text:
Struggling merchants hope Mission's Valencia Street will bustle again under traffic closure plan
Michael Cabanatuan
July 16, 2020 Updated: July 18, 2020 1:59 p.m.
1of5When approved, Valencia Street will close to all vehicles for four days a week in order to make room for outdoor dining for Mission Valencia restaurants who have been struggling with the COVID-19 Pandemic since March. The hope is that the street experiment will revive some of the businesses in this area.Nina Riggio / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
2of5Manny Yekutiel, owner of Manny's, and Amparo Vigil part-owner of Puerto Alegre point out where they plan on moving seating on Valencia Street on July 15, 2020.Nina Riggio / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
3of5Luis Rodriguez, owner of Los Amigos on Valencia, helps a woman pack up her food outside his restaurant on July 15, 2020. Los Amigos opened only three weeks ago.Nina Riggio / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
4of5David Hemminger, left, and Eric Pascual, right, enjoy some margaritas and chips on the sidewalk at Puerto Alegre on July 15, 2020. They live in the Mission and enjoy eating out on the sidewalk, only a few monutes walk from home.Nina Riggio/Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
5of5Restaurants on Valencia are expanding businesses into the street as we know it, but with the new permits they will be able to expand even further duirng the four days the road will be shut down.Nina Riggio / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Restaurant tables, shelves of merchandise and maybe even barbers' chairs will replace cars on two blocks of Valencia Street in the Mission District four nights a week in an experiment that seeks to resuscitate a business district choked by the coronavirus and shelter-in-place restrictions.
Starting next week, Valencia will close between 16th and 17th streets and 18th and 19th streets every Thursday through Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m. The lanes usually used for parking, biking and traffic will become outdoor extensions of nearby businesses between 5 and 9 p.m., giving them a little extra breathing space and Mission residents more room to stroll, dine and shop while staying the recommended 6 feet away from others.
Meanwhile, city transportation officials are adding parts of 14 more streets to the Slow Streets program, which uses barriers to steer away through traffic to create more space for neighborhood residents to maintain social distancing while walking, biking or exercising.
The Valencia closures are part of a program designed to help business districts by allowing them to use sidewalks, street parking spaces and sometimes entire streets. Chinatown's Grant Avenue, which often closes for community festivals, was the first commercial district approved for business in the streets, starting Saturday, said Robin Abad Ocubillo, director of the Shared Streets program. Valencia Street will be the second.
Before the coronavirus arrived early this year, Valencia bustled with popular restaurants and shops. That activity vanished when shelter-in-place orders locked down the city, emptying the streets and sidewalks, and prompting merchants to cover their doors and windows with plywood.
Making the best of it on once-vibrant Valencia Street
A Valencia Street bike shop owner has launched an unlikely crusade. His enemy: a protected bike lane
"It looked like an economically depressed area or a war zone," said Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who represents one side of Valencia.
Slowly, as the city has allowed some businesses to resume, Valencia has started to regain some of its lost vigor.
"It used to be a crowded street," said Steven Garcia, manager of the popular Limon Rotisserie on Valencia. "Then it was dead. But now it's starting to come back."
The three-month experiment to turn Valencia into a part-time public retail and restaurant space was conceived by the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association. Manny Yekutiel, who runs the politically flavored event space, gallery and restaurant Manny's in the Mission, wrangled merchants, supervisors and city bureaucrats to make it happen.
"This is about helping us to survive," he said. "I wish I didn't have to say that, but it's about survival now. And all we have to work with is outdoor space."
Garcia expects the extra space will equate to more business — and jobs — at Limon, which laid off all but a chef and manager after the city imposed stay-at-home orders. Business has been climbing back since San Francisco began allowing outdoor dining in mid-June, and Garcia has been rehiring some of his 50 workers.
The Valencia Street takeover should allow Limon to expand its outdoor dining space significantly, Garcia said.
"I like the opportunity," he said. "It's attractive to people, especially with families. With the right logistics and the right marketing, I think it will be way better for all the businesses."
Supervisors Ronen and Rafael Mandelman, whose districts are split by Valencia, embrace the plan as a bold attempt to save businesses while also repurposing streets as public spaces for pedestrians and bicyclists.
"These businesses are at risk of closing forever, and the fact that they came together and worked with each other to attempt to stay alive is a great thing," Ronen said. "The city should be supporting them."
And it has, said Jonah Buffa, incoming president of the merchants association and co-owner of Fellow Barber on Valencia. He said both supervisors and city agencies cooperated to push the project through the red tape.
"They've been nimble and adaptive and helped facilitate getting this started," he said. "I'm happily surprised."
Mayor London Breed said the city realizes that it needs to help small businesses survive, because COVID-19 won't vanish anytime soon.
"We need to be willing to try new things and adapt as a city to protect our residents," she said. "Our small businesses have been hit hard, and the Shared Spaces Program is one way we can help them continue to operate while protecting the safety of their workers and customers."
Barbershops and salons aren't yet allowed to resume business in San Francisco, but Buffa hopes outdoor haircuts will soon be permitted. Even if that doesn't happen, he said, turning the streets over to merchants — and customers — should benefit both.
Abad Ocubillo said that more than 50 business districts around the city have applied for similar street takeovers and are being reviewed.
"Other people in the city are looking at us to see if it works," Buffa said. "If it doesn't, at least we tried something."
Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
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Michael Cabanatuan is a general assignment and breaking news reporter who's covered everything from wildfires and sports fans to protests and COVID masking requirements. He's also written extensively about transportation and covered Contra Costa County for The Chronicle. He's ridden high-speed trains in Japan, walked in the Transbay Tube, been tear-gassed in Oakland and exposed to nude protesters in the Castro. Cabanatuan worked at the Paradise Post (long before anyone heard of the town), the former West County Times (in Richmond) and the Modesto Bee before joining The Chronicle. He is a two-time graduate of UC Berkeley.


Who doesn't like to go shopping with the girlfriends?! This fun linky party gives you a sneaky peeky into everyone else's shopping cart. Here's how it works: Snap some pictures of your back to school finds. Blog about your school supplies. Put the image above on your post and link it back to this blog. Then come back and add your blog to our linky party.
Wait...there's more! You can link up today and for the next two Saturdays. At that time, the store will close. We'll draw names to select one shopper as the winner! If you win, you'll get to pick an item from each of stores as our thank you for joining.
I loved seeing what you bought!!! I am so glad we are doing this linky!!! Can't wait to see what you get next week!!!!


Nice selection by Swoonery of HETING Jewllery pieces, is now available on there curation, of beautiful fine pieces of art and craft!
Curated HETING Jewllery selection by Rainbow is now available in their One Central, Macau store for a limited period of time only.
HETING Haute Joaillerie styled onto gorgeous supermodel Cara G.
We are so privileged to be collaborating with beauty queen & style icon, Helen Ma as HETING brand ambassador!
The IDA Juries have finalized this year's annual Design Awards winners selection.
LOS ANGELES, Jun 16 2016 announces, CARINA WONG, of Hong Kong, Artistic Director of HETING has been awarded: Gold prize in Accessory-Jewellery competition for the Dewdrop project.
After 1 year since official launch of the eponymous fine jewellery brand, HETING continues to thrive with new creations.
HETING is collaborating with Liana Floral Couture and boutique Parfumerie Tresor, with in-store window installation take over.


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Rowley outlines sporting plan for TT
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The Government is currently in negotiations with the organisers of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to host this year's CPL T20 tournament at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, according to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
"It is quite possible that we may be hosting the CPL tournament at that venue and other venues," he said. Addressing PNM supporters yesterday at the party's Annual Family Fun Day at the Eddie Hart Ground, Tacarigua, Rowley said, if the discussions are successful, the facilities would be used for what they were intended.
He said, the facility is not just a cricket ground but an academy.
To this end, he said, Government is proposing to use the Brian Lara Academy as a campus of the University of Trinidad and Tobago in the pursuit of degrees in disciplines such as sport management.
He urged young people in particular to make use of the academic opportunities available for the development of sports.
"Notwithstanding the nonsense going on now with West Indies cricket," Rowley said, "We believe that we can strengthen West Indies cricket right here in Trinidad and Tobago." Government has also made available, he said, the Ato Boldon Stadium so that football players and administrators can have a base for administration, playing and training. Government is also working towards the establishment of hotel facilities in the Couva area to provide accommodation to those who use the stadium, swimming and cycling facilities in the area.
The objective, he said, would be to market that area as a sporting zone.
He said he visited the site of the Diego Martin Sporting Complex last week and found that the foundation is almost ready for the fabrication of the structure. Once completed and in use, he expects more sporting champions to come out of the area. For Tobago, he said, Government was in discussions with the Sandals Resort for the development of a world class golf course, which would bring the number of golf courses in Tobago to three. These will supplement those in Barbados and Jamaica, enabling the Caribbean to host golf tournaments at the highest level.
"We could look forward to the day when such tournaments would be held in Tobago." As sporting facilities become available, he is asking people to respect them to develop the national potential. Noting the current state of the economy given the decline in the price of oil and gas, and the costs at which the facilities were being built, Rowley said he expects the facilities would also be used to generate their own income.
#TeamTTO #10golds24	Caribbean Premier League (CPL)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Less than three decades ago, when the Chinese bought cloth or clothes, they would have had to use a government-issued coupon. Today the Chinese fashion industry is one of the most dynamic in the world - it not only supplies fashions to the increasingly discerning domestic market, but also provides one-third of the clothing sold in the global market. How did this phenomenal transition come about? What can the growth of the Chinese fashion industry tell us about the post-Mao China? What roles do the local and the global play in the dramatic changes?
This book offers a historically informed, ethnographically grounded and interpretive analysis of contemporary Chinese fashion and the fashion industry. It examines the interplay of state politics, market forces, local social and cultural factors, and the global political economy, both in the rise of the Chinese fashion industry and in the life and work of Chinese fashion professionals.
As the first ethnographic account of the Chinese fashion industry in the post-Mao era, The Chinese Fashion Industry combines first-hand accounts with sophisticated cultural analysis to offer new insights, and will be of interest to students and scholars of fashion, anthropology and China.
Jianhua Zhao is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of Louisville, USA.


