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text:
Doctors Say Medical Transfer Provision Necessary in Defense Spending Bill
Sub-Issue:
Detention & Prosecution of Terrorist Suspects
Two medical doctors who have evaluated detainees and accused terrorists at Guantanamo Bay are urging the Senate to allow transfers out of the prison facility for critical medical treatment.
In a letter organized by The Constitution Project and delivered to Senate offices on November 19, Dr Sondra Crosby and Dr Stephen Xenakis asked the lawmakers to give the Secretary of Defense the "flexibility to authorize the temporary transfer of Guantanamo detainees to a military medical facility in the United States to prevent death or imminent harm to a detainee's health."
The FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee contains provisions that loosen restrictions on transfers out of Guantanamo, including a provision allowing for temporary medical transfers to the United States. An amendment proposed by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) would have stripped those provisions and added further restrictions, but it failed on the Senate floor in a bi-partisan vote. Barring any additional Guantanamo related amendments, which are not expected, the NDAA will soon head to a conference committee, made up of leaders from both chambers, with the improved transfer provisions – including the medical transfer provision – fully intact. The bill authorizes most Department of Defense operations, but the actual funding for military personnel, activities and weapon systems comes through separate appropriating legislation.
The two doctors, who have spent nearly 1000 hours in Guantanamo and evaluating detainees and their medical records, say the prisoners there are aging, their health is deteriorating and, after more than a decade in captivity, their medical needs are outstripping the ability of the hospital at Guantanamo to provide the necessary care.
"The deterioration in health and demise of detainees will continue to damage our moral stature across the globe and further compromise the legitimacy of Guantanamo Bay as a detention facility," they wrote.
Crosby is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University, specializing in internal medicine, and was one of the first doctors allowed to travel to Cuba to independently examine Guantanamo captives. Xenakis is a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General who served for 28 years as a medical corps officer with assignments as a clinical psychiatrist, staff officer, and senior commander, including Commanding General of the Southeast Army Regional Medical Command.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
WHEA
WHEATL
Wheatley (Portal)
Wheatley (Portal) Explained
Series: Portal
First: Portal 2 (2011)
Last: Lego Dimensions (2015)
Richard Lord (pre-release placeholder)
Creator: Erik Wolpaw
Michael Spinx
Jesse Brandt
Wheatley is a fictional artificial intelligence from the Portal franchise first introduced in the 2011 video game Portal 2. He is voiced by British comedian and writer Stephen Merchant, and created in part by Portal 2s designer Erik Wolpaw.
In the Portal narrative, Wheatley is one of several spherical "personality cores" developed to restrain GLaDOS, the main artificial intelligence that operates the Aperture Science facility, from becoming rampant, though Wheatley is later revealed to have been built to act as an intelligence dampener towards GLaDOS. Initially serving as a comedic foil to the player-character Chell during the first half of Portal 2, Wheatley becomes the main antagonist of the second half as he takes GLaDOS' place and wreaks havoc on the facility before Chell and GLaDOS (who is now being powered by a potato battery) stop him. In addition to Portal 2, Wheatley has appeared in Team Fortress 2 and Lego Dimensions.
Since his appearance in Portal 2, Wheatley has received overwhelmingly positive reception from critics. Merchant has been praised for his portrayal by critics who cited his fast-talking dialogue. Wheatley has also been described as a contrast to GLaDOS' "slower-speaking and more deliberate" personality.
Concept and creation
Wheatley was first revealed in an ARG released by Valve, the developer of the Portal series, in a screenshot of Portal 2 before its release, showing the player-character Chell holding him. Wheatley came from combining several ideas from multiple "personality cores" that the player would meet throughout the game. The idea was removed as it supposedly made the game feel too cluttered and the player never got to really learn about the multiple robots, so several were combined into the character of Wheatley. Wheatley was designed with the purpose of making a character who "you'd be seeing a lot". Erik Wolpaw added that Wheatley served as an "offset" of GLaDOS; while her voice is "slower-speaking and more deliberate", Wheatley is a "frantic person", which Erik says is performed well by Merchant due to being able to relay information quickly in his speech.
Merchant was chosen for the role both because the designers were fans of British comedy and because of Merchant's role in the television series Extras and his podcasts. Merchant was sent a package of Portal 2 material along with a request that he provide the voice of Wheatley. Merchant agreed to the role. Wheatley's characterisation was always designed with a British voice in mind. While they were writing Wheatley's dialogue, they had Merchant "in their heads" as a result of watching Extras, though at the time they did not consider pursuing him for the role because they did not think that they would be able to cast him. They were instead considering Richard Ayoade, up until they went to Merchant's agents.
Wheatley was also designed with the intention of writing a video game character who spoke informally which Wolpaw stated gave the sensation that the events were really happening and that this was something players do not often see in video games. He also stated that sidekicks in video games have never "sounded as if they were just making things up as you go along".[1] While they later discovered that Merchant was famous in the United Kingdom, they noted that he was not chosen for his fame. Wolpaw noted that Merchant was the most famous actor that they had featured in one of their games.[2] While they wrote a script for Wheatley, Merchant had an "improvisational style" that they let him employ in the dialogue. Merchant also spoke some of the written dialogue in a way that seemed improvisational, such as in the "reading and repetition of words".[3] This was one of the qualities that made them want to cast Merchant.[1]
Merchant himself has compared Wheatley's personality to characters typically played by Woody Allen, and noted that while initially he didn't know the gravitas of the role, reaction by others made him take the role a lot more seriously.[4] He described the recording sessions as "exhausting", so much so that by the end he was "not looking forward to it", but once the project wrapped, he was overwhelmed with the fan response and would return for a sequel.[4]
Original plans had Wheatley remain dead after being crushed by GLaDOS, with her remaining as the main antagonist. The player would then meet six other spheres—including a paranoid sphere and a "Morgan Freeman sphere". This was changed, however, as the other spheres did not have enough time for the players to grow attached to them, and because playtesters missed Wheatley.[5]
Wheatley is one of several personality cores created for GLaDOS; specifically, he was designed by the Aperture scientists as an "Intelligence Dampening Sphere" (or, as GLaDOS puts it, "the dumbest moron who ever lived") as a means to hamper GLaDOS' decision-making processes by injecting poor judgment into her routines.
The player-character Chell is introduced to Wheatley when he revives her from her cryonic hibernation, with the intent on helping her escape the deteriorating Aperture Science facility. Wheatley then helps Chell get the blue portal gun. Wheatley leads Chell to the chamber containing the remains of GLaDOS, and accidentally reactivates GLaDOS while trying to engineer their escape. Chell is separated from Wheatley by GLaDOS and forced to perform more tests. Wheatley manages to rediscover Chell and helps her escape to maintenance areas behind the testing chambers out of GLaDOS' reach. He guides her to destroy GLaDOS' neurotoxin supply and sabotage the turret manufacturing line before returning to GLaDOS. Without these hazards to stop her, Chell follows his instructions to transfer his core into that of GLaDOS. With the threat of GLaDOS quenched, Wheatley prepares to send Chell to the surface, but he becomes power-hungry due to GLaDOS' core programming; he places GLaDOS' personality into a module powered by a potato battery and sends her and Chell into the depths of Aperture Science. As Chell and GLaDOS fall, GLaDOS reveals that Wheatley was actually meant to be a "tumor", with the purpose of generating an endless stream of bad ideas in order to control her.
While Chell and GLaDOS work their way up from deep underground, Wheatley begins fumblingly experimenting with his control of the facility, causing several key systems to fail. By the time Chell and GLaDOS arrive, the core reactor in the facility is set to overload, and the only way to stop it is for GLaDOS to retake her main unit back from Wheatley. Wheatley, coerced by the core programming in GLaDOS, puts them through a series of deranged test chambers in his newly renamed "Wheatley Science" facility, leading them to a series of death traps. Chell and GLaDOS are able to escape, due to Wheatley's lack of foresight, and make their way to his chamber to try to attempt a reversal of the core transfer, but first must subdue his programming by three other faulty personality cores to distract him.
Wheatley, recalling the earlier battle with GLaDOS, takes steps to prevent Chell from activating the core transfer mechanism and assaults her with bombs. However, he did not account for tubes carrying the various gels through the room, which Chell destroys with the bombs and uses the resulting spillage to complete the attachment of the corrupted cores. With Wheatley distracted, Chell tries to initiate the core transfer, however bombs rigged in the stalemate resolution annex explode before this can take place. As the failsafes on the reactor core fail, the roof collapses. Chell creates a portal between the room and the moon's surface, dragging her and Wheatley's module through it; GLaDOS, now having regained her body, knocks Wheatley away, and then restores the facility to normal working order. Wheatley is shown in the game's epilogue to be floating adrift in space, apologetic for the trouble he has caused, and forced to listen to the deranged ramblings of the space personality core.
Wheatley appears in an official plug-in created by Valve for ; Fall of the Space Core, Vol 1. Wheatley appears floating around the Skills Menu, the backdrop of which is a series of constellations in space.
Wheatley appears in Valve's multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2 as an item for the Spy class called "The Ap-Sap". Stephen Merchant reprised his role as Wheatley for the game.
He appears as a non-playable character in Lego Dimensions, with Stephen Merchant once again reprising his role. In the main story campaign, he appears in Aperture Science and occasionally aids Batman, Gandalf and Wyldstyle in escaping and surviving GLaDOS's traps. In the bonus Portal-themed stage, Wheatley is now able to move and levitate under his own power; he is reunited with Chell and accompanies her through GLaDOS's new test chambers, expressing remorse for his previous actions and trying to ingratiate himself with Chell. He also appears in the Portal 2 adventure world, caring for a group of Frankenturrets and offering the player various sidequests.
Stephen Merchant won two awards for his performance as Wheatley: 'Outstanding Character Performance' at the Interactive Achievement Awards[6] and Best Performance by a Human Male at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards. Wheatley earned a Spike TV nomination for 'Character of the Year'.[7]
Edge staff wrote that Merchant's portrayal of Wheatley was "neurotically stuttering and blubbering" and that his "idiosyncratic staccato Bristolian burr" was a "fascinating choice".[8] Edge staff also wrote that he served as the game's "comic relief" and called him "alternately hapless and sinister, the mesmerizing animations of his 'eye light' and a changing role throughout make him an unforgettable presence".[8] GameSpy's Will Tuttle wrote that Merchant's portrayal of Wheatley was "pitch perfect" and is "sure to be a fan favorite".[9] The Telegraphs Tom Hoggins wrote that the "delightfully skittish" Wheatley's "casual, nervous patter reacting naturally to the events unfolding around you" was performed well by Merchant.[10] He later wrote that the dialogue of Portal 2 was funny due in part to "the way that the frantic, nervous babble of Wheatley contrasts so effectively with the cynical, sinister goading from GLaDOS" and that neither are overbearing.[11] The Guardians Nick Cowen wrote that Wheatley was a "stammering, motor-mouthed droid" and at times "funny and monstrous and spine chilling".[12] The Guardians Will Freeman wrote that the "apparently sentient computers" in Portal 2 are "outstanding" though players may have a "divided opinion" on Wheatley.[13]
An editor for The Province wrote that Merchant's portrayal of Wheatley "really adds to the personality and character of the game".[14] Official Xbox Magazines Jon Hicks praised the narrative of Portal 2 and cited Wheatley's "chirpy idiocy" as a contributing factor to its quality.[15] OXMs Ryan McCaffrey wrote that Wheatley was "played to perfection" by Merchant.[16] Computer and Video Games' Andy Robinson wrote that Wheatley's personality was "equally loud" to GLaDOS and "brilliant".[17] GameZone's Ben PerLee wrote that Wheatley was "cute but stupid" and called him "adorable and bumbling, a lovable little guy who is much more involved than you might expect".[18] The Escapists Russ Pitts wrote that Wheatley was "a helpful – if dumb – robot companion with a chipper English accent".[19] The Globe and Mails Chad Sapieha wrote that Merchant was "enormously entertaining as a slow-witted sphere".[20] Ars Technica's Ben Kuchera wrote that "the casting [of Merchant] was a brilliant choice". He also wrote that "there is something about his delivery that works wonderfully, and it seems like he was having a good time recording his lines".[21]
PC Gamers Dan Stapleton praised Wheatley as "fantastically voiced" by Merchant and wrote that he was "basically playing the same mind-bogglingly stupid character from the Ricky Gervais comedy Extras".[22] PC Gamers Craig Pearson wrote that "his nervous English voice ... is another indicator that while Valve might not have known what they had with the original Portal, this time around they're a lot more confident".[23] Giant Bomb's Ryan Davis wrote that Merchant voiced Wheatley with "terrific nervous energy".[24] Wireds Chris Kohler wrote that "you'll fall in love with Wheatley, a friendly robot with a heart of gold and the charming voice of actor Stephen Merchant".[25] IGN's Charles Onyett wrote that it's "difficult to overstate how Merchant's obvious enthusiasm for the role benefits the game" and that "no word Wheatley speaks is without witty inflection, and the consistently clever writing perfectly complements the onscreen action". He also wrote that Merchant's Wheatley "steals the show" while GLaDOS and Cave Johnson's voice actors Ellen McLain and J. K. Simmons turn in solid performances.[26] PALGN's Adam Ghiggino wrote that Merchant's performance was "brilliant" and that he has "a lot of emotion to [his] movement".[27] Video Gamer's Jamin Smith wrote that Merchant's voice was familiar and wrote that Wheatley "possesses more personality than the cast of most other games put together" despite "a lack of any distinguishing features at all" in its appearance.[28]
GamesRadar's Tyler Wilde wrote that Wheatley was "surprisingly expressive" and called it "bumbling".[29] CNN's Larry Frum called Wheatley "silly, frantic and almost childlike".[30] ABC News' Lou Kesten called it "equally memorable" to GLaDOS and a "chatty, nervous A.I."[31] Entertainment Weeklys John Young described its eyeball's appearance as a "giant blue eyeball resembles a HAL 9000 computer with an Apple makeover". He also wrote that he was the "most delightful artificial-intelligence program one could hope to meet, and his witty quips and general clumsiness are a frequent source of amusement" and that he is "splendidly voiced" by Merchant.[32] Editors for CNET wrote that "if Stephen Merchant doesn't win every video game voice actor award for his portrayal of the protagonist's wacky robot sidekick, there is no justice in either this world or any virtual one".[33] An editor for CBS News wrote that Wheatley was "a chirpy and well-intentioned" but also "dim-witted". The editor added that the "interactions between the player, GLaDOS and Wheatley are what give "Portal 2" its charm and provide much of the humor that keeps the game captivating puzzle after puzzle".[34] The Daily Mails James O'Brien called Wheatley a "loquacious metal ball whose distinctly limited intelligence is rendered even more amusing by Merchant's distinctive West Country burr".[35]
However, not all of Wheatley's reception has been positive; in an Ars Technica article, Peter Bright said that the character's role in the game's plot was predictable and that "his tireless, relentlessly stupid schtick" quickly got old, with the character's jokes being recycled and reused throughout the whole game. Bright also said that Wheatley's "inane babble served only to disrupt the mood".[36]
News: Brown . David . Portal 2 developer interview: Chet Falisek and Erik Wolpaw . Telegraph . 2011-03-04 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 interview and hands-on preview . Den of Geek . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 – Interview « Gaming Lives - Online gaming community with videogame articles, video game reviews, previews and gaming news . Gaminglives.com . 2011-03-14 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Stephen Merchant On His 'Exhausting' 'Portal 2' Performance As Wheatley, Interest In Returning For 'Portal 3'. MTV. 16 April 2018. 12 May 2011.
Web site: The Portal 2 that never was . Welsh . Oli . . 2012-03-08 . 2013-08-29.
Web site: Martin . Liam . 'Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim' dominates Interactive Achievement Awards . Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK . 12 January 2013.
Web site: Wheatley of Portal 2's Character of the Year Acceptance . Spike.com.
Web site: Portal 2 Preview . . Future Publishing Limited . 2011-03-18 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: GameSpy: Portal 2 Review - Page 1 . Ps3.gamespy.com . 2011-04-26.
News: Hoggins . Tom . Portal 2 hands-on preview . Telegraph . 2011-04-08 . 2011-04-26.
News: Hoggins . Tom . Portal 2 review . Telegraph . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
News: Nick Cowen . Portal 2 – review | Technology | guardian.co.uk . Guardian . 2011-04-19. 2011-04-26.
News: Will Freeman . Portal 2 – review | Technology | The Observer . Guardian . 2011-04-24. 2011-04-26.
Web site: The Province April 25, 2011 . Power Play: Another Portal to puzzling bliss . Theprovince.com . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 review - Xbox 360 - Official Xbox 360 Magazine . Oxm.co.uk . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 . Oxm Online . 2011-04-21 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Review: Portal 2 . ComputerAndVideoGames.com . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 Review | GameZone.com . Xbox.gamezone.com . 2011-04-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110423050343/http://xbox.gamezone.com/reviews/item/portal_2/ . 2011-04-23 .
Web site: The Escapist : Portal 2 Review . Escapistmagazine.com . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
News: Canada . Top five GLaDOS insults in Portal 2 . The Globe and Mail . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Kuchera . Ben . Portal 2: Ars shares the correct way to do science . Arstechnica.com . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 review . PC Gamer . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 preview . PC Gamer . 2011-03-29 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 Review . Giant Bomb . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
News: Previous post Next post . Review: Portal 2 Marries Indie Design, Blockbuster Budget | GameLife . Wired.com . 2011-04-21. 2011-04-26.
Web site: Charles Onyett . Portal 2 Review - PlayStation 3 Review at IGN . Ps3.ign.com . 2011-04-18 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Adam Ghiggino21 Apr, 2011 . Portal 2 Review - PlayStation 3 Video Game Review - PAL Gaming Network . Palgn.com.au . 2011-04-21 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 Review for PS3 . VideoGamer.com . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Portal 2 super review, Portal 2 Review, PS3 Reviews . Games Radar.com . 2011-04-26.
News: 'Portal 2' is a dark, humorous joy (and that's no lie) . CNN . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120402172439/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-19/tech/portal.2.review_1_portal-puzzles-gel/2?_s=PM%3ATECH . 2012-04-02 .
Web site: Kesten . Lou . Associated Press . Review: 'Portal 2' a Blast for the Thinking Gamer . ABC News . 2011-04-20 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Young . John . 'Portal 2' videogame review: Physics is phunny . Electronics Weekly . 2011-04-20 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Bakalar . Jeff . Portal 2: For fun, for everyone, for science . Cnet . 2011-04-22 . 2011-04-26.
News: Portal 2 review: A hilarious sci-fi puzzle game . CBS News . 2011-04-19 . 2011-04-26.
News: O'Brien . James . Portal 2 review: Now that's what I call an entrance! . Mail Online . 2011-04-22 . 2011-04-26.
Web site: Bright. Peter. Thinking on rails: why Portal 2 isn't as good as the original. Ars Technica. 2011-05-03. 2011-05-05.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wheatley (Portal)".


