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by Anne F. Garréta, recommended by Deep Vellum Publishing
EDITOR'S NOTE BY EMMA RAMADAN
Jump to Story
Issue No 154
Written by Anne Garréta
Recommended by Emma Ramadan
We are all told and expected to live in the world in a certain way. The rules meant to govern our existences are determined in part by the gender listed on our birth certificates. But what if the ways we are told and expected to live in the world don't correspond with our realities? What if we're tired of being made to feel humiliated, scared, angry, frustrated, sad when we behave in a way that society has prescribed for our respective genders? What if we need to carve out our own spaces in which we can act and exist in the way that feels the most right, the most true, for us? How and where can we find or create these spaces?
Anne F. Garréta's Sphinx is one response to these questions, is one of these spaces. Sphinx is part of a line of French texts, including works by Monique Wittig and Roland Barthes, that aim to undo the implications and supposed importance of the gender binary, the false constructions imposed on us by the societies we live in.
To that end, Sphinx presents us with a genderless relationship between the narrator, a theology student by day and a DJ by night, and A***, a dancer from America. Garréta's first novel, published in 1986 when she was 23 years old and excerpted here, takes us through the layers of this relationship, as the narrator relentlessly courts A*** through a game of hypotheticals, as A*** finally gives in during drunkenness and a dance, as their relationship strengthens in the eyes of the narrator, only to deflate under A***'s chillingly accurate analysis.
Garréta exposes the despair lurking beneath desire, and the constraint we face in our amorous relationships. We listen to the narrator's sermon on 1980s Paris nightlife and the different kinds of people found in those clubs — the rich who feel they own the place, and those of "lower distinction" desperate to prove they belong. Both ends of this spectrum believe they are owed certain things, because they have fulfilled their side of the unspoken social contract. The narrator's response is to ignore these social codes, these "pathetic ruses," and thus to incite confusion, to revel in their doubt and look on laughing as they attempt to burrow their way out of it. When society is at its most uncomfortable, its most vulnerable and unsure, when its rules and regulations are suddenly inapplicable, that is when Garréta triumphs.
Read Sphinx not looking for answers, but to be inundated with all the right questions. Read Sphinx because you've never read anything like it, because nothing like it has ever existed in English until now. Twenty-nine years after the French original was published, here it is, as pertinent as ever.
Emma Ramadan
Translator, Sphinx
Anne Garréta
Short stories and novel excerpts by the most dynamic voices in contemporary literature delivered to your inbox every Wednesday.
Translated by Emma Ramadan
I never alluded to what I had so indistinctly perceived in my sleep, and neither did A***. There were always inexplicable silences between us, a sort of prudishness or reserve that kept us from broaching certain intimate subjects. We kept the evidence hidden away, even avoiding the use of expressions that seemed improper, excessive, or bizarre. A*** would never show any immoderate affection, and I was constantly forcing myself not to criticize the escapades I witnessed. Once, only once, I was weak enough to reveal my jealousy, which had been gnawing away at me. In the same vein, A*** only once slipped in showing tenderness toward me, using words and gestures that we had never before allowed ourselves to use.
This single jealous episode took place in the dressing room of the Eden where, one night, I came upon A*** in the company of a man I had seen fairly often in the wings the previous week, whom I suspected to be A***'s latest lover. Normally I pretended not to give a damn about the goings-on of A***'s libido; the number and nature of A***'s escapades were none of my business. What right did I have to be jealous, since there was nothing between us other than platonic affection? But that night I could not bear to see this lugubrious cretin, in the seat that I habitually occupied, engaged with A*** in the sort of conversation I had thought was reserved for me alone. This substitution outraged me: the idea that in my absence someone could take my place, could be the object of identical attentions. I was willing to admit that I was not everything for A***, but I refused to accept that what I was, achieved through a hard-fought struggle, could be taken over by someone else, and apparently by anyone at all. The sole merit of the lover in question was his idiocy: his inane conversation was doubtless a nice break from the thornier discussions A*** and I typically had. A*** thought he had a beautiful face, entrancing eyes, and good fashion sense. I was shocked by A***'s poor taste, by the appreciation of such an individual: an Adonis from a centerfold with a stupidly handsome face.
I had judged him, a priori, as moronic, and I realized, triumph and despair mixing indissolubly, that it was true, indeed in every way. I was revolted by this pretty boy's attitude, by his dumbfounded acceptance and regurgitation of all conventional hogwash. With the aplomb bestowed on him by age and rank, Monsieur would uphold unconscionable vulgarities, which, moreover, he revered — a proselyte! When I arrived, the conversation was revolving around the countries of North Africa, which he had glimpsed during a recent trip to a resort. He passed briskly from the picturesque story of his trip to general commentary on the countries and the samples of the population that one could encounter in France, "in our country," as he articulated so well. I reveled in ridiculing a rival in front of A*** and put on a show of systematic perversity. The discussion quickly turned sour: when one realizes that one is being unreasonable, it is precisely then that one employs even more uncouth and violent arguments. The offspring of the 16th arrondissement do not like to be refuted, much less mocked; they never think it beneath them to resort to insults, no matter how low. I left, slamming the door behind me, not without having hurled out an extremely spiteful compliment on the quality and distinction of A***'s lover, whom I referred to with a far more offensive noun.
I was in a very bad mood when I arrived at the Apocryphe, and the music I selected was proof. I exuded my resentment through the loudspeakers, which calmed me down a bit. On the floor that night were some showbiz caryatids, those people that one sees on the covers of popular magazines. They did me the honor of a hello, expecting that I would carry out some of their desiderata: "Could you maybe play X's latest record…? He's here tonight, it would be an immmmense pleasure for him," or else: "When are you going to play some reggae?" It made me snicker that these dignitaries, flush with their new, modern-day power, solicited favors from the feeble authority conferred on me by my position behind the turntables. What an enormous privilege it was in their eyes that they should notice me! In granting me the favor of acknowledging my presence, of pouring onto me a minuscule portion of the celebrity they oozed and tried to pawn off as glory, they tried cheaply to coax my kindness. I made them feel the vanity of their approach, and unless they were willing to own up to the humiliation of failure, they had no choice but to laugh at my sneering. And that night in particular they were made to feel the grace of my cynicism, the bursts of my impertinent irony.
Common mortals have other ways of expressing their desires. A club does not get filled every night with only the chic clientele. Because there are a paltry number of remarkable characters — and they are remarkable only because their number is paltry — a mass of individuals of lower distinction are allowed into this sanctuary, a privilege through which they are made to feel honored. They would come to the Apocryphe, attracted by the club's reputation (they don't accept just anybody — you, me, any old person), hoping to rub shoulders with some celebrities.
That night I realized something: they pronounce their desiderata, demanding (without really caring) some record, in order to prove that they have a right to be in this milieu where the arbitrary reigns. It's their sole ontological proof, their sole cogito, their foundation and justification. I want, therefore I am; I need, I breathe. I spend money, they must grant my desire, considering my demands in light of the value that I offer. I pay to exist; the tribute, delivered in kind or in cash, buys the recognition of my right.
My strategy was to inspire incertitude; I derived pleasure in imbuing these souls with doubt by not playing into their pathetic ruses. Che vuoi? I was leading them to the brink of an essential anxiety. My reply was always "maybe." It was a dangerous game that exposed me to the disapproval, disrespect, or insidious resentment of the people to whom I denied the assurance of being a subject. Each night I would have to confront this great panic of individual desires that were in reality desires for individuation, for furious revindication. Sometimes I would try — utterly in vain but with a perverse pleasure — to make them understand that the sum of individual desires does not add up to the happiness of all. That when it comes to the music in a club the law of the majority is ineffectual; that neither democracy nor aristocracy, nor even oligarchy, is a possible regime for a coherent musical set. I would argue that a good DJ is one who, rather than simply responding to repetitive wishes that are consciously formulaic and elementary (such and such a record, such and such a song), subconsciously manages to fulfill an unknown desire by creating a unity out of something superior to adding up so many records, so many requests. To appease is not the same as to fulfill.
Each night I made such observations that I would occasionally articulate to myself when pedantic disquisition and contempt started to mutually reinforce each other. I had come to the end of this chapter of my De natura rerum noctis dedicated to the essence of the position of the DJ when I noticed A*** standing near the bar, no longer accompanied by that new moronic lover, being served a glass of champagne by the barman.
