PremiumCoding is a team of theme developers who provide their particular motif club full of more than two dozen WordPress themes in many different different classes. They give a combination of free and premium motifs in addition to a variety of unique ways to cover superior topics.
We are going to take a peek at the organization's subject collection in this review as well as analyze their general pricing strategy. Let's begin.
PremiumCoding was founded in 2010 as a two-man operation designing, building and uploading themes to ThemeForest on the Envato marketplace. They launched their very own theme club 2015 and have not looked back since. Today, the company has over 25 WordPress topics, eight team members and over 28,500 customers.
PremiumCoding targets heavily on site topics. All of their themes have blogging capabilities, and they even offer a dozen themes designed especially for professional and individual sites. Let us take a look at some.
Camila is a superior blogging theme constructed for creatives, but it may be utilized as a magazine motif for content-heavy websites. It uses a minimalist design that actually puts the focus on your articles, especially your own images. It's a fantastic alternative for bloggers who wish to showcase their own images, such as traveling, beauty, lifestyle and fashion bloggers.
Hayes is a premium blogging motif designed for photographers and travel bloggers. It includes multiple homepage variations and even allows you to create your own designs through the use of blocks.
PremiumCoding offers several free WordPress topics, which act as"lite" versions to get some of its premium themes. These are stripped-down variations of the premium motifs, but they still offer a significant bit of features. They are more or less designed to give you a taste of the respective premium topics. The developer offers six free themes, as of April 2016.
It will still allow you to build a full website capable of showcasing your latest posts if you are a blogger and images if you're a photographer. It simply excludes the capability to use the Revolution Slider and change colours.
PremiumCoding focuses on blogging topics, but it will offer extra motif categories as well. Included in these are, as stated earlier, portfolio topics, e-commerce themes, and business themes. It offers a great selection of portfolio themes and a couple of business themes so far as amounts go, but its e-commerce theme collection is a tiny light.
This is LandScape. It's technically a portfolio theme for most photographers, but it's sufficient homepage demos and flexibility to be utilized as another blogging theme. It employs a minimalist design that truly makes your image stick out. Some homepage layouts even use a large header image, as you can see in the screenshot above.
Presenter is a business motif for entrepreneurs. It uses a homepage which comes with a massive header finish with a call to action and an email opt-in form. You can also use calls to action throughout the webpage as well as display client testimonials, your latest blog posts and a slider featuring logos of those brands you work with/publications you have been showcased in, etc..
Marketeer is a distinctive sort of e-commerce theme. It permits you to construct a digital market through an integration with the Easy Digital Downloads ecommerce plugin for WordPress. It has four-page layouts, and it lets you utilize the ability of articles marketing by incorporating different layouts for blogs. It uses a clean layout overall, providing you excellent way to promote your merchandise.
PremiumCoding is a theme club, therefore there are many various approaches you can pay for and access its own themes. Aside from using a free theme, you can purchase one theme, buy a one-year membership license or purchase a lifetime membership permit.
Whichever license type you purchase, the fundamental benefits are more or less same. You will have access to upgrades and support for so long as your membership remains active, and you may use the subject on an unlimited number of domain names. The attributes change based on which license type you choose with.
Buying a single-theme license simply gives you access to that particular theme. If you join the theme club, you will have access to PremiumCoding's 27+ motif collection in addition to any additional themes the developer releases during your time for a member (the developer releases a new theme every five to six months ). You'll also have access to PSD files for topics that utilize them.
As far as pricing goes, single-theme permits are generally between $39 and $49. Costs for a year of membership typically range between $89 and $129 while a lifetime membership is available for a flat fee of $269.
The only disadvantage you will experience as a programmer trying to find a new motif club to use as a resource for the business is the developer's limited source of e-commerce themes. If the majority of your customers need blogs, portfolios and traditional small business websites, however, this programmer would make a excellent resource to your company.


