1. What does a call from God sound like?
2. What do you priests do all day (especially during the week)?
Weekends tend to be taken up with many things such as Sunday Mass, weddings, baptisms, youth ministry, etc. As for the rest of the week, it's may be spent working with church groups (e.g. religious education, future planning, outreach to the poor, financial matters of the parish, etc.) or with individuals (preparing for marriage, dealing with loss, the sick, those in need of spiritual counseling, etc.). Of course it is always important balance one's responsibilities with prayer, leisure, and maintaining good health. Sometimes priests or religious have one main occupation, such as teaching, parish ministry, social work, or hospital work, all of which have somewhat regular hours and predictable demands. Each has its own rhythm. Obviously a parish setting is different from a high school setting. In some ways, it is hard to answer this question exactly because the focus of a religious vocation is serving the needs of those God brings into your life. This requires certain openness to the unpredictable or the unexpected. One thing for sure, it's never boring!
3. Do priests and religious get time off? If so, what do they do?
Priests, brothers, and sisters have approximately the same amount of leisure time as most adults. All priests in our diocese, for instance, are given a weekly day off and vacation times throughout the year. Each individual is then free to pursue one's favorite leisure activities whether that be reading, sports, travel or computers (personally, I love hockey and foreign travel!). Whether it's going to a concert or watching one's favorite teams on TV (Go Noles!), priests and religious are free to pursue leisure activities they enjoy. There is no such thing as "priest hobbies." Priests, brothers and sisters are unique with different likes and dislikes. Common choices are sports, movies, TV, reading, friends, and enjoying the outdoors.
4. How important is prayer?
Since prayer is so important, most priests and religious spend approximately two hours a day in prayer-part of that time with others, at Mass and in common oral prayer; part alone, in reading and quiet attentiveness. Probably the main benefit of prayer is that it makes us more sensitive to God's activity in the people, events, and circumstances of daily life.
5. Is prayer always easy?
6. What's the difference between a diocesan priest and a religious priest?
A diocesan priest ordinarily serves the church within a well-defined geographical area (a diocese). He serves the people within that particular diocese as a parish priest, but may also be involved in other forms of ministry: teaching, chaplainry in hospitals or prisons, campus ministry, etc. Most diocesan priests live and work in the same diocese for most of their life. Diocesan priests make two promises: obedience to the bishop and celibacy. This means that they promise to work with the Bishop and do what he asks them to do for the needs of the people of the diocese. Celibacy (chastity) is the promise they take that means that they will not get married, so that they can spend most of their time serving the people of God. Being part of a diocese or an order is like being part of a family. The men are like brothers to each other and usually turn out to be some of your best friends.
A religious priest, on the other hand, is a member of a community which goes beyond the geographical limits of any diocese. A religious priest seeks to live a vowed life within a community of men for mutual support and the accomplishment of some work. There is an emphasis in the community on shared ideals, prayer, and commitment to Christ. Religious priests work in a wide variety of ministries. Religious communities were founded at different times in history and often focus on a special ministry (e.g. the Jesuits are involved in education and missionary work, the Salesians work with the young. See our Religious Link for more specific information on specific Religious Communities in our diocese). As members of a worldwide order or group of men, following the ideals of their founder (e.g. the Franciscans follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi), they make vows to live their lives in the same manner. The vows that religious priests make are poverty, celibacy (chastity), and obedience. The vow of poverty means that the priest will not own anything of his own. A religious, for instance, would not personally own a car, but more than likely would have the use of one provided by his community. All of his property will be shared by the brothers in his order.
7. What are the differences between Brothers, Priests and Monks?
A brother commits himself to Christ by vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience, lives in religious community, and works in nearly any job: teacher, cook, lawyer, and so on. Brothers are not sacramental ministers; they are not ordained and so do not preside at mass, reconciliation, or the anointing of the sick. The role and ministry of a brother is as diverse as being a nurse to a teacher to working in the missions to being a CEO of a hospital.
8. How long does it take to become a diocesan priest?
Generally it takes six to seven years after college or nine years after high school to become a diocesan priest, the same as for many professions. The actual amount depends on how much and the type of education you have received prior to entering the seminary. Your Vocation Director let you know exactly how long it should take in your specific case.
9. How old must one be to enter the seminary?
10. What is seminary like?
A seminary is a place to prepare and train men for the priesthood while they continue to discern God's call and will in their lives. There are two types of seminaries – College Seminaries and Major Seminaries (Theologates). Both are academic institutions and so like any other place of higher learning, one takes classes, and works toward receiving fully accredited college degrees. A college seminary focuses on undergraduate studies and so is very much like any other college in terms of curriculum. Usually seminarians are asked to seek an undergraduate degree in Philosophy. A Major seminary is a Graduate school and so offers Masters degrees in Theology. The seminaries that the Diocese of St. Petersburg utilizes are both located in Florida (St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami and St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach). In addition to classes, there would be times of daily prayer (such as Mass). At times things are very busy at the seminary (exam week!). Like any other college, seminarians have free time, which they may use to study, pray, exercise, play sports, read, watch TV, go to the movies, or simply hang out with their friends. There are also opportunities for pastoral and community service. Another part of seminary is formation which is the guidance and direction one receives from those running the seminary. This may be internal (e.g. Spiritual direction) or external (recognizing one's gifts or areas of growth) In formation, we meet with others to help us understand our calling and to see if priesthood is for us. To be a good priest, it takes prayer, trust, and love of God and our fellow brothers and sisters. The best way to answer this question is to go on a Vocation Awareness Weekend (either November or March) where you get the chance to visit the seminary and get a taste of seminary life.
11. If I'm thinking about giving seminary a try, what should I tell my girlfriend?
12. What do sisters do?
The ministry choices for a woman religious arise from the founding purpose of her community, a prayerful discernment of her gifts, and an assessment within her community of the signs of the times. A woman religious and her community look together at the needs of the church and society in order to determine where to direct their energies.
The way a particular sister spends her day depends on the kind of community to which she belongs. Contemplative nuns often work to sustain their community in food and shelter doing tasks such as gardening, baking, computer data entry or handiwork. Active (apostolic) communities are involved in a great variety of ministries – usually with an emphasis on some type of special service such as education, social work, or parish pastoral work.
13. How do congregations or orders differ?
Most groups of religious were founded at a time in history when travel and communication were very limited. Many congregations were founded at the same time for the same purpose, but at different places by people who didn't know each other. Founders had a specific spirit or charism they wanted to develop in their community (such as hospitality, simplicity, or unity). The charism, the community's specific ministries, and varying emphases on prayer and community life are the basic differences among religious communities. All are alike in their primary concern: to spread the gospel message.
14. Why do some priests and religious wear habits or clerical garb?
15. Do I have to agree with all church teachings to be a priest or a member of a religious order?
Church teachings vary in gravity and centrality to the faith. To be a priest, brother, or sister is to be a public person in the Church. So if you have serious differences with matters essential to the faith, then vowed or ordained life for you might be conflictual. However, some of the church's greatest saints dissented on certain matters. Many founders of religious communities met with this very challenge as they sought to bring something new for God's people. Consult with a few people – vocation directors, priests, religious, theology teachers – to ascertain what the Church actually teaches today. Many times the conflicts we think we might have can be answered and overcome with greater study, reflection, and dialogue.
16. How does one join a religious community?
To become a religious sister, a religious brother, or a religious order priest, there are several stages. While these vary from community to community in name, length of time, and format, the following outline gives a general view of formation programs.
Contact: A person of high-school age or older who is interested in religious life but is still searching for the answer to the question, What does God want of me? Can I join a program of contact with a religious community? The formation program is usually very flexible. The person meets monthly with a priest, brother, or sister and shares in experiences of prayer and community life with the congregation in which he or she is interested.
Vows: Promises of poverty, celibacy, and obedience may be taken for one, two, or three years, depending upon the decision of the individual. These promises are renewable for up to nine years. Final vows can be made after three years of temporary promises.
Additionally men studying for religious priesthood must also undergo seminary training, where he studies theology, the Bible, the teachings of the church, and the skills he will need to be a priest.
17. What is a religious vow? What vows do diocesan priests make?
A vow is a solemn promise made freely as an individual gives his or her life to God. Many religious communities make vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. Some communities have other vows. Diocesan priests do not make vows. For ordination, they freely make promises of celibacy and obedience to their bishop.
18. Do priests get paid?
No one becomes a priest because of the money, that's for sure. You obviously can't put a price tag on the spiritual rewards of being a priest and dedicating one's life to God, but diocesan priests are not expected to live in destitution either. Diocesan priests are paid a salary as they are responsible for their own expenses (e.g. buying a car, putting gas in it, purchasing clothes, paying taxes, etc.). Obviously, priests are not concerned with earning enough for a spouse and children. This combined with the fact that many of the basic necessities are provided (such as housing, food, insurance, etc.), I have found that my salary is more than adequate to pay for my expenses, yet also giving me the freedom to be able to explore the leisure activities I enjoy.
19. Are priests allowed to drink (other than at Mass)?
The simple answer is yes. Priests are over 21 after all. It's important to remember that priests are human and do what other people do. So yes, priests can drink alcohol and some do. But because we're called upon to live a holy life, we do it in moderation. There is a big difference between having a beer or two and getting sauced every Friday night. Any Christian who chooses to drink alcohol should always do so in moderation. The same moral code applies to priests and lay people alike. So as long as we have fun and don't get too carried away we can celebrate like everyone else.
20. How tough is the schooling one has to complete to become a priest?
The academic portion of seminary is any important part of seminary training. After all no one would want to have a surgeon operate on him if he barely passed medical school. The work of priests is at least as, if not more, important than the work of doctors. After all, the most a physician can do is delay death; the work of a priest brings life eternal! After a priest has completed seminary, he has at least a Bachelors and a Master's degree (maybe more depending on the program). The classes in the seminary help us not only to be good priests, but it is from this theological and philosophical foundation out of which we will minister to God's people. At the seminary, one takes classes on everything from the Bible, to Church history, to Dogma, to how to prepare and give homilies, and all sorts of other interesting items that relate to the Church. Different people have different gifts. It is not expected that every priest needs to get straight "A's" only that they do their best to reach their fullest potential. As long as you work hard and dedicate yourself to your studies, you probably could make it. If God wants it to be, it will be. After all, the patron of parish priests, Saint John Vianney had many struggles in the seminary and yet is held up today by the Church as the ideal pastor. Sometimes people haven't done that well academically in the past (either in high school or college). Sometimes there are many reasons for this. Maybe they never learned good study skills, or maybe their free time was taken up with work, or maybe there were other priorities that took precedence (e.g. an overactive social life). Seminary not only gives you the tools to succeed, but oftentimes frees the individual from distractions which might be competing with their time. Sometimes people who didn't do very well before, do very well in seminary. It's not because seminary studies are easy, but because they were never given the opportunity to succeed. The only way you'll know is if you try!
21. What if someone goes to the seminary and then decides he doesn't want to become a priest?
After someone is ordained to the priesthood it a little more complicated. After all the person has made commitment to God and the Church, just like in marriage. Yes, unfortunately divorce does exist in our society and yes some priests do leave the priesthood for various reasons. No one is going to force anyone to stay. This is something which needs to be given consideration and one needs to look at any underlying reasons. Can a priest leave the priesthood? Yes. Should they? That's another question entirely.
22. Do priests in a diocese have to be parish priests?
There are a variety of ministries where priests in our diocese serve. Yes, most do serve in parishes, some as pastors, and as parochial vicars. Other priests serve as chaplains in hospitals, or work in schools. Some work in prisons or are involved in the administration of our diocese. Some work with young, others with the elderly. There are many ways to serve God as a priest (some I'm sure have yet to be discovered).
23. What if God calls someone to the priesthood, but they don't answer it and choose another vocation?
If someone knew that God was calling him to priesthood, why would he say no? Would it be out of fear? I don't have what it takes. Would it be out of selfishness? I don't want to give up this or that. Would it be out of confusion? I'm not sure if this is for me or I could do it. God calls us all in one way or another. Certainly not everyone is being called to be a priest or nun. I think St. Therese said it best when she said, "God calls those he wants!" Why would we say no to God? What God has in mind for us is so much better than anything we could imagine for ourselves (I am constantly amazed at all that is part of my life as a priest!). Our happiness and well being may very well depend on our response to God's call!
24. Do you have to do your own laundry? Cooking? Cleaning?
Most priests live in rectories with other priests. Usually there is a housekeeper or someone who takes care of the basics of cleaning the house, doing laundry, and cooking. This is to free the priest from domestic concerns so as to offer his time to the people he serves. We certainly don't live like kings and we don't look upon people as servants. Some priests enjoy cooking and occasionally do it for themselves.
25. If someone has lived an immoral life can they still become a priest?
God is very loving and forgiving. Redemption can take place anytime throughout our lives. Sometimes after people have turned their lives around, with the help of God, and dedicate themselves to Christ, that they may be aware of a still deeper call from God. Generally speaking, it is less important what someone has done in the past than what one is willing to embrace in the present and future. There are limits of course to how we live our lives. Honesty is always the best policy. Speak to your Vocation Director about any concerns or reservations you may have. When we enter formation and work towards ordination we assume the roles of living a celibate lifestyle and living a moral life with our God.
26. Why are priests called Father?
27. Why do priests and religious have to remain celibate?
Priests and Religious Sisters and Brothers make the choice of celibacy for two principal reasons. It is so they can totally dedicate themselves to God and service of his people. Many people assume that this must be a very difficult, lonely, way of life. If God were not in it, it certainly would be. Prayer is so important to living this way of life. Celibacy frees the individual from immediate responsibilities of a particular family and opens the individual up to the needs and concerns of the larger family of God. It seems to me no coincidence that we use family words (father, sister, and brother) to refer to those in a religious vocation. People don't choose celibacy because they don't want to get married (quite the contrary). They choose to live this way out of devotion to God.
28. Are there any support groups in the Diocese of St. Petersburg for those discerning the priesthood?
Indeed there are. The Vocation Office sponsors the "Anima Via" Vocation Support Group. Anima Via (literally "Way of the Soul") is an ongoing group of reflection, prayer and dialogue for those considering a Vocation. Currently, we meet on the First Thursday of the month at Nativity Parish in Brandon. For more information, you can email Fr. Carl at spvocation@dosp.org or you can look under discernment opportunities for more detailed information.
29. Can you recommend any good books for one who is thinking about the priesthood?
What does God want? A Practical Guide to Making Decisions by Fr. Michael Scanlon.
The best book however is the Bible. By reading and studying this you will hopefully see the calling that God is offering you!
30. What kind of academic degrees do priests get?
Those who went to a college seminary receive a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Philosophy. There are many options in terms of minors and electives. Individuals who come to seminary after already achieving an undergraduate degree receive a Pre-Theology certificate that puts special emphasis on philosophy. At a major seminary, seminarians usually have a number of options. Most common would be a Masters of Divinity. Additionally, many might also receive a Masters of Theology or a Masters of Arts. Sometimes these degrees have areas of specialization such as Scripture, Church History, Moral Theology or Systematic (Dogmatic) Theology. Sometimes after ordination, priests opt to continue their education to receive additional Masters degrees (maybe in another area such as Liturgy, Canon Law, or Education) or even Doctorate degrees.
31. Should I go to the seminary now or wait?