Located on the Southeastern tip of the island Sconset offers vacationers and locals the perfect mix of accessibility, great food, historic sites and pristine beaches and bluffs. Sconset is just 8 miles from town and easily reached by car, NRTA Wave or the bicycle path.
The quaint village of Sconset consists of a roundabout on which you'll see the 'Sconset Cafe, Claudette's Sandwiches, the Siasconset Market and the tennis courts of the Siasconset Casino (tennis club). Once there visit Sconset's beach, with its wide expanse of pristine sand. Be sure to stroll down Elbow Lane where you'll encounter a rustic footbridge. Look to your right and you'll see a sundial on the side of the gray-shingled house.
If you truly want to appreciate Sconset's proximity to the ocean take a walk on the cliff walk that runs along the bluff. Another great walk takes you to see the stately Sankaty Lighthouse.


text:
Home News Static Slow Crawl to Justice
Slow Crawl to Justice
Steve and Philip Murrin are shown in the Stockyards in 2011, long before they became litigants against fellow co-owners of Billy Bob's Texas. Photo by Jeff Prince.
Looks like it's still a gunfight at the OK Corral in the Fort Worth Stockyards. When last we checked on the lawsuit between the owners of Billy Bob's Texas, the case was crawling along at a nag's pace while enriching a posse of attorneys ("Those Battlin' Billy Bobbers," Apr 18, 2018).
Six months later, the litigants remain frozen in their gunfighter poses, and the attorneys are still making bank.
"It soldiers on," said Philip Murrin. "Incredibly costly."
Philip and his dad, Steve Murrin, are part owners along with former Billy Bob's general manager Concho Minick and former Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson. Those guys own a combined 35 percent of the world's largest honkytonk. In May 2017, they sued the other owners, including Concho's father, Billy Minick, and the person with the deepest pockets of all, Brad Hickman.
Philip said the minority owners filed the lawsuit after Hickman led efforts to oust Concho as manager even though the company charter required a unanimous decision among owners for all major business decisions.
Arbitration failed. State District Judge Mike Wallach ruled against the plaintiffs' motions on their last visit to court, when they accused Hickman and the other majority owners of charging their legal fees to Billy Bob's. This meant the minority owners were in effect paying 35 percent of their opponents' legal fees –– bills that reportedly topped the $1 million mark many months ago.
The plaintiffs appealed Wallach's ruling, and the case headed to the Texas Supreme Court.
"If the Supreme Court overrules [Wallach's decision], that would speed things up toward a resolution," Philip told us in September. "Until the Supreme Court does something, it's in limbo –– and lots of money going out, and not much money coming in."
Concho has moved on to new business endeavors. The Murrins are ready to move on as well. The majority owners have taken control of the club. And yet the case keeps dragging through the court.
"Why are we still doing this?" Philip said.
That's a question many people are wondering.
We called to pose that question to Hickman but didn't receive a return call by press time.
Billy Bob's Texas
Billy Minick
Brad Hickman
Concho Minick
Donnie Nelson
philip murrin
State District Judge Mike Wallach
Steve Murrin
the Fort Worth Stockyards
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Sign of Hypocrisy
Apparent on its Face


text:
/*
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except
 * in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License
 * is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express
 * or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
 * the License.
 */
/*
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


There is a certain pride, call it a badge of honor if you will, dedicated golfers share when late October and November roll around. The crowds have disappeared, leaving the courses to determined men and women who continue to pursue their pastime even though they must now cloak themselves in heavy sweaters and wind jackets.
For some of us only the first snows of late fall or early winter are enough to push us off the fairways and into our heated homes. Even then we hopefully survey the landscape and keep close tabs on The Weather Channel, praying for a warm snap in January or February that will allow the courses to open again, if only for a few days.
One of the best places to knock it around during late fall and even into the winter, weather permitting of course, is Cape Cod, where the mild breezes of the Atlantic take the chill out of the air and the sun warms the land over which courses meander.
It doesn't take a visitor to Cape Cod long to run into one of the best golfing values on that narrow strip of land, Sandwich Hollows Golf Club. Sandwich Hollows Golf Club has seen its overall conditioning improve dramatically and offers views of Cape Cod Bay to the north from several holes, and the course is bordered by hundreds of acres of conservation area to the east, west and south. This gives the golfer a feeling of being isolated from players on other holes.
A few miles away The Brookside Club is another course that has seen its overall conditioning improve dramatically. Designed by Michael Hurdzan in 1986 and "refined" by John Sandford in 1996, Brookside is the first golf course a traveler comes upon crossing over the Bourne Bridge and traveling south on Route 28 for a bit.
But Brookside would be worth considerable more effort to reach from the mainland. For it presents a solid test of golf and has received plaudits for its conditioning and interesting routing. It also has one of the most impressive clubhouses on the Cape, sitting atop a hill overlooking Buzzards Bay and a railroad bridge that crosses the Cape Cod Canal.
Brookside has three sets of tees to meet the playing abilities of all visitors. While relatively short this is a course that can eat your piping hot New England clam chowder if you're not thoughtful on each shot.
"We don't have members and are open 363 days of the year weather permitting," claims says Dave Bartlett, director of golf.
Up Route 6 a bit from Sandwich Hollows is the Yarmouth's 45-hole facility that includes Bayberry Hills Golf Course and The Links 9 and Bass River Golf Course.
Located in Plymouth, a few short miles from the Cape Cod Canal lies Waverly Oaks Golf Club, which stays open well into the winter season. Waverly Oaks is a challenging and scenic layout that is impeccably manicured, with wide, forgiving fairways and Tour quality greens. There's an 18-hole championship tract and a nine-hole "challenger" course. The layouts here embody many of the classic designs associated with some of the most famous courses in the country and feature dramatic elevation changes. The championship 18 measures 7,114 yards for the tips, but has several teeing areas to meet the playing abilities of all golfers.
The coastal courses of Rhode Island's South County will also push the calendar back as far as they can.
Richmond's Beaver River Golf Club features superbly conditioned fairways and impeccable bent grass greens. This is a truly enjoyable course that favors careful course management and a thoughtful approach to each shot rather than brawn.
Beaver River plays only 6,006 yards from the tips, but narrow, tree-lined fairways, many of which are bend one way or the other, and plenty of hazards can turn a seemingly easy hole into a double bogey.
The 333-yard second hole is a prime example of the risk/reward philosophy that dominates the Beaver River routing. You can cut off a huge chuck of yardage on the dogleg left by drawing your tee shot. But miss it left or straight and the woods come into play. Several other holes on the front side dare you to take a driver over the trees framing the doglegs to shorten the hole.
Number 18 is a good finishing hole. It plays 410 yards from the tips with the drive needing to stay clear of woods left and right and a large fairway bunker. The approach is to a deep green that has a pond guarding the left side. Beaver River is a course that will leave you wanting more.
Laurel Lane Country Club, located in West Kingston, bills itself as "The Gem of South County" and features immaculate conditions and a player-friendly routing.
This is another relatively short, 6,128 yard course that is owned by Videtta Golf Management, which also operates Country View Country Club in Burriville, R.I., Putnam Country Club in Putnam, Ct., and Pine Ridge Country Club in North Oxford, Mass.
Laurel Lane only has two par-fours that play over 400 yards, the first and 10th, with a number of short "fours" that allow the player to get it as close to the green as possible with driver or play safe with a fairway wood or long iron off the tee.
The toughest hole on the track is, ironically, the first. The 400-yard par-four seems pretty straightforward, but a pond protects the right side of the fairway landing area and three bunkers will gobble up shots that wander too far left.
Number 18 is a fine finishing hole, measuring 536 yards from the tips. The layout in fact ends with an interesting mix of two par-threes and two par-fives.
Fenner Hill Golf Club, another track that is only a few years old and located in Hope Valley, is another shot maker's course. Longer than Laurel Lane and Beaver River at 6,650 yards from the back markers, Fenner Hill places a premium on accurate drives and careful approaches to the greens. There are a number of forced carries here, which can complicate matters but also add to the thrill of playing.
The number one handicap hole is the 579-yard par-five eighth, which is just one long, beast of a challenge and a true three-shot hole for most players.
The 15th is perhaps Fenner Hills' signature hole. The 325-yard par-four plays from an elevated tee with a pond protecting the right side of the putting surface and three bunkers standing sentinel to the front and left of the green.
Number 17 is a very nice example of a tough, short par-four. It plays only 315 yards, but doglegs left and the drive must clear a waste area and stay away from fairway traps on either side of the landing area.
The 18th is a difficult way to conclude a round. The par-four plays 455 yards from the tips and requires a second shot over a waste area to a slightly elevated green.
Connecticut's Shennecossett Golf Course in Groton, built in 1898, is as close to a true links course as you will find in the Nutmeg State and stays open all year if there is no snow. The layout rambles over mostly flat land and has the design features--pot bunkers, tall fescue grass off the fairways and even three holes on or near the ocean, albeit Long Island Sound--that are hallmarks of links courses. When the wind blows hard at Shenny in early April it can bend the flagsticks and make some par-fours impossible to reach in two.
While there are several holes that are tree lined, the course for the most part is wide open with several sunken fairways that are so prevalent on Scottish and Irish courses.
The new holes at Shenny are 15, 16 and 17, with the 16th, a 400-yard par-four, finishing on a green that lies within a chip shot of Long Island Sound, offering stunning views of the water. The finishing hole, a 500-yard par-five, is a strong way to end a round. It's a classic links style hole that has fairway bunkers and plays up a hill over open ground and then down to a green protected by more bunkers.
Laurel View Country Club in Hamden, although inland a bit from Long Island Sound, will stay open as long as it can if the weather cooperates. A reconditioning of the layout has dramatically improved conditions in recent years and this Geoffrey Cornish design is a true hidden gem.
The course can be stretched beyond 7,000 yards and features some of the toughest par-fours in the state, like the 479-yard fifth. There's a pond guarding the right side of the green, which often must be attacked with a long iron or fairway wood. Number nine is 450 yards from the back markers, and climbs up a hill to the putting surface, making the hole play 20 to 30 yards longer than its listed yardage.
The seventh hole is a monstrous par-three, measuring around 250 yards from the tips, leaving even the best players with a fairway wood in their hands on the tee box.
Ironically, the par-fives are on the short side, but they are not pieces of cake. Take the 490-yard 14th, which plays even shorter because it's downhill off the tee. However, there is a pond in front of the green that must be carried and bunkers guarding the putting surface. The hole is a superb example of a par-five that can be attacked on the second shot. But bogey or worse waits if you don't put your approach in the right spot.
So, don't pack your clubs away to quickly, there is plenty of golf to be played in Southern New England.


