text:
The Immoral Minority
Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Have Conservatives abandoned science altogether?
Courtesy of Salon:
The recent reboot of the show Cosmos on Fox further demonstrated how partisan the very idea of science and empiricism has become. The show, which features astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson taking over the host role from the original's Carl Sagan, was aggressive in defending science, curiosity, and following the evidence from people who would rather rely on faith or authority, but it took no partisan positions. Nonetheless, it was immediately understood by Americans both left and right as a "liberal" show, merely for its strong insistence that facts should not be ignored in favor of wishful thinking.
Even though the show was hosted on the Fox network channel, Fox News, the conservative cable channel, did not hold back in the slightest from attacking Tyson for perceived liberalism. In a shockingly racist segment, host Greg Gutfeld and guest Gavin McInnes dogged relentlessly on Tyson, insinuating that he can't really be an astrophysicist and making fun of "white liberals" for being enthusiastic about Tyson and his work. It only grew uglier with McInnes claiming that Tyson deserved to be mistreated based on his race when he was young because he "fit the profile" by having "a huge afro."
While that was the ugliest example of race-baiting, overall conservative media had a tendency to treat Cosmos like its insistence on empiricism and rationality was inherently a culture war issue, so much so that many Christian conservative media outlets attacked every episode in the series with fervor. It wasn't just when it came to Tyson's acceptance of evolutionary theory, either. Christian conservatives threw a fit because the show told the story of how Giordano Bruno, a 16th century monk, was burned at the stake for free-thinking. Even though the story fit directly into the larger argument the show made about the dangers of repressing free inquiry, Jay Richards of the Discovery Institute felt that criticizing the church for torturing a man to death should be off-limits because the man in question was a monk, not a scientist.
Or, even more hilariously, when Tyson mentioned in passing on the show that Christmas was established by the church not because it's actually Jesus's birthday but because the church needed a holiday to compete with the popular pagan Saturnalia, Richards completely exploded in rage and denial. "We learn that the holiday celebrated by a couple billion Christians is really a camouflaged take-over of Saturnalia, the High Holy Day when ancient Romans celebrated Saturn, the god of agriculture," he whined. The only problem is that when Christmas was established, Christianity wasn't a religion with two billion followers. It was an upstart faith and Saturnalia was, in fact, one of the hands-down most popular days of the year for the followers of the pagan faiths that had been dominate for thousands of years. None of this requires math to understand, but now the right has gone so anti-evidence that even boring old history is considered up for debate.
Part of what I loved about the new Cosmos is that it so fearlessly discussed facts that I knew were going to cause the Religious Right and conservatives to rend their clothing in response.
And it did so with such nonchalance, as if it were simply stating the obvious and suggesting that those who rejected the reality were simply afraid to let go of the comfort provided by fairy tales told to a child.
It also helped to illustrate just how deeply the divide is between those who rely on faith to navigate through life, and those who rely on reason.
A divide that may have been best characterized by the show's creator Ann Druyan. (The late Carl Sagan's widow):
During my all-too-brief phone conversation with Druyan, we also discussed her brilliant rereading of the story of the Garden of Eden, which she sees as the story of humanity's escape from "a maximum-security prison with 24-hour surveillance." Adam and Eve's capital offense is that they seek knowledge and ask questions, precisely the qualities that define the human species. At least in that story, God appears to demand a subservient and doctrinaire incuriosity, and many of his followers continue to insist on that path to this day.
The show simply HAD to be attacked by the conservatives who desperately need a populace that makes decisions based on fear and ignorance, rather than facts and intelligence.
Personally I hope the success of the show opens the door to a whole new era of similar programming that will help educate a populace whose public school system is right now under attack by those who cannot abide a well educated citizenry.
Posted by Gryphen at 2:30 PM
Labels: conservatives, cosmos, education, ignorance, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Religious Right, science, Television
Boscoe 2:59 PM
Frankly, this is why I didn't watch the show. I just wanted to learn about cool astrophysics stuff, I wasn't interested in the history lessons being mixed in. Seemed like that was a separate topic that deserved it's own show and it felt frankly shoehorned into the format.
The cosmos is wonderous-humans suck-the cosmos is wonderous-humans suck-the cosmos is wondrous etc. etc. etc... I got whiplash.
Nefer 3:15 PM
Humans suck? I am a graduate degreed scientist and I learned about wonderful people who advanced our knowledge of not only our little bitty planet, but also the cosmos. Many of the most phenomenal discoveries were by people that I had never heard of.
We are where we are today and know what we know about the cosmos because of the unquenchable curiosity of the human spirit. That's what I picked up from the show, not that humans suck.
mlaiuppa 7:12 PM
You can't explore one without the other.
You cannot divorce the science from the history, culture and society behind it.
If you didn't like Cosmos, then avoid James Burke's "Connections".
That's absurd, of course you can. Explain why you can't just tell me about what fuels the sun without also having to tell me about the sociopolitical backdrop of the time when scientists figured this information out? One is SCIENCE, the other is the HISTORY of science. There's no law of physics that says you can't tell one without the other.
I watch nature documentaries all the time that manage to just tell me about nature without having to give me the history of the study of nature. You're as ego-bound as the creationists if you believe that there can be no explanation of nature without attaching the context of human history to it.
Yeah people suck. The contrast of going from the limitless beauty of the universe to scientists on a tiny dust speck struggling desperately to learn about it under penalty of ridicule and even death = people suck. Underscoring that our struggle to understand the universe isn't just a struggle against the unknown, but just as much a struggle against legions of ignorant, terrified pissants trying to hold us all back = people suck.
Unquenchable curiosity shouldn't be required just to get past the noise level of unevolved mouth breathers. That's just sad.
Boscoe, my guess is that you are too stupid to even understand astrophysics. Because if you weren't you would take a college course about it. Wanting to have "just" astrophysics on a primetime television show is a symptom of your social cluelessness - just like living in mommy's basement and being a male virgin at 30. My sympathies on your condition(s).
Again, Boscoe, you're clueless. Nature shows constantly show us nature in context, even with their editorial choices of what to feature, who to voiceover, the HOURS upon HOURS of boring footage left on the floor.
Your posts show the fallacy, of (even NDGT's) the current emphasis of STEM divorced form STEAM.
Totally off topic and you don't even have to approve as a real comment. I just wanted to let you know that the current Rolling Stone with Melissa McCarthy on the cover has a really good article about Texas Politics, The Tea Party and our girl Wendy. They don't think she has a snowballs chance either although they don't come right out and say it.
TexasMel
Anita Winecooler 6:16 PM
Their arrogance, racist, and ignorance knows no bounds. You don't like science? Fine, stomp your feet all you want, you're made from dirt and if you're female, you're made from rib, but leave people's ethnicity out of it. The man's an astrophysicist and backs up his argument with facts. The fact that he's intellectually superior and black isn't taking away any of your perceived white privilege.
Give me "It is proven" over "It is written" anyday.
You can't abandon what you never embraced to begin with.
When you're pandering to fundies, you must humor their belief in the literalness of the bible up one side and down the other, and when you're in the pocket of big business, you must vociferously deny climate change because once you admit it exists, then you have to do something about it, and doing something will cost your owners money that could better flow into your own pockets.
I have such respect for Neil DeGrasse Tyson and I simply loved the series, "Cosmos." He so clearly loves the subject and he explains the science and the history so well.
About three or four years ago I started to check the website, "Astronomy Photo of the Day," every morning. I certainly do not understand what is shown there but I find it fascinating. My morning does not start until I click on "APOD."
And to think that scientists are still learning from the Voyageur launched as far back as 1977 and that it is still traveling farther and farther and sending back information just astounds and thrills me. This is science and it is wonderful.
However, knowing that politicians in Washington and all over the country are doing their best to denigrate science and to prevent this country from participating in actions that might slow climate change and actually help future generations sickens me. In honor of science, of the cosmos, and of education, let's fire as many of those politicians in November as we can. Our planet deserves better.
Beaglemom
Nefer 6:39 AM
Hi Beaglemom, did you know that one of the authors of APOD is a physics professor in the UP?
No, Nefer, but I'm glad to hear it. There must be some beautiful night skies in the forests and on the coastlines of the UP.
Thank goodness, Tyson knows how to let off steam. He tweeted a series of "bar" puns a couple of days ago.
Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.
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In the annals of rock history, the Altamont Speedway Free Festival on December 6, 1969, has long been seen as the distorted twin of Woodstock--the day that shattered the Sixties' promise of peace and love when a concertgoer was killed by a member of the Hells Angels, the notorious biker club acting as security. While most people know of the events from the film Gimme Shelter, the whole story has remained buried in varied accounts, rumor, and myth--until now.
Altamont explores rock's darkest day, a fiasco that began well before the climactic death of Meredith Hunter and continued beyond that infamous December night. Joel Selvin probes every aspect of the show--from the Stones' hastily planned tour preceding the concert to the bad acid that swept through the audience to other deaths that also occurred that evening--to capture the full scope of the tragedy and its aftermath. He also provides an in-depth look at the Grateful Dead's role in the events leading to Altamont, examining the band's behind-the-scenes presence in both arranging the show and hiring the Hells Angels as security.
The product of twenty years of exhaustive research and dozens of interviews with many key players, including medical staff, Hells Angels members, the stage crew, and the musicians who were there, Altamont is the ultimate account of the final event in rock's formative and most turbulent decade.


