At least 19 people killed and dozens more wounded when bomb ripped through bus in city of Peshawar.
A bomb blast has killed at least 19 people on the outskirts of Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, police said.
More than 40 other people were wounded in the attack on a bus rented by the government to take staff home after work in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
It was the deadliest attack in months on Peshawar, which has long been a flashpoint for Taliban attacks targeting government officials, security forces and civilians.
The city runs into the semi-autonomous tribal belt that US officials consider a safe haven for al-Qaeda and armed groups fighting both in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.
Friday's explosion went off in the Daudzai area, killing government employees and other passengers riding the same bus, officials said.
"The bomb was planted under the bus," provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told reporters.
"We still can't say how many government employees and private passengers were killed, but there were heavy human losses."
At the blast site, the back of the colourfully decorated bus was torn apart, leaving a mass of snarled metal.
The injured, who included two policemen, were moved to Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital. Local television footage showed locals carrying victims to the hospital in private vehicles.
The attack came one day after a remote-controlled bomb killed at least 15 people outside a madrassa, a religious school, in the southwestern city of Quetta.
Pakistan, a country of 180 million people, sits on the frontline of the US-led war on al-Qaeda and since July 2007 has been gripped by local Taliban-led attacks, concentrated largely in the northwest.
In the last five years, attacks blamed on armed groups have killed more than 5,000 people according to a tally by the AFP news agency.
Pakistan's relations with Washington are in disarray, and for the last six months, since US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the border, Islamabad has imposed a blockade on NATO supplies crossing overland into Afghanistan.
On Thursday, Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, warned Pakistan that the US was running out of patience over Islamabad's refusal to do more to eliminate safe havens for fighters who attack US troops fighting a 10-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.


My Teacher is an Alien!
once upon a time, there was a school. in the school, there was a classroom with the teacher Ms. Schwartz. in the class, there was a kid called Susan Simmons. and her friend is Peter Tompson. one day, Susan found out that the new teacher that came for the rest of the year, Mr. smith, is actually an alien, and he captured Ms. Schwartz, and will capture 5 more kids! what will she do? find out!
my favorite character in this book is peter, because he's smart, nice and has a sense of adventure.
this connects to a story i read in a book when an alien wants to capture a town, (the whole thing, buildings and all) but the townsfolk found out his weakness… egg salad. they take the whole supply of it from the school, and shoot it onto the ship with cannons.


text:
Valley of the Russian Dolls: A Hollow, Repetitive Form Proves Perfect for Trump
By Kathryn Schulz
Donald Trump's image is a popular decoration for matryoshkas—which makes sense when one considers all the things that the President has in common with the round Russian nesting doll.
Photograph by Anton Belitsky / Kommersant via Getty
If you want to know what's going on inside Donald Trump—and who doesn't, these days?—you have to ask Halina Danchenko. Danchenko was born one month after President Trump, to a Russian father and a Ukrainian mother, and has lived in the United States since the age of three. For the past eighteen years, during what was supposed to be her retirement, she has run a small business importing Russian goods to the United States. That's unusual. The U.S. buys so little from Russia, other than petroleum, that most people are hard pressed to name any Russian imports. Vodka? Kalashnikovs? Pussy Riot? As it happens, though, Danchenko sells one of the few items that almost every American recognizes as Russian: matryoshka dolls, hundreds upon hundreds of them, all made, like her, in Russia and Ukraine. Visitors to her shop are kindly requested not to open any of the nesting dolls by themselves, an injunction that extends to the four sets in the current stock depicting Donald Trump. If you want to see what's inside the leader of the free world, Danchenko will open him for you.
Among doll varieties, it is the marionette, not the matryoshka, that is most often deployed as a political metaphor. "Puppet," you will recall, was how Hillary Clinton described Donald Trump during the second Presidential debate, and cartoonists love to draw elected officials dangling from strings. Yet of all the toys and tchotchkes ever pressed into the service of portraying world leaders, none is better suited to our current Commander-in-Chief than the Russian doll. For one thing, it is Russian. For another, it comes in a series, like so many matters pertaining to Trump: marriages, bankruptcies, lawsuits, leaks. For a third, it shares his body type. "Matryoshka" is the diminutive of the Russian name "Matronya"; it means, roughly, "Little Matron." Trump, who is as matronly as a big bullying man can be, already has the de-facto physique of a nesting doll (and something very like the shellac). With all due respect to Alec Baldwin, a Ukrainian peasant woman could play the President, to great effect, on "Saturday Night Live." Conversely, given a head scarf and a hen, he could play her.
Nesting dolls have always been concentric and portly, but they have not always been Russian. Danchenko, who is generous and encyclopedic on the subject of her chosen wares, likes to inform customers that the earliest of such dolls were produced in Japan. In the late nineteenth century, one of these made its way to Moscow, where it inspired two toymakers to design a homegrown version. (One did the lathing, the other the painting.) Despite the popular image, that first matryoshka doll was not made of identically painted forms of diminishing size. Instead, like a dinner party organized by Emily Post, it alternated boy-girl, beginning with a stout young peasant woman and concluding, seven dolls later, with a tiny bediapered baby boy. Nowadays, many matryoshka dolls (especially those that are mass-produced in factories) do consist of identical parts, while others are constructed more along the lines of a turducken. The majority are made in the town of Sergiev Posad, which, accordingly, enjoys a reputation as the matryoshka capital of the world.
The matryoshka capital of the United States, however, appears to be the town of Hughsonville, in the Hudson Valley, where Danchenko lives and works. She and her husband, Frank Bishop, are both retired public-school teachers. She taught high-school Russian, back when the Cold War was causing a surge in Slavic studies; he taught high-school physics. On the side, he made wicker furniture and baskets, and sold them out of a big converted barn adjacent to their home. When the time came to retire, he suggested a trip to the Caribbean; she counter-offered with a Russian-doll emporium. They painted the barn hot pink and highlighter green, and emblazoned the word "NESTING" on it in huge letters. (The "DOLL" part is there, too, but seems to have been something of an afterthought.) About all that remains of the shop's previous incarnation are two wicker chairs behind the cash register—Bishop can often be found occupying one while his wife helps customers—and, in the back, a life-size woven replica of the coffin of King Tut. Bishop walked me back to see it with evident pride: a casket basket. He made it himself, he informed me, and intends to be cremated in it. Until then, he is putting his crafting skills to work sewing the cloth cinch bags, in sizes small, medium, and large, that Danchenko uses to package her customers' purchases.
Even for a New Yorker, inured to the trend of single-item stores (meatballs, rubber stamps, rice pudding), Danchenko's shop is wonderfully strange. Inside, it looks less like a place of business than like your great-aunt's house, after she came into a small fortune and spent it all expanding her collection of Hummel figurines. The distinction, of course, is that matryoshka dolls are more colorful; on this front, the store's most likely rival would be a piñata shop. The largest and most elaborate dolls fill the highest shelves (and are out of reach in the other sense, too; the priciest ones will set you back nearly two thousand dollars), while medium-sized dolls fill the lower shelves, small ones crowd display tables, and tiny ones overflow from baskets and cabinets.
Exactly how many dolls this amounts to is unclear. Danchenko reckons it to be in the hundreds and her husband thinks that it's in the thousands, but neither has ever made an inventory. (The question is further complicated by an inherent uncertainty concerning the tabulating of Russian dolls: does a doll with nine littler dolls inside it count as one doll or as ten?) All told, it is easier to assess them qualitatively. Some of the more traditional dolls are genuinely lovely, edged with silver and gold leaf and impressively detailed, reminiscent less of Raggedy Ann than Fra Angelico. Yet even at the most beautiful end of its considerable spectrum, the matryoshka doll is hopelessly constrained by being a matryoshka doll; it is destined by its shape to contend forever with dumpiness.
And the beautiful end of the spectrum, it must be said, does not dominate these days. Somewhere along the line, thanks partly to matryoshka artists gone rogue and partly to Communism gone soft, variations on the happy peasant family gave way to wider, weirder forms. Some dolls in Danchenko's shop now focus on professions: there are sets of cosmonauts (very Russian), sets of ballerinas (plausibly Russian), and sets of cowboys (not Russian at all). Others depict historical figures or celebrities, from Shakespeare to Santa Claus, including an entire shelf of popular musicians: the Beatles, Bob Marley, Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain, Eminem. Some matryoshka makers simply give up on people, opting instead for other animals (owls, penguins, koalas, elephants, pandas, parrots, cobras) or for fantastical beings, all of them the products of distinctly capitalist imaginations: Harry Potter, SpongeBob SquarePants, and whatever the blue guy from "Avatar" was called, plus every single Disney princess. Others go even further and abandon life forms entirely. There are matryoshka lighthouses, matryoshka Manhattans, and matryoshka famous paintings, mostly of the kind already threatened with banality by replication across ten thousand dorm rooms (Dalí's watches, Kahlo's self-portrait, Klimt's kiss), here further humbled by rotundity.
And then, of course, there are the political figures. Trump is by no means the first of these to get, as it were, dolled up. You can buy matryoshkas of Russian leaders, going all the way back to Nicholas II (who opens up to reveal his whole family hiding inside, including a tiny Anastasia and Alexei), and foreign politicians are at least as popular. Danchenko's collection includes, among others, Queen Elizabeth II, Barack Obama, Silvio Berlusconi, and Saddam Hussein—who holds, disturbingly, a canister of chemical weapons.
But these days, for obvious reasons, it is the dolls representing our current President that command the most attention. One of these distills the fears of many Americans, which is to say that it consists of five consecutive Trumps. The outermost one wears a red tie and a wide grin, and holds an unhappy-looking elephant; behind him, in an image that could launch a thousand semiotics dissertations, Vice-President Mike Pence straddles the elephant backward, carrying a fire extinguisher. Inside that doll, an angry Trump brandishes an automatic weapon next to a sign decrying the so-called War on Coal, and, inside that one, the President is bricking himself into a wall labelled (in upside-down letters) "Law and Order." In the next-to-last figure in the series, Trump sports his distinctive scrunch-face, like a man learning how to pronounce French vowels, and carries a piggy bank that says "Made in China." The final and smallest Trump waves a sign that says "Americanism, not Globalism," while cradling two tiny Twitter birds.
Unlike regular dolls, matryoshka dolls do not suffer from a reputation for being creepy—even though, when you stop to think about it, they are disturbing verging on perverse. Are we to understand that Cinderella is pregnant with Snow White? Why, when you open George W. Bush, do you find his father lurking inside? Russian dolls don't have an uncanny valley; they have an uncanny cave. Consider, for instance, another one of the Trump dolls in Danchenko's store: Trump the family man, which opens to reveal Melania; Donald, Jr.; Ivanka; Eric; and Barron. (Tiffany, perhaps to her relief, is nowhere to be found.) There is also Trump the primary candidate, featuring the 2016 G.O.P. slate, and Trump the President, featuring a "Make America Great Again" banner and four previous Republican leaders stuck inside. Any of these sets can be yours for forty-nine dollars. None of them, it is safe to say, will be requisitioned by the National Portrait Gallery anytime soon.
Ultimately, though, the questionable artistry doesn't matter much; the form feels right no matter how you paint it. Never has a President seemed so entirely hollow as Trump, so intellectually and morally vacant. Nor has any Administration, so early in its tenure, concealed such a lengthy series of deceptions, or grown so bizarrely, fatally fractal: its lawyers have lawyers, its scandals have sub-scandals, its lies have little lie-lets. It's easy to imagine, given this prevailing opacity and the incompetence of those nominally in charge, that there is another Trump Russian doll out there, this one filled up with actual Russians.
That might or might not prove to be the truth about what's going on inside Donald Trump politically. What's going on psychologically is a different story. All of us are largely hidden from one another, our most important attributes by definition invisible: minds, hearts, psyches, consciences, souls. Even for ourselves, we can access these aspects only through sustained introspection, a habit anathema to Trump; other people, meanwhile, reveal their innermost selves to us chiefly through their actions. On that evidence, the most accurate Trump doll is the one made of Donalds all the way down: utterly full of himself, in all other ways utterly empty.
Kathryn Schulz joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 2015. In 2016, she won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing and a National Magazine Award for "The Really Big One," her story on the seismic risk in the Pacific Northwest.
Nesting Doll
Sign up for the New Yorker Recommends newsletter and get expert recommendations every week from the worlds of film, literature, and music.
By Alex Kotlowitz
Protecting Culture in Trump's America
In the first of an ongoing series of panel discussions called "Public Forum: A Well-Ordered Nation," David Remnick speaks with Salman Rushdie, Tony Kushner, and Claudia Rankine about being guardians of culture in a new political era.
Toscanini, Trump, and Classical Music as a Symbol of Power
For a couple of days, the dumbfounding Presidency of Donald Trump was all about symphonies.
By Alex Ross
What Calling Congress Achieves
It's said to be the most effective way to petition the government, but does it really make a difference?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
My just war : the memoir of a Jewish Red Army soldier in World War II
Author: Gabriel Temkin
Summary: "Gabriel Temkin, an eighteen-year-old Jew, was living in Lodz, Poland, in September 1939 when the Germans invaded. Following their swift conquest of Poland, the Nazis unleashed a campaign of terror against the Polish Jews." "Facing Nazi persecution, Temkin and his young fiancee Hanna fled to the Soviet-controlled eastern part of Poland. (Temkin's entire family, who could not get out of Lodz, was killed during the Holocaust.) On June 22, 1941 German panzers rolled across Soviet borders. Three weeks later Temkin was drafted into the Red Army. Distrusted by the Soviets because he was a refugee, Temkin was assigned, along with other refugees, to a military labor battalion to dig antitank ditches. In July 1942, during the Wehrmacht's Stalingrad offensive, Temkin was captured by the Nazis and sent to a POW camp. The Nazis were rewarding prisoners with bread to betray the Jews among them, but Temkin was not turned in. He eventually escaped, now remembering fondly the courageous, ordinary Russian and Ukrainian villagers who risked their lives helping him - a fugitive POW - with food and shelter. When he was able to reenlist, as the result of a bureaucratic fluke Temkin signed up not as a laborer but as a soldier in the regular Red Army. In May 1943, joining the scout/reconnaissance platoon of a rifle regiment, he fought the Nazis across Ukraine, Romania, and Hungary, reaching Austria by the war's end in April 1945." "Temkin is one of the only known Polish Jews to have fought as a combat soldier in the Red Army. He was awarded the Medal of Valor and distinguished himself in battle on several other occasions."--BOOK JACKET
Print Book, English, ©1998
Publisher: Presidio, Novato, CA, ©1998