text:
require 'test_helper'

class CmsBlockTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase

  def test_fixtures_validity
    CmsBlock.all.each do |block|
      assert block.valid?
    end
  end

end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Letter sent by mail missing from my account?
I was just looking at past letters to see if I answered all of the questions in my child's last letter. (It's been a real busy summer, and I am trying to catch up on my letters.) I have tried to keep all of the text part of the letters on my computer, so I was comparing what I have saved to what is in my account. In the process, I noticed I have a letter saved on my computer which I sent by snail mail which I cannot find in the list of letters that I sent to my child in my account. I find this somewhat frustrating and very concerning. Did my child not receive this letter?? I often put a lot of time and thought into writing my letters, and it would be very discouraging to know (or even think) that some of my letters don't make it to my child. I thought all letters were scanned into our account, even the ones sent by post office mail. The letter in question is written to Camilo and dated May 24 at the top of my typed letter. Please let me know why I cannot find a record of this letter in my account. Thank you.
I am so sorry for the confusion with this letter. I completely understand how frustrating and disheartening it is to know how much love, and encouragement you have poured into a letter just to think it may have never reached your sweet child. Please know I am so sorry that this has made you question our letter system and that your kiddos may miss letters from time to time. We do everything in our power to make sure things like this do not happen, because we truly value the relationship that our sponsors can build with their kiddos through letters!
With that said, I am so thankful to let you know that I was able to locate your letter! However, it does look like it was flagged for an issue, although it is not clearly indicated what the issue is. Typically when things like this happen, they may be delayed a bit but will still go through just fine, however this one has taken a bit longer than I am comfortable with. Please know that I am sending this one directly to my supervisor in hopes we can escalate this and get it sent speedy fast. Again, I am so sorry about this. Once I hear back from her about this issue, I will get in touch with you, with an update.
Thank you so much, Shannon. Yes, I am glad I spotted this too. Is it something I did (or didn't do) that caused the letter to be flagged? This letter was in direct response to a question my child had asked me and a topic my child was interested it. I put a lot of thought into my responses, and was able to bounce off of the topic to encourage safety. I have a really good relationship with that child, and I don't think anything I said would offend him. I saw it as education, interest, and curiosity. I learned a few things too!
Beth, it was nothing you did that caused this issue; it was just a simple mistake that caused the letter to not go through processing the way it should have. I am so glad that you caught this and that we are able to get it translated and sent on to your child as it sounds like the two of you had a wonderful conversation going :).


The adventures of Finn & Jake will forever live on with Adventure Time: The Complete Series DVD box set and a soundtrack box set, sold separately.
From visionary creator Pendleton Ward, Adventure Time: The Complete Series 22-disc DVD collection, available April 30, includes all 238 captivating episodes from the Emmy-Award winning series. The Enchiridion collectible packaging will feature an immersive 25-page storybook, including a centerpiece pop-up with custom illustrations showcasing all the beloved characters. The collector's box set will also include an all-new bonus disc enabling fans to immerse themselves in hours of exclusive special features.
Fans can transport themselves back to any episode and sing along with over 160 songs spanning the entire series. Available May 3 for digital download & streaming on all major platforms, this must-have box set will include "Bacon Pancakes," fan-favorite "My Best Friends in the World," and more!
Additionally, a multi-format physical box set with custom illustration, in partnership with Mondo, will include vinyl, CD, and cassette and be available for pre-order starting May 3, 2019.
Created in collaboration with The Art of Elysium, a non-profit artist organization built on the idea that through service, art becomes a catalyst for social change. This unique art project encouraged youth and teens to use their own individual artistic creativity to animate over 1200 different cells. Each piece of animation was then joined together to create the video, perfectly commemorating ten amazing seasons of this groundbreaking show.
"Farewell Tour" – A comprehensive retrospective with those who created some of the most unforgettable moments of the series including executive producer and showrunner Adam Muto; voice of Finn, Jeremy Shada; voice of Marceline the Vampire, Olivia Olson; Summer Camp Island creator, Julia Pott; Over the Garden Wall creator, Patrick McHale; The New York Times bestselling author and Steven Universe creator, Rebecca Sugar; OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes creator, Ian Jones-Quartey and more.
Music Videos – See visual imagery of popular songs, live performances from the cast and friends of the series at San Diego Comic Con and more!
No way! I am so hyped up for this!!
I'm soooooooo ready for this!
That's very…. odd, that's its DVD and not blu ray. Or at least have an option for blu ray. I get you dont really need the 'higher graphics' of a blu ray, but it would be half the amount of disks.


text:
Q: How to format chat conversations in markdowntextblock in Windows Universal application (windows 10) I am building a chat application in which i have below xaml code -
<Page
x:Class="MyProject1.MainPage"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:controls="using:Microsoft.Toolkit.Uwp.UI.Controls"
mc:Ignorable="d" Background="Black">
<Grid Background="White" Name="mainGrid">

