Unless we thought the Leafs were never going to lose again, we should not be shocked at the back-to-back losses this weekend. After a nice run of four wins, they went on the road to face a hungry (albeit struggling) Buffalo team. We all know that's not been the kindest place for the Leafs to play over the last…well almost forever, actually.
As for the Rangers, yes, they started Biron, which should have favored the Leafs, but you just knew New York would be up after playing poorly in their previous game, a 3-0 loss. Let's face it. Right now (and yes, things can definitely change over the next two months) Boston and the Rangers are the class of the Eastern Conference. Both are skilled, smart, well-coached teams that can grind and are hard to play against. There isn't a lot of open ice most nights when you play either of those squads. And if you're willing to go to those spaces, you might get run over, anyway.
So the Leafs came up short against a good team, which will happen sometimes. Not to over analyze one game in isolation, or suggest the Rangers (who have struggled previously this season against the Leafs) have now found the key to slowing the Leafs down. But they did what I would try to have my team do if I was playing the Leafs in a playoff series—be physical against Kessel and crowd him because he needs room to be effective. Do everything you can to take the Leaf top line out of the game, and then outwork the rest of Toronto's units, who can be spotty sometimes in their execution and intensity.
It worked for the Rangers Saturday night.
Within every NHL season—and certainly within every team's up and downs—there are dozens of "story lines" that we, as fans, can pay attention to. The Leafs are no exception. In fact, Leaf fans may parse more things—daily practice notes, line combinations, possible trades, the minor league team's progress and much more—than fans of any other franchise in hockey, save possibly the Montreal Canadiens.
Who's the number-one goalie? It was Reimer, clearly. And that's very much what the Leaf brass and coaching staff wanted. But an untimely injury set the young goalie back, and Gustavsson—after some nervous fits and starts (and some confidence issues)—has righted his own personal ship, at least to some extent.
How can a team's penalty-kill be this bad four years running?
And that's just a small example of the day-to-day talking points around the Leafs this season. But the interesting situation that is evolving for me right now involves the sudden prominence of former Predator defenseman Cody Franson as a significant member of the blue and white.
We all remember how the season started—with the almost shocking emergence of first-year pro Jake Gardiner as one of the first six Maple Leaf blueliners. His spirited pre-season performance—a nice blend of skating ability, poise and hockey smarts—earned him instant playing time on a team that already had an abundance of NHL-experienced rearguards. But the decision to start him with the big team meant a demotion for Keith Aulie, who had himself shown some good things a year ago when he was called up from the Marlies.
But more controversial, at least for me, was the choice of Gardiner over Franson, who just a few months prior was a key performer for the Nashville Predators in the playoffs against some of the best teams in the tough Western Conference. Not surprisingly, Franson was none too pleased with his seat in the press box. His coach was just as displeased when Franson was not shy about expressing his frustration publicly.
This set off a chain of events whereby Gardiner was opening eyes almost every night and Franson was (at best) being spotted in and out of the line-up and playing modest minutes when he was in. But over the past six weeks, while we can hardly say Gardiner's play has deteriorated, it would not be a surprise if the young man is hitting a small wall, given he is accustomed to playing a U.S. college schedule. At the same time, Franson has, most nights, become more and more comfortable in a Leaf uniform. He is now a "regular" in the Leaf blueline mix, playing significant minutes while getting some time on the Leaf power play unit. His physical play has surprised some, as he came to town as a guy known for bringing some offense, a big shot and size—but not necessarily for particularly aggressive play.
Bottom line, he has been mostly solid. And with Komisarek—an experienced, big ticket defenseman back from the injured list—Schenn, Phaneuf and Gunnarsson all permanent fixtures in the Leaf picture, it leaves Aulie and Gardiner vying for the 6th and final regular spot on the back end.
At the moment, and maybe it is just for the moment, Aulie has been occupying the spot.
As I mentioned in this space early in the season when this was all unfolding and there was talk of Franson being traded, things can change quickly. It's a long season. And things have indeed changed. Gardiner is watching and while the loss Saturday night against the Rangers may see Gardiner re-inserted into the line-up (that would be my guess) on Tuesday, before long the Leafs will ultimately have to do something, roster-wise, especially if Liles regains his health.
I had written here many times early in the season that, even though Gardiner looked great in pre-season and clearly has NHL skill, given that Toronto had/has so many defensemen, I would have liked to see him develop and play a lot with the Marlies. But he received tons of playing time here, and some nights was one of the better Leafs. So maybe, as I acknowledged here not that long ago, I was wrong about the Leaf decision to keep Gardiner.
That said, it will be frustrating if they were to decide to demote him now. I would much rather that a kid play with the Marlies and not go back and forth unless absolutely necessary (emergency situations, injuries, etc.). I like to see a guy so well "cooked" at the AHL level he never has to go back.
Once you have been up with the big club for this long, as Gardiner has, it's hard to go back, though it hasn't seemed to hurt Del Zotto with the Rangers, who was a stud rookie at 19 and spent a chunk of his sophomore year in the minors before rebounding so nicely this season.
In retrospect, maybe the Leafs knew what they were doing with Franson. That is, perhaps they saw that he needed a jolt upon arriving him at camp. He certainly has some fire in his game now and maybe they thought that was missing when he arrived.
As for Gardiner, I hope the Leafs' handling of Franson doesn't end up harming his development. But he should be just fine. With that talent and his calm manner, he will be a player here for a long time.
It will be tough to see who remains once Liles returns. In a perfect world Lashoff (a prototypical journeyman) would be up as the 7th while Gardiner and Aulie play big minutes and every game with the Marlies. Aulie and Gardiner would probably make a good pair and develop some chemistry.
Having too many defensemen is a luxury and something every team needs. It is not great when that extra man is a young player that should be in the line-up or playing every game in the AHL (Franson or Aulie, Gardiner), or a guy that is paid like a top 4 (Komisarek, Schenn).
I don't really see it as a big deal as he can be easily called up and is waiver exempt.
I think they really want to keep Gardiner and let him develop, so they might be trying to showcase Franson or Aulie as part of a larger deal.
Good post DP. Thanks for the update.
My "concern", a modest one, is not about waiver eligibility so much as with the yo-yo effect. I prefer a guy start his career in the minors and when he is truly ready, he gets called up for good, rather than the other way around, which is happening now, it seems, with Gardiner.
By the way, I, too, liked Bozak with Kessel and Lupul earlier!
I honestly do not believe that Connolly or Bozak is the right fit going forward. Sadly, Bozak or Grabovski will have to be offer in a deal because I do not believe Burke will trade Connolly. He is after all is a nice addition for the second or third unit.
Suffering, I agree the Leafs should have done better in the Sabre's game. It was a game that would have put greater distance between them and a playoff spot chasing Buffalo team.
The 1st period was very sloppy on both sides of the rink, you would think after tying it and going into the third, the Leafs would have tightened up their game.
It is no wonder why Schenn has been knocked off the PK, after seeing that very poor miss on Pominville coverage for the GWG.
I didn't fully expect to see a win over NYR but I expected a better effort. Only 19 shots, a horrible PP, constant turnovers, poor decision to stick to the dump-and-chase game, stretch passes that were way off or picked off, and the lack of ability to clear the zone were pretty concerning for a team that has playoff aspirations. Kessel and Lupul both didn't register a shot on goal either.
Skill2envy, to be fair to Kessel and Lupul they did generate a couple of scoring chances, hitting the post on one of them that would have tied the game. For my rant, just a little ticked that the Ottawa and (it looks like) Montreal could beat the Rangers and we couldn't. Moreover, in the last 2 games going back to last season, Biron has shut our beloved Leafs out.
I agree with you about Schenn. It seems to be the theme to his average season. bad coverage's. Maybe it is a confidence thing and the reason why he is playing with Gunnarsson lately.
Mike, I agree that it is nice to see Franson contributing like he did when he was with the Pred's. Since I get to watch the Pred's games a lot, I was surprised at the poor decision he was making at the beginning of the season. He is starting to look like the old Cody that Pred fans grew to love. Maybe it has do in part to him playing on the right side instead of the left.
I doubt that being sent down to the Marlies will hurt Gardnier's development. He seems to have a level head on his shoulders.
Kessel's post hit was a deflection. aside from that, neither him or Lupul had a shot on net.
I'm not quite sure what Schenn's issue is, maybe he just needs to go back to basics. Remember what made him successful. Maybe it is the pressure of knowing that the Leafs are now 8 deep in NHL talent on the backend and he is trying too hard knowing his spot could be taken. Something he needs to figure out.
I'm glad Franson is doing well. I had a rant at the start of the season about Wilson's poor management of Franson. His first two games he played were against teams we most likely were going to lose against, which we did, and Franson sat the next game. And on top of that he was playing on his "wrong" side. They weren't giving him a fair chance.
I think Gardiner should stay down now unless injuries occur. Half a season to taste the NHL and the other half to dominate the AHL and build up the hunger to get back with improvement. I just don't want to see another "yo-yo effect" as we've dubbed it.
"The demotion of Jake Gardiner lasted a whole one game, as the defenseman was recalled this morning after playing with the Marlies yesterday."
Lilies was also skating today so expect Gardiner to go back down when he comes back.


