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DVD / March 28, 2004
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?: The Complete First and Second Seasons
Randall Cyrenne
Hanna-Barbera (1969), Turner Home Entertainment/Warner Home Video (March 16, 2004), 4 discs, 549 mins plus supplements, 1.33:1 original full frame ratio, Dolby Digital Mono, Rated G, Retail: $64.98
Storyboard:
Four teenagers and a Great Dane solve mysteries involving the supernatural.
The Sweatbox Review:
It's ironic that the first incarnation of Scooby Doo was called Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, because the answer is so obvious today. Scooby is everywhere. The Great Dane has never been more popular, being seen in new TV shows, two live action films, several direct-to-video features, and scads of merchandise. It made sense, then, for Warner Bros. Home Video to include the Scoobmeister in its first wave of their Hanna-Barbera Golden Collection.
The new four-disc DVD set contains the first two seasons of Scooby-Doo (1969-1971), consisting of 25 episodes total, the majority of them comprising Season One. These shows comprise all of "classic Scooby", as the next version of the show in 1972 would feature guest stars in the one-hour The New Scooby-Doo Comedy Movies, and later 1970s shows would introduce Scooby-Dum and Scrappy-Doo. Yes, those original two years' worth of shows were the purest form of Scoobiness to ever be broadcast, and now fans can get them all in one package.
Of course, not everyone will consider this a good thing. Despite the many Scoobyphiles out there, there are probably at least as many people who just do not see the appeal of the show. It had a decent premise— four teenagers and their dog travel around solving mysteries— and a good mix of characters. Scooby himself was a cowardly dog that still managed to come through when it mattered most. His best friend in the group was Shaggy, a hippie who— like Scooby— was more interested in eating and mellowing out than solving mysteries. The leader of the group was Freddy Jones, an ascot-wearing fellow who looked like a dandy but was actually smart and serious. Daphne was a cute curvy redhead who was a trifle accident-prone and had a talent for getting kidnapped. And Velma was the smart, frumpy one, dressed in a turtleneck and knee-high socks. The biggest mystery, looking back, is how this socio-economically diverse group ever managed to become friends in the first place. Now that could make a decent movie!
The problem with the show is that the mysteries were never too tough to solve. In fact, in most episodes, there was only one suspect introduced! Occasionally, the writers (mostly Joe Ruby and Ken Spears) would throw out a red herring to put the viewer off the trail, but that was rare. The animation was also typical of Hanna-Barbera TV shows, done on the cheap with limited animation and questionable draftsmanship. The plots were also somewhat repetitive, always featuring the gang wandering about for little apparent reason in their van (the "Mystery Machine") until they stumbled upon some mysterious being that more often than not was termed a "ghost", even if it had no ghostly qualities. Other monsters they came up against included pirates, werewolves, mummies, witches, and vampires. Oftentimes, the ghost motif would be superimposed over something else, resulting in a Clown Ghost, an Old Miner's Ghost, The Ghost of Mr. Hyde, an Alien Ghost, and so forth.
Each time, the monster in question would be trying to scare people away for some diabolical reason that always had to do with money or treasure. During the story, the bad guy would first chase gang, and then they would chase the bad guy back again. Freddy would tell Shaggy, Velma, and Scoob to look somewhere else, while he made time with pretty Daphne (even as a kid, I picked up on that angle). Despite the fact that the gang practically always met the actual perpetrator in the first few minutes of the episode, they were (almost) always astonished to find out that it was in fact that person who had dressed up to frighten them away. Once this formula was established, the show rarely wandered from it. For kids, though, such familiarity can be comforting, and this was after all a Saturday morning cartoon for the small fry.
So why do so many adults still love Scooby-Doo? Are we not all grown up now, with more demanding tastes? Can our love for Scooby be entirely reduced to blind nostalgia?
Well, nostalgia no doubt plays a large role; but Scooby-Doo has its good points too. The chemistry between the characters makes the show, just as it does in any conventional sitcom. Basically, once Lucille Ball finished filming I Love Lucy, there were not too many plots left untouched for a G-rated comedy, so any TV show since then has had to rely on character interaction to interest the audience. The Scooby gang, with their diverse personalities and interests, are hardly well rounded as individuals, but they do make an appealing group of characters. Okay, Freddy was usually just looking to sneak away with Daphne while sending the others to do the tough stuff, but overall the group had a very likeable dynamic. There is something appealing about seeing such different people hanging out together and enjoying each other's company. These folks were fast friends, and you never saw them argue with each other in the old shows. There was enough conflict with the bad guys that the main characters did not have to come into anything more than light conflict in order for the show to keep one's interest… well, to a point. As there was so little conflict presented, the characters never evolved or developed new twists to their relationships, either. Still, that was standard for a kiddie show back then.
The antics of Scooby and Shaggy, naturally, were at the heart of the show. There is no love quite like that of the love between a young man and his dog. Despite the difference in species, these two were platonic soul mates. They both understood the pleasantness of chocolate sauce inside a submarine sandwich or the joy of a pickle on a strawberry sundae. They were also brothers-in-cowardice, taking turns being the bigger chicken. Without their playfulness, the show would have had almost no personality at all. Much credit can go to the vocal performance of the great Don Messick (Scooby) and Casey Kasem (Shaggy).
It's strange to consider, then, that the show originally did not have Scooby in it at all when it was first developed by Ruby and Spears. The dog was only added out of network concern for the show being too spooky and dramatic for kids. The dog's name later came from a Frank Sinatra song; the naming of Scooby has been attributed to Iwao Takamoto.
Speaking of Mr.Takamoto, no discussion of Scooby could be complete without mentioning his contribution. Takamoto was the main designer on the show, and it was largely his conception of the kids and their environment that contributed to the show's success. Those designs still hold up well today and make the show very watchable despite the paper-thin plots; but certainly back in 1969 the appearance of the show would have been even more striking. Though it was a comedy, it had a delighfully creepy and even gothic look that made it stand out from any other kiddie programs.
As an adult, I think that is what really brings me back to view the show, despite its limitations. The creepy atmosphere created by the backgrounds made the show for me, evoking a nice sense of "old dark house" or "dark old bog" or "dodgy little shop", as needed. It made for a good counterbalance for the goofiness of Scooby and Shaggy, while allowing us to take the matter of hauntings more seriously. Most importantly, the backgrounds provided a feigned sense of mystery and danger despite us knowing that there was only one real suspect and that the gang would solve the case unharmed in the end.
That sense of mystery started to erode a bit in the second season, when someone had the idea to inject pop rock songs into the stories. Even the theme song was re-done, with a bouncier and lighter feel to it. Additionally, groovy bubblegum tunes would be inserted into a chase scene around the middle of the story. The lyrics would have nothing to do with the onscreen action, and yet as a child I never questioned it. Now, I find the juxtaposition jarring. One cannot deny, however, that the second season of Scooby Doo was a product of its time, having been no doubt influenced by the musical numbers in Filmation's terrifically successful The Archie Show, and that the use of music in Scooby further influenced countless other mystery cartoons over the next few years.
While there have been better cartoons produced for television, there are reasons why Scooby-Doo's shortcomings are overlooked. Sometimes, you just cannot beat chemistry. Scooby and the gang have it, and for that reason I can still watch the show and get a chuckle out of it.
The DVD set, as mentioned earlier, collects all 25 episodes from the first two seasons. The packaging makes no distinction when Season 2 begins, but the shows are presented in broadcast order and it is easy to tell when the transition is when you watch the shows. The Mr. Hyde episode (#18) is the first to carry the 1970 copyright, as well as the new opening and songs. There seems to be little point in making comments about the individual episodes this time around, since they are frankly quite similar to one another. The locales include a spooky circus, a spooky ship, a spooky theater, a spooky castle… well, you get the idea.
By the way, the villain does not really always say "And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids". In fact, no such line is heard in the first several episodes, and afterwards it appears infrequently and with different variations. Also, Freddy does sometimes let Velma tag along with him and Daphne.
Is This Thing Loaded?
Well, the extras on this box set are like a box full of cotton candy— lots of fluff that looks like it takes up a lot of room but is really only a spoonful of sugar and some artificial coloring. Most of it is not even worthwhile checking out once.
Disc 2 has the first two features. Scooby-Doo's Ultimate Fans (11:52) introduces us to three Scooby collectors and their huge collections. The men themselves are a little scary (I mean, I like Scooby too, but, yikes!), but it is fun to see some of the vintage memorabilia that they have each accumulated. I believe this is actually the strongest bonus feature, since it does let us see some cool toys, comics, and so forth. Get The Picture: How To Draw Scooby-Doo And The Gang (2:20) is another of those brief speed-drawing things that Warner Bros. keeps including on their animation DVD's. This one does not even turn out too well, since the characters get drawn out of proportion with one another; Velma looks huge!
Funky Fashion (4:51) appears on Disc 3. Clips from the show support a narrator who describes how the gang dresses. Okaaaaay… moving right along we have something not much better, America Loves Scooby-Doo (2:32), a country music video with clips from the newer direct-to-video movies.
The final disc includes the lamest features yet. Scooby-Doo Street Smarts (2:46) has comments from people who like Scooby-Doo— not exciting. Lastly and probably least, there is Take The Scooby-Doo Challenge, a trivia contest with a grand total of four questions and no reward. There is also a link to Family Favorites, featuring trailers for the new TV show's DVD single disc Scooby-Doo: Safari So Goodi!, the upcoming direct-to-video movie Scooby-Doo And The Loch Ness Monster, and the Flintstones Complete Season One set; this last trailer is most notable for also showing the cover art for the upcoming Jetsons set and the still-not-officially-announced Tom And Jerry set.
Sometimes, I wish that a DVD would have no extras at all, rather than having the studio spend money on really useless ones.
One thing I will not complain about is the design of the menus, which is nice and functional. The main menu has some opening animation that leads to a simple interface, where the characters from the show highlight selections with their flashlights. The selections allow you to play all the episodes, or to select from the individual ones in a separate menu. On that screen, the monster of the week appears in a doorway behind one of the characters when that particular episode is highlighted. Neat.
The packaging for this example from the Hanna-Barbera Golden Collection is pretty spiffy, with a digipack inside of a clear plastic slipcase. The effect is that of a painted cel drawing superimposed on a drawn background— very slick and classy to see. I only wish that the slipcase had been made a little looser, as it is tricky to take off and put on again.
Ink And Paint:
I found the video quality to be more uniform than in the Flintstones set that was released the same day. The transfers were very well done, with no hint of compression artifacts of any type. Colors are solid and appropriately funky-looking, with bright characters against gloomy backgrounds, providing the proper ambience for Scooby's adventures. That's the good news. The kind-of bad news is, these shows look just like you remember them, with many instances of dust and smudges that were predominantly, I think, original to the filmed cels. You can tell this when the camera pans, and the dust specks stick to the background rather than moving with the shot. Wherever the old Hanna-Barbera shows were filmed, there sure seemed to be a lot of dust all over everything. Nevertheless, the DVDs provide a perfect representation of the shows as they were made and originally shown. Would fans have it any other way?
Scratch Tracks:
On the audio side, we also get the true sound of the show. It's all mono, baby, with limited dynamic range. If you really wanted a booming 5.1 remix, you will have to settle for dabbling with your receiver's settings. For myself, I found the audio quality to be just fine. I doubt the show could sound any better than what is on these discs. Only English audio is available, but subtitles come in English, French, and Spanish.
Final Cut:
The video and audio quality are as good as can be, which to me is more important than the lack of substantial extras. Sure, I would have appreciated some Ruby-Spears commentary, production art, and a featurette on the various permutations of the show, but most of all I want the cartoons in good condition; and that is what this set is intended to provide.
If one must own some Scooby for the ol' DVD collection, this is the set to get. It's pure undiluted Scoobiness, and 100% Scrappy-free! I am glad that I resisted the temptation for all those single-disc compilations that have come out the past few years, since these are really the cartoons I want the most. I was not sure initially if I would be happy with these cartoons again, after not having seen them for several years, but I found them quite enjoyable, even watching four or five in a row. It may not be challenging television, but it is what it is meant to be: clean fun.
Animated Classic or Back To The Drawing Board?
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo: The Complete 2nd, 3rd & 4th Seasons
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo: The Complete Series
What's New Scooby-Doo?: Complete 3rd Season
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: Season One, Volume Four
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Volume Two: Bump in the Night

