Have you ever heard of the Chord Chemist?
In part 2 of this special series entitled 4 Great Chord Melody Jazz Guitarists, you're going to learn about a jazz guitar chord melody player who made a lasting impact on the jazz guitar scene.
Ted Greene is who I'm talking about, who many believe advanced solo jazz guitar to its highest point of development.
Ted was obsessed with chord voicings, and actually wrote a hefty instructional book entitled Chord Chemistry, which is the most comprehensive manual of guitar voicings ever published.
He was relatively unknown to the general public outside of jazz guitar circles, but Ted Greene's contribution to the understanding of the guitar is profound.
His one and only album, Solo Guitar, recorded in 1977, is considered by many to be one of the most important solo jazz guitar albums ever to be recorded – it's the duty of any aspiring chord melody player to check this one out.
Ted was an unbelievable musician, as you'll hear in the examples below.
Ted was born in Los Angeles in 1946 but grew up in White Plains, New York. He began his study of guitar at age 11 and was quickly hooked.
Not exclusively being a jazz player, Ted, in fact, played and mastered many styles of music.
As his career matured, he tended to either play solo guitar gigs or accompany vocalists, as he found bands too limiting.
But most of Ted's focus was that of an educator, writing a comprehensive series of instructional books on guitar harmony, chord melody and single note soloing.
Most of Ted's day-to-day life was devoted to teaching his many students – there was always a long list of guitarists eagerly waiting for an opening in his jam-packed schedule.
I want you to experience Ted Greene's playing directly, rather than just me talking about it – so here it is!
The following performance of Send In The Clowns is from Ted Greene's album, Solo Guitar.
This is my favorite track from this album. To be honest, whenever I listen to it I get tears in my eyes. Ted's music is powerful and very moving.
Rather than just go through a few licks with you in this article, I have something even better.
How cool is this – I found complete transcriptions of Ted Greene's album, Solo Guitar, free to download online at The Ted Greene Archive (tedgreene.com).
Click here to go to tedgreene.com to access the PDF transcriptions now!
When studying the chord melodies of Ted Greene, it's best to learn a complete transcription of one of his recordings like this one – it will give you a good overall sense of his techniques and ideas when it came to solo guitar chord melody.
Ted Greene is one of those rare musicians that has completely transcended style, and in a utterly non-contrived way.
Listen to the video of Send In The Clowns above and ask yourself: is it jazz? Is it classical? Is it film music? Is it pop or rock?
I think it's, in fact, none of these – Ted's style is something entirely new.
Ted's playing brings to mind the thoughts of Bruce Lee, a philosopher that really inspires me.
In the context of jazz guitar, I think Ted Greene managed to achieve what Bruce Lee was talking about here.
Ted transcended the limitation of style, and in doing so created his own personal approach.
To use Lee's words, he added something that was uniquely his own.
I think one reason for Ted Greene's incredible skill was his supreme knowledge of Western harmony.
Ted was an avid reader of nearly any book of music theory, and was skilled in distilling complex concepts into easy to understand principles for his students – concepts that could, in fact, be applied to any style of Western music – not just jazz.
If you want no better example of his ability to combine and transcend style, check out this video of Ted improvising spontaneously over Autumn Leaves at one of his workshops at the request of a student – combining classical baroque music and jazz!
Intellectual appraisal aside, the thing I really love most about Ted Greene is that his playing is painfully beautiful – it's like a window into his soul.
After all, his encyclopaedic knowledge of chord voicings wasn't a means to an end, it was just the foundation upon which he created a unique, personal and wonderfully expressive sound.
There has been no other guitarist quite like Ted Greene and I don't think there will ever be another like him in the future.
As I mentioned above, Ted only recorded a single album – Solo Guitar (1977) – but this is required listening for anyone interested in chord melody, and particular solo jazz guitar.
If you're looking for a great read, check out the book by Ted's wife Barbara Franklin, entitled My Life With The Chord Chemist: A Memoir of Ted Greene, Apotheosis of Solo Guitar, which recounts Ted's early life and development as a musician, as well as an insightful narrative of the 13 years prior to his death.
Something I found when I was doing the research for this article was this page on a tribute website, Memories of Ted, with real life stories about Ted Greene by his many guitar students. Reading these stories paints a picture of not only of an extraordinary musician but, most importantly, of Ted's kind and generous heart.
Finally, check out the resources at tedgreene.com, which has a vast archive of lessons and recordings by Ted.
I hope you enjoyed this exploration into the world of Ted Greene, one of my all time favorite chord melody guitarists.
Let me know what you think about this article by leaving a comment below!
That wraps up the second installment of this four-part series on the great jazz guitar chord melody players.
Next week, you're going to learn about Lenny Breau, one of my own key influences when it comes to chord melody playing.
Interesting, a gentle soul who I suspect was thinking on a level way above that of his audience.
For your information the Send in the Clowns clip was not available.
If you don't already know, another player where a lot of chord melody solos are available free is Barry Galbraith.
Hi Douglas, sorry to hear that the video for Send In The Clowns didn't work, it might be do do with the regional settings on the Youtube video (sometimes the videos are restricted to be played only in certain countries). Thanks for the tip about the Barry Galbraith solos. Cheers!
Truly amazing guitarist, thanks for sharing this article and the videos. Ted Greene demonstrates the true potential the guitar!
Thank you, Greg, for the introduction to Ted Greene. I was not familiar with him before. The resources you listed are invaluable. i purchased the the album, the books and downloaded the transcripts from the Ted Greene archives – all very worth while. Also, the whole idea of your articles on 4 great guitarists of the 20th century is fascinating – so thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.
Thanks for your kind feedback Michael, more than happy to share what I know! Yes Ted Greene was a unique genius of guitar, it's really worthwhile checking out his transcriptions and recordings.
I still remember when I first heard Ted play……a complete revelation for me during the past year of 2016. I couldn't believe I was a professional guitarist in Philadelphia during the 1970s, loved all forms of music, and had never even heard of Ted. After watching all of the available videos of him, buying his two most important books, reading Barbara's book, and reading the comments of many of his students, I honestly believe Ted was the single greatest guitarist that ever graced earth. Tears well up in my eyes when I hear how wonderfully melodic he approaches a tune. I listen to his solo album at least once a week. I've seen in person, listened to, and studied most of the best guitar players in the business. In my opinion, none can match Ted's mental approach to chord melody. There's just something to the way his fingers approach the music. Absolutely incredible! RIP.
P.S. Thanks so much for writing this article…….Ted deserves every guitar player's respect.
Couldn't have said it better myself Adrian! Thanks so much for your comments and kind feedback on the article.


Www.digitalplayspace.com - Sendero Animal Hospital. A cartoon is defined as an visual shift in a spectacle with respect to time. The visual change in the scene isn't only connected to the shift in the position of this object, but additionally with its contour, color, transparency, structure and texture. An important thing about animation is that it usually signifies the hand drawn or artificially drawn series of pictures, which contrasts into the pictures where performers performances with real life scenes are listed.
This text talks with regard to the difference of cartoon and anime, and the definition of each in a variety of categories. Anime, mostly from Japan, exhibits by itself to be quite a bit deeper and nicely thought-out in plot and character improvement than all those of cartoons.
Relevant to Sendero Animal Hospital, If you had been to check with lots of people what their favourite productions were being little question every single would've their own personal unique lists. You would probably be amazed at the variety of animated ones that may be provided. Therefore if who at any time mentioned that cartoons are for kids? These are something that touches the hearts with the young and previous for both gender.
Cartoon is quickly becoming an extremely popular career choice for all those interested in combining their love for art by using their love for computing. With pictures like Monsters Inc. and Cars holding the attention of children and adults alike, it's no surprise that animation technicians have become popular after.
3D Cartoon animation has occur up as considered one of quite possibly the most endorsed systems in the present computer system age. That is a type of graphic imaging that has taken above 2d or scale model puppets likewise as drawings which had been frequently generally known as stop motion animation. About the yrs, there was an ever expanding interest in cartoon motion pictures as well given that the use of 3D cartoon animation in the media for endorsement of brand name names that has initiated much better and even more complex imaging software's in the market. This can be similar to Sendero Animal Hospital.


I am a Development Editor working with Packt Publishing. We are coming out with a book on Amazon Simple DB: Developer's Guide.
I am looking for a Technical Reviewer to provide feedback on the content of the book. It would be of great help if you would be willing to take it up as this is your area of expertise.
Please visit http://www.packtpub.com/author_reviewing_for_packt for more details on reviewing.
When people like yourself, work for us as technical reviewers, we can be sure that the content will be of the highest quality.
· One copy of each book you review – see how what you've done makes you proud!
· A book of your choice from our catalog.
For more details on Packt Publishing, visit http://www.packtpub.com/ . Please let me know if this interests you, so that I can give you more details on technical reviewing and the book.


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Home | Films | Explore Films | Meet Dave (2008)
This film has not been rated by a club leader yet. Be the first to rate this film.
In a quest to save their home planet from oblivion, a miniature alien race find themselves in Manhattan manning a human-shaped spaceship called Dave. Most of Meet Dave's humour comes from the alien crew's attempts to fit in with human culture (cue much slapstick action), but the film's heart is in his relationship with single mum Gina and her son Josh.
Elizabeth Banks,
Scott Caan,
Eddie Murphy,
Adam Tomei,
Contains mild language, violence, toilet humour and scary moments
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers(1956)
Classic 1950s sci-fi film in which a doctor from a small Californian town discovers its citizens are being replaced by identical-looking aliens.
11+ years 80 mins
Men in Black(1997)
A cocky new recruit joins a secret governmental agency that polices alien life on earth and must quickly adapt to his newfound responsibilities.
11–16 years 98 mins
Close Encounters of the Third Kind(1977)
After an encounter with a UFO, a man becomes drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.
7+ years 129 mins
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial(1982)
This heart-warming family favourite about an alien stranded all alone on earth contains some of the most magical scenes in movie history.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"No matter how vivid your home setup might be, it's best to see this in a theatre."
"There are moments where you may want to stop the film to assure yourself you're seeing what you're seeing, so disordering to the senses are Goldsworthy's re-orderings of nature."
"Leaning Into the Wind offers viewers a welcome chance to consider the work of an artist who defies the recent commodification cult to embrace the ephemeral and the nominally "worthless.""
"Even if some things have changed, spending time with an artist who's concerned, as he's said in interviews, with "the permanence of temporary objects and the temporality of permanent objects," is always worth the journey."
"Even at its most self-conflicted, this is a fascinating reminder that some art wasn't made to be owned."
"Leaning Into the Wind is a study in seeing, in subordinating one's self to the elements, in creating with nature rather than from it."
"Because time erases or alters Mr. Goldsworthy's sculptures, movies are the ideal medium to capture them.... The surprise of Leaning Into the Wind is that it's just as concerned with how time has changed Mr. Goldsworthy."