Yogi Bear and Boo Boo live in Jellystone Park, where they constantly sneak behind the back of Ranger Smith to steal picnic baskets from unsuspecting vacationers. In this Christmas Special, Yogi escapes from Jellystone and hides out in a department store - posing as the Store's Santa. Along the way, he helps a little girl to rediscover her faith in Christmas.


It's funny how inspiration and creativity work. You can go for days without anything, and then BOOM- an inspiration cluster strikes. Then you have to scramble and milk it for all it's worth before another dry spell sets in.
It was kinda like that with these rooms. I came across them all in like a 2 hour period, and I adore every single one so much! They are the jump off point for my thrifting ventures this weekend. After doing a massive New Years purge, I have freed up some space for some fresh and fabulous pieces. So a thrifting I will go!
And just in case ya'll didn't get a chance to see it yet, I did an interview with the ever fabulous Gabi for her latest installment of "My Nest" over at Moon To Moon. Fun!


We offer lessons for all levels of riding and all ages. Our riders range from 5 to 62! We start with lead rein lessons for the little ones. They will get individual lessons until they are ready to progress to group lessons. We also alternate between lessons and outrides to keep it fun and interesting.
and a warm top in winter as the weather can change quickly. If you want to buy your own riding gear, visit our local tack shop Centaur Horse shop, where the staff will give you advice on all your needs.
We are a vibrant yard with riders who do it for the love of horses, fun and pleasure. We have fun shows on a regaular basis, that cater for beginner to advance riders. We do horseback outrides, full moon night rides, have camps and other horsey activities every school holiday. See our events page for upcoming events.
Alternatively you can become a rider for a year with cheaper rates. Speak to Suzelle for more info!
Seeing that we are a recreational yard we also cater for special needs riding (autism, ADD, ADHD, low muscle tone etc).
Our instructors are experienced in first aid.


AN OPPORTUNITY was lost, but it wasn't all doom and gloom in Melbourne's rooms on Saturday evening.
Despite blowing a golden chance to put an exclamation point on a thoroughly encouraging season and seal a finals berth – the first since 2006 – the mood was light and, well, kind of positive after the 16-point loss to Collingwood.
Injured co-captain Jack Viney wandered about with shoulder pats of encouragement for his few dejected teammates, who emerged from behind closed doors – the grey moon boot on his damaged right foot an obvious accessory.
Around the exhausted players, kids kicked footballs, toddlers played with discarded strapping tape, and fans chatted as they craned their necks to who'd ventured out of the back rooms.
That inner sanctum painted a different picture with a hamstring injury adding another chapter to Jesse Hogan's tumultuous season and Nathan Jones left 'sick in the stomach'.
The co-captain, who did all he could to save the Demons' ship from going down and condemning them to a nervous 24 hours to see if they'd hold onto the top eight, was shattered.
He emerged from a rub down frustrated, annoyed, and determined to make sure the 16-point loss counted for something if they got the chance to play on.
"I feel sick in the stomach to think that quite possibly tomorrow night the year is done," Jones told AFL.com.au.
"The difficult thing to swallow now is it's not in our control any more.
"How do you put that into the words? It's a waiting game to see what the results are tomorrow, whether our season continues.
"It's an uncomfortable situation, but it is what it is. You can't think about that now."
At 29, Jones is not the oldest on the Demons' list – he's covered by Bernie Vince, Jordan Lewis and Cam Pedersen – but he is the only current player to have appeared in the club's last final.
Jones was in his first season in 2006 when he played in the Dees' elimination final victory over St Kilda, and their semi-final loss to Fremantle.
It's obvious what a return to the finals stage would mean to the skipper, who has now played 231 games since that Dockers' defeat.
"It's so frustrating to not grab hold of our own destiny in terms of being able to control what we could today – win, and we're in," he said.
"Now, we're in the lap of the Gods.
"In the end, it's ruthless sport and it's a competitive game, and this season is almost like no other, it couldn't be any closer.
"It is what it is now."
One Melbourne official refused to give up on this year's dream, despite the lackluster showing against the Magpies.
The fact the Demons lost by less than 20 points means something; it leaves West Coast needing to beat Adelaide (albeit a Taylor Walker and Daniel Talia-less Adelaide), by at least 20 points on Sunday.
"There's still hope. It's all about perspective," the official said.
"It's not a fait accompli we don't make it. It's not ideal, but there's still hope."
In fact, some club insiders dared to believe a loss could turn out to be a positive, as it would increase the chances of a Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval fixture, rather than having to face the finals-hardened Swans in Sydney.
None of that meant anything to Jones. The captain, who gave his players a spirited quarter-time serve after they racked up just eight tackles to the Pies' 14 in the opening term, was fuming.
He'll watch the Eagles-Crows game at home on Sunday, with no official team viewing scheduled.
And, while he'll try not to think about what could have been if the result slips out of their favour, he'll make sure he does all he can to make Saturday's loss stand for something if they get through.
"It would be a sour end to quite a promising year, but if it's not, we're excited to play whoever it is, wherever it is," he said.
"I reckon we've been able to respond as a group quite often this year when we've put in a lesser performance.
"We'll be ready. There's no doubt about that."


The Kenneth Cole watch range is a incredibly elegant and a node to classic watch design. The use of quality materials throughout the range Kenneth Cole have created a range of watches that work as beautifully as they look.
Pulsar are of the highest quality whilst still maintaining an affordable price. Pulsar creates very stylish watches often with a sporty or classic look and feel to them. The collection includes men's watches, ladies watches, kinetic watches, solar watches, and chronographs.
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Q: Admob - Controlling ad types I am using admob in my android app and I noticed that the ads that are displayed has nothing to do with the content of the app. I tried adding keywords to the adrequest but nothing changed.On what basis does admob display ads in an app?

A: Click the Manage Settings button for the app, then change the Ad Filters, mainly Catagory/Type settings

A: This answer is slightly outdated so I thought I'd add a new one:
Monetise -> Select your app from the list -> Click 'Allow & block ads' tab
Here you have 'General categories' and 'Sensitive categories' and you can Allow/Block whichever you like.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Laboratory - A.A. Politiv (1999) LTD.
Our company is highly invested in quality control. As part of this effort A.A. Politiv has set up one of the most sophisticated polyethylene film testing laboratories in the world.
Our laboratory is operated by a team of highly skilled personnel who have been specifically trained in quality control. The team maintains ongoing relationships with external laboratories from all over the world and updates its techniques accordingly.
A.A. Politiv has established a meticulous and uncompromising approach towards the quality of its products; guided by a constant goal always to meet the needs of distributors and growers around the world.
A.A. Politiv products meet the most strict standards in the world. Click here to read more about A.A. Politiv's standards.
A precise gauging method. The digital micrometer is used to measure the average thickness of the film and the thickness deviations (maximum, minimum and STD). The measurements are carried each 5-7 cm widthwise the film. At the end of the measurements, the data is printed.
This method is used to analyze the UV stabilizers type and percentage in the film. Also, the FTIR is used to measure the film thermicity according to the local and international standards.
The UV-VIS is used to measure the total light transmission in PAR range (400-700nm) and the total light diffusion. Also, the UV-VIS is used to measure the UV light blocking in Anti-Virus films. This device used for testing the light transmission, in both the visible spectrum and the ultra violet (UV) range. Also, It is used for testing the blocking of the UV range (anti virus sheets).
The Extensometer is used to measure the maximum load need to film break and the film strain at break. The specimens dimensions, test conditions and test procedure are according the international standards (ASTM, ISO). Our standard for all films is minimum 20MPa for Tensile at brake and 500% for the film strain (Elongation) at brake.
Ash test involves taking a known amount of sample, burning away the polymer in an air atmosphere at temperatures above 500°C, and weighing the crucible after it has been cooled to room temperature in desiccators.
An accelerated anti-fog (anti-drip) tests greenhouse. Mainly used for R&D application for testing a new anti-fog additives and developing a long term anti-fog properties. The chamber contains a hot water bath in 500C to provide a very aggressive condition and to force the Anti-fog to "work" continuously.
Test Method: To pour 60°C water in to a beaker and cover with Antifog PE Film. Record the change in film appearance. Clear film for excellent anti-fog performance and opaque small drops means for bad anti-fog performance.
Very accurate continuous gauging method. The Kündig is used to measure the film average thickness and thickness deviation. At the end of the measurement, a scheme with the thickness deviation can be plotted. This scheme is useful for the die adjustment.


