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Home » Amazing Species » Animals » Mammals » Honey Badger
Honey Badger
Source: https://bit.ly/3DxjbIe Photographer: CT Cooper Public Domain Image
Honey Badger Facts
This truly impressive creature most frequently goes by the somewhat informative, yet certainly descriptive, common name of the Honey Badger. The remarkable animal does, however, also go by another, alternate name. That's the short term of the ratel.
Professionals, however, such as researchers, tend to refer to the mammal by its technical name. That's the relatively simple to pronounce term of Mellivora capensis. Yet, regardless of the term one chooses to employ, it remains an intriguing species.
It also owes its recognition to the German naturalist, Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber. That's because this respected scientist made the first acknowledgement of it as a separate and distinct species. This noteworthy event occurred in 1776.
He didn't assign it the name it holds now, though. He originally gave the newly recognized species the name Viverra capensis. The current name owes its existence to the efforts of others, including Gottlieb Conrad Christian Storr, and John Edward Gray.
Fortunately, the Honey Badger appears to be maintaining a population base that's both sizeable and stable. This trend also seems to hold true throughout the entirety of its natural range. The IUCN, therefore, presently lists it as Least Concern on its Red List.
The animal nevertheless faces potential threats to its existence. These, in fact, it shares with most species around the world. Habitat loss, due to human expansion, certainly qualifies as one. Its greatest threat, though, now likely consists of climate change.
Yellow Throated Marten
Southern Tamandua
Source: https://bit.ly/3doXMGx Photographer: Arno Meintjes CC License: https://bit.ly/31FKhjm
Honey Badger Physical Description
The incredible Honey Badger evolved a most distinctive physical appearance. Though this attribute certainly isn't its only claim to fame, it's nonetheless a noteworthy one. The impressive creature is therefore easily recognizable in all parts of its native range.
Like many of its relatives, however, this Mustelidae, displays a fairly strong degree of the characteristic of sexual dimorphism. In its case, this principally manifests itself in terms of sheer physical size. In all other ways, therefore, the sexes appear identical.
More precisely, the males attain a much greater average physical size than their female counterparts. The larger males range in body length from 22 – 30 in (55 – 77 cm) in body length. The impressive tail also adds an additional 4.7 – 11.8 in (12 – 30 cm).
At the shoulder, meanwhile, males average 9.1 – 11 in (23 – 28 cm) in height. Weights, though, vary depending on region, even among the same gender. Overall, however, this measurement equals roughly 14 – 26 lbs (6.4 – 12 kg) for the much larger males of the species.
The females, though, attain sharply different measurements. This gender of the species attains an overall average weight from different regions of about 30 – 4- percent less than that of the males. The other body measurements follow the same approximate ratio.
Both sexes of the Honey Badger othwrwise appear virtually identical. This includes a thick and broad body shape. The head's small and flat, and the skin's extremely thick and strong. The body presents as dark black, except for a large white band on the upper body.
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Mellivora
Species: M. capensis
Source: https://bit.ly/32U0j9G Photographer: Steve Slater CC License: https://bit.ly/2ZZxsQd
Honey Badger Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology
Fortunately, both for the fascinating Honey Badger itself, and for those of us who appreciate Nature, it has an extensive range of habitation. In point of fact, this astounding product of evolution actually evolved as native to a comparatively broad swathe of the globe.
More precisely, though, in addition to other regions, the powerful mammal evolved as indigenous to a large portion of sub-saharan Africa. From there, however, its range extends through such areas as Arabia, Iran, and even reaches as far as western Asia.
Within that already expansive zone of habitation, however, it displays even greater versatility in term so fits choice of habitat types. That's due to the fact that the mammal appears in virtually every ecosystem within that range. This provides it with a great advantage.
This flexibility in where it lives also extends to altitudes. That's because some populations live at or near sea level in parts of its range. In other areas, meanwhile, many groupings appear, and in equal numbers, at elevations of up to 13,123 ft (4,000m) above sea level.
Throughout the majority of their lives, most individuals live a primarily solitary life. During breeding season, though, pairs do occasionally hunt together. Though primarily carnnivorous in nature, individuals do sometimes augment their diet with vegetables.
Interestingly, the Honey Badger possesses the most varied diet of any known member of its Family, except for the wolverine. This includes various, rodents, insects, and snakes, even poisonous ones. It also often raids beehives for honey, thus the common name.
Kurinji
Giant Forest Ant
Check out our other articles on 5 Appalchian Mountains Species, Reef Manta Ray, Atacama Desert, Indigo Milk Cap, African Tulip Tree, Giant Girdled Lizard, Long-Horned Orb Weaver
Written by Todd Sain Sr. · Categorized: Mammals · Tagged: Climate Change, Iran, IUCN, Sexual Dimorphism


Voltedge » Feedback critical especially for High Performers!
High performers are immensely valuable to any company (they can be four times as productive as average performers), but managers need to look out for their wants and needs to keep them from seeking greater challenges, growth, and rewards elsewhere.
One big contributing factor to their job satisfaction is feedback. How often do you sit down with your employees to discuss their performance? Chances are, not enough. Many high performers say they expect at least a monthly sit down with their managers, but only 53% say their managers deliver on their feedback expectations. So if you're relying on annual or semi-annual performance reviews as the primary feedback mechanism with your employees, your high performers will likely begin to feel underappreciated.
Set up regular check-ins and ask how you can support their learning and development. Lay out their options for career advancement, and give stretch assignments to help them gain diverse experience.


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Forward Protocol Raises $1.25 Million to Build Web 3.0 Toolkits for a Value Driven Economy
[PRESS RELEASE – Panama City, Panama, 8th December 2021]
Forward Protocol has raised $1.25 million across two series of funding rounds, attracting investment from leading blockchain projects and venture capital groups such as Bitcoin.com, CVVC, AU21, X21, and GDA Capital.
Additional capital came from MEXC, Stakez Capital, Magnus Capital, MarketAcross, Basics Capital, CRT Capital, Polygon Studios, Master Ventures, BlackDragon, Tokenova, Lotus Capital, NFT Technologies, Darkpool Capital, Octopus Capital, ZBS Capital, IBC Group, Polygon Syndicate, Oracles Investment Group, Marathon Capital, Cuan Ventures, Ardura Capital, and Utopian Capital. Polygon also contributed a grant.
After raising $500k in its seed round, Forward welcomed investment totalling $700k in its private funding round as it draws closer to its goal of building Web 3.0 toolkits for a value-driven economy on a global scale.
'Making blockchain technology simple to use for non technical people is the next logical step in our progression towards mass adoption of blockchain,' said Forward Protocol Co-Founder Karnika E. Yashwant. He continued, "The value-driven economy is the next blockchain revolution."
'When you take away the barrier to entry you encourage participation rates to skyrocket,' said Co-Founder Mitch Rankin. 'We are adoption focused, providing open-source blockchain tools to enable any organization in any sector to use our toolkits to embrace Web 3.0 in a simple to use, drag and drop, no code environment".
Rankin's statements were echoed by AU21 Alexi Nedeltchev, who added 'Forward Protocol's vision of creating Web 3.0 toolkits is revolutionary, and we see them leading this sector while accelerating the adoption of blockchain globally.'
About Forward Protocol
Forward Protocol employs an easy-to-use WordPress-like model to facilitate a no-code environment that users can interact with even without technical knowledge. Also, Forward Protocol provides blockchain toolkits that connect the value-driven economy. The modular architecture and ready-to-deploy fully customizable smart contracts are designed for anyone to adopt blockchain technology, without any risk. The protocol's modular design allows any organization to choose the module suited to their platform and modify it to be functional to their use case.
Taking advantage of the blockchain's financial applications, Forward Protocol introduces the concept of an Initial Value Offering (IVO) among many others, which applies the crowd-funding model to blockchain. This is a kickstarter program on the blockchain, creating transparent fundraising opportunities and safety for backers. The Initial Value Offering (IVO) provides a solution for creators who need to invest substantial amounts of time and money into new products, but lack the certainty that they will become popular enough to cover the costs and assure profit for their product. It also protects prospective buyers' funds in a similar way that the kickstarter platform works.
PrevVivo Y55s: a monstrous battery attached to a mid-range with 5G connectivity
NextThe guts of the original PlayStation show us how much consoles (and the world) have changed after more than two decades

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A non-SQL data script used by direct row handling to process uploaded rows.
If you want to read column name metadata, you should specify the SendColumnNames MobiLink client extended option or property. As of version 12, SendColumnNames is on by default. Optionally, you can establish column names using the ml_add_column system procedure. Otherwise you can refer to columns by index, as defined at the remote database.
To get the uploaded pre-image columns for an update, use the SetOldRowValues and SetNewRowValues methods. See Handling direct upload conflicts.
The following .NET method processes the upload for the remoteOrders table. This example makes use of the SetOldRowValues and SetNewRowValues methods to access both the pre-image and post-image of each update.


