TAIPEI (Taiwan News) - Kaohsiung port on Saturday inaugurated the first example in Taiwan of a sophisticated new X-ray container scanner to detect illegal drugs, marking another step in the government's war on drugs.
Premier William Lai (賴清德), who was present at the ceremony, said the drugs supply needed to be cut off completely, and demanded the relevant authorities share information to "wage war together," the Central News Agency reported.
He reminded his audience of President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) message that the war on drugs was a national security issue, as the problem not only affected individuals and families, but also national development.
The government was investing NT$10 billion (US$325 million) over four years to back up the effort, CNA quoted Lai as saying.
Three other scanners of the type installed in Kaohsiung, the first of its kind in Taiwan, would soon come into use in Taichung and Keelung, reports said. The machinery would not only help to track down drugs, but also weapons and smuggled cigarettes.
Lai emphasized that the authorities were no longer interested in just arresting users, but were going after the figures and organizations behind the manufacturing, import and distribution of illegal drugs.


The Annual "Beara Bord na nOg - Golf Classic" will be held over the Easter Weekend, in the Berehaven Golf Club, starting on Good Friday, April 22nd and finishing on Easter Sunday, April 24th.
18 Hole 3 Ball Scramble, Mixed or Otherwise - €75 per team.
A Junior 3 Ball Scramble will take place on Holy Thursday, April 21st - €30 per teams of 3.


text:
Q: Getting the window coordinates in MonoGame What I'm actually trying to do, is to get the mouse coordinates inside a windowed game. So far, I've only found ways to retrieve the screen coordinates of the mouse. Therefore, I would like to know the position of the window, so that I can subtract that from the mouse's screen coordinates in order to get the mouse's window coordinates.
Is this possible, and if so, how?

A: Have you tried Mouse.GetState? It returns a MouseState with X and Y properties on it. The documentation on MSDN is pretty sparse, but if you look carefully at documentation for the specific X and Y properties you'll see that it returns a position relative to the upper left corner of the window which is more in line with what your after.

MouseState.X - Horizontal position of the mouse cursor in relation to the upper-left corner of the game window.
MouseState.Y - Vertical position of the mouse cursor in relation to the upper-left corner of the game window.

The advantage of doing this way is that it's not platform specific, so if you port your game to another platform in the future, the code won't have to change.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Love Inspired Historical, 9780373425501, 288pp.
A Family Made at Christmas After taking guardianship of his late friend's siblings and baby daughter, minister Levi Wallin hopes to atone for his troubled past on the gold fields. But it won't be easy to convince the children's wary elder sister to trust him. The more he learns about her, though, the more he believes Callie Murphy's prickly manner masks a vulnerable heart...one he's starting to wish he was worthy of. Every man in Callie's life chose chasing gold over responsibilities. Levi--and the large, loving Wallin family--might just be different. But she can tell he's hiding something from her, and she refuses to risk her heart with secrets between them. Even as they grow closer, will their pasts keep them from claiming this unexpected new beginning?


This book is classic Douglas Bond - a fast paced thriller with a Christian undertone. The characters are beautifully developed, so that their emotions can be shared with the reader. They feel the fear of battle, the painfulness of loss and the toughness of finding courage when there is none.
The story centres around William Tidd, an orphan who cares for his sister, with the help of his friends Noclas and the Indian, Charlie Salitat. As war breaks out between white settlers and Indians, he joins the Washington Territorial Militia tasked with defending Washington Territory and finding the Indian chief Leschi. William Tidd becomes an express rider with his beloved horse, Prophet, and fights through skirmishes, raids and battles, culminating with the Battle of Seattle.
This is a compelling novel and an amazing addition to the 'Heroes & History' series. I recommend the book highly, even if you do not have much prior knowledge about the Pacific Northwest, as none is needed.
'Battle of Seattle' by Douglas Bond is published by P & R Publishing in paperback, £8.99.


A homepage is considered as the main page of a website, and it is usually the one that the main URL is assigned to during the process of web creation. It is often used as a landing page to attract visitors; enticing them to explore other pages, and eventually through the sales funnel. Because it is the main point of entry, it is important to make a good first impression, where the page has an attractive welcome sign that will greet visitors to a business's digital real estate.
Users of the internet often pass judgment on a website based on what they initially see. If a homepage is cluttered, disorganized, or not visually appealing, then there is a big chance that visitors will simply go away. Whenever this happens, the business loses the opportunity to either educate a potential customer about their brand or to convert them into a buyer or client.
Also, people tend to scan information, and only if something catches their attention, will they read the content more thoroughly. Unless they are really determined to find details, they will not read through walls of text.
Therefore, a homepage has to have an excellent copy that will instantly grab the attention of visitors. An engaging web design should complement these carefully chosen words in order to emphasize the most important points. These two factors should work together to draw in visitors and keep them glued to the site.
Keep it simple, clean, and clutter-free.
As mentioned earlier, people don't particularly like being greeted by a cluttered homepage. Too many images or a walls of text can be overwhelming, so it is best to maintain a balance of photos, content, and white spaces. Also, if possible, avoid putting auto-play videos and a plethora of banners and ads.
Use an appropriate color scheme.
There are plenty of reasons why one should take special care in selecting the color scheme for their website. Different colors evoke different emotions on people. Some color combinations are pleasant to look at, while others can be harsh on the eyes.
Also, there are colors that are more appropriate for certain products or target audience. For instance, black is not a good choice if the website is about toys for kids, and baby pink may not be appropriate for a sports bar (unless the color reflects the venue and has been selected on purpose).
When selecting the site's palette, try not to use too many colors that will "fight" for the viewer's attention. Instead, choose the ones that will complement each other.
Choose the right combination of fonts.
Just like colors, fonts can have an impact on the effectiveness and beauty of a homepage. There are combinations that look good together while others may clash. Some can also be harder to read on a computer screen than others.
The typefaces that one chooses should be in accordance with what the website is about. Comic or kiddie fonts don't belong in a law firm's website, for example. Also, the size of the fonts should differ depending on emphasis. Titles are normally bigger than subtitles or descriptions.
Feature an image that represents the brand.
Images also play an important part in creating an engaging web design. The photo for the upper part of the homepage (above the fold, normally seen even without scrolling down) should reflect what the brand is. So, as much as possible, use an original, high-quality one and not simply take a stock image from the web.
The content on the homepage is different from a blog. It is not wise for the main page to feature an article or an explanation; instead, it should be more like an advertising copy, where there are short and catchy titles with brief descriptions.
There should be just enough text that will help visitors understand what the company is offering, and if they want to read more, then can follow a given link.
Also, there should be a contact information on the homepage — this will make it easy for visitors to enquire about the company's products and services without having to navigate deeper into the site.
A homepage should be responsive, i.e., it can be viewed using any device, easy to navigate, and loads fast. Moreover, it has to be designed in such a way that people will associate it with the company and its products or services.
In other words, it should introduce and establish the brand. It has to make a statement, create an impact on visitors, and aid their recall even after they have left the site. A homepage is not simply about displaying the brand's the name and logo, it also about giving visitors a "feel" of what the company is about.
If you need help in creating an effective homepage, or if you want to build a new website or redesign an existing one, our web designers and developers can help. The digital experts at MediaPlus have years of experience in corporate website development and Ecommerce Web Design, and they can produce one with the right layout, colors, fonts, and content for you. Call us now at +65 6816 3168 or email us at wow@mediaplus.com.sg.


Baby on the way for Lara Trump and Eric Trump! The Real News Update host, 36, and the son of President Donald Trump are expecting their second child together.
Eric took to Twitter on Wednesday, April 10, to announce the pregnancy of his wife, with sharing a photo of their son Eric Luke Trump, who they welcomed last year, and their two dogs.
BIG NEWS: Luke (& Charlie & Ben) can't wait to become big brothers this August!! We're all very excited to add one more to our family!
Sister Ivanka Trump congratulated the couple in the comments section of the post, writing, "So excited for you both as your sweet family grows."
This will be the 10th grandchild for the U.S. president.
Eric and Lara, who became married in 2014, welcomed their first child, son Luke, in September 2017.
The latest pregnancy news comes two years after the couple announced their first pregnancy.


Last week there was an outpouring of justifiable shock and outrage when Holly Lane amputee Graham had his wheelchair stolen from outside of his bungalow, presumably by a group of local youths, only to be found later near the skate park at Oak Park, trashed beyond repair.
Urgent! Despicable theft of wheelchair in Walsall Wood – can you help, please?
Really urgent one just in please – if you can at all help, please do; this is a nasty and needless theft which impacts seriously on the quality of life of a disabled gentleman, and I ask you, who on earth would stoop so low as to steal a bloody wheelchair?


