A developer has finally gained permission to build an apartment block close to Shenfield station following a series of applications.
Previous applications to construct a series of flats along Rayleigh Road were refused.
However, their latest attempt was approved by Brentwood Council on Friday (May 25).
In approving the application council staff said "the need for housing in Brentwood is ongoing" and said the previous conclusions had been addressed in the newest proposal.
Where will the apartment blocks be going?
The immediate area surrounding the proposed plans consists of two-storey residential properties and Triggs Garage (MOT services) to the left, as well as three-storey blocks of flats to the West.
It is within walking distance of Shenfield Station, along Rayleigh Road, close to the roundabout connecting Alexander Lane and The Hutton Junction pub.
What will the apartment block look like?
The applicant revised the construction plans and said the new design "clearly presents a development that is more residential in appearance when viewed from the street resulting in a positive contribution to the character of the area".
The development will provide five parking spaces, ten cycle spaces and three bin storage areas. The existing building is a detached family house that will be demolished as part of the scheme and replaced by five flats with one parking space per apartment.
The trees in the garden will be removed for the parking, cycling and bin storage areas to sit behind the property.
Features of the building will include glazed balconies with metal framing, aluminium folding doors, red stock facing brickwork and natural, grey roofing slates.
A previous proposal was submitted to the council requesting permission to build a three-storey apartment block comprising of six two-bed apartments and a one-bed flat, in February 2016.
The decision notice for this said: "The proposed development, as a result of the size, height, design, form and scale of the building and the frontage treatment proposed, would result in a development which is incongruous in and out-of-keeping with the street scene to the detriment of the character and appearance of the area.
"Potential damage to existing trees would add to this harm."
The developer appealed the decision but this was dismissed by the planning inspector. The decision was based on two factors; the appearance and character of the area and harm to the living conditions of those living next door.
The applicant then changed the design of the apartments after having the proposal refused.
The planning statement said: "With regard to its massing the revised scheme has considered the inspector's comments regarding the greater bulk and boxy appearance of the dismissed scheme.
"The new scheme has taken its queue from the more residential character and scale of development in the immediate vicinity of the site.
"This has resulted in a significant design change. The scheme is now only two storeys in height, has no dormers and the crown roof has been replaced by a more traditional hipped roof design.
"It has also again been possible to maintain the natural progression in height increase as Rayleigh Road gains elevation towards the east.
"As a result the scheme would not be any higher than the two storey residential properties to the east of the site."
The applicant proposed planning again for the 780-square-metre site in July 2017.
This was refused in September of that year, with the council saying the design would result in a "cramped" development resulting in "harm to the character and appearance of the area".
The second application suggested seven apartments and parking spaces, 11 cycle spaces and five bin storage areas.
Residents from Rayleigh Road have opposed the plans, with a Mrs Mitchell commenting on the planning application focusing on her objections.
In a letter to the council's planning department she said how she had been living next door for 40 years.
The 81-year-old said: "I am at an age when these problems are very worrying and I am very tired of the constant threat of even more flats in my area.
"I hope the planning department of my council will be able to call a halt to any more flats."
She added: "At my time of life, having spent 40-odd years in my home, I am going to have to rely on the experience of the planning department, to make the right decision.
"Please don't destroy our community"
Mr Sergio, who also lives along Rayleigh Road, commented objecting to the plans online.
He said: "The density of ten people living on a site where there is currently a family house is a drastic change in demographic.
"Believe it or not, we are a close community and know our neighbours both up and down and across the road here.
"We hold regular gatherings so it's very much a village atmosphere. Turning this property into flats will change the beginning of the road and give developers ideas to profit from converting our large properties with large gardens into flats and car parks all for the avarice of a few.
"This development should it go ahead will serve as an example of how to develop properties in the Rayleigh Road.
"Please don't destroy our community."
A planning application was submitted to build a three-story apartment block along Rayleigh Road, with six two-bed flats and a one-bed flat. The application was refused in April 2016.
The application was appealed but the appeal was also dismissed by the planning inspector.
A second planning application was submitted to Brentwood Council, keeping the three-storey design.
The second application was refused by the council, due to the design 'harming the character and appearance of the area'.
Another submission for the development of flats. The applicant's design statement suggesting a more 'house-like' appearance of the property, as well as addressing other issues the council had with the proposals.
A neighbour writes a letter to the planning department asking them to refuse the application.
Another neighbour, Mr Jonathan Ewen, said: "We have young children for which our garden is our private sanctuary.
"The current scheme proposes a rear car park within close proximity of our garden which will generate noise and added pollution to the detriment of our family's health."
On May 25, the application was granted by the council, allowing the development to be started within three years and according to the approved drawings and specifications submitted.


The recent property assessment battle for big-box retail stores may turn out to be short lived. In the December 2014 case of Meijer Stores v. Marion County Assessor (available here), the Indiana Board of Tax Review ("IBTR") ruled that big-box stores like Meijer are allowed to use vacant or abandoned big-box retail stores when using the sales comparison approach to determine the value of their property for tax purposes. The IBTR had previously allowed a store like Meijer to be compared to different retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Lowes, or even Hobby Lobby, so long as the store being compared to was a big-box retailer currently in business. The rationale was simple: if you include vacant big-box retail stores in a list of comparable sales, the valuation is going to decline precipitously and may not reflect the true value.
Including vacant or abandoned big-box retail properties as comparables in this case would bring the value of the Meijer store in dispute from the $19.73 million as assessed by the Marion County Assessor down to only $7.17 million. Applying this difference to the 2002 to 2012 assessments would mean that Marion County could be liable for $2.4 million in the form of a tax refund to Meijer alone. Naturally, this decision has reverberated throughout the business community with other big-box retailers now considering appealing their tax assessments through the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals.
Considering the impact that these changing property tax assessments may have on the amount of taxes a business owes, it is important to ensure that the proper assessment methods are being used. We will continue to keep track of this important tax issue and provide updates as necessary. For more information about these changes to Indiana law or any area of real estate law, please contact Mike Schopmeyer (mschopmeyer@KDDK.com, (812) 423-3183); Mark Samila (msamila@KDDK.com, (812) 423-3183); Steve Theising (stheising@KDDK.com, (812) 423-3183); or Matt Malcolm (mmalcolm@KDDK.com, (812) 423-3183); or contact any member of the KDDK real estate law practice team.


Notes: From a series illustrating all the 150 psalms. Psalms 115:1. Artist's comment: "Our personal merit is insufficient to warrant Your assistance, however, You are the God of kindness who helps even those who are unworthy."


Creve Coeur, MO – Today, three generations of women spoke out for the health of current and future generations at the annual Monsanto shareholder meeting. Rachel Parent, teenager and founder of KidsRighttoKnow.com of Canada, Anne Temple, mother and leader of Moms Across America, and Beth Savitt, grandmother and President of the Shaka Movement of Hawaii traveled together to represent their generations of women concerned about the harms of GMOs and pesticides across the globe.
Temple presented a proposal from John Harrington, of Harrington Investments, asking Monsanto to prepare a report on how the company will mitigate risks of the extremely negative effects on human and environmental health from the main ingredient in its most popular product, Round-Up. "Monsanto has a long, sad legacy of producing dangerous products, and now we're learning they've likely been dangerously misleading shareholders and consumers about safety for years," Harrington said.
Moms Across America's Zen Honeycutt, coordinator of the three generations attending this year, represented Harrington at last year's meeting, presenting a proposal which won 53% of the shareholder votes. The mothers group found glyphosate in tap water, children's urine, breast milk and Pediasure feeding tube liquid that's given to children with cancer. Many of their children's health have improved since avoiding GMOs and related chemicals by eating organic which is a message Temple shared with shareholders.
Rachel Parent of Kids Right To Know, who began speaking out at 11 years old about GMOs and debated Kevin O'Leary from Shark Tank on CBC Television when she was 14, has inspired Canadians by her courage.
Grandmother, former school principal, holistic health practitioner, and Hawaiian community leader Beth Savitt presented a proposal from Andrew Behar of As You Sow asking Monsanto to disclose its lobbying activities. In Maui in 2014, Savitt's Shaka Movement defeated Monsanto's attempt to buy the residents of Maui's votes by spending over 9 million dollars on a single county election. It was the largest amount ever spent per vote anywhere, and yet, Maui won a GMO Moratorium. Since then, the local judge has sided with Monsanto and denied the legal process.