Did you know Australia has more than 2400 wineries located in 65 wine regions and that they grow 100 different grape varieties?
Go beyond the cellar door - check out this collection of premium, award winning wineries offering unique experiences within Australia's most renowned wine regions.
Lakama Luxury Travel is a boutique travel agency helping you discover destinations with "elbow-room"- waterways and roadways less crowded, focused on nature and wildlife, active, cultural and culinary experiences that go way beyond the ordinary.


HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) has announced a withdrawal from the coal fired power sector, as part of its efforts to support a transition to a low-carbon economy.
In 2011, HSBC decided to significantly restrict its support for new coal-fired power plants and effectively ceased financing them in 78 developed countries. It will now stop financing new coal-fired power in all countries around the world apart from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam. A targeted and time-limited exception will apply to these three countries in order to appropriately balance local humanitarian needs with the need to transition to a low-carbon economy.
Our updated energy policy reflects HSBC's ambition to help our customers make the transition to a low-carbon economy in a responsible and sustainable way. We recognise the need to reduce emissions rapidly to achieve the target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperatures rises to well below 2°C and our responsibility to support the communities in which we operate.


text:
Palatobaena is an extinct genus of baenid turtle. It was first named by Gaffney in 1972 and the type species is Palatobaena bairdi. It based on a fragmentary skull from the Fort Union Formation of the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. The two other species are P. gaffneyi (a complete skull from Eocene (Wasatchian North American Land Mammal Age)) and P. cohen which existed in Hell Creek Formation, North Dakota during the late Cretaceous period (Maastrichtian age).

References

Baenidae
Prehistoric turtle genera
Late Cretaceous turtles
Paleocene turtles
Eocene turtles
Prehistoric turtles of North America
Hell Creek fauna
Fossil taxa described in 1972
Taxa named by Eugene S. Gaffney

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Festival du Voyageur is getting ready for the 32nd annual Beard Growing Contest. Men will be clean shaven in advance of the furry competition, which lasts well into February when the Festival is in full swing.
Contestants collect donations for the Heart and Stroke Foundation while competing in a number of categories. New this year is a category meant to get more people involved — including women. Participants don't necessarily have to grow a beard, but can use their creativity to fabricate their own. Of course, the traditional categories of the Voyageur Beard (wild and woolly) and the Novelty category (groomed mustache or beard) are still in place.
Registration is $35, however, those who collect $100 in donations will be exempt from the fee. Each participant will receive a souvenir package, including the official event T-shirt and a 10-day pass for the Festival du Voyageur.
Staff from Bern's and Black will carry out the clean shave on December 12 at Garage Café (166 Provencher Boulevard) from 5-8 p.m.


Which centre-back should Arsenal buy?
There were many question raised by Arsenal's performance against Barcelona, notably why the captain is playing in such an advanced role.
It might seem like Patrick Vieira is a shadow of his former colossal self, but the statistics suggest he's making the best of what's left.


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We go behind the scenes at a private members' jockey club
The exclusive private members' club in Newmarket once hosted Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth
Samar Maguire
A view from the outside of the club Picture: Keith Jones
We all know that Newmarket is the home of British horseracing.
It has key racing institutions, such as the National Horseracing Museum, two racecourses and is the largest and most successful training venue in the world.
But located at the heart of Newmarket in its historic High Street lies the spiritual home of horseracing, which many people do not realise exists.
A secret members' club.
The Jockey Club Rooms was founded in the 18th century and was originally a social club that aimed to promote good fellowship among racing and thoroughbred enthusiasts.
As time passed, members have included some of the most influential people of the time.
This includes Queen Elizabeth and Sir Winston Churchill, giving the club more authority and prestige.
17 pictures of the exclusive private members' jockey club in Newmarket
Members still get together at a building located in the High Street.
Its interior, rich with the finest collections of racing memorabilia, includes trophies, paintings and hooves of legendary horses, such as Eclipse - the undefeated 18th century racehorse.
It has paintings of influential figures in racing, the origins of jockey silks and even caricatures, the like of which is increasing to give the club a more modern feel.
There is a games room with 18th century gambling tables with candle holders on each end, where members may (or may not) enjoy a spot of Texas Hold'em. Not to mention a dining room fit for royalty and a living room that opens out to a terrace with acres of clean cut grass.
"We have evidence the begging is escalating": Mayor of Newmarket defends homeless comments after online backlash
Centuries on, there are 750 members of the Jockey Club Rooms, with some having joined through family ties that have been part of the club for generations.
The club even has a room with drawings of every single member through history.
The only way to be part of it is to have a strong interest in horseracing and to be invited by its members.
But membership is growing. It's becoming less exclusive.
And, contrary to its nature as a private club, is now open to the public for viewing.
Newmarket "may get outdoor urinals" after complaints of public urinating
To learn more about the history of the Jockey Club and its rooms, guests can have a guided viewing in September during Newmarket's Open Weekend on September 17 and 18.
Pre-booking with the Jockey Club is essential on 01638 663101, or email enquiries@jockeyclubrooms.
Alternatively, there will be a tour with Discover Newmarket on November 5 and December 10.
To learn more and book visit www.discovernewmarket.co.uk or call 0344 7489200.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home | News | North Korea
New State Security Organization Earning Foreign Cash For North Korean Regime
A North Korea soldier stands guard as people unload a boat on the Yalu River, which separates the North Korean town of Sinuiju from the Chinese border town of Dandong, Dec. 17, 2013.
North Korea's feared State Security Department (SSD) has established a new "trade organization" tasked with earning foreign currency from China, according to sources who say the branch will likely use its broad powers to tap into channels used by the impoverished nation's subsistence smugglers.
The SSD, also known as the Ministry of State Security, set up the organization "very recently" with its headquarters in the capital Pyongyang and several satellite offices in "local areas" of North Korea, a source from North Hamgyong province, along the border with China, told RFA's Korean Service.
"While the whole nation is aware of the shortage of foreign currency in North Korea, it seems strange to establish a new trade organization under the SSD, which traditionally monitors the population's activities to ensure they do not contravene the rules of the regime," said the source, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity, after recently visiting China.
In addition to keeping an eye on the political actions of the public in North Korea, the SSD's secret police force keeps tabs on North Koreans who travel to and from China, as well as telephone communications in border areas.
Sources said the move will likely have implications for North Koreans who subsist on Chinese currency they earn by running smuggling operations over the border.
They said North Koreans have expressed mixed reactions to reports of the trade organization, with some suggesting smuggling will become more difficult if the SSD takes over existing operations, and others saying it will become easier if the branch cooperates with smugglers to take a percentage of their earnings.
A source based in China who maintains a close relationship with North Koreans earning foreign currency there told RFA that a "large number of people belonging to the SSD" had been dispatched across the border since spring to "monitor and control the activities of North Korean residents" in the country.
"Since they are ostensibly working for foreign currency, they are called 'trade representatives,' just like others [who have been sent to earn cash for the regime]," said the source, who also declined to provide his name.
"However, if it is true that the SSD has established a new trade organization, there is a possibility that these people work for it."
He added that it was a "well-known fact" that North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, the military and cabinet "run some companies earning foreign currency," but said it was very unusual for the SSD to be joining their ranks.
"It shows that [the regime] is really suffering from a shortage of foreign cash," he said.
According to the sources, the broad powers enjoyed by the SSD will likely result in friction between its trade organization and others seeking to secure Chinese currency for the regime under Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
Tough conditions
North Koreans earning currency in China frequently endure long work hours and are routinely summoned to Pyongyang for interrogation by the SSD to determine whether they have met with South Koreans, who might convince them to defect.
They are required to earn at least U.S. $30,000 annually which—aside from a living stipend—is given over to their handlers, and are also required to perform additional "tasks of fealty," such as treating visiting North Korean executives to fine dining and bringing gifts for officials when they return home.
The conditions place a huge amount of pressure on them to earn money by whatever means possible, sources say.
In September, sources told RFA that the regime has been withholding salaries from its overseas workers under the pretext of securing funds to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party this month, though their overseers are receiving payment as usual.
North Koreans sent to China to bring in cash for the regime said handlers had failed to pay "several months" of salaries to their workers ahead of the Oct. 10 celebrations marking the founding of the party in 1945.
Reported by Joon Ho Kim for RFA's Korean Service. Translated by Hyosun Kim. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
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Signing of Blockbuster Asia-Pacific Trade Deal Draws Praise, Warnings
China Inks Regional Trade Deal With Asia-Pacific Countries
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North Korea Shuts Down Border City After Guards Caught Smuggling
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Bulls Tap Fresh All-Time Highs/ Profit Alert (FCX)
MomentumOptions.com Pre-Market Update for 11/25/2020
The market showed continued momentum on Tuesday with the small-caps and blue-chips setting fresh all-time highs. The gains were fueled by news the Trump administration has approved the start of a formal transition to President elect Biden.
Additionally, the pick of Janet Yellen for Treasury Secretary calmed fears of a more radical pick and added to the bullish sentiment. Meanwhile, volatility hit a fresh monthly low but continues to struggle clearing longer-term support at the 20 level.
The Russell 2000 tested a midday and all-time high of 1,862 while closing at 1,853 (+1.9%). Fresh and lower resistance at 1,860-1,880 was cleared but held. A close above the latter would indicate continued momentum towards 1,900-1,920.
The Dow traded to a lunchtime peak of 30,116 before ending at 30,046 (+1.5%). Unchartered territory and lower resistance 30,000-30,250 was breached and held. A move above the latter would suggest continued upside towards 30,500-30,750.
The S&P 500 settled at 3,635 (+1.6%) after trading to a high of 3,642. Current and lower resistance at 3,625-3,650 was recovered. A close above the latter and the recent all-time high at 3,645 would suggest additional strength towards 3,675-3,725.
The Nasdaq tested an intraday high of 12,049 while finishing at 12,036 (+1.3%). Near-term and lower resistance at 12,000-12,100 was recovered. A move above the latter and this months all-time peak at 12,108 would signal a possible breakout towards 12,300-12,450.
The iPath S&P Vix Short-Term Futures (NYSEArca: VIX) was down for the second-straight session with the intraday and fresh monthly low tapping 20.80. Prior and upper support at 21-20.50 was breached but held. A close below the 20 level and the August low of 20.28 would be an ongoing bullish signal for the stock market.
Lowered resistance is at 22.50-23 followed by 24.50-25.
The Wilshire 5000 Composite Index (NYSE: WLSH) extended its winning streak to two-straight session with the intraday and new record high tapping 37,957. Unchartered territory and lower resistance at 37,750-38,000 was cleared and held. Continued closes above the latter would indicate continued momentum towards 38,250-38,500.
New support is at 37,500-37,250 with a close below 37,000 signaling a possible near-term top.
RSI (relative strength index) is in an uptrend after clearing and holding lower resistance at 65-70. A close above the latter would indicate additional momentum towards 75-80 and levels from late August/ early September. Key support is at 60.
The Dow Jones Transportation Average (NYSE: TRAN) was up for the second-straight session after testing a new record peak of 12,772. New and lower resistance at 12,750-12,900 was cleared but held. A close above the latter would be an ongoing bullish signal for additional momentum towards 13,000-13,125.
Near-term support is at 12,600-12,475 followed by 12,400-12,275.
RSI is in an uptrend with key resistance at 70 holding. A close above this level would signal additional strength towards 75-80 and levels from August. Support is at 65-60.
With Tuesday's results, the major indexes are showing signs of breaking out of 12-session trading ranges with the higher closes pushing the action towards the top and past key resistance levels. For continued upside, below are the key resistance levels needing to clear and hold to ignite another swoosh higher. The latter numbers are today's and the recent all-time intraday highs.
For the Dow: 30,100-30,116; S&P 500: 3,650-3,645; Nasdaq: 12,100-12,108; and the Russell 2000: 1,875-1,862.
Tech and the small-caps have been more volatile but have strong upward sloping 50-day moving averages along with the blue-chips and the S&P 500 although they aren't as pronounced.
To identify when there could be weakness moving forward, below are the bottom of the trading ranges with key support levels. The latter numbers are the monthly intraday lows inside of these trading ranges.
We got some super sweet pin action yesterday with all of our current trades posting strong gains. Half of the FCX position was closed with further adjustments this morning so please follow the instructions carefully. Also, please note the Stop Limits now in place for XLF and UTZ.
Utz Brands (UTZ, $20.14, up $0.59)
UTZ January 20 calls (UTZ210115C00020000, $1.25, up $0.25)
Stop Target: 50 cents, raise to 85 cents (Stop Limit)
Action: Raise the Stop Target from 50 cents to 85 cents and make it a Stop Limit to start protecting profits. This will also avoid a loss.
Shares tested a high of $20.50 with lower resistance at $20.25-$20.50 getting cleared but holding. A close above the latter would signal additional momentum towards $20.75-$21. Rising support is at $19.75-$19.50.
Relative strength is above 75 and is starting to indicate oversold levels. However, the peak reached 90 and above in September and June so I'm still looking for a possible run towards $22 on the stock over the near-term.
Financial Select Sector Spider Fund (XLF, $28.66, up $0.97)
XLF January 28 calls (XLF210115C00028000, $1.45, up $0.60)
Exit Target: $1.50, raise to $2.50
Stop Target: 35 cents, raise to $1.25 (Stop Limit)
Action: Raise the Exit Target from $1.50 to $2.50.
Raise the Stop Target from 35 cents to $1.25 and make it a Stop Limit to start protecting profits. We can continue to move it up on higher highs. This will lock-in at least a 67% profit on any pullback.
Shares zoomed a high of $28.69 with fresh and lower resistance at $28.50-$28.75 getting cleared and holding. New support is at $28.25-$28 with a move below the latter likely triggering the Stop Limit.
Freeport McMoRan (FCX, $23.11, up $1.20)
FCX December 20 calls (FCX201218C00020000, $3.30, up $1.05)
Exit Target: $2.75, raise to $3.75 (closed half at $2.75 on 11/24)
Return: 175%
Stop Target: $1.80, raise to $2.90 (Stop Limit)
Action: Raise the Exit Target from $2.75 to $3.75 on the other half of the trade. We closed half of the position at $2.75 with a Limit Order yesterday.
Raise the Stop Limit from $1.65 to $2.90 to further protect profits.
Fresh and lower resistance at $23-$23.25 was breached and held with Tuesday's 52-week peak reaching $23.25. Fresh support is at $22.75-$23.


