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The Winter Palace (A novel of the young Catherine the Great)
Imprint: Black Swan
Eva Stachniak
When Vavara, a young Polish orphan, arrives at the glittering, dangerous court of the Empress Elizabeth in St Petersburg, she is schooled in skills ranging from lock-picking to love-making, learning above all else to stay silent - and listen.
Then Sophie, a vulnerable young princess, arrives from Prussia as a prospective bride for the Empress's heir. Set to spy on her, Vavara soon becomes her friend and confidante, and helps her navigate the illicit liaisons and the treacherous shifting allegiances of the court. But Sophie's destiny is to become the notorious Catherine the Great. Are her ambitions more lofty and far-reaching than anyone suspected, and will she stop at nothing to achieve absolute power?
Riveting... Stachniak has uncovered a treasure trove of rich material... The real core of Stachniak's tale is that [Catherine and Elizabeth] are women... Casts light over recent Russian history too, which is exactly what historical fiction should do
Jane Smiley, Globe and Mail
A wonderful novel, riven with intrigue and startling details, the sort to savour on a long winter evening
The kind of big busty read that sends you back to the history books
The Sunday Times
Extraordinarily absorbing... will have you on the edge of your seat
A wonderful tale of the Imperial Russia court in all its glittering glory. Eva Stachniak vividly brings to life the early years of the meek young bride who would become the terrifying, fascinating Catherine the Great
Kate Williams, author of England's Mistress and Becoming Queen
Eva Stachniak was born in Wroclaw, Poland, and now lives in Canada, where she has been a radio broadcaster and college English and humanities lecturer. Her debut novel, Necessary Lies, won the Amazon.com/Books in Canada First Novel Award, and her second novel, Dancing with Kings, has been translated into seven languages. She lives in Toronto,where she is working on her second novel about Catherine the Great, also to be published by Doubleday


DIRECTTECH Global GmbH became a listed supplier of the FEGIME Group in 2015.
FEGIME Deutschland stands for the cooperation model: act jointly – achieve more.
With its 58 shareholders, FEGIME is one of the leading market communities of the electrical wholesale trade and represented in Germany nationwide with about 170 sales offices.


Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has congratulated the newly elected representative body of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE).
The Prime Minister extended his deepest congratulations to Mr. Zia Shahid on being elected as President, Mr. Ijaz Ul Haq as Secretary and other office bearers on their election.
Highlighting the vital role of print media in strengthening democracy in Pakistan, the Prime Minister said that the government would extend all possible assistance and support for the promotion of free press and development of vibrant media in the country.


Emerging from the depths of a black space, a man and a woman choose to meet. A dialogue of their breath and tongues, like strange, independent entities exiting from their mouths to engage in a dance of copulation. The faces of the man and woman, in profile, fill the entire screen, face to face in intense intimacy, without ever touching.
S.T.A.B. (Space, Time and Beyond) is a solo that was created and performed by Marie Chouinard in 1986.
The title S.T.A.B is an acronym for Space, Time and Beyond.
In 1998, for the first time, the solo was passed on to a dancer from COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD for the retrospective show Les Solos 1978-1998, highlighting the choreographer's twenty years of creation.
In this solo, all sounds are produced live by the performer. Usually, the dancer's body is painted entirely red. For this gallery performance, as an exception, a new costume will be used.
In a minimal, blue rectangle setting that echoes the dancer's steel-tipped shoes, Marie Chouinard has created a geometric and unbridled dance in five parts – five variations with specific themes and common body movements. The body becomes the pretext for a series of movements at times dislocated, at times undulated, a "steel" dance extended by real time processed sound. Electroacoustic composer Louis Dufort has collaborated regularly with Marie Chouinard since 1998. His scores for the choreographer reflect his interest in integrating non-musical elements in music.
A production of COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD, in coproduction with National Arts Center (Ottawa), Place des Arts (Montreal), Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad (Vancouver), with the support of ImPulsTanz (Vienna).
The beings performing on stage will appear to have come from a strange yet friendly future: in an absolutely scintillating acuteness of sensory perception, in which the underlying processes are laid bare, they allow us to listen to our senses in a serene and unprecedented way. The being is field of exploration, a crucible of possibilities: here is on the verge of a thought-provoking and amorous mutation.
Carol Prieur started her career with Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers. She has worked with the Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault. Grants permitted her to pursue her studies in New York, Europe and India where she was initiated into Kalarypayattu, an Indian martial art form. Since she became a member of COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD in 1995, three solos have been created for her: Humanitas, Étude Poignante, and Mouvements. She received an Award for Best Performance in Marie Chouinard's film, Cantique no. 1, at the Moving Pictures Festival of Dance on Film and Video Award in Toronto. In 2010, Carol was named Dancer of the Year by the magazine TANZ. In 2014, she is the first recipient for the Prix de la Danse de Montréal – INTERPRÈTE.
For Marie Chouinard, each creation is an odyssey through the history of humanity that evades the linearity of a narrative. The intimate intelligence of the body, the inexhaustible complexity of its articulations and mutations command constructions that are achieved through form. The choreographer is thoroughly engaged in every aspect of a work, from music to scenography, lighting, costumes, and hairstyles, so they resonate with each other in a whole with great power of evocation. Hailed for their technique, versatility and performance skills, the ten permanent dancers of the COMPAGNIE, trained in different somatic approaches, bring Marie Chouinard's iconic works to the stage. The award-winning dancer Carol Prieur celebrated her 20th anniversary with the COMPAGNIE in 2015.
The COMPAGNIE has a vast repertoire of works, most still performed internationally: The Rite of Spring, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, 24 Preludes by Chopin, Le Cri du monde, Étude no 1, bODY_rEMIX/gOLDBERG_vARIATIONS, HENRI MICHAUX : MOUVEMENTS, Soft virtuosity, still humid, on the edge and HIERONYMUS BOSCH: THE GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHTS. The Rite of Spring has been performed for almost 25 years and become a classic in the history of contemporary dance. The choreographer's works also appear in the repertoires of major ballet companies such as the National Ballet of Canada, the São Paulo Companhia dance, the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the GöteborgsOperan and the Gulbenkian Ballet †.
Moreover, since 2015, Marie Chouinard has created works for other companies, such as the Martha Graham Dance Company and Ballets de Monte-Carlo. In 2009, Marie Chouinard, the dancer, returned to the stage after a 20 year absence with her solo creation morning glories :)-(: and since 2012, has danced IN MUSEUM, a three-hour solo performance-installation.
An author, set and lighting designer, photographer and film director, her opus includes multimedia works (Cantique no 3, Icônes, and CORPS CÉLESTES) films (bODY_rEMIX/gOLDBERG_vARIATIONS, MARIE CHOUINARD: THE RITE OF SPRING, and the music video Jamais by Serge Fiori), a collection of poems entitled Chantier des extases, the photo-installation Paradisi Gloria, and an art exhibit entitled DRAWINGS. In 2015, Marie Chouinard designed CANTIQUE, a first application for iPad and iPhone, free from the App Store. Whatever the medium (stage, screen, digital, print, etc.), the crux of the work is always the body.
Over the years, COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD has developed her own dance technique, taught by the dancers during workshops or master classes in tour.
A true cultural ambassador for Quebec, Marie Chouinard has received several awards and distinctions in recognition of her contribution to the arts, including the Bessie Award (New York, 2000), the Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal (2006), the title of Officer of the Order of Canada (2007), the title of Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2009), the Denise Pelletier Award (Quebec, 2010), the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec Award for best choreography for THE GOLDEN MEAN (LIVE) (2012), the Samuel de Champlain Award (France, 2014), the title of Companion of the Ordre national des arts et des lettres du Québec (2015), the title of Chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec (2015), the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Canada, 2016), the Positano "Choreographer of the Year" Award (Italy, 2016) and the Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts (Canada, 2016).
The name of Marie Chouinard became a dictionary entry in Le Petit Larousse, illustrated edition, in 2010 and in Le Robert in 2011.
*Dancers for the world premiere: Lucie Mongrain with the participation of James Viveiros.
A COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD production in coproduction with ImPulsTanz International Dance Festival (Vienna) and Canada Dance Festival (Ottawa).


