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Shalom Catholic Community participates in the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest
"Our preparation these days before arriving in Budapest is through prayers". Says Fabiola Vázquez, Shalom Community missionary
The Shalom Catholic Community (CCSh) will be present at the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress (NEK2021) in Hungary, being represented by a group of more than 70 people, including missionaries and brothers and sisters from the Budapest Shalom Work. The Budapest mission will be present at the Congress in order to evangelize the participants and the local population in the light of the charism.
Also read| Moysés Azevedo confirmed his attendance at the International Eucharistic Congress
Shalom Community Presence in Budapest:
Within the official program of NEK2021, the pilgrims intend to speak about the Shalom Charism to the other participants, as well as to the priests and bishops who will be present.
Fabiola Vázquez, responsible for the International Communication Office of the Shalom Community, says that the preparation has already started. "Our preparation in these days before arriving in Budapest is through prayers". We have been praying for our dear Pope Francis and all the clergy, for Moyses who will share his testimony to all those who, just like us, go this encounter with the desire to renew their love for Jesus in the Eucharist to share this great love to all those in need.
The missionaries will bring some English material, such as the magazine 'shalom to the world' and the book "Writings" of Moysés Azevedo, which will help explain a little about the charism to the people who will be at the event.
Follow the activities in which the Community will be present:
Photographic Exhibition at the Shalom Snack Bar "HungaRio"
On Monday (06) there will be an exhibition by photographer Orsolya Urbán at the HungaRio cafeteria (managed by the shalom community). Entitled "Sisters", the goal of the photographic exhibition is to present the consecrated life of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary, and how special the way of living the religious vocation is.
Moysés Testimony and Portuguese Mass
On Wednesday morning Moysés Azevedo will share his testimonty at the Congress. To date, nearly 4,000 people have signed up to be present on this occasion, including cardinals and priests.
Father Franco Galdino, Moysés Azevedo and Anderson da Silva(Local Responsible of the Budapest Mission)
At the end of the day, there will be a Holy Mass, presided over in Portuguese by Mgr. José Manuel Cordeiro, Bishop of the Diocese of Bragança-Miranda (approximately 500 km from Lisbon). The Archdiocese of Esztergom-Budapest has entrusted the preparation of this moment to the Community. At the celebration, the Shalom community will take over music and liturgy services. Portuguese-speaking participants are expected to attend.
Artistic performances
On Thursday (09), together with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Budapest, the Community missionaries will participate in artistic events. They will be on stage presenting performances of music and dance, while other brothers and sisters evangelize the people in the crowd.
NEK2020 Family Festival
Within the program, on Saturday (11), there will be a presentation of the play "The Song of the Irias". At the same place of the festival there will be a stand for vocational promotion where kerygmatic courses will be offered and the missionaries will be there to listen and pray for the pilgrims.
It is expected to reach about 3,000 people during the evangelization actions, with the purpose of starting a post-event prayer group, so that the evangelized can continue in the Shalom Work, and be shepherded by the Community.
Finally, the congress closing will be with the Holy Mass presided over by Pope Francis. It is expected to fill Heroes' square and the Main Avenue.
Heroes' Square is one of the main tourist attractions in Budapest (Picture by Daniela Lago)
It will also be possible to find some people from Shalom at the moments of adoration and worship, official masses, and around the city of Budapest, leafleting and evangelizing.
Current status of covid-19 in Hungary
In the country, more than half of the population has been vaccinated and the number of infected is low (in the last month there were 1,000 cases in the country). Masses and other face-to-face activities have returned for some time, so it is no longer mandatory to wear masks. In the country, the third dose of the vaccine is already being offered in order to contain the expansion of variants of the disease.
52nd International Eucharistic Congress
When: September 5th to 12th, 2021
Official website: International Eucharistic Congress
Instagram: @comshalom @shtotheworld
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By Janaina Teixeira
Warning: Comments are the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the opinion of the Shalom Community. It is forbidden to post comments that violate law, morality and good manners or that violate the rights of others. The editors may delete comments that do not comply with the criteria set forth in this notice or that are not within the topic with no notification.
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Dominique Perrault Architecture - Exposition "Dominique Perrault - La Bibliothèque nationale de France - Portrait d'un projet 1988-1998"
"Notre-Dame, the heart of the heart of Paris, treasure of the Île de la Cité, has just suffered the most trying moments in its long history. Across all lands and cultures of the world, this drama leaves us speechless, touching the hearts and arresting the gaze of everyone. It reminds us all how much architecture, as indeed every artefact, is a fragile thing.
Built in 1990 by Dominique Perrault and awarded several times, the Hotel industriel Berlier, like a prefiguration of the French National Library, was the first building with curtain walls without any visible tehnical kiosk or acroterion. The rehabilitation works initiated in 2016 and will be completed in 2020.
The second edition of "Réinventer Paris" call for projects focused on the transformation of the underground spaces. Unveiled at the Pavillon de l'Arsenal on January 15, in the presence of the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and the deputy mayor of Paris, in charge of town planning, architecture, economic development and competitiveness, the project "Aérog'Art" is laureate for the Esplanade des Invalides site. The site will host by 2025 a mixed program, focused on art and crafts.


Market overview: Where is XR really being used in enterprise?
With the consumer VR & AR markets yet to reach mass adoption, technology companies and content creators are looking beyond games and entertainment to secure business. And enterprises are constantly finding new problems that the technologies can help solve.
So where are the biggest enterprise opportunities arising and how do we approach them? Looking at the latest market data and use cases for applications as diverse as training, education, collaboration, remote assistance, design and manufacturing, this session will discuss which verticals are taking the lead, where the biggest applications are and what the rest of the market can learn.
Investment trends in enterprise XR – where's the money going, and why?
Who's investing in enterprise XR… and where are corporate and institutional investors seeing the biggest opportunities for growth?
What's the relationship between hardware, software and content investments – and what does this mean for enterprise adoption timelines?
Can startups still succeed in this space? Do the well-publicized collapses in the last 12 months point to a downward trend or something different?
Which specific industries, technologies and applications for XR are attracting the most activity from the institutional and corporate VC communities?
Where are VR & AR technologies and content having the biggest impact and delivering the most benefit?
There are only a limited number of tickets left - Book now to guarantee your seat!
What are the core barriers to adoption that advocates are facing – and how are they being overcome?
Amir Rubin CEO Sixense Enterprises, Inc.
XR can bring huge efficiencies to organizations of all shapes and sizes. But every company is different and has its own processes and IT infrastructure in place.
What's actually needed to build a workable tech stack for VR / AR in enterprise?
What's the place of WebVR & WebAR in this? Is browser based delivery the future of enterprise XR?
Is the advent of true mixed reality a game changer for enterprise?
Which hardware and software providers are offering true mixed reality platforms and solutions – and what are they being used for primarily?
How is mixed reality being successfully integrated with other technology for various use cases across industry?
Get clarity on the vision for true mixed reality integration in enterprise over the next 5 years. What are the real possibilities?
Which use-cases for XR are really gaining traction across enterprise and why?
Efficiency versus efficacy – using VR for training undoubtedly saves time and money… but how good is it as a training tool, really?
Where are there industry specific challenges and limitations? And where are the biggest productivity gains coming?
What's the place of AR/MR – is it best placed for training, real-time worker guidance, or both?
Is collaboration the killer app for enterprise XR?
Are the current iterations of AR and VR hardware more of a help or a hindrance? Why?
Where do industry experts see AR and VR as collaboration tools more broadly going forward?
Pharma & healthcare is fast becoming a core area of application for immersive tech. The impact it is having across the sector is huge. Companies are increasingly using VR and AR for design & visualization in research and education as well as for training, onboarding and task management in labs and facilities. With the capacity to also aid healthcare professionals in the management of complex conditions and provide patients with better understanding, this session will focus on how immersive tech is changing the face of research, training, day-to-day workflow, manufacturing and treatment across the sector.
XR & AI are accelerating at an astonishing rate. And they're increasingly coming together to bring ever more immersive experiences. Add to this the evolution of spatial mapping and the AR cloud and the opportunities to create and distribute amazing immersive content are developing rapidly. So what are the latest advances and what does the future hold?
These interactive sessions will provide attendees with an opportunity to go deeper into specific industry verticals & applications when deploying XR technology in enterprise.
Each session will feature experts framing the topic and participants in the workshop will get the chance to ask questions and explore solutions. This format allows participants to meet potential collaborators, share examples and challenges from their own work and vet ideas with peers dealing with the same issues.
The discussions are set-up to provide an informal exchange of ideas so participants walk away with practical answers to questions they have.