Home Thomas Haweis Documents and Images at Bridwell Library September 10, 1790 letter from John Fawcett to James Smith Esq.
September 10, 1790 letter from John Fawcett to James Smith Esq.
Title September 10, 1790 letter from John Fawcett to James Smith Esq.
Plain Text Transcription John Fawcett at Brearly Hall, Halifax, Yorkshire, to James Smith at Islington, London. He is sorry that [John] Foster did not explain himself better in his letter. His meaning was that he did not at present think that he was qualified to take on himself the work of 'stated and constant preaching.' Foster is very young and Fawcett is of the opinion that over-confidence and self-sufficiency is dangerous in one so inexperienced. Fawcett is happy that his young friend is rather struck by the importance of the work. He does exercise his talents often but in more private gatherings although he has preached several times in public. His sermons are 'judicious' and meet with approval from his audience. Foster's judgment is sound and his conceptions are clear. For his part, Fawcett has heard him with astonishment and will be surprised if he does not make over time a great name for himself. 'If he had less knowledge, perhaps he might have more assurance, boldness and confidence. But his discernment is deep and his taste correct. With talents like these, I dare not say that he bids fair for being remarkably peculiar…' The final outcome rests with God. Ministerial abilities are not dependent entirely on breadth of learning but come from above and all that man can do is cultivate and improve the talents that are given. Fawcett hopes that Foster can be supported in his studies for he has never encountered any youth who was more deserving. He had his tuition free for several years before he applied to the fund and as his parents are very poor, Fawcett would continue to regard it as a duty to assist him with books etc. He has been happy with most of the young men entrusted to his care over the last twenty years. One has conformed to the established church and for many years has been a vicar of a parish not far from here, but he preaches the gospel and has been rendered useful. Fawcett's own concern is entirely the promotion of Christ and he is very indebted to the managers of the fund for their approbation and encouragement. He would be grateful if Smith could pass on these sentiments to the gentlemen concerned. 'Mr Horsfall will take his place immediately.' Fawcett hopes that Smith will recall that he has not applied for help from the fund for the last 'two half years'. He will wait until Smith expresses himself satisfied with this, as he is sure that he will be upon due examination. If Fawcett has made a mistake in this matter, he will not find it easy to forgive himself. He wishes to add many things in support of the application but will forbear. His son presents his respects. The church that is under Fawcett's care is at peace and they have a little revival taking place among the young people. Mr Smith will be settled at Barnoldswick in Lancashire and Mr Parker is appointed to Wainsgate in Yorkshire – Fawcett is happy to have such worthy neighbors. Mr Ashworth of Elland in Yorkshire, brother to the minister of that name, has built a Baptist meeting house in that village. Mr Cartledge has done the same at Blackley in Lancashire, entirely at his own expense. They are very near one another but are well attended. Fawcett has been very concerned for poor Mr Robinson – he longs to see Robinson's book but is afraid that the price is too high. Fawcett's regards should be passed to Dr [Samuel] Stennett together with his gratitude for the valuable book. (1 sheet, 4p.) 10 September 1790 John Fawcett (1740-1817) was born at Bradford in Yorkshire. He was converted as a teenager by a sermon preached by George Whitefield and became a Methodist before joining the Baptists in his home- town. Fawcett was ordained in 1764 and led a congregation that moved to Hebden Bridge in 1777. He declined several offers of more prestigious appointments including the presidency of the Bristol Academy. Fawcett was entirely self-educated and was always keen to promote learning in the Baptist ministry. He played a key role in the founding of Horton Academy and kept a private academy where the essayist John Foster was one of his students. Fawcett was a strong supporter of the Baptist Missionary Society and the Bible Society. He also wrote a number of hymns and published a variety of other works, including a popular bible commentary. John Foster (1770-1843) was born at Halifax in Yorkshire, the son of a devout Baptist farmer. Foster studied under the minister John Fawcett before attending Bristol Baptist College between 1791 and 1792. As a minister Foster occupied short-lived appointments in Newcastle and Dublin but he proved a failure. He then worked as a schoolmaster in Ireland and tried his hand at business but again with conspicuous lack of success. He returned to England in 1796 and took pastorates in Chichester, Battersea in London and Bristol. In 1804 Foster took charge of a congregation in Frome, Somerset, but resigned through ill health two years later. Foster moved to Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire but continued to dabble in the ministry in the Bristol area after his health improved in 1817. While living in Frome, Foster published a collection of essays and became a major contributor to the magazine Eclectic Review. Foster's published work had a wide appeal and reveals him to be one of the most intellectually able evangelicals of his generation. Samuel Stennett (1728-1795) was born into a well-known Baptist family in Exeter, Devon. He trained at the Mile End Academy in London and entered the ministry as his father's assistant in 1748. Stennett quickly rose to prominence and often represented Baptist views in discussions with the government. In 1763 he was awarded a DD. by Aberdeen University.


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'Perilously Close To The Edge': World's Largest Pork Processor Closes A US Plant, Warns Of 'Severe' Meat Shortages
Chris White Tech Reporter
April 13, 2020 12:48 PM ET
A China-owned pork processor announced Sunday that it's shutting down a South Dakota plant indefinitely after employees were infected with coronavirus, noting that the nation's grocers are under severe stress.
Smithfield Foods announced the shutdown as government officials keep lockdowns in place across the country amid an ebbing coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 20,000 people in the United States. China's WH Group purchased the company in 2013 for $4.7 billion.
Smithfield Foods retooled processing operations to direct meat to China, which produced much of the world's pork shortly before a pig disease killed millions of hogs and turned the communist country into a major importer.
Recent reports show that Smithfield plants in the U.S. are now processing pork for the U.S. Reuters reported in November 2019 that pigs trucked in to a plant in Virginia were slaughtered and eventually shipped to China, where Chinese workers processed the carcasses.
"They got an order to fill: China," one plant worker told Reuters in 2019. He asked to remain anonymous.
Smithfield Chief Executive Ken Sullivan, for his part, sounded a warning call Sunday about the decision to scuttle the plant.
"It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running," Sullivan said in a statement Sunday. "These facility closures will also have severe, perhaps disastrous, repercussions for many in the supply chain, first and foremost our nation's livestock farmers."
People wearing face masks in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) wait outside a labour office in Sofia, Bulgaria, April 8, 2020. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
Roughly 238 Smithfield employees had active cases of the virus, which makes up about 55% of South Dakota's total, Gov. Kristi Noem said in a statement Saturday. Noem recommended the company shutter the plant, which has about 3,700 workers, for at least two weeks.
Sullivan added: "We have a stark choice as a nation: we are either going to produce food or not, even in the face of COVID-19." (RELATED: 'We Are Too Reliant On China': Cotton, Hawley Call On US To Regain Independence From Communist Regime)
The plant will resume operations once state and local officials provide guidance on a path forward, according to Sullivan's statement, which noted that employees will be paid for the next two weeks. Local and state officials across the country are asking Americans to effectively shelter in place to slow the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, China.
Tags : centers for disease control and prevention the world health organization