It's National Pastry Day, and incredible polyurethane holds the key to making your next pastry crust the envy of any baker. The secret is in your refrigerator. In fact, it IS your refrigerator! Cold ingredients are key to great pie crusts. And of course, polyurethane is great for keeping your refrigerator and freezer sealed and insulated so ingredients stay their coldest.
Leather jackets, shoes and furniture are often coated with a layer of polyurethane in order to protect the fabric from stains and give it a glossy shine. However, manufacturers often struggle to find a balance between providing stain resistance to things like creams and beverages and creating the supple feel and fabric flexibility that consumers want. Polycarbonate diol technology helps producers perform this balancing act.
November is National Sleep Comfort Month. But according to the National Sleep Foundation, 35 percent of Americans report their sleep quality as "poor" or "only fair." Comfort may be part of the issue. In that same survey, only 57 percent of respondents reported sleeping on a very comfortable mattress or surface.
It's been nearly 30 years since viscoelastic polyurethane foam — better known as memory foam —first shook up the mattress industry. Along the way, there have been a number of evolutions and innovations. In 2003, the first compressed "bed in a box" mattress was sold, packaged in a cardboard container and designed for the consumer to unpack and expand at home.
Today, some estimate that as many as one-third of the mattresses sold in North America are made of memory foam or some combination of memory foam and traditional innersprings.
This 4th of July marks the 241st birthday of the United States! Invite your friends and family over for a cookout and enjoy refreshing drinks, entrées hot off the grill, tasty sides and festive desserts.
All dads are different, but there are some products made with polyurethane that any father could enjoy on his holiday.
Does your dad enjoy driving on the open road and love everything about cars? Will he know that polyurethane is behind a lot of the comfort and cool factors of his car? Cushioned seats, protected coatings, and many car parts are made with polyurethane components that make vehicles look better and last longer. Plus, polyurethane is light-weight which helps Dad's car be more fuel efficient. All dads love that.