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Magnificent seven for Pedlars
Published: 9:21 AM February 18, 2010 Updated: 7:14 AM October 7, 2020
After a breather at the weekend, Swaffham Town's first team is back in action on Saturday.They visit Halstead in Ridgeons Division One (ko 3pm) while the reserves travel to Hoveton Wherrymen (2.
After a breather at the weekend, Swaffham Town's first team is back in action on Saturday.
They visit Halstead in Ridgeons Division One (ko 3pm) while the reserves travel to Hoveton Wherrymen (2.30) and the A-team is without a fixture.
Those hardy supporters who braved the cold on Saturday saw fine performances by both Reserves and A-teams and were treated to a flurry of goals.
Swaffham Reserves netted seven against their Bungay counterparts.
Goals came from Luke Askew, David Jackson, Matthew Coe, Keith Polski and a hat-trick from Stephen Aspery - which included a spectacular strike from a free-kick, 30 yards out into the top-right corner of the net.
It was a magnificent seven too from the A-team in a 7-2 defeat of Dickleburgh. Alex Buckingham netted one and there were hat-tricks by Mark Blockwell and Charlie Gunner.
The previous Tuesday, Swaffham first team hosted a much-changed Fakenham side in the league and won 1-0.
The goal came from a Ben Russell strike from an indirect free-kick.
Opportunities were few and far between, with both keepers playing their part when chances arose. The Swaffham back four of Russell, Rainford, Thompson and Spalding repeated the performance seen recently at Diss, demonstrating how a well-organised and like-thinking defence should operate.
Before the fixture, the team was presented with their new kit by sponsors Keith and Tony from Klimatech Ltd.
Prior to the A-team game, the side was presented with their new kit by sponsors East Garden (Chinese Restaurant).
Club secretary Ray Ewart said: 'We are very grateful to owners Jenny and Yong for their support. Jenny commented that Saturday was Chinese New Year's Eve and this would be the 'year of the tiger'.
'From the results of the weekend, we hope it has brought us luck and that the players continue playing like tigers!'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Posted on September 5, 2019 September 12, 2019 by Abe Austin
Once Among the Clouds: Part One
High above the trees, but low within the atmosphere, a trio of small clouds stood as sentinels. They were the front watch, investigating the perimeter around a communal mass of clouds about three furlongs away.
The first two, Strat and Cirri, did not seem to take their duties very seriously. They lazily swayed about in the breeze, then with each gust weaved tumbling dances through the air. The third, Nimbo, tried to maintain his station, fighting against the wind to stay in place.
Of course fighting the wind only resulted in getting strained out, and before long Nimbo's thin form had been caught up by three separate thermals and he was split into Sub-Nimbos 1, 2, and 3. They groaned in frustration, but then decided to let the wind whisk each of them away in various directions as that would improve his overall reconnaissance of the surrounding area.
Strat and Cirri didn't seem to miss the dispersal of their companion in the least. Instead they played games, shifting through various forms and laughing at one another's ingenuity. They would billow together as one, then split apart in a sweethearts' dance.
Then, all at once, they stopped. Even in their childish playing they couldn't miss that sudden change in the air.
"What is it?" Cirri wondered aloud, peering closely at the small golden flakes they had wandered into.
"I don't know," Strat said, dangling his hand into its midst. "I've never seen anything like it. Oh, look at that!" He held out his billowing arm which was starting to expand at a tremendous rate.
"Oh!" Cirri put her own hands into the golden stream and experienced the same effect. "Why I know what it is! It's a cloud of dust particles!"
And so it was. Unbeknownst to them, all these bits had been kicked up into the air the day prior by a strong updraft blowing over the dry soil below. And this condensation nuclei was a treasure trove for growing new clouds. In fact, as the two of them looked across its expanse they saw infantile cloud formations already starting to coalesce.
"We'd better find Nimbo," Strat crowed, turning to catch the nearest breeze. "He'll be so jealous that we found this while he was busy being all serious."
Cirri's hand caught his, stopping him. He gave a small jolt as he sensed her mind.
"Not tell him?" he asked.
"Why should this go to the community?" she asked. "We found it. You and I."
"But…if we took it for ourselves the community would know we had changed. We'd be so much bigger"
"Who needs the community? Don't you see? We have our own right here. The community of Strat and Cirri."
Strat's eyes moistened with understanding. Then he squinted suspiciously at the still-forming cloudlings.
"Just us," he said. "A community of two giants. Those others can't be allowed to grow."
Cirri nodded. "I'll terminate them. You go intercept Nimbo."
"Alright…. I'll handle him just fine." He unclasped from with Cirri and went on his way.
Strat caught the nearest stream leading back to the place where Nimbo had left them. He began floating around in circles, calling out Nimbo's name. When that didn't work he tried splitting himself into different Sub-parts and explored multiple reaches of the atmosphere at once, then he would coalesce back to question his separate parts if they had found any of Nimbo yet.
"Nimbo, where are you?" he shouted in frustration.
"What are you making such a ruckus for?" a thin voice responded from directly ahead. Nimbo's face was materializing, invisible strands merging together to slowly rebuild his form.
"Oh Nimbo, there you are. Cirri and I needed to talk to you."
"Well talk then." Nimbo's face was nearly complete, but that was about all.
"Well, I think I'd better wait until you're all here. Wouldn't want to leave the later parts of you confused."
"I'll handle my other parts. Go ahead."
"Oh, okay…well…" Strat knew he had to pause for time. "We found a dust cloud, Nimbo!"
"You did?" Nimbo's form began coming in more rapidly. "Where? I can't believe I would have missed that."
"I suppose none of your parts headed that particular way."
"Well that's obvious. But where is it?'
"Not far, sort-of-East from here a little ways."
"Oh," Nimbo said disapprovingly. "Well that explains it then…the exact opposite direction of where we were supposed to be scouting."
"Yes, well you can be all condescending if you want, or you can share in the glory back at the community when we bring them word of it," Strat snapped.
"I'm not here for the glory, Strat. But I will, of course, serve the community. Now where exactly is the dust?"
"It'll be here soon."
Nimbo was almost entirely formed, just a few stray threads dangling from his structure. Strat lunged forward and wrapped his arms through Nimbo, attempting to assimilate his body before he had a chance to respond.
Nimbo proved far too adept for that, though. He hardly showed his surprise, instead giving an instinctive roar and pressing back. He pushed hard to reverse the direction of assimilation, and for a moment the two were caught at an impasse. A very dangerous place to be in. If each was equal in will, they might just blend into a new entity altogether and there was no telling what that new individual might do.
Strat changed tactics and fanned himself out to catch the breeze. He rushed back, trying to disengage from the fight. Nimbo anticipated the maneuver, and immediately dispersed parts of himself into ultra-thin tendrils. They were so slight that they rushed out quickly, passing clear through Strat's body, and then began solidifying on the other side into thick cords. Strat densed himself up and slammed against the cords, eliciting a cry form Nimbo as they burst into pieces.
"Go on then," Nimbo snarled. "Run and hide. The community will find you and then they'll stretch you both into vapor for your greed!" He turned to flee…and found himself standing before the giant face of Cirri. She was more than fifty feet tall.
"Oh no," he muttered, then she opened her mouth and swallowed him whole.
"You you were going to handle him just fine, were you?" Cirri raised an eyebrow.
"I had it under control," Strat folded his arms in a surly way.
"Not from what I–watch out!" she shrieked suddenly, her eyes riveted onto something behind Strat's back.
Strat spun around and saw the tendrils from Nimbo that he had burst apart. They were spread thin and were dissipating in the wind. He lunged for them but he was too late.
"There can't have been too much of him still in there," Strat said, but his voice was panicky.
Cirri wasn't convinced. "Obviously enough to know that he should run! And they were making for the community."
"Well so what? Look at you, you're practically as large as the whole community already. We'll go and hit them before they can rally."
"Yes, we'll have to. Otherwise they might find the dust."
"You didn't take it all?!"
"There wasn't time. You and I will go attack, and I'll send a small part of me to start siphoning up more in the meanwhile."
"Wait! First a pact." Strat extended an arm out.
"…Don't you trust me Strat?"
"Of course I do. Don't you trust me?"
Cirri hesitated. "Of course," she put her arm out and enveloped Strat's with it. The two of them closed their eyes and stood as if in a trance. Their consciousness flowed between and Strat was enveloped within Cirri. They were now one entity: Stratocirrus.
Stratocirrus paused and divided itself into two Sub-parts.
"We'll still hit them from both sides." Sub-Stratocirrus 1 said.
Sub-Stratocirrus 2 nodded and the two turned towards the distant cloud community, spreading themselves thin to catch the nearest breeze in that direction. They found one and raced off, descending quickly on its massive form. When they passed near to the dust cloud Sub-Stratocirrus 2 dispersed a part of itself to go and stand guard. Then the two Subs took opposite thermals and moved like a pincer to hit the community from either side.
The community was already aware of their coming. The thinner wisps of Nimbo had reached the enclave much more quickly, and already the army stood ready on the perimeter.
Sub-Stratocirrus 1 charged headlong towards them, solidifying its arms for crushing blows. Sub-Stratocirrus 2 imitated the same behavior, but suddenly strained to a halt as it felt a strange tickle at its chest.
"It's a trap!" Sub-Stratocirrus 2 bellowed, thrusting itself backwards and swinging wildly at the empty air in front. Or rather the almost empty air. It had been laced with hidden wisps from the community army, wisps that were now solidifying into the first line of defense. Cloud warriors came into full relief, clutching after Sub-Stratocirrus with long, extended arms.
Sub-Stratocirrus 1 had not noticed the liers-in-wait in time, and they had come into form both in front and behind it, several even embedded in its midst. Each of those soldiers seized a different clump of Sub-Stratocirrus 1's mass, pulling it free, and purging the consciousness from it. The discarded heaps fell to the side, lifeless puffs of cloud.
Sub-Stratocirrus 1 roared in pain, swinging its arms wildly, enveloping what soldiers it could. They were well-trained, though, and though several were lost in its rage, still others dodged the arms and then systematically dismantled them. It had to grow new ones, and as it did so it diminished in overall size.
The leader of those soldiers charged forward and thrust himself straight at Sub-Stratocirrus 1's head. His hands pierced through its temples and the two of them roared as they struggled to overpower the other's consciousness.
"No!" Sub-Stratocirrus 2 shouted. "He'll find where it is!"
"There's too many!" Sub-Stratocirrus 1 wailed. "There's nothing I can do."
Something quivered in both Subs at the same time, and each looked appalled.
"NO!" they called in unison, and clapped their hands to their cores, but something inside seemed to be struggling, to be overpowering them both.
"You traitor!" Sub-Stratocirrus 1 said, and its voice sounded a little more Cirri's.
"It's the only way," Sub-Stratocirrus 2 said, and its voice sounded a little more like Strat's.
Sub-Stratocirrus 1 struggled a moment longer, looked briefly at the community army still hacking away at it, and then tried to lunge across the sky at Sub-Stratocirrus 2. It was entirely futile, though, it did not even stretch halfway before it ceased all movement. The strained out pieces of its corpse were Cirri.
Back at the other side, Sub-Stratocirrus 2 was restored back to the identity of Strat. A pact could be undone, but only by one of the former identities assuming full ownership. All other entities would necessarily die.
"One of us had to," Strat shrugged, then dealt another crushing blow to the soldiers that still beset him.
Having evaded their trap he was now at a great advantage. He alternated between forms rapidly, not giving his opponents a chance to assemble any sustained strategy. First he stood as a a solid giant, cleaving through their ranks and bursting them into wisps. Then he funneled half his essence into a single arm high over their heads and split it off to form two Subs, each attacking the soldiers from opposite sides. Then both Subs dispersed into a near-vapor and pierced clear through the soldiers chests, slowly weakening them from within. Then he transitioned back to his single gigantic shape to pound them once more.
All the while he kept expecting the rest of the soldiers to come join the fight, the ones that had defeated Sub-Stratocirrus 1. But they didn't. They had congregated together, still on the opposite side of the community, and he kept wondering what they were planning.
He did not have long to wait. Finally all the soldiers began to congeal and rise in a single entity. In desperation they had given up their individual will to fuse into a giant soldier. And as the face of the being came into form Strat could recognize the traces of Nimbo firmly etched into it.
"What have you done Strat?" Nimbo boomed. "You killed Cirri! You tried to kill me! And you would come murder the entire flock as well?!"
For a moment Strat felt a pang of guilt, almost a wish to undo what could not be undone. But there was no time for regrets now, his path was chosen. And so he stiffened himself further, turning dark and gray, a stray thundercap booming from his depths.
"You're still barely half my size, Nimbo. Will you take in all the community just to defeat me."
"No. This will be enough."
The community parted down the middle, leaving a path for Nimbo to glide over to his quarry. Once he had cleared the community, it quickly dispersed out into the wind, fleeing from that place.
"How noble of you," Strat scoffed, "sacrifice yourself to save them? It won't matter, you know." Then he lunged at Nimbo.
Strategies were much more complex where giants were involved. One had so many different forms to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
Nimbo caught Strat's arms in his own, then exploded his chest out in a hundred Sub-Nimbos. They rushed directly into Strat's core and cleaved clear through to his other side. Strat winced, but rather than resist the dividing he quickly turned each half into a Sub-Strat. Before he could do anything more Nimbo's sub-parts assembled back into a collective body behind Strat. That body densed itself, growing tighter and tighter, darker and darker.
Strat's sub-parts remerged and he turned to grab his foe, but suddenly Nimbo's body gave out a savage bolt of electricity! It tore through the air, extending out until it struck Strat squarely in the chest. For a moment each of the giants were dazed. They saw one another as if through a haze, and struggled to control their charges.
Strat blinked furiously, slowly feeling his control regaining. He swung out at Nimbo again, but just before collision Nimbo sent out another bolt of lightning.
"Aagggghhh!" Strat slurred stupidly. He tried to look at Nimbo but couldn't focus. Nimbo himself was reeling senselessly, in an even greater stupor than Strat. Nimbo wrestled for control of his senses, but where his charge was already so volatile the extra strain proved his undoing.
Another lightning bolt lurched out, this one unintended and undirected. It pounded down to the earth, and left Strat unscathed. Nimbo's body went limp and spread out. Slowly it began to fall as rain. He tried to move, but he was too weak. Perhaps he could recover in time, but it would be far too late. Strat's head already loomed in front of his glazed eyes, shaking in disapproval.
"I wonder Nimbo, had Cirri and I tried to include you in our plan…would you have joined us?"
"I don't care for power without principle."
"But power without purpose?" Strat plunged his hands down and started overwhelming Nimbo's frail consciousness, taking the body into himself. "You do realize that once I unlock your mind I'll know exactly where the others went? I will destroy them, and all because you couldn't hold onto their secrets for longer."
"I wonder what you might find in my secrets," Nimbo smiled.
It unnerved Strat, but he didn't ask for explanation. He would have understanding soon enough. Already Nimbo's thoughts and memories were starting to flood into his own mind.
The memories came in backwards. First there was Nimbo's struggle to maintain control of himself, the fight with Strat, the taunting of one another after giant-Nimbo had first coalesced. Then the memories started to split, separating into the multiple consciousnesses of the soldiers that had combined into Nimbo. Strat flitted through each of them hurriedly, looking for anything significant.
He froze in horror as he came to the memories of the leader that had attempted to absorb Sub-Stratocirrus 1's mind when Strat had betrayed it. He saw played back the way its face had changed into Cirri, etched with fear and betrayal. The shock momentarily subsided as her brow steeled with hateful intent.
"Kill him," she had whispered to the leader. "I'll tell you where the cloud of dust is. Go get it for yourselves and kill him."
And then she had told them, just before lunging out at Strat. That was where the community had gone off to while Nimbo fought with Strat. They hadn't been fleeing, they had been preparing for his destruction.
Well, that's the first half of Once Among the Clouds. A pretty different sort of premise, wouldn't you say? I am personally not aware of any other dramatic epics that star clouds as their main characters. I find myself liking this world quite a good deal, though, which is not always the case with an experiment so far out in left field.
We have not yet seen the consuming monstrosity I promised on Monday, but we have the seeds that will eventually bring it about. Before that, though, I'd like to pause and look in greater detail at the many different sources of inspiration possible, and where the idea for this particular short story came from. On Monday I'll share that, and then next Thursday we'll see the end of Once Among the Clouds. Until then have a wonderful weekend!
Posted in Show, Don't TellTagged action, betrayal, clouds, story, strange, transform, war, writing
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5 thoughts on "Once Among the Clouds: Part One"
William Johnson says:
I quiet liked it!
abeaustin says:
Do you want the reasons behind it? If, then I can give you a good feedback. Both the glow and grow. ( Positive and negative) If you don't mind..
Yes, I would love to hear.
I will surely give you them.. But, i need to go now so I will give it in some hours or so…. But don't worry, I will surely give them..