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Q: inserting data into MySQL from android app I am going to develop a web application for android but I am trying first time ever this experiment so i am not able to complete my task because I am new in it. Its giving me an error like string cannot convert to JSONObject. please please help me I've tried everything upto me but could not get any solution yet. Here is my code.
public class signup extends Activity implements OnClickListener {
Button signup,cancel;
EditText e1,e2,e3,e4;

String name;
String email;
String  mobile;
String passwd;
InputStream is=null;
String result=null;
String line=null;
int code;

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.signupfrag);

    if (android.os.Build.VERSION.SDK_INT > 9) {
        StrictMode.ThreadPolicy policy = new StrictMode.ThreadPolicy.Builder().permitAll().build();
        StrictMode.setThreadPolicy(policy);
    }

    signup=(Button)findViewById(R.id.reg);
    cancel=(Button)findViewById(R.id.regcancel);

    e1=(EditText)findViewById(R.id.name);
    e2=(EditText)findViewById(R.id.uid);
    e3=(EditText)findViewById(R.id.contact);
    e4=(EditText)findViewById(R.id.passwd);

    signup.setOnClickListener(this);
    cancel.setOnClickListener(this);
}
public void onClick(View v) {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    if(v.getId()==R.id.reg)
    {
        name = e1.getText().toString();
        email = e2.getText().toString();
        mobile = e3.getText().toString();
        passwd = e4.getText().toString();

        insert();
      Intent i=new Intent(signup.this,MainActivity.class);
      startActivity(i);
    }

    if(v.getId()==R.id.regcancel)
    {
      e1.setText(null);
      e2.setText(null);
      e3.setText(null);
      e4.setText(null);
    }
}
private void insert() {
    // TODO Auto-generated method stub
    ArrayList<NameValuePair> nameValuePairs = new ArrayList<NameValuePair>();

    nameValuePairs.add(new BasicNameValuePair("fname",name));
    nameValuePairs.add(new BasicNameValuePair("email",email));
    nameValuePairs.add(new BasicNameValuePair("mobile",mobile));
    nameValuePairs.add(new BasicNameValuePair("passwd",passwd));

        try
        {
        HttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();
            HttpPost httppost = new HttpPost("http://192.168.43.73/htdocs/insert1.php");//10.0.2.2
            httppost.setEntity(new UrlEncodedFormEntity(nameValuePairs));
            HttpResponse response = httpclient.execute(httppost);
            HttpEntity entity = response.getEntity();
            is = entity.getContent();
            Log.e("pass 1", "connection success ");
    }
        catch(Exception e)
    {
            Log.e("Fail 1", e.toString());
            Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "Invalid IP Address",
            Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
    }

        try
        {
            BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader
            (new InputStreamReader(is,"iso-8859-1"),8);
            StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
            while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null)
        {
                sb.append(line + "\n");
            }
            is.close();
            result = sb.toString();
        Log.e("pass 2", "connection success ");
    }
        catch(Exception e)
    {
            Log.e("Fail 2", e.toString());
    }

    try
    {
            JSONObject json_data = new JSONObject(result);
            code=(json_data.getInt("code"));

            if(code==1)
            {
        Toast.makeText(getBaseContext(), "Inserted Successfully",
            Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
            }
            else
            {
         Toast.makeText(getBaseContext(), "Sorry, Try Again",
            Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
            }
    }
    catch(Exception e)
    {
        Log.e("log_tag", "Error parsing data "+e.toString());
        Log.e("log_tag", "Failed data was:\n" + result);
            Log.e("Fail 3", e.toString());
    }
  }
}

and this is my php code
<?php
$host='127.0.0.1';
$uname='root';
$pwd='password';
$db="resumemaker";

$con = mysql_connect("localhost", "root");
mysql_select_db($db,$con) or die("db selection failed");

$fname=$_REQUEST['fname'];
$email=$_REQUEST['email'];
$mobile=$_REQUEST['mobile'];
$passwd=$_REQUEST['passwd'];

$flag['code']=0;

if($r=mysql_query("insert into sample values('$fname','$email','$mobile','$passwd') ",$con))
{
    $flag['code']=1;
    //echo"hi";
}

print(json_encode($flag));
mysql_close($con);
?>

Thanks In Advance....