Print a one-page calendar for 2012. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year one-page calendar.
Print a 12-page scheduling calendar for 2011. Each month has a page with a line for each day of the month.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has a butterfly to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year butterfly calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2011. Each month has blank space for your own decorations. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has a dinosaur to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year dinosaur calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has a wheeled vehicle to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year vehicle calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has a a place to record your local weather. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year weather calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has a biome to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year biomes calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has mammals to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year mammals calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has musical facts to read. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year music calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has endangered animals to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year endangered animals calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has artists to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year artists calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has parts of the solar system to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year solar system calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has a nursery rhyme to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year nursery rhymes calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has ocean life to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year ocean life calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has farm animals to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year farm calendar.
Print a 12-page calendar for 2012. Each month has seasonal holidays to color and read about. Or go to a 2011-2012 school-year holiday calendar.


Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted a sense of disappointment after Harry Kane failed to take the opportunities on offer against Inter Milan. The England international had come into the game on the back of a four-match scoreless run for club and country and things did not improve for himon Tuesday night where Spurs succumbed to a 2-1 Champions League defeat to the Nerazzurri.
"Spurs had already suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League coming into their Champions League "opener where they had hoped to make a strong start. However, barring Christen Eriksen's strike early in the second period and "they struggled to find another " breakthrough and this eventually hampered them with Maurizio Sarri and Matias Vecino turning the game in Inter's favour in the final 10 minutes.
As such, Pochettino was questioned whether he got the team selection correct with the likes of Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld left out of the travelling party but the Argentine nevertheless indicated that he had picked a team capable of challenging the Nerazzurri. With the loss, Spurs are behind both Inter and Barcelona in Group after the first round of fixtures in Group B and the next meeting versus the latter at home may be crucial to their prospects of reaching the knockouts.Barring this season, Spurs have made the Champions League group stage three times over the past decade but they have managed to progress into the knockout phase on just the one occasion.


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Q: Winston Logger not working outside playwright test listeners/reporters Background: I have implemented automation framework with POM Design pattern and playwright using typescript language.
I have implemented winston logger to create my custom logger for automation framework.
Below is the code snippet for logger
const logger = winston.createLogger({
    exitOnError:false,
    silent:false,
    levels : Levels,
        transports: [
            new winston.transports.File({
                filename: 'debug'+'.log',
                format: combine(
                    format.colorize(),
                    splat(),
                    timestamp(),
                    customFormat
              )
            }),
            new winston.transports.Console({
                format: combine(
                    format.colorize(),
                    splat(),
                    timestamp(),
                    customFormat
                )}
            ),
        ]
    });

I have implemented Test Listeners as well and leveraged above logger to log info/error in console and file during test run.

    onBegin(config, suite) {
        logger.info(`Starting the run with ${suite.allTests().length} tests`);
      }

But the logger is only working for Test Listener.
If I use logger.info() or console.log() in Page class or Test function - it doesn't log anything in console or file. Any suggestions as how to fix it ?

A: Problem identified: the logger was not getting instantiated in the page class.
Fixed the issue as below:

*

*exported logger to default by adding the following code at the end of the logger definition file:
export default logger;

*Imported and used the logger in the page.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Royal Fireworks Publishing Company, 9780880924542, 188pp.
Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Book Four. Rob's interest in a more sophisticated woman drives Kayla into the arms of a handsome, but disturbed young man, and distracts her from seeing the oddities in the situation of a young racehorse being quartered and temporarily trained at her aunt's ranch. Once again, Kayla is in double danger!


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Rodolfo Martín Arruabarrena (* 20. Juli 1975 in Marcos Paz) ein argentinischer Fußballtrainer und ehemaliger Fußballspieler. Er besitzt die argentinische und die spanische Staatsbürgerschaft.

Vereinskarriere

Frühe Karriere
Arruabarrena hatte seinen ersten Profieinsatz 1993 bei den Boca Juniors, wo er, mit Ausnahme einer Unterbrechung von 6 Monaten bei 1996 Rosario Central, bis 2000 spielte. Mit den Boca Juniors gewann er 1998 den Apertura und 1999 den Clausura in der argentinischen Primera División und 2000 den Copa Libertadores. Insgesamt lief er 178-mal für die Boca Juniors auf und schoss dabei 11 Tore.

Villarreal
Zur Saison 2000/01 wechselte Arruabarrena zum spanischen Erstligisten FC Villarreal. Wegen seiner Zuverlässigkeit als Abwehrspieler lief er in einigen Spielen als Mannschaftskapitän auf. Durch seine Tore in der UEFA Champions League 2005/06 bei den Glasgow Rangers und Inter Mailand sicherte er Villarreal den ersten Einzug ins Halbfinale in der Vereinsgeschichte. Mit Villarreal gewann er 2003 und 2004 den UI-Cup und spielte über 200 Begegnungen für das Team.

AEK Athen
Am 3. Mai 2007 unterschrieb Arruabarrena einen Dreijahresvertrag bei AEK Athen.

CA Tigre
Nach nur einer Saison in Athen wechselte er zurück in seine Heimat zu CA Tigre. Für Tigre machte Arruabarrena 69 Spiele und erzielte zwei Tore.

CD Universidad Católica
Die letzte Station in der Karriere von Rodolfo Arruabarrena war CD Universidad Católica, wo er einen Einjahresvertrag unterschrieb. Mit Católica gewann er die Chilenische Fußballmeisterschaft.

Nationalmannschaft
Arruabarrena spielte von 1994 bis 2000 4 Spiele für die Argentinische Fußballnationalmannschaft. Vorher spielte er in verschiedenen argentinischen Jugendnationalmannschaften. Nach einem Freundschaftsspiel 2000 wurde Arruabarrena bis September 2006 nicht mehr für die Nationalmannschaft berufen. 2006 und 2007 wurde er bei den Freundschaftsspielen gegen Spanien und Frankreich eingesetzt.

Trainerkarriere
Zur Saison 2010/11 wurde Arruabarrena neuer Trainer von CA Tigre. Ab dem 28. März 2013 übernahm er mit dem aus Co-Trainer Diego Markic, Gustavo Roberti und Torwarttrainer Fernando Gayoso bestehenden Trainerteam als verantwortlicher Chefcoach die sportliche Leitung beim uruguayischen Großclub Nacional Montevideo. Am 15. Dezember 2013 trat er von seinem Amt bei den Montevideanern zurück. Später trainierte er die Boca Juniors und wurde dort Ende Februar 2016 von seinen Aufgaben entbunden. Anschließend trainierte er zwei Jahre lang al-Wasl in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten, ehe er kurzzeitig Cheftrainer des katarischen al-Rayyan SC war. Nach Stationen in Dubai und Ägypten wurde er 2022 Nationaltrainer der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Fußballnationalspieler (Argentinien)
Fußballspieler (Boca Juniors)
Fußballspieler (Rosario Central)
Fußballspieler (FC Villarreal)
Fußballspieler (AEK Athen)
Fußballspieler (CA Tigre)
Fußballspieler (CD Universidad Católica)
Fußballtrainer (Nacional Montevideo)
Fußballtrainer (Boca Juniors)
Fußballtrainer (al-Wasl)
Fußballtrainer (al-Rayyan SC)
Fußballtrainer (al-Ahli Dubai)
Fußballtrainer (Vereinigte Arabische Emirate)
Argentinier
Spanier
Geboren 1975
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Big Island ARRL News, 20 Janaury 2018, 1625 UTC, Post #433.
Please click link to view the video podcast. If that link is inoperative, please use this URL for HRN 380: http://www.youtube.com/user/HamRadioNow/videos.
This weekend's ARRL Board of Directors meeting has surely stirred up the proverbial hornet's nest of controversy. The story has gone viral in the Amateur Radio Community, with both criticism and praise for the ARRL's efforts to revise its "Code of Conduct" and other internal management procedures. Many radio amateurs are deeply concerned about the transparency of items discussed at ARRL Board meetings and what happens to directors who oppose board policies.
In this video from "HamRadioNow", David (W0DHG) and Gary (KN4AQ) catch up on the final details of all proposals that are before the ARRL Board of Directors meeting this weekend.
Opinions expressed in this news summary are those of the reporters and correspondents unless otherwise stated.