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Conceived as an off-grid hideaway for two, Casa Etérea is a 75-square-metre dwelling that sits on the rugged slopes of the extinct volcano Palo Huérfano. The vision was to create a "theatre to nature" from which guests could experience the mountain, so sustainability was crucial in attaining a truly complete integration with the environment. In order to achieve this, the house runs on solar energy, collected rainwater, and uses a patterned ultraviolet coating on the mirror making it visible to birds while remaining reflective to the human eye.
Heavily inspired by the concept of "emotional architecture," – coined by Mexican architect Luis Barragán and sculptor-painter Mathias Goéritz – Casa Etérea is liveable installation art that uses mirrored panels to diffuse the boundaries between the wild and the structured. By distorting the perspective of where the observer begins and the landscape ends, the project aims to evoke a deep sense of awe and oneness with the wild, and to beg questions about our role as stewards in the preservation of our ecosystems.
A testament for how the natural landscape can be made clearer by architecture, while not being tamed – we invite you to find stillness in this one-of-a-kind designer residence.
Casa Etérea is a beautiful and intimate space, that was designed without partition walls – making the entire house one large room. From the central living space and bedroom, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors frame vistas of towering cliffs, while opening to connect with a decked patio area and solar-heated pool surrounded by olive and pomegranate trees. The house also features an exposed glass shower with views to a staggering ravine, and an intimate kitchen equipped with amenities for light cooking. Remote-controlled outdoor PVC shutters were added to provide security and privacy. The house is located on a magnificent 8000sqm property, and guests will enjoy large, open outdoor spaces.
Casa Etérea is located on the slopes of the extinct volcano Palo Huérfano, only 8km (5miles) from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of San Miguel de Allende. Due to the mountainous road, the drive takes 20 minutes.
AMENTITES
2 Guests | 1 Bed | 1 Bathroom
Private pool (Solar Heated)
Kitchen (Gas Stove)
Shower Amenities
Minimum 2-night stay
Only 2 guests (from the original reservation) are allowed on the property.
Check-in: 3pm – 7pm | Checkout: 10am
Not suitable for children or infants
Strictly no parties or events
We place a 500 USD/ 10,000 MXN hold on your credit card as a security deposit, that is refundable after check-out. This is a strict, non-negotiable rule before entering the property.
Each guest must present a government issued photo-identification upon check-in.
We offer all guests a FREE 2-way shuttle service between Casa Etérea & San Miguel. Guests who choose to drive must note that the rocky road leading to the house is only accessible via SUV or 4×4 vehicles.
We advise all guests to buy groceries before arrival, as there are no restaurants or amenities within walking distance. A supermarket, cinema and hospital is a 10 min drive from the house.
The mountain has a semi-arid desert climate. While the daytime remains warm, night-time temperatures can be very cold between Nov – Feb, and warm jackets are essential.
Although the house looks isolated in photographs – you will not be alone on the mountain. There are 6 other family homes nearby, and our friendly neighbours from our close-knit international community will all be looking out for you.
Enhanced COVID cleaning & disinfection policy
Alarm & Motion-detection Security Cameras
Remote-controlled outdoor security shutters
Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Full refund for cancellations made within 48 hours of booking, if the check-in date is at least 14 days away. 50% refund for cancellations made at least 7 days before check-in. No refunds for cancellations made within 7 days of check-in.
ABOUT SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE
Nestled high in the Bajio mountains and loved for its seemingly eternal spring – San Miguel de Allende is a small town located about 150 miles north of Mexico City, where the country's busy elite retreat into their summer homes. Its snaking cobblestone streets, enchanting Baroque/Neoclassical colonial architecture, and multi-spired pink Parroquia church have helped it earn its place as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as its reputation as one of Mexico's crown jewels. Consistently voted year-on-year as one of the best cities in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine, San Miguel continues to lure streams of visitors with its storied history, world-class culinary scene, and vibrant arts community.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN
A 20-minute drive from the center of San Miguel de Allene, Casa Etérea sits on the slopes of the extinct volcano, Palo Huérfano, within the greater Los Picachos mountain range of central Mexico. Its peaks rise up to 2,600 meters in altitude and support several microclimates including dry scrub on the lower slopes, deciduous forests in numerous canyons, and extensive oak woodlands on the uplands. The lack of vehicle access and sparse population in the mountains have preserved an exceptional biodiversity including hawks, foxes, white-tailed deer and mountain lions.
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Power Report: The 30 best comic book writers for June 2016
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Tag: comic books
Tag: rankings
Summer is finally here and with it comes DC's Rebirth, Ta-Nehisi Coates's long-awaited Black Panther, and yet another Marvel War (this time at least it's civil). Also there was a lot of Batman….like a lot lately. But this month in particular has shown some of the best comic books of the year thus far as superstars writers like Tom King, Marjorie Liu and Nick Spencer are sharing shelf space with some impressive breakout stars in Matthew Rosenberg, Benjamin Percy, and Sean Lewis. This might be my favorite and most complete list since we started this power report as these latest series are examples of why we really are in a golden age of comics. As always, do you agree or disagree? Tell me what you think in the comments!
30. Frank Miller/Brian Azzarello
Diving into the back story of Jason Todd, Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello write The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade as a prequel to The Dark Knight Returns. The story is well crafted and the Joker bits are good as well, meshing the storylines between Todd and Joker to a conclusion that accounts for Batman's mindset at the time of The Dark Knight Returns. There's a lot of action and blood in these pages and as a prequel the comic works. Together Miller and Azzarello have proven to be a good team with the latest Dark Knight story a welcome addition to the canon.
29. John Allison
Each issue of John Allison's delightful Giant Days feels like a wonderful sitcom, full of exaggerated characters and situations that provide a plenty of laughs while further exploring the chemistry between these college students. Whether it's apartment hunting or, in the most recent issue, movie making to win a competition, the relationship between the strong personalities of Daisy, Esther and Susan drive each issue. And the obstacles that confront these girls in college are both real and relatable, providing an excellent environment to create, what I like to call, comfort food in comic book form.
28. Jonathan Hickman
Death continues looking for his son as East of West journeys forward towards apocalypse and diplomacy again proves ineffective. As a friend of mine at the comic book store says, East of West is a must-pull, and there aren't many of those currently around. This is a series that Hickman never quits on, expanding on an desolate world with mind-blowing characters and a intricately weaved plot. Even after 26 issues, East of West is still one of the best series on shelves.
27. Max Landis
Max Landis ends his incredible Superman: American Alien not with a bang, but a whimper. The last issue is probably the weakest in the series as Superman now has his costume and is battling Lobo (yes, Lobo). Throughout the series there's been a constant theme of identity and self-discovery and the last issue is no exception. There's a lot of touching moments here but it's also fun to see Superman show his strength as well now. He's a lot different now than the boy who was trying to learn how to fly in the first issue and Landis effectively drew a character arc that both first time readers and avid subscibers will hold dear. It's a triumph for Landis, who has made an incredible debut in comic books with one of its most beloved characters.
26. Skottie Young
While comic books get optioned all the time for movies and television shows there may be no comic I'd like to see more hit the screen than Skottie Young's I Hate Fairyland. The second arc picks up where the first arc left off, with Gertrude as queen and a gladiator match with, you guessed it, organs everywhere coming out. This comic has everything you've come to expect in I Hate Fairyland: lots of blood, Gertrude in full crazy mode, and an attack on bottles that talk. It's one of the most dark yet enjoyable comics available but please, please, please don't give it to your kids.
25. Chip Zdarsky
Sometime, Howard, it's difficult to go home. Chip takes Howard back to Beverly as the comic deals with their previous relationship and Beverly's insistence that she's looking for a quieter life in Maine. It's touching and somewhat surprisingly funny at times, proving that there's more to Chip than off-the-wall humor. He brings that same soft side to Jughead, who in his second arc has a pretty touching moment with Archie on a hike. It may another side of Mr. Zdarsky but it's a welcome addition to characters that are building a strong emotional connection with their audience amidst all their adventures.
24. Warren Ellis
While Karnac ventures on to learn more about a kid who just annoyingly provides more questions than answers, Injection ends its second arc with some of the best exposition in the comics series as well as some major plot. The last issue was a little gratuitous with its sex but 10 focuses on Vivek Headland as the case is reaching the eventual conclusion with ramifications on the characters in the next story arc to come. Probably the most incredible in this issue is how brilliantly the work of Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire (my favorite colorist working today) complements the story. This is one of the most beautifully drawn books today and Ellis has made a satisfying conclusion to the second arc with a hint of more to look forward to.
23. Brian Michael Bendis
While I'm not completely sold on Bendis's new Civil War II, it has definitely kept me coming back for more. The topic at hand is the new Inhuman Ulysses, who has the ability to see the future (though it seems he sees apocalyptic events a lot more than the sees anything else), and whether or not heroes should act on these visions is what is dividing Iron Man with Captain Marvel. So, basically it's Marvel meets Philip K. Dick but, strangely, whenever the heroes attack first, it seems like they get their butt kicked a little more than if they'd waited. Bendis himself doesn't pull any punches with this story and it seems anyone can get the axe each week, which makes the story even more compelling. While it's not yet the acheivement of Millar's Civil War, it's good enough to keep coming back. Expect Bendis to go up or disappear altogether from this list by depending upon where this series goes.
22. Mark Millar
As Jupiter's Legacy 2 is finally scheduled to hit shelves at the end of June with a promise that it will keep to a monthly structure (Frank Quitely, I'm looking at you), Millarworld fans must be excited with the incredible space opera Empress. Teleporting through worlds, night club waitresses turned queens, and a bodyguard that would put Kevin Costner to shame (too old of a joke?), Empress seems to have everything going for it as this is a very exciting comic. Millar has a flair for the dramatic and it's nice to see him do a space "on-the-run" story that seems to have a lot of bite to it.
21. Sean Lewis
While I marveled at the premise of Sean Lewis's religious war Saints, I'm flat out amazed at its execution. Saints is not only an incredibly smart and well-researched exploration of religion in America but it's one hell of an exciting epic. Lewis previously worked as a commentator on This American Life but his first entry into comics demonstrates that he has a multitude of talents at his disposal. The series -- which combines a ultra-fanatic religious sect that worships the Angel Michael, a Satanic death metal group that conjure up a demon dog, and a host of different teenage saints that all have power associated with the sainthood (St. Sebastian shoots arrows for instance) -- is an incredibly smart and exciting tale that just ended its 9 issue run in brilliant fashion and is easily my favorite miniseries that Image has published this year. The hardcover comes out in September and, if you can't wait that long, I recommended going to your comic store and demanding older issues now. This comic is definitely worth it.
20. Robert Kirkman
Finally, an act of war we've been waiting quite a while for as the tension between the Whispers and Alexandria continue to thicken. At the heart of this has been the idea of manipulation and the effect that Negan has on the upcoming events. Rick has completely turned into a politician, looking instead to manipulate the group's feelings rather than be completely truthful and Negan is, well we don't really know what exactly Negan has up his sleeve yet but, the conversation between Alpha and Negan definitely highlights the last issue. It's interesting, as we all wait for Negan to return in the new Walking Dead season, that Kirkman has made him such a major character in this impending conflict.
19. G. Willow Wilson
After Ms. Marvel ends her identity crisis of fighting multiple versions of herself by the deus ex machina of pushing the Captain Marvel button, we have the start of an enjoyable crossover between Kamala and Miles Morales in a science fair pitting Brooklyn against New Jersey. Ms. Marvel issues that focus more on Kamala than Ms. Marvel seem to be where this series shines lately as it ventures toward the silly (who doesn't love a floating shark?). It's a fun addition and a creative entry into the whole Civil War which is currently encompassing the Marvel Universe.
18. Benjamin Percy
Teaming up with Black Canary, Green Arrow is the star of the greatest comic in DC's Rebirth series. The comic has sold over 90,000 issues and is a bonafide hit for DC. The reason why this comic books succeed so well with a somewhat minor character could be summed up in one word: chemistry. Percy perfectly plays Dinah and Oliver off each other with entertaining and somewhat lovingly corny dialogue. Also the fight scenes are on point as the chemistry between Percy and Schmidt work wonderfully together as the goateed Green Arrow has a kind of Errol Flynn bravado to him. There are certain comics that everyone should pick up regardless of if they're fans of the character, and this Green Arrow breaks barriers to be one of the finest comics of the month.
17. Matt Fraction
Sex Criminals is finally getting back to the heart of their story: Jon and Suzie. This last issue works extremely well by including all the aspects of the previous Sex Criminals story arcs with the heart of the story that made fans love Sex Criminals in the first place: the complexity of Jon and Suzie's relationship. Fraction and Zdarsky are brilliant in this last installment including meta elements, dick jokes, and sexual anxiety, while still advancing the plot to a well-done cliffhanger. It's a reminder of Fraction's incredible skill at weaving multiple storylines and a reminder of how Sex Criminals is still one of the best ongoing series on shelves.
16. Joshua Williamson
Williamson's Flash Rebirth provides an interesting take on the Barry Allen character as a detective/scientist who works with Batman and gets nightmarish visions. There's a lot in the first issue as Wally West also makes an appearance but Williamson, it seems, is setting up The Flash for a compelling detective story that involves a lot of characters and locations. In addition to the Flash, Williamson brings another story to the always entertaining Birthright, which has been a consistently excellent story since its debut.
15. Jason Aaron
There's no comic that fans have been waiting longer for than Southern Bastards. The last issue of Southern Bastards came out in January and the one before was November. So dust off those previous issues to remind yourself why Craw County and its racist, football loving inhabitants are still one of the best series Image publishes. Aaron, I guess, has been spending his time with Star Wars and Doctor Strange, which have been good, not great, runs that seemed more promising when they started compared with how they continued. Yet his Southern Bastards is the shining light of Aaron's repertoire and exciting to see again.
14. Ta-Nehisi Coates
Black Panther has certainly lived up to the hype as Ta-Nehisi has turned his attention away from Black Panther the superhero and to Wakanda as a state of civil unrest with T'Challa as its leader. There's a lot going on in these first two issues and the scope at which Coates has set up the story is impressive, as T'Challa's role as king is being immediately put to the test. There's also a great history of Wakanda being told as Coates wants the reader to understand the traditions in this society that sometimes get overshadowed by their amazing technology. While at times the plot of the story slows to focus more on the dialogue between characters, the dialogue is rich and well written. There is a lot of potential here and already it has started out on a grand scale.
13. Brian K Vaughan
Time travel proves to be extra fun when you get to see and criticize yourself as a grown up. Paper Girls turns out to be one of the most enjoyable and utterly delightful series to date as the girls go back in time to try to find their friend. Also the end of the latest story arc of Saga is, yet again, incredible with a twist that nobody saw coming. It's astounding how Vaughan has never had a lull in the story of Saga, always keeping the characters fresh and expanding on the beautiful and brilliant universe he has created that has been going on for 36 issues since 2012. It's continually been the best comic series for years and always the series I give to people looking to get into creator-owned comics.
12. Ryan North
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl constantly surprises me. Just when I thought the crossover with Howard the Duck was proving that Ryan North's playful Squirrel Girl has maybe overplayed her humor she returns with a hilarious choose your own adventure issue and a delightful dating issue. North, who has previously done a choose your own adventure with Hamlet, also released a choose your own adventure book entitled Romeo and/or Juliet this month in which we get the answer to the age old question "What if Romeo and Juliet teamed up to take over Verona with robot suits?" Inquiring minds want to know.
11. Greg Rucka
DC made an excellent decision to have Greg Rucka head up Woman Woman Rebirth. The character is soon going to get a lot more visibility with the film on the way (plus she might have been the only bright spot in the Batman vs Superman film) so an examination of the character itself is a rewarding approach at understanding her depth. This is remarkably different from Grant Morrison's direction to the character in the recent Wonder Woman: Earth One, as Rucka instead looks at the character's identity in an examination of herself, while she stares into the mirror with her Lasso of Truth tied around her wrist. It's a brilliant exploration of truth and the lies we often tell ourselves and an intriguing way at exploring an important character in the DC canon.
10. Steve Orlando
Steve Orlando's brilliant Midnighter continues to be one of the most engaging and fun comics DC publishes. This is a comic with teeth that it bares with a bloody smile. And now with the return of Apollo and the emergence of the Suicide Squad,it is one of the best series currently produced by DC. Also, with Orlando releasing Supergirl Rebirth in August, there's a lot to be excited about at DC as the Rebirth series is finally getting fans to forget about the travesty that was Convergence.
9. Matthew Rosenberg
If one could put their investments in comic book writers like stocks in the stock market, I'd take all my money out of my Twitter stock and put it in Matthew Rosenberg. Rosenberg originally turned heads in the incredible superpower rich We Can Never Go Home and then followed up with the intriguing 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, where kids have to save their Dad by robbing a bank (just in time for Father's Day!). Next up: a possible breakout issue of Civil War Kingpin, where Wilson Fisk is able to thrive amidst the president powers of Ulysses. Mark my words, Matthew Rosenberg stock is on the rise.
8. Nick Spencer
With Astounding Ant-Man becoming the Superior Foes of Ant-Man pretty quickly (and that is a compliment), the controversy around Steve Rogers Captain America, and great brilliance at Image with The Fix, Nick Spencer is a highlight of the pull list worldwide. No other comic book writer, with the possible exception of Ryan North, consistently puts smiles on the faces of comic book fans this often. Also with a special 50th edition of Morning Glories coming out next month, Nick Spencer is giving long-time fans a lot to look forward to.
7. Jeff Lemire
As Descender returns with a new story arc (and a nightmare-inducing cover), Jeff Lemire further demonstrates how incredible of a storyteller he is. The story arc looks into Tim-22, who seems to be a child version of Terminator 2 on the cover, and his backstory which tries to explain the dramatic conclusion of the 11th issue. It's an rationalization of his actions as well as a exploration of the results that come from abuse, a frequent topic it seems between humans and robots in comics (see Alex and Ada). While on hiatus Lemire has been keeping himself busy with the astounding Moon Knight for Marvel and Bloodshot Reborn for Valiant, both of which are stunning series. Bloodshot pairs with Ninjak to find the Man in the White Tower while Moon Knight delves into a psychology within an asylum that is compelling and, quite frankly, pretty scary.
6. Rick Remender
Within the past 3 weeks, literally more than 10 people I know have texted me to ask if I'm reading Deadly Class. Nobody writes action as good as Rick Remender and this rat hunt of the freshman class has been Remender at his finest. Each issue has at least one moment where the reader will shake their head, amazed at what has occurred. Remender is ruthless with his characters and, when the action steps up in a Remender comic, nobody is safe. Remender continues his hot streak with an excellent new story arc of Tokyo Ghost where Tokyo becomes a gigantic theme park for the 1%. Probably a good comic to get in print form over the digital version as Remender really lays into tech culture but the wonderful characters that are a hallmark to a Remender story are there and this one is not to be ignored.
5. Marjorie Liu
Umm did Marjorie Liu catapult to the top of my list by writing my favorite Star Wars issue ever? Han Solo #1 had to be the most difficult series in the Star Wars canon to write. No scruffy-lookin' Nerf herder is the more liked and admired in the galaxy than Solo, and Liu simply knocks it out of the park. She maintains Solo's cavalier style while expanding on the character by adding depth in his conflicted relationship with Leia. Add this to the end of the first story arc of Monstress, a series that is as beautifully written as it is drawn by Sana Takeda and one of the most compellingly smart series Image is publishing, and you have a prime example of a veteran writer at the height of her craft. I literally read each Monstress issue twice to fully understand completely everything that is going on in the incredible world Liu has created. For those of you who haven't picked up Monstress, the first trade paperback just went on sale this week. Make it first on your priority list.
4. Matt Kindt
Two of the most promising new comic series are Matt Kindt's beautiful Dept H from Dark Horse and 4001 A.D. from Valiant Comics. Dept H is a gorgeous mystery deep within the dark of the ocean as a woman must find her father's killer amongst a litany of characters. The art, also done by Kindt, really utilizes the unexplored isolation that accompanies the deep ocean and, as Kindt did so well in Mind MGMT, he combines the environment seamlessly with the character's psychological state. In the Valiant Universe, Kindt is helming the latest crossover event continuing the events of "Rai" (though you don't really need to know those events to understand what is going on). Valiant's events have never been subtle and Kindt makes one hell of an entrance with, wait for it, a space dragon. Need I say anything more?
3. Kieron Gillen
As Laura returns as Persephone and the reader gets a better understanding of events leading to her disappearance, Gillen shows that he's even more skilled of a manipulator than Ananke herself. These latest issues of The Wicked + The Divine makes up for all those previous issues that slowed down the action to include more and more backstories of characters. Now Persephone has a plan and the walls seem to be crumbling all around Ananke as Persephone is shown to be a worthy competitor. Whereas in the last story arc missing an issue might not have a major effect on the reader, the story has now picked up at such breakneck speed, every issue is the most eagerly awaited comic of the month.
2. Charles Soule
Never in my life did I think I would ever see a poker Daredevil issue but this recent Man without Fear issue may have been my favorite comic of the month. Charles Soule is currently writing some of the best comics on the shelves today and some of the best stories of his entire career. From the increasingly impressive Daredevil to an Inhumans that seems to be the heart of the Bendis's Civil War II dividing Iron Man and Captain Marvel, Soule, again, is holding the weight of the Marvel Universe on his shoulders. In addition to Marvel, his three issues of everyone's favorite new Star Wars character, Poe Dameron, is a plain delight and one of the best in the recent Star Wars series. You can easily see how Soule got inspiration from 1970's science fiction with Agent Terex acting much like a diabolical Bond villain, with the ability to get tricked maybe a LITTLE too easy at times. Each issue though is a romp as Poe definitely keeps the charms and charisma that Oscar Issac so lovingly portrayed in the recent movie.
1. Tom King
More marvel comics
It's time for Marvel to retire the Punisher's skull logo
First look at Earth's Mightiest Heroes' new cutting-edge mech suits in 'Avengers Mech Strike'
There is no better series from Marvel than The Vision and there's no better series from Vertigo than The Sheriff of Babylon. First up, The Vision, Tom King's haunting series explores relationships, suburban life, fear, rationalization, psychology and segregation in a way that always surprises the reader with how much King can expound upon from, some may say, a minor Avenger character. There's really like nothing like a comic book that makes you think back to your philosophy courses in college and The Vision displays a beautiful exploration of the nature of humanity, destiny, and what we do to maintain what we keep precious. Alternatively, The Sheriff of Babylon is full of grit and politics with some of the most intense interrogation scenes ever put to ink. It's, at times, a difficult, purely adult comic but an important one and incredibly clever in its storytelling. Next up for King is Batman, and this reviewer is very excited about what Tom may have in store for the Caped Crusader.