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tender compassion ... for those who were suffering
By Diogenes (articles ) | Oct 12, 2007
Today, boys and girls, we take up the edifying story of Father Andrew Christian Andersen, a former priest of the Diocese of Orange and a multiple molester of underage youths. Two years ago the L.A. Times gave us a synopsis of Andersen's adventures in pastoral ministry:
It previously had been reported that Andersen was accused in 1983 of molesting a boy. [Then-Bishop of Orange William R. Johnson] ordered him into therapy, but he remained at his Huntington Beach parish, St. Bonaventure, and in charge of the altar boys. Three years later, the priest faced up to 56 years in state prison after being convicted of 26 felony counts of child molestation, according to court documents.
56 years in prison -- or a decent fraction thereof -- would have helped Andersen understand the gravity of his offense, as well as giving his victims a sense of justice done. Didn't happen:
The judge gave Andersen no prison time and instead ordered him to enter a Catholic rehabilitation center in New Mexico. Four years later, in 1990, Andersen was arrested in Albuquerque on suspicion of trying to sodomize a 14-year-old boy, and was ordered to serve six years in prison for violating his probation in the California case.
Twenty-six convictions and zero prison time? How did that come about? Well, it seems Andersen's erstwhile spiritual director wrote the judge urging therapy at the Servants of the Paracletes treatment center in New Mexico as an alternative to the slammer. His reason? Andersen's victims may have confused innocent horseplay for, well, less-than-innocent horseplay. An excerpt from the letter of 24 August 1986:
Throughout these past twelve years I have known Chris Andersen to be a kind, generous, outgoing man, intelligent and thoughtful in his studies and work, consistently solicitous for the welfare of others and to be of service to them. ...
I do not know how Chris got involved in his present trouble. My own strong sense of the situation, though, is as follows: I do not see Chris as a pre-meditating, manipulative planner of any misconduct with the young men involved. That simply does not square with the man I know quite well. It does seem possible to me, however, that in the moments at hand, he might well have misjudged what was appropriate physical expression, especially given the atmosphere of adult-child contacts in our society at present [OTR's emphasis]. To give a concrete example, what Chris might have considered something as harmless as "wrestling" or "horsing around" (and what might, indeed, have passed for such during his own childhood) might objectively have been out of line and subjectively (for the children involved) confusing and disturbing.
Consistently solicitous. Right. So who was this uniquely perspicacious friend and spiritual director that pleaded so earnestly -- and successfully -- on Andersen's behalf? None other than George Niederauer, currently the Archbishop of San Francisco.
But Father Andersen had others rally to his defense as well. The following from a letter sent to the same judge by another clergyman companion (23 August 1986):
Chris Andersen and I together attended St. John's Seminary College and St. John's Seminary. He and I developed during those years of study a friendship which was a great consolation to me especially during a very trying third year of graduate work. I grew to admire and respect Chris both for his insightfulness and well as the tender compassion he possessed for those who were suffering. As we entered the seminary together our friendship provided a mutual support during the fledgling days of priesthood and I saw him as a very capable and compassionate minister. He seemed to approach the ministry with a sense of confidence that was tethered by equal amount of humility.
Chris Andersen's present difficulties pain me very much not only because he is a friend but also because he is an associate in the ministry. Our works brings us into intimate contact with people's lives. In a time when the exchange of simple affections within the most intimate of circles has become a rare commodity, our associations with others run the grave risk of being misunderstood by all parties including perhaps the priest himself [OTR's emphasis]. There is cause therefore to exercise prudence and right judgment while at the same time pursuing the mission of Church to bring healing and comfort. If Chris has failed in exercising such prudence or has in fact abused the privilege provided him by the people of God I would the hope the court would seek some remedial means of dealing with the case at hand as opposed to extensive incarceration.
This letter, like the one previous, was written after Andersen's conviction. Like the one previous, this letter is remarkable for its failure to weigh the sufferings of the victims against Andersen's "tender compassion" in coming to a true assessment of the man. Nor do we hear any concern (which one might expect from a Catholic clergyman) for the fact that the sufferings may have included spiritual harms -- harms with incalculably far-reaching consequences for victim and perpetrator alike. Far from being abashed and apologetic for having misread Andersen's character so disastrously, his advocate actually presents his friendship with Andersen as a point in his favor.
Now who was this second paragon of brotherly love? Jaime Soto. And what do you do with a man so concerned with "the grave risk of being misunderstood" when exchanging affection? Well, you make him Bishop Designate of Sacramento, of course. Let the celebration begin.
In the past two decades California has been extravagantly ill-served by her bishops: a judgment based not merely on debatable religious criteria, but one obvious to any attorney, accountant, or law-enforcement officer -- Catholic or heathen -- who bothers to study the situation. The most positive possible reading of the calamity (the negative ones are un-uploadable) is that the California bishops themselves are atrocious judges of character, wholly incapable of distinguishing Catholics from pagans and criminals from men of integrity. So why doesn't the Nuncio wipe the slate clean and start over? He has the easiest sell in the world. No need to descend into personalities or sordid speculation about motive; all he has to do is underline to Rome the need for solvent dioceses headed by un-indicted ordinaries. If the Holy See took the point, any recommendation made by any California bishop would count as an eo ipso disqualification for office.
Put another way: if Fabian Bruskewitz were the Archbishop of San Francisco, would Most Holy Redeemer be in the headlines today?
Read more from Off the Record
Posted by: - Oct. 16, 2007 2:08 AM ET USA
Ah, but what is the nuncio to do, the California Bishops are singing and dancing from the same hymnal of collegial communion and who should know better the pastoral needs of the locals than their bishops who are harmoniously (and nearly incestuously) pilfering off souls. Their claim, prior to BXVI was easy, its just squeaky wheels disgruntled because they disapprove of the Spirit of V2. Now many $millions later the depravity been shown light, but turn where? The Congregation of the Clergy?
Posted by: - Oct. 12, 2007 6:30 PM ET USA
Holy Spirit, please wake up our beloved Pope Benedict and send him to California STAT!
In answer to your question, dearest Uncle, yes, Most Holy Redeemer would be in the headlines. They would read: "Clowns Denied Communion!" Sometimes I think the truth comes out more clearly when mistakes are made than when they are not. Had the AB denied them Communion, he would be facing political attacks, which often distort truth. Since he didn't, he's forced to issue an apology in which Catholic principles are held up to a higher place. That doesn't make it not bad, though.
Yes, Diogenes, Bp. Soto's appt tells us clearly that Cdls. Levada & Mahony, Bps. Brown & Niederauer (seminary-mates), still influence the nuncio & Rome. Such "politics" hinder the Holy Spirit & such men continue to cause severe damage to members of Christ's Church. On the Day of Judgment, may God may have mercy on such Successors to the Apostles. In the meantime, Lord Jesus, send us more bishops, like Bruskewitz & Burke, who are willing to give their life for the Truth, for Jesus & His Church.
Posted by: - Oct. 12, 2007 12:44 PM ET USA
The maricón mafia has feline - can't pin them down - power and has infiltrated into the positions of authority in all segments of society. The problem is the lack of will to attack the problem. It is not hard to find straight thinking priest to be Bishops, you just need the huevos to name them.
"So why doesn't the Nuncio wipe the slate clean and start over?" I'd substitute JPII and now BXVI for "the Nuncio," but it's THE question. Why? Blackmail? Indifference? Stupidity? Is there any other reason? All I can think of is fear of schism or fear that if they got rid of all the bad apples, there would be no apples left. Maybe they know it's even worse than we think. I also fear that maybe JPII and BXVI are wilfully blind to the failings of their brother bishops.
Posted by: - Oct. 12, 2007 11:01 AM ET USA
>> the negative ones are un-uploadable Darn, those are the ones I want to read! :-) Seriously, Uncle Di (or somebody) needs to write a book about all this, because nobody up here believes me. I'm afraid that someday the www.cwnews.com site will go away, and that all this information will be lost.
For 2 years I was part of a club (not in CA) promoting Religious "vocations". Met twice/mth with a speaker. I quit and told them why. Only 1ce in 2 years had a spkr used the name of Jesus. They were in sem. or religious life because they "liked to work with people" was their theme. Priests are ordained to preach the Gospel, dispense the Sacraments and model the Works of Mercy but, in their place, touchy-feely "ministry" dominates the RC Church in CA. Christian manliness seems terribly wanting.
Good reporting Dioneges......This kind of "incest" is another part of the present problem.