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Displaying items by tag: Irish Coast Guard
Man Airlifted To Hospital After Mayday On Yacht Off Kilmore Quay
A man was taken to hospital with hand injuries by Irish Coast Guard helicopter after a Mayday call on a yacht off Kilmore Quay on Saturday (29 June).
The local RNLI lifeboat crew were en route to another vessel that had requested a tow when the call came in from a 12m yacht some 13 miles south-west of the Co Wexford village.
It was reported that as the yacht's crew were adjusting a sail, a piece of rigging had parted and seriously injured the skipper's hand.
The lifeboat arrived just after the Waterford-based coastguard helicopter Rescue 117, whose crew determined the best course of action was to transfer the casualty to the lifeboat for pain relief.
He was subsequently winched to the helicopter and flown to Waterford University Hospital for further treatment.
Published in RNLI Lifeboats
Kilmore Quay
Rescue 117
Successful Rescue For Greencastle Coastguard Of Climber From 'Hell's Hole'
Greencastle, Co Donegal's Irish Coast Guard team were tasked by the IRCG emergency operations centre at Malin to a rock climber who got into difficulty at Hell's Hole on Malin Head on Tuesday evening (28 May)
The climber was trapped 45 metres down the cliff in a dangerous location, the cliff face being unpredictable with loose rocks and particularly so during hours of darkness.
Despite these challenges, the coastguard cliff team successfully rescued the climber.
If you see someone in difficulty, on the cliffs, coast or water, do not hesitate to dial 112 or 999 and ask for the coastguard.
Published in Rescue
Warnings After Laser Light Strikes Coastguard Helicopter
The Irish Coast Guard has warned over the dangers of laser pointers after a rescue helicopter was targeted during a training operation on Tuesday evening (28 May).
According to TheJournal.ie, Rescue 115 was conducting manoeuvres north of Doolin at around 10.18pm when the green laser light was flashed against the aircraft "multiple times".
In this instance the flight was not interrupted, but gardaí are investigating and the coastguard has reiterated the dangers of flashing potentially blinding lights at any aircraft.
A recent spate of laser pointer incidents has been reported at Belfast International Airport. TheJournal.ie has more on that story HERE.
Published in Coastguard
Howth Coast Guard Rescues Two People & Dog Cut Off By Tide
Yesterday afternoon (Sunday 19 May) the Irish Coast Guard's Howth unit was diverted from exercise to rescue two people and a dog who were cut off by the rising tide.
The crew immediately responded and began a search for the casualties who were were quickly located, taken aboard the boat and returned to a safe location ashore.
"The callers did the right thing when they realised they were in trouble: they called 112 and asked for the coastguard," said Howth Coast Guard in a statement.
The Irish Coast Guard issued a reminder for people to be careful walking on shorelines in fine weather, as tides can rise quickly and cut one off from the shore faster than expected.
If you find yourself in this situation, immediately call 112 or 999 and ask for the coastguard.
Missing Tourist Found 'Safe And Well' After Major Air & Sea Search In West Cork
Castletownbere's RNLI lifeboat sprang into action to help locate a tourist reported missing on Dursey Island in West Cork yesterday afternoon (Friday 17 May).
The lifeboat, under the command of coxswain Dean Hegarty, launched shortly after 2pm after Valentia Coast Guard radio received reports that a visitor to the island off the Beara Peninsula had gone missing.
Also tasked were the Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115, Derrynane Inshore Rescue Boat and the Naval Service vessel LÉ Ciara.
Once on scene, the lifeboat commenced a search of the area while Rescue 115 did a sweep of the island and spotted a person who fitted the description of the casualty.
The coastguard helicopter lowered a winchman and confirmed that the casualty was safe and well. All emergency services were then stood down.
Commenting on the callout, launching authority Paddy O'Connor said: "We are delighted at the very swift response of the crew and that the casualty was located safe and well."
castletownbere
Baltimore Lifeboat In Medical Evacuation From Sherkin Island
#Lifeboats - Baltimore RNLI carried out a medevac on Thursday night (11 April) from Sherkin Island off the coast of West Cork.
The volunteer crew launched their all-weather lifeboat following a request from the Irish Coast Guard at 9.29pm to provide medical assistance and evacuation to an islander living on Sherkin.
Conditions at sea during the callout were calm with good visibility and no sea swell.
The lifeboat arrived at Sherkin pier at 9.45pm, the casualty was brought onboard and the lifeboat departed the island within four minutes, handing the casualty over to the care of HSE ambulance crew at 10.08pm.
Speaking following the callout, Kate Callanan, Baltimore RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer, said: "Baltimore RNLI regularly provides the vital service of medical evacuations (medevacs) for residents and visitors to local islands such as Sherkin, Cape Clear and Heir.
"If you find yourself in need of medical assistance, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard."
Elsewhere, volunteer lifeboat crews from the Aran Islands and Galway RNLI participated in a multi-agency training exercise on Galway Bay this week.
The all-weather lifeboat from Aran Islands RNLI and the inshore lifeboat from Galway Bay RNLI were among the many emergency service agencies that took part in a maritime mass rescue exercise.
The scenario training, which saw the lifeboat crew practise an evacuation of survivors from a seagoing ferry in a busy shipping lane, was organised as part of a multi-agency exercise co-ordinated by the Irish Coast Guard.
Among the other agencies involved were the Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopters located at Sligo and Shannon, Doolin/Inisheer Boat Unit, Costello Bay, Killaloe, Kilkee and Cleggan Coast Guard units, Galway Fire Service and the HSE.
Medevac
Aran Islands
Sherkin Island
Rescue 116 Captain 'Would Be So Proud' Of Young Son, Says Sister On Tragedy's Second Anniversary
An Irish Coast Guard captain lost in the Rescue 116 tragedy two years ago would be "would be so proud of the little boy" her young son has become.
The sister of Capt Dara Fitzpatrick was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Ray D'Arcy Show yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 13 March) on the eve of the second anniversary of the crash that took the lives of Dara and three other coastguard helicopter crew.
Earlier this month two new stamps were issued in tribute to Capt Fitzpatrick, Capt Mark Duffy, winch operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciaran Smith as well as coastguard volunteer Caitríona Lucas who died on a rescue mission a few months previously.
Niamh Fitzpatrick said Dara's son Fionn was only a baby at the time of the incident on 14 March 2017, but until her death "she gave him such a foundation, she'd be so proud of that".
She added that the family has found the time around the anniversary "tough", explaining: "It's shock the first year, with the trauma, as well as grief and it's almost like you have to deal with that first before you deal with the grief."
TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.
New Irish Coast Guard Stamps Based On Painting By Late Volunteer Caitríona Lucas
#Coastguard - Two new postage stamps in tribute to the Irish Coast Guard are based on a painting by a volunteer who died in service, as the Sunday Independent reports.
The painting by Caitríona Lucas, who died during a rescue operation off Kilkee in September 2016, has been adapted into a tribute to both her and the crew of the coastguard helicopter Rescue 116 who were lost in March 2017.
Two stamps show separately a rendering of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, and an Irish Coast Guard rescue boat similar to what Caitríona had crewed.
The commemorative stamps were launched at the GPO last week by members of the coastguard and Caitríona's widower Bernard.
In a joint statement, coastguard units in Skerries, Dun Laighaire and Greystones said their thoughts are with the families of Caitríona, Capt Dara Fitzpatrick, Capt Mark Duffy, winch operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciaran Smith.
"This gesture by An Post is heartwarming to us all," they added.
Caitriona Lucas
Rosslare Harbour Lifeboat Assists In Evacuation Of Ferry Passenger Taken Ill On Late Night Crossing
#Lifeboats - The RNLI's all-weather lifeboat based in Rosslare Harbour was launched at 10.38pm on Saturday night (2 March) to assist a passenger onboard an Irish Ferries vessel bound for Pembroke in Wales.
The passenger ferry Oscar Wilde, which was located 20 miles off the Wexford coast at the time, asked for assistance in evacuating a passenger who had become ill.
Sea conditions were unfavourable for the volunteers on the Rosslare Harbour lifeboat to go alongside the ferry.
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 from Waterford was also tasked and quickly arrived on scene. After attempts to airlift the casualty it was deemed too dangerous.
The Oscar Wilde returned to Rosslare Europort at 1am, where an ambulance was waiting to bring the casualty to hospital. The RNLI volunteers in their Severn class lifeboat stood by the passenger ferry for the duration.
Sea conditions were very poor at the time, with a strong Force 7 to 8 gale and heavy rain.
Coxswain Eamonn O'Rourke commented that the volunteer crew of the lifeboat had to endure very challenging conditions.
Speaking afterwards, Rosslare Harbour RNLI lifeboat operations manager David Maloney said: "Conditions at sea tonight were challenging for our coxswain and lifeboat crew and I would like to commend them for their efforts in enduring a rough passage in the dark, and late at night on a Saturday evening, to be of assistance."
Rosslare Harbour
Irish Ferries
'Months' Before Final Report On Rescue 116 Is Completed
As the second anniversary of the Rescue 116 tragedy approaches, it has emerged that a draft final report into the incident is still months away from completion, according to the Irish Examiner.
The four crew of the Sikorsky S-92 search and rescue helicopter were lost after the crash at Blackrock island off Co Mayo on 14 March 2017.
As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Capt Dara Fitzpatrick died shortly after she was recovered from the scene. The body of Capt Mark Duffy was recovered almost two weeks later. Winch operator Paul Ormsby and winchman Ciaran Smith were lost at sea.
The latest news from the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAUI) was an interim statement released almost a year agostatement released almost a year ago, which called for "a thorough review of search and rescue aviation operations in Ireland".
Recommendations from a subsequently commissioned oversight review were accepted by Transport Minister Shane Ross in September last year.
The AAIU has now confirmed that a second interim statement will not be published by 14 March this year, citing work on a draft final report being "at an advanced stage".
The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.
AAIU
The Half Ton Class was created by the Offshore Racing Council for boats within the racing band not exceeding 22'-0". The ORC decided that the rule should "....permit the development of seaworthy offshore racing yachts...The Council will endeavour to protect the majority of the existing IOR fleet from rapid obsolescence caused by ....developments which produce increased performance without corresponding changes in ratings..."
When first introduced the IOR rule was perfectly adequate for rating boats in existence at that time. However yacht designers naturally examined the rule to seize upon any advantage they could find, the most noticeable of which has been a reduction in displacement and a return to fractional rigs.
After 1993, when the IOR Mk.III rule reached it termination due to lack of people building new boats, the rule was replaced by the CHS (Channel) Handicap system which in turn developed into the IRC system now used.
The IRC handicap system operates by a secret formula which tries to develop boats which are 'Cruising type' of relatively heavy boats with good internal accommodation. It tends to penalise boats with excessive stability or excessive sail area.
The most significant events for the Half Ton Class has been the annual Half Ton Cup which was sailed under the IOR rules until 1993. More recently this has been replaced with the Half Ton Classics Cup. The venue of the event moved from continent to continent with over-representation on French or British ports. In later years the event is held biennially. Initially, it was proposed to hold events in Ireland, Britain and France by rotation. However, it was the Belgians who took the ball and ran with it. The Class is now managed from Belgium.
At A Glance – Half Ton Classics Cup Winners
2017 – Kinsale – Swuzzlebubble – Phil Plumtree – Farr 1977
2016 – Falmouth – Swuzzlebubble – Greg Peck – Farr 1977
2015 – Nieuwport – Checkmate XV – David Cullen – Humphreys 1985
2014 – St Quay Portrieux – Swuzzlebubble – Peter Morton – Farr 1977
2013 – Boulogne – Checkmate XV – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1985
2011 – Cowes – Chimp – Michael Kershaw – Berret 1978
2009 – Nieuwpoort – Général Tapioca – Philippe Pilate – Berret 1978
2007 – Dun Laoghaire – Henri-Lloyd Harmony – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1980~
2005 – Dinard – Gingko – Patrick Lobrichon – Mauric 1968