text:
Ruling buoys couple in civil unions suit
By Derrick DePledge
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / ckojima@staradvertiser.com
Janin, left, and Natasha Jackson-Kleid sued the state in federal court alleging the state's civil unions law denies them equal rights.
Janin and Natasha Jackson-Kleid during their "Jump the Broom" ceremony.
Natasha Jackson-Kleid and her partner, Janin, held a small celebration on Magic Island in late January marking their civil union. They dressed in gleaming white. They clutched bouquets. They sipped sparkling cider. It felt almost like they just got married.
"When we explain to other people, they didn't necessarily understand what a civil union was," Jackson-Kleid said. "And I'm not a professor; I'm trying to explain to them, 'Just look at it as marriage.' And they're like, 'Well, why can't you say married?' And I said, 'Exactly.'"
Jackson-Kleid and her partner are challenging the state's civil unions law in federal court as unconstitutional because it denies them marriage.
"And that's what we're fighting for, because when someone comes up to me and says, 'Is this your wife?' I want them to know, 'Yes. This is my wife.' This is not practice. This is not us playing house. This is us together for life."
The Ewa couple say they feel a step closer to equality after a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on Tuesday that California's Proposition 8, which restricted marriage to a man and a woman, was unconstitutional.
The federal appeals court, however, decided the case on the narrow grounds that the ballot initiative deprived same-sex couples of a right others briefly enjoyed when California legalized gay marriage in 2008. The court did not address whether same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry under the U.S. Constitution, a question that might — or might not — be taken up if the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court on appeal.
Jackson-Kleid's federal lawsuit in Hawaii claims the state's civil unions law violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because it denies them marriage.
"We're arguing that the state cannot deny them the right to marry when they've given them everything else that goes with marriage," said John D'Amato, the couple's attorney. "And that to do so — to deny them the right to marriage in this context — is an affront to their dignity and a disparagement of their relationships."
State Attorney General David Louie is scheduled to file the state's response to the federal lawsuit by Feb. 21. A spokesman said Tuesday that Louie would not comment on what influence, if any, the 9th Circuit's ruling will have on the state's legal strategy.
State Rep. Gilbert Keith-Agaran (D, Kahului-Paia), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said Louie told him after the ruling on Tuesday that the state plans to "vigorously defend" the civil unions law.
The 9th Circuit has jurisdiction over Hawaii and several other Western states, but the ruling Tuesday was narrowly constructed for California.
Keith-Agaran said a critical difference is that Proposition 8 restricted marriage to a man and a woman, while in Hawaii, voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1998 that gave the Legislature the authority to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Lawmakers specifically said it was not their intent with the civil unions law to revise the definition of marriage, but to give both same-sex and heterosexual couples the ability to enter into civil unions and receive the benefits of marriage under state law.
"I don't think there's going to be an equal protection violation found," he said.
While the underlying facts are different, the 9th Circuit's ruling does offer some context for the Hawaii lawsuit. The federal appeals court found that Proposition 8 was a violation of the 14th Amendment, holding that there must be a legitimate reason for treating different classes of people differently under the law. "All that Proposition 8 accomplished was to take away from same-sex couples the right to be granted marriage licenses and thus legally to use the designation of 'marriage,' which symbolizes state legitimization and societal recognition of their committed relationships," the judges wrote. "Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples."
State Sen. Clayton Hee (D, Kahuku-Kaneohe), chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee, said the ruling could have an effect on how Louie defends the state's civil unions law.
"I suspect that he's climbing a much steeper hill than he anticipated," Hee said. "While I think he can defend the civil unions law, and should defend it — that's his job — I imagine he might concede that the momentum, at least in the federal courts, is quite different."
Lawmakers are not the only ones curious about how the Abercrombie administration will respond.
Walter Yoshimitsu, executive director of the Hawaii Catholic Conference, the public-policy arm of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, said Catholics are interested in intervening in the federal lawsuit and hope other religious groups that fought same-sex marriage in the 1990s, such as the Mormons, will join them.
Yoshimitsu said opponents repeatedly pointed out during debates over reciprocal beneficiaries and civil unions that the real aim for gay activists was marriage. "Now that they have civil unions, they want marriage," he said.
Janin Jackson-Kleid — the couple has combined their surnames since they filed the lawsuit in December — said she is thankful Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed civil unions into law, describing it as a step in the right direction. But she said she just wants the same status as a married couple that the governor has with his wife.
"It's not enough. It doesn't cover everything that he's experiencing with his wife," she said. "We just want the same rights as he does."
Love of baseball sparked venerable coaching career
Hotel room tax can prop up state services, senators say