text:
Tour of California: Robin Carpenter earns Cyclingnews rider of the day honours
Pat Malach 2016-05-22T23:10:00Z
Holowesko-Citadel rider makes the breakaway after a long week and nearly sticks it to the line
Cyclingnews' rider of the day
In a new feature, the Cyclingnews team pick their rider of the day from the Tour of California. Robin Carpenter (Holowesko-Citadel) is the eighth and final rider to be chosen.
Tour of California: William Barta earns Cyclingnews rider of the day
Tour of California: Peter Stetina earns Cyclingnews rider of the day
Tour of California: Mark Cavendish earns Cyclingnews rider of the day
Tour of California: Adam de Vos earns Cyclingnews rider of the day
Tour of California: Soren Kragh Andersen earns Cyclingnews rider of the day honours
Tour of California: John Degenkolb earns Cyclingnews rider of the day honours
Tour of California: Riders and teams critical of long transfers
Carpenter's day in the breakaway on the flat-but-windy course that started and finished in the state capitol of Sacramento earned the 23-year-old from Philadelphia the final Cyclingnews rider of the day honours.
Carpenter infiltrated a seven-rider group that got away early in the pancake-flat 138km stage that was buffeted throughout the day by winds that howled across the agricultural lands along the Sacramento River.
The nervous peloton didn't give the leaders much leash during the stage, but Carpenter and his breakaway companions soldiered on, yo-yoing back and forth as the gap would go down and come up back down again.
The breakaway made it all the way onto the 3.5km finishing circuits with a 30-second gap, and Carpenter was one of the last riders caught, along with Krists Nielands (Axeon Hagens Berman), as they neared the final kilometre.
"Usually at these kind of races my M.O. is to get in a long break, and that's how I win stages, by sprinting from a smaller breakaway, and I really struggled to do that this week until today," he told Cyclingnews in the finishing straight of stag 8. "That's partly because I was trying to save a little bit for the time trial, because I knew I could do a good ride there. I was 13th. I wanted to be in the top 10, but I was happy doing that. And I guess I ended up 17th on GC, which is surprising for me, so I'm happy with it."
Pat Malach says:
"Carpenter is so often in the breakaway at big races, that it's become a joke to say that if he wasn't in the breakaway, did the race really happen? The team's director, Thomas Craven, says that Carpenter likes to rack up points in the classifications – any classification – and getting into breakaways is the best way to do that. His stage win at the 2014 USA Pro Challenge came from a long breakaway on a cold and muddy run-in to Crested Butte. Carpenter's absence from the moves this week seemed odd, but he remedied the situation during the final stage on Sunday and came within 1km of vying for another stage win in one of America's biggest races."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
namespace cert_trans {

class Peer {
 public:
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  AsyncLogClient& client() {
    return *client_;
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  // Returns -1 if we do not know yet.
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 protected:
  const std::unique_ptr<AsyncLogClient> client_;

 private:
  DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(Peer);
};

}  // namespace cert_trans

#endif  // CERT_TRANS_FETCHER_PEER_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Rather than rocketing upward at ludicrous speed, health-spending growth slowed - dramatically so.
Some have credited structural changes to the health care system, including some of Obamacare's cost-control measures. Maybe bundled payments and accountable care organizations are responsible - though studies so far suggest their effects have been modest compared with the magnitude of the overall changes in health-spending trends. What's more, the slowdown pre-dates Obamacare.
The study, from a team of researchers led by Harvard economics professor David M. Cutler, focuses specifically on medical spending for the elderly. The authors began by disaggregating spending into categories, based on the condition a patient was being treated for - cancer, dementia and so on.
The conventional wisdom among health-policy experts has long been that preventive medicine does not save money. It has other virtues - including, well, making people healthier. That's quite a good thing! But study after study has found that in dollar terms, at least, investing more in preventive care doesn't pay off.
Whether policymakers can duplicate these results for other health conditions and preventive therapies remains to be seen. But as the country debates the fiscal and moral merits of expanding health coverage, these latest findings are useful - and heartening? - datapoints.


