Diamond Resorts International®, a global leader in the hospitality and vacation ownership industries, is proudly hosting a barbecue fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada, to benefit the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth.
Diamond Resorts has partnered with the local nonprofit organization, which aims to combat youth homelessness in Southern Nevada, throughout the year. In May, a group of Diamond Resorts National Marketing team members put together 500 hygiene kits, which were distributed to homeless youth, and in June, the marketing team members presented the organization with a $3,500 donation.
Clark County, Nevada, has one of the highest homeless youth populations in the country, according to the nonprofit organization, and during the 2015-2016 school year, more than 14,000 homeless students enrolled in Clark County schools.
The barbecue fundraiser, aimed at raising awareness of the organization's mission, will feature lunch donated by Virgil's Real BBQ and will be held at the Drop-In Center at 4981 Shirley Street, Las Vegas. Diamond Resorts team members will present the organization with new basketballs for the children to play with, along with items collected during a recent clothing and backpack drive to ensure they have new items for the upcoming school year.


A couple of years ago, I watched Wolf Hall, the TV dramatisation of Hilary Mantel's novels about Henry the VIIIth, his first three wives and the political manoeuvring of Thomas Cromwell.
Amongst many things that stuck out from this elegant production, one thing speaks to our Scriptures today. it is when Cromwell is summoned to Hampton Court Palace in the middle of the night. The King is in a terrified state. He has just had a dream in which he sees his late brother, Arthur. Henry you might remember was married firsT to Catherine of Aragon, who had . . . or perhaps had not . . . been married to his brother. Henry wishes to divorce Catherine so that he can marry Anne Boleyn, and believes that the dream is a warning from God. His Spiritual destiny hangs in the balance, and He is terrified. God looms large in his dreams and thoughts.
Cromwell, ever the consulate politician of course, like the false prophets, give Henry a soothing interpretation which calms his fears, and so the die is cast.
What struck me was how unlike the age in which we live . . . I think it is not unreasonable to point out that for most if not all of us, we are far far more attentive to the state of our physical health than we are of our Spiritual situation before God! Tummy trouble may keep us awake at night, but not our eternal condition.
In this respect it is worth briefly considering what seems often to be the case in the church and its curiously paradoxical position regarding Sin. There is much smoke and heat around issues of so called 'social justice' – often married to a theology which speaks of a benign grandfatherly God who seems rather loathe to speak of Sin . . . one wonders what some of our co-religionists think shall be The End of all those involved in social injustices, if God is so Nice? If the state of our souls, of our spiritual condition is of no import in The End? Perhaps this is nothing more nor less than a blind unbelief in God, who may or may not be there but has at the least clocked off and left us all to 'put the world to rights'.
Whatever, the point is that we seem less than interested in our spiritual state than our physical or material state.
Lent as we aware is a time for careful reflection, but not upon the state of the world, the ghastliness of which we are all too often reminded, rather upon the state of our spiritual life – our Life before God. In the grace of the Church it is the gift of a season of 6 weeks, and given we otherwise do little in this respect, we would do well to make the best use of each and every hour of these weeks.
The Tradition of the Church offers us three disciplines, based upon Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount; Prayer, Fasting, and giving alms to the poor (over and above any we might usually give as part of our lives as Christians). Jesus, it must be said seems curiously quiet on the subject of Lent study groups . . .
Prayer fasting and almsgiving – How much? We like to know what the standard is . . . well simply all three need to be carried out until we notice them! That is we pray, fast and give around the perimeter of what we are comfortable with,until the comfortable contours of our existence are disrupted – and then notice our discomfort. We do these things until we notice that we do have a soul and a spiritual life, and perhaps they are not in the best of order.
Indeed we may become aware of how spending more than a few minutes in prayer bores us – we might feel it to be pointless, and a hundred and one 'more important things' run through our heads. We thus wake up to a sense of our lack of love for God . . . The words of Jesus ring through our ears as they did those of the first disciples – 'could you not watch with me one brief hour?' Just one hour??
Or . . . to be honest, we prefer not to fast at all, if we are typical modern Christians; it seems to have disappeared from common practise, thus revealing we are hungrier for food than God. Jesus fasted forty days, yet at the end his hunger for God was greater than any temptation to turn stones into bread.
We may then hear our epistle as a call to wake up! For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.
Our lack of desire to fast that we might sharpen our awareness of God and our Spiritual situation before Him – making us aware that perhaps our real god is our belly! Our minds are full of this and that and the other, not on things above. What does Paul say of us? We are thus marked out as those living 'as enemies of the Cross of Christ'! That is our spiritual condition.
All of these disciplines can and do alert us to our deep spiritual malaise . . . if we use them, but like with respect to our physical health, we often try and avoid paying attention, perhaps until it is too late.
'Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, "Lord, open to us", then in reply he will say to you, "I do not know where you come from." Then you will begin to say, "We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets." But he will say, "I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!" . . . the grave danger of our lives is that we are so caught up in what we call 'our' lives that we miss The Life of God.
What are our hearts and minds full of? The practices of Lent are given to us to alert us to our Spiritual malaise – to bring us to a point of painful Realism as the penetrating Healing Light of God is thrown into the many dark and perhaps long neglected nooks and crannies of what may have become a seriously deteriorated soul . . .
Put simply, there is something gravely wrong with us – and the disease from which we suffer is called Sin. We may not have been conscious of sinning . . . or perhaps its effects, that it leads to death. When St Paul says, the wages of Sin is death, he is not saying, Death is the punishment for Sin, no! He is saying Death is the consequence of Sin.
We do not have to point at the murderous events in Christchurch to see this – indeed our concentration on them and our constant gawping at bad news stories far and wide is part of the distraction the devil uses for keeping us from seeing closer to home.
A simple example, one to which we can all possibly relate – a common or garden sin, or perhaps to use the gardening metaphor more fully a weed going up amongst the wheat – telling a lie. A simple lie. But what happens when we deceive? We cut the life giving connection between ourselves and the person we lie to. We as it were hide from them. Life stops flowing, we prefer not to be known.
Perhaps we lie because we are ashamed. So we hide. We hide from any possibility of healing, from forgiveness, from Life itself. We avoid the doctor coming to us in the shape of the person from whom we hide . . . thus is the way of Sin.
It is at root a lack of desire for the Life of God, which is in Truth a lack of desire for Life, lack of a desire to be well – which is why Jesus asks the man at the pool, 'do you want to be well?
Sin is to use the words of one philosopher, a 'sickness towards death', and we are half asleep with it.
Sin is not primarily a moral problem. Think of the young man who wanted to follow Jesus – who said 'all these commandments I have kept since my youth!' Or St Paul who by his own admission was with respect to the law, and there were 630 of them, faultless! Yet he was exposed as neither knowing nor loving God. He loved his own life – how many of us do! We may come to the point of death saying 'I have had a good life, yet it is not the life we have that is the point, it is the life god offered us – His Life! Materially speaking the young man Jesus met had no desire for the Life of God, as twas revealed when Jesus offered him this life, if he would only lay down his own . . .
Sin and sickness away from the Life and Light of God, towards Death.
As I have said before, Jesus does not die to make bad people good, he dies to make dead people live!
He is the Great Physician, the Great Doctor of our souls – this is why he comes healing. It is sign of his deep work . . .
So when the pharisees warn him about Herod, how does Jesus reply . . .
'Go and tell that fox for me, "Behold!" Look! Pay Attention! See! I exorcise demons and accomplish healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.
Behold! I am Coming! I am Healing – setting people free from there demons! Accomplishing healings!
We are moving through Lent – we move towards the finishing of his healing work in Jerusalem.
Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.
Soon his work is complete and the door closes . . .
Lent and its disciplines are given to us that we might, unlike our contemporaries, pay attention to our Life before God.
Jesus is the Great physician – he comes with healing Love! Fundamentally it is Life and Love in its fullness that we are terrified of! It is too much, yet, God is too much at one go! Yet in his Grace, and with our co-operation, the lIght of Christ can shine into our hearts, drawing our attention to our plight and binding us more anymore tightly to the one who is coming in the name of the Lord.
Why is it so very costly to follow Jesus? Because our plight is grave – yet He has the words of eternal Life. In Him is light and love and mercy and compassion. We are seriously afflicted and the remedy is nothing less than the Cross, in our lives. This is the healing for the whole world, one person at a time . . .
We look out at the world around us and bewail its condition, but watch an hour with Jesus? Go without a single meal? Give to everyone who asks of us? Simply obey Jesus . . .