text:
Complete Issue: The Anglo-African (4 July 1863)Wm. J. Wilson, "Our Dark-Brown Mother" The Anglo-African (4 July 1863): [4] View Poem Image
OUR DARK-BROWN MOTHER.
The following poem, written by Prof. WM. J. WILSON,[1] Princi-
pal of Colored Public School No. 1, Brooklyn, was read by its
author at the musical and literary entertainment, given on
Monday evening, [two words illegible], at the [about four words illegible]
the benefit of the Sabbath School of St. Phillip's Church.
Far down in the South sits an ancient dark-brown Mother,[2] With shrivel'd hands and wrinkled brow and snow-white
hair; Sits there rocking herself to and fro with grief and sorrow; Sits there 'neath a willow in the grave-yard. Nor whispering winds, nor song of birds console her. Sits there, not like Rachel—though sorrowing sadly For her children.[3] Her eyes are tearless and past weeping; For long, long hath dried up all the fountains, All the sources of her weeping. She sits there and looketh out upon a boundless vista, Blank and bleak, and black with sorrow; Sorrow for her children of which they robbed her, Of which the cruel spoiler, one by one hath robbed her; Robbed and gone—she knows not whither. She sits there, with her long and [one word illegible] fingers Numbering, numbering up her absent children. Her old white hair in the South-wind fluttering, All the while she sits there, gazing on that boundless
vista. By her lays a worn and tattered scrap of Bible, Which though loved and cherished never read. The laws forbade that dark-brown Mother reading.— Reading that worn and tattered scrap of Bible, And so it lay there, veiled in sorrow, With that ancient Mother's sorrow for her children. Scattered dust!—like scattered seed upon the fallow! Scattered dust!—scattered through a mighty nation![4] And so far down in the South sits that dark-brown Mother, With shriveled hands and wrinkled brow, and snow-white
hair; Sits there rocking herself to and fro with grief and
sorrow. Sits there 'neath the willow in the grave-yard, Crushed and beat and broken-hearted. A word, Old crushed and broken Mother. The heirs you mourn for are not dead; Though toiled and scourged e'en unto death, your children Are not in the grave. They are risen! And clothed with other clay they come forth: With new life, new vigor,—new action come they, To be the giant men of the new time coming. Though bronzed and dark, the giant men of a mighty
nation. Rouse ye sons of that ancient dark-brown Mother! And come forth with your new and fresh blood, bringing Another mould;—the mould of stout and sturdy freemen. Come with this image, your manly forehead's bearing, And your strong arms the noble image sharing. Come, and make her old heart gladden! And if a tear into her dim old eye starting, T' will turn to joy, though e'en a tear of sorrow. What manner of men ye are, come forth and show her; Come forth strong and bold; come forth true men, And your ancient Mother, now sadly sorrowing Broken, shrunken,—will the new life beget her; Beget the new and fresh blood, and abide among you. Revered and cherished, loved and loving. Ye hardy sons; ye toiling brown-faced children, Now free from every earthly shackle, Free from every groveling feeling, Free to do whate'er of right it pleases you; By your manhood call your olden Mother; From her ancient sorrow call her. Call her by your axe, the forest ringing; By your strokes so strong and sturdy, With hands well used and proud to labor; By the smoke of your thousand, thousand hamlets, In the blue sky lightly, gently curling, All the pleasant landscape dotting, Throughout the broad expansive country. Call her by your ploughs, the turf upturning, And your green fields with cattle lowring, And hills and mounts and sloping woodlands, And your barns with full and plenty bounding By your mingling with this great nation,— Equals;—peers of any men. By your share within her counclls, In her arts and in her commerce; By all the powers within you stirring, Ye sons of life and light, and freedom, Call her from her thousand years of sorrow,— Lo! from her seat beneath the willow In the gray and grizzly grave-yard, In the ancient pine grove hath she risen,— Hath she heard the manly calling,— Hark! hear ye along the distant pathway, The rapid feet of woman coming? Hear her footsteps in the pine groves, in the forest? Hear her footsteps, ringing with the woodland echoes, Ringing, louder ringing as she nearer 'proaches; Daughters rise! your ancient Mother bids you! She hath come. Her sons have called her; Hath come to see their green and waving corn fields; To see the mower's, reaper's, scythe and sickle, The new-mown hay and yellow harvest; To see your neat and pretty hamlets, Filled with little laughing children, With bright eyes in the sun-light sparkling; Or with tripping feet and merry faces Romping o'er your polished door-sills, Romping o'er the turfy greensward, Romping 'neath the leafy locusts; And too, all ye pretty dimple maidens, Come with your merry smiles and glances, Come with your arts and pretty graces, Come with light hearts and gentle footsteps; With wine and song, and friends and lovers, Come and greet your ancient Mother. And too, ye mothers! Mothers of our new strength; Strength in the path of progress plodding; Strength that's grappling in the nations struggle, With noble pride uprise and greet her. Come with all your gifts and treasures, Come bringing all your little children, Each with song and banner bearing. Come with open arms and beating bosoms, With flowers and oaken leaves and laurels, And let your children weave a chaplet, And with that chaplet proudly crown her; For she sits no longer in the ancient pine-grove, No longer sits in her ancient sorrow; But a Queen is our ancient dark-brown Mother, Amidst her noble new-born children, A part of a great and mighty nation, A Queen is our ancient dark-brown Mother.
William J. Wilson (1820–?), antebellum journalist and teacher. In the 1840s and 1850s, Wilson contributed letters and articles to Frederick Douglass' Paper, the Weekly Anglo-African and the Anglo-African Magazine—many of them under the pen name "Ethiop." Carla L. Peterson has argued that "In naming himself Ethiop, [Wilson] drew attention to his undiluted black blood and proudly identified himself with Africa" (Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City [New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011], 218). Wilson taught in Brooklyn and was one of the community leaders who established the New York Society for the Promotion of Education Among Colored Children in 1847. John W. Blassingame notes that Wilson also aided fugitive slaves as a member of the "Committee of Thirteen" (John W. Blassingame, ed., The Frederick Douglass Papers, Series 1: Speeches, Debates, and Interviews [New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982], 2:511).
Halfway through the Civil War, Wilson left his position as principal of Brooklyn's Colored Public School No. 1 and went south to establish a school for freedpeople in Washington, DC, under the auspices of the American Missionary Association. He taught in Washington until the end of the war, along with his wife, Mary, and daughter, Annie. The family remained in Washington; Wilson worked as a cashier in the Washington branch of the Freedmen's Savings Bank, as did his son-in-law, Thomas Boston.
Wilson's ancestor figure occupies a position similar to that of "Africa" in Maria Lowell's 1849 poem (reprinted in the Anglo-African of September 5, 1863 and in the National Anti-Slavery Standard of September 12, 1863). Lowell's continent mourns for her lost African children in a desert waste; Wilson's "dark-brown mother" mourns her children as she sits "and looketh out upon a boundless vista, / Blank and bleak, and black with sorrow" (lines 10–11). Each figure is represented as the mother of a race. Wilson offered a post-emancipation response to the argument in Lowell's poem, if not to the poem itself. "I was sole Queen the broad earth through," Lowell's Africa laments before retreating into silence at the end of the poem, to wait for "fate" to "lift" her from "sunken state." By contrast, Wilson's African Mother, situated "Far down in the South" of the United States, is roused from her grief by the post-emancipation achievements of her African American children and declared "a Queen" in America. The poem can be read as an indication of the war's influence on Wilson's black nationalism.
Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph. "A voice is heard in Ramah, / lamentation and bitter weeping. / Rachel is weeping for her children, / because they are not" (Jeremiah 31:15). The mother figure in Wilson's poem can no longer weep for her children because the "fountains" of her eyes have run dry.
Repetition here and elsewhere shows the influence of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's bestselling epic poem, The Song of Hiawatha (1855). This repetition does more than suggest a literary man's stylistic homage or an experienced orator's shrewd choice; it identifies "Our Dark-Brown Mother" as a foundational narrative of race and nation.


text:
Q: How to replace create and edit page of custom object with a new custom component? I am new to salesforce and I have requirement where I need to create a component to create and edit a record for a custom object (Appointment__c), the look & feel and functionality should be same as of the default create and edit form in salesforce but with a added functionality to save/update the record on focus out of a field which is more like a auto save.

Please let me know how I achieve this. Basically I want to know

*

*How can replace the default salesforce edit and create form with my custom form

*How can I retain the look and feel, also the functionality like validation of required fields and all