text:
Observers say trends in school, child care point to growing demand for early education in central Maine
A new childcare facility in Winslow and a surge of kindergarten enrollment in Winslow are among the signs that more families with young children are seeking services in the Waterville-Winslow area.
By Meg RobbinsMorning Sentinel
Meagan Nielsen, left, sits with her kindergarten class at Winslow Elementary School in Winslow on July 25. Morning Sentinel photo by Michael G. Seamans
A surge in enrollment at a local elementary school and increasing demand for pre-k services in central Maine are pointing to what observers see as a positive trend: More families coming to the area are seeking out high-quality early education for their children.
But a number of challenges stand in the way of that growth, including accessibility and affordability of programming; the cost for program centers and schools providing the services; and a lack of available housing stock that would help attract more families with school-aged children.
Interest in the Waterville area has grown lately, which many attribute to the ongoing revitalization of the city's downtown. Since 2015, several new restaurants have cropped up, a hotel is currently being built on Main Street and an arts and film center is on the horizon. A developer recently purchased the old Lockwood mills, with plans to create apartments. Maine Life Real Estate Co. listed the city as having Maine's fastest-growing real estate market in 2017. The number of houses bought and sold in Waterville has more than doubled from 2008 to today.
"The real estate market in Waterville has gone up exponentially in the last five to 10 years," said Sara Bowen, executive assistant to the city manager, mayor and solicitor. "That said, I'm not sure how to gauge whether more families have been moving into Waterville, but real estate has been busier."
In January, a popular Waterville childcare program announced it would cut more than half of its slots for children aged six weeks to 5 years because of a shortage of funding. The announcement, from The Children's Place Early Care and Education Center, sparked panic among parents in the area who felt there were not many other quality (let alone waitlist-free) options to turn to.
Just 15 of the 21 childcare facilities in Waterville meet the basic regulatory standards outlined by the Department of Health and Human Services' Quality for ME program, according to its online database. The Children's Place is one of three designated with the agency's highest rating.
Across the state, the number of childcare facilities and available slots has decreased nearly 40% in the last decade, according to the DHHS.
Now, the outcome at The Children's Place is slightly more hopeful, with Executive Director Richard Dorian saying that the organization was able to finance 12 more slots than it initially thought back in January. Still, the number of children it serves has reduced from 53 to 36. Dorian said the cuts were limited to 3- to 5-year-olds.
"We closed one of our two preschool classrooms, and part of our rationale was there has been an increase in options for older young children," he said. "It's easier to serve them than it is infants and very young children. The highest need we hear about is for infants and very young children."
Area residents have also gotten creative to help alleviate that need, with partners RaeAnn Lajoie and Jennifer Stevens opening a new 49-child daycare across the Kennebec River near the Winslow-Vassalboro line this September.
Happy Days Childcare & Learning Center owners RaeAnn Lajoie, left, and Jennifer Stevens stand inside the new facility at 1437 Augusta Road in Winslow on July 10. Morning Sentinel photo by David Leaming
Don Plourde
Longtime real estate agent Don Plourde, of Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate, said he's noticed more families buying up available housing stock, but there's not enough of it. Plourde, who has been in the business for 36 years, says he's noticed a trend going back at least eight years in which there's been insufficient homes on the market in the Waterville area to keep pace with demand, particularly in the $100,000-$200,000 price range.
Plourde said he hears from contractors that a qualified labor shortage is a key factor in the lack of new housing stock being built in the region.
"I think what has happened is a lot of people starting to retire are selling their condos and homes, and those homes are filling up quite nicely," Plourde said. "New listings go rather quickly. A lot of them buying are new young families. If we continue to grow we need to find new ways of attracting young people, trades people to this area."
Plourde said it makes sense to him that an uptick in school-age children in the area could be tied to more families moving, some perhaps drawn by Waterville's economic development and new jobs.
"I think everything is very positive, what with the economic outlook," Plourde continued. "Everyone is looking at what's happening in Waterville right now. In all my time, I've not seen this much excitement. I'm not sure we're seeing it in all areas, but really new housing and entry-level housing, there's a lot of demand for it. I've watched available inventory for the last 7-8 years trend downward — there are probably less homes available now than in the last 10 years."
Read more about Waterville's real estate growth over the last decade
While birth rates in Waterville and nearby Vassalboro have fluctuated slightly over the last decade, the same is not true in Winslow, where the number of births is trending up, according to data from the DHHS and Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Office of Data, Research and Vital Statistics.
For the birth years of 2009 to 2014, Winslow's rate went up and down from 65 to 86. Meanwhile, the town's kindergarten enrollment five years ahead of that range, 2014 to 2019, trended up from 55 to 87.
Looking down the pipeline, increased kindergarten enrollment at Winslow Elementary School over the last two years — which has begun to outpace the town's birth rate — is raising questions about how to accommodate an influx of children in local educational systems. Last year's kindergarten class broke recent records, with enrollment at 79 children. In the upcoming school year, 87 kindergartners are already registered, and principal Kyle Price expects that number to grow before the enrollment period ends Oct. 1. He said the school gets an average of nine kindergarten registrations between when the spring enrollment figure is calculated and Oct. 1.
With a tight budget this year, Winslow could only hire one teacher to address the increased need, leaving kindergarten class sizes between 17 and 18 per teacher and first grade class sizes at between 19 and 20 per teacher. The state bases its subsidies off of a 15:1 student-teacher ratio for kindergarten and a 17:1 ratio for elementary school.
Over the last five years, Waterville's George J. Mitchell School has averaged an 18:1 student-teacher ratio for its kindergarten classes. At Vassalboro Community School, class sizes have hovered around 15 kindergarteners per teacher since 2014. Winslow, Waterville and Vassalboro were part of the same school district, Alternative Organizational Structure 92, until 2018.
"Those lower grades, kindergarten and first grade — that's where you want to have your most ideal classroom ratio," Price said. "First grade experiences the widest range of reading growth of any grade in the building. Where (students) end up in kindergarten and where supposed to be at end of first grade — there's more progress and development than at any other grade. It's really important that you have the personnel numbers that can support that growth."
Though Price acknowledged that the trend in Winslow might be an "enrollment bubble," meaning it is temporary, the district will still face challenges as the large classes move through the ranks. Plus, the town's sixth-graders are moving into the elementary school next year as part of a plan to decommission the Winslow Junior High School building.
Waterville Superintendent Eric Haley said a lack of sufficient physical space in the school buildings is a problem in his district as well.
"People kind of frown when you tell them that," Haley noted. "But we've had a lot of things come into schools that (weren't around when the buildings were built). There are special needs kids that require a lot of PT and OT, which requires machines and space to store those machines. We have nine social workers now working in Waterville public schools; they all take up room that they didn't before. There are computer labs. Schools are squeezed pretty hard for space right now."
Pamela Thompson, professor of early childhood education and chairwoman of the School of Education at Thomas College in Waterville, said what the Waterville-Winslow area is seeing seems in line with national trends of greater demand for high-quality early childhood education that is accessible and affordable.
Thompson also works with the lab school partnership with Educare Central Maine, which is a learning and development center in Waterville (connected with the George J. Mitchell elementary school building) that provides early childhood education care for children birth to age 5. Thompson noted that there is "always a waiting list" for Educare.
Fluctuations in Winslow elementary's kindergarten enrollment over the last five years, for example, may reflect some transience in the family population but also speaks to a growing demand.
"We've got folks moving to our community, and that ebb and flow to the area reflects a little about the families that are coming to the area. How long are these families staying?" Thompson said. "This area does have some transience to it. We do see families who come to the area for work for personal reasons and they may move out of the area after a year. I don't think it's any easy answer. We are educating and supporting parents more so they know there's a difference between low quality and high quality."
In order to make strides regionally and beyond in addressing that demand, Thompson said the costs of that education and care can't be put all on the backs of working families.
"It's more than just educators saying, 'We need more money.' Parents can't pay for it. I think we need to think about partnering and working with the business community to lift us all up together. There needs to be more conversations and more partnerships. Early childhood and quality thereof will be an economic strength for the area. Early education can help with workforce development," Thompson said.
WINSLOW FACILITY
As Vassalboro residents Stevens and Lajoie searched for childcare options for their family, they were surprised by the lack of options available. They are raising three children under their own roof — two grandchildren, ages 8 and 3, and a 10-month-old they are fostering.
"As we began looking, we recognized the need in the community first-degree," said Stevens, who formerly practiced as a licensed clinical social worker and has degrees in early childhood education and mental health and human services.
It wasn't long before they decided that the best option was to open their own daycare facility.
"We said let's do this, and decided to fill the need in the community," Stevens said.
Without advertising beyond placing a small sign by the driveway of the Augusta Road construction site, the women have received interest for more than half of the available slots and already have a wait list for the infant classroom. There are still about 13 slots for toddlers and pre-schoolers, ages 1-5, Stevens said. Registration will take place in August ahead of an anticipated Sept. 3 opening.
The facility, to be called Happy Days Childcare & Learning Center, is located on 1347 Augusta Road in Winslow, just before the Vassalboro town line. The 2,800 square-foot structure is on 10 acres. Stevens said there is room to grow, and Lajoie has already begun to envision building an 8-foot track around the outdoor play area to promote health and wellness.
"Part of our philosophy is that this is your child's home away from home," Stevens said. "It resembles a co-parenting model. We're going on this venture with parents and helping them to raise their children. We're in this with them."
Stevens and Lajoie are in the process of hiring four head teachers and six assistant teachers, which they said will be paid above the minimum wage and given a good benefit package to attract quality applicants.
Rates are $200 a week for infants, $180 a week for toddlers and pre-k and $85 a week for school-age children during the academic year. The facility's 49-child capacity is divided into eight infants, 10 young toddlers, 14 older toddlers, 10 preschoolers and seven school-age students up to 12 years old.
Read more about Waterville's daycare shortage and funding struggles at The Children's Place
Kim Lindlof, president of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, which has worked with Stevens and Lajoie, said that Happy Days Childcare & Learning Center is a welcome addition to the community.
"Childcare is definitely a problem in this area," she noted, adding that her organization will continue to address the deficiency. "The Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce has gone so far as to conduct a childcare survey in the area because the lack thereof and the Central Maine Growth Council and chamber are working together to bring more childcare to the region."
Dorian, of The Children's Place, said he is working with Waterville public schools to add a 4-year-old program in the future, funded through local taxpayers and the state. He said the organization also anticipates re-opening the second pre-k classroom at The Children's Place by the spring or summer of 2020. Price, at Winslow Elementary School, also said the school is looking to expand its pre-k program for 4-year-olds.
"We've traditionally held it at 20 (slots), but we're going to make it bigger because there does seem to be an increase in demand and need," Price said.
While Haley, Waterville's superintendent, said class sizes in the district are "a little high," and space in the building is tight, the surge in kindergarten enrollments in Winslow has Price worried.
"I'm not worried about the coming year," he said. "I think we've got that plan addressed as best we can. It will be sufficient — I won't call it ideal.
"If this is a bubble, we can make room," he added. "But if this is a trend that continues, we are going to have challenges with classroom space in the future."
Meagan Nielsen, left, sits with her summer kindergarten class at Winslow Elementary School in Winslow on July 25. Morning Sentinel photo by Michael G. Seamans
An average of two to three students per grade enter the school system after kindergarten, according to Price, meaning that a class of 87 kindergarteners can turn into a fifth grade class of 102.
"Some of that is OK because the older grades probably don't need that (student teacher ratio) of 15 to 1," Price said. "Upper grades can tolerate a little higher numbers because that learning-to-read emphasis does not create as much of a demand as it does at the lower grades."
Ahead of the sixth grade moving into the building, two non-classroom spaces will be converted into teaching space.
But after that, if the town experiences continued growth and school enrollment, there are only one or two rooms — including a current storage room — that could be converted into classrooms.
"I'm not trying to spread negative information with the sixth grade coming in, but a concern that I voiced is that: this works — as long as we don't increase enrollment," Price said. "Central Maine is poised to grow. With the nature of the area and the businesses and stuff that it has, there is potential to grow. … And if you're a resident of Winslow and you want to come to school, we want you here. There's no way to say at a public school you're not welcome here."
Managing Editor Scott Monroe contributed reporting.
More students opt for Portland High over Deering, perceiving safety issues
Sex abuse scandal enveloping Connecticut magnet school
cmnews, vassalboro maine, waterville maine, winslow maine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Florentina's Story
We are trying to raise £250,000 to enable Florentina to access further medical treatment in New York. The Bivalent Vaccine is for high risk neuroblastoma patients and is not currently available in the UK.
Florentina is a happy, determined and sassy 4 year old who is a very energetic, outdoor-loving little girl who is pony mad!
On Friday 21st May 2021, just 5 days before Florentina's 4th birthday, we got the devastating news that she had been diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer that has a 50-60% chance of long-term survival, but also carries a high risk of relapse which if happens survival rates dramatically decrease. We are fundraising for further treatment not available in the UK to take Florentina to The New York cancer centre to hopefully have the bivalent vaccine, it is the only pediatric tumour vaccine in existence, this would maximum the survival rate in the event of a relapse.
We have been in Great Ormond Street hospital for 3 weeks now and Florentina has already undergone many different scans and biopsies, and she has a long treatment plan ahead for the next 14-18 months. She is on her 3rd session of her chemotherapy treatment which she has to have every 10 days, and has at least 6-8 inductionary chemo left. We are then hoping the tumour will have shrunk enough to have an operation to remove it. She will therefore face further treatments to target any remaining cancer cells that might still be present with high dose Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy, Biological and Immunotherapy and Stem Cell Replacement. She has a long road ahead of her but Kevin & I are so unbelievably proud of how well she is coping, she's showing great strength and determination.
We have had so much love and support around us from friends & family it's been overwhelming, it has given us the strength we need to battle on through and beat this.
My brother James has entered the Swim Serpentine which takes place on 18th September 2021 in Hyde Park, organised by the Children with Cancer UK charity. He will be swimming 2 miles in open water to help raise funds for Florentina.
All donations great or small will mean so much to us and we can't thank you all enough!
florentinasfootsteps@gmail.com