text:
Laidlaw Scholars Network
Business & Management Leadership
Scholars' Stories, Scholar Spotlight
Scholar Spotlight - Amazing-Grace Makusha
Amazing-Grace Makusha on helping businesswomen in Zimbabwe succeed, the importance of rest, and your exact brand of weirdness.
Nikol Chen (she/her) and 1 other View all
Digital Content Manager, Laidlaw Foundation
Nikol Chen (she/her)
Amazing-Grace Makusha
Student, London Business School
Discover more Scholar Spotlights.
Amazing-Grace Makusha, Women's Business Education Laidlaw Scholar at London Business School, on helping businesswomen in Zimbabwe succeed, the importance of rest, and your exact brand of weirdness.
I am a Chartered Accountant (CA) by profession and I trained with PwC in Harare, Zimbabwe. Post-qualifying as a CA in 2017, I spent a few months in London where I had the opportunity to work with diverse teams on interesting clients. I enjoyed my secondment but at that point, I knew I wanted a change from auditing work. I left PwC soon after returning to Zimbabwe and joined the Finance department at Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola experience was mind-blowing and I enjoyed learning how a global company operated and, more importantly, the significant contribution it made to the Zimbabwean economy and the impact it had on a large number of families (through employment and end-to-end value chain transactions).
This realisation made me ponder what I want to do with my life and the impact I want to make. It led me along the path of equipping women who run small businesses in Zimbabwe with skills to scale their businesses and make them sustainable. Thus, I decided to pursue an MBA at a Top 10 school because I wanted to learn about entrepreneurship and consulting/advisory work.
I knew that funding an MBA would be a challenge, so when I was doing my research I focused on schools that offered scholarships. Applying to London Business School and for the Laidlaw Scholarship was an easy choice. Their values align incredibly well with mine and I knew that I would be supported through the journey, as well as beyond. The Foundation has a track record of funding exceptional women and I knew I wanted to join this cohort. One of the happiest days of my life was when I received the phone call informing me that I had been granted a scholarship. It was honestly a life changing moment for which I am eternally grateful.
Briefly describe a scene from the future you are striving to create.
The year is 2035 and against all odds, Zimbabwe is a middle-income economy. The middle class is thriving and there has been growth in the small-to-medium enterprises ("SMEs") sector of the economy. A consulting & advisory firm established by Amazing-Grace Makusha in 2026 has made incredible inroads in ensuring that SMEs that are owned by women in Harare have access to her incubation pod that provides basic business skills. These women go on to use these skills in their small businesses and by implementing the operations, marketing and finance skills that they learn, they are able to create structures that promote growth. Over the past few years, the country has seen an increase in loan applications for SMEs headed by women and it has been noted that in a decade, women-led SMEs will contribute at least 5% to Zimbabwe's GDP.
What is the biggest life challenge you have overcome and what did you learn from it?
When I started my CA training at PwC, I enrolled as a part-time student as I also needed to write my final qualifying exams. As I grew as a professional and was awarded more responsibilities, I found it challenging to consistently balance being a high performer in the workplace with ensuring my studies did not suffer and passing exams. At my lowest point, I found myself stretched thin, physically exhausted and experiencing anxiety attacks, as I felt I was failing in all my responsibilities.
During this time, I was fortunate to have a counselling session scheduled with a partner and after I poured out my heart to her, she told me that I was being too hard on myself. She assured me that my work performance was well above expectations and I was in fact due a promotion. She also encouraged me to take personal time off and allow myself to rest, as my life would only get busier as I progressed in my career and I would need to learn how to prioritise tasks/responsibilities whilst ensuring that my health was not compromised.
This has proven to be true as my to-do lists have kept getting longer and I always need to prioritise and re-prioritise tasks. Thus, I always carry this lesson with me, as it highlights the importance of rest and serves as a reminder that I can only perform at my best (at work and in my relationships) if I am feeling my best (if I take care of myself).
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
"You are worth being brave for."
I got that from Brené Brown where she was explaining how your dreams are valid and they are worth pursuing. You should always give yourself the chance to become the person you want to be and achieve the things you want to achieve. The only thing that separates you from the future you desire is acting intentionally in the present. Go for it — because you are worth that bright future!
Conversely, what is the worst piece of advice you have ever been given?
"You are too THIS to do THAT!"
THIS refers to age, gender or any other personality trait which supposedly hinders an individual from attaining THAT i.e. their goals.
Your exact brand of weirdness is what sets you apart and ensures your contribution to the world is unique. No one knows where the next great idea or invention will come from, so you owe it to the world to bring your full self and contribute — despite your age/gender/personality.
Top 3 tips that will help someone become a better leader
Embrace vulnerability — being able to be honest about what you know or don't know and surrounding yourself with colleagues and team members whoo will cover your gaps and ensure the overall goal/mission is achieved.
Be authentic — bring your true self to the team and the task. This inspires others to do the same and where people are able to be fully themselves and feel accepted, they perform better at the jobs which results in overall team success.
Stay curious — the world is moving at breakneck speed and it's important as a leader to keep learning and growing, so that you contribute meaningfully in your sphere/s of influence.
Which leaders in the world inspire you the most and why?
Nelson Mandela — for showing love in the face of hate and helping unite a divided nation whilst remaining humble.
Greta Thunberg — for being brave and standing up for a worthy cause and proving that age is just a number.
Barack Obama — for defying the odds and inspiring millions of people that anything is possible.
Sheryl Sandberg — for owning her success and showing that it's possible for women to do it all…just maybe not all at the same time!
What does it mean for you to be a Laidlaw Scholar?
It means I have a highly esteemed community that believes in my potential and is rooting for me to succeed. This belief is simultaneously liberating and empowering, as it frees me from a huge chunk of the imposter syndrome that comes with applying to an institution like London Business School. The faith that the Laidlaw Foundation has expressed in me empowers me to bring my full self to the School and contribute to make a difference because my place here has been validated. It also means I have a responsibility to pay it forward to other women and ensure that as I rise, I also lift other women up.
Quick-fire Questions
📺 Currently binging: Modern Family (rewatching all seasons as the show recently ended!)
🎵 My quarantine anthem: EVERYTHING by Taylor Swift to be honest. I am an avid runner and more often than not over the past few months, I have found myself selecting Taylor Swift at the start of each run and letting her song list shuffle!
📚 My top book recommendation: Nonfiction — 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson; Fiction — The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
🎧 Podcast obsession: This American Life - a storytelling podcast which profiles ordinary individuals doing ordinary and extraordinary things in their day to day lives. It reminds me of how we are simultaneously unique and similar.
🌈 Something that made me feel joy recently: I recently had a farewell party with close friends in Zimbabwe and the outpouring of love from my female tribe made me feel loved, grateful and super joyous.
Amazing-Grace is a Laidlaw Scholar from the debut cohort at London Business School. The Laidlaw Women's Business Education Scholarship aims to help build a pipeline of future women leaders through access to best-in-class education, resources and global networks by providing full and half scholarships to women who would not otherwise be in a position to reap the benefits of attending an outstanding school.
🔦 Discover more Scholar Spotlights:
Nikhara Nirghin (LBS) on changing the status quo with respect and empathy, the power of consistent hard work, and the biggest challenge she has overcome so far.
Pamela Flores Mónico (LBS) on creating impact through business for development, trailblazing, and staying true to yourself.
Lorenzo Molinari (UCL) on advancing learning tools and practices for autistic adolescents, breaking stigmas, and calling for change.
Scholar Spotlight: Lorenzo Molinari
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Scholar Spotlight - Emma Franck-Gwinnell
Hello! I have been with the Laidlaw Foundation for over 2 years, helping us strengthen the global Laidlaw community and expand our programmes to break the cycle of poverty, reduce inequality, and develop a new generation of leaders.
I am originally from Kazakhstan and I studied Human Sciences at UCL. I am a fan of all things human- and design-related, as well as an avid swimmer, obsessive podcast listener, documentary enthusiast, and film photography fan.
Drop me a line if you'd like to chat! 💬👀
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As Lord Laidlaw, our Chairman, and Susanna Kempe, our CEO, met with scholars and alumni from around the world, many requested a way to meet ambitious peers, participate in leadership-in-action initiatives and collaborate on research projects for a better present. We welcome you to the Laidlaw Scholars Network, a social utility tool that allows you to do just this! Be the new generation of passionate, adaptive, ethical leaders.