*Should I be creating separate form for Lightning and classic view?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The mighty Mukamuka River trickles through the lower parts of its catchment.
It's Friday evening, and seven of us arrived at Catchpool Valley carpark at about 6.30pm. It's quite a nice change to visit a place so near to Wellington, and getting into summer it's quite light. After some brief orientation at the car-park, we're walking towards the Orongoronga River: destination Paua Hut…. but outside, because nobody's bothered to collect a key. Conditions are calm, but from the forecast I'm anticipating rain.
Planned route: In to Paua Hut for Friday Night, nav up to .797, then 1km NE to sidle across slip and SSE down ridge to west of Mukamuka, over .385 and down to confluence. Out to coast via Mukamuka, turn east and Corner Creek Campsite for Saturday night. Out via Mukamuka and South Saddle, main route to Orongorongo River and Catchpool Valley carpark on Sunday.
Actual route: From Paua Hut up to .843, then 800m NE and down scree gut into Tapokopoko Stream, then to confluence with Mukamuka.
Also see: Alistair wrote a trip report for the WTMC newsletter.
Dan and WeiMin on Friday night.
We reach the Turere Bridge at about 7.50pm, then continue south-west along the main river bed in low flow to reach Paua Hut, looking for places to fly-camp outside. I hate trying to identify good places for fly-camping, but Dan and I eventually settle on a spot further down from the hut in the trees. In the end we have three 2-person flies, while Mister X sets up a tent some distance away.
It was soon dark, and with nothing much to do we drift off to sleep, listening to nearby Moreporks hooting. I'm anticipating rain to begin, and not really stop until midday Saturday, but that never happens. Instead there were some big gusts of wind overnight, showering leaves on the fly, but the structure itself barely rippled. It turns out not everyone's been so lucky, though. Apparently the other guys have been up fixing tent pegs all night. I guess we got lucky…. I don't even think ours was pitched very well.
We'd been planning to get away by around 8am, which for me would normally mean being up by about 7, but Alistair came by and woke us an hour earlier than that, maybe encouraged by the wind. Breakfast's normal, it's definitely not raining (I still think it'll start), and we discuss plans for the day.
Getting ready to leave Paua Hut.
As the wind's picked up, and as Dan and Bernie and possibly Mister X are fairly new to this type of thing, Alistair's proposing that we should consider avoiding the original plan of climbing to .797. It would have involved traversing a narrow slice of ridge, with some bluffs, north-east of that point. Normally this would be fine, but it might not be so good in high winds. Instead, we'd head roughly south up Paua Ridge, then across and down a nice scree gut into the Tapokopoko Stream, eventually reaching the same confluence with the Mukamuka River.
WeiMin and I argue over compass bearings, but soon work out that it's actually just (yet another) argument over use of red in the shed. He's in the misguided and confused team of people who feel the need to add and subtract, whereas I'm in the superior and awesome team of those who just leave red on 22, or nearby.
Dan and Alistair, at about 490 metres.
I set my compass bearing, WeiMin sets his distorted compass bearing, and we're finally away just after 7am. Within a minute of leaving on the bearing, we're already passing taped route markers up Paua Ridge.
Further towards the top remain a collection of markers which Alistair nailed up about 20 years ago. Supposedly, he declares, because he anticipated that far in advance that we'd be wanting to come up here today. They're weathered, and several of the trees are fallen, but they're still in good shape.
Congratulations. You've reached peak .843!
We reach spot-height .843 at 9.50am. it's marked by an ancient, weathered sign from the Ecology Division of the long-ago-disassembled DSIR. We stop to regroup, and consider things, on the far side of .843 for a few minutes, then head NE on a bearing. Once again, we're soon following another mixture of markers, emerging into some chest-high thick dracophyllum-and-friends type scrub. Now being on exposed, we're suddendly hit by strong and constant wind as it pushes over the top of the ridge. For a while it's tricky to reliably stand.
Bernie drops towards the scree gut.
After about 20 minutes of fighting with scrub and wind, we veer off to the Wairarapa side, improvising a route of slips and drops and clambers that eventually deposits us into top of scree slope. Finally being out of the wind, we can take turns skidding down the scree, which widens into a massive gut as we drop further down. It's slow-going at first, with seven of us to go one at a time on what's initially quite narrow, but after a couple of episodes it becomes easy to spread out sideways more, reducing the hazard for anyone below.
The gut eventually closes in. With water having emerged from the ground and an un-mapped creek now flowing down the gut, we have to cease at about 11.30am and consider how to get past a difficult waterfall. Mister X checks out the most obviously direct way, but Alistair's been here before and reckons the optimal thing is to back up and sidle above the true right. With a couple of false starts, we back up a short way and find a sidling route.
Maarten calls out to Mister X, agreeing to meet him back in the main stream further down.
It's not a pleasent sidle, but it does the job. I propose that we don't come back this way. By 12.10pm we slip back into the gut, and 20 minutes after we reach the main Tapokopoko Stream. Mister X isn't here, even though we've definitely seen footprints. Maybe he assumed that Maarten meant the main Mukumuku river, much further down. Hopefully, at least. We stop for lunch, assuming we'll catch him later.
This valley is littered with recurring Ongaonga, and within the space of an hour, I think all six of us have managed to grab a handful or a knee-full of stings.
After lunch, and with the sun coming out in this sheltered gorge, we have a relaxed, casual walk alongside and through the Tapokopoko. We're still following Mister X's footprints, and hopefully he's waiting not far along, maybe at the main confluence with the Mukamuka River.
Meanwhile, this is a very nice valley and I'm quickly developing a greater respect for the Rimutaka Range. There's one small hiccup near the confluence with the Mukamuka, where a small waterfall flows into a small gorge. It could be climbed around on the true left or alternatively was waist-deep last time Alistair had visited. When Bernie slid in, though, it's only about knee-deep, so we're thinking that recent clean-outs of the catchment must have left that section filled up with shingle.
Ten minutes further, after some delightful scenes, the Tapokopoko enters the confluence and suddenly we're walking through a vast, wide river-formed valley. We're finally back on the route of our original plan, which would have seen us drop down from the spur which separates the two rivers. Wow, we can see straight out to the Wairarapa coast from here. It's also windy, and increasingly so as we approach the coast!
Mister X isn't waiting here, which is mildly worrying. As we walk out towards the coast, passing a giant erosion gully on the true right, we see more of his footprints. Apparently he's still gone on ahead, to the campsite or somewhere along there. This wasn't part of the arrangement, but at least we didn't leave him back in that scree gut with the waterfall.
WeiMin stands in the Mukamuka valley, with the Wairarapa coast in the background.
Nearer to the coast, the wind picks up hugely. It's about 2.30pm as we climb up onto farm-land beside the river. Passing a dead cow we head to the left, north-eastwards and onto the 4WD road around the coast, towards DOC's Corner Creek Campsite. A couple of kids ride past on motorbikes. We don't see any more footprints, but he could have gone along the road above the beach, which is where Alistair's chosen to go.
With much battling of the corrosive wind and generally being sandblasted on the beach, it's about an hour later (3.30pm) when we arrive. Suddenly there's no wind, the sun's out, and it's a pleasant and warm day again. Alas, however, there's no sign of Mister X at Corner Creek Campsite. The only scenario we can imagine at this point is that he most likely turned the wrong way at the coast. Despite being insanely fit, Mister X doesn't have much of a reputation for reading a map, or paying much attention to actual plans.
It's really very frustrating, and a great example of why it's so important to not run away from a group, especially when there's been no clear arrangement of where you're going. In reality we're not too concerned about Mister X at this time. He's self-sufficient, with his own tent. The coast is a semi-populated place. We figure that if he doesn't find us, he'll set up his tent and camp through necessity, if he has an emergency he could probably knock on a door or otherwise find someone to ask for help. One way or another he should find his way out if he doesn't find us first. If not, I guess it'll turn into a much bigger thing and that will be annoying for everyone concerned.
The shelter at Corner Creek Campsite.
Until now I'd been concerned we could be camping in a wind tunnel, but Corner Creek Campsite is mostly sheltered, with just an occasional gust of wind sneaking in somehow. Alistair and Bernie find a campsite. Maarten and WeiMin find a campsite. I look around for a while, but there's nothing that's "perfect". With nobody else around, I manage to convince Dan that (while we can put up the fly somewhere if he wants it), we should just set up in the shelter—part of my salute to my preference for sleeping on hut balconies. If someone else turns up, we have a backup plan of pitching a fly so as not to be in the way.
The sun's out and wide-eyed, so it's a great afternoon to laze around, as long as we're sheltered from the wind. It's uncharacteristic for a typical weekend tramp to have a Saturday evening in a place like this, which is remote but not so remote, and also which is next to the sea and with a fab view across to the Aorangi Range. Alistair heads over to the beach to lie down and sleep. Dan, Bernie and Maarten find pockets of sunshine around the grass. I find some cash and a pen in my pack, and dutifully fill out the form to pay $6 for the campsite. It doesn't fit into the box very nicely, and I wonder how frequently people come by just to slide their fingers through the slot to pull out cash-filled envelopes. It's annoying how Backcountry Hut Passes aren't valid at these things.
A man and woman drive past the end of the campsite in a ute, who WeiMin ends up talking to. I wander up and we mention the whole thing about Mister X being [cough] elsewhere. Maybe they'll let him know where we are if they spot him. This is awkward. But hey, he's self-sufficient. We'll become concerned if we still haven't heard anything by the time we're out and with cellphone reception.
Dinner is a tasty variant of pasta blah, with some sauce that Alistair mixed up before he left. We count up the pasta and fortunately have enough. Mister X's portion was only enough pasta for himself. His other big food contribution was to be the ginger cake part of dessert. Instead, we'll just be drinking the custard without it. And it works well. As we eat and chat, I keep finding myself looking towards the coast to see if Mister X is finally arriving, having decided to turn around and go the other way. No such event occurs.
Nobody else besides us visits the campsite, so as the sun disappears, Dan and I unpack sleeping gear and get set up in the shelter. Despite the high wind in the upper atmosphere, the sky's still clear. From where I am, with a limited view of the night sky over the horizon, I spot at least three meteors before I drift off. These sandflies are annoying.
We expect Sunday to be a very cruisy day, especially compared with Saturday. There's no serious off-track in our plan. We'll walk back around the coast to the mouth of the Mukamuka, up the river (but without veering up the Tapokopoko where we came down), and over South Saddle to Matthews Stream and the Orongorongo River before heading out.
The aim is to be away by about 8am. For me this would normally mean a roughly 7am rising, but everyone, including myself, is already stirring with the sunrise. It's a fabulous sunrise, too. We sit in the shelter eating breakfast as the sun comes up directly out from the main entreance to the campsite, shining straight in soon after 6am. I pull myself up, noticing a series of sandfly bites down each of my shoulders. Great.
We're away and moving at 7.15am, retracing our steps around the coast, and suddenly we once again meet the full force of the wind. There's been no sign of Mister X overnight or this morning, and we wonder if we'll encounter him on the way back somewhere, if he's returned to a place where he knows we'd be going past. Unlike yesterday, nobody bothers to walk on the beach. We stick to the road, partly eroded, and despite the climbs and descents I think it's much faster than trying to walk with boots and packs on sand.
The mouth of the Mukamuka.
It's 8am when we arrive at the mouth of the Mukamuka, to leave the Wairarapa coast behind for our journey inland, back to the Orongoronga Valley. We stick to the farm-land for as long as seems reasonable. It lasts about ten minutes before it looks like we'd get bluffed out above the river. From then on we walk straight up the middle on the main South Saddle route. There's a further 15 minutes of re-tracing yesterday's steps to the big confluence of three different rivers. If there were any doubt for the South Saddle route, the Mukamuka's riverbed is markedgiant by a orange triangle, attached to a pole which stands in the middle. Anyone with the slightest idea of how to read a map would be embarrassed to have a problem here, though. The geography's that obvious.
and Bernie take a break.
Dan at about the 370m contour.
The walk up the Mukamuka is straightforward, especially in the low flow of today. Besides generally enjoying it, I keep myself occupied by trying to track how far along we are, mostly just with a map and compass and observations. It goes quite well. The ascent gets marginally messier at about the 350m contour, when the climbing is steeper, but it's no worse than basic clambering around low or high branches. The Mukamuka also comes with occasional patches of stinging Ongaonga if you're unfortunate enough to brush it or get a handful, but there's nowhere near as much as we encountered in the Tapokopoko catchment.
We regroup on South Saddle at about 10.20am, and we're able to take in some valley-framed views both out to the Wairarapa coast, and in towards the Orongoronga Valley. It's not as windy as I had expected. From here we had entertained a possibility of navigating a shortcut north-west, more directly down to the Orongoronga River. Apparently there's an old route in there somewhere, but we can't immediately see a nice way into that spur.
Someone looks to have marked a route up to spot-height .701, though. Maybe the optimal way is to reach that high and then follow a parallel spur down, instead of directly off South Saddle. In any case, after sharing around and devouring some sour snakes (which Dan confirms are excellent for when you're feeling exhausted), we elect to simply follow the main route eastwards and join the main Mt Matthews track. Leaving the saddle at 10.30am, we gradually arrive at Matthews Stream between 50 and 60 minutes later, stopping for a lazy 40 minute lunch in what's now a scorching sun.
From midday we make our way into the main Orongoronga catchment, spend an hour cruising back to the Turere Bridge (dampening someone's smouldering campfire in the river bed along the way). We finally begin to meet the day-out crowds along our drifty 90 minute walk back to the carpark, including a lengthy stop for a chit-chat at one of the bridges.
Maarten in that last bit.
It's was only now that we finally discover a sign of Mister X, finding a discount Homebrand ginger cake pressed to the windscreen of the van. It's still unclear what was going through his mind, a with a followup text message and phone call, we find that he'd turned right instead of left when the Mukamuka hit the coast. Then he walked 14 kilometres around the coast to the mouth of the Orongaronga River, 12 kilometres up the river to Paua Hut, and a further 6 kilometres back to the Catchpool Valley carpark… and apparently he reached by 6pm on Saturday evening.
So, um, yeah. I think we'd have preferred it if he'd stopped and waited after sidling that waterfall, but whatever. Overall it's been a refreshing weekend. It's helpful that it didn't rain too much (or at all), and I was able to see a side fo the Rimutaka Range that I haven't seen up close before. Heading to the other side of the range is a nice change from the Orongoronga River, which is sprinkled with so many private huts and batches.
This entry was posted in tramping and tagged navigation, onga onga, rimutakas, screeeeee, tramping, wellington tramping and mountaineering club. Bookmark the permalink.
Geez you covered a bit of ground! Beautiful though. Mr.x certainly must be fit but I cant help but profess a certain desire to smack him upside the head upon seeing him again. One of the reasons I prefer to tramp alone. Happy Holidays!
Hi Robb. Great to hear from you. And yes, there was some discussion during the time about some things which I've portrayed fairly diplomatically here. 🙂 I should also have more clearly indicated that the ginger cake on the windscreen thing was the extent of what he'd been able to do to indicate to us that he'd managed to find his way out, and furthermore he was apologetic with the text message. I think he was trying to be smart, and messed up (in an ultra ultra fit way).
There's really nothing you can do about someone who just chooses to run off for who-knows-what reason. In the end I find that most people accept some mutual responsibility for how they interact with the group, or they wouldn't have shown up to begin with, and those who don't quickly develop reputations.