text:
unless node['rvm']['prerequisite_recipes'].empty?
  node['rvm']['prerequisite_recipes'].each do |recipe_name|
    include_recipe recipe_name
  end
end

unless node['rvm']['pkg_requirements'].empty?
  package node['rvm']['pkg_requirements']
end

bash 'install RVM' do
  user node['travis_build_environment']['user']
  group node['travis_build_environment']['group']
  cwd node['travis_build_environment']['home']
  environment(
    'HOME' => node['travis_build_environment']['home'],
    'rvm_user_install_flag' => '1'
  )
  code <<-SH
    set -e
    gpg --keyserver hkp://keys.gnupg.net --recv-keys D39DC0E3 BF04FF17
    curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wayneeseguin/rvm/master/binscripts/rvm-installer -o /tmp/rvm-installer
    bash /tmp/rvm-installer #{node['rvm']['version']}
    rm /tmp/rvm-installer
    ~/.rvm/bin/rvm version
  SH
  not_if "test -f #{node['travis_build_environment']['home']}/.rvm/scripts/rvm"
end

template "#{node['travis_build_environment']['home']}/.rvmrc" do
  source 'dot_rvmrc.sh.erb'
  user node['travis_build_environment']['user']
  group node['travis_build_environment']['group']
  mode 0640
end

bundler_settings = "#{node['travis_build_environment']['home']}/.bundle/config"
template bundler_settings do
  source 'bundler_config.yml.erb'
  user node['travis_build_environment']['user']
  group node['travis_build_environment']['group']
  mode 0640
  variables(
    suffix: node['travis_build_environment']['installation_suffix']
  )
  action :nothing
end

directory "#{node['travis_build_environment']['home']}/.bundle" do
  user node['travis_build_environment']['user']
  group node['travis_build_environment']['group']
  mode 0750
  notifies :create, "template[#{bundler_settings}]"
end

template "#{node['travis_build_environment']['home']}/.rvm/user/db" do
  source 'rvm-user-db.erb'
  user node['travis_build_environment']['user']
  group node['travis_build_environment']['group']
  mode 0640
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Specifying only one dimension and a build type out of two flavor dimensions when assembling in Android gradle I am working on a multi-module Gradle Android project, which has two flavor dimensions and a build type. What I would want to achieve is build multiple build variants by specifying only one flavor dimension and build type. I will show you the flavor dimension setting part of my build.gradle.
build.gradle
...
android {
    buildTypes {
        release {
            debuggable false
            minifyEnabled false
        }

        debug {
            debuggable true
            minifyEnabled false
        }
    }
    flavorDimensions 'adid', 'phase'

    productFlavors {
        full {
            dimension 'adid'
        }
        lite {
            dimension 'adid'
        }

        alpha {
            dimension 'phase'
            versionNameSuffix '-SNAPSHOT'
        }

        sandbox {
            dimension 'phase'
            versionNameSuffix '-SNAPSHOT'
        }

        beta {
            dimension 'phase'
            versionNameSuffix '-SNAPSHOT'
        }

        real {
            dimension 'phase'
        }
    }
}
...

As you can see, there are two flavor dimensions adid (2 flavors) and phase (4 flavors), and a build type (2 types), a total of 16 build variants.

*

*assembleLiteAlphaDebug

*assembleLiteAlphaRelease

*assembleFullAlphaDebug

*assembleFullAlphaRelease

*assembleLiteSandboxDebug

*assembleLiteSandboxRelease

*assembleFullAlphaDebug

*assembleFullAlphaRelease

Since our CI builds for a specific server phase at a time, what I would want to do is specify only one flavor and a build type in my gradle commands.
./gradlew assembleAlphaRelease // build for alpha phase
./gradlew assembleSandboxRelease // build for sandbox phase
./gradlew assembleBetaRelease // build for beta phase
./gradlew assembleRealRelease // build for real phase

I want assembleAlphaRelease to run both:

*

*assembleLiteAlphaRelease

*assembleFullAlphaRelease.

However, gradle does not let me do that. I can use any combination like one dimension, two dimensions, one build type two dimensions and a build type like below:
./gradlew assembleAlpha
./gradlew assembleFull
./gradlew assembleDebug
./gradlew assembleRelease
./gradlew assembeFullAlphaRelease

But whenever I combinate one flavor and a build type, gradle gives me the following error.
Task 'assembleAlphaRelease' not found in project ':app'.

I am not sure if this is intended by the Gradle plugin or a bug but was curious if anybody could give me explanations why this is not doable. :)


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In Conversation With: 5EB
Prodigious rapper, 5EB is known for injecting a youthful energy into the budding UK trap-wave movement which is taking over the country. Having already made a statement on his 6-track EP, entitled "Highbernation," The 17-year-old Londoner has since continued to build up the momentum with his most recent track "Follow The Leader" - much like the direction of his project [aforementioned], the cut boasts a wavey ambience that displays his singing and rapping ability atop of a trap-inflected production laced with gritty 808s and an infectious guitar riff.
Two years deep into his trajectory, 5 already has a headline sold-out show under his belt, which took place last year at the O2 Academy Islington. In addition to being amongst Labrinth's diverse and talented roster on the label OddChild Music. 5EB has been included on Top 10 under 18's lists, along with big features with the likes of One Acen, Smith Blaxk and Dreadz.
Photography by Charles Owusu
North London has influenced my sound. I listen to Chip a lot who lived two roads away from me when I was younger
First things first, can you tell me a bit about your stage name and how that came about?
I get this a lot. And there's not a sick story about how the five represents five generations or something like that, it's not nothing sick. I just went through a bunch of really, really sh*tty names to get here. And then I wanted to be called just 'Seb', but when I was going on Soundcloud, because most my music was on SoundCloud to start with, there were loads of DJ's with the name 'Seb' this and 'Seb' that. So I just ended up changing the 'S' to a five and then it just kind of stuck. And I made it a part of my music so now every 'S' is replaced with a 5.
What was it like growing up in North London? Do you think that environment has impacted your music?
Oh, a hundred and fifty percent, definitely. Living anywhere in London is going to impact your music. I felt like growing up in North, there's so much talent everywhere, like even now, there's so much upcoming talent. I've had the opportunity to be in a room with some talented people like Avelino, who taught me some stuff which I never would have gotten from any other side of London. So definitely, North London has influenced my sound. I listen to Chip a lot who lived two roads away from me when I was younger and I've got pictures of my friends being held by him. I'm from the same ends as Mostack too. And I feel like because of the amount of talent that's around, it really motivates you to go harder and to try and be one of those names. So it's like you want to be someone, the people that have already done sick stuff.
Pattern you're sh*t early. Don't don't leave it to the last minute.
So you're a student as well as being a musician. How do you manage the two?
You Have to pattern your sh*t, it's actually not that hard. People always make it into a complicated thing. But the reality is most of the rappers who are successful now, they were probably students while they were on the come up. And if not, they just dropped out and said, f**k it, they can't tell you much. Vibha. I would say the thing to do is to make sure that do your do your work when you get and make sure you get sh*t patterned. So that you're not getting calls from people on the day of your shoot telling you that you need to finish college work! Pattern you're sh*t early. Don't don't leave it to the last minute.
When was the turning point for you that made you decide to pursue music properly?
I've always loved music and I've always been very passionate about it. I did lots of talent shows and I'd perform music from people like Tinchy Stryder and N- Dubz when I was five or six years old. And then I got given a notebook by my Godmother at like nine or ten and she told me to write song lyrics. But I never really took it seriously. And then probably around like 12, 13, I was just f**king around on Youtube type beats and stuff, just starting to experiment with it. And then I would say at around 15 I was like, 'ok, this isn't just me messing around anymore, like I think I need to give this a bit more attention'. So I'll say at 15, I properly go into it. But when it comes to my passion for music, I've had that since birth, since conception.
If not music, what else?
I wouldn't do anything else. Even if I'm not a rapper, I'm gonna be in music. I know that. That's why I go to music college. That's why I do everything I do. I wouldn't feel fulfilled at the end of the day if I wasn't doing something musical. I just don't feel like I'd be happy in life if I wasn't doing this.
Who would you say your biggest inspirations are when it comes to music?
Let's have a little scroll.
5eb pulls out his Spotify.
Sahbabi, Potter Paper, I listen to bare of him. Pierre Bourne, Tupac and Gunna.
There's a lot of music I listen to in fact. I also really love soul music, jazz music and rock music and stuff. So my actual influences probably come from much wider than just what I listen to.
You released your E.P. 'Highbernation' back in May. What was the Build-Up towards that like?
Initially we had planned that in July we were going to drop my self titled project called [redacted, but keep an eye out]. I'm pretty sure I've just said too much leaked information there so put it as this:
had a project planned and then COVID came along and just f**ked it. So I just thought, let me put out a piece of work that's kind of dedicated to this period of time rather than force another project that can't be done properly now. So I wanted to make something that was actually reflective of what's what we're going through right now. So that in a couple years from now, we can be like 'rah do you remember when COVID was happening?'
One of your Spotify most popular releases is 'Scum!', your collaboration with One Acen. How did that feature come about?
My manager manages him and one day he just walked into the studio while I was cooking with Rough Riley, the producer. He heard it and said 'that's hot as hell'. And that was basically it, it was just all very natural. He just walked in and liked the music. So that was nice, it didn't feel too forced.
How would you describe your music in three words?
Eclectic. Diverse. Time travelling.
What can we expect from you post-covid?
You can expect loads of collabs. You can expect loads of new videos. And also my project that I've been wanting to drop and I guess a whole bunch of interviews and stuff like that. But you're just gonna see me everywhere, hopefully doing a concert. You can expect some Manchester collaboration's. You can expect some London ones too. I'm gonna get it all patterned.
Blog Feature