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First Look Screens, Gaming News
Activision Announces 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5'
May 7, 2015 Mark Smith	Leave a comment
The Birdman is back with Tony Hawk's® Pro Skater™ 5, coming to the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, expected to release later this year. The game retains the timeless, combo-driven energy and tightly designed levels of the Pro Skater games while expanding the experience with online play.
"Skateboarding has always been about the freedom of ripping with your friends, and creating a game that captures that feeling has been a vision of mine since the Pro Skater series began over 15 years ago," said Tony Hawk. "I'm beyond excited to see that dream finally come true with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5, which takes the old-school attitude of the original games online in a big way."
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 rekindles the signature style of classic Pro Skater games in a brand-new set of levels with the same infamous focus on daring objectives, fine-tuned controls and high-score tricks – including manuals and reverts – for endless shredding. New items like power-ups and projectiles change up the core skating experience in a variety of fresh and entertaining ways. Tear up the pavement as one of today's top pros, including Tony Hawk, Nyjah Huston, Riley Hawk, Aaron "Jaws" Homoki, Ishod Wair, Leticia Bufoni, Chris Cole, David Gonzalez, Andrew Reynolds, and Lizzie Armanto – or customize your own character.
Online multiplayer is where Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 truly takes off, letting players drop in and out of online skate sessions with friends and challengers from around the world for the first time. Complete missions, unlock new content and level up online or offline, or go head-to-head on the fly against all takers in competitive matches. Players can also build their own imaginative skateparks to share with the community.
Robomodo and Disruptive Games are developing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 for PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One, Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The release dates for the various versions will be shared in the upcoming weeks. Join the community on Facebook at facebook.com/TonyHawkGames and on Twitter and Instagram at @tonyhawkgames.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Europe's USD 20 billion tariff countermeasure proposal puts US seafood in the firing line
Jason Holland
A public consultation on a preliminary list of products from the United States on which the European Union may take countermeasures, in the context of the ongoing Boeing dispute at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has been published by the European Commission (EC).
The proposed tariffs are in response to the long-running dispute over subsidies paid by the United States to airplane-maker Boeing and by Europe to Airbus.
A range of U.S. exports into the E.U. are covered by Brussels' list – from aircrafts to chemicals and agri-foods. In total, these goods are estimated at around USD 20 billion (EUR 17.7 billion).
In terms of seafood, the many products currently listed for additional import duties if they are originating in the United States include frozen Atlantic, Danube, and Pacific salmon, frozen albacore and yellowfin tuna, frozen cod and Alaska pollock, frozen and live lobster, frozen coldwater shrimp, scallops, and squid.
In a statement, E.U. Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said that European companies must be able to compete on fair and equal terms.
"The recent WTO ruling on U.S. subsidies for Boeing is important in this respect. We must continue to defend a level playing-field for our industry. But let me be clear, we do not want a tit-for-tat," she said. "While we need to be ready with countermeasures in case there is no other way out, I still believe that dialogue is what should prevail between important partners such as the E.U. and the U.S., including in bringing an end to this long-standing dispute. The E.U. remains open for discussions with the U.S., provided these are without preconditions and aim at a fair outcome."
The E.C. has request affirms it agrees that a WTO appointed arbitrator should determine the exact appropriate level of countermeasures. As such, the E.U. is taking steps towards requesting the arbitrator to resume its work.
A final list, based on the products included in the current proposal, will be drawn up by the E.U. in the near future, taking into account the arbitrator's decision.
Contributing Editor reporting from London, UK
Twitter at @SeafoodGuruSome
In defiance of NGOs, EU backs fuel subsidies for its fleet at WTO talks
US-EU trade war winding down with five-year suspension of tariffs
UK proposes new tariffs on US lobsters and other goods
EU "regretably" introduces new tariffs on US goods – but most seafood is exempt