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Consumers more likely to leave ACA after their insurer exits
Flickr; Lauren
When insurance companies left the Affordable Care Act marketplace between 2015 and 2018, their existing enrollees were more likely to leave the ACA than consumers whose insurers continued to sell policies on the exchange, a new study in Health Affairs suggests.
And the impact of an insurer's decision to exit the ACA marketplace was twice as large for consumers who did not qualify for federal subsidies that cap premium payments based on income as it was for consumers who did receive subsidies.
The study also found that premium increases were larger in geographic areas where the number of insurers competing on the ACA marketplace dwindled, compared with areas of robust competition. Not surprisingly, consumers living in areas with less competition among insurers — and higher premiums — were more likely to leave the marketplace than their peers in areas with competitive marketplaces, the study found.
The online ACA marketplaces, which debuted in 2014, were envisioned by policymakers as places where consumers could buy affordable insurance policies. This year, 39 states are using the federal government's online ACA marketplace, while the other states and Washington, D.C. operate their own version.
The study in Health Affairs focuses on participation in the federal government's exchange, Healthcare.gov, where competition among insurers declined in 2017 and 2018 to the point where 29% of returning shoppers in 2018 had to choose a health plan from one insurer, the study's authors wrote. Premiums also increased substantially during that two-year period.
The study analyzed data on 13.3 million consumers eligible to re-enroll in a plan offered on the ACA marketplace from 2015 to 2018.
Other reports have studied which consumers buy insurance plans sold on the ACA marketplaces.
Between 2016 and 2018, there was a 2.5-million drop (or 24% decline) in unsubsidized consumers buying plans on the ACA, according to a report from CMS released earlier this year. During the same period, enrollment among people receiving subsidies increased 4%.
The authors of the Health Affairs study highlighted the impact of marketplace competition on the rate of premium increases, and presumably the affordability of these plans for unsubsidized consumers.
In 2017, for example, unsubsidized consumers who lived in areas where competition on the federal ACA marketplace was limited to one or two insurers faced an average premium increase of $136 per month for the lowest-cost silver plan. But unsubsidized consumers who lived in geographic areas with three or more insurers saw their average premium for the same types of plans increase by an average of $56 per month, the study found.
Consumers eligible for subsidies had the opposite experience. In areas that became less competitive, the average amount that they would pay in premiums decreased by $7 per month in 2017 and $13 per month in 2018. But their peers in competitive markets saw their premiums increase by $1 per month in 2017 and decrease $3 per month in 2018.
This phenomenon happens because insurers that remain in the marketplace set what is known as the benchmark premium, which then determines the amount of federal subsidies, the authors note.
"In this study we found that continued insurer participation could be one method to help maintain both stable Marketplaces and competition to limit premium increases," they concluded.
Healthcare Dive Trump admin touts dip in ACA exchange plan premiums
Filed Under: Payer Health Law Finance Policy & Regulation


I'm back and refreshed after our trip to Colombia! We spent one week in Bogota and then another week on San Andres, a Colombian island in the Caribbean ~ pure bliss.
I've shared a few recipes from South America before, but none as good as this one. This is one of my favourite thing to eat when we're there: Arepa de Choclo. It's like a thick pancake made from sweetcorn. There are many different types of arepa in Colombia, but the choclo one wins the contest for me, especially when served with cheese! Gluten-free and not too high in fat (unless you pile it with cheese!), this is a quick and relatively healthy dish, which works well as a main course, accompaniment or even a snack.
8. When you're happy, turn out on a plate, add cheese, fold over and EAT!!!


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Q: PHP namespaces and the implements keyword use MyNamespace;

class NonPersistentStorage implements StorageInterface

Both are in MyNamespace. Yet PHP looks for MyNamespace\NonPersistentStorage and StorageInterface (instead of MyNamespace\StorageInterface). Am I missing something?

A: PHP Namespaces work a bit different than in other languages. When you import a namespace, you aren't really bringing classes into scope, you're just aliasing the namespace. Importing only one level of namespace does absolutely nothing. Even when you import something, you still need to reference its bottommost namespace.
For example, if you have this:
foo.php:
namespace Bar\Baz\Biz;

class Foo
{}

Here is how you use it:
blah.php:
use Bar\Baz\Biz;

$var=new Biz\Foo();

See how I still have to reference it using Biz, even though I imported it?
However, you can get around this using aliases:
blah.php:
use Bar\Baz\Biz\Foo as Foo;

$var=new Foo();

As you can see, I no longer have to qualify it.
Unfortunately, however, there is no "import all" in PHP; if you want to do what's done above, you have to alias each and every class you want to import.

A: Actually, that "use" declaration does absolutely nothing. You should import (use) namespaces when they are deeper in the namespace hierarchy (e.g. use Foo\Bar\Baz) or when you want to give them an alias (e.g. use Foo as Bar). I think you wanted to declare that the file itself belongs to MyNamespace:
namespace MyNamespace;

class NonPersistentStorage implements StorageInterface { /* ... */ }

Or, you may also want to import separate functions and classes, using the same syntax as for namespaces.

A: Try using:
use MyNamespace;

class NonPersistentStorage implements MyNamespace\StorageInterface


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You are here: Home / Real Estate Technology / Real Estate Tech Sensation "Side" Snags Another $50 Million in Funding
Real Estate Tech Sensation "Side" Snags Another $50 Million in Funding
July 27, 2021 by Phil Butler
News that real estate technology startup Side just raised another $50 million-plus in new funding comes as no surprise. The company, which snagged $150 million in Series D funding only a few months ago, is valued at over $2.5 billion now.
Side founders Guy Gal, Edward Wu, Hilary Saunders, and Edward Wu
Previously, Coatue Management shifted major funding to Side when the company was a a $1 billion valuation. Now, Tiger Global Management, ICONIQ Capital, and D1 Capital Partners jumped in as the Side makes big waves before an impending IPO.
So far, the company aimed at transforming individuals into real estate brands has raised over $250 million from the aforementioned and Matrix Partners, Sapphire Ventures, Trinity Ventures, and 8VC in earlier rounds.
Side execs say the company expects to pull in somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million in revenue this year. TechCrunch author Mary Ann Azevedo reported recently that the company's community of agent partners represents over $15 billion in annual production volume. She also mentioned that by the end of 2021, Side expects to close over $20 billion in home sales. This would make the San Francisco company the 10th biggest brokerage by sales in the U.S.
Currently, the company's more than 1,800 partner agents across California, Texas, and Florida represents a 200% year-over-year increase in agent-represented home sales across its three operating markets. Side says they expect to enter 15 more markets this year.
Guy Gal, Edward Wu, and Hilary Saunders (above) founded Side with the idea agents are way undervalued. For people in the industry, the premise that the best agents do most of the heavy lifting at brokerages will resonate. Taking advantage of Side, movers, and shakers can brand themselves and profit directly from the expertise.
Side works with agents and teams to create and market their unique boutique brands, something many top agents attempt alone, but often fail at. Side is different from other brokerages because it is a platform rather than a brand. This makes the platform invisible, white-label, which allows agents independence, to be standouts, and to be imminently more effective.