Established in 1950, so now in its 70th year!
Chelsea has been the highlight of the social season, alongside the Chelsea Flower Show. It has been the springboard for many major dealers who have gone on to Grosvenor House, Maastricht and more recently, Masterpiece Fairs - they are now leading lights in the antiques world, such as Robert Young, Witney Antiques and Wakelin & Linfield.
As the most economic of the major London Fairs, Chelsea draws to London many provincial dealers who could otherwise not afford the costs of a London event. Thus prices are always reasonable!
Vetting is the prime factor in the maintenance of fine quality, authenticity and condition of all exhibits, which also have to bear fully descriptive price labels. Exhibitors too are vetted for their knowledge, selective stock and integrity.
The magnificent refurbished main Hall in the Old Town Hall adds grandeur, while its size contributes to the intimate and relaxed friendly atmosphere - where buyers and sellers of stylish furnishings and embellishments can enjoy discussing the fine objects on show - many of which will be going to admiring new owners in London, the provinces and indeed overseas.


text:
Q: Enumerating Collections that are not inherently IEnumerable? When you want to recursively enumerate a hierarchical object, selecting some elements based on some criteria, there are numerous examples of techniques like "flattening" and then filtering using Linq : like those found here :
link text
But, when you are enumerating something like the Controls collection of a Form, or the Nodes collection of a TreeView, I have been unable to use these types of techniques because they seem to require an argument (to the extension method) which is an IEnumerable collection : passing in SomeForm.Controls does not compile.
The most useful thing I found was this :
link text
Which does give you an extension method for Control.ControlCollection with an IEnumerable result you can then use with Linq.
I've modified the above example to parse the Nodes of a TreeView with no problem.
public static IEnumerable<TreeNode> GetNodesRecursively(this TreeNodeCollection nodeCollection)
{
    foreach (TreeNode theNode in nodeCollection)
    {
        yield return theNode;

        if (theNode.Nodes.Count > 0)
        {
            foreach (TreeNode subNode in theNode.Nodes.GetNodesRecursively())
            {
                yield return subNode;
            }
        }
    }
}

This is the kind of code I'm writing now using the extension method :
    var theNodes = treeView1.Nodes.GetNodesRecursively();

    var filteredNodes =
    (
        from n in theNodes
            where n.Text.Contains("1")
                select n
    ).ToList();

And I think there may be a more elegant way to do this where the constraint(s) are passed in.
What I want to know if it is possible to define such procedures generically, so that : at run-time I can pass in the type of collection, as well as the actual collection, to a generic parameter, so the code is independent of whether it's a TreeNodeCollection or Controls.Collection.
It would also interest me to know if there's any other way (cheaper ? fastser ?) than that shown in the second link (above) to get a TreeNodeCollection or Control.ControlCollection in a form usable by Linq.
A comment by Leppie about 'SelectMany in the SO post linked to first (above) seems like a clue.
My experiments with SelectMany have been : well, call them "disasters." :)
Appreciate any pointers. I have spent several hours reading every SO post I could find that touched on these areas, and rambling my way into such exotica as the "y-combinator." A "humbling" experience, I might add :)

A: This code should do the trick
public static class Extensions
{
    public static IEnumerable<T> GetRecursively<T>(this IEnumerable collection,
        Func<T, IEnumerable> selector)
    {
        foreach (var item in collection.OfType<T>())
        {
            yield return item;

            IEnumerable<T> children = selector(item).GetRecursively(selector);
            foreach (var child in children)
            {
                yield return child;
            }
        }
    }
}

Here's an example of how to use it
TreeView view = new TreeView();

// ...

IEnumerable<TreeNode> nodes = view.Nodes.
    .GetRecursively<TreeNode>(item => item.Nodes);

Update: In response to Eric Lippert's post.
Here's a much improved version using the technique discussed in All About Iterators.
public static class Extensions
{
    public static IEnumerable<T> GetItems<T>(this IEnumerable collection,
        Func<T, IEnumerable> selector)
    {
        Stack<IEnumerable<T>> stack = new Stack<IEnumerable<T>>();
        stack.Push(collection.OfType<T>());

        while (stack.Count > 0)
        {
            IEnumerable<T> items = stack.Pop();
            foreach (var item in items)
            {
                yield return item;

                IEnumerable<T> children = selector(item).OfType<T>();
                stack.Push(children);
            }
        }
    }
}

I did a simple performance test using the following benchmarking technique. The results speak for themselves. The depth of the tree has only marginal impact on the performance of the second solution; whereas the performance decreases rapidly for the first solution, eventually leadning to a StackOverflowException when the depth of the tree becomes too great.

A: You seem to be on the right track and the answers above have some good ideas. But I note that all these recursive solutions have some deep flaws.
Let's suppose the tree in question has a total of n nodes with a max tree depth of d <= n.
First off, they consume system stack space in the depth of the tree.  If the tree structure is very deep, then this can blow the stack and crash the program.  Tree depth d is O(lg n), depending on the branching factor of the tree.  Worse case is no branching at all -- just a linked list -- in which case a tree with only a few hundred nodes will blow the stack.
Second, what you're doing here is building an iterator that calls an iterator that calls an iterator ... so that every MoveNext() on the top iterator actually does a chain of calls that is again O(d) in cost.  If you do this on every node, then the total cost in calls is O(nd) which is worst case O(n^2) and best case O(n lg n).  You can do better than both; there's no reason why this cannot be linear in time.
The trick is to stop using the small, fragile system stack to keep track of what to do next, and to start using a heap-allocated stack to explicitly keep track.
You should add to your reading list Wes Dyer's article on this:
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/wesdyer/2007/03/23/all-about-iterators/
He gives some good techniques at the end for writing recursive iterators.

A: I'm not sure about TreeNodes, but you can make the Controls collection of a form IEnumerable by using System.Linq and, for example
var ts = (from t in this.Controls.OfType<TextBox>
                 where t.Name.Contains("fish")
                 select t);
//Will get all the textboxes whose Names contain "fish"

Sorry to say I don't know how to make this recursive, off the top of my head.

A: Based on mrydengren's solution:
public static IEnumerable<T> GetRecursively<T>(this IEnumerable collection,
    Func<T, IEnumerable> selector,
    Func<T, bool> predicate)
{
    foreach (var item in collection.OfType<T>())
    {
        if(!predicate(item)) continue;

        yield return item;

        IEnumerable<T> children = selector(item).GetRecursively(selector, predicate);
        foreach (var child in children)
        {
            yield return child;
        }
    }
}

var theNodes = treeView1.Nodes.GetRecursively<TreeNode>(
    x => x.Nodes,
    n => n.Text.Contains("1")).ToList();

Edit: for BillW

A: I guess you are asking for something like this.
public static IEnumerable<T> <T,TCollection> GetNodesRecursively(this TCollection nodeCollection, Func<T, TCollection> getSub)
 where T, TCollection: IEnumerable
{
    foreach (var theNode in )
    {
        yield return theNode;
        foreach (var subNode in GetNodesRecursively(theNode, getSub))
        {
            yield return subNode;
        }
    }
}

var all_control = GetNodesRecursively(control, c=>c.Controls).ToList();