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Three Policies to Increase Productivity Growth in Canada
Andrew Sharpe September 29, 2008
Andrew Sharpe points out that productivity growth is "by far the most important determinant of increased material living standards for Canadians" and is also critical to ensuring that adequate public resources are available to address fiscal pressures associated with population aging. Canada's recent productivity performance is insufficient to ensure that future generations will enjoy the growth in incomes that current generations are accustomed to.
At its root, productivity growth is driven by innovation and investment in capital equipment, and Canada lags behind most other industrialized nations on both of these metrics. With regard to innovation, Sharpe proposes expanding federal technology transfer programs that assist firms in exploiting best-practice innovations. With regard to capital investment, Sharpe identifies high taxes as the main culprit and proposes abolition of sales tax on machinery and equipment in the five provinces where it still exists. He also contends that migration is a key factor in national productivity growth and proposes a tax credit for interprovincial job search as a measure whose economic benefits would far outweigh its costs.
The commentators strongly agreed with the diagnosis of the productivity problem and the need to lower taxes on capital as a key part of the solution, but had some reservations about the potential efficacy of the other two options, in particular the proposal to encourage migration.
Canada's recent productivity performance is insufficient to ensure that future generations will enjoy the income growth that current generations are accustomed to.
In any economy, the only way for a society to increase its material living standards is to increase labour supply (i.e., work more hours) or increase productivity (i.e., work more efficiently). Sharpe demonstrates that, due to demographic trends, it will become more and more difficult to sustain income growth by working more, because a progressively larger segment of the population is approaching retirement age. Thus productivity growth will be the only means to ensure not only the increasing living standards to which Canadians are accustomed, but also the resources needed to meet the fiscal pressures brought on by population aging.
Relatively strong economic performance over the past decade (as measured by indicators such as gross domestic product, household income and employment) has masked a worrying slowdown in productivity growth. Sharpe notes that annual labour productivity growth (as measured by GDP per hour worked) has decelerated markedly from an average of 2.9 percent between 1996 and 2000 to just 1.1 percent since then.
Just as importantly, Canada's productivity lags behind that of the United States, its most important trading partner. Strong productivity growth keeps business production costs low relative to international competitors, and thus improves Canada's overall competitive posture. But Sharpe finds that productivity levels in Canada have declined fairly steadily from 90 percent of the US level in the early 1980s to 75 percent today. Looking at a larger group of 22 OECD nations, Sharpe finds that Canada ranks 16th and the US ranks 3rd.
Another challenge is the optics of productivity. Many people fear policies to boost productivity growth based on the erroneous assumption that they will be forced to work longer hours or, worse, "work themselves out of a job." Sharpe explains why these fears are largely unfounded, and urges efforts to improve public understanding of the important positive effects of strong productivity growth.
On the issue of optics, commentator Richard Harris added that there is a disconnect between lagging productivity and recent economic performance, which has been exceptional over the past 15 years. It is hard in such circumstances to get people concerned about the productivity issue, because it is at odds with their personal experience.
Sharpe notes that the proximate sources of productivity growth are increases in capital investment and the skill level of workers (both of which help them work more efficiently), and technological innovation (which improves the overall efficiency of production processes as well as the development of new products).
Because productivity growth is the result of thousands of private sector decisions about what investment to undertake, how much and what kinds of education and training programs to enrol in and what R&D projects to finance, government policies cannot directly influence it in the same way that they can affect, for instance, the availability of social housing. However, government policies play a profound indirect role by providing the economic backdrop against which these decisions are made. Macroeconomic and fiscal stability, trade liberalization and competitive markets are all important factors in stimulating the investment and innovation that drives productivity growth, and Sharpe notes that, with some exceptions with respect to competition policy, recent Canadian governments have done much to create a productivity-friendly economic environment.
That being said, the fact remains that productivity performance remains substandard, and Sharpe concludes that governments can and should be more proactive by adopting policies that more directly promote productivity-enhancing activities.
Foster more rapid diffusion and adoption of best-practice technologies, particularly in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Sharpe points out that technological progress is the most important single driver of productivity growth. Yet Canada's performance (as measured by aggregate spending on research and development activities) has long been lacklustre. Furthermore, despite large subsidies in the form of tax credits, this R&D spending is highly concentrated among just a handful of large firms. Less than 1 percent of Canadian firms do any R&D, and just 100 firms account for 56 percent of total Canadian business R&D activity. Sharpe concludes that further subsidization of R&D would do little to help the 99 percent of Canadian firms that do not conduct any.
There are, however, large benefits to be reaped from widening the use of existing best-practice technologies to a larger universe of firms, and Sharpe argues that government innovation policy should be rebalanced toward improving diffusion of existing technologies. Adapting an existing technology to a particular business is not costless – it typically requires supporting technologies, investment in complementary development activities and other resources that SMEs often do not have. The author identifies the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) as a model for providing such resources. IRAP provides technology expertise and advisory services, grants for R&D activities, and networking and partnership opportunities and has a successful track record of promoting technology diffusion, particularly to SMEs. However, its budget is very small, and Sharpe sees large productivity benefits in expansion of the program and creation of others with similar technology diffusion objectives.
Remove provincial sales taxes on purchases of machinery and equipment
The author points out that capital investment is the vehicle through which many new technologies manifest themselves in the economy – in effect, they are embodied in new capital goods. For example, information technologies are not only found in freestanding consumer products such as personal computers, but are also embedded in capital goods such as vehicles and industrial machinery. But equipment investment rates in Canada are lower than in most other OECD countries, in part due to relatively high tax rates on investment. Sharpe notes that, despite several reductions in federal corporate taxes, the effective tax rate on capital in Canada was 36.6 percent in 2006, one of the highest in the world.
One reason effective tax rates remain high is that five provinces (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Prince Edward Island) impose provincial sales taxes on the purchase of capital goods. Sharpe characterizes this as "extremely bad policy – perhaps unique in its incompetence among developed countries." Recent evidence shows that investment per capita has grown significantly more rapidly in provinces that have abolished sales taxes on capital inputs.
In practical terms, the easiest way to eliminate sales taxes on capital equipment would be for provinces that have not already done so to harmonize their provincial sales taxes with the GST. Harmonization would mean that purchases of capital equipment, as an input to production, would be deducted for the purposes of calculating sales taxes. Sharpe acknowledges that this would reduce provincial government revenue and force governments to either cut spending or increase other taxes, but suggests that the federal government might entice them with a promise of financial compensation.
Promote geographical migration of workers
Sharpe's third proposal stems from the fact that productivity levels vary considerably across the country. For instance, in 2006 GDP per capita was just over $125,000 in Alberta, nearly double the level in Prince Edward Island. Reallocation of factors of production (including employees) from low-productivity activities and regions to high-productivity ones can thus contribute significantly to national productivity growth.
But the author points out that interprovincial migration has trended downward since the 1970s, suggesting that Canadian workers are less likely to seek economic opportunities in other provinces than they were a generation ago. But the potential economic gains of greater migration are considerable: according to the author's own research, interprovincial migration over the past decade has added $11 billion to Canadian GDP and is a significant contributor to aggregate productivity growth.
To encourage migration further, Sharpe proposes a federal tax credit for expenses associated with job searches in other provinces, similar to the tax deduction for moving expenses. He estimates the cost of such a credit at $15 million to $25 million annually, far lower than the anticipated economic benefits. In addition, such a tax credit would be a concrete manifestation of the importance of mobility in today's dynamic and rapidly changing labour markets.
The commentators' reaction to Sharpe's policy suite was mixed. Both Don Drummond and Richard Harris concurred strongly with his proposal to eliminate provincial sales taxes on capital, and Drummond went further to suggest other actions to reduce the tax burden, such as abolishing direct capital taxes where they still exist and reducing personal tax rates in order to sharpen incentives to save and invest. But with regard to the other two proposals, the commentators were more skeptical. Drummond concurred with the conclusion that Canadian policy is too obsessed with R&D at the expense of promoting adopting existing technologies, but argued that such activity is in a firm's self-interest and questioned the wisdom of a large expansion of IRAP. With regard to interprovincial migration, both commentators agreed that more is better, but doubted that it would have a measurable effect on aggregate productivity growth compared to other policy options.
The productivity challenge will become increasingly important as labour force growth slows and income growth comes to depend more and more on working "smarter" rather than working harder. But Sharpe's analysis and the commentators' reactions illustrate that the productivity gap is an example of a "death by a thousand cuts" in that numerous factors have created it and numerous actions are necessary to fix it. As Drummond noted, "There is so much to choose from that it is difficult to narrow down the choice to three options."