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Елена Семёновна Коц (21 августа 1880 — 20 декабря 1967) — переводчица, публицист, правовед, архивист и библиограф.

Биография
Елена Семёновна Коц родилась в 1880 году в семье врача. В 1898 году окончила Владикавказскую гимназию и переехала в Санкт-Петербург. В 1901 году за участие в участие в студенческих волнениях была арестована. Её выслали из города. Осенью уехала в Париж, где изучала французский язык и посещала лекции в Сорбонне и Русской Высшей школе общественных наук. В 1903 году поселилась в Одессе. Вернувшись в Санкт-Петербург, поступила на юридический факультет Санкт-Петербургского университета, который окончила в 1913 году. С 1910 по 1915 год была сотрудницей журнала «Землевладелец». С 1922 по 1923 год работала в журналах «Архив истории труда в России» и «Русское прошлое». В годы Первой мировой войны была секретарём юридического отдела областного комитета союза городов. С 1929 по 1959 год работала в Публичной библиотеки. Там же стала консультантом в 1930 году, а позже библиотекарем 1-го разряда. С 1944 года заведовала Домом Плеханова. С 1950 по 1959 год была главным библиографом Публичной библиотеки.

Перевела речи Геда, Бебеля, Вальяна на Амстердамском конгрессе (1905), сочинение А. Олара («Культ разума и культ верховного существа во время Французской революции»). Занималась переводами романов Р. Роллана, М. Кордэ, Л. Пиранделло, Л. Кладеля, Ж. Грина, И. Голя, А. Моруа и других. После окончания Великой Отечественной войны участвовала в создании библиографического указателя «Героическая оборона Ленинграда» (совм. с В. А. Каратыгиной; Л.: Лениздат, 1947).

Основные работы
 «Помощь земледельцу» (1910);
 «Правонарушения в сельском быту» (1914);
 «Крестьянское движение в России: От Пугачевщины до Революции 1905 г.» (1924);
 «Крепостная интеллигенция» (1926).

Награды
 Медаль «За оборону Ленинграда»;
 Медаль «За доблестный труд в Великой Отечественной войне 1941—1945 гг.»;
 Медаль «В память 250-летия Ленинграда»;
 Почетная грамота Министерства культуры СССР.

Литература
 Ц. И. Грин. Сотрудники Российской национальной библиотеки: Российская Публичная библиотека. — Изд-во Российской национальной библиотеки. — 1995.
 П. Л Вахтина, М. К Свиченская. Публичная библиотека в годы войны, 1941—1945: дневники, воспоминания, письма, документы. — Российская национальная библиотека. — 2005.

Примечания

Переводчики России
Переводчики СССР
Публицисты России
Публицисты СССР
Правоведы России
Правоведы СССР
Архивисты России
Архивисты СССР
Библиографы России
Библиографы СССР
Награждённые медалью «За оборону Ленинграда»

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Use Your Friends' Spotify Wrapped Lists for Your Own Selfish Purposes
Screenshot: Spotify (Fair Use)
Because I foolishly chose to use Amazon Music with my Alexa smart speaker (because it's cheaper, and certainly not because it is better), I can only look on in envy as my friends share their their annual "Spotify Wrapped" recaps, which offer a whole bunch of interesting data on the songs they listened to across the last 12 months: most played, most repeated in a single day, top genres, and much more.
But even without my own Spotify history to offer up for public pillorying (ask me about sharing an account with someone who listens to a lot of Katy Perry covers as performed by the Chipettes), I can benefit from my friends' data in a bunch of ways—including as a roadmap to exploring genres of music I think I hate.
Why Your 'Spotify Wrapped' Recap Has Songs You've Never Listened To
It's that time of year again: Spotify is here to tease you remind you about your musical habits…
I got the idea from my friend Meghan, whose social media identity is steeped in Goth; I have never met her in person, but I am pretty sure if I did, she would appear from out of a blackened cloud in bone-white makeup, held aloft by majestic bat wings and bearing a sword made of human bones. Suffice it to say, she is not the person who comes to mind when I hear the words "dance pop." Yet the other day, she tweeted this:
In subsequent tweets, she goes on quite a journey as she explores the effects of exposure to Carly Rae Jepsen's "Cut to the Feeling," a fantastic but decidedly un-Goth song I happen to love, which she encountered in the Wrapped summary of a similarly black-clad mutual friend of ours who nevertheless knows a good beat when he hears one. Meghan's stance on sunny, danceable tunes quickly transitioned from trepidation to "confused cocker spaniel" to, well:
This is when it occurred to me that this experiment will hold true for any friends with whom you might not share a mutual taste in music. You ostensibly care about these people, so perhaps it means something that they find joy in, say, country music (to chose an oft-maligned "I like all kinds of music, except..." genre), and you'll understand it better after you listen specifically to the songs they love.
You can't access someone's Wrapped summary unless they share it with you, even if you follow them on the service. Considering the topic has been trending on social media all week, you probably won't have to ask for it twice (or at all)—and you can always visit their profiles on Spotify itself to see what artists they've been recently playing. That's not as good as a best-of-the-year list, but it can still be a solid source of musical inspiration.
So why not dig into the year-end summaries of others you trust to see what outside-your-wheelhouse songs they liked enough to put on repeat several hundred times over the course of the last 12 months? As long as they aren't a parent whose child has corrupted their listening history (or Lifehacker tech editor David Murphy, whose Wrapped summary is full of the soothing ambient music he puts on to fall asleep), you're bound to uncover some gems. Worst-case scenario, your own judgements about what constitutes bad music will only be confirmed, and who doesn't love a resolutely opinionated music fan?
stealheadtrout
It crashes the app when I try to view it.


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Police dealing with 'unexplained sudden death' at a home in Waddon - latest updates
Police are standing guard outside a Waddon home
There are reports of a police presence in a residential street in Waddon, the Advertiser understands.
A witness said a large number of police were in Williams Terrace and a white tent forensics has been put up outside a home.
A police officer is standing guard outside the property where the forensics tent has been put up in the garden.
Couple escape injury after car crashes into Sanderstead house
The Metropolitan Police Service and London Ambulance Service have been approached for comment.
We will bring you the latest on this breaking news when we get it on our live blog below.
Neighbours speak of their shock 15:44
Police confirm 'sudden death' 13:24
Video and photos from the scene
Police are currently treating the death as unexplained and no arrests have been made. Photos and video from the scene can be viewed here.
Neighbours speak of their shock
Shocked neighbours have given their reaction to the death of a man in his 20s in Waddon.
Police at the scene (Image: Grant Melton)
'Just so sad'
A 37-year-old woman who lives in Bates Crescent told our reporter: " It's just so sad for something like this to happen.
"I'm surprised I didn't hear anything. My husband saw police and the tent was up when I left to take the children to school at 7am. I've seen plain clothes officers but that's it. It's just so worrying for something to happen so close to home. We've lived here for six years and nothing like this has happened before."
Police have been standing guard outside the property (Image: Grant Melton)
'Terrible to hear someone's died'
Osei Asibey, 62, lives on Bates Crescent, the adjoining road.
He said: "I saw police there this morning and an ambulance move a body after 11am. I've lived here for ten years and it's terrible to hear someone's died, a real pity. The old owners left a year ago and I don't know who lived there but what a shame for that to happen near here."
Police forensics have been removing clothes from the property (Image: Grant Melton)
'We saw them move a body'
A witness has described seeing the emergency services arrive at about 4am this morning and said a body was taken from the scene at about midday. D'Andra Buchanan, 22, said: "Me and my dad were awake at 4am when five police cars, two ambulance vans and a fire engine turned up. Police cars were here until about 7am and we saw them move a body at about midday. We didn't hear anything from the house, the first thing we knew was the fire engine and police turning up."
Forensics removing items
Our photographer Grant Melton has sent through these images of the scene, where police forensics staff have been taking clear plastic bags full of items away from the scene.
Police confirm 'sudden death'
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Services has just confirmed officers are dealing with what is being described as a "sudden death" at a property in Williams Terrace. Here is the police statement in full:
Police in Croydon are dealing with a sudden death. Officers were called by London Ambulance Service at 04:18hrs on Friday, 12 January to a residential address in Williams Terrace, Croydon. A man in his late 20s had been found unconscious near the premises and was pronounced dead at the scene. Next of kin have been informed. A post-mortem examination will take place. No arrests. The death is being treated as unexplained at this time. A report will be compiled for the Coroner.
Forensics officers have been seen taking clear plastic bags with clothes from the scene.
Where is Williams Terrace?
The residential road adjoins Waddon Way, which lies just of the A23 Purley Way.
(Image: Google)
Police guarding home
Police have been spotted guarding a home in Waddon outside which a forensics tent has been put up. The Advertiser has contacted the emergency services for a statement, which we will bring to you as we get it. Stay with us for updates on this breaking story.


