The United States Immigration process can be long, complicated and very confusing. An immigration attorney can be invaluable in helping you navigate the process. He or she can help you determine which visas you should apply for and how best to navigate paperwork that can be lengthy and complicated. With such specialized help, you can rest easier in the knowledge that you have the best ally you could get in your immigration process. Additionally, there are situations outside of the application process that may impact your immigration status, and an attorney should be consulted in these circumstances as well.
Help in the application process.
If you have applied before and have been denied.
An attorney should be able to assist you in figuring out what went wrong and whether and how it can be fixed. It is important not to file multiple applications that may be inconsistent with each other—this will make you look untrustworthy or even like you might be lying.
Furthermore, the more substantial the reason for the denial was, the more important it becomes to hire an attorney from that point on. Missing a blank on an application form has a simple fix, but if removal proceedings have started then you may not be able to navigate the situation successfully on your own.
If your application is denied, read the notice you receive very carefully. It will likely tell you the reason for the denial.
If it contains any notices to appear in court, then do not ignore or forget them. Failing to appear in court can result in your removal from the country and will limit what can be done to help you. Once your application is in the immigration court system, it is no longer a matter of merely amending or re-submitting forms, and the procedures you will need to follow are entirely different from those governing the application process.
Furthermore, an immigration attorney will be able to advise you as to how any prior immigration court proceedings might impact your current application.
Similarly, if your application is experiencing significant delays and you are unclear as to why then it is wise to hire an attorney to help you.
Immigration attorneys will not have any special "backdoors" or "inside secrets" to expedite your application. But they might know someone who can give you a clear answer as to why your application is taking so long.
Getting a work visa can be a particularly tedious and complicated process. If you are an employer wishing to sponsor a foreign-born worker for a green card, then you must meet certain requirements on top of navigating the application process itself. This includes completing the labor certification process (known as PERM) and advertising for the job in a way that meets certain strict requirements. An immigration attorney is best placed to assist you throughout this process.
Similarly, if you are a foreign-born worker whose prospective employer has not offered to assist you with applying for a work visa, you are still going to have to make sure the employer has met all of these requirements on top of doing your best to comply with your side of the application process. Much better to have the help of an immigration attorney than to risk significant delays or denial.
Certain family situations may affect your application or status.
If you were married to a US citizen but are now divorced or in the process of divorce, it is wise to consult with an immigration attorney to determine whether this will impact your immigration application or status. Similarly, if you have a child who might reach the age of twenty-one before your permanent resident status would be granted, that may also impact your application, and you will require additional assistance.
In any of these situations, you absolutely should hire an immigration attorney. Assume that if any of these circumstances apply to you the United States government will discover them. Making any misrepresentations about these circumstances is guaranteed to create a problem for you. Doing so may result in your deportation.


text:
namespace rosidl_typesupport_coredx_c
{

ROSIDL_TYPESUPPORT_COREDX_C_PUBLIC
cdx_char32_t * create_wstring_from_u16string(
  const rosidl_generator_c__U16String & u16str);

ROSIDL_TYPESUPPORT_COREDX_C_PUBLIC
bool wstring_to_u16string(
  const cdx_char32_t * wstr, rosidl_generator_c__U16String & u16str);

ROSIDL_TYPESUPPORT_COREDX_C_PUBLIC
bool copy_wstring_from_u16string(
  cdx_char32_t * dest, const rosidl_generator_c__U16String * src, uint32_t max );

}  // namespace rosidl_typesupport_coredx_c

#endif  // ROSIDL_TYPESUPPORT_COREDX_C__WSTRING_CONVERSION_HPP_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Looker Marketing has helped us enhance our brand, and ultimately sales, by initially auditing our marketing communications and analysing our customers. They were then able to undertake an ongoing marketing campaign utilising a wide range of media: from press advertising and PR through to point of sale; from direct mail through to signage. It's helped us achieve our goal of remaining attractive to our traditional customers whilst also opening up a new, younger market.
The bottom line is that we've significantly increased our turnover and profitability. Through a combination of creative flair and a practical hands-on, can-do attitude, Gareth has in effect become our ongoing in-house marketing department.
I hired Gareth to develop and bring forward a number of ideas for advertising my business. Right from our initial meeting I knew I had made the right decision and was in safe hands.
Gareth listened, advised and delivered everything I needed, promptly and efficiently. There is a real enthusiasm in his approach which is refreshingly free from jargon and buzz-words.
I'll definitely be going back to Gareth with my next project.
We have worked together with Looker Marketing Communications for over 25 years and they have always delivered a modern, fresh and creative approach to our marketing and advertising requirements.
Company identity and brand recognition have always been a high priority for us and Looker has always managed to meet or exceed our expectations, with a personal touch that makes us feel that we are their only customer – an approach that we have always tried to adopt with our own customers.
Frequently we receive positive comments from our customers, and sometimes our competitors, on the design, content and style of our catalogues and ad's, which is very much a reflection of the professional service that we receive from Looker Marketing Communications.
We look forward to working together with LMC in the future to help ensure that our brand remains one of the most recognised in our industry.
We have worked with Looker for well over 10 years on lots of different projects. The input he gives is excellent and has helped advance our business. When we had a completely new project to get off the ground, Lookers was our first call. The advice given led to concept and design and we now have an exciting new brand in our portfolio.
Many thanks for the sales campaign for Surface Control and successfully launching the Slip Guardian at the recent trade show. The project has been a complete success with an unprecedented favourable reply on your brochure design, banners and media activity. I am please to say that sales have increased considerably with your efforts.
I would also like to thank you for the art and design work for the iHOD literature and pop ups, your suggestions on less is more worked perfectly for the targeted audience.