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UN's Delayed Move, Favoritism in Responses & Space Raised by FUNCA, Some Reforms Won
UNITED NATIONS, January 17 -- Why has the UN delayed by two months the move-back of the press corps to its headquarters skyscraper? Inner City Press and other members of the Free UN Coalition for Access pursued the question Thursday afternoon with three officials of the UN Department of Public Information.
Despite an initial diversion that construction workers at the UN are now focused on the Hurricane Sandy damage to the third sub-basement, it is confirmed that the UN can't or won't pay the now prevailing wage in New York for the workers need to meet the February deadline.
And so it will be April, they say. Does the UN not have the money? Or does it have other priorities? This will be pursued.
Many other questions were asked, and some answered. While some wire services are slated to return to large private offices, others are not.
The issue was raised, and double standards identified including separate office spaces for three ostensibly independent outlets run by the same government's foreign service.
In response, FUNCA was told that it is still a live issue. Here's hoping for the appropriate resolution.
In terms of the lack of space for journalists, FUNCA pointed to the absurdity of the censoring and decaying UN Correspondents Association being slated to get an "UNCA Club" -- which should be renamed and be open to all -- an "UNCA Office" and even an "UNCA Pantry."
This last is apparently only the designation in the blueprints. It was said the "Club" will be open to all. But it must be re-named; it cannot be a way for the UN to prop up the legitimacy of UNCA, which it was confirmed does not pay any rent to the UN for the space.
Likewise, after complaints last fall and Thursday, the formal on the record response was that in the future, passes for resident correspondents to cover the General Assembly will no longer be distributed through UNCA, but through the Documents Center.
Access to photo opportunities, argued for by a long time photographer who since being told only "wire services" could attend took to boycotting Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's events, was on Thursday guaranteed, even if it means two separate entries of photographers. Likewise, Ban's New York events will be disclosed in advance by the UN.
Disclosure was the theme: FUNCA asked to be informed of all denials or revocations of accreditation. Cases of a television cameraman disaccredited for a single mistake were raised, as well as a critical journalist who was told the UN does not accredit freelancers. This will be tested, we predict by the National Writers Union.
A complaint filed with the UN by the New York Civil Liberties Union, in response to a disaccreditation request filed by Voice of America which said that Reuters and Agence France-Presse supported it, was reportedly responded to, informally, the very day Inner City Press' accreditation was extended. (There may be a discrepancy on dates.)
The actual response has not been provided but will be requested again by FUNCA. But such censorship, or non content neutral, dis-accrediation bids will be even more actively opposed by FUNCA in the future.
More was said, but on other topics in an abundance of caution we will await DPI's promised written on the record answers.
What FUNCA told the UN, on the record, is that UNCA went too far in not only not defending but actively seeking to expel and dis-accredit investigative press, and there is no going back.
At this week's Kofi Annan book event, the new president of UNCA -- who ran without any competition, with the endorsement of the former four-year president, and issued no campaign statements -- told a newsy country's Permanent Representative, who in turn and amazed told Inner City Press about it, "I am the president of UNCA, not FUNCA." That's right - let's keep that straight.
Going forward, the UN was told that FUNCA intends to be an ongoing mechanism to defend the rights of journalists to report from, and get answers from, the UN.
FUNCA commended the new leadership of DPI for organizing "brown bag" presentations for UN officials like today's on Syria, and earlier by the Under Secretaries General for Security and for the Prevention of Genocide.
The refusal of the USG for Legal Affairs Patricia O'Brien to ever answer questions was bemoaned. But will her replacement do better?
And what will happen to the USG for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous, who had his spokesman physically seize the UN TV microphone to avoid a Press question about rapes in Minova by the Congolese Army, Ladsous partners?
Ladsous' spokesman -- but apparently not Ladsous -- has it emerged been told that was inappropriate. But what of Ladsous and his refusal to answer?
What of a sense among many at the UN that there are double standards, favoritism in question granting and answering? FUNCA is on the case - watch this site.
UN Office: S-253, UN, NY 10017 USA Tel: 212-963-1439