It was late, the Eden had already been closed for some time, and I worried that A***'s arrival at the Apocryphe after our altercation meant trouble. I didn't know if I was supposed to leave my booth and go meet A*** or if I was supposed to wait for A*** to approach me. Fortunately, we both had the same reflex, and met halfway between the bar and the booth. There was no visible trace of what had happened a few hours before. A*** was drunk, which almost never happened, and from within that drunkenness asked me to dance. People didn't dance as a couple anymore in those days except during retro sequences when the DJ would revive old dance forms such as the bop, tango, or waltz. And that was absolutely what A*** desired: a waltz, nothing less. I was enticed by this extravagance, and besides, why not? At this late hour, only a small number of people remained on the floor. A waltz would serve as a charming exit, and, irresistibly outmoded, could assume the parodic allure that excuses all improprieties. So from the bottom of the crate I took out an LP of Viennese waltzes that I cued with no transition, following some nondescript funk track. Abandoning the turntables, and without any snarky retort this time, I went to dance this waltz.
A***, though drunk, was dancing divinely. A classic routine demonstrates one's sensibility just as much as the unruly improvisations of today's dance steps. While dancing these waltzes — for we danced many in succession — I had the impression that never until this day had I reveled in such a carefree lightness of being. There was no longer anybody but us on the dance floor; no doubt our perfect execution of the steps had intimidated all the amateurs. A*** had a naïve and clichéd fondness for the antiquated world of the aristocracy, an admiration for the bygone, the retro, the image of luxury that Hollywood associates with times past.
A***'s drunkenness, at once dissipated and concentrated by the dance, kept us moving. When the Apocryphe closed, we hurried to the Kormoran. Ruggero had a bottle of whiskey brought to my table that he insisted on offering me for the New Year, and as a thank you for the cigars I had brought him back from Germany. And so I too started to drink. A*** and I talked for a long time about everything under the sun. We were drunk, A*** more so than me. There was a warmth, a hint of complicity between us, which soothed the constant tension of our unfinished business. And this happy understanding, permitted by our drunkenness, was further reinforced by the illusory intensity of perception brought on by the alcohol. Leaning toward me and speaking with more abandon than usual, A*** suddenly murmured the following question: "And if we make love, will you still love me after?" Abruptly, I caught a glimpse of what I had given up hoping for, without ever having written it off. It was finally being offered to me, in a whisper and under the extraordinary guise of a fiction, all that we had envisioned and elaborated, that which ultimately gave meaning to all of our stratagems. A*** repeated the query, making it sound like a supplication. I leaned toward A***, not knowing how to respond to the anxiety I sensed in the question.
My only answer was to wrest A*** from the chair and to take us out of this place. Once outside and without having discussed it at all, we hailed a taxi and A*** told the driver the address. Without saying a word, we took the elevator. The fear that I had forgotten suddenly returned and took me by the heart, the fear of flesh that accompanies those first adolescent excitements, an anxiety we attempt to combat too quickly with cynicism. I thought I was going to faint, standing there at last on the threshold of what I had so passionately desired.
I staggered as A*** moved to kiss me; I didn't know what to do except let it happen. The temporal order of events, even the simple spatial points of reference, all disappeared without my realizing it; everything is blurred in my memory. I have in my mouth, still, the taste of skin, of the sweat on that skin; against my hands, the tactile impression of skin and the shape of that flesh. In a sprawling obscurity — either I closed my eyes or my gaze was struck with a temporary blindness — some vaguely outlined visions, and, in my ear, the echo of soft rustlings, of words barely articulated.
I don't know how to recount precisely what happened, or how to describe or even attest to what I did, what was done to me. And the effect of the alcohol has nothing to do with this eradication; it's impossible to recapture the feeling of abandon through words. Crotches crossed and sexes mixed, I no longer knew how to distinguish anything. In this confusion we slept.
When I awoke from the incredible sleep that follows the appeasement of the flesh, I saw A***, watching me and smoking a cigarette. The memories I have of my life at that time are all of this order. Dissolved are the restless nights, the clammy visions of crowds of bodies mangled and shredded by the spurts of light that cut through shadow. Crystallized at the bottom of my memory remains the recollection of these sleeps and these wakings where one floats between the resurgence of desire and the memory of its satisfaction. Never until then had I longed to see A*** dance on stage. When A*** danced in the Apocryphe, I didn't have to share the pleasure I took in watching: I was allowed to imagine that the dance was dedicated entirely to me, without the crowd being there to prove me wrong. Watching this body moving uninhibited, this body that wasn't mine in any way, I reveled in the uniqueness and the exclusivity of my gaze.
However, not long after that first night, I decided to go and watch the show put on at the Eden. From my place in the audience, I watched A*** perform one of the club's best numbers. I can only describe it as a syncopated progression of movements, the ecstatic miming of a song written in English entitled — I learned later — "Sphinx." I was struck by the lyrics, at least by the ones I could grasp in the moment. I came back to this song so many times, keeping it as an emblem, the enigmatic prophecy of all that ever came to pass between A*** and me. I was struck that night by certain lines, which I deciphered or guessed from watching their silent pronunciation on A***'s lips. Erratic blocks of words, fragments that resounded in me even more violently because they were incomplete, that I grasped only insofar as they seemed to articulate something of my relationship to this strange figure I had only recently succeeded in conquering.
Later I translated the exact words of the song and watched as their meaning, which I had imperfectly intuited that night, unfolded. I transcribe the essential lines here:
I can't stand the pain
and I keep looking for all the faces I had
before the world began.
I've only known desire and my poor soul will burn into eternal fire.
And I can't even cry,
a sphinx can never cry.
I wish that I could be
a silent sphinx eternally.
I don't want any past
only want things which cannot last.
Phony words of love
or painful truth, I've heard it all before.
A conversation piece,
a woman or a priest, it's all a point of view.
The vision comes back to me instantly: A*** crossing the stage in the feline roving of the choreography, embodying an enigmatic, silent figure twisting to the extreme limit of dislocation in miraculous movements that were syncopated but not staccato. Even as this body fades away, a spectral figure remains, immobile; the stage is populated with incarnations, sudden gestures, hieratic poses set in a relentless progression. There was something cat-like or divine in this body that, moved by some sly, sensual pleasure, was embodying in nonchalant strides a languid damnation, an immemorial fatality made into movement.
When I entered the dressing room, I found A*** immobile as if in prayer or confession, legs bent, forearms fixed on a high bar stool supporting A***'s entire body weight. Hands dangling, wrists slack, gaze abandoned and lost in the emptiness, then focusing on me as I entered and following me to where I sat down opposite. It was like the disdainful pose of the sphinx (or the image I had of it then), the same sharp aesthetic. I thought this to myself and, laughing, affectionately let slip, "my sphinx" — as if I had said "my love." We remained face-to-face, our bodies as if petrified. A terror silted up in my throat; the desire I had felt welling up in me at the sight of those distant movements on the stage had been suspended. I could do nothing but adore. Those eyes, so black, fixed on me, subjected me to an unbearable torture.
Anne F. Garréta is the first member of the Oulipo to be born after the founding of the Oulipo. A normalien (graduate of France's prestigious École normale supérieure) and lecturer at the University of Rennes II since 1995, Anne F. Garréta was co-opted into the Oulipo in April 2000. She also teaches at Duke University as a Research Professor of Literature and Romance Studies. Her first novel, Sphinx (Grasset, 1986), hailed by critics, tells a love story between two people without giving any indication of grammatical gender for the narrator or the narrator's love interest, A***. Her second novel, Ciels liquides (Grasset, 1990), tells the fate of a character losing the use of language. In La Décomposition (Grasset, 1999), a serial killer methodically murders characters from Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time. She met Oulipian Jacques Roubaud in Vienna in 1993, and was invited to present her work at an Oulipo seminar in March 1994, and again in May 2000, which led to her joining the Oulipo. She won France's prestigious Prix Médicis in 2002, awarded each year to an author whose "fame does not yet match their talent" (she is the second Oulipian to win the award — Georges Perec won in 1978), for her latest novel, Pas un jour (Grasset, 2002).
About the Translator
Emma Ramadan is a graduate of Brown University, and received her master's degree in Cultural Translation from the American University of Paris. Her translation of Anne Parian's Monospace is forthcoming from La Presse in fall 2015, and she completed a Fulbright Fellowship for literary translation in Morocco in spring 2015.
About the Guest Editor
Deep Vellum Publishing is a nonprofit publishing house founded in 2013 that operates under the threefold mission to publish great works of international literature in English translation, to foster the art and craft of translation, and to promote a more vibrant book culture and literary community in Dallas and beyond.
Excerpted from Sphinx (Deep Vellum Publishing, 2015) by permission of the publisher. Translation Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved by the author.
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About Recommended Reading
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Dedicated Madman: an animated interview with Ray Bradbury
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"Silk Chiffon" is an anthem to finding queer joy in the midst of collective suffering
Dec 22 - Kurt Ostrow
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Nov 2 - Henry Adam Svec