Shaun White and Burton Snowboards today announced that they have signed a ten year partnership deal, the longest in the sport of snowboarding, whereby Shaun will continue to ride for Burton's Global Team, in addition to working with the company on expanding The White Collection, his signature line of hardgoods and outerwear that has been highly successful since it launched four years ago.
The White Collection, which includes a signature board and boot, a snowboarding outerwear line and R.E.D. helmet, will expand to include additional items for men and boys, including: snowboarding-related bags, luggage and clothing accessories and lifestyle products such as beanies, hoodies and tees. In addition, the collection will also now offer a new line of snowboarding outerwear for women beginning with the 2009 collection, which will be unveiled at the SIA snow industry trade show on January 29. The partnership also includes plans to further develop the youth offerings for snowboarding in The White Collection. Together, Shaun and Burton will build a dedicated product staff in its Irvine, California office, headed up by Jesse White, Shaun's brother and long-time collaborator on this collection.


By BBB Serving Eastern Oklahoma. December 10, 2018.
'Tis the season for holiday shopping, and consumers are expected to spend more this year than they did in 2017. The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects U.S. holiday retail sales to top last year's, with Americans expected to spend a total of $682 billion.


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Floyd Rose, Ph.D., is President of the Wisconsin Supplier Development Council (WSDC), a nonprofit organization which supports and develops minority-owned businesses by facilitating important connections between corporations and minority suppliers of goods and services. Dr. Rose started the Wisconsin Supplier Development Council in 1984. Today, the Wisconsin Council's membership involves 200 major corporations and 500 minority owned businesses. In 1987, Dr. Rose was involved in the creation of the Business Management Seminar (BMS), an executive management symposium that has been exclusively tailored for the owners and executives of minority-owned firms. Entrepreneurs from across the United States are brought to the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a five-day educational experience. During this period, business theory and practical application are integrated into a core curriculum taught by some of the country's most distinguished business faculty and practitioners.
Dr. Rose received a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1976. He resides in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife Mary (a retired elementary school principal). Dr. Rose is also the founder of the African American Communication and Collaboration Council and currently is a Board Member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, and 100 Black Men of Madison. He is a former member of the Edgewood Campus School Board of Directors.


Copywriting tip # 17 – Avoid plague words.
They bloat text, waste time, confuse the reader and don't earn their keep. Examples include "at about", or "ask the question". You may well be asking yourself why are these examples considered plague words.
Concise copywriting is an art form.
Our riding helmets are lighter and stronger due to our use of titanium.
We use titanium to make a lighter, stronger riding helmet.
The following is the beginning of a list of some common plague phrases. Make a note and avoid using them in your copywriting.
This and all previous copywriting tips apply regardless of where your copy appears, be it on-line or in print. Remember, the image of you and your business is reflected in everything you do so ensure your copywriting is sharp, correct and engaging.
Stay tuned for another edition of Avoiding Plague Words next week.


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Track Club, a New Nightlife Hot Spot, Opening This Fall in Downtown Phoenix
California Band Wand's Laughing Matter Is a Psych-Rock Trip Worth Taking
Local Band Luxxe Is Ready to Start Its Tale
Jason Keil
Luxxe
Jacob Reynolds
Jason Keil | June 25, 2015 | 7:47am
It's difficult to get a dream off the ground.
Valley native Seth Smades knows it as much as anyone. The 23-year-old singer-songwriter had fits and starts trying to steer his passion for music in the right direction, but none of them seemed right until he and a high school friend, drummer Devon Quartullo, decided to write songs influenced by pop folk. Taking cues from OneRepublic and Coldplay, the duo added bassist Tracy Haddad and keyboardist Nullin Hasan, becoming a quartet called Luxxe. ("Our heart and soul aren't in the band name, but we're content with it for the time being," quips Smades.)
Luxxe is scheduled to perform Friday, June 26, at Crescent Ballroom.
"Devon and I work well together," Smades says. "I thought I should bring him the stuff I was writing, and he was rapidly becoming a good producer. Over a six-month period, we had ourselves a full 12-song set. I knew [Hasan] when we were in a band in high school, and he came back and asked to be in [Luxxe]. Before that, we were looking for a bass player. My friend said, 'Come and listen to my roommate.' Immediately, [Haddad] knew what she was doing. It just clicked."
If "Blurred Lines" Ripped Off Marvin Gaye, Kelly Clarkson Absolutely Ripped Off Jimmy Eat World
The single "One" hooks you with Smades' buoyant vocals channeling Justin Timberlake and a bubbly guitar sound that glistens like the Arizona sun. The song sounds like what you wanted your first kiss to be: seeing fireworks ahead filled with love and possibilities. Dig a little deeper on YouTube and the full range of the band's potential emerges. "Pick a Dollar" shows a melancholy side to the band, with Smades' vocals going from bright to bluesy, giving his own vocal cords the same kind of abuse Paul McCartney's received on much of Abbey Road.
Smades struggles to find where that song came from, attributing its inspiration to Led Zeppelin. "It kind of comes out of left field," he says. "One day I heard it and felt it. I showed it to Devon and he said, 'Let's do it.'"
Smades and the band are seeing their hard work paying off. The group's first EP will see the light of day on June 26, with a full-length tentatively scheduled for release in November. In addition, Luxxe won the Vans Warped Tour Battle of the Bands, which got them a lot on Warped Tour's Mesa stop. which took place on Tuesday, June 23.
"I haven't seen this much growth and support like I have [with Luxxe] in other bands [I've been in]," Smades says.
Smades attributes his determination to his family. His mother, a musical minister at her church, has what her son describes as a "powerhouse voice" that motivates him to belt out earnest lyrics. When his father, whose guitar playing gave Smades the inspiration to teach himself the instrument, was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, it gave him the determination to fulfill his dream of making music his full-time job.
Smades seemed hesitant to open up about how this event helped chart his course. "I always loved to sing, but I would put myself in these positions where I couldn't sing very much or sing at all," he says, "When that happened, it made me realize I don't have that much time to waste by doing something I didn't love."
Looks as if we're witnessing the first chapter of Luxxe's success story.
Jason Keil grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. He is a freelance writer, photographer, copywriter, and knows a lot about James Bond movies.
Facebook: Jason Keil
Twitter: @jasonekeil
El West Hosting Benefit Show for Cancer-Battling Relative
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The Best Local Music of 2019 (So Far)
Jerry Lawson, Phoenix Musician and Longtime Persuasions...


Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31, 2015, 18 U.S. common stocks are scheduled to go ex-dividend. The dividend yields on these stocks range from 1% to 11%. All of these stocks can be found on our stocks going ex-dividend section of our dividend calendar.
Owners of Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ: RCII) shares, as of market close today, will be eligible for a dividend of 24 cents per share. At a price of $27.63 as of 9:33 a.m. ET, the dividend yield is 3.5%.
The average volume for Rent-A-Center has been 714,000 shares per day over the past 30 days. Rent-A-Center has a market cap of $1.4 billion and is part of the specialty retail industry. Shares are down 24.1% year-to-date as of the close of trading on Friday.
Rent-A-Center, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, leases household durable goods to customers on a rent-to-own basis. The company operates in four segments: Core U.S., Acceptance Now, Mexico, and Franchising. The company has a P/E ratio of 15.05.
TheStreet Ratings rates Rent-A-Center as a hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its increase in net income, revenue growth and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including disappointing return on equity and weak operating cash flow. You can view the full Rent-A-Center Ratings Report now.
Owners of Torchmark (NYSE: TMK) shares, as of market close today, will be eligible for a dividend of 14 cents per share. At a price of $54.89 as of 9:36 a.m. ET, the dividend yield is 1%.
The average volume for Torchmark has been 693,100 shares per day over the past 30 days. Torchmark has a market cap of $7.0 billion and is part of the insurance industry. Shares are up 0.9% year-to-date as of the close of trading on Friday.
Torchmark Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides various life and health insurance products, and annuities in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. It operates through Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Medicare Part D, and Annuities segments. The company has a P/E ratio of 13.39.
TheStreet Ratings rates Torchmark as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income and increase in stock price during the past year. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow. You can view the full Torchmark Ratings Report now.
Owners of Atwood Oceanics (NYSE: ATW) shares, as of market close today, will be eligible for a dividend of 25 cents per share. At a price of $27.92 as of 9:36 a.m. ET, the dividend yield is 3.5%.
The average volume for Atwood Oceanics has been 1.9 million shares per day over the past 30 days. Atwood Oceanics has a market cap of $1.8 billion and is part of the energy industry. Shares are down 2.6% year-to-date as of the close of trading on Friday.
Atwood Oceanics, Inc., an offshore drilling contractor, engages in the drilling and completion of exploratory and developmental oil and gas wells worldwide. The company has a P/E ratio of 6.12.
TheStreet Ratings rates Atwood Oceanics as a hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, expanding profit margins and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including disappointing return on equity, a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself and feeble growth in the company's earnings per share. You can view the full Atwood Oceanics Ratings Report now.