New White Peerless Sewing Machine.
One never knows what can be found in second hand / junk shops, especially on Easter Monday. On a whim, I popped into a local second hand / junk shop on my way home.
Even though it looked to be in pretty bad condition, I thought I would give it a chance.
So I took it home and cleaned off all the dirt. Just with a damp cloth and mild detergent. I never use anything harsh. Next I polished the timber with some linseed oil. Then I used a lint free cloth drenched in Singer sewing machine oil. I wiped over all of the machine with the cloth, paying particular attention to all the tight corners.
Once that was done I oiled in all the oil holes. Once a machine is worked over like that any damage becomes more apparent.
The chromed work is peeling on the needle plate and at this stage I can not open it. I have encountered this problem with old machines before. I've drenched it in sewing machine oil and now I'll just wait. Years of neglect can't be undone in five minutes, but with some patience it probably will open eventually.
The handle is missing, but it has a bobbin and I can view the shuttle from underneath. It still has the spool holder too, which is lucky.
This is an antique New White Peerless "B" hand crank sewing machine. Circa approx 1890. It's a 3/4 sized machine, making it a portable model. It's small and elegant with Lily of the Vally Decals, which despite their wear are still pretty. They are known for their quiet operation.
With any luck I'll find a replacement handle!
While we are on the subject of Lily of The Valley, you might just be interested in this post.
Chance is a funny thing, some months later, a friend of mine was going to throw this out, and although it looked irretrievable…. I took it home and this is what happened.


I love the clean interface, but would it be possible to have different font sizes - both for the content of emails (reading and writing them) and for the interface itself.
I should not have to scroll left-right to see an entire email. Pop out or full screen would help too.
You can see in the tab "1 new mail" instead of just "Tutanota"
The ability to sign in to Tutanota using a Password Manager would be great and much faster when switching users or simply logging out/in for more security.
Why all these available languages but Greek?
It works when we try it. The confirmation email arrived in the inbox. Did you misspell the email address? Or was the email received in your spam folder?
We are investigating this. Unfortunately, it works on all our test devices. We'll have to find a device where it is not working to debug it and find out what's causing this.
I cannot type in an address. there is no symbol to click to not send encryted. What do I need to do?
1) Type in an external email address into the "To" field.
3) The options Confidential or Not confidential are available.
It appears that the Tutanote staff do not look for duplicate requests and merge them. As a result, we end up with many different overlapping proposals, each with a small number of supporters. Merging these would (a) allow all discussion to be in one place and (b) make explicit the total number of votes, instead of spreading the votes around.
Please let us know if you find duplicates – we are doing our best to merge them, but some may be overlooked.
How many years does it take to get an email ? cmon !
why i can't receive email?
Please extend the offer for bitcoin users. Some of us do not have access to traditional financial routes and cannot take advantage of your offer now even though we would.
Add digital signatures to emails, so the sender can be authenticated.
Alter/Drop this planned activity "Option to set default (encrypted, not encrypted) for non-Tutanota user emails"
Currently you are taking up above described task. Please read my take on this and do what you think is best for users.
I strongly feel that, giving users option to send encrypted or non-encrypted messages each time to someone with a non-Tutanota email address, is far better than just one time setting as suggested by above author (In fact this is one of the thing people like about Tutanota). This is because for some non-Tutanota users I want to send encrypted message but for some others I don't want to do it. Suppose if there was one time setting for non-Tutanota users,then according my above scenario,which all Tutanota users will encounter,selecting encryption and decryption, will become very tedious and of course irritating. I hope you can keep existing thing and also incorporate above users comment.
You may already choose encrypted / not encrypted as a default for all emails to external recipients under 'Settings' → 'Email'.
It would be great to be able to write his own message to be sent to the receiver instead of use the one in english.
The notification email can be switched between all supported languages, but cannot be personalized. Personalization will probably be supported later.
In the android version, PLEASE, introduce an option to change the ringtone for incoming emails.
Elliptic curve cryptography would show performance increases and key-size decreases over RSA.


Determining the effectiveness of supplemental forms of nutrients is of upmost importance for the manufacture of quality supplements. This study was designed to test the effectiveness of an algae-derived beta-carotene compared to food-based (carrots).
This study found that supplemental carotenes (in an oily base derived from algae) are better absorbed than those from dietary sources.
Repletion and depletion of serum alpha and beta carotene in humans with carrots and an algae-derived supplement.
Authors: Jensen CD, Pattison TS, Spiller GA, Whittam JH, Scala J. Acta Vitaminol Enzymol. 1985;7(3-4):189-98.
PDF Manuscript: Acta Vitaminol Enzymol, 1985.
Pattison TS, et al. Comparison of Serum Carotene Repletion with Two Levels of Carrots and an Algae-Derived Product in Healthy Adult humans. Fed Proc, 1985. 44(3):771.PDF Abstract: Fed Proc, 1985.


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Q: Dashboard progress gauge? I'm trying to include a progress gauge that shows how many cases have been resolved out of the total number of cases. I made it work yesterday, but I messed up the data source and had to start over again. Now I can't seem to make the progress gauge work. I've Googled everything I can possible think of to try to figure it out, but I'm stuck.
I can't seem to figure out the right way to configure the value, minimum value, and maximum value with the appropriate value type and filters to get it to work right. I can't really screenshot the stuff I'm working with unfortunately. Can someone offer a little insight or point me to a detailed guide on how to configure the gauge? Most of the content out there seems to explain everything but the gauge.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Home healing poetry Siaara Freeman spoken word writing Therapy in Creativity: How One Poet Uses Art for Protest and Healing
Therapy in Creativity: How One Poet Uses Art for Protest and Healing
by Anna Gibson
"I don't have time for uppity black folks who are embarrassed by our stories, or by white people who are just 'interested' in them."
-Siaara Freeman
The above quote is one of the realest things I've ever heard. The way dominant society distorts black narratives is almost mythic in nature. When the police gun us down we become 'demons' who deserved to die. Sometimes, our entire identity is appropriated for the sake of those who would commodify our culture, making "hood" fashionable but giving nothing valuable to our communities in return. Black identity is more likely to be used as a Halloween costume, a parlor trick, or a fun caricature than to be realized as it truly is: the foundation of an entire people.
This is why it's important for black people to use our art as a medium to reclaim our power. The ability to tell our stories is what roots us in our humanity. It becomes the counter narrative against a world all too willing to distort our culture for personal gain. This art can come in many forms. You can write, rap, paint, or dance, but you must not stop telling the world who you are. It's only through wrestling with the your story that you can heal yourself and positivity impact the world around you.
Siaara Freeman is a poet, political activist and lifetime learner, who refuses to let her voice be silenced. Instead, she uses poetry to rebuild herself and teach others do the same. Siaara, 25, has toured the United States, performed at poetry slams, and taught inner city kids how to use their art to heal themselves, monetize their craft and take control of their narratives. Her art dives fearlessly into the heart of the trials that have affected her and our communities as a whole.
Siaara has experienced a number of obstacles throughout her life. At a very young age, she witnessed her father lose his life and later found herself trapped in a relationship marked by domestic violence. She also struggles with her identities and story being constantly misinterpreted. To better illustrate this, in one of her most critically acclaimed pieces, "Ten Things They Never Tell You About the Drug Dealers Daughter," she explores the struggle of trying to reconcile oneself with both the death of her father and the ingrained racist tropes that sprung up around his story. In the video for this piece (shown below) Siaara says, "The Drug Dealer, the Father doesn't miss a pageant, a slam, and they ain't rich, but they ain't in them projects anymore either…"
As much as society would love to focus on that aspect of his story, her father wasn't just a drug dealer. He was a man who influenced her in a number of profound ways, both encouraging her pursuit of writing and teaching her how to brand herself through her art. There are many other stories just like his, and only we can take control of our narratives by showing all aspects of ourselves: even the parts we would rather hide.
Siaara, and other artists who want to make an impact, are only able to do so by making themselves vulnerable. This is an expression of power that most black people — especially black women — find weak. Siaara states, "Black women have a hard time compartmentalizing. We take the 'strong black woman role' because that's the only role we're allowed to have in our communities. It's the only role we feel comfortable with."
According to Siaara, because of this, the only choices we tend to make involve either running away from our vulnerabilities or using them as a coping mechanism to help us deal with the world around us. She says, "Some people run off the need for vengeance, anger, and bitterness. You learn to exist based on something that occurs to you. You start to use it as a coping mechanism, and it can be hard to let go."
However, in order to break the cycle of shame we have to use our art to heal ourselves. Siaara shared the troubles she had after her father passed away and how her writing brought her back from the edge. Siaara shares,
"I started writing when I was 14. I eventually I got a chance to go to Brave New Voices (a poetry competition where young people perform from each region of the United States) which was huge. My father died [when I was] 16, but it was crazy because my teammates really wanted me to still go up there and perform. My first thought was no, but when I got up there and told my story, it was one of the most healing moment of my life."
Given how difficult it can be for black people to face our pain and heal ourselves, we often don't know how to begin. According to Siaara, it starts with pulling from those places that hurt the most. She says,
"First you have to get to that place where you want to heal. Write something that makes you feel weak when you say it. Dig into that fear, shame and guilt. Our culture is a very public/private place. No one wants to air their dirty laundry. Because of this, we often feel like we're the only one's that deal with something. When you write your story and speak on it, you realize that you aren't alone. When you realize that, the shame disappears."
Ultimately, art is healing. No one is asking you to be James Baldwin or Maya Angelou, but you do have to be willing to put yourself and your personal narrative on display. Be fearless in apprehending your story. You are not alone. Siaara is a perfect example of an artist who has the courage to put her vulnerabilities on the stage in an effort to both heal herself and influence others to do the same. We can only make a positive influence on the world around us by accepting ourselves in the fullness of our experiences and not letting anyone distort our vision of who we are as a people.
To view more of Siaara's work, go here. Watch everything. If you are interested in checking out other amazing spoken word artists, Siaara mentioned a few artists in particular including Airea Dee Matthews, Rachel McKibbens, and Natasha T. Miller.
Photo: YouTube
Anna Gibson is a student at Wayne State University and a freelance journalist who seeks to tell the stories of the marginalized. She's dope. You can reach her on Twitter @TheRealSankofa or on Facebook where she's totally not hiding under the name Anna Gibson.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Finding and imputing null values: Any package for data preprocessing in Spark + Scala? I'm completely new to Spark and Scala, trying to work with a data set in Databricks.
I loaded a csv file as data frame. Now, I want see the percentage of null values in each column. Later I want to replace the null values or drop the column, depending on the percentage of null values.
I think R has some packages capable of analyzing null values (e.g. MICE package), but in Spark & Scala I can't find anything similar.
I've been trying to filter the data frame by "null" values, but this doesn't seem to work. Below code just returns the cabins that are not null. Swapping the == by != doesn't help.
train.show()
val train = sqlContext.sql("SELECT * FROM titanic_test")
val filtered = train.filter("Cabin==null")
filtered.show()