"Make haste my love," said Victor, "the dawn approaches and our enemies surround us."
"My limbs ache from your recent embrace," replied Victoria, " and this forest lends not itself to my weakness." At that Victor quickly scooped his love into his arms without breaking stride. The touch of her expensive garment was soft against his hands, her locks of curls and flapping lace gently tickled his arms. Being careful not wrinkle her dress he increased his speed, dodging past trees and over rocks.
"Our sanctuary will soon be within reach," he said softly, "do not despair, I shall be your shield."
There she lay in his arms, her angelic face glowing in the moonlight of the forest, her eyes fixed on the face of her beloved, she was safe here, his arms were her shelter.
"You shall not escape our wrath," shouted a nearby horseman, "The Brotherhood shall cleanse the earth of your pestilence, and bathe the ground with your blood."Victor continued to run at lightning speeds, all the while his beloved clinging tightly to his chest. After a few moments the sounds of the horsemen faded in the distance, and the sounds of the forest returned. The quite babble of a nearby stream, the songs of birds and crickets filling the air. When it seemed their pursuers had fallen far enough behind Victor whispered. "We are near, quickly, make for our sanctuary, I shall deal with any whom have remained to challenge me." He set her gently to the ground, glanced deeply into her stark blue eyes, and with a kiss, she was running for their home. As she disappeared into the foliage, Victor backtracked into the brush, following the scent of his enemies blood. With a flurry of strength and flashing teeth, he was upon them, tearing them to pieces with a speed and eloquence no human possessed. As soon as it had began, it was over, with not a drop of blood given to the earth.
Victor stood slowly, licking sweet red liquid from his lips, savoring the taste. It was then he heard it, the terrified scream of his beloved. With hatred in his heart and bloodlust in his eyes he ran for the cry, towards his home. He came crashing through the trees only to find Victoria splayed upon the ground, a stake through her chest and an arrow through her side.
In an instant he descended upon the men who surrounded her. Steel flashed and human voices cried but they were no match for him. Their training failed in the onslaught of his strength and his fury. With little resistance he took their last breaths and broke their bodies upon the earth'.
"My love!" he shouted, and was quickly beside her "'Twas naught two hours past that I embraced you with my blood, handed you the dark gift of immortality." he lamented, "Yet here you lie, dying in my arms. This is my doing, too long have I waited to sire you, too many years passed that I kept you bound by your mortal chains." Victoria raised her hand slightly, sweeping away the tears now streaming down her beloveds face. "Be not saddened my master, I have loved you with my entire being, and you have returned that love. My soul can now rest bearing no regrets." "No!" he cried "I will not leave you here to die." "Though you must," she replied, "I am still a weak fledgling, these wounds are mortal, and the sun is at the horizon, let me rest my love, I shall live forever in your heart."
With that she collapsed completely.
As Victor cried out the sun rose, setting his skin ablaze forcing him to retreat to the shelter of his home. As he ran, he dared to cast a final look at his beloved. Her lifeless body shimmered in the sunlight, seemingly embracing its warmth, then, in an instant, she was ash, blowing through the trees on the back of the wind.
With that Victor awoke, it was the same dream that had haunted him for more than 200 years. Sighing to himself he opened his eyes, greeted by darkness, and hard oak covered with velvet. Though the darkness muted its rich color, he could feel its soft touch upon his skin, smell its sweet scent within his nostrils, the scent of death, the scent of hopelessness.
Victor quickly moved to open his coffin, bathed by the soft glow of his antique lamps, and the blank stares of his artwork. Not a moment later the thirst began to rise, every night he awoke to it, and this night was no different. He closed his eyes for a moment, losing himself in Vivaldi's 'largo cantabile', which floated softly through his room. Moving to his closet he quickly dressed himself, a red satin shirt, brocade pants, an expensive jacket, and an elaborate cane. A bit cliché perhaps, overdone and eccentric maybe, but this is who he was, and he reveled in it. He was ready to begin the hunt.
Victor headed quickly towards the door of his Chicago suite, quickly glancing at the calendar, faded and worn, hanging on his wall. December 1987 it read. While something of a joke to him, after so many years he had given up on keeping track of the days. They were never ending darkness, blurring together into weeks, months, years... his own personal hell. "Tonight is Saturday." he mused, that would make his hunting easier, allow him to add some variety to his diet.
Tonight was no different than the others, the clubs were filled with the same faces, the streets filled with the same drunks, and the women were begging to taste the ecstasy of his kiss. After drinking his fill of the mindless clubers that littered the street, he began to grow weary of their taste. Dull, flavorless, without spice and without imagination. Victor began to thirst for something a bit more sophisticated, something these college aged drones could not offer him. So he made his way to Cafe Luna, perhaps he could find something to satisfy his craving there.
The moment he walked through those glass doors he knew something was different, or rather, someone. There she sat, fiddling with her long curls, reading over War and Peace, legs crossed with slender white fingers splayed across her coffee mug. She was no older than 30, dark hair, soft features, well dressed. But that was not what interested him. There was something about her, she was human, yes; yet she had an unnatural beauty. He did not sense her presence like he did the others, there was something ancient about her, something mysterious, it was not her elegant clothing or her perfect features, there was something more here, something that drew Victor towards her, something that would not let him leave.
Elizabeth was her name, and with a bit of subterfuge he convinced her to return to his apartment for a drink. He led her there, through the darkened streets, littered by the unnatural glow of the street lamps. They arrived at his home, though he was barely able to hide his desire to have her, he offered her a seat out of courtesy. After all it had been years since another had visited, years since he had conversed with others or entertained a guest. Sinking slowly into the antique armchairs embrace, she smiled as he sat besides her. "Is that Vivaldi you are listening too?" she asked, "Very good," he applauded, "Quite a gentle man he was, a bit too religious for my tastes though." He paused and glanced at Elizabeth, a quizzical expression on her face. He quickly changed the subject. Excitedly she engaged him in discussion of art and history, poetry and literature, surprising him with every perfectly placed word, every perfectly formed sentence. She enraptured him. He was taken with her melodic voice, her innocent laugh, and her breathtaking smile. So much so, that for a moment he forgot his thirst, but only for a moment.
And so the time came, and while Victor was not one to toy with his food, there was something that made him want to explain what he was, what he had endured. Whether it was the ages of loneliness that had been forced upon him, or the way she looked at him, the familiarity he found in her eyes, the understanding that seemed to embrace him. Whatever it was, in that moment of weakness he uttered words he had never before spoken. "I am a vampire, and you are to be my next meal."
Strangely enough she did not laugh, neither did she cower in fear, no, her continuance held something different...intrigue perhaps, longing maybe. Whatever it was, it was enough to stay his hand, to stay his thirst for her life blood a moment longer.
"Please," she said quietly, "explain yourself." At that a puzzled look crossed Victors face. "I tell you I am an immortal hunter, and that this room is where your life will end, and that is your response?" She paused for a moment, "I don't know what it is, but somehow I trust you, I feel like I have known you for quite some time, even perhaps...that our souls are not so different." "Soul," he scoffed, "I am damned, forsaken, cursed, my soul died with my body 276 years ago." He stared at her now, at her unreadable features. "Very well," he said resigned, "what is it you wish to know?"
"You have seen so many years, surely you must have great tales to tell, and it would please me to hear them." she said. And so he did. He regaled her with stories of wealth and royalty, with his death and rebirth, with foreign lands and foreign times, and most importantly, the death of his beloved. When he had finished, he could see she burned with questions, he could nearly smell the curiosity wafting from her.
"Your sire," she said cautiously, "the one who made you, you never knew him?" "I did not choose to be embraced," he began, "or turned if that suits you. It was thrust upon me by a vampire who sought no permission, in an effort to replenish his clan." "Clan?" She asked. "Yes, there are 13 bloodlines, or clans if you will, my sire was of the clan Toreador; a clan of artists, musicians, poets, and only the most beautiful. He was also primogen, nearly an ancient, leader of our clan and adviser to the prince." "Primogen, prince, you will have to forgive me if I do not understand such things." "Beneath your world lies another where the undead and the supernatural exist. Though monsters we may be, we are the ones who control your society, but this is not the time or place for a lecture in politics, or an extensive history of our kind. I turned my back on these secret societies, abandoned the politics of the undead, and do not wish to explain them now. Please let me tell my story." "Of course," she said sheepishly, "please continue."