Located directly underneath Nuselsky Most, (Nusle Bridge) in a small park, U Folimanka is a restaurant/pub serving beer from the Dudak brewery.
U Folimanka has 4 beers on tap: Pilsen, Klostermann 13°, Dudak Nektar, and Dudak Premium.
They have a variety of food on their menu: burgers, tortillas, and some Czech specials. Prices here are friendly for your wallet. Indoors, they have one room with about 8 or so tables, some of which are quite big, and an outdoor beer garden that can seat more. They have 2 Fussball tables and show sports on TV.
This Nusle restaurant has a younger, rock and roll sort of crowd. Located within a larger building that is also a basketball arena and concert dance hall. Take trams 24, 7, and 18 to stop Nuselske Schody or Divaldlo Na Fidlovacce and look for the bridge.
These are some of the different beers that Restaurace Folimanka had on tap on our visit.


"Well done Lewis and staff for for this brilliant achievement. The award ceremony, beer festival and party to celebrate the big win was held on Saturday 11th November at 12.30 noon and went on into the early hours of Sunday. There were nine real ales on offer, 4 craft beers and 8 ciders on draft as well as the usual brilliant range of bottled beers and ciders. Music was provided by the House of Good Fortune and guests. We had a ball!!


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This is a list representing time zones by country. Countries are ranked by total number of time zones on their territory. Time zones of a country include that of dependent territories (except Antarctic claims). France, including its overseas territories, has the most time zones with 12 (13 including its claim in Antarctica). Many countries have daylight saving time, one added hour during the local summer, but this list does not include that information. The UTC offset in the list is not valid in practice during daylight saving time.

See also
Time zone
Lists of time zones
List of UTC time offsets
Time zone abolition

References

Time zones
Time zones

Time zones

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Near and Middle Eastern Studies and Intensive Languages
SOAS University of London · SOAS University of London
Minimum upper second class honours degree (or equivalent).
The MA Near and Middle Eastern Studies provides exceptional opportunities for studying this diverse and fascinating area at the postgraduate level through a variety of disciplinary approaches. The main emphasis of the programme is on the modern period through the modules in history, geography, politics, economics and anthropology. Some exposure is provided, however, to the pre-modern culture and society of the area through modules in religious studies, Islamic art and archaeology, and history. Modules based on Arabic are offered for those with an adequate knowledge of the language, while modules in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish are available for those who wish to acquire or develop skills in these languages.
If you are interested in taking the MA Near and Middle Eastern Studies with an intensive language please visit:
MA Near and Middle Eastern Studies and Intensive Language
MA ... and Intensive Language (Arabic)
For details, including English language requirements, please see SOAS website
For details of postgraduate fees, please see SOAS website
View profileSOAS University of London
study@soas.ac.uk
Postgraduate Open Evening
Similar courses from SOAS University of London
Near and Middle Eastern Studies
Religions of Asia and Africa and Intensive Language
Translation (Asian, African and Middle Eastern Languages)


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Slovakia: Investing in Slovakia
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovakia
According to the latest data published by the OECD, FDI inflows went from USD -8.29 billion in the first half of 2020 to USD -4.03 billion in the same period for 2021. The 2008-2009 fall in international investment and the subsequent Eurozone crisis have had an impact on Slovakia and continue to weigh on foreign investment flows bound for the country. This was compounded by the negative effect of the pandemic. Given that a very large share of Slovakia's FDI directly depends on the Eurozone, the country is dependent on the economic health of its European neighbours, especially Germany and France, and is sensitive to regional tensions (the Russia-Ukraine conflict). According to data by OECD, the main investing countries in Slovakia are the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria and Germany. As per sectors of activity, manufacturing and industrial production, financial and insurance services, wholesale and retail are those that attract the most investments. The latest figures from OECD show that FDI inflows were negative by USD 403 million in the first half of 2021, compared to an outflow of USD 213 million registered in the same period one year earlier.
Slovakia is an attractive FDI destination due to a relatively low-cost yet skilled labour force, and a favourable geographic location in the heart of Central Europe. However, some regions have failed to attract major investment, which has aggravated regional disparities in many economic and social areas. The overall outlook for public and private investment is favourable, but the ongoing global crisis may pose some risks (especially for the manufacturing sector, which attracts most of FDIs to the country). Recent increases in corporate taxes, changes to the Labour Code, slow dispute resolution as well as recurring corruption issues are the factors that can undermine the attractiveness of the Slovak market. Slovakia ranks 45th out of 190 economies in terms of ease of doing business, according to the latest Doing Business report by the World Bank (losing three positions compared to the previous year). In March 2021, Slovakia introduced an investment screening mechanism whereby any acquisition of more than 10% of shares or voting rights in a critical infrastructure operation can be reviewed for possible disruption of public order or national security. The governmental power to block acquisitions applies to a list of sectors that includes transport, ICT, energy, mining, postal services, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, metallurgy, health care, water, finance and agriculture (UNCTAD, 2021).
FDI Inward Flow (million USD) 2,511 -1,931 59
FDI Stock (million USD) 60,604 64,237 59,367
Number of Greenfield Investments* 43 26 46
Value of Greenfield Investments (million USD) 2,017 2,274 2,867
Country Comparison For the Protection of Investors Slovakia Eastern Europe & Central Asia United States Germany
What to consider if you invest in Slovakia
The main assets of the country are:
Strong political stability and good international relations reinforced by the country's accession to the European Union
A strategic geographical location in the heart of Europe
A qualified and low-cost workforce
Strong growth (Coface forecasts a 4.3% growth rate in 2021)
The adoption of the euro since 1 January 2009, which has made it possible to eliminate the risks associated with the exchange rate and to strengthen an already strong banking system
Public and external accounts maintained at the correct levels
A positive and very attractive business environment for foreign investors, including a favourable tax system and the existence of numerous foreign investment grants (which can range from 20 to 50% of investment costs depending on the project)
Among the most export-oriented and open economies in the EU, with the highest trade integration in the single market for goods
The main weak points of the country are:
High dependence of the economy on the automotive sector and export performance
Important technical and administrative barriers: requirement of import licenses especially for raw materials, energy and some agricultural products
High energy costs: Slovakia must import 90% of its energy needs.
Deficient infrastructure. Although governmental reforms have been set up, the infrastructure is not yet well developed and the country has no access to the sea.
The small size of its domestic market with a population that has low purchasing power
Complicated access to the labour market with a qualified labour shortage and high levels of long-term unemployment (6.7% unemployment in 2020 - National Statistics Office of Slovakia).
The Slovak government encourages foreign investment since it is one of the driving forces of the economy. It has also established financial incentives such as tax credits and subsidy systems. These aids are granted depending on the type of project, geographical location and the sector of activity.
The country's low tax rate is one of the key elements that attract FDI. A 21% corporate tax rate is applied, except for small companies with a turnover of less than €100,000, for which the tax rate was reduced in 2020 to 15%. Slovakia also benefits from European financial aids and many investors can benefit from participating in the country's large renovation and modernisation projects.
Foreign nationals can acquire real estate without restrictions. Slovakia ranks 8th out of 190 countries on the World Bank's Doing Business 2020 property registration indicator, with an average of 16.5 days to register a property, compared to an average of 23.6 days for high-income OECD countries.
Bilateral investment conventions signed by Slovakia
Slovakia has signed 63 bilateral investment treaties. For more detail, consult the Slovakia page - UNCTAD Investment Policy Hub.


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Francis Moore – Brigadier General, United States Army
Francis Moore of Scotland
Appointed from Louisiana, Private and Sergeant, Company M, 1st Colorado Cavalry, 10 September 1861 to 29 December 1863
Captain, 65th United States Colored Troops, 29 December 1863
Lieutenant Colonel, 18 December 1865
Breverted Lieutenant Colonel of Volunteers, 13 March for faithful and meritorious service during the war.
Honorably mustered out of the volunteer service, 21 June 1865
Major,65th United States Colored Infantry, 21 June 1865
Second Lieutenant, 9th United States Cavalry, 28 July 1866
First Lieutenant, 12 July 1867
RCS, 15 May 1867 to 15 July 1870
Regimental Quartermaster, 1 September 1870 to 24 August 1872
Captain, 24 Augut 1872
Major, 5th United States Cavalry, 28 July 1892
Lieutenant Colonel, 10th United States Cavalry, 6 May 1899
Colonel, 11th United States Cavalry, 2 February 1901
Brigadier General, 25 February 1903
GENERAL FRANCIS MOORE, VETERAN FIGHTER, DIES
Engaged in Indian Campaigns
Civil and Spanish Wars and Philippine Uprising
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, May 2, 1928 – Brigadier General Francis Moore, retired Indian fighter and veteran of the Civil and Spanish-American Wars and the Philippine Insurrection, died here yesterday.
Entering the Colorado Cavalry at the start of the Civil War, he emerged with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and, after serving with that branch of the service in the Spanish-American War, he went to the Philippines in 1899 as Colonel in command of the Eleventh Cavalry.
On his return to this country in 1903 he was prompted to Brigadier General and held that rank when he retired two years later. He was 87 years old.
MOORE, FRANCIS
BRIG GEN USA RETD
DATE OF INTERMENT: Unknown
BURIED AT: SECTION W-W SITE 852
MOORE, AGNES T
BURIED AT: SITE 852
WIFE OF FRANCIS MOORE, BGEN, USA
Charles Magdefrau Boteler – Second Lieutenant, United States Army
Azor Howitt Nickerson – Major, United States Army