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Q: How do I generate a WorldWind importable image file with a transparent background using an SLD file with PointSymbolizers on Geoserver? I've been tasked with visualizing a few types of metoc data onto Worldwind based on .grib files. I'm VERY new to the GIS world and I'm just beginning to figure out how a lot of these pieces go together (so expect more questions from me!)
I just learned how to use an SLD to generate windbarbs in Geoserver. The windbarbs themselves look correct and get plotted in Worldwind correctly (in the right location) when I download a geotiff off Geoserver. However question #1 is how do I generate an image file that I can import into WorldWind with a transparent background? I think i read that tiffs don't support transparency, so should I use a different format? Which one? and how do I configure my layer in geoserver or edit my SLD to produce a transparent background?
I tried downloading jpeg, png, etc.. from Geoserver but the only format that produces an image is any tiff format.
Here's a link to my SLD file: http://pastebin.com/km05xVAR
Here's the variable info from the grib2 file I'm using (v-component obviously identical):
float u-component_of_wind_surface(time=61, lat=29, lon=29);
  :long_name = "u-component of wind @ Ground or water surface";
  :units = "m/s";
  :abbreviation = "UGRD";
  :missing_value = NaNf; // float
  :grid_mapping = "LatLon_Projection";
  :coordinates = "reftime time lat lon";
  :Grib_Variable_Id = "VAR_0-2-2_L1";
  :Grib2_Parameter = 0, 2, 2; // int
  :Grib2_Parameter_Discipline = "Meteorological products";
  :Grib2_Parameter_Category = "Momentum";
  :Grib2_Parameter_Name = "u-component of wind";
  :Grib2_Level_Type = "Ground or water surface";
  :Grib2_Generating_Process_Type = "Forecast";

If you're curious, here's the entire data dump of u/v data: http://pastebin.com/sJf61EYk
Here's what I have in Worldwind right now:

A: Yes you can do that with PointPlacemark, here is part of my code block;
public void insertGeoPin(Position selectedPosition, Color pointColor) {
        System.out.println("Trying to Insert Symbol on Simulation");
        this.pointPlacemark = new PointPlacemark(selectedPosition);
        this.pointPlacemark.setLabelText("P-" + this.counter + "(" + getShortString(selectedPosition) + ")");
        this.pointPlacemark.setValue(AVKey.DISPLAY_NAME, "Clamp to ground, Label, Semi-transparent, Audio icon");
        this.pointPlacemark.setLineEnabled(false);
        this.pointPlacemark.setAltitudeMode(WorldWind.CLAMP_TO_GROUND);
        PointPlacemarkAttributes pointPlacemarkAttributes = new PointPlacemarkAttributes();
        pointPlacemarkAttributes.setImageAddress("res/images/tank.gif");
        pointPlacemarkAttributes.setScale(0.2);
        pointPlacemarkAttributes.setAntiAliasHint(Polyline.ANTIALIAS_DONT_CARE);
        pointPlacemarkAttributes.setImageColor(pointColor);

And here is the screenshot of tank with transparent background.


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Archaeological Exhibition on the Myceanean-Era Cyclades Islands to Open in Athens (Pics)
By ANA December 15, 2019
"From Homer's World: Tenos and the Cyclades in the Mycenaean Age." (Photo by Eurokinissi)
ATHENS – The archaeological exhibition "From Homer's World: Tenos and the Cyclades in the Mycenaean Age" will be be inaugurated on at 20:00 on Monday at the new Benaki Museum building at 138 Pireos Street in Athens.
A total of 151 artifacts will be be dispayed, together revealing a complete picture of the Mycenaean civilisation in the Cyclades archipelago.
Central place is given to finds from the Mycenaean tholos tomb at Agia Thekla on the island of Tinos, a rare funerary monument in the entire Aegean, which was excavated by Georgios Despinis in 1979. The relatively diminutive monument was unearthed during works to build a road. It is one of only three such Mycenaean tombs known in the Cyclades and constitutes the only, until today, confirmed Mycenaean presence on the island. The burial place of an aristocratic clan, the tomb of Aghia Thekla (13th-12th century BC) was used for multiple burials.
"From Homer's World: Tenos and the Cyclades in the Mycenaean Age." (Photo by Eurokinissi)
Besides Tinos, the exhibition displays finds from other prehistoric sites in the Aegean and specifically from the islands of Naxos, Delos, Paros, Milos, Sifnos and Kea.
Among them, the "Kyra of Fylakopi" (approximately mid-14th century BC), one of the masterpieces of Mycenaean figurine sculpture found at the sanctuary of Fylakopi on the island of Milos.
The exhibition, organised by the Antiquities Ephorate of Cyclades, the Cultural Institute of Piraeus Group and Benaki Museum, was initally presented in the summer of 2019 in Tinos at the Marblework Museum of the Cultural Institute of Piraeus Group, attracting 23,000 Greek and foreign visitors.
The Apaches of Athens – The First Film with "Sound and Speech" Produced in Greece
"Sesame Street" Comforts Children Displaced by Syrian War


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Article — 28 April 2020
Sky v SkyKick: Unclear or broad specification of goods/services is not a new ground for trademark invalidity, but may increase the risk of bad faith invalidation arguments
On 29 January 2020 the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) gave its ruling in the long-awaited case C‑371/18 Sky v SkyKick. The judgment provides for two key findings. First, it confirms that a trademark cannot be declared invalid on the grounds that the terms used to designate the goods/services lack clarity and precision. Second, the judgment clarifies that a trademark registration may be declared partially invalid due to bad faith in respect of the goods/services for which the applicant had no intention to use the trademark.
Background of the case
The case originates from the UK where Sky companies, active in the fields of satellite and digital television broadcasting, initiated trademark infringement proceedings against SkyKick, a start-up supplying cloud migration information technology services. The SKY trademarks of Sky companies were registered to cover over 20 classes of goods/services, including "computer software" and "telecommunication services".
SkyKick denied the trademark infringement and made a counterclaim that the SKY trademarks were invalidly registered on the grounds that (i) the specification of goods/services lacked clarity and precision, and (ii) Sky companies had acted in bad faith, since Sky companies did not intend to use them for all of the goods/services covered by the registrations. The High Court of Justice (England and Wales) referred questions regarding this to the CJEU.
The judgment of the CJEU
The CJEU examined first the question whether a trademark could be declared invalid on the ground that the terms in the specification of goods and services are lacking in sufficient clarity and precision. The CJEU tackled this straightforwardly by noting that the absolute grounds for invalidity are exhaustively listed in EU Regulation No 40/94 and Directive 89/104, where the lack of clarity and precision of the terms used to designate the goods and services is not included. Therefore, the lack of clarity and precision of trademark specifications cannot be considered grounds for invalidity. However, the CJEU noted also that a trademark registered for a range of goods and services designated in a manner which lacks clarity and precision is, in any event, capable of being protected only in respect of the goods and services for which it has been put to genuine use.
The CJEU also examined the question whether it can constitute bad faith simply to apply to register a trademark without any intention to use it in relation to the specified goods or services. The CJEU noted first that the concept of bad faith presupposes the presence of a dishonest state of mind or intention. Secondly, the CJEU stated that EU trademark rules are aimed at protecting undistorted competition in the EU by ensuring that consumers can distinguish the products of different undertakings (the so-called origin function of a trademark).
Therefore, the CJEU concluded that bad faith could exist if a trademark was applied (i) with the intention of undermining, in a manner inconsistent with honest practices, the interests of third parties, or (ii) with the intention of obtaining, without even targeting a specific third party, an exclusive right for purposes other than those falling within the functions of a trademark. The CJEU also confirmed that such circumstances may concern only certain goods/services of a trademark registration which the applicant had no intention to use, and in such case the trademark application can constitute bad faith only in so far as it relates to those goods/services.
The judgment of Sky v SkyKick brings mostly good news for trademark owners.
First, it confirms that right holders can continue relying on high-level specifications without the risk of losing the trademark registration by virtue of invalidation due to lack of clarity and precision. This question has been relevant since the case C‑307/10 IP TRANSLATOR, where the CJEU ruled that an applicant for a trademark must specify the goods/services with sufficient clarity and precision to enable determining the extent of protection. After the judgment in IP TRANSLATOR, it has been unclear whether the lack of precision and clarity would also serve as a basis to invalidate a trademark registration.
Second, the judgment provides additional guidance as regards invalidation of trademarks based on the applicant's bad faith. The CJEU ruled that a trademark application may constitute bad faith if the applicant had no intention to use the trademark. In this regard, the CJEU confirmed that the question of bad faith needs to be assessed based on the individual goods/services of a trademark application: if the applicant was acting in bad faith with respect to certain goods/services, only those goods/services may be invalidated.
Additionally, regarding the burden of proof the CJEU confirmed that there has to be objective, relevant and consistent indicia to show that the applicant was acting in bad faith when the application for trademark was filed. In this regard, the CJEU noted that bad faith cannot be presumed on the basis that at the time of filing the applicant had no economic activity corresponding to the goods/services referred to in that application, which means that fulfilling the burden of proof may not be an easy task for those challenging trademarks based on bad faith.
Nonetheless, the judgment serves as a good reminder to trademark holders that unclear or broad specification of goods/services may increase the risk of invalidation applications, if the trademark is registered. This means that right holders should pay close attention when specifying the goods/services of their trademark applications.
Next article — We provide pro bono advice for companies in the restaurant industry in completing the Business Finland funding application


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Related PDF files from Fort Hood Training Holiday Calendar 2015: Dr Aft 2015 - City Of Fort Collins. dr p 15 draft aft lan 2015: f ramew ork 1 . fort 201 frame draft – city of fort po box 58 city of fort collins government . 2 climate action plan framework – february 25, 2015 draft figure 2. fort collins greenhouse gas emissions, sales & use tax* and population .
Apr 11, 2019Fort Hood is the Army's premier installation to train and deploy heavy forces. A 214,968-acre installation, Fort Hood is the only post in the United States capable of stationing and training two armored divisions.
Fort Hood Training Holiday Calendar 2015 Ebook Fort Hood Training Holiday Calendar 2015 currently available at 6thmarylandinfantry for review only, if you need complete ebook Fort Hood Training Holiday Calendar 2015 please fill out registration form to access in our databases.
Fort Hood Training Holiday Calendar 2015 Ebook Fort Hood Training Holiday Calendar 2015 currently available at disenodelogos for review only, if you need complete ebook Fort Hood Training Holiday Calendar 2015 please fill out registration form to access in our databases.
Apr 17, 2019Fort Hood, TX (76544) Today. Cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High near 85F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Tonight. Thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. Low 58F.
e. The Christmas/New Year's holiday period for Fort Hood is 19 December 2015 through 03 January 2016 (16 days). Traditionally, there is minimal staffing during the Christmas/New Year's holiday period. Minimum staffing days provide opportunity for Soldiers/employees to enjoy the holidays by taking leave or using compensatory time. f.
Oct 03, 2016change to training holiday calendar The training calendar posted last week has been changed. The training holiday in conjunction with Monday's Columbus Day federal holiday will be this Friday, Oct. 7, and not Tuesday, Oct. 11, as previously posted.