"Needless to say, I never knew his name. The prince ordered his death for breaking kindred law. Kindred is our word for vampire you see. Though my sire escaped, the prince let me live, but I was forced from my home and stripped of my title. I was given no explanation of my condition, no teaching of what I needed for survival. I was made a Caitiff, a clanless vampire, outcast and left to die. Mine was a miserable existence, with immortality comes the bereavement of the loss of all those you once loved. I was forced to stage my death, for my family grew old and I showed no age. I watched the ones I loved from the shadows, as they aged, and perished. I longed to be human again, to feel age weather my flesh, to see the light of day..." His voice trailed off. Elizabeth shifted slightly in her seat. "Would you care for some water, wine perhaps?" Victor offered. "No thank you, please continue." she replied.
"No Caitiff survives for long," he continued. "They are either killed by other sects of vampires, die of hunger, sunlight, or are killed by werewolves and vampire hunters. Such was the fate I brought upon my beloved. It is a miracle I have survived this long, if you can call it that. This condition is nothing more than a curse, I am nothing more than a demon." he paused at this, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
"The girl," began Elizabeth, "Victoria, please tell me of her." Victors gaze now seemed far off, his voice weak and tired. "Victoria, she was my sunlight.", he whispered, head in hand, "In a world of death and darkness, she was my ray of hope. Beautiful as the morning sun glistening upon winters frost. Though I can not venture into the daylight, my soul and heart longs to feel its warmth upon my skin, to taste its rays upon my tongue." he paused. Then after a short silence he said, "She was my sunrise, she was everything pure and perfect in this world, and she was taken from me."
They sat there in silence for what seemed like days. "Have you ever found love again?" she asked tenderly. "No." he replied sternly, gripping his glass of whiskey. "This world holds no love for me, no ray of hope. My mistake was loving her, my mistake was thinking I deserved anything more than misery and despair. Love is murder, and history will always repeat itself." After a moment Elizabeth ventured, "Even the cruelest of monsters deserves to feel love." "Not I!" He shouted now, standing to his feet, looming over her with anger in his eyes. "I am an abomination! I feed on others, I take their lives for my own pleasure. I feel no love, I feel no joy, only hunger, only hatred!" "But this was not always so," she retorted bravely, "You did love once, you did share your soul with another." "How can you pretend to understand!" He shouted. "It was a mistake to tell these things to a human, you can never possibly comprehend who I am, what I have done. I am evil and nothing more, nothing can love me, and in return I can love naught." "Leave, leave now, I never should have brought you here, I never should have told you these things." The thirst was rising in him now. "I will spare your life for now, but don't expect a second meeting to end with such grace."
With that he opened the door and forced her through it, slamming it behind her. The sun was rising, he could feel it. Quickly retreating to his casket he laid himself to rest. "I must erase her from my mind." he told himself, "I must never make this mistake again."
The nights that followed were accentuated with routine, as Victor tried to drown out every thought of the girl he had met at the cafe. It was all he could do to forget her, yet thoughts of her presence endured, and her words stuck with him. "Even the cruelest of monsters deserves to feel love." Could this be true he would ask himself . Was there redemption for his sins, was there still a spark of hope left in his hollow shell? While this notion seemed ludicrous to him, he couldn't help but wonder. The empty streets he wandered alone no longer satisfied him. The mysterious girl had awoken something within him, something he was trying to suppress.
It was another lonely night, Victor sat in front of his easel, filling a blank canvas with color one stroke at a time. It had been decades since he was inspired to paint, and now here he sat, delaying the inevitable. When he was finished he was staring at a familiar face, a face he could not erase from his mind.
He was out of the door now, down the street, past the dark alleys and the buildings towering above him. And there she was, sitting before him as if she had never left. Sipping her coffee, fiddling with her hair, flawless and stunning.
Months passed, and every night he was with her. With every question and every breathtaking glance he fell for her. Every new experience, every shared laugh, she chipped away at his cold shell. He shared with her every experience he could offer, except when he had to feed. Despite her requests, he could not bare to show her his true face, to show her this true monstrosity. And though he told himself he would not love her, love began to build in his heart nonetheless.
It was one of these such nights the inevitable happened, though he hoped it would not come to this. They were leaving a performance of Manon by Jules Massenet at the lyric opera when she said the words he so dreaded. "Make me like you," she said "you should not have to face the ages of this world alone." "I can not take away your innocence," Victor replied, "I will not make you into the monster that I am." "But you are not a monster," she pleaded, "These last few months you have shown me wonders I could have never dreamt of, you have given me joy and warmth I have never experienced, my only desire is to spend eternity with you." "How can you say I am not a monster?" he said, raising his voice now. "You do not know what I am, you do not know what I have done." "But I want to know, I want to experience this world by your side." "You want to see what I see," he shouted, "you want to be what I am? Then I will show you!" Before he had finished his sentence he was turning. With lightning speed he was across the street and back, with a woman in his arms. She was screaming, crying for help, people were stopping to see the commotion. Then just as swiftly, Victor tore into her neck. The woman cried in terror as he ripped through her flesh and began to bleed her. Only a few short moments passed and she was on the ground, lifeless. "This is who I am!" screamed Victor, "I am no fairytale prince, I am the enemy!"
Then he was gone, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, fuming. Had he been justified? He could not make Elizabeth to suffer what he had suffered. He could not take her life from her. As he continued on he began to hear noises, as if he was being follow. "Of course." he thought. He had killed that woman in front of everyone. This would surely incur the wrath of every vampire in the city. He had revealed their existence to mortals, and now his life was forfeit.
He reached his home quickly, but not quickly enough, they were already there, waiting for him on the steps. Before he could flee they surrounded him, roaring, bearing their fangs, and rushing towards him. There were five of them, angry and hungry. Victor managed to break through their line with only a few scratches, coming up behind them. He decapitated one and pulled out the heart of another before he caught a shotgun blast to the chest. Victor fell back into a the car behind him shattering the windows. Quickly he regained his balance, mustering his strength he threw the car at the others, crushing one and maiming another. Before they could regain their wits he was gone, realizing if they were after him, they would surely be after the mortal he had been touting around the city.
Victor ran for the opera house with full speed, praying that she had escaped unnoticed. When he reached the opera house she was not there, but he picked up her scent easily enough, following her trail. He found her, she was safe, but there were two vampires following her silently in the shadows. They were ash before they hit the ground. She was in his arms then, clutching him desperately, tears falling over her porcelain cheeks. "Forgive me." was all he could coax from his lips, "I already have." she whispered.
"How touching." came a menacing voice from the shadows. They were surrounded, he sensed 15 others, and there were sure to be more on the way. The voice from the shadows spoke again, "By order of the prince, you are to be given final death." He could hear them growling, waiting, hoping to get a taste of his blood. "Please," he pleaded with them, "show us mercy and we will leave the city, never to return. You have my word."
"No dice." Growled a voice from the shadows.
"Then allow the girl to leave, she has nothing to do with this." "She has seen too much," the voice continued, "her life is forfeit, her blood is ours." They were closing in now, Elizabeth was clinging tightly to Victors side as he looked desperately for a way out. He found none.
This was the end, one careless mistake made in a fit of anger, and he had committed suicide, and condemned the one he loved to death. "Love" he thought, "Yes, I do love her."
It was in that moment, whether by fate or fortune, that a second party arrived. All the commotion had attracted the hunters, and they were armed to kill.
"Foul creatures," their leader cried, "your time has come, the Brotherhood shall purify you in our Holy Light, your lives will end here."
When the shooting started everything slowed to a blur. The cries of immortals and humans filled the air, accented by sounds of guns and the smell of blood.
The event wouldn't last long, soon the sounds of police sirens, and the scattering of broken feet would commence. They would all slink back to their corners and await the next night. But Victor would hear none of this, for in his arms lay the bloodied body of Elizabeth. Whether a stray bullet or a vampires claws were to blame he could not tell, nor did he care. For there she lay, even in death a vision of beauty, even lifeless her eyes still danced.
"Love is murder." Victor mumbled, and with a final glance he was gone, never to be seen again.
-Story written The Count, who runs the Cemetery Confessions podcast and The Requiem Podcast. For more info on The Count, click here.