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'Before You Know It' Marks the Arrival of a New Comedic Voice Directed by Hannah Pearl Utt
Starring Hannah Pearl Utt, Jen Tullock and Mandy Patinkin
On paper, the plot of Before You Know It is incredibly camp — after their father dies, a pair of New York sisters discover their building is still owned by their mother, who they thought had died when they were children, but has instead been living in the public eye as a famous soap opera star. In reality, however, Hannah Pearl Utt's Before You Know It uses its storyline as a way to find clever comedy while digging into complex emotions.
Utt stars as Rachel, a millennial who can't make time to date because she's stuck taking care of her chaotic family, which includes her zany (but believable) sister Jackie (Jen Tullock), niece Dodge (Oona Yaffe) and patriarch Mel (Mandy Patinkin). They live in the apartment above their poorly attended small theatre in Greenwich Village, and they're all free spirits, save for Rachel, who is punching up her father's scripts when she's not renting out their space to bizarre community groups (an improv troupe full of expectant mothers, for example). When Mel dies suddenly, the future of the theatre and their home is thrown into jeopardy.
In reading their will, the sisters discover that their long-dead mother is actually still alive. In what feels like a wacky caper, but never actually crosses the line into campiness, they weasel their way onto the soap opera set and finally start a relationship with their mother.
Some will undoubtedly compare Utt to controversial New York dramedians like Woody Allen or Lena Dunham, though Utt's New York story feels more classic, evoking the melancholy comedy of Peter Bogdanovich, Whit Stillman and early Noah Baumbach. It also reminds us of the cultural impact 30 Rock has left — thankfully the behind-the-scenes showbiz shots are never quite as wacky, but the show's blueprints are still here (along with a small role from Alec Baldwin).
Before You Know It is both breezy and emotionally complex, offering a steady balance of laughs and contemplation. It's the sort of comedy that has us eager to see what Hannah Pearl Utt does next, though we'll be perfectly content to rewatch this one a few times until then.
(Ball & Chain Productions)
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Jason Segel's Great Performance Can't Save 'Our Friend' from Feeling Sanitized Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite
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Sodišinci so naselje v Občini Tišina.

Sklici in opombe
Sodišinci so srednjevelika prekmurska vas, ki leži tik ob Avstrijski meji.V vasi stoji Gasilski dom, Vaški križ, teče potok mokoš(ob večjem deževju), obstaja pa še nekaj znamenitosti..V vasi so trije večji kmetje in nekaj majnših ostali ljudje pa  hodijo delat.

Naselja Občine Tišina
Naselja na Ravenskem


At about 11:30am, while Roger, Joe and I were about one-quarter through our initial trip through the convention center, the lights flickered, came back, flickered once more, and then the entire place went pitch black. About ten seconds later, emergency lights kicked on, giving the crowd enough light to continue browsing. We assumed the problem would be fixed within a few minutes – probably a breaker or something.
We talked to a member of the Weak Signals club that puts on the show, and he said that a transformer blew, causing the blackout. He informed us it could be 10 minutes or the next morning before the power was restored. He didn't seem very confident in the 10 minute guess, though, and when we left at 4:26pm, the main power was still out.
Either way, in the nearly twenty years that I have been attending the Toledo Show, this is the first time I've seen anything like this. It's strange, but was in no way a deal-breaker.
There wasn't much interesting to see anyway.
The highlight of the show, for me, was the Hubsan X4 in the Hobbico booth. It was originally unveiled as the Hobbico Ora Drone, but a dispute between Hobbico and Hubsan changed the name and company of origin. This is unfortunate, because as cool as the X4 is, it's a hard sell if it needs to be serviced by a Chinese company. No one wants to have to speak Mandarin to get their quadcopter fixed. Even so, the sweet transmitter with an Android tablet interface built-in is really cool, and the fact that the X4 can do waypoints is great too. If Hobbico can sort out who services the X4, this might just be a great product. It's going to run $1,400 for a Ready-to-Fly package and is due out sometime between June and July.
Horizon's booth, usually the high point of the show for me, was oddly dull. The highly anticipated Blade Mach 25 racing quadcopter was nowhere to be seen (though a Horizon employee told me it would be arriving tomorrow), so we couldn't lay our eyes on that. The rest of their booth we'd either seen before or wasn't anything exciting to me. The Blade Glimpse was on display, but due to the power outage, there was no charged battery to demo it with, not even simply for the purposes of checking out the FPV camera rig. The newly-announced HobbyZone Stratocam was on display, but doesn't impress me at all. I think Horizon believes that adding a camera to an existing (or previously existing) airplane makes it 100% new again, but it doesn't really add anything interesting at all. The only addition the camera creates is that of the price.
I was also surprised at the absence of some Horizon staffers. Steve Petrotto, in particular, was not in attendance — all the more obvious when he has been highly visible for the last few months, appearing on Good Morning America and the Today Show on their drones episodes, as well as attending the first ever Drone Film Festival in New York. With a high-profile Blade announcement the day before, his absence is strange.
I found myself disappointed, yet again, with the prevalence cheap Chinese junk being sold on the show floor. It's incredibly depressing to see hobbyists that should know better, purchase products that will end up broken and unrepairable, when good quality hobby products with a solid brand behind them aren't much more expensive. I understand that for most, the economy hasn't recovered and saving a buck is hugely important, but spending a bit more on your hobby seems like a worthwhile trade off to me. I hope – probably in vain – that the organizers of the show realize the damage they are doing to the true hobby industry by allowing these foreign con artists peddle their wares at the Toledo Show.
Overall, the show was eventful, but uninteresting. The important thing is that the passengers we brought down with us on our chartered bus enjoyed the show, and consensus seems to indicate they did. As I've said before regarding this show, it's not really for dealers – new products aren't announced, there isn't time to talk to the people in the booths to get all your questions really answered, and it's more show-and-tell than informative trade show fare. It's really a consumer show, and now largely a buying show, where great deals mean bring plenty of money. All of which is fine, but it's not really a show for me.


Registration for our 2019 Maine PTA Convention is happening right now! Be sure to not miss it!
The Maine Parent Teacher Association is a volunteer organization made up of parents and family members, teachers, students, and community members. Membership is open to anyone who supports the mission and purposes of PTA and wants to add their voice to ensuring every child is healthy, safe and well-educated.
Contact the Maine PTA at 207-890-9021 or tracywmainepta@gmail.com to find a PTA in your community or for help starting one.
Explore the National PTA website! Discover all the things you can do with PTA: programs, grants, training, and speaking up for students, schools, and families.
The Maine PTA Annual Convention and 100th Anniversary Celebration held November 4th and 5th was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who attended. The experiences you shared as PTA leaders enriched us all.
Special thanks to Chuck Saylors, National PTA Past President, for attending as the representative of the National PTA.
We were touched that Juan San Miguel, Immediate Past President of Alaska PTA, made the trip to Maine to help us celebrate our 100th anniversary.
Friday night entertainment by The Teachers Lounge Mafia was a blast!
The National PTA Back to School Kit is available on line. Great for returning officers; invaluable for new officers!
The Maine Department of Education launched a web page devoted to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It includes an email address for sharing your thoughts and asking your questions about ESSA. Also see the National PTA's web site for information about ESSA.