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Q: Find SUBTOTAL of List at Specific Interval In Excel, I need to find which row has total sum of next nearest 100 (minimum 100), next total sum must using next value to get total sum.
As example below, because row number will be use to VLOOKUP a data series only when the sum of value equal or minimum every 100.
Row    Value    Mapping
---    ------   -------
1      1
2      50
3      52       1 @ (1+50+52=103) Row #3 in Data series return: David
4      72
5      55       2 @ (72+55=127) Row #5 in Data series return: Alex
6      70
7      80       3 @ (70+80=150) Row #7 in Data series return: Alicia

At mapping column where I will put VLOOKUP code.

A: In C2 as,
=IF(AND(SUM(INDEX(B:B, IFERROR(MATCH(1E+99, C$1:C1)+1, 1)):B2)>=100,SUM(INDEX(B:B, IFERROR(MATCH(1E+99, C$1:C1)+1, 1)):B1)<100),MAX(C$1:C1)+1,"")

Fill down as necessary.


text:
Talk On
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Casing the Colors November 11, 2019
The Other Reasons #7 : Matt Young April 30, 2019
The Other Reasons #6: Erik Villaseñor April 19, 2019
Call & Response #2: In Love &War March 12, 2019
Bar Talk March 9, 2019
Artist Profile: Capt. CJ Baumann (USMC)
Posted on November 27, 2018 January 14, 2019 by talkonadmin
If asked to describe the Marine Corps in a few words, it's unlikely many civilians would use the term "Patron of the Arts". So, it may come as a surprise that the Corps, through it's National Museum, helps support a Combat Artist program to allow talented artists (active, reserve, and retired) to document its history in a format that often elicits more connection and emotion than words or photos can. One such artist is Capt. CJ Baumann, who's been kind enough to answer a lot of questions from the Talk On and share his experience and story. The Talk On has been blown away by Capt. Baumann's thoroughness and transparency, we guarantee you'll learn something from his story whether you spent a decade in service or never touched foot on a military base.
Disclaimer: Capt Baumann's commentary is his own and in no way represents the official endorsement or position of the US Marine Corps.
TO: Where/When did you serve? # of Deployments?
CJ: I am currently an active duty Marine Corps Officer, having commissioned in 2011. I am a logistics officer by trade but facilitate the Marine Corps Combat Art Program (MCCAP) with the FMOS 4606. I have deployed three times, two of which were embeds for MCCAP purpose.
TO: How did art come into your life and become a career?
CJ: Drawing has always been a part of my life, but not seriously until the middle of my college years. Due to regular interest and practice my skills improved, which prepared me to be a candidate for the Marine Corps Combat Art Program (MCCAP). The MCCAP has accelerated my ambition and academic approach to art, exposed me to more mature and veteran artists, and provided opportunities (as well as encouragement) to develop as a field illustrator. I'm not sure I can quite call it a career yet, but the beginning of a hopeful future is developing. The deployed units that have already been supported by the MCCAP have been impressed with the quality of work and storytelling we have provided, while continued interest and requests for further embeddings from other fleet units are paving our future.
TO: Which is your favorite piece you've done and why?
CJ: My favorite piece is a large panoramic drawing (see above) of a platoon commander giving his platoon an operations brief in the desert of eastern Africa. The perspective is from outside the ring of Marines looking in, with the platoon commander facing the viewer. The scene of circling around the terrain model, listening to the platoon commander give a brief is universal to the Marine Corps. The drawing is done on tonal paper with an emphasis on the bright highlights and hard cast shadows, rendering the heat of the day and rugged rocky terrain. Again, a universal experience amongst the Corps. I believe this piece is one of my stronger connections to the audience who views it.
TO: What is the Marine Corps' role in helping you create, share, and develop your artwork? What is a Combat Artist?
CJ: A Combat Artist is currently an FMOS (Free-Military Occupational Specialty) for active duty Marines and is under "additional duty", or when supportable from your primary duties. Under the National Museum of the Marine Corps (NMMC), the Marine Corps Combat Art Program (MCCAP) screens applications and designates artists to serve in the program. As opportunities arise for embedding with deployed units, personal schedules are deconflicted and artists are deployed for weeks at a time.
The Marine Corps' global operations, rich history, and national respect drives my desire to capture its story through art. My personal (and professional) experiences, can be used to shape my inspiration and artwork. It's through these that I am able to understand the scene in front of me and illustrate the emotion and story needing to be told.
TO: Why does the Marine Corps have this MCCAP program?
CJ: The Marine Corps has always had an art program (kind of). It was started in WW1 by Colonel John W. Thomason Jr. and at some point an actual MOS. Even in the presence of cameras, the Marine Corps in its adoration of its own history has appreciated renderings of its Operations and members. I believe in/around the Vietnam era the MOS went away (or at least shifted to the reserves only) and it's been a fight since then to get any kind of budgeting for it to come back in any real fashion.
Artists in residence have been the go-to, namely Colonel Charles Waterhouse and Colonel Avery Chenoweth. In Desert Storm and the early Iraq/Afghan years we had designated artists (reservists) who deployed under active duty status, namely Charles Grow, Michael D. Fay, and Kristopher Battles. Charlie, being a former artist himself, has been a real reason this has gotten the momentum it has. Being the Deputy Director of the National Museum of the Marine Corps helps, and with help of the Training Command CG, BGen Bowers as well as construction of the "combat art gallery" inside the NMMC we are seeing the program take off.
I believe the Marine Corps wants an art program, and those who truly appreciate our history as well as understand that todays/tomorrows actions are going to be history one day recognize the value in illustrative documentation… especially (because) art can muster up emotions/recollections sometimes better than a photograph. So for now, the MCCAP is not officially a part of the Marine Corps. The program is managed under the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and NMMC – but as we artists are allowed to go TAD to do art of deployed units, we continue to vouch for all the reasons why this should once again be an official part of the Corps.
TO: How did you find the MCCAP program? Were you recruited or was it something you were aware of previously?
CJ: I am a unique one. The program was almost dead and silent from about 2008-2014. I was unaware of the term "combat artists" and didn't know a program was being developed. I came to the knowledge of the program in 2013 through a former Marine and artist named Robert Bates. He introduced me to Michael D. Fay and it was through him I learned more. He saw in me talent worth mentoring and so for about 1 year he virtually coached me, and introduced me to Colonel Craig Streeter. Col Streeter is also an artist and at the time (Fall 2014) was acting as an artist in residence with the NMMC. In June 2015, I took a 3-day trip from Camp Lejeune to Quantico to present my portfolio to the Marine Museum and Curating staff. Fortunately, I was seen as talented/mature enough and was designated as an artist before I left.
In 2016 my unit deployed but I was tied up in operations and lacked independent maturity (as an artist – didn't have a mentor at the time) so very little was (artwork) created. This year I've embedded with the 24th MEU and 26th MEU (Africa and Norway) while partnered with Richard Johnson and what a game changer! I was the second person (there currently are only 3 active duty artists) brought into the program, and since then there has developed a formal application process, reviewing board, and an official designating process.
TO: What does a deployment on MCCAP duty entail? What does a day in the field look like for a Marine Corps Combat Artist?
CJ: Deployments can vary and it depends on what the unit requesting us is wanting us to capture. So far our embeds last 10-14 days. I act as the liaison to all the planning and embedding details since I'm active duty and can work with the staff directly. We insert a few days before the operation and link up with platoon/company that we will be focusing on, typically following (them) for a few days before transitioning to a different portion of the exercise. With regards to embedding, we prefer to be directly attached and sleeping/eating in the field with the Marines. This allows for best views/interactions/and moments captured. While in Djibouti with 26th MEU we attached to Fox Company and did this. Other times, if the unit is too mobile or has recognized they can't support a direct attachment, we will commute daily from (somewhere nearby). This usually allows us more freedom to float around the Area of Operations.
A typical day while deployed relies on good coordination and good people skills when making first impressions. Mostly with the leadership staff, introducing yourself and trying to explain why you are there, and what you'd like to have access to can (cause) friction sometimes. Ideally we can show previous works, quickly get them excited about what we're doing, and gain access to almost anything. We usually nurture these relationships by following back around and showing the Marines/Leadership what we've created. This is always an enjoyable and rewarding moment.
We do 80% of our work in the field and try hard to minimize our "studio touch-ups". We plan for a "production day" every 4-5 days where we can deliberately finish the works we couldn't in the field as well as scan/photo and social media our products. Believe it or not, there is actually a good bit of admin work that comes with creating field work. At the end of our embed, we will consolidate photos of our work onto a PPT or PDF to distribute to the Commanding Staff to share our products and say thank you. We usually get very positive feedback here and word spreads to further "invitations". We hope this continues.
TO: Do you have a civilian audience or is it mostly veterans right now?
CJ: My audience is both civilian and military. I try to share my military work with civilian communities practicing Urban Sketching and Plein Air style work. Our approach as field illustrators is the same, just different subject matter. Awareness of our work needs to spread in the military community so that more opportunities to deploy and document would occur, and awareness in the civilian sector needs to spread for the sake of humanizing the sacrifice giving by those Marines we illustrate. I'd like to see both expand.
TO: What role do you think art will have in bridging the military-civilian divide that's arisen during these long wars?
CJ: There is a wide range of experiences people can have in life, especially comparing the military and civilian sectors. (But), the common denominator between us is the human factor. The human factor opens the spectrum of emotion which is much narrower despite experiences and it's here I believe we have a bridge across such different (experiences). With this said, I believe that combat art done well can serve as a bridge that conveys a familiar emotion to an otherwise unfamiliar event. In a perfect world, this would allow the viewer to feel the emotion that was had in that moment by the artist and draw up both empathy and an appreciation for the artist and his experiences. I currently try to fill the gap I am in position to address, which is capturing the everyday moments of the Marines at the tactical level (lowest level) and simply sharing their story, often trying to put an illustration to an actual name.
One of my mentors and role-models is civilian illustrator Richard Johnson (www.newsillustrator.com). His theory is that if you seek to put yourself at the point of influence/significance and simply draw what you see, the artwork will take care of itself. Though he has +15yrs of drawing experience, including multiple combat zone embeddings with deployed units, he is always reminding me that growth is continuous. His illustrations of service members have been exhibited in both Canadian and American military museums. Additionally, his ability and style have been a topic of discussion on TEDTalks and at the art and war symposium of the Air Force Academy.
I envision my work being able to do the same thing one day. With a greater exposure to "illustration opportunities" and growth in my portfolio, I expect the same opportunities to rise for the MCCAP and for artists like myself. I strive to always be ready to speak on behalf of the Marine Corps, its members and their story through illustration and art.
Capt. CJ Baumann's work can be found at his personal site. Check him out and keep an eye out for more input from artists in the MCCAP Program in future Talk On Profiles.
Tags: Artwork, Marine CorpsCategories: Art, Artist Profile, Bios
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It's Friday night in Asunción, Paraguay and the temperature is sweltering. Víctor, a 17-year-old wheelbarrow delivery boy, dreams of becoming famous and has his sights set on a fancy TV set in the infamous Mercado 4. He's offered a chance to deliver seven boxes with unknown contents in exchange for a quick US$100. But what sounds like an easy job soon gets complicated. Something in the boxes is highly coveted and Víctor and his pursuers quickly find themselves caught up in a crime they know nothing about.
The Maneglia-Schémbori duo has formed out of the strong passion that Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori have for film. Through collaboration on short films, telefilms, and TV series, the pair has developed a cinematographic language that is distinctly their own. Filmmakers since the 80s, the pair have produced PRESOS, BOCETOS, TODOS CONOCEMOS EL FINAL, LA CLASE DE ORGANO, and ARTEFACTO DE PRIMERA NECESIDAD, and they have represented Paraguay at many festivals around the world, winning several international awards.