This GeoScience Videos blog provides support for instructors using the series of GeosScience Videos found on YouTube. The blog contains one-page quizzes for each short video as well as other related information such as in-class questions and activities. If you visit the blog's Assessment Resources page, you can download a one-page PDF (Current GeoScience Videos) that lists the videos and provides links to each one. Topics include: Introduction to Geoscience, Plate Tectonics, Rocks and Minerals, Earthquakes and Rock Deformation, Volcanism and Volcanic Processes, Geologic Time, Water on Earth, and Resources and Climate Change.


Mah et al: "The incidence of DLK after LASIK surgery (0.75% to 32%) has increased worldwide since it was first described in 1998, paralleling the increase in the number of patients who have had this popular form of refractive surgery."
Source: J Cataract Refract Surg. 2006 Feb;32(2):264-8.
If you experienced DLK (inflammation) or other complications after LASIK, the FDA wants to hear from you. File a MedWatch report with the FDA online. Alternatively, you may call FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 to report by telephone, download the paper form and either fax it to 1-800-FDA-0178 or mail it to the address shown at the bottom of page 3, or download the MedWatcher Mobile App for reporting LASIK problems to the FDA using a smart phone or tablet. Read a sample of LASIK injury reports currently on file with the FDA.
In the image below, the red arrow points to an illustration of an eye with DLK after LASIK.
One of the most common complications of LASIK is inflammation known as diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) or Sands of the Sahara. Diffuse lamellar keratitis is characterized by a diffuse white, granular infiltrate occurring within a few days after LASIK. DLK is a potentially serious, sight-threatening complication. It may be associated with redness, sensitivity to light, tearing, pain, and reduced vision.
DLK is classified by four stages depending on the severity and location of the inflammation. DLK should be immediately treated with topical steriods. If DLK progresses it may require surgical intervention. Severe cases of DLK may progress to flap melt with associated vision loss.
Proposed causes of DLK include particles from the eye drape, epithelial defects, meibomian secretions, surgical glove talc, debris from surgical sponges, and contamination of reservoir sterilizers by gram-negative endotoxins, among others. The rate of DLK is higher with femtosecond (all-laser, bladeless) LASIK flap creation than with blade-created flaps.
Click here to read "A Mysterious Tale: The Search for the Cause of 100+ Cases of Diffuse Lamellar Keratitis".
Can J Ophthalmol. 2019 Feb;54(1):125-129.
Cheung AY, Anderson BJ, Heidemann DG, Gupta C.
To analyze 12 cases of late-onset diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) following uncomplicated LASIK and propose a method of management.
Retrospective observational case series, literature review.
Patients who developed late-onset DLK following LASIK.
Retrospective chart review of all patients with late-onset DLK from January 2014 to August 2015. Data collected included demographic information, probable cause of DLK, stage of DLK, baseline examination, treatment, clinical course, outcomes, complications, and last follow-up examination. Review of relevant literature included searching for all prior cases and case series relating to "diffuse lamellar keratitis," "late-onset DLK," "Secondary Sands," and "delayed-onset DLK" by searching PubMed with these search terms.
Twelve eyes of 11 patients presented with late-onset DLK following LASIK. Onset ranged from 8 months to 17 years following LASIK. Stage of DLK ranged from stage I to III, and all patients responded well to aggressive corticosteroids without lifting of the LASIK flap. Final visual acuity for stage I/II and III eyes did not demonstrate a significant difference (p = 0.218). DLK resolved by a mean of 4.86 weeks for all eyes.
Late-onset DLK can present at any time following LASIK with a wide range of inciting factors causing a nonspecific (and likely immune-related) inflammatory reaction. Based on our findings, aggressive oral and topical corticosteroids should be tried before lifting the LASIK flap as long as infection is not suspected or inciting debris is not seen in the flap because the vast majority resolve with such therapy.
Bilateral corneal opacities in a LASIK patient after the use of titanium eye shields [7 years after LASIK].
J Cataract Refract Surg. 2011 Jun;37(6):1160-4.
We report a case of bilateral corneal opacities in a laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) patient who subsequently had carbon dioxide (CO(2)) laser skin resurfacing. The presumed etiology of the visually significant corneal opacities was late-onset diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK), secondary to traumatic corneal abrasions from the use of metal eye shields. The DLK went untreated for 1 month, resulting in permanent interface scarring and a corrected distance visual acuity of 20/30 in the patient's right eye and 20/20 in the left eye. We think patients who have had LASIK and are planning to have CO(2) laser skin resurfacing or any procedure that uses protective metal eye shields should be counseled about the risk for late-onset DLK as a potential complication. This warning is particularly germane now as an increasing number of patients who have had LASIK are entering the decades of life when cosmetic surgery is most likely to be sought.
Diffuse lamellar keratitis 8 years after LASIK caused by corneal epithelial defect.
Iovieno A, Amiran MD, Legare ME, Slomovic AR.
J Cataract Refract Surg. 2011 Feb;37(2):418-9.
Excerpt: A 34-year-old man was referred to the Cornea/Refractive Surgery Clinic at University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with a complaint of watering, itchiness, and redness in his right eye that started the night before and evolved into a sharp stabbing pain the next morning. No history of eye trauma or contact lens usage was reported. The medical history was unremarkable; the ocular history was significant for LASIK vision correction in both eyes 8 years earlier.
Incidence of diffuse lamellar keratitis after LASIK with 15 KHz, 30 KHz, and 60 KHz femtosecond laser flap creation.
J Cataract Refract Surg. 2010 Nov;36(11):1912-8.
Choe CH, Guss C, Musch DC, Niziol LM, Shtein RM.
From the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (Choe, Musch, Niziol, Shtein), the Medical School (Guss), and the Department of Epidemiology (Musch), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
PURPOSE: To compare the incidence of diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with flap creation using the 15 kHz (FS15), 30 kHz (FS30), or 60 kHz (FS60) femtosecond laser.
SETTING: University-based academic practice, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
METHODS: Consecutive myopic LASIK cases performed between January 1, 2005, and June 1, 2007, using the IntraLase FS15, FS30, or FS60 femtosecond laser for flap creation were reviewed. Preoperative clinical characteristics, treatment parameters, and intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded. Statistical comparisons were made using repeated measures analysis, analysis of variance, chi-square, and Fisher exact tests.
RESULTS: Five hundred twenty eyes of 274 patients were included in the study. One hundred seventy-six eyes (93 patients) were treated with the FS15 laser, 180 eyes (93 patients) with the FS30 laser, and 164 eyes (89 patients) with the FS60 laser. Seventeen eyes (10%) in the FS15 laser group, 24 eyes (13%) in the FS30 laser group, and 23 eyes (14%) in the FS60 laser group developed DLK. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of DLK between the 3 groups (P = .68).
CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in the incidence of DLK between the FS15, FS30, and FS60 groups.
Confocal Microscopy Comparison of IntraLase Femtosecond Laser and Moria M2 Microkeratome in LASIK.
Journal of Refractive Surgery Vol. 23 No. 2 February 2007.
Jaime Javaloy, MD, PhD; María T. Vidal, MD, PhD; Ayman M. Abdelrahman, MD; Alberto Artola, MD, PhD and Jorge L. Alió, MD, PhD.
"Diffuse lamellar keratitis consists of a multi-etiologic syndrome that expresses variable degrees of inflammation at the interface of eyes operated by LASIK.37,38 As DLK after LASIK using a femtosecond microkeratome has not been reported previously, the 17% prevalence rate of this syndrome (even considering that just 6.25%—1 case—was greater than grade I or II) in our series has to be taken into account."
Smith and Maloney thoroughly described diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) (American Academy of Ophthalmology, San Francisco, CA, November, 1997).71 Other reports have appeared since that time (Linebarger EJ. Diffuse lamellar keratitis: trouble in paradise? ASCRS Film Festival, Grand Prize Winner, 1999).20,41,72-78 It has also been called sands of the Sahara syndrome (Bobby Maddox, MD, El Paso, TX, coined the phrase), because of the characteristic wavy appearance at slit-lamp examination.
In severe cases, it is associated with stromal necrosis and irregular astigmatism.
However, we have seen two cases of infectious keratitis in which treatment was inappropriately delayed because of erroneous diagnosis of DLK. Both cases had severe vision loss.
The incidence of DLK is highly variable. One report noted an incidence of approximately 1 in 500.74 Some high volume LASIK surgeons have reported never seeing a case in their own practice. We have seen only two mild cases in 3000 LASIK procedures. Others have experienced focal outbreaks of DLK that have included dozens of patients.
Another grading system has been proposed by Linebarger (Linebarger, 1999, cited above).75 Stage 1 DLK is typically seen on day 1 postoperatively as white, granular cells in the periphery with sparing of the visual axis. Stage 2 Typically seen on postoperative day 2 or 3, shows white cells in the visual axis. Stage 3 DLK involves an aggregation of cells clumped in the visual axis and associated with haze and reduced vision. Stage 4 Involves central stromal necrosis, melt, and secondary hyperopia with irregular astigmatism.
At the other extreme, severe (grade 4) cases typically have decreased vision and severe pain associated with marked interface inflammation and necrosis that results in topographic flattening of the corneal contour, secondary irregular astigmatism, and poor vision.
Many potential etiologies for DLK have been proposed (Linebarger, 1999, cited above).75-77 Most of these are based on speculation without supporting data. These have included betadine from surgical preps, impure balanced salt solution, retained meibomian secretions and other tear film components, metallic debris, use of improper detergents, talc from gloves, thermal effects from the excimer laser, lubricants on the microkeratome or blades, topical medications such as anesthetics, bacterial cell wall hypersensitivity, and biofilms from inadequate sterilization protocols.
The bacterial cell wall hypersensitivity mechanism could have been the underlying factor in a recent epidemic of DLK.77 The authors suggested that the microkeratome or irrigating cannula became contaminated by bacteria. These bacteria may reside in water left standing in the sterilizer. If the contaminated instruments are cleaned and left to dry, bacteria could proliferate on residual trace protein and the bacterial cell count could increase significantly.
These data suggest that injury to the surface epithelium or epithelial debris left within the LASIK interface triggers production of factors that are chemotactic for inflammatory cells via interleukin-1 release. This mechanism could account for many DLK cases.
Surgical technique may limit DLK, whatever the underlying mechanism.
Eyes with severe DLK are at high risk for stromal necrosis that may be focal and result in haze, irregular astigmatism, and hyperopic shift.