Things have been grim since Heath's dad passed away. I've seen him cry more than I even thought he was capable of and his pain resonates loudly in my soul. I want to take it all away, but there just isn't really anything I can do outside of just being there for him. I am grateful that God has given me a heart big enough for the both of us, because it's been every bit of necessary. People say time heals the wounds, and I know they're right, but time, or lack thereof, is what upsets him most. There is no more time with his dad. You can't get back all the time you regret not spending with him now. And experiencing this has changed something in Heath, for the better.
We'll celebrate our 11th year together this summer, 7 of which we'll have been engaged. I think we'd both just sort of already felt married and so actually making it legal didn't seem all that pressing to us. But it did to our families, particularly Heath's dad. He was always asking when it was going to finally happen and we'd shrugged it off too many times. He'd also asked about grandkids time and time again and it always left Heath and I in a bad place because I've always wanted kids, three to be exact, but Heath didn't. I've imagined myself a mother since I was just a little girl and watching my sister's kids grow into these perfect tiny humans only makes me want my own even more. Ever since I turned 30, I've worried about running out of time to have kids. Women have that biological clock and all and mine's ticking fast. And so I've been praying for years now, for God to let me know if my future really didn't include kids. That my purpose in this life wasn't to also be a mother. And all this time I've grown more and more frustrated over not hearing or feeling His answer. Never confident in what that meant for mine and Heath's future. But I know now that God was answering me all along and his answer was: Patience. A lesson I seem to constantly be learning.
On the way home from Heath's father's viewing, we talked about how hard it was to watch his dad die the way we did, but that we were glad we were all there for him, that he didn't die alone. And I admitted that it's one of my biggest fears, dying alone. I'm not afraid to die, I know heaven is far better than this life, but I want to be surrounded by love when I'm heading out. It was still a few more days before the conversation I wanted to have would take place, but the entire time I just kept thinking: Neither of our parents are all that healthy and the likelihood of them outliving us is slim, which means when we're on our deathbeds, we'll be all we have and once one of us is gone, the other dies alone. Heath must have been thinking the same thing because a few days later, he changed his mind about having kids without any provoking at all. He realized how important family was to him and decided he doesn't want his family to end with him.
Despite all the sadness I've felt over losing his dad, my heart feels so hopeful again. And I just know he's in heaven right now, proud of his son for changing his mind, even if it took him passing for him to realize what his dad had been telling him all along.
Heath's conditions were that we have a house before we try and that works out well since we were already trying to get our bills in order so that we could be buying a house by the start of 2016. That plan is still in place and baby making can start once we've reached that place, but in the meantime, we figure, we should probably go ahead and get married finally. So, on November 7th, I'll officially be Sarah Harris and I'm more excited about it than I thought I would be. Being with someone for 10+ years means the lust of new love has worn off, and quality friendship has sunken in. But I feel in-love with him all over again and it's exhilarating. We'll still be mourning his father, for a long time to come, but we'll have these beautiful distractions from keeping us stuck there in darkness, and I just know we're making his father happy right now.
P.S. If you're curious about what my wedding might look like, I'm plotting it HERE!
Sunday night my fiancé's father, Bobby, was rushed to the ER completely unresponsive. After getting him stabilized, it was determined that his COPD ridden 1 & 2/3 lungs (he lost 1/3 of the left to cancer 5 years ago) had double pneumonia. Pneumonia that was likely left untreated for months. For days he sat in the ICU, doctors trying to get his oxygen level up high enough to go home, but that just wasn't a reality. A ventilator was really the only way to preserve his life, to force his lungs to work at a reasonable level, but that would have meant spending the rest of his life on it, a life lived in a nursing home (which is no life at all really). Bobby didn't want that, even though none of us were ready to accept what that meant for his fate. He just wanted to go home and in the end that home was to God.
Thursday afternoon the "comfortable way to die" was initiated. Watching and waiting for him to pass was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever witnessed. Bobby's mother celebrated her 88th birthday watching her only son pass away. Even if I hadn't known this man and his family for the last 11 years, I would have been crushed. Friday at 1:30, he took his last breath. He was only 54 years old.
If you're the praying type, Heath's family could use all the prayers for strength they can get while they learn to live life without Bobby.
1. Have more Moxie: I think this is the one I'm most proud of because I made such an effort that things that used to terrify me, now seem so easy it's weird imagining myself ever afraid of them before. This year I met my favorite author twice (the second time without an ounce of fear), chopped off the long hair I've been hiding behind for 10 years, went to a day long writing conference with a bunch of strangers, took on strangers as clients without making my sister tag along with me to the photoshoots, etc… Sure there was probably a lot of other ways I could have shown moxie, but I'm glad I made this resolution because all year when I was faced with something that would normally scare me, I felt compelled to prove the fear wrong.
4. Live a Healthy Life: Well, I did and I didn't. I'm still overweight and out of shape, maybe even more so than last year because all that overtime at work bit into my workout time. And I still haven't taken myself to the eye doctor, despite my quickly declining sight. But I did get myself on a better sleep schedule and my skin has never been healthier thanks to a daily H2O+ skin cleaning regimen. I also went to the dentist twice and they couldn't even yell at me for not going in so long because they said I take extremely good care of my teeth. I've definitely still got some things to work on next year and I plan to, but I don't call this one a total failure.
5. Give More: This one is also a yes and a no. Sadly, my biggest contribution last year, Sevenly, ended up being my smallest contribution this year. They've stopped carrying cuts suitable for a girl my size/shape and so I didn't buy nearly as many cause shirts as I might have liked to this year. But I did give in other ways like: cookies to all delivery type people (mail and food) during the Cookie-Thon. That was one of the most rewarding acts of giving, seeing their unexpected appreciation and entire demeanor change over such a small gesture. I helped out at church for the big events – Valentines Day, Easter, etc…, I donated some books to the library. But I think the thing I did most was giving of myself this year. To anyone that needed me. Sometimes that meant missing out on my own life and sometimes other people's burdens were super hard to carry, but I feel like being there for them was necessary and I'd gladly carry the burden any day.
I know some people aren't fans of resolutions and I can see how they're not for everyone, but as a list maker who is too busy for her own good, making a list of things I'd like to work toward really keeps me guided in the right direction. They're like little reminders all year long to keep me on track and I'm happy for it.
I realize I'm pretty bad at this blogging thing. I go months between posts and I say that it's partially because no one reads this blog, but maybe if I wrote more they would. Anyway, it's October and fall has arrived, which means I'm busier than ever and yet somehow far more productive than ever too. I don't really understand the power the weather has over me, but in the exact moment that fall shows it's face, everything about me changes. There's a peace hovering around me in everything I do and my creative juices start flowing in excess, making me want to do ALL the things.
I am, however, far busier than I've ever been in years past. And it's strange because I hadn't even planned to be, it just sort of happened. It started in September with shooting a vow renewal, a wedding, and a sunflower field. I also attended a writing conference (my first ever) and learned quite a bit about querying, finding an agent, and publishing in general. It was hosted by the Harford County Public Library and the classes were taught by published authors, agents, and small publishing houses (so, you know, people who actually know what they're talking about). There seemed to be a heavy emphasis on self-publishing, which was a bit of a disappointment for me since I don't intend on going that route, but overall there was a lot to be learned. I would definitely sign up for the event again. I would say, though, that the facts about publishing were a bit discouraging. I'd say it was a good way to weed out the people who are actually interested in putting forth the effort from the people with pipe dreams because the facts about just how many people try to get published vs. how many actually do is alarming. I wish I'd been brave enough to connect with a few local writers, since all of my writer friends live states away, but my introverted self was too nervous by just being there to step further outside of my comfort zone. Maybe next time.
October's wasting no time with the busy. Yesterday I did my first fall shoot and there are five more already scheduled. There's also Abel's 1st birthday shoot & party on Halloween, new cookies to bake for all my friends with October birthday's, Halloween gifts to wrap and send out, Trunk or Treat to help with at church, a pumpkin patch to take my nephews to, and meeting Maggie Stiefvater for the second time this year at my local library (I'm far less scared this time)! Somehow, writing has to fit itself into this schedule too, because my characters are louder than usual, begging for some horror fueled attention that I really want to give them!
I have to be honest, I'm the most shocked by how heavy my photography schedule is lately. In addition to all the October shoots on the schedule there are five more scheduled for Christmas Cards already in November and December. When I made a resolution to shoot more in 2013, I was happy with the handful I did that year – with those few Christmas cards hanging on the back of my door, but I had no idea I'd more than double that in 2014 without even trying. Now I go into people's houses and my work is actually framed on their walls and it's a form of flattery I never imagined feeling. It amazes me that people trust me with their memories like this.
I'm sure I'll blink and October will be over already, because that's the unfortunate thing about my favorite time of the year. It moves too fast. But I'll try to record the memories and report back before the month's end. I'm going to have some cool things to share (like custom art my BFF Heather Holden is making me!) and I want to make sure I post it all while it's still relevant.
What happening around your way these days?
I lose track of time so much more these days.
I think it's been about 5-6 weeks now of getting up at 4am and working 11-12 hour days, 5 days a week at work. We got this giant 65 mile gas pipeline survey to complete in a 6 month deadline and it involves all of this research of the land back to the 1930's to see when the easements for said pipeline were created and figure out how to draft them (in AutoCad) in the real world today. If there wasn't such an intense deadline, the researching part might actually be fun – learning all about Baltimore County's history, but reading ancient deeds and plats, that were hand written and then scanned for county documentation is hell on my eyes. I've been wearing my glasses every day and using a magnifying glass and I still end up having to guess sometimes whether I'm plotting a northing and easting with a 6 or an 8 in it. It makes the work take so much longer than it should.
That aside, yesterday was rather nice. One of my co-workers supplied Einstein's Bagels for breakfast, then the company supplied an Italian pasta & salad spread for lunch, and then topped off the day with Rita's Italian ice as an afternoon snack. It probably says a lot about me (and not good things) that just being treated with food can make my day lovely, but whatever. Yesterday was flat out delicious.
It was also nice, because while I frequently feel like Thursday's are Friday's lately (since I technically reach my 40 hours long before Friday actually arrives), yesterday actually was my Friday because our company is closed today for Good Friday! I'm terribly excited about having a three day weekend. I actually got to sleep for 9 hours last night, opposed to the 5 I'm typically getting these days. Boy do I feel alive today!
My weekend plans include: manning the couch with a book in hand (I haven't read a book since January!), possibly (hopefully) writing the last 1-3K words of my nightmare novel Dreamsters (I'm SO close!!), catching up on the internet (My inbox is flooded and I haven't even logged into Tumblr in 2 weeks! O_O), and then serving breakfast/brunch to the 400+ people our church is expecting on Easter Sunday. Sunday will be pretty draining, but at least I get two days before it to relax and rejuvenate my creative mind (because work is seriously eating it alive).
This busy life of mine only looks busier in the months to come. With longer, generally warmer days, people have already started asking me to do their spring photo shoots and somehow I've got to get back into a decent workout routine too. I had resolved to not stretch myself so thin this year, but we're only 4 months into 2014 and it's already happening. I just hope there's some sort of backup energy reserve in my body that I figure out how to tap in to, because I'll need it!
Someone wished me that on my FB this week, for my birthday. I LOL'd in real life.
Surprisingly, my birthday wasn't so bad this year. It was super low key in comparison to birthday's past, but it wasn't bad either.
I'm not thrilled about getting older. Truthfully, I'm pretty terrified of it. And I have been since I turned 25. Being 32 now, you might think I'd start accepting my aging self, but I'm just as neurotic as I was about it then. Every year, a new mid-life crisis.
And I don't even know why I'm so beside myself over this aging thing. I just feel like I'll blink and then suddenly I'll be 40, then 50, 60, and so on and still be mentally screaming, "What have I done with my life?!" I know I need to cut it out, to just accept it for what it is. There is no avoiding age, but I cling desperately to the notion that I'm still in my early 20's. I'd be happy to stay there forever.
Aging aside, my birthday came and went this year with a lot of love. I jokingly said to my mom, "If you're ever feeling lonely, like you have no friends, just have a birthday in the social media world and everyone and their brother will crawl out of the woodwork to shower you with love." Because it's true, on FB especially, people I never even talk to stopped by to wish me a happy birthday and even though it's terribly superficial of me to equate that to love, I felt it.
This year was the first I've actually worked on my birthday in more than 10 years. I'm too overwhelmed with overtime that taking off wasn't even an option and it was a bit weird to be in the office when I'd normally be sleeping in and spending my day with a book, but the girls at work unloaded copious amounts of sugary treats on me for breakfast and it's pretty easy to win me over with goodies. For one, I'm the baker in our office so it was nice to have someone else bake for me for a change. And two, just the fact that they remembered and felt the need to do something was much appreciated.
I got singing phone calls from my grandparents (both sides), with their own renditions of Happy Birthday, which just always makes my day. I don't think you ever get too old to enjoy your grandparents singing to you on your birthday. It's like my mom still playing with my hair in church. There are just some things age plays no factor in.
My close friends and family gifted me some really cool stuff and I gathered together with my immediate family for pizza and dessert to celebrate after work. The day was made even better by my nephew Gideon greeting me with, "Happy Birthday!" when I arrived. That kid can make any day better just by smiling at me, but it's especially awesome to see him talking so well these days.
Overall, I can't complain. I'm blessed to have people around me that care to make the day special, even if I'm bummed about it signifying another year passed. I couldn't ask for more, except maybe for Father Time to slow down, but I doubt he's listening.
I'm blogging to you from my tablet and it is not easy. I was supposed to have a new PC by now – well, not completely new. My monitor's still the same and my hard drives are still the same, but everything else – that will all be new. None of this is by choice. Last weekend, my beloved computer decided to commit suicide. It's been slowly becoming problematic anyway, so it will be nice having a new computer, but man is my pocket sad about the unexpected expense. Especially since I spent a great deal of time this month planning and preparing for the Baby Sprinkle I'm throwing my sister in the beginning of September (money and I aren't friends right now, clearly). What's worse is that the new computer arrived this week, already defective. There is some sort of complete revolt going on against me where technology is concerned (seriously, my computer's not the only malfunctioning product around me this week – I'm going nuts).
But this four day holiday weekend wasn't relaxing at all. If it's possible, I'm more tired now than I was when it started. However, exhausting doesn't completely mean bad in this case.
Unfortunately while peeling the apples, I shaved off a portion of my pointer finger/nail bed so that's been pretty painful to deal with all weekend. Still, the pie was gone in a matter of minutes, it was so well received so it made it feel pretty worth it.
We ate said pie at my aunt Kim's house, where we also consumed customary cookout foods, swam, and watched fireworks. If they weren't already dressed in patriotic garb, I made everyone pose with a flag to capture the holiday. You can see the whole photo set by clicking the picture of Gideon and I below.
Friday I was supposed to clean (my house is in desperate need of this) and perhaps write since I'm participating in Grapemo and I'm not exactly off to a good start, but I was so tired from the day before that I got swept away in a book I had no expectations for and found myself hours later sobbing like an idiot over.
When I got home from the shoot, I baked another pie for another family get together, this time at my mom's. This pie was very different from the first pie, super rich and nothing healthy about it at all. It was my rendition of Dangerously Delicious's Baltimore Bomb Pie aka Berger Cookie Pie. It was sinfully delicious.
No matter how tired I was today, I had to clean and get ready to return to work tomorrow, but life had other plans and shortly after church I received a hysterical phone call from my sister to rush to her house and watch Gideon because my brother-in-law had been attacked by a swarm of bees. He went into Anaphylactic shock, his blood pressure dropped to nearly nothing and he was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. Thank God they were able to revive him, but he has to remain in the hospital under observation for the next 24 hours. It could have ended a lot worse, had Rachel not been home it's very likely he wouldn't have made it at all.
All-in-all it wasn't a bad weekend even if it didn't end on that happy of a note, but it was long and tiresome. I'd say I'm looking forward to a regular weekend next weekend, but there are more parties my presence is required and so I'm sure I'll be feeling pretty tired come next Sunday, too.
Did you do anything special for the holiday weekend?
Whenever I write something, no matter the significance, from as small as a twitter post to as big as my novel, I chose my words very carefully. And I re-read them several times over before completely committing to them, trying to imagine all the ways those words could possibly be taken. I even re-read them several more times after they're official just to make sure they still come across the way I intended them to.
It's the same with speaking for me. I hate the idea of saying something and not being able to take it back so I better really mean it before it leaves my mind. And I'm not one to speak up about something factual unless I am 100% sure I know what I'm talking about. I say something over and over again to myself before I unleash it from my tongue. I even practice different scenarios in my head so that I know I'll react properly should I be confronted with one of those situations.
Despite all this effort, I'm constantly reminded that no matter how cautious I am with the words I write or say, I can never truly predict the way someone will perceive and react to them. I often find myself wondering if there was something else I should have said, something to have garnered a different response, but I know it's really just a waste of brain energy. People are going to view and react according to their own disposition. Nothing you did or didn't say/write would have changed that.
Do any of you obsess about saying/writing the perfect words only to find yourself shocked by the reactions of those on the receiving end?