Writes the Local ID, and reads some hardware information. The old U6 version of this function used to write and read power-up defaults for many parameters, but that functionality has been moved to new functions.
If WriteMask is nonzero, some or all default values are written to flash. The U6 flash has a rated endurance of at least 20000 writes, which is plenty for reasonable operation, but if this function is called in a high-speed loop with a nonzero WriteMask, the flash could eventually be damaged.
Note: If the stream is running, you cannot update any of the values (WriteMask must equal 0).
WriteMask: Has bits that determine which, if any, of the parameters will be written to flash as the reset defaults. If a bit is 1, that parameter will be updated with the new passed value. If a bit is 0, the parameter is not changed and only a read is performed.
LocalID: If the WriteMask bit 3 is set, the value passed become the default value, meaning it is written to flash and used at reset. This is a user-configurable ID that can be used to identify a specific LabJack. The return value of this parameter is the current value and the power-up default value.
FirmwareVersion: Fixed parameter specifies the version number of the main firmware. A firmware upgrade will generally cause this parameter to change. The lower byte is the integer portion of the version and the higher byte is the fractional portion of the version.
BootloaderVersion: Fixed parameter specifies the version number of the bootloader. The lower byte is the integer portion of the version and the higher byte is the fractional portion of the version.
HardwareVersion: Fixed parameter specifies the version number of the hardware. The lower byte is the integer portion of the version and the higher byte is the fractional portion of the version.
SerialNumber: Fixed parameter that is unique for every LabJack.
ProductID: (6) Fixed parameter identifies this LabJack as a U6.
VersionInfo: Bit 2 specifies U6 and bit 3 specifies U6-Pro.