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Taxpayers still shelling out billions annually in fossil fuel subsidies
The U.S. spent $26 billion a year supporting fossil fuels and scored the worst in ending support for coal mining, a pet project of President Trump.
Lorraine Chow
SOURCEEcoWatch
Image Credit: Aristocrats-hat/Flickr
The world's richest countries continue to subsidize at least $100 billion a year in subsidies for the production and use of coal, oil and gas, despite repeated pledges to phase out fossil fuels by 2025.
The Group of Seven, or G7, consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the U.S. The group, as well as the larger G20, agreed as early as 2009 to phase out fossil fuels in order to combat climate change.
But a new report from Britain's Overseas Development Institute (ODI) reveals that on average per year in 2015 and 2016, the G7 governments supplied at least $81 billion in fiscal support and $20 billion in public finance, for both production and consumption of oil, gas and coal at home and overseas.
"With less than seven years to meet their 2025 phase-out deadline, G7 governments continue to provide substantial support the production and use of oil, gas and coal," the authors stated.
The study, co-authored by Oil Change International, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Natural Resources Defense Council, was issued Monday ahead of the G7 summit in Canada.
"Governments often say they have no public resources to support the clean energy transition," the study's lead author Shelagh Whitley told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "What we're trying to do is highlight that those resources are there (but) it is being used inefficiently."
For the study, each G7 member was rated on the following measures: transparency; pledges and commitments; ending support for fossil fuel exploration; ending support for coal mining; ending support for oil and gas production; ending support for fossil fuel-based power; and ending support for fossil fuel use.
France ranked the highest overall, with 63 out of 100 points. While the country is lagging behind in its support for fossil fuel use, France earned the top spot for making early progress in ending fossil fuel exploration and production and ending coal mining, the researchers determined. Germany (62 points) and Canada (54 points) rounded out the top three in the dubious list.
Unsurprisingly – due to President Donald Trump's intention to pull the U.S. out of the Paris agreement and his administration's unrelenting push of fossil fuels – the U.S. was ranked lowest on the list, scoring only 42 out of 100 points.
The report showed that the U.S. spent $26 billion a year supporting fossil fuels and scored the worst in ending support for coal mining, a pet project of President Trump.
Among #G7 countries, the U.S. is the worst performer in the new #G7scorecard, wasting over $26 billion a year supporting fossil fuels.
It's time to end the giveaways for fossil fuels and #StopFundingFossils @PriceofOil : https://t.co/8XjrPAXQkp pic.twitter.com/5sfyJuuuHY
— ODIclimate (@ODIclimate) June 4, 2018
"Despite their numerous commitments, not only have G7 governments taken limited action to address fossil fuel subsidies but they have also failed to put in place any mechanisms to define and document the full extent of their support to oil, gas and coal, or to hold themselves accountable for achieving these pledges," the authors said.
The researchers urged the governments to establish concrete plans to end fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 as promised, Reuters reported.
"What should be a low-hanging fruit in terms of moving public resources away from fossil fuels is not happening, or where it is happening, it's not happening fast enough," Whitley told the news service.
Trump Administration Plans Costly Taxpayer Bailout of Unprofitable Energy Industries https://t.co/oDn4G7Fl6S @foe_us @UCSUSA @350 @BeyondCoal
— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) June 1, 2018
Trump adminiatration
Previous articleThe second sight of W.E.B. Du Bois
Next articleInfographic: Why normal people can't afford a house
Lorraine Chow is a freelance environmental journalist based in South Carolina.
Replacing coal with renewables could save energy customers $8 billion a year, financial analysts find
Big data, big oil and white supremacy: Unveiling the dark forces behind Trump's 2020 re-election campaign with Josh Fox
To help Australia, look to Aboriginal fire management
Fossil fuel interests applaud Trump admin's weakening of major environmental law


Picture yourself hugging that dear someone in a cold autumn night surrounded by the city lights that look like a sea of fallen stars.
That is the picture that Tuukka Jääskeläinen, aka. Satoi, wants you to embrace in with his combination of Finnish melancholy, deep and rich pads, and beats that will fill your feet with love and warmth that every human needs in this cold world.
Listing the melodic atmosphere of IDM and the overall sound and groove of Detroit techno as his inspiration, you will be promised an emotional experience that will make you dance.


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Ecommerce Sales Topped $1 Trillion for First Time in 2012
Asia-Pacific poised to surpass North America in B2C ecommerce spending
In 2012, B2C ecommerce sales grew 21.1% to top $1 trillion for the first time, according to new global estimates by eMarketer.
This year, sales will grow 18.3% to $1.298 trillion worldwide, eMarketer estimates, as Asia-Pacific surpasses North America to become the world's No. 1 market for B2C ecommerce sales.
Sales in North America grew 13.9% to a world-leading $364.66 billion in 2012—a figure expected to increase 12.2% to $409.05 billion this year—as more consumers shifted spending from physical stores to retail and travel websites thanks to lower prices, greater convenience, broader selection and richer product information. But despite strong growth, North America's share of global sales will drop from 33.5% last year to 31.5% in 2013 as Asia-Pacific surges ahead.
B2C ecommerce sales in Asia-Pacific grew more than 33% to $332.46 billion in 2012. This year, the region will see sales increase by more than 30% to over $433 billion—or more than one-third of all global B2C ecommerce sales.
The rapid growth in Asia-Pacific sales is a result of several factors. Three Asia-Pacific markets—China, India and Indonesia—will see faster B2C ecommerce sales growth than all other markets worldwide this year, while Japan will continue to take a large share of global sales.
China, unsurprisingly, is the primary driver of growth in the region. The country will surpass Japan as the world's second-largest B2C ecommerce market this year, taking an estimated 14% share of global sales, as its total reaches $181.62 billion, up 65% from $110.04 billion in 2012.
The US will remain the single country with the largest share of worldwide B2C ecommerce spending, at 29.6% in 2013—down from 31.5% in 2012 despite relatively strong growth. This will continue throughout the forecast period, though China is closing the gap fast. In 2016, China will have 22.6% of the worldwide market, vs. 26.5% in the US.
China also boasts the highest number of people who buy goods online in the world—nearly 220 million in 2012, according to eMarketer—a result of increasing internet penetration; a burgeoning middle class with growing trust in online shopping; government-driven campaigns to promote consumerism; as well as improved infrastructure, product selection and services offered by online sellers and retailers.
According to eMarketer, B2C ecommerce sales in the US will grow 12% to $384.80 billion in 2013—after growing 13.8% to $343.43 billion last year—as average B2C ecommerce sales per user reach $2,466 this year among those who buy goods online in the US.
Average spending per user is lower in China—set to reach just $670 this year, eMarketer estimates—but the sheer growth in China's digital buyers is staggering. The country will nearly double the number of people who buy goods online between 2012 and 2016, eMarketer estimates, resulting in considerable upside for B2C ecommerce sales in China through the forecast period.
A Bottom-Up Approach to Evaluating the Global Ecommerce Market
eMarketer is relatively distinct in its methodology for global B2C ecommerce sales. The company forms its figures through an analysis of various elements related to ecommerce sales—including macro-level economic conditions, population figures, internet and broadband adoption, consumer attitudes, historical trends in online sales, survey data from third parties, and estimates from other research firms, investment banks and other forecasters—at a country and regional level before building its worldwide model.
For example, when evaluating overall B2C ecommerce sales in China, eMarketer considered data points from dozens of sources on top-line sales, growth, online buyers, online buyer penetration, internet usage, and other trends—including, but not limited to, those included on the charts above and below—before forming its own forecast.
In all, eMarketer analyzed more than 1,100 data sets from over 130 research sources—whose ecommerce figures are each tracked and evaluated by eMarketer based on their respective methodologies, definitions and historical accuracy—looking at more than 22 markets and six major regions, before forming its worldwide figures.
eMarketer tracks and re-evaluates many of its estimates more than once per year. When an estimate is re-evaluated and found to be unchanged from the previous estimate, it is marked as "confirmed and republished" as of the later date.
Definitions: eMarketer's figures for B2C commerce sales include retail sales, travel sales, digital downloads purchased via any digital channel (including online, mobile and tablet) and sales from businesses that occur over primarily C2C platforms such as eBay. These figures exclude gambling and event tickets. Digital buyers are internet users ages 14 and older who have made at least one purchase via any digital channel within the past year, including purchases made on desktop, laptop, mobile and tablet devices. eMarketer converts currency based on the average 2012 exchange rate as reported by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Note: eMarketer benchmarks its Argentina B2C ecommerce sales projections against Cámara Argentina de Comercio Electrónico (CACE) data, for which the last full year measured was 2011. eMarketer benchmarks its Germany B2C ecommerce sales numbers against the Bundesverband des Deutschen Versandhandels data, for which the last full year measured was 2011. eMarketer benchmarks its India B2C ecommerce sales projections against the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) data, for which the last full year measured was 2011. eMarketer benchmarks its Japan B2C ecommerce sales projections against the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) data, for which the last full year measured was 2010. US B2C ecommerce is comprised of retail ecommerce and digital travel sales. US retail ecommerce is benchmarked against the Department of Commerce data, for which the last full year measured was 2011; US digital travel sales, which includes online leisure and unmanaged business travel, is benchmarked against PhoCusWright data, for which the last full year measured was 2010. Asia-Pacific includes American Samoa, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, North Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna. Eastern Europe includes Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland. Latin America includes Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (US). Middle East & Africa includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Gaza Strip, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, West Bank/Palestine, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. North America includes Canada, US. Western Europe includes Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK.
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Check out today's other articles, "Content Vaults to No. 1 Marketing Priority for 2013" and "UK Ecommerce Sales per Person Lead All Markets Worldwide."
Alibaba, JD.com Lead in China, but a Few Others Are Making Dents, Too


Create, manage and scale your business phone system from anywhere.
Audian is somewhere between excellent and awesome, even heroic at times. And we have had some pretty sticky issues we have thrown their way.
Audian has been excellent in providing a great experience to our customers.
Your portal made it quick and easy to spin up a new trunk...before I could get the other vendors support team on the phone.
They understand our technology and business model. I sleep well knowing they have my back.
See your callflow as a diagram and make changes to it by dragging and dropping elements. It's never been easier!
With our SIP Trunking and PRI options, you can easily use your existing phone system and save money on re-purchasing all new phones. Best of all, we still give you the same great instant features.
Set up as many Paging or Intercom groups as you would like. It can be done with just a few clicks, saving what used to take hours and calls to your vendor.
In the past, changing a setting on your phone system involved calling IT or your phone company and waiting for days as the changes were made. Once changed, were they even set up correctly?
With Audian's easy drag and drop system, you can make changes on the fly with visual cues leading you through. The changes will be instantly applied and you can test on the spot.
Gone are the days of waiting on hold for an hour just to request a change or new phone number. With Audian, you can adjust and make changes to your phone system right from our portal.
Even purchasing a number is as simple as a quick search, and once you add the number it will be instantly available. Voila!
At Audian, we are obsessed with service. One of the first things you will notice is our favorite three numbers: 611. Each of our phones will allow any user to simply dial 611 from the phone and will then drop you directly into our support queue for help where our average old time is less than 30 seconds!
Email works too - 611@audian.com will get a ticket created for you and we will get you on your way. We take great pride in our initial setup as well as after-sale service and support, so you won't need to worry about anything.


text:
Q: Generate Date Range from distinct rows I have the following rows. I need to generate a date range from different rows and same keys.