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Each year scads of 17- and 18-year-olds graduate as high school valedictorians with perfect GPAs, sky-high SATs, and piles of college credits. But many from low-income families never apply to top colleges — the ones that likely would give them the best chances of becoming doctors, scientists, and other professionals. Sociologist Alexandria Walton Radford *09 explores why in Top Student, Top School? How Social Class Shapes Where Valedictorians Go to College (The University of Chicago Press).
Radford tracked down and emailed 1,369 public-school valedictorians from five states whose names she found printed in hometown newspapers between 2003 and 2006. Almost 900 answered her Web-based survey about their family circumstances and influences on college choices. One in six were from families making less than $50,000. The parents of one in four had not graduated from college.
She looked at how many of the 900 valedictorians applied to and enrolled in 72 of the most selective colleges — 11 public schools and 61 private schools. She found that even though the top colleges accepted a higher percentage of the lower-income students (63 percent) than of the students from middle- or high-income families (50 and 54 percent), only half the lower-income students applied to those schools, compared with four-fifths of those from higher-income families.
Radford also journeyed across the country to interview 55 valedictorians. Among them was an honors student with a perfect score on the verbal SAT and ambitions to attend Princeton, Harvard, or Yale, but whose lower-income parents wanted her to commute to the "affordable" public university closer to home. She shelved the idea of applying to an Ivy and instead accepted a full scholarship to a small, Christian college, only to discover when she happened to revisit her dream college's website that she might have attended it for free.
Radford, who directs studies on postsecondary education and students' transition to college at RTI International, a research institute, believes the root of this problem is lack of support at home and bad advice and "little personalized time and attention" from guidance counselors at their schools, even for top students. To counteract that, she recommends Princeton and its peers start wooing these less-affluent prize pupils much sooner, sending students and alumni out "to tell them about life at Princeton, making students more comfortable with the idea of attending," and pitching the bountiful financial aid. Radford hopes to follow up to see where life takes the valedictorians she studied.


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A magányos lovas (eredeti cím: The Lone Ranger) 2013-ban bemutatott amerikai western-kalandfilm, melynek rendezője Gore Verbinski, forgatókönyvírója Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott és Terry Rossio. Az azonos nevű címszereplő alapján a film főszereplője Johnny Depp mint Tonto, az események narrátora, és Armie Hammer mint John Reid, a magányos lovas. A karakter 1933-ban tűnt fel először, mint egy rádiójáték szereplője, ezután tévésorozat és rajzfilmsorozat is készült a kalandjaiból. 2013-ban készült először mozifilm belőle.

A film világpremierje a Hyperion moziban volt 2013. június 22-én, az Amerikai Egyesült Államokban 2013. július 3-án mutatták be, Magyarországon egy héttel később szinkronizálva, július 11-én a Fórum Hungary jóvoltából.

Általánosságban negatív kritikákat kapott az értékelőktől, akik kritizálták Hammer és Depp alakítását és a forgatókönyvet, bár egyesek dicsérték a sminket és a vizuális effektusokat. A jegypénztáraknál hatalmasat bukott, a 215 millió dolláros gyártási költséghez, és a legalább ekkorára rúgó promóciós költséghez képest világszerte csak 260,5 millió dollárt hozott, így legalább 190 millió dolláros volt a bukás, amivel az egyik legnagyobb filmes pénzügyi bukást sikerült összehozni. A film két Oscar-jelölést kapott – a legjobb vizuális effektek, valamint a legjobb smink és frizura kategóriában, de azokat sem nyerte el.

Cselekmény

A történet 1933-ban kezdődik egy San Franciscó-i vidámparkban, ahol egy Will nevű fiú, aki bálványozza a legendás Lone Rangert, találkozik az idős komancs Tontóval, aki elmeséli a vadnyugati kalandorral kapcsolatos élményeit.

1869-ben John Reid ügyvéd hazatér a texasi Colbyba a még be nem fejezett transzkontinentális vasúton keresztül, amelynek építését Latham Cole vasútmágnás irányítja. Reid nem tudja, hogy a vonaton Tonto és a törvényen kívüli Butch Cavendish is utazik, akit akasztásra szállítanak, miután Dan Reid, John Texas Ranger bátyja elfogta. Cavendish bandája megmenti Butchot, és kisiklatja a vonatot. Tontót ezt követően bebörtönzik. Dan helyettesíti Johnt Texas Rangerként, és egy ezüstcsillagos jelvényt kap, amely néhai apjuké volt, és hat másik társával a Cavendish-banda nyomába ered. Cavendish emberei rajtaütnek üldözőiken, és megölik őket, miközben Cavendish a tőrével megöli Dant, és bosszúból a börtönbüntetésért felfalja a szívét. A börtönből megszökött Tonto rátalál a halottakra, és eltemeti őket.

Egy fehér szellemló felébreszti Johnt, mint "szellemjárót", és Tonto elmagyarázza, hogy Johnt nem lehet megölni csatában. Tonto azt is elmondja, hogy Collins, az egyik erdőjáró elárulta Dant, és Cavendishnek dolgozik. Mivel Johnt halottnak hiszik, maszkot visel, hogy megvédje kilétét az ellenségtől. Tonto átad Johnnak egy ezüstgolyót, amelyet az elesett rangerek jelvényeiből készítettek, és azt mondja neki, hogy használja Cavendish ellen, akiről úgy gondolja, hogy egy wendigo nevű misztikus szörnyeteg.

A Hell on Wheels bordélyházban, ahol Collins nemrég járt, Red Harrington tájékoztatja őket Dan és Collins harcáról egy elátkozott ezüst miatt.

Eközben Cavendish emberei komancsoknak álcázva portyáznak a határ menti településeken. John és Tonto azután érkezik, hogy a fosztogatók elrabolják Dan özvegyét és fiát, Rebeccát és Dannyt. Collins megbánva korábbi tetteit, megpróbál segíteni az anyának és a gyermeknek elmenekülni, de Cole lelövi. Azt állítva, hogy a fosztogatók ellenséges komancsok, Cole bejelenti a vasútvonal építésének folytatását, és Jay Fuller amerikai lovassági századost küldi ki a komancsok kiirtására. Egy komancs törzs elfogja Johnt és Tontót, miután vasúti síneket találnak az indiánok területén. A vezető elmeséli Johnnak Tonto múltját: gyerekkorában Tonto megmentette Cavendish-t és egy másik férfit a közelgő haláltól, később pedig egy zsebóráért cserébe megmutatott nekik egy ezüstérccel teli hegyet. A férfiak meggyilkolták a törzset, hogy titokban tartsák a helyet, így Tonto nagy bűntudatot érzett, ami miatt azt gondolja, hogy ők ketten is wendigók.

Tonto és John elmenekül, miközben a lovasság megtámadja a komancsokat. Az ezüstbányánál a duó elfogja Cavendish-t. Tonto azt követeli Johntól, hogy az ezüstgolyót használja Cavendish megölésére, de John visszautasítja. Miután Cavendish-t visszaadják Cole és Fuller őrizetébe, Cole-ról kiderül, hogy Cavendish társa és testvére. Fuller, attól félve, hogy háborús bűnösnek bélyegzik, amiért ok nélkül lemészárolta a törzset, Cole pártjára áll. Rebeccát túszul ejtik, Johnt pedig visszaviszik a bányába, hogy kivégezzék. Tonto megmenti őt, és mindketten elmenekülnek. Felismerve, hogy Cole túl erős ahhoz, hogy törvényes úton leszámoljanak vele, és megbánva, hogy Tonto semmibe vétele miatt arroganciája a komancsok tömeges lemészárlásához és szerettei elrablásához vezetett, John ismét felveszi a maszkot.

A Promontory-csúcson, a vasút egyesülési ünnepségén Cole felfedi valódi tervét: átveszi az irányítást a vasúttársaság felett, és a bányászott ezüstöt felhasználva még nagyobb hatalomra tesz szert. John és Tonto nitroglicerint lopnak, és azzal elpusztítanak egy vasúti hidat. Red segítségével Tonto ellopja az ezüstöt szállító vonatot, Cole, Cavendish és Fuller pedig üldözőbe veszi egy második vonattal, amelyen Rebecca és ifjabb Dan fogságban van. John lóháton üldözi a vonatot. A vad üldözés és a két vonaton vívott harcok után John megöli Cavendish-t és Fullert, majd megmenti Rebeccát és ifjabb Dant. Tonto visszaadja Cole-nak a zsebórát, amelyet az elmúlt évek alatt őrizgetett, mielőtt a vonat lehajt a lerombolt hídról, és Cole-t a sok ezüst alá temeti.

A város hősként ismeri el Johnt, és felajánl neki egy rendfenntartói állást, de John visszautasítja, és Tontóval együtt ellovagol.

Visszatérve 1933-ba, Will megkérdőjelezi a történet igazságtartalmát, mire Tonto egy ezüstgolyót ad neki, azt mondja, döntse el maga, majd varjú alakjában távozik. Will felbuzdulva maszkot húz az arcára.

Szereplők

Kritika
A kritika itthon és külföldön is elásta a filmet, kiemelték, hogy a film nem találja a helyét, komédiának nem elég vicces, sőt néha kimondottan erőszakos, komolyabb filmnek viszont súlytalan. Kitértek a főszereplők esetlen játékára, és arra is, hogy a címszereplőt egy lényegében ismeretlen színész (Hammer) játssza, meglehetősen sótlanul, de Depp alakításáról sem voltak jó véleménnyel. A filmet pedig sok helyen unalmasnak és klisésnek találták, ami fárasztó viccelődéssekkel akar szórakoztatni, ezen pedig a költséges látványelemek sem tudtak segíteni. A költségek elszállásával pedig jött az anyagi fiaskó is. Depp és Hammer ráadásul légből kapott indokokkal a kritikusokat vádolták a film anyagi kudarcáért.