Keppra - Used for: Treating partial-onset, myoclonic, or generalized tonic-clonic seizures in patients with epilepsy. It is used in combination with other medicines. It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.
Keppra is an anticonvulsant. Exactly how it works is not known, but it may work by slowing abnormal nerve impulses in the brain.
Indication: Used as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial onset seizures in adults and children 4 years of age and older with epilepsy.
Keppra is an anti-epileptic drug.
Keppra is used to treat partial onset seizures in adults and children who are at least 4 years old.
Monotherapy in the treatment of partial onset seizures w/ or w/o secondary generalisation in patients from 16 yr w/ newly diagnosed epilepsy. Adjunctive treatment of partial onset seizures w/ or w/o secondary generalization in adult & childn from 4 yr w/ epilepsy; myoclonic seizures in adults & adolescents from 12 yr w/ Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy; primary generalised tonic-clonic seizures in adults & adolescents from 12 yr w/ Idiopathic Generalised Epilepsy.
Myoclonic seizures, Primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures.


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Gene Simmons' Concept for Kiss Show Without Original Members
Martin Kielty
Martin Kielty Published: August 20, 2022
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have both talked up the possibility of Kiss continuing without any of the original members.
But in a recent interview, Simmons went into more detail, outlining his own idea of how a next-generation show could be staged – and allowed the possibility of the founders making guest appearances.
"Kiss will continue in ways that even I haven't thought of," Simmons said in a recent episode of Let There Be Talk, which you can listen to in full below. "But I can conceive of – you know, the Blue Man Group and Phantom of the Opera tour around the world with different personnel. There could and should be a Kiss show, kind of live on stage with effects and everything else, but also a semi-autobiographical thing about four knuckleheads off the streets of New York that ends with the last third as a full-blown celebration, a full-on performance." He added: "Not with us. Although not a problem stepping in every once in a while."
He reported that he'd actually come up with a TV show titled Kiss: The Next Generation, but hadn't been able to find a production company interested in picking it up. "Kiss will continue in other ways," he emphasized. "I have no problems with four deserving 20-year-olds sticking the makeup back on and hiding their identity."
Simmons said in June that the band's End of the Road Tour would be extended to include at least 100 more shows. They'd originally planned to make their final appearance on stage in their native New York, but in the recent interview, he cast doubt on the idea. "We don't know if it's New York," he said. "I have good reasons why it should be, but the important thing is when it's the last show, it'll be the last show."
Listen to Gene Simmons on 'Let There Be Talk'
Classic Rock's Unluckiest Musicians
For all of their fame and fortune, sometimes things can go very, very wrong.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tag: Ceremco
HECTOR'S DIARY Bali Advertiser, May 27, 2015
Comedy of Horrors
The head of animal husbandry in Badung regency, Made Badra, is reported (by the Jawa Pos newspaper) to have come up with a brilliantly cunning Baldrick-style plan to solve the rabies problem in Bali. These guys must be watching bootleg DVDs of the entire series of The Black Adder, the way they go on. Pak Made in particular seems to have been chatting with the Wise Woman. She was the witch who advised Lord Blackadder, who had a little difficulty with two men and a queen, to kill everyone.
No, that's unfair. He apparently would like to keep 200,000 dogs in Bali as long as they're vaccinated and sterilized, and kept as pets, in order to protect the Bali Dog. It's possible that he was misreported as to the precise detail of his proposal. As head of animal husbandry he would presumably know that sterilized dogs have difficulty reproducing. Given the average lifespan of a dog, on the reported basis of his plan he'd be looking at eliminating the Bali Dog as a distinct species within about 15 years.
The crux of the problem with rabies control in Bali is that no one is in control. There's not enough vaccine in stock because not enough is being bought. District control programs are administered – though that hardly seems the word – by officials who don't know how many dogs there are but nonetheless would like to kill lots of them. The health bureaucracy cannot vaccinate people who need anti-rabies shots after they've been bitten by village dogs that no one can say have been vaccinated. Look up shemozzle in the dictionary. It's all the rage here.
On top of this, the Badung animal husbandry chief has a shot at animal welfare organizations that, he says, really should do more than just shout and scream if they want to help. We know of one such organization that right from the start of the crisis in 2008 actually did rather a lot more than just run around like a headless chook. It reduced rabies in dogs by a huge quantum in the first stage of a vaccination campaign it organized with international support. Then it ran into a poisonous thicket of provincial posturing and little local jealousies – these were not in Badung regency; that needs to be noted – and has since been monstrously hindered by inventive licensing and permit restrictions in doing its day job, let alone the government's.
We say again: world best practice shows that controlling rabies and eventually eliminating it as a threat to human and animal populations is achieved by vaccinating (and regularly re-vaccinating) domestic and informally owned dogs to create an effective vaccinated screen. Dogs are territorial and will see off interlopers and hence keep potentially rabid animals away.
What part of "Oh I see" do the authorities here not understand?
Two Gems
The Diary dined in excellent company at the new Jemme Restaurant in Jl. Petitenget at Kerobokan on May 9, its opening night after significant renovations. It was busy and at times a little noisy – but, hey, there's nothing wrong with a little chatter and clatter – and the food hit the spot. It's a gem. There's a very decent wine list and a menu that suits all tastes. Our advice: Do drop in.
Another gem was along for the occasion. Eva Scolaro, Perth jazz singer and now Bali resident, sang for everyone's supper. She's doing regular spots there. And we hear she'll be performing at the next DIVA do, on Jun. 12 at Slippery Stone at Kerobokan.
In an entirely different style, we looked in at Hog Wild's soft opening in Jl. Batu Belig on May 14. It's the former Naughty Nuri's and the charity outfit SoleMen had a benefit there. The grub's good. So was Ceremco, the Dutch illusionist who has now been reading minds in Bali for two years.
We'd seen him not long before at the Europe on Screen film festival at Pan Pacific Nirvana. He specializes in two different genres – kids' magic (which was certainly working magically for the kids at Hog Wild) and hypnosis, psychological magic and self-help for adults.
Chaos Theory: Proved
We've had a lovely taste of the chaos the European and post-Ramadan high season will cause on Bali's roads this year. The long weekend recently brought South Bali's major arterial roads to a standstill. It's reported that on the Friday evening of the long weekend it was taking up to two hours to make the trip from Seminyak to Kuta. That's 6.4 kilometres via Sunset Road. Traffic was stalled for kilometres on the Ngurah Rai Bypass and all the connecting roads were jammed.
Vehicle traffic from Java via the Ketapang-Gilimanuk ferry link rose by 37 percent. More than 3500 vehicles entered Bali from Gilimanuk on the Thursday before the long weekend alone. Since the Denpasar-Gilimanuk road would be flat out properly handling 10 percent of its regular traffic and alternatives to this – a toll road option – are still in the department of pretty pictures, nothing's going to change on that arterial route soon.
In South Bali, the traffic situation at peak times has returned to the jam-packed inch-forward profile for which it was famous before the Nusa Dua-Benoa toll road was built. Given rock-bottom airfares aimed at domestic tourists and the Chinese invasion (they drive around in large parties in Leviathan-sized charabancs, as is their wont) the future looks bleak.
It's a Squeeze
A telling illustration of the bind Bali has got itself into over tourism and infrastructure comes to light in new figures released by the statistics bureau that show a disastrous 2011-2015 decline in room occupancy rates of classified hotels (the ones with stars basically).
They're worth running your eye over even if you're not directly involved in the hotel sector, since they demonstrate with stark clarity why retail outlets and other services that depend on high throughput of human customers are also struggling.
In January 2011 the occupancy rate was 64.66 percent. In 2012 it was 62.01; in 2013, it fell to 57.57, then to 52.85 in 2014 and 47.23 in 2015. For the month of February the rates were 62.23 (2011); 55.52 (2012); 58.05 (2013); 52.76 (2014); and 47.59 (2015). Similarly sharp falls in occupancy rates occurred in all but two months of each year between 2011 and 2015. March in particular stands out. In Mar. 2011 the occupancy rate was 63.16 percent. In Mar. 2015 it was 43.24 percent. August and September are the only months in the series in which the 2015 occupancy rates are higher than they were in 2011. (The 2014 and 2015 figures are provisional.)
Under Bali's unplanned planning rules, new hotels are still being built and opened. Existing hotels are discounting room rates to attract custom, or are being squeezed by the online bookings sector. We hear a suggestion that most hotels even at the top star-rated level are effectively getting only Rp300,000 a night per room. If this is so – it's unlikely any hotel general manager is going to be saying so publicly – then the situation is unsustainable in the long term without massive new numbers of visitors.
Eat Up!
Penelope Williams, whose unique Bali Asli restaurant is at Gelumpang, near Amlapura in un-crowded East Bali, and who featured as a foodie at the 2014 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, is on the program at the first Ubud Food Festival on Jun. 5-7. She is giving a cooking demonstration on Jun. 7.
Williams, who was formerly executive chef at Alila Manggis, has a stellar CV and came to Bali from 12 years in Sydney, Australia, says her aim is to promote Balinese cuisine and culture without exploiting it or Bali's people. The menu offers authentic Balinese food using a traditional Balinese style kitchen. They cook on wood-fired, mud brick stoves, which Williams says allows the real flavours of Bali to shine. Most of Bali Asli's ingredients are either grown in its own or a neighbour's garden or bought from the local market. There's a cooking school too.
She has a refreshingly open approach to life and its vagaries. On the Bali Asli website there's this lovely entry: "On Trip Advisor …. Among the few critics is an expat who has lived in Bali for several years. She describes the restaurant as a place for naive tourists and her advice is to get far less expensive but good Balinese food at a local warung."
Well, we're another expat who has lived in Bali for several years and eats at local warungs. And Bali Asli is on our non-naive-tourist must-visit list.
Hector tweets @ scratchings on Twitter. His diary is published in the Bali Advertiser print and online editions http://www.baliadvertiser.biz


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Paracrias arizonensis är en stekelart som först beskrevs av William Harris Ashmead 1888.  Paracrias arizonensis ingår i släktet Paracrias och familjen finglanssteklar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Finglanssteklar
arizonensis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Call the Midwife is back for a fifth season! Season 5 opens in the year 1961 and Poplar is beginning to feel the winds of social change with the improvements in housing, sanitation and healthcare. But for the midwives and nuns of Nonnatus House, it's business as usual as they continue to care for the sick and bring new life into the world. The personal and professional lives of the nurses remain entwined, as events in their work impact on their personal choices.
Throughout the season, the midwives encounter complex and challenging medical cases, ranging from an outbreak of typhoid to the increase in lung cancer, a teenage pregnancy and a mother who vanishes. But all are rocked when two babies with severe deformities are born under their care, several months apart from one another. As they struggle to understand why, they must find ways to deal with the resulting medical and emotional fallout.
Watch a preview and learn about the individual episodes here: http://www.thinktv.org/air/featured-programs/call-midwife-season-five/ or http://www.cetconnect.org/featured-programs/call-midwife-season-five/.