A: Your are not encoding it into json see this example will help you its 100% percent working code
Index.php
<?php

   header("Content-Type:application/json");

   include("function.php");

$fname=$_REQUEST['fname'];
$email=$_REQUEST['email'];
$mobile=$_REQUEST['mobile'];
$passwd=$_REQUEST['passwd'];

 $record = fetchrecord($fname,$email,$mobile,$passwd);

         if(empty($record))
         {
           deliverresponse(200,"Record not found",NULL,0);
         }
         else
         {
           deliverresponse(200,"Record Displayed",$record,1);
         }

   function deliverresponse($status,$status_message,$data,$success)
   {
         header("HTTP/1.1 $status $status_message");
         $response['status'] = $status;
         $response['status_message'] = $status_message;
          $response['code'] = $code;
          $response['data'] = $data;
          $jsonresponse = json_encode($response);
          echo $jsonresponse;

   }
?>

Function.php
<?php
        $conn = mysql_connect("localhost", "root", "");

        mysql_select_db('your db name', $conn);

  function fetchrecord($fname,$email,$mobile,$passwd)
  {

     $qur = mysql_query("INSERT INTO `sample` (fname,email,mobile,passwd) VALUES (NULL, '$fname','$email','$mobile','$passwd')") or die ("Query Failed");

     if($qur)
     {
        $msg = "Record Inserted";

        $user[] = array($msg);

     }
     else
     {
       $msg = "Record not Inserted";

        $user[] = array($msg);
     }
        return $user;

  }

use Async Class for net threading
 public class SignupProcess extends  AsyncTask<String, String, String>

    {
        JSONObject json = new JSONObject();
   private static final String TAG_SUCCESS = "code";
        @Override
        protected void onPreExecute() {

            pDialog = new ProgressDialog(signup.this);
            pDialog.setMessage("Login..");
            pDialog.setIndeterminate(false);
            pDialog.setCancelable(true);
            pDialog.show();

            super.onPreExecute();
        }

        @Override
        protected String doInBackground(String... args) {

            List<NameValuePair> pair = new ArrayList<>();
            pair.add(new BasicNameValuePair("name", name));
            pair.add(new BasicNameValuePair("email", email));
            pair.add(new BasicNameValuePair("password", mobile));
            pair.add(new BasicNameValuePair("status",String,psswd);

            json = JSONParser.makeHttpRequest("http://xxxxxxx","GET", pair);

            Log.d("Create Response", json.toString());

            try {

                int success = json.getInt(TAG_SUCCESS);
                getstatus = success;
                if (success == 1) {

                    Log.d("success!", json.toString());

                }

                else if (success==0){

                    return json.getString(TAG_SUCCESS);

                }

            } catch (JSONException e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
            }
            return null;
        }

JSONParser.java
public class JSONParser {

    static InputStream is = null;
    static JSONObject jObj = null;
    static String json = "";
    public static String Result=null;

    public JSONParser()
    {

    }

    public static JSONObject makeHttpRequest(String url,String method, List<NameValuePair>  pair) {

        try {

            // check for request method
            if(method.equals("POST")){
                // request method is POST
                // defaultHttpClient
                DefaultHttpClient httpClient = new DefaultHttpClient();
                HttpPost httpPost = new HttpPost(url);
                httpPost.setEntity(new UrlEncodedFormEntity(pair));

                HttpResponse httpResponse = httpClient.execute(httpPost);
                HttpEntity httpEntity = httpResponse.getEntity();
                is = httpEntity.getContent();

            }else if(method.equals("GET")){
                // request method is GET
                DefaultHttpClient httpClient = new DefaultHttpClient();
                String paramString = URLEncodedUtils.format(pair, "utf-8");
                url += "?" + paramString;
                HttpGet httpGet = new HttpGet(url);

                HttpResponse httpResponse = httpClient.execute(httpGet);
                HttpEntity httpEntity = httpResponse.getEntity();
                is = httpEntity.getContent();
            }

        } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (ClientProtocolException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }

        try {
            BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(
                    is, HTTP.UTF_8), 8);
            StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
            String line = null;
            while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null) {
                sb.append(line + "\n");
            }
            is.close();
            json = sb.toString();
            Result = json;
        } catch (Exception e) {
            Log.e("Buffer Error", "Error converting result " + e.toString());
        }

        // try parse the string to a JSON object
        try {
            jObj = new JSONObject(json);
        } catch (JSONException e) {
            Log.e("JSON Parser", "Error parsing data " + e.toString());
        }

        return jObj;
    }

}

On Button click listener write
new SignupProcess().execute();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
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Some Great Works of Literature, with comments by a Child
The Very Big Red Coat
This is your Captain Speaking
June 7, 2019 / Glen Available
Back in February last year HERE I chronicled (I love 'chronicling' – I especially love just saying the word 'chronicling') my thoughts on a book written by ex-Navy Seal Robert O'Neil entitled THE OPERATOR (published 2017).
This memoir was devoted to chronicling (ha!) highlights from his 400 mission career. One of those highlights included firing the shots that killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011. Another successful mission spoken about in that book was the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from the clutches of Somali Pirates back in April 2009.
After recently seeing on DVD the 2013 movie CAPTAIN PHILLIPS starring Tom Hanks in the title role, it was time to read the 2010 book written by the real Captain Phillips (co-written by Stephan Talty whose 2017 book THE BLACK HAND – about Italy's version of Sherlock Holmes – is set to also be made into a movie, starring Leonardo Dicaprio).
Like the movie, this book gripped nice 'n tight. It didn't disappoint.
The first 100 pages of the book details Phillips early life as a Boston cab driver, his graduation in 1979 from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and his years working in the merchant marine prior to the events of 2009.
Phillips notes there are a thousand ways to die on a ship – from storms that produce 70 foot waves to mad cooks, scurvy, mutiny and just plain loneliness. His recollections of docking in ports of war-torn third World countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia and Monrovia and seeing scores of people on the shore-lines whose right hands had been chopped off because they'd voted for the wrong candidates in corrupt local elections sends a chill down the spine.
The rest of the book renders a minute by minute account of the four-day hijacking of the container ship Maersk Alabama, captained by Richard Phillips, while it was located in the Indian Ocean, 240 nautical miles southeast of the Somalia port of Eyl. The ordeal began on April 8th, 2009.
With a crew of 20, the ship was en route to Mombasa, Kenya. It was carrying 17,000 tons of cargo, of which 5,000 tons were relief supplies bound for Somalia, Uganda, and Kenya.
The four pirates who hijacked the ship and took Captain Phillips hostage in the orange-coloured covered lifeboat were aged between 17 and 19 years of age. Three of the pirates were killed by U.S. Navy SEAL snipers' bullets to the head. The fourth is serving a 33 year prison sentence in a U.S Federal prison in South Carolina.
In the year prior to the attack on the Maersk Alabama there were 111 attacks on marine vessels by Somali pirates in that area of the Indian ocean, resulting in 42 'successful' hijackings. What was noteworthy about Captain Phillip's experience was the Maersk Alabama was the first successful pirate seizure of a ship registered under the American flag since the early 19th century.
The hijacked container ship MAERSK ALABAMA (since renamed the MV TYGRA and now owned by a different shipping company) as it looked back in 2009. In the years since there have been at least four other attempted hijackings on the ship by Somali pirates, the first of these less than six months after Captain Phillips' experience.
The video below unpacks some of the reasons why Somalia (population 14 million) is such a hotbed for piracy on the seas. Ravaged by a 30 year civil war, drought and famine, with a life-expectancy of only 55 years and a GDP (Gross Domestic Product) output that ranks it 193 on a list of 199 countries (United States, China and Japan naturally occupy the top three positions) it's not hard to see why the promise of big pay days via extorted ransoms (some running into the tens of millions of dollars) are a huge lure for poorly educated Somalians desperate to escape the poverty cycle.
In A CAPTAIN'S DUTY, Phillips relates the mind games played by both himself, the Somali Pirates and the American Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge across the four days. He details the insults, denial of food and water and mock executions he endured while all the time trussed up with ropes like a pig ready for slaughter. Describing one of the pirates as having "Charles Manson eyes" (p118), at one point they even tried convincing him the whole nightmare was a Navy training exercise they'd agreed to roleplay.
Richard Phillips used any technique he could to try to stay mentally strong in the face of prolonged psychological torture which included taunts he wasn't a real sailor because he couldn't tie certain intricate knots the way his captors could.
There are passages that are as entertaining as they are distressing –
"What did you do?" I yelled up to the leader.
"Shut up" he said.
The leader turned his head and spat.
"Oh, you mean 'Please be quiet Captain' "
I heard Musso snicker at that. Even the leader cracked a smile. That was the first and last I'd get out of him.
The battle of wits and wills would continue right up to the end, with the pirates trying to constantly wear Phillips down, confuse and humiliate him. Sometimes they succeeded, causing him to pen thoughts in the book such as this –
"I'm a big John Wayne fan and I remembered a line from one of his movies THE SEARCHERS. A cowboy has apologized for shooting a desperado. And John Wayne says something like, 'That's all-right. Some men need killing'.
I've never met a man who needed killing. But right then, Young Guy did. He was like an assassin toying with his victim before he put him out of his misery. He was enjoying it all to hell.
Unlike this footage of an attempted pirate attack occurring in a similar part of the Indian Ocean in 2012, on board the Maersk Alabama that day there were no guns or rifles for the crew to use to fight back and certainly no trained security personnel.
Richard Phillips returned to sea fourteen months after the pirate attack, sailing as Master of the vehicle carrier M/V Green Bay until his retirement in 2014. His memoir is a powerful, intoxicating read.
Ps. The video above might be titled THE REAL MAERSK ALABAMA STORY but as with most things there's another side. Go HERE if you want to know. If you're not completely video-ed out by this point you'll also get the gist here in this commentary as well –
These pictures were taken more than 10 years ago. Today Richard Phillips is a 64 year-old retired ships' captain.
Ps. On a completely unrelated note, the 2019 AP Stylebook (AP stands for Associated Press and has been published every year since 1953) went on sale this week and celebrated by officially removing the hyphen from "best-seller." Henceforth, it's just "bestseller." Thought you should know.
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5 thoughts on "This is your Captain Speaking"
Hi Glen. It was a good movie. The book sounds very good. I've never spent much time on the waters, but like to read about ocean adventures. Bye till next time.
Glen available
Thank you Neil for commenting.Indeed CAPTAIN PHILLIPS was an engaging film – much, much more engaging than another Tom Hanks movie I can think of – BRIDGE OF SPIES (2015). That one near put me in the bunkhouse it was so slow.
There's lots of other articles online (besides the one you provided) talking about all the bad decisions the captain made, none of which are probably in his book, but it sounds like an entertaining story, in any case.
My alarms go off anytime someone admires The Duke, though, someone who had the audacity to call black people uneducated and make similar negative comments about Native Americans when he was one of the most ignorant, narrow-minded and egregiously fat-mouthed morons on the planet, too stupid to understand that the very reason he was in the position he was in that these *others* would probably never achieve was because of the color of his skin, nothing else, especially not talent, in my opinion.
Anyhoo! Maybe the good captain wasn't aware of all that, and we've talked about how we still love Jerry Lewis even though he was a terrible curmudgeon. But at least half the crew doesn't call him a hero; in fact, the opposite. That's the part that interests me: not the pirates, who have been so illegally over-fished, among the other issues you mentioned, that they've turned to this high seas robbery stuff. What interests me is what really happened?
You are right Stacey.
There is indeed another side to this story.
rogerhooper2013
Reminds me of weapons of mass delusion, or was it some other term?
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WHAT THE DICKENS? Not Dickens. McCarthy. Cormac McCarthy. This, believe it or not, are pages from his FAMOUS 1985 novel BLOOD MERIDIAN minus the words and reduced to just the BARE BONES OF THEIR punctuation.
In the same vein, the image above represents pages stripped of their words and reduced to only their punctuation symbols taken from the more complex prose of William Faulkner's 1936 novel ABSALOM, ABSALOM!
Placed side by side, the contrast between these two writers' styles is even CLEARER. With a magnifying glass.
You mean you actually read Twitter?


text:
Laila Ellen Kaarina Hirvisaari née le  à Viipuri et morte le  à Helsinki, est un écrivain finlandais.
De 1958 à 2004, elle porte le nom de son mari Heikki Hietamies et édite ses livres au nom de Laila Hietamies. Elle divorce en 1991. À partir de 2004 ses livres sont édités à son nom de jeune fille Laila Hirvisaari.

Biographie
Laila Hirvisaari nait le  à Viipuri alors en Finlande. Son père meurt pendant la Guerre de Continuation alors qu'elle a trois ans.

Laila Hirvisaari se marie en 1958 avec l'écrivain Heikki Hietamies. Ils ont trois filles : Kristiina (née en 1958), Eveliina  (née en 1964) et Anuliina (née en 1968). Laila et Heikki Hietamies se séparent en 1985 et divorcent en 1991.

Son premier écrit, Lehmusten kaupunki, parait en 1972 et est le premier roman d'une série éponyme dont le septième parait en 2004. La série parle de Lappeenranta et de ses habitants à partir de 1920.

Sa deuxième série la plus connue est Kannas ( Isthme) dont les romans paraissent de 1980 à 1984.
Cette série parle des habitants du village de Suonta dans l'Isthme de Carélie de 1920 à 1940.
La série décrit entre autres les expériences vécues des Caréliens évacués vers l'ouest de la Finlande.

Ouvrages

Sa production comprend des séries romanesques, des pièces de théâtre et des séries télévisuelles qui ont lieu le plus souvent dans la Carélie de sa naissance, mais aussi en Russie, en Inde ou à Rome.
À l'automne 2008, Laila Hirvisaari a vendu plus de 4 millions d'exemplaires de ses livres.

Romans
L'éditeur est Otava sauf indication contraire.
 Sous le nom d'auteur  Laila Hietamies
 Série Lehmusten kaupunki
 Lehmusten kaupunki, 1972
 Unohduksen lumet, 1973
 Kukkivat kummut, 1976
 Syksyksi kotiin, 2001
 Koivu ja tähti, 2002
 Siellä jossakin, 2003
 Kallis kotimaa, 2004
 Série Hamina
 Maan väkevän lapset, 1977
 Kaikilla elämän kaipuu, 1978
 Série Kannas
 Mäeltä näkyy toinen mäki, 1980
 Maa suuri ja avara, 1981
 Hylätyt talot, autiot pihat, 1982
 Vierailla poluilla, oudoilla ovilla, 1983
 Edessä elämän virrat, 1984
 Série Laatokka
 Pilvissä taivaanlaiva, 1986
 Maan kämmenellä, 1987
 Valamon yksinäinen, 1988
 Jäiden soitto, 1989
 Valkeat yöt, 1990
 Valoa kohti, 1991
 Série Sonja
 Sonja, 1993
 Valkoakaasiat, 1994
 Myrskypilvet, 1995
 Satakielimetsä, 1996
 Viktoria, 1997
 Série Anni
 Kylä järvien sylissä, 1998
 Siniset Viipurin illat, 1999
 Kesän korkea taivas, 2000
 autres
 Elämän huipulla, 1974
 Käden kosketus, 1974
 Rakkaani tuli vuorilta, 1975
 Kuin tuuli tähkäpäässä, 1979
 Laila Hietamiehen Suomalainen sarja 1-10 (recueil de textes), 1985
 Joulumuisto, 1985, nouvelle, Editions Gummerus)
 Vienan punainen kuu, 1992
 Koivukoto, 1999 nouvelle
 Sous le nom d'auteur Laila Hirvisaari
 Série Imatra
 Kruununpuisto, 2005
 Myrskyn edellä, 2006
 Grand Hotel, 2007
 Vuoksen helmi, 2008
 Pihkovan kellot, 2009

Prix et reconnaissance
Prix national de littérature
 Prix Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, 1973

Notes et références

Annexes

Article connexe
 Liste d'écrivains finlandais

Liens externes

Naissance en juin 1938
Naissance à Viipuri
Romancière finlandaise
Décès à 83 ans
Décès à Helsinki
Décès en juin 2021


In this blog, Kim Bendall of ParaPlanPlus delves into the powers of local authorities to claim 'deprivation of assets' and the implications for advisers and their clients.
To prove 'deliberate deprivation' the local authority must prove that the client's motive for giving away their assets was to qualify for State-funded care. However, citing the case of Yule vs. South Lanarkshire Council (1999), Bendall points out that this is not as hard as you might think.
She highlighted some planning opportunities for advisers to consider including where the need to dispose of assets to reduce IHT can be clearly demonstrated and proven. The importance of documenting why the client has been advised to make gifts cannot be over-emphasized.
The Value of Financial Planning? 1.8% Gamma!
This blog by US financial planning Michael Kitces considers a recent research by Morningstar which attempts to quantify the value of financial planning.
In the research titled "Alpha, Beta, and Now… Gamma" David Blanchett and Paul Kaplan of Morningstar revealed that good financial planning strategies such as optimal asset allocation and withdrawal can improve retirement income by 29%, which is equivalent to generating 1.82% return a year. This is what the authors refers to as Gamma – the difference between the baseline and financial-planning-optimal strategies.
Kitces acknowledged the research is a step in the right direction as it ' may open the door to a wave of new research attempting to measure the "Gamma" of good financial planning.' However, he pointed out a few short comings of the paper, the main one being that the outcomes are heavily impacted by the baseline, which is subjective.
In this article in NMA, Eric Armstrong of Capita looks at considerations for advisers when selecting a platform. While cost and suitability are paramount, there are 'a number of additional considerations that may not form the basis of advice but could positively impact the level of service an adviser is able to offer their clients.' These include asset allocation, fund analysis and portfolio rebalancing tools.
It is common for advisers to base their 'niche' around on gender, bank balance (high net worth etc) or life stage (retirement) but unless there is a unique common need, it's not a niche, it's the Grand Canyon. It is pointless to define your target market based on the restroom they go into.