Americans took 10.3 billion trips on public transportation in 2007, the highest level in 50 years, representing a 2.1% increase over the previous year, according to data released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
Public transportation use is up 32% since 1995, a figure that is more than double the growth rate of the population (15%) and up substantially over the growth rate for the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on US highways (24%) for that same period.
Light rail (modern streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys) had the highest percentage of ridership increase among all modes, with a 6.1% increase in 2007. Light rail systems showed double digit increases in the following areas: New Orleans (128.6%); Denver (66.2 %); Saint Louis (27.0%); Philadelphia (26.2%); Kenosha (18.5 %); the state of New Jersey (14.7%); and Memphis (11.3%).
Commuter rail posted the second largest ridership increase at 5.5%. The five commuter rail systems with the double digit ridership growth rate in 2007 were located in the following areas: Nashville (257.9%); Santa Fe (96.6%); Harrisburg (41.3%); Seattle (27.4%); Oakland (14.2%); Dallas/Fort Worth (12.1%); Stockton (11.9%); Portland, ME (11.8%); and Pompano Beach, FL (10.3%).
Heavy rail (subways) ridership increased by 3.1%. The heavy rail systems with double digit increases in ridership for 2007 were in the following cities: San Juan (13.2 %) and Atlanta (10.1%).
Bus service saw an increase of 1.0%, but in communities with a population of less than 100,000, bus services saw an increase of 6.4% in 2007. Major increases by large bus agencies occurred in the following cities: Seattle (7.5%); Denver (7.0%); and Minneapolis (5.4%).
In 2004, the latest year for which the data is available, all modes of public transit accounted for 49 billion passenger miles; total vehicle miles travelled in the US is around 3 trillion per year.
Great news. Public transportation is a great service that is typically overlooked. Without it congestion would limit the effectiveness of urban centers to produce profit and in urbanized settings it is one of the most cost effective way to get around.
I wonder... how much of the increase is from more use of existing transit, and how much of the increase is from newly built transit? Of course, it's not that simple if a person uses new and pre-existing transit in the same trip, but it's still worth thinking about.
Are transit systems gaining a higher density of ridership, or are their gains from expanding in to "virgin" territory? The answer to this question might help decide just where are the best place to put federal transit dollars.
The population of the US is the highest it has ever been in the past 50 years too...so what is the relative percentage of adults using Public Transport (as a percentage of the adult population versus the last 50 years).
I have lived in st louis and currently live in denver. I can say that st louis hasn't had a light rail for very long and neither has denver. I don't remember exactly when the "metro-link" in stl was completed but it was sometime around '95 and i think the first phase of the light rail here in denver was completed around that same time too. A recent expansion line opened last year. denver has plans (due to a recent vote) to add over 100 more miles of light rail over the next 10-15yrs.
the increase from 2007 over 2006 was 2.1%. I don't know the % population increase over the same period but I think it's unlikely that the US, as a developed country, would have a population increase of more than 2% in a year, so it seems growth in public transport trips is outstripping population growth. It would be interesting this figure to compare with the growth in trips by car over the same period.
The percentage using public transport is not that useful because people taking the train once a year get lumped in with those using PT for all trips. I think public transport trips as a percentage of all motorised trips is more useful.
Cities that have just completed building programs are obviously going to have massive initial year on year increases. It's encouraging that in the heartland of the car there are so many new public transport systems being constructed.
fyi, wikipedia says growth rate is estimated at 1% in the united states.
Patrick & critta...It states in the article: since 1995, public transit has increased 32%, while the pop. has increased 15%. Not your 50 year period, but probably more meaningful.
Seattle with its 7.5% bus transit increase...at rushhour, the same route numbered huge articulated buses pour thru downtown every 4(?) minutes. If buses weren't running, Seattle would shrivel up in traffic jams. Its been curling up around the edges for years.
The U.S. has lots of suburbs that have little or no mass transit. Even if you wanted to use what is there, it would take hours to go somewhere that would take 20 minutes by car.
Just wait until the Alaskan way viaduct comes down...I'm glad I live & work on the Eastside. Some of my coworkers cross 520 from Seattle and it is just a brutal commute for them. Too bad they killed the transit measure though, I was looking forward to light rail from Seattle to Overlake. Hopefully they won't screw up the chance to turn the BNSF corridor into a commuter line for the Snohomish county people who drive into Bellevue/Redmond.
Wow, gas prices go up, pushing folks into public transport. Whoda thunkit?!
Now the question is, why couldn't we have had legislation that would have put a tax on gasoline for mandatory insurance and to offset defense spending on maintaining access to middle-eastern oil? Set at, say, a minimum price of $4/gal back when it was $1.50? Then we would have reduced gas use and kept the money at home instead of lining some arab's robes or Exxon's pockets?
Hi Patrick...On October 24, 2007 we talked about Seattle's transit problem stuck between 2 bodies of water & decades of NO votes on transit plans since 1970 in the article about 13 Hybrids being tested in Seattle. In 1970 after Seattle turned down lots of federal dollars for a transit program, Portland inherited Seattle's position & developed a tidy transit system.
Yes, with nearly 4 decades of NO votes to transit issues, & Alaska Way ready to fall down & 520 degrading, Seattle is vulnerable to a moderate earthquake or mountain eruption which could plummet Seattle v. deep into economic chaos. Our governor Christine Gregoire is trying to jump start political activity in Seattle to little avail.