By Rachele Baker, DVM – I was talking with one of my friends the other day and she expressed frustration with trying to find durable dog toys for her Labrador retriever. Her lab typically destroys the toys that she purchases for him within a matter of minutes.
So I decided to reach out to some pet bloggers that own large breed dogs and ask them for their recommendations for durable dog toys. I asked them for recommendations for dog toys that are safe as well as long lasting. I specified that the dog toy they recommend should not be so hard that a dog could fracture or break their teeth on it and, additionally, should not be able to be chewed into chunks which could be swallowed and potentially cause intestinal obstruction.
While the dog toys recommended here have been found to be very durable by the pet bloggers in this post, you should be aware that it is possible that a dog could destroy any one of these dog toys. It is always recommended that you supervise your dog when he or she is playing with toys and take away any toy that sustains damage before your dog has a chance to ingest pieces of it.
My male husky loves to chew. He will chew and chew until he destroys the toy. Jolly Ball has lasted through playtime at the lake, tug of war, and so much more. I still have yet to see damage after six months of play.
Jolly Ball is a virtually indestructible toy. The Romp-N-Roll version is my favorite as it has a rope with the Jolly Ball attached to it. This is great for my male husky because he loves his ropes and the Jolly Ball has held up beautifully! This toy is absolutely safe for chewers.
The Jolly Ball Romp-N-Roll is available at retail stores and online stores including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Click here for a link to purchase Jolly Ball Romp-N-Roll at Amazon.com.
This is a meal dispensing dog toy which is made of durable plastic. The bottom of the jug unscrews and you put food or treats in it. The dog needs to pull on the rope to dispense the kibble.
I have two of these jugs for three large breed dogs that play with them and toss them around for long periods of time. The dogs drop these durable dog toys on the wooden deck and on concrete and have not been able to break them. There are some scratches on the jugs but no other damage.
I got these toys to put in the kennels when I go out to give the dogs something to do while I am gone to keep their anxiety at bay. The dogs will chew on the ball on the end of the toy to try and get the food out and they learn that they have to pull the rope to get the treats out. The jugs' screw-on lids stay closed through all the play. These durable dog toys have lasted about two and a half years.
I have not had any problems with these toys. They are made of hard plastic that seems to be indestructible. The jugs have a rubber nubby ball on the end for the dogs to chew on. My dogs have not broken rubber pieces off the balls. These toys also have heavy-duty braided ropes that have held up really well.
The Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug is available at retail stores and online stores including Store.PetSafe.net, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk. Click here for a link to purchase Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug at Amazon.com.
The Tizzi is one of West Paw Design's Zogoflex dog toys. These toys are extremely tough but also safe. We have tried several toys in this line including the Hurley Dog Bone and Būmi Tug Toy but our new favorite is the Tizzi Dog Toy.
The Tizzi is a uniquely shaped dog toy that lends itself to some very interesting play possibilities. Its general form is a ball with two "legs" extending from it. These two legs can be twisted together or left apart during play. When the legs are twisted together and the toy is thrown, it will spiral and fly like a football. This configuration also helps to hold a treat in the center and you will have a blast watching your dog try to get the treat out.
When the legs of the Tizzi are separated, the Tizzi makes an excellent tug toy. The Tizzi is also excellent for fetch and bounces unpredictably for added stimulation. The Tizzi even floats for play in water (a huge plus for a pair of Golden retrievers).
The Tizzi was one of the first durable dog toys that we bought for our new puppy Charlie after we found out that we no longer had the type of toys in the house that could withstand a growing Golden. The Tizzi has been a favorite ever since and looks as good as new. What really makes the Tizzi great is the variety of ways it can be played with. This allows each play session to be unique and helps keep your dog interested. This toy has lasted approximately one year.
The Tizzi is made of a non-toxic and FDA compliant material. If your dog does manage to break off pieces it should certainly be taken away (and can be sent back to West Paw Design for a replacement or refund), but in our case, our dogs have yet to put a scratch in it!
The Tizzi Dog Toy is available at select retail stores and online stores including WestPawDesign.com, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk. Click here for a link to purchase the Tizzi Dog Toy at Amazon.com.
Tuffy brand carries a large selection of "hard to destroy" plush durable dog toys. Their handy Tuff-Scale helps you to figure out which toy in the line is most appropriate for your dog. While our Tuffy Alligator is rated as a 5/10 on the Tuff-Scale, there are much tougher options out there. There is a video of tigers playing with these toys on the VIP Products' site!
The Tuffy Alligator is great because it has many of the features of a plush toy but can withstand some heavy play and even chewing. It is a firm plush, made of three layers (fleece, luggage material, and a plastic core). Squeakers are sewn into pouches as an added layer of safety. The multiple layers are bonded and sewn together multiple times and finished off with webbing around the edges. VIP Products has a wide variety of durable dog toys available ranging in toughness and even some without any stuffing. These toys float too!
It is important to keep in mind that while these toys are tough, they are still able to be destroyed over time if a dog is left unsupervised. For us, it was helpful to take the toy away briefly when it stopped being playtime and turned into destruction mode.
Harley has had this alligator for four years. At the time we purchased it, we got him a 5/10 Tuff-Scale toy because he was past the point where he wanted to destroy his toys. With our puppy Charlie in the mix now, our Tuffy Alligator has seen a lot more heavy-duty play and chewing and has held up remarkably well.
The Tuffy Alligator is available at select retail stores and online stores including VIPproducts.com, Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk. Click here for a link to purchase the Tuffy Alligator at Amazon.com.
I have a Golden retriever named Savanna who is the love of my life. Savanna weighs about 80 pounds. She has been known to totally shred stuffed dog toys, rope dog toys, and tennis balls so I am always looking for new ideas for durable dog toys for her. The Kong Classic Toy is the only toy that she has been unable to destroy. Despite aggressive chewing, the Kong Classic Toy has sustained no damage whatsoever. Savanna has had her Kong Classic Toy for over five years.
Kong toys are made from a proprietary rubber and have a soft mouth feel. The Kong Classic Toy can be thrown for a game of fetch and will always bounce unpredictably. The Kong Classic Toy is hollow inside and can be used as a food puzzle and treat dispensing toy. You can put dog cookies or other treats inside and then watch your dog be thoroughly entertained while trying to get the treats out.
The Kong Classic Toy is available at retail stores and online stores including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Click here for a link to purchase the Kong Classic Toy at Amazon.com.
Wonderful post Rachele! Indi has just lost another of his toys. I just don't know where they all go! I was wondering what to replace it with. I like the idea of a toy filled with treats that I can leave him with when I have to pop out and leave him home alone, but I am paranoid about him chewing something while unsupervised.
Thank you, Ali! I assume you are interested in the Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug or the Kong Classic Toy. Why don't you purchase one (or both) of them for Indie and then let him play with them while you are supervising him? Watch him and see how he does with those toys. If you think he will destroy the toys if left unsupervised, then I would certainly not recommend leaving him alone with them.
You did a great job on this post. It will really help out people looking for a durable toy. I know I got some great ideas to try with my gang, and at least you know they hold up instead of buying something and finding out later you spent the money and it didn't last very long. Thanks for putting this together. – Ali, I have no problems leaving the Tug-A-Jug unattended. I got it because Glory would have separation anxiety and have diarrhea in her kennel. I got it and put it in there and it kept her busy and no more poops. They have yet to pull any strings off of the rope toy or chunks off the rubber nob. I too would try it out while there and see what he will do.
Thanks for your advice, I will definitely try them and see how he gets on.
Rachele, Great post with lots of good information and a wonderful panel of experts. Even though we are partial to our own toys, we do use stuffed Kongs all the time. We actually just got finished stuffing some Kongs for Steeler to take back to the shelter with him on Monday. Thanks for including us in this conversation!
Thanks, Mark! And thank you for contributing to this post and for your generous donations of dog and cat toys to animal shelters.
Great post and great recommendations from everyone!!! Thanks for putting this resource together!
Thanks Rachael and Kevin! And thank you for your contributions to this post!
Kong is my favorite! I might check out that alligator too!
I think the alligator is totally cute, too!
Great post! I have a wolf hybrid and he has a lot of jaw power. We like the Kong toy. It's made out of the same stuff they make tires from – very durable.
Boomer Balls are great for dogs of all breeds who love to play ball. They have a smooth surface so if you get the right size for your dog they can't pick them up and they spend hours chasing them instead. My sister has a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and I have a Border Collie. Both dogs literally kick or nudge their Boomer Balls around the garden for hours – talking to them the whole time. The Staffie has had his ball for about 3 years, and my Border Collie has had his for nearly two years, and both balls are still intact – albeit with a few scratch marks.
Thanks for the info on Boomer Balls, Jayne!
Wonderful post! My apologies for not commenting sooner – I have been super busy!!! But I love all of these toys, and they are wonderful recommendations!!
Thanks, Jenna! And thank you for your contribution to this post!
Great post! I think we're going to look into a few of these…..toys don't last very long around here, but I'm sure these would be perfect! Thank you!
Great info in this one Rachele! Will have to keep in mind for Kilo.
Thanks, Talent Hounds! And thanks to everyone that contributed to this post!
Lots of great toys in here! I was glad to see the Kong classic show up. That's the go to toy in our house. Even though my dogs don't play a lot anymore, Sampson loves to drop the Kong and wait for the unpredictable bounce. 🙂 It's also great to fill up and freeze to help keep someone's mind busy.
I love this! Our older golden retriever and our 11 month old Lab mix are so destructive. We also love classic kong, West Paw Zogoflex, and Damien's Best. But we're always looking for something different so we're glad to see some new ones to try!
Thanks, Jan! I learned about some new toys that I am excited to try, too!
Great post. My Human almost always gets Kong toys for me. I'm a Chessie weighing in at a fit 100lbs. When I was young I tried to destroy a black Kong and did succeed in partially doing so. Ever since my Human rarely strays from Kong toys even though I'm 8 years old now. She still never leaves me unsupervised with my toys. Think I'll ever earn her trust?
Such a timely post for me. Leo's sudden illness and even more sudden passing caused my husband to react out of fear. Since the virus was of an unknown nature, he and my adult children threw out every toy the boys had. Needless to say, I have been slowly trying to add toys back into Harley's world and he seems so disinterested with what's out there. I've noticed a few here on this post that sound like great choices for him, Thanks!
I'm so sorry to hear about Leo. I'm glad that you found my post helpful!
The only one of those toys that our dogs have not destroyed are the black kongs. Still they have to be replaced ever so often because they do wear them down and eventually they break apart. We use antlers which I know are hard, but it is a trade off. Have to worry about a broken tooth. Or maybe a bowel obstruction if they eat a softer toy or chunk of rubber.
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A viral video about a bear that waves back to a young girl who first waved to it is making the rounds in the media these days. The "Today" show was among the latest outlets to feature this rather ancient (in Internet years) video.
It was posted on YouTube in June 2010, but, according to a story on ABC News, it "has become a hit on YouTube today." Indeed, it is popular, having been viewed more than 1.9 million times. Actually, there are several videos about the waving bear.
The Kodiak bear makes its home at the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, Wash., where it routinely waves to people.
If it may seem odd to see a giant bear wave to a human, this particular bear has show business in its blood.
Its home, the Olympic Game Farm, is a park for retired show animals that have previously worked in TV, films and at theme parks.
The farm worked exclusively for Walt Disney Studios for 28 years, providing animal actors for productions like "The Incredible Journey," "White Wilderness" and the "Grizzly Adams" television and movie series, according to its website.
In 1972, the farm opened its doors to the public and now offers tours, a petting farm and educational activities, in addition to caring for the animals that call it home.
So if you want to go where bears wave back to you, go to the Olympic Game Farm in Washington. But we advise against trying this if you ever happen to encounter a Kodiak bear in Alaska. The welcome might not be as friendly.
All we need now is to teach him how to juggle!
Funny video, I like this video and in this video the bear look like trained very well or we can say a better understanding of the bear, for watching more video like this you can click on Crazy Viral Video Clips.