A reliable Chinese herbal supplement developed to provide relief from occasional sleeplessness, as well as stress and tension. It does so by supporting the health of the heart, circulatory system and inner ear.
Take 15 per serving, three times a day.
Powdered Mother-of-pearl, Fo-ti Stem, Ligustrum Fruit, Red-rooted Sage Root and Rhizome, Eclipta Herb, Chinese Dodder Seed, Silk Tree Bark, Rehmannia Root, Schisandra Fruit, Polygala Root, Cinnamon Twig. Inactive Ingredients: Starch.


Professor of English; 1989; B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Iowa.
Professor of English; 1988; B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Assistant Professor of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Leisure Studies; 1999; B.S., Henderson State University; M.S., Florida State University; Ed.D., University of Arkansas.
Associate Professor of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Leisure Studies; 1999; B.S., School of the Ozarks; M.Ed., Ed.D., University of Arkansas.


KARACHI: Stocks on the Pakistani equity market rounded off the week on fourth consecutive day of range-bound, lacklustre trading. The index shed 81.77 points (0.19 per cent) to close at 42,842.18.
Although the KSE-100 index started out on positive note with gains of 25 points, it soon succumbed to selling pressure. Analysts said that expectations of aggressive buying by mutual funds like the previous day did not materialise.
The index remained in search of direction as it oscillated between the intraday high and low by 191 points and 125 points.
On the economic front, major news flow was Pakistan's plans to borrow more than $4 billion from the Saudi-backed Islamic Development Bank (IDB) as part of its attempts to replenish precariously low foreign exchange reserves.
Analyst Ahsan Mehanti said the economic uncertainty, dismal earnings in the banking sector, weak global crude oil prices, foreign outflows and concerns about the pending circular debts in the energy sector played a catalyst role in bearish close at PSX.
The volume increased 21pc over the previous day to 250 million shares while the traded value grew 18pc to Rs.12.3bn. Second-tier stocks including Pak Elektron, Engro Polymer and Chemicals, Lotte Chemical, Unity Foods and K-Electric contributed 27pc to the day's total turnover.
Sectors that took major selling pressure included fertilizer, lower by 35 points, banks 26 points, power 25 points, textile 19 points and refinery 17 points while oil and gas marketing companies added 28 points.
Scrip-wise, major decliners were Hub Power, down 1.43pc, Bank Al Habib 1.44pc, Dawood Hercules 1.74pc, Engro Fertilisers 1.45pc and DG Khan Cement 1.90pc, taking away 80 points. On the flip side, United Bank, up 1.33pc, Lucky Cement 1.40pc and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines 2.24pc added 57 points.


Pictfor is hosting a Summer Reception to introduce our All-Party Parliamentary Group.
Members, Parliamentarians and potential future members are invited to apply to attend. Please also pass the invitation along to new and young employees – with a particular emphasis on young people and those new to the tech and political sectors who may not have engaged with us before.
This event is now at full capacity. Please join the waitlist for this event using your work email address here.
This event will introduce Pictfor to a wider network, engage young people working in tech and policy, while also exploring the future of tech.
What is the future of tech?
What skills do the next generation working in tech need to excel?
How will Generation Z shape technology?
Refreshments will be provided with catering by Papi's Pickles.
This event is kindly sponsored by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, BCS is here to Make IT Good for Society. The organisation champions the global IT profession and the interests of the individuals in it, for the benefit of all.


BEAUREGARD, Ala. - Sunday marked three weeks since four tornadoes touched down in South Alabama, two in Lee County. The storms killed 23 people and destroyed more than 200 homes. It was the deadliest outbreak to hit Alabama in several years and the strongest to hit that area in decades. As soon as the clouds parted, as is always the case, neighbors started helping neighbors and aid began pouring into the communities slammed.
Churches set up distribution centers. Residents opened their homes to folks in need of shelter. And people began donating to tornado relief efforts. WHNT News 19's parent company is Tribune Media, and its charitable foundation made a $25,000 donation to the Community Foundation of East Alabama.
Tornadoes can tear a community apart, but they can also bring people together. That's exactly what is happening in this community. Amid the destruction, there are several signs of hope and there are so many people who want to reach out and help.
"It sounds like you were standing six inches from the railroad tracks and you had five engines couple together coming by," said David Kelley. He remembers taking cover in the bathtub with his son when the first tornado hit.
His home is the only one on his side of the street that survived the storm.
"It picked the house up and set the house back down," he remembered.
His home is no longer level on its foundation. In addition to that, he needs to make several other repairs, but his claim has been denied by FEMA.
"We're insured but we're underinsured," he explained.
That's where the Community Foundation of East Alabama can help. WHNT News 19 general manager Stan Pylant presented a check from the Tribune Media Charitable Foundation.
"We'd like to present the Community Foundation of East Alabama with a check for $25,000. We hope this helps with the recovery efforts here," he said during a check presentation.
This community fund will be part of the long term relief plan.
"So, these funds will be the unmet need funds that help people rebuild their homes, rebuild whatever they need for, to kind of make their lives whole again," said Barbara Patton the executive director of the Community Foundation of East Alabama.
She said they want to ensure the way the funds are dispersed is fair to everybody.
"It's a process, and we want to make sure we follow the process and do it systematically so it's fair to everybody," she explained.
She says community leaders met Monday to set up a long-term recovery committee.
"So, we will be working with United Way, Red Cross, emergency management, the hospital, EAMC, that's our hospital," she said. "And we will be part of that long-term recovery committee and put together bylaws and ways to operate and so that the, probably a form, that people can fill in and we'll help them go through 'what have you gotten, what do you need?'"
The money from this organization goes straight into the Alabama communities devastated by the March 3 tornadoes. But it may not be dispersed for two or three years. Patton recommends that people affected by the tornadoes apply for aid from FEMA and SBA loans. She said to file an appeal if someone is denied aid from FEMA, and FEMA has already granted over $800,000 in grants to people in the community.
There is a long road of recovery ahead. There are a lot of people in Beauregard who are working to help and its not just people from Alabama. Folks from across the country have traveled to be part of the cleanup effort.
People who live in Beauregard say they don't think their community will ever be the same. 22 days after the tornado there is still a large amount of debris. It serves as a stark reminder of the violent storm that rolled through the area.
People from as far away as Alaska feel compelled to travel to Lee County to help. A mother and daughter from Louisiana drove 10 hours to lend a hand. They survived Hurricane Rita in 2005 and know what it's like to have their home town destroyed in a natural disaster.
"We helped in our area and we want to do the same, we just want to be here to help. Whatever needs to be done," Frances Bumgarden said.
Her daughter Lisa Brown stood by her side.
"Whether it's picking up trash, or you know, cooking, or handing out food, water, it doesn't matter," Lisa Brown added.
The mother-daughter duo is working with the nonprofit 8 Days of Hope.
If you want to volunteer to help with this clean-up effort you can do that. Lee County emergency officials are asking you to register at one of the multiple volunteer reception centers in the area.


How many people will have registered by the official start of the conference? Which, by the schedule, will be 0930 PST on February 15, 2006.
Put your guess and your name/nick, in the list below, sorted by guess amount. Winner (closest to exact amount without going over) gets a six-pack of black butte porter from dchud. Seriously.
Limited to attendees of the code4lib 2006 conference. Employees and the families of employees of Code4lib Inc. may not participate. Exports of xray crystallography-based strong encryption methods are prohibited. May cause the condition known as "hot-dog fingers". If your code sustains a slashdotting of longer than four hours after attending the code4lib 2006 conference, see your doctor immediately.