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Tab Baldwin says Gilas has 'fighting chance' against NBA-quality opposition in Olympic qualifiers
by Gerry Ramos
Gilas Pilipinas will not just roll over in the face of fancied teams like France and Canada, assures head coach Tab Baldwin. Jerome Ascano
COACH Tab Baldwin assured that Gilas Pilipinas will not be intimidated by the star-studded opposition bannered by several NBA stars that the team will face in the coming Olympic Qualifying Tournament set in Manila from July 5-10.
Gilas opens its campaign for a slot in the Rio Olympics against France, which has six NBA players in its lineup namely, Tony Parker, Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Boris Diaw, Rudy Gobert, and Joffrey Lauvergne.
Parker, Diaw, Batum, and Gobert are all part of the French team' starting unit.
But Baldwin remains undeterred, saying the Philippines won't just roll over and surrender against these fancied teams and he believes Gilas has as much chance of winning the tournament as any of the other five countries coming over.
"We don't for one second think that this is France's tournament, or Turkey's tournament, or Canada's tournament," said Baldwin at the end of Gilas' Monday night session at the Moro Lorenzo gym.
"They have to go through us, surround us. They have to do one of those because we're not gonna move out of the way. We're not gonna stand in front of them to lose. So when that time comes, we'll take our chance and we'll play as hard as we can," he added.
Asked how he likes Gilas chances in the qualifier, Baldwin said the Filipinos have a 'fighting chance.'
"We're in the ring, and it's hard to get there," he stressed. "We're happy that we're there, and we're proud that we're there."
The American-New Zealander said he's now in the process of studying and scouting some of Gilas' opponents, specifically France and New Zealand, based on available footage.
Baldwin mentioned deputy coach Josh Reyes already sent him clips and tapes of the Frenchmen's 2015 campaign in the Eurobasket, as well as Gilas outing against the same team – sans Parker – in 2014 while the team was preparing for the Fiba World Cup in Spain.
"So these are the things we start to get a little bit more deeply. I love it. It gives me the chance to sit down and watch my opponent and become intimate with them," said the 57-year-old Baldwin.
"That's exactly what I want to do, then I could help the players better to prepare themselves for those games," he added.
Although he's been part of New Zealand team before as coach and even steered the Tall Blacks to a historic semifinal appearance in the 2002 Fiba World Cup in Indianapolis, Baldwin said he still needs to see them to update what he knows about the young New Zealand squad.
"I know most of the guys, I know the coaches very well. But I have to see their games, their style of play, and see how these players have developed over the last couple of years when I haven't seen them," he said.
"There's plenty of work to do but we have lots of time for them," Baldwin ended.
gilas pilipinas ,
france ,
olympic qualifying tournament ,
tab baldwin ,
tony parker ,


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Q: Какая кодировка базы данных поддерживает таджикские буквы? Какая кодировка поддерживает таджикские буквы вроде: (Қ,Ӣ,Ӯ,Ҳ,Ҷ i t.d.).
Если использовать utf-8_general_ci, то вместо них получаются знаки вопроса (???).
Использую phpMyAdmin.
Если кто знает, подскажите, пожалуйста.

A: Қ   Қ     қ   қ
Ҳ   Ҳ     ҳ   ҳ
Ҷ   Ҷ     ҷ   ҷ
Ӣ   Ӣ     ӣ   ӣ
Ғ   Ғ     ғ   ғ
Ӯ   Ӯ     ӯ   ӯ

Эти буквы поддерживает кодировка Unicode или UTF.
Решения некоторых затруднений с кодировкой можно найти тут