Médiakiadás

A magányos lovast a Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment 2013. december 17-én adta ki Blu-ray-en és DVD-n. Október 31-én jelent meg Ausztráliában.

Folytatás

A film megjelenése előtt, június 3-án Jerry Bruckheimer azt nyilatkozta, hogy szeretné, ha a Magányos lovas újra nyeregbe ülne, és Johnny Deppet ismét a franchise-ba helyezze. A kritikai, de főleg anyagi kudarc után viszont erre nem voltak próbálkozások.

Jegyzetek

Fordítás

További információk

2013 filmjei
Amerikai akciófilmek
Amerikai kalandfilmek
Amerikai westernfilmek
Walt Disney Pictures-filmek
Fórum Hungary-filmek


Quick summary: In this activity students make an air barometer to measure air pressure.
Syllabus Outcomes: ST1-9ES, ST2-4WS, ST1-8ES.
Time required: 5 – 10 minutes to set up jar, several minutes observation time a day for 2 to 3 days.
Resources required: A wide topped jar, balloon, rubber band, drinking straw, scissors, cardboard, pen, sticky tape, ruler.
Safety advice: This activity requires cutting a balloon – depending on student age and ability this activity may be either a student-led experiment or a teacher-led demonstration.
Keywords: Air pressure, barometer, weather, rain.
In this activity students make an air barometer to measure air pressure.
Step 1. Cut the balloon open and fix it tightly over the opening of the jar. Secure with a rubber band.
Step 2. Trim the end of the straw to a point and attach the other end of the straw to the centre of the balloon topped jar using sticky tape.
Step 3. Draw a scale on the piece of card and prop the card in front of the pointy end of the straw. Mark on the scale where the straw meets the card.
In this experiment you will be making an air barometer.


Last week's column (discussing a YouTube video on industrial farming in China) interested many readers. Now I'm continuing the social media theme –introducing the Ottawa Field Naturalist Club and their Facebook page as an example of how Facebook can attract members, inform the public (regardless of membership), and promote learning plus deep conversation about the environment.
I know many of you are interested not only in birds, but other wildlife and habitats we enjoy, locally. I also know my readers are fascinated in pursuing conversations about the environment, wildlife, politics… and other issues. I am also introducing OFNC as an example of social media at its best.
Facebook is only one "platform" of social media. Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest are more examples of some other arenas which allow people from all over the world to share interests, ideas, and techniques (gardening, art, etc.). And, to debate ideas, too. In other words, Facebook, Twitter, and these other platforms go way beyond the mere "sharing" of "information" such as someone "posting" (typing in a message) to say they've had a cup of coffee. Who cares? Not me. (Happily, that sort of trivia seems to be declining. Good.) However, show me a sharing universe where I can learn, contribute (i.e. share) ideas, announce events – and I am "all over it" – that is, keenly interested. Now, we can't be all hung up on "being correct or right" about our contributions to Facebook and other platforms. None of us can know everything – this goes without saying, and yet some people are constipated by a need to "be right about everything." Throw that thought away! Instead, hover around, see and read what's happening in Facebook, and then? Jump into the discussion. Again, this is why Facebook is called "social media" – because when we enter Facebook, we are participating in a real conversation. Think of Facebook as having a "chat" with people. Contribute courteously. Be willing to adapt and to keep an open mind – just as we do with conversation among friends, family, colleagues. If you, like me, are "born curious," then social media is compelling.
Think of a website as being a primarily static introduction to a person or organization. However, websites can and do link visitors to other organizations or people, via a list of website or other social media addresses. In this way, a website serves as a portal (door) to other ideas, people and events. Facebook is different because it is a social media platform which encourages active discussion. People post comments, photographs, ask questions – and others answer questions, make other comments (including debating an idea). People may include a link to a website, YouTube video, or other platform. This is why people like me enjoy Facebook. It promotes worthwhile, sometimes deep discussion. I think Facebook permits democratic sharing of sometimes "radical" ideas (ideas that are "outside the box") which traditional media all too often fail to represent. As well, because the audience is literally anyone with an internet connection, social media "conversations" can be among a world-wide audience. The reach is phenomenal. Read: social media is powerful. This is why politicians everywhere are falling over themselves to have Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, including blogs. It's not only to "be cool" and contemporary; it is to be relevant in today's world. All of which segues neatly into an example of a local National Capital Region, volunteer-driven organization that's using their webpage and Facebook very well.
I've been a member of this, the oldest natural history club in Canada, for years. Founded in 1879, the OFNC's objectives are: "to promote the appreciation, preservation, and conservation of Canada's natural heritage; to encourage investigation, publish the results of research in all fields of natural history, and diffuse the information as widely as possible; and to support and cooperate with organizations engaged in preserving, maintaining or restoring environments of high quality for living things." The club's website (ofnc.ca) announces coming events. Sometimes, non-members can join these, but understandably, members have first pick. If you enjoy learning about salamanders, lichens, owls – or understanding different habitats in our area, such as alvars – consider joining. The club's Facebook page fascinates me because it not only presents reminders about meetings, it serves as a discussion board, in a manner which truly demonstrates the best aspects of social media.
Do you think people should feed wild birds? Whether you are pro or con, this issue is being actively debated on OFNC's Facebook page. Are you interested in planting a wildlife garden (learning about plants which attract butterflies or birds)? What about emerald ash borer beetles, and discovering how the pest is advancing into the National Capital Region – and threatening Pontiac ash trees? What about the plight of monarch butterflies, whose populations this year are reportedly at a record low in Mexico? All these issues and more are being introduced, discussed – and yes, courteously debated.
Many Pontiacers use social media. Visit these Pontiac sites: Blog: Action Pontiac). Website (and Facebook) Pontiac Artists' Association (artpontiac.com). Event: EcoExpo Pontiac). Shawville Portal. Don't see your social media page represented here? Go to The Equity's Facebook page. "Like" this Facebook page, add your comments to this social media platform… Start your Pontiac discussion!


Currently, there are more than 190 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club. Needless to say, not all breeds are appropriate for all individuals. Breeds are man-made, with each developed for a purpose. The attributes found in each breed are appropriate for the job the breed was meant to do. Trying to shoe-horn an inappropriate breed into your current lifestyle because of the way it looks or the message it sends is a recipe for disaster. The best choice, leading to the most satisfactory relationship between pet and owner, is the one that matches the personality and unique lifestyle of the owners with the temperamental characteristics of the breed. Given the diversity of human personalities and lifestyles, and the differences in temperaments and appearances of various breeds of dogs, it stands to reason that one can find a unique match between person and pet. It just takes patience and a bit of fortitude.
Urban, rural or suburban; condo, apartment, or house; size of available exercise area; neighborhood requirements or restrictions; weather and climate.
Ages of children (if applicable), presence of other pets, your past experience with dogs, financial resources, availability of family members, general activity level of the household.
Playmate for children; companion; watchdog; herder; hunter; lap dog.
These attributes include weight, height, strength, coat color and texture, tendency to shed, tendency to drool, ears natural or cropped, tails long, short or docked, health issues, life span and food requirements.
These characteristics include indoor and outdoor activity level, emotional stability, sociability, training potential and watchdog/guard-dog ability. In addition, it is helpful to know the history of each breed, its background and relative popularity. With a little bit of homework, you should be able to narrow down your selection to the right dog for you, your family and your lifestyle.
The most obvious resources for breed information are breeders. However, there are also a number of sources in the library or bookstore, on the internet, and at the Detroit Kennel Club Dog Shows.
There are many books that honestly list the characteristics of pure-bred dogs, often supplying a quiz or questionnaire to test your appropriateness for a particular breed. Beware of materials in which all of the dogs are described in glowing terms. It is important to understand the negatives as well as the positives of each breed.
The Right Dog for You by Daniel F. Tortora, Ph. D.
Most national breed clubs have web sites, and many also have information packets or handbooks available to those interested in their breed. Many regional clubs also have web sites as well as handouts and pamphlets. To find the contact for a particular national breed club, and a brief description of each breed, check out the American Kennel Club web site.
In addition to the Detroit Kennel Club Dog Shows, there are many dog shows held throughout the year that will provide you with the opportunity to meet dogs up close and personal. At most dog shows, dogs leave after the breed competition ends, so it is important to arrive at the show before the posted judging time in order to see the dogs and arrange to talk with owners and breeders after the competition has ended. The best time to talk to an exhibitor is after s/he has taken the dog into the ring. Most breeders and owners love to talk about their dogs, but may be nervous or preoccupied before the competition begins. Shows and show times can be found on the show superintendent site. The superintendent for the Detroit Kennel Club shows is Jack Onofrio Dog Shows.
Many shows offer opportunities for show spectators to meet dogs, their owners and breeders during casual information sessions call "Meet the Breed." Often held during the lunch hour (approximately noon – 1pm), exhibitors are invited to assemble in a designated ring(s) with their dogs. Spectators are invited as well, and are able to wander from dog to dog, meet them, pet them, and ask all the questions you might have. These are casual sessions and are free to all show spectators.
Sometimes shows will offer more in-depth Breed Seminars where only one breed will be presented. During these seminars, often held away from the show ring area, expert breeders and owners will bring their own dogs for you to meet and will give more of a formal presentation about their breed. Guests are welcome and encouraged to ask questions!