Mots clé: Aquatic geochemistry, solid and aqueous carbonate geochemistry, solid-solution interactions, early diagenesis, environmental geochemistry, oceanography, biosorption.
Trace metal geochemistry in freshwater and marine environments. Recent studies include the remobilization of trace metals in marine and coastal sediments as well as the fate of redox-sensitive species (e.g., Mn, Fe, As, Re, U, Mo) in sediments under varying conditions of oxygenation.
Since 2002, we have investigated factors responsible for the development of hypoxic conditions in the bottom waters of the Lower Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence as well as the impacts of hypoxia on the chemistry of the underlying sediments and the concomitant acidification of the waters.
Early diagenesis of marine, coastal and estuarine sediments including the biochemical processes that control the accumulation and preservation of organic and inorganic carbon in marine sediments and the generation of hypoxic bottom waters in the St. Lawrence Estuary.
The carbon cycle in the oceans, most recently within the Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study (CASES), Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL), GEOTRACES, MALINA and ArcticNet programs in the Beaufort Sea and throughout the northwest passage. We have acquired multiproxy data since 2003, including two continuous 12-month records, to characterize the carbon budget, the magnitude and seasonality of the carbon dioxide flux at the air-sea interface, and identify the various water masses.
Application of chemical thermodynamics, kinetics and surface chemistry to the characterization of equilibrium mineral phases in natural aquatic environments and the study of solid-solution interactions. In most natural waters, the solid phases that control the solubility of their dissolved constituents are rarely pure phases since they adsorb and incorporate foreign ions present in solution. The partitioning of these ions in the solids is determined by their affinity for the solid surface, their compatibility with the solid structure, and the rate at which the solids are precipitated. Most recent work has focussed on modeling charge development and the electrokinetic properties of carbonate minerals in the framework of surface complexation theory.
Sulpis, O., Mucci, A., Boudreau, B.P., Barry, M.A., Johnson, B.D., 2019. Controlling the diffusive boundary layer thickness above the sediment–water interface in a thermostated rotating‐disk reactor. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods.
Mol, J., Helmuth, T., Myers, P.G., Hu, X. and Mucci, A., 2018. Inorganic carbon fluxes on the Mackenzie Shelf of the Beaufort Sea. Biogeosciences 15 (4), 1011-1027.
Sulpis, O., Boudreau, B.P., Mucci, A., Jenkins, C., Trossman, D.S., Arbic, B.K., Key, R.M., 2018. Current CaCO3 dissolution at the seafloor caused by anthropogenic CO2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115(46), 11700-11705.
Veetil, S.P., Mucci, A. and Arakaki, T., 2018. Dolomite dissolution kinetics in aqueous solutions in the presence of organic and inorganic additives at 25° C and pCO2~ 1 atm. Chemical Geology 483, 98-110.
Hussherr, R., Levasseur, M., Lizotte, M., Tremblay, J.-É., Mol, J., Thomas, H., Gosselin, M., Starr, M., Miller, L.A., Jarniková, T., Schuback, N., Mucci, A., 2017. Impact of ocean acidification on Arctic phytoplankton blooms and dimethyl sulfide concentration under simulated ice-free and under-ice conditions. Biogeosciences 14 (9), 2407-2427.
Sulpis, O., Lix, C., Mucci, A., Boudreau, B.P., 2017. Calcite dissolution kinetics at the sediment-water interface in natural seawater. Marine Chemistry 195, 70-83.
Veetil, S.P., Mucci, A., Arakaki, T., 2017. Dolomite dissolution in aqueous solutions in the presence of nucleotides and their structural components at 25°C and pCO2 ~1atm. Chemical Geology 465, 64-74.
Mahoutian, M., Shao, Y., Mucci, A., Fournier, B., 2015. Carbonation and hydration behavior of EAF and BOF steel slag binders. Materials and Structures/Materiaux et Constructions 48 (9), 3075-3085.
Mucci, A., Bernier, G., Guignard, C., 2015. Mercury remobilization in Saguenay Fjord (Quebec, Canada) sediments: Insights following a mass-flow event and its capping efficiency. Applied Geochemistry 54, 13-26.
Pellerin, A., Bui, T.H., Rough, M., Mucci, A., Canfield, D.E., Wing, B.A., 2015. Mass-dependent sulfur isotope fractionation during reoxidative sulfur cycling: A case study from Mangrove Lake, Bermuda. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 149, 152-164.
Sundby, B., Lecroart, P., Anschutz, P., Katsev, S., Mucci, A., 2015. When deep diagenesis in Arctic Ocean sediments compromises manganese-based geochronology. Marine Geology 366, 62-68.
Barber, A., Lalonde, K., Mucci, A., Gélinas, Y. 2014, The role of iron in the diagenesis of organic carbon and nitrogen in sediments: A long-term incubation experiment, Marine Chemistry, vol. 162, pp. 1-9.
Giesbrecht, K.E., Miller, L.A., Davelaar, M., Zimmermann, S., Carmack, E., Johnson, W.K., Macdonald, R.W., McLaughlin, F., Mucci, A., Williams, W.J., Wong, C.S., Yamamoto-Kawai, M. 2014, Measurements of the dissolved inorganic carbon system and associated biogeochemical parameters in the Canadian Arctic, 1974-2009, Earth System Science Data, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 91-104.
Kim, S.-T., Gebbinck, C.K., Mucci, A., Coplen, T.B. 2014, Oxygen isotope systematics in the aragonite-CO2-H2O-NaCl system up to 0.7mol/kg ionic strength at 25°C, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 137, pp. 147-158.
Luther, G.W., Madison, A.S., Mucci, A., Sundby, B., Oldham, V.E., 2014. A kinetic approach to assess the strengths of ligands bound to soluble Mn(III). Marine Chemistry, in press.
Miller, L.A., Giesbrecht, K.E., Mucci, A. and Zimmerman, S. In press. Changes in the marine carbonate system of the western Arctic: Patterns in a rescued data set. Polar Research.
Shao, Y., El-Bagdadi, A., He, Z., Mucci, A. and Fournier, B. In press. Carbon dioxide activated steel slag for slag-bonded wallboard application. J. Materials Civil Engineering.
Silverberg, N., Bahena, F.A., Mucci, A. 2014, Time-series measurements of settling particulate matter in Alfonso Basin, La Paz Bay, southwestern Gulf of California. Continental Shelf Research, vol. 84, pp .169-187.
Else, B.G.T., Galley, R.J., Lansard, B., Barber, D.G., Brown, K., Miller, L.A., Mucci, A., Papakyriakou, T.N., Tremblay, J.-É., Rysgaard, S. 2013, Further observations of a decreasing atmospheric CO2 uptake capacity in the Canada Basin (Arctic Ocean) due to sea ice loss, Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 1132-1137.
Madison, A.S., Tebo, B.M., Mucci, A., Sundby, B., Luther III, G.W. 2013, Abundant porewater Mn(III) is a major component of the sedimentary redox system, Science, vol. 341, no. 6148, pp. 875-878.
Pratte, S., Mucci, A., Garneau, M. 2013, Historical records of atmospheric metal deposition along the St. Lawrence Valley (eastern Canada) based on peat bog cores, Atmospheric Environment, vol. 79, pp. 831-840.
Richard, D., Sundby, B., Mucci, A. 2013, Kinetics of manganese adsorption, desorption, and oxidation in coastal marine sediments, Limnology and Oceanography, vol. 58, no. 3, pp. 987-996.
Else, B.G.T., Papakyriakou, T.N., Galley, R.J., Mucci, A., Gosselin, M., Miller, L.A., Shadwick, E.H., Thomas, H. 2012. Annual cycles of pCO2 sw in the southeastern Beaufort Sea : New understandings of air-sea CO2 exchange in arctic polynya regions. Journal of Geophysical Research C : Oceans, 117 (4), art. no. C00G13.
Lalonde, K., Mucci, A., Ouellet, A., Gélinas, Y. 2012. Preservation of organic matter in sediments promoted by iron. Nature, 483 (7388) 198-200.
Lansard, B., Mucci, A., Miller, L.A., MacDonald, R.W., Gratton, Y. 2012. Seasonal variability of water mass distribution in the southeastern Beaufort Sea determined by total alkalinity and δ18O. Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans, 117 (3) art. No. C03003.
Lefort, S., Gratton, Y., Mucci, A., Dadou, I., Gilbert, D. 2012. Hypoxia in the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary: How physics controls spatial patterns. Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans, 117 (7), art. no. C07018.
Lefort, S., Mucci, A., Sundby, B. 2012. Sediment response to 25 years of persistent hypoxia. Aquatic Geochemistry, 18(6), 461-474.
Thibodeau, B., Lehmann, M.F., Kowarzyk, J., Mucci, A., Gélinas, Y., Gilbert, D., Maranger, R., Alkhatib, M. 2012. Erratum to " Benthic nutrient fluxes along the laurentian channel: Environmental controls and impact on the N-budget of the St. Lawrence marine system" [Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 90 (4) (2010) 195-205]. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 107, 165.
Chierici M., Fransson A., Lansard B., Miller L.A., Mucci A., Shadwick E., Thomas H., Tremblay J.-E. and Papakyriakou T. 2011. The impact of biogeochemical processes and environmental factors on the calcium carbonate saturation state in the Circumpolar Flaw Lead in the Amundsen Gulf, Arctic Ocean. J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 116: C00G09.
Crowe, S., Katsev, S., Leslie, K., Sturm, A., Magen, C., Nomosatryo, S., Pack, M., Kessler, J., Reeburgh, W., Roberts, J., Gonzalez, L., Haffner, G., Mucci, A., Sundby, B., Fowle, D., 2011. The methane cycle in ferruginous Lake Matano, Geobiology, 9(1), 61-78.
Genovesi, L., de Vernal, A., Thibodeau, B., Hillaire-Marcel, C., Mucci, A., Gilbert, D., 2011. Recent changes in bottom water oxygenation and temperature in the gulf of st. Lawrence: Micropaleontological and geochemical evidence, Limnology and Oceanography, 56(4), 1319-1329.
Mackensie, F.T., Mucci, A., Luther III, G.W. 2011. Preface to John W. Morse Special Issue of Aquatic Geochemistry. Aquatic Geochemistry, 17 (4), 307-310.
Magen, C., Mucci, A., Sundby, B., 2011. Reduction rates of sedimentary Mn and Fe oxides: an incubation experiment with Arctic Ocean sediments. Aquatic Geochemistry, 17, 629-643.
Miller, L. A., Papakyriakou, T.N., Collins, R.E., Deming, J.W., Ehn, J.K., Macdonald, R.W., Mucci, A., Owens, O., Raudsepp, M., Sutherland, N. 2011. Carbon dynamics in sea ice: A winter flux time series, Journal of Geophysical Research, 116, C02028, doi:10.1029/2009JC006058.
Mucci, A., Starr, M., Gilbert, D., Sundby, B., 2011. Acidification of Lower St. Lawrence Estuary bottom waters, Atmosphere-Ocean, 49, 206-213.
Thomas, H., Shadwick, E., Dehairs, F., Lansard, B., Mucci, A., Navez, J., Gratton, Y., Prowe, F., Chierici, M., Fransson, A., Papakyriakou, T.N., Strenberg, E., Miller, L., Tremblay, J.-E., Monnin, C., 2011. Barium and carbon fluxes in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 116, C00G08.
Shadwick, E.H., Thomas, H., Chierici, M., Else, B., Fransson, A., Michel, C., Miller, L.A., Mucci, A., Niemi, A., Papakyriakou, T.N., Tremblay, J.-É., 2011. Seasonal variability of the inorganic carbon system in the Amundsen Gulf region of the Southeastern Beaufort Sea, Limnology and Oceanography 56(1), 303-322.
Katsev, S., Crowe, S.A., Mucci, A., Sundby, B., Nomosatryo, S., Haffner, G.D., Fowle, D.A., 2010. Mixing in deep tropical Lake Matano, Indonesia: Controls on the vertical distribution of solutes, Limnology and Oceanography, 55(2), 763-776.