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Take Me Out's Jade from Gorton reveals what the Isle of Fernando's is really like
Jade Devaney, 28, bagged a date with Ollie on the ITV show - here's what happened behind the scenes
Vickie Scullard
Gorton's Jade Devaney has lifted the lid on what it was really like to go to Take Me Out's Isle of Fernando's.
The 28-year-old was delighted when she was picked by Ollie on the ITV dating show, which is fronted by Bolton funnyman Paddy McGuinness.
After a very brief meeting, they jetted off the paradise island for a romantic date in a swanky restaurant - but sadly it didn't exactly go to plan.
Here, sales manager Jade reveals to the Manchester Evening News exactly what happens once the dates have been matched in the studio.
The couples get separated straight away
The women contestants don't get to spend any time with their dates until they get to Fernando's and instead have to wait two days to be reunited with their beau.
Jade explained: "We were separated as soon as we walked down the steps backstage when your adrenaline is pumping and we didn't see each other until the moment we met up again on the date 48 hours later, so the reaction was genuine.
"I have watched the show for years and you see some people say that they can't remember what their date looks like, and I can see why now as we were apart for a while after we were matched, but I remembered Ollie and I was still pleased when I saw him again."
Sorry to break it to you, but Fernando's isn't real
In case you have been living in a dreamworld, you'll know that the Isle of Fernando's is Take Me Out's name for Tenerife.
Jade explained that after being separated from her date, Ollie, the girls who were successful boarded an EasyJet flight together for a two night stay on the Spanish island.
It was so exciting travelling with the other girls to Fernando's," revealed Jade. "The first hotel we stayed in was so nice, it was away from the main strip. Then we moved hotels the second night to one in the main area of Tenerife.
"We were really looked after by the ITV crew."
Ollie and Paddy McGuinness
When the couples reunite in Fernandos, the date begins. Jade had high hopes for her date with Ollie - not only was he her type physically, she was his 'love at first light' - the girl he picked out as his favourite when he stepped out of the elevator.
Despite this promising start, not all dates work out, as Jade can attest to.
"It went a bit downhill when we met up for the date," she admitted.
"I thought that everything would go well - but I couldn't have been more wrong. We had a romantic meal, but it was really awkward.
Jade and Ollie reunite in Fernandos (Image: ITV)
"I think it might have been better if we went on an activity because I am quite shy and need someone to take the lead in conversation.
"It was so bad that I started asking awkward questions because he just didn't say much.
"We were both basically silent and both struggling to find something to say.
"It was just one of those things - both of us couldn't wait for it to end."
Jade's date with Ollie doesn't go to plan (Image: ITV)
What else goes on behind the scenes?
The date may not have gone as well as she'd hoped, but the rest of her two-night trip was not spoilt by her disappointment.
"No one else caught my eye.
"Ollie was the only guy that I liked," said Jade.
"I don't feel too disappointed though, because I got a lot from the whole experience and I'm glad that I went on the show.
"We had time after the date to chill and head to the beach with the girls, which was nice.
"And because at the time I was newly single it was a great way to boost my confidence."
The Take Me Out '80s special airs Saturday at 5:30pm on ITV.
Jade from Gorton reveals what it's really like to go on ITV's Take Me Out
The inspirational life story of Manchester's MasterChef: The Professionals contestant
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Paddy McGuinness
The mum who has spent thousands on getting tattooed all over her body
Bury"To me, tattoos are a hobby and an art form – why shouldn't I show them off?"
How to apply for a £605 PIP payment each month to help with stress and anxiety
MoneyYou may be able to apply for the benefit if you need help with a mental health condition
The latest coronavirus hotspots in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester NewsAn interactive map reveals the number of coronavirus cases in each neighbourhood
The latest coronavirus infection rates for Greater Manchester - as only one borough sees a rise
BoltonThe most up-to-date Public Health England figures show that infection rates have mostly fallen elsewhere in the region
Greater Manchester NewsReport commissioned by family of Saffie-Rose Roussos claims 'she might have survived with better first aid'The Manchester Arena bombing public inquiry had previously heard that her wounds were not survivable.
Rebekah Vardy surprises viewers with her Dancing On Ice debut after accidentally injuring her partner
CelebsThe WAG was mortified to have injured skating pro Andy Buchanan
Where you have seen the cast of ITV's Finding Alice before
ITVThe brand new six-part drama has started on ITV starring Keeley Hawes


text:
Новий Сабиниан () е политик и сенатор на Римската империя през 2 век.

През 160 г. той е суфектконсул заедно с неизвестен колега.