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15 Free, Best Story Driven Android Games in 2018
March 26, 2018 March 25, 2018 Zsuzsanna Pengo
Interested to know which are the free, best story driven Android games in 2018? Insider Monkey will show you the best ones! Although the smartphone gaming scene has exploded, many people still play only casual games on Android devices. But you can rest assured, if you give the games on this list a try, you are going to get hooked for good. This list contains some of the best story RPGs for Android and best free adventure games for Android. However, you can expect some games to push in-app purchases or in-app advertisements. But these things hardly ever subtract from the experience.
Now without a further ado let's see what Insider Monkey has investigated for us. We have picked three free, best story driven Android games in 2018 from their list.
The first one is Minecraft: story Mode. The first Telltale Games entry to make it on the list of free, best story driven Android games in 2018. If you have played their games before, then you already know that they release their games in episodic format, and this one is no exception. The first episode is absolutely fee, but if you want to play the next episode, then you will have to shell out some cash. The game is set in the Minecraft's gorgeous voxel-based universe. You ask what the story is? Well, it's a Telltale Games' tile so you can rest assured that the story is amazing. Oh! And the game is also fully voice acted. The second game should be Dead Effect 2. To be honest, first-person shooters with a good story is rather hard to find. However, this title pulls it off perfectly. The game takes place aboard the ESS Meridian. The same spaceship featured in the previous title. You wake up from your cryo-sleep to duke it out with unearthly monsters and zombies in outer space. To be honest, this has been done many times, but Dead Effect 2 does it just a little bit better. The third one is 41148. Do not let the name of the game confuse you. When you start to play the game, the weird title will start making sense to you. The game is done in the same style of highly successful games like Inside, Limbo and Little Nightmares. And keeping with the theme of this article, the game offers a pretty good storyline that will instantly suck you in.
For any further useful information, read Insider Monkey's article about 15 free, best story driven Android games in 2018.


- Publisher Candlish's exposition of 1 John was the ripe fruit of years of careful and loving study of the great themes in Johannine teaching. His aim was not so much to produce a detailed technical commentary after the fashion of much exegesis in the new German tradition, but to set on display the heights and depths of the theology of John's letter: 'it can be studied aright exegetically, only when it is studied theologically.' His driving purpose, like that of the apostle, is to see truth and joyful assurance born and brought to maturity in the hearts of his readers. The multi-faceted privileges of fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Spirit are constantly brought to the fore.
About "1 John (Geneva Series Of Commentaries)"
Candlish's exposition of 1 John was the ripe fruit of years of careful and loving study of the great themes in Johannine teaching. His aim was not so much to produce a detailed technical commentary after the fashion of much exegesis in the new German tradition, but to set on display the heights and depths of the theology of John's letter: 'it can be studied aright exegetically, only when it is studied theologically.' His driving purpose, like that of the apostle, is to see truth and joyful assurance born and brought to maturity in the hearts of his readers. The multi-faceted privileges of fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Spirit are constantly brought to the fore.


It seems like new feature leaks in Windows Phone 7.5 are becoming a regular occurence. Last week, we heard about Bing Audio, turn-by-turn map guidance and SMS dictation. Now comes word through the Windows Phone Dev Podcast that Mango will include Windows Live Messenger, Facebook Chat and AOL Messenger integration. This will all be part of the Messenger Hub in Windows Phone 7.5. Also included will be support for group messaging.
There are also planned improvements for the Office Hub including SkyDrive and Office 365 integration. Still unconfirmed, but we might also see document editing capabilities in Internet Explorer 9 mobile.
One of the more requested feature in our forums has been support for Visual Voicemail and this is also coming to Windows Phone 7.5. Microsoft will use the Open Mobile Terminal Platform or (OMTP), which is the same technology used in both Android and iOS platforms. This should be a great front-facing consumer feature.
Finally, Xbox Live customers will see a new lock and wallpaper option, enabling users to see album art on the lockscreen when music is playing. This will be combined with greater Xbox Live support, with possible account versions specifically for Windows Phone users.
Mango or Windows Phone 7.5 will debut sometime this fall. Microsoft has scheduled a special invite only event in NYC on May 24th in which we expect to hear more about the upcoming release. Support for multitasking and IE 9 are the major features, but the steady stream of features are certainly impressive. To say this is a major update is an understatement.


Redesign of 'The Intercept' a platform for reporting on leaked documents and thought provoking stories. This example shows a series of stories about Drones and their use in covert operations. Love the mixture of full bleed video, large imagery, and editorial layout to create an impactful design. Some really nice UI touches such as the menu, the sticky nav on the left, and bookending of articles and pages. Well crafted with insightful content and well designed layout full of thoughtful details.
Created by First Look Media (@firstlook).
Promo site for the new film 'While We're Young'. Posing a few scenarios to the audience to watch a series of short clips from the film – all linking to the idea of things couples did when they were younger. Loads of nice touches, from pauses in the clips to reveal additional content, to nice animations and transitions. Love the full bleed videos and it looks lovely with great typography & layout – it looks great and really fits the feel of the film.
Created by Watson D/G (@watsondg).
Site for Fendi to release exclusive interviews, backstage photos and some live streaming for Milan Fashion Week and for the Spring / Summer 2014 collection. Nice infinite scrolling panel of images, galleries, videos etc – all inside this small / large image grid. Smooth transitions to the detailed view and nice mechanic for going through the carousel of images.
Created by IMG SRC, Inc., Kaibutsu, and undefined Inc.
Interesting concept for Nokia – Somebody Else's Phone. The idea is that 3 people's phones are on display on the site, you can go through their messages, videos, pictures, contacts, calendar and so on. Each character has a storyline that you can follow in real time across the span of the campaign, even with 'real' phonecalls that you can listen to online. They each have a facebook page, some characters have flickr pages and some are interlinked. In typical advertising fashion they are aspirational, i.e. models, good looking, etc etc, their stories are relatively compelling – for example Anna the swedish student moving to London to get money for her studies, she has to model, so we see her going to castings and making friends, sending videos to her boyfriend back home and so on. Of course all at the same time as showing the features of the phone and being the primary tool to view the content.
Made by W+K London and B-Reel.
Campaign site promoting the new IKEA catalogue in Germany, released in September, as the name suggests: 'Waiting for September'. It followed the days leading up to the release, where Nils sits in his flat and is visited by friends, does things, answers phone calls from the public, interacts with users on his laptop, and so on. Over the days we see the room change when finally the new cataloge is released and we see his flat tranformed with IKEA products.
Presented in a full screen format you see the live camera footage from a choice of 2 angles, you could also embed the live feed into your blog and so on. Very similar to the Diesel Heides campaign site but taken a few steps further. Its effectiveness lies in its simplicity, and the way the content has been thought out, in the end you can see the difference the furniture makes and it provided a sense of anticipation and buzz about IKEA. Nice idea well executed!
Interesting site that combines blog posts and images to make composite images of text and photos. Some of the results are pretty cool, I particularly like the typographic montages.
Very interesting way of presenting news, Spectra 'visual newsreader' for msnbc. You selected the channels to view, which then appear in a rotating 'cloud' of news items. The news items can be explored, saved, or you can click through to the full story. Your 3D view of the items can be changed and even interacted with a connected webcam – which is fantastic – as it works on the premise of colour. Each channel of news is a different colour i.e. blue for entertainment, hold up something blue to the camera and blue items will appear. What I really like is the attention to detail and the host of options and customisation available, your choices are saved, you can search – etc. Its a really nice concept and its always great to see new ways of presenting data in an interesting way.
Created by Fluid and SSK.
Smart Flash blog for Pill & Pillow. Great example of a good Flash blog, really simple to use, it looks good, and works well. I like the way the posts appear on stage, and how the content changes to fit the browser window. There is some great content as well.


If you would like an appointment with any of the the Bupa Cromwell Hospital consultants please download and complete the referral form (PDF) and fax it with a Medical Report to the International Patient Centre on +44 (0)20 7835 2480.
Once we have received your medical report and referral form we will forward it to the appropriate consultant. The doctor will review your case and we will provide you with an estimate for the cost of your treatment.
We will then send you an appointment date and advise you on approximately how long your treatment will take so you can plan your trip to the UK accordingly.
We will send your appointment details along with a final cost estimate. It is important to understand that this is only an estimate. It is possible your costs may be more or less depending on the tests and course of treatment determined by your consultant once they have seen you.
We will send you confirmation of your appointment which we you need you to return by phone, fax or email.
Once your appointment has been confirmed and funds have been received your international patient care co-ordinator will issue you with a 'confirmation to treat letter'. This letter will include all the details you need to help you with your visa application process.
The international patient care co-ordinators are here to assist and advise you throughout the visa application process. However Bupa Cromwell Hospital has no influence on UK immigration policies. Securing an appointment and receiving an invitation for medical care does not guarantee that your visa application will be successful.
Arrange for us to call you back at a more convenient time. Please note this will be during the UK business hours indicated above.


Our Security Rule Pro™ Training modules include our existing Security Rule Training and Security Rule Audit Training (a combined value of $428.95). In addition, this product includes our Security Rule Training for Clinicians. However, the Security Rule Pro™ Training product adds a total of sixteen (16) new modules in order to be consistent with our micro learning strategy.
Specifically, Security Rule Pro™ Training adds six (6) Concept Shorts and ten (10) Micro Shorts to make this training the most comprehensive Security Rule training product on the market.
Each primary concept within the Security Rule: (1) Administrative Safeguards; (2) Technical Safeguards; and (3) Physical Safeguards is captured in three distinct Concept Shorts. For each Concept Short, there are a number of Micro Shorts that are provided to further illustrate the concept.
Our Security Rule Pro™ Training represents the quintessential Security Rule training honed over a decade of teaching the Rule to thousands of customers, newsletter subscribers, and webinar attendees. This training is no longer solely for compliance officers and counsel; it can be used to introduce your entire workforce to the Security Rule. A Rule that becomes more important each day with what appears to be the daily occurrence of data breaches within the healthcare industry.


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Takeo Saeki (佐伯 剛 雄, Saeki Takeo) è un personaggio immaginario appartenente alla serie di film Ju-on e marito di Kayako Saeki. Dalla sua introduzione a The Grudge 3, è interpretato dall'attore veterano di lunga data Takashi Matsuyama; è l'unico membro della famiglia Saeki a non essere interpretato da più attori. Tuttavia, Matsuyama è stato sostituito dall'attore Yasuhito Hida per il riavvio giapponese del 2014, Ju-on: Beginning of the End, e il suo sequel Ju-on: The Final Curse.