Magen, C., Chaillou, G., Crowe, S.A., Mucci, A., Sundby, B., Gao,.A., Makabe, R., Sasaki, H., 2010. Origin and fate of particulate organic matter in the Southern Beaufort Sea - Amundsen Gulf region, Canadian Arctic, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 86(1), 31-41.
Mucci, A., Lansard, B., Miller, L.A., Papakyriakou, T.N., 2010. CO2 fluxes across the air‐sea interface in the southeastern Beaufort Sea: Ice‐free period, Journal of Geophysical Research, 115(4), C04003, doi:10.1029/2009JC005330.
Thibodeau, B., de Vernal, A., Hillaire-Marcel, C., Mucci, A., 2010. Twentieth Century warming in deep waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence: A unique feature of the last millennium, Geophysical Research Letters, 37, L17604, doi:10.1029/2010GL044771.
Thibodeau, B., Lehmann, M.F., Kowarzyk, J., Mucci, A., Gélinas, Y., Gilbert, D., Maranger, R., Alkhatib, M., 2010. Benthic nutrient fluxes along the Laurentian Channel: Impacts on the N budget of the St. Lawrence marine system, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 90(4), 195-205.
Villegas-Jimenez, A., Mucci, A., 2010. Estimating intrinsic formation constants of mineral surface species using a genetic algorithm, Mathematical Geosciences, 42, 101-127, doi: 10.1007/s11004-009-9259-8.
Villegas-Jiménez, A., Mucci, A., Pokrovsky, O.S., Schott, J., 2010. Acid-base behavior of the gaspeite (NiCO3(s)) surface in NaCl solutions, Langmuir, 26 (15), 12626-12639.
Kim, S.-T., Kang, J.O., Yun, S.-T., O'Neil, J.R., Mucci, A., 2009. Experimental studies of oxygen isotope fractionation between rhodochrosite (MnCO3) and water at low temperatures, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 73 (15), 4400-4408, doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2009.04.018.
Lehmann, M.F., Barnett, B., Gélinas, Y., Gilbert, D., Maranger, R., Mucci, A., Sundby, B., Thibodeau, B., 2009. Aerobic respiration and hypoxia in the lower St. Lawrence Estuary: Stable isotope ratios of dissolved oxygen constrain oxygen sink partitioning, Limnology and Oceanography, 54(6), 2157-2169.
Villegas-Jiménez, A., Mucci, A., Paquette, J., 2009. Proton/calcium ion exchange equilibria in calcite, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 11(32), 8895-8912, DOI:10.1039/B815198A.
Villegas-Jiménez, A., Mucci, A., Pokrovsky, O.S., Schott, J., 2009. Defining Reactive Sites on Hydrated Mineral Surfaces: Rhombohedral Carbonate Minerals, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 73 (15), 4326-4345, doi:10.1016/j.gca.2009.04.036.
Villegas-Jiménez, A., Mucci, A., Whitehead, M.A., 2009. Theoretical insights into the hydrated (10.4) calcite surface: Structure, energetics, and bonding relationships, Langmuir, 25 (12), 6813-6824.
Crowe, S.A., Jones, C., Katsev, S., Magen, C., O'Neill, A.H., Sturm, A, Canfield, D., Haffner, G.D., Mucci, A., Sundby, B., Fowle, D.A., 2008. Photoferrotrophs thrive in an Archean Ocean analogue, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 105(41), 15938-15943.
Crowe, S.A., O'Neill, A.H., Katsev, S., Hehanussa, P., Haffner, G.D., Sundby, B., Mucci, A., Fowle, D., 2008. The biogeochemistry of tropical lakes: A case study from ancient Lake Matano, Indonesia, Limnology and Oceanography, 53(1), 319-331.
Mucci, A., Forest, A., Fortier, L., Fukuchi, M., Grant, J., Hattori, H., Hill, P., Lintern, G., Makabe, R., Magen, C., Miller, L., Sampei, M., Sasaki, H., Sundby, B., Walker, T., Wassmann, P., 2008. Organic and Inorganic Fluxes. In : L. Fortier, D.G. Barber and J. Michaud (Eds.), On Thin Ice: A synthesis of the Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study (CASES), Aboriginal Issues Press, Chapter 7, 143-158, 215pp.
Katsev, S., Chaillou, G., Sundby, B.,Mucci, A., 2007. Impact of progressive oxygen depletion on sediment diagenesis and fluxes: A model for the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary, Limnol. Oceanogr., 52(6), 2555-2568. GEOTOP Publication n° 2007-0058.
Kim, S.-T., Mucci, A. , Taylor, B.E., 2007. Phosphoric acid fractionation factors for calcite and aragonite between 25 and 75°C: revisited, Chemical Geology, 246 (3-4), 135-146.
Kim, S.-T., O'Neil, J.R., Hillaire-Marcel, C., Mucci, A., 2007. Oxygen isotope fractionation between synthetic aragonite and water: Influence of temperature and Mg2+ concentration, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 71, 4704–4715. GEOTOP Publication n°2007-0027.
McKay, J.L., Pedersen, T.F. , Mucci, A., 2007. Sedimentary redox conditions in continental margin sediments (N.E. Pacific) – Influence on the accumulation of redox-sensitive trace metals, Chemical Geology, 238, 180-196.
Benoît, P., Gratton, Y., Mucci, A., 2006. Modeling of dissolved oxygen levels in the bottom waters of the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary: coupling of benthic and pelagic processes, Marine Chemistry, 102, 13-32.
Chien, Y.-C., Mucci, A., Paquette, J., Sears, S.K., Vali, H., 2006. Comparative study of nanoscale surface structures of calcite microcrystals using FE-SEM, AFM, and TEM, Microscopy and Microanalysis, 12, 1-9.
Desrosiers, M., Planas, D., Mucci, A., 2006. Total mercury and methylmercury accumulation in periphyton of Boreal Shield Lakes: influence of watershed physiographic characteristics, Science of the Total Environment, 355, 247-258. GEOTOP Publication n° 2006-0019.
Desrosiers, M., Planas, D., Mucci, A., 2006. Mercury methylation in the epilithon of Boreal Shield aquatic ecosystems, Environmental Science & Technology, 40, 1540-1546. GEOTOP Publication n° 2006-0006.
Desrosiers, M., Planas, D., Mucci, A., 2006. Short-term responses to watershed logging on biomass, mercury and methylmercury accumulation by periphyton in boreal lakes, Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 63, 1734-1745. GEOTOP Publication n° 2006-0005.
Katsev, S., Sundby ,B., Mucci, A., 2006. Modeling vertical excursions of the redox boundary in sediments: Application to deep basins of the Arctic Ocean, Limnol. Oceanogr., 51, 1581-1593.
Kim, S.-T., Hillaire- Marcel, C. , Mucci, A., 2006. Mechanisms of equilibrium and kinetic oxygen isotope effects in synthetic aragonite at 25°C, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 70, 5790-5801, doi:10.1016/ j.gca.2006.08.003. GEOTOP Publication n° 2006-0001.
Thibodeau, B., de Vernal, A., Mucci, A., 2006. Recent eutrophication and consequent hypoxia in the bottom waters of the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary: micropaleontological and geochemical evidence, Marine Geology, 231, 37-50. GEOTOP Publication n° 2006-0007.
Gilbert, D., Sundby, B., Gobeil, C., Mucci, A., Tremblay, G., 2005. A seventy-two-year record of diminishing deep-water oxygen in the St. Lawrence estuary – the northwest Atlantic connection, Limnol. Oceanogr., 50, 1654-1666.
Mucci, A., 2004. The behavior of mixed Ca-Mn carbonates in water and seawater: controls of manganese concentrations in marine porewaters, Aquatic Geochemistry, 10, 139-169. GEOTOP Publication n° 2004-0006.
Davis, T.A., Ramirez, M., Mucci, A., Larsen, B., 2004. Extraction, isolation and cadmium binding of alginate from Sargassum spp., J. Applied Phycology, 16, 275-284. GEOTOP Publication n° 2004-0004.
Garand, A., Mucci, A., 2004. The solubility of fluorite as a function of ionic strength and solution composition at 25°C and 1 atm total pressure, Marine Chemistry, 91, 27-35. GEOTOP Publication n° 2004-0005.
Davis, T.A., El Cheikh Ali, F., Giannitti, E., Volesky, B., Mucci, A., 2004. Cadmium biosorption by S. fluitans: treatment, resilience and uptake relative to other Sargassum spp. and brown algae, Water Qual. Res. J. Can., 39, 183-189. GEOTOP Publication n° 2004-0007.
Friss, A.K., Davis, T.A., Figueira, M.M., Paquette, J., Mucci, A., 2003. Influence of Bacillus subtilis cell walls and EDTA on calcite dissolution rates and crystal surface features, Environ. Sci. Technol., 37, 2376-2382. GEOTOP Publication n° 2003-0002.
Davis, T.A., Volesky, B., Mucci, A., 2003. A review of the biochemistry of heavy metal biosorption by brown algae, Water Res., 37, 4311-4330. GEOTOP Publication n° 2003-0003.
Davis, T.A., Llanes, F., Volesky, B., Diaz-Pulido, G., McCook, L., Mucci, A., 2003. A 1H-NMR study of Na alginates extracted from Sargassum spp. In relation to heavy metal biosorption, Applied Biochem and Biotechnol. Journal, 110, 75-90. GEOTOP Publication n° 2003-0004.
Gao, Y., Mucci, A., 2003. Individual and competitive adsorption of phosphate and arsenate on goethite in artificial seawater, Chem. Geol., 199, 91-109. GEOTOP Publication n° 2003-0005.
Mucci, A., Boudreau, B., Guignard, C., 2003. Diagenetic mobility of trace elements in sediments covered by a flash flood deposit: Mn, Fe, and As, Applied Geochem., 18, 1011-1026.
Davis, T.A., Llanes, F., Volesky, B., Mucci, A., 2003. Metal selectivity of Sargassum spp. and their alginates in relation to their α-L-guluronic acid content and conformation, Environm. Sci. Technol., 37, 261-267. GEOTOP Publication n° 2003-0007.
Deflandre, B., Mucci, A., Gagné, J.-P., Guignard, C., Sundby, B., 2002. Early diagenetic processes in coastal marine sediments disturbed by a catastrophic sedimentation event, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 66, 2547-2558.
Leduc, J., Bilodeau, G., de Vernal, A., Mucci, A., 2002. Distribution of benthic foraminiferal populations in surface sediments of the Saguenay Fjord, before and after the 1996 flood, Palaeogeogr., Palaeclimatol., Paleoecology, 180, 207-223. GEOTOP Publication n° 2002-0003.
Gao, Y., Mucci, A., 2001. Acid base reactions, phosphate and arsenate complexation, and their competitive adsorption at the surface of goethite in 0.7M NaCl, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 65, 2361-2378. GEOTOP Publication n° 2001-0002.
Anschutz, P., Sundby, B., Lefrançois, L., Luthier III, G.W., Mucci, A., 2000. Interactions between metal oxides and species of nitrogen and iodine in bioturbated marine sediments, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 64, 2751-2763.
Mucci, A., Richard, L.-F., Lucotte, M., Guignard, C., 2000. The differential geochemical behaviour of arsenic and phosphorus in the water column and sediments of the Saguenay Fjord Estuary, Canada, Aquatic Geochem., 6, 293-324. GEOTOP Publication n° 2000-0002.
Saulnier, I., Mucci, A., 2000. Trace metal remobilization following the resuspension of estuarine sediments: Saguenay Fjord, Canada, Appl. Geochem., 15, 203-222.
Silverberg, N., Sundby, B., Mucci, A., Zhong, S., Arakaki, T., Hall, P., Landen, A., Tenberg, A., 2000. Remineralization of organic carbon in eastern Canadian margin sediments, Deep-Sea Res., 47, 699-731.
Mucci, A., Sundby, B., Gehlen, M., Arakaki, T., Zhong, S., Silverberg, N., 2000. The fate of carbon in continental shelf sediments of Eastern Canada: A case study, Deep-Sea Res., 47, 733-760.
St-Onge, G., Leduc, J., Bilodeau, G., de Vernal, A., Devilliers, R., Hillaire-Marcel, C., Loucheur V., Marmen, S., Mucci, A., Zhang, D., 1999. Caractérisation des sédiments récents du fjord du Saguenay (Québec) à partir de traceurs physiques, géochimiques, isotopiques et micropaléontologiques, Géographie Physique et Quaternaire, 53, 339-350. GEOTOP Publication n° 1999-0001.