Does anyone know a package that could help or know how to fix my above problem, so I can filter manually?
This image shows the data set before it was filtered
This image shows that the filtering is not working


Steam locomotive 85 004 of the German State Railroad Company. Epoch II.
The AC model is equipped with many digitally switchable sound functions and dynamic steam from the chimney. The dynamic steam from Roco provides a driving and noise synchronous smoke emission of the locomotive.
were also much appreciated by the staff of the locomotives and enjoyed great popularity as they reduced the travel times of passenger trains by more than 1/3 of the original travel time.


There are two main bankruptcy protections under the US Bankruptcy Code available to businesses: Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 each named for the chapter of the Bankruptcy Code. Chapter 7 may be an appropriate remedy for businesses that simply cannot meet their obligations. Chapter 11, on the other hand, is available to businesses that are in position to recover and carry on with their business if only they are given some time. Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 differ in how they work and the rights and remedies each provides. Below explains what business owners need to know about a Chapter 7 business bankruptcy.
What Is a Chapter 7 Business Bankruptcy?
Chapter 7 is sometimes also called liquidation bankruptcy because your assets will be sold (i.e., liquidated) and distributed to the creditors who file proper claims. An individual, a partnership, or a corporation or other business entity can file bankruptcy under Chapter 7, [11 U.S.C. § 101(41), 11 U.S.C. § 109(b)], but a discharge of debt is only available to individual debtors, not to partnerships or corporations. [11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(1)]. So if a partnership, a corporation, or other types of business entities file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, it does not receive a discharge. Instead, the bankruptcy trustee appointed by the court will sell any of your business assets, such as equipment, inventories or receivables, to pay your debts. If you are closing up your business and want to get rid of the business debts officially and finally, Chapter 7 may be your option. A sole proprietorship, an unincorporated business entity owned by a single individual, is however, treated as an individual instead of a separate legal entity apart from its owner.
How Does a Chapter 7 Business Bankruptcy Work?
The business debtor must file a petition with the bankruptcy court serving the area where the business is organized or has its principal place of business or principal assets. In addition to the bankruptcy petition, the business debtor must file with the court: a list of assets and liabilities; a detailed list of current income and expenditures; a statement of financial affairs; and a list of executory contracts (a contract that has not yet been fully performed or fully executed) and unexpired leases. Before you file for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, it is important to gather all your financial records including bank statement, credit card statements, loan documents, paystubs because the bankruptcy trustee will request you to provide such records to verify the information contained in your bankruptcy document. You must file the necessary documents with the clerk of the bankruptcy court and pay a case filing fee (in the amount of $335). Once you file your bankruptcy petition, an automatic stay goes into effect and creditors generally may not initiate or continue collection activities, such as bringing lawsuits or making calls demanding payments, against the debtor. [11 U.S.C. § 362].
As mentioned above, in a business bankruptcy, there is no discharge (and no exemptions). As a result, all of your business assets are sold and the proceeds are distributed among the creditors. A bankruptcy trustee of the case will close and liquidate your business in a manner that maximizes the return to the creditors. In some cases, the bankruptcy court may authorize the trustee to operate the business for a limited period of time if such operation will benefit creditors and enhance the liquidation of the business debtor's assets. [11 U.S.C. § 721].
The bankruptcy trustee will use the proceeds from liquidation to pay creditors who are ordered by priority. There are six classes of claims and each class must be paid in full before the next lower class is paid. [11 U.S.C. § 726]. Secured creditors (those who loaned out the money with collateral) are the first class to be paid. After all secured creditors are paid, remaining assets are collectively paid to unsecured creditors (those without collateral). The trustee ensures that the proceeds are paid to the specific creditors. After everything is distributed, the Chapter 7 bankruptcy is closed.
In a business bankruptcy, if your business assets were not enough to pay off all creditors, you may personally be liable. Depending on the structure of your business, you may be held liable for your business debts. For example, in general partnership, all partners are personally liable for the partnership's debts and if the partnership cannot pay its debts creditors can go after the partners' personal assets to satisfy them. In a corporation, the owners (shareholders) may not be personally liable unless you voluntarily make yourself responsible for business debts by cosigning, personally guaranteeing the loan, or by providing your personal assets as collateral. If you are obligated to pay your business's debts but you yourself are suffering financial hardship, you may have to file a personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy to discharge your obligations. Be sure to discuss with your bankruptcy attorney.
For an individual debtor, all dischargeable debts are wiped out and the debtor is no longer required to pay them. However, because a business debtor cannot receive a discharge, the benefit of Chapter 7 is more about the simple and orderly liquidation of the business. A bankruptcy trustee is charged with liquidating and distributing the proceeds to creditors based on priority, and therefore you do not have to worry about closing your business, liquidating your business assets and dealing with creditors.
However, when a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is filed and closed, there is no opportunity to continue the business or sell it to someone else. Plus, the bankruptcy trustee may sell your assets for less than what you could have gotten for them. Therefore, if your business has a significant amount of assets that may be enough to pay all creditors, you may want to sell them yourself instead of filing Chapter 7.
You may choose to file business bankruptcy under Chapter 7 depending on your business's financial situation and its goal. If your business passed the stage of reorganizing the business and repaying the creditors, Chapter 7 may provide an appropriate protection. However, there is no simple answer to the question of whether or not Chapter 7 is a better option for you and your company. Be sure to contact an experienced bankruptcy attorney to discuss your particular circumstances. The attorney can best advise you with your business bankruptcy after examining your assets, income, financial statements and obligations.


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Q: Visual Studio C++ intellisense wrong? So I have created a solution with three projects within it. Each relies on the other and complies without an issue. However, within one of the static libraries intellisense is flagging an include.
Cannot open source file "mmm.h"

This file is a local include, within the same folder and right next to it in the solution explorer.
Again everything still compiles and functions correctly without an issue... So it is working and intellisense is wrong??? Either way I'd like it to go away. Any help is appreciated, if you would like more information, please ask.