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text:
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The Sherp ATV would be the ultimate ride for 'KSP' motorists
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Part of the novelty of driving something like the Suzuki Jimny is its size. Its ultra-compact design doesn't just make it light and easy to maneuver-it makes it cute AF, too. The only real downside to owning something this
Stuck between a T-Roc and a hard place: Off-roading with VW's droptop soft-roader
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The borough of Elmbridge, Surrey. That's who to blame for this situation. No, not the fact that I'm currently parked in a pool of brown water, or that the back seats look like a T-Rex has sneezed chocolate milkshake
by Rowan Horncastle
The new 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor looks like a low-key off-road beast
This or the F-150 Raptor? Pick one
Ford's Tremor off-road package-which it recently introduced for the Ranger-is now making its way to another popular pickup in the lineup: the all-new F-150. Does it look like a baby Raptor? A subtle one, maybe.The
After 40 years, the Jeep Wrangler lineup officially has a V8 option once more
Say hello to the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392
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There are improvements inside the cabin and under the hood, though
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Kids these days probably only recognize this thing as a run-of-the-mill public transportation vehicle. Hell, we're not even sure there's that many of these still serving Filipino commuters on a daily basis. There was a time, though,
Land Rover PH reveals prices of upcoming diesel-powered Defender 90 and 110
The model just got more affordable
Last week, local Land Rover distributor Coventry Motors Corporation announced that it will be bringing in the D240 Defender 90 and 110, providing local customers with diesel-powered alternatives to the off-road SUV introduced earlier this year. Now, we have the
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Let's play 'spot the difference'
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Diesel-powered Land Rover Defender to arrive in PH early next year
Waiting for this?
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The Jeep Gladiator Top Dog Concept is the perfect ride for bike lovers
And hotdog fans, too
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Mercedes-Benz has turned its luxury EV into an off-road beast
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The Mercedes-Benz EQC-the first vehicle launched under the German marque's EV sub-brand EQ-has been given an overhaul. Well, sort of. The carmaker has just turned its luxury electric SUV into a bona fide off-road machine, and
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We're not that used to seeing rugged setups on Lexus' sedans and SUVs-the brand is peak Toyota luxury and comfort, after all. That said, we wouldn't mind seeing the carmaker make some more aftermarket mods just like what it
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Revealed: America's Shadowy B-21 Stealth Bomber Emerges
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February 26, 2016 Topic: Security Region: United States Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: B-21LRS-BU.S. Air ForceDefenseTechnologyPoliticsSecurity
"The B-21 has been designed from the beginning based on a set of requirements that allows the use of existing and mature technology."
by Dave Majumdar
The U.S. Air Force has revealed the designation and released concept art of the shadowy Northrop Grumman Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B). The aircraft will be designated the B-21. But the B-21 Mission Design Series—as designations are referred to in the Pentagon—is a break from tradition; many observers had expected the new stealth bomber to be called the B-3.
According to the U.S. Air Force, "the designation B-21 recognizes the LRS-B as the first bomber of the 21st century." The service notes that its rendering of the aircraft is based on Northrop's preliminary design concept. There is no prototype of the LRS-B that has been built yet.
The B-21 bears more than a passing resemblance to the current generation Northrop B-2 Spirit. That because the Air Force consciously chose to use mature technologies for the LRS-B program. Moreover, the B-2 is the only currently operational aircraft in the Pentagon's inventory that was designed to be able to counter low-frequency radars operating in the UHF and VHF bands. The LRS-B will advance those broadband all-aspect stealth capabilities to counter the extremely high-end threats that are expected to emerge in the coming decades.
"The B-21 has been designed from the beginning based on a set of requirements that allows the use of existing and mature technology," Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said—speaking at the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium on February 26 in Orlando, Florida.
Earlier this month, in his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh reiterated the service's need for next-generation warplanes to counter rising challenges from great powers. "The platforms and systems that made us great over the last fifty years will not make us great over the next fifty," Welsh told the Congress. "There are many other systems we need to either upgrade or recapitalize to ensure viability against current and emerging threats. . . the only way to do that is to divest old capability to build the new."
The B-21—like the B-2 Spirit, F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II before it—will receive a name to go along with its designation. Air Force leadership has already announced that it will pick a name from suggestions submitted by servicemembers. "This aircraft represents the future for our Airmen, and [their] voice is important to this process," James said. "The Airman who submits the selected name will help me announce it at the [Air Force Association] conference this fall."
Meanwhile, development work on the B-21 LRS-B has resumed at Northrop now that Boeing's protest to the Government Accountability Office has been overturned. The B-21 recently entered into its Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase—but the program might yet run into hurdles. Senator John McCain—chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee—recently threatened to block funding for the program unless the contract was restructured.
If the Air Force can overcome the various obstacles it faces, the service plans to field the B-21 in mid-2020s. As for what this shadowy aircraft might be called. . . I would suggest the Air Force call it the B-21 Shadow.
Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for the National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @davemajumdar.
Image: U.S. Department of Defense.


I have been meaning to address the sting for several months now. You know...the sting of infertility.
I still get annoyed when women plan to get pregnant, assume it'll happen right away, and then it actually does. I can be happy for them, but what frustrates me is the assumption that everyone gets pregant so easily.
Oh, and yeah, I still am getting a lot of, "Now that you adopted, you'll get pregnant, too!" comments. Which need to end NOW!!
But for the most part, the pain of infertilty is gone! All it took was to hold a baby in my hands and call him, "My Son." Big surprise, no?
Sure, next time around, it's going to be just as difficult to add to our family, but for now what matters is that Levi is here. The goal has been achieved. Whether we stay a family of three or become a family of ten, what matters is that we are parents.
What a relief it's been to hear of SO MANY pregnancies, and be truly happy for the new parents-to-be. The weight is off my shoulders. I didn't realize how much work it was to fake happiness in those situations when I was so incredibly bitter and jealous.
Ah Chelle, I appreciate your honesty & transparency.


Throughout history and film noir archives, there are hundreds of creative ways to dispose of that most awkward bit of evidence, a body. Just as the Mob is synonymous with the cement-shoe swimming lesson, the Everglades drop-off is a South Florida staple. There are many more things you can do with dying flesh in a region with access to oceans, swamps, landfills, and Rush Limbaugh, but for the killer with pride — the kind who likes a trophy to show what a big man he is — there's only one place to go: Gray Taxidermy, the world's largest marine taxidermist. Just as Captain Bill Gray did more than 50 years ago, Gray's will turn your dead body into a work of art that you'll proudly prop up in any den, dining room, or dorm. Whether you killed a tiny, colorful character or a gigantic monster with man-eating jaws, Gray's will give you a reproduction that looks like it just came from the water. Note: For readers looking for the best way to dispose of a human body, the answer is definitely feeding it to Rush Limbaugh.


Many findings in both psychology and affective computing areas have reshaped the scientific understanding of human's mental states. Mental states have been found to be one of the key factors that contribute to the quality of human-computer interaction (HCI). Currently, a number of experiments in affective computing and HCI areas are being conducted; the studies mainly focus on the development of a novel computer system called the mind reading computer. The mind reading computer, in a very real sense, can read people's minds and can react to different emotions or commands. Researchers believe that, in the future, mind reading computer can be applied to many disciplines in the real world and can improve the quality of HCI.
This exploratory research provides comprehensive insights into the background, models and implementation of the mind reading computer. To accomplish that, this research will be based on secondary data sources and will mainly focus on its affect on individuals as the main end-users. The computational model, which is one of the frameworks for human's mental states recognition will be explored along with its methods. This model uses special algorithms to extract data from one's facial expression and present the results in a mathematical way through the use of classifiers. With respect to that, the applications of this model can be useful to detect stress level in a person as well as to diagnose autism syndrome.


REAson d'etre dance productions believes in inspiring people through contact dance improvisation and dance/theatre. We create, produce and program dance works on stage and in film. We explore current themes in a manner that enables people to benefit from the enlivening and thought-provoking powers of expression through movement. We tell inter-generational stories that represent the current theme in the world. We strive for a high level of community engagement through classes, jams, and all-level performance opportunities. We believe that every "body" can dance, and we work to increase the accessibility of the dance arts in Canada. Alongside producing professional work, we encourage and support the everyday person in becoming artists.
What is Contact Dance Improvisation?
Contact dance improvisation is a social dance involving touch, in which momentum between two or more people is used to create and inspire dance movements. The dance form is practiced with or without music. Techniques include rolling point of contact, balancing over a partner's centre of gravity, following momentum, and "listening" with one's skin surface. Contact dance improvisation is accessible to people with no previous dance training and to people with physical disabilities.
"Men's Circle dance-theatre play "nothing can prepare the viewer for the gradual elegance and intense poignancy that evolves... The vulnerability we are often taught to erase in men is fully realized throughout..." "