Although hopefully we'll have some good news to report after the doctor visit on Thursday we're still pretty much doing nothing. We were going to go out both last night and the night before before dawn and drive about 20 miles to get out of the city lights to watch the annual Perseids meteor shower…but it was overcast both nights so we missed them. The shower gradually tapers off over time though…and tonight is supposed to be clear so we're going to set an alarm for 0200 again and see if the skies are clear before heading out if they are.
Just in case we miss them tonight; here's a composite shot I grabbed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day web site that was taken early Monday morning…hopefully we'll have our own pictures tomorrow.
They're past peak tonight but there should still be some to view assuming the weather cooperates. The shower is named because they appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus but the dust particles are actually pieces of the comet Swift-Tuttle which remain behind in it's orbit.
Connie went out and got her nails done today and brought home some yellowfin tuna…we'll sear that and have the mostly raw tuna along with some wasabi and rice for dinner.
good luck with the foot doc today – i hope there's some progress there, i gotta figure you're plenty tired of the crutches… pass da news along when you can.
Good news; in boot as of today�and we should have some pics early next week from the Columbia River gorge.


text:
"Inlay": Khatam-Kari
Familiarity with the art of "Inlay" (Khatam-Kari)
Definition of Inlay in the Persian Encyclopedia is:" The art of decorating objects in mosaic-like shapes with small triangles. Various Khatam pattern has always been in regular geometric shapes. These geometric shapes are formed by placing small triangles next to each other. Artists make triangles from wood, metal and bone. Whatever the triangles are smaller and more elegant, Khatam becomes more qualitative. At least three triangles are used to construct the smallest geometric unit in a Khatam pattern, and for the largest one, there is a maximum of four hundred triangles.
"This art came to Iran in this modern fashion before the Safavid dynasty and during the Mongol Ilkhanate period and following the creation of a direct relationship between Iran and China. Some other scholars also believe that Inlying was founded in the Deylaman era in Iran and in the city of Shiraz, and peaked in the Safavid era, because, on the one hand, the government supported the artists, and on the other hand, the trade relations with the far and near countries helped to expand the art of Khatam. Before the advent of Islam, Khatam-sazi(making-khatam) has become popular in Iran and the way it worked; was the cubes were cut to the sides of four millimetres, with a single coloured wood and they were nailing and mount on a plate with a variety of designs and this manner was common until several centuries after Islam. At present, there is an Inlying pulpit with this method in the Atigh Jame' Mosque of Shiraz, which has passed more than a thousand years since its construction.
Required items for Inlay
Work tool
Metal clamp, sharp rasp, hammer, pincer, masalas sab, sim sab-dar saw, Moghar, metal meter, fixed ruler and tir-dar ruler, Set square and compasses.
This art has two steps:
1.Making-Khatam, which includes operations such as Khatam designing preparation of materials, cutting raw materials, combination and creating flowers, and ultimately making "ghame"(A rectangular cube object that has an average length of 40 cm and a width of 10 cm and a diameter of 3 cm and made from wood or Khatam) and will be cut and finally initial Khatam is prepared.
2. Inlay includes the design of the substructure, design of the sticking the Khatam layers on the underlying board, polishing and working of Inlay objects.
Khatam construction Method: In Inlying, artist cut wood, bone or metal into triangular prisms and arrange them together in such a way that the transverse section of these triangles have regular geometric shapes, then thin slices are arranged in a special order on a thin wooden sheet with glue (sirish), and after the drying, master installing the sheets on the objects and it's ready to decorate.
Wood types are one of the most important materials of Khatam-sazi, which includes Jujube, Sour Orange, Maple, Walnut, Acer monspessulanum, Tabrizi, Box, Ebony, Betel and Logwood. Types of bones are also used to make Khatam, due to their strength and white colour, including camels, horses and cow, as well as natural and artificial ivory of elephant that are very useful in Khatam. For Khatam's strength and care, colored metals are used in Khatam-sazi. Silver and aluminium are used for white and brass are used for yellow. Artist must take care to provide the wood needed for proper colour and texture and it must have not knots or cracks. Metals should also have a good alloy.
Tools for making-khatam
Grind, Teng, Saw, Rasp, Set square, compasses, Hammer, Pincer, Moghar, Press.
Materials of making-khatam
Wood: Maple, Ebony, Jujube, shah choob, zelkova, Logwood, Sour Orange, Box.
Metal: Gold, silver, copper, brass and aluminium wire.
Bone: Bone of the arm and hand leg of camel or horse, the ivory of the elephant, artificial bones.
Green colour: This colour is made up of a combination of salt-ammoniac (ammonium chloride), copper filings and vinegar. Sliced bones are placed in a coloured solution container and exposed to sunlight for six months. Nowadays, since it's hard to make a camel bone, the sour orange tree is used instead of camel's bone and to colour it, we can use a special green colour of wool dyeing.
Khatam Lubrication:
Basically, the surface of a Khatam is lubricated for two reasons: the shine of Khatam and its protection against moisture, heat and cold. Sandless and polished oil or Jal oil (Pine Tree Sap) were used in the past, later using Hawilux oil and now using polyester.
Khatam production stages:
Firstly, different types of wood and bones are prepared in different colours and cut with their special tools, with 30 cm in diameter and 1 to 2.5 mm in diameter. And the triangles are prepared from them which after the rasping, all sides of it are customized and in accordance with the pattern and to complete the design, triangular-formed wires is needed which there are various stages to prepare them. Then, in order to make Khatam, the desired pattern is drawn by the master. These wooden, bone and metal triangles are arranged by the skilful hands of the artist and glued together by glue. They get tightened by the thread, and this will make the "blade". After a few hours, the thread is opened and the sides of rasped pattern and four of blades that are made put together. And again glued together. The result is "Tugloo". The next stage, known as "Golpichi," is made up of a circular wire, which is arranged in a regular hexagonal form, called "Shamse". Around every six sides of the wires is glued together by glue. It is tied up with a thread and the result is a star design. These designs are repeated so that they are pressed according to the design required. With several steps of cutting and glueing the very thin layers of wood around it, an initial Khatam design will be created. All these steps from the beginning to the present include more than 400 work steps.
Qualitative Khatam Features:
The level of work is smooth and there is no empty place in Khatam.
The uniformity of colours and materials used in making Khatam.
No change in colour and shape.
Repairs and calks are not specified at the surface of Khatam.
All flowers and shapes, angles and sides are symmetric.
The basis and structure of the pattern be accurate and has engineering-base so that all dimensions are identical, symmetrical and equal because if the chassis was not accurate, the best Khatam will not lustre and the whole scheme is ugly. That's why a Khatam maker artist must be a carpenter too.
Painting and coating the product must be skilful and without any damage and any defect.
The smaller the roles and triangles the greater the quality and value of the work.
Khatam-sazi works at different periods
Safavid era is the brightest period of Making-Khatam in Iran.
During the Qajar period, the entrance to the treasury and shrine of Hazrat Abdul Azim (AS) and the entrance of the ancient Iranian museum are made which are the most beautiful Khatam of the world.
Inlay patterns
Generally, three types of designs or patterns are used in the art of Inlying, based on all of these designs is the use of wood, bone, shell, and metal in the form of wire. These designs include the pattern of text, the margins and the single flowers. Some of these designs are two-round clouds (abre do Dori), 7 shams, barge moo, pigeon, allahei, butterfly, sun, jar, spear, por sim, taghi, tokhme dar and toopi. Some of these plans will be discussed later. It is necessary to recall that these designs were photographed from the archives of Professor Ayoubi.
"A combination of regular polygons," "the art of decorating wooden objects in the form of mosaic," "Carving a design by wooden parts and other materials that will later be installed on a wooden floor"...These are sentences attracting the attention of viewers in any search made on Khatam and Inlying. But why is this art called "Inlying "? And why "Khatam"? In a search in the Dehkhoda dictionary, we arrive at one of the meanings of the word Khatam, which is as follows: "The seal and the ring with which it is stamped; and it is the tools and supplies of the kings and put it to the decoration for fingertips. And so it was called Khatam because the kings' manuscript ended with it."
It was probably Khatam, which the kings had on their hands, made of wood or bone, and their name or nickname was written with pieces of wood and bone, which today is called the art of mosaic-wood or Khatam.
What is Inlying? The art of mosaic-wood that has been given to this art.
Currently, the oldest thing that is decorated with Khatam is a thousand-year-old pulpit that is available in the Shiraz Atiq mosque.
Making Khatam has various stages, and the person who makes Khatam must be familiar with various tools and carpentry techniques. In making Khatam, the needed raw are kinds of wood, such as Ebony, Maple, walnut, Logwood, Jujube, Sour Orange, Montpellier maple, populous and various types of bones such as bone and ivory, camel bones and horse bones. Tools like metal wires, hammer, saws, shaver, rasp, Wood glue and glue are also used.
In the production of Khatam, at first, they cut the necessary materials, such as wood and bone types, in very small geometric dimensions. And they bring them together in different geometric shapes with copper or aluminium wires. The master sticks these shapes together on the desired board after rasping and sticking together by glue.
In Khatam-sazi, the following materials are used:
For the production of Khatam products, various materials are used:
Wood types such as Ebony, Areca palm, Logwood, Jujube, Sour Orange, Maple, Acer monspessulanum, Tabrizi, Box.
Types of bones and ivory, such as ivory elephant, camel bone, cow bone and horse bone.
Types of metal wires like brass, silver and sometimes gold wire
Nakh-Parak
In the following, we will mention the characteristics and properties of each of these materials and their application.
Ebony wood:
This kind of wood was used to make black triangles in the old days. This wood has significant strength and is therefore rare and expensive on the market.
This wood is mostly made from India, which is currently rarely used by Khatam makers due to its high cost.
Areca wood:
Although Khatam makers have gradually turned into bean wood, which is used for black and dark browns and more in the Khatam margin, due to the cost and shortage of ebony wood, but now, since this type of wood is found more often in India And it's rare in the country, it does not have a significant use in Khatam-Sazi. In addition, if Khatam makers want to use this type of wood, often provide it from the old desk and chairs that are made of Areca wood.
Walnut wood:
Most Khatam makers now use walnut woods to produce black triangles, which, after cutting the triangles, painting them with black chemicals colour.
Logwood wood:
The Logwood wood has a natural red colour and is more solid than the same type. Given these characteristics, Khatam makers used Logwood wood to make red-brown triangles in the past, but this wood is also rare and expensive at the moment, and it's found in India.
Jujube wood:
Nowadays, this type of wood is somewhat substituted for the Logwood wood, and Khatam makers use jujube wood, which is reddish-brown, and it mostly founds in Khorasan and Shiraz and its surroundings, Yazd and its surroundings, Qom and Chahar Mahal-o-Bakhtiari. The jujube wood is often turned red with artificial and chemical colours.
Sour Orangewood:
Sour Orangewood is mostly found in the provinces of Fars and Mazandaran. This type of wood has a bright brown natural colour that, after cutting the triangles, it turns red, yellow, or black with artificial and chemical colours and used in Khatam.
Maple Wood:
The natural colour of this kind of wood is brown, and after cutting the Khatam's triangle, with artificial and chemical colours, it turns red or yellow.
Acer monspessulanum wood:
Khatam makers use Acer monspessulanum wood in the form that first creates a groove in the form of a triangle and uses it to rub the triangles and the six sides. They actually put cut triangles inside this triangular groove and smooth the sides of the triangle by rasp and then polish it. In fact, they use this wood to moulding the triangular form and the edges of six sides.
Tabrizi or Populus wood:
The back of Khatam, in fact, its linings, comes from this very soft, white wood. The diameter of the liners is about one millimetre. they create narrower grooves with the saw so that it's more smooth, and the Khatam maker can prepare Khatam better in whatever form it wants and stick to the objects.
Buxus Wood:
Buxus wood has high strength and its natural colour is yellow. This wood is found in the lush green forest of Mazandaran.
Elephant ivory:
Mostly natural ivory is found in India and the continent of Africa, and the former was used to make the white colour on Khatam, but currently, due to its high cost, it is less used in Khatam. While due to the beauty and strength that it gives to Khatam, it is still used in the first-class Khatam. For this purpose, the ivory that has Cylinder shape, divided into two pieces from the middle, And they take layers from each side with a thickness of 2 to 3 mm and then form it in the form of different triangles. Currently, Khatam maker often uses artificial ivory.
Camel's bone:
The natural colour of the bone of camel is white and uses it to produce different triangles and colours it in different colours with artificial colour. How to use the camel's bone is that after cutting the eight camel legs, they are cleaned with lime water and placed in lime water and stay in lime water for six months to remove bulk and bone fat, so that the bone be completely white. Then they scratch it with a special ax and then cut triangles and layers from it that are used in Khatam next to wood and other metals. The camel's bone is used as a natural colour in Khatam or make it green with chemical colours.
Horse Bone:
The natural bone is white. This bone also brings in various colours, especially the green colour, using chemical colours, and mixes it with another triangle.
Because the horse's bone is more colour-tolerant than camel's bone, its use is more common. Today, in addition to the bone of the camel and bone of the horse, they also used cow's bones, which is more available.
Metal wires:
In Khatam-sazi, they use brass to make golden and shiny yellow. Of course, in the past rarely gold was used in Khatam. In some types of Khatam, silver and sometimes aluminium is used. To make the triangle, brass wire is used for golden yellow and silver wire are used for shiny white. In the past, for the preparation of wire triangles, by means of a device called "Hadideh or Die", they were put into a three-sided form and shape.
And hammered on the anvil with a special hammer to prepare the desired wire for embedding in Khatam, but they use the roll to form triangles.
After the triangles have been removed from rolled, the prepared triangular-shaped wire has been arranged in certain sizes and placed in the grooves of the Acer monspessulanum wood. Then the wires have been rasped and shiny. In the past, Khatam makers used copper for the golden yellow colour, which, of course, does not have a stable colour and does not have the necessary strength for Khatam.
Currently, most Khatam makers use brass wires to supply yellow gold, which does not have enough colour stability.
Shell:
The use of the shell in Khatam-sazi brings more beauty and adds to the quality of Khatam, but today it is less used due to the high cost of this product and its scarcity. Khatam makers supply shell from Persian Gulf ports and the Oman Sea and they are now used to provide shiny and glow white in first-class and excellent Khatam.
Parak thread:
In making Khatam, different threads with different thicknesses are used for triangles, blades and flowers. The most famous of thread called Perk.
Glue is used to stick Khatam on the various dishes and objects. This glue should be heated only when needed because its reheating reduce its adhesion. To warm the adhesive, place it in a double glazed) double-wall (container. the dish is heated in the first glaze, and the adhesive in the second wall become liquid and semi-heat and does not burn. In the Khatam-sazi industry, another adhesive is also used, called white glue, which is used in cold form. The white glue, which has high strength and durability, is naturally derived from gum (resin) and is used to stick the bones that are placed in the corners of the Khatam dishes and products.
Sieve:
After completing Khatam and stick it on the objects, they work on it and polish the Khatam surface. Then, in three turns, cover Khatam with a special sieve. The important point at this stage is that the sieve must operate equal and aligned on the surface of Khatam because we don't want to create bumps and dents at its surface and doesn't reduce their beauty and quality. It should also be carried out in an indoors and covered place and away from dust so that the suspended particles in the air do not sit on the surface of the sieved objects. The Uncovered surface of Khatam products, such as the back of the frame and inside the box, etc, should be ground and sealed and killed. However, all surfaces of Khatam and surfaces that remain in the form of wood should be covered with the sieve to prevent penetrating from moisture. Today, many Khatam makers, instead of use sieve in this way, cover Khatam products with a kind of Jall named Polisert, which is a glass-like and non-burning material.
Equipment and tools:
The tools used in the preparation of Khatam include saws, presses, different types of wood rasp, hammer, rasp, pincer, grate, Dye dish, brush, scissors for cutting brass wire, nipple, needle nose pliers, Screwdriver and sandpaper (rubber). In some workshops, Khatam cutting machines are also used to increase work efficiency. Other tools for making-sazi is wire mill, which brings metal wires into the triangular prism. The other tool is a Board which creates grooves or prism that is a flat board and there is a groove in the shape of the triangular prism on it.
Khatam production process
Khatam is one of the traditional arts that requires a lot of precision and tolerance to build it. The construction of Khatam involves various steps of stringing "EL" to processing Khatam.
*Pa'rreh Pichi
*To make Khatam, the sketch will be drawn by the master, and these wooden, bone and metal triangles will be placed and stick together with the skilful hands of the artist along by glue. Then they get tight by the thread. This is what is termed "Pa'rreh".
At this step, three Equilateral sections will be aligned with another triangle to form a larger triangle.
Convert "EL" too thin strings:
This is done by the saw. After cutting "L", but the strings inside a groove called "Tonge-masalas-saz" and they grind to make the strings uniform.
Cutting and stringing (make "EL")
"EL" refers to sheets of thickness from one to three millimetres, which is obtained by cutting pieces of wood. These sheets are placed on "Ghame'.
Shesh Pichi:
The term refers to the sum of six triangles next to each other, which triangular norm is to the outside and its vertex is to the inside.
To galoo
At this step, four (pa'are)blades are placed together. Tugloois mostly used among Khatam flowers.( After a few hours, the thread is opened and the sides of the pattern have been rasped, and four of the blades(pa'are) are put together and re-bonded with glue, resulting in a "Tugloo".)
Gol-bandi
gol-bandi is a pattern created by the combination of triangles, Pa'arehs(blades) and (sheshha)sixes.
Loz-bandi
At this step, the Khatam flowers are placed together in the form of a diamond and its inner angles are filled with the Tuglo.
Each diamond is about 62 centimetres.
Khatam Press :
At this step, the diamonds are placed on two "L" and the press is heated up by glue.
Cutting-Ghame
After pressing Ghameh, cut it into 20 pieces.
Khatam Lining
At this step, one cut side of the Khatam is limited. The thickness of this lining is about one millimetre.
grinding:
At this point, Khatam's wooden back and its lining will grate and grind.
stick:
This step involves stacking the sheets of Khatam with adhesive or isinglass (glue) on the desired objects.
The final step:
The final stage of Inlying includes priming, rubbing, processing and polishing (polyester).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
8,256 hits 3.0 (2 votes) Share Favorite | Flag 1 year ago by Abzurd
Do you think it is morally wrong for movie / tv productions to use real stock footage of catastrophes in their productions
Netflix used real footage of a train explosion that killed 47 people in Bird Box. Survivors are asking for the footage to be removed.
Abzurd
Joined: 14 yrs, 10 mos ago
1 yr ago - Friday 1/18/19 - 9:34:31 PM EST (GMT-5)
Curious about it.
CowDung
1 yr ago - Friday 1/18/19 - 11:15:14 PM EST (GMT-5)
Did they have to get permission from the survivors/victims families to use the footage?
I think it depends on the context
in the bird box context I feel like they probably should remove that
plus it doesn't sound like they were meant to use that footage... at least the stock footage company they got it from makes it seem that way
1 yr ago - Saturday 1/19/19 - 12:00:29 AM EST (GMT-5)
I have not seen the clip in question, but I didn't think it was a bad thing when real footage was used in war movies...
Wolf_In_Jar
Joined: 9 yrs, 11 mos ago
Didn't Herzog kill like a hundred natives filming some movie about a boat?
1 yr ago - Saturday 1/19/19 - 1:55:07 AM EST (GMT-5)
In 2019 it's definitely unnecessary.
I think it depends on the context. Obviously a documentary is different but a film which aims simply to entertain, I can see why that would be problematic for survivors.
Maybe in that context, where you're using just any footage to portray something unrelated, but if you're representing a disaster with actual video of the incident, I think that's okay. For instance, I'd be okay with 9/11 footage if that's what's actually happening in the movie, but I think using video of the towers falling to represent just any building being knocked down by Godzilla would be inappropriate.
mysocks
if not more ethical, it's definitely less wasteful than getting life sized prop trains to explode for a film...
Floor Demon
As I understand it, the content of the footage was a couple of seconds showing a fireball over the town. It didn't show any people in it, and I expect you wouldn't recognise the source unless you lived there or were very familiar with the incident (by which I just mean that it's not something widely recognisable like 9/11 footage).
I don't think the scene would have been negatively affected had a similar clip been done using CGI, or just left out entirely. I guess if filmmakers are generally going to use stock footage showing a disaster or mass destruction (e.g. explosion, tsunami, floods), there's likely to be people who suffered from it. I struggle to think of a situation in which the footage is valuable or necessary enough to justify the potential distress. You could probably say the same about a lot of content in films, though.
1 yr ago - Saturday 1/19/19 - 2:23:15 PM EST (GMT-5)
On Friday 1/18/19 - 11:15:14 PM CowDung wrote:
No. You can buy the rights of the footage, normally use for documentaries or education. Netflix started doing it for entertainment purposes.
A cbc article on the subject
Also, in a movie like Cloverfield, where most of the footage appears to be domestic (at least from the preview, I haven't seen the film) did they create the whole thing?
I'm not trying to create outrage, but that fireball was on our media for a long time. Kind of iconic now, and half the town still suffers from ptsd.
And it's still news since trials and civil action are going on.
birdsong4j
I think that specific incident had better be extremely integral to the story if you're going to use real footage of a trauma like that.
11 months ago - Wednesday 1/23/19 - 6:05:41 PM EST (GMT-5)
On Saturday 1/19/19 - 4:41:04 PM birdsong4j wrote:
it's not. Completely out of context.
On Saturday 1/19/19 - 8:24:32 AM Floor Demon wrote:
(by which I just mean that it's not something widely recognisable like 9/11 footage)
im laughing my ass off at the thought of a disaster film using 9/11 twin towers footage for something that is ostensibly something entirely different and fictional
Boredofu
11 months ago - Friday 1/25/19 - 6:52:23 PM EST (GMT-5)
But not Bird Box?
Update: Netflix has finally agreed to remove the footage.