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Ayer Shirley High School track and field coach Chris Donovan remembers coaching Trevor Fields, Ed Ernst, Will Ernst and Ethan Matthews as middle schoolers, when practice was pretty much an excuse to hang out and socialize.
As each year passed, they got more and more serious about competing, to the point where this spring the four seniors from a small school in Central Mass. set an ambitious goal for themselves.
"They started talking with each other, saying 'hey, do you think we can make nationals?,'" said Donovan. "I wasn't sure they could."
In truth, the chatter amongst the quarter about nationals actually started during the indoor season over the winter, but they were unable to qualify in the 4x800 relay. This spring, the plan was to qualify for the outdoor nationals as an emerging elite distance medley team.
Fields ran the 1,200, Will ran the 800 while his identical twin Ed ran the 400 and Matthews ran the mile. Their best times from each event combined would be their relay time. They competed in as many meets at possible and Donovan frequently submitted their times to the nationals committee, but none were good enough to qualify, leaving one final opportunity at the All-State Meet.
Matthews was able to cut six seconds off his mile time at the All-State Meet and that proved to be the difference. Donovan promptly submitted the newest relay time to the nationals committee on the way home from the All-State Meet.
The next day, the seniors found out their time was strong enough and they would be invited to the New Balance Outdoor National Championships, which were held last weekend at Aggie Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
The team placed 15th out of 28 teams on a sweltering 91-degree day last Sunday. They finished in a school-record time of 10:44 in the final competition of their high school careers.
"It was overwhelming at first," said Will Ernst. "When we got down there it was extremely hot, and we were used to training in 72-degree weather. But being in that atmosphere was awesome."
Donovan said it was the first time in at least 10 years that Ayer Shirley had sent athletes to nationals.
"It was definitely a nice sendoff," said Donovan, who is Ayer Shirley's co-head coach along with Mike Seguin. "They are kids who are together all the time, so to get the four of them there together was special.
"It was a balance all year between doing what was best for the team, but also helping them achieve their goal. But it was worth it."
They flew to North Carolina last Friday and had a chance to explore the stadium on Saturday before competing on Sunday. The school was instrumental in helping the team pay for flights and room accommodations.
"Without the support of the school, this never would've happened," said Will.
Running at nationals was the perfect ending to a sensational senior year for the Ernsts, Fields and Matthews. They helped lead Ayer Shirley to a Division 5 indoor title in the winter and also a Division 2 Central/West crown in the spring.
Matthews will continue running at Southern New Hampshire University, while the Ernst brothers are still deciding if they will run at Fitchburg State. Fields is headed to UMass Lowell and is also weighing his running future.
"We're such a small school that we get to start coaching them in middle school," said Donovan. "It's a special thing and it was fun watching their work ethic kick-in. The last two years, especially, outside of school and their part-time jobs, running has been everything. It'll be a group that I remember for a long time because of their leadership and dedication."


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Tata Power Agrees to Deploy 35 MWh of Gravity-Based Energy Storage from Energy Vault
The storage system is expected to address one of the biggest problems faced when dealing with renewable energy – intermittency.
Market & Policy
Energy Storage, Market & Policy
Tata Power, an Indian power conglomerate, has announced that it will deploy a 35 MWh Energy Vault system in the next year.
Energy Vault system is based on the the principles of traditional gravity-based pumped hydro projects that rely on the power of gravity and the movement of water to store and discharge electricity. The technology combines both potential and kinetic energy with a patented cloud-based software.
It is expected to address one of the biggest problems faced when dealing with renewable energy – intermittency. The company touts that its storage technology will help in achieving significantly lower cost per kilowatt-hour and high round trip efficiency. Energy vault system will have a 30-40-year life without any degradation in the storage capacity.
Some of the specifications of the system are as follows-
35 MWh nominal energy capacity and 4 MW peak power
A millisecond response ramp time with 100 percent full power achieved in 2.9 seconds
Roundtrip efficiency of ~90 percent; zero storage degradation over time with no energy loss
Environmental sustainability of all materials through the product lifetime
"The world needs rapidly scalable and sustainable energy storage solutions to meet one of the most urgent challenges – the need to decarbonize our energy generation – and we're thrilled to launch Energy Vault's unique technology to help solve this problem," said Robert Piconi, co-founder of Energy Vault.
One of the advantages of the Energy Vault system is its platform flexibility. It can be paired with renewable generation such as solar PV for off grid and microgrid solutions, or for commercial and industrial customers to maximize their renewable power usage. It can also deliver 24 hour a day power to remote towns and villages in emerging markets.
Recently, the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded a grant to Vietnam Electricity (EVN), Vietnam's state-owned power company, to examine the feasibility of deploying advanced energy storage technologies in Vietnam.
Earlier, Mercom also reported that India is working towards a national energy storage mission.
Energy StorageEnergy VaultPumped HydroTata PowerTechnology
New Technology to Develop Indigenous Graphene Supercapacitor for Energy Storage
Tata Power to Acquire Power Distribution License in Five Circles of Odisha
TERI Tenders Battery Energy Storage Systems in Delhi
SECI's 7.5 GW Solar Tender for Leh and Kargil Gets Another Deadline Extension
Renewable Arm of Tata Power Receives the LoA to Develop a 150 MW Solar Project
Tata Power and Rockefeller Foundation to Set Up Renewable Microgrids in India
First Loss Protection Can Open up Third-Party Rooftop Solar Market
PGCIL to Help Madhya Pradesh Set Up Transmission System for 1.5 GW of Solar Projects


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Within our Freud Hogger range we have the bulk removal Roughing Helical Planer Cutter Heads with Disposable Knives and the Multi-cut Finishing Planing Block available in diameters of 100mm & 125mm and bore diameters of 30mm, 35mm and 40mm.
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Suzanne Danielle (nee Morris; born 14 January 1957) is an English former film and television actress.

Career
Danielle trained as a dancer at the Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts in her home town of Romford in Essex, and also attended Bedfords Park Community School in Straight Road, Harold Hill. At the age of 16, she appeared in the West End musical Billy (1974), starring Michael Crawford. As a result of that she was invited to appear as a dancer on a Bruce Forsyth show called Bruce and More Girls. An admirer of Cyd Charisse, after leaving school Danielle joined a dance group called The Younger Generation.

Screen
Danielle's first screen role as an actress was as "Pretty Girl" in an episode of The Professionals ("Killer with a Long Arm"), broadcast in January 1978. Her first film role was in The Wild Geese (1978), but her first credited part, in the same year, was in Carry On Emmannuelle, the last film in the original Carry On... series. One reviewer commented "Many of the stalwarts are featured but, apart from Kenneth Williams, they are reduced to support for the eponymous heroine in the athletic and long-legged person of Suzanne Danielle". Also that year she filmed The Golden Lady, playing a leading part alongside Ina Skriver; the movie was released in 1979. In Arabian Adventure (also 1979) she plays a dancer and does a belly dance for Christopher Lee's Caliph. Her last film was The Trouble with Spies (1987, but filmed in 1984), in which she played opposite Donald Sutherland and Michael Hordern.

Television
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Danielle was reported to have "the monopoly on attractive, promiscuous good-time girls". She was a regular face on British television between 1979 and 1983. She was a team member on the TV game show Give Us a Clue and appeared in many other light entertainment shows, including the Christmas 1984 edition of Blankety Blank. As an actress, she appeared in Doctor Who  (in the story Destiny of the Daleks), Hammer House of Horror, Morecambe and Wise, Tales of the Unexpected and became a frequent contributor to the Mike Yarwood series on ITV during the early 1980s, portraying Diana, Princess of Wales, opposite Yarwood's impersonation of Prince Charles.

Theatre
She took to the theatre in 1982, in a touring production of John Murray's two-person comedy The Monkey Walk, opposite Patrick Mower. This travelled as far afield as Singapore and New Zealand.

In 1983, she starred in an exercise instruction album on vinyl and cassette, in the Shape Up and Dance series.