text:
MENA Game Publisher Puplishme Acquired by India's Nazara Technologies
Flat6Labs Launches New $20 Million Seed Fund in Jordan
Bedaya Launches Egypt's First Non-Bank Mortgage Finance App
Nazara will acquire a large chunk of the company with a 69.82% stake through primary and secondary transaction through its subsidiary.
Startup Scene VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY Startup Scene
India-based Nazara Technologies--a diversified gaming, gamified learning, and sports media company--will acquire a majority stake in Turkey-based Publishme, the Middle East and North Africa's largest games marketing and publishing agency, and which also goes by the name of Arrakis Tanitim Organizasyon Pazarlama San. Tic. Ltd.
Nazara will acquire a large chunk of the company with a 69.82% stake of primary and secondary transactions through its subsidiary. Nazara's services already stretch to India and across several developed and emerging global markets including Africa and North America, but with this new acquisition, Nazara will expand its international reach into the freemium segment and build local execution abilities across several growth segments, primarily gamified learning and e-sports.
Özgür Özalp, Publishme's CEO, said that "we are delighted to join Nazara and lead the company's foray in the MENA region. MENA is one of the fastest growing gaming markets, with an estimated market size of $4.8bn and has over 160mn gamers in the region (of which 100mn are mobile gamers)."
He continued that the company's "alliance with Nazara offers a unique blend of network, global reach and local capabilities to further the growth of the gaming industry in the region," saying that the acquisition allows Publishme to become a full-fledged publisher in the region.
Meanwhile, Nazara's Founder, Nitish Mittersain, doubled down on the importance of the regional market: "MENA is a key geography for us and this acquisition will help us in establishing ourselves as a key player in the region. We are excited to have someone with deep regional knowledge and capabilities like Özgür and his team join the 'Friends of Nazara' network."
Publishme's entrance into the 'Friends of Nazara' network sees it join a handful of established gaming companies in which Nazara holds a majority stake. This impressive portfolio includes Nodwi Gaming, SportsKeeda, Next Wave Multimedia, and Paper Boats Apps.
publishme
nazara
The fresh funds will help the B2C platform expand its customer base, diversify its [...]
A new $325K round will fuel the UAE-based startup's expansion of its unique fusion [...]
The Series B investment will be channelled into geographical expansion, upgrading [...]
Egyptian Esports Platform GBarana Raises Six-Figure Pre-Series A
The Cairo-based startup has not only won praise for its data-driven advertising [...]
Jordan's Jawaker Acquired by Global Gaming Firm Stillfront for $205M
The Jordanian mobile gaming specialist is one of the most prolific in the region [...]
MENA Gaming Streamer Rawa.tv Acquired by Dutch Platform Medal
Rawa.tv Co-Founder Eric Husny described the acquisition as "a testament to the [...]
Egypt's Gamesbandy to Expand Game-Trading Platform After New Funding
The Egypt-based video game startup will use the funds to refine its platform, [...]


"A lone pilot puts on his flight gear and gets ready. His life has been leading up to this moment - he knows that the time has come to take on the air pirates' sky forces! The battle has begun. Are you ready to help in the fight to free the skies from the clutches of the air pirates!"
Each time you complete the game, a new image appears on the Option screen, depending on the difficulty level you chose (including Comfort). There is a separate image if complete the game using cheats, making a total of 7 images.
In the Option screen, set the rank to "1 CRUSH" and then hold any button and press left.
Hold Reset and press Pause 10 times. You get extra debug options on the main menu (for testing certain screens) and extra options in the Option screen for a level select, invincibility/infinite lives, and a boss-only mode.


We were tipped by Apartment Therapy that the Osprey Eco-Cottage had been setup at the 2010 Builders' Show this week and that we made to check it.
It was cold and wet outside so that forced a lot of people into the home which at 523 sqft was small already but also gave us an opportunity to view the home in the real-world as if you were hosting a party of 30 people.
Surprisingly the Osprey held up. One of the greatest features was it's use of outdoor space as the decks provided a nice overflow from the front and back rooms. The side window near the front was large enough that people outside didn't feel cut-off from those inside.
The reverse arch on the interior ceiling was beautiful and reflected the "winged" overhang in the front and back of the house that we suspect helped in the naming of the house.
The kitchen was a straight galley kitchen and hearkened back to some of the NYC apartments we've seen although none were as well appointed as this kitchen was.
Such a small space has much lower energy demands which coupled with energy-star appliances will save the homeowner a lot of coin.
Here's a fun blog that shows the moving process getting the house transported from Martinsville, VA to Las Vegas, NV.


text:
Homenarendra modi
PM Modi will do the 50th time with people 'talk of mind'
bySURENDRA KUMAR BUSAM - November 25, 2018 0
Narendra Modi started the program as soon as he became the Prime Minister. Through this, he started a practice to raise the issues of people and express their opinion on them, which is still going on.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the people of the country in the 50th episode of Mann Ki Baat program on Sunday. The Prime Minister will express his opinion on many different issues in the program
Sunday's program is special because it is the 50th episode of Prime Minister's monthly radio program. In this program organized at 11 am on All India Radio, the Prime Minister will talk on many different issues and address the people of the world.
On 3rd October 2014, we began the journey of #MannKiBaat.
With your blessings, this journey completes 50 episodes tomorrow, of sharing joy, positivity and amplifying the power of collective efforts.
I hope you will enthusiastically tune in tomorrow for the 50th episode. pic.twitter.com/cykhwF4y2j
With the oath of office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the program of mind. Through this they raise issues of people and express their views on this. They also know the opinions of people on many issues. This monthly event, broadcast on radio, was started in October 2014. In his first program, the Prime Minister made people aware about Khadi and appealed to increase and purchase.
After the Prime Minister's appeal, there was tremendous boom in the sale of khadi. Sales of khadi products increased by 100 percent. People's interest in khadi is increasing day by day. On October 28, the Prime Minister talked about the importance of IT Sector in the matter of mind. He explained in detail the importance of his service sector. In this program, he also talked about Sardar Patel and persuaded people from his unity-integrity perspective. The Prime Minister spoke on Infantry Day in this program and remembered the forces and its families related to it.
On October 28, the talk of Mann was held just before Diwali, in which the Prime Minister had urged the people to buy domestic goods so that small businessmen, working people could get help. They also called for not burning the farmers away so that the air pollution could be stopped as much as possible.
Former US President Barack Obama has also joined the program. That episode was aired on January 26, 2015. In that program, Barack Obama shared some personal experiences and told how he achieved the goals of life. The 50th episode of Sunday will be heard on all the networks of All India Radio and Doordarshan. It can be viewed through live streaming on the official YouTube channel of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Tags narendra modi News


text:
The Wooks Release Second Single "Little While" From Forthcoming Album
Yonder Mountain String Band Share New Tune "If Only" From Upcoming…
Home News Kishi Bashi Shares Cover of Dolly Parton's "Early Morning Breeze"
Kishi Bashi Shares Cover of Dolly Parton's "Early Morning Breeze"
Photo Credit: Rachael Renee Levasseur
To celebrate Dolly Parton's birthday today, Kishi Bashi has shared his new cover of "Early Morning Breeze," from her formative 1971 album Coat Of Many Colors. The cover introduces a subtly transformed sonic palette, including a short violin solo from the string extraordinaire. "I've always loved Dolly Parton," he explains. "I think an artist's personality plays a part in appreciating their work. I love how she's always so generous and grounded in this crazy world of show business." Kishi Bashi's "Early Morning Breeze" is now available to stream at all DSPs via Joyful Noise Recordings.
"Early Morning Breeze" is Kishi Bashi's first release since his critically acclaimed 2019 album Omoiyari (Joyful Noise), praised by The New York Times, NPR's All Things Considered, NPR Music ('First Listen,' 'New Music Friday'), Billboard, The New Yorker, Noisey, Smithsonian Magazine, Relix, Paste, Exclaim!, and many more. A record that channels the hard-learned lessons of history by reckoning with the country's past internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, Kishi Bashi immersed himself in that period, visiting former prison sites and listening to the stories of survivors, while developing musical concepts along the way. "I didn't want this project to be about history, but rather the importance of history, and the lessons we can learn," Kishi Bashi reflects. "I gravitated toward themes of empathy, compassion, and understanding as a way to overcome fear and intolerance. But I had trouble finding an English title for the piece. 'Omoiyari' is a Japanese word. It doesn't necessarily translate as empathy, but it refers to the idea of creating compassion towards other people by thinking about them."
Praise for Omoiyari:
"the album is impressionistic, not didactic; the choruses are about loneliness and lost love, not outrage. 'Omoiyari' grapples with heritage and assimilation, displacement and survival, mourning and coping, all tucked into its plush arrangements. It makes peace with history, but does not forget." — The New York Times
"another sure-footed surprise from an artist who never stops seeking new ways to engage, connect and delight." — NPR Music
"…the buoyancy coursing through Bashi's gracefully woven, folk-minded arrangements signal that he's more interested in finding moments of empathy and hope in darkness" — The New Yorker
"Though it powerfully deals with the dark side of American history, Omoiyari is his most accessible work to date, washed in the breezy Laurel Canyon arrangements ('F. Delano', 'A Song For You') and occasional banjo folk-pop (closer 'Annie, Heart Thief of the Sea')" — Noisey
www.kishibashi.com
Kishi Bashi
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Yonder Mountain String Band Share New Tune "If Only" From Upcoming Album
Rather than repeating the formal studio experiences for past albums, The Wooks—CJ Cain on guitar and vocals, Harry Clark on mandolin and vocals, George...
After nearly a quarter century of making music together, Colorado jam-grass vets Yonder Mountain String Band are showing no signs of slowing down. In...