text:
Pseudomembranous conjunctivitis: unveil the curtain
Images in…
Pranita Sahay,
Sridevi Nair,
Prafulla Kumar Maharana and
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Correspondence to Dr Prafulla Kumar Maharana, drpraful13{at}gmail.com
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2018-228538
Pseudomembranous conjunctivitis is an inflammatory condition of the conjunctiva characterised by mucopurulent discharge and pseudomembrane formation. A pseudomembrane is a thin yellowish-white membrane seen in the fornixes and palpebral conjunctiva that can be easily peeled off leaving an intact underlying epithelium.1 Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Streptococcus pyogenes and adenovirus are the commonly isolated micro-organisms in such cases.2 3 It is also seen in cases of acute Stevens-Johnson syndrome and ligneous conjunctivitis.
In our case, an 8-year-old girl presented with redness and watering in the right eye for 3 days. The visual acuity was hand motion and 6/6 in the right and left eye, respectively. Purulent discharge, conjunctival congestion with membrane formation was noted in the right eye (figure 1). The left eye was normal. A sloughing corneal ulcer was suspected and the treatment was started with hourly instillation of topical gatifloxacin 0.5% and tobramycin 1.3% along with topical homatropine four times a day. A conjunctival swab was taken and sent for microbiological evaluation. Marked decrease in purulent discharge with organisation of the conjunctival membranes was noted after 2 days of initiation of treatment (figure 2). S. pyogenes was isolated from the conjunctival swab specimen. The conjunctival membrane was peeled off under direct visualisation of the slit lamp. The frequency of topical antibiotic was reduced and lubricating eye drop was started. At 1-week follow-up, complete resolution of inflammation was noted with a visual acuity of 6/6 (figure 3).
Slit lamp image of the right eye at presentation showing purulent discharge with membrane formation and suspicion of underlying sloughing corneal ulcer.
Slit lamp image of the right eye after 48 hours of initiation of antibiotic therapy showing an organised conjunctival membrane with normal anterior segment.
Slit lamp image of the right eye after 1 week of membrane peeling.
Pseudomembranous conjunctivitis in severe cases may mimic sloughing corneal ulcer.
Streptococcus pyogenes can be associated with pseudomembranous conjunctivitis.
De Cock R
. Membranous, pseudomembranous and ligneous conjunctivitis. Dev Ophthalmol 1997;28:32–45.
Kluever HC
. Streptococcal pseudomembranous conjunctivitis: report of a case. American Journal of Ophthalmology 1935;18:1094–109.
Pihos AM
. Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis: a review of current concepts in management. J Optom 2013;6:69–74.doi:10.1016/j.optom.2012.08.003
Contributors PS has contributed to the concept, design and writing of the manuscript. SN has contributed in the acquisition of data and images. PKM has contributed to the concept, design and writing of the manuscript. NS has contributed to the writing and final editing of the manuscript.
Patient consent for publication Parental/guardian consent obtained.


Tuesday - Day of Taste: Salads to choose from!
There is a very wonderful and beautiful city of Truskavets in Ukraine!
Yellow leaves 🍁 - Macro photography Submission!
Trip to Agra Fort - #travelfriday, #weekchallenge of the day.
Beautiful couple on the sea coast.
Walk in the park "Vladimirskaya Gorka" in Kiev.
Exhibition of tulips in the city of Kiev in 2018.
Cracked bark on the tree. What to do?
Today is the holiday of spring and attention to the woman!
Is stretching useful for children?
White snow on a green leaf.


text:
from collections import Sequence

import numpy as np
import torch
import torch.nn as nn
from torch.nn import functional as F
from tqdm import tqdm

class _BaseWrapper(object):
    def __init__(self, model):
        super(_BaseWrapper, self).__init__()
        self.device = next(model.parameters()).device
        self.model = model
        self.handlers = []  # a set of hook function handlers

    def _encode_one_hot(self, ids):
        one_hot = torch.zeros_like(self.logits).to(self.device)
        one_hot.scatter_(1, ids, 1.0)
        return one_hot

    def forward(self, image):
        self.image_shape = image.shape[2:]
        self.logits = self.model(image)
        self.probs = F.softmax(self.logits, dim=1)
        return self.probs.sort(dim=1, descending=True)  # ordered results

    def backward(self, ids):
        """
        Class-specific backpropagation
        """
        one_hot = self._encode_one_hot(ids)
        self.model.zero_grad()
        self.logits.backward(gradient=one_hot, retain_graph=True)

    def generate(self):
        raise NotImplementedError

    def remove_hook(self):
        """
        Remove all the forward/backward hook functions
        """
        for handle in self.handlers:
            handle.remove()

class BackPropagation(_BaseWrapper):
    def forward(self, image):
        self.image = image.requires_grad_()
        return super(BackPropagation, self).forward(self.image)

    def generate(self):
        gradient = self.image.grad.clone()
        self.image.grad.zero_()
        return gradient

class GuidedBackPropagation(BackPropagation):
    """
    "Striving for Simplicity: the All Convolutional Net"
    https://arxiv.org/pdf/1412.6806.pdf
    Look at Figure 1 on page 8.
    """

    def __init__(self, model):
        super(GuidedBackPropagation, self).__init__(model)

        def backward_hook(module, grad_in, grad_out):
            # Cut off negative gradients
            if isinstance(module, nn.ReLU):
                return (F.relu(grad_in[0]),)

        for module in self.model.named_modules():
            self.handlers.append(module[1].register_backward_hook(backward_hook))

class Deconvnet(BackPropagation):
    """
    "Striving for Simplicity: the All Convolutional Net"
    https://arxiv.org/pdf/1412.6806.pdf
    Look at Figure 1 on page 8.
    """

    def __init__(self, model):
        super(Deconvnet, self).__init__(model)

        def backward_hook(module, grad_in, grad_out):
            # Cut off negative gradients and ignore ReLU
            if isinstance(module, nn.ReLU):
                return (F.relu(grad_out[0]),)

        for module in self.model.named_modules():
            self.handlers.append(module[1].register_backward_hook(backward_hook))

class GradCAM(_BaseWrapper):
    """
    "Grad-CAM: Visual Explanations from Deep Networks via Gradient-based Localization"
    https://arxiv.org/pdf/1610.02391.pdf
    Look at Figure 2 on page 4
    """

    def __init__(self, model, candidate_layers=None):
        super(GradCAM, self).__init__(model)
        self.fmap_pool = {}
        self.grad_pool = {}
        self.candidate_layers = candidate_layers  # list

        def save_fmaps(key):
            def forward_hook(module, input, output):
                self.fmap_pool[key] = output.detach()

            return forward_hook

        def save_grads(key):
            def backward_hook(module, grad_in, grad_out):
                self.grad_pool[key] = grad_out[0].detach()

            return backward_hook

        # If any candidates are not specified, the hook is registered to all the layers.
        for name, module in self.model.named_modules():
            if self.candidate_layers is None or name in self.candidate_layers:
                self.handlers.append(module.register_forward_hook(save_fmaps(name)))
                self.handlers.append(module.register_backward_hook(save_grads(name)))

    def _find(self, pool, target_layer):
        if target_layer in pool.keys():
            return pool[target_layer]
        else:
            raise ValueError("Invalid layer name: {}".format(target_layer))

    def generate(self, target_layer):
        fmaps = self._find(self.fmap_pool, target_layer)
        grads = self._find(self.grad_pool, target_layer)
        weights = F.adaptive_avg_pool2d(grads, 1)

        gcam = torch.mul(fmaps, weights).sum(dim=1, keepdim=True)
        gcam = F.relu(gcam)
        gcam = F.interpolate(
            gcam, self.image_shape, mode="bilinear", align_corners=False
        )

