergh baby whom do I tell?" And who else has been featured on American Dad? That's right, Kim Kardashian appeared in Season 11, episode 3 called Blagsnarst, A Love Story.
Okay, my head hurts now...Too many random thoughts. I'm just going to keep my fingers cross that this sinus crud goes away soon. I can't take too much more randomness.


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Graphics HTML 5 JavaScript Programming Scripts SQL SVG Webmaster Software Mobiles How to
Native vs HTML 5
WebOS, for small computers
WebOS was often considered the best OS for smartphone and comes back on Raspberry Pi.
The Palm company which created it was acquired by HP and we were expecting WebOS having a big future because HP said the OS is the main reason for the acquisition and want to use it on netbooks too and from 2012 as an alternative system installed on each computer (it sells 60 million per year).
On August 19, 2011, HP announced the end of smartphones and tablets with webOS. And December 9, 2011, the system becomes open source, which raise its interest, but to justify developments, several manufacturers must commit to using it.
Howewer on August 31, 2012, the first open source beta is available for download. A list of compatible devices is given on the website, if you want to give a mobile you already own more modern system. Developers can also use this list to acquire a used device, to test webOS applications.
In December 2012, the specific hardware interface is replaced by Codova from Apache, which allows webOS to run on any mobile and so the apps.
On February 25, 2013 it was announced that LG was acquiring webOS, its domains and associated patents. LG will be using it on TV, which obviously makes it less attractive to developers, but in 2018, an open source and mature version is made available for small devices such as Raspberry Pi.
The development environment OpenEmbedded is included, which allows cross-compilation and thus the creation of a mobile application for various processors, while a desktop tool allows to create them on a desktop. This includes an emulator.
WebOS includes node.js and thus achieving fully portable applications, running even on the desktop when it does not use sensors. But if you have a desktop computer touch screen, that facilitates greatly the development of an application.
Node.js can produce totally different design in applications with HTML 5 interface and operating in interaction with a server and therefore multiple sources, which easy to build a mashup. Node modules can be written in native language and are usually ported on each major OS, which brings webOS the speed of the Objective C language of iOS apps and the same portability than Java on Android.
Qt is also included in the platform.
All those who have already tried the OS say to be amazed by the fluidity of its interface compared to other phones, including Android and iOS. In fact, by recruiting engineers who worked on webOS, Google was able to get a lot of ideas that contribute to the quality of the OS and that can now be found in Android 4.
Criticism of webOS and apology of webOS.
Tizen, another Linux based system
© 2012-2018 Scriptol.com


text:
Griffith Centre for Coastal Management
Coastal Centre celebrates clean beach award
Published May 8, 2015 AuthorMichael Jacobson
Beautiful Burleigh, runner-up in Keep Australia Beautiful's Clean Beach Awards for 2015
The Griffith Centre for Coastal Management (GCCM) has been instrumental in the Gold Coast's Burleigh beach being named Queensland's Cleanest Beach for 2015.
Keep Queensland Beautiful made the announcement yesterday (Thursday, May 7), acknowledging the GCCM's role as a driver of education, expertise and broad community input into beach care.
Burleigh's 2.5km stretch of pristine white sand was chosen above a number of other beautiful coastal stretches.
"The Gold Coast is already famous for its beautiful beaches, but we were impressed at how so many members of the Burleigh community came together to look after this precious resource," said Keep Queensland Beautiful CEO, Mr David Curtin.
Children explore and learn about Burleigh's rocky foreshore
Along with the GCCM, City of Gold Coast, local schools, scouting groups, surf lifesavers, the Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre and other community, environmental and sporting groups all contribute to ongoing beach care initiatives at Burleigh.
These include daily maintenance and beach sweeps, beach care litter clean-ups and audits, a butterfly corridor project, water conservation strategies, a solar-powered beach patrol tower, a heritage trail, a dune plant propagation program and outstanding school education through the Griffith Centre for Coastal Management.
GCCM Research Assistant and BeachCare Coordinator, Ms Tegan Croft, said programs were enhancing beach care awareness and activity.
Daily beach sweeping is an important part of Burleigh beach maintenance
"People are more aware of the importance of all our beaches as natural assets that must be cared for and protected," said Ms Croft, a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science) graduate who began volunteering with BeachCare during her undergraduate study at Griffith.
Scientific expertise, environmental passion
"Burleigh is a great example of what can be achieved through the combination of scientific expertise, environmental passion and community support and participation.
"And the message remains: if you go to the beach, leave nothing in the sand but your footprint."
Some of the youngest members of the Burleigh community were involved in achieving the cleanest beach award, including the C&K Kindergarten and Burleigh Scouts.
"If pre-school children are able to adopt the Keep Queensland Beautiful message, then surely the rest of us can do more to prevent litter, increase recycling and generally work to make Queensland number one in Australia," said Mr Curtin.
The Member for Burleigh, The Honourable Michael Hart MP, said he was thrilled to have Queensland's cleanest beach added to Burleigh's long list of achievements.
"Burleigh has always been known as a great place to live, work and raise a family and now it is even greater."
Division 12 Councillor Greg Betts said Burleigh was one of the jewels in the Gold Coast crown.
"Everyone loves the place so much and they always take care not to destroy what they came to enjoy."
The Clean Beaches Awards program has been running since 1999. Beaches are considered against criteria including community action and partnerships, litter prevention, heritage and culture, resource recovery and waste management, water and energy conservation and environmental protection and innovation.
Burleigh will now be in the running for the national Clean Beach Awards Competition, to be announced in Sydney on July 21.
Categories Features, Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, Griffith School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith School of Environment and Science, Griffith Sciences, home, Inside Griffith, News articles, SustainabilityTagged Burleigh Heads, City of Gold Coast, Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, Keep Queensland Beautiful