Just started Nier: Automata, I enjoyed the first game quite a bit and have always had a fondness for Drakengard, and lemme just say I am happy that a Yoko Taro game is finally....playable? Thanks Platinum, and whoever at Square Enix likes Taro enough to keep throwing him money and projects. The music is amazing in this game, might be my favorite OST since like, FFX.
Location: Out of sight, out of mind. My mind, that is.
I started playing Warframe a few weeks ago with my roommate and I absolutely love it. It's engaging, and not horribly difficult to pick up and learn.
I've been playing Everlong (a freeware RPG Maker game) and Persona 5 recently. Intending to start playing Virtue's Last Reward, Zero Time Dilemma and the first Assassin's Creed game (I bought all AC games for the PS4).
I forgot how fun Everlong was, though the boss battles are obnoxiously tedious sometimes. It just takes SO LONG to kill them. ...And you don't even get EXP from battling them, just a Beherit (an item that's only used in the end-game).
Returned to Pillars of Eternity for a new game, I wanted to make a new playthrough with a Ranger~ Its a nice change from my usual mage/barbarian picks.
Lego Worlds. Finally got 100 gold bricks in adventure mode.
Sonic Heroes, again. I need to cleanse the new games from my mind.
Red Dead Redemption once in awhile.
Finished Tales of the Abyss (which I highly recommend) and have been working through Metroid: Samus Returns on the 3DS and Gorogoa on the Switch. Both are worthwhile so far.
Little Nightmares on the PS4.
Diablo 3 again haha. Got my wizard female to lvl 60 but then migraine (possibly) started getting annoying.
My boyfriend got me The Rise of the Tomb Raider (and the promise to buy me RDR2 when it finally comes out) so I've been playing that a lot recently! I've also played some Overwatch and continued on my Pokemon Ruby where I only have the Pokemon League to finish on my current playthrough.
The Technomancer on the PS4.
finished Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love, so now it's Darkest Dungeon and Miitopia.
All the mobile strategy/RPGs I could cram onto my phone before space ran out. If anyone wants to give me recommendations of their favorites, I could consult a list when I decide to buy a memory card and download more.
I moved on from Warframe to Guild Wars 2, both for nostalgia and to fill up my time, and it's really enthralling, moreso than I remembered.
Currently addicted to Animal Crossing New Leaf.
I'm currently playing Monster Hunter World and Pokemon Crystal.
Finished Breath of the Wild, it nearly took me a year but many a weekend was spent having an adventure.