Storia del personaggio
Takeo Saeki è un illustratore che lavora a Nerima, Tokyo, quando incontra Kayako Kawamata. Si innamora e la sposa, dando alla luce suo figlio, Toshio .

Come evidenziato nel romanzo di Ju-on, Takeo Saeki è molto possessivo e geloso di chiunque rubi l'attenzione di Kayako; quando sua moglie dice che le piace un particolare attore in TV, si arrabbia molto.

Un giorno trova il diario di Kayako e lo legge. Viene colpito da una rabbia incontrollabile quando scopre che Kayako è innamorato di un uomo di nome Shunsuke Kobayashi, l'insegnante di scuola di Toshio e il primo amore di Kayako al college. Diventa ossessionato dall'idea che Kayako lo stia tradendo e Toshio è il figlio di Kobayashi.

Quando Kayako torna a casa, Takeo attacca la moglie, rompendole il collo e colpendola con un taglierino, nascondendole poi il corpo in soffitta. Come si vede nel remake americano del primo film di Ju-on , annega Toshio nella vasca da bagno insieme al suo amato gatto nero Mar. Takeo corre all'appartamento di Kobayashi, uccide sua moglie Manami e prende il suo bambino prematuro. Quindi chiama Kobayashi usando la dannata cabina telefonica, dicendo che lo avrebbe lasciato per allevare Toshio perché pensava "fino ad ora, lo aveva cresciuto al suo posto". Quindi, dopo aver colpito il feto femminile morto in un sacco, cade su alcuni sacchi della spazzatura, uno di loro in realtà si sta dirigendo verso di lui e contiene lo spirito morto di Kayako che alla fine lo uccide in quella strada.

Da quel giorno in poi, la casa Saeki diventa un famigerato punto di riferimento. Una volta che qualcuno entra, viene ucciso dagli spiriti di Takeo, Kayako o Toshio, oppure scompare tra le grinfie di Kayako. Come con gli altri fantasmi, nessuna delle vittime tenta mai di contrattaccare fisicamente, poiché di solito è paralizzata dalla paura.

Nel riavvio del 2014, Takeo è interpretato in modo più comprensivo, poiché alla fine è stato manipolato, sia dai sentimenti che dalla fiducia, da Kayako, dal momento che Toshio non era davvero suo figlio, ma piuttosto un'incarnazione di un bambino morto di una precedente famiglia che abitava il Casa. Ha comunque ucciso Kayako e Toshio, ma non è diventato un onryo, poiché il suo destino in seguito non viene rivelato.

In '' Ju-On: The Grudge '' un articolo rivela che Takeo aveva 34 anni al momento della sua morte, ma nei film di The Grudge , secondo un articolo, aveva 35 anni quando muore.

Differenze tra le versioni
In The Grudge , Takeo viene invece impiccato per il collo all'interno della casa. È implicito che si sia impiccato. Tuttavia, nella versione Director's Cut del film, viene visto appeso ai capelli di Kayako, indicando che era responsabile della sua morte, rendendolo così la prima vittima della maledizione.

Nel romanzo di Ju-on , la sua morte cambia ancora una volta: viene ucciso quando il fantasma di Kayako lo colpisce alla schiena con un coltello.

Sequenza temporale

Ju-on: The Curse
In questo film, Takeo, ironia della sorte, è contemporaneamente protagonista e antagonista. Questo film parla di lui in quanto è stato la fonte della maledizione che è stata lanciata alla Casa Saeki. In questo film scopre che sua moglie, Kayako , aveva una relazione con l'insegnante di suo figlio , Shunsuke Kobayashi, ed è qui che inizia la sua follia, perché era già felicemente sposato con Kayako e aveva un lavoro dignitoso.e aveva un figlio che considerava suo e solo suo. Quando improvvisamente trovò il diario di Kayako, scoprì che le piaceva Kobayashi, e poi i sospetti di Takeo iniziarono a manifestarsi nella paura che Toshio potesse non essere suo figlio, ma di Kobayashi. Proprio mentre leggeva il diario, però, le cose cambiarono di male in peggio, perché Kayako entrò nella stanza, appena tornato a casa dal college. Entrò nella stanza sorridendo, ma il suo sorriso svanì quando vide Takeo con in mano il suo diario. All'improvviso si rese conto che il suo segreto era svelato e Takeo desiderava la punizione. Quando vide Kayako, che ora percepiva come traditore, le mani di Takeo iniziarono a tremare rabbiosamente e si lanciò contro sua moglie, picchiandola e alla fine slogandole la caviglia, così che cadde a terra. La guardò sadicamente mentre strisciava al piano di sotto,

Più tardi quel pomeriggio, Shunsuke Kobayashi fece visita alla Casa Saeki, diventando inconsapevolmente la prima vittima della maledizione. Mentre aspettava con impazienza l'arrivo di Takeo o Kayako in modo da poterli usare per persuadere Toshio a tornare a scuola, telefonò a sua moglie, Manami Kobayashi, per farle sapere che sarebbe tornato a casa più tardi quella sera. Manami, tuttavia, disse a suo marito che c'era qualcuno alla porta e riattaccò. L'uomo alla porta risultò essere Takeo Saeki, che aveva appena ucciso sua moglie e suo figlio. Takeo ha ucciso Manami e sadicamente strappato il suo feto femminadal suo grembo, anche se non era ancora nato, e poi urlò di rabbia e dolore. Takeo quindi si precipitò alla cabina del telefono e chiamò Kobayashi, dicendogli dei suoi sospetti che Toshio fosse il figlio di Kobayashi. Takeo disse ferocemente a Kobayashi, che odiava, che poiché Toshio era suo figlio, ora poteva avere lui al posto di se stesso, Takeo. Takeo ha poi rivelato a Kobayashi che aveva una bambina, e poi ha continuato a schiacciare il suo feto sui pali di metallo per strada, spaventando due pedoni, e alla fine è crollato su alcuni sacchi della spazzatura. Alla fine, Takeo ha visto un sacco della spazzatura muoversi verso di lui, e poi ha visto il cadavere di Kayako che è emerso dal sacco e lo ha ucciso in mezzo alla strada.

Ju-on: The Curse 2
Takeo si vede solo nel complesso di appartamenti che Kobayashi e sua moglie hanno vissuto nel primo film. Lo vediamo attraverso uno spettrale flashback anni dopo, uccidendo la moglie di Kobayashi e prendendo il bambino non ancora nato dal suo corpo.

Ju-on: The Grudge
Ancora una volta, Takeo Saeki è la causa di tutti gli eventi di Ju-on: The Grudge.È implicito che uccida chiunque entri in casa sua come possiede ancora una volta qualcuno: questa volta è Katsuya Tokunaga. Katsuya sviluppa parti della folle personalità di Takeo, come l'ossessione che ha con il pensiero che Kayako lo abbia tradito innamorandosi di Kobayashi, ei suoi occhi cambiano e appaiono più malvagi. Katsuya, grazie al personaggio malvagio di Takeo, sembra desiderare la casa per se stesso, dato che caccia Hitomi Tokunaga quando lei tenta di visitare suo fratello per cena. Tuttavia, ancora una volta, viene ucciso dalla moglie, Kayako, dopo aver cacciato Hitomi, sua sorella: Katsuya, guidato da Takeo, sale le scale ed entra nella stanza sotto la soffitta, dove la faccia di Kayako appare sulla finestra e presumibilmente uccide. ancora una volta il suo malvagio marito.

Una nota a margine interessante è che Takeo, che possiede Katsuya, sembra essere influenzato dai sentimenti malvagi che lui stesso ha causato nella Casa: Katsuya, nei panni di Takeo, prova una brutta emozione mentre si trova ai piedi delle scale. Questo fenomeno è inspiegabile, perché Takeo sarebbe sicuramente immune ai malvagi sentimenti che ha provocato all'interno della Casa.

Rika sta subendo un enorme calvario quando appare Kayako, che striscia al piano di sotto, solo per peggiorare le cose per lei. tuttavia, Rika nota che Kayako sembra chiedere aiuto, il che è un allontanamento dai notevoli omicidi di Kayako. Tuttavia, quando Kayako sta per uccidere Rika, scompare, presumibilmente perché sente che Takeo si avvicina. Takeo scende le scale a grandi passi, inzuppato di sangue, e allunga la mano, rompendo il collo di Rika, avvolgendola nella plastica e finendola con un coltello - nello stesso modo in cui ha ucciso sua moglie, Kayako.

Anche Kayako sembra essere terrorizzato da Takeo in questo film, perché questo è l'unico film di Ju-On che mostra un altro lato di Kayako Saeki.

Ju-on: The Grudge 2 , White Ghost
Questi film differiscono dal resto della saga di Ju-on , perché sono gli unici senza il personaggio di Takeo - non possiede nemmeno un personaggio. Tuttavia, viene menzionato come parte della storia di sfondo ed è vitale per la trama, perché la macchia di sangue sul pavimento è inevitabilmente causata da Takeo quando ha ucciso Kayako, come mostrato in un flashback in Ju-on: The Grudge 2 . Appare brevemente in Ju-on: White Ghost in una foto di famiglia spiegazzata.

The Grudge
Takeo Saeki gioca un ruolo importante in questo remake. Takeo uccide Kayako sullo schermo per la prima volta. Sta leggendo il suo diario nella sua stanza, dopo averlo trovato e scoperto la sua attrazione per Peter Kirk. Le sue mani iniziano a tremare all'impazzata come se desiderasse metterle intorno alla gola di Kayako. Poi si avvicina lentamente a lei, prendendosi il suo tempo. Si lancia con rabbia contro di lei, picchiandola e alla fine spingendola via bruscamente da lui, facendola slogare la caviglia. Kayako poi striscia al piano di sotto, cercando disperatamente di sfuggire al marito violento. Tuttavia, proprio mentre striscia al piano di sotto nella fretta di raggiungere la porta, si guarda indietro e scopre che Takeo sta camminando tranquillamente dietro di lei, la testa alta nell'aria. Takeo cammina dietro alla moglie spaventata, in trance, e poi le afferra i lunghi capelli neri e le spezza il collo.