And I want the following output:

A: You can try this below logic with the help of CTE and ROW_NUMBER()
DEMO HERE
WITH CTE AS
(
    SELECT *,
    ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY userid,surveyid ORDER BY date) RN
    FROM your_table
)

SELECT A.userid,A.surveyid,A.date start_date, B.date end_date
FROM CTE A
LEFT JOIN CTE B ON A.RN = (B.RN-1)
AND A.userid = B.userid
AND A.surveyid = B.surveyID
WHERE (A.RN%2) = 1

A: If you subtract a sequence of numbers from the date, it will be constant when the days are adjacent.  That identifies groups, which can be used for aggregation:
select userid, surveyid, min(date), max(date)
from (select t.*,
             row_number() over (partition by userid, surveyid order by date) as seqnum
      from t
     ) t
group by userid, surveyid,
         dateadd(day, -seqnum, cast(date as date))


text:
# ![Speck](http://i.imgur.com/UMjf7SI.jpg)

## Speck - Let you create your domain entities with reactive validation based on [React](https://github.com/facebook/react) [propTypes](https://facebook.github.io/react/docs/reusable-components.html)

[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/scup/speck.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/scup/speck)

This package let you create entities with schema validation based on React PropTypes.

* [Installing](#installing)
* [Using](#using)
* [Examples](#examples)

### Installing
    $ npm install speck-entity

### Using

#### Sample Entities
```javascript
const Joi = require('joi')
const joiAdapter = require('validatorAdapters')('joi', Joi)
const Speck = require('speck-entity')

class MyEntity extends Speck {
  static SCHEMA = {
    field: joiAdapter(Joi.string()),
    otherField: {
      validator: joiAdapter(Joi.number()),
      defaultValue: 10
    }
  }
}

class FatherEntity extends Speck {
  static SCHEMA = {
    children: {
      validator: joiAdapter(Joi.array().items(Joi.object().type(MyEntity)))
      type: MyEntity
    }
  }
}
```

#### Get default values
```javascript
const niceInstance = new MyEntity();
console.log(niceInstance.toJSON()); // { field: undefined, otherField: 10 }
console.log(niceInstance.errors); // {}
```

#### Validations
```javascript
const buggedInstance = new MyEntity({ field: 10, otherField: 'value' });
console.log(buggedInstance.toJSON()); // { field: 10, otherField: 'value' }
console.log(buggedInstance.errors); /* or buggedInstance.getErrors() -- but... getErrors also includes children errors
  {
    field: {
      errors: [ 'Invalid undefined `field` of type `number` supplied to `MyEntityEntity`, expected `string`.' ]
    },
    otherField: {
      errors: [ 'Invalid undefined `otherField` of type `string` supplied to `MyEntityEntity`, expected `number`.' ]
    }
  }
*/
```

#### Validate on change value
```javascript
const otherInstance = new MyEntity({ field: 'myString' });
console.log(otherInstance.errors); // {}
console.log(otherInstance.valid); // true

otherInstance.field = 1;
console.log(otherInstance.errors); // {field: { errors: [ 'Invalid undefined `field` of type `number` supplied to `MyEntityEntity`, expected `string`.' ] }}
console.log(otherInstance.valid); // false
```

#### Parse children to Entity
```javascript
const fatherInstance = new FatherEntity({
  children: [{
    field: 'A',
    otherField: 2
  }, {
    field: 'B',
    otherField: 3
  }]
})
console.log(fatherInstance.children[0]); //An instance of MyEntity
console.log(fatherInstance.children[1].toJSON());
//{ field: 'B', otherField: 3 }
```
#### Builder
When you need to create objects with custom verification like
```javascript
    const elementList = {
        elements: [{
          type: 'product',
          name: true,
          price:  true
        }, {
          type: 'default',
          isDefault: true
        }]
      };
```
In such cases you can define a builder as follows:
```javascript
class ElementList extends Speck {}
ElementList.SCHEMA = {
  elements: {
    validator: noop,
    builder: (dataList, Type, dependencies) => dataList.map(data => {
      if (data.type === 'product') return new ProductEntity(data, dependencies);
      if (data.type === 'default') return new FakeEntityWithBoolean(data);
    })
  }
};
```
And use it like:
```javascript
new ElementList(elementList, someDependency)
```
(note that you can pass custom dependencies to your child entities and latter access them on the builder)

By defining builder you tell Speck Entity that you take the responsibility of instansitating and
returning a new object of the type which suits you the best.
This is a powerful concept as it lets users dynamically create new types on the fly.
#### Clean unexpected values
```javascript
const anotherInstance = new MyEntity({ field: 'myString', fake: 'fake' });
console.log(anotherInstance.toJSON()); // { field: 'myString', otherField: 10 }
```
To understand the validators [React PropTypes](https://facebook.github.io/react/docs/reusable-components.html)

### Well known issues
  - Create helpers for relationships validations(Like, mininum, maximum)
  - Create identifier and equal comparison
  - Type builders and/or custom builders are not being applied on instance setters

### Contextual validation
```javascript
  class FakeEntityWithExcludeContext extends Speck {
      static SCHEMA = {
          id: joiAdapter(Joi.number().required()),
          requiredProp1: joiAdapter(Joi.number().required()),
          requiredProp2: joiAdapter(Joi.number().required()),
          requiredProp3: joiAdapter(Joi.number().required())
      }

      static CONTEXTS = {
        create: { exclude: [ 'requiredProp2', 'requiredProp3' ] },
        edit: { include: [ 'id', 'requiredProp1', 'requiredProp2' ] },
        onlyId: { include: [ 'id' ] }
      }
  }

   const myEntity = new FakeEntityWithIncludeContext({ id: 1 });

   const contextCreate = myEntity.validateContext('create');
   console.log(contextCreate.errors); // { requiredProp1: { errors: [ ... ] } }
   console.log(contextCreate.valid); // false

   const contextEdit = myEntity.validateContext('edit');
   console.log(contextEdit.errors); // { requiredProp1: { errors: [ ... ] }, requiredProp2: { errors: [ ... ] } }
   console.log(contextEdit.valid); // false

   const contextOnlyId = myEntity.validateContext('onlyId')
   console.log(contextOnlyId.errors); // {}
   console.log(contextOnlyId.valid); // true
```
  Each context (create and edit in example above), could have _include_ property OR  _exclude_, the _include_ property receives the properties that will be validated in this context,
  and the _exclude_ property represents the properties that will be ignored on validation.

  In the example, the create context, will only check the 'requiredProp1' and 'requiredProp2'  fields, and the edit context will check 'requiredProp1', 'requiredProp2'  and 'id' properties.

  You **can't** combine include and exclude in the same context definition

##Custom validation
  You can validate your entity adding the property in _fields_ and setting the new validator
  ```javascript
    class Entity extends Speck {
      static SCHEMA = {
        id: joiAdapter(Joi.number().required()),
        requiredProp1: joiAdapter(Joi.number().required())
      }

      static CONTEXTS = {
        create: {
          fields: {
            requiredProp1: (obj, field) => {
              if(obj[field] === -1) return new Error('Error -1');
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }

    const entity = new Entity({
      id: 1,
      requiredProp1: -1
    });

    const contextValidated = entity.validateContext('create');
    console.log(entity.errors.requiredProp1); // undefined
    console.log(contextValidated.requiredProp1); // { errors: [Error: Error -1] }
  ```

  ### Hooks
  ```javascript
  class EntityWithHook extends Speck {
      static SCHEMA = {
          fieldWithHook: {
            validator: joiAdapter(Joi.number()),
            hooks: {
              afterSet(data, fieldName) {
                // data is the whole data of the instance
                // fieldName the current fieldName
                // DO WHATEVER YOU WANT
              }
            }
          },
          anotherFieldWithHook: {
            validator: joiAdapter(Joi.number()),
            hooks: {
              afterSet(data, fieldName) {
                return { anotherField: data[fieldName] * 2 } // if the afterSet hook returns an object is merged to data
              }
            }
          },
          anotherField: joiAdapter(Joi.number()),
      }
  }

  const myEntity = new EntityWithHook({ fieldWithHook: 'foo', anotherFieldWithHook: 'bar', anotherField: null });

  myEntity.anotherFieldWithHook = 10 //according to the after set hook anotherField newValue will be 20
```