    <Border  BorderBrush="Cyan" BorderThickness="0.2" Margin="3,0,3,3">
        <ListView x:Name="ListView" VerticalAlignment="Bottom" SelectionMode="None" IsItemClickEnabled="True">
            <ListView.ItemTemplate>
                <DataTemplate>
                    <controls:MarkdownTextBlock Name="markdownBlock" Text="{Binding Text}" TextWrapping="Wrap" FontFamily="Segoe-UI">
                    </controls:MarkdownTextBlock>
                </DataTemplate>
            </ListView.ItemTemplate>
            <ListView.ItemContainerStyle>
                <Style TargetType="ListViewItem">
                    <Setter Property="FontSize" Value="14" />
                    <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="Black" />
                </Style>
            </ListView.ItemContainerStyle>
        </ListView>
    </Border>
</Grid>
</Page>

I use below code in my code behind to send text to the MarkdownTextBlock control
            messages.Add(new Message() { Text = "**Person 1:** " + message });

and the  response -
            messages.Add(new Message() { Text = "**Person 2:** " + activity.Text });

Right now the format is plain background like below -
Person 1: Hello, How are you doing?
Person 2: Hi, I am doing great!
How can i format these plain messages to get conversation feel like we have in skype as

I am new to Windows Application development, I am not sure how to format the text as conversations within markdown text block, could you guide me?
Do I need to create a table within markdown control and pass the messages by having background color on rows? not sure how to do this. Any help?
Updated view -
<Page
    x:Class="MyProject1.MainPage"
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
    xmlns:gif="using:XamlAnimatedGif"
    xmlns:local="using:LISA_Speech1"
    xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
    xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
    xmlns:controls="using:Microsoft.Toolkit.Uwp.UI.Controls"
    mc:Ignorable="d" Background="Black">

    <Page.Resources>
        <Style x:Key="MessageItemStyle" TargetType="SelectorItem">
            <Setter Property="Height" Value="Auto" />
            <Setter Property="Width" Value="450" />
            <Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="Stretch" />
            <Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment" Value="Stretch" />
            <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Stretch" />
            <Setter Property="Padding" Value="10" />
            <Setter Property="Margin" Value="5" />
        </Style>

        <Style
        x:Key="RightAlignedMessageStyle"
        BasedOn="{StaticResource MessageItemStyle}"
        TargetType="SelectorItem">
            <Setter Property="Background" Value="LightGray" />
            <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Right" />
        </Style>

        <Style
        x:Key="LeftAlignedMessageStyle"
        BasedOn="{StaticResource MessageItemStyle}"
        TargetType="SelectorItem">
            <Setter Property="Background" Value="Orange" />
            <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Left" />
        </Style>

        <styleSelectors:MessageContainerStyleSelector
        x:Key="MessageContainerStyleSelector"
        ReceivedStyle="{StaticResource LeftAlignedMessageStyle}"
        Sender="{x:Bind CurrentUser, Mode=OneWay}"
        SentStyle="{StaticResource RightAlignedMessageStyle}" />

        <DataTemplate x:Key="MessageTemplate" x:DataType="messages:Message">
            <Grid>
                <Grid.RowDefinitions>
                    <RowDefinition />
                    <RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
                </Grid.RowDefinitions>

                <TextBlock
                Style="{StaticResource BodyTextBlockStyle}"
                Text="{x:Bind Message, Mode=OneWay}"
                TextWrapping="WrapWholeWords" />

                <StackPanel
                Grid.Row="1"
                Margin="0,5,0,0"
                HorizontalAlignment="Right"
                Orientation="Horizontal">
                    <TextBlock
                    HorizontalAlignment="Right"
                    Style="{StaticResource CaptionTextBlockStyle}"
                    Text="{x:Bind SentDate, Mode=OneWay}" />
                </StackPanel>
            </Grid>
        </DataTemplate>

        <ItemsPanelTemplate x:Key="MessageItemPanelTemplate">
            <ItemsStackPanel VerticalAlignment="Bottom" ItemsUpdatingScrollMode="KeepLastItemInView" />
        </ItemsPanelTemplate>
    </Page.Resources>

    <Grid Background="Black" Name="mainGrid">

        <Grid.RowDefinitions>
            <RowDefinition Height="*"></RowDefinition>
            <RowDefinition Height="50"></RowDefinition>
        </Grid.RowDefinitions>

        <Border  BorderBrush="Cyan" BorderThickness="0.2" Margin="3,0,3,3">
            <ListView
    x:Name="Messages"
    Margin="10"
    CanDrag="False"
    CanReorderItems="False"
    IsItemClickEnabled="False"
    IsTapEnabled="False"
    ItemContainerStyleSelector="{StaticResource MessageContainerStyleSelector}"
    ItemTemplate="{StaticResource MessageTemplate}"
    ItemsPanel="{StaticResource MessageItemPanelTemplate}"
    ItemsSource="{x:Bind Text, Mode=OneWay}" />
        </Border>

        <Grid Grid.Row="1">
            <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                <ColumnDefinition Width="*"></ColumnDefinition>
                <ColumnDefinition Width="35"></ColumnDefinition>
            </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
            <TextBox x:Name="text" KeyUp="TextBox_KeyDown" Grid.Column="0" PlaceholderText="Type something or say 'Start Listening'" FontSize="17" BorderBrush="Purple" Margin="0,10,0,-7" Height="58" VerticalAlignment="Top">
            </TextBox>

            <Button x:Name="button" Click="Button_Click" Grid.Column="1" Height="58" Width="35" Padding="0" Background="Purple" Margin="0,10,0,-7">
                <SymbolIcon x:Name="symbol" Symbol="Microphone" Width="35" HorizontalAlignment="Center" Foreground="White" Margin="-2,-8,-2,-2"/>
            </Button>
        </Grid>

        <MediaElement x:Name="Media"></MediaElement>
    </Grid>
</Page>

A: You can achieve this quite simple using an ItemContainerStyleSelector. What this will do is allow you to create some logic that takes your chat message object and determine if it was sent or received.
For example, your model may look like this:
public class Message
{
    public Guid Id { get; set; }

    public string UserTo { get; set; }

    public string UserFrom { get; set; }

    public string Message { get; set; }

    public DateTime SentDate { get; set; }
}

You then will create the StyleSelector like this:
public class MessageContainerStyleSelector : StyleSelector
{
    public Style SentStyle { get; set; }

    public Style ReceivedStyle { get; set; }

    public string Sender { get; set; }

    protected override Style SelectStyleCore(object item, DependencyObject container)
    {
        var message = item as Message;
        if (message != null)
        {
            return message.UserFrom.Equals(this.Sender, StringComparison.CurrentCultureIgnoreCase)
                       ? this.SentStyle
                       : this.ReceivedStyle;
        }

        return base.SelectStyleCore(item, container);
    }
}

From here, we then need to create the styles that will be used with this style selector and they are very simple. They will also give you flexibility for the colors you're looking to use for the sent or received messages.
In your view, you may have styles set up like this:
<Page.Resources>
    <Style x:Key="MessageItemStyle" TargetType="SelectorItem">
        <Setter Property="Height" Value="Auto" />
        <Setter Property="Width" Value="450" />
        <Setter Property="HorizontalContentAlignment" Value="Stretch" />
        <Setter Property="VerticalContentAlignment" Value="Stretch" />
        <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Stretch" />
        <Setter Property="Padding" Value="10" />
        <Setter Property="Margin" Value="5" />
    </Style>

    <Style
        x:Key="RightAlignedMessageStyle"
        BasedOn="{StaticResource MessageItemStyle}"
        TargetType="SelectorItem">
        <Setter Property="Background" Value="LightGray" />
        <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Right" />
    </Style>

    <Style
        x:Key="LeftAlignedMessageStyle"
        BasedOn="{StaticResource MessageItemStyle}"
        TargetType="SelectorItem">
        <Setter Property="Background" Value="Orange" />
        <Setter Property="HorizontalAlignment" Value="Left" />
    </Style>

    <styleSelectors:MessageContainerStyleSelector
        x:Key="MessageContainerStyleSelector"
        ReceivedStyle="{StaticResource LeftAlignedMessageStyle}"
        Sender="{x:Bind CurrentUser, Mode=OneWay}"
        SentStyle="{StaticResource RightAlignedMessageStyle}" />

    <DataTemplate x:Key="MessageTemplate" x:DataType="messages:Message">
        <Grid>
            <Grid.RowDefinitions>
                <RowDefinition />
                <RowDefinition Height="Auto" />
            </Grid.RowDefinitions>

            <TextBlock
                Style="{StaticResource BodyTextBlockStyle}"
                Text="{x:Bind Message, Mode=OneWay}"
                TextWrapping="WrapWholeWords" />

            <StackPanel
                Grid.Row="1"
                Margin="0,5,0,0"
                HorizontalAlignment="Right"
                Orientation="Horizontal">
                <TextBlock
                    HorizontalAlignment="Right"
                    Style="{StaticResource CaptionTextBlockStyle}"
                    Text="{x:Bind SentDate, Mode=OneWay}" />
            </StackPanel>
        </Grid>
    </DataTemplate>

    <ItemsPanelTemplate x:Key="MessageItemPanelTemplate">
        <ItemsStackPanel VerticalAlignment="Bottom" ItemsUpdatingScrollMode="KeepLastItemInView" />
    </ItemsPanelTemplate>
</Page.Resources>

In these styles, you see that we are using a base style which the two chat message styles inherit from. We are using a right/left alignment in this scenario so your messages will show on either side of the screen but here you can customize each style to your own needs.
A few other things to point out here, we are also declaring the DataTemplate that will be used to show layout the message. Notice here we aren't doing anything custom. Every message will layout the same, it's the container style that will alter how they appear in the ListView.
Also the ItemsPanelTemplate at the bottom allows the ListView to present the messages bottom up in a chat style format.
In regards to how this all ties together with your ListView in the page, you would now use the MessageContainerStyleSelector like this:
<ListView
    x:Name="Messages"
    Margin="10"
    CanDrag="False"
    CanReorderItems="False"
    IsItemClickEnabled="False"
    IsTapEnabled="False"
    ItemContainerStyleSelector="{StaticResource MessageContainerStyleSelector}"
    ItemTemplate="{StaticResource MessageTemplate}"
    ItemsPanel="{StaticResource MessageItemPanelTemplate}"
    ItemsSource="{x:Bind Messages, Mode=OneWay}" />

When you're running the app, you'll get something that looks similar to this:

Hopefully this is something to go off and you can take this further with this detail. Feel free to ask any questions, I'm happy to help.