A Change to Alimony Modification in Florida? | Robert Marble, Esq.
A Change to Alimony Modification in Florida?
You are here: The Law Offices of Robert Marble, PL > Blog > Blog > Alimony > A Change to Alimony Modification in Florida?
Do you need to show a substantial and unanticipated change of circumstances to modify alimony in Florida? Maybe not.
Alimony modification law in Florida is like the "telephone game" children used to play in grade school. In the telephone game, a message would be whispered to you, and then you would whisper the message to the next child. This process would continue around a circle of children. By the time the message made its way to the last child in the circle, the contents of the message had completely changed from the original. Sometime "the law" develops this way. An appellate court interprets a statute, and then the next appellate court interprets the previous appellate court's ruling. When you string enough of those decisions together, little by little, you can end up far from where you started. In a recent ruling, Florida's 4th District Court of Appeals (4th DCA), ruled that the telephone game had gone to far. Specifically, that the focus in alimony modification cases needed to return to the wording of the statute. The link to the case is here: Brydger v. Brydger.
[E]ither party may apply to the circuit court . . . for an order decreasing or increasing the amount of . . . alimony, and the court has jurisdiction to make orders as equity requires, with due regard to the changed circumstances or the financial ability of the parties . . ., decreasing, increasing, or confirming the amount . . . [of] alimony provided for in the agreement or order.
There are many appellate cases that have interpreted the statute. (The "case law").
(1) there has been a substantial change in circumstances, (2) the change was not contemplated at the time of the final judgment of dissolution, and (3) the change is sufficient, material, permanent, and involuntary.
In theory, many changes could be anticipated. For example, raises, promotions, fluctuations in the stock market, etc.
In the recent 4th DCA case, the alleged change in circumstance was a former spouse's ability to take retirement distributions without penalty, and an increase in the value of investments. The former spouse, opposing the alimony modification, argued that neither of these changes was "unanticipated." In other words, both of the claimed changes were both knowable facts at the time alimony was awarded. As such, these changes were not truly unanticipated.
When faced with these facts, the 4th DCA ruled that the use of the term "unanticipated" as a shorthand for "not contemplated" and "changed circumstances," leads to a misinterpretation of what the statute requires to modify alimony. In other words, that the telephone game had gone too far.
What does the statute require?
The 4th DCA determined the whether or not a change was "contemplated," simply refers to whether the changed circumstance was actually contemplated by the court at the time alimony was originally ordered. (Or, considered by the parties at the time they reached an agreement regarding alimony). In other words, was the circumstance actually considered. The 4th Circuit describes this principal as being akin to the doctrine of "collateral estoppel," finding that a prior Florida Supreme Court case "focused not on what the parties should have anticipated, but on what was actually considered".
For example, consider a situation where a divorcing spouse is attending college, and will likely obtain a higher paying job upon graduation. Based on the 4th Circuit's ruling, it is immaterial whether this change is foreseeable, and therefore not "unanticipated." Instead, the issue is whether the circumstance was contemplated by the Court at the time alimony was ordered. If the change was considered by the Court, then it cannot be the basis for an alimony modification. However, this same change could merit an alimony modification if the court had not actively considered the possibility.
Time will tell if the other appellate courts will adapt the 4th Circuit's reasoning. From a practical standpoint this ruling opens the door for more alimony modifications. It also may result in more detailed descriptions (findings), regarding the circumstances surrounding alimony, in Final Judgments, and Marital Settlement Agreements.