Many students who are short on time, stressed, and are being pulled in too many directions at once will decide to seek help with their course work and buy an essay. Unfortunately, many will find themselves having being taken in by scams, second-rate companies that produce inadequate work, or will spend hours trolling through vast online libraries of second-hand essays that, in some cases, end up continually circling the internet and are already red-flagged by the many plagiarism-detection programs that schools, colleges and universities regularly use. With more and more students having too many demands and too little time, it's no wonder that buying an essay can also create a bit of breathing space. The question is, how to buy an essay without being taken in by fraudulent companies who promise things they can't deliver or handing in a paper that's already been seen by your instructor three times in the same semester as it was downloaded from an essay warehouse?
When considering purchasing an essay, there are two things that hold true in academic writing just as they do in every other aspect of life: firstly, if it's too good to be true, it probably is ("an 'A' guaranteed for every paper?" "All of our staff have post-graduate degrees"?) and, secondly, you do get what you pay for. That "free" essay, for example, could earn you a dismissal for plagiarism when it's turned in and, depending on where it came from, you may be required to "trade" one of your original papers in order to access it, which is plagiarism twice over, which can make that "free" paper extremely expensive in the long run.
Buying an essay should also buy you breathing space and peace of mind: it should allow you to concentrate on other aspects of your life, whether it's your family, your interests, your job or keeping up with your other classes. And it should also let you do these things without worrying about failing your course, being severely reprimanded, losing your place or being expelled. You should be able to buy the essay with confidence, knowing that it was written for you and only you, that it is completely original, has been thoroughly researched and executed to proper academic standards and will never, in any way, shape or form, be re-used: that the essay is uniquely yours and always will remain so. We have over 200 talented writers around the globe who are all academically qualified and specialize in their own areas of expertise, so when you buy your essay, not only do you have the assurance that there is a writer who is knowledgeable about your subject matter and well-versed in the needs of your specific project. You have the confidence to hand your assignment in knowing that it's been handled by professionals from start to finish, that these professionals have access to the most up-to-date research material and that they will do everything within their power to ensure your success. Buying an essay from us is quick, easy, worry-free and 100% confidential. We provide in-depth research, unique material written to the level you require (high school to post-graduate) in the citation style that your teacher or professor instructed. We have friendly staff that will communicate with you and keep you updated on the status of your project and who will ensure that your deadline is met so that you can go forward with complete confidence knowing that that the essay you handed in was exclusively yours and of the highest quality.


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Folklore Museum of Polygyros
The Poligiros Folklore Museum was opened in May 1998 on the initiative of the Women's Voluntary Association for Community Development, a local group that has been organising folklore-related events for the past twenty years. The exhibits have all been donated by residents and citizens of Poligiros. Those on the first[…]
Gerakini is a village in the Halkidiki peninsula in Central Macedonia, Northern Greece. It has been the port of nearby Polygyros, the capital of Halkidiki, ever since its settlement. Its beaches attract thousands of tourists and holiday makers during the summer. It has the largest magnesite deposits in Northern Greece.[…]
Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the Region of Central Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region constitutes the easternmost part of the peninsula, but not of the regional unit. The capital of Chalkidiki is the main town of Polygyros, located in the centre of the peninsula. Halkidiki today is a popular[…]
Explore Metsovo
Header The first museum was on the Acropolis; it was completed in 1874 and underwent a moderate expansion in the 1950s. However, successive excavations on the Acropolis uncovered many new artifacts which significantly exceeded its original capacity. An additional motivation for the construction of a new museum was that in[…]
Visit Mani
Mount Athos Mount Athos is the spiritual capital of the Orthodox Christian world, consisting of 20 monasteries and approximately 2000 monks. Mount Athos is situated in the entire third, eastern and most beautiful peninsula of Halkidiki, called the peninsula of Athos. It is the only place in Greece that is completely dedicated[…]
Aristotle's science park
Aristotle's science park The first museum was on the Acropolis; it was completed in 1874 and underwent a moderate expansion in the 1950s. However, successive excavations on the Acropolis uncovered many new artifacts which significantly exceeded its original capacity. An additional motivation for the construction of a new museum was[…]
Sunday Summer Resort
Resto Restaurant
Categories Select Category Accommodation B&B Culture Dishes Excursions Festivals Gastronomy Gerakini Guides Halkidiki Hotels Hotels Leisure Motels Museums Places Restaurants Reviews Sights Sights Uncategorized
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Sunday Summer Resort The complex Sunday Summer Resort comprises 4 studios (2+1 persons), 2 Studios (3 persons) and 6 Apartments (3-5 persons) fully-equipped and furnished, decorated with elegance and style, comfortable and functional. Located on a breathtaking bright-green stretch of land, near the sea-shore, it is a fascinating microcosm of the natural wealth of Halkidiki Greece. Within the span of 5000[…]
Gerakini is a summer destination situated at the beginning of Sithonia, about 20 km from Nea Moudania and 75 km from Thessaloniki. Since it lies at the heart of Halkidiki, its position makes it an ideal starting point for excursions to all three fingers of Halkidiki, as well as to Thessaloniki and mount Holomontas
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Thanks to upcoming CW series Legends of Tomorrow, we knew that it was only a matter of time before Arrow would find a way to resurrect Sara Lance. But that didn't make seeing her grand return firsthand any less exciting (and slightly terrifying). As promised, Wednesday night's Arrow episode "Restoration" centered around Laurel and Thea's visit to Nanda Parbat in the hopes of a.) curing Thea, and b.) bringing Sara back from the dead. (You know, just your typical road trip itinerary with this group.) And while the latter part of their mission was immediately rejected by both Malcolm Merlyn and Nyssa — given the unfortunate side effects that come from using the Lazarus Pit so extensively — but Merlyn eventually gave in to help ease Thea's grief from killing Sara.
So far we don't know the full extent of damage the Pit's powers will emit on Sara, considering she was actually dead and Thea was apparently just seriously injured when she took a dip in the pool's healing waters. But I'm sure she's bound to be more than a little shaken about being back in the land of the living. (I mean, she doesn't even know about this reported Gilmore Girls revival, so clearly she has a lot of catching up to do.) But we may have an even bigger problem than that on our hands.
Merlyn explained to Thea that the waters of the Lazarus Pit compel the user to kill until he or she has slain the person that did them harm. That's why Thea has such a strong bloodlust these days. Because she was given life, she now needs to take life. So, by that logic, if the same holds true for Sara, then that means she also will feel the urge to kill — not just anyone, but the person who took her life away. And who would that be? Why, Thea, of course!
I've started to worry that Thea's name will be the one written across that mysterious tombstone. Perhaps Sara will be the one responsible for putting her there? And now that Nyssa has destroyed the Pit for good, all deaths will remain permanent from here on out, making that flash forward seem all the more terrifying.


text:
using BusinessLogic;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;
using System;
using Entities;

namespace UnitTests
{

    ///
    ///This is a test class for UserManagerServiceAdaptorTest and is intended
    ///to contain all UserManagerServiceAdaptorTest Unit Tests
    ///
    [TestClass()]
    public class UserManagerServiceAdaptorTest
    {

        private TestContext testContextInstance;

        ///
        ///Gets or sets the test context which provides
        ///information about and functionality for the current test run.
        ///
        public TestContext TestContext
        {
            get
            {
                return testContextInstance;
            }
            set
            {
                testContextInstance = value;
            }
        }

        #region Additional test attributes
        //
        //You can use the following additional attributes as you write your tests:
        //
        //Use ClassInitialize to run code before running the first test in the class
        //[ClassInitialize()]
        //public static void MyClassInitialize(TestContext testContext)
        //{
        //}
        //
        //Use ClassCleanup to run code after all tests in a class have run
        //[ClassCleanup()]
        //public static void MyClassCleanup()
        //{
        //}
        //
        //Use TestInitialize to run code before running each test
        //[TestInitialize()]
        //public void MyTestInitialize()
        //{
        //}
        //
        //Use TestCleanup to run code after each test has run
        //[TestCleanup()]
        //public void MyTestCleanup()
        //{
        //}
        //
        #endregion