Now that J and I are settling into our new digs, I wanted to share our progress with you! Every Monday I will share updates on a new room/space, and show how we've redone it and made it our own. As a first time homeowner, I had no real idea of just what we had gotten ourselves into… but luckily my husband and mom are pros at knowing the right people and getting the job done, so I'm very thankful for everything we've accomplished in this short amount of time. To kick off our first Makeover Monday, I figured I'd start with our entry way (seems fitting right?).
… to really set the tone of our home.
The hard part was figuring out what to replace him with. Luckily, I came across 1-800Lighting and my prayers were answered! This family owned and operated company has been in the business for over 90 years (and it's no wonder) – their selection was amazing, shipping was fast, and the product was so easy to assemble and install!
Our home has very traditional bones, so I wanted to spice up the space with this modern Flux 30 Chandelier from 1-800Lighting. Every time I look at it, I can't help but smile – it's so fun and really updates our staircase.
While we are still trying to track down the perfect mirror and entry way table, but in the meantime am using an old desk and extra mirror as the anchor for our entry space. Throw a few framed photos and a beautiful orchid and you're good to go!
My next item on the entry way to-do list is to find a navy runner to cover the stairs in – has anyone installed one themselves or have any suggestions?
Financial compensation was not received for this post. While the Flux 30 Chandelier was gifted from 1-800Lighting, all opinions expressed here are my own.
A few years ago my sister surprised my mom, sister and I with handmade silver bracelets with our initials carved into them. It was such a thoughtful, beautiful gift and I love looking down at it knowing the other Feezor girls are wearing them too.
When I came across the Coordinates Collection, I knew I had to add a gold piece to our jewelry boxes. The premise is really neat (and simple). Pick a location that has special meaning to you – the place you went to college, where you met your boyfriend, your favorite vacation spot (the options are endless), and the longitude and latitude coordinates will be engraved on a piece of your choice. They have everything from necklaces to rings, and ever metal imaginable (14k gold to pink to antiqued silver). You can even add gemstones!
I used the coordinates of the house we grew up in and engraved "The Feezor Girls" inside. Most recently I've added an addional member to my line-up with the coordinates of the exact spot I married J. Kind of special right?
With the holidays right around the corner, might as well start filling that gift closet now (you know you always plan on starting earlier than you do!). Right now Coordinates Collection is having their Friends and Family sale through tomorrow 9/30, so you can get 25% off with the code WEAREFAMILY.
What are you going to put on yours!?
While I would like to tell you that I religiously clean my brushes once a week, it usually comes down to me breaking out and not being able to figure out why… "well it MUST be my brushes" (and have nothing to do with sleeping with my make-up or eating junk food…).
I have tried half a dozen of Pintrest's cleaning methods, and while I am not sure which help your brushes to be scientifically "cleaner," each have their pros and cons (brushes smelling of vinegar, oily residue, etc.). Today I want to share one of my new favorite methods!
My mom gifted me this rose scented Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap a couple of months ago, and I've loved using it for everything from household cleaning to body wash. Just when I thought it couldn't get any more versatile, I came across a brush cleaning tutorial featuring the product and had to jump on it!
Wet the bristles of your brush (facing downward) – trying your best to avoid the "ferrule" aka metal part (as to not loosen the glue and have the bristles fall out) by gentling dipping into a bowl of warm water.
Drop a dot of soap into your hand.
Swirl the brush in the palm of your hand to help release some of the makeup.
Lay brush flat on a towel to dry in a warm, sunny area (a window sill is a great spot).
*Don't forget to wipe down the handle and metal portion of your brushes as well!
I love being able to use organic and natural options when available, and this is an easy (and cost effective) option! You can pick up your own bottle here!
In honor of Spring and the deep cleaning associated with it, I want to host a simple tip every week to help you (slowly but surely) get your home into tip top shape for the warmer months!
First up? How to clean the grime from your shower head.
Then using a twist tie/rubber band or simply tying a knot with the bag itself, secure the baggie (and its liquid) around the shower or faucet head.
Let sit overnight and remove to a squeaky clean fixture!
While Papyrus is one of my favorite shops on the planet (aside from Nordstrom, J.Crew and Costco), people will always give you secret kudos for making (good) homemade cards. My sister Taylor really knocks it out of the park in this department. I was cleaning out my attic last week and came across a handful of cards she's sent me through the years – paintings, collages, drawings, you name it. And while I not only would feel guilty throwing them away, I don't want to. They are mini works of art!
Sadly, I am not as artistically inclined as my sister, so I had to work the system as to not have the sad looking card on my parents counter. What system is that? Workin' with what ya got. In the midst of that attic clean out I came across some confetti I had bought to use at my wedding 3 years ago. I grabbed a little glue, some blank cards and got to crafting… here is my easy DIY Valentine's Day tutorial.
1. Grab a cookie cutter or something you can trace – in this case a heart. (Don't mind the chunk missing out of it).
2. Use a pencil to lightly trace the object in the center of your blank card. Or you could get crazy and place it where ever you'd like!
3. This next step can be done with numerous items – confetti, sparkles, gems, shapes you cut out yourself (or bought) – get creative!
4. Also grab some craft glue (I prefer a gel or clear adhesive… but whatever you have is probably fine).
5. Lightly dab some glue on the back of your flower (or whatever you are using).
6. Apply pressure for a few seconds to let it dry.
7. Keep gluing flowers along the traced outline.
8. Feel free to add multiple layers, and overlap as needed.
9. You can just do the outline of a heart, or fill in the whole shape… the option is up to you!