First of all, a HUGE congratulations to Ramez Naam for finaling in the Kitschies Awards (given out by The Kraken Rum!) for his debut SF thriller NEXUS from Angry Robot Books. You can check out an interview with him here on the publisher's website.
I can't wait to meet you in person at RT in New Orleans!!! Will you be signing books or wearing your agent hat? Or both?
Mostly the agent hat, but I'll be signing and a few other things as my author self. Look forward to meeting you!
Contrats and a new YA Rebels Vlog!


text:
Hospitals, insurers slow in adding downside risk to contracts
Tara Bannow
When Janie Wade stepped into her new role as chief financial officer of a 10-hospital health system based in Colorado, she expected to encounter a hefty appetite for innovative, risk-based contracting from commercial health insurers.
Boy, was she wrong.
"We have offered out for bundles at some of our sites and there's just not a lot of appetite," said Wade, CFO of Broomfield-based SCL Health, which is the 10th-largest Catholic health system in the country, according to Modern Healthcare's 43rd annual Hospital Systems Survey. "Two of the biggest payers here have told us they can't really administer a bundle."
Commercial risk-based contracting depends heavily on the culture of a region, insurers' market share and relationships between payers and providers. In many pockets of the country, health system leaders say it's just not on the menu. "Some payers seem to be pulling in the reins on value-based programs in Connecticut," said Tricia Hasselman, vice president of contracting and payer relations for Hartford HealthCare. "It's a challenging market for both payers and provider systems."
Industry's shifting focus leads to changes in survey metrics
Net patient revenue has been replaced with operating revenue as the gauge for comparing organizations in Modern Healthcare's Hospital Systems survey.
The change was spurred by an inquiry from a participating health system that said healthcare is about more than patient revenue these days, and we agreed. We write regularly about the diversifying steps systems are taking.
So most of rankings this year are based on operating revenue. The one exception made was for Kaiser Permanente in that its member dues were not counted as revenue this year in order to make comparisons more realistic.
Also, the survey sent out to health systems no longer serves as the source for the revenue numbers in our rankings. That's because it has become easier and more reliable to mainly use Modern Healthcare's System Financials Database for most of the revenue statistics. —Paul Barr
Health system leaders who participated in the survey said the percentage of their net patient revenue generated as part of risk-based contracts is expected to be 12.3% this year, up from 11.9% in 2018. But it's a small sample size. Representatives from 51 systems completed this year's survey, and some didn't answer that question.
Hospital finance experts said percentages near 12% sound suspiciously high.
"When I hear those numbers, I have this visceral reaction where I almost start to discount them," said Joseph Fifer, CEO of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Even more interesting was the wild variation in responses from health systems. From a whopping 85% from Edward-Elmhurst Health in Naperville, Ill., to a group in the middle who said between 15% and 35%, down to about half who said between 0% and 5% of their net patient revenue came from risk-based contracts.
All this underscores what many in the industry see as an inherent problem with value-based care and risk-based contracting: There are no set definitions that govern what's what. Each health system executive who responded to that question likely interpreted it differently.
"You hear me say 'pay for quality, pay for performance.' That's a fundamental problem," said Howard Cutler, vice president of payer strategies in the acute-care division of King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services, the fourth-largest for-profit chain.
Others wondered whether to include Medicare's mandatory value-based purchasing component.
"Technically that's a risk-based program, but you don't get to opt in or out of it," SCL Health's Wade said. "So it's never really clear whether you should count that."
Edward-Elmhurst's 85% includes all arrangements in which part of its payment was affected by performance, including the Medicare Shared Savings Program and contracts with its large commercial payers, said Shawn Roark, the system's vice president of payer strategy.
And what about providers in states with managed Medicaid programs? Dr. Joshua Liao, associate medical director of contracting and value-based care at UW Medicine in Seattle, said such programs are the norm in many states. "They are doing it, but they may not count it because it's the way it has always been," he said. "What is considered value makes a difference."
Interest still there
Nearly 60% of respondents to this year's survey said their contracts involved both upside and downside risk in 2018, up from 46% in last year's survey. Fifty-three percent said upside risk only, compared with 54% last year; 63% of respondents said they contracted with private health insurers as accountable care organizations in 2018, up from 59% in 2017.
In a recent Navigant survey, 64% of health system finance leaders said they plan to assume risk in contracts with commercial payers in the next one to three years.
"Our experience is an increasing percentage of health systems are feeling confident that they could be successful at risk-taking," said Rich Bajner, a managing director with Navigant. But Bajner, who agreed that the survey results sounded high, said commercial risk-based contracting isn't catching on because commercial insurers simply aren't offering it in many regions.
It's rare for health systems to decline the opportunity to enter risk-based contracts with favorable terms, Bajner said. Sometimes payers and providers enter talks but the contracts ultimately don't pan out, he said.
Among the health systems that told Navigant they won't pursue increased risk levels, 56% cited low market demand as the reason. Bajner said that's typically because a single commercial payer has 60% to 80% of market share and isn't willing to engage in those contracts. In those cases, providers sometimes partner with other companies or create their own health plans to take on risk.
Hartford HealthCare currently has five commercial value-based contracts, six Medicare Advantage value-based contracts and it participates in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. But even with all that, the multibillion-dollar annual revenue system does not generate significant revenue from its value-based contracts yet, Hasselman said.
"It is going to take a market like Connecticut a bit longer to get there," she said.
Some moving faster than others
In Western Michigan, Spectrum Health CFO Matthew Cox said the region's largest commercial payer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan, has agreed to more risk-based contracts. Spectrum also has risk-based contracts through its own insurance company, Priority Health, whose coverage extends statewide. All told, 1% of Spectrum's net patient revenue was tied to risk-based contracts in 2018, including a risk-based Medicaid plan, Medicare Advantage and commercial contracts, Cox said.
"I think as you look across the healthcare industry, you can see it's true that we are going to be able to bend the cost curve by insurance companies and providers working together to share the risk," he said.
Montefiore Health System in New York City said 40% of its net patient revenue was tied to risk-based contracts in 2018 and again in 2019. The Bronx-based not-for-profit has developed and relied on advanced delivery and payment models since 1996, spokeswoman Lara Markenson wrote in an email. Today, Montefiore holds risk-based contracts with more than a half-dozen insurers in New York City and the Hudson Valley, including commercial, Medicaid and Medicare.
The slow evolution toward value-based care comes as the country's largest health systems balloon in size. Modern Healthcare collects data on health systems' size as part of its annual Hospital Systems Survey. Nashville-based HCA Healthcare had $46.7 billion in operating revenue in its fiscal 2018, maintaining its position as the nation's largest health system by revenue.
Although newly formed CommonSpirit Health reported results for Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives separately, when combined the two organizations would be second overall and first among not-for-profit systems with operating revenue of $29.2 billion for CommonSpirit's fiscal 2018.
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Oakland, Calif., had estimated operating revenue of $25.3 billion, a number that doesn't include membership dues at the integrated provider of $54.4 billion; if membership dues were included it would boost Kaiser to the top of the list with revenue of $79.7 billion.
UHS, the fourth-ranked for-profit system, generates about $3.6 billion in annual revenue from private insurers, Cutler said. Of that, only about 1% is in programs where payment is tied to quality.
"So as much as I'm a guy who believes the tectonic plates in healthcare are shifting, the reality is, what my organization sees is it is not moving at the pace I think many expected."
DATA: 2019 Hospital Systems Survey
Jefferson Health consolidates organization amid financial challenges
Health system's book club opens new chapter on staff engagement
Modern Healthcare A.M. Newsletter: Sign up to receive a comprehensive weekday morning newsletter designed for busy healthcare executives who need the latest and most important healthcare news and analysis.


text:
Celebrating Defeat: Dispatches from the Conservative Convention
The Syrup Trap's Winnie Code checks out the Conservative Convention, where she talks to a crude button maker and interim leader Rona Ambrose.
Hosted by Arshy Mann
We sent the Syrup Trap's Winnie Code out to the Conservative Convention in Vancouver. She explains how the convention was reminiscent of an informercial and goes right to the top of the party for the official line on whether Justin Trudeau is handsome.
Plus, a discussion about whether the Conservative Party can build credibility when it comes to environmental policy. Featuring Mark Cameron of Canadians for Clean Prosperity and Jason Thistlethwaite, assistant professor at University of Waterloo's faculty of the environment.
Winnie's Twitter: @prayforwinnie
Sponsor: Shipstation
CORRECTION: The original podcast contained mistakes related to Brian Mulroney's climate initiatives. Jason Thistlethwaite said the Montreal Protocol was launched to curb CFCs that cause acid rain. A listener pointed out that CFCs do not cause acid rain and the Montreal Protocol was meant to deal with CFCs, not acid rain. Jason also said Stephane Dion ran for the Liberals in 2006, when it was in fact 2008. He acknowledged the mistakes and both of these sections have been removed. We regret the errors.
Monopoly #11 – Flight Risk
It's been a hard few years for Canadian air passengers. And while no one blames the airline oligopoly for COVID or winter storms, air travellers have had to put up with a lot.
Monopoly #10 – The Way the Music Died
♩♪ But Spotify, it's nearly killed us. Ticketmaster's ground us to dust. The companies got too large, now monopolies are in charge. ♩♪
MONOPOLY #9 – Diamonds of Attawapiskat
While Attawapiskat faced crisis after crisis, the community was sitting on a literal diamond mine run by the world's most famous mining company.
Monopoly #8 – Raining Cats and Dollars
When you look at your pet, you probably see an adorable furball that you'd do anything for. A private equity firm sees dollar signs.
CANADALAND #725 The Rogers Family Compact
An unofficial narrative of Canada's telecom overlords.
Monopoly #7 – Canada's Competition Cop
A frank discussion with Canada's top competition cop.
Monopoly #6 – The Urge to Merge
For 150 years, Canadian politicians have been talking out of both sides of their mouths. They claim they want to promote competition. And then they pass laws that do the opposite.
Monopoly #5 – Against the WIND


text:
//===-- runtime/allocatable.h -----------------------------------*- C++ -*-===//
//
// Part of the LLVM Project, under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions.
// See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
//
//===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//