A: The first thing I would do is a custom control called MessageViewer. In this one you could have a parameter that tells you what's the direction of the message, or just two another classes MessageViewerIn and MessageViewerOut that could be like this:
XAML:
<Grid>
    <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
        <ColumnDefinition Width="50"></ColumnDefinition>
        <ColumnDefinition></ColumnDefinition>
        <ColumnDefinition Width="50"></ColumnDefinition>
    </Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
    <Rectangle Grid.Column="1" Fill="LightBlue" RadiusX="15" RadiusY="15"></Rectangle>
    <TextBlock Grid.Column="1" VerticalAlignment="Center" Margin="10" Text="Some dummy text here"></TextBlock>
</Grid>

Now, via code you could understand if you need an image on the LEFT or RIGHT column of this grid. Everything will depend if the text you're showing is from an user or if YOU are sending this text.
So, you could add some methods to check it (or directly do in in the constructor of this class like:
MessageViewer(String message, bool orientation)
MessageViewer msgVwr = new MessageViewer("Your Text", true/false)

...and if its true your icon will be on the left, and when it's false on the right. Inside of the control you can access various element, so for example, if you'll give a name for a grid
<Grid Name="grdMain">

you can acces his properties via code, like grdMain.Background, and set it and change it.
For the space on the left/right you could use margins of the interlat textbox, setted on "10, 10, 30, 10" for right-space (yours) messages and "30, 10, 10, 10" for left-space (incoming) messages.
For doing some text work, like bold or other, check out elements you can put inside a grid: everything you want :)
All this elements you could put in a simple ListView to show them like a chat.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Halloween Weekend Events at Windsor Castle – Allegany Allied Arts, Inc.
Join Allegany Allied Arts for a weekend at Windsor Castle. Friday, October 30, we present a concert featuring People's Blues of Richmond with Mixing Numbers With Sounds. Saturday afternoon, October 31, as part of the Downtown Cumberland Holiday Spooktacular, we will be showing the movie Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, right after trick-or-treating on the downtown mall. Saturday evening, October 31, as part of the Downtown Cumberland Ghouley Pub Crawl, we will be presenting a special 40th anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.


'Kani na kamo Butuan!' a simple, yet striking Butuan dialect phrase: 'come and visit Butuan now!' The said statement or phrase suggests to tourists and visitors to be at Butuan City as soon as possible. It seemed to entice or a sort of a teaser to find out what Butuan is all about.
Bringing out the good times in Butuan City would never be completed without the 'Laksoy'. Made out of indigenous or local Nipa Palm, Laksoy is the local wine of Butuan City. Its taste can only be produced exclusively by native Butuanon. The wine is definitely an original Filipino spirit.
Agusan River is the epitome or personification of the history, culture and arts of the Butuanon and the place itself. It is the longest and the biggest river in Mindano and this is also the site of fluvial procession as they celebrate the Abayan Festival that commemorates their patroness Señora Santa Ana.
Banza Church had been built in the early 1600's by the initiative of the Recollect Friars who were the early missionaries stationed at the place. However, the said church was devastated by the attacks from the Moro pirates in the mid 1700's. The remnant of the once majestic church was the bell tower made of banyan or balete tress.
The first recorded celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Philippines was said to be during Easter of the 1521. It was Magellan and his fleet that partook or participated in the said thanksgiving. The place is very romantic as it is overlooking the whole of Butuan Bay. The park is also surrounded by the local Hadlayati Tree.
This place had been very significant historically and culturally in terms of heritage for Butuan City and its locals. Butuanons celebrate annually the Mazaua Discovery Day in commemoration of this historical event. Speaking of Ferdinand Magellan's successful landing in the place, natives of Butuan are very proud of the momentous event that took place in Butuan: the first celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Philippines.
The proofs of Butuan City's great cultural and historical heritage or customs are displayed at the National Museum of Butuan. Exhibits such as the ancient tools of the early settlers of Butuan and contemporary cultural materials of Butuan locals are being shown to visitors and tourists alike to give them a glimpse of the glorious past of Butuan.
Balangays had been the ancient vessels used by the early pioneers of Butuan. Anthropologists and scientists were able to dig up and discover nine balangays to date in Butuan City. The contemporary Filipino word 'Barangay' (municipal division or demarcation) had its etymology in the word balangay.


A local loop was detected in Exchange server 2010. Edge Server reports this error some times until I restart the transport service. What could be the problem ?
Would be please post the detailed error message of this problem, it would be better to help us make further understanding with this problem.
Local loop specifically comes when ports are blocked or authentication has stopped between exchange edge to HUB and vice versa.
Would like to suggest you to check the edge sync between hub and edge.
It may got expired. Other wise check the ports requirement between hub to edge and edge to external.
How can i check if authentication has stopped between exchange edge to HUB Server. The mail flow is normal most of the time but some times messages in the Edge server queu show that there is a local loop. The issue is resolved when I restart the transport service. Then it happens like 1 -2 hours later. Can we say this is issue is related to a blocked port ?
Local loop error is only for incoming messages. Edge sync also show successful when I test.
Since its only incoming mail issue. Could you check below perspective.
Check the Antispam or gateway.
Also check transport agent in Edge.
Share if you observed with any abnormal event registered in event viewer.


text:
No discrimination in debt trading
There must be no discrimination in regulations with regard to debt trading between domestic and foreign participants, deputy prime minister Vuong Dinh Hue has said. At a meeting in Hanoi on...
Business conditions needed for debt trading market
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has called on the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) and relevant agencies to quickly draft business conditions for the debt trading market so that...
Government vows to support businesses
The Government will try its utmost to create a favorable environment for the development of businesses. This pledge is explicitly expressed in Resolution No. 35/2016/NQ-CP on supporting and developing enterprises over...
Legal documents issued from May 16 thru 22
From May 16 thru 22, six legal documents were issued, including: Code Subject Promulgating agency/person Date of promulgation Effective date Resolution No. 35/NQ-CP On support for and development of enterprises through 2020 Government May 16, 2016 May 16, 2016 Directive No....
Vietnam amends tax laws in tune with trade pacts
To create more favorable conditions for taxpayers and enhancing the tax administration, the XIIIth National Assembly on April 6 passed the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of...
Govt agencies urged to help speed up ODA disbursements
Prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called on government agencies to work towards boosting official development assistance (ODA) disbursements for projects in Vietnam as the time for gaining access to...
Russian official hails Vietnam-EAEU trade deal
The success of projects under the Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) free trade agreement (FTA) will contribute to boosting the signing of similar deals between the union and other countries in...
Registration fees to be uniformly applied nationwide
From July 1, 2017, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) would take over the provincial-level People's Committees' power to decide on registration fees for all assets, except for houses and land,...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Fragrance, Cosmetics, Skincare
Advertise – 2021 Update
SeaTrade Review: 30 million passengers to sail this year as cruise industry expands global engagement
Lois Pasternak
The 2019 Sea Trade Conference held in Miami Beach last week featured a number of industry firsts and demonstrated that the relevancy of the global event is keeping it strong, even as other trade shows are struggling. Returning to its original Miami Beach Convention Center venue after three years in Ft. Lauderdale while the facility was being remodeled, the trade show welcomed more than 11,000 visitors and hosted a record number of exhibitors, said the organizers.
With the industry forecasting 30 million cruise passengers in 2019, following a record 28.5 million in 2018, up by nearly 7%, industry leaders see only "buoyant" sailing ahead. According to Cruise Lines International Association, cruising will account for 1.1 million jobs worldwide this year and generate $134 billion in global spending.
One indication of the growing importance of the cruise sector was the discussion between Adam Goldstein, vice chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd & CLIA, and Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization. This is the first time that CLIA was engaging with the UNWTO and they discussed ways that the two organizations can partner together going forward, including innovation and education, sustainability, measurements and statistics. More specifically, CLIA and UNWTO can partner on visa issues and the cruise industry's investments in infrastructure in developing regions like Africa.
The keynote State of the Indus-try is always a highlight of the SeaTrade event, with Arnold Donald, president and CEO, Carnival Corp. & plc.; Frank Del Rio, president and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, MSC Cruises taking the stage to talk about sustainability, innovation, environmental initiatives, emerging markets and passenger growth.
BBC World News' Lucy Hockings moderated the morning session, and was intent on getting the panel to discuss downside challenges, such as over tourism and environmental concerns. She was so persistent that NCL's outspoken Frank Del Rio finally called her to task.
Carnival Corp.'s Arnold Donald pointed out that as strong as the cruise industry is, it will always only be a small part of the global tourist pie: Cruising accounted for only 28 million of the 1.4 billion global travelers in 2018. Growth is "restrained from a capacity view-point" and restricted in large part by the amount of time and investment needed to build new ships.
With 18 new builds in the pipeline for this year, over tourism is a growing complaint against the industry, but he pointed out that actual numbers do not support the claim.
But since ships are so visible to the public, MSC's Vaga said that the cruise industry needs to do a better job of telling its story.
Following the first part of the State of the Industry, SeaTrade featured the three women who head up major cruise brands: Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line; Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, CEO of Celebrity Cruises; and Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz Cruises. This was the first time in the 30 years that SeaTrade has been held that the women made it to the main stage.
The cruise leaders discussed the progress and challenges they are having increasing diversity—which goes beyond gender they said.
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text:
Sir William Browne FRS (1692 – 10 March 1774) was an English doctor.

Life
Browne was born in County Durham, and was educated at Durham School and at Peterhouse, Cambridge.  After graduating (1711 BA, 1714 MA, & 1716 license), he worked as a doctor in King's Lynn, Norfolk, for more than thirty years before moving to Bloomsbury, London, in 1749. He was President of the College of Physicians in 1765 and 1766, having been a Fellow of the college since 1726; he resigned during his five-year term of office because of a dispute.  He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1739, and was knighted in 1748.  He died on 10 March 1774, and left money for a scholarship at Peterhouse and gold medals to be awarded for poetry in Greek and Latin to Cambridge students (the  Sir Willam Browne's Medals).

While Browne wrote various books, his most enduring work is an epigram on why George I donated the library of the Bishop of Ely to Cambridge University and not to Oxford University:

The king to Oxford sent a troop of horse,
For tories own no argument but force;
With equal care to Cambridge books he sent,
For whigs allow no force but argument.

Family
Whilst in Kings Lynn William married Mary Greene (1699–1763), daughter of Elizabeth née Truman of Maryland and Charles Greene, an apothecary. They had one daughter Mary (1730–1773) who was the second wife of William Folkes (1700–1773), a barrister. Their son was Sir Martin Browne Ffolkes FRS MP 1st Baronet Ffolkes of Hillington.

List of publications

 Dr Gregory's Elements of Catoptrics and Dioptrics, translated from the Latin original by William Browne, MD, at Lynn Regis, in Norfolk. (with some additions) (London, 1735)
 Oratio Harveiana, Principibus Medicis parentans; Medicinam, Academias utrasque laudans; Empiricos eorum cultures perstringens; Collegium usque a natalibus illustrans: in Theatro Collegii Reg. Med. Lond. habita Festo Divi Lucae (London, 1751)
 A Letter from Sir William Browne, deputy-lieutenant of the County of Norfolk, to his Tenants and Neighbours, Seriously Recommended at this Time to the Perusal of all the People of England (London, 1757)
 Two Odes in Imitation of Horace (the second Ode addressed to the Right Hon. Sir Robert Walpole, on ceasing to be Minister, 6 February 1741 (London, 1763 & 1765)
 Opuscula varia utriusque Linguae (containing the Harveian Oration, 1751) (London, 1765)
 Appendix Altera ad Opuscula (his farewell oration) (London, 1768)
 Fragmentum Isaaci Hawkins Browne Arm. sive Anti-Bolinbrokius. Liber Primus, translated for a second Religio Medici (London, 1768) & Fragmentum Isaaci Hawkins Browne completum (London, 1769)
 Appendix ad Opuscula (a Latin Ode with translations) (London, 1770)
 A Proposal on Our Coin: to Remedy all Present and Prevent all Future Disorders (London, 1771)
 A New Year's Gift: a Problem and Demonstration on the XXXIX Articles (London, 1772)
 The Pill Plot. To Dr Ward, a Quack of Merry Memory, written at Lynn, 30 November 1734 (London, 1772)
 Corrections in Verse from the Father of the College on Son Cadogan's Gout Dissertation, containing False Physic, False Logic, False Philosophy (1772)
 Speech on the Royal Society, Recommending Mathematics as the Paramount Qualification for their Chair (1772)
 Elogy and Address (London, 1773)
 Latin version of the Book of Job (unfinished)

References

1692 births
1774 deaths
18th-century English medical doctors
Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Fellows of the Royal Society
Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians
People from County Durham

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


It is a great pleasure to announce the return of L'Austral back to Australia!
She will be visiting White Bay in March and we would like to extend an invitation to you to come aboard L'Austral when she is in White Bay on Tuesday 6th March 2018 from 10:00am-12:00noon.
If you are able to join us for this unique opportunity, please click the button below to RSVP. As spaces are very limited, we ask you to respond as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
By agreeing to attend the L'Austral Ship Visit, I acknowledge that personal information (full name, date of birth and photographic identification details) made available to Customs and Border Protection and DAFF Biosecruity may be communicated to government agencies for the purposes of maritime security, biosecurity, customs and migration regulations. Not transferable. This invitation is only valid for the addressee and not transferrable to any other person without prior approval.


text:
Jim Cheung (; born 1972) is a British comic book artist, known for his work on the series such as Scion, New Avengers: Illuminati, Young Avengers and Avengers: The Children's Crusade.

Career
Cheung worked on several Marvel series during the mid- to late 1990s. He also worked on Scion for Crossgen Comics in the early 2000s. He later returned to Marvel, where he illustrated the five-issue New Avengers: Illuminati mini-series for Marvel Comics, and then pencilled two more issues of New Avengers.
He was named in August 2005 as one of Marvel's "Young Guns", a group of artists that, according to Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, have the qualities that make "a future superstar penciller". Other "Young Guns" include Olivier Coipel, David Finch, Trevor Hairsine, Adi Granov and Steve McNiven.
Cheung illustrated the 2010-2012 miniseries Avengers: The Children's Crusade.
In addition to interior comics work, he has drawn several covers including those of "Avengers vs. X-Men" "Spider-Men" and the Young Avengers.

In 2015, Marvel enlisted Cheung to create an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. poster for a panel devoted to that TV series at that year's San Diego Comic-Con.
He drew the Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy limited series in 2016 with writer Christos Gage and Dan Slott.

in February 2018 Cheung created promo art for a relaunched Marvel universe began , called the Fresh Start.
That March , it was announced that Cheung would be the artist on a relaunched Justice League series.

Bibliography

Marvel Comics

Interior work
Avengers #35 (2014)
Avengers Finale
Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1-9
  Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #9 (select pages)
Black Knight: Exodus #1
Civil War II Free Comic Book Day
The Clone Conspiracy #1-5 (2016)
Elektra: The Hand #1, #5 (select pages)
Force Works #15-17
Giant-Sized Avengers Special #1 (2007)
Infinity #1, #6 (2013)
Iron Man #325 (50/50), 600
Marvel Comics Presents #170
Marvel Comics Presents #1-12
Marvel 2-in-One  #1-2, #6
New Avengers #25, 40, 42, 43
New Avengers: Illuminati #1-5
Maverick #1-11
Original Sin #0 (2014)
Spider-Man Unlimited #6
Uncanny X-Men #371
X-Force #82-84, 86-88, 90, 94-95, 98-100
  X-Men Unlimited #14 (1997)
Young Avengers #1-6, 9-12

Covers
A-Force #1
Astonishing X-Men #1
Avengers #82
Avengers: The Initiative #1-5, Annual #1
Avengers & X-Men: AXIS #1-9
Cable #73
Casualties of War: Captain America/Iron Man one-shot (both covers)
Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways #1-4
Civil War: Casualties of War: Iron Man/Captain America (one shot,  2007)
Darth Vader #1-2
Fantastic Four #525-526
Fantastic Four: Foes #1-5
Hulk vs Fin Fang Foom one-shot (2007)
New Avengers: Illuminati #1-5
Iron Man #322-324, 327-330
Iron Man: Director of SHIELD Annual #1
Marvel 2-in-One #3 (2017)
New Avengers #4 (variant), Annual #2
New Avengers/Transformers #1
Secret Warriors #1-22
Spider-Men #1-5
Ultimate Nightmare #5
Uncanny X-Men #493 (variant)
What If...Magneto and Professor X Had Formed the X-Men Together?
What If... House of M #1
World War Hulk Aftersmash: Warbound #1-5
X-Factor (vol 3) #27 (variant)
X-Force #101
X-Men #207 (variant)
Young Avengers #1-12
Young Avengers Special #1
Young Avengers Presents #1-6
Avengers vs. X-Men #1-12

DC Comics
Justice League vol. 4 #1, 7, 14-17 (2018-2019)
DC's Year Of The Villain #1 (2019)
Legion Of Super-Heroes: Millenium #2 (2019)

CrossGen Comics
Scion #1-6, 8-11, 13-16, 18-21, 23-26, 31-32, 35-36, 38-39

Village Voice
Kill Bill (October 1–7, 2003) (vol XLVII NO.40)

Bubble Comics
Time of the Raven #5

Notes

References

External links

Jim Cheung on Marvel.com
Official website
Jim Cheung Art on Instagram

1972 births
Living people
British comics artists


text:
Retro Beer Cans From Jaws Are Coming Back So You Can Crush It Like Quint
By Kristy Puchko
From the nude young woman ripped beneath the waves by its titular beast, to Quint's nails on a chalk board to Brody's pushed-in look of terror, Jaws is full of iconic elements. But its one of the lesser regarded that is now getting a moment in the spotlight. Specifically, the cans of beer Quint favors while hunting for the Great White Shark prowling Amity's waters.
Short List has drawn our attention to an unusual Jaws anniversary celebration. Narragansett Beer is going back to its vintage can look with the claim that it's to cheer the 39th anniversary of Jaws' release. Why not wait until the movie hits a more typically praised landmark, like a 40th anniversary? I don't know. Maybe Narragansett Beer's makers believe in living in the now. After all, you never know when a Great White Shark might pop up and bring an end to your drinking days.
R.I.P. Quint.
Narragansett Beer makes clear that the Narragansett 1975 "Jaws" can is not just a nostalgic marketing ploy. It's also a chance to do some good. The movie Jaws spurred an anti-shark sentiment worldwide, one that became so intense that the novel's author Peter Benchley began to dedicate himself to shark preservation. But buying the Jaws celebration cans will actually help support shark conservation. Their announcement states:
"In partnership with the R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Narragansett Beer will sponsor the adoption of a shark through the purchase of a satellite tag, allowing researchers — and 'Gansett fans — to track the giant fish and learn more about shark behavior."
You can even have a part in naming this adopted shark by Tweeting suggestions throughout Shark Week (August 10th-18th) with the hashtag #NameTheShark. Considering the campaign's inspiration, Bruce seems the only truly appropriate name, doesn't it?
To promote the vintage can, and to a lesser degree their shark conservation campaign, Narragansett Beer has released this retro-inspired poster.
Personally, I watch Jaws every summer. Right before I go to the beach. It's a terror-inducing tradition that never gets old. But this year, I can kick back to watch this classic with an appropriately themed beverage. Or as Narragansett Beer's other promotional hashtag suggests: #CrushItLikeQuint
Kristy Puchko
TikTok's Rick And Morty Impersonator Thanks Fans For Backing Him As Justin Roiland's Replacement
King Charles' Coronation Details Don't Address The Elephant In The Room
Why Isn't Dylan O'Brien In Teen Wolf: The Movie? Here's Everything We Know
Minx Season 2: What We Know About The Series
A Million Little Things Creator Appears To Reference Grey's Anatomy When Explaining Why The Show Is Ending After Five Seasons


text:
UT Austin Professor Under the Microscope for Pushing Sexual Deviancy Under the Guise of "Scholarship"
Jose Nino
After receiving fierce criticism and being stalked by students and other members of the community, University of Texas at Austin classics professor Thomas Hubbard is defending his scholarly work on sexual consent laws and pederasty. He is specifically defending his views on sexual activities between men and boys.
Hubbard has received pushback in recent news coverage and editorial columns for his efforts to teach and normalize pederasty, which is often portrayed in ancient Greek art and literature. Pederastic relationships between men and boys were a feature of numerous cultures in Ancient Greece.
The UT professor previously wrote that "contemporary American legislation premised on children's incapacity to 'consent' to sexual relations stems from outmoded gender constructions and ideological preoccupations of the late Victorian and Progressive Era." He also contended that "pederastic intimacy" once served as a "socialism mechanism" for dealing with boys growing up without fathers.
Following sustained criticism and targeted stalking behavior from students and other members of the community, University of Texas at Austin classics professor Thomas Hubbard is defending himself and his scholarship regarding sexual consent laws and pederasty, or sex between men and boys.
Hubbard told The College Fix, Hubbard that there is nothing nefarious about his research.
"I have never said anything more radical than that we should consider moving in the direction of what most European states do, which is to maintain an age of consent of 14 or 15 with special protections against prostitution of those under 18 or involvement with an adult who is in a position of trust (family members, teachers, therapists, clergy)," he stated.
Hubbard has been subject to pressure from activist on the UT campus. The student group known as "Fire The Abusers" has been leading efforts against him. The group called out Hubbard on their Instagram page, and accused of him of being "guilty" of publishing works arguing that "statutory rape and age of consent laws are burdens," trying to lower the age of consent, and "being celebrated in online communities for pedophilia views."
A video recently posted on the group's Instagram page shows masked activists pounding on Hubbard's door and windows at his home, yelling "Thomas Hubbard you can't hide / pedophile come outside!" The video also showed the police escorting Hubbard out of his house, with the protesters yelling: "Who protects pedophiles? Pigs do, pigs do!"
The blog Incendiary News asserted that, in a course titled "Mythologies of Rape," Hubbard had students write about their experiences with sexual assault and "made them argue whether or not it is actually rape under Texas penal code." One student even claimed that Hubbard had his students "write a paper over [sic] lowering the age of consent and lowering the punishment for sexually assaulting a child under the age of 6."
In a public Google doc that attempted to set the record straight on his scholarship, Hubbard denied the accusation that he had students write about their personal sexual assault experiences. "Students were given a paper topic that asked them to evaluate the legal status of two hypothetical scenarios, and how they would have advised the parties if they had been actual friends. Students were given the option of discussing a real case about which they had knowledge, with names changed to conceal identities," he said.
Hubbard told The College Fix that his age-of-consent arguments are based on other parts of academic scholarship.
"I have…proposed that we might consider a different age of consent for males and females, since the most definitive and never refuted meta-analysis of the psychological effects of teen sexuality with older partners…shows that most college-age males do not regard their teen experiences as harmful, whereas most females regret them," Hubbard wrote.
The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBA), a pro-pedophilia and pro-pederasty organization, has a track record of praising scholarship that is closely associated to Hubbard's works. In 2000, Wallace Hamilton Press—a publishing company that NAMBLA runs—published "Greek Love Reconsidered," a collection of essays that examines the history of ancient Greek homosexuality and features the works of other classics scholars. Hubbard was an editor of the publication, which had an essay written by him titled "Pederasty and Democracy: The Marginalization of a Social Practice."
In his Google doc, Hubbard admitted that NAMBLA "distributed part of the print run [of the essay collection] to its members." He stated that he does not "endorse NAMBLA's idiosyncratic approach to legal reform," nor does he "share the sexual orientation of its members." He claimed the essays in that collection "offered accurate, non-romanticized historical understanding of Greek attitudes" toward adolescent sex.
Hubbard has received praise in pro-pedophilia circles. A post published on the website BoyChat, a pro-pedophile message board, described him as "a great man — fearless on speaking out against today's phobic persecution of boylove."
The classics professor believes that UT continues to have him on board due to his vast knowledge of Greco-Roman sexuality and his extensive scholarship on Ancient Greece.
"In addition to teaching for 40+ years, I am author or editor of seven books and about 100 scholarly articles, and have received numerous external grants to support my research, including most recently from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. I am considered one of the world's foremost experts on ancient Greco-Roman sexuality, and have been invited to author numerous encyclopedia articles on the subject and to lecture at some of the world's most distinguished universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, London, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, and numerous others on four continents," he wrote on his Google doc.
Hubbard still stands strongly behind the conclusions he has made drawn in his work. "To my accusers, pointing such things out means that I am 'promoting pedophilia' and I must be a pedophile myself. For the record, I am not one and have never in my life been intimate with anyone under 18," he told The Fix.
UT-Austin spokesperson Shilpa Bakre chimed in on this controversy. She stated in an email correspondence with The College Fix that "the study of controversial and even offensive ideas is protected by academic freedom and the First Amendment — as is the right of others to strongly disagree with and draw attention to those ideas."
"If someone is alleged to violate university policy or takes actions that threaten the safety of the campus community, the university will respond swiftly, investigating allegations thoroughly and imposing sanctions as warranted," Bakre stated.
Bakre also highlighted that "the incidents directed at Professor Hubbard are unacceptable. He received threats of physical harm and had his home vandalized. Students have the right to contest specific ideas, but threatening anyone's safety violates the law and university standards of conduct. UTPD is concerned by these threats and actions against our faculty members and continues to work to protect them from harm."
Florida Senator Moving to Designate "Donald J. Trump Highway" in Honor of 45th President
One of the greatest presidents in American history.
Richard Moorhead
Florida State Senator Anthony Sabatini will move to rename a highway in the state "Donald J. Trump Highway," in honor of the 45th President.
Sabatini made the announcement in a tweet on Tuesday. US 27 ultimately travels from Miami, Florida, to Fort Wayne, Indiana, traversing the United States from south to north. The segment located in Florida would be renamed after Trump in Sabatini's proposal.
This legislative session I will be sponsoring an amendment to rename U.S. Highway 27 as the "President Donald J. Trump Highway." Looking forward to working on this important designation honoring one of the greatest Presidents in American History. pic.twitter.com/x2gNzv8pxv
— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) January 19, 2021
Public infrastructure is increasingly named after Presidents while they're in office or shortly after their departure. Several schools and highways have been named after former President Barack Obama less than five years after his departure from office. Every President in recent American history has received a highway named in his honor, usually after leaving office.
Republicans have strong majorities in both of the Florida House of Representatives and Senate, ensuring a strong chance that Sabatini's highway proposal will ultimately succeed and become law.
President Trump is the first President in history from Florida, having changed his state of residency from New York to the southern state during his term in office. The President is slated to begin his post-presidency life by returning to the state on Wednesday, where it's expected that he'll reside at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.
Follow me on Gab @WildmanAZ, Twitter @Wildman_AZ, and on Parler @Moorhead.


text:
Q: Disable kerning in RMagick - ruby How do I disable kerning in the Draw#annotate method block. I'd like to make it so each character in a string displays equal distance from each other.
Currently I am using
text = Draw.new
text.annotate(img, 0, 0, 0, 7, code) do
      self.gravity = NorthWestGravity
      self.kerning = 0
      self.pointsize = 10
      self.font_family = "Monospace"
      self.fill = "black"
      self.stroke = 'none'
end


The Western regional minister, Mr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has observed that the major rehabilitation of roads going in the country within just three years that the NPP government had been in power, was unprecedented in the annals of this country.
He said though he would not completely condemn the NDC government in the area of road construction, as they also did their best, what the NPP was doing now, compared with the number of years (P)NDC was in power, was vastly different.
Mr. Aidoo, who is also the MP for Amenfi East, was speaking at his annual interactive meeting with the constituency polling station executives, which was held at Ankasua, near Wassa Akropong, last Thursday.
He noted that though the Western Region contributed the bulk of the country's resources, the NDC government neglected its road network.
According to him, at the time the NPP took over, there was no single feeder road that had been tarred in the region.
He continued that other roads linking the major towns in the region were also allowed to deteriorate, thus making the movement of vehicles and goods very difficult.
"But today, the story has become different under the NPP administration. We have now started tarring the feeder roads. Major road constructions are also going on in major towns like Enchi and Juaboso. I need not mention the on - going construction of the Apimanim-Tarkwa road and that of Bawdie-Asankragwa", he said.
According to the regional minister, all these projects had sprung up in the region and beyond because of his government's determination to focus her attention on the development of the rural areas where majority of the population lived.
Aidoo further told the polling station executives that ever since the NPP government came to power, it had not discriminated against areas that voted against it in the last elections, adding that the policy of developing every corner of the country without discrimination would be pursued.
Touching on this year's elections, the regional minister said the NPP as a party had done its homework well and would therefore be prepared to contest the elections any time the Electoral Commission decided to do so. "We are not entertaining any fear of losing the elections because of the preparation we have done," he added.
The minister however cautioned the supporters not to accept as the gospel truth the unsubstantiated allegations being leveled against the government by the opposition NDC who he described as a desperate party that was doing everything possible to survive in this year's elections.
Minister Aidoo urged the supporters to avoid using foul language in their electioneering campaign, to ensure absolute peace during and after the elections, adding that the NPP was already known as a party of peace and that the leaders would always continue to preach for peace on any political platform.
The regional chairman of the party, Peter Mac Manu, dismissed claims by the opposition parties that the NPP was trying to introduce one party state into the country. He noted that it had never been the intention of the NPP that believed in the multi - party state to introduce one - party state in Ghana.
According to him, the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa had won three successive elections but no world leader had come out to say that their political system had been changed into a one - party state.
He was therefore at loss over why the opposition parties in Ghana should think the country would be turned into a one party state should the NPP win the elections again.
The regional chairman has meanwhile announced that nominations had been opened in all the constituencies where the party had sitting MPs and urged those who were interested in contesting the primaries to go and buy the forms, which must be completed and submitted within the stipulated time.


text:
Panoa es un género de arañas araneomorfas de la familia Desidae. Se encuentra en  Nueva Zelanda.

Lista de especies
Según The World Spider Catalog 12.0:
 Panoa contorta Forster, 1970
 Panoa fiordensis Forster, 1970
 Panoa mora Forster, 1970
 Panoa tapanuiensis Forster, 1970

Referencias

Enlaces externos

 En ION
 Nomenclator Zoologicus

Desidae


text:
Un beffroi en francés (en neerlandés: belfort, en inglés: belfry) es un tipo de torres que albergan las campanas de la ciudad. En español, se suele traducir por el genérico de campanario o por campanario municipal o torre cívica y a veces, incorrectamente, como espadaña.

En las ciudades medievales centroeuropeas —hoy en Francia, Bélgica, Países Bajos y Alemania—, el beffroi fue el símbolo de las libertades comunales obtenidas del soberano. Su torre albergaba la campana de llamada (cloche du ban o «bancloque»), símbolo del poder destinada a convocar al pueblo a las deliberaciones comunales, a las ejecuciones capitales o a alertar por la llegada de un enemigo. Los fueros comunales, que confirmaban por escrito el alcance de esas libertades y el compromiso del soberano de respetarlas, se guardaban en ellos en lugares seguros.

Las ciudades de Bélgica y del norte de Francia son famosas por estos campanarios civiles: en 1999 la Unesco inscribió 32 torres belgas en su lista de Patrimonio de la Humanidad como «Campanarios de Flandes y Valonia» y en 2005, otras 24 más de la región francesa Norte-Paso de Calais-Picardía, rebautizándolos conjuntamente como «Campanarios de Bélgica y Francia».

Etimología

«Beffroi», que se escribía beffroy antes de 1465, deriva de berfroi (hacia 1155), a su vez derivado del fráncico bergfridu (en alemán contemporáneo = Donjon). Se trata, por tanto, de un cognado con la palabra del alto alemán medio bërovrit, bërvrit, cuyo significado literal es «preservar la paz». La etimología correspondería al alemán actual bergen, «salvar, poner a seguro», y Frieden, «paz». La hipótesis alternativa de un préstamo del alto alemán medio ha estado siempre dificultada desde el punto de vista fonético. A partir de principios del siglo XIII, se usa la palabra para hacer referencia a los campanarios en sí, no solamente a la estructura de soporte de las campanas.

En inglés se dice belfry y en neerlandés belfort.

Historia

El beffroi era una subestructura de madera diseñada para aislar los muros de piedra de las campanas. Estaba constituido por un complejo entrecruzamiento de viguería en madera de roble que descansaba sobre una repisa o reborde de piedra que sobresalía en el interior de los muros de la torre. Cuando las campanas sonaban, este armazón de madera, menos rígido, absorbía las vibraciones. Si las campanas se apoyaban directamente sobre las fábricas de piedra o de ladrillo, sus peligrosas vibraciones las debilitan y podían acabar por ocasionar su colapso. Esta fue también la causa de construir muchos campanarios aislados del edificio principal. Con el tiempo, esta palabra comenzó a usarse también para designar también las propias edificaciones albergando campanas (campanarios).

Desde el siglo XI, las comunas libres hicieron levantar beffrois. Después de obtener de sus señores el derecho a gobernarse a sí mismos por las cartas otorgadas, la erección de estas edificaciones señalaba su autonomía y pujanza. Además, funcionanan como relojes que sonaban marcando las horas y que simbolizaba un cambio radical en la división del tiempo. Previamente, el día estaba marcado por las cinco oraciones que sonaban en los campanarios de las iglesias: maitines, nonas, vísperas, etc., que marcaban un tiempo divino. La construcción de un beffroi que tañía las horas marcaba la transición a una época secular más dedicada al comercio, por lo que adelantaba el advenimiento de una burguesía urbana.

Los Beffrois de Bélgica y Francia se han inscrito en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial de la Unesco en 2005.

El beffroi más antiguo de Francia es el de Millau (Francia), construido en el siglo XII, pero que no tuvo un papel comunal hasta el siglo XVII. El de Poitiers fue construido en 1199, seguido por el beffroi de Abbeville, construido en 1209 por iniciativa del conde de Ponthieu. En el Mediodía se les conoce como campaniles.

Beffrois de carpintería
Los campanarios de las iglesias a menudo estaban dispuestos para contener beffrois de carpintería, en medio de los que se maniobraban las campanas. Cuando las campanas se fueron haciendo cada vez mayores, hubo que suspenderlas de armaduras de carpintería independientes de la construcción estructural de mampostería. Estos beffrois se apoyaban sobre un retiro en las fábricas o en ménsulas dejadas expresamente a tal fin en la construcción de las torres, y se elevaban menguando hacia la cumbre para que nunca tocasen las paredes interiores de mampostería cuando el movimiento dado a las campanas los hiciera oscilar, y también porque presentaban una mayor rigidez a la acción de ida y vuelta de las campanas.

En Francia, Bélgica y Alemania ya se construían en el siglo X campanarios de un diámetro tal que hacen suponer el empleo de fuertes y numerosas campanas y la construcción de beffrois interiores de carpintería importantes. No se conserva ninguna de esas estructuras anteriores al siglo XVI.

Folclore
En algunas villas que tiene beffrois, se lanzaban desde estos objetos o vituallas a la multitud agolpada a sus pies durante las fiestas. Se trata a menudo de tradiciones antiguas, interrumpidas y vueltas a recuperar: en Comines, la multitud se disputa grandes cucharas de madera llamadas «louches»; en Armentières, los espectadores atrapan pequeñas galletas llamadas «nieulles»; en Tournai, son pequeños pasteles en forma de muñecos de nieve llamados «pichous»; en el carnaval de Dunkerque, se arrojan arenques ahumados; en Ypres, aunque antes la tradición era arrojar gatos vivos, ahora se arrojan gatos de peluche.

Véase también
Los ingenios de asedio llamados beffrois
 Beffrois de Bélgica y Francia
 Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
 Campanario republicano (en la Wikipedia en francés)

Notas

Referencias

Bibliografía
Sébastien Hamez "Petites histoires de beffrois", Éd. La Voix du Nord, Lille, 2000.
 Marie-Lavande Laidebeur "Des Beffrois et des Hommes", Éd. Geai Bleu Éditions, Lille, 2005.
Jean-Luc A. d'Asciano, Catherine Dhérent, Sam Bellet Les Donjons de la liberté, beffrois du Nord-Pas-de-Calais et de la Picardie, Éd. Du Quesne, Lille, 2006.
Jocelyne Denière et Lysiane Denière "Les Beffrois de Belgique et de France inscrits au PatrimoineMondial de l'Humanité de l'Unesco", 208 pages, Ed J. et L. DENIERE, Dunkerque, 2008 ISBN 978-2-911327-26-1

Enlaces externos

 (en francés) Les beffrois - France, Belgique, Pays-Bas
 (en francés) La carte des beffrois du Nord-Pas de Calais, patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO
 Sur les beffrois

Edificios y estructuras por tipo
Defensas medievales
Edificios y estructuras de la región de Alta Francia
 beffroi


Chapel Hill, NC – Bluedoor partners with entrepreneurs and start-ups to take their product from design and development, piloting and validation, through to successful market launch.
Raleigh/Durham, NC – A national not-for-profit organization that helps veterans, active duty service members, and their spouses start and grow businesses.
RTP, NC – BD Technologies and Innovation (BDTI) in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina develops next-generation technologies aligned with BD business strategies. BDTI also accelerates the development of early-stage life sciences companies working with our company via collaboration, licensing or incubation.
Raleigh, NC – HQ Labs is an immersive 12-week entrepreneurial program designed to help accelerate success for early stage entrepreneurs. The principles of business model design, value proposition development, customer validation make up the core of customer discovery. Besides the development of a "minimum viable product", members of HQ Labs will develop key business and leadership skills through interactions with subject matter experts.
Chapel Hill, NC – Launch Chapel Hill is a best-in-class venture lab and business accelerator with shared office space, mentoring, and business services. Their 22-week program is designed to increase the growth potential of high-impact start-up and early stage ventures.
Raleigh, NC – A twelve week program that helps founders and internal innovators turn a good idea into a high growth business. Selected startups get $10K in equity free funding at the beginning of the program. At the end of the program, an additional $10k of equity free funding per team will be allocated to successful teams.
Durham, NC – The most highly capitalized technology accelerator in the southeast, runs an intensive, three month program customized for early stage startup companies. Startups receive $50,000 in seed capital, hands-on mentorship, and access to their network of active angels, veteran startup founders, and experienced technology experts. All companies that successfully complete the accelerator will receive a convertible note of $20,000 to $150,000.
RTP, NC – First Flight Venture Center (FFVC) is a high-science, high-impact incubator located in the heart of Research Triangle Park. Established in 1991 to serve the initial needs of entrepreneurs and early stage science companies.
Durham, NC – InField Medical engages in a process of accelerating medical device technologies. Their focus is on low to mid tech technologies that have a defined regulatory approval path (Class I/II 510k) and have a high likelihood of revenue generation and/or strategic interest/exit within a two year time period.
Raleigh/Durham, NC – Triangle Startup Weekend is a 54-hour event where developers, designers, marketers, product managers, and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and launch startups. Over Saturday and Sunday teams focus on customer development, validating their ideas, practicing LEAN Startup Methodologies and building a minimal viable product.
Greensboro, NC – The goal of LaunchLab is to assist entrepreneurs as they launch, grow, and expand their business with an emphasis on minority entrepreneurs.
Winston-Salem, NC – The Flywheel Foundation organizes programs to develop community networks essential for the accelerator program. The New Venture Challenge provides an opportunity for an average investment of $50,000 each in seed funding and months of business development and acceleration.


text:
How movies and TV shows can help you travel further, deeper and weirder
Jo Stewart April 22, 2019
Some travel the world in search of our natural wonders. Others, for food and culture. And then you have the movie buffs, who travel for the spots made famous by Hollywood heroes. Jo Stewart is one of those (and damn proud of it).
"Which hotel are you staying at while you're in Los Angeles?"
For a split-second, I consider telling a white lie and namedropping one of LA's cool hotels. You know the ones—hip places dripping with street cred like The Roosevelt or Chateau Marmont. Instead, I give the more complicated (and truthful) answer: I'm staying at a hotel in Burbank called the Safari Inn.
A throwback to the golden age of motor travel, the low-rise Safari Inn has been a Burbank landmark since 1955. Its kitsch neon sign stands out in a sea of nondescript office buildings and generic strip malls. Ever since irreverent crime flick True Romance was filmed here in the early '90s, I've always wanted to bed down at the Safari Inn. A trip 20-plus years in the making, it's a miracle the small hotel was still in business.
The retro appeal of the Safari Inn has seen it feature in many movies, TV series and music videos—perhaps the most famous being 1993's 'True Romance'. Photo: Jo Stewart
Unlike most new hotels in LA, you don't park in a behemoth underground car park or throw your keys into the hand of a valet attendant. At the Safari Inn, I park right outside my room, just like they did in the 1950s. On the same street, there's a McDonald's, donut shop and a time-capsule diner called the Tallyrand that serves pot roasts, meatloaf sandwiches and roast turkey dinners (add 75 cents if you want all white meat).
RELATED: Why Harry Potter's great adventure still resonates, 20 years on
The retro appeal of the Safari Inn has seen it feature in many movies, TV series and music videos, but none have had quite as much impact as True Romance. A cult hit thanks to magnetic performances from Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, and a whip-smart screenplay penned by Quentin Tarantino, it's made the Safari Inn a destination in itself.
Many (like me) check in then spend their days on the deck overlooking the pool that's wedged between the car park and the street. Lazing on a plastic deck chair, I stare at the vintage neon sign framed by palm trees while high-fiving the teenager inside me for finally making it happen. Others travel to the inn for 'True Romance Fest', an annual celebration of the film that's been running for five years.
'Dazed and Confused', 'Twin Peaks' and 'Thelma and Louise'—writer Jo Stewart's favorite flicks have helped her discover parts of the world she may never have visited otherwise. Photos: Jo Stewart
My time at the Safari Inn is one my happiest travel memories, but this isn't the first time a movie has inspired me to hit the road.
Like many other Twin Peaks fanatics, I've driven to the outskirts of LA to eat at The Old Place, an old-timey hangout featured in the cult TV series. In Austin, I drove to Top Notch Hamburgers, a 1970s-era burger joint where '90s coming-of-age classic Dazed and Confused was filmed. More recently, Utah's Arches National Park ended up on my itinerary because Thelma and Louise was filmed there.
Before the internet allowed us to look up anything, anytime, films and TV (along with the Encyclopaedia Britannica) were our windows to other worlds. The internet hasn't stopped millions of film lovers traveling the globe to capture a slice of movie magic.
I've traveled to northern California to visit Mission San Juan Bautista, the place where Madeleine plunged to her death not once but twice in Vertigo (hey, it's Hitchcock we're talking about). Standing at the bottom of the mission's belltower, I'm transported back to suburban Sydney where I first watched the movie as a child, my little mind blown to smithereens by the movie's twists, turns and freaky dream sequences. I've since watched Vertigo more than 20 times and it still amazes me.
Top: Mission San Juan Bautista in Northern California, the spot where Madeleine plunged to her death (twice) in Hitchcock's 'Vertigo'; Bottom: Driving through the desolate landscapes as seen in 'No Country for Old Men'. Top: Don DeBold; Bottom: Natalie Rhea Riggs
The desolate, cactus-studded landscapes featured in No Country for Old Men inspired me to drive around West Texas. While not exactly a feel-good movie, the cinematography burrowed its way into my psyche, leaving me with a yearning to drive those same roads (without encountering the film's captive bolt pistol-wielding killer).
RELATED: Forget city breaks, give me life and death on South Georgia
There's a theme here. Fangirling over places others wouldn't look at twice are a big part of why I travel. And I'm not alone in this.
Before the internet allowed us to look up anything, anytime, films and TV (along with the Encyclopaedia Britannica) were our windows to other worlds. Watch Fields of Dreams and you're transported from your living room to the cornfields of Iowa. Put on Into the Wild and you're immediately in Alaskan tundra. The internet may have given us a quick visual on far-flung places, but that hasn't stopped millions of film lovers traveling the globe to capture a slice of movie magic.
The Dark Hedges in Ballymoney, Northern Island has become a major tourist attraction after featuring in HBO's Games of Thrones. Photo: Nick Kane
In the last few years, key Game of Thrones set locations such as Iceland and Croatia have received a boost in visitors, with many fans making the trip to see King's Landing and Winterfell for themselves. Not to be outdone, Northern Ireland will soon lay claim to having the world's only Game of Thrones studio tour, slated to open in Bainbridge's Linen Mill Studios in 2020.
Movies are time machines, capable of evoking poignant personal memories and deep feelings we haven't felt in a long time. By visiting film locations, I'm not just tipping my hat to the past, but to my past.
Meanwhile, New Zealand has been giving the world a masterclass on how to excel in many things, including how to take a star turn in a hit series of films and transform it into gold. Since the release of Sir Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, millions of travelers from all over the world have made the pilgrimage to New Zealand, aka Middle Earth.
For pop culture fans, the thrill of standing where a movie you've seen 50 times was filmed is incomparable. It's a borderline religious experience. Our own personal Camino—and the movie doesn't even need to be particularly 'good' in the eyes of critics. So why travel for it? Because it's about so much more than just the movie.
Perhaps the best example of movie-fueled tourism is New Zealand, the mind-bending backdrop for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings franchise. In 2017 alone, more than half a million visitors passed through the gates of the Hobbiton set in Matamata. Photo: Sagittarius Voyage
Some movies allow us to revel in childhood nostalgia because they are intertwined with our own memories of Sunday afternoons with our grandparents, Friday nights with our brothers and sisters, or mid-week cinema outings with our friends. Movies we watched (and re-watched) as angst-ridden teens shaped our formative years. The characters, phrases and soundtracks stay with us well into adulthood when mortgages, student loans, and other inescapable by-products of the grind start catching up with us.
Of course, movies aren't a guaranteed tourism generator: Not everyone is going to book a trip to Florida because they liked Magic Mike. I've met plenty of people who would never dream of flying 14 hours, then driving 16 hours to stay at the hotel that inspired Stephen King to write The Shining, like I did last year.
What can I say? You either get it, or you don't.
[Roll credits]
Jo Stewart
Jo Stewart is an Australian travel writer who lives in Melbourne, but spends an inordinate amount of time at airports. She has visited all seven continents and is comfortable mixing it up at both ends—and everywhere in between—of the travel spectrum.
Meera Dattani
Harry Potter 20 years later: Why this great adventure still resonates
You can keep your sunshine: Traveling in the rain is better for the soul
Claire Boobbyer
Will Daniel Radcliffe's 'Jungle' film help save Bolivian ecotourism?
Ben Groundwater
Beyond Middle-earth: What is New Zealand's secret power?


Businesses who rely on Yelp to gain new customers may have something else to worry about: fake reviews. These solicited reviews are part of a sting operation that Yelp is conducting with the goal of purifying the reviews onsite. Yelp is only as good as the reviews it features. The site does a good job of transparently flagging reviews for removal, hiding them behind a link that denotes them as ineligible. It seems that the company will take a more proactive stance and actually pursue Yelp hackers.
Jeremy Stoppleman, the CEO of Yelp, has divulged more details surrounding the aggressive stance they have taken to try and stop these faked reviews. For Yelp, this is a matter of financial importance. The service can't exist if its integrity is damaged. But businesses are feeling the pinch too. Small operations feel pressured into soliciting these reviews in order to stay competitive.
CEO of Submit Express, Pierre Zarokian, explores this issue from both perspectives on Search Engine Watch. Will Yelp bring integrity back to online reviews, or will businesses continue to engage in underhanded practices to inflate their reputations?
Disclaimer: Due to a legal notice we have received from Yelp, some content on our website have been revised. Fix Bad Reputation is not associated with Yelp, but provides services to improve your reputation, such as removing certain negative reviews and providing tools for increasing your positive reviews.


We report what we believe to be the first demonstration of an all-semiconductor room-temperature terahertz time domain spectrometer. An optical Stark mode-locked vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser with 480 fs pulses at 1044 nm was used to illuminate low-temperature-grown photoconductive antennae with 5 μm-gap bow-tie-shaped electrodes. The coherently detected spectrum has a bandwidth close to 1 THz, in which water absorption lines at 0.555 and 0.751 THz can be resolved.


text:
S. Korea, U.S., Japan agree to seek all diplomatic options on North Korea
Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Wednesday to seek all possible diplomatic options for peacefully and completely resolving the issue of North Korea's nuclear program.
South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam hosted trilateral talks in Seoul with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama.
"We shared our assessments of the current situation and reaffirmed our push for a complete dismantlement of the North's nuclear program through peaceful methods," Lim told reporters in a joint press conference. "We also agreed to make all possible diplomatic efforts, including sanctions and dialogue, through close coordination among the three countries."
"In particular, the three countries held the same view that it is essential to stably manage the situation on the Korean Peninsula, while at the same time keeping pressure on the North to resolve its nuclear problem," he added.
Sullivan echoed Lim's comments, emphasizing that the United States is "dedicated" to diplomacy in resolving the North's nuclear issue and that its aim is to eventually bring the North to the negotiating table.
"We are dedicated to diplomacy. We are dedicated to the campaign of pressure on the DPRK, pressure not only by our allies but by other states as well, including China, Russia and other members of the U.N. Security Council," he said.
"Our objective is, through the campaign of pressure, to bring North Korea to the negotiating table without preconditions so that we can achieve our objective of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula," he noted.
Sullivan said that the United States will continue its efforts to press the North to give up its nuclear weapons development aspirations but it should be prepared to respond to any circumstances given that the North is "unpredictable" and "not transparent."
[upi.com]
Posted by xronos at Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Related INTEL posts : diplomacy , Japan , North Korea , South Korea , United States