In 1985, Danielle played the lead in a Christmas pantomime of Jack and the Beanstalk at Richmond, Surrey, supported by Jimmy Edwards, Kenneth Connor and Joan Sims.

Personal life
Danielle was in a relationship with the actor Patrick Mower for seven years. In 1986, she met golfer Sam Torrance, who proposed to her in 1987 on a Concorde flight on the way to play in the Ryder Cup in Columbus, Ohio, US. They were married in 1988 at Skibo Castle. They have four children.

Filmography
The Stud (1978) – Disco dancer (uncredited)
The Wild Geese (1978) – Girl at party (uncredited)
Long Shot (1978) – Sue
Carry On Emmannuelle (1978) – Emmannuelle Prevert
Arabian Adventure (1979) – Eastern Dancer
The Golden Lady (1979) – Dahlia
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (1980) – Candice Rawlinson
Flash Gordon (1980) – Serving Girl
The Boys in Blue (1982) – Kim
Escape from El Diablo (1984) – Pilar
The Trouble with Spies (1987) – Maria Sola

Television
The Professionals - "Killer with a Long Arm" (1978) – "Pretty Girl"
Morecambe and Wise Show – various appearances
Doctor Who - Destiny of the Daleks (1979) – "Agella"
Give Us a Clue – regular guest, 1979–83
Hammer House of Horror - "Carpathian Eagle" (1980) – Natalie
Tales of the Unexpected - "Hijack" (1981) as Millie, and "Pattern of Guilt" (1982) as Elaine Briscoe
 Jane (1982) – Lola Pagola
Mike Yarwood in Persons (1981) – Diana, Princess of Wales
Strangers (1982) - Gail Merrian
Royal Variety Performance – 8 November 1982
Just Amazing (1983) - host
Blankety Blank - 25 December 1984

References

External links

1957 births
Living people
English film actresses
English television actresses
Actresses from London
British comedy actresses

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Using real-world case studies, consider how physical and human processes influence where a country sources its energy from and the impact this has on the environment. You will also need to download the student worksheets to accompany this activity.
Discover how where you live affects how much waste you produce.
This poster shows how varied the energy mix is around the world.


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Home Marketing Digital
Shazam reveals their most wanted songs in the platform's history
Shazam has been updated to include YouTube Music, Google's music service, among third-party applications, has made several updates to not be left behind in the market and that is why it continues to generate connections with its users.
The app is the first that took advantage of the microphone that most mobile devices have incorporated to get the name of a song that was being listened to at the moment and to be able to find it. The currently playing music sample can be recorded, so that an acoustic fingerprint is created from the sample and compared to a database to find matches.
The user can receive information such as the title of the song, artist, album, links of interest to streaming services such as iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Groove Music and others, in addition to showing suggestions for other related songs and this revolutionized everything.
But it has grown so much that Shazam has reached 200 million monthly active users, a figure that makes clear its popularity and dominance over other similar proposals, especially when Apple announced its purchase for 400 million dollars.
Both companies have made an unquestionable force with an ecosystem that was more unified with the opportunity to offer users the possibility of discovering new music. That is why throughout its history it also considers that it is worth knowing what has happened, it is the case of the most searched songs. Get your headphones!
In first place is Dance Monkey, by Tones and I, with 36.6 million searches since it was launched in May 2019. It is followed by Prayer In C by Lilly Wood & The Prick & Robin Schulz and Let Her Go by Passenger.
Specifically, this is the top 10, but in this Apple Music link it is complete.
Dance Monkey – Tones And I (2019)
Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix) – Lilly Wood & The Prick (2014)
Let her Go – Passanger (2012)
Wake Me Up – Avicii (2013)
Lean On – Major Lazer & DJ Snake (2015)
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran (2014)
Cheap Thrills – Sia (2016)
Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye (2011)
This Girl – Kungs & Cookin 'on 3 Burners (2016)
Take me to Church – Hozier (2013)
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United Marketing Solutions
About United Marketing Solutions
After Jerry Bernier used direct mail advertising to reach customers for his home-improvement business, he wanted to learn more about the industry. Through his research, Bernier began envisioning a multifaceted company that would provide small-business owners with a variety of marketing products and services. In 1981, Bernier founded United Coupon Corp. to provide those services.
The company, which changed its name to United Marketing Solutions in 1998, began franchising in 1982. Franchisees send out mass mailings five to six times per year in their territory, giving retailers and service providers the opportunity to advertise to consumers in a specific community.
United Marketing Solutions provides graphics, layouts, printing, binding and mailing to its franchisees.
Advertising & Marketing Franchise Opportunities
Below is a quick comparison of United Marketing Solutions against other Advertising & Marketing franchises and business opportunities. For an in depth comparison of United Marketing Solutions with another opportunity including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options click on the name of the company to view the detailed comparison.
Franchise Fee
Advertising Fee
Development Costs
Ad-Visor $25,000-$49,000 $1,500 per mailing $50/month per operating service area $50,625-$117,300
Adventures in Advertising $30,000 6-8% $35,000
AIS Media N/A $14,995-$29,995
AllOver Media $7,500-$10,000 6% 1% $11,445-$58,750
American Town Mailer $20,000 0 $23,900-$37,200
Around Town Community Magazine $25,000 5% $37,600-$54,800
Athletic Programs Inc. $25,000 $25,000
Billboard Connection $17,000-$29,900 3.5% 0.5% $165,300-$402,800
Biz Card Xpress $39,000 7% $114,346-$197,475
Copy Cup $30,000 7% $311,300-$421,950
creativeworks N/A $50,000
Discovery Map International $25,000 10% to1% $35,950-$45,950
Dollars In$ide N/A $50,000-And Up
EasyChair Media $10,000-$20,000 0 $32,700-$36,700
Executive Business Maintenance $35,000 8% $59,000-$89,000
Eyeris TV $30,000 $75,000-$230,000
Firespring N/A $46,950-$179,500
Fun 4 US Kids $5,000 $10,250-$28,750
Healthy Times Newspaper $15,000 $500/ month $18,500-$29,100
Homes & Land Magazine $27,000 10.5% $45,500-$114,000
Impressions On The Go $17,500-$35,000 8% $10,499-$195,151
Intrigue Media $20,000-$115,000 Percentage of sales $26,100-$123,100
Invite Systems $25,500 $50,400-$83,700
Lead Innovations $38,000-$238,000 $74,815-$296,470
Marketingsage $39,995-$59,995 $44,500-$115,000
Mini Cities $15,000-$40,000 5% $27,000-$53,000
Money Mailer $49,900-$59,900 $75-$300/area 0.50c/mailed ad $65,210-$77,000
MyLoopCard $29,500 $100-500/mo. $31,000-$42,000
ONEXT Media N/A $15,000
Our Town America $47,500 5% up to 1% $63,300-$86,250
Pet Evolution $49,000 $424,500-$598,550
PinPoint Local $0-$7,500 $3,850-$15,850
POD Digital Promotions N/A $39,900-$100,000
Postcard Portables Canada Ltd. $22,000 5% 1% $100,000-$300,000
Profit-Tell Int'l. $24,000 0 $30,000-$40,300
Proforma $34,500 5-8% 0.25% -1% $44,030-$59,695
PRstore $29,500-$89,500 4.25% $127,000-$181,000
RSVP Publications $15,000 7% 1% $96,506-$269,366
Running Boards Marketing $50,000 $75,000-$255,000
School Communications Agency, The $30,000-$40,000 12% $39,700-$59,900
SelectAds Direct $10,000 0 0 $18,700-$29,750
Shock PR $10,000 5% $35,000
Solara360 $25,000 $175,000-And Up
SportsXpress $15,000 10% which includes a 2% towards training fund $15,000-And Up
Stork News of America $8,000-$13,000 $800-1.2K/yr. $11,530-$75,700
SuperCoups $17,000-$26,000 Varies $51,950-$89,500
Tidbits Media N/A $76 per week $8,500-$25,000
Town Money Saver N/A $5,700-$17,000
Valpak $15,000-$17,500 0 $32,500-And Up
Veza Digital N/A $5,000
Vision-Adz $30,000 $200,000
Voucher Packs N/A $25,000
Welcomemat Services $47,000 6% 2% $60,960-$89,710
Xtreme Fuel Treatment N/A 14.95/mo. website 0 $49
Zinger Digital Signs $27,500 $71,700-$124,100
To see more fees, make screen wider / rotate
Franchise Fee Royalty Advertising Fee Development Costs
Ad-Visor
$25,000-$49,000 $1,500 per mailing $50/month per operating service area $50,625-$117,300
Adventures in Advertising
$30,000 6-8% $35,000
AIS Media
N/A $14,995-$29,995
AllOver Media
$7,500-$10,000 6% 1% $11,445-$58,750
American Town Mailer
$20,000 0 $23,900-$37,200
Around Town Community Magazine
$25,000 5% $37,600-$54,800
Athletic Programs Inc.
Billboard Connection
$17,000-$29,900 3.5% 0.5% $165,300-$402,800
Biz Card Xpress
$39,000 7% $114,346-$197,475
Copy Cup
creativeworks
N/A $50,000
Discovery Map International
$25,000 10% to1% $35,950-$45,950
Dollars In$ide
N/A $50,000-And Up
EasyChair Media
$10,000-$20,000 0 $32,700-$36,700
Executive Business Maintenance
Eyeris TV
$30,000 $75,000-$230,000
Firespring
N/A $46,950-$179,500
Fun 4 US Kids
$5,000 $10,250-$28,750
Healthy Times Newspaper
$15,000 $500/ month $18,500-$29,100
Homes & Land Magazine
$27,000 10.5% $45,500-$114,000
Impressions On The Go
$17,500-$35,000 8% $10,499-$195,151
Intrigue Media
$20,000-$115,000 Percentage of sales $26,100-$123,100
Invite Systems
$25,500 $50,400-$83,700
Lead Innovations
$38,000-$238,000 $74,815-$296,470
Marketingsage
$39,995-$59,995 $44,500-$115,000
Mini Cities
$15,000-$40,000 5% $27,000-$53,000
Money Mailer
$49,900-$59,900 $75-$300/area 0.50c/mailed ad $65,210-$77,000
MyLoopCard
$29,500 $100-500/mo. $31,000-$42,000
ONEXT Media
Our Town America
$47,500 5% up to 1% $63,300-$86,250
Pet Evolution
$49,000 $424,500-$598,550
PinPoint Local
$0-$7,500 $3,850-$15,850
POD Digital Promotions
Postcard Portables Canada Ltd.
$22,000 5% 1% $100,000-$300,000
Profit-Tell Int'l.
$34,500 5-8% 0.25% -1% $44,030-$59,695
PRstore
$29,500-$89,500 4.25% $127,000-$181,000
RSVP Publications
$15,000 7% 1% $96,506-$269,366
Running Boards Marketing
School Communications Agency, The
$30,000-$40,000 12% $39,700-$59,900
SelectAds Direct
$10,000 0 0 $18,700-$29,750
Shock PR
$10,000 5% $35,000
Solara360
$25,000 $175,000-And Up
SportsXpress
$15,000 10% which includes a 2% towards training fund $15,000-And Up
Stork News of America
$8,000-$13,000 $800-1.2K/yr. $11,530-$75,700
SuperCoups
$17,000-$26,000 Varies $51,950-$89,500
Tidbits Media
N/A $76 per week $8,500-$25,000
Town Money Saver
N/A $5,700-$17,000
Valpak
$15,000-$17,500 0 $32,500-And Up
Veza Digital
N/A $5,000
Vision-Adz
Voucher Packs
Welcomemat Services
$47,000 6% 2% $60,960-$89,710
Xtreme Fuel Treatment
N/A 14.95/mo. website 0 $49
Zinger Digital Signs