// Defines APIs for Fortran runtime library support of code generated
// to manipulate and query allocatable variables, dummy arguments, & components.
#ifndef FORTRAN_RUNTIME_ALLOCATABLE_H_
#define FORTRAN_RUNTIME_ALLOCATABLE_H_
#include "descriptor.h"
#include "entry-names.h"

namespace Fortran::runtime {
extern "C" {

// Initializes the descriptor for an allocatable of intrinsic or derived type.
// The incoming descriptor is treated as (and can be) uninitialized garbage.
// Must be called for each allocatable variable as its scope comes into being.
// The storage for the allocatable's descriptor must have already been
// allocated to a size sufficient for the rank, corank, and type.
// A descriptor must be initialized before being used for any purpose,
// but needs reinitialization in a deallocated state only when there is
// a change of type, rank, or corank.
void RTNAME(AllocatableInitIntrinsic)(
    Descriptor &, TypeCategory, int kind, int rank = 0, int corank = 0);
void RTNAME(AllocatableInitCharacter)(Descriptor &, SubscriptValue length = 0,
    int kind = 1, int rank = 0, int corank = 0);
void RTNAME(AllocatableInitDerived)(
    Descriptor &, const DerivedType &, int rank = 0, int corank = 0);

// Checks that an allocatable is not already allocated in statements
// with STAT=.  Use this on a value descriptor before setting bounds or
// type parameters.  Not necessary on a freshly initialized descriptor.
// (If there's no STAT=, the error will be caught later anyway, but
// this API allows the error to be caught before descriptor is modified.)
// Return 0 on success (deallocated state), else the STAT= value.
int RTNAME(AllocatableCheckAllocated)(Descriptor &,
    Descriptor *errMsg = nullptr, const char *sourceFile = nullptr,
    int sourceLine = 0);

// For MOLD= allocation; sets bounds, cobounds, and length type
// parameters from another descriptor.  The destination descriptor must
// be initialized and deallocated.
void RTNAME(AllocatableApplyMold)(Descriptor &, const Descriptor &mold);

// Explicitly sets the bounds and length type parameters of an initialized
// deallocated allocatable.
void RTNAME(AllocatableSetBounds)(
    Descriptor &, int zeroBasedDim, SubscriptValue lower, SubscriptValue upper);

// The upper bound is ignored for the last codimension.
void RTNAME(AllocatableSetCoBounds)(Descriptor &, int zeroBasedCoDim,
    SubscriptValue lower, SubscriptValue upper = 0);

// Length type parameters are indexed in declaration order; i.e., 0 is the
// first length type parameter in the deepest base type.  (Not for use
// with CHARACTER; see above.)
void RTNAME(AllocatableSetDerivedLength)(
    Descriptor &, int which, SubscriptValue);

// When an explicit type-spec appears in an ALLOCATE statement for an
// allocatable with an explicit (non-deferred) length type paramater for
// a derived type or CHARACTER value, the explicit value has to match
// the length type parameter's value.  This API checks that requirement.
// Returns 0 for success, or the STAT= value on failure with hasStat==true.
int RTNAME(AllocatableCheckLengthParameter)(Descriptor &,
    int which /* 0 for CHARACTER length */, SubscriptValue other,
    bool hasStat = false, Descriptor *errMsg = nullptr,
    const char *sourceFile = nullptr, int sourceLine = 0);

// Allocates an allocatable.  The allocatable descriptor must have been
// initialized and its bounds and length type parameters set and must be
// in a deallocated state.
// On failure, if hasStat is true, returns a nonzero error code for
// STAT= and (if present) fills in errMsg; if hasStat is false, the
// image is terminated.  On success, leaves errMsg alone and returns zero.
// Successfully allocated memory is initialized if the allocatable has a
// derived type, and is always initialized by AllocatableAllocateSource().
// Performs all necessary coarray synchronization and validation actions.
int RTNAME(AllocatableAllocate)(Descriptor &, bool hasStat = false,
    Descriptor *errMsg = nullptr, const char *sourceFile = nullptr,
    int sourceLine = 0);
int RTNAME(AllocatableAllocateSource)(Descriptor &, const Descriptor &source,
    bool hasStat = false, Descriptor *errMsg = nullptr,
    const char *sourceFile = nullptr, int sourceLine = 0);

// Assigns to a whole allocatable, with automatic (re)allocation when the
// destination is unallocated or nonconforming (Fortran 2003 semantics).
// The descriptor must be initialized.
// Recursively assigns components with (re)allocation as necessary.
// TODO: Consider renaming to a more general name that will work for
// assignments to pointers, dummy arguments, and anything else with a
// descriptor.
void RTNAME(AllocatableAssign)(Descriptor &to, const Descriptor &from);

// Implements the intrinsic subroutine MOVE_ALLOC (16.9.137 in F'2018,
// but note the order of first two arguments is reversed for consistency
// with the other APIs for allocatables.)  The destination descriptor
// must be initialized.
int RTNAME(MoveAlloc)(Descriptor &to, const Descriptor &from,
    bool hasStat = false, Descriptor *errMsg = nullptr,
    const char *sourceFile = nullptr, int sourceLine = 0);

// Deallocates an allocatable.  Finalizes elements &/or components as needed.
// The allocatable is left in an initialized state suitable for reallocation
// with the same bounds, cobounds, and length type parameters.
int RTNAME(AllocatableDeallocate)(Descriptor &, bool hasStat = false,
    Descriptor *errMsg = nullptr, const char *sourceFile = nullptr,
    int sourceLine = 0);
}
} // namespace Fortran::runtime
#endif // FORTRAN_RUNTIME_ALLOCATABLE_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Yahoo to cut 1,700 workers as CEO tries to save her own job
This Feb. 19, 2015 photo, Yahoo President and CEO Marissa Mayer delivers the keynote address at the first-ever Yahoo Mobile Developer Conference in San Francisco.
AP/Eric Risberg
SAN FRANCISCO -- Yahoo is laying off about 1,700 employees and shedding some of its excess baggage in a shake-up likely to determine whether CEO Marissa Mayer can save her own job.
The long-anticipated purge, announced Tuesday, will jettison about 15 percent of Yahoo's workforce along with an assortment of services that Mayer decided aren't worth the time and money that the Internet company has been putting into them.
Mayer hopes to sell some of Yahoo's unwanted services for about $1 billion, though she didn't identify which ones. In an apparent concession to some shareholders, Mayer also said Yahoo's board will mull "strategic alternatives" that could result in the sale of all the company's Internet operations. Analysts have speculated that Verizon, AT&T and Comcast might be interested in buying Yahoo's main business, despite years of deterioration.
Mayer expressed confidence that her plan to run Yahoo as a smaller, more focused company "will dramatically brighten our future and improve our competitiveness, and attractiveness to users, advertisers, and partners."
This cost-cutting overhaul might be Mayer's last chance to persuade restless shareholders that she has figured out how to revive the Internet company's growth after three-and-half years of futility.
Some of Yahoo's most outspoken shareholders, such as SpringOwl Asset Management, already have concluded that Mayer should be laid off, too. Mayer, a former rising star at Google who helped Google eclipse Yahoo, has given no indication she intends to leave.
Even after the mass firings are completed by the end of March, Yahoo will still have about 9,000 workers - three times the roughly 3,000 people that SpringOwl believes the company should be employing, based on its steadily declining revenue.
"We would like to see a higher stock price, and we think Marissa and her current management team have become a hindrance to that," said Eric Jackson, SpringOwl's managing director. He declined to disclose the size of SpringOwl's Yahoo investment.
Yahoo's stock dipped 25 cents to $28.81 in extended trading after details of Mayer's latest turnaround attempt came out.
Yahoo's revenue has been shrinking through most of Mayer's reign, even though she has spent more than $3 billion buying more than 40 companies, while bringing in new talent and developing mobile applications and other services designed to attract more traffic and advertisers.
The decline has persisted while advertisers have been steadily increasing their digital marketing efforts. Most of that money has been flowing to Google and Facebook - two companies once far smaller than the now 20-year-old Yahoo Inc.
Copyright © 2023 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
BUSINESS SUNNYVALE SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA MARISSA MAYER WALL STREET ECONOMY STOCKS YAHOO SILICON VALLEY TECHNOLOGY U.S. & WORLD LAYOFF PERSONAL FINANCE JOBS
Google pays $1 billion for Yahoo buildings in Sunnyvale
Marissa Mayer proposing Palo Alto facility focused on support for working women
Canadian man accused in Yahoo hack expected to change plea
Yahoo hacking case shifted how companies look at cyber security