Well, will they get away with it? The unlawful punishment of Bradley Manning.
It's two and a half years today since Bradley Manning, the 24 year old US soldier who, less than a decade ago was a schoolboy in Wales, was taken into custody in Kuwait, accused of releasing 'Collateral Murder', that chilling video, into the public domain.
The notion of a 'speedy trial' – every US soldier's right under the legal guidelines for Courts Martial – seems to have been dismissed by the prosecution (the US Government) as an unwarranted luxury, not for the likes of whistleblowers, not for those who feel honour bound to uncover the eyes of others, especially not for Brad, who they went on to charge with the leaking of the most extensive cache of documents ever, and with whom they are plainly very angry indeed.
As well as the Apache video (which wasn't even classified, just embarrassing), he was charged with leaking The Afghan War Diary, The Iraq War Logs, The Guantanamo Files, The State Dept Cables and The Granai Massacre video, for which revelations all who care about the pursuit of peace and justice in this world are much in his debt.
a capital offence for which he could be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. And this is for what even a willfully stupid person could see is an 'act of conscience'. Have a look at this if you are in any doubt.
not even because we didn't believe it could happen, but because it was just so blatant, because they didn't seem to care that people knew, and because they really seemed to think they would get away with it.
Although there are supposed to be no more than 120 days from being taken into custody to 'arraignment' (the formal start of the Court Martial process), Brad was held for 635 days before he was finally arraigned on 23rd Feb 2012.
About this abuse of process, David Coombs, Bradley's lawyer, has complained that, not only have the prosecution no good reason for requesting most of the delays, but the convening authority (who can give permission for delays which then won't 'count' towards the 120), were extraordinary lax in regulating the delays.
And that even the delays that the defence had to request were made necessary solely by the prosecution's unacceptably slow production of evidence – 'discovery'. On the basis of this denial of Bradley's rights to a 'speedy trial', the defence therefore filed a motion on 19th September to dismiss all charges.
And at the last hearing on 7th and 8th November, we heard the testimony of those who authorised these delays as they took the stand for the prosecution opposing this motion, and were cross questioned by the defence. The defence case to dismiss for lack of a speedy trial will now be presented to the court at a hearing between 10th and 14th December.
Meanwhile, Bradley has submitted to the judge an offer to admit to certain 'lesser included charges' and this is being considered by her; as well as this, he has elected to be tried by Judge Lind alone (instead of a 'panel', jury).
Jeff Paterson points out the 'whistleblowing' place we have arrived at with this offered plea in his post on the Bradley Manning Support Network: 'Analysis: Bradley Manning accepts responsibility for an act of conscience'. Well worth reading in full.
Few of us would have predicted, when we came together at the US Embassy in March 2011 to demonstrate against the torture of Bradley Manning, that we would not even have arrived at his trial 18 months later.
Few of us would have predicted that we would have to wait until now to hear the illegal pretrial punishment that we were protesting challenged in court.
And few of us would have believed it would still be necessary for people to gather at the US Embassy on Tuesday 27th November 2012 at 2.00 pm to stand in solidarity with Brad again as the audio track of Collateral Murder plays and whilst Brad is in court in Fort Meade presenting evidence in defence of the motion to dismiss charges in respect of the 'illegal pretrial punishment' he was subjected to at Quantico.
Apart from being held in solitary confinement (the effect of the 'Prevention of Injury' status which they kept Brad under most of the time, breaking with this only for the even more restrictive 'Suicide Watch') in a 6' x 8' cell which, just once a day, he left (walking in leg irons and shackled at his hands) for an hour's 'recreation' in another room in which he was able to do little more than walk a figure of eight for the duration, Brad was also not permitted any form of exercise whatsoever in his cell; was severely restricted as to when and how he could access books or writing materials; was not allowed any personal possessions in his cell, and, being unable to access the internet, remained substantially cut off from news from the outside world other than that which he received from letters or occasional 'non contact', recorded, visits.
In a nightmare scenario reminiscent of the drip drip of water torture, he was also forced to respond every five minutes to the guards asking him if he was OK. At night he had to surrender his clothes other than his underwear to the guards, was denied a pillow or sheet – meaning he had to sleep under a rough blanket which caused chafing – and if the guards could not see his face at all times, they would wake him up – ostensibly to make sure he was alright – and again he would have to respond affirmatively before they would leave him to go back to sleep. Brad was held under Maximum Security Status, and he was the only prisoner at Quantico Brig with this status.
He is not going to receive special privileges, which is essentially what you are asking him to receive. He is being treated exactly like everyone else in the brig is being treated. That's what's appropriate. We treat them all equally. And I don't understand why there would be a need for an exception to those rules to be made for Private Manning — or anyone else, for that matter.
ah, so that's all right then….
'Every other detainee is allowed outside of their cell for the majority of the day. The facility is not locked down when they are walking in the brig. They do not wear hand and leg restraints outside of their cell. They are not escorted by guards when outside of their cell. Every other detainee is assigned to work details during the day. These work details allow them move freely within the facility and also outside of the facility whenever within the security perimeter.
There were two periods when Brad was humiliated beyond the regular POI and Maximum Security status by being stripped, on the pretext that he was a suicide risk.
Once was on 18th January 2011, when, seemingly in response to an informal demo at the gates of the Brig, he was bullied by the guards, abused by James Averhart, the Brig Commander, and then stripped, deprived of his prescription glasses, and forced to remain naked in his cell without being able to see, for 48 hours on 'Suicide Watch'.
This episode was explained in a letter that was released on Coombs' 10th March 2011 blog while we were planning the 20th March protests, and we decided to end the protest by hearing it as it is from Brad – and 'giving him the mic'. Read it – it's shocking.
The other episode was presided over by Denise Barnes, and was the last straw for the Quantico regime, the real 'shooting themselves in the foot', for when, between 2nd March 2011 and the 6th March 2011, she ordered that Bradley be stripped naked at night, have all his clothes removed from his cell, and (this is what really did it) stand naked for roll call, the whole world erupted! And ultimately this is what got Bradley moved.
We were astounded the next night that, although the Brig knew Coombs was 'telling the world' about it, the Brig still said that this would continue 'indefinitely', and seemed unconcerned about anyone's reaction.
'On Wednesday March 2, 2011, PFC Manning was told that his Article 138 complaint requesting that he be removed from Maximum custody and Prevention of Injury (POI) Watch had been denied by the Quantico commander, Colonel Daniel J. Choike…….
and this from a young person who had been subjected to abuse, bullied and isolated and, not only that, had just learned that the charges against him had now had 'aiding the enemy' added to them – a charge which can carry the death penalty. Pretty amazing!
and that's why, we learned, he had been stripped at night and forced to stand naked at roll call except….
In response to all this, and especially to, unbelievably, the Brig stating that this 'being stripped and made to stand naked' was 'set to continue indefinitely' the International Support Network www.bradleymanning.org called for worldwide protests to take place on 20th March 2011 and we began to plan our US Embassy demo.
On 7th March, the Brig made the concession of giving Brad a suicide 'smock' and from then until he left Quantico, he was forced to wear this at night.
So how did this acute abuse, end?
beginning here with the earliest I can find – Ciaron and his fellow Catholic Worker, both wearing photos of Brad in solidarity at the 29th Dec 2010 (Holy Innocents) Northwood HQ Anti War demo and reported in the Northwood and Uxbridge Gazette…..
the protest from 295 top lawyers (including Obama's own professor, Laurence Tribe) who signed an open letter to the administration: 'A Statement on Private Manning's Detention'.
and on being asked if he was 'on the record' thought for a second when there was 'an uncomfortable pause' and then obviously decided to 'go for it' and said 'Sure'.
and then of course was inevitably 'resigned' by the State Dept two days later…..
All change! And as David Coombs said….this taken alone proved that the treatment meted out to Brad at Quantico was totally without justification.
The conditions of Bradley's imprisonment under the 'POI' 'Maximum Security regime have been listed in more detail by David Coombs here in a summary of the motion he filed on 10th August 2012. New information has emerged such as Brad not being permitted soap with which to wash his hands – he had to ask for it every time he needed it; he had to ask for toilet roll every time he needed it and (it goes without saying) had to often wait on the guards for these things.
This is the motion which will be argued in this next hearing – 27th November to 2nd December.
This same blog post also touches on the discovery we made in July that the regime Bradley was being held under could be 'traced up the chain of command to a three star general ' something which will obviously be 'coming up' in court! And it deals with the two occasions when Bradley restrictive status was actually increased and he was stripped as well. So it's a good one to read.
The defence has obtained permission from the judge to have one of the suicide mattresses Brad had to sleep on actually in court for this motion , and also one of the coarse suicide 'smocks', which, in response to the public outcry at his being made to strip at night and stand naked at roll call, they gave him to wear in bed (it was too large, hideously uncomfortable and also nearly strangled him one night when it got caught round his neck). Well the judge wanted to see for herself just what they're both like.
And probably the most riveting thing to anticipate is the likelihood of Brad himself taking the stand sometime in the middle of the week.
There apparently is a 'missing' video – Bradley has insisted they videoed a specific sequence in one of the 'stripping' times, and the defence has sought 'discovery' of this from the prosecution, but, surprise, surprise, the prosecution do not recognise the existence of any video other than the ones they have already handed over.
In the discussion regarding this in court, Coombs alluded to the fact that Brad would go into the witness box to testify as to it's existence.
Presumably, that's what will happen? We' ll have to see.
Gallery | This entry was posted in Announcements, Manning, Reports and tagged anti-militarism, anti-war, asylum, Britain, Catholic Worker, demo, Ecuador, Ecuadorian Embassy, extradition, Julian Assange, London, solidarity, Veterans for Peace, vigil, WikiLeaks, WISE Up. Bookmark the permalink.
4 Responses to Well, will they get away with it? The unlawful punishment of Bradley Manning.
It is not to imagine what you have experienced. You have brought a very big sacrifice for humanity and human rights! Is justice for you above everything, I am very grateful to you and find you a very brave man!! I wish you strength to continue and hope ther will soon be Justice for you!!


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IKEA Furniture Features IDT Wireless Charging
The International Furniture Retailer is Selling Innovative Furniture and Home Accessories with Embedded Wireless Power Transmitters
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 22, 2015--Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT®) (NASDAQ: IDTI) today announced that IKEA chose IDT's wireless power transmitters to embed in its furniture and accessories for convenient wireless charging of enabled portable devices. IDT's P9030 magnetic induction transmitters are embedded in new IKEA products including side tables and lamps. The products will soon be available in stores throughout North America and Europe.
In addition to the furniture, IKEA has developed a line of charging pads as well as a wireless charger that consumers can build into furniture themselves—all built around the IDT wireless power semiconductor.
"IKEA revolutionized the furniture industry, and it continues to prove itself an innovation leader with the integration of IDT wireless charging transmitters into its products," said Arman Naghavi, IDT's vice president of Analog Power Technology. "The company's adoption of our Qi technology underscores the traction we're seeing as the wireless power ecosystem continues to expand."
The P9030 transmitter complies with the Wireless Power Consortium's (WPC) Qi standard, delivering a 5W single-chip solution in a compact package. IDT wireless power transmitters and receivers have also been designed into smart phones, phone accessories, wearables and charging stations.
About IDT Wireless Power
IDT is a leader in wireless power transmitter and receiver solutions for wireless charger applications, addressing all major standards and technologies with an extensive portfolio of standards-certified products. IDT has proven expertise in both magnetic induction and magnetic resonance technologies, and actively participates in the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), Power Matters Alliance (PMA), and Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) as a board member. IDT has introduced a number of innovative and award-winning products, including the first true single-chip transmitter, the highest-output-power single chip receiver, and the first dual-mode receiver IC compatible with both WPC and PMA standards. Prominent industry players have recognized this leadership and partnered with IDT as their silicon vendor for next-generation wireless power solutions.
About IDT
Integrated Device Technology, Inc. develops system-level solutions that optimize its customers' applications. IDT uses its market leadership in timing, serial switching and interfaces, and adds analog and system expertise to provide complete application-optimized, mixed-signal solutions for the communications, computing and consumer segments. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., IDT has design, manufacturing, sales facilities and distribution partners throughout the world. IDT stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Stock Market® under the symbol "IDTI." Additional information about IDT is accessible at www.IDT.com. Follow IDT on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Google+.
IDT and the IDT logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Integrated Device Technology, Inc. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners.