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Hollywood fashion designer Lisseth Corrao is ready for the Oscars
Photo made by Many Llanura. Used by permission.
Lisseth Corrao modestly thought she would have a small business, suddenly she is showing her creations at NYFW.
by Sabina Nasic
8 November 2017 15:21 8 November 2017 15:21
Lisseth told us about her creations and how she decided to become a Fashion Designer. She kindly gave us some designers tips and revealed her plans for the future. But we first asked her about her beginnings of her fashion career.
She was born in Peru, in city Lima. Her grandma was a fashion designer as well. She had a country house where Lisseth would go on the weekends and summer vacations. She used to spend time playing and watching grandma and her aunt while they would design and make beautiful garments for them and for their business.
Lisseth told she learned so much from her impeccable European looks. She also learned from her family about the value of a good education, studying, curiosity and the appreciation of beautiful things. Her mom who is a literacy teacher taught her how to be an independent person. Her family let her be what she wants to be. When she came to the USA she studied English as a second language along with Fashion Design and Jazz Dance. Later on, her passion for fashion led her to study in Paris where she totally fell in love with and deciding to follow her dreams in the fashion world.
Lisseth says that being a fashion designer in the United States is truly a blessing for her and makes her dream fulfilled.
Sabina: What are some of the recent fashion shows you were able to be involved in?
Lisseth: I have participated in different major Fashion Shows worldwide, as La Fashion Week, Temecula Fashion Week and my most recent New York Fashion Week, where I had to chance to showcase my designs twice.
Sabina: How did you prepare yourself for your fashion show at NYFW?
Lisseth: We were working for about 8 months in our collection, but not exactly to show on NYFW this year. Although NY has a nice place in my heart, our plans were a little bit different. However, we heard about this New Yorker well-established fashion company and decided to give it a try. Having, all times, fashion designer icon Carolina Herrera, sitting on the first raw was without a doubt one of the best experiences I ever had!
Ready for the Academy Awards
Sabina: Which celebrities would like to dress for the Academy Awards and why?
Lisseth: I would enjoy dressing Kristen Stewart who I really admire as she works with an organisation that raises money for victims of human trafficking by selling donated shoes online and of course Demi Moore who aims to raise awareness about and eliminate child abuse slavery worldwide by changing cultural stereotypes.
To me, beauty is only skin deep; how people impact the world with love and compassion are more meaningful.
Sabina: Where can our readers purchase your designs?
Lisseth: At www.lissethcorrao.com or stop by to my studio in SD.
Sabina Nasic
Read more on the same topic from Sabina Nasic:
Interview with talented actress and producer, Oriane Pick Interview with former Royal Marines Commando and actor Steven Blades Interview with actress Jana Holkova


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Midlands taxi driver jaw broken and cab damaged in horrific attack
A taxi driver was left with a suspected broken jaw after being attacked by a man who also went on to smash up his vehicle. The 57-year-old driver suffered the facial injuries after the incident saw both the West Midlands Ambulance Service and Staffordshire Police attend the scene. The driver working for City Cars was believed to have been traveling to Walsall when the passenger launched an attack on the victim.
A spokesperson from Staffordshire Police said: "We were called at 3.50am on Sunday November 18 to a reports of an assault against a taxi driver in Bore Street, Lichfield. "The offender(s) had also caused criminal damage to his vehicle, and made off towards the university. "A 57-year-old man was taken to Queen's Hospital in Burton with facial injuries, and has since been discharged."
Colleagues at City Cars have appealed on social media for help to identify the man.
Dave Johnson said: "I was called to check on one of my co-workers after someone called the office to say there had been an attack on a City Cars driver. "I got there as quickly as possible to assist but whoever did this had already ran away. "The injuries to this poor bloke's face were horrific!
"They punched his face several times, broke his nose and, after I spoke to the police, they suspected his jaw was also broken in this unprovoked attack! "Whoever did this to a man trying to earn a living, in what is already a very difficult job to do, I hope you get what you deserve! "If anyone has any information on this please contact the police or inbox me if you wish to remain anonymous.
"The minibus was damaged during this incident. "The key was snapped in half in the ignition and the driver's side mirror was broken off when another taxi driver and myself recovered the vehicle and returned it back to base."


BBM For PC Download: Long way back, BlackBerry developed a messenger, was created exclusively for Blackberry users as a communication tool. It placed BlackBerry users in competition with the rest of the world. The BlackBerry Messenger required a particular mobile platform to perform all of its action. It created chaos for them, as the BlackBerry users found themselves unable to chat or message with the friends not having the same operating mobile platform. But with the latest releases and upgrades, this problem has been resolved.
We can even take this further by downloading the BlackBerry Messenger on your PC. You can now experience all the features of your BBM from the computer of your living room. Send your messages, chat and do video conferencing through BBM by installing it on your PC for the larger viewing experience.
There are other messenger apps you should try, WhatsApp For PC, and SnapChat for Windows PC.
There are two ways you can follow install BBM on your PC. It can be done either with the use of Bluestacks or Youwave. Now, we will see how to Install BBM on Computer using Bluestacks.
First of all, you ought to download and Install Bluestacks on your Windows Computer.
Open, Bluestacks software from the Desktop. (Shortcut icon is created once it is installed correctly). There you see search option to start the BBM installation. Click on search option.
Search for BBM in the Search Box.
The first result is BBM App. Click on it to get the Install option on Plystore.
Now, you will have to tap on Install button on the play store menu.
The application will ask for the access to some features like Calendar, Contacts, etc. Click Accept.
After you accept, downloading of the App starts. It would take sometime to get installed on your Computer.
Once it installed successfully, it can be accessed through All apps section on the main menu screen of Bluestacks. Sometimes you can directly access it from main menu also. But recent apps will be shown here.
Click on BBM app to open.
Create an account on BBM with your username and password.
You can add all of your contacts in this step, by clicking on Yes Tab.
Add any photo of your choice from the gallery. Alternatively, you can take a pic from your computer.
Now you are all ready to use your BBM App on your PC.
Also, try these free movie streaming and download applications for your Desktop, Cinema Box for PC/Laptop, Mobdro, and MegaBox HD.
Click on the link – http://youwave.com/download/ and then download Youwave Emulator on your PC.
Install the software correctly and launch it.
Sign Into you Google Playstore account and search for the BBM, like we did on Bluestacks.
Search results will appear on the Youwave screen, select BBM official app. Install it to start chatting with people.
You can make the voice call to your friends and know when messages are delivered and read.
Share documents, photos, voice notes, and files. View it on the larger screen for large and bright viewing experience.
Share your location with your contacts live on Map.
Use ample of Emoticons for every mood.
You can send timed messages, retract your messages, multi-person chat with your friends and control who can contact you.
Follow these simple four steps to use BBM on PC either through Youwave and Bluestacks. Using Andy OS is also an alternative to getting this messenger apps to Laptop or Desktop. It's very simple to use. But, fulfill all the prerequisites as mentioned above, if you want to run the App efficiently.


LA PLATA, Md. - The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) will recognize 541 candidates for 547 degrees and 250 certificates during its 20th Winter Commencement Jan. 17 at the La Plata Campus. The graduates range in age from 18 to 64, with 37 percent from Charles County, 33 percent from St. Mary's County, 23 percent from Calvert County and the remainder from out of the area. Of the associate's degree candidates, 15 percent will graduate with honors.
The keynote address will be delivered by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. Elected to the United States Senate in 2016, Van Hollen began his time in public service in 1991 as a state delegate in the Maryland State Legislature and continued in the role of state senator for eight years before being elected to represent Maryland's 8th Congressional District in 2002. He became known as a tenacious advocate for everyday Marylanders.
While in the U.S. House of Representatives, Van Hollen served as a member of the leadership and was elected by his colleagues to be the senior Democratic member of the House Budget Committee and protect interests like Social Security and Medicare. As U.S. Senator, Van Hollen is a member of the Appropriations Committee, where he works to provide resources for education, workforce development and other critical national priorities.
Van Hollen is a graduate of Swarthmore College, the John F. Kennedy School of Public Policy at Harvard University, and Georgetown University Law Center where he attended night school. He and his wife, Katherine Wilkens, are the parents of three children—Anna, Nicholas and Alexander.
CSM's winter commencement activities will begin with a Nursing Recognition Ceremony at 1 p.m., Jan. 17 in the Physical Education (PE) Center on the La Plata Campus with a reception immediately following on the upper level of the PE Center.
In the event of inclement weather, a decision will be announced and posted at www.csmd.edu if commencement activities will be held on Jan. 18. Graduates and guests may also call the inclement weather hotline at 301-369-1999 or 800-650-4023.
Due to commencement activities, the PE building at the La Plata Campus will be closed for fitness and aquatics activities on Jan. 17.
Photos from graduation will be available at https://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/19wintergrad. For information on commencement, visit www.csmd.edu/commencement.