Moscow, December 23, 2017: VRT World (http://vrt.world, formerly VR Technologies) is proud to announce that it has raised as much as $1 mln following a successful completion of the limited pre-sale of VRT tokens to a group of private investors that took place in September, 2017, and closed phase of pre-ICO that began on December 5. The company started an open pre-sale to last till early January, 2018. Earlier VRT World has announced details of its public crowdsale to begin on February 27 and to end on March 27, 2018.
The company anticipated it will raise up to $16 mln in the token offering (which is the hard cap), with 30% of the proceeds to be used for creation and promotion of the company's virtual reality parks, 25% to be spent on creation of the platform, SDK and upgrading technology, 18% and 15% to be allocated for content creation and marketing activity, respectively. Currently, chances are high that significant contributions from white list investors will close big part of the fundraising on pre-ICO stage.
The term "Virtual Reality", or VR has been "the talk of the town" ever since the end of the Eighties. Popular culture, sci-fi, and Hollywood gave the public a fair amount of beliefs, concepts and misconceptions, mythology and ideas associated with VR. The public was presented with a bright new world where people were living more than one life exploring alien worlds and whatever from their couch.
The "real" reality was not so bright, says Konstantin Negachev, who has been a vivid fan of computer games ever since being a child, and how, being 26 years old, has seen his dream come true as he now runs WRT World, a VR company available to produce games itself.
The hardware capable of decent rendering and presenting the VR to the human sense was not consumer–available. The "Virtual Reality Entertainment Rides" were merely computer-generated movies with a motion simulation platform, the "Virtual Reality Glasses/Helmets" had very limited commercial success being clumsy, unreliable and way too expensive for an average consumer. In other words, the VR for the public mind was an endeavor too expensive and too complicated to spend money on. The business/enterprise approach to VR used to follow the same motto: a tool too expensive and not essential to the production process. And now everything has changed.
The hardware became commercially available for an average consumer. For example, a modern smart phone has now much bigger processing power and costs much less than a high-grade VR rendering workstation five years ago.
The situation here is less than desirable. While technology companies are ready to satisfy growing market needs the market for VR is not growing. The reason is simple: lack of content. This is a direct consequence of the fact that developers lack adequate tools and a sufficiently broad customer base. Lack of content in turn deters users from purchasing VR headsets and equipment, creating a vicious cycle.
There is more than one way to address this issue. First and maybe most obvious, is the HMD manufacturers sponsoring the development of content like it is done in the video game console business. Technology companies possess vast financial, technological and engineering resources, which can be attractive for developers. For the consumers though, different standards used on different devices and lack of compatibility will pose a significant problem, when content running on one device is not compatible with the other.
The second, maybe, less obvious but more convenient way is setting up an open ecosystem both for the consumers and the developers, some sort of a decentralized marketplace where a content and app developer is able to showcase and sell their products, and a consumer has a number of compatible apps and content readily available to purchase and use. Such an ecosystem should be equipped with all the necessary instruments for the developers to facilitate their work: free software development kit (SDK), application program interface (API), and, finally, a secure and reliable way to process payments to the content developers, e.g. based on the blockchain approach.
A Moscow based company, VRT World has chosen the second option, i.e. an open ecosystem approach and is now setting up a platform, where the marketplace concept and all the instruments are implemented and offered for the content developers and the content market.
The VRT World team are not new in the business, and they have a unique set of experiences. In 2015, they started working on advanced motion-capture technology that makes it possible to immediately convert any movement into VR, and in two years, they made a real breakthrough in VR games. Not only did they perfect the system, but they decided to have an operating project with an unprecedented level of interaction between users.
After years of perfecting the system, they decided to put the puzzle together. In November 2017, they launched the first VR park in Moscow, which will be followed by four more parks on a franchise basis soon. They have also signed a partnership agreement to open 30 VR parks based on VRT World's own technology in various European cities over the next 18 months.
To maintain a high level of interest in VR parks, new game worlds and new game scenarios are needed, and so the park network will become the first customer for platform-based VR content, immediately generating economic activity on this basis. The company will also establish a fund for the same purpose, which will be used to reward pioneering developers of the platform and will amount to 5% of the money raised.
The platform will operate based on blockchain technology, and as a result will benefit from a high level of transparency and openness to all market participants. This will also facilitate a fair distribution of funds between content creators and content markets, making the product more affordable for consumers.
In order to facilitate the system and avoid exchange rates and borders, and make the system international, VRT World's own tokens will act as a "fuel source" for the entire platform. They will be released on the Ethereum blockchain in accordance with the ERC-20 standard. VRT World Tokens will primarily be used as a payment method for all platform transactions, including the purchase, sale, and rental of VR content, as well as for various services. A smart contract with all relevant details (subject of the deal, deal type, price, time limits, etc.) will be created at the time of transaction.
After verifying contract details, the buyer will send VRT World Tokens to the address specified in the contract and will then receive a download link or confirmation of services performed. The seller will then receive the specified sum minus a small commission to cover the platform's fees. The size of this commission will vary based on several key factors, such as the base commission rate set by the platform for each type of transaction, the buyer's and seller's respective ratings, and total amount of the transaction, among others.
VRT Tokens will also be used as rewards, given to platform participants for completing certain tasks such as content moderation, conflict resolution, and other functions. A VRT Token fund will be set up to provide platform participants with rewards for assisting with the platform's development. VRT World Tokens may also serve as payment for content storage. Since VRT's platform will use a decentralized storage model, all its content will be stored on servers and hard drives belonging to platform users. This storage will be based on the IPFS protocol.
Lastly, VRT Tokens will be used to access our VR parks (with a 20% discount). Additionally, VRT Tokens will be the only way to provide a lump-sum payment when entering a franchise agreement for their parks. In both cases, tokens will be erased after the transaction takes place.


Joakim Noah said Wednesday night his hand is "coming along" and when asked for a timeline said he plans to return right after the All-Star break.
Noah is traveling with the Bulls on the annual "ice show trip" — and if you saw the weather in Chicago you have at least one idea why he wanted to go (it was 64 in Los Angeles Wednesday). But also he is working with the team hoping to get in shape and return from the thumb surgery that has had him out since mid-December. The Bulls have gone 18-6 in his absence, in large part due to the play of Derrick Rose.
Before the Bulls took on the Clippers without him to start the trip, Noah got in some cardio work with a soft cast still protecting his hand. Afterward in the locker room he said he was feeling good and optimistic about the return in a couple of weeks.
That post All-Star weekend timeline is what coach Tom Thibodeau has said he hoped to see previously.


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Q: Tableau incremental refresh from Snowflake I have a question regarding incremental refresh from Snowflake to Tableau. I know the feature for Incremental refresh/Incremental extract is available in Tableau but can it be used for incremental loads from Snowflake? And how does it work?
The reason for me asking is because I know that query folding which other BI-tools on the market uses for incremental refreshes, isn't possible in Snowflake.
Thanks!
/P

A: Tableau incremental refreshes work the same for Snowflake as it does for other databases.
"Query Folding" looks like a Microsoft (and specifically PowerBI) term.  According to this article https://exceleratorbi.com.au/how-query-folding-works/ "query folding" is the process of pushing the work load down to the database, which is what Tableau does when querying Snowflake tables directly.
With Snowflake I would recommend querying the tables directly as they are already setup in columnar format, and you can avoid moving the data to a Tableau Server and waiting on refreshes. Snowflake has unlimited storage whereas you might be limited by your Tableau Server.
If you need the tables in Snowflake to only show data as of a point in time, there are different ways you could accomplish this including:

*

*Preset date filters (or parameters as filter within Tableau) that are pushed down to Snowflake

*Using Tasks in Snowflake to run at a specific time to:

*

*Clone your tables, and use the clones for reporting

*Update existing reporting tables

A: I agree with Chris' answer accept for avoiding the extracts on Tableau Server. There can be a lot of performance gains had by using Tableau to extract the data. We run extracts out of Snowflake for most of our data sources. We also test both live connections and extracts for each to see which performs best. If timing is an issue, extracts can be set to refresh every 15 minutes at the most.
To get extracts loaded and refreshing use the following steps.
Switch your data source to an extract in Tableau Desktop

This will create a local copy of the data to be used to publish next.
Select Server/Publish Workbook

In the Publish settings, choose your refresh schedule and publish to Tableau Server. The workbook and data source will be loaded to Server.

You can also update the refresh schedules directly in Server by navigating to the new data source and going to the Extract Refreshes tab.
If you don't have the correct schedule available, you can create one in the Schedules menu for the site.


text:
Ethical & Sustainable Clothing Guide
What Is Fast Fashion Industry and the Best Alternatives
25 Best Ethical Clothing Brands
Guide to Sustainable Fabrics
How to Be More Eco-Friendly
How to Save Water at Home
How to Conserve Energy in the Home
65 Ways to Live More Sustainably
Best Eco Friendly Products For the Kitchen
69 Eco Friendly Products You Can Use
Zero Waste Living Guide
The Best Alternatives to Plastic
Green Cleaning: The Ultimate Guide
15 Toxic Free Makeup Brands
Plastic Pollution by Country: Who Are the Biggest Polluters?
There are billions upon billions of plastic items piling up on our streets and choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers each year.
A 2018 National Waste Report revealed that 2.5 million tons of plastic waste were generated between 2016 and 2017. Most of this plastic was only used once, and only 12 percent was recycled.
When it comes to our oceans, about 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into oceans around the world every year.
As population numbers continue to rise globally so is the amount of plastic being consumed. It's projected that plastic consumption in Asia will increase by an astonishing 80 percent by 2025, to surpass 200 million tons.
If you and I don't do anything about the amount of plastic we are consuming and dumping, in just ten short years the ocean could contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish. Yes, we are filling up our planet with plastic waste.
To fully understand just how bad plastic pollution has become, not just in the US but all over the world, let's take a look at plastic pollution by country.
Which Country Produces the Most Plastic Pollution?
Which Countries Are Affected by Plastic Pollution?
The biggest plastic polluters per person
Plastic waste by country
Who Is Responsible for Plastic Pollution?
Plastic production by country varies a lot. While all countries around the world are producing an increasing amount of plastic waste, some countries are worse off than others due to population size, industry, and even their level of income.
According to pollution statistics, China is at the top of the list of the biggest plastic polluters. Information from 2010 shows that China produced the largest quantity of plastic at 59.08 tons. Out of this an estimated 3.53 million metric tons of it ended up in the ocean.
Related article: Facts on Ocean Pollution
The Chinese government is cognisant of the rising pollution problem in the country and plans to ban single-use, non-degradable bags in all major cities by the end of 2020 and in all cities and towns by 2022.
Related article: Plastic Pollution Facts
Pollution is a huge problem everywhere in the world. But when it comes to deciding what country produces the most plastic there are two aspects to consider – pollution by person and by country.
China for instance is considered the largest producer of plastic waste by country, however, when it comes to waste produced per person, Kuwait carries the day.
Some countries also may not produce as much waste as others, however, they manage the little waste they produce poorly. This is usually seen in countries that are growing rapidly but have failed to make progress in waste management at the same speed.
Many countries in East Asia grossly manage their plastic waste so even though they may not be high on the list of plastic polluters per person, their lack of proper plastic waste disposal and rapid industrialization means that their oceans and waterways have more plastic waste than countries in Europe or the USA.
Related article: 37 Pollution Facts That Will Convince You to Be More Environment Conscious
High-income countries often generate more plastic pollution per person. Kuwait leads the pack of the top five biggest plastic polluters with 0.69kgs waste per person followed by Guyana with 0.59kgs person, then Germany with 0.48kgs per person and the Netherlands at 0.42kgs per person.
When it comes to which country produces the most plastic pollution by country these are the top five:
1. China
China has the largest population in the world and produces the largest quantity of plastic, at nearly 60 million tons per year. More than 231,000 tons of plastic litter end up in Chinese and surrounding rivers and the ocean every year.
2. The U.S.
The U.S. is the third-largest country in the world and produces 38 million tons of plastic waste per year. More than 275,000 tons of plastic litter enter U.S. rivers and oceans annually. The country burns six times more plastic waste than it recycles. It also exports a lot of its plastic waste to countries in Asia.
Germany produces 14.5 million tons of plastic waste with about 31,239 tons of plastic litter making its way into rivers and oceans annually.
4. Brazil
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and produces 12 million tons of plastic waste every year. Only 1.28% of Brazil's total plastic waste is recycled leaving about 7.7 million tons of waste in landfills and more than 90,000 tons of plastic litter enter the country's rivers and oceans annually.
5. Japan
Japan generates 7.99 million tons of plastic waste annually. Much of this waste comes from plastic food wrappers. Japan is obsessed with hygiene causing many foods to be wrapped, rewrapped, and bagged in multiple layers of plastic. The Japanese government has the goal of reducing plastic use by 25% by 2030.
Related article: Facts About Plastic Pollution
While it is easy to point fingers at countries like China or the USA or Germany for the level of plastic pollution they create, it is also important we each look at our backyards.
Most of us generate a lot of plastic waste in some way or the other, thanks to our modern lifestyles. For change to take place and before we can put our governments to the task, we need to become more conscious on an individual level. Educate yourself on how to recycle properly and make sure that you do it. Take power into your own hands.
To reduce plastic waste by country on a national and global level, it is important to hold all countries more accountable and push for a more sustainable, less polluted future. Call upon your leaders, both local and national, to introduce industry regulations and laws to control industrial plastic pollution.
Companies too, should not be left behind if we are to reduce plastic pollution by country. They must accept their huge responsibility in causing plastic pollution especially through their packaging and work towards zero-waste and sustainability.
Biggest Ocean Polluters
Land Pollution Facts
Sources: Editorials, EcoWatch, Our World in Data
How To Save Water in the Home
105 Ways To Be More Eco Friendly
26 Ways To Save Water In the Home
The Ultimate Guide To Green Cleaning
Ultimate Guide To Zero Waste Living
Everything To Know About Ethical & Sustainable Clothing
Inspiring you to live a more sustainable lifestyle – one step at a time
© 2021 Eco Friendly Habits
Eco Friendly Guides
How to be More Eco Friendly
How to Save Energy
How to Save Water
Zero Waste Living
Products Guides & Reviews
Sustainable Jewelry Brands
Eco Friendly Kitchen Products
All Natural Makeup Brands