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Middle Ages for Educators
Resources for Teaching and Research
Short Video Lectures
New Teaching Resources
Translated Primary Sources
Linked Resources – Teaching
Resources for anti-stigma interventions in a time of pandemic
Online Resource Portal
Tool Talks
Medievalists at the Ready
Medieval Silliness
Secondary Sources Exchange
Request Additional Help – Research
Contact & Contribute
Tag: Early Middle Ages
Meet a Medieval Source Videos
An Introduction to the Histories of Gregory of Tours, by Hope Williard
Dr. Hope Williard, University of Lincoln
Open Source Link
Gregory of Tours (539-594): History of the Franks: Books I-X
What to Gregory's own statements about his writing tell us about his choices as a writer?
Why does Gregory tell us the things that he does?
What characterises Gregory's portraits of Merovingian queens?
Readings and Resources: Freely Available Online
Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks, trans. Ernest Brehaut (New York: Columbia University Press, 1916).
Ian N. Wood, 'The Secret Histories of Gregory of Tours', Revue belge de Philologie et d'Histoire 71:2 (1993), pp. 253-270
Other Readings (available to purchase as e-books or online via library subscriptions)
Gregory of Tours, The History of the Franks, trans. Lewis Thorpe (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974).
Erin T. Dailey, Queens, Consorts, Concubines: Gregory of Tours and the Women of the Merovingian Elite (Leiden: Brill, 2015).
Guy Halsall, 'The Preface to Book V of Gregory of Tours' Histories: Its Form, Contents, and Significance' The English Historical Review 122:496 (2007), pp. 297-317.
Alexander C. Murray, Gregory of Tours: The Merovingians (Peterborough: University of Toronto Press, 2006).
Alexander C. Murray, ed., A Companion to Gregory of Tours (Boston: Brill, 2016).
Ian Wood and Kathleen Mitchell, eds, The World of Gregory of Tours (Boston: Brill, 2002).
Williard, Hope. "An Introduction to the Histories of Gregory of Tours," Middle Ages for Educators, April 17, 2020. Accessed[date]. http://middleagesforeducators.com/videos/an-introduction-to-the-histories-of-gregory-of-tours,-by-hope-williard/
Tags Early Middle Ages, Gregory of Tours, Hope Williard, Merovingian
The Justinianic Plague, by Merle Eisenberg
2 Comments on The Justinianic Plague, by Merle Eisenberg
Merle Eisenberg, National socio-Environmental synthesis center (sesync), University of Maryland
Primary sources along with reading questions for each of them can be found here in a PDF document.
The complete passage on Procopius and the Plague in Constantinople can be found online at the Fordham Source Book on Plague.
The datasets in the above PDF are from Mordechai et al (see further reading for full citation) and can be found there under Figures and Supplementary Information. If you want to dig into the underlying sources, that be found at the bottom of the same page.
Lee Mordechai & Merle Eisenberg "Rejecting Catastrophe: the case of the Justinianic Plague," Past & Present (2019), 3-50.
Lee Mordechai, Merle Eisenberg, Timothy P. Newfield, Adam Izdebski, Janet E. Kay, and Hendrik Poinar, "The Justinianic Plague: An inconsequential pandemic?" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Dec 2019, 116 (51) 25546-25554.
Merle Eisenberg and Lee Mordechai. "The Justinianic Plague: An Interdisciplinary Review." Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies 43, no. 2 (2019): 156–80.
Michel Keller et al. "Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from across Western Europe reveal early diversification during the First Pandemic (541–750)," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jun 2019, 116 (25), 12363-12372
Eisenberg, Merle. "The Justinianic Plague," Middle Ages for Educators, March 30, 2020. Accessed [date]. http://middleagesforeducators.com/videos/the-justinianic-plague.
Tags Early Middle Ages, Fall of Rome, Gregory of Tours, Justinianic Plague, Late Antiquity, Plague, Procopius
Please use the following citation:
Eisenberg, Merle, McDougall, Sara, and Laura Morreale. Middle Ages for Educators. April 2, 2o2o. Accessed [date]. http://middleagesforeducators.com/
10.34055/osf.io/4yedu
© 2021	Middle Ages for Educators


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Q: Search the contents of a SQL file without extracting it from an archive I have a 128GB .sql file that's located in a .7z archive.
For reasons of storage space, I can't extract the file.

*

*Is there any way to search for a specific line within that .sql file, without extracting it from the archive?

A: If you're on the Mac, the
ArchCommander
can do the viewing of single files without unpacking.
Otherwise, unless someone comes up with a utility that does that,
you will need to program your own solution.
SharpCompress
is a C# library that is:

a compression library in pure C# for .NET Standard 2.0, 2.1, .NET Core 3.1 and .NET 5.0 that can unrar, un7zip, unzip, untar unbzip2, ungzip, unlzip with forward-only reading and file random access APIs.

An example that I
found
is :
var archive = SevenZipArchive.Open("test.7z");
var firstFile = archive.Entries.First();
var size = firstFile.Size;
using (var sr = new StreamReader(firstFile.OpenEntryStream()))
{
    string line = sr.ReadLine();
    while (line != null)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(line);
        line = sr.ReadLine();
    }
}

There might exist other libraries for other languages, but I haven't
searched for them.


Charles joined Indeed in 2013. He spent 2 years in Dublin before contributing to the opening of the Paris office in July 2015. As "Director of Enterprise and Agency Sales Indeed France", he is in charge of developing relations with Human Resources media agencies and key account companies in France.
An entrepreneur at heart, Charles is passionate about business development and project management in complex environments. He notably created two start-ups before the age of 26. After completing his studies in 2011, he co-founded Veodrive (http://www.veodrive.com/), a company that offers a racing experience as engaging and immersive as a real race. He then benefited from the support of business angels up to 150K€ for the development of his company.
In 2012, he was approached by the Rocket Internet GmbH incubator (www.rocket-internet.com) and joined the teams based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to participate in the creation of e-commerce websites, all adapted from successful online international business concepts.
Graduated in 2011 from HEC Paris, Charles has a Master in Entrepreneurship and a Master in Corporate Law and Taxation from the University of Aix-en-Provence, France.