Poi alza lo sguardo per vedere suo figlio, Toshio, che lo osserva. Toshio ha visto tutto, compreso il collo di sua madre rotto, anche se non è chiaro quanto sia stato registrato con Toshio - evidentemente sembra spaventato nel vedere suo padre comportarsi in questo modo. Takeo quindi afferra Toshio e lo annega nella vasca da bagno, annegando il gatto di Toshio, Mar nella stessa vasca da bagno, (che in seguito sembra avvertire gli abitanti della casa del male in agguato lì) e poi viene infine impiccato da Kayako nella sua stanza - una differenza dal film originale.

A parte questi eventi, che vengono mostrati in flashback, lo stesso Takeo non appare molto in questo film, tranne che per una delle sequenze più spaventose del film, quando il detective Nakagawa tenta di bruciare la casa, e poi incontra Takeo che uccide Toshio . Nakagawa va a indagare e trova Toshio sdraiato nella vasca da bagno. Tenta di rianimarlo, ma poi lo spirito malvagio di Takeo appare all'improvviso dietro di lui, e prima che Nakagawa possa fare altro che guardarsi intorno, Takeo afferra con rabbia i capelli di Nakagawa e lo spinge nella vasca da bagno, annegandolo (e apparentemente mettendo il suo corpo nella Attico).

In una scena cancellata intitolata Stop It , Takeo possiede Matthew Williams e costringe Matthew a cacciare sua sorella Susan dalla casa. Takeo, possedendo Matthew, sale quindi nella camera da letto di Toshio, dove, dall'oscurità, lo spirito malvagio di Kayako Saeki - o forse Yoko senza mascelle, questo non è confermato - appare dietro di lui, dove presumibilmente uccide ancora una volta Takeo.

Il motivo per cui Takeo ha assassinato Toshio non è chiaro in questo film, anche se si sospetta che pensasse che Toshio fosse il figlio di Peter Kirk e perché era un testimone dell'omicidio di Kayako.

The Grudge 2
In questo film, la trama è incentrata ancora una volta sulla maledizione malvagia lanciata da Takeo sulla casa. Takeo è spiritualmente responsabile per aver rovinato la vita di tre ragazze adolescenti, Vanessa Cassidy, Miyuki Nazawa e Allison Fleming, che frequentano la Tokyo International High School nel 2006, dove incontrano lo spirito malvagio di Kayako. Takeo possiede anche un uomo di nome Bill Kimble, che risiede a Chicago, Illinois e il possesso è simile al possesso di Matthew Williams nel film precedente, dalla scena eliminata. Il comportamento di Bill cambia e inizia a sospettare che la sua nuova moglie, Trish, lo stia tradendo, come si è visto quando la vede al telefono con un collega e Bill si arrabbia così tanto che stringe le chiavi della macchina così ferocemente che il sangue gocciola giù. la sua mano. Più tardi, Takeo ottiene la sua punizione quando Trish,

Più avanti nel film, appare il malvagio Takeo Saeki. La sorella minore di Karen, Aubrey Davis, sta indagando sulla Maledizione di Saeki, e torna alla Casa dove chiede di conoscere il motivo del rancore, e improvvisamente vede sua sorella Karen - che misteriosamente pensa sia di nuovo viva anche se l'ha vista cadere (presumibilmente spinto da Kayako) giù dal tetto dell'ospedale - salendo le scale, cercando il suo ragazzo Doug. Aubrey segue la sorella maggiore e procede lungo il corridoio fino alla camera da letto di Kayako, dove vede Takeo che legge il diario. Le sue mani iniziano ancora una volta a contrarsi quando vede Aubrey, la sua nuova vittima. Una volta in passato, scende a grandi passi e rompe il collo di Aubrey, uccidendola nello stesso modo in cui ha ucciso sua moglie. Appare particolarmente malvagio in questo film, poiché sembra guardare Aubrey quando sta morendo e sorride.

Più tardi, verso il culmine di questo film, Takeo appare e annega la sorella maggiore di Jake Kimble, Lacey nel suo bagno, ripetendo l'omicidio di Toshio.

The Grudge 3
Questo film è uno dei pochi che si concentra su Takeo Saeki e la sua maledizione, perché nel film precedentepossedeva Bill Kimble e invase l'appartamento di Chicago dove vivevano i Kimbles. In questo film, possiede il corpo di Max Morrison, il fratello di Lisa Morrison e l'apparente padrone di casa dell'appartamento. Max è posseduto da Takeo. Il comportamento di Max cambia in peggio, ad esempio durante la possessione trascura la sorella minore Rose Morrison (apparentemente una ripetizione della crudeltà che ha imposto a Toshio) anche quando lei ha gravi douses di atsma, e lui le schiocca più volte. A un certo punto, Takeo, (nei panni di Max) sta scolpendo strani simboli su una finestra, e in un altro punto sta scolpendo le pareti con un temperino, mentre Lisa spaventata incoraggia Rose a correre verso di essa. Lisa, la sorella di Max, sembra essere spaventata dal possesso di Max da parte di Takeo, perché si comporta come se nulla stesse accadendo quando i decessi compaiono in tutto l'appartamento. Takeo caccia Lisa e lei alla fine cerca rifugio con la sorella di Kayako, Naoko Kawamata. Naoko si rende conto che Max è posseduto dallo spirito malvagio di Takeo e inizia a esorcizzare l'appartamento e bandire sua sorella. Dice a Lisa che Rose deve bere il sangue di Kayako, poiché l'innocenza di Rose è l'unica cosa che può fermare il male di Kayako - e quindi quello di Takeo. Tuttavia, Lisa rifiuta, dicendo che Naoko non le aveva detto nulla di questo, e proprio mentre Lisa tenta di andarsene, Takeo (che possiede Max) fa irruzione alla cerimonia e guida Naoko nel corridoio, ripetendo il modo in cui ha attaccato Kayako. Naoko, sapendo chi è Max, cerca di ragionare con lui, ma ovviamente lui non ascolta la ragione e rompe la gamba di Naoko, costringendola a gattonare allo stesso modo di Kayako. Takeo (nei panni di Max) quindi ripete i movimenti del collo e produce un coltello affilato, con il quale lo spinge nella gola di Naoko, spezzandole efficacemente il collo e uccidendola per sempre. Proprio in quel momento, Rose beve il sangue di Kayako e Kayako svanisce, così come il rancore stesso. Proprio in quel momento, Takeo viene bandito dal corpo e dalla mente di Max, e quindi la maledizione di Takeo giunge al termine. Tuttavia, Naoko appare in seguito come il nuovoonryo , e uccide Max, resuscitando ancora una volta il rancore.

Ju-on: The Beginning of the End , The Final Curse
Takeo viene reinventato nel riavvio giapponese del 2014. Secondo il diario di Kayako, la coppia aveva tentato negli anni di concepire un bambino, ma non ci è riuscita, come rivelato dai risultati negativi della gravidanza ritagliati sul diario. Tuttavia, Kayako ha improvvisamente portato Takeo un bambino che lei ha affermato come loro figlio subito dopo il loro trasferimento in una nuova casa, chiamandolo Toshio. Takeo alla fine ha scoperto da un nastro nascosto che Toshio non era suo, ma l'incarnazione di un ragazzo di nome Toshio Yamaga che risiedeva nella casa prima di "entrare" nel grembo di Kayako. Lo sospettava già dal momento che il bambino non considerava Takeo suo padre, ma fu confermato apertamente dal gongolare di Kayako che Toshio fosse solo suo. Takeo ha poi ucciso Kayako e il gatto domestico di Toshio.

Poiché non è diventato parte della maledizione di Toshio come ha fatto Kayako, il suo destino non è stato rivelato fino a The Final Curse - furioso, Toshio ha lasciato la sua nave per uccidere Takeo. Con entrambi i genitori scomparsi, Toshio è stato accolto dalla sorella di Takeo e da sua figlia, Reo.

The Grudge

Non appare in , viene solo menzionato indirettamente e brevemente presentato in una fotografia.

Relazioni

Shunsuke Kobayashi / Peter Kirk
Takeo Saeki odio Kobayashi Ju-on

Takeo Saeki odio Peter

Kayako Seaki

Takeo Saeki leggere sua moglie Kayako, arriva sua moglie uccide

Takeo si stabilì a casa sua quando tornò come un fantasma

Personaggi di Ju-on

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Vehicle: Airplane: Cockpit
Hamsterball Cockpits (+3) [vote for, against]
Maintain optimum position under all conditions
A major problem with high performance jet fighter aircraft is that they have human pilots. The performance envelop of the plane is limited by what the pilot can tolerate in G forces.
I propose a new cockpit design based on a hamster ball. This cockpit would be affixed to an aircraft on a set of computer controlled gimbles. As the air craft maneuvers the ball would be positioned in the position that allows for maximum pilot survivability during advanced maneuvers.
It has been shown that humans can survive up to 50 Gs in a reverse facing position. Compared to only 6 or 7 Gs in an upright position.
This cockpit would maintain the optimal position for the maneuver in question. The pilots viewpoint would be handled by a virtual reality display system built into the pilots helmet and slaved to a remote camera in the nose of the plane(already in use in helicopters gun ships) allowing visibility regardless of the cockpit orientation.
As dogfights com down to who can turn the tightest this would only need to afford a 1 or 2 G increase in a turn to make a big difference.
What if the pilot was not in the plane at all, but in a second aircraft, with the controls slaved? Then the fighter could pull all sorts of stunts, without any G forces affecting the pilot.
(I know remote controlled fighters already exist, but I think they all involve the pilot being very remote indeed, not tagging along in a separate, more sedate craft.)
-- DrCurry, Dec 27 2006
I suspect this would create a serious situatuional awareness issue. Pilots depend heavily on the feel of a plane when banking, climbing or diving. The g-force from each strongly indicates how much motion is happening. A pilot that goes into a steep dive, and feels like they are climbing (even with visual cues saying otherwise) runs a very high risk of diving to low. Not a huge problem at 10,000 ft, but a significant issue at 1000.
-- MechE, Dec 28 2006
no more so than any of the remote pilot options that exist. I think with proper training a pilot could readily adapt to such a system. I think a key would be that the system must behave in a very consistent way so the pilot can learn the feel of the aircraft in all situations.
almost all high-g maneuvers are upwards (in the aircraft's coordinate system). Thats because the main force causing all those g's is lift, provided by wings that are fixed relative to the rest of the aircraft.
so you can simplify it by letting the pilot lie on his back.
anyway, they'll probably not develop any new manned fighters anymore now that UCAV's are so close to being realized.
-- arvin, Dec 29 2006
//wouldn't this need to be spherical//
I dont think so, a cylinder seems like it would work just as well, the majority of the g's taken by pilots are perpendicular to the plane, not parallel to it. Rotate in a cylinder about the tail-noze axis of the plane, and you're covered. Since it relies on VR to see, it neednt be visible from the outside so the plane could be more aerodynamic.
-- bleh, Jun 12 2007


On the morning of the 18 December last year Sam* walked up the narrow steps of a nondescript building in the back streets of Islington, north London. He was visiting the Eritrean embassy to inquire about his "clearance". This is the process every Eritrean in the diaspora must undergo if they want to have any dealings with their home country.
However, being cleared entails paying a 2% tax on all UK earnings to the Eritrean authorities. Without clearance Sam could not have his passport renewed, apply for a business permit in his home country, or even send a parcel of secondhand clothes to his family.
The diaspora tax was banned by the UN security council in 2011 (pdf). Resolution 2023, supported by the UK, condemned the tax because it was being used to fund "arms and related material" for rebel groups across the Horn of Africa.