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New Delhi, Signalling issue continued to affect Delhi metro services for the second consecutive day on Thursday on its Blue Line section. 'Owing to the signaling issue which is intermittently surfacing on Yamuna Bank to Vaishali section of Blue Line affecting punctuality of services on entire Blue Line, DMRC has now introduced seamless train movement on the entire Blue line, to provide the best possible frequency till the issue is sorted out by technical team,' a DMRC spokesperson said. The spokesperson said train services between Dwarka and Noida are running seamless in one go with a frequency of around 4 minutes 30 seconds on automatic mode through central control (OCC). Train services between Yamuna Bank to Vaishali section are being run in an dependent loop with a frequency of around 5 minutes 30 seconds through local control. (Station level).
The signaling team is carrying out the rectification work on the system and as soon as it is rectified, train services on entire blue line will be reintroduced as per normal time table, the spokesperson added. On Wednesday afternoon, the view and control of the signalling and Automatic Train Control system on Blue Line (Dwarka Sec-21 to Noida City Centre/Vaishali) at Operations Control Centre (OCC) was intermittently getting lost between Karol Bagh and Dwarka section. As a result, trains were being locally controlled as and when such view loss was happening resulting into intermittent bunching/hold up of trains for brief spells. Between 1500 to 1530 hrs, the loss of view was for entire Blue line which created bunching on overall Line before being restored again at 1530 hrs. The issue was resolved at 1623 hrs but intermittent signalling issue resurfaced again around 1900 hrs on Wednesday evening.


Kansas University's Amanda Costner, who placed first at the Big 12 golf championships, on Thursday was named the league's female sportsperson of the year.
Costner, who graduated with a degree in applied behavioral science, is the first Jayhawk athlete to receive the award.
Costner and Oklahoma's Carl Peterson were were selected by a media panel. The Big 12's recipients are nominated for the NCAA Sportsmanship Award.
Costner, who works with the Truancy Diversion Program, regularly takes junior high students to the driving range to experience the sport of golf.