        ///
        ///A test for UserManagerServiceAdaptor Constructor
        ///
        [TestMethod, TestCategory("IntegrationMsmq")]
        public void UserManagerServiceAdaptorConstructorTest()
        {
            UserManagerServiceAdaptor target = new UserManagerServiceAdaptor();
            Assert.IsTrue(target.GetType().ToString() == "BusinessLogic.UserManagerServiceAdaptor", "Constructor did not freturn correct type");
        }

    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Tag: Kachikwu
FG Not Increasing Fuel Price From N145 – Kachikwu
Ibe Kachikwu
The Federal Government has allayed the fear of purported increment in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, from N145 per litre.
Addressing reporters on Friday in Abuja, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, asked Nigerians to ignore such reports with an assurance that fuel pump price remains unchanged.
He also criticised those circulating the speculations saying they were being unfair to Nigerians following the difficulty they had gone through during the yuletide.
READ ALSO: PDP Warns FG, APC Against Purported Fuel Price Hike
"We are not increasing price from N145," said Kachikwu. "I thought we should make this very clear, this is not a matter for speculation; anybody who does speculation is not being helpful to Nigerians."
"They've gone through a very difficult Christmas period. We are working night and day to try and find solutions," he added.
The minister further said the fuel crisis should not be politicised but rather, the people should support the government's effort to ensure the nation overcomes the challenge.
He said: "It is not a political issue, people should step out of that goalpost. We want to provide succour to Nigerians, we want to provide product at N145 – that is the presidential mandate, that is the Federal Executive Council mandate; nobody is having a deliberation on that."
Working Refineries Solution To Fuel Crisis, Says Kachikwu
Kachikwu also briefed journalists on the issues discussed in the past few days at the stakeholders' meeting which was convened to find a lasting solution to Nigeria's fuel challenges.
"The essence of our meeting yesterday (Thursday) and the essence of the committee's meeting which began a few days ago, is to find mechanisms to ensure that queues do not come back to Nigeria," he said.
"That there is a wetting of all the stations so there's product available every time for Nigerians, that private marketers who had pulled out of participation – that we deal with their problems so that they can participate effectively in the supply of refined petroleum products in the country; all within the parameters of the N145 pump price," he added.
Posted on January 5, 2018 January 5, 2018 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories HeadlinesTags Fuel Scarcity, Kachikwu, PetrolLeave a comment on FG Not Increasing Fuel Price From N145 – Kachikwu
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, believes the major solution to the fuel scarcity challenges in the country is for Nigeria to fix its refineries.
Kachikwu gave the recommendation on Thursday during a public hearing convened by the Senate to investigate the fuel scarcity that hit the nation in the last few weeks.
READ ALSO: Senate Interrupts Recess, Summons Kachikwu, NNPC Boss Over Fuel Crisis
He emphasised that Nigeria cannot run away from the fact that working refineries would go a long way to resolve fuel crisis and prevent further occurrence of the hardship the people faced during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The minister, however, informed the lawmakers that the Ministry of Petroleum and relevant agencies were looking at an 18-month emergency period when they would need to address the pricing issue of the products which was at the centre of the recent fuel crisis.
According to him, the difference between the 170/171 naira landing cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, and the 145 naira actual cost needs to be addressed.
Kachikwu opined that the difference made the importers of petroleum products to hands off from the importation of fuel as they felt they were not making profit.
He, however, proposed solutions to address such gaps and further recommended some models to address the pricing issues.
One of the recommendations was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to fix an exchange rate of N204 to a dollar for importers, which will enable them to sell petrol at N145.
The other was the 'plural pricing system' which will enable NNPC stations to continue to sell petrol at N145 while private importers sell at a price profitable to them.
Senate President Bukola Saraki had directed the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to cut short its recess and urgently convene a meeting with stakeholders in the petroleum industry.
Dr Saraki gave the order in December 2017 in a bid to find a lasting solution to the fuel crisis and the untold hardship it was unleashing on innocent Nigerians.
Those present at the meeting are members of the Senate Committee, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru, as well as representatives of trade unions in the oil and gas sector among others.
Posted on January 4, 2018 January 4, 2018 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories HeadlinesTags fuel crisis, Fuel Scarcity, KachikwuLeave a comment on Working Refineries Solution To Fuel Crisis, Says Kachikwu
Senate Interrupts Recess, Summons Kachikwu, NNPC Boss Over Fuel Crisis
The Nigerian Senate has directed its Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to cut short its recess and immediately convene a meeting with stakeholders in the petroleum industry.
Senate President Bukola Saraki gave the directive on Thursday amid the ongoing fuel scarcity across the country, especially that of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
A statement from Saraki's media office said the order was in a bid to end the crisis and the untold hardship it is unleashing on innocent Nigerians.
Fuel Scarcity: NNPC Uncovers Five Illegal Filling Stations In Two Days
Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Kabiru Marafa, also briefed reporters on the steps taken following the directive in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Senator Marafa said the committee has summoned the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru.
According to him, the minister and the NNPC boss, as well as other relevant stakeholders in the petroleum sector are to attend a crucial meeting on Thursday, January 4, 2018.
The lawmaker further noted that the meeting would take place inside the Senate Hearing Room 221 where its proceedings would be broadcasted live.
He informed reporters that the discussion would address the lingering fuel scarcity bedevilling the nation in the last few weeks with a view to putting a complete stop to the unsavoury situation.
The Senate is presently on Christmas and New Year break.
The Upper House is billed to resume committee work for budget defence on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, and commence plenary on January 16, a week later.
Meanwhile, the NNPC has assured Nigerians that the fuel scarcity would be over before the weekend as it was already winning the war.
Baru, who addressed reporters on Thursday during an unscheduled visit to errant filling stations in the nation's capital, said they have uncovered five illegal stations in two days.
He said illegal stations operating were also responsible for fuel crisis, as they rely on diverted products for supply.
"What I want the public to know is that in two days, we are able to identify five illegal stations that have products that obviously have been diverted; because we will not be giving products (to them) under a normal approved procedure of the NNPC.
"They must have gotten this product as diverted and if you divert any truck, you are actually diverting from legal stations," the NNPC boss said.
Posted on December 28, 2017 December 28, 2017 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories HeadlinesTags Baru, Fuel Scarcity, Kachikwu, SenateLeave a comment on Senate Interrupts Recess, Summons Kachikwu, NNPC Boss Over Fuel Crisis
Fuel Scarcity: Osinbajo, Kachikwu's Visit To Oil Depots In Photos
Photo: Twitter// @IbeKachikwu
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, have met with some major petroleum marketers.
The meeting, which held on Christmas day in Lagos amid the fuel scarcity witnessed across the country, followed a visit to some oil depots in the nation's commercial capital.
READ ALSO: Osinbajo, Kachikwu Meet With Oil Marketers Over Fuel Scarcity
See photos below;
Posted on December 25, 2017 December 25, 2017 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories In PicturesTags Fuel Scarcity, Kachikwu, osinbajoLeave a comment on Fuel Scarcity: Osinbajo, Kachikwu's Visit To Oil Depots In Photos
Fuel Scarcity: Osinbajo, Kachikwu Meet With Oil Marketers
Photo: Twitter// @IbeKachikwu — Kachikwu and Osinbajo (from second left)
Nigeria's Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, have met with some major petroleum marketers over the issue of fuel scarcity in the country.
Dr Kachikwu said in a tweet that Monday's meeting, which was 'productive and collaborative', was convened as part of efforts by the Federal Government to frontally provide the much-needed solutions to the lingering fuel availability challenges across the country.
Osinbajo, Kachikwu's Visit To Oil Depots In Photos
The minister said that the government was very much aware of the difficulty Nigerians go through to get the scarce product but that it would soon be a thing of the past.
He informed the people that the government has mandated the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and other relevant agencies to ensure the states are flooded with the product.
"Whilst empathising with Nigerians for the needless pain and suffering that the current situation has sprung up, we expect that the fuel availability challenges evidenced by long queues will be completely eliminated, soonest.
"We are leaving no stone unturned as we continue to monitor the current fuel situation and collaboratively work with the NNPC and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to assiduously execute already communicated ministerial directives to maximally flood the market with products," Kachikwu said.
He further thanked Nigerians for their understanding and support for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that measures are being put in place to prevent a reoccurrence of such incident.
He said: "The bigger picture is to ensure that a repeat of the current challenge is never again experienced; I thank every Nigerian for the support even in the face of challenges. God bless you and I respectfully wish you a splendid holiday and celebration."
In continuation of the field rounds in our bid to frontally provide much needed solutions to the lingering fuel availability challenges with the Vice President H. E @ProfOsinbajo, SAN, we engaged the Major Oil Marketers in a very productive and collaborative meeting. pic.twitter.com/DsGvkgFfQR
— EIK (@IbeKachikwu) December 25, 2017
Whilst empathizing with Nigerians for the needless pain and suffering that the current situation has sprung up, we expect that the fuel availability challenges evidenced by long queues will be completely eliminated, soonest. pic.twitter.com/9kVNfMzTMh
We are leaving no stone unturned as we continue to monitor the current fuel situation and collaboratively work with @NNPCgroup and the Department of Petroleum Resources to assiduously execute already communicated ministerial directives to maximally flood the market with products. pic.twitter.com/ospL33o5V7
Posted on December 25, 2017 December 25, 2017 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories LocalTags Fuel Scarcity, Kachikwu, osinbajoLeave a comment on Fuel Scarcity: Osinbajo, Kachikwu Meet With Oil Marketers
FG To Revive Refineries By 2019 – Kachikwu