For most landlords and larger organisations trying to ensure you are complying with the law regarding Asbestos can be fraught with anxiety. Likewise, contractors carrying out work, particularly on older buildings, have to ensure the safety of those working on any constriction site.
The Asbestos regulations, often referred to as the CAR12 regulations, are quite specific in the 'Duty to Manage'. However duty to manage does not mean removing all asbestos. The act of disturbing and removing asbestos is a specialist task to be undertaken by specialised, qualified, contractors. In essence, this is a potentially dangerous task that, if handled badly, can lead to the distribution of the asbestos fibres to anyone and anywhere in the vicinity of the removal, transport route and dump site for the products concerned. There is an additional concern that there is nowhere to put the considerable tonnage of material that is known to have been imported into the UK over the years.
So, how can you ensure that you are compliant with CAR12 and how can you make sure that you reduce risk for those who access your properties, either by living there or if construction work is carried out?
•	Firstly we suggest that you hold up to date information about your properties where you believe there are ACM's. There are many ways of doing this; paper reports, spreadsheets etc. But by far the best way is a centralised Asbestos Management System like ToolKit CS. This system is audit trailed and can prompt you when next surveys are due and, best of all, the information on there is shareable and consistently up-to-date.
You should also schedule in regular audits / re-inspections on your properties so that the information you have is consistent and up to date. Again ToolKit CS can easily and simply facilitate this.
With this in mind, you need a quick but thorough way of carrying out surveys on your system. Whether this is a re-inspection, refurbishment / demolition or bulk sampling survey. The information from each survey needs to be stored on your Centralised Asbestos Management System – immediately – not several days or weeks later. Hosted ToolKit CS (Asbestos) facilitates this by providing a FREE mobile surveying application that directly connects to your Centralised Asbestos Management System.
If you would like to know more about how ToolKit CS can help you with your Asbestos Management requirements then please call a member of the Ai Solutions team on 01525 850080 and arrange your FREE Demonstration and Consultation. We know we can help you, we have many customers that will verify that so please call us today!


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Q: Find user/item listed in DLP Report I've started doing some testing with our Office 365 Tenant and the DLP policies. I have a couple (PII and Credit Card) running in test mode and when I look at the policy matches report, the Item and Last modified by are encoded (all start with PII:H101 prefix). Is there any way to actually determine what user/item are in violation? I would like to determine if we're getting valid results.

A: Office 365 DLP policies creation template provide different options to trigger emails to both the owner of the content as well as to the site collection administration with pre-defined or customized email content.
Once you configure those settings, you will be receiving emails with direct links to the documents or list items where the rule is matched.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I consider my own vocation, or calling, in life to be an academic ministry. My aim is to minister--to serve--the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to think deeply and prayerfully about God and about all things in relation to God. I am especially energized when I see students discover in fresh ways the rich resources of Holy Scripture and the Christian tradition.
Hopefully a rigorous engagement with Scripture and the Christian tradition for the purpose contemporary application, with some sports talk and music reviews thrown in as well!
Baptists and the Christian Tradition: Towards an Evangelical Baptist Catholicity. Edited with Matthew Y. Emerson and Christopher W. Morgan. Nashville: B&H Academic, forthcoming, 2020.
Thy Will Be Done: A Contemporary Defense of Two-Wills Christology. Minneapolis: Fortress, forthcoming.
"Atonement in Gethsemane: The Necessity of Dyothelitism for the Atonement." In Locating Atonement: Explorations in Constructive Dogmatics, ed. Oliver D. Crisp and Fred Sanders, 139-53. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015.
"Did Jesus Ever Get Sick? Some Thoughts on Christ's Human Nature." Criswell Theological Review 13, no. 1 (Fall 2015): 63-76.
"John Gill's Reformed Dyothelitism." Reformed Theological Review 74, no. 2 (August 2015): 77-93.


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Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector Application Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains the following items:
i.How Sony Corporation ("Sony", "we", "our" or "us") may read, collect, use and/or store information about your use of the "Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector Application".
ii.How you can contact us.
Please read this Privacy Policy and indicate whether you agree to its terms by selecting the button or checkbox describing your consent or refusal. This Privacy Policy is in addition to any other privacy policy that may apply to your interactions with any Sony affiliate, subsidiary, product, software or service.
1. About Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector Application
The Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector Application is an application that is required to enable you to use your Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector.
2.:Information collected when you use the Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector Application (the "App")
Sony may receive certain information automatically when you use the App:
§ Device information which is registered by a user on the App
(e.g., device ID, model name, name of manufacturer)
§ Application information (e.g., application ID or application version)
§ Information on how you use the App
Information collected automatically described above will be uploaded with a unique number assigned to the devices this application is installed, which allows us to distinguish the data received from such device from that received from other devices.
Information collected automatically described above is used for statistical purposes only. Sony will not send you any unsolicited marketing communications.
If you wish to stop automatic data collection, you should cease using / uninstall the App.
3. How else does Sony use your information?
To develop future products and services
Sony may collect and/or analyze the information referred to in Section 2 in order to improve our products and services and to develop new ones.
To protect Sony and its users
Sony may collect and/or analyze the information referred to in Section 2 in order to identify potential security threats and to protect Sony, its users and its affiliates.
4. Who else has access to your information?
We will not be sharing their information with anyone else.
5. Data Retention, Managing Your Information
We will retain the information described in Section 2 for as long as you use the applications and for a period of six months thereafter. If you'd like us to delete user provided data that you have provided via the applications, please contact us at your local Sony company: http://www.sony-europe.com and we will respond in a reasonable time and manner. Please note that some or all of the user provided data may be required in order for the applications to function properly, and we may be required to retain certain information by law.
6. Transfer of your information internationally
The applications are available to users around the world. Your information will be processed, stored and transferred for the purposes outlined in Sections 2 and 3 to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and/or your country of residence, including in particular Japan. Your information will be processed by staff operating outside the EEA and/or your country of residence who work for us or for one of our service providers and may be seen by such staff in those countries. Data protection and privacy laws in these countries may not offer the same level of protection as in the EEA and/or your country of residence and you may have fewer legal rights in relation to your information.
Sony undertakes reasonable security measures designed to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of your information. Although we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information transmitted to us through the application or that we store on our systems or that is stored on our third party contractors' systems.
8. Our Policy Regarding Children
Sony is committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations regarding the collection, storage and use of personal information concerning children. If you are a parent or guardian and are concerned that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, you should contact us as indicated below.
9. Privacy Rights
In some countries, including countries in the EEA, you have certain rights with respect to the personal information Sony holds about you. These may include the right to request a copy of the personal information that we hold about you and you may request that we correct, amend, delete or block such personal information. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at your local Sony company: http://www.sony-europe.com
Sony may update this Privacy Policy from time to time and for any reason.
Sony will notify you of changes to the Privacy Policy through the application.
If you want to check the Privacy Policy at any time, please click on the following: Privacy policy
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to exercise any legal right you may have in respect of your personal information, please contact us at your local Sony company: http://www.sony-europe.com
Additional specification information on the LSPX-P1 Portable Ultra Short Throw Projector
When updating the projector's firmware using the dedicated app for mobile devices, a message "Unable to update" appears on the app or it freezes at "Transferring update..."
The projector does not project images even when it is placed in "HDMI" mode using the dedicated app for mobile devices
The projector produces no sound even when it is placed in "HDMI" mode using the dedicated app for mobile devices
I cannot operate the projector with my mobile device


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https://whateveryoneneedstoknow.com/browse;jsessionid=4F02C860061AF1FFBDFC56A2B05D56AD?btog=book&pageSize=20&sort=titlesort&t=WENTKO_SUBJECTS%3AAHU01090
Regional and National History (1)
Open Section Science and Mathematics (2)
Open Section Biological Sciences (1)
Open Section Ecology and Conservation (1)
Biodiversity and Conservation Biology (1)
Open Section Earth Sciences and Geography (1)
Environmental Geography (1)
Regional Geography (1)
Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Social Science) (1)
Environmental Politics (3)
Open Section Regional and Area Studies (3)
Environmental History x
The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know®
Mark J. Plotkin
The Amazon is a land of superlatives. The complex ecosystem covers an area about the size of the continental U.S. The Amazon River discharges 57 million gallons of water per second--in two ... More
The Amazon is a land of superlatives. The complex ecosystem covers an area about the size of the continental U.S. The Amazon River discharges 57 million gallons of water per second--in two hours, this would be enough to supply all of New York City's 7.5 million residents with water for a year. Its flora and fauna are abundant. Approximately one of every four flowering plant species on earth resides in the Amazon. A single Amazonian river may contain more fish species than all the rivers in Europe combined. It is home to the world's largest anteater, armadillo, freshwater turtle, and spider, as well as the largest rodent (which weighs over 200 lbs.), catfish (250 lbs.), and alligator (more than half a ton). The rainforest, which contains approximately 390 billion trees, plays a vital role in stabilizing the global climate by absorbing massive amounts of carbon dioxide--or releasing it into the atmosphere if the trees are destroyed. Severe droughts in both Brazil and Southeast Asia have been linked to Amazonian deforestation, as have changing rainfall patterns in the U.S., Europe, and China. The Amazon also serves as home to millions of people. Approximately seventy tribes of isolated and uncontacted people are concentrated in the western Amazon, completely dependent on the land and river. These isolated groups have been described as the most marginalized peoples in the western hemisphere, with no voice in the decisions made about their futures and the fate of their forests. In this addition to the What Everyone Needs to Know® series, ecologist and conservation expert, Mark J. Plotkin, who has spent 40 years studying Amazonia, its peoples, flora, and fauna. The Amazon offers an engaging overview of this irreplaceable ecosystem and the challenges it faces.Less
Antarctica: What Everyone Needs to Know®
Part of the What Everyone Needs to Know® series, David Day's book on Antarctica examines the most forbidding and formidably inaccessible continent on Earth. Antarctica was first discovered ... More
Part of the What Everyone Needs to Know® series, David Day's book on Antarctica examines the most forbidding and formidably inaccessible continent on Earth. Antarctica was first discovered by European explorers in 1820, and for over a century following this, countries competed for the frozen land's vast marine resources--namely, the skins and oil of seals and whales. Soon the entire territory played host to competing claims by rival nations. The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 was meant to end this contention, but countries have found other means of extending control over the land, with scientific bases establishing at least symbolic claims. Exploration and drilling by the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, and others has led to discoveries about the world's climate in centuries past--and in the process intimations of its alarming future. Delving into the history of the continent, Antarctic wildlife, arguments over governance, underwater mountain rangers, and the continent's use in predicting coming global change, Day's work sheds new light on a territory that, despite being the coldest, driest, and windiest continent in the world, will continue to be the object of intense speculation and competition.Less
The Arctic: What Everyone Needs to Know®
Klaus Dodds and Mark Nuttall
As the threat of global climate change becomes a reality, many look to the Arctic Ocean to predict coming environmental phenomena. There, the consequences of Earth's warming trend are most ... More
As the threat of global climate change becomes a reality, many look to the Arctic Ocean to predict coming environmental phenomena. There, the consequences of Earth's warming trend are most immediately observable in the multi-year and perennial ice that has begun to melt, which threatens ice-dependent microorganisms and, eventually, will disrupt all of Arctic life. In The Arctic: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Klaus Dodds and Mark Nuttall offer a concise introduction to the circumpolar North, focusing on its peoples, environment, resource development, conservation, and politics to provide critical information about how changes there can and will affect our entire globe and all of its inhabitants. Dodds and Nuttall shed light on how the Arctic's importance has grown over time, the region's role during the Cold War, indigenous communities and their history, and the past and future of the Arctic's governance, among other crucial topics. The Arctic is an essential primer for those seeking information about one of the most important regions in the world today.Less