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2020 – A year in review
As we close out another year at UK Connect and wish ourselves a Happy 8th Birthday, Managing Director, PJ Farr, takes time to reflect and share some of the highlights and challenges of 2020 and offer a little insight into what is still to come from UK Connect. There are big plans for 2021 that will benefit colleagues, customers and the communities that we work within.
Wow, what a year it has been! And I make no apologies for a long '2020 year in review'.
UK Connect are 8 years old and in the last year, our business has changed beyond all recognition.  We have witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly, and every time we thought it couldn't get any worse, you guessed it - it did.
The true effects of Covid19
However, throughout all of this, we have also seen some incredible moments, from businesses having to adopt digital best practices, to unforgettable moments of humanity, kindness, support and understanding from our friends, families, colleagues and even strangers.
In the early part of the year, Covid-19 was coined 'the second blitz' and whilst I'm not sure I entirely agree, I do wholeheartedly believe that just like in wartime, we saw innovation accelerate like never before. This was also seen within UK Connect; and just keeping up with all the new ideas has been a challenge in itself!
We have seen more innovation and change in the last 12 months than in the last  8 years combined!
PJ Farr
UK Connect
As an IT & Communications business, we were well versed in remote working and security processes to ensure that the business can operate and share regardless of location. We understand the importance of secure networks and ensuring all our teams are comfortable and confident working remotely by taking advantage of software such as MS Teams. Our people policy needed to adapt quicker, recognising the new stresses people were facing.
We had prepared for the "lockdown" before it was confirmed and had managed to update a company-wide stay at home policy just before the first lockdown was announced in March. Whilst we all wanted more time to prepare, we definitely benefited from this time ahead of the lockdown being announced, and we were able to make some simple changes to ensure our customers could still be looked after and remain our focus.
A commitment to putting our people first
From day one, my wife Zoey and I witnessed, as you all did, the uncertainty that was about to unfold for many UK businesses. We did not want any uncertainty to affect our business but, by the very nature, this proved very hard to predict. So we focussed on what we could control. From the very first day of lockdown we committed to the team that we would not make any member of staff redundant due to the pandemic or furlough our people. Of course, this was a risk as we did not fully appreciate the scale at the time, but this was a personal guarantee we made and something that at the very least helped to relieve pressure on our staff and their families.
The response to this policy was truly humbling and being able to remove the stress and associated pressure that people naturally felt was invaluable. As a team we are now more committed and truly feel like UK Connect is not just a business and a place to come to work, but it's somewhere we can really make a difference. This act really showcased how much we value everyone within the business.
We have always had a people first policy. (It's the second slide of our Onboarding Academy that every new team member goes through), but this act really proved it to everyone and ensured it is not just lip service in a company credentials presentation.
A moving 'People Policy' that remains fluid
A lot of my approach to managing teams and people comes from my Army days and the 'leaders eat last' concept. Covid-19 certainly put our people policy to test. Each and every person had their own challenges to overcome, and we had to adapt to support our staff.
Some staff had to self-isolate, including our field technicians, parents needed to be able to look after their children, and some staff cared for dependents.
Above all else, I asked myself a question each time a member of the team would approach me with a challenge. "Is this situation you're in affecting your wellbeing?" if the answer was yes, then we allowed for flexibility. But this ad-hoc flexibility became unsustainable and having to be continuously contacted to make allowances was not going to work.
Our people policy had to get radical and quickly. Integrity is a core value at UK Connect, and with that, comes trust. So overnight, we changed our ways, providing:
Greater flexibility: We cancelled working hours - staff could work when they wanted to, and this flexibility meant they could care for loved ones or take a break as and when it was required.
Improved staff support and assistance: We improved our staff benefits plan and launched an Employee Assistance Programme offering round the clock counselling or advice on a confidential basis.
Regular communications and check ins: Every day at 11am we held a company-wide Teams meeting to check in with all staff and update each other.
Creative socialising!: We launched our own virtual pub and café  - the café supported teams in working hours with one hour on a Wednesday to have a laugh, play games, have a good moan, build Lego from kits we sent out to everyone's homes. We even had a virtual campfire and sent the whole team Smores' kits. The pub on a Friday night was aimed at our many staff who lived on their own, this open all night event typically ended up boozy but meant people had an ear to listen and time to relax with friends.
Between all of the business efficiency, I was immensely proud of the selfless acts our staff took, making sure to contact each other and offer support as needed. The actions of the business and our people has certainly made UK Connect feel more than ever like a family, and our culture has made a significant shift in this direction.
Twelve months on this now just feels like the norm, and I have been surprised at how well we have adopted to remote working and how we have become much more efficient with our time. A lot of this has been thanks to some of the technology we have had to embrace, such as Microsoft Teams.
Digital team building to build team culture: virtual campfire, virtual secret Santa and virtual Christmas party with a live magician and cocktail making class.
In challenging times you really get an understanding of how your customers view you and your services
Our customers have been amazing. 95 % of all our business comes from the construction sector, so when the lockdown was announced, we did have some fear. But our customers have proven just as resilient. We have built some very long term relationships with our customers, and I am forever thankful that our customers trust and value our services and our commitment to get and keep them connected.
During the pandemic, we have also made new friends and found new customers. One in particular was Landmarc who are the FM provider for all Ministry of Defence sites across the UK.
Many of these sites had been turned into Covid quarantine locations to provide space for soldiers about to deploy around the world. Welfare was a top priority for the Army, and the ability to communicate with loved ones whilst on operations was a priority. This is something incredibly close to my heart as an ex-serviceman.
They needed a fast, secure and reliable Wi-Fi solution that could support over 500 users per site with only a few days notice. Our team did not let them down, and to date, we now support many camps across the UK providing this much-needed service all accelerated due to the impact of Coronavirus.
Landmarc Project: Halton Training Camp
Working closer with and for, our suppliers and becoming Elite
Extending past our customers, we also cemented our relationships with our suppliers and during the pandemic took some unexpected available time to train our technical teams further.
A key partner of UK Connect is Cradlepoint Ericsson, the number 1 global leaders for cellular routers. We are immensely proud to be only one of five Elite partners and as we move into 2021, we are the most qualified Cradlepoint Ericsson business in the UK. This will become an essential play for us as we move to 5G and Cradlepoint Ericsson launch the first commercial 5G solutions to the market.
We also leveraged the power of Ruckus Wi-Fi becoming an Elite partner and deploying their next-generation Wi-Fi access points across the UK. As we go into 2021, we will continue to deploy the power of Ruckus and combine the 5G network capability we have with the Ruckus IoT platform to help transform our customer's businesses and capabilities.
Elite partners for Cradlepoint and Ruckus.
Growing through a pandemic
There wasn't a lack of new staff in 2020 and in fact, we have almost doubled in size going from 24 to 40 in just a few months.
Many of the new starters recognised our people first approach, and I will always recognise that I see my job as looking after colleagues, who in turn look after customers, which in turn delivers success. I believe this approach has also helped us find unique talents from across the UK that have further helped accelerate our business.
Somehow, we managed to open two new offices, no small feat during a lockdown and a lot of thanks needs to go to Kate Hurst, my EA and Office Manager, for working very hard on this project. We are now open in Farnborough and Glasgow and both of these locations give us a strategic edge and allow us to be closer to our customers as well as offer more solutions and services.
In 2020 we welcomed lots of new faces!
So what's next for UK Connect in 2021?
With new staff, offices closer to customers, new solutions and a totally committed group of professionals across the business, I am very excited to see what 2021 brings. The practices we have brought in over 2020 will mostly stay in place and will have a positive impact, but our new offices and some killer partnerships will really launch UK Connect to new heights. More on our solutions will be announced in the new year, but for now, I can just say - watch this space.
But don't worry, we are still very much focussed on the construction industry but with I.T and Comms now at an all-time high in terms of demand.
One final thought
Now is of course the right place to say a personal thank you to our customers and our teams. One thing has become clearer than ever to me this year, and that is that we have all been able to appreciate the smaller things and supporting each other has benefited so many.
As many will know, UK Connect is committed to supporting local and national charities. We give away between 5-10% of profits each year to help good causes, as well as giving our staff  5 paid days a year to support charities they personally care about. This year we were also proud to partner with CMPP to further support our local communities.
Still, we want to take this even further, and I'm excited to announce that in 2021 UK Connect will launch its own charitable foundation that will directly link the money our customers spend with us to supporting children in STEM subjects and raising the ambitions of children in some of the most deprived parts of the UK.
That's it from me for another year, thanks again, be kind and we can't wait to see you all at some point in 2021!
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"Working with UK Connect has been a smooth and easy process. The team has been fantastic by going above and beyond, getting our broadband installed for us within extremely tight deadlines and ensuring the client relationship is done in an efficient manner. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the UK Connect team, as I find they are highly reliable and have good attention to detail and carry out the job to an exceptional standard.
Jonny Leivesley
Redrow Homes
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What "Worth It" Means
This post is for one of my oldest friends who was due to have her baby yesterday. Apparently everyone has been filling her in on how hard and awful and exhausting having a baby is. And all they say in the positive is, "But it's worth it..."
After a long night with a feverish baby waking up every 20-45 minutes, I'd like to (in my sleep-deprived state) share what my "worth it" is.
It's worth it when your baby recognizes your voice the instant she enters this world.
It's worth it when she then recognizes her Daddy's voice a few seconds later.
It's worth it when you see she has your eyes and her Daddy's cheeks.
It's worth it when you watch her little body and fingers and eyelashes uncurl from those cramped months like a flower blooming.
It's worth it when you see her smile for the first time. And the second. And the third...
It's worth it when she turns her head towards you when you enter the room because she can smell you.
It's worth it when you're the only one she wants.
It's worth it when it's 3 am and you doze off while nursing and then wake to find her just watching you.
It's worth it when you see her roll onto her tummy reaching for a toy.
It's worth it when you sneak up to her crib and watch her sleeping so peacefully, a binkie halfway in her mouth.
It's worth it when she figures out how to shimmy/slither/crawl in order to get to you.
It's worth it when you get to dress her up in the cutest outfits EVER.
It's worth it when you hear that most wonderful name, "Mama."
It's worth it when she lays her head on your chest, snuggled right up under your chin.
It's worth it when you watch her play in the sprinklers for the first time.
It's worth it when she laughs every time you fake sneeze. 52 times in a row.
It's worth it when you watch her smile make strangers light up on a daily basis.
It's worth it when she grabs onto your butt and wants to play choo-choo.
It's worth it when you get to watch her open presents. And it is SO much more fun than getting present ever was.
It's worth it when she's been ornery all day and when you're kneeling and cleaning up spilled cereal, she attacks your back with a bear hug and says "aawwwwww!"
It's worth it when she kisses you. For no reason.
Those are a few "worth it" moment off the top of my foggy head. Yeah, they may be cliche, but for good reason. They do, ever so, make the late nights and spit up and everything horrible you hear...worth it.
Oh, and it's worth it when she does hilarious things like deciding to make your dog the toy box while he sleeps.


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Hands-on drumming sessions for kids and polished taiko performances are among the draws at today's Children's Blessing and Festival at Koganji Temple in Manoa.
Temple founder Bishop Jikyu Rose will give a blessing as festivities start at 9:30 a.m. Kids can check out face- and nail-painting, tattoo art, video games and games of skill, and a book and toy sale. Food booths will be selling Koganji Temple's signature fresh andagi and kimono dogs, yakisoba, shave ice, baked goods, specialty komochi, jams, cakes, snacks, cookies and more.
The free festival, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is open to all.
Find out more at 988-4905 or www.koganjitemple.org.


Karimbo Bed and Breakfast is located in the historic centre of Belém, just 50 metres from Republic Square. It offers an outdoor swimming pool, free Wi-Fi and convenient accommodation. Rooms at Résidencia Karimbo Amazonia are air conditioned and feature a colourful decor with painted walls. They are equipped with a minibar and the private bathrooms have showers. Guests can enjoy the sun at the terrace by the pool. There is an on-site gym for a fanatic work out and the games room offers different kinds of table plays as well as billiards. A daily tropical breakfast is served in the eating lounge with Amazonian fruit and juices. Guests can also use the barbecue facility which is located in the garden. With its central location, entertainment can be found within the direct surroundings of Karimbo Amazonia. The hotel is only a 5 minutes' walk from Da Paz Theatre and 2 km from the docks.