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Effie Gray Movie
← Cut Bank
The Salt of The Earth →
By Brian D. Renner Jul. 10, 2016
Dakota Fanning, Emma Thompson, Tom Sturridge, Imelda Staunton, Saoirse Ronan, Greg Wise, Gail Egan, Andrea Calderwood
Friday, April 3, 2015 (Limited)
Runtime: 1 hr, 48 m
The sotry centers on the epic scandal surrounding the marriage between John Ruskin, the eminent Victorian art critic, and Effie Gray. As her husband begins to lose his mind, Effie has to make sure that she is not subject to scandal because of a love affair with John Everett Millais, the young artist who is the darling of her husband's critical eye.
1.75 / 5 stars (4 users)
Poll: Will you see Effie Gray?
Will See 79
Won't See 159
... Lady Eastlake
Cruella, Dolittle
... Ruskin
Walking On Sunshine , Heidi and the Magic Pool
Ammonite, Little Women
... John Everett Millais
Waiting for Forever, Clouds of Sils Maria
Crew: Who's making Effie Gray
A look at the Effie Gray behind-the-scenes crew and production team. The film's writer Emma Thompson last wrote Last Christmas and Nanny McPhee Returns.
Andrea Calderwood
Gail Egan
Adopt Films
Potboiler Productions
Effie Gray Trailers & Videos
Production: What we know about Effie Gray
Based on the true story of Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his marriage to Effie Gray.
On or about April 3, 2014, the film was in Completed status.
On or about August 16, 2011, the film was in Pre-Production status.
Production will begin Oct. 17, 2011 in Scotland, London and Venice.
On or about November 21, 2009, the film was in Development status.
Effie Gray Release Date: When was it released?
Effie Gray was released in 2015 on Friday, April 3, 2015 (Limited release). There were 6 other movies released on the same date, including Furious 7, Last Knights and Cut Bank.
Released; Watch Now! Buy | Rent Now
Questions: Asked About Effie Gray
Sun., Jul. 10, 2016 from Amazon
added the US Blu-ray release date of February 2, 2016
added the US VOD release date of January 19, 2016
added the US DVD release date of February 2, 2016
added the US soundtrack release date of April 28, 2015
Sat., Jan. 24, 2015 from adoptfilms.com
added a running time of 108 minutes
Looking for more information on Effie Gray?