        B, C, H, W = gcam.shape
        gcam = gcam.view(B, -1)
        gcam -= gcam.min(dim=1, keepdim=True)[0]
        gcam /= gcam.max(dim=1, keepdim=True)[0]
        gcam = gcam.view(B, C, H, W)

        return gcam

def occlusion_sensitivity(
    model, images, ids, mean=None, patch=35, stride=1, n_batches=128
):
    """
    "Grad-CAM: Visual Explanations from Deep Networks via Gradient-based Localization"
    https://arxiv.org/pdf/1610.02391.pdf
    Look at Figure A5 on page 17

    Originally proposed in:
    "Visualizing and Understanding Convolutional Networks"
    https://arxiv.org/abs/1311.2901
    """

    torch.set_grad_enabled(False)
    model.eval()
    mean = mean if mean else 0
    patch_H, patch_W = patch if isinstance(patch, Sequence) else (patch, patch)
    pad_H, pad_W = patch_H // 2, patch_W // 2

    # Padded image
    images = F.pad(images, (pad_W, pad_W, pad_H, pad_H), value=mean)
    B, _, H, W = images.shape
    new_H = (H - patch_H) // stride + 1
    new_W = (W - patch_W) // stride + 1

    # Prepare sampling grids
    anchors = []
    grid_h = 0
    while grid_h <= H - patch_H:
        grid_w = 0
        while grid_w <= W - patch_W:
            grid_w += stride
            anchors.append((grid_h, grid_w))
        grid_h += stride

    # Baseline score without occlusion
    baseline = model(images).detach().gather(1, ids)

    # Compute per-pixel logits
    scoremaps = []
    for i in tqdm(range(0, len(anchors), n_batches), leave=False):
        batch_images = []
        batch_ids = []
        for grid_h, grid_w in anchors[i : i + n_batches]:
            images_ = images.clone()
            images_[..., grid_h : grid_h + patch_H, grid_w : grid_w + patch_W] = mean
            batch_images.append(images_)
            batch_ids.append(ids)
        batch_images = torch.cat(batch_images, dim=0)
        batch_ids = torch.cat(batch_ids, dim=0)
        scores = model(batch_images).detach().gather(1, batch_ids)
        scoremaps += list(torch.split(scores, B))

    diffmaps = torch.cat(scoremaps, dim=1) - baseline
    diffmaps = diffmaps.view(B, new_H, new_W)

    return diffmaps


If you're looking for manga similar to A place further than the Universe, you might like these titles.
Oozora heads off to Europe due to an argument with his brother. He's traveling because he wants to comply with his mother's last wish - to get into contact with an old friend of hers.
It started as any other day for the three sisters Tsumugi, Momo and Rin and their father. But they soon learn that everyone has disappeared and they appear to be the only humans left on earth. How will they survive?
Suddenly stricken with lupus, a photographer loses sight in one eye. Faced with an uncertain prognosis, he feels an urgent need to revisit the South Pacific island that inspired his career. Can he convince the man he encountered there years ago, now a medical researcher in Southern California, to accompany him on his journey?
This is early 1980 where there is no internet or cell phone. Jo Umeyoshi, who plays around, meets Chihiro Sakagami and falls in love with him. Umeyoshi is excited and thinks that Chihiro is his destiny. On the other hand, Chihiro, who has a famous father, couldn't figure out why he had to exist. And Chihiro starts to have feelings for Jo who is a very unique and right kind of a guy?
Bourbon, the Black Organization operative, Amuro Tooru, the private detective and Café Poirot waiter, and Furuya Rei, the NPA officer. Delve into the everyday life of Amuro Tooru, a man of three faces, that no one's seen before!


Leftists who have lost all ability to be rational due to advanced stages of Trump Derangement Syndrome took to Twitter — as usual — to denounce the Covington Catholic High kids wearing MAGA hats after scores of mainstream media (MSM) outlets falsely reported they harassed a Native American elder named Nathan Phillips.
Subsequent reporting and videos posted to social media correctly documented the fact that the Kentucky students who were in Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life demonstration did not confront Phillips, but rather he confronted them.
The threats reached such a volume and level that Kenton County (Kentucky) prosecutor Rob Sanders felt the need to intervene.
"We've got multiple investigations into numerous, numerous threats," he told local media earlier this week.
"There's probably a dozen law enforcement agencies, if not more involved in this — it's growing, it's spreading, there are other jurisdictions now involved in this," Sanders.
These threats, by the way, come on the heels of a recommendation from a commission in Parkland, Fla. — site of the horrific Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shootings about a year ago — that teachers be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus.
While it's good that Sanders and other law enforcement officials in Kentucky are being proactive in probing Leftists making unhinged threats against Covington students, this is yet another opportunity to push an idea whose time has, unfortunately, come. We can no longer trust that idiots won't be idiots, especially at a time when rational thinking on the Left is at a premium.
Read more about how school shootings and other incidents of mass murder at Shootings.news.


108cm (43") N5470 Smart FHD TV is rated 2.0 out of 5 by 1.
The new Samsung Smart TV is ready to wow you in a new way. With features that can transform your entertainment experience to a new level. Get ready to explore something magical every day.
When work calls, your Samsung Smart TV can turn into a full-fledged computer to put you in charge. You can choose to work from the cloud, mirror your laptop for a big screen convenience or remotely access your office computer when you need to work on an unfinished file.
* Features availability may vary.
The new Samsung Smart TV offers a completely new visual experience to your playlist. It turns your TV into a virtual music system that appears in 3 different colour tones. Now, all your beats will sound and look better.
All your data. Safe at home.
Home Cloud lets you save your most important files to the Samsung Smart TV, wirelessly and automatically. Thus, helping you free up space on your mobile and keeping your data safe at home.
Live stream what you like, share it and entertain everyone. With Live Cast, you can broadcast your experiences from anywhere at any time, right on to your Samsung Smart TV.
Your entertainment, on any screen.
Let your smartphone and Smart TV work together to maximize your entertainment. Play music and videos from your phone to your TV for a big screen experience or carry your TV content to your phone for personal enjoyment.
The Smart Hub provides a single access to live TV, apps and other sources. You can browse content while watching TV and check out the thumbnail previews before diving in.
* Services provided independently by the Partners are subject to their T&Cs and may involve subscription charges.
EMI starts from ₹3,832.00/ month.
EMI starts from ₹3,165.42/ month.


It's no news to vegans that animal farming is killing the planet. The methane from farm animals' digestive systems is thirty times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the planet, and with 50% more ruminant animals than there were fifty years ago mass farming for meat is a serious environmental menace.
But now a group of prominent scientists have published an article in the Nature Climate Change journal calling for governments to step in and tackle the problem.
The paper presents the hefty evidence that farming for meat is contributing to global warming. It also sets out to discuss solutions, and to address the need for political action.
The scientists suggest a tax or emission trading scheme on meat products, such as have long been suggested for tackling other causes of polution. They point out that, in the absence of a massive movement towards change in our diets, a mechanism is needed to reduce meat consumption. And raising prices, they say, is a way to deal with this.
Do we need this intervention?
As a vegetarian I'm reticent about any measure that might seem like enforcing my lifestyle on others. On an individual level I feel uncomfortable with pressuring people to change their diet rather than persuading them through the benefits.
But the fact is that such interventions are sometimes necessary. A free market is not a neutral mechanism. It steers businesses towards putting profit before everything else, and individuals towards putting themselves before the wider good. Like workplace targets, taxes can change people's behaviour, and once something is in their economic interest their beliefs will sometimes follow.
Left to their own devices, many people will change diet far too late to save the planet. Maybe this more nuanced approach to government intervention - not telling people what to eat, but giving them a motive to change - could be what we need.
Of course the meat producing industry has immediately raised objections. And of course many of them are flawed.
They object that such a scheme would raise consumer prices, when that is the whole point of the scheme. Those price changes are meant to change behaviour.
They point out that animals are a natural way of turning grass into protein to eat, ignoring the hugely unnatural circumstances in which those animals are raised and the fact that the grass they eat was planted there by humans.
They point out that meat livestock have been used to manage the countryside for centuries. Very true, but the same could have been said of Medieval serfdom, while battery farming of chickens has been around for decades. 'We've always done it this way' is no defence when a better alternative is found.
Governments are unlikely to raise taxes on meat yet. But the more scientists step forward to show the predicament that we're in, the more likely we are to see such a change.
Governments seem keen to apply taxes to tackle problems - global warming? Tax fuels. Alcohol over-consumption? Raise the taxes on drink. From the government's point of view, it does not lose any "income" - if the levels of consumption go down because of the higher prices, the tax increase compensates for that. But taxing does little to address the underlying problem. Actually meat is already subsidised by grants and tax breaks given to farmers (read the book Meatonomics to understand this in the USA), so tax dollars are already paying for its production, its just consumers (and non-consumers!) don't pay for it at the supermarket till, but before that by their general taxation being given to farmers. Just go ahead and ban meat, and use the tax dollars saved to give out free fruit and veg to boost peoples' health.
I hadn't thought about subsidies - thanks for that Robz. Given those subsidies, the first step for those seeking a softer approach than banning seems to be to only allow those subsidies for growing plant food - that would change a lot of farmers' approaches pretty quickly.
Yeah, or the subsidies could be diverted to projects like the community forest food garden in Seattle, or London's proposed community gardens on the Olympic site, where people can take part in growing and harvesting both wild and cultivated plants themselves. The health benefits would soon outweigh the costs.
Definitely a better alternative. I hadn't heard about the proposal for community gardens on the Olympic site, but that's a great idea, and would do a lot more for fitness in the city than the games did.