George Rogers Clark National Historical Park of Indiana is the final national site honored with a U.S. quarter for 2017. It represents the fortieth of fifty-six releases from the United States Mint program of America the Beautiful Quarters®.
its official launch ceremony by the U.S. Mint and the National Park Service at Riverfront Pavilion (102 N 2nd St., Vincennes, IN 47591) on November 14, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. EST.
Coin forums offer an opportunity for the public to learn about current and upcoming coin products and express their views about coinage. Quarter ceremonies and coin forums are open to the public and free.
Coin exchanges occur right after quarter launch ceremonies. They are at the same location of the event and give attendees a chance to exchange cash for $10 rolls of a newly released quarter.
It is often very difficult to find new quarters because it can take months and sometimes years before they appear regularly in change. Easier methods of getting them include coin exchanges and buying them straight from the U.S. Mint (www.usmint.gov).
Eleven reverse candidate designs for the quarter were developed by the U.S. Mint in consultation with representatives of the national park. The Treasury Secretary selected the final design after the Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee reviewed the candidates and offered their recommendations.
Created by Frank Morris and sculpted by Michael Gaudioso, the selected design depicts George Rogers Clark leading his men through the flooded plains approaching Fort Sackville. Surrounding the scene are inscriptions reading "GEORGE ROGERS CLARK," "INDIANA," "2017," and "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
All quarter obverses (heads) share a common portrait of George Washington as created by John Flanagan.
Both obverse and reverse designs are also on a series of U.S. Mint bullion and collector 3-inch diameter, 5-ounce silver coins.
Ellis Island (Statue of Liberty National Monument) (New Jersey).
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park of Indiana marks the area where George Rogers Clark led a group of frontiersmen to take back control of Fort Sackville. At the time of the attack in 1779, Fort Sackville was under British command. Thanks to General Clark, the Americans were able to gain control of a vast expanse of land that was almost the size of the original 13 colonies.
General Clark was also known for founding Louisville, Kentucky, and taking back several other forts that were controlled by the British.
While Fort Sackville no longer stands, the park is located in the same area of where it was believed to be located. As time went on, the fort's exact location was lost. Archaeological investigations from 1969 to 1971 found portions of stockade walls but their origin was impossible identify due to the closeness of the 1732 French stockade, Fort Sackville, and the 1812 Fort Knox III.
In 1930, the memorial for George Rogers Clark was created to honor the victory over the British.


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Q: Divide (distribute) a number in wholenumbers in php I want to divide a given number to wholenumbers and round off the first digit if the divisor was not a factor of the dividend.
Eg. My divisor shall always be 24.
dividend(d) = 4.
ans = array(1, 1, 1, 1);
d = 10.
ans = array(1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1);
d=24.
ans = array(1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1);

- - - - - - Now here comes the twist. -- - - - - - -

d = 25.
ans = array(2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1);
d = 35.
ans = array(2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1);
d = 79.
ans = array(4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3);
While I'm at it, let me also describe what I am trying to achieve from this..
I want to automate a task that shall perform a specific operation on a given no of objects (d which shall vary(read increase) over time.).
Now I shall be running a cron every hour daily, which gives me a constant divisor of 24 if I wish to balance/distribute the no objects on which the task has to run each day.
I have searched this division technique and found this question which was somewhat close to what i needed,  though on how to implement it in php I am a bit lost.

A: Something like:
$x = floor($d / 24);
$y = $d % 24;
$ans = array_fill(0, 24, $x);
if ($y > 0)
    array_splice($ans, 0, $y, array_fill(0, $y, $x+1));
$ans = array_filter($ans);

A: One easier method I just thought of is, instead of having everything in an array, we could just generate the numbers in runtime just by passing the supposed index of that key.
say I want the value for the element on 4th position.
$index = 4;
$dividend = 79;
$divisor = 24;

$quotient = $dividend % $divisor;
$value = $dividend / $divisor;
if($quotient && ($quotient - $index) >= 0){
  $value += 1;
}


Thickset and tattooed, 39-year-old Caco declines to give his real name as he sits in his sparse office in one of Rio de Janeiro's most troubled favelas.
He denies he is afraid but on the other side of the wall are three bullet marks from the gun that killed his predecessor as president of the residents' association last September.
Osmar Paiva Camelo, who was a retired military police sergeant, was reportedly killed for supporting the pacification process to seize back control from drug gangs in Complexo da Maré, close to Rio's international airport.
Despite being occupied by 2,700 troops since April last year in the run up to the World Cup, shoot-outs and deaths in Maré have continued. Earlier this week, military police began to take over security operations from soldiers.
However, as the city builds towards next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games, Maré residents are disillusioned with the security forces and the climate as tense as ever.
"It's going to take decades to resolve," Caco said, keeping an eye on the door. "The expectation is uncertain."
Outside, skulking gang members keep watch on doorsteps and young men stroll the jaded warren-like streets, openly carrying handguns in public like they are an extension of their arms. Meanwhile, members of the community try to carry on their lives as normal.
For years, Rio's notorious Comando Vermelho, or Red Command, has fought two rival gangs and police for supremacy over the red-brick maze of 16 communities that is home to 140,000 people.
And while the state's security forces installed special pacifying police units (UPPs) in 38 areas ahead of last summer's World Cup, Maré continued to be almost impenetrable because of its size, its territorial divisions and its violence.
At the request of Rio's governor, President Dilma Rousseff granted the use of troops to try to finally bring the area under control with the intention of withdrawing them after the World Cup.
José Mariano Beltrame, Rio's state security secretary, struck a combative tone with drug gangs at the time and said: "We are taking another one of the territories they dominated, and if they continue reacting in this way, we will keep showing them that we are stronger, we have partners and we have the conditions to move forward in this way."
But even after the army entered last April, there was at least one murder a week in the police area that includes Maré.
As well as Mr Camelo's death, a 21-year-old army officer was also killed during the occupation.
Michel Augusto Mikami was shot in the head in October when patrolling the favela, while an armoured vehicle also lost control when it came under fire from traffickers.
An Amnesty International report on human rights around the world released in February cited the military occupation and violence in Maré.
"While a discourse of violence and a state of exception, which corroborates the perception that the lives of some are worth more than others, prevails, we are living in barbarism," said Atila Roque, director of Amnesty in Brazil.
Mr Roque said everyone was losing out: "The state, which puts its agents at risk and gives up confronting crime with intelligence, loses, and society, brutalised and trapped by the fear of violence, loses."
After a year of army occupation, the security forces have adopted a much more tentative posture as Rio's military police only now begin to take over from the soldiers.
On Wednesday, officers entered two of the more peaceful communities – Praia de Ramos and Roquete Pinto – in the first of three stages to introduce a permanent police presence in the favela.
But many are doubtful that this will bring an end to Maré's problems.
"The police have a history of corruption," said Caco, who was born and raised in Timbau, one of the communities within Maré. "The army occupation wasn't as bad because they didn't ask for money from residents or try to arrest people.
"Historically, police treat people in favelas like second class citizens so it's going to depend.
"The community is divided. The older people think it's going to be better but the young think it's going to be worse."
Caco, who grew up in the community, said endemic drug trafficking had grown in the favela since he was young.
"In my day, trafficking was much smaller, it was hidden," he added. "Now, it's bigger, it's more visible and there are a lot of guns. It has evolved like every industry."
Maré was not the only favela to see an upsurge in violence and conflict, 16 months before Rio is once again thrust to the world's attention with the Olympics and Paralympics.
A 10-year-old boy was among five shot and killed in Complexo do Alemão, another of the city's largest favelas, between Wednesday and Thursday.
Graphic images and videos circulated showing the bleeding body of Eduardo de Jesus Ferreira as well as footage that appeared to show police using sound bombs and pepper spray.
Rio's special operations police squads BOPE and Choque had been sent into the favela after a police base was attacked and set alight while residents described it as a "war".
Speaking during a visit to Praia de Ramos in Maré after Wednesday's first police transition, Rio's security secretary said the points of resistance for public security were the larger favelas such as Maré, Alemão and Rocinha, which is home to an estimated 200,000 people.
"In the bigger favelas, we have to adjust because it's very difficult for everything to happen at once there," Mr Beltrame said. "Some of these favelas are bigger than some towns in England.
"The UPPs exist to resolve this, to bring about this transformation. In the bigger areas, we're going to have bigger problems.
"Public security is the first right and the police is the first organ to enter but it's not just the police, it's health and education as well."
Mr Beltrame was under no illusion of the challenge facing Rio's military police as they go into the second and third stages of the transition with the aim of providing a 24-hour patrol within 60 days.
He said the first communities to be occupied by police were those that already had the conditions to support public services while the rest of the favela would be more complicated.
"It's going to be more difficult," he added. "There are 140,000 people and three criminal factions.
"It's like a patient who needs a big operation. The surgery must be done otherwise it's going to be harder for the patient to improve."
Colonel Frederico Caldas, the commander of the Pacifying Police Coordination (CPP), was cautiously optimistic but equally restrained.
"Our expectation is that in 60 days, it will be possible to implement the next UPP," he said. "This will be a great challenge."
Speaking to local press, he added: "We have an idea of the size of the challenge but we have to show our determination.
"There's a climate of pessimism around pacification. If it goes wrong, everyone is going down a hole: police, society, everyone."
The expectation is that resistance to police presence in Maré is unlikely to reach the scale of conflict in Complexo do Alemão in which almost 3,000 police and troops entered the favela in 2010.
But for many, including Caco, peace feels like a long way off.
"My expectations are just hopes," he said. "The community has to participate. I want things to get better here."