Източници

Имперски римски консули
Новии

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Groups clash in Barcelona, sending chairs flying on Independence Day (video)
Joi, 12 Octombrie 2017 16:33 2017-10-12 17:18:15 PUBLIKA.MD Comments
foto: video capture
The Latest on Catalonia's independence bid (all times local):
1:45 p.m (2:45 p.m Moldova time)
Two small groups of protesters have clashed in central Barcelona as a unionist demonstration of thousands was getting under way, with people throwing chairs at each other before local police separated them.
It was unclear what sparked the violence on Thursday and who was involved.
Footage obtained by The Associated Press showed chairs flying in both directions, as Barcelona's urban guard and regional police removed a few dozen protesters on each side.
A nearby demonstration led by a group of civil society groups opposing a separatist bid in Catalonia wasn't disrupted.
A separate protest of around 200 supporters of far-right and Spanish nationalist groups ended on Barcelona's Montjuic hill with speeches and the burning of a "Senyera," the unofficial flag that has become a symbol for Catalan separatists.
1:10 p.m. (2:20 p.m Moldova time)
A spokesman with Spain's Ministry of Defense says that a military pilot has died after a fighter jet that was returning from a national day parade crashed in southeastern Spain.
The spokesman said the fighter jet was among four that participated in the parade in Madrid. Speaking anonymously, as its customary among civil servants in Spain, the spokesman said the Eurofighter plane crashed in Llanos de Albacete, a county some 300 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of the Spanish capital.
The spokesman said the pilot didn't have time to jump out of the jet, adding that the causes of the crash are under investigation.
11:35 a.m. (12:35 a.m Moldova time)
Thousands of people waving Spanish and Catalan flags are marching in downtown Barcelona to celebrate Spain's national day.
Participants, some of whom had painted their faces in red and yellow, shouted "Viva Espana," or long live Spain, and "I am Spanish."
A few yelled "Puigdemont to prison," referring to Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who challenged Madrid by holding an Oct. 1 referendum on independence that the Spanish government said was illegal. The slogan of the march is "Catalonia yes. Spain, too," supporting autonomy for Catalonia, but within Spain as a whole.
Read more Washington Post
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Republic of Moldova to host International Wine Tourism Conference in 2018
Citizens of Moldova urged to avoid Barcelona during following day
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Last news Europe:
Total quarantine imposed on Romania as spike in coronavirus cases
Ukraine records first coronavirus death and shuts borders to foreigners
Entire nation of Italy placed on 'red zone' quarantine and all public events banned
Romania suspends Italy flights until March 23 due to COVID-19 outbreak
Reuters: Poland reports first coronavirus infection case
UK MPs resigned to join breakaway group due to "government' disastrous handling" of Brexit


Learn how to survive in the wilderness, and how to be prepared for natural disasters, blackouts, etc.
This program focuses on the psychology of the survival ordeal or lost person situation.
To practise survival skills and gain indepth wilderness survival experience.
Open to other groups on request.


MIN OF FIVE SOLID CURRENT YEARS WITHIN A MFG ENVIRONMENT.
OUR FIRM PLACED THE LAST THREE I/T PROFESSIONALS, THIS SLOT OPEN DUE TO RETIREMENT.
SECOND SLOT MAY ALSO BE FILLED DUE TO LONGTERM EMPLOYEE STATUSES..


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by Kirkner Law | Apr 25, 2018 | Divorce |
It is a common situation to die without updating important legal documents. While this scenario is not unique to family law, it has significant implications for financial planning after a divorce. Consider what would happen if, after a divorce was finalized, a person died without having changed or updated the beneficiary status on his or her life insurance policy, or other financial asset. The former spouse would still be named as the beneficiary, but the life insurance company would refuse to pay the benefits to the former spouse by claiming that the likely intent was to exclude the former spouse because the parties were divorced. Ultimately, the death benefits from the policy or asset would have to go through probate, rather than simply transfer through the typical life insurance distribution process. To avoid this unintended consequence, the Florida Legislature amended the Probate Code to require affirmative designations of beneficiaries, particularly in the context of a former spouse after a dissolution of marriage.
Florida Statute, Section 732.703, in effect since 2013, voids the designation of a former spouse as a beneficiary if that beneficiary designation was: (i) made before the divorce was finalized and (ii) not updated to reflect the divorce or former-spouse status. The relevant language of the Florida Statute states:
A designation made by or on behalf of the decedent providing for the payment or transfer at death of an interest in an asset to or for the benefit of the decedent's former spouse is void as of the time the decedent's marriage was judicially dissolved or declared invalid by court order prior to the decedent's death, if the designation was made prior to the dissolution or court order. The decedent's interest in the asset shall pass as if the decedent's former spouse predeceased the decedent.
In other words, if the beneficiary designation is not made or updated post-dissolution of marriage, Florida law treats the former spouse as though he or she does not exist. This scenario is incredibly important for parties who assume and intend that their death benefits will go to their former spouse, even though a divorce has been finalized. Often, child support and alimony are secured with a life insurance policy that was in effect during the marriage which named the then-spouse as the beneficiary. According to Florida law, in order for the benefits to actually go to the former spouse, the former spouse must be renamed as the policy's beneficiary post-dissolution. If there are death benefits to be distributed, whether pursuant to a life insurance policy, a qualified annuity, a tax-deferred contract, an employee benefit plan, or an IRA, the designation of the beneficiary must be made after the divorce has been finalized. Parties can clearly convey their estate planning intentions by incorporating specific language in a divorce settlement agreement or final judgment.
Kristin Kirkner is board certified in marital and family law in the State of Florida and has focused her practice solely on family law since 2004. Kirkner Family Law Group is available to assist you in all of your Florida family law and divorce needs and can help safeguard your family with the specific language needed in your settlement agreement to distribute your death benefits as you intend. Contact us today or call (813) 254-0156.


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Writer, director, and producer Dan Fogelman's (This Is Us) affecting drama about life, love, and loss, ambitiously set across years and continents, features an impressive ensemble cast, including Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Annette Bening, Olivia Cooke, Mandy Patinkin, and Antonio Banderas.
Spain, United States
Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, Mandy Patinkin, Jean Smart, Olivia Cooke, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Laia Costa, Alex Monner
Dan Fogelman's stories have brought millions to laughter and tears, most recently with his award-winning television series, This Is Us. Simply by observing the truth of how we behave with each other, Fogelman invites us to let our guards down and feel. If there's a common theme in Fogelman's work, it's that we can't help but be connected to each other. Life Itself is his most expansive exploration yet of that potent notion.
Abby (Olivia Wilde) is a New York graduate student. Her boyfriend, Will (Oscar Isaac), loves her deeply, but the depth of his commitment overwhelms her sometimes. What's his story? Their circle includes Annette Bening and Mandy Patinkin as parents who have their own stories to live out. And Antonio Banderas and Laia Costa do remarkable work when the action leaps to Spain. As we meet each character, we learn more about their interwoven narratives: between lovers, between children and parents, between America and Europe and even between past and present. Abby studies unreliable narrators in fiction but as she notes in one scene, "Life itself is the ultimate unreliable narrator."
Transforming what he does best on the small screen for the scale and compression of movies, Fogelman delivers a film of both heart and daring. And since this is the man who also wrote Crazy, Stupid, Love , there's palpable heat between the characters. As the film shifts focus and offers up delightful surprises, it always leaves traces of feeling from what we've seen so far. Life Itself takes bold risks with its storytelling, and builds emotional resonance as it goes.
Roy Thomson Hall
Elgin Theatre


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The Body Shop supports BayaniJuan
ALKFI
In line with their advocacy to support community fair trade, The Body Shop offers woven eco-bags made from upcycled window posters in selected stores nationwide.
The bags are handcrafted by the residents of BayaniJuan, ABS-CBN Foundation's relocation site in Calauan, Laguna. It is a community composed of over 5,000 families who used to live in informal settlements along Estero de Paco and those who were left homeless by typhoon Ondoy. They continue to rebuild their lives through the support and kindness of government and private organizations like The Body Shop.
Just like The Body Shop, BayaniJuan "makes its products with love and care".
For a brighter life
No more Congested Classrooms, No more 3-Hour Walks for Health Services
Ain't no mountain high in Porac
Giving their dignity back by providing shelters
Sagip Kapamilya reaches out to more than 2,000 school children in Bohol


Add the lamb with the curry paste and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock and chilli (if used). Cover and cook for 1-1�hours or until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Season if required.
A jar of prepared curry sauce works well too. Simply omit the chopped tomatoes and stock.