text:
Top 10 Favorite Comics Bulletin Articles
Park Cooper
Columns, Top 10
140 Character Reviews 7/1/15
140 Character Reviews, Marvel Comics, Reviews
Interview: Ryan Cady talks MAGDALENA and WARFRAME
Image, Indie, Interviews, Top Cow
Review: "Ultraman" Is a Loving Must-Read
Nathan Edmondson: The Invisible Mind Behind Jake Ellis
Classic Comics Cavalcade: The Bozz Chronicles
Comics Bulletin Exclusive Preview – The Death Defying Doctor Mirage #4 from Valiant
ICYMI -- Small Press Comics Criticism and Whatnot for 8/14/17 to 8/20/17
Review: 'Prisoner 155' is a Remarkable Portrait of a Political Revolutionary
The Lance Fensterman Interview PART ONE
Columns, The Park and Barb Show
Lance Fensterman is the guy who makes sure the New York Comic Con runs on time, as well as Book Expo America, which happens yearly, alternating between NYC and L.A. I interviewed him recently about his life and stuff. I kept it informal so as to trick him into giving his opinions about the publishing industry, books, comics, and stuff like that. Let's see if it worked, shall we?
Park Cooper: Hello!
Lance Fensterman: Hey dude. Sorry I'm running late, my internet is sloooooow tonight.
PC: Did you just walk in? Do you need a few minutes to do any further home-arrival activities?
LF: Nah, I'm good. I'm trying to make an iTunes mic for our party in Chicago on Thursday. This is awesome!
PC: Not a big g-chatter, eh?
LF: Not often at all, oddly enough.
PC: But the default is SAVE EVERYTHING ALWAYS FOREVER. It's the proverbial bomb.
LF: You sir are the proverbial bomb
PC: Because I type so fast? Or because of my use of proverbial?
LF: Many reasons
PC: Are you following me on twitter or something?
LF: Ha!
PC: Or are you referring to my status as head of the fine line of Wicker Man Studios' works
LF: Wicker Man, man about town, twit about the web, all of the above
PC: No seriously I am on twitter… parkcooper
So it looks like I am going to the Book Expo
LF: You do type fast
The show is massive. The problem with the trade publishing biz is that it's gotten so insular…..
PC: So how long have you been doing this stuff? …I could just like go find you on linked in but then you couldn't get to inform me… and our studio audience
LF: I was an indy bookseller and took over running BEA 3 years ago almost to the day. I think got a VP title and they gave me a portfolio of all the cool stuff – publishing and pop culture. Three years… sometimes it feels like 3 days. Then again, sometimes it feels like three decades…
I have a conference call at 745, think we can make it?
PC: Uh… we could always come back to each other and continue it later if not? How's that sound?
LF: Yes… Don't mean to rush. I leave for Chicago at 4:30 tomorrow morning then London, so I'm trying to get everything pending done today!
PC: My my. Why must you go to these places? I saw you went to Barthelona too… when you show up do you do a PowerPoint on how there's this great stuff now called the internet and faxing and Skype?
How long do you think the call will last? Can you say whom it's with?
LF: It'll be an hourish….Oddly, I can't say! It's with a big company on the West Coast that we are working on a JV with, so I have signed all kinds of NDA's
PC: What's a JV? I asked my brain but it guessed it's "junior varsity"
LF: Joint Venture….. As for travelling to in-person meetings, I do well when I'm in the room with people. I'm actually very charming!
PC: Dude no lie I was there at Dave and Busters for the NYCC get together, remember
PC: I'm good in person but here I am particularly a viking
LF: Viking indeed dude!
PC: So who're these Reed people you work for, anyway? I gather they do more than put on cons and expoes…?
LF: Reed is a massive company and part of Reed Elsevier. Reed Expo is the event arm of the company. In North America we are about 325 people, but Reed Expo has offices in 40 countries.
PC: Yes but what does the non-event part do? publish things? (I could go review the internets but then you wouldn't get to tell me)
LF: RBI is Reed Business Information, that's the publishing arm. The owned Harcourt (just sold it) but mostly its trade journals. Variety, Publishers Weekly, Plywood today, that kinda crap.
PC: Oh so THAT's the link to Publishers Weekly and so on.
LF: They also won Lexus Nexus and Elsevier of course. However where I work is feels like a small business and even more so because I run my businesses like very small businesses are run, it's great
PC: So okay, more about you. Married? I think everyone should be married, since I like it myself.
LF: Married in deed and 2 cats
PC: Ahhh. How long? The spouse, not the cats
LF: 4 or 5 years. I can't remember!!!
PC: Tch. I hope you brought home flowers…
LF: Hmmmm, I think I did.
PC: So clearly you don't try to give paper on the 1st anniversary and brass on the 2nd or whatever…
LF: Nah, we are pretty non traditional. Plus it was 3 weeks before NYCC.
PC: ooh, I should remind myself what the 10th is; the round numbers are bound to be something good
Okay new question– musical tastes. What you got for me? Go!
LF: Lots of Minneapolis music. Oddly I am making the C2E2 party playlist…..The replacements, Dillinger Four, Hold Steady, etc, etc
PC: (hmm, 10 is tin or aluminum under the old system, diamond jewelry under the new. how materialistic! I liked last year– leather.)
LF: ouch
PC: the mats? by which I mean the replacements?
LF: The Mats in deed. Favorite band
PC: Wife is from MN, are you? You do sort of have that look.
LF: Both are. I've been away more than there the last decade or so but the Mrs. has never been away since I dragged her out here
PC: wow. Most Texans think that's like the North Pole.
LF: It kinda is
PC: yeah well. So… I have passed the MN music test thanks to wifey… how about TV? You watch anything? We just swore off of politics for a while, so now we watch nothing. Just anime from Netflix and stuff. Let The Right One In. Which… isn't a show…
My mom loves Big Bang Theory because it reminds her of her son and daughter in law
LF: I watch almost no TV. Don't tell. 30 Rock, Colbert, Simpsons reruns, No Reservations. That's about it!
I tried to watch Big Bang one time and couldn't do it. I was on a plane and tried to watch and I had to turn away
PC: Too geeky? Too much self-identification? Too much geek stereotype perpetuation?
LF: I really wanted to like it. I'm a geek, I need to see role models on TV, but maybe role models that are given better writing to work with
PC: Okay then HOW BIG OF A GEEK ARE YOU?
LF: On a scale of 1-10, probably a 6, but a diverse 6. I'm not crazy in any one area.
PC: Comic book? Do you know what BSG stands for? Tardis? Do you know who N.Tesla is? Hmmmm… Gamer? thac0? keyblade? d20?
LF: Tardis, N Tesla yes, BSG no.
PC: Me neither! I guessed it was the Big Scary Gnome and I was all set to pitch his adventures when I found out it stood for BattleStar Galactica. I still say there's a place for the Big Scary Gnome in the hearts of readers.
LF: AHHHH, I did know that actually
Theatre, NPR, great non fiction of the last 10 years, etc, that's what I mean by well rounded.
Gamer, yes. Comics, yes. TV pop culture, yes
Also– Legos! I love 'em. I won thousands of bucks worth
PC: what did you do to win them
LF: Sorry, own. I own thousands
PC: Awwww I wanted to hear about the big contest where you made a giant set of legos out of regular sized legos in under 12 hours
LF: I wish!!!!
PC: Yeah my life is super fun because I kinda rewrite reality as I go along … today I am realizing that is even more true than I normally realize
LF: That should be on a bumper somewhere
PC: It should be on my bumper, I'm the one saying it. And, like, more importantly, doing it…
Next: The experiment to trick Lance into
having an actual interview concludes.
Say, fellows and girls:
Remember when everything you needed to know about Wicker Man Studios was at this site?
http://www.wickermanstudios.com/
Well, now there's another site that's just as important! That's right, it's:
http://www.gun-street-girl.com/
Yes, it's true: Gun Street Girl now has its own site, just to fool those readers who sayeth in their hearts, "I love webcomics– but I hate studios!"
Now, Gun Street Girl comes to you in a manner free from the confines of its role as a webcomic brought to you by people– now it's almost as if it just appears on the internet spontaneously! But wait, there's more! GSG has also broken free of the confines of a regular ol' computer screen– now it's ALSO on your iPhone or iPod Touch, thanks to Apple's iTunes App Store! Read the following press release for the nifty keen details!
Wicker Man Studios Launches Gun Street Girl on the iPhone App Store
Wicker Man Studios is proud to announce the launch of a new website specifically for flagship title Gun Street Girl, www.gun-street-girl.com, from which WMS is already offering its latest Gun Street Girl story, "The Jealous Dead," on the iPhone App Store. "The Jealous Dead" will cost 99 cents to download (in the US and Canada–other stores may vary), and can easily be read on the iPhone and the iPod touch with Wicker Man Studios' own brand-new application, a comics reader which will allow readers using these devices to easily read stories panel-by-panel, simply by touching the screen and dragging the panels from right to left; tapping the screen will show thumbnails of all panels in a story so that one can, for example, easily pick up where one left off during a previous interrupted session.
In addition to the brand-new, never-before-seen story "The Jealous Dead," WMS also offers another GSG story, "Where It All Began," for free on the iPhone App Store, for new readers to try out the Gun Street Girl experience free of charge, featuring the secret origin of GSG's main characters, bodyguard Liz Pendragon and down-on-his-luck magician Eddie Caution. All one needs to do is visit the iPhone App Store and search under "applications" for Wicker Man Studios, and then download the stories– "Where It All Began" is free, and all others are 99 cents.
For those who do not own either of these devices, regular PDFs of each respective story are also being offered, to be purchased, in the case of "The Jealous Dead," using PayPal to pay the 99 cents.
Gun Street Girl's archives will still be mirrored at the main Wicker Man Studios site of www.wickermanstudios.com.
With a high concept that feels like La Femme Nikita meets Grosse Pointe Blank with a little dash of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Gun Street Girl has won praise from a variety of reviewers, such as Curve Magazine: "Our current rave [for digital graphic novels] has to be Gun Street Girl . . . Sassy, smart, and socially subversive…"
When Gun Street Girl's Eddie Caution, a heavyset magician and supernatural investigator, meets tough-girl Liz Pendragon while she's getting herself in trouble defending her girlfriend from the roving hands of some relations of the local mob, he offers her a job as his bodyguard and muscle, and she accepts, having wanted all her life for there to be a way to encounter magic on a regular basis. The two of them investigate ghosts, rescue those kidnapped by monsters, try to stay out of trouble (often difficult), and generally enjoy life.
Barbara Lien-Cooper and Park Cooper, the creators of Gun Street Girl and owners of Wicker Man Studios, have a column on popular culture at the website Comics Bulletin, found at www.comicsbulletin.com/pb. Barbara has written for many websites, and served a one-year stint as Managing Editor of the multiple-Eisner-award-winning print magazine Comic Book Artist. Park is the Editor-in-Chief of indie comics company Septagon Studios, and of the website MangaLife. Together, they also co-wrote the graphic novel Half Dead, published by Dabel Brothers Productions and Marvel Comics, and later picked up again by Desperado Publishing, and the New Media project The Hidden for manga publisher Tokyopop. They both also adapt manga and edit manga and comics for various companies.
Ryan Howe is the illustrator of Gun Street Girl, and the Art Director for Wicker Man Studios. He is also currently drawing the third of his three issues of the political comics project Female Force for BlueWater Productions. The previous two issues he drew both sold out and went to multiple printings.
The new application was created by Dale Zak, a mobile software developer living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. His website can be found at: http://www.dalezak.ca
For all inquiries write to: Park Cooper at parkgsg@gmail.com
http://www.wickermanstudios.com
http://www.gun-street-girl.com
http://www.itunes.com
http://www.dalezak.ca
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=307913051&mt=8
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/04/talking-comics-with-tim-park-cooper
Apple, the Apple logo, iPod, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc.
Lance FenstermanPark CooperThe Park and Barb Show
Mondo Marvel #3 – July-August 1962
Jason Metcalf: Space Goats, Construction, and Comic Books
Park and Barb Cooper are writers for Comics Bulletin
Conclusion of Steven Brust interview
The Adventures of Lizard Boy: a.k.a. The Steven Brust Interview
What Looks Good for the Week of 7/3/2019
Top 10 Vertigo Comics


TWIN sisters Rebecca and Katrina Burley won the Maton Talent Challenge at the Gympie Music Muster in 2010 and have continued upward and onward from there.
With their new album nearly ready, the girls were keen to hit the stage again at Muster and enjoying the atmosphere in the camp site.
Catch up on all the Sista Burley news in the video above and stay tuned for information on their album.
Find out more at www.sistaburley.com.