This PhD thesis is a study of microfinance in relation to market segmentation, social capital, operational contradictions, and the welfare impact of microfinance on the rural poor in parts of Central Java, Indonesia. Four important aspects of microfinance are examined. Firstly, we investigate the institutional characteristics of microfinance clients and institutions, and confirm that heterogeneous clients and institutions lead to market segmentation in microfinance. Such market segmentation arises in relation to various motives of the poor and obstacles faced by them in utilising microfinance services. There are evidences that poor people are not homogeneous individuals in terms of access to finance. While some can access the microfinance services of microbanks, many others face socioeconomic constraints in utilising such services. Microfinance markets thus tend to segmented because, on one hand, the poor are only capable of accessing semi-formal and informal MFIs, due to their low levels of income and education, and limited networks. On the other hand, because of having sufficient incomes and assets, the non-poor prefer to utilise microbanks, due to larger loans provided and low interest rates.The various motivations of the poor in utilising loans lead MFIs to face information and enforcement problems, due to the interchangeability of loan usages. The differing capacities of MFIs to overcome such problems then contribute to the presence of market segmentation in microfinance. Although microbanks have financial resources to lend, they are unable to gather information about the creditworthiness of the poor. Microbanks also lack efficient ways of enforcing loan repayments, due to being operationally distant from the social networks of the poor. As a result, microbanks prefer to penetrate up-market segments by setting loan contracts in favour of non-poor clients. They are unwilling to increase loan supply to the poor because doing so can worsen their loan portfolio. In contrast, semi-formal and informal MFIs, such as cooperatives and moneylenders, are more capable of overcoming informational and enforcement problems of lending to the poor, due to living and working in villages. These MFIs can maintain profitability, while serving poor clients by linking loans to the social networks of the poor.Secondly, the impact of social capital on microfinance is substantially investigated. This study emphasises that social capital enhances the access of poor people to microfinance. For instance, maintaining kinship relationships can enhance access of the poor to formal finance through the role of relatives as loan references in applying for microbank loans. Maintaining friendship and business networks can reduce informational constraints of accessing microbanks, as the poor can gather knowledge of banking procedures from friends and business associates. From the lender's perspective, MFIs that consider social capital as important in lending decisions tend to have higher rates of loan repayments.Thirdly, this study rigorously examines the trade-off between profitability and the outreach of MFIs to serve the poor. It finds that a focus on profitability potentially undermines the outreach of formal MFIs (e.g., microbanks). In contrast, semi-formal and informal MFIs are capable of maintaining profitable operations in conjunction with serving the poor. These MFIs can maintain profitability while serving the poor by linking microfinance to the social networks of the poor. Fourthly and finally, this study examines whether access to microfinance services contributes to the welfare of the poor. Specifically, access to microfinance services is found to have the potential to improve the level of children's education, and increase the degree of confidence in dealing with other people. Access to microfinance services can also reduce the probability of the poor experiencing household financial distresses. Overall, the present study recognises that microfinance has the potential to improve the welfare of the poor.


When you're on the lookout for round trip flights to Yellowknife from Winnipeg, rest assured that you can get there with WestJet. Our 150+ destinations in North and Central America, the Caribbean and Europe include flights into Yellowknife Airport, which means we're the people who can get you where you need to be. But our extensive network of routes isn't the only thing that makes WestJet a great choice for travellers: we also offer a friendly, welcoming guest experience that helps to set our safe, affordable air travel apart. So look no further than WestJet when you want to put service and value first.
Not only is Yellowknife the closest Canadian city to the Arctic Circle and the Diamond Capital of North AmericaTM, but it's also an impressive northern destination, filled with one-of-a-kind sights and sounds. Visitors can enjoy a round of golf under the glimmering Aurora Borealis, drive across frozen lakes and find out how sparkling northern diamonds are brought into being. There's nothing quite like the mighty Artic vistas on display in this adventurous city.
Are you ready to get away? Browse and book round trip flights with WestJet now and make your trip to authentic, interesting Yellowknife a reality. Whether you're visiting for business or to take in attractions like The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the Midnight Sun Golf Tournament or The Wildcat Cafe, rest assured that you can get there swiftly and safely with WestJet. Fly to Yellowknife from Winnipeg with us and see how far a great guest experience can go.


The development of an efficient infrastructure development like transport system (airports, aviation, railways, roads, ports, shipping, and buildings projects), and other infrastructure it supports, are matters of high priority among governments worldwide, more so, in the developing economies. The Government of Tanzania has in particular committed to set aside substantial amount of money to finance infrastructure projects. Participants in such projects need lawyers who understand the unique issues affecting the different infrastructure concessions such as airports, roads and road maintenance, rail and ports as well as oil and gas pipes.
At FK Law Chambers, we advise the full spectrum of participants from governments and public authorities, bidding consortia, special projects vehicles and funders to construction and operation subcontractors. Our services cover the full asset life cycle from creation to acquisition, the raising of sponsor or debt, capital to structuring and portfolio management and assets sales. Specifically, we work on major infrastructure project financings, mergers and acquisitions (both public and private), securitisations, asset financings, refinancing, regulatory matters, infrastructure fund formation, arbitration and litigation and construction projects.


text:
Q: Is true that if $V, W$ are vector spaces, then $(V\oplus W)^* \cong V^*\oplus W^* $. (Both finite dimensional). It is a trivial question, I know, but I need to check. My feeling says that this is true once I can take basis $\{e^i\}, \{f^j\}$ for $V^*$ and $W^*$ respectively and send it to $\{(e^i,f^j)\}$ that is a basis for $V^*\oplus W^*$.

A: Yes, this is true even for infinite dimensional spaces.
if $\phi \in (V \times W)^*$, then you can define $\phi_V$ by $\phi_V(x) = \phi(x, 0)$ for all $x \in V$ and similarly $\phi_W(y) = \phi(0, y)$ for all $y \in W$.
The mapping $\phi \mapsto (\phi_V, \phi_W)$ is bijective. Indeed, you can recover $\phi$ by the following fact:
$$
(x, y) = (x, 0) + (0, y) \forall x \in V, y \in W
$$
Hence,
$$
\phi(x, y) = \phi(x, 0) + \phi(0, y) = \phi_V(x) + \phi_W(y).
$$