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
•July 25, 2016
•Arts & Culture
Mexico finds water tunnel under tomb of Mayan ruler Pakal
Archaeologists at Mexico's Mayan ruin site of Palenque have discovered an underground water tunnel built under the Temple of Inscriptions, which houses the tomb of Mayan ruler Pakal.
Archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez says researchers believe the tomb and pyramid were purposely built atop the spring between 683 and 702 AD. The tunnels led water under the funeral chamber and give Pakal's spirit a path to the underworld.
Attention has focused on the heavily carved sarcophagus in which Pakal was placed, and which some erroneously believe depict the Maya ruler seated in a spaceship.
But Gonzalez said Monday carvings on a pair of stone ear plugs found in the grave say a god "will guide the dead toward the underworld, by submerging (them) into the water so they will be received there."
Temple of Inscriptions is the largest Mesoamerican stepped pyramid structure at the pre-Columbian Maya civilization site of Palenque, located in the modern-day state of Chiapas, Mexico. The structure was specifically built as the funerary monument for Pakal, ajaw or ruler of Palenque in the 7th century whose reign over the polity lasted almost 70 years.
Construction of this monument commenced in the last decade of his life, and was completed by his son and successor K'inich Kan B'alam II. Within Palenque, the Temple of the Inscriptions is located in an area known as the Temple of the Inscriptions' Court and stands at a right angle to the Southeast of the Palace. The Temple of the Inscriptions has been significant in the study of the ancient Maya, owing to the extraordinary sample of hieroglyphic text found on the Inscription Tablets, the impressive sculptural panels on the piers of the building, and the finds inside the tomb of Pakal.
ChiapasMayansMexico


text:
Roku opens Amsterdam office
New office will house 150 employees and joins the companys other European offices in Denmark, Ukraine and the United Kingdom
By Jenny Priestley
New office will house 150 employees and joins the company's other European offices in Denmark, Ukraine and the United Kingdom
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Roku is expanding its existing presence in Europe with a new Amsterdam-based office to help support the company's international growth.
The new office houses 150 employees and joins the company's other European offices in Denmark, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
TV streaming is a global phenomenon, and international growth is a key focus area for us, said Arthur van Rest, VP international at Roku. Attracting the right people is crucial to our success, and we believe that the Netherlands has great talent and expertise. We will be looking to hire across various functions, from marketing and business development to finance and legal.
Amsterdam deputy mayor Victor Everhardt added, Amsterdam is solidifying its position as a leading European hub for media and tech companies. Our good physical and digital infrastructure helps businesses grow their international presence quickly. An innovative company like Roku is a strong addition to our vibrant tech and start-up scene. It will also create a lot of opportunities for our diverse talent pool.
According to Roku, international expansion is a key priority for the company. In September of this year, Roku launched its streaming players in Germany.
The Roku platform is currently available in over 20 countries around the world, and it had 56.4 million active accounts as of September 30, 2021.
Roku reportedly set to open engineering hub in Manchester
data-src=https://www.tvbeurope.com/wp-content/themes/tvbeurope/library/images/tvbe-subs.jpg width=729 height=90>
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/roku-opens-amsterdam-office...
See more stories from tvb