Scenic Camden has proven a popular location for film crews.
The 1986 cult comedy film, Withnail and I is set in Camden Town in 1969. The 2008 Mike Leigh film Happy-Go-Lucky largely takes place in Camden Town.


text:
Saturday – ACL FEST 2016 WEEKEND TWO
By	Russ
Saturday was a perfect festival day. It wasn't unbearably hot and the sun gods were on or side leaving no clouds in the sky. I started things off with a Catfish and the Bottlemen show on the Honda stage. They're a British indie rock band who played a heavy rock and roll set. The effort that these guys gave to their performance was pretty unmatched by the other bands I saw take the stage this weekend. Between the distorted and overdriven guitars, the passionate vocals, and the amazing stage presence, this band was definitely a surprise favorite of the weekend for me.
From there I headed to check out Anderson Paak and the Free Nationals on the HomeAway stage in the middle of Zilker Park. This was a super fun and energetic set filled a lot of live instrumentation from both Anderson Paak himself and his backing band the Free Nationals. He spent about half the set hyping up the crowd and making sure that everyone was feeling his funky R&B tinged hip-hop, and spent the other half of the set creating the rhythms himself from behind the drum-kit. He definitely brought the party to his set and made sure that everyone in the crowd was having a great time.
Next I headed over to the smallest stage in the park, the BMI stage, to check out Austin locals, Blue Healer. I've heard about them playing around town and heard them on KUTX a bunch, but had never gotten a chance to see them live. They were incredible. Lead singer, David Beck, played guitar, upright bass and sang the vocals. His acoustic upright bass was plugged into his pedal board giving off some really amazing tones. Bryan Mammal was on keys and singing some backup vocals. Dees Stribling was back on the kit also contributing some backup vocals. These guys were a lot of fun giving the crowd some seriously catchy grooves.
After Blue Healer finished their set I went over to hear Conor Oberst play on the Miller Lite stage at the other end of the park. He played a pretty diverse setlist with songs from his solo material as well as his earlier Bright Eyes albums. Conor Oberst is such a good songwriter and has a way with descriptive lyricism that's unlike many artists. Although he was forced to play a louder set due to really heavy sound bleed from Two Door Cinema Club across the way, his vocals and lyrics were still able to shine through as the most prominent aspect of the songs.
After, I headed over to the Samsung main stage to catch Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar is not your everyday rapper. He's a writer who uses rap as an outlet to to portray his art. He was backed by a really amazing backing band and came out on fire gaining full control over the crowd. His performance is quite an incredible experience. He played songs spanning all albums of his career. Kendrick gives the perfect blend of passion, hype and honesty to his performances and it resonates so well with everyone in the audience. You didn't even have to like hip-hop in order to enjoy his ACL set. Not only is he backed by an amazing live band of musicians, and not only are his lyrics insanely personal and well written, but his stage presence is very real. You see the real Kendrick Lamar up there, not a pop star, not a commercially developed artist just shouting what the crowd wants to hear, but a real artist singing/rapping songs that seem really close to home. It was a great way to end Saturday of ACL Fest 2016.
Russ is the co-founder and editor of Austin Daze, a local entertainment paper that bridges the gap between local, national and international personalities, events, reviews and everything else of interest to our readership. We cover much music, but we do not stop there. The Austin Daze is an eclectic mix of music, film, art, politics, cd reviews, food criticism, comics, love advice, local business and more. All inclusive, interesting and fun. More info soon.
Friday - ACL FEST 2016 WEEKEND TWO
Sunday - ACL FEST 2016 WEEKEND TWO


text:
Q: Django distinct query is still returning duplicates I have a shopping list which I can fill by adding all the ingredients from a recipe. I want to query Shopping to see get all unique recipes present in a Shopping List, however my distinct query is returning duplicates?
#query
ShoppingItems.objects.filter(user=account, shoppingList=shoppingList, recipe__isnull=False).values('recipe').distinct()
#returns > <ShoppingItemsQuerySet [{'recipe': 47}, {'recipe': 47}, {'recipe': 47}, {'recipe': 47}, {'recipe': 47}, {'recipe': 47}, {'recipe': 47}, {'recipe': 47}, {'recipe': 47}, {'recipe': 47}]>