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


As many of you maybe aware, on every Thursday on Radio Sai we have Live programs from our studios. This endeavour began on May 17, 2012 (Thursday Live Archives). And like in other radio stations these programs are hosted by Radio Sai team members during the entire day. One such segment which was hosted by Team Radio Sai's Aravind, in the afternoon of June 7, 2012 was a unique interview with Swami! Presented below is the edited transcript of this Live programme.
Sairam Dear Listeners on this warm Thursday afternoon. I am so excited today because there is something very special - more special than you can ever imagine - coming up today.
Just now, we have received information that Swami is on His way to our studios!
It was sometime in 2006 when the senior-most students of Baba's college wanted Swami to visit the hostel. It had been more than a year since Swami had sustained a fall and used to move around in the car and wheelchair.
And so, when the students put forth their request to Him, He replied that there was no way He could come to the hostel as there were only steps at the entrance and no ramps.
This was taken up very seriously by the boys along with their teachers. Soon, the steps leading to the hostel were replaced with a smoothly graded ramp. The idea was that Swami would be able to easily drive into the hostel in the car itself. When this was informed to Bhagawan, He seemed to doubt the fact that a car could enter the hostel in the way the students were telling Him. This motivated the students to take another very interesting step.
They got hold of a video camera and filmed the hostel van entering the hostel via the ramp. They also filmed the sufficient space that was present on either sides of the car. The video was then processed and loaded onto a laptop which was cleverly 'concealed' in a card that was made to invite and welcome Swami to the hostel.
He seemed pleased and said that He would come. In fact, so much was His joy that He told many people that special ramps and a welcome had been arranged for Him in the hostel. And the way He came to the hostel was unforgettable in itself.
One fine morning, as all the students were having breakfast, a siren was heard. Immediately, everyone understood that Swami was coming and they all rushed to the road to have His darshan. Maybe He was going out for a round of the town, as had become a regular feature those days. However, as Swami's car neared the hostel gate, the right indicator lights of the car began to blink. It was with a joyful surprise that everyone realized Swami was really coming to the hostel!
The dining hall was cleared in a hurry and all the plates with breakfast in them were shoved to a side. Swami's car entered the hostel and then moved into the dining hall which was also the prayer hall. Swami blessed all the residents of the hostel with His darshan and spent about 5-10 minutes there before leaving.
The Lord's arrival is always a story in itself!
And now, even as Swami is about to arrive, let us welcome Him with a welcome song. This tune is not an ordinary one. It was the song through which Radio Sai welcomed Swami in its first ever broadcast.
The story of Radio Sai began with a visit of Dr. Noah Samara, Chairman and CEO of WorldSpace, to Bangalore sometime in September 2001. While in Bangalore, Dr. Samara heard about Swami's Super Speciality Hospital. He just could not believe that a Tertiary Care Hospital offered treatment completely free; he had to see it for himself and convince his eyes that indeed there was such a hospital on the face of the earth.
He went, he saw and he was bowled over. Inevitably he made the pilgrimage to Prasanthi Nilayam, and on the spot offered free a radio channel on AsiaStar satellite of WorldSpace.
Hectic preparations followed and on November 23, 2001, Dr. Michael Nobel, Member of the WorldSpace Board, formally offered the radio channel to Swami.
Michael Nobel is the grandson of Marta Helena Nobel-Oleinikoff. He is the great-grandson of industrialist and humanitarian Ludvig Nobel who is the brother of Alfred Nobel - the great man who has instituted the Nobel Prizes.
Speaking on that occasion Dr. Nobel said that if Swami's Message of Love could travel so far and wide by sheer word of mouth, how much farther would be the reach via a 24-hour radio service. On Dr. Nobel's request Swami pressed a button, and presto, the huge birthday crowd in Sai Kulwant Hall heard the specially recorded Inaugural Program.
Yes, Radio Sai was now a reality, sharing the same Birthday as the One Whose voice it carried.
It was then a small step; since then, with Bhagawan's Grace, Radio Sai has made big leaps!
Q) Welcome to our studios Swami. We are filled with so much joy and thrill today. This Thursday has really become Guruvaar for all of us. I just do not know what to say. We always know that You are here with us but today, having You here for a question and answer session feels very special.
Senses are like life principles for every man. Once you rein in your senses, your life will be peaceful. You should not only avoid evil talk; you should also talk less. Your speech should be short and sweet. Sages like Valmiki and Vyasa and great devotees like Potana composed sacred texts and sanctified their lives. Emulate their ideals and make your life exemplary. Read sacred texts composed by such noble souls. Today, people read books that pollute the mind. It is a very bad practice. Be it reading, writing, seeing, or talking, let everything be good. Do not commit any mistake knowingly. You can experience Divinity in humanity by putting the senses to proper use. One can visualise the divine manifestations and become divine oneself only through sacred use of the senses.
This is due to the perversion (vikruti) in the world (prakruti). We are striving for happiness in the worldly matters. Buddha struggled hard for bliss in spiritual field. That is real happiness. That is true happiness. That is permanent happiness. That is eternal bliss. That is immortality.
Love is the life of everything. When we want to experience love, we should make our senses sacred. See no evil; see what is good. See good. Never see bad. Talk good. Never talk bad. Buddha called it as good vision. Develop a good vision. Buddha visited many elders. He studied sacred texts. He did spiritual practices. He felt, "What is the use of going through all these?" These are all the facets of the worldly ways. He kept aside the books. He discontinued visiting elders. He also stopped listening to their teachings.
He resolved to fructify the five elements that the Lord had gifted. He thought "If I cannot sanctify the five elements thus, what spiritual practice is worthy?" The body is bound to decay and fall one day. Whatever done with the body is fleeting.
The body which is temporary gives you only temporary things. But practices pertaining to that which is eternal and true will remain always. It was then that Buddha started controlling His senses. When He made efforts to control the senses, His bliss kept growing by the day. Bliss overflowed from him. He was unable to even bear the bliss.
Whatever we are doing are all mistakes. But you seek forgiveness. One should never desire forgiveness. One should desire the suitable punishment for the mistakes done. Then alone we will be freed of the mistake. If anyone commits a mistake, he is imprisoned. It is only to atone for the mistakes that one gets punishment in jail. Once the punishment is complete, the person is released.
In the same manner, when we atone for our mistakes, we are freed. If you want relief, you should face the consequences of your mistakes. And ensure that you do not repeat the mistakes. We should exercise control over the senses. We commit many kinds of sins. But we are not considering them as sins. We think that these are but natural to us. That is not so.
Q) So no sin done is escapable and one has to pay for one's actions. That is what is called karma. Swami, is this karma in effect all the while or is it random? I mean, if I misuse my senses, how will I suffer?
While considering the five senses, vision is very powerful. The eyes contain 40 lakh light rays. We have been wasting these light rays in many ways. So, the human body is decaying day by day. All our looks, all our pleasures, all the effects, are responsible for reducing the life-span of man. Every time you have a bad-look, many lakhs of the light rays in the eye are damaged. That is the reason why one develops eye-defects. People think that it is a cataract and undergo medical treatment and taking medicines.
In the doctor's opinion it may be a cataract but in reality this is the effect of a bad vision or bad looks. This effect of bad looks is what affects the eye and becomes eye defects. So, we have to control our vision.
Q) Nobody ever taught us in that manner Swami. This is something medical science too can benefit from - the eyes get ruined not only through age or accidents but even due to bad sight and vision. Is this the case only with the eyes? The same must happen with other senses also, is that right Swami?
The second one - Tongue. The tongue has more than three lakh taste buds - three lakhs. We get addicted to the various tastes and get lost in their enjoyment. Thus we lose the powers the tongue is capable of.
It is not that we use the tongue only to eat tasty things, we also utter useless words.
We hurt others. We use harsh words to injure our fellow beings. In this way, the tongue cuts short the life span.
In the same way, every one of these senses is losing its powers due to overuse and over indulgence. This in turn is reducing life span.
To begin with, we should control looks and taste. When we control these two, a new kind of power emanates. Whatever penance you may do, the power can be increased only by exercising control over the taste, sight and words. We very often are mistaken. We think that after all they are only tiny words and speak recklessly. The person you consider as the other is in fact not another person. In the other also, you are present.
The bodies may be different but the Spirit is same in all. The one who is pained and one who causes pain are the same. So, we should not speak in a manner that hurts. Therefore Swami tells us 'Talk Less'. But you neglect that teaching. It is in the future that you will realize the hazards of talking too much.
Q) Swami, it is only Your infinite love that You correct us and teach us. Even if You have to repeat the same things a million times over, You do it so that one day at least we listen. What can I say Swami? On behalf of everyone in this world, I offer my loving salutations to You.
Bhagawan, You have so lovingly granted us this much of Your time. Before You leave, I have one last question. Anger is something that all of us suffer from. How can we control senses when we are unable to keep anger in check? What should we do when we get angry?
Whenever bad qualities like anger and jealousy crop up in you, do not be carried away by them. Control them. Keep telling yourself, "Anger is a bad quality. It will lead to bad actions and ultimately put me to ruin." Whenever you are angry, sit quietly in one place and drink cold water. Chant the Divine Name. Then your anger will gradually subside.
If your anger persists, go to a place of solitude and walk briskly for half a mile. Thus, there are many easy paths to control one's anger. But the youth today are not making any effort to control their anger. Whenever they get angry, they take it as an opportunity to hurl abuses at others. It is the worst sin. Through prayer and contemplation on God, you should try to control the evil qualities in you.
Swami we have no words to express our gratitude. You have dispelled our doubts like the light that enters a room, and scatters in a moment the darkness that inhabited it for ages. We offer our Koti Pranams at Your feet Bhagawan and plead that you bless us with more such sessions. Jai Sai Ram.
(These audio clips were from the Divine Discourse delivered on July 5, 2001).


The Director will provide leadership and commercial expertise, which includes being the strategic lead for the Council's work on commercial, contract management and sourcing activities. The Director will also lead the conversion of new thinking and ideas into commercial delivery, utilising appropriate delivery models to create innovation and value for money.
Lead the development and growth of new and existing, income streams for the organisation that generate sufficient surplus for investment in further opportunities and to help contribute to sustainably funding priority and statutory Council services.
Lead the development of key relationships for the Council with external organisations to enable the delivery of effective outcomes through new business ventures and collaborations.
Work closely with the Director of Transformation to actively review all services under the remit of this post to identify and 'right source' for their future delivery including consideration of outsourcing, co-sourcing or in-sourcing to ensure the most effective and efficient delivery methods are employed. his is set in the context of the future proposed implementation of two unitary authorities and ensuring that appropriate models are fit for purpose and future proofed.
Strategically lead the waste disposal service provided by the Council as the Waste Disposal Authority, ensuring value for money and develop effective partnership working with the district and borough council's to optimise the value potential of an integrated end to end waste system that aims to maximise recycling rates and efficiency of service delivery.


The Phoenix St. Patrick's Day Parade began in 1984. Its purpose is to preserve and enhance the heritage and traditions of the Irish Culture as well as share that culture with the citizens of Arizona. The Parade has marching bands, Irish step dancers, bagpipers, police and fire vehicles, government dignitaries, and floats.
Via the event link above.


text:
Q: Linq Enumerable gives NullReferenceException in IE 9. Why? Am developing a web-application in ASP.NET (C#) and following code snippet is part of a function:
string[] paramList = new string[2];
string[] paramValList = new string[2];

XDocument doc = XDocument.Parse(paramXML);
var oParamCollection = from parameters in doc.Descendants("myfunction")
          select new
          {
          Name = parameters.Attribute("myParam").Value,
          Value = parameters.Attribute("myParamValue").Value
          };

int i=0;
foreach (var oParam in oParamCollection)
{
    string name = oParam.Name.Trim();
    string value = oParam.Value.Trim();

    paramList[i] = oParam.Name.Trim();
    paramValList[i++] = oParam.Value.Trim();

    if (i >= 2)
    break;
}

Following is the value of paramXML variable (parameter) being used at the 3 code-line:
<root><myfunction myparam=" DeliveryDate" myparamvalue="2012-07-01" ></myfunction></root>

Now the issue is that when I open my web-application in Chrome or Firefox, there is not error but when I use it in IE 9 (in same state and with same development environment), I get System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object at the start of foreach loop. While debugging, I checked the value of oParamCollection in QuickWatch while using in Chrome or FireFox and I get the count as 1 but when I checked the value while using the application in IE 9, the count gives the exception. Am so much confused. Have spent quite sometime on internet searching for this problem but no pointer till now. SO is my last hope. Thank you in advance.

A: I suspect that for some reason when using IE9, you don't have those attributes in all cases. (You say you've presented the value of paramXML, but I strongly suspect it isn't the same when the client is IE9 as it is in the working cases. That's the only reason your code would fail.)
You can hide the problem by casting XAttribute to string instead of using the Value property:
var oParamCollection = from parameters in doc.Descendants("spparam")
                       select new
                       {
                           Name = (string) parameters.Attribute("myParam"),
                           Value = (string) parameters.Attribute("myParamValue")
                       };

Now you won't get an exception... but you'll have to cope with having null values for Name or Value if the corresponding attribute isn't present.