An artsy shot of me taking a cold walk on Pacific Beach. There was lots of flotsam and jetsam.
Pacific Beach, Washington: Don and I got out of town and into a traffic mess Friday after school to begin Spring Break at the Washington Coast. The weather is exactly what one would expect for this time of year---windy, cold, rainy, with a few sunbreaks.
New camera being put to good work. Don played with his new camera and got some very good shots on our beach walk.
We both had our hoods up to cut the wind. This is one of my first attempts on the new camera.
Quinault Lake: The wettest place in the continental United States with over 150 inches per year as an average. It is in the middle of a rare temperate rain forest. With moss and dripping trees everywhere we understood we were in a very wet place.
Inside Quinault Lake Lodge built in 1926.
Biggest Sitka Spruce in the world: This tree is over 1000 years old. It was a wet, muddy walk to see it.
...you stand at its base.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Don and I finished listening to this audiobook on our trip to the ocean on Friday. We discussed many aspects of Cheryl's trip along the Pacific Coast Trail during our breakfast the next day.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I've read another 50 pages toward my read-along challenge.
Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple. I've decided to finish it but it's not a favorite choice.
Your Food is Fooling You by David Kessler, MD.
Spring Break Reading Goal: I want to finish the last two books on the above list and to start The Shadow of the Wind while making progress on my next audiobook, A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley. I also hope to spend one whole day doing nothing but reading! Call me a reading addict!
The Mansfield Park Read-along is an opportunity to read a favorite book at a pace that is doable each week. Join me.
Read 50+ pages. Goal accomplished this week. I have read up to Chapter XXV.
Action in this section: Sir Thomas Bertrand returned from Antigua before the group could put on their play, Lovers' Vows. He was not interested in allowing them to continue with their endeavor and within a few days of his arrival home the while stage was dismantled and the cast dispersed. Mr. Yates left to seek his dramatic talents elsewhere and Henry Crawford left for Bath. Maria Bertrand was quite distraught about his departure and within a few days of his leaving was more determined than ever to marry Mr. Rushworth to spite him. Once the wedding took place she and her sister Julia moved to Sotherton, the Rushworth estate ten miles from Mansfield Park. Later Julia joined her sister as she honeymooned in Brighton. Now Fanny was the only young female at home and Lady Bertram depended on her more than ever. Mary Crawford also befriended Fanny and invited her over to the parsonage often, much to Mrs. Norris' consternation. One night when Fanny and Edmond were invited to dine with the Grants and Mary Crawford they found that Henry had returned from Bath. At that time Henry made up his mind to make Fanny Price fall in love with him and to cause just a small whole in her heart. In the last chapter in this section we are introduced to William Price, Fanny's dear brother home on leave from the Navy.
Surprises: this sections explains many of my questions I have had from viewing the film adaptations of the book. I often wondered why Sir Thomas Bertram was so uncaring toward his children when he returned from West Indies; Why Maria married Mr. Rushworth so soon after her father's return; and what was Henry Crawford's motivation for flirting with Fanny. Mr. Bertram isn't the monster that the films make him out to be; Maria Bertrand was in a rush to marry Mr. Rushworth because she had her feelings hurt by Henry when he quitted the parish so abruptly; and Henry clearly liked the idea of having everyone in love with him and enjoyed the chase and the challenge. He just didn't understand the determination inside Fanny to resist him.
No wonder everyone thought he was a very dull fellow.
Write reviews for all the YA books I have read so far this year and stay current from this point forward. Also catch up on adult book reviews I'd like to include in my blog. I've only written 10 reviews this year but read 26 books so far. Gulp.
Complete my own reading challenge to Read all the 2014 ALA YA Award Winners. Of the ten books/categories in this challenge, I still need to read five books.
As part of the Chris Crutcher Challenge I would like to read at least three more of his books this year.
Read the Prinz Honor books: Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susan Cokal and Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool. That will keep me current on my challenge to read all the Printz books every year.
Get myself current on the 2014 YA Audiobook challenge. I signed up to read/listen to twelve YA audiobooks and I've not checked back in with the host of this challenge with an update yet.
Whittle away at my other reading challenges for the year: to read six books I should have read in school but didn't; read ten books from my own shelves at home; and to read or deal with the books on my bedside table.
Work with my principal to get new desktop computers in my library. This is long overdue.
Spend time with the EBSCO Trial Database over Spring Break.
Spend one full day reading over Spring Break.
Go see the Divergent movie.
Months ago, on a quick trip to the public library, I picked up and checked out How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig. I didn't go into the library to get this book. I was picking up a book on hold for my book club. At the moment before seeing this book I was thinking how reading was becoming a drudgery because I always have to read books for a purpose (ie., book club) and never because I just want to read them without any other purpose. I selected this one off the Lucky Day kiosk thinking it would be fun to thumb through it for an hour or so.
Little did I know that this book would become my new obsession. I renewed it three times because I was reading it so slowly and carefully. I was savoring every word. It took time to let everything sink in. Then the library wouldn't allow any more renewals, so I bought a copy for my own library, which I promptly checked out to myself.
Ken Ludwig is both an acclaimed playwright and an actor. He used several simple tools outlined here with his own children.
Before you stop reading because you have no children or your children are grown and out of the house, so are mine! I wish that I'd had this book when they were young but I got a ton out of the book anyway. Now I am pushing it on all my friends with young children so they can benefit from it. And I think this book would be a wonderful resource for any English teacher at the secondary level. As I read the book I couldn't help myself. I had to tag favorite phrases, tidbits about Shakespeare and pieces of advise from Ludwig. Look at the hilarious number of tags I placed in the book before I was done. Ha!
Post-it note tags on just about every page. How will I remember all that I want to save?
First, Shakespeare's plays, like all great works of art, are open to interpretation. That is the hallmark of art that has real value. If a work is static and never changes, then it can never tell us much about how we change over our lifetimes, and how mankind changes over time. As Hamlet says, it is the artist's job to hold the mirror up to nature.
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English! ... Be copy now to men of grosser blood.
And teach them how to war.
Stiffen your muscles and disguise your peaceful natures with looks of rage so you can frighten the enemy. Bare your teeth and stretch your nostrils, hold your breaths and raise your spirits to their full height. On you noble Englishmen! Show lesser men how to fight.
"Why Hal, 'tis my vocation, Hal. 'Tis no sin for a man to labor in his vocation."
"Sell when you can; you are not for all markets."
He goes on to say that he wants Shakespeare to be an inspiration to our children so they know that can do anything if they work hard. He wants them to eventually recognize his genius and to find consolation in him in their old age.
Be sure to visit the How to Teach Your Child Shakespeare website.
Weather: beautiful with clear skies and a warmish temperature. Yesterday Don and I got out and pruned the roses. It was a month later than we usually try to do it but the weather has just hasn't cooperated until this week.
Musical selection of the day: Vivaldi's Spring. It is a very familiar song but appropriate for today. Cue the music and listen while you read the rest of the blog post.
My sister and her husband were in town this weekend. They live in Boise so we don't don't see them as often as we would like. When our kids were young they lived in Tacoma. All important family functions were spent together. I miss that so much. We really enjoyed our time together. Their youngest son just announced his engagement and plans a late summer wedding. Whew, the kids are growing up so fast.
FitBit: I had my fist 10,000 step day this past week. When it happened the Fitbit practically exploded with its weird form of congratulations. I actually didn't know what was happening until I pieced together the pieces later in the day.
Health tip of the week: Apple Cider Vinegar has surprising health benefits from lowering cholesterol, aiding in digestion, even curing hiccups. Drink 1-2 tablespoons mixed into at least 12 oz of water before a meal for dietary help. Admittedly it is an acquired taste but it is doable, not ghastly. I recommend that you buy organic apple cider. It will be a bit cloudy. Read about all the ways that is helps the body here on the Reader's Digest site.
How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig...I LOVE this book and intended to write a review this week-end but left the book at school. Look for my review tomorrow! Needless to say, I recommend it.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Don and I are sharing the audiobook edition, both listening as we drive to work and back.
Your Food is Fooling You: How Your Brain is Hijacked by Fat, Sugar, and Salt by David Kessler. I had hoped to finish this book this week-end but also left it at work when I ran out of school on Friday afternoon.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I'm reading 50 pages a week in a read-along.
Where'd You go Bernadette by Maria Semple. To finish or not to finish, that is the question. This book is not my cup of tea.
Refreshment Sunday: This Sunday represents the middle Sunday of Lent and is thought to be the refreshment Sunday. Not sure what that is all about but I've decided to take it literally and the family will make a trip to the Root Beer Store in a few minutes. Yes, you read that right. We have a Root Beer store in our town. It makes me smile to even say it. Ha!
Prayers for: Dom, my cousin's daughter's husband, who is shipping out to another tour of duty in Afghanistan this week. We prayed over Dom today in church so I know that he will be safe.
Soup of the week: Corned beef, cabbage, potato soup. Heck, we love our corned beef meal on St. Patrick's Day, why not take the ingredients and make soup? We had it three times and still have leftovers.
Mansfield Park read-a-long is a chance to read a classic book by a favorite author in bite-sized pieces making it doable for the average reader like me. It is not too late to join in. Grab a book or download it for free on your Kindle and let's go. Here is the intro to the read-along.
1. Page goal met? Almost. I read 51 pages, breaking at the end of chapter XVIII.
2. The action in this section mainly center around the return of Tom Bertrand and his friend Mr. Yates who are determined to act out a play, Lovers Vows. Edmond is determined to thwart the attempts his older brother makes to put on the play saying their father most certainly wouldn't approve. Yet he eventually decides that he will join the cast. Great jealousy is developing between sisters Maria and Julia because of the obvious preference that Mr. Crawford shows toward the elder sister. No one except Fanny will rehearse with Maria's fiance, Mr. Rushworth, even though he has two and forty speeches. Mrs. Norris and Tom both are tremendously unkind toward Fanny because she refuses to join the cast of actors. Even though Fanny won't join in she is indispensable for all the preparations, making costumes, rehearsing lines, running errands.
It is in this section that we learn about how unkind Mrs. Norris has been to Fanny ever since she entered the house over eight years before, not allowing her a bedroom among the family members or even allowing for a fire in her grate.
3. Surprises in this section? No real surprises but I was struck by two things.The first being how "small" the lives of folks living in the Regency period when Austen was alive. They worried about the appropriateness of putting on a play just for themselves and they could only include people who were also from the gentry class. The second thing that struck me was how tedious this section was to read. I kept thinking, "No wonder this is Austen's least favored book."
4. Which brings to mind this question, was life during Austen's life really like this? Days and days of preparations for an event that would serve as entertainment only for themselves? I try to think what life would be like with no TV, radios, movies, phones, computers. We would be forced to make our own entertainment, wouldn't we?
Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't dig for a favorite book, the coolest, or the most intellectual. Just use the one currently being read.
Nine words. Each word one syllable. Nine syllables. That's all it is. It isn't hard to learn this line of poetry. It's from the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, and I'll bet your son or daughter can memorize it in less than a minute.
The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge said that "prose equals words in best order; poetry equals the best words in the best order." Williams Wordsworth called poetry "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." And Emily Dickinson said, "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know it is poetry."
My thoughts: I have been feasting on the contents of this book for months now and just finished it yesterday. I don't really think the two quotes you got here are good representations of how wonderful this book really is but you get the idea that a. It is about teaching your children to love Shakespeare by helping them memorize some of the best lines from his plays and b. It isn't just about memorization but also about good literature in general.
Your thoughts? Leave them in the comment section.
I'm still treasuring the few moments here and there reading the slim Dover Thrift version of Books and Reading: A Book of Quotations, edited by Bill Bradfield. This will be my last installment of favorite quotes I found within.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed. This is cheating since I am currently reading this book. I want to give myself a boost when I actually finish at least one book on the list. :) This is the All-Pierce-County-Reads book of the year.
Cress by Marissa Meyer. This is the third book in the Cinder series. I'm pretty hopeful that this book will get to me soon, as I have a hold on it at the public library.
Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor. Set to come out in a few weeks this should be the thrilling conclusion to the Daughter of Smoke and Bones trilogy.
The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal. This was a Printz Honor book this year. I try to read all the winners every year.
Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn. Another award winner, this book won the Morris Award this year for debut authors. It has been sitting on my bedside table for a month.
Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride by Helen Halstead. This is just a silly book I picked up at the friends-of-the-library sale. I confess this one is calling my name right now as I do my Mansfield Park Read-along.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. This book has been on my TBR pile for so long. I finally downloaded the audiobook onto my iPod. Now to take the time to listen to it.
One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson. This was the book my husband gave me for Christmas. He and I are both Bryson fans and this book sounds like it will be a winner.
A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley. I enjoyed the first two books in the series and then stopped. Now there are five books and I haven't read #3 yet.
Weather: Raining. A small pond has formed in our backyard. We wouldn't be surprised if a family of ducks decided this "pond" was a good home for them.
Cue the Music: My musical selection of the week is once again The Piano Guys. Love them! They combine classical with modern songs. This one is Pavane with Titanium. Cue the music and have a listen while you read on.
Friday and Saturday: I attended two different workshops. Both were in a nearby town, University Place. I used the GPS to help guide me. The GPS gave me very different directions each day even though I had to drive past the first locale to get to the second. Ha. One of the classes I took was about Financial Planning for Retirement. I am starting to think about the R word.
Today: we head up to Seattle to hear our daughter's a cappella group, Drop the Bass.
FitBit and COSTCO: Goal 10,000 steps a day. I stop by COSTCO and think to myself that I should get quite a few steps while I shop since the warehouse is so big. When I got home and upload the data from my bracelet it was as if I wasn't at COSTCO at all. It was a mystery. Why hadn't it tallied my steps? I asked a friend who also has a FitBit if she had any ideas. She asked if I was pushing a shopping cart because one has to swing arms for steps to count. Mystery solved. If you see a goofy lady walking around COSTCO pushing a cart with one arm and swinging her other arm, it is me. Even though I made this revelation I still didn't make my daily goal of 8000 steps. I had two down days with the workshops where it was difficult to work in many steps.
Health tip of the week: 1. It is next to impossible to buy salad dressing that doesn't contain vegetable oils even if it says contains olive oil on the front, check the ingredients. It is time to find a recipe to make my own dressing or go back to using just vinegar and olive oil. If you have a good Italian dressing recipe, please send it my way. 2. Exercising is more fun if listening to an audiobook.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio. This book is WONDERFUL. Even though it is a Junior book I recommend it for everyone.
The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian. A depressing mystery set in Italy during WWII and eleven years later. It took be a long time to figure our who "done it" which made it a good mystery for me.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed. My audiobook selection in the car. On disc 3 of 11.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Marie Semple. My audiobook selection for exercising in the house and while walking the dog. On disc 4 of 9.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. A read-along challenge. Here is this week's update. On page 100 of 400.
Your Food is Fooling You by Kessler. A YA version of the same book by Kessler. It is about the addictive qualities of fats, sugars, and salts. On page 25 of 192.
How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ludwig. OK, I admit, this book is on the back burner right now. On page 150 of 368.
Prayers for: My friend Sharon. She is back in the hospital with a new infection similar to what caused meningitis last Fall. May she get the meds that will cure her and help her to feel healthy again!
Quote of the week: "May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all the year long."
Mansfield Park read-a-long is a chance to read a classic book by a favorite author in bite-sized pieces making it doable for the average reader like me. It is not too late to join in. Grab a book or download it for free on your Kindle and let's go. Here is the intro to the read-a-long.
1. My goal is to read 52 pages each week (your page count will be different according to the edition of the book you are using.) Was the goal met? Yes, up to the beginning of chapter XII.
2. What has happened so far? Mary Crawford is worming her way into Edmund's heart. Austen goes so far as to say that he is falling in love. Fanny feels slighted and ignored. She seems to like Mary but also appears to be jealous. Mary's harp has finally been delivered and everyone enjoys hearing her play. Maria Bertrand is engaged to Mr. Rushmore but she actually has her eye on Henry Crawford, as does her sister, Julia. There appears to be a competition between the two sisters for his attentions. They made a day trip to visit Mr. Rushton's estate which seemed to delight Mrs. Norris more than anyone else.
3. Surprises? Fanny does not whine or complain but she seems to be a bit of a wimp. She tires out during a walk and has to sit while others walk on. She gets faint after four days of not being able to ride her horse. The movie pays just as much attention to Henry as to his sister, Mary. This section of the book is mainly about Mary and how she is ingratiating herself to Edmond.
4.A question- Does anyone else have trouble with Austen's writing style here? I found several occasions where I couldn't figure out who was speaking.
The first annoying thing is when I ask Dad what he thinks happened to Mom, he always says, 'What's most important is for you to understand it's not your fault.' You'll notice that wasn't even the question.
...I was unpacking my photos, mugs, and snow baby collection when I looked up and saw Elgin Branch across the atrium. He wasn't wearing any shoes, just socks, which I found odd.
This story is nothing like what I thought it would be.
Today, while I waited for my chiropractic appointment, I read this little gift book found in the lobby, What Makes You Smile? It is the sweetest little book. It took me a few minutes to read but it got me thinking. What makes me smile? Here are just a few things. After you read my list, please add a few things that make you smile in the comment section.
A slightly silly cover for Mansfield Park since Fanny and her cousins are only young for a few pages of the book.
1. My goal was to read 52 pages each week (your page count will be different according to the edition of the book you are using.) Did I make this goal? No. I am on page 41 which is in the middle of chapter 5.
2. What has happened so far? We meet the Bertram family and learn why they invite their niece, Fanny Price, to live with them. She is neglected and friendless until cousin Edmond comes to her rescue. As the years pass she still views herself as inferior to the rest of the family. Fanny is now 18 and we have just met Mary and Henry Crawford, who are quite full of themselves.
3. Surprises? There were lots of differences between the book and the movies made from it. For one thing there is more laid about about the sisters---Mrs. Bertram, Mrs. Norris, and Mrs. Price. They had a falling out over Mrs. Price marrying below herself so they didn't communicate for many years. Not until she was pregnant for the ninth time did she write her sisters and ask for help. She wanted to send her eldest son off to the Navy, instead the older sisters asked her to send them Fanny.
One other thing that surprises me is how much of the story has already happened and I am only 1/10 of the way through the book. It seems like the movie is already over 1/4th over at this point. Based on this I think I will encounter many parts of the book that I will not be familiar with at all in future weeks.
4.A question I've wondered as I read this section. Did Jane Austen really like Fanny Price? She seems so docile compared to her other heroines. The author of the Introduction, Amanda Clayburgh, suggested that Austen probably actually liked Mary Crawford better because she had more of Austen's personality.
See you next week. I will try to catch up on this week's unread pages so that I will be back on track.
Crocuses, our first signs of spring.
Weather...we call it sunbreaks. In other words, raining with a few minutes of sunshine here and there. Yesterday it absolutely poured. It was the type of weather that gives the Pacific Northwest a bad name, deservedly so. We've had over 5 inches of rain in the first eight days of March.
Yesterday...we attended the Lenten Prayer concert at Seattle University. Our daughter is a senior this year. Every concert this year brings us closer to the last one. I remember feeling this way her senior year in high school attending all her last concerts. It is a very bittersweet feeling. We want our daughter to launch but yet we have a hard time letting go of these precious times. Can anyone relate?
Spring: It has rained so much lately it hard to pay attention to other signs of Spring. I was shocked the other day to see crocuses (see above) while walking the dog. Then today I noticed that the street trees (flowering plums) are ready to burst forth with flowers any day.
Ash Wednesday service this past Wednesday was the beginning of Lent or the six weeks leading up to Easter. This year I am attempting to be more mindful of God in my life everyday. Our church hosts a very short church service following a simple soup supper. The service concludes with our pastor placing a small cross on our foreheads from the ashes of the palms from last year's Palm Sunday. This is a time of fasting and prayers.
52,400 Steps...as I said last week, I purchased a FitBit high tech pedometer last week. Every single day I attempted to reach the goal of 10,000 steps. I didn't make it one single day. For the week I made 52,400 steps which makes my average daily steps at around 7300. I am obviously more sedentary then I want to admit because those 7300 steps reflect me really trying to add exercise and steps to my life. My goal for this week is to average 8000 steps/day.
Health tip of the week: get more sleep! Everywhere I turn I am getting messages similar to this one that I found on WebMD. Now I have another new goal: to turn off the TV by 9:00 so that I am in bed by 9:30. This will be tough for me as I am truly a night owl.
It was in the Stanford study, however, that the more provocative meaning of the [relationship to sleep and these hormones] leptin-ghrelin effect came to light. In this research -- a joint project between Stanford and the University of Wisconsin -- about 1,000 volunteers reported the number of hours they slept each night. Doctors then measured their levels of ghrelin and leptin, as well as charted their weight.
Books read this week: None. I am in the middle of three books and didn't make much progress on any of them. I was too busy trying to figure out how to walk 10,000 steps to do anything else. Ha!
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen...look for my first 50 page check-in on my read-a-long later today.
Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't dig for their favorite book, the coolest, or the most intellectual. They use the one they are currently reading.
I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary, I guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know that ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds.
We sat together at lunch," I said.
I had started kicking a rock between my feet like it was a soccer ball, chasing it back and forth across the sidewalk.
"She seems very nice.""Yeah, she is."
"She's very pretty," Mom said.
"Yeah, I know," I answered. "We're kind of like Beauty and the Beast."
I didn't wait to see Mom's reaction. I just started running down the sidewalk after the rock, which I had kicked as hard as I could in front of me.
Wonder is an award winning junior-level book about a boy who has facial deformities and his first year attending school. Further down the first page Augie says about his looks: "I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse."