It's obviously difficult to exercise discipline over our spending habits. Debit cards are considered as a better solution than credit cards and they allow us to adopt a more responsible way of handing money. They help us to easily access our own money and banks would require only small or no fees for each transactions. However, we should know that debit cards could actually be an expensive method of using money, even more than the often vilified credit cards. Banks encourage the use of debit cards and on each street corner, we may find merchants who are able to accept debit cards. The issuance of debit cards is purely backed by economical motivations and consumes are always be the loses. We shouldn't mistake the ease of use as a complete comfort. While banks don't obtain interest from debit cards, they are still able to obtain fees. One way banks obtain income from debit cards is through overdraft fees. We should know that in some countries, convenience and overdraft fees are not fully regulated. They may even be able to charge us $1 for a $1 overdraft. Banks always apply overdraft when allowing consumers to use debit cards. They ding consumers overdraft fees for any kind of transaction. This applies for both a $5 latte in Starbucks to monthly fees of Netflix. In some cases, overdraft fees can be so expensive that it's better to work with local loan sharks.
Bank will do anything they can to maximize income through the use of fees. Things can be complicated to understand and it's important to ask the bank representatives on how fees are processed. We should think how fees work with our debit cards. We should know that it's quite possible for banks to hit us with different overdraft fees for each transaction. In this case, we should make sure that we have a proper overdraft protection. We should convince the bank to stop implementing the use of overdrafts. Unfortunately, some banks may refuse to do that for us. It's obvious that overdrafts fees are very profitable for banks and they don't want to terminate their source of income. At least, it is important that we are able to freely check the amount of money in our savings account. With all the problems, it's probably better that we stick with our ATM cards. It could be a bit troublesome to look for the nearest ATM, but the amount of fees will be minimal and we would be able to limit financial losses through fees and charges. The more we use debits cards, the more likely we will be ripped up. We should do ourselves a favor and avoid losing money. We should go to the nearest ATM regularly, as an example once a week to get a predetermined amount of money for our weekly usages. However, we should know that this method could work well only if we have a proper budgeting system. It allows us to know how much money that we will need in one week. Without a good budgeting, things will be much more difficult manage.


As spring approaches, many sit on the edge of their seat for the warm weather, blooming bright nature, and the start of the annual festivities. During these three months of the year, millions of people celebrate what the season brings and has to offer. Below are five unique spring traditions that are a perfect way to start the new season!
Anticipation for the springtime cannot be contained for many who live in Japan. As spring arrives the tradition of Hanami comes with it, bringing peace and community spirit throughout the island. During this time people set up picnics underneath the trees and enjoy a day in the shaded sun. These beautifully bright trees start to bloom at the end of March welcoming April in a festive way.
Japan is a hugely popular travel destination during cherry blossom season. The Japanese have appreciated cherry blossoms from as early as the eighth century when imperial courtiers enjoyed picnics and poetry sessions beneath the sakura (cherry blossoms).
This tradition can also be found in the U.S., more specifically the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. The festivities start in the middle of March when the flowers begin to bloom and last up to four weeks! Along with an opening ceremony to kick-start the celebration, there are also tents set up along the water where you can capture scenic photos, see local artwork, and grab a bite to eat.
April 13 marks the start of the celebration, and the festivities normally continue for two to four days after. To celebrate the New Year, a public water fight takes place in the middle of the streets. Friends, neighbors, and strangers enjoy a day of liquid fun enjoying their last day of the year. The use of water is a symbol of purification and the act of cleansing before the new year. Along with the water festival, many go to temples and give offerings as a tradition before the New Year begins. Travel to Thailand for a unique glimpse of their culture.
A folklore is told that an old lady's attitude changes as much as the weather in March. Because of this, the first day of March is named in her honor where the people of Bulgaria adorn themselves in the traditional red and white colors. The red is to represent blood and life while the white symbolizes purity.
In preparation, they make martinitsi's or bracelets using the same colors. These bracelets are tied to fruit trees to give them longevity and a prosperous season. Pizho and Penda wooden dolls (shown below) are also made and tied to trees holding the same meaning. Spring traditions don't get any lovelier than this and you have to travel to Bulgaria to see for yourself.
Starting on the night of the full moon, this Hindu celebration welcomes the arrival of spring. That night, the festivities start with Holika Dhan where families burn an effigy in tradition and honor. In the morning, Rangwali Holi starts where residents take to the streets with colored powder and water for a messy day of festivities.
After a day of running around in joyous fun, a dinner is made to calm down the excitement and end the day of a happy note. India is the ultimate travel destination for these unique festivities.
Many travel lovers gather at the Kulkulkan temple at Chichen Itza to watch the special 'light show' the equinox creates. The bi-annual occurrence bends the sun's light to make it look like a snake slithering down the side. Each year thousands of locals and travel lovers gather at this site to watch the unique phenomena. The five-hour event is filled with traditional food and performances by local bands and artists. It is a day to spend with friends and family while celebrating the new season.
Another popular location to see the spring/ vernal equinox is the Machu Picchu, Peru. Many make their way up the mountain to reach the Intihuatana Stone created by the Inca's to be a solar clock. During the 2 equinoxes, however, the shadow disappears for a brief second before reappearing. This occurrence is because of how the clock was designed, letting the people in the past know that it was the start of the new season.
We hope you get a chance to travel to these gorgeous countries to soak in their spring traditions.


Our food and wine guide explores accessible delights.
How the state sprayed a vineyard with herbicide, caused it to lose organic status, and didn't even apologize.
ACLU gets Sonoma County to retool collaboration with ICE; Nueva trova at Bayer Farm.
Rare Chinese maple being saved from extinction at this Glen Ellen preserve.
Calling the 'News of the World' what it really is: a scandal sheet.
Preview: Spotify hits the U.S.
Free music streaming service spreads rapidly; a paid "premium" account seems to be the best option.
You never know who might show up at this annual fundraiser.
Classc coffehouse coming; grand opening Aug. 6.
Rustic minimalist lounge in Guerneville with a list long on local underdogs.
Second year for heritage-celebrating funfest of boats, music and more.


The partnership supports professional skills development in sustainable tourism, emphasizing the importance of the GSTC Criteria as the baseline standards for sustainability in travel and tourism, and the PM4SD (Project Management for Sustainable Development) method as an effective tool for implementing sustainability practices.
The strategic alliance is an important part of the GSTC's goals of increasing the knowledge of sustainable tourism and "developing and identifying the tools and resources to facilitate the transition to sustainable practices".
PM4SD (Project Management for Sustainable Development) is an internationally recognized methodology and professional qualification designed to help ensure tourism projects deliver benefits for all stakeholders and achieve lasting impacts.
While the GSTC Criteria, as the baseline standard for sustainability in travel and tourism, provide what should be done to achieve sustainable tourism best practices by businesses (hotels and tour operators) and destinations, the PM4SD method empowers professionals with tools and techniques to better plan and manage projects in sustainable tourism (how to implement sustainable tourism best practices).
In particular, PM4SD as a holistic management system is relevant to destination organizations and their implementation of the Sustainable Management pillar (Section A) of the GSTC-Destination Criteria.
The strategic alliance between the GSTC and FEST focuses on the two organizations' respective training program: the Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP) by the GSTC, and the PM4SD training, which is part of the professional qualification certification for project managers, offered through APMG International.
PM4SD as a Tool for Applying the GSTC Criteria: Through this partnership, key aspects of the PM4SD method will be incorporated into the training curriculum of the GSTC STTP, as one of the tools and mechanisms to be recommended for tourism industry stakeholders.
GSTC Criteria as Part of the "Sustainable Tourism Context" for PM4SD: The PM4SD training curriculum recognizes the GSTC Criteria as an important standard providing a detailed definition of sustainable tourism and helping establish the context for the PM4SD training.
A specialized training scheme for tourism professionals, the PM4SD training forms an important benchmark for competitiveness and growth in the tourism industry and the achievement of sustainable development goals.
In collaboration with Jlag, a PM4SD accredited training organization, and TrainingAid, an international tourism training company specialized in sustainable tourism (GSTC member and GSTC training program partner), the PM4SD certificate courses are now available online.
Through the GSTC-FEST partnership, GSTC members receive the special Partner rate to take part in the PM4SD online training courses. For details, please see this page (member log-in required), or the Member Bulletin from 26/01/2018. If you missed the Member Bulletin email, you can find it under the Members Area section.
*PM4SD offers two certificate levels, Foundation and Practitioner. The Foundation training is designed to provide participants with knowledge and understanding to work effectively within a project management team to successfully deliver a sustainable tourism project. The Foundation level training is a prerequisite for the practitioner certification, which is focused on the skills to manage and deliver a sustainable project using PM4SD.


From now through November 2, 2018, we are again collecting items for the Central Florida Paralegal Association's Support the Troops Care Packages.
If you have any items that you wish to donate, please bring those items to the October Bar Luncheon or drop your items off at Ernie Mullins' office located at 519 Patrick Street; Kissimmee, Florida.
For more information please check out the flyer in our Newsletter.