In addition to cash, you can make an outright gift of real estate, a paid-up life insurance policy or other property of value directly to the Keswick Christian School Foundation.
If you currently write checks to support Keswick, but also have appreciated stocks or mutual funds, you can significantly reduce the cost of your charitable gift while giving more by gifting stock before the sale.
If you are over 70 1/2, you can make a tax-free distribution from your IRA directly to the Keswick Christian School Foundation.
You can designate a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your estate to the Keswick Christian School Foundation in your will or trust.
You can name the Keswick Christian School Foundation as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement account (i.e. IRA, 401k, etc.).
For these and other tax-smart ways to give, please contact our Director of Advancement, Andrew Maddux at 727-393-9100 x.617 or amaddux@keswickchristian.org.
Click the below link to make your on-line gift. If you would like to designate your gift to a specific department, project, or campaign, you will find a section within the link to accommodate this.
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text:
Century III Mall: A Brutalist Badass
Posted on December 30, 2020 March 8, 2022 by Michael Makin
November 14, 2020, West Mifflin, PA
"Bow down to me brittle human; I lay underneath ye olde ruins of steel, and no I have nothing to do with The Office!"-Century III Mall
In November I headed up to Akron to visit my girlfriend but instead of spending most of our time in the ol' rubber city, we took a nice day trip to the ol' steel city. It had been a few years since I've been to Pittsburgh, and since I've been on such a mall kick the past year, I knew I had to check out the infamous Century III. I've heard so much about this place from Ace's Adventures and Sal on YouTube, and it seemed like a quintessential dead mall that I needed to visit. I'm disappointed that I did not make the trip out here while it was still open in just 2019, but nonetheless on we go with my second mall review in Pennsylvania. This one being truly dead.
Mall Information and History:
As mentioned before, Century III was built on the foot of a mountain created by slag waste and was locally known as Brown's Dump. Pictured below is the mountain when it was still in use as a steel waste dump. Credits to brooklineconnection.com
The land was previously owned by the United States Steel Corporation, but was sold to the Edward J Bartolo Corporation and USS Reality Corporation in a joint deal. With the deal having gone through in 1976 and the mall's construction having begun, they decided to name the 100 million dollar and 1.6 million square foot shopping center as Century III in honor of the third century of The United States of America beginning. The mall's grand opening was on October 24th, 1979 and its original anchors were Kaufmann's and JCPenney, with a Montgomery Ward, Sears, and Gimbels opening the following year in 1980.
In 2006, Kaufmann's became a Macy's, and eventually closed in March of 2016. JCPenney, having been at the mall since its grand opening held on as long as it possibly could and closed down after the interior of the mall already had in October of 2020. The Montgomery Ward anchor space on the other hand does not have as simple as a life as JCPenney. M-W closed just 6 years into the mall's life, and then a Horne's took its place. Though Horne's did not last long, in 1994 it became Lazarus but after five short years it closed in 1999 and became a Kaufmann's Furniture Gallery. Unfortunately Kaufmann's Furniture Gallery did also not last long and the whole company was bought by Macy's in 2006 which led the store to become a Macy's Furniture Gallery. That wasn't enough though to keep this cursed spot open as the story on that space ends in 2009, a whole ten years before the mall even closed. Sears on the other hand lasted quite some time and ran its course throughout most of the mall's life, closing down in 2014. In 1988 Gimbels closed its doors due to bankruptcy and the space was vacant for about six years until the two floors were occupied by TJ Maxx and Marshall's. Marshall's on the upper level was only open for two years and later became a Wickes Furniture. TJ Maxx was replaced in 2003 by a Steve & Barry's which ended up closing in 2009 due to bankruptcy. In 2004 Wickes left and the space was turned into a Dick's sporting goods which stayed until March of 2019 around the mall's closure.
Century III was once the largest and most thriving mall in the Pittsburgh area having over 200 stores and 6 anchors in the 1980s. In 1997 the mall underwent a slight renovation that added skylights into open areas of the mall. Despite the fact that the mall had been "renovated", it began to decline in the late 1990s. Slowly but surely the mall's vacancy rate kept rising with much of it due to occupying stores filing for bankruptcy. On top of that, there were other nearby places for retail that were fresh and new like The Waterfront in Homestead; and South Hills Village which was just renovated and only a few miles away. The mall's slow death went on so long that it was even open for a whole month after its last store in the entire one and a half million square feet left. In February of 2019, the mall was deemed an unsafe & uninhabitable structure by the West Mifflin Fire Department, and closed its doors for good on February 16th of that year.
As you know by now, unless I were to have brought a crowbar with me to Pittsburgh, I was not going to get pictures inside of Century III. Despite that, I can share with you the eery photos I took from the parking lot, and perhaps a few free photos of the interior from the internet.
When it comes to its style and atmosphere, Century III is not what I would call an inviting place. It has a strange history of being built below a mountain of steel waste, and its brutalist architecture does not make you feel at home. Pictured below is Brown's dump from the parking lot of the mall. Credits to brooklineconnection.com
I'm sure that at the time of its peak when it was bustling it didn't come off as imposing, but now (especially if you're there at night), this large and dark concrete structure at the base of a baron hill in a dimly lit parking lot does not make you feel warm and fuzzy.
Now let's take a look at the exterior, starting off with the sign. Seems like they at least kept it up to date until its closure, with JC on there and Old Mexico which was there almost until the end. Old Mexico featured below.
I also really love the logo of this place, it's very simple and modern which matches the architecture of the structure. I'm glad that they never gave the place a cheesy renovation in the '90s or aught's like East Gate Mall. There's one other sign in the parking lot which I thought was very neat, a directional sign by the sidewalk that looks very space age. We're gonna zoom out now and take a look at what I believe was the main entrance that this sign is right in front of. Boarded up, shut down. Surprised there's no sign on the place, maybe there was at some point but I'm not really sure. Let's take a look at JC and its parking lot bigger than your dad's stomach.
JCPeed in the parking lot. Another great looking building from Penney's, shoutout to their architects from the '60s to the '80s. Hard to tell from afar but there's an interestingly cool brick pattern on the siding. With JC being the last place open here, you can see that on the inside they have yet to take everything out, and there's still even lights on! Tried my best but it was locked, again I should've brought a crowbar. Some classic '80s track lighting in there. This anchor store now was originally Kaufmann's and later Macy's. I adore the black glass panels.
I got a picture of one more anchor store, but I'm not quite sure which one this was
Now that's all I've got for the outside, so let me share a couple of decadent interior photos I found from google.
I would have had an absolute blast strolling around this place with all of its different levels, and nooks and crannies it's like an english muffin. On top of that it's just so sleek and contemporary I love it. You can tell in the picture below that those skylights are the ones added in 1997. Aside from that, nothing much seemed to change throughout the years, and man oh man I want those large palms for my house.
Since there's not much more I can show you of the inside, I found a picture of the directory from what would appear to be the last few years.
It's harder for me to wrap up my thoughts on Century III as I had never been there when it was even open nor had I heard much about it until I watched a few mall blogs, but I do know that it is one I will regret not visiting when I had the chance. Like the majority of malls that I review, Century III saw its hey-day in the 1980's and began declining in the late '90s, which is a common life theme for these places. However, that does not mean Century III was any ordinary mall. We've learned about the interesting history of its land, and of its unique (for a mall) brutalist architecture. We also know that it was the biggest and most popular shopping destination in greater Pittsburgh, but then in ten short years its occupancy was already dwindling. I really loved checking this place out, and learning about it from different channels and sources as I found its history very fascinating. If you live in Pittsburgh I'm sure you have some fond memories of going here as a kid, or even buying your own kids some presents around the holiday season; if you don't and you so happen to be headed to the steel city, don't miss your chance to see it while it's still around.
Mall Maniac Rating:
Shopping: 0/10 Closed
Cuisine: 0/10 Reopen Old Mexico
My POV: 8/10
Tags: Brutalism, Brutalist, Contemporary, Dead Malls, Dying Malls, malls, Modern, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, West MifflinCategories: Travel
2 thoughts on "Century III Mall: A Brutalist Badass"
Wesley H. says:
Interesting quick tour. . I totally sympathize with not being able to get in. If I were 40 years younger, I probably would not hesitate to "find a way" in. But at my age, I would not risk it. . jail is not a fun place after all!. But a few videos of other malls reveal that other less known doors in are often jimmied open and available. Just make sure the power is off! Most of the places are not even worthy of any sort of an alarm, anymore. Kind of sad.
But then you also get into the situation of not knowing WHAT is inside the abandoned mall? Homeless and mentally ill persons? Good chance. Always better to let some one younger and more foolish to venture in.
Sometimes you can get permission to make a quick walk through and video. . ask around!
Thanks for the effort though!
Pgh81 says:
I don't believe I saw this bit listed but when it was built it was the 3rd largest mall in the world. Little SWPA with the 3rd largest mall in the world how about that?
Amazingly for some reason, the website is still up and has been updated to say 2021 http://www.centuryiiimall.com/directory
Here is a Facebook group that deals with Century III memories you might find interesting https://www.facebook.com/Century-III-Mall-Memories-857738807601212/
Lastly here is a video walkaround done by another blogger with over a million views already. https://triblive.com/business/century-iii-mall-video-showing-malls-current-state-of-disrepair-hits-1-million-views/?fbclid=IwAR2np3WnCyfVyCcHZiXRwFZ-llFrH_r5UTt0s5nOKKDpAUt3IRBNW2eaxw0
Published by Michael Makin
The Mall Maniac. Avid fan of urban exploring, culinary arts, music, and sports. View all posts by Michael Makin