text:
Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Delaware Community Legal Aid Society, Inc – Equal Access To Justice
CLASI Publications
Employment Opportunities at CLASI
CLASI Grievance Procedure
Disabilities Law Program
Transition to Adulthood
Your Rights as a Voter
Elder Law Program
Power of Attorney and Advance Health Care Directives
Fair Housing Program
Medical Legal Partnership
Poverty Law Program
Tenant's Rights
Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program
Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation – FAQ
Author Archives: Jason Stoehr
Concussion Safety Bill Signed Into Law
NewsBy Jason Stoehr September 7, 2016
Thanks to a bill the Disabilities Law Program helped draft, Delaware youth athletes will have improved concussion safety standards starting next year. Details about the new law can be found on Delaware Online.
Settlement Reached in Solitary Confinement Lawsuit
The Delaware Department of Correction (DOC), Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. of Delaware (CLASI) and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Delaware (ACLU) are pleased to announce an agreement has been approved by United States District Judge Gregory Sleet on September 1, 2016, concerning the treatment of inmates in Restrictive Housing Units, with a…
CLASI Named Among Delaware's Top Workplaces
NewsBy Jason Stoehr August 29, 2016
CLASI is among 60 companies in Delaware named by the News Journal as top places to work. The designation is based solely on surveys completed by employees of the organization. The full list of companies is available here: http://www.topworkplaces.com/frontend.php/regional-list/list/delawareonline
Making Hard Time Harder: Report Outlines Need for Accommodations for Prisoners with Disabilities
NewsBy Jason Stoehr June 22, 2016
More than 600,000 inmates with disabilities in prisons across the country spend more time in prison, under harsher conditions, than inmates without disabilities, according to research. Today, Amplifying Voices of Prisoners with Disabilities (AVID), a project of Disability Rights Washington, released Making Hard Time Harder: Programmatic Accommodations for Inmates with Disabilities Under the Americans with…
The Arc of Delaware Reaches Fair Housing Settlement
The Arc of Delaware and its counsel Relman, Dane & Colfax, The Arc of the United States, and Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. are thrilled to announce the recent settlement of The Arc of Delaware's disability discrimination complaint against Sugar Maple Farms Property Owners' Association, Inc. (SMFPOA). That complaint, filed in March 2015 with…
Facing Lawsuit, DE Medicaid Removes Restriction on Life Saving Drug
NewsBy Jason Stoehr June 7, 2016
After weeks of negotiation arising from a formal threat of litigation, officials at the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services and its Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance (DMMA) have changed their policy on rationing coverage of life-saving drugs to cure Hepatitis C virus (HCV). On March 28, 2016, attorneys from Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. of Delaware,…
Solitary Confinement Panel
NewsBy Jason Stoehr April 22, 2016
CLASI Paralegal Abby Samuels participated on a panel at the University of Delaware on Solitary Confinement in Prisons on April 18, 2016.
DLP Monitoring Presidential Primary Polling Places
The Disabilities Law Program is monitoring polling places in the Presidential Primary for accessibility for people with disabilities. To report on your experience at a polling place, please take a few minutes to complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DLP2016VoterSurvey-PresidentialPrimary
Executive Director Dan Atkins receives MLP Award
The National Medical-Legal Partnership presented Executive Director Daniel G. Atkins with its Distinguished Medical-Legal Partnership Advocate Award at the National MLP Summit in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 7, 2016. The award recognizes an MLP practitioner (from health care, law, medicine, nursing, public health, or social work) who has made a significant contribution to the research,…
Senior Staff Attorney Jim McGiffin to Receive Award
The Delaware St. Thomas More Society will present the Monsignor Taggart Award to CLASI Senior Staff Attorney James G. McGiffin, Jr. This prestigious award is presented each year to a member of the Society who exemplifies the following characteristics: – Strong and pervasive sense of justice – Personal courage and conviction – Commitment to law, community and…
Copyright © 2019 Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. All Rights Reserved. – Disclaimer


Each year 'Sing for Simon' brings together over 100 groups and choirs who sing Christmas carols and songs in various locations across Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Meath, Louth, Monaghan and Cavan. Whether you sing in a choir, a band, or even just in the shower, we'd love you to join our campaign for 2018.
Sing for Simon: Choirs, companies, schools, and even groups of friends can join in the musical fun by Singing for Simon. Gather your group and arrange your carol singing event in your local area, or use one of our pre-booked locations! We'll provide the Santa hats and buckets, you bring the tunes and festive cheer!
Simon 24-Hour Carolathon (14th and 15th December): Our 24-hour Carolathon starts on Friday, 14th December on Grafton Street. We need lots of bucket shakers to support the choirs throughout Friday and Saturday. If you can help on your own or with a group, we'd love to hear from you!
Christmas Volunteering: We are also looking for plenty of volunteers over the course of December for bucket shaking, event support, bag packs and more! Please contact us if you would like to get involved.
To get involved and support Dublin Simon Community this Christmas, please fill out the application form below and someone will be in touch with you shortly.


While work on new homes continues apace in Miles Platting, Lovell is paying equal attention to the space around the properties to ensure it's green and sustainable for future residents.
Upon completion of the development, which is being built in a number of phases, there will be three times the number of trees on the 264-acre site as when Lovell began work, plus landscaped areas of public realm, three play areas, a revamped pedestrian network, new hedgerows, shrubs and green corridors.
The new neighbourhood, known as Platting Village, will eventually be home to 1,000 new homes and 1,500 refurbished council houses and flats and is already proving to be a highly desirable place to live. The area is being transformed beyond recognition, from one which once contained poor quality housing and derelict buildings, to a thriving community of families and professionals, close to Manchester city centre.
While 96 existing trees have needed to be removed to ensure the new layout is suitable for a safe, sustainable and modern housing development, which maximises the use of space, the first three phases have already seen around 175 new trees planted.
In addition, Lovell has regenerated the adjacent park along the Rochdale Canal as part of the overall scheme, where a further 150 new trees have been planted.
A spokesperson for Lovell Homes in the North West said: "Creating a layout that provides an attractive place to live but also promotes sustainability in terms of green spaces for residents to enjoy and wildlife to thrive is vitally important to the success of this regeneration project. In some areas that means starting from a blank page, and redesigning the area. Where we occasionally need to remove trees we always ensure we give back more and, in the case of Miles Platting, that is a three-fold increase in the total number of trees on site.
Future residents of Platting Village will not only have an exciting new place to call home, they will be within easy reach of a host of local amenities including schools, Miles Platting and Ancoats Sure Start Children's Centre, Victoria Mill and the sports facilities at Eastlands, not to mention within easy reach of the city centre.


text:
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  {% endif %}
  {% if v2_repo %}

Delete this Tag:

      <form action="{{ url_for('index') + request.path }}/del" method="post">
          <button class="confirmYesNo" data-confirm="This will delete this tag, you sure you want to do it?"
                  type="submit">Delete</button>
      </form>
  {% endif %}

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{% endblock %}


text:
Q: How to operate app and browser combined per test automation I am searching for a test automation tool that supports the following test case:

*

*start an app on the smartphone

*click on a button; the click on the button starts the browser and opens a web page in the browser, on the smartphone of course

*enter some data in the browser

*return to the app: the entered data must be visible now in the app

I have seen many test automation tools, that support app testing and browser testing. But there I have seen only situations where the browser is opened on the computer where the test automation tool runs; or cases where the browser is started separately on a smartphone.
Does anyone know a tool that supports testing the described communication between the app and the browser which was started by the app?

A: This can be done in the standard automated UI testing that comes with Xcode, XCUITest (i'm assuming the Android equivalent can do the same). I'm a fan of using the inbuilt stuff as you get full access to Swift/Objective-C and don't have to deal with any additional, buggy dependencies
E.g. I had a settings screen in an app that had multiple links to external resources. I had an automated test that tapped the buttons, waited a few seconds, then verified that safari contained the correct URL, then returned to the app.
Your usecase will obviously be more involved than mine, but here is a sample of navigating from app -> Safari -> interact with safari -> return to app
func test_ExternalLinks() {
    // Hold onto a reference of our app that we are testing, and safari installed on the phone
    let app = XCUIApplication()
    let safari = XCUIApplication(bundleIdentifier: "com.apple.mobilesafari")

    // Query to get safari URL textfield
    let urlTextField = safari.textFields["URL"]

    // Navigate to settings screen
    ...
    ...

    // Tap "About" button in our app
    app.tables.staticTexts["About"].tap()
    sleep(2)

    // Tap URL bar so we can examine the full URL
    safari.buttons["URL"].tap()
    urlTextField.tap()

    // Extract URL and compare to known value
    var url = urlTextField.value as! String
    XCTAssert(url == "https://...../about/", url)

    // Return to our app
    app.activate()
    sleep(2)
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Bandersnatch (Black Mirror Season 5 Ep 1)
Today, Netflix released a full length film which is actually Season 5 Episode 1 of the Black Mirror series. It's called Bandersnatch and it's dreadful.
0 out of 10 stars. Truly some of the worst ideas come from Amazon and Netflix. This is one of them.
The idea behind Bandersnatch is that Netflix is controlling the show. That's right. It's called Interactive Streaming. Throughout the show, about every two minutes, you are asked to choose what will happen next from a list of two to four choices. If you don't choose your are subjected to watching the same scene over and over again four times (or however many choices there are) while each choice plays through. :0
The story line is that it's 1984 and a new gaming company wants to program some cool games for the new game consoles out there. Of course at the time there was only Commodore 64. Remember that old thing? Pong was the big hit of that decade.
Stefan is a troubled teenager, a loner, who ends up interviewing for a job at this company and he is immediately hired. He doesn't have much to show for his work, just some screenshots of basically nothing. Somehow he is paid for this. :0 Apparently in 1984 Britain anyone who can light a pixel on a screen was considered a genius and hired on the spot.
All you really learn from this film is that Stefan is troubled, he admires a guy who wrote a book called Bandersnatch, his mom is dead so he sees a therapist regularly, and he sucks at pretty much everything. I. Don't. Care. I'm not sure anyone would. To disguise this as entertainment is laughable.
After watching almost an entire hour absolutely nothing had happened. Nothing. And there were still two hours left. :0 Then Stefan is playing his little game and encounters someone from Netflix saying they are playing his game and telling him what to do next. 🙁 That's when it became clear that this was one big promo for Netflix and not an actual film. 🙁
0 out of 10 stars. Don't waste your time. If I could give it negative 100 I would. It's insulting to call this science fiction. There's no science in this at all. There isn't even a real story line.
Reviewed by Devin.
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