text:
"""Provides common classes and functions most users will want access to."""
import threading, sys

class _RequestConfig(object):
    """
    RequestConfig thread-local singleton

    The Routes RequestConfig object is a thread-local singleton that should
    be initialized by the web framework that is utilizing Routes.
    """
    __shared_state = threading.local()

    def __getattr__(self, name):
        return getattr(self.__shared_state, name)

    def __setattr__(self, name, value):
        """
        If the name is environ, load the wsgi envion with load_wsgi_environ
        and set the environ
        """
        if name == 'environ':
            self.load_wsgi_environ(value)
            return self.__shared_state.__setattr__(name, value)
        return self.__shared_state.__setattr__(name, value)

    def __delattr__(self, name):
        delattr(self.__shared_state, name)

    def load_wsgi_environ(self, environ):
        """
        Load the protocol/server info from the environ and store it.
        Also, match the incoming URL if there's already a mapper, and
        store the resulting match dict in mapper_dict.
        """
        if 'HTTPS' in environ or environ.get('wsgi.url_scheme') == 'https' \
           or environ.get('HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO') == 'https':
            self.__shared_state.protocol = 'https'
        else:
            self.__shared_state.protocol = 'http'
        try:
            self.mapper.environ = environ
        except AttributeError:
            pass

        # Wrap in try/except as common case is that there is a mapper
        # attached to self
        try:
            if 'PATH_INFO' in environ:
                mapper = self.mapper
                path = environ['PATH_INFO']
                result = mapper.routematch(path)
                if result is not None:
                    self.__shared_state.mapper_dict = result[0]
                    self.__shared_state.route = result[1]
                else:
                    self.__shared_state.mapper_dict = None
                    self.__shared_state.route = None
        except AttributeError:
            pass

        if 'HTTP_X_FORWARDED_HOST' in environ:
            self.__shared_state.host = environ['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_HOST']
        elif 'HTTP_HOST' in environ:
            self.__shared_state.host = environ['HTTP_HOST']
        else:
            self.__shared_state.host = environ['SERVER_NAME']
            if environ['wsgi.url_scheme'] == 'https':
                if environ['SERVER_PORT'] != '443':
                    self.__shared_state.host += ':' + environ['SERVER_PORT']
            else:
                if environ['SERVER_PORT'] != '80':
                    self.__shared_state.host += ':' + environ['SERVER_PORT']

def request_config(original=False):
    """
    Returns the Routes RequestConfig object.

    To get the Routes RequestConfig:

    >>> from routes import *
    >>> config = request_config()

    The following attributes must be set on the config object every request:

    mapper
        mapper should be a Mapper instance thats ready for use
    host
        host is the hostname of the webapp
    protocol
        protocol is the protocol of the current request
    mapper_dict
        mapper_dict should be the dict returned by mapper.match()
    redirect
        redirect should be a function that issues a redirect,
        and takes a url as the sole argument
    prefix (optional)
        Set if the application is moved under a URL prefix. Prefix
        will be stripped before matching, and prepended on generation
    environ (optional)
        Set to the WSGI environ for automatic prefix support if the
        webapp is underneath a 'SCRIPT_NAME'

        Setting the environ will use information in environ to try and
        populate the host/protocol/mapper_dict options if you've already
        set a mapper.

    **Using your own requst local**

    If you have your own request local object that you'd like to use instead
    of the default thread local provided by Routes, you can configure Routes
    to use it::

        from routes import request_config()
        config = request_config()
        if hasattr(config, 'using_request_local'):
            config.request_local = YourLocalCallable
            config = request_config()

    Once you have configured request_config, its advisable you retrieve it
    again to get the object you wanted. The variable you assign to
    request_local is assumed to be a callable that will get the local config
    object you wish.

    This example tests for the presence of the 'using_request_local' attribute
    which will be present if you haven't assigned it yet. This way you can
    avoid repeat assignments of the request specific callable.

    Should you want the original object, perhaps to change the callable its
    using or stop this behavior, call request_config(original=True).
    """
    obj = _RequestConfig()
    try:
        if obj.request_local and original is False:
            return getattr(obj, 'request_local')()
    except AttributeError:
        obj.request_local = False
        obj.using_request_local = False
    return _RequestConfig()

from routes.mapper import Mapper
from routes.util import redirect_to, url_for, URLGenerator
__all__=['Mapper', 'url_for', 'URLGenerator', 'redirect_to', 'request_config']

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


January 6 My favorite What's the most time you've ever spent apart from your favorite person? Tell us about it.
that we were not together?
This entry was posted in 365 Writing Prompts Challenge, Friendship, Poetry and tagged 2014, 365, 365 days writing challenge, friends, happiness, happy, lit, Literature, love, personal, poem, poetry, spilled ink, words, writers, writing. Bookmark the permalink.


Food insecurity is associated with binge-eating disorder and obesity, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
Food insecurity--difficulty affording enough food to support regular, balanced meals--was associated with increased likelihoods of binge-eating disorder and obesity.
It is important to examine potential links between binge-eating disorder and food insecurity because binge eating is associated with more severe mental and physical health problems than overeating or obesity alone. To investigate, researchers surveyed 1,250 US adults and categorized them into three groups: healthy weight, binge-eating disorder, and obesity. The team assessed financial influences on participants' food consumption behaviors over the previous 12 months.
"This is an important study because it expands our view as to who might be susceptible to binge-eating disorder," said co-author Dr. Janet Lydecker, of the Yale School of Medicine.
"Although we traditionally think about self-imposed dieting (to lose weight) as associated with binge eating, our findings suggest that externally-imposed restrictions on food are also related to binge eating."


1 In a large stockpot place the whole chicken first. Add the rest of the ingredients, add cold water just to cover. Over medium-high heat and uncovered bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer. As the stock simmers skim the foam from the surface, allow to simmer for minimum 30 minutes but not more than 45 minutes. Carefully remove chicken from stockpot and let rest on a rimmed baking sheet. Continue to simmer stock for another 30-45 minutes. Strain stock through cheese cloth or a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl or pot. Press on the solids to make sure you get all the flavor & juices they have to offer. Discard solids and cool stock in refrigerator. When completely cooled skim fat off the top that has solidified. Strain again to remove any bits left behind from skimming. Portion stock for the fridge or freezer. If frozen it will be good for up to 3 months. When the chicken has cooled enough to touch, remove the skin & shred meat setting aside for soup or other uses.


text:
Q: How to get from $\frac{n(n+1)}{2}$ to $n + \binom{n}{2}$? How to get from $\frac{n(n+1)}{2}$ to $n + \binom{n}{2}$?
I tried some transforming, but my main problem is that I don't know how to get to $n!$ and $(n-2)!$ from the original term.