A: After lot of debugging, finally I have found the solution. The problem is surely in the code snippet (due to my silly mistake) mentioned in the question. The problematic code is as follows:
            var oParams = from parameters in l_oXDoc.Descendants("myfunction")
                          select new
                          {
                              //Name = (string) parameters.Attribute("myParam"),
                              //Value = (string) parameters.Attribute("myParamValue")
                              Name = parameters.Attribute("myParam").Value,
                              Value = parameters.Attribute("myParamValue").Value
                          };

The issue was that the XML string had the attribute names myParam and myParamValue in lowercase whereas here in code I was checking in camel case. The problem got resolved the moment I changed it to 'myparam' and 'myparamvalue' into lower case in my code. My rectified code is as follows:
            var oParams = from parameters in l_oXDoc.Descendants("myfunction")
                          select new
                          {
                              Name = parameters.Attribute("myparam").Value,
                              Value = parameters.Attribute("myparamvalue").Value
                          };

But my doubt still remains the same, why it happens only for IE and not while using Chrome or FF? I request respectable members of SO to try this and check it on their own.
I would like to thank Jon Skeet for giving me a pointer (+1 for you). @Jon, it my case, the Value property works for attribute. If you have any reference to cases where the Value may not work, please do share it with me. Thank you.


text:
This above all, to thine own self be true
sletly
It's Easter, which means ...
Submitted by Peter Cresswell on Fri, 2008-03-21 00:03
IT'S EASTER, GOOD FRIDAY, a day when government flunkies fan out around New Zealand to sacrifice shop-owners, and the Christians who insist on their being sacrificed to the gods of bureaucracy celebrate the sacrifice of their own ideal two-thousand years ago.
Every religion has its own myths that go to the very heart of their beliefs.
The Easter Myth is central to Christianity, and all too revealing of the ethic
at Christianity's heart. Bach's St Mathew Passion musically and
beautifully dramatises the Myth, and is all too revealing of the nature of it.
Just think, Christians revere Christ as their ideal, and Bach has his chorus
praise him, worship him, and eulogise Him -- this after all was their hero, the
man they believe their god sent to earth as an example of the highest possible
on this earth -- and then they and that same god went and had him killed.
That's the story. This, says Bach, is what Christians revere:
The murder of their ideal.
In Pagan times, Easter was the time in the Northern calendar when the coming
of spring was celebrated -- the celebration of new life, of coming fecundity.
Indeed, the very word "Easter" comes from Eos, the Greek goddess of the dawn,
and means, symbolically, the festival celebrating the rebirth of light after the
darkness of winter. But with the coming of Christianity, the celebration has
been hijacked to be a veneration of sacrifice.
Such is the nature of the Easter Myth, and of the ethic at the very heart of
Christianity. Not peace, not love and understanding, but sacrifice --
the murder and torture of tall poppies -- the sacrifice of the Christian's
highest possible for the sake of the meanest most rotten 'sinner,' whose
redemption Christ's murder was supposed to buy.
To put it bluntly, the Easter myth that Bach dramatises so well is one of
suffering and sacrifice and murder, and the collusion of a supposedly omnipotent
and omniscient god in the murder of his own son -- and if you subscribe to the
whole sick fantasy that's what you have to believe; in the name of religion he
shows us that the good (by Christian standards) must be sacrificed to the
rotten; the constant to the inconstant; the talented and inspirational to the
lumpen dross -- the ideal to the worthless.
For Christians, then, Easter is a time to revere that sacrifice and to remind
themselves (and us) of the centrality of sacrifice to their fantasy. Oh yes,
there's a 'rebirth' of sorts, but not one in this earthly realm, and not before
a celebration of intense pain and suffering that supposedly bought redemption
and virtue for those who possessed neither. As Robert
Tracinski says so bluntly, "Easter's Mixture of the Benevolent and the
Horrific Reveals Religion's Antagonism to Human Life."
THERE IS ANOTHER STORY that stands in complete contrast to this one, that is
in all senses its polar opposite. Unlike the heroes of Bach's Passion,
the heroes of Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead shun sacrifice. The
ethic of The Fountainhead, one for which each of the leading characters
fights in their own way, is one in which genius has the right to live for
its own sake. The contrast with the demand of Christianity that The Good
inheres in the act of suffering and dying for the expiation of others could not
be stronger, or the question more important! Rather than demanding and
worshipping the sacrifice of the highest to the lowest -- or as Nietzsche did,
retaining the ethic but reversing the beneficiary of the sacrifice by demanding
the sacrifice of the lowest to the highest -- the ethic of The Fountainhead
insists that The Good is not to suffer and to die, but to enjoy yourself and
live -- without any sacrifice at all.
In my book, that really is an ethic worthy of reverence.
NOW, I'M ALL TOO aware that if you believe the Easter Myth, then anything I
say here is going to pass right by you. So if you do insist on venerating
sacrifice this weekend, and especially if you're intending a bit of crucifixion
yourself, or even just a bit of mildly flogging or self-torture, then here are a
few simple Easter
Safety Tips for you from the Church, which are not unfortunately intended as
satire.
And now here's a Nick Kim cartoon from The Free Radical for all the
bureaucrats who are working out there today ...
The Free Radical
Peter, I had so much
Submitted by Newberry on Sun, 2008-03-23 01:58.
I had so much fun reading your post. But, apparently by Reed's reply, he doesn't have the concept of living on earth. Makes me so thankful for not having a religious upbringing of any kind--the poor souls have brainwashed brains.
Celebrating Spring big time.
www.michaelnewberry.com
Peter - Wow, there is a lot
Submitted by reed on Sat, 2008-03-22 19:59.
Peter -
Wow, there is a lot of misrepresentation in this article; it's hard to tell if it's deliberate or not but the misrepresentation appears to stem from the word "sacrifice".
If the word "sacrifice" is used to mean "the surrender of a greater value for the sake of a lesser one or of a nonvalue" then can you demonstrate that easter is about "sacrifice"?
Note - Christians shouldn't even try to compel other Christians to observe any holidays...
Collosians 2:16
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
... so they are even more out of place telling non-christians to observe those holidays.
Reed.


text:
AT&T fined $100M for misleading 'unlimited'…
AT&T fined $100M for misleading 'unlimited' data plans
FILE - In this May 14, 2014 file photo, an AT&T logo on a store in Dedham, Mass. AT&T Mobility LLC has been hit with a $100 million fine for offering consumers unlimited data, but then slowing their Internet speeds after they hit a certain amount. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates the telecommunications industry, says the company misled consumers with the plans. Officials say the company would slow speeds dramatically at times, to levels lower than advertised. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
By Associated Press and Anne Flaherty | Mercury News
PUBLISHED: June 17, 2015 at 10:34 a.m. | UPDATED: August 17, 2016 at 4:54 a.m.
WASHINGTON — AT&T Mobility has been slapped with a record $100 million fine for offering consumers "unlimited" data, but then slowing their Internet speeds after they reached a certain amount. The company says it will fight the charges.
The Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday that the company misled consumers into buying plans they believed would give them unlimited ability to send and receive data, including Web browsing, GPS navigation and streaming videos. But once the consumer hit a certain level, the data on unlimited plans would be slowed down significantly, at speeds lower than advertised, the FCC said.
AT&T said it would "vigorously dispute" the fine, which was the largest proposed in FCC history. If AT&T can provide evidence that the FCC allegations are wrong, the fine could be reduced. Otherwise, if AT&T refuses to pay, it's possible the two sides will wind up in court.
"The FCC has specifically identified this practice as a legitimate and reasonable way to manage network resources for the benefit of all customers, and has known for years that all of the major carriers use it," the company said in a statement released to reporters. "We have been fully transparent with our customers, providing notice in multiple ways and going well beyond the FCC's disclosure requirements."
It's not unusual for phone companies to slow, or "throttle," speeds on a network as a way to manage congestion. Verizon slows down speeds for its heaviest users, but only on certain smartphones when there is congestion. Once the bottleneck eases, speeds return to normal.
Until this spring, AT&T was slowing speeds until the customer's next billing cycle, even when there was no congestion.
Both Verizon and AT&T had phased out their unlimited plans after data usage grew following the iPhone's launch in 2007. Existing customers, however, were able to keep their unlimited plans.
The FCC says AT&T's approach to unlimited plans violated the agency's transparency rule.
"Unlimited means unlimited," said Travis LeBlanc, the FCC enforcement bureau chief. "As today's action demonstrates, the commission is committed to holding accountable those broadband providers who fail to be fully transparent about data limits."
The hefty fine by the FCC comes on the heels of a federal lawsuit filed against the company last fall. The Federal Trade Commission, which enforces rules against deceptive advertising, said it wants to refund customers who were offered the unlimited data packages, only to be given slower data speeds than advertised. That lawsuit is still working its way through a federal court in California.
Earlier this year, the FTC accused TracFone Wireless of similar tactics. TracFone agreed to settle the case for $40 million.
AT&T Mobility is located in Atlanta and is a subsidiary of Dallas-based AT&T.
Anne Flaherty


Negocios Online: Herramientas, Sofwares And Web Design.
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Survey List Online . Get Paid To Fill Out Surveys And More.


text:
Miklós Meszéna (* 14. Dezember 1940 in Budapest; † 29. Juli 1995 ebenda) war ein ungarischer Säbelfechter.