Paul is Libreea's Principal Consultant. Being field based he travels extensively, both in the UK and globally, to deliver training and consultancy. With over 15 years of experience his certifications include IRCA certified Lead Auditor for the 9001:2015, QMS Internal Auditor, TickIt plus practitioner, TPMA certified training practitioner and Microsoft certified professional. He is further developing his skill set to add Management consultancy with a Diploma from the Chartered Management Institute.
Paul works tirelessly with customers to help make processes clearer. His patience and perseverance helps you prioritise and bring focus to your next steps.
Paul has been brilliant to work with throughout. He can relate to all members of the team at different levels and in different ways. He knows when the message hasn't got through and has other ways to make sure it does. He has creative techniques which makes learning and working with him a pleasure and entertaining at the same time.
Driving, the sea... & again food!
His man from Del Monte suit!


Keilon Hill contends his arrest last month by West Des Moines police was a case of racial profiling.
He's probably right, but the profiling wasn't done by the officer who arrested him.
The racial profiling was done by those who called police on a black man walking in the 5600 block of Aspen Drive.
At 2:58 p.m., Oct. 29, a caller told a dispatcher, "It is very weird because it is warm and he's wearing a coat and hat," per logs provided by West Des Moines police.
The high that day was 67 degrees. For Iowans, that's roll-down-the-windows and roll-up-shirt-sleeves weather. Hill, we later learned, is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where 67 degrees is practically frigid.
The call is the first bad beat that sent West Des Moines police into an unnecessary conflict with a black man.
The story calls to mind the slew of white people nationwide who've reported black people for sitting in Starbucks, shopping at CVS, mowing lawns, playing golf, staying at an Airbnb or napping on a couch in a college dorm.
West Des Moines is 86 percent white and 3.7 percent black or African-American, according to the most recent Census Bureau data. It's reasonable to consider whether the color of the man's skin was more alarming to the caller, who was not identified in the records released by police, than the man's coat.
I called several of the homes in the block Friday; nobody answered or returned my messages.
I'm certainly not saying the caller was some snarling, Confederate flag-waving neo-Nazi. I'm not even suggesting the caller made the call because Hill was African-American.
I am suggesting that someone who lives along Aspen Drive in West Des Moines doesn't see African-Americans walking in their neighborhood very often.
Lack of regular contact with people of color may have contributed to the caller finding an African-American man walking and wearing a coat on a nice day to be suspicious.
This kind of problem is called "unconscious bias" — when people act on stereotypes about certain groups of people outside their own conscious awareness. Examples include assuming a woman doesn't know how to operate technology or assuming an Asian person is good at math.
They're the kind of social problems where those committing the bias say, "I didn't mean anything by it." Yet for those on the other side of the bias, it means quite a lot.
Police train on unconscious bias. More businesses train on the problem, too. Gannett, the company that owns the Register, trained all employees on avoiding unconscious biases a couple of months ago.
West Des Moines, like Des Moines and all of Iowa, all overwhelmingly white, is susceptible to unconscious bias against minority groups. And that leads to problems like the one between Hill and West Des Moines police.
If West Des Moines Officer Clint Ray had been on patrol and randomly stopped Hill, I would pin the racial bias on Ray.
But Ray was responding to a call from the public. When the public calls, police respond.
I watched the videos recorded by Hill's mobile phone and the more than 12 minutes of Ray's body camera footage.
When Ray finds Hill, the officer tells him that he received a call about him.
Hill says he's not doing anything wrong and doesn't want to talk to the officer further. He walks away.
Ray tells him to stop multiple times. Hill asks why. Ray says he's investigating a report of a suspicious person.
I don't know what Hill's experience has been like. Maybe he's been stopped by police so many times that he'd had enough and decided to make a stand. Or maybe he was in a bad mood.
Yet Hill didn't have to refuse when a police officer asked him to stop multiple times.
Ray might have been able to defuse the tension if he had listed the reasons he stopped Hill based on the call to dispatch instead of talking generally about "a suspicious person."
And Hill absolutely could have defused the tension by simply giving his name and showing the officer the fliers for the candidate he was working for.
Imagine you're a police officer at that moment. How do you interpret that sentence? Is that a threat?
Ray arrested Hill on a charge of harassment of a public official, which basically alleges Hill interfered with Ray's ability to investigate the report of a suspicious person.
And remember, all of this was set in motion by a highly speculative call to police.
Unconscious habits — things we don't even realize we're doing — are the toughest to break.


Trentbarton is looking for more hard-working people to join their teams in Derbyshire and surrounding counties.
From experienced engineers to friendly faces, the bus company has a range of jobs positions to fill.
The Trentbarton website says: "We can only succeed if we provide really good service to all our customers, achieving that is in the hands of our team – both on the front line and behind the scenes – which is why we place our amazing people at the heart of everything we do."


People of the Mangystau region marked the National Costume's Day with dances and colorful performances.150 different outfits worn by people living in Kazakhstan were presented by the representatives of ethnocultural associations who then told the festival guests about the history and peculiarities of the clothes. For example, Ossetian Fatima Birkle found the similarities between elements of Caucasian national clothes and Kazakh costumes.
- When I wear this suit, people ask me is this a Kazakh national costume. I reply 'No, it's an Ossetian costume.' Perhaps, some elements either Alans took from Kazakhs or Kazakhs took some elements from Ossetians so it turned out we have similar costumes.
Representatives of more than 50 ethnic groups living in the region, as well as schoolchildren and pupils of kindergartens attended the exhibition. In the region every day of March will be dedicated to the culture of different peoples living in Kazakhstan. National games and dishes, bauyrsak and shubat, exhibitions and concerts will be presented to residents of the Mangystau region.


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Q: Mongodb ordered option doesn't work when using insertMany method in Nodejs I am using Mongodb in my app. It is version 4.4.1. I have set unique option in the word field to true.
And I use this code:

try {
    const words = [
      { word: "her" },
      { word: "her" },
      { word: "gathered" },
      { word: "together" },
      { word: "and" },
      { word: "rather" },
    ];

    const result = await wordsDb
      .collection
      .insertMany(words, { ordered: false });

    console.log(result.insertedCount); // nothing to console
  } catch (error) {
    console.log(error.message); // E11000 duplicate key error index: word_1 dup key: { word: "her" }
  }

It still gives the "duplicate key error". Why is it happening? Thanks.

A: If you set a unique constraint in the word field, you cannot insert in the collection 2 documents with the same value ('her') for the word field.
And you cannot bypass the constraint with the {ordered: true}  option.
Indeed, throwing the error doesn't mean that other documents are not inserted. Did u check if they were inserted? If I try with an example similar to yours (not in Node but in MongoDb Compass), I get the error too, but the documents are all inserted in the collection (except for the one with the duplicate key, obviously, that is inserted only once).
Also, consider that the insert error thrown causes the code to jump immediately to the catch(error) block, so your console.log(result.insertedCount) can not be showed.