This page shows businesses on The Station. Click on a business to bring up its details and a map showing its location.
Progressive Jig & Tool is precision engineering firm which produces a range of products in different fields.
Map showing The Station in Basingstoke.


Medspa Study: $50 off beats 15% off coupon.
Marketing Sherpa is a research site that I subscribe to for a number of reasons. It's $600 a year or so but worth it for me.
One of the recent studies they published has real relevance for most physicians looking to recruit new patients. The entire study is only available by subscription but the information it contains is simple.
o $50-Off Coupon generated 170% more revenue than the 15%-Off Coupon.
o $50-Off Coupon had 72% higher conversion rate.
Decker adds that eliminating the prospect of the recipient having to do some percentage math to figure out their savings also was a likely factor.
Interestingly, the slight copy difference in the subject line didn't affect the open rates nearly as much as they did conversions. The $50-Off Coupon" got a 20% open rate; the 15% Off Coupon did almost as well with 19%. Also, the clickthroughs were nearly identical -- the 15%-Off coupon produced a 33% rate, while the $50-Off came in at 32.4%.
The 15%-Off Coupon did generate an average order size that was 44% higher . For that reason, Decker says, marketers who value average-order size due to their customer niche may want to duplicate the test to see if they get the same lift. Based on revenue, however, choosing between the two going forward was a no-brainer for Decker.


text:
YOUR MLAs/
Members' Salaries and Expenses/
Members' Expenses 2014 - 2015 (April 2014 - March 2015)/
Other Expenditure (April 2014 - March 2015)
Members' Expenses - Other Expenditure 2014 - 2015
Figures for the full financial year (April 2014 - March 2015)
Name Resettlement Payment / Ill Heath Retirement Payment Winding Up Expenditure 1 Other Expenditure 2 Total
Agnew, Steven £0.00 £0.00 £4,487.54 £4,487.54
Allister, Jim £0.00 £0.00 £5,109.12 £5,109.12
Anderson, Sydney £0.00 £0.00 £4,417.20 £4,417.20
Attwood, Alex £0.00 £0.00 £4,044.96 £4,044.96
Beggs, Roy £0.00 £0.00 £3,727.57 £3,727.57
Bell, Jonathan £0.00 £0.00 £4,400.04 £4,400.04
Boylan, Cathal £0.00 £0.00 £4,484.16 £4,484.16
Boyle, Michaela £0.00 £0.00 £5,276.09 £5,276.09
Bradley, Dominic £0.00 £0.00 £715.80 £715.80
Bradley, Paula £0.00 £0.00 £3,609.60 £3,609.60
Brady, Mickey £0.00 £0.00 £4,707.64 £4,707.64
Buchanan, Thomas £0.00 £0.00 £2,499.96 £2,499.96
Byrne, Joe £0.00 £0.00 £10,465.08 £10,465.08
Cameron, Pam £0.00 £0.00 £3,632.33 £3,632.33
Campbell, Gregory £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
Clarke, Trevor £0.00 £0.00 £3,350.64 £3,350.64
Cochrane, Judith £0.00 £0.00 £4,279.96 £4,279.96
Copeland, Michael £0.00 £0.00 £11,479.55 £11,479.55
Craig, Jonathan £0.00 £0.00 £2,425.03 £2,425.03
Cree, Leslie £0.00 £0.00 £2,640.34 £2,640.34
Dallat, John £0.00 £0.00 £3,706.71 £3,706.71
Devenney, Maurice £0.00 £141.60 £0.00 £141.60
Dickson, Stewart £0.00 £0.00 £4,590.28 £4,590.28
Dobson, Jo-Anne £0.00 £0.00 £4,693.69 £4,693.69
Douglas, Sammy £0.00 £0.00 £2,513.75 £2,513.75
Dunne, Gordon £0.00 £0.00 £2,145.00 £2,145.00
Durkan, Mark H £0.00 £0.00 £5,873.91 £5,873.91
Easton, Alex £0.00 £0.00 £3,099.96 £3,099.96
Eastwood, Colum £0.00 £0.00 £4,001.64 £4,001.64
Elliott, Tom £0.00 £0.00 £2,495.96 £2,495.96
Farry, Stephen £0.00 £0.00 £4,432.24 £4,432.24
Fearon, Megan £0.00 £0.00 £4,707.64 £4,707.64
Flanagan, Phil £0.00 £0.00 £16,762.00 £16,762.00
Ford, David £0.00 £0.00 £3,957.85 £3,957.85
Foster, Arlene £0.00 £0.00 £8,652.29 £8,652.29
Frew, Paul £0.00 £0.00 £4,745.64 £4,745.64
Gardiner, Samuel £0.00 £0.00 £4,533.00 £4,533.00
Girvan, Paul £0.00 £0.00 £4,769.58 £4,769.58
Givan, Paul £0.00 £0.00 £7,161.96 £7,161.96
Hale, Brenda £0.00 £0.00 £3,352.18 £3,352.18
Hamilton, Simon £0.00 £0.00 £3,296.71 £3,296.71
Hay, William £0.00 £20,392.85 £26,663.93 £47,056.78
Hazzard, Chris £0.00 £0.00 £4,534.45 £4,534.45
Hilditch, David £0.00 £0.00 £2,907.06 £2,907.06
Humphrey, William £0.00 £0.00 £1,749.96 £1,749.96
Hussey, Ross £0.00 £0.00 £12,081.96 £12,081.96
Irwin, William £0.00 £0.00 £3,361.89 £3,361.89
Kelly, Dolores £0.00 £0.00 £2,313.24 £2,313.24
Kelly, Gerry £0.00 £0.00 £4,534.45 £4,534.45
Kennedy, Danny £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
Kinahan, Danny £0.00 £0.00 £581.38 £581.38
Lo, Anna £0.00 £0.00 £2,732.13 £2,732.13
Lunn, Trevor £0.00 £0.00 £2,938.40 £2,938.40
Lynch, Sean £0.00 £0.00 £7,277.84 £7,277.84
Lyttle, Chris £0.00 £0.00 £4,670.01 £4,670.01
Maginness, Alban £0.00 £0.00 £4,558.20 £4,558.20
Maskey, Alex £0.00 £0.00 £3,917.43 £3,917.43
McAleer, Declan £0.00 £0.00 £9,571.01 £9,571.01
McCallister, John £0.00 £0.00 £10,511.62 £10,511.62
McCann, Fra £0.00 £0.00 £4,520.02 £4,520.02
McCann, Jennifer £0.00 £0.00 £4,534.45 £4,534.45
McCarthy, Kieran £0.00 £0.00 £2,222.40 £2,222.40
McCartney, Raymond £0.00 £0.00 £3,221.02 £3,221.02
McCausland, Nelson £0.00 £0.00 £1,789.56 £1,789.56
McClarty, David £0.00 £17,176.09 £13,676.64 £30,852.73
McCorley, Rosaleen £0.00 £0.00 £4,534.45 £4,534.45
McCrea, Basil £0.00 £0.00 £1,435.47 £1,435.47
McCrea, Ian £0.00 £0.00 £3,209.88 £3,209.88
McDonnell, Alasdair £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
McElduff, Barry £0.00 £0.00 £13,386.76 £13,386.76
McGahan, Bronwyn £0.00 £0.00 £4,534.45 £4,534.45
McGimpsey, Michael £0.00 £0.00 £2,485.87 £2,485.87
McGlone, Patsy £0.00 £0.00 £6,022.35 £6,022.35
McGuinness, Martin £0.00 £0.00 £4,426.20 £4,426.20
McIlveen, David £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
McIlveen, Michelle £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
McKay, Daithi £0.00 £0.00 £6,718.25 £6,718.25
McKevitt, Karen £0.00 £0.00 £3,561.24 £3,561.24
McKinney, Fearghal £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
McLaughlin, Maeve £0.00 £0.00 £4,534.45 £4,534.45
McLaughlin, Mitchel £0.00 £0.00 £6,510.85 £6,510.85
McMullan, Oliver £0.00 £0.00 £5,338.45 £5,338.45
McNarry, David £0.00 £0.00 £789.96 £789.96
McQuillan, Adrian £0.00 £0.00 £4,386.00 £4,386.00
Milne, Ian £0.00 £0.00 £4,534.45 £4,534.45
Morrow, Maurice £0.00 £0.00 £4,098.17 £4,098.17
Moutray, Stephen £0.00 £0.00 £4,367.15 £4,367.15
Nesbitt, Mike £0.00 £0.00 £2,468.96 £2,468.96
Newton, Robin £0.00 £0.00 £5,325.00 £5,325.00
Ni Chuilin, Caral £0.00 £0.00 £4,534.45 £4,534.45
Ó hOisín, Cathal £0.00 £0.00 £5,574.49 £5,574.49
O Muilleoir, Máirtín £0.00 £0.00 £1,856.86 £1,856.86
O'Dowd, John £0.00 £0.00 £6,614.41 £6,614.41
O'Neill, Michelle £0.00 £0.00 £3,235.45 £3,235.45
Overend, Sandra £0.00 £0.00 £4,568.70 £4,568.70
Poots, Edwin £0.00 £0.00 £5,914.37 £5,914.37
Ramsey, Pat £0.00 £0.00 £16,651.27 £16,651.27
Ramsey, Sue £24,000.00 £14,568.25 £3,619.37 £42,187.62
Robinson, George £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
Robinson, Peter £0.00 £0.00 £2,660.04 £2,660.04
Rogers, Sean £0.00 £0.00 £4,838.54 £4,838.54
Ross, Alastair £0.00 £0.00 £2,055.84 £2,055.84
Ruane, Caitriona £0.00 £0.00 £3,668.45 £3,668.45
Sheehan, Pat £0.00 £0.00 £6,614.41 £6,614.41
Spratt, James £0.00 £0.00 £14,666.02 £14,666.02
Storey, Mervyn £0.00 £0.00 £5,851.99 £5,851.99
Sugden, Claire £0.00 £0.00 £3,494.60 £3,494.60
Swann, Robin £0.00 £0.00 £5,349.43 £5,349.43
Weir, Peter £0.00 £0.00 £6,112.05 £6,112.05
Wells, Jim £0.00 £0.00 £5,333.40 £5,333.40
Wilson, Sammy £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00
Total £24,000.00 £52,278.79 £525,996.15 £602,274.94
1 Winding Up Expenditure (WUE)
Winding Up Expenditure is paid to a former Member to allow him or her to bring their Assembly business to an orderly close. OCE is not payable from the date on which a former Member ceases to be a Member of the Assembly. WUE (like OCE) can only be claimed for actual expenditure.
2 Other Expenditure
With the exception of childcare, "Other Allowances" are not paid directly to Members, instead this category of allowance is payable to assist with specific support staff costs and may be paid to support staff or on their behalf to a third party (e.g. contributions to pensions). These allowances include: temporary secretarial expenditure, support staff mileage, disability allowance, support staff statutory redundancy payments and the cost of employer pension contributions paid for support staff. The largest allowance claimed in this category is the "employer pension contribution", which is made on behalf of support staff (64% of the total). Temporary secretarial expenditure (TSE) is payable to cover additional costs that may be incurred by a Member in employing additional temporary staff to cover if a permanent employee is absent from work due to illness or injury or on maternity leave. The amount of TSE claimed continues to vary from year to year.