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Girl Raised In Garbage Dumps Earned A Scholarship From The University Of Melbourne Proving That Anything Is Possible
0 0 Katerina P. Friday, November 8, 2019 Edit this post
Sometimes we all feel that life is unfair. That the rich keep getting richer, while the poor are becoming poorer. We tend to look at success stories, yet are we so sure that money is always the key to success?
Well, there are many exceptions. And some rather shocking ones! Take, for example, the case of Sophy Ron, a 21-year-old woman from Cambodia who had to spend eight whole years of her childhood surrounded by garbage and toxic fumes, living in a notorious rubbish dump, also known as "Smoky Mountain."
Who would believe that this poor girl would make it? Well, Sophie is a student at the University of Melbourne, Australia, with a dream to run her own business in the future. And we really hope she does!
Sophie used to live in the Steng Meanchey landfill in Phnom Penh, a symbol of Cambodia's poverty. She, among other people, used to try to find edible food and recyclable to sell in the garbage. Now, that's what it's called unfair in life, isn't it? Imagine that on a good day, Ron would earn 50 cents that were enough to buy a few cups of rice for her parents and six siblings. She didn't even realize how bad the conditions were; sleeping, eating, and doing literary everything surrounded by garbage, she couldn't even notice the smell! It was her home.
According to Sophie, her family had no other choice, as they had overwhelming debts. The poor girl even missed out on a chance to study, as the local school only offered a place to one kid per family. But she was determined to learn: she followed her elder sister to school and looked through the classroom windows to learn what she could.
And if the story isn't incredible enough yet... Sophie's life was about to change. One day, she met Scott Neeson, the founder of the Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF). He asked her whether she wanted to study English, but back then, she didn't even know what English was. But she was happy. Happy because the stranger had promised he would take her to school. And so he did.
Neeson's charity that was featured by the ABC's Australian Story in 2012 has provided thousands of people in Cambodia with education, housing, and medical treatment since its launch back in 2004.
The poverty rate in the country dropped from 53% in 2004 to 13.5% in 2014, according to UNICEF, but living conditions for children remain poor.
In a 2018 report, the UN agency said that a third of children under four years old were stunted, and about half aged between five and 14 didn't have access to proper toilets.
Sophie said she vividly remembered her first day of school when she was 11 when, for the first time, she saw groups of kids laughing and playing.
She was also a fast learner and an excellent communicator; by 2016, she was on stage, presenting a Tedx Talk in English.
Through CCF, Ron was able to secure a scholarship to complete a foundation year of study at the University of Melbourne's Trinity College. She graduated in June 2019, paving the way for her to start a Bachelor of Arts degree.
While Sophie loves life in Melbourne (apart from the cold), she hopes to eventually return home to start her own business and continue working with CCF.
Image credits: CCF, Getty Images
Inspiring Stories Photography
Thinking Humanity: Girl Raised In Garbage Dumps Earned A Scholarship From The University Of Melbourne Proving That Anything Is Possible
Sometimes we all feel that life is unfair. That the rich keep getting richer, while the poor are becoming poorer.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8lis6aR1gEA/XcXgsNgp2TI/AAAAAAABExE/9i1hTwuOaw004-4_kTozWt6cNS9u06ITwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Girl%2BRaised%2BIn%2BGarbage%2BDumps%2BEarned%2BA%2BScholarship%2BFrom%2BThe%2BUniversity%2BOf%2BMelbourne%2BProving%2BThat%2BAnything%2BIs%2BPossible.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8lis6aR1gEA/XcXgsNgp2TI/AAAAAAABExE/9i1hTwuOaw004-4_kTozWt6cNS9u06ITwCLcBGAsYHQ/s72-c/Girl%2BRaised%2BIn%2BGarbage%2BDumps%2BEarned%2BA%2BScholarship%2BFrom%2BThe%2BUniversity%2BOf%2BMelbourne%2BProving%2BThat%2BAnything%2BIs%2BPossible.jpg
https://www.thinkinghumanity.com/2019/11/girl-raised-in-garbage-dumbs-earned-a-scholarship-from-the-university-of-melbourne-proving-that-anything-is-possible.html


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RBS Tumbles After Failing BoE's "Toughest Ever Stress Test"
Posted on 30.11.2016 by Tyler Durden
While the term 'stress test' has been applied almost mockingly to European and US banks in an effort to create confidence for investors (because if the government sees risks 'contained' then why worry), this morning's Bank of England stress test results highlighted "capital inadequacies" for three major UK banks. While Barclays and Standard Chartered fell short, it is taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland that is slumping on a need to cut costs, raise capital, and sell assets.
As Bloomberg reports, RBS has agreed to deepen cost cuts and sell additional assets to improve its resilience, the bank said in a separate statement.
Eight years after its 45.5 billion-pound ($56.6 billion) bailout from taxpayers, the Edinburgh-based lender still has work to do to bolster its financial strength. The test poses the latest setback in McEwan's efforts to return the lender to profitability and full private ownership. The CEO has said he'll unveil plans to further shrink the bank and reduce costs alongside full-year results next year.
"They have fallen short of the hurdles, and they have some more work to do," Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods said at a press conference in London. RBS's new capital plan is "fully credible, the PRA board looked at that carefully and reached that conclusion as well. We'll hold them to delivery."
RBS is down over 12% from post-Trump euphoric highs, erasing all of the gains since the election
As Bloomberg reports, some "capital inadequacies" were revealed at two other banks, Barclays Plc and Standard Chartered Plc, though neither was required to submit a revised capital plan, the BOE's Prudential Regulation Authority said on Wednesday.
So to sum up – 8 years after the financial crisis was 'fixed', with financial asset prices at record highs, 3 UK banks remain "undercapitalized," but do not worry as The BOE's Financial Policy Committee judged that no system-wide macroprudential action on bank capital was needed in response to the test.
The post RBS Tumbles After Failing BoE's "Toughest Ever Stress Test" appeared first on crude-oil.top.