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You are here: Home / member-college-news / CIU preparing for nursing degree program, names program director
CIU preparing for nursing degree program, names program director
October 28, 2020 By SC Independent Colleges & Universities
COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy ciu.edu) — In preparation for a nursing degree program at Columbia International University, Dr. Jill McElheny has been hired as the program director to begin laying a solid foundation for the future of Nursing at CIU.
McElheny brings a wealth of experience in leading the operations of a fast-growing Christian Nursing program at Colorado Christian University (CCU) in Lakewood, Colorado where she served as the director of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program and professor of Nursing. Under her leadership, enrollment in CCU's nursing programs doubled.
She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the College of Nursing at the University of Colorado. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Furman University.
McElheny has 11 licenses and certifications in nursing including Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Emergency Nurse Practitioner. She has practiced nursing for 24 years, most recently as RN case manager for Heartland Hospice in Charleston, South Carolina.
CIU Associate Provost Dr. Brian Simmons says McElheny is a perfect fit for CIU's Christian mission and core values.
"For the last 10 years, Dr. McElheny has served with Samaritan's Purse International Relief," Simmons said. "In this role she has traveled to many countries around the world including Ecuador and Haiti serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. She expresses a deep desire to lead teams of CIU nursing students to do as she has done through the years."
As for McElheny, she considers nursing "a sacred calling."
"I am excited to join a Christian organization where I can promote nursing as a calling while sharing my faith with students," McElheny said. "I would love to connect nursing students to the field of Christian nursing ministry."
As director of Nursing Programs, McElheny is working with university leaders to develop a strategic plan for Nursing to be offered in both online and residential modes of content delivery. The first nursing degree program is expected to begin in the 2021/22 academic year.
Filed Under: member-college-news


I apologize but the next publication of my short series, Love Bites, will be postponed to tomorrow at 11am. If you haven't read the first publication, please click here!
My weekend has been pretty hectic with my internship beginning and all. Plus, I've had a ton of homework. One of my assignments is to read this poem, which I am absolutely in love with, so I thought I would share it. The video is June Jordan reading her poem, and I included the transcript of her poem below. Please enjoy this and share your thoughts!


Want to get out of hospital in record time Scoff yourself!
For decades, this has meant nil by mouth for at least eight hours before surgery, no food for several days afterwards, lots of bed rest and a hospital stay of up to two weeks.
But over the past three years the rulebook appears to have been ripped up.
Enhanced recovery — also known as fast-track recovery — is a new system that's quietly revolutionising hospital care.
It involves feeding up or 'carb-loading' patients with high-calorie snacks and drinks just before and after surgery, getting them up and walking about as soon as possible afterwards and more localised pain relief.
It sounds controversial, but the system has seen a fall in complication rates, and inpatient stays dramatically reduced by 50 per cent in most cases.
First introduced for colorectal patients, then orthopaedics, gynaecology and urology, the programme is being rapidly extended to other specialities.
The theory is that if patients are well fed they won't lose weight, meaning they'll get better quicker and up and about sooner, so they don't lose muscle strength.
This, in turn, means they leave hospital sooner and are less prone to complications and infections.
In just under three years, the number of hospitals offering enhanced recovery has mushroomed from fewer than 50 hospitals in 2009 to 86 per cent of all NHS hospitals implementing it in at least one speciality, according to Department of Health estimates.
'Enhanced recovery isn't about the NHS pushing people out of hospital before they're ready,' says Professor Mike Richards, National Cancer Director and chairman of the Enhanced Recovery Partnership, an NHS/Department of Health umbrella group.
'These patients are as well when they are discharged as they would have been had they had a much longer hospital stay — they are just getting better quicker.
'And readmission rates for complications have not risen.
The enhanced recovery approach was pioneered in Denmark by Professor Henrik Kehlet in 1997 — he didn't think it made sense to starve patients before and after surgery when they needed their strength for recovery.
His revolutionary approach was brought to Britain in 2002 by colorectal surgeons and by 2009 the Department of Health backed a national programme to spread good practice to other specialities.
The approach varies according to the problem — to speed recovery, some patients are given less invasive keyhole surgery techniques or localised pain injections rather than epidurals and ultrasound monitoring of hydration levels.
And the method seems to be working: at St Mark's Hospital in North London, bowel surgery patients who would have previously spent two or three weeks in hospital are fit to go home after three to five days, thanks to an enhanced recovery programme.
Meanwhile, at Poole General Hospital the length of hospital stays for hip and knee replacements fell by half after the new principles were applied.
Surgeons are even applying enhanced recovery to one of the most complicated cancer operations.
At the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, surgeon Shaun Preston and his team have more than halved inpatient stays for patients undergoing surgery for oesophageal cancer from 16 to seven days and reduced complication rates by 35 per cent.
'When we first talked about enhanced recovery for these patients, no one believed they could get better so quickly after such radical surgery,' says Mr Preston.
Then in 2007 he read that it was being used by a team in Seattle with extraordinary success. He flew out for a week to observe them and came back with a plan to introduce it for British patients.
'These operations take six to ten hours to perform; we have to open the chest and the abdomen and sometimes collapse a lung to get access to the oesophagus.
'We then have to move the stomach into the chest to make a new oesophagus before joining it to the remaining oesophagus high in the chest or neck — it's major trauma to the body.
'We didn't change any of the surgical or anaesthetic procedures. It was more a case of changing the patient's expectations — we told them we would sit them up in bed for four hours after surgery.
At 7am the next day they would be sat up in bed ready for the physiotherapists.
To stop patients losing too much weight because of not being able to eat properly after surgery, they are fitted with feeding tubes during the operation and gradually reintroduced to solid food.
Other simple changes included starting surgery at 6.30am instead of 9am or 10am.
'This meant patients were leaving theatre late in the afternoon rather than the evening, allowing us to start the patient's recovery plan on the day of surgery rather than the following day,' says Mr Preston.
'This meant, for instance, breathing tubes were removed sooner rather than keeping patients on a ventilator overnight.
'What we've achieved here is mind-blowing.
Indeed, the principles are being used to offer day surgery for breast cancer patients.
If a medical man urges you to eat fried food, butter, cheese, cakes, biscuits and double cream — in fact, everything you've ever been warned against — you think you must be dreaming.
But that's what I was told before having surgery to remove a 2in tumour in my oesophagus.
Two weeks before my operation at the University Hospital of Wales, the clinical nurse outlined precisely what was going to happen.
It substantially reduced my fears and I was also encouraged by the feeling that I had an active role to play.
I'd lost at least a stone since my diagnosis and the dietitian was keen that I should increase my weight and strength by eating as much high-calorie and high-fat food as I could.
If I had soup I should add grated cheese and double cream to it; I shouldn't be afraid of fry-ups; I should drink full-cream milk and if I didn't take sugar in my tea and coffee I should start.
The physio said I should play golf as often as possible and take plenty of long walks when not playing.
I was certainly fatter and fitter when I went for the operation.
After I came round, among my drips was food being fed straight into my stomach because I was 'nil by mouth' for a week — but within a week I was walking, with the aid of the physios, more than 300 yards a day.
After a week, I gratefully launched into a soft diet. A friend who had the op three years earlier had to wait three weeks before he could eat or drink.
My main surprise was that I have never felt any pain during my recovery — vital because pain would hinder the exercise programme.
For me, it has been a brilliant treatment of a very nasty cancer. I've not needed any further treatment or scans.
At my last check-up, my dietitian was astonished to find I was already back to my pre-op weight and looking so well. He suggested it was time I went back to healthier foods.
That's my next big challenge.


text:
Countdown to Three Peaks
The Venturers leave for the UK two weeks from today. Much to get done. Group not yet acting like a group, all acting like individuals on spokes connected to hub (me). Very uncomfortable-feeling.
Taking one young lady shopping today for her Venturing uniform. We've never been very uniform-conscious, but we will be touring the home of Scouting, staying in Scout camps, so we'd better look the part. Plus, a uniform always subs for dress clothes when you're going places like church.
Yesterday, I handed in Derek's Silver Award application. This makes the fourth Silver Award in our eight years of operations. We've only had about twelve people actually join our crew in all that time (though others have shared adventures with us from other units). Those dozen or so youth have earned ten Bronze awards, four Golds, four Silvers, and two Rangers. I'm proud of our Venturers, and proud of our Crew's record. The two Rangers are stryck and that_guy_zach, both now adults. These two, plus Derek, join Nikki among the Silver Set.
For pix of previous adventures, see my gallery "Been There, Done That." Go to my Profile page and click on Pictures.
"Well, I didn't actually shoot him . . ."
Today, as I was driving down SR 1 into Greendale, I saw a roadkill deer. Not an unusual sight this time of year. There's more possums and raccoons and deer and what-all on the highways around here than I've ever seen. But this deer was different. Its head was missing.
Now, I don't mean that whatever vehicle hit it tore its head off. The deer's body was intact, not mangled, its head and neck cleanly sliced off. Presumably, the deer was killed by collision -- but then, somebody stopped by the side of the road to cut off the head. What kind of a person would do this?
Whaddya think: Is it just me, or is that the cheesiest way to get a trophy you've ever heard of?
Another Patented Pastoral Profundity
Sermons are like children:
Conceiving them is a pleasure;
Carrying them while they develop is a drag;
Delivery is often painful;
And you're never quite sure what they'll do once they leave home.


A webinar showing the new EFAS interface has now been published under Resources-Webinars. The webinar shows the most important features of the web interface in comparison with the previous. Note that it assumes that you are already familiar with the EFAS products. For a direct link to the webinar, click here.