A: We know that $$\binom{n}{r}+\binom{n}{r-1}=\binom{n+1}{r}.$$ By this we have
$$n+\binom{n}{2}=\binom{n}{2}+\binom{n}{1}=\binom{n+1}{2}$$

A: Just for kicks and giggles (probably not of help to the OP), here is a combinatorial proof.
Let $A$ be a set and $*\not\in A$. Let $\binom{A}{2}$ denote the set of $2$-subsets of $A$. Define a map
$$A\times(A\sqcup\{*\})\to A\sqcup\binom{A}{2}$$
given by $(x,y)\mapsto\{x,y\}$ when $x\ne y$, and $(x,x)\mapsto x$ and $(x,*)\mapsto x$. One may verify that this mapping is $2$-to-$1$, hence taking cardinalities yields $n(n+1)/2=n+\binom{n}{2}$, where $n=|A|$.

A: Hint
$$\binom n2 = \frac{n!}{(n-2)!2!} = \frac{n(n-1)}2 $$

A: Here's a combinatorial proof:
Suppose we have n boys and 1 girl in a room and we have to select 2 people out of them.
Then we can do that in $\binom{n+1}{2}=\frac{n(n+1)}{2}$ ways since we have n+1 people to choose from.
Counting in another way. Case 1: There is a girl in our selection. Then we can do that n ways. Case 2: There is no girl in our selection. We can do that in $\binom{n}{2}$ ways since we have n boys to choose from.
Since these two must be equal. We have:
$$\frac{n(n+1)}{2}=n+\binom{n}{2}$$