The awe-inspiring conversion of a country cottage into a smart home, which truly augments everyday living, has been honoured by CEDIA at the 2018 EMEA CEDIA Awards. The impressive project, a joint partnership between Intuitive Homes and Ultamation, won the Best Integrated Home £120,000 - £230,000 category along with the ultimate accolade of Best Integrated Home Global Award, beating all entries from EMEA, US, and Asia Pacific.
A Crestron CP3 processor provides the backbone to the home system; integrating all the different components while offering the programming versatility to enable the system to be tailored to the client's individual requirements. All the elements of the home are accessed through on-wall Crestron touch panels or through an iPhone or iPad app. For convenience, all have the same user interface. There are also Crestron handheld controllers in the rooms containing TVs and Lutron keypads across the residence for the lights and window treatments.
High on the agenda was a comprehensive AV system to fulfil the needs of the family and, as they frequently entertained, to complement social events. A multiroom AV system has been created using a Creston DigitalMedia system for 4K video distribution and a 14-zone Crestron Sonnex system for sound. The family's media sources can be enjoyed throughout the property, both inside and out.
For music, the integrators chose an Autonominc Mirage Media Server which stores and plays the owner's music collection along with online streaming services and radio via TuneIn. The device also acts as an Apple Airplay receiver so that guests can connect their iPhone to play their own music. The house also contains three Sky Q boxes, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire; offering a good range of viewing choices.
A combination of Bowers & Wilkins and Triad speakers produce high-quality sound in all the living areas, and Sony Active soundbars wherever there is a TV for greater audio definition and atmosphere. In the formal lounge area, an 55" 4K Sony TV has been discreetly fitted to a lift and swivel Future Automation wall mount which, at the touch of a button, raises it from a built-in bookcase and rotates it to a pre-defined angle.
Intuitive Homes and Ultamation have implemented a custom "room linking" feature so that when the owner is entertaining, he has the ability to group specific areas into one single zone, while simultaneously being able to control volume and equalisation in individual zones. This means, for example, that if the guests move rooms or choose to go outside, he can add or drop areas. Another inventive aspect of the system is a "follow me" button which enables music or video to seamlessly move between zones.
Working closely with the client, the integrators have been able to deliver a range of innovative lifestyle features. Selected rooms have been set-up with a "morning" scene whereby the blinds are raised twenty minutes before the alarm goes off and the lights gradually fade up to coincide with the alarm sounding. Conversely, a sleep timer can be initiated which gradually fades down the lights and TV or music volume over the final ten minutes before the specified time.
At night-time, all the bedrooms have a "bedtime" button which will turn everything off except for other bedrooms and their en-suites. This function is also activated by part of the integrated Texecom alarm system. Likewise, when the last person in the house leaves, they can turn everything off using a "house off" button by the two main exits, or by setting the alarm. On arrival to an empty house, a "home" button or an alarm unset command triggers a lighting pathway to the kitchen area.
At sunset, the system automatically checks the lighting status in each room and, if the lights are on, triggers an "evening" scene for that area. For energy efficiency, all the equipment and lighting in a room can be turned off if it is unoccupied for a specified period of time. Using the alarm system PIRs, each room has an agreed time allowance so, for example, a cloakroom might have 30 minutes whereas a TV room might be 3 hours.
The client is delighted with the outcome of the project. Modern technology has been cleverly incorporated into his home, enhancing the family's life in numerous ways from gentle wake-up calls and creating a party atmosphere to reinforcing security. The integrators have taken full advantage of the home automation system enabling complex functions to be initiated by a single button on a touchscreen.