Erfolge
Miklós Meszéna wurde 1966 in Moskau mit der Mannschaft Weltmeister. 1962 in Buenos Aires, 1967 in Montreal, 1970 in Ankara und 1971 in Wien belegte er mit ihr jeweils den zweiten Rang, 1961 in Turin, 1963 in Danzig und 1969 in Havanna den dritten Rang. In Paris erreichte er 1965 zudem sein einziges WM-Podium im Einzel, als er den zweiten Platz erreichte und damit Vizeweltmeister wurde. Zweimal nahm er an Olympischen Spielen teil: 1964 schloss er in Tokio die Mannschaftskonkurrenz auf dem fünften Platz ab. Vier Jahre darauf erreichte er in Mexiko-Stadt mit der ungarischen Equipe die Finalrunde und setzte sich im Gefecht um Rang drei gegen Frankreich mit 9:5 durch. Gemeinsam mit János Kalmár, Tamás Kovács, Péter Bakonyi und Tibor Pézsa erhielt Meszéna somit die Bronzemedaille.

Weblinks

 Miklós Meszéna beim Ungarischen Olympischen Komitee (ungarisch)

Fechter (Ungarn)
Weltmeister (Fechten)
Universiadesieger (Fechten)
Olympiateilnehmer (Ungarn)
Teilnehmer der Olympischen Sommerspiele 1964
Teilnehmer der Olympischen Sommerspiele 1968
Universiadeteilnehmer (Ungarn)
Teilnehmer der Sommer-Universiade 1961
Teilnehmer der Sommer-Universiade 1963
Teilnehmer der Sommer-Universiade 1965
Sportler (Budapest)
Ungar
Geboren 1940
Gestorben 1995
Mann


The Independent – on the secret of Stockholm, winner of the first ever Green capital award from the EU.
Commodity Online – EU emissions decreased by 11% in 2009. As the major European economies begin to move into positive growth one wonders how long this can last.
Edie – on the UK government's plans to tackle climate change "in house".
The Jakarta Post – details how Muslim communities worldwide will be uniting against global warming later this week.
earth2tech – on the iPad's green apps.
The curtain has closed on the 25th London Fashion Week. It was all 'strong shoulders, hard lines and lots and lots of black' according to Grazia magazine. The former high priestess of punk, Vivienne Westwood, told the backstage press that she hopes people stop buying her clothes to 'stop all this consumerism'. Her previous catwalk shows have highlighted the impact of mass consumerism on climate change.
Indeed. Walmart is also on a charm offensive. Tree Hugger reports that the supermarket chain is to cut 20million metric tons of emissions over the next 15 years.


It seems like the years just keep on rolling along. I am starting to see what my parents use to mean when they would say that time goes by faster the older you get. I must be getting older since it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the graduation for the class of 2012.
Enough about me and my time lapse. What I want to focus on is all those graduates. For most high school students the plan is to go on to college. Its a good plan if you are ready for the challenges of higher education. If you are graduating from college now with degree in hand you are looking forward to getting your career started. Let me first talk to those graduating from college and put some perspective. Let me ask you, do you have any college student loans? What is the balance and what kinda of payments will you have to start making? So right out the gate before you even find that perfect job you may have to start making some payments on that investment called a college education. According to a New York Times report Degrees of Debt– by Adrew Martin May 2012 the average student loan debt is $26,500. Many parents co-sign for these loans so that if the student isn't able to make payments then the parents are responsible for the debt. I highly recommend high school students and parents read this article about some of the painful realities of taking on student loans. Now I don't want to sound all doom and gloom but the reality is that many students graduate from a university often times with a degree which does not transfer very well into a career in the job sector. There are also students who graduate from prestigious Ivy League universities in degrees that leave them with over $100,000 in student loans yet their degrees are in career fields that pay very little in comparison to the amount of debt taken on. An example of these careers are such as being a school teacher or a having a degree in public service for non-profit organizations. That's great that these graduates have high aspirations of public service but it still doesn't change the fact that they have this tremendous debt.
Many students also graduate with a degree that is relevant in the public sector however the difficulty is in breaking into that particular field without experience, kinda like sports medicine or training dolphins as a marine biologist. You need a degree but also the experience.
Now let me get into how the Army National Guard fits into all this. Here's the deal. We provide you with hands on job training for a commitment to serve your state and nation. Its a sacrifice, its a lot to ask. In return we train you and prepare you mentally and physically. You will learn a trade or career. In addition to that we offer some pretty amazing college benefits such as 100% state tuition to any state public university in Hawaii. If you attend a private university you can utilize federal tuition which pays up to $250 per credit hour for a max of $4500 annually in addition to that you can utilize the GI Bill. With all the different college benefits we offer its pretty realistic to attend a public university and not have to accumulate any student debt or at least eliminate a good chunk of it if you need to take on any.
Here another great thing as well,you will learn leadership, you will learn communication skills and how to work as a member of a cohesive team. These are invaluable skills in any line of work. We have over 150 careers to choose from. These include aviation, communications, engineering, carpentry, administration, combat arms, medical and law enforcement. The bottom line is that we have we have something for you. I like to use the example of the best way to be competitive in life is to have both education and experience. You want to have both sides of the coin, your odds are much better, that's the analogy I like to use. Be competitive and the Hawaii Army National Guard offers that opportunity. Get an education, get some experience and learn some leadership skills. These I believe are essential tools for success.
Now let me address the high school graduates that's if you've made it this far in my article. Let me ask you, do you want to graduate from high school with out a plan? Do you want to go on to college and weigh your parents down with debt or yourself so that once you graduate from college you have a degree but a huge payment to make every month and no experience. Here is the other option, join the Hawaii Army National Guard. Learn a trade, get some experience and further your career by getting higher education relevant to that career so that when you graduate you have both experience and education. Now there may be those that say that you don't have to join the National Guard to be successful in college or in the workforce and they are correct. However the Guard improves your chances that much more because what you put into the Guard is what you will get out of it. At least you have the opportunity to be all that you can be. There are other great options out there, but and this is a big but how many will give you the time, money and opportunity to achieve your career and education goals- by working just 1 weekend a month. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at 808-864-9627. Thank for taking the time to read this and your feedback is welcomed.
Become an Army Officer in Two Years!


Cafe lait paint color contemporary entrance foyer is one images from this 21 foyer color will end all arguments over clear of Homes Alternative photos gallery. This image has dimension 500x704 Pixel and File Size 37 KB, you can click the image above to see the large or full size photo. Previous photo in the gallery is picking paint colors entryway mud room. For next photo in the gallery is grace lee cottage living room foyer updates. You are viewing image #13 of 21, you can see the complete gallery at the bottom below.


text:
The Tunnel steht für:

 The Tunnel – Fürchte die Dunkelheit, australischer Film von Carlo Ledesma (2011)
 The Tunnel (1935), britischer Film von Maurice Elvey
 The Tunnel (1962), US-amerikanischer Dokumentarfilm von Piers Anderton
 The Tunnel – Mord kennt keine Grenzen, britisch-französische Fernsehserie (ab 2013)
 The Tunnel – Die Todesfalle, norwegischer Katastrophenfilm (2019)

Siehe auch:
 Der Tunnel (Begriffsklärung)


Home Catalog Medieval Medieval Clothing Cotta heraldry XII / XIII century.
Medieval - Medieval Clothing - Choice of: cotton or flax, not just symbols or symbol: the cross "license", the Maltese Cross, with animals than heraldic symbols. Vestiario abbigliamento medievale cavaliere, tunica, giacca, stendardi, templari, Clothing medieval.| MEDIEVAL CLOTHING and chivalric orders: the Knights Templar, Knights of St. John or Hospitallers, Teutonic Knights of Calatrava, Knights of St. Tiago.


text:
FLC Business Search A Robot to Help Make the Rounds
Available Technology
A Robot to Help Make the Rounds
https://spinoff.nasa.gov/database/spinoffDetail.php?this=/spinoff//jsc/J...
The HelpMate trackless robotic hospital courier was designed by Transitions Research Corporation, a think-tank company formed in 1984. Over the course of 10 years, Transitions Research Corporation received funding for this developmental effort from NASA, through seven Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards with Johnson Space Center. In 1997, Transitions Research Company went public, and changed its name to HelpMate Robotics, Inc., to emphasize the one product by the same name that was to be introduced to the commercial marketplace. Two years later, Pyxis Corporation, the San Diego, California-based Automation and Information Services division of Cardinal Health, Inc., purchased the assets of HelpMate Robotics, Inc., subsequently acquiring the rights to the HelpMate robotic courier technology. Known today as the Pyxis HelpMateR SecurePak (SP), the 4-foot tall, 600-pound trackless robotic courier has evolved significantly from the original design blueprint. According to Cardinal Health, the Pyxis HelpMate SP is the first system of its kind to navigate autonomously through hospitals and other medical facilities-including independently calling and using elevators-without the use of external guidance systems such as fixed tracks or guide wires.
Internal Laboratory Ref #:
JSC-SO-153
NASA Johnson Space Center
Tech Transfer Website
Lab Representatives
Linda Ham
Linda.j.ham@nasa.gov


text:
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;

namespace EncompassRest.Loans.Enums
{
    /// <summary>
    /// CreditReportCompany
    /// </summary>
    public enum CreditReportCompany
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// CBC Companies
        /// </summary>
        [Description("CBC Companies")]
        [EnumMember(Value = "1")]
        n1 = 1,
        /// <summary>
        /// Fidelity National Credit
        /// </summary>
        [Description("Fidelity National Credit")]
        [EnumMember(Value = "4")]
        n4 = 4,
        /// <summary>
        /// Equifax Mortgage Information Services
        /// </summary>
        [Description("Equifax Mortgage Information Services")]
        [EnumMember(Value = "5")]
        n5 = 5,
        /// <summary>
        /// Factual Data
        /// </summary>
        [Description("Factual Data")]
        [EnumMember(Value = "6")]
        n6 = 6,
        /// <summary>
        /// First American Credco
        /// </summary>
        [Description("First American Credco")]
        [EnumMember(Value = "8")]
        n8 = 8,
        /// <summary>
        /// LandAmerica Credit Services- Info1
        /// </summary>
        [Description("LandAmerica Credit Services- Info1")]
        A = 100,
        /// <summary>
        /// LandSafe
        /// </summary>
        [Description("LandSafe")]
        B = 101
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub