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Борко́вское се́льское поселе́ние — муниципальное образование в Новгородском муниципальном районе Новгородской области России.

Административный центр — деревня Борки.

География
Территория сельского поселения расположена в центре Новгородской области, к юго-западу от Великого Новгорода, вдоль автодороги .

Наиболее крупные реки: Веронда и Веряжа.

На территории муниципального образования расположен спортивный аэродром «Новгород-Борки» Общероссийской общественной организации «РОСТО (ДОСААФ)» областной центр авиационного спорта, место полётов малой авиации и дельтапланеристов, тренировок парашютистов и проведения соревнований авиамоделистов.
В Борках расположен Научно-исследовательский и проектно-технологический институт сельского хозяйства (Новгородский НИПТИСХ).

История
Борковское сельское поселение было образовано в соответствии с законом Новгородской области от 11 ноября 2005 года . Согласно Областному закону от 30 марта 2010 года № 721-ОЗ Борковское сельское поселение и Серговское сельское поселение преобразованы во вновь образованное муниципальное образование Борковское сельское поселение с определением административного центра в деревне Борки.

Население

Состав сельского поселения

Достопримечательности
 Напротив деревни Завал, на островке Городок посреди русла Веряжи археологами было найдено на западном берегу острова раннеславянское городище Сергов Городок (летописный «град»), который выполнял функции своеобразной крепости для защиты Веряжи от проникновения со стороны Ильменя. Сходные городища с мощными кольцевыми валами на низких местах, мысах или островах хорошо известны у западных славян.
 Неподалёку от деревни Горошково археологами были найдены остатки большого селища новгородских словен Горошково.

Примечания

Ссылки
 Официальный сайт Администрации Борковского сельского поселения
 Перечень населенных пунктов городских и сельских поселений Новгородского муниципального района на 01.01.2006 г.

Сельские поселения Новгородской области
Муниципальные образования Новгородского района

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Let's inspire the next generation of artists together with talks on lettering, freelance, and social media.
My biggest event yet for a 2-day workshop teaching you the making and marketing of lettering.
My first podcast with a live audience during Dribbble Hangtime Seattle with fellow designers Sasha Barr and Victor Melendez.
A live stream late night show that features all kinds of creatives and artists living in Portland, Oregon.
A talk on my process as a hand lettering artist and the power of side projects for Design Week Portland 2018 sponsored by Wacom.
A talk on how to get over our perfectionist syndrome, post more often on social media, and beta test our projects for the perfect portfolio in Seattle, WA.
Live lettering workshop on how to create a design from scratch while answering a ton of questions on how to make a living from letters.
Hand lettering workshop to expand your portfolio with new type styles like Blackletter, Victorian, and Circus lettering to your design tool belt in Columbus, GA.
A special lecture and happy hour event sponsored by Wacom that helps illustrators make consistent income doing what they love most.
An in-depth workshop teaching students how to create a hand lettered poster from start to finish at Full Sail University in Orlando, FL.
A high level design panel discussion and gallery event with the Lincoln Design crew at the Wacom Experience Center in Portland, OR.
I'd love to share my knowledge of lettering and freelance with your community! I've had the opportunity to teach all over the country at conferences, schools, and other large company events. It's a fun way to bring people together, learn a new skill, and hit the ground running with some newly found inspiration.
Hire me to come and speak at your event starting at $500 + upfront travel expenses.
Let's partner on the event by splitting ticket sales 60/40 + upfront travel expenses.
Give me the details for your event including dates, location, class size, and lecture duration.


ABSTRACT: The current-limiting strategy for shunt active power filter (SAPF) will be activated automatically, when the compensation-capacity need exceeds the rated capacity. However, the traditional current-limiting strategy cannot realize the comprehensive protection with optimum objectives. The paper firstly reveals the essential of the current-limiting demands for the comprehensive protection of SAPF, namely the limiting control objects: 1) the root mean square (RMS) of the compensation current (mainly for the overheat protection of the IGBT and inductor); 2) the instantaneous wave of compensation current (mainly for the accurate current control and IGBT Icnom specification) and 3) the instantaneous wave of PWM-VSC modulation voltage (for the need of liner close-loop control). Secondly, the paper proposes an improved current-limiting scheme based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) to achieve the two optimization targets: 1) the minimization THD for the grid-side current; 2) the maximization utilization ratio for the capacity of the SAPF. The main advantage lies on the optimum limiting ratios of each harmonic order are calculated in real time respectively to achieve the flexible and liner limiting control. Finally, simulation and experiment verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.
Figure. 1. System mechanism diagram of SAPF.
Figure. 2. Simulation results of traditional current-limiting strategy.
Figure. 3. Simulation results of the proposed current-limiting strategy.
(b)(d)(f)(h): Simulation waves under the optimum-THD control strategy.
An improved current-limiting strategy based on PSO is proposed to optimize the utilization rate of SAPF or the THD of grid-side current. This strategy takes advantages of the two traditional methods: equal-proportion current-limiting control and truncated current-limiting control. Simulation results prove: the proposed current-limiting scheme can reduce the THD of grid-side current and improve the utilization rate of SAPF effectively, and no extra undesired harmonic will be injected into the power system. Future work will focus on further experiment validation for the effectiveness of the proposed method, especially dynamic performance.
 Sheng Xu, "An Improved Current-limiting Control Strategy for Shunt Active Power Filter," in IEEE 8th International Power Electronics and Motion ControlConference, 2016, pp. 1306-1311.
 S. J. Chiang and J. M. Chang, "Design and implementation of the parallelable active power filter," in Annual IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference, 1999, pp. 406-411.
 P. Mattavelli and F. P. Marafao, "Repetitive-based control for selective harmonic compensation in active power filter," IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 51, no. 5, pp. 1018-1024, Oct. 2004.
 Y.Tang, P.C.Loh, P.Wang, F.H.Choo, F.Gao, and F.Blaabjerg, "Generalized design of high performance shunt active power filter with output LCL filter," IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 1443-1452, Mar. 2012.
 L. Asiminoaei, C. Lascu, F. Blaabjerg and I. Boldea, "Performance Improvement of Shunt Active Power Filter With Dual Parallel Topology," IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 247-259, Jan. 2007.
This entry was posted in Blog, website and tagged An Improved Current-Limiting Strategy for Shunt Active Power Filter (SAPF) Using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Current-limiting demands, Current-limiting strategy, Particle swarm optimization, shunt active power filter. Bookmark the permalink.


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Web Audience for Games Soars for NBC and Yahoo
Monday, August 25, 2008 - 9:21 am
The ratings for NBC's television coverage of the Beijing Olympic Games were record-breaking this month, the New York Times reports. But
the extent to which the Internet served as a supplement to television
was unprecedented, and there were two clear winners: NBC's own Web site
and Yahoo's Olympics section. Read the full story here.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Home » News » Smaller People!
Weight loss groups in Haddenham are achieving remarkable results.
On Thursday 5th June, the recently established Slimming World group led by Francesa Flaxton celebrated a major milestone: a collective weight loss of 50 stone since the group started just a few months ago!
Meanwhile, David Lindsey who runs the Tyrefighters group at Haddenham Medical Centre, tells us that those attending his sessions have made excellent progress with one member losing two stones and another just under one stone, all done painlessly!
Membership is free and Tyrefighters meets at 9.00 am sharp on the Saturday mornings on which the Health Centre is open anyway. This means that the next meetings will be on the 14th and 28th June, and 12th and 19th July. The Tyrefighters group meets in the room at the far end of the waiting area in the Health Centre.
David can be emailed at: tyrefighters@outlook.com.


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Home Opinion/Editorial Editorial: Lack of gun violence preparation poses threat to student safety
Image courtesy of Phil Roeder on Flickr
Things are finally getting better! Over 100 million Americans have at least one vaccine dose. The economy is bouncing back. Mass shootings are happening again. Outdoor dining has resumed. Mass shootings are happening again. Disneyland is opening on Friday. Mass shootings are happening again. School is back in-person. Mass shootings are happening again. It really looks like things are looking up in America.
But, mass shootings are happening again. This should not be a symptom of normality in the land of the free.
As of April 29, there have been 169 mass shootings in the United States alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA). According to GVA, an incident of gun violence is considered a mass shooting when at least four or more people are shot or killed, not including the shooter. Over the last few years, mass shootings in the United States have been on a rise. In 2018, GVA reported 336 mass shootings; in 2019, they reported 417; and in 2020, they reported a shocking 610. It is horrifying to think that, even in a year when the majority of time was spent in quarantine, nearly 44,000 people were killed as a result of gun violence, and these numbers continue to increase.
The most deadly of the 169 mass shootings that have happened in the United States in 2021 include Boulder, Colorado; Indianapolis, Indiana and Acworth, Georgia.
A 21-year-old gunman shot and killed 10 people and injured one in a Colorado supermarket on March 22. A place where citizens find sustenance and comfort foods became the site of the deadliest homicide in America of 2021 so far.
A 19-year-old gunman shot and killed nine people and injured seven in an Indiana FedEx center on April 15. A place that safely transferred online orders became a tragedy when one teen transferred enough bullets to murder the same number of people as all of the justices on the Supreme Court.
Another 21-year-old gunman shot and killed eight people and injured one in a Georgia spa on March 16. A place of relaxation quickly became a polarizing AAPI hate crime.
President Joe Biden used his pulpit on Wednesday night to ask a joint session of Congress to pass two bills sitting on the House floor. The first bill is meant to strengthen background checks while the second is meant to close a legal loophole that allows gun sales to continue even if a background check has not been conducted. Both bills align with the gun safety policies Biden touted on the campaign trail.
You don't need us to tell you about all the stuff we lost this year. You already know about that. However, we have one more thing to add to the list: preparedness. The student body hasn't had a lockdown drill in over a year.
On a normal first day of school, some students instinctively make a plan for where they would hide in each classroom in the event of an active shooter on campus. Students sit in their seats thinking not about the syllabus, but about a teeny tiny almost perfectly hidden place they could hide, with just enough space for them. Their friends are on their own. If the situation is life or death, students have a mentally mapped out location for themselves.
We're not saying this is wonderful and super fun. It's actually pretty traumatizing. But it is a habit. A life-saving habit. One we haven't exercised or practiced in over a year. Not to mention the hundreds of freshmen and new-to-district students who have never even been to campus. What would they do if they were walking down the halls in our maze of a school and the lockdown alarm went off? Where would they go?
The lack of preparedness has the potential to endanger lives. We must take the steps to protect our school and our students.
The Beverly Media Group Editorial Board encourages the BHHS administration to plan lockdown drills and other measures to prepare students and staff alike for possible emergencies. It's sad to admit, but they are a very pertinent threat in our country today, and we must be prepared.
beverly hills high school
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Got tired of searching all the formatting requirements and specifics of Religion and Theology Research Proposal? Format, header, outline, type or topics? Forget this struggle! In our online database you can find free Religion and Theology Research Proposal work for every taste: thesis, essays, dissertations, assignments, research and term papers etc. - easy and free. Choose any document below and bravely use it as an example to make your own work perfect!
For centuries, the names of God have changed, broadened and evolved. Names have been applied to the same deity based on His different characteristics or based on certain needs that He notoriously fills. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the names of God and what those names mean.
Previous studies have highlighted that the youth form a critical part of the modern church. The fact that the youth form a remarkable percentage of the church reveals that the church must ensure that the youth understand and accept the gospel.
In other words, it is the respect of being and infrangibility of right a thing merits by virtue of its sacredness. Sacredness, however, implies awesome veneration, the sort of veneration deserved by what is Divine or what is connected with a deity. Consequently, since qualitativeness is by definition inherent in sanctity and sacredness- proper inviolability , respect, and veneration being of classical and qualitative human qualities- it follows that no real seeking for qualitative human existence can exclude, still less endanger, the sanctity of human life.
The whole of the human past has been a story full of endeavors to create this ideal community (Ahmed and Ezzeddine 159). The ideal, which Islam is looking for, is also a widespread ideal for the entire human race. It has been an objective of all the sages and prophets to see that humankind, through its moral and spiritual perfection, creates a just community.


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Sebastian Tudu (Changura, 17 de junho de 1967) é bispo de Dinajpur.

Sebastian Tudu foi ordenado sacerdote em 30 de dezembro de 1999.

Papa Bento XVI nomeou-o Bispo de Dinajpur em 29 de outubro de 2011. O Núncio Apostólico em Bangladesh, Dom Joseph Salvador Marino, o consagrou bispo em 27 de janeiro do ano seguinte; Os co-consagradores foram Moses M. Costa CSC, Bispo de Chittagong, e Patrick D'Rozario CSC, Arcebispo de Dhaka.

Ver também

Bispos católicos de Bangladesh


To see Steve's 2D teaser animation 'The Rift' click link.
Welcome to the Steve Simmons art gallery.
and animation to many clients in the UK and across the Globe.
A new Item will be posted here every Week.
on this site every week. Thanks for viewing..
Contact Steve Via his Representation or if you prefer the info above.
Steve is represented in the UK by.
www.storyboardsinc.com For Storyboards and Concept Art.
NO IMAGES ARE TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION.


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About DIFP
About the project Editorial team Editorial policy How to use and cite DIFP online DIFP projects and educational resources
Glossaries and abbreviations List of archival sources Biographical details
- Mission openings - Events - Ministers - Secretaries and Secretaries General
Browse Volumes
I (1919-22) II (1923-26) III (1926-32) IV (1932-36) V (1937-39) VI (1939-41) VII (1941-45) VIII (1945-48) IX (1948-51)
Purchase volumes
Volume 5 1936~1939
Doc No.
No. 12 UCDA P150/2179
Confidential report from John W. Dulanty to Joseph P. Walshe (Dublin)
(No. 10) (Secret)
London, 25 January 1937
I saw Mr. Malcolm MacDonald for a few minutes at the end of the British Cabinet meeting today, which meeting I understand was concerned solely with the examination from their point of view of the two constitutional Acts passed by our Government in December last.
Mr. MacDonald said that what he had to say was at the moment informal and confidential and asked that I should give this interim message to the President himself.
He said that the United Kingdom Government's tentative view was that the recent Irish Free State legislation should not be regarded as having altered fundamentally the position of the Irish Free State as a Dominion.
They would decide for themselves but obviously they could not decide for the other partner Governments in the Commonwealth. In view of the President's agreement with Mr. MacDonald that the latter should circulate to the partner Governments our recent Acts, he, Mr. MacDonald, would now circulate them to the other partner Governments and inform them that the United Kingdom Government were of opinion that the Acts should not be regarded as containing any fundamental change in the position of the Irish Free State as a member state of the British Commonwealth.
The United Kingdom Cabinet were however seriously concerned about the possibility of Article 1 of the Constitution being dropped out of the new Constitution and of its not appearing anywhere else. It would make their position very much more difficult and they hoped that the President might see his way either to maintain that Article in the Constitution, or, if he could not for the understandable reason which he gave to Mr. MacDonald, make a fresh clause in Act 2. All that would appear to be needed was an amending one clause Bill adding to the existing Act and saying that the Free State was a co-equal member of the community of nations known as the British Commonwealth. He was afraid that some constitutional provision of this kind was vital from the point of view of the United Kingdom Government.
They would be glad if we could see our way to revise our wording of clause 3, section 1 of Act No. 2 so that our recognition of the Crown as a symbol of the association should be brought into line with that of the other member states of the Commonwealth. The United Kingdom Cabinet also felt that our reference in Act No. 1 to the King as an 'organ' would hurt their people very much on what was a really susceptible point.
Mr. MacDonald concluded this short conversation by emphasising that his remarks were strictly confidential and must, pending the receipt of replies from the partner Governments, necessarily be tentative. The President he thought would see that the foregoing suggestions, though informal and tentative, were put forward in a friendly spirit.
[signed] J.W. Dulanty
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How to use and cite DIFP online
DIFP projects and educational resources
Glossaries and abbreviations
List of archival sources
Mission openings
Secretaries/Secretaries General
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We have collected concreteness ratings for 40 thousand English lemma words with Amazon Mechanical Turk. The ratings come from a larger list of 63 thousand words and represent all English words known to 85% of the raters. As such, the list can be used as a reference list for future word recognition in (American) English.
Brysbaert, M., Warriner, A.B., & Kuperman, V. (2014). Concreteness ratings for 40 thousand generally known English word lemmas. Behavior Research Methods, 46, 904-911.
Your find the ratings here (Excel file) and here (txt file).


It's a nice quiet communitysubmitted by CORY S. - Mar 07, 2019 |Recommended: YesMy experience has been great. My only minor issue is that I have a lifted f350 that doesn't fit in the stalls so I park on the street. Only an extra 10 yards away though.
Affordable and nice starter apartmentssubmitted by Belicia B. - Oct 29, 2018 |Recommended: YesI would say its a very nice apartment complex. Although a bit dated, everything was clean and worked properly. The maintenance was quick to fix any problems I had. I loved that there was assigned parking that provided you a spot right in front of your unit. You can hear your neighbors but they were never too loud or stayed up past curfew. The noise was never enough to cause me stress. Management was very friendly and always willing to answer questions or concerns. Overall for the price I think it was well worth my stay here.
We really like living here..submitted by Robert I. - Sep 28, 2018 |Recommended: YesWe've actually already told others that it's a great place to live. The community, location, neighbors, etc.
response from property - Oct 01, 2018 Robert, Thank you for your kind words and also for always for being always great!
Great place to livesubmitted by Terra B. - Sep 25, 2018 |Recommended: YesConvenient to all amenities and decently priced for the amount of space you get. Staff are always friendly and helpful.
response from property - Oct 01, 2018 Hello Terra, Thank you so much for your kind words. This is definitely the level of satisfaction we want all of our residents to experience, so it's good to know that we've made this happen for you. We'll continue making our community a great place to live!
Thank yousubmitted by Kathern M. - Aug 29, 2018 |Recommended: YesI like living here. Its small but we do live in a one bedroom.
My Eight Month Reviewsubmitted by Adelyn A. - Aug 03, 2018 |Recommended: YesI cannot believe I've been here 8 months Living here has been a very pleasant experience. Neighbors are quiet and the grounds are kept very nicely. My only annoyance is the garbage area. More effort should be made to keep the area cleaned and the recycling bins emptied so tenants don't have to leave there garbage on the floor. It would be nice to have the walkways pressure washed. I tried scrubbing it myself but the dirt is ingrained in the cement. I don't like seeing the next door neighbor use the entry as a storage. I read somewhere in the lease that tenants are not to place personal belongings in the walkways. The staff of Country Gable are very nice and helpful.
Its speaceful and quiet.submitted by David D. - Aug 02, 2018 |Recommended: YesIt was home when I first moved in.
H O M E submitted by Darian L. - Jun 30, 2018 |Recommended: YesVery quiet and peaceful. The scenery is beautiful and the apartments are cozy and feel like home.
I love living heresubmitted by Kaitlyn W. - Apr 29, 2018 |Recommended: YesI love the area and how easy it is to get anywhere I need to go. Even though I live right next to the freeway, the noise is minimal and I almost never hear my neighbors. It's very easy to walk my dog around here and there is plenty of grassy areas to walk her. I love living here.


Bold Beauty in Chaos logo printed on a Heather Black T-Shirt.
Beauty in Chaos Logo T-Shirt printed on heather black t-shirt.
Complete your wardrobe with this classic heather black t-shirt featuring a bold version of the BIC logo.
Printed on a heather black Bella+Canvas 3001 t-shirt that feels soft and light, with just the right amount of stretch. It's super comfortable and the unisex cut is flattering for both men and women.


MSR Access 2 Tent. Built to be the ultimate shelter for backcountry skiers, splitboarders and snowshoers, the Access 2 tent is lighter than a mountaineering tent, but warmer than our backpacking tents. Limited mesh on the tent body offers greater warmth on frigid nights, while the light and packable design saves you precious energy on the climb and descent. The interior is spacious for delayering, and the strong frame resists overnight snow loading. Quick to set up, the tent offers the protection needed for camping in less severe conditions, such as those near tree-line making it perfect for accessing the bowls, ridges and powder fields above.
Ultralight Warmth: Limited mesh on the tent body keeps in all that hard-earned warmth on cold nights, while the light design keeps you nimble while skiing, riding or hiking.
Easton Syclone Poles: Cutting-edge composite materials resist breaking in challenging winter conditions.
Robust Frame: Central-support frame optimizes interior space and resists snow loading.
Quick Setup: Perfect for cold environments.
Additional Features: DuraShield-coated fabrics and taped bathtub floor; two doors; two internal pockets; multiple guy points.


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Home»Sri Lanka»Trincomalee
Best time to visit Trincomalee
The best time to visit in Trincomalee in Sri Lanka is from January until September and December, when you will have a warm or hot temperature and limited till little rainfall. The highest average temperature in in Trincomalee is 35°C in April and the lowest is 29°C in January. The water temperature is between 28°C and 31°C.
Trincomalee has the tropical savanna climate prevailing. If you want to know what the average temperature is in in Trincomalee or when most precipitation (rain or snow) falls, you can find a quick overview below. This way, you are well prepared. Our average monthly climate data is based on data from the past 30 years.
Average weather Trincomalee by month
39 46 40 88 62 11 16 28 45 192 153 99
Travel and stay Trincomalee
If you are planning on visiting Trincomalee, check out these well-known travel agencies. They have been rated as the best by travelers and offer great prices for any budget.
Trivago.co.uk
Looking to book a flight to Trincomalee? Hop on one of these airlines.
TUI Flights
14 day weather forecast Trincomalee
The weather for Trincomalee will be 29° till 30° degrees in the next 14 days with several days chance of light rain showers or even quite a bit of rain.
Climate Trincomalee
Trincomalee has the tropical savanna climate prevailing. It is warm every month with both a wet and dry season. The average annual temperature for Trincomalee is 33° degrees and there is about 820 mm of rain in a year. It is dry for 127 days a year with an average humidity of 74% and an UV-index of 7.
Climate table of Trincomalee
Water temp. (°C)
16 13 15 24 17 8 9 11 13 22 24 22
15 15 16 6 14 22 22 20 17 9 6 9
Trincomalee weather by month
What is the average weather like in a given month for Trincomalee? Let's find out! Click on a month to check all the monthly averages for sunshine, temperature highs and lows, percentage chance of rain per day, snowfall accumulation and number of rainy days.
Weather experiences Trincomalee
Already been to Trincomalee?
Submit your Trincomalee weather experience today and get a chance to win £100!
Where is Trincomalee?
Trincomalee is located in Sri Lanka. It lies in a straight line at 5,384 miles from London.
The coordinates of Trincomalee are:
The GPS coordinates are 8° 34' N, 81° 14' E
How long is the flight to Trincomalee?
The flight time from London-Heathrow to Trincomalee is approximately 12 hours.
What are the nearest airports to Trincomalee?
These are the airports closests to Trincomalee:
China Bay Airport (4 mi) — Trincomalee
Batticaloa Airport (67 mi) — Batticaloa
Kankesanturai Airport (116 mi) — Jaffna
How many inhabitants are there in Trincomalee?
Trincomalee has approximately 108,420 inhabitants.
How big is Trincomalee?
The area of Trincomalee is around 3,091 mi².
What is the currency of Trincomalee?
In Trincomalee the Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) is used to pay.
1 British pound = 244.45 Sri Lankan rupee
1 Sri Lankan rupee = 0.004 British pound
100 British pound = 24,444.77 Sri Lankan rupee
100 Sri Lankan rupee = 0.41 British pound
What is the area code of Trincomalee?
The area code to call Trincomalee is +94.


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For all Filipino fans of Percy Jackson series, here's the camp for us to gather. Be safe from monsters and be known by your Immortal God.
A Place to hang out and roleplay.


To celebrate the release of its new dollar menu, Taco Bell is holding a contest that could give up to 11 winners a "lifetime" of free Taco Bell. (And, presumably, of heartburn.) What does earning such a prize entail? Finding a special $1 bill out in the wild.
Only the prize is not exactly a lifetime; it's $10,000 worth of Taco Bell gift cards. According to Taco Bell's math, that's because the average eater will spend $216 per year on Taco Bell over a span of 46 years. I assume that's because 46 is the maximum number of years one can expect to live when subsisting on a steady diet of Doritos shells and Waffle Tacos.
Also: You'll have to find the bill by October 21.
So! What are your chances of actually finding one of these things? Unclear–though, presumably, not very good. It might be instructive to look at a site like WheresGeorge.com, where hobbyists self-report marked bills they come across in a giant database. One poster in the forums writes that after a year of circulating marked currency, he actually came across two of his dollar bills, the bulk of which were spent at fast food chains and convenience stores.
The weird part? He found those two bills at two different Taco Bells.
Learn more about the promotion here.


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Port Talbot conman jailed for claiming almost £5m of EU and Welsh Government money
Anthony Smith pleaded guilty to three counts of fraudulent trading. Credit: South Wales Police
A man from Port Talbot has been sentenced to three years and nine months for fraudulently claiming almost £5m pounds worth of European Union and Welsh Government grants.
72-year-old Anthony Smith admitted claiming large sums of money to develop fish food.
The former steel worker made false promises that it would bring 120 jobs to Port Talbot and Pendine in Carmarthenshire. But only seven positions were created.
£4.7m
The amount of taxpayers' money Smith claimed.
This case involves a number of frauds on the public purse.
In each case the companies run by Anthony Smith made applications to the Welsh Government for grant award from public funds.
Those grants running cumulatively into the millions and being drawn from both EU and Welsh Government funds.
– Prosecutor Shane Collery
Smith was previously praised by Prince Charles and his products were used to feed trout served at restaurants run by Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal.
His ragworm product won awards and in 2008 he was invited to a private lunch at Windsor Castle with the Queen who told him the trout he had fed was "absolutely delicious".
But Smith was found to have gone on holidays to Bali and Hawaii and drove a Porsche and Lamborghini after being given the grants.
In 2006, he claimed £1m from the Welsh Government to build 270 ponds but fewer than a quarter of the ponds were installed.
Smith (right) entering court earlier today. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales
The basic method of the fraud was to pretend in the grant application that the project would cost more than it really would and then, when making claims on the award, to pretend more had been spent on the project than was the truth.
The project reached the heights of absurdity, and also dishonesty, when one company, effectively controlled by Smith, pretended to buy 20,000 tonnes of sand for the construction of ponds.
In fact, the sand was to be found in the very land in which the ponds were being dug.
The site, after all, at Pendine on the Welsh coast is well known for its sand dunes.
A forensic accountant was previously hired to review financial accounts which revealed that Smith had structured his businesses, Dragon Research Ltd, Dragon Feeds Ltd and Dragon Baits Ltd, in order to hide the flow of illegitimate funds.
He ran the businesses with Colin Mair, 68, who admitted one count of fraudulent trading, and Keith Peters, 72, who admitted two counts of false accounting.
Colin Mair, 68, was sentenced to 21 months custody, suspended for 18 months and ordered to pay £15,000.
Chartered accountant Kevin Peters, 72, was jailed for one year and three months.
Not only did Anthony Smith wildly overstate how much money had been spent, but he made up stories about projects which never existed.
He did this all under the guise of being environmentally-friendly and boosting the local economy.
He promised to make Wales a world leader in the aquaculture industry, but instead he abused the system and robbed the local community of investment.
– Janet Potter, CPS
The Welsh Government said it "welcomed" the sentencing, and added it takes fraud "extremely seriously".
Whilst South Wales Police said the sentencing was the result of nearly a decade long investigation.
Today's sentencing marks the end of an eight year investigation by South Wales Police into the fraudulent activities of a number of grant-funded companies.
The overwhelming amount of evidence gathered during this painstaking investigation has resulted in Anthony Smith, Colin Mair and Keith Peters being sentenced for their role in a fraud worth more than £5 million to the public purse.
– Detective Chief Inspector Nick Bellamy of South Wales Police Economic Crime Unit
Smith pleaded guilty to three counts of fraudulent trading.
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Jail for fraudster who conned victims out of £750k
Bank transfer fraud victims to get refunds with launch of new code


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About Abby
Just Add Peaches
Hotel executive Wendy Marsh puts her career on hold when she inherits half of her family's inn. Her to-do list? It's simple: teach her spoiled cousin how to manage Fountenoy Hall, then hightail it back to her structured, careful life in Atlanta. Romance has never been part of Wendy's plan – so what is it about the sexy history professor researching the inn that she finds so tempting?
X marks the spot, but not for Rob Upshaw scrounging around Fountenoy Hall for a family treasure lost during Prohibition. His uncle's old journals are full of cryptic clues, he has only a vague description of the loot, and the beautiful, uptight innkeeper with a subtle sense of humor might hold the key to his quest. Even though Rob's career is built on facts, he accepts he might have to lie to Wendy. But falling for her? That's out of the question.
Eden Books
Jordan Shoenover is happy to help friends in need and welcomes taking refuge at their historic inn while awaiting the impending doom of a frivolous lawsuit. But then, on top of facing the loss of everything she's built, she's forced to work with Josh Lukasik—the man who abandoned her years ago after one fantastic night of mind-blowing bliss.
Josh Lukasik is one sexy cupcake whom women vie to take home when his catering shifts are over. Mixing it up is his only distraction from the responsibility of caring for his young brother, his lost dream of being a chef, and the memories of Jordan Shoenover—the One Who Got Away.
When Jordan drops back into Josh's life, he's not about to let things get stirred up between them again. He has secrets to keep, and she'll flambé him if she ever learns the truth. As far as Jordan is concerned, so what if their chemistry's still off-the-charts hot! She's not about to let Josh back into her bed—or anywhere near her heart.
He loves her.
She loves him not…yet.
Brandi Clayton spent years being a chameleon, trading on her looks for the security of having a man taking care of her. After all, being alone is what her mother taught her to fear. When her grandmother's will surprisingly reveals Brandi inherited the family business, a new path opens up for her. She's determined to take charge of Belle's Medicinal Brewery and her own life. And if she can take that leap, she can find a man who loves her for exactly who she is. With her long-time friend Sebastien's support, she's bound to succeed, but she can't take advantage of Sebastien forever.
A royal with no responsibilities, Prince Sebastien of Casagnes spends his days near Brandi, sketching, and helping his friend whenever she calls. His love for her is like his art — safely hidden where it can't be rejected. But when Brandi uploads her profile to dating sites, Sebastien fears losing the one woman who is his everything. Can this loyal royal find the courage to put his heart on the line and paint a picture for Brandi of their life together?
The Prince Who Loved Me is a Just Add Peaches novel. Each book in the series is a stand-alone, passionate and playful contemporary romance, but you'll want more than one juicy bite.
Hardworking and seriously single, there's nothing Riley Pommer wouldn't do for his family. So when his sisters concoct a crazy plan to save the family ranch, the hunky cowboy reluctantly lets them turn his homestead into the site of a dating competition. As Crescent Ridge is invaded by beautiful women vying for the top prize — him — Riley still isn't interested in being roped into a relationship. But when he meets the spirited and intriguing Ainsley, partnering up no longer seems pointless.
Between her business and her meddling mother, Ainsley Fairfax desperately needs to get away, and her only immediate choice is standing in for her sister in a bachelorette competition on a far away ranch. Determined not to win the grand prize cowboy at any cost, she sets out to forget her troubles and relax on Crescent Ridge. But when her path finally crosses with rugged Riley's, Ainsley finds herself heating up rather than cooling down.
With instant chemistry that sizzles, Riley and Ainsley can't help falling for one another. But as the other competitors stampede through their lives, are Riley and Ainsley destined to find their hearts trampled by the very same game that brought them together?
Description Coming Soon!
Abigail Sharpe. Romance novelist. Wife. Extrovert. Performer. Band Mom. Daughter. Technical writer. Reader. Sister. Gator grad. Friend. Community volunteer.
Breast cancer survivor.
So many women with so many different titles and one thing in common. And it sucks.
I started blogging when I was diagnosed to keep my family and friends in the know – and so I didn't have to repeat all the lovely things happening to me and my body. Here it is, with dates and times, the days and months of surgeries, hair loss, a runaway prosthetic, chemo, radiation, oral medications, bone pain, and the Bellybutton that Would Not Heal.
These pages are lifted from my blog, including comments, grammar issues, folks who posted anonymously, and when I go off-topic. Each entry is time and date stamped, so you can see what happened to me and when. It's all true, though some names have been changed to protect the (not-so) innocent. If you had my friends, you'd understand why.
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© 2020 Abigail Sharpe | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Designed by Bella Media Management


A beautifully eye-catching contemporary style tall leaning ladder with six tiers and a chalkboard to the top which you could use as a practical and stylish notepad. This unique feature piece has a pleasant neutral light brown driftwood effect design with shabby chic distressing and crackled effect detail. Would be perfect for hanging clothes on or for using as an unusual and stylish towel rail in a vintage effect bathroom. This statement piece would look incredibly sophisticated and stylish in any room in your home and make a striking addition to any home with its neutral finish and unusual storage capabilities.
It has two hooks on the reverse for secure mounting to the wall.


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Home / Features / AVA Festival 2018 sets a new standard for Belfast nightlife
AVA Festival 2018 sets a new standard for Belfast nightlife
By Tim Lewis on June 4, 2018
A fervour has been building around Belfast in recent years as a must go place for anyone looking for a vibrant house and techno scene. The city's rise to prominence has been attributed to many different things, but the biggest factors contributing to Belfast's new found fame are undoubtedly the vision and self-belief currently permeating the scene and wider arts community. Nowhere has this vision and self-belief been more apparent than at this year's AVA Festival.
Entering its fourth year, AVA 2018 was a shining example of what can be achieved when a festival has a clear sense of identity and purpose. Unlike anything else currently being put on in the UK or Ireland, AVA brings together artists, industry figures and enthusiastic crowds for two days of talks and music. That's if you don't include the opening night on Thursday, which saw both an opening show at the Bullitt Hotel as well as a screening of the one-take masterpiece Victoria at the Queen's Film Theatre, or the closing party on Sunday evening, where Rush Hour Records label boss Antal treated those still standing to a three hour set at the Art Department.
As the festival's unabbreviated name suggests, Audio Visual Arts is about so much more than music. It's about bringing individuals together from within the arts world and nurturing the talent of up and coming artists in the community. With its geographical isolation, Belfast has always been a city that has had to rely on its own artists and there has a always been a sense of mentorship within the scene. However, AVA's creator Sarah McBriar has taken this to the next level by not only fostering talent, through the emerging DJ, producer and visual artist programmes, but also by connecting those in Belfast to industry figures both on the mainland and south of the border.
With regards to the visual side of things, this year's AVA see's the festival partnering with both Red Bull and the Sasakawa Foundation. In collaboration with Red Bull, Belfast's Guerrilla Shout collective created a fantastic installation that utilised the reflective qualities of light and provided a fitting visual backdrop to the Red Bull Music Stage. Also working with Red Bull were Belfast artists Paul Doran and Mark Ervine who created a beautiful mural using mixed media and collage. Finally, Japanese filmmaker Yu Nakajima's 'January 2015' was exhibited with the help of the Sasakawa Foundation.
In a year when Belfast waves goodbye to the legendary Mandela Hall, home for many years to clubbing institution Shine, it seems fitting that AVA also moves on to newer pastures in 2018. No longer located at T13, gone are the iconic Harland and Wolff cranes Samson and Goliath, which for three years loomed high and mighty over the Boiler Room stage. However, if you thought that this meant a move away from the industrial atmosphere that has characterised AVA over the last three outings, you would be mistaken. The festival's new home S13, a disused B&Q building located in a retail park in the south of the city, is a fitting location to continue to grow and expand AVA. From the Red Bull Music Stage being located in a loading bay to the incredible Main Stage space, the former DIY supply store provided the perfect setting for partygoers to enjoy the sights and sounds on offer at this year's festival.
It was never going to be easy to choose, but here are our highlights from AVA 2018.
The Talks
The AVA Conference continues to go from strength to strength each year, with attendees treated to an ever-growing list of international speakers from within the industry. With topics ranging from 'Creating Longevity in an Evolving Scene' to 'Breaking into the Music Industry', it's at the talks that you can really see McBriar's commitment to using AVA as a means of promoting and fostering homegrown talent.
This year's opening keynote was delivered by Belfast duo Bicep, real names Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson, who discussed the process behind their first live album and their recent run of live performances.
"We had to work out everything ourselves," admits Matt, on the process of moving away from more dancefloor friendly eight-minute anthems to the three-minute album track format. "Less face melters, more freakouts" quips host Seamus O'Reilly to laughter from the audience. Citing Aphex Twin as an influence when it comes to production techniques, Matt continued: "We wanted to make something that you could listen to when you're out riding your bike."
The pair seemed pleased with the response to their year of live performances, stating that it was a good opportunity to see how the album "translates to live." However, they made clear that the coming months will see the duo return to playing sets, with Ferguson highlighting the need to focus on the label, as well as their desire to play the large pool of new records they have been collecting over the last year.
The closing keynote was delivered by the legendary Larry Heard. As is to be expected with someone of Heard's stature, the discussion was more of an anecdotal affair. Within minutes he was telling stories of how as a young boy playing in the streets of Chicago he was oblivious to the fact that the band he could hear rehearsing from a nearby studio was in fact Earth Wind and Fire.
Heard comes across as a gentle, genuine character who has little time for overanalysis of his work. When asked about his thought process when producing and writing, he simply states: "I don't think a lot I just kind of dive into things. I'm usually more impulsive when it comes to making music. Just be wacky."
Discussing the influences that shaped him, he cites his family as one of the biggest factors in shaping his tastes. "Before the TV, every house had a piano for entertainment," he jokes as he talks about his musically talented parents. Both his parents and brothers would bring music home, ranging from jazz artists like Wes Montgomery to the funk of Parliament, and a smile spreads across his face as he recalls the day he danced around the house in joy after his father brought home Donna Summers 'Love to Love You Baby'.
Now a longtime resident of Memphis, Heard recently released his first full-length album as his Mr Fingers alias in nearly 25 years. When asked about future lives shows, he simply stated: "I don't know, we just take it day by day," before host Lauren Martin handed over to eager audience members to ask the legendary producer some final questions.
As with every AVA to date, the party started at the Boiler Room Stage and the energy of the crowd was palpable from the word go. Debut performances from local artists Bobby Analog, Holly Lester and Quinton Campbell stood out as great examples of the talent coming out of the country at the moment. If ever AVA's ethos of supporting new artists was on display it was surely when Campbell took to the stage on Friday afternoon. Having won the AVA Emerging Producer competition back in 2016, it seemed fitting that he now represent the festival on the international stage that is Boiler Room.
More established acts like Midland and Mano Le Tough provided the stage with a number of memorable moments, but it was Sunil Sharpe's high intensity closing set on the final night that stood out as the highlight of the entire Boiler Room weekend. The Dublin DJ's fusion of fast-paced techno and breaks could not have been more aptly suited to the location and the crowd showed their appreciation in the only way a Belfast audience knows how; through an ever louder series of 'yeos' and whistles. Sharpe's sound perfectly encompasses the passion and energy of Ireland and as his set came to an end on Saturday evening it felt like those in attendance had witnessed a true vinyl masterclass.
Red Bull Music Stage
Situated in a former loading bay, the Red Bull Music Stage was by far the most aesthetically pleasing setting at AVA, thanks in large part to the aforementioned Guerilla Shout light installation that sat nestled behind the DJ booth. Irish duos dominated the stage throughout the weekend, with Extended Play head honchos Timmy Stewart and JMX providing the highlight set on Friday. I doubt anyone knows how to work the Belfast crowd better than the pair behind the city's top label, and their track selection was second to none.
Hot on their heels on Saturday were Belfast boys Swoose and Cromby. With both lads now living abroad you could see from the start of the their set that they were happy to be back playing their brand of house to a hometown crowd. The former Shine residents were followed by the final Irish duo of the weekend Brame and Hamo, who built on the lively atmosphere established by their Belfast companions. It was then up to the fantastic Hunee to close the stage on Saturday evening and he did so with his usual blend of party-friendly disco and house. It was a fitting end to what was debatably the best overall stage of the whole weekend.
As Larry Heard took to the stage alongside longtime collaborator Robert Owens on Friday night, crowds began to trickle in from the other stages. Accompanied by visuals that had an almost 90s Windows screensaver feel to them, the music pounded along to a rhythm that you only find when listening to the greats of the Chicago scene. Hypnotic, arpeggiated synths and even more hypnotic vocal lines from Owens, who at several points could simply be heard repeating the word 'Belfast', were met with cheers from the crowd who knew they were in the presence of a true legend.
Heard was then followed by Bulgaria's finest KiNK, who provided the stand out moment of the weekend when he was joined on stage by several samba drummers from Belfast's Beat Carnival. The crowd exploded with cheers as the drummers gathered in front of KiNK. I don't think I've ever seen any producer with a bigger smile on his face as he held his drum machine close to his chest and banged out a rhythm in unison with his samba ensemble.
The only live performance of the Saturday was that of local producer Mount Palomar, real name Neil Kerr. Having recently returned from playing Berlin's Berghain, it was obvious from the start that Kerr really knows his way around his hardware. With his octatrack in tow, he delivered a pounding analog sound that brought so much energy and freshness to the day.
The Main Stage provided so many individual high points over the course of the weekend that it's hard to choose which ones to include. With outstanding visuals and a fantastic soundsystem, the stage was testament to the hard work and effort put in by the team behind AVA. From the aforementioned live performances of Kink and Larry Heard, to the closing set from Bicep, who made a return to the decks on Friday night, the crowd gathered at the stage were treated to a relentless mix of house and techno throughout the weekend. However, it was on final day that things really descended into madness on the Main Stage. Great performances from Sally C and Or:la set the scene for what was to come but it was the moment Mall Grab played the Chris Liebing remix of 'One Night in New York City' that the energy that had been building up throughout the day spilled over into complete chaos. Belfast favourites Floorplan took over from Mall Grab, bringing their gospel infused brand of techno with them, and it was then left to US techno producer DVS1 to bring things to a close on Saturday night.
Moxie Closing Set – Smirnoff Stage
While DVS1 was closing the Main Stage, those looking to get away from the pounding techno of the main room took solace at the Smirnoff Stage where Moxie was providing a more feel good sound to bring the weekend to an end. There was a real sense of joy amongst the audience as Moxie played a set peppered with disco classics like Donna Summers – 'I Feel Love', as tired legs found that little bit of energy to keep going. The great atmosphere was helped in part by Jayda G's brilliant set before Moxie too, but it was the last fifteen minutes of the night that really encapsulated the entire mood of the weekend. Smiles were etched across faces as people danced, hugged and cheered and there was a real sense of inclusivity and happiness amongst the crowd. It was the perfect ending to a great weekend at AVA Festival 2018 and we at Soundspace can't wait to see what Sarah and her team have in store next year.
Image credit: Luke Joyce, Lewis Mclay and Grant Jones
Related ItemsAva FestivalbicepBoiler RoomDVS1Kinklarry heardMall GrabMano Le Toughsoundspace


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Assessments and personalised housing plans
Personalised housing plans: applicant steps
Overview of homelessness law and guidance
Information and advice on homelessness
Applying as homeless
Homelessness inquiries
Assessments of need
Devising personalised housing plans
Personalised housing plans: local authority steps
Deliberate and unreasonable refusals to cooperate
Defining homelessness
Eligibility: non-EEA/EU nationals
Eligibility: EEA/EU nationals and British nationals
Priority need
Intentional homelessness
Local connection
Homelessness duties
Offers and suitability of accommodation
Ending duties
Referral to another local authority
Challenging homelessness decisions
Homelessness strategies
Homelessness in Wales
This content applies to England
The personalised housing plan (PHP) should set out the steps which the applicant will take in order to prevent or relieve her/his homelessness.
These steps are in addition to those to be taken by the local authority.
This page only applies to homelessness applications made on or after 3 April 2018.
Local authorities may include in an applicant's personalised housing plan (PHP) steps for the applicant to take that are:
Local authorities must try to agree mandatory steps with the applicant. If a step cannot be agreed with the applicant, it cannot be recorded in the PHP unless it is reasonable.[1] See Devising personalised housing plans for more detail.
Mandatory steps
Mandatory steps are those which the applicant is required to take.[2]
The Homelessness Code of Guidance recommends that mandatory steps 'should be limited to those which the housing authority considers are required in order to prevent or relieve homelessness'. [3]
Examples of mandatory steps
The Code gives little guidance on what form mandatory steps might take although it implies that they may include looking for accommodation.[4] It may be reasonable to require an applicant to look for accommodation outside her/his preferred area where there is 'little prospect of finding accommodation there that they can afford'.[5]
The Code also implies that applicants could be required to engage with other services in order to make finding accommodation more likely. However, it would not be reasonable to require an applicant to engage with a service that does not exist in their current district.[6]
Recommended steps
Recommended steps are those which a local authority 'considers advisable' or a good idea for the applicant to take but does not require her/him to take.[7] Recommended steps can also be included in the plan.[8]
In contrast to the narrow focus of mandatory steps recommended steps have a much broader purpose of, for example, allowing the applicant to address wider needs or increase her/his housing options in the future.[9]
The Code suggests that the local authority might be able to provide or refer the applicant to a range of advice and support services including employment support.[10]
Failing to complete a step in the PHP
An applicant who fails to complete a step in her/his PHP could be classed as 'deliberately and unreasonably failing to cooperate'.[11] Therefore, if a local authority suggests a mandatory step that the applicant thinks is unreasonable, it is important that s/he discusses this with the authority. See Devising personalised housing plans.
If an applicant does not take a recommended step s/he cannot be found to have deliberately and unreasonably failed to cooperate with the authority.[12]
[1] s.189A(4)(a) and s.189A(6) Housing Act 1996, as inserted by s.3(1) Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
[2] para 11.31 Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities, MCHLG, Feb 2018.
[4] para 11.20, para 16.4 and para 16.16 Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities, MHCLG, Feb 2018.
[5] para 11.20 Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities, MHCLG, Feb 2018.
[8] s.189A(7) Housing Act 1996 as inserted by s.3(1) Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
[10] para 11.31 Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities, MHCLG, Feb 2018.
[11] s.193B(2) Housing Act 1996 as inserted by s.7(1) Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
[12] s.189B(2) states that the refusal must have been to take a step under s.189A(4) or 189(6)(b) - both of which are required steps.
Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
Housing Act 1996
Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities: MHCLG, February 2018
Last updated April 2, 2018


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Healthcare Business
Safeguard Scientifics CEO Interview: "Small Cap Value Stock" (SFE, CLRT, CMGI, ICGE)
Stock Tickers: SFE, CLRT, CMGI, ICGE
Late last week, 24/7 Wall St. got the chance to interview Peter J. Boni, President & CEO of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (SFE-NYSE). Mr. Boni has been President & CEO of the company for roughly 22 months, and it may be worth noting that at the end of August 2005 the shares of Safeguard have risen from $1.62 at the end of that time to its current price of $2.68. I did get a chance to discuss many issues with the company, and the first and foremost issue is worth noting:
Part of our interest in interviewing Safeguard was because of the recent interest in CMGI Inc. (CMGI-NASDAQ) and other incubators. QUESTION: So without taking away from your own company in a comparison, what is the difference and do you have plans to transform into more of an operating company that also has an incubator? If not, is this something you would consider?
For starters, we did not spend too much time discussing the merits of other incubators and other holding company investment vehicles. But Mr. Boni did want to be clear about the incubator term being very much in the past when the investment climate was in the tech bubble days; and now they are operating solely as a holding company with gains on investments being the primary goal for each investment. Safeguard has a 50-year history and has been a public company for close to 20 years. The focus is entirely on investment opportunities in information technology and in life sciences. Without being able to predict returns, the "Goals" were fairly clear: look for opportunities that are in the 3X to 5X returns that come from a liquidity event, with a longer-term outlook, staying diversified, and by looking at opportunity stages that are between the first round stage and the private equity stage. The company also has a managerial structure that compensates managers based on the company's market capitalization of the company, and the long-term vision is to try to make the company a $1 Billion company in the coming years.
Outside of the differences and similarities, we did have numerous questions for the operations and holdings. Some questions of course could not be answered because they would be too 'prediction-oriented,' but you will see in the comments later that many of the areas were covered.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: What sort of investment activities are you currently focusing on, and does the company have any plans to raise cash or leverage the balance sheet any more? What is the current value carried on the books of the cash and the public company shares you own? How much more value do you 'guestimate' as the private companies? Would the company consider any special or one-time dividends or other shareholder friendly initiatives? What do you think the company can do to garner more research following from traditional boutique brokerage firms? What do you identify as your largest opportunities and what are your longer-term goals?
The company previously had 40 portfolio companies that it scaled downto 10, and currently has 16 portfolio companies with shares ofClarient, Inc. (CLRT-NASDAQ) being the one current public holding. Theother 15 investment holdings are mixed between InformationTechnology and in Life Sciences, although there is quite a bit ofconvergence between the two areas. Four of these are majority held andtwelve of these are minority investments. In these arenas Safeguardreally tries to limit extra risks where the applications and goals arenot really known.
CONTINUE ON PAGE 2…..
Since the company liquidated holdings to scale its focus it hasreturned roughly $200 million to the company and has turned around andplaced roughly $100 million in Nine investments over the last Fivequarters. It also has a go-to market strategy where it relies onoutbound deal sourcing, but some of the deal sourcing comes directlyfrom entrepreneurs. Since the competition for deals is fierce, ittries to focus where entrepreneurs are under-supported compared toover-supported in many areas in the country.
The company's earnings are based upon actual holding values and uponrealizing gains, so the degree of profitability varies from period toperiod. On this metric, Safeguard was profitable in Q4 2005 and wascumulatively profitable for 2006. The company obviously could not giveguidance for 2007 because it would be too predictive of marketconditions and liquidity events. The current structure and currentholdings do not require additional funding based on today's knowledge.
What was most interesting, and not an angle that I had really thoughtof ahead of this session, was that Mr. Boni feels that the company is avalue company for the arena they are in. The reason for this is thatout of today's market capitalization rate, its cash and its publiclytraded shares in Clarient (CLRT-NASDAQ) account for roughly 80% of theentire market capitalization. In a break-up analysis, this wouldtheoretically leave the remaining 20% of the market cap being accountedfor as the other 15 current holdings, its future operations, itsphysical assets, and the approximate $394 million in net operatinglosses carry forward.
As far as the goals the company's investment target is a holding andinvestment outlook of three to five years and opportunities that canpotentially give a 3X to 5X return. Safeguard wants to grow to morethan $1 Billion in market cap from today's levels. They are not aregulated investment company and can offset gains, so unless some ofthe portfolio companies generate drastically excessive returns it wouldseem to be a long time before paying taxes on the gains.
On a dividend or shareholder enhancement front, the company wouldconsider a return of capital or shareholder value creation but by andlarge that would only occur if Safeguard ever became overly flush withcapital. For the time being and in the current climate, Mr. Boni feelsthat Safeguard has plenty of opportunities where they can keepinvesting in there 3X to 5X potential return opportunities. That beingsaid, a value investor here would still be investing in Safeguard forreturns via capital gains rather than via dividends.
The company is also actively attending conferences to get in front ofinvestors and investment opportunities. In May alone, the company madepresentations at several broker conferences: Cowen & Co.; Friedman,Billings, Ramsey; and JMP Securities. It used to have virtually noanalyst coverage and now has five boutiques following it (list is fromwebsite): Susquehanna International Group, LLC; Monness, Crespi, Hardt& Co., Inc.; Henley & Company, LLC; CJS Securities; Boenning& Scattergood.
When Mr. Boni came into the Safeguard, the shareholder make-up wassomewhere around 75% retail and 25% institutions, but now theshareholder mix is closer to a 50/50 mix between retail andinstitutions. Some of the top institutions that have added positionsare T. Rowe Price, Gruber & McBaine Capital, Dimensional, FirstManhattan, and Putnam.
The final goal is opportunity with diversity in the InformationTechnology and the Life Sciences arena. It also will continue on itscurrent focus with no single investment being too large of an eventrisk, so that it maintains a portfolio balance.
It is also worth noting that since the company made its Maypresentations, Safeguard has appointed a new CFO. It appointed RaymondLand, who has 15 years as a public company CFO in the life sciencesarena, and more than 30 years of total experience in financial andgeneral management experience.
POST INTERVIEW CONJECTURE
It is quite rare that you get a CEO that is willing to state goals outof an established company that would imply a 200% return if the goalsare achieved. Butthat was my take on what Safeguard wants to reach.The initial interest here was from the recent trading activity over thelast 6 months that has been seen in CMGI Inc. (CMGI-NASDAQ). The goodnews here is that Safeguard has no intentions of trying to change intoa "me too" competitor.
Sure, these companies will continue to be grouped together along withInternet Capital Group (ICGE-NASDAQ0 for some time to come. But whenyou sit down and speak to officers of a company the differences becomequite clear. True value investors will perhaps refrain from investingin many $324 million market capitalization rate stocks, but on acomparable basis there really is a current value play in the stock.The caveat to the value is that much of this value is tied to themarket price of the Calrient Inc. (CLRT-NASDAQ) share price because itowns such a large piece of it.
Investors looking for any set or exact earnings per share would seem tobe looking in the wrong area because the nature of Safeguard's earningscomes from sales and capital gains from its investments. But thoseinvestors that are willing to look at incubator stocks and holdingcompany or investment vehicle stocks appear would seem to have found anice mix in Safeguard: a high net asset value relative to a stockprice, and aggressive management that wants to see exponential growthopportunities.
Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.
Read more: Healthcare Business, CMGI, healthcare, Interview
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The facts are the facts and it's shale, not renewable energy, that's allowing the U.S. to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while others merely yap about it.
Carbon dioxide emissions, the largest component of greenhouse gases, have been declining in the United States, mainly due to the shale gas renaissance. Between 2005 and 2016, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions declined by 12 percent. However, China's carbon dioxide emissions over the same period increased by 50 percent, surpassing U.S. carbon dioxide emissions in 2006.
China's commitment to the Paris Agreement is to allow greenhouse gas emissions to continue to rise until 2030, when they are expected to peak. China's emissions are projected to rise approximately 3.5 percent this year due partly to poor hydroelectric output. While China's emissions are allowed to increase, the Obama administration pledged that the United States would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
India, the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, pledged to install more renewable energy and to lower its carbon intensity—the amount of CO2 emitted per unit of gross domestic product. It will do so while allowing total emissions to increase through 2030, similar to China. India's carbon dioxide emissions are expected to increase 2 percent this year—slower than the 6 percent annual growth seen over the last decade. India still has 240 million citizens without electricity and needs to provide reliable power to them.
Carbon dioxide emissions worldwide are increasing as the graph below shows, though their rate of growth has slowed in recent years. That may be temporary because global carbon dioxide emissions are expected to increase by 2 percent this year. Global carbon dioxide emissions are continuing to grow despite investment in renewable energy.
Over the past 10 years, governments and private investors have together spent $2 trillion on infrastructure to produce electricity from wind and solar power. According to Environmental Progress, after adjusting for inflation, that level of investment exceeds the total cost of all nuclear plants built or under construction. In recent years, renewable capacity has outpaced all other sources—including coal, natural gas and nuclear power. Solar and wind capacity installed in 2015 was more than 10 times what the International Energy Agency had forecast a decade before.
However, as seen from the graph above, this investment in wind and solar capacity has not brought about much decarbonization. Integrating renewable energy into the grid requires large investments in electricity transmission—to move power from intermittently windy and sunny places to places where power is consumed. It also requires fossil fuel plants to be ready to operate when there is no wind or sun. These back-up plants operate at levels far below their maximum capacity, increasing their operating costs and making them uneconomic.
Further, these intermittent renewable sources can drive wholesale electricity prices down to the point where they force back-up power off the grid. There are times when intermittent renewable generators flood the grid with power, reducing the price of electricity to negative levels due to tax credits, thereby forcing back-up power off the grid. Or, if the back-up power cannot shut down quickly, it must pay for the grid to accept its electricity.
Despite some countries making progress in integrating wind and solar energy into their electricity mix, their carbon dioxide emissions have actually increased. Germany, for example, is now generating 34 percent of its power from non-carbon sources (hydro, nuclear, wind and solar), but its carbon dioxide emissions have increased in the last two years as the country is closing nuclear plants and backing up its intermittent renewables with coal. Germany's residential electricity prices have skyrocketed to pay for the new renewable capacity and are three times those in the United States.
The United States is ahead of many countries in reducing its carbon dioxide emissions. That result is largely because of increased generation from inexpensive natural gas rather than from constructing wind and solar generators that produce much less energy per unit of capacity.
The post Shale, Not Renewable Energy, Is Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions appeared first on Natural Gas Now.


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News Stories (menu position rule)
Benin Integrates Gender for Universal Health Access
No one wanted to miss this day.
Cabinet-level Ministers, Ministry of Health officials, representatives of partner organizations, institutions, projects, and donors—like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—all filed in on the morning of Thursday, August 20, for a public handover event where the USAID-funded Leadership, Management, and Governance (LMG) Project formally presented the strategic planning documents for a national Gender Mainstreaming Strategy to the Benin Ministry of Health (MOH). As the MOH prepares to implement this new national strategy to promote universal access to health services, here is a look back at the planning and development of this strategy, and how far it has come.
In 2014, the MOH identified gender structures as a barrier to equitable access to high-quality health services. Recognizing the broad expertise of their technical partners and funders, the MOH reached out to the LMG Project to identify tools that could mainstream gender concerns into the health system and to coordinate engagement among key stakeholders. These included the Belgian Development Agency, the Benin MOH, UNDP, UNFPA, USAID, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization.
The LMG Project conducted a gender analysis to assess the state of gender integration in Benin's health system that informed the development of the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy. In September 2014, the stakeholders finalized the strategy, and it was signed by Benin's Minister of Health. Since that time, the MOH has continued to collaborate with these partners to develop a promotion and dissemination strategy to ensure that gender concerns are integrated equitably at the national level.
This is not the only time that the LMG Project has supported gender mainstreaming as a key variable for effective health system governance. For example, Ethiopia made gender equity a priority in 1993 by creating a National Policy on Women, but the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) did not establish a Gender Directorate until 2008. The lack of widespread political will was a significant challenge for the new Directorate.
The FMOH Gender Directorate recognized that health service providers needed gender awareness training in order to deliver more effective health services and improve health outcomes. In support of the FMOH, the LMG Project collaborated on the gender mainstreaming training manual that could be used to train all FMOH staff working at the federal and regional levels.
Furthermore, improving effective governance in health means more than just integrating gender concerns. Health governing bodies must also promote women's leadership and active involvement, from decision-making to service delivery. These principles remain at the core of the LMG Project's activities beyond supporting the development of country-level gender mainstreaming strategies.
For example, the LMG Project has:
Launched an East Africa Women's Mentoring Network to help promote women working in family planning, sexual and reproductive health, and other health areas;
Developed the Gender in Health Governance Tool for health governing bodies to assess their gender responsiveness;
Supported Mobility International USA's Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD) to train women leaders with disabilities from around the world; and
Promoted roundtables highlighting the importance of women leaders in health governance.
Through effective implementation and scale up, Benin's Gender Mainstreaming Strategy will help MOH staff integrate gender concerns in order to provide responsive and equitable access to health services.
This story was originally published to LMGforhealth.org
Please direct all press inquiries to Jordan Coriza at jcoriza@msh.org or by phone, 617.250.9107.
Leadership, Management, and Governance Project in Benin
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Q: How to dump joomla users and user profile to excel correctly I need to download Joomla users and user profile data to an excel table. I am using a Joomla components "VJ SQL to File" which require that a SQL query is entered. Now the problem starts.
I have entered following query:
select
vpa1_user_profiles.user_id,
vpa1_user_profiles.profile_key,
vpa1_user_profiles.profile_value,
vpa1_users.name,
vpa1_users.username,
vpa1_users.email
from
vpa1_users
inner join vpa1_user_profiles
on
vpa1_users.id = vpa1_user_profiles.user_id

And the result is like shown below:
user_id profile_key  profile_value          name username     email
4256    profile.dob  "1999-12-31 23:00:00"  Test Testuser1234 abcdefg.hi
4256    profile.modnr "09080706"            Test Testuser1234 abcdefg.hi
4256    profile.nr     "22"                 Test Testuser1234 abcdefg.hi
4256    profile.ort "Pfefferland"           Test Testuser1234 abcdefg.hi
4256    profile.plz "9876"                  Test Testuser1234 abcdefg.hi
4256    profile.str "Landstr."          Test Testuser1234 abcdefg.hi
4256    profile.telnr "01020304"            Test Testuser1234 abcdefg.hi
4256    profile.username  "Test"            Test Testuser1234 abcdefg.hi
4256    profile.uservor   "User"            Test Testuser1234 abcdefg.hi

The 3 right end columns are from the vpa1_users table and the 3 left end columns are from the vpa1_user_profiles table.
But what I need is an Excel table with one record each row.
Any advise on how to solve this problem or if anybody has a better idea on how to get the dump in one excel file?

A: If you're running this on a MySQL database you could use group_concat:
SELECT user_profiles.user_id, users.name, users.username, users.email, user_profiles.profile_values
FROM x2iu9_users AS users
LEFT JOIN (

SELECT user_id, GROUP_CONCAT( profile_value
SEPARATOR  ',' ) profile_values
FROM x2iu9_user_profiles
GROUP BY user_id
) AS user_profiles ON users.id = user_profiles.user_id

I think that's the best way to solve your problem.
It is clear that a JOIN/INNER JOIN/LEFT JOIN will produce multiple rows per ID because Joomla stores every user_profile key/value pair as a separate row.
(I tested this on my own Joomla DB and it will produce this output:
user_id name username email            profile_values
89      name1 uname1  example@mail.com "23521","","","","","","","","","",false

)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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News: VR and film festival comes to Mitcham
Showcasing the latest immersive technologies, Mitcham VR Festival will be the culmination of FilmMerton, the year-long project aiming to encourage participation with film throughout the London Borough of Merton. Curated by VR industry expert Mária Rakušanová (Curator and Executive Producer, Raindance Film Festival; member of BAFTA's Immersive Entertainment Advisory Group), this special one-off community event will bring cutting-edge VR entertainment to the heart of Merton.
At Mitcham VR Festival, interactive Virtual Reality films will be showcased alongside 360-degree films to give visitors the opportunity to engage with a broad range of immersive experiences from sci-fi thrillers to romantic dramas; documentary investigations to comedy flicks.
Starring Colin Farrell, Gloomy Eyes is the impossible love story of a zombie boy and a human girl and a reflection on populism as an outlandish preacher oppresses the zombie community. Narrated by Geraldine Chaplin, Memoria: Stories of La Garma allows viewers to explore the memories of a 16,500-year-old cave, once occupied by humans, which has been untouched and preserved for thousands of years. The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets invites audiences to solve its mystery by exploring wonderful miniature worlds. Set in Victorian London, Kinch and the Double World brings the fantasy adventure to cinematic Virtual Reality. VR comedy series Bro Bots, set in the not-so-distant future, introduces two British robots – Otis and Roberto – as they arrive in New York to join the NYPD.
Demonstrating the power of VR to connect us with the world around us, the Festival will also see Judi Dench: My Oak Tree VR which allows viewers to fly around and through the most impressive oak tree in her garden. Emerging VR director, Samantha Kingston will showcase Anonymous, her immersive documentary and a personal story of living with an alcohol-dependent parent, hiding the secret and dealing with the death of that parent. Mitcham resident and emerging VR director, John Lynch, will share Crackle Pop, a part documentary, part music VR experience which explores the phenomenon of sound to colour synaesthesia.
Mária Rakušanová commented: "We're thrilled to bring a curated selection of pioneering immersive experiences to Mitcham. Visitors will get a chance to try out some of the latest award-winning VR experiences and films, each pushing the boundaries of this fledgling medium."
Also at the festival, All the Fun of the Fair will enable visitors to step into their local history through the technology of an Augmented Reality installation. With a unique soundscape and images springing to life on smartphones and tablets, All the Fun of the Fair will transport audiences back in time to the Mitcham Fair, rumoured to be the oldest fair in England.
Alongside this, a series of four short films specially commissioned by FilmMerton and selected by a board chaired by Justin Johnson (Lead Programmer, British Film Institute Southbank), will premiere at the festival. These have all been produced in Merton and showcase work from both established and aspiring filmmakers. Local Mitcham resident, Rosie Gaunt-Mathieson (Dawn of a New Gay, selected for London Short Film Festival 2020) will present Just Delivered, a heart-warming romantic comedy. Peter Lee Scott (Sketch, winner of Best Film at British Independent Film Festival 2018) will share His Name is Gerry, a drama-comedy about young people and bereavement. Aspiring filmmaker Matvi Khosho, a former asylum seeker brought up in Mitcham, will highlight the multicultural foundations of Merton with The Streets That Shape Us. The final short will be Wimbledon resident Charlie Strank's The History of Wimbledon Football Club – As Told in Lego which documents 'football coming home' to the local community.
Cllr Cooper-Marbiah, Merton's Cabinet Member for Culture said: "I am so delighted to see this festival in Mitcham. The Council has been proud to support the innovative work showcasing the great opportunities in our area. Not least, FilmMerton has commissioned four new films entirely made in the borough and premiered at the Festival. We are bringing innovative technologies to Merton and I hope that our residents enjoy the chance to see exciting new work."
Merton's Cultural Advisory Group has steered the FilmMerton programme from the beginning. Somayeh Agniah and Greg Vincent, Merton's Cultural Advisory Group's co-chairs commented: "We want to promote Merton, and Mitcham, as a place where extraordinary new things happen. The VR Festival is the first of its kind to take place in the borough and we welcome local people, businesses and filmmakers to take part. We want them all to experience these immersive new ways of telling stories, so we can help grow audiences and support the creative community and economy."
Mitcham VR Festival takes place on Saturday 7 March 2020 at General Giles Social Club.
Arts & Entertainment, News
Films, Mitcham VR Festival, Movies
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After graduating from Makerere School of Fine Arts in Kampala in 1962, Eli Kyeyune came to Nairobi where he joined Elimo Njau at the Chemi Chemi Cultural Centre. He has been recorded as the Treasurer at the first meeting of the Community of East African Artists in 1964.
Returning to Uganda, Kyeyune conducted ethnographic research with the Department of History at Makerere, and from 1995 to 1998 he lectured in Painting and Sculpture at the Design Centre, Institute of Teachers Education, Kyambogo.
Specializing in portraiture, Kyeyune's oil paintings have been shown at exhibitions as far back as the Uganda Museum in 1964 and the New Stanley Gallery in Nairobi that closed in 1970. He is in many private and museum collections including the late Joseph Murumbi's (Kenya's first Vice-President) collection at the Kenya National Archives. Kyeyune's works have increased in collectability in the past years; they have consistently been some of our auction's most successful lots and are becoming ever harder to find.