The Federal Government has revealed plans to resuscitate refineries in the country and return them to a fully functional condition by 2019.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, said this on Wednesday in Abuja shortly after the Federal Executive Meeting.
READ ALSO: Osinbajo Presides Over FEC Meeting As Buhari Attends One Planet Summit
He said that apart from giving the kiss of life to the plants, the government also targets three refineries for starters to produce at least 450 barrels per day.
Amateur photo: [L-R] Uguru Usani, Ibe Kachikwu, Chibuike Amaechi, and Garba Shehu
The minister also told State House correspondents that the Federal Government has no plans to reduce the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
Kachikwu briefed reporters alongside the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Uguru Usani; Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi; and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presided over the FEC meeting, which held inside the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, in the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari who is attending a summit in France.
Nigeria Requires International Support To Tackle Climate Change Effects – Buhari
Posted on December 13, 2017 December 13, 2017 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories HeadlinesTags Kachikwu, refineriesLeave a comment on FG To Revive Refineries By 2019 – Kachikwu
FG Directs Kachikwu To End Fuel Scarcity Before Weekend
The Federal Government has directed the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, to end the fuel queues in the country by the end of this week.
The directive was issued on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council which held inside the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria's capital.
Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed, briefed State House correspondents after the meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari who was on a working visit to Kano State.
He said Dr Kachikwu who was meant to give a brief on the outcomes of the meeting was attending another crucial meeting to end the long fuel queues witnessed across the country
The minister said that government was never planning to increase the pump price of petrol at any time and would never support any such move.
"The government has no intention at all to increase the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)," Mr Mohammed said.
"He (Kachikwu) has assured us and I think the Council gave him a marching order, that this thing should not last beyond this weekend and they are going to work very hard to ensure that it is contained," he added.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, informed reporters that the Council has approved six new private universities in some parts of the country.
He said: "The Ministry of Education presented a memorandum to the Federal Executive Council on the establishment of six new private universities, and it has been approved.
"The issue of quality assurance, issue of standard, and the issue of accreditation will be looked into very seriously."
The newly-approved universities include Admiralty University, Ibusa, Delta State; Spiritan University, Nneochi, Abia State; and Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Others are Pamo University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Atiba University, Oyo State; and Eko University of Medical and Health Sciences, Lagos.
Posted on December 6, 2017 December 6, 2017 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories HeadlinesTags fuel, KachikwuLeave a comment on FG Directs Kachikwu To End Fuel Scarcity Before Weekend
NNPC Scandal: Ezekwesili Faults Baru's Claims, Says Procurement Procedure Breached
A former Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Obiageli Ezekwesili has faulted the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Maikanti Baru for not following due process as recommended by the Public Procurement Act in the award of contracts by the NNPC.
Ezekwesili who is a lead discussant at a roundtable to analyse the issues surrounding the October faceoff between the GMD of the NNPC and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibeh Kachikwu argues strongly that the NNPC breached the nation's public procurement procedures.
READ ALSO: NNPC Scandal: Osinbajo Clarifies Process Of Contract Approval
"The approving authority of the process is not determined by the board. That is where the confusion is coming from. There is the process and then there is the completion of the process and then, the submission of the process to an approving authority," she said.
Ezekwesili revealed that the NNPC management and the GMD's claims that there is no power residing on the board to approve contracts is false.
"What the NNPC management and the GMD are saying is that there is no power residing in the board to approve anything that they have done all they need to do is do there process and take it to the president. They are wrong," she said.
Ezekwesili stressed that there is no provision in the procurement law that says the President or any individual can approve such contracts.
Posted on December 1, 2017 December 2, 2017 Author Ronke IdowuCategories LocalTags Baru, Kachikwu, NNPC, procurement procedureLeave a comment on NNPC Scandal: Ezekwesili Faults Baru's Claims, Says Procurement Procedure Breached
Osinbajo Meets With Kachikwu And Baru
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has met with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru.
The meeting comes amid the reported scandal at the NNPC after a letter Kachikwu wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari in which he levelled several allegations against Baru was leaked to the public and went viral.
READ ALSO: Kachikwu, Baru Put Differences Aside At Economic Summit
On Tuesday last week, both men, however, set differences aside at the 23rd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja where they warmly exchanged pleasantries and posed for photos.
Vice President Osinbajo later met with the minister and the NNPC boss today (Wednesday) at the Presidential Villa where they discussed operations in Nigeria's upstream sector.
Kachikwu told State House correspondents after the meeting that despite ongoing litigations, the Federal Government would continue with the development of the $13.5billion Zabazaba Deepwater Oil Field.
The project, situated in Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 245, was said to have been acquired by Shell and Agip from Malabu Oil and Gas in 2012 for $1.3 billion dollars.
The acquisition has, however, been the subject of a corruption probe and prosecutions in Italy and Nigeria.
Kachikwu also hinted that the meeting discussed some escrow accounts.
Posted on October 18, 2017 October 18, 2017 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories HeadlinesTags Baru, Kachikwu, osinbajoLeave a comment on Osinbajo Meets With Kachikwu And Baru
PHOTOS: Kachikwu, Baru Put Differences Aside At Economic Summit
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, and the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Mikanti Baru, put aside their differences at the 23rd Nigerian Economic Summit.
Both men have been at the centre of a scandal after a letter the minister wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari in which he levelled several allegations against the NNPC GMD was leaked to the public and went viral.
Baru, however, broke the silence on Monday describing Kachikwu's allegations as baseless.
With reactions trailing the feud, both men attended the economic summit on Tuesday in Abuja.
Kachikwu and Baru set differences aside to put guests at ease by warmly exchanging pleasantries and posing for photos.
Photo source: Twitter// @NNPCgroup
Posted on October 10, 2017 October 10, 2017 Author Akinola AjibolaCategories In Pictures, LocalTags Baru, KachikwuLeave a comment on PHOTOS: Kachikwu, Baru Put Differences Aside At Economic Summit
Don't Treat NNPC Scandal With Levity, NUPENG Tells Buhari
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, and NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called on President Muhamadu Buhari to wade into the allegations of corruption and insubordination raised against NNPC GMD, Maikanti Baru by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibeh Kachikwu and not treat the issue with levity.
The group in a statement on Tuesday said the whole world is watching and President Muhammadu Buhari needs to wade into the issue swiftly not treating it with levity.
"The Union advises Mr President not to treat the allegations with levity but with good faith because the world is watching and waiting. It is therefore important that the issue should not be swept under the carpet in view of the Buhari's administrations fight against corruption and following due process," the statement read in part.
The statement which was jointly by the President of the group, Igwe Achese and it Secretary, Joseph Ogbebor said the case, if not checked, will adversely affect the progress and development so far made in the Oil and Gas sector.
The Union in the statement also said that the international image of the NNPC is at stake.
"The Union is worried about the bad image internationally the alleged actions have given us. Due process must be followed in the discharge of contractual agreements and those involving JVC's agreements.
"NUPENG recalled that the challenges facing the NNPC are replete with the bad history of mismanagement with that of Mrs Diezani Alison Madueke still fresh in our minds."
"We, therefore, call on President Muhammed Buhari to resolve the issues by moving in swiftly to address whatever is causing the ill-affection that has made them to work at cross-purposes in order not to jeopardize the reforms in the Oil and Gas industry."
Posted on October 10, 2017 Author Ronke IdowuCategories LocalTags Baru, Buhari, Kachikwu, NNPCLeave a comment on Don't Treat NNPC Scandal With Levity, NUPENG Tells Buhari
NNPC Scandal: Baru Speaks Again, Says Kachikwu's Claims Are Unfounded
NNPC GMD, Dr Maikanti Baru
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation GMD, Maikanti Baru, has again reacted to allegations of corruption and insubordination raised against him by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibeh Kachikwu, describing the allegations as unfounded and unfortunate.
Speaking on Monday when unions in the oil and gas sector, PENGASSAN and NUPENG, paid him a visit, Baru said he did no wrong and repeated his argument that the NNPC board chaired by Kachikwu had no powers to regulate or approve contracts awarded by the state oil company.
READ ALSO: NNPC Scandal Exposes Inconsistency In Our Laws – Lawyer
"I know for those of you who are following what we are doing here, you know that there's no money lost and no process has been breached. Our contracting process is perfect and we will continue to follow the process.
"The NNPC Board has no role, I repeat, has no role as far as the contracting process is concerned."
Baru also accused Kachikwu of making up "humongous" contract figures to incite the public, describing the allegations of the award of contracts without regard to due process as "unfounded and unfortunate."
On the crude term contract and the DSDP agreements, the NNPC GMD said, "These are not contracts as such, they are essentially pre-qualification of off-takers of crude oil and in the case of DSDP, of those that will take crude and give us products in return. So there is no value to them.
"But humongous figures have been put forward mainly to incite the public, it is most unfortunate," the NNPC GMD said.
On the allegation of lop-sided promotions, the GMD asked the union leaders if their members felt disenchanted to which the unionists chorused a resounding "no".
He urged the union leaders to enlighten their members on the facts and encourage them to go about their duties without distraction.
Posted on October 10, 2017 Author Ronke IdowuCategories LocalTags Baru, Kachikwu, NNPC, Unfounded claimsLeave a comment on NNPC Scandal: Baru Speaks Again, Says Kachikwu's Claims Are Unfounded