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Q: Calling a Google cloud function within Airflow DAG I have a google cloud function that is working, I am trying to call it from an Airflow DAG.
what I have tried so far is to use the SimpleHttpOperator:
MY_TASK_NAME = SimpleHttpOperator(
        task_id= "MY_TASK_NAME",
        method='POST',
        http_conn_id='http_default',
        endpoint='https://us-central1-myprojectname.cloudfunctions.net/MyFunctionName',
        data=({"schema": schema, "table": table}),
        headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"},
        xcom_push=False
    )

but digging into the logs, it says it cannot find the resource:

{base_task_runner.py:98} INFO - Subtask:   The requested URL /https://us-central1-myprojectname.cloudfunctions.net/MyFunctionName was not found on this server.  That's all we know.

also I noticed that it actually posts to https://www.google.com/ + the url I gave:
Sending 'POST' to url: https://www.google.com/https://us-central1-myprojectname.cloudfunctions.net/MyFunctionName

what is the proper way to call the function ?
Thanks

A: This is because you are using the http_conn_id='http_default'.
The http_default connection looks as follows:

If you check the Hosts field, it says http://www.google.com/.
Either create a new Connection with HTTP Connection type or modify the http_default connection and change the host to https://us-central1-myprojectname.cloudfunctions.net/
Then update the endpoint field in your task to:
MY_TASK_NAME = SimpleHttpOperator(
        task_id= "MY_TASK_NAME",
        method='POST',
        http_conn_id='http_default',
        endpoint='MyFunctionName',
        data=({"schema": schema, "table": table}),
        headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"},
        xcom_push=False
    )

Edit: Added / at the end of URLs

A: As @kaxil noted you need to first change the http connection. You then need to be able to send the correct authenticating for invoking the cloud function. The below link has a step by step guide for doing this by subclassing SimpleHttpOperator
https://medium.com/google-cloud/calling-cloud-composer-to-cloud-functions-and-back-again-securely-8e65d783acce

As a side note, Google should make this process much clearer. It is perfectly reasonable to want to trigger a Google Cloud Function (gcf) from Google Cloud Composer. The documentation for how to send an http trigger to a gcf includes documentation for Cloud Scheduler, Cloud Tasks, Cloud Pub/Sub, and a host of others but not Cloud Composer

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman + Karen Fairchild Add Gorgeous Harmony to Ingrid Andress' 'More Hearts Than Mine' [WATCH]
Rising country star Ingrid Andress got the chance to collaborate with two of her musical heroes when Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman chose her as the up-and-comer they wanted to collaborate with for their contribution to "Five Decades, One Voice," a celebration of women in country music to mark Cracker Barrel's 50th anniversary.
According to People, Fairchild and Schlapman invited Andress to join them for three performances: A cover of the Dixie Chicks' "Wide Open Spaces," LBT's own recent release "The Daughters" and Andress' newest single, "More Hearts Than Mine." The two iconic performers first became fans of Andress after watching her perform her song "Lady Like" at a showcase in 2018.
Andress tells People that she "rehearsed the crap" out of each of the three songs before the collaboration -- even her own. "I practiced 'not fan-girling' in the mirror," she adds.
Press play above to watch the result of all that preparation. In their rendition of "More Hearts Than Mine," Andress sits at the piano and takes lead on the songs vocals, while Shlapman and Fairchild lend their trademark harmonies to the song's chorus.
"More Hearts Than Mine" is a ballad that meditates on the vulnerability of opening up to love -- and along with it, heartbreak. Andress admits that the song's sensitive subject matter is a little out of her comfort zone. In fact, she says, she initially thought about flipping the narrative, and writing a song about not wanting to meet a partner's family for fear of breaking their hearts, instead.
"Originally, the thought was the way the song is now, but then I didn't wanna be that vulnerable. I was like, 'How about we do it where I'm the heartbreaker? That's more accurate.' And [my co-writers] were like, 'Can't you be vulnerable for two seconds?'" Andress recalls.
Who is Ingrid Andress? 5 Things to Know
NEXT: Songwriter-Turned-Artist Ingrid Andress Is Ready to Own Her Story
Source: Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman + Karen Fairchild Add Gorgeous Harmony to Ingrid Andress' 'More Hearts Than Mine' [WATCH]
Filed Under: Ingrid Andress, Little Big Town