Nominations are being accepted for The Augusta Chronicle's 17th annual Best & Brightest Awards. Nominations are being accepted for The Augusta Chronicle's 17th annual Best & Brightest Awards.The awards are designed to highlight outstanding high school seniors in our area. Twenty semifinalists will be selected and recognized in The Chronicle's Best & Brightest graduation section to be published Sunday, May 26, and at the Best & Brightest banquet on Thursday, May 23.Each of the 20 semifinalists will be interviewed on Thursday, May 2, by a panel of judges who will choose four finalists and the Best & Brightest Award recipient.
These top five students will be awarded scholarships.Applicants must be able to attend both the interview and the banquet. Semifinalists will be notified by April 25 in order to schedule an interview time. A portrait will also be taken at the interview for use in print and online.To be considered for the Best & Brightest Award, students must complete and submit by mail or in person: the 2019 Best & Brightest application, a short essay, an official high school transcript that includes senior year courses in progress, and a letter of nomination written by someone other than a relative.
Find the application and further details online at augustachronicle.com/best.
The deadline for nominations to be received at The Chronicle is 5 p.m. Thursday, April 18.
Nominations are being accepted for The Augusta Chronicle's 17th annual Best & Brightest Awards. Nominations are being accepted for The Augusta Chronicle's 17th annual Best & Brightest Awards. The awards are designed to highlight outstanding high school seniors in our area. Twenty semifinalists will be selected and recognized in The Chronicle's Best & Brightest graduation section to be published Sunday, May 26, and at the Best & Brightest banquet on Thursday, May 23.
Each of the 20 semifinalists will be interviewed on Thursday, May 2, by a panel of judges who will choose four finalists and the Best & Brightest Award recipient. These top five students will be awarded scholarships.Applicants must be able to attend both the interview and the banquet. Semifinalists will be notified by April 25 in order to schedule an interview time. A portrait will also be taken at the interview for use in print and online.
To be considered for the Best & Brightest Award, students must complete and submit by mail or in person: the 2019 Best & Brightest application, a short essay, an official high school transcript that includes senior year courses in progress, and a letter of nomination written by someone other than a relative.


Victoria Police is in the midst of its biggest road safety campaign ever ahead of football finals over the next few weeks.
Last night police nabbed 21 drink drivers in just five-and-a-half hours on the Monash Freeway.
Police said one in every 80 drivers breath-tested returned a positive result.
"We want people to have a good time, but if they have a few drinks we don't want them to get behind the wheel," Inspector Jim Cooke said.
Victoria's road toll is up significantly compared to last year.


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Observatory, Reading & Writing
Every writer has projects that didn't happen filed in his drawer. I have quite a few, and over Christmas, I threw out some that I knew would never get realised. But there were a few I couldn't bring myself to get rid of. The funny thing is that most were written as hobbies, something I felt like doing without thought of recompense.
Among the film scripts I hung onto was the one for 'Rainy Day Boys', a story I wrote a few years back about a pair of slackers who accidentally kill someone. It was once filmed by a young director in Canada, although he somehow failed to capture the peculiarity of language in the script that made it funny. There are also scripts for 'Disturbia' , 'Breathe' and 'Psychoville', written for fun, and the latter nearly saw light of day, getting as far as pre-production and announcement posters before it was canned.
The 'hobby script' I regret losing most is 'The Waiting Darkness', a film developed from a novel by Margaret Bingley, about a woman's search for the perfect family that became so obsessive that it ends up destroying her life. The book was rather old-fashioned (to be fair, it was written for an earlier time) but there was a brilliant idea in it that I felt could be modernised. I took the supernatural element and tried to imagine it in a new way, like a disease that sometimes goes into remission. It ended up being an incredibly dark and uncomfortable way of viewing the material. The 'ghost', such as it is, resurfaces in the family like a virus in the blood.
It quickly went from 'hobby' to 'project'. I produced many, many versions for TV companies, and they always balked at the scenes in which an underage step-daughter seduced her new father. Now, given TV's more sexualised content, this would not be such a problem, but I don't think I could bear to revisit it, and the script is in a drawer where it will probably remain, a reminder of the pain I went through getting it right.
There are two early complete novels written for fun (typescripts – remember those?) which I can't even bring myself to look at. I think they're probably very bad indeed and hyperventilate at the thought of reading them. And now there's a pile of short stories building up that simply have no home to go to, because the market for single-author collections has all but vanished. They were written for something to do on a rainy day.
Do writers still write for the pleasure of it, without the intention of ever finding an audience, in the same way that a schoolteacher will head down to a harbour with an easel and a box of paints? I'd like to think so, but with so much of a demand on our time, perhaps there no time left for a mere hobby.
7 comments on "Writing As A Hobby"
Yes I write for myself and without the thought of things ever reaching anyone other than perhaps a nosy partner or someone who finds my rambling when clearing my house after my death.
I still say there is a market for short stories by single authors, self publish to kindle and see how many you can sell or give away. After reading this item on your blog I am left with the feeling I need to read some of your unrealised projects…..
Ken Murray says:
Chris I think you subconsciously described the desire to write, even when there appears to be little gain, when you outlined your story The Waiting Darkness?
I guess if you are of an artistic bent, then the need to create (be it prose, painting, music etc..) is very much like a chronic disease. Often lurking just below the surface, ready to break out and affecting every facet of our daily lives. It's probably the only disease where remission is least desired.
I think some do – I'm not a writer but have friends who are, and are published, and one occasionally puts short stories on his blog. I always think they're little bits that he has to write down, regardless of commerciality or professional purpose.
Great topic. And, yes, writers must still write for the pleasure of creating and to "get it down on paper" and out of the mind. I find that sometimes writing is the best snapshot of them all. It's what impressed itself on you, what your mind chose to remember, and how you interpreted what you saw, heard and thought happened.
I have much of what I've written, somewhere, and although I would undoubtedly feel uncomfortable reading much of it, it is still a source from a certain age, time and place and may be useful. Want to write with a child's point of view, read something you wrote as a child and it may get you going. Since I didn't try publishing while I was in the Foreign Service due to the long approval trail, I have a lot of written stuff, photographs, and clippings, pamphlets, books, etc. I hope all of this material is now a portal back for my current writing.
The stories or sketches I wrote while in Afghanistan may yet see the light of day, now that all the world has heard of that still isolated country. Major Azzimi of the Kabul Police may yet climb out of his storage box.
Joel Kosminsky says:
Yes of course people (and me) write for pleasure. I may never be published – been trying (in every sense) for over forty years with just one short story success. But – what do you do with the idea which won't go away, which bothers you at 3am when sleep is a much better idea? So you write, if only for peace of mind, if only to see how the idea works out, if only to keep off street corners (which does hinder 'research' a bit). At least there's the satisfaction of completing 'that idea', and maybe keeping the day job really is a better idea. Until the next idea which won't go away. Like the 'detective' who has been haunting my mind since 2005.
I think Joel probably has it. Even I write sometimes and there's one I revisit every once in a while. If you hyperventilate just thinking about those typescripts get someone whose judgement you trust to read them and then, if he thumbs down on them, throw them away. That is so hard to do because just as soon as you do the one thing that would make them viable will occur to you, except you now don't have them…. forget I said anything.
Shuku says:
I've still got Nanowrimo manuscripts that I think I want to do something with, then I remember I can't write. But I still do anyway, even if it's crap prose and crap poetry, if only to exorcise the ideas.
And then I hide them and try to pretend I never, ever wrote them.
writing hobby