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What Is Chase Bank Mobile Banking?
You can use Mobile banking for your much personal use such as you can pay your Mobile or Electricity bill, you can pay your tax bill and many more. Chase Online You can also pay your online shopping bill through mobile banking. Just you're all bill pay and online work in mobile banking. Mobile banking is the best way for online banking. Chase Bank Mobile Online Banking is fully secure with modern securities. So, you can trust it. Here we give you fully correct detail about Mobile Banking.
How to Register in Chase Mobile Banking?
Here we give you some important detail about how to register in mobile banking. We give you step by step detail about register process of chase mobile banking. The first thing it's necessary you have the account in chase bank. If you don't have the account in chase bank then you can't access Chase Mobile Banking. Read following step for more information.
Step1: Open Chase Mobile Banking app in your smartphone.
Step2: Click on "REGISTER" button.
Step3: Fill all blanks with your account detail such as Name, Account Number, and Mobile Number etc.
Step4: Check all detail before the tap on "SUBMIT" button.
Step5: Finally, Click on "SUBMIT" button.
If you fill all detail as above guidelines and then chase bank send you one mail on your register email id. In this mail, you get your mobile banking Id and Password. After completed all this detail successfully. You can go and check your Email Id. This is full detail about the registration process of Chase Mobile Banking. If you have persisted any problem while filling this form then contact to customer desk of Chase Bank. They give you fully satisfied detail and solve your entire query about Chase Bank Online Banking.
How to login in Chase Bank Mobile Banking?
Finally, we reached at our main content, here we give you full detail how to successfully login in chase bank mobile app. As above we give you detail about register detail about chase bank. If you successfully register in mobile banking then you can easily login in chase bank mobile banking. Read below step for login in mobile banking. We give you step by step detail for login in mobile banking.
JPMorgan Chase, Chase Mobile app pay bills deposit checks, transfer money.
Step2: Click on the "Log in" button.
Step4: Click on "SUBMIT" button.
This is the full process for login in Chase Mobile Banking. If you successfully login in mobile banking then you can access all mobile banking services. Chase mobile Banking provides many services to their customers. Mobile Banking has many services such as online shopping. Online Bill pays, Transfer Money etc. you can use all these services in your Mobile Banking App. If you have any query while using Mobile Banking then contact Chase Bank Customer Desk. Customer Desk available 24*7 for their customers.


The Howard Miller Weston desk/alarm clock is a trapezoid shaped jade glass clock with beveled edges supported by a 9.5 mm (3/8") thick jade glass base. A polished silver-tone bezel surrounds a white dial with Roman numerals at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 position. The black spade hour and minute hands and silver alarm and seconds hands stand out on this clock. Accurate quartz, battery-operated alarm movement includes one "AAA" sized battery. Approximate dimensions:20.3 cm (8") H x16.5 cm (6.5") W x 4.4 cm (1.75") D. Lifetime warranty.


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Ler Her Go è un singolo del rapper australiano The Kid Laroi, pubblicato dalla Columbia Records il 5 dicembre 2019.

Video musicale
Il videoclip è stato reso disponibile sul canale Lyrical Lemonade.

Tracce

Note


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Full Version Of 'The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby' Scheduled For October Release; Plus 'Him' & 'Hers' Posters & New Photos
Full Version Of 'The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby' Scheduled For October Release; Plus 'Him' & 'Hers' Posters & New Photos
It's a unique and ambitious endeavor, one that took almost a decade to get off the ground and that began before Jessica Chastain became a star. First-time director Ned Benson wanted to make a relationship movie from the perspectives of both a male and female character – though in fact it began as one screenplay, and when Chastain said it didn't really represent her viewpoint, the filmmaker hit a eureka moment and expanded on his story. The rest is history. And also, what was originally two films (both premiered last year at TIFF) — "The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby: Him" and 'The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby: Her" — was eventually cut into a third film entitled "The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby: Them" (which screened at Cannes this past spring, though when it hits theaters, the 'Them' will likely get dropped from the title).
To clarify, 'Them' is the condensed version that opens on September 12th, and today, The Weinstein Company announced that "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him/Her" (yes, a slight title retweak) will be screened in its entirety (which is a little over three hours) and released in select theaters on October 10th. The film co-stars James McAvoy and has largely received rave reviews.
What are the real differences between the films? Well, here's our original reviews of 'Him' and 'Her' from TIFF last year and a compare and contrast review of 'Them' by the same writer. Meanwhile, there are new photos along with 'His' and 'Hers' posters below.
This Article is related to: News and tagged James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Ned Benson, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them


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Q: In emacs' find-file, is it possible to remove ./ and ../ from possible completions for faster tab completions? We have a large project that for whatever reason has lots of nested directories that often have just one other nested subdirectory in them such as
perl-thing/lib/PACKAGE/SUBPACKAGE/X.txt

In the terminal it's easy to navigate through this as I just hit tab a bunch of times and eventually it auto completes to X.txt as it's the only object in SUBPACKAGE.
In Emacs though, using find-file, I have to hit p then tab to get perl-thing, then l-tab for lib, P-tab for PACKAGE etc, which slows down getting to X.txt. This seems to be due to find-file listing ./ and ../ as possible completion along with the lone subdirectory.
Is it possible to remove the ./ and ../ completion candidates such that I can move through the directory list structure quickly with tab? Or should I be using something other than find-file?

A: You can use write your own read-file-name-function which ignores ./ and ../ and set it as the default, like this:
(defun read-file-name-nodots (prompt &optional dir default-filename mustmatch initial predicate)
  "Like read-file-name-default but does not complete on ./ and ../"
  (let ((predicate (or predicate (lambda (f) (not (or (string= f "./") (string= f "../")))))))
    (read-file-name-default prompt dir default-filename mustmatch initial predicate)))
(setq read-file-name-function 'read-file-name-nodots)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Where is Montchevre® cheese made?
All of our cheeses are created in Wisconsin.
Is Montchevre® cheese made with pasteurized milk?
Yes, ALL our milk is pasteurized in accordance with state and federal regulations.
Do your goats receive growth hormones?
No! We are committed to providing quality products using milk from goats that have not been enhanced by growth hormones.
What is the shelf life on your cheese after the package has been opened?
We recommend consuming the product within five (5) days of opening.
How should I store my cheese?
We recommend storing your cheese at 33-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Once opened, wrap it tightly to prevent it from drying. Keeping your cheese in a humidity-controlled ("vegetable") drawer may prevent excessive drying.
Can Montchevre® cheeses be frozen?
Yes; however, we do not recommend it. The freezing process may alter the flavors and texture of the cheese.


Some days are simply more challenging than others. I hit a rough patch this week (several, actually). The dates next week (and the ones right after) won't help get me past that.
What HAS been encouraging and uplifting, is my family. I truly hope that wherever you are, whoever you are, you have the kind of support I do. If you do not? Contact me, I'll send you a virtual hug and we can chat.
As I said in our last post, I'm very fortunate to have someone who picks me up when I stumble. We also have three incredibly brilliant and kind (adult) children. As a bonus, I have a mom and dad who adore me and are just up the highway.
When we are struggling, as I have been lately, it's helpful to go within, to see what messages our Team has for us. As if in total validation, this card came up. It is the entire message right now.
Well, that and a reminder. Focus on the haves, leave those have-nots for someone else to worry about.
Your clairvoyance, your dreams, and the pictures in your mind's eye are becoming more clear and powerful.
is to thank Louise Hay. She left us this week, passing peacefully in her sleep. She was 90, and she was a gift to us all.
Sad news that Louise Hay went Home. Her messages were often what I needed to hear. Glad you have your family net around you. That is important!