The economy and stock market move in the same direction in the long term. Hence, leading economic indicators are also leading indicators for the stock market.
*We're seeing mixed readings in the leading economic indicators right now. Some are still bullish while others are turning bearish. This is typically what happens towards the end of bull markets, when leading indicators start to deteriorate one at a time.
Heavy Truck Sales are trending higher. Suggests that although this bull market is aged, it is not over.
Year-over-year change in nonfarm payrolls is flat, which suggests that the bull market probably is not over.
However, the unemployment rate is very low and trending sideways. This suggests that even in the most bullish case scenario, the bull market doesn't have much room left.
Philadelphia Fed's Leading Index is trending lower: this equities bull market doesn't have a lot of years left.
10 year – 2 year yield curve is close to inverting. This is not yet a long term bearish sign for the stock market.
1 am: Heavy Truck Sales are trending higher. Suggests that although this bull market is aged, it is not over.
The latest reading for Heavy Truck Sales went up from 529k to 542k. But more importantly, Heavy Truck Sales are still trending higher.
1 am: Year-over-year change in nonfarm payrolls is flat, which suggests that the bull market probably is not over.
The year-over-year change in nonfarm payrolls is trending upwards/sideways.
This suggests that the bull market and economic expansion are not over. In the past, the year-over-year growth in nonfarm payrolls trended downwards before bear markets and economic recessions began.
1 am: However, the unemployment rate is very low and trending sideways. This suggests that even in the most bullish case scenario, the bull market doesn't have much room left.
The latest reading for the unemployment rate came in at 3.7%. The unemployment rate has been stuck here for 3 consecutive months.
The sideways trending unemployment rate is a reflection of the sideways trending Initial Claims. This is not yet a long term bearish sign for the stock market because the Unemployment Rate has yet to trend upwards. If the Unemployment Rate starts to trend upwards in 2019, that will be a long term bearish sign for the stock market in 2019.
HOWEVER, with the Unemployment Rate so low, it's reasonable to expect that even in a most optimistic scenario, this bull market doesn't have a lot of room left.
1 am: Philadelphia Fed's Leading Index is falling: this equities bull market doesn't have a lot of years left.
The Philadelphia Fed's Leading Index is trending downwards right now.
Historically, this means that we are close to the end of the economic expansion & bull market. In the past, this Leading Index reached 1% or lower before a bear market began. We're not quite there yet, but getting there.
1 am: 10 year – 2 year yield curve is close to inverting. This is not yet a long term bearish sign for the stock market.
This is not yet a long term bearish sign in the stock market. In the past, the bull market and economic expansion usually ended 0.5 – 2 years AFTER the 10 year – 2 year yield curve inverted.
For the first time since 2009, the U.S. stock market's long term risk:reward is no longer bullish. This doesn't necessarily mean that the bull market is over. We're merely talking about long term risk:reward.


London-based habito raises money to accelerate rapid growth.
Revolutionising the mortgage industry - 20,000 customers helped since April launch.
(businesspress24) - 23 January 2017: habito, the UK's digital mortgage broker, has raised £5.5m in Series A funding led by Silicon Valley-based Ribbit Capital, with participation from existing investor Mosaic Ventures. Habito plans to use the new investment to accelerate its rapid growth, enhance the technology behind its award-winning service and transform the outdated mortgage industry for millions of homeowners and new buyers across the country.
With millions of Britons either overpaying on their mortgage or terrified to even start the application process, habito has developed a simple, fast and transparent way to get people the best mortgage possible. Since its launch in April 2016, habito has helped more than 20,000 people better understand their mortgage and has completed £50 million in mortgage applications.
Habito's success to date is signalling a shift in how consumers want to engage with financial services. Over 90% of habito's customers prefer using live chat over a phone conversation to complete and submit their mortgage application. In addition, using artificial intelligence habito has developed a revolutionary chatbot, Digital Mortgage Adviser, which has halved the average amount of time spent on each case. Coupled with this, their team of industry-leading mortgage experts are always on hand to answer questions, with access to over 10,000 mortgage products across a wide-range of lenders, they can find the best possible deal for the customer.
Over the next 12 months, habito plans to further develop its machine learning capabilities by creating a fully automated end-to-end platform which will enable it to offer new services, such as real-time mortgage approvals and automatic alerts when a better mortgage deal becomes available to registered customers.
Habito, based in East London, gives customers access to over 60 lenders in real-time, and helps them complete the entire application online, unlike traditional brokers where the process takes several weeks. The start-up has now raised a total of £8.2m, with Ribbit Capital joining an impressive list of seed and angel investors including Mosaic Ventures, Transferwise CEO Taavet Hinrikus, Funding Circle's founder Samir Desai, and Yuri Milner.
Habito is the UK's digital mortgage broker, using technology to bring the mortgage application process into the 21st century. Simple, fast and honest, home owners can be sure they're getting the best mortgage on the market for the first time. No jargon, no fees and no misinformation.
Habito is backed by Ribbit Capital and Mosaic Ventures, with a stellar lineup of angel investors including Transferwise CEO Taavet Hinrikus, Funding Circle's founder Samir Desai and Yuri Milner.


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Home Celebrity Money Lessons Wealth Wednesdays Co-Host, Angela Yee, Shares The Importance of Knowing Your Worth
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Wealth Wednesdays Co-Host, Angela Yee, Shares The Importance of Knowing Your Worth
By Stacey Tisdale
Angela Yee is a force to be reckoned with, a powerful success in radio, in business and in life. Yee has come a long way from her roots in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. She attributes her rise and ability to thrive in an industry run and populated almost exclusively by men to hard work and knowing her self-worth. One of the co-hosts of the popular morning radio show, The Breakfast Club, on NYC's highly rated Power 105.1, Yee never imagined she'd be such a success, and have the things she has today, like a house.
"As far as I can remember, starting in kindergarten, I wanted to be a writer. I went to Wesleyan University and majored in English," Yee says, "but I also grew up as a music lover and I would listen to the radio with headphones on for hours at a time. I even got turntables and DJ'ed for a couple of years when I got out of college."
Perseverance Pays Off
A summer internship at Wu-Tang Management led to a full-time position for Yee. She became the assistant to the CEO. And just like that, Yee's chosen career path changed completely. At 21, Yee oversaw payroll, attended meetings at other record companies with her boss, and put together benefits, like a free fair that offered health information, rides and a concert. Yee's mother, who often worked seven days a week, was her inspiration for working so hard.
"I was always the first one in and the last one to leave. Every time my boss called, I was there. He told me when I'm not in the office, you're me. I loved the job and networked non-stop. It's so important to go to events, meet the people you're talking to on the phone. Show support, don't just hang with your friends put yourself out there" Yee says.
The hard work – and the networking — paid off. When Yee learned Eminem would have his own channel on Sirius radio, Yee called Eminem's manager to see if she could get an "introduction" from him with Sirius – for a job in marketing maybe. Yee had met Eminem's manager when she helped launch the Shady Limited Clothing Line. To her surprise, he mentioned an opening for an on- air talent in one of the new shows and suggested Yee audition for the job. Yee had found her calling.
Taking it To the Next Level
After six successful years with Sirius, and two of her own shows on the air, Yee walked away, for a job at Power 105.1, a local NYC radio station. Yee felt under-appreciated by the men, and only men, in leadership at Sirius. They weren't treating her fairly or respecting hip hop.
"They thought they made me, but it was my hard work that made things happen. I had offers over the years so I knew I'd be ok, but leaving Sirius was scary nonetheless. All I can say is, if you feel like it's not working out for you, then you have to be really great at what you do, know your self-worth, and have great relationships so at the end of the day, if you have to walk away you can" says Yee.
Things weren't always as easy as it might seem for Yee. She got into serious debt in college when she maxed out several credit cards and stopped paying any of the bills. Yee spent years paying off the debt and rebuilding her credit only to run into trouble again when she was managing a new rapper and maxed her credit card again. That was the last time. Today, Yee checks her bank account every day, she pays off her credit cards in full every month and she invests. She owns a home and a juice bar/hang out spot in Brooklyn and three houses in Detroit.
Yee, newly inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame with co-hosts DJ Envy and Charlamagne tha God, also is the host of "Established with Angela Yee," a new celebrity interview series streaming on Fox Soul. Yee previously worked with Fox Soul, hosting the four-part limited series "Motown Countdown with iHeartRadio's Angela Yee." Her new focuses on pivotal career moments and milestones of the interviewee.
Yee says, "So much of being successful is about building relationships, true relationships. Treat everybody equally, know people's names, show them you care. I'm a good person, I want to do well, but I want others to do well too. I like to make money, but I like to use it to help people. I believe If you put out great vibes, you will get back great vibes."
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Stacey Tisdale, a more than 20-year veteran TV broadcast financial journalist, and financial behavior expert, is one of the first women, and the first African-American to report from the New York Stock Exchange, in her role as a reporter/anchor for Dow Jones' Emmy Award-winning, Wall Street Journal Television.
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