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Hot VB / VBA / Visual Basic 6 How-Tos
How To: Implement a simple splash screen in Microsoft Visual Basic 6
By Robin Mansur
VB / VBA / Visual Basic 6
If you're new to the Visual Basic IDE, looking to brush up on your VB programming skills, or simply have a burning desire to code a simple calculator, this three-part video lesson is for you.
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An intermediate to advanced level tutorial on how to create an alarm clock program in Visual Basic (VB6).
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Hello there. Today I wanna share on how to create a screen capture program. Requirement:
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By Amie Coué Arbuckle
Looking for a basic primer on BASIC? This tutorial series, which makes use of the freeware FreeBASIC compiler, will be helpful to even those who know nothing about the language and serves as a useful guide for those entirely new to programming. Watch this how-to series and get started writing your own programs today.
Gymjunnky.com Welcomes you to learn VB6. How to make a very basic screen blocker to help you to get to know the functions of VB 6.0 better.
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In this clip, you'll learn how to generate a CAB file for a Windows Mobile application using Visual Studio 2005 as well as how to install that file on an external mobile device. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven programming language and IDE or are a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free, official video tutorial. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look. Deploy Windows Mobil...
How To: Bind a collection of objects to a ListBox in Silverlight
In this clip, you'll learn how to use basic data binding and datatemplates in XAML. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular web application framework or a seasoned web developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free MS Silverlight programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Call and handle .NET events with JavaScript code
In this clip, you'll learn how to return both simple and complex types to JavaScript. when working in Silverlight. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular web application framework or a seasoned web developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free MS Silverlight programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Call .NET functions from JavaScript code in a Silverlight application
In this clip, you'll learn how to call .NET functions from JavaScript when working in Silverlight. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular web application framework or a seasoned web developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free MS Silverlight programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to create a File Explorer within a VB app. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to work with EoF or end-of-file statements within MS VB apps. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to add simple nav buttons — e.g., Forward, Back, Stop — to a VB web browser app. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to implement video encryption and decryption in a VB app. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Implement an advanced login system with Visual Basic 6
In this four-part tutorial series, you'll learn how to create an advanced login system with Microsoft VB 6. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to use Internet Transfer Control within a VB application to the view the source of a web page. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to create simple chat applications with WinSock in VB 6. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Implement a drop-down menu in Microsoft Visual Basic 6
In this clip, you'll learn how to implement a drop-down menu in VB 6. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to add a toolbar with images to a VB project. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Use Boolean data types in Microsoft Visual Basic 6
In this clip, you'll learn how to use "True" and "False" statements in your VB code. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
How To: Open folders with the shell function in Microsoft Visual Basic 6
In this clip, you'll learn how to use the shell function to use the shell function to open folders. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.
In this clip, you'll learn how to compile a VB 6 project. Whether you're new to Microsoft's popular event-driven program language & IDE or a seasoned developer merely looking to improve your chops, you're sure to find benefit in this free Visual Basic programming lesson. For more information, including a complete demonstration and detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.


Real Russia | Moscow Kremlin excursion with professional guides.
"Kremlin and the Cathedrals, Moscow"
The Kremlin sits in the heart of Moscow as one of its most impressive buildings.
The list of its famous historic events are endless as it holds the ancient Sobornaya Square and many Cathedrals.
You'll have the opportunity to see all of these glorious buildings including the Assumption Cathedral where Russia Tsars and Emperors were crowned, the Cathedral of the Archangel where grand Princes are buried as well as the Cathedral of the Annunciation, Church of the Deposition of the Robe, Patriarch's Chambers and the beautiful architecture of Ivan the Great Bell Tower.
Spot the symbolic Tsar Canon and Tsar Bell and, when in Senate Square, pick out the buildings of the former Senate and Arsenal.
As one of the most historic, impressive, unique buildings, the Kremlin Palace was once the home of powerful Russian Tsars and today, the home of the Russian President.


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Q: where to put business constraints We have a 3-tier architecture: Web, Business, Models using the MVC pattern. Models are Code-First using EF6. Currently we access the dbContext directly in our Controllers to query and save changes. We define all the relationship constraints on the Models. However, we have many additional constraints on the models that are spread about in the controllers, or the Business layer as part of other processing.
Is there a cleaner way of accomplishing this whereby all the business constraints on the Models can be enforced? We have used the repository layer in the past on other projects, but it becomes inflexible and tedious to go through it for everything. Is there a best of both worlds approach whereby we can use the dbContext directly to query things, but when saving to db, we can be ensured that all the business constraints will be enforced with any violations passed back through to the caller?
Edit: this explains succintly why I don't want to use Repository pattern again.

A:
We have used the repository layer in the past on other projects, but
  it becomes inflexible and tedious to go through it for everything

The repository layer is keeping you honest.
If you can access the DB in controllers there is nothing stopping you running whatever SQL you like and ignoring the business constraints.
Except maybe a few old fashioned not recommended options:

*

*Use SPROCs for all operations and put the business constraints in them

*Encode the business constraints into the DB with FK Constraints and the like.

*Active record pattern. Put the Save() methods on the object and enforce the constraints there.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Inflammation of blood vessels within the central nervous system.
Primary vasculitis is usually caused by autoimmune or idiopathic factors, while secondary vasculitis is caused by existing disease process. Clinical manifestations are highly variable but include headache; seizures; behavioral alterations; intracranial hemorrhages; transient ischemic attack; and brain infarction.
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Promoting the history, culture and heritage of Jews of the Middle East and North Africa
About Harif
Harif
Forthcoming Events 2020
The demise of the Jewish communities of the Arab world
Saturday 29 November 2014. On the eve of 30 November, the official day to commemorate Jewish refugees from Arab lands, Harif together with Spiro Ark, is proud to be inviting to London as its special guest the writer and historian Nathan Weinstock, author of Une si longue presence: comment le monde arabe a perdu ses juifs (French and Hebrew).
Mr Weinstock will deliver a lecture explaining how a Belgian Ashkenazi Jew came to write the story of the eradication of the Jews from Arab lands. The story demands an understanding of the dhimma – Jewish social status under Islam – but also an appreciation of the repercussions of the Zionist-Palestinian conflict, leading to the great post WW2 Jewish exodus. Q&A to follow.St Johns Wood Liberal synagogue, St Johns Wood Road, London NW8. 6.45pm reception for 7.30 pm Harif/Spiro Ark. £10. Contact Spiro, email education@spiroark.org or ring : 0207 289 6321 or Harif, Email info@harif.org or ring 07506033848.
Read Jewish Chronicle report by Simon Rocker: http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/126351/meet-trotskyist-anti-zionist-who-saw-errors-his-ways
Copyright of Harif 2017


As an entrepreneur, it is vital that you ensure that your customers can trust your business and the products that you have on offer as this will ensure that your clientele will grow and that you can gather good recommendations from existing clients. However, potential customers are often wary of new businesses, and so here are some tips on how to make sure your business gains credibility.
Firstly, many customers will feel safer when they enter a shop or a different place of work if they know that they are protected.
By taking out insurance, not only will you be able to combat any claims made against you and allow your business to recover, but you will ensure that customers feel safer when on your premises. Having a small business general liability insurance certificate ensures that clients will view your business as professional and reliable, with the responsibility to ensure that your clients are protected in the event of accidents in your workplace.
Another way to gain credibility is to gather reviews from previous clients. You can do this by creating a mailing list or by asking your previous customers to leave a review on your website.
Whether these reviews are posted on your website or business directories such as Yelp, potential customers will then be able to see real customer opinions of your business and the services that you provide. This helps to maintain a professional and serious image to your customers that convey that you can be trusted and ensures that your products are of high quality. If this is not enough reason to gather reviews, reviews can also help to boost your website's SEO, as reviews are a Google ranking factor.
By applying for business memberships and certifications, you will be able to display and provide evidence of your business's reliability. By associating your business with a well-known name, customers will acknowledge that your brand is a serious business which provides high-quality services.
If you want to go even further to gain accreditation, you should apply for awards in your sector from the many awards schemes that run throughout the UK. This will instantly show your value to customers and ensure that they know the quality and worth that they are getting when they do business with you.
Lastly, you should attempt to increase your qualification level and the amount of relevant qualifications that you have in your sector if you believe that this is hindering your credibility. Although qualifications do not instantly show the quality of your business, by having high qualifications, you will show customers evidence that you are extremely knowledgeable about your business and its surrounding business sector.
Many customers look for credibility when they are deciding to work with a certain brand. Therefore, it is important to be able to show your reliability against your competition by having evidence such as insurance and qualifications to reassure customers that themselves and their money is protected.
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