#shopping/models.py
class ShoppingLists(models.Model):
    owner = models.ForeignKey(User, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    name = models.CharField(max_length=30)

class ShoppingItemsQuerySet(models.QuerySet):
    def by_user_id(self, user_id):
        return self.filter(user_id=user_id)

class ShoppingItemsManager(models.Manager):
    def get_queryset(self):
        return ShoppingItemsQuerySet(self.model, using=self._db)

class ShoppingItems(models.Model):
    user = models.ForeignKey(settings.AUTH_USER_MODEL, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    shoppingList = models.ForeignKey(ShoppingLists, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    recipe = models.ForeignKey(Recipe, on_delete=models.CASCADE, blank=True, null=True)
    name = models.CharField(max_length=220, blank=True, null=True) # chicken
    objects = ShoppingItemsManager()

# recipes.models.py
class Recipe(models.Model):
    user = models.ForeignKey(settings.AUTH_USER_MODEL, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    image = models.ImageField(upload_to='image/', blank=True, null=True)
    name = models.CharField(max_length=220) # grilled chicken pasta

class RecipeIngredient(models.Model):
    recipe = models.ForeignKey(Recipe, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    ingredient = models.ForeignKey(Ingredient, null=True, on_delete=models.SET_NULL)

A: If you want to select distinct values from a specific field then it is recommend to specify that field along with id in distinct that way it will be more precise
To put in code, the distinct in your case would more like be:
ShoppingItems.objects.filter(user=account, shoppingList=shoppingList, recipe__isnull=False).distinct('id', 'recipe').values('recipe')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Five Reasons Captain Marvel Fundamentally Sucks
Uh-oh, that title made her angry.
Of all the characters that Marvel or DC consider their headliners (you know, the ones that show up to every event and get plastered over the promotional material), Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel has to be the most divisive.
There are people out there, myself tentatively included, who genuinely want to like her. She has a fanbase, the ?Carol Corps?, who have had a profound effect on Marvel?s attitude to the character, for better or worse. For some, she is Marvel?s Wonder Women, a feminist icon, and responsible for pulling many new readers into the medium. Marvel studios must concur on at least some of these points, because they have committed to making her the subject of the first female-led MCU film.
Yet from others sections of the comics fandom, Carol is relentlessly unpopular, and deeply and sincerely disliked. Why?
I am fascinated by this duality. Much as some would like to dismissively attribute it to women-hating nerds, you won?t find such a disproportionate schism in public opinion for Jean Gray, Black Widow or She-Hulk. I am certainly not a woman-hating nerd, but as much as I want to like Carol? I definitely hate her, too.
Don?t take it personally, kid.
There is certainly a political dimension to the wider backlash, Carol being in some ways the poster child for what a subset of readers see as some sort of radical left-wing influence in Marvel comics. Some also connect the character to the controversial 2015 All-New All-Different initiative, which replaced many famous heroes with female or minority versions (even though Carol had been Captain Marvel three years before any of that happened). For small minds, that is more than enough reason for outrage.
For my part, I rather like many of the ANAD replacement heroes, like Jane Foster as Thor and Laura Kinney as Wolverine, but still dislike Carol Danvers? Captain Marvel, for reasons that have nothing to do with her being a legacy character.
No, the simple reason I don?t like this latest Captain Marvel is that I haven?t read a book for years in which she has a starring role that wasn?t horribly boring ? since the Kelly Sue DeConnick years at least. I believe there are fundamental character and story reasons that have made it incredibly difficult for anyone to write a consistently great Carol Danvers book, despite Marvel?s strenuous efforts.
Let?s explain that. Without further ado:
The 5 Reasons Carol Danvers Fundamentally Sucks
This is an easy one. Good heroes have an origin with an emotional hook that informs the character and engages the reader with their struggles. A tragedy is a good start. Batman lost his parents, fights crime; Superman lost his planet, protects his new planet; Spiderman lost Uncle Ben; and so on.
It?s not just death and loss, though, and some of the more interesting origin stories have an unusual style of tragedy: Captain America was frozen out of his time; Hulk loses his ability to feel emotions without turning into a monster. Whatever the case, origins are stories that give us an excuse to care, and give a good justification for why that hero does the extraordinary things they do. Pretty much every headliner hero got to the top on the strength of their origin story.
This is Captain Marvel?s origin story: Carol Danvers was caught in a harmless explosion, and became one of the most powerful heroes in the world.
Carol did not lose/sacrifice anything. She doesn?t have a particular reason to fight for good. The event didn?t cause a revelation, or change her goals or perspective. She was just given unlimited power for nothing. That is not the gripping start of a new hero whose struggles you can get behind. Getting something for nothing and taking justice into your own hands sounds more like the origin story of a small-time villain.
?That? that about sums it up, yeah.?
I think a good rule of thumb for an effective origin story is whether or not you can explain it in two simple sentences and get somebody interested in the character. I don?t know how you could possibly do that for Carol. Believe me, I?ve tried.
2. History and Lore
Every story that is written about a character contributes to their personal history. When you?ve established the character in the origin story, it is time to build something on those foundations. If I give you the name of a hero and ask you to tell me the first 10 things you think about relating to that hero (other than their origin story and their powers) we get into their lore. For Superman, you might say Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Kyrpton, the fortress of solitude, etc.
Does Captain Marvel have arch-enemy? Does she have a famous event she was a part of, important artefacts that are connected with her, a rich supporting cast of characters, even a particular setting you would connect her with? When you think of Thor, you think of Mjolnir, the Warriors Three, Odin, Asgard, Jane Foster, Loki, Enchantress, and that?s just to start ? think a little longer and you will have an almost endless supply of fascinating lore that has exploded out of Thor stories. It is the same with any popular hero.
One of the most gripping aspects of long running story is how they introduce, develop, deconstruct, subvert and generally play with these elements. For convenience, I?m going to group all these story elements, events and ideas under the banner of ?lore?.
Lore overload.
Marvel fans especially are very ?into? lore. The magic of the Marvel universe is how elements crossover between franchises, so every idea introduced in one book is fair game for other writers to pick up and play with. When Silver Surfer picks up Mjolnir and uses it to fight the Punisher (who also happens to have been possessed by the spirit of vengeance and has become a space faring Ghost Rider), fans love it. When Multiple Man travels through time to pick up the powers of various other heroes, resulting in a Deadpool with Wolverine claws and a Hulk with the powers of Doctor Strange, or whatever, fans squeal.
Okay, that?s all a bit silly, but when used for story reasons this is essential stuff. Game of Thrones fans who were saddened by the symbolism of the Lannisters melting down Ned Stark?s Valyrian blade and turning into swords for Joffery and Jamie, or who shivered at the potential consequences of Cersei making an alliance with Euron Greyjoy, will appreciate the value of good lore. The Greyjoys are expert sea warriors ? that?s part of the lore of Westeros. Their alliance gives us all something to dread.
In Marvel comics, all this lore comes from somewhere? but almost none of it comes from Carol Danvers. Her fictional history is as featureless as a wooden plank.
When you think of Captain Marvel, what do you think of? She… used to be a pilot? She has Kree DNA, somehow. Did she used to have a romance with Marr-Vell, before that character died? And? I?m struggling here. She reinvented herself a few times, as Binary and later Warbird, and that?s kind of interesting, but how often is that bought up these days?
What are the classic, quintessential Carol Danvers stories? What is her World War Hulk?
(Well, she has one major event she was integral to, I suppose: the rape of Ms Marvel. Understandably, Marvel has tried to brush that one under the rug?)
When they do try and write a story that is fundamentally hers, it?s usually incongruous or without much gravity. They sometimes give her a story based around the Kree. In Margaret Stohl?s The Mighty Captain Marvel, she acted like she had lost a piece of herself when the Kree homeworld was destroyed. She?s not even a Kree! The Kree are the race that created the machine that caused the explosion that gave her powers. That is a weak-ass connection, yet they try very unsuccessfully to make it relevant. That?s how desperate they are for quality lore for this character.
When I first starting reading Stohl?s The Mighty Captain Marvel, this is what I noted on my phone:
Because Carol doesn?t have any particular connection to anything, she is totally replaceable in pretty much every story she shows up in, whether as a supporting cast member or as the protagonist.
3. Powers
Let?s list Carol?s powers:
Super strength
Super durability
Energy beams
Yawn.
Okay, I know they are Superman?s powers too, but he had them first. And that?s kind of the point, anyway ? Superman didn?t just have them first, he was THE first. These were the first superpowers that anyone came up with. By now, they are generic, flavourless, and cliche.
(Besides, if you do find Superman and his powers boring, he has a great origin story and HEAPS of absurd lore to make up for it)
Look at this poster:
Hulk turns into a monster, but only when he?s angry. Doctor Strange can use the mysterious art of magic, but only with the right artefacts and often he has to pay a price. Jean Gray can read minds. Spider-Man shoots super-sticky string that he uses both to entangle foes and to get around by swinging on walls. Ghost Rider burns things but can also make people confess their sins and re-live their crimes. Ant-Man shrinks. Iron Man has the technological ingenuity to build any weapon, but of course he has to be wearing his armour to use them.
Think about all the crazy, imaginative solutions to challenges writers can come up with ? and the cool visual effects that artists come up with, too ? based on even ONE of those powers, let alone when they combine those powers with the powers of other characters, or with elements of the lore of their stories. Endless potential for creativity.
Flight, super-strength, energy beams? Nah.
What makes it worse, and this ties back into the point I was making regarding her origin story, is that all of these powers are just things Carol Danvers was good at anyway. She was an air-force soldier, so she could fly, fight, and shoot guns. Then, after the powers-granting explosion, she does the same things, but now without a plane and against aliens. Far from a dramatic paradigm shift. It?s not only redundant, but it makes one of her few interesting (non-superpower-related) character traits useless ? what does it matter if you are an ace pilot if you are faster, more manoeuvrable, and have more firepower without the plane? It?s not a relevant hobby anymore. Tell me more about Drax The Destroyer?s saxophone playing, but I sure don?t need to hear anything more about Carol?s piloting history. That sucks, because, as I mentioned before, her being a pilot is one of the few strong mental connections we have for Carol, yet writers would be better off not using it.
This is a bit trickier to justify. Characters can have any personality, right? They don?t have to be ?likable? to be likable. Louis Bloom from Nightcrawler was a sociopath; Jez and Mark from Peep Show were losers; Dexter from Dexter was a murderer. Doesn?t it all just come down to how well they are written?
Nonetheless, I think Marvel is fighting uphill trying to make Carol a star.
Reading Captain Marvel? is like reading a story about your bossy manager. She?s already in power, she?s not very nice, she?s not necessarily very good at her job, and there?s absolutely no satisfaction in seeing her, as usual, get her way.
You rarely see Carol training or working hard or suffering for anything. She is the definition of a privileged hero. She struts into rooms, makes demands even though she isn?t in change, then struts out again.
?Right? now can anybody tell me who that bitch was??
This is reinforced by her visual design. There is an incongruity between the military influences in her costume (plus her job as in a military organisation), and her stylish short hair and dark eye shadow. Like, is she even taking this job seriously? Some artists get it right, but when they don?t it really looks dumb. Plus, she scowls everywhere she goes ? if you were really in charge, Carol, you wouldn?t have to scowl. And scowling is not a personality.
When Carol was just another Avenger, just Ms Marvel, no writer had any problem giving her a fun role, some good lines of dialogue, a few personal problems, and something to strive for. Now, she has to be the ?strong female hero?, for feminism, and writers can?t handle it ? they think she has to be a bad-ass, a hard-ass, and the most-powerful-est-ass all the time, and that doesn?t make for a good story.
Carol as Ms Marvel was great as the low-key asskicker of a group. That?s the version of the character that fans enjoyed as a second-tier Avenger for several decades (Captain Marvel, in her current form, has only been around since 2012, but Carol as Ms. Marvel goes back to 1968). But once she was put into the spotlight, and her role was elevated to one of leader, or moral guide, or cosmic defender, without giving her more depth and development, she started to look quite ridiculous. For instance, there was simply no way she could pull off being the hero of Civil War II without some major character work that the writer, Brian Bendis, wasn?t willing or able to give her. Just one of the many reasons Civil War II is one of the worst comic books I have ever read.
Still, I admit that this is very cool image.
There is something about Carol where every picture I see her in I just think she is a total poser, like a pretentious rich girl who got to be the leader because her dad paid for her to be there, but who doesn?t actually do any of the hard work or know shit about what?s going on. I wouldn?t think that about any of the other heroes in the Marvel Universe. How on earth did that happen?
The problem is that despite all of her unlikable qualities, she is always written as if she is in the right. So there?s a total disconnect between how I feel about the character and how Marvel and the writers seem to want me to feel. It doesn?t seem to matter who is writing her, either. It?s like she has a protected status at Marvel, where we?re not allowed to tell her she is wrong.
Because of this, I can only see her as an undeserving brat, and I can only imagine that the best way to write her is as a villain, or as an ambiguous supporting character ? perhaps literally the overbearing captain of some other protagonist. Or the writers have to recognise her personality as her flaw, and write a story that plays into that.
And my final point?
5. Exposure
For a couple of years, ending probably around last year, Marvel Comics were desperate to make the Inhumans the new X-Men. Marvel Studios didn?t own the film rights to the X-Men franchise, but somewhere in Marvel some manager genius made the brilliant observation that the Inhumans were kind-of similar to the X-Men. Both groups are communities of diversely powered characters, who were born as powerless humans but developed abilities later on in life. Consequently, Marvel Studios put an Inhumans movie into production in 2014. Then fans noticed that the number of X-Men books in the Marvel catalogue was dwindling, while the vastly less popular Inhumans seemed to be getting new books left, right and centre.
(If this sounds like a conspiracy theory, consider that the Fantastic Four, the film rights of which were also owned by Fox along with those of the X-Men, vanished from the comics entirely around the same time.)
Marvel had managed to forget that people rather liked the X-Men. Characters the fans had grown to know and love over decades were being shafted by a group that few people had much of a connection with.
Before all this, the Inhumans were a cool lesser-known team that had a respectable history going all the way back to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby?s Fantastic Four. These days? well, did you really expect Marvel consumers, a majority of which were raised on X-Men, to be thankful to a stepfather trying to kick their dad out of their house in front of their eyes?
A fairly typical comment re The Death of the Inhumans series.
Still, I think the Inhumans have come off far better being artificially pushed by Marvel than Carol has. Inhumans stories like Royals, Black Bolt and Judgement Day, all of which have just finished recently, have actually been stellar. Ironically though, based on the current comics, Inhumans might well be getting shafted (Death of the Inhumans) where Carol, who hasn?t had a good book in years, seems to just be getting started (Life of Captain Marvel).
?doesn?t really seem fair, TBH.
The point is, both are examples of Marvel pushing characters for the wrong reasons. In Carol?s case, sure, she got a bit of good press and a small following after her costume change and after some care and attention under writer Kelly Sue DeConnic, but I also think Marvel realised that most of their best female characters were related to Spider-Man, X-Men or Fantastic Four (eg. Jessica Drew, Jean Grey, or Sue Storm). That is to say, characters they couldn?t make movies about. So they really wanted to keep a female hero in the spotlight, even if she didn?t, and still doesn?t, necessarily deserve to be there on the strength of her character, supporting cast, stories, or even her popularity.
There are lots of mediocre characters in comics who don?t have the strongest stories or followings. But Carol Danvers is a mediocre character that for the past few years has seemed to show up in every Marvel comics story that involves more than three heroes. She did not get to that position organically, or based on her merits. She is currently Marvel?s only option for a feminist icon, and they?re not going to let us forget her, even though we would sometimes like to.
This has made it all too easy to get sick of her.
Seriously Carol, right there next to Cap? What have you even done recently?
I am not saying that following the points above are the only way to write a good superhero story. There?s me going on about good and bad types of superpowers, as if the most of the great stories of human history didn?t involve superpowers at all (imagine that!).
In the end, good writing trumps all. I genuinely can?t wait for a writer with some imagination and passion for the character to pick up Captain Marvel and make something new and exciting out of her.
In fact, that might be happening right now. Margaret Stohl, who I mentioned above as the writer of the (not great) Mighty Captain Marvel series, is the writer on Carol?s latest series, The Life of Captain Marvel. Is it any good? There are only two issues to go on right now, but so far I am very pleasantly surprised. When it finishes with issue #5, I will be writing a review, and I sincerely hope I?ll be able to say that I loved it.
Meanwhile, the Captain Marvel movie is about six months away now [Update: Movie is out now: My Impressions]. Like I said at the start of this rant, I am fascinated by Carol, and I will be watching the movie on opening night. I really want to find out how a talented studio with good writers and directors can make this work, and, hopefully, make the character shine.
I can?t wait.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo: Lessons
I Asked to Be Spanked 1,000 Times


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Irish youths rate highest in use of psychoactive drugs
Irish youths between 15 to 24 are the highest users of psychoactive drugs in Europe, according to a new report by the European Schools Survey Project (ESPAD).
The report found that, on average, 4% of students surveyed in other European countries had used psychoactive drugs, while it was almost double in Ireland at 7%.
Psychoactive substances are designed to mimic illegal drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and heroin. Manufacturers of these drugs develop new chemicals to replace the illegal ones, meaning the chemical structure of the drugs are constantly changing.
With the accessibility to such psychoactive drugs such as ecstasy in Ireland being the highest in Europe at 20%, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have teamed up with Drugs.ie and the HSE to launch a new harm reduction information campaign for those who use psychoactive substances.
The campaign, which was officially launched by Minister of State for Health Catherine Byrne, focuses primarily on the side effects and safe use of ecstasy and ketamine. These include the effects of ecstasy making people become sexually aroused, and ketamine causing you to become dehydrated.
"It's important for us to ensure that students' relationship with substances is as safe as possible," says Annie Hoey, USI President. "We are urging students to be vigilant against unknown substances, and if anyone decides to take drugs, following a harm reduction regime is crucial."
Although the campaign focuses on these two drugs, the ESPAD reported worrying figures about cocaine and cannabis in Ireland too. Along with ecstasy, accessibility to cocaine was highest in Ireland at 17% to 19%, along with Bulgaria and Poland.
The highest frequencies of cannabis use was also found in Ireland, with students having used the drug, on average, 11.5 or more occasions in the past 12 months (2015), in comparison to the average of 8.9 occasions among students in other European countries. The report also showed higher frequencies of cannabis usage among boys at 15.4 occasions in the past 12 months (2015) in comparison to 8.8 occasions among girls.
If you are worried about your alcohol or drug consumption habits, freephone the HSE Drug/Alcohol Helpline on 1800459459 Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 5.30pm.
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A. W. "Tony" Vidmer is a film director and screenwriter whose feature film High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story was distributed by New Line Cinema in 2003. Vidmer's film chronicled the life and death of Stu Ungar, a famously genius and self-destructive poker player, and starred Michael Imperioli.

A recreational poker player, Vidmer began playing at levels 'over his head' before becoming interested in Stu Ungar and ravenously reading all the information he could find on the poker icon's life. Eventually, he embarked on the making of High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, his first feature film.

Vidmer has gone on to create his own independent film festival, the Fylmz Festival. Inspired by a bumpy road to finding distribution for his own film, Vidmer's festival awards $100,000 and distribution to the Best Feature Film at a live festival in Nashville, TN, Feb. 8–10, 2007.

Sources
Tony Vidmer, Director of Poker Movie 'High Roller' by Murphy James, pokernews.com, April 26, 2006
Fylmz Web site

Living people
American film directors
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)


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Fokker-70
Gemini Jets 400
Home > Collectible Airliners > View By Airline > Malev
Malev Fokker F-70 HA-LMF (1:200)
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After I posted last ("My, My, What's Next?") I began preparing for a hiring event I had committed to, and a job interview. I had managed to stack these events on the same day, which was very smart from a financial perspective (one day off instead of two), but very stressful for obvious reasons.
An unlikely set of circumstances led me, as unlikely circumstances generally do, to be reading the 2010 St. John's College Commencement Address given by Stag's Leap Cellars founder and St. John's alum, Warren Winiarski. In the speech Winiarski spoke of his history with wine which led him to leave academia for wine-making. He spoke of the practical difficulties involved in this change, which were largely financial, as practical difficulties often are, but he also framed his speech in the context of seeing: what is it you look for, and what is it you expect to see?
Winiarski recounted a story told by Robert Fitzgerald, the famous translator of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey (the merits and demerits of various translations of these two pivotal books is a perpetual Johnny icebreaker) where Fitzgerald describes an unexpected visit from a stranger named Athena. This Athena was from Ohio, but Winiarski suggests that Fitzgerald, and, by extension, those of us listening to or reading Winiarski's speech, could think of this visit from "Athena" as a symbol of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and courage, and as an invitation to keep our eyes open to the possibilities around us.
Given my last post where the subtext was that possibilities are feeling in short supply around me, I found this quite fortifying. I also found the last paragraph of Winiarski's speech so beautifully written that I was moved to share it. Leave it to a Johnny to inspire by talking of "habits of the soul" — credence to my belief that St. John's students really are joined in spirit by a deep, abiding conviction that the principles of liberal education mean something more profound than any outcomes assessment, degree, or conventional benchmark of success can convey.
Click here for the full text of Warren Winiarski's 2010 St. John's College Commencement Address in Annapolis, MD.
← My, my, what's next?


The material contained in your proposal is the only information source selection evaluators have to evaluate the proposal. In fact, they are expressly forbidden to include other information. An exception is when oral presentations or site surveys are included as part of the technical evaluation. Even then, that information is normally supplemental to what you submitted in your written proposal.
Your customer may know you and may be familiar with your experience and capability. Even so, do not count on a favorable customer bias or their knowledge of your organization when you prepare your proposal. Such reliance is ill-advised and very risky.


The Domain Name Service (DNS) is the service that relates your domain name to an IP. Computers understand IP's, but people recognise names - so a DNS is required to correlate IP with the name.
DNS propagation refers to the time that it takes between pointing your domain name (www.mydomain.com.au) to the server that is hosting your website, and the rest of the internet being able to see your site.
To put it into more practical terms, when we register a domain name it won't be immediately accessible by you or anybody else on the internet. This is because the new domain name has not propagated to the rest of the internet yet. This process can take anywhere from an hour or two, up to 48 hours.
Unfortunately there is no way to speed up the DNS propagation process, it's something that you need to be patient with. However your IP will be workable almost immediately.
You can use your IP instead of your domain name.
Your webpage ip would be something like http://203.88.116.97/~demo (enter in your own username instead of demo).