text:
Displaced IT workers stand to lose federal help
Patrick Thibodeau
For the past two years, tech workers who lost their jobs because of offshore outsourcing could get federal benefits to help with education, healthcare and even relocation costs. But the benefits will disappear next month unless Congress extends them.
The benefits came through an expansion of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, created in the 1960s to help manufacturing workers displaced by foreign competition. When offshoring began to hit IT, tech workers wanted these same benefits, but were often denied them because software isn't viewed as a tangible good by the U.S. government.
But in 2009, as part of the stimulus bill, Congress changed the TAA program to make laid-off tech workers broadly eligible for benefits . Some 155,000 people who might have otherwise been ineligible for benefits have received them since that change was enacted, according to the Labor Department.
The expanded TAA benefits were due to expire at the end of 2010, but in December Congress extended them for six weeks, through Feb. 12. After that date, and absent Congressional action, the TAA program will revert to the rules in effect before the 2009 changes.
The potential loss of TAA benefits for tech workers may renew what has been a long battle. Among its veterans is James Fusco, a former IBM mainframe programmer who was laid off in 2002 and ultimately challenged the fairness of the TAA program in court.
Fusco says that if Congress doesn't extend the law, "we're back in the same boat we were in prior to the stimulus package, and each person in a company affected (by offshore outsourcing ) is going to be on their own."
Fusco's lawsuit didn't change the law, but it prompted the Justice Department to extend benefits for some IBM workers. It was a partial victory that had little affect on him because of another job opportunity.
But the core issue remains: Should laid-off tech workers be treated differently from manufacturing workers? Not in Fusco's view. "In either case, you had a source of income, a source of livelihood, that is suddenly gone due to foreign competition," he said.
The Labor Department says that if the expanded TAA program isn't renewed, the states, which distribute the funds, will lose about $267 million next year.
"There's a consensus from all observers that trade and offshoring displaces American workers," said Ron Hira, an associate professor of public policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology. "Every standard economics textbook explains this fact of trade. Given the meteoric rise of services trade and outsourcing, there is simply no defensible reason why TAA should be limited to workers who make physical products."
Under the expansion approved in 2009, TAA provides a number of financial benefits, including help for college; up to $1,500 in job search allowances; a relocation lump sum payment of up to $1,500; and a tax credit covering 80% of eligible health insurance premiums. Older works above age 50 who obtain new full-time employment at wages of less than $50,000, can receive a wage subsidy of 50% of the difference between the old and new wages up to $10,000 over a period of two years.
If service workers are again excluded, IT workers could launch new challenges over the program's fairness — but they may face a difficult task. Workers who are laid off need the cooperation of the former employer to get benefits, and if the government rejects the initial application a lengthy review process may ensue.
In late 2003, for instance, laid-off BMC Software Inc. employees sought TAA benefits that were initially denied . Federal officials said "a software product must be tangible, fungible, and widely marketed. " But after finding that BMC had mass replicated software on CDs, the government said it was an "article" under the law. It took the government a year to consider this case.
In 2006, Computer Science Corp. workers were also denied TAA benefits, but the government later relented after deciding that software "if embodied in a physical medium" is an article under the law.
The fate of the TAA expansion in Congress is uncertain. In its final actions last year, Congress might have rejected extending general unemployment benefits had it not been for a larger tax deal negotiated by President Obama and Republicans in Congress. A potential source of funding for expanded TAA benefits, the additional $2,000 H-1B fee applied to offshore companies, is being used to pay for border security and healthcare benefits for 9/11 rescue workers.
About 85% of American workers are in the services sectors "so denying them the assistance they need, especially during this grueling jobs crisis, is a morally bankrupt position," Hira said. "IT workers are even more concentrated in the services sector. The fact that the extension of TAA benefits for services workers is not permanent, given the current state of offshoring of a wide variety of services jobs, is a perfect indication of just how disingenuous the offshoring cheerleaders are and how little influence that American workers have over policymaking."
Public Sector government, offshoring
S. Korean police say Google collected private data illegally
Taiwan brainstorms ideas for future handheld devices
Federal court extends CRTC wholesale pricing suspension
Hashtag Trending – Facebook's new business venture, IT safeguards from Elections Canada, Uber's new safety system
Hong Kong delegates make strong pitch to businesses at Collision, point to greener pastures overseas
Government's Scale-Up Platform leaves much to be desired


A Catholic Secondary School in the Preston area are looking for a part-time Food Technology Teacher, to start after April until the end of the academic year. You will be teaching one Year 10 class and the rest of your classes will be KS3.
The school is smaller than average, creating a family atmosphere and strong relationships between Staff and Pupils. The school was recently Ofsted graded 'Good' in all areas, with an overwhelming number of parents endorsing the school through the OFSTED online survey saying how safe and well taught their children are at the school. We have constant feedback from our Teachers saying "the kids of great!" and "I've really enjoyed it, I would love to go back."
The school are wanting to meet candidates next week, so get in touch with Emily at Teaching Personnel, ASAP!


Almost four out of 10 Americans suffer from fatigue at work, a problem that is costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars in lost productivity.
A study of nearly 29,000 employees published in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that 38 per cent said they had experienced "low levels of energy, poor sleep, or a feeling of fatigue" during the past two weeks.
Fatigue was more common in women than men, in workers less than 50 years old, and in white workers compared with African Americans.
Workers with "high-control" jobs relatively well paid jobs with decision-making responsibility also reported higher rates of fatigue, the research found.
The study looked at how fatigue impacts on productive time in terms not just of absenteeism but also presenteeism – time when employees are at work but performing at less-than full capacity.
Almost one in 10 (nine per cent) of workers with fatigue reported such unproductive work time. Fatigue reduced work performance mainly by interfering with their concentration and increasing the time needed to accomplish tasks.
The rate of lost productivity for all health-related reasons was also much higher for workers with fatigue: some 66 per cent , compared with 26 per cent for workers without fatigue.
Total lost productive time averaged 5.6 hours per week for workers with fatigue, compared to 3.3 hours for their counterparts without fatigue.
For U.S. employers, this brings with it estimated costs of more than $136 billion per year in health-related lost productivity – some $101 billion more than for workers without fatigue. Eighty-four per cent of the costs were related to reduced performance while at work, rather than absences.
Although other studies have found that fatigue is a common symptom that is linked to missed work time, the new study is the first to focus specifically on the rate of fatigue in U.S. workers, and its relationship to worker productivity.
The results underline the fact that fatigue as a major problem in the U.S. workforce, and one with a major impact on productivity and costs.
"Interventions targeting workers with fatigue, particularly women, could have a marked positive effect on the quality of life and productivity of affected workers," the researchers concluded.
They suggest that companies could offer work-life programs to help employees balance their work and personal responsibilities, and take steps to improve assessment and treatment for the large subgroup of workers who have fatigue co-occurring with other health conditions.


Our Cream Boho Mexican cushion covers come in a variety of colours to brighten up your room and bring some Mexican vibrance to your home! These 'Jungalow style' cushion covers are cotton and detailed with traditional embroidery and due to the making method each will vary slightly in design- which makes each beautifully unique!
Beautiful mixed and matched or on their own. Hi Cacti sourced these cushions directly from the maker Rosa when traveling around the Yucatán in Mexico.
Pillow insert is NOT included unless you select the option ADD pillow insert. The pillow cover has a fold over opening on the back.


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Q: 'instancemethod' object has no attribute '__getitem__' I keep getting this error:
TypeError: 'instancemethod' object has no attribute '__getitem__'

With my particular view on a django site I am playing around with. I have no idea why but I have a feeling it might be related to the way I am retrieving a specific object from a model.
The error occurs here:
def myview(request):
    if request.method == 'POST':
        tel = request.POST.get['tel_number']
        person = get_object_or_404(Employee,phone_number=tel) # HERE

I have an Employee model with phone_number as a CharField as such:
class Employee(models.Model):
    first_name = models.CharField(max_length=30)
    last_name = models.CharField(max_length=30)
    phone_number = models.CharField(max_length=10)

The request.POST data is sent from an android application. All I want to do is to retrieve an Employee object that has a particular phone_number value.
Thank you!

A: The problem is in this line tel = request.POST.get['tel_number']. If you are using .get you should pass the key as an argument:
tel = request.POST.get('tel_number') # if key is not present by default it will return None

Otherwise you can do this:
tel = request.POST['tel_number'] # raise KeyError Exception if key is not present in dict