text:
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Risk Management and the Board of Directors
Are Board Members Personally Responsible for the Company's Risks?
Ignorance is not bliss in business. In fact, ignorance when it comes to a company's risk exposure can actually lead to personal liability.
Most of us would assume that a company's leaders – the CEO, the COO, the CFO – would be held responsible for their own actions in leading a company down a risky path. In the world of activist investors, Board Members can also find themselves a target.
The responsibilities for a Board of Directors can be outlined in state and federal law, stock exchange requirements and established best practices. Law established by Delaware state courts has formulated national legal standards for the responsibilities of a Board of Directors.
Courts establish criteria for risk responsibility
In a series of cases, Delaware courts have declared that Boards have a duty to monitor risk as part of their obligation to prevent harm to the corporation. In the landmark Caremark case, the court found that Directors can be liable for a failure of Board oversight where there is "sustained or systemic failure of the Board to exercise oversight – such as an utter failure to attempt to assure reasonable information and reporting system exists."
In 2006, they went on further in Stone v. Ritter, writing that Board Directors breach their duty to monitor when they either "utterly fail to implement any reporting or information system or controls" or if "having implemented such systems or controls, consciously fail to monitor or oversee its operations, thus disabling themselves from being informed of risks or problems requiring their attention."
Recommendations for Risk Management
In its 2012 update on "Risk Management and the Board of Directors," the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation reviewed these important cases and provided guidance. The update described the actions of an effective risk management system:
Identify material risks that the company faces in a timely manner
Implement appropriate risk management strategies that are responsive to the company
Integrate consideration of risk and risk management into business decision-making
Transmit necessary information to senior executives and the Board
They also advise that any risk management solution should be tailored to the company it is serving. When it comes to choosing the tools to assist your company in risk management, it's important to select a solution that is flexible, agile and highly configurable.
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1654. Ellen A. POOLE was born on 1 May 1914 in Ralph, Tuscaloosa, AL. She died on 13 June 1998 at the age of 84 in Ralph, Tuscaloosa, AL. She was buried in Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery, Ralph, Tuscaloosa County, AL.