A: If you have a more than casual encounter with the expression $\frac{n(n+1)}2$, then it is useful to know that it is equal to $\binom{n+1}2$, and often better written as such. Here this leads to observing that your equation is just a particular instance of Pascal's recursion (the additive recursion that let's you construct Pascal's triangle without any multiplications):
$$
  \frac{n(n+1)}2 = \binom{n+1}2 = \binom n1+\binom n2 = n +\binom n2
$$
since of course $\binom n1=n$ for all$~n$.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Jose Mourinho confirms Spurs are in the market for a striker
Australian Open 2020: Federer nonsensical about air quality, rejects transfer talk
Zion Williamson is set to make long-awaited National Basketball Association debut
Mohammad Hafeez To Retire From International Cricket After T20 World Cup
Players have to step up in absence of big players: Mikel Arteta
Giants hiring ex-Cowboys coach Garrett as offensive coordinator
Kyrgios thrilled to see Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic helping Bushfire crisis
Springboks nominated for top Laureus award
Michael Vaughan lambasts ICC's decision to ban Kagiso Rabada for one Test
Bobby Petrino back in coaching, could face Hogs in 2022
Russian strategic bombers fly over Caribbean Sea with Venezuelan jets: ministry President Donald Trump requested $639billion on defence spending from Congress for the 2018 financial year. The relationship between the Trump administration and Venezuela, however, is still fraught.
Michael Jordan Slaps NBA Rookie Upside the Head for Early Celebration Jordan and Monk even shared a smile before going their separate ways, after which M.J. quickly went back to shaking his head. He said, "I pay for this seat, so you guys need to sit down so I can watch the game"'.
Perth curator in hot water with Cricket Australia India named a 13-man team for the Test starting Friday, which is set to be played on a fast and bouncy Perth Stadium wicket. The Australians often complain about doctored pitches when travelling overseas, particularly through the sub-continent.
May to meet European Union leaders in bid to save Brexit deal That, according to British junior Brexit minister Martin Callanan, is what May wants. "Does this House want to deliver Brexit? ". The British public voted to leave the E.U.in June 2016, with the separation due to become official on March 29 of next year.
Trump Eliminates Meadows From White House Chief of Staff Search Top White House officials, especially the communications staff, routinely circulated at these media parties and often talked shop. Earlier in December, The Washington Post reported that this year's event had not been scheduled yet.
Mystery Russian bombers land in Venezuela in WARNING to US On Wednesday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro visited Russia and met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin . Pompeo's undiplomatic statements will follow in the future", the Kremlin spokesman said, TASS reported .
Comet 46P Wirtanen: How to view Christmas comet Today's comet webcast is one of two by the Virtual Telescope Project (the other airs December 16, also at 5 p.m. You can maximize its brightness by observing from a dark sky site where there's no light pollution.
Trump denies that few want chief of staff job Kelly will remain in his job until at least January 2, Kellyanne Conway , a top aide to Trump, said on Fox News earlier Tuesday. RBC-Ukraine later reported that Nick Ayers will take the post of chief of staff of the White house instead of John Kelly .
Australia v India: first Test, day four That's the only way you win a Test match (.) I strongly feel that you have to play a stronger bowling side to win Test matches. Australia's lower order led by Nathan Lyon had sniffed victory before being eventually bowled out for 291 on the final day.
'Robot' at Russian tech show turns out to be man in suit A robot hailed in Russian Federation as the latest in cutting-edge technology has been unmasked - as a man in a suit. For starters, he was nearly perfectly human-shaped and didn't have any external sensors.
Apple to build new Austin hub, expand in other tech hotbeds Early this year, Apple said that it would make more than $ 30 billion in capital expenditures in the USA over the next five years. The company plans to invest $10 billion in US data centers over the next five years, including $4.5 billion this year and next.
Tory donors throw weight behind May ahead of confidence vote But their support is not tied to Mrs May personally and they would not back her if she sought to press ahead with her deal. But experts believe it doesn't mean at all that the prime minister is in good standing now.
Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen jailed for three years The judge made clear during Cohen's sentencing that "each of these crimes is a serious offense against the United States". Trump denies either fling ever took place, and hit back at his ex-lawyer on Twitter Thursday.
'I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law' The deal signalled the unravelling of the deep relationship Trump and AMI chief executive David Pecker had forged over decades. Judge William Pauley told the 52-year-old Cohen that somewhere along the way, he had "lost his moral compass".
House passes farm bill and sends it to Trump's desk
Meteor shower to light up sky
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Reaches Space for 1st Time in Historic Test Flight!
Labour talks cancelled in growing row over no-confidence vote
Mauricio on potential opponents in Champions League
Russian Cosmonauts Take Spacewalk to Probe Mystery of Craft Hole
Janet Jackson (Finally) Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski apologizes for homophobic comment about Pompeo
Why Suns Threaten Relocation To One Of These Cities
First Lady Melania Trump Sits Down with Sean Hannity
Macron promises minimum wage rise
Published: Fri, December 14, 2018
Sport | By Kayla Schwartz
Rockets Emerge With Interest In Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Former Lakers wing and Los Angeles native could find his way back to the purple gold.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets are reportedly discussing a major National Basketball Association trade, according to a report by league insider Shams Charania. First, reports came out that the team was working on a trade package for New Orleans Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis, then rumors shifted to them being close to trading for Phoenix Suns forward Trevor Ariza. His skill set and experience is something that would help out a ton of contending teams. Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year deal to stay with the Lakers this summer for $12 million. Those demands were seemingly not met, as they declined a three-team deal.
The Houston Rockets are emerging as a suitor for Los Angeles Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in multi-team trade scenarios, such as with the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns, league sources told The Athletic.
The Houston Rockets have been identified as a potential landing spot for Caldwell-Pope and could be key in facilitating a trade between Los Angeles and Phoenix.
This sounds like either an agent pumping up his client - how much interest is there in Caldwell-Pope? - or a team trying to start a bidding war or get other teams involved.
Russian ex-policeman convicted of murdering 56 women
Popkov was found to be sane but with a "pathological attraction to killing people", according to prosecutors. Popkov was caught in 2012 after investigators re-examined the case and carried out DNA testing of residents.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Sunday that the Lakers were pushing to get a deal done.
Ariza is not eligible to be traded until December 15, which is when players who signed free agent contracts this offseason can be dealt.
However, the Suns have no interest in bringing on Caldwell-Pope, resulting in the search for a third team.
This will be something to keep an eye on as Ariza will, one way or another, be with a different team soon enough.
Brexit BOOM: UK wages SOAR to highest level since 2008
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Alleged Russian spy admits to engaging in conspiracy against US
'THE TALK SHOW IS ME': Ellen DeGeneres has pondered ending talk show
Chinese companies buy more than $180 million worth of United States soybeans
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Taylor Swift stalkers stopped by face recognition software
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San Francisco radio station brings back controversial 'Baby, It's Cold Outside'
Authorities think agents from China's Ministry of State Security hacked Marriott
Toledo Woman Accused Of