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text:
Spinal Cord Injury Zone / News	/ 2013 / August / 22nd
Bride-to-be perseveres to walk down aisle after spinal-cord injury
Published: August 22, 2013 | Source: vindy.com | Spinal Cord Injury: Incomplete, L-3, T-12
Just like any other bride, Alissa Boyle finds herself immersed in
wedding plans leading up to her Sept. 7 exchange of vows with Nathan Grimes at Lisbon Trinity Friends Church.
And just like most brides, Boyle envisions walking down the aisle with her father, Jim, while her mother, Lori, and family and friends watch.
But Boyle's preparation is unlike other brides. She spends hours in physical therapy and exercising at home to make that vision a reality. She was injured in an accident Feb. 20, 2012, that damaged her spinal cord. She and a friend had stopped to assist at a car accident but ended up being hurt themselves.
Boyle, 23, said physical therapy "helps deal with the tightness … helps loosen my legs and make them stronger."
She also copes with spasms in her legs.
"My legs aren't strong enough to hold my body weight," Boyle said.
Thanks to Butler-Goshen Township Community Fund, she received a "standing frame" that helps support her weight as it moves her to a standing position. "I can wheel around on it as well," she said. The frame, she explained, is good for her joints and helps stretch her tendons. "It works wonders," she said.
When the accident occurred, Boyle's parents were on vacation in Jamaica. When they arrived at the hospital, she told them, "I got
engaged, I saved a life and I can't feel my legs," Boyle said, adding
they were all "life-changing events."
Grimes had proposed Feb. 18. They've known each other three years and were introduced by friends. Boyle described Grimes, 25, who has been in the Army eight years with tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, as "incredibly caring."
"He pushes me to exercise and go a little farther," she said. "He's told me I'll run."
She also said her parents "have been incredibly supportive." Her brother Tyler, 25, and his wife, Rachel, of Hartville and brother Travis, 27, of Cleveland also have lent emotional support and helped in many ways. "We're close," Boyle said, adding that her accident reinforced family bonds.
She also said she turns to her faith in God.
Boyle said she is looking forward to walking down the aisle with her father. Her brothers and sister-in-law are in the wedding party of 14. She'll be wearing full leg braces under her wedding gown.
She's already set a precedent by standing for a ceremony in May 2012 at Waynesburg University, where she received the Presidential Medallion for her Good Samaritan effort.
Boyle said her therapy and wedding have been made possible by not only her family but the community at large.
"Therapy is all out-of-pocket," she said of the expense. The community has sponsored fundraisers to help and a Cheers for Alissa Fund.
Boyle said she has been touched by the generosity of strangers. She was contacted by Jaimie's Dream Team, whose mission "is to lift the spirits of those suffering from, and ease the burden caused by, serious illness, injury, disability or trauma." The nonprofit organization has helped with wedding expenses.
Boyle's A-line gown, designed with a sweetheart neckline and embellished with beading, was donated to her by a bridal shop in Columbus. Her flowers also have been donated. Center of Attention is handling the centerpieces and chair covers; Dutch Tulip, the church decorations; and Sweet Arrangements, the bouquets, which include calla lilies and roses. The wedding color is capri, a light blue.
Their honeymoon destination, a cabin in Deer Creek, Md., also is a donation, Boyle said.
"Everyone has helped make my dream come true," she said, noting she is very thankful.
After the wedding and honeymoon, the newlyweds will relocate to Florida, where Grimes will be stationed at Eglin Air Force Base near Valparaiso. "We have lots of adventures coming up," Boyle said.
They will live in base housing; Boyle said she will make arrangements for physical therapy and a visiting nurse. She also may apply for a service dog; she's leaving her 10-year-old cat, Tucker, with her parents.
Boyle also is planning to look for a nursing job. "I'd like to work with spinal-cord injuries," she said.
ACCIDENT DETAILS
On Feb. 20, 2012, Alissa Boyle, 22, and Cami Abernathy of Sewickley, Pa., then senior nursing students at Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania, were on their way to clinical training at Ruby Memorial Hospital, Mount Morris, Pa. They had stopped to help at an accident about 6 a.m. on an overpass on Interstate 79 in Greene County, Pa., near the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border. They were assisting the driver, whose vehicle had rolled over several times. An oncoming tractor-trailer came toward them and fearing they would be struck, the three jumped off the overpass onto a grassy area about 40 feet below.
ALISSA'S INJURY
Boyle, who was in critical condition at Ruby Memorial, had a spinal cord injury. Boyle said it's technically called "burst fractures" of the T-12 and L3 vertebrae. Surgery implanted two titanium rods down her back and did spinal fusion; she remained in the intensive care unit for a week at Ruby Memorial. She spent a short time at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh then was at Presbyterian Hospital, where a neurosurgeon removed bone fragments on Feb. 29 to reduce the swelling. Boyle was told she had a "1 percent chance of walking again."
Boyle went back to Mercy Hospital, where she had therapy until her discharge March 27, 2012. She went to her parents' home in Salem. Her routine includes Monday biofeedback therapy at Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Warren, where she uses a special bicycle to stimulate her muscles to pedal. Afternoon therapy is spent at Buckeye Wellness Center in Cleveland, which specializes in spinal cord injuries. She also spent a month at Project Walk in Orlando, Fla., specializing in spinal cord injury recovery programs.
Graduate of Union Local High School in Hanoverton and Wayneburg University with a nursing degree.
WEDDING PLANS
Boyle and Nathan Grimes, originally from Norton, Ohio, and son of Vicki Brown, will wed Sept. 7 at Lisbon Trinity Friends Church and be honored at a reception at Avion on the Water.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
Photo by: MADELYN P. HASTINGS
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Makiko Matthews: The female sushi chef taking London by storm
February 15, 2011 - 14:43 GMT hellomagazine.com Hellomagazine.com catches up with the Japanese entrepreneur and mother for a chat about her rising career and making sushi for Buckingham Palace
When you decide to start up a sushi catering business and open a Japanese tapas restaurant, success isn't something that comes overnight.
However, Makiko "Maki" Matthews is fast becoming the next big thing in Japanese cuisine in London with her passion for making fresh top quality sushi.
Click on photos for gallery
Hellomagazine.com catches up with the Japanese entrepreneur and mother for a chat about her rising career, teaching kids the benefits of healthy eating and making sushi for Buckingham Palace.
Sushi has boomed in recent years in the UK. Why do you think it has become so popular?
"People are much more food-conscious than they used to be and are paying more attention to what they eat. Sushi is low in fat, high in protein and great for snacks and meals, which I think has helped it become a popular healthy equivalent to burgers or pizza.
"When sushi was first served in the UK I think a lot of people just thought of it as "raw fish" and were scared off, but more recently I think they have realised that sushi and sashimi offer all sorts of options for different tastes."
It's obvious that you're passionate about what you do. How did you first start your career in sushi?
"I started out working for the fresh fish counter in Selfridges' food court. It was a tough environment to begin with; starting work at 5am every day and working in an all-male environment took its toll at times but I persevered because it was great training for learning about all types of fish and how to prepare them properly.
"After two years I got the chance to take over the Selfridges sushi counter and three years later I embarked on opening Suzu in 2009 and venturing into the world of restaurateurs and catering. More recently I have started running weekly sushi-making classes for adults and kids, for which I already have over 140 students."
You have catered for a lot of big events and important clients already. What have been your highlights so far?
"Having done over 100 parties and events there have been a lot of highlights. Making sushi for Buckingham Palace was really great - I have been asked to make sushi for the Palace Garden Tea Parties on a number of occasions and it's amazing to think that royalty have eaten my food (and liked it enough to ask for me again).
"Some other fun events have been a Lexus car launch (where the queue for sushi was longer than the queue to see the new car), a vegan party (where we served solely vegan sushi), and serving a muslim couple a private dinner in their luxury hotel suite. This private dinner was great for me as it was only possible because I am a female sushi chef, a male chef would have been inappropriate due to the couple's religion.
"One other highlight would be the sushi-making classes that I am currently doing as local after-school clubs in Hammersmith where I get to teach kids about healthy eating through sushi. They love trying to make the sushi themselves and I get to show them that preparing fresh, healthy food can be really fun - although that often involves arriving home with more than a few grains of rice in my hair."
What do you think has been key to your success?
"I'd have to say the quality of my food along with my determination. I prepare everything fresh from scratch, so I don't use any pre-packaged food, and I make sure that I use only the freshest fish for all my dishes.
"By preparing everything myself, I can tailor each dish to the occasion/client and take into account any special requirements without worrying about hidden ingredients or additives.
"Also, I'm open to any catering challenge however big or small, weird or wonderful, and I really enjoy what I do so I think that shows in my work. Word of mouth has been fantastic for helping spread my name and reputation; with personal recommendations being so important in the catering world I believe that great food should speak for itself."
As well as your successful businesses you have three children. How have you found being a working professional mum?
"My children have been a major part of my inspiration for developing my sushi business. Making sure they eat healthily is an important part of parenting and sharing that philosophy is crucial to my work. My son Leon is autistic and has food intolerances so I am continually reading up on nutrition and about the best foods to use.
"This has also helped me in catering for people with special dietary requirements as I'm used to thinking about ingredients and possible alternatives. Fortunately, being my own boss also allows me the flexibility to spend time with my children and I try to make the most of that and be there for them as much as possible."
Visit Makiko Matthew's Japanese Tapas restaurant Suzu in London (http://www.suzuonline.co.uk), join her sushi-making classes (http://www.meetup.com/Japanese-cooking-class/) or have her serve sushi at your next event or dinner party: makiko@suzuonline.co.uk.
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