I have 5 bred cows for sale they are all confirmed bred to a black corriente bull four are to calve in april and one in February. This cows are very healthy, hardy cattle that raise really good roping calves that run hard have good horn and last or breed them to a beef bull and raise some dang good beef x calves. These cows have been wormed and vaccinated with 8 way, vira shield 6 with vl5 and are ready to go. I'm asking $600 a piece if you want to pick and choose or $500 a piece if you take them all if interested at all pm me or call anytime thanks.


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12/16/2019 Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks' win streak: How long will it last and can they break the all-time NBA record?
The Milwaukee Bucks have won 18 straight and are over halfway to the NBA record set by the 1971-72 Lakers. How long can they keep it going and are they a threat to break the all-time record?
https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/NBA_Global_CMS_image_storage/20/88/adams_13myma1tsl12y1ce69ftmtl2ed.png?t=1378242313&w=500
By Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
The Milwaukee Bucks just keep on winning and enter Monday's game against the Dallas Mavericks on an 18-game winning streak.
With Luka Doncic now ruled out of the highly anticipated matchup with reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo following an ankle injury over the weekend, the Bucks are double-digit favourites and thus likely to enter Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers looking for their 20th straight win.
As it stands now, Milwaukee's current streak is tied for the 11th-longest in NBA history with this being the longest in a single season since the Golden State Warriors started 24-0 to begin the 2015-16 regular season.
How long will it continue?
FiveThirtyEight.com's RAPTOR metric predicts every game and using that tool, we can see just how likely it is that Milwaukee keeps winning.
For instance, that metric has the Bucks with a 64% chance to win on Thursday against the Lakers.
MORE: Are the Bucks or Lakers No. 1 in this week's Power Rankings?
Looking ahead into the future, Milwaukee could reach 33 straight wins on January 14 at home against the New York Knicks while the record-breaking 34th win would be January 16 at home against the Boston Celtics. Over that span, the only game that FiveThirtyEight's RAPTOR metric doesn't favour the Bucks is on Christmas Day. As it stands down, the metric projects the Bucks with a 34% chance of winning that game.
Taking all of the probabilities into account, the Bucks currently have about a 1 in 169 chance of reaching 34 straight wins.
In addition to the obviously tricky games against the Lakers, 76ers and Celtics, some other potential landmines:
Three sets of back-to-backs, none of which are both at home
Four games in six days, all on the road
Injuries! (you never know)
Here is a game-by-game breakdown with all percentages courtesy of FiveThirtyEight.com.
Date Opponent Streak Chance to Win
Dec. 16 Mavericks 19 83%
Dec. 19 Lakers 20 64%
Dec. 21 at Knicks 21 87%
Dec. 22 Pacers 22 78%
Dec. 25 at 76ers 23 34%
Dec. 27 at Hawks 24 65%
Dec. 28 Magic 25 78%
Dec. 30 at Bulls 26 75%
Jan. 1 Timberwolves 27 80%
Jan. 4 Spurs 28 92%
Jan. 6 at Spurs 29 79%
Jan. 8 at Warriors 30 81%
Jan. 10 at Kings 31 67%
Jan. 11 at Blazers 32 58%
Jan. 14 Knicks 33 94%
Jan. 16 Celtics 34 74%
For what it's worth, FiveThirtyEight has a different method of predicting games based off their ELO ratings. That version likes the Bucks even more.
The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.


An alternately structured and sometimes stream-of-consciousness journal of my view of the purpose and essence of life as a Jew, the importance of the Land of Israel, how to differentiate good from evil, and perhaps even what to do about it. Oh,and also some technology thrown in for good measure. And whatever else comes to mind, actually... In short: "BLOGITO Ergo Sum"
(I wrote this the day we returned from Florida, December f24th, 2012. I just published it today, 1 January 2013).
It has been over a month since I have posted on this blog. So many things have happened. We just yesterday returned from our "vacation" to Florida, for our biggest family event since my eldest daughter's wedding. My only sister, my niece and her new husband, also flew down from New York for this event. What was the occasion? Our eldest grandson, who has Down Syndrome, became a Bar-Mitzvah. But this was only the tail end of the entire three months of family activities.
First, I don't even remember if I wrote about my daughter's visit to the States. I might have mentioned it in a previous post, but now, let me elaborate: my daughter was invited by the JDC (Joint Distribution Committee) to speak at their board meeting in New York. They bought her ticket to the States, with a return to Israel in January, in their kindness, allowing her to visit her family in Colorado and in Florida in addition to her sister, aunt and cousin in New York.
How did this happen? It's fortuituous, how a door closes and another opens. Some would call it serendipity, others, hashgachah pratit--Divine Providence, if you will. My daughter began volunteering, for as long as she felt up to it and could control her pain, at the Center for Independent Living (scroll down to the one in Tel-Aviv), nicknamed for it's acronym, in Hebrew: CIL (pronounced "seel"). She did everything she could there, from empathizing with the members, who are disabled from a myriad of reasons--CP, vehicular and other accidents, deafness, blindness, paraplegia-- to name just a few--to advising, connecting and managing their computer network, troubleshooting problems, filing, doing office paperwork, and assisting the director as well as members. She has always been feisty and socially outgoing, and being active in the center helped her forget, for a while, her pain and disability. She could focus on something worthwhile outside of herself, and it gave her life a new purpose.
Then one day, the JDC sent a delegation to determine future fundraising efforts to assist the Center, and she was asked, before their arrival, to speak--as she is American and her English is native, and she could relate to them in a more personal way. She prepared her little speech, and was a knockout. The delegates asked her if she was a "professional motivational speaker!" She answered that no, she wasn't, but did have some acting experience, which is true: she was always had a 'dramatic' personality, with histrionic tendancies (!), and had also acted in several JCC and school productions as a student.
Fast forward to the JOINT, as it is called, buying her ticket to the United States, to speak at their board meeting in New York, and other places as well. She arrived in October, was with us for a month in her old room-turned-guest-room-back-to-Rambo's-room for the duration. While here, she told her story at two Jewish schools, both of which she had attended in elementary school. She spoke to the High School divisions.
All three of us, my D. H., Rambo, and myself--left for Florida on December 5th for her nephew--our grandson's Bar Mitzvah. She is now in New York with her older/middle sister, spending some time before they fly her to San Diego for her next speaking engagement.
Here is a video discussing some of the good that CIL in Tel Aviv (founded in conjunction with B'Kol, an organization for the hearing impaired) is doing for its members.
The transit wheel chair which we bought for her is still in her room. The toboggan/sled which we bought for her to help her pull herself up and slide down the stairs is still downstairs in the living room. I miss her.
I was in a rush to get my post and pictures in yesterday, so I didn't pontificate on the significance of the name "Naomi." I remember, when my first Israeli grandson was born to my younger son, Nathaniel Blumenstein, I waxed eloquent ( or rather, my son did--I just copied and pasted his stuff!) on the meaning and significance of his name, Gavriel (which is translated as "Gabriel" in English) on my post back in November '08 after his birth, here.
As is Gavriel, Naomi, too, is a special name. It is Hebrew, originating in the TaNaCH in the book of Ruth. Naomi was the mother-in-law of Ruth. It means "my delight," coming from the Hebrew word, no'am, which is "pleasantness" or "delightfulness." The shoresh, or root, is "na-em," which is 'pleasant' or 'lovely.' The infinitive, "li-n'om," means "to be pleasant."
The Great Debate: Is it Itsy Bitsy, or Inky Dinky, of Spider Fame?
For the better part of a year, I've had an on-again, off-again debate with my D.H. as to the "correct" adjective in the children's finger-play nursery rhyme, "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" (now you know which one I favor).
Someone used this phrase in a comment on a post about the hijab wearing Jewish women in Ramat Bet Shemesh Alef: "modern Hareidi community;" this is an oxymoron.
Just for the record, I rarely agree with a Hareidi interpretation of anything. This mode of dress is just a bad interpretation of a good concept (tzniyut) taken to extremes.
Personally, I cover my hair because I feel it increases my humility by remembering that there is a G-d above me (not because of the reason of less attraction to men).
I chose many years ago to do so; but I have come to believe a woman can be Orthodox without covering her hair all the time; just while in shul, and where it shows respect for the Torah, such as at shiurim, or where it is the preferred mode of dress, such as at yeshiva dinners and the like. But to go to the grocery? Not necessarily.


text:
Print > Andy Donato
Olympic Hockey 3
Andy Donato
Canadian (1937)
Lithograph, signed in the plate
Edition of AP
Size: 23 x 26 in. (58.42 x 66.04 cm)
$225 Purchasing Options
Unframed - 225 - - Custom - 470 - -
About The Artist: Andy Donato
Andy Donato (born 1937) is an editorial cartoonist and former art director for the Toronto Sun. Donato was born in Scarborough, Ontario, to an Italian Canadian family. He graduated from Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute in 1955 and worked at Eaton's as a layout artist. He joined the Toronto Telegram in 1961, working as a graphic artist in the promotion department. In 1968, he was appointed art director and began cartooning on a...
About The Medium: Lithograph
A print created using flat stones or metal plates. The artist creates a lithograph by drawing an image directly onto the printing element using materials like lithograph crayons or special grease pencils. After this, the drawing is transferred from the plate to the paper in multiples. A lithograph will not have dots when examined with a magnifying glass.