text:
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I'm not fond of either word — "perfection" or "evil." In the case of "perfection," it's an absolute that is almost never used correctly. Semantically, there should be no such thing as a "more perfect union," but the framers of our U.S. Constitution famously thought there was. And my third-grade teacher, the notorious Mrs. Thistlebottom, taught me that they must have known what they were doing.
As for "evil," I can't wrap my head around it. Is it a force, like anti-matter or black witchcraft? Since I don't believe in a creator god who controls our destinies, how can I believe in a force that wants to make people do bad stuff to each other?
But let's give perfection the benefit of the doubt for a minute. What if we're all perfect (absolutely perfect) just the way we are, and we each fit into the world perfectly, making the world perfect just the way it is? It's a hard pill to swallow given global climate change, wars, concentration camps in Myanmar, a refugee crisis in Europe and the Mideast, almost 800 million people around the world who don't have enough food, and so on.
Buddhism teaches that everything has its own causes and effects. That's karma. I don't believe that a baby Rohingya girl is starving in Myanmar because of something she did wrong in a past life, but I do believe in a karmic balance to the world. There is no this without that. Without mud, there is no lotus. Without sorrow, there is no joy. Without suffering, there is no happiness. Without sickness, there is no health. Without death, there is no life. Without tails, there is no heads.
I don't have to like the karmic balance the way it is, so, for example, I donate monthly to GiveDirectly, a charity with very low overhead that takes the radical approach of simply giving money to very poor people in Kenya. That's what my karma — my own causes and effects — leads me to do. I hope that you do things, too, to make the world better, but whatever you do or don't do, you are perfect exactly as you are. You are the product of your own karma.
So I see a karmic balance in which evil exists in order to make good possible. If more of us work to reduce the evil, I'm certain that we can. I'm not sure, though, that we can ever make evil disappear. I'm not wise enough to answer that question, and in any event we're farther from that goal than we are from solving global climate change.
Dzogchen teaches that we all have a pure inner core, like a perfect mirror. It gets smudged by the genes we inherit and the environments we encounter (our karma), but even so we're perfect, smudges and all, because we are exactly what the world needs us to be at this time and place.
Imagine yourself as an 18-year-old Hitler. A wise teacher shows you that you are perfect just the way you are, and you see that the teacher is right. You have nothing to prove, and the world is perfect just the way it is.
Next Post Article: Can Buddhism Save the World?
Hmm. I can get on board with a definition of perfect that means something like "in balance" or "complete," like the laws of physics. Every action begets an equal and opposite reaction. I can see it as descriptive rather than proscriptive. This is how it is, not how it should be, but how it is, and it can't be any other way, so the best path forward for me is acceptance.
And I love your ending paragraph; makes you think at least twice.
Still, though, perhaps I lack imagination, but I can't envision anything good enough to balance out the Holocaust. I can't envision something good enough to make it worth the suffering of abused, innocent children, or chattel slavery. Nothing seems good enough to provide the appropriate karmic balance for those things.
Yes, if you remove the ontological underpinnings, the message is simple: If we all accepted ourselves, loved ourselves, had compassion for ourselves, on a moment-to-moment basis, most (all?) of the world's behavioral problems would go away.


text:
import {ReduceStore} from "flux/utils";
import {Payload, CategoryPayload, ColorPayload} from "../actions/Payloads";
import {Action} from "../actions/Action";
import AppDispatcher from "../dispatchers/AppDispatcher";

interface Filter {
  categories: string[];
  colors: string[];
}

class FilterStore extends ReduceStore<Filter, Payload> {
  getInitialState(): Filter {
    return {
      categories: [],
      colors: []
    };
  }

  getState(): Filter {
    return JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(super.getState())) as Filter;
  }

  reduce(state: Filter, action: Payload): Filter {
    switch (action.type) {
      case Action.FILTER_ADD_CATEGORY: {
        let category = (action as CategoryPayload).data;
        if (state.categories.indexOf(category) >= 0) {
          return state;
        }
        let categories = state.categories.slice(0);
        categories.push(category);
        return {
          categories: categories,
          colors: state.colors
        };
      }
      case Action.FILTER_REMOVE_CATEGORY: {
        let category = (action as CategoryPayload).data;
        let categories = state.categories.slice(0);
        let pos = categories.indexOf(category);

        if (pos < 0) {
          return state;
        }
        categories.splice(pos, 1);
        return {
          categories: categories,
          colors: state.colors
        };
      }
      case Action.FILTER_ADD_COLOR: {
        let color = (action as ColorPayload).data;
        if (state.colors.indexOf(color) >= 0) {
          return state;
        }
        let colors = state.colors.slice(0);
        colors.push(color);
        return {
          categories: state.categories,
          colors: colors
        };
      }
      case Action.FILTER_REMOVE_COLOR: {
        let color = (action as ColorPayload).data;
        let colors = state.colors.slice(0);
        let pos = colors.indexOf(color);

        if (pos < 0) {
          return state;
        }
        colors.splice(pos, 1);
        return {
          categories: state.categories,
          colors: colors
        };
      }
      default:
        return state;
    }
  }
}

export default new FilterStore(AppDispatcher);


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text:
Dogs to be deployed to sniff out Covid at Australian airports
Researcher says dogs could eventually be used for initial Covid screening instead of other tests.
Dec 6, 2020, 11:11 AM (GMT+2)
dogsCoronavirus
dogiStock
Dogs are reportedly being trained to sniff out Covid on incoming passengers at Australian airports.
Adelaide University researcher Susan Hazel told Australian Associated Press that the dogs had been trained to detect a certain odor in sweat samples. The goal is to use the dogs, alongside PCR tests, to test international passengers starting early next year.
"We've done it in training and our next step will be to deploy in airports with incoming international passengers," she explained.
Hazel added, ""The benefit will be, once we can prove that it is working, that they could be used without the other testing, they could be used for initial screening."
She said that international studies had also indicated that the dogs may be able to detect pre-symptomatic cases of the virus.
"When they've gone back and retested the people they've been positive," she said.
"So it looked like they were pre-symptomatic, so the dogs may be able to pick up people before they can be picked up with the other tests."
The project is a collaboration between Adelaide University, Australian Border Force, Biosecurity, emergency services and international partners, according to the report.