text:
The Pact for Mexico After Five Years: How Has It Fared?
• REPORT Latin America and the CaribbeanMexicoWorld
Rebecca Watts
Jake Johnston
Lara Merling
June 2018, Mark Weisbrot, Lara Merling, Rebecca Watts, and Jake Johnston
The Pact for Mexico pledged to institute policies that would usher in a new era of growth and prosperity for Mexico, through the implementation of a series of structural reforms. The timeline for implementation of the proposed reforms extended to the second semester of 2018.
This paper examines whether there has been progress toward the Pact's goals since it was signed; and whether any measures taken since then — including current economic policies — are likely to help Mexico break out of its long economic slump and forge a different path toward economic and social progress.
Five years into the Pact for Mexico, it is clear from the available data that the Pact's promises to launch a new era of economic and social progress have not begun to materialize. The authors conclude that the country's persistent sluggish growth, poverty, and inequality are rooted in a set of important economic policy choices that have been made consistently for a long time.
PDF | Flash | Press Release
Mark Weisbrot | Co-Director
Co-Director, Center for Economic and Policy Research
Rebecca Watts |
Jake Johnston | Senior Research Associate
Jake Johnston is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C.
Lara Merling | Senior Research Fellow


text:
"Flaps & seals"
Dated: January 22, 2019 by Sharyl Attkisson 3 Comments
"Can we meet me at your house—tonight?" Terry [not his real name] asks. He doesn't want to say much on the phone.
"Sure," I reply.
"Can you meet me in the driveway? And . . ." He hesitates. "Can you leave your phone inside the house?" Terry is a very polite guy. By the tone of the brief conversation, I already know he's going to talk to me about my computer incidents.
I finish my tae kwon do workout and get home just in time for the driveway rendezvous. I sit on the brick stoop in front of my house and wait, still damp with martial arts sweat. It's humid and warm and starting to get dark. Terry pulls into the driveway, hops out, and joins me on the stoop. He's carrying a Baggie and a folder.
"I know what's been happening to you," he says with genuine concern. "If there's anything I can do to help, I want to."
Terry, like so many in this region, has connections to the three- letter agencies. He tells me in quiet tones that he's angry at the thought of the government conducting covert surveillance on law-abiding pri- vate citizens and journalists.
"I've spent my whole career developing and using techniques that are meant to be used on terrorists and bad guys. Not people like you." He opens the Baggie and shows me an array of bugging devices of different sizes and shapes. He pulls them out one at a time and explains how each one could be disguised to fit into a different host. I don't think anyone is using bugs in my house. But I remind myself that not long ago, I didn't think anybody would break into my com- puters. In any event, Terry is giving me a crash course: Spy Class 101. He looks around. Up the driveway. Both sides and across the street. "Let's take a walk."
Terry tells me of a conversation he'd had with my husband back in 2011. He'd noticed a white utility truck parked up the street by a pond.
"I didn't like that. I didn't like it at all," he tells me now, shaking his head. "I talked to your husband about it at the time. He'd already noticed the truck, too.
"I didn't like it because I recognized the type of truck and the type of antennae it had. And if you look"—he points up the street—"there's a direct line of sight from where it was parked to your house." My husband, who once worked in law enforcement intelligence, had on several occasions in the past couple of years mentioned the presence of nondescript utility trucks parked in our neighborhood—trucks that were working on no known utility projects. Neighbors noticed, too. Ours is a small community filled with people who pay attention to such things. Some of them worked for the three-letter agencies.
For more than an hour, Terry tells me fantastical stories of in- credible covert capabilities the government has. I think about James Bond getting briefings on secret gadgets from Q Division. Terry says there's a way to shoot an arrow from a distance into the outside of a building and have it penetrate through the outer wall, just far enough to stop short of the drywall, where it plants a listening device. Or the government may find out you're attending a professional conference and plant spyware on every CD to be given out at the event, in hopes that you'll take one and insert it into your computer. Or they find out when you're taking your car in to be serviced and arrange to install transmitters in your taillights.
"That's sort of like the antennae. Then an audio receptor can be placed inside your car. That way they know where you are and when you're coming home."
Terry tells me about the government's secretive departments of Flaps & Seals. They specialize in—well—flaps and seals. For example, they intercept something you've ordered in the mail, and open the "flaps" and break the "seals" to outfit the product with a bug or malware. Then they reseal the flaps and seals so expertly that you can't tell anyone has been in the package. When it arrives at your house, you install the software or attach the device to your computer and voilà! You've bugged yourself. Simple and clever.
Terry tells me that the government's technical surveillance tools are limitless. Wide domestic use of drones has opened a whole new world of possibilities. A small drone with a camera can easily hover quietly above my house for forty-five minutes while it uploads data or downloads software.
"And then there are lightbulbs," Terry says. "Your audio can be monitored through lightbulbs. Lamps. Clock radios. Outdoor lights."
The lightbulbs have ears?
"How can a lightbulb emit a signal?" I ask. "If it's transmitting, can that be detected?"
"It doesn't use a transmitter," Terry explains. "It operates off the electrical current in your house. It's called electric current technology."
That blows my mind.
"The names of the people who are executing surveillance on you won't be found in a criminal database," Terry tells me. "More likely they're in Scattered Castles."
He explains that Scattered Castles is a database used across all components of the intelligence community that verifies personnel security access to Sensitive Compartmented Information and other caveated programs.
This is all fascinating but a little academic. And in a way, some of it sounds so 1990s. From what I've learned, it seems the government and its operatives don't need to go to these extraordinary lengths to track and monitor people. We're all so wired through the Internet and our smartphones: that's all they really need.
[hr]Read excerpt #1 here: The Computer Intrusions: Up at Night
#2: Big Brother: First Warnings
#3: The Computer Intrusions: Disappearing Act
#4: The Incredible, Elusive "Verizon Man"
#5: I Spy: The Government's Secrets
#6: Computer Intrusions: The Discovery
#7: Notifying CBS About the Government Computer Intrusions
#8: The MCALLEN Case: Computer Intrusion Confirmed
#9: The Disruptions Continue
#10: Revelations in the Government Computer Intrusion
#11: Obama Leak "Witch Hunt"
#12: Obama's War on Leaks
#13: The Computer Intrusions Become Public
#14: The Govt. Computer Intrusions: Word Spreads
#15: My Computer Intrusion and the National Connection
#16: URGENT dispatch
#17: Clapper's False Testimony
#18: Government Spying First Revealed
#19: How the FBI Missed the Boston Marathon Bombers
#20: The media operation against Snowden and the government computer intrusions
#21: Government Surveillance and Two-Tiered Justice
#22: Other Reporters Weigh in
#23: The CBS Connection
#24: Spy Class 101
James Braedyn says
Sheryl,
Keep up the fight. I have come to respect the impartiality of your reporting and that you are one of the few journalists that can be trusted. You do excellent work! Especially for a Gator


Communities In Schools of Delaware (CISDE), looks to support nearly one thousand students and their families who are currently homeless in Kent County. CISDE received $100,000 a year for the next three years to pilot a homeless student support network. Funding from the Potter Trust Fund through the Cen-Del Foundation will help connect students and their families to services and partners that CISDE is coordinating at the school level. All Kent county schools have access to this service, which is being coordinated with Visiting Teachers at districts across the county. For more information contact Karen Harmon.


Happy New Year from 1844 House!
Since we opened in 2006, we have finished our year with special menu items that reflect my love for classic European and American cuisines and my training under 3 ACF Certified Master Chefs (1 American, 1 French, 1 German). One of our traditions is to make this classic dessert. It remains one of our guest favorites and we are so happy to bring it back again this year.
A Grand Marnier mousse filled cream puff swan swimming in a pool of raspberry coulis.
Happy New Year from all of us at 1844 House. We look forward to spending many more special occasions with you in 2016!
Tuesday - Saturday 4:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
We are proud to be St. Lawrence Counties premier "Farm to Table" restaurant. Since opening our doors nearly 10 years ago (2006); our focus has been on creating a community bistro with a menu that showcases the finest local ingredients available to prepare each dish. We are committed to using local sustainably grown produce and meats whenever possible. Since 2006 the 1844 House has purchased more than $175,450.00 in food from our local farms.
It is very exciting to see that we have inspired so many of the newer restaurants in the surrounding communities to embrace our philosophy of supporting our local farms. Buying fresh local food is not a culinary trend. It is an age old tradition of professional chefs and their commitment to provide the most delicious, nutritious and wholesome foods available, prepared in creative ways. It is also part of our commitment to encourage our guests to eat seasonally and support the local economy.
mint (3 types), sage, oregano, a variety of edible flowers, rhubarb, raspberries, apples, bay laurel, & garlic.
We have installed 6 new raised beds in the back yard so that we can expand our production during the 2016 season!
We are a "Bistro" style restaurant. To us, that means we are here to serve the people of this community the best quality food possible, with genuine hospitality in a comfortable atmosphere. Our meals are prepared to order, from scratch. We make every salad dressing, crouton, soup, sauce, dessert, etc. right here in our kitchen. Along with cutting our own steaks and fish filets. This is not a fast paced restaurant; our cuisine is served in courses so that you can enjoy each dish served. In addition to our seasonal menu, you can expect a complimentary hors d oeuvre to begin you evening, a freshly made sorbet to cleanse your palate before entrees are served, and one of our signature house made chocolate confections to finish your evening.
This is a place for people who enjoy spending an relaxing evening "breaking bread" with family, friends and neighbors with a quality craft beer, professionally prepared cocktail, or a great bottle of wine from our Wine Spectator Award winning wine list.


Take a look at the ranges below and see if anything takes your fancy. Click on an image to enlarge.
This range of kitchens is designed to cater for all tastes, habits, desires and of course budgets.
Cabinets are manufactured in the UK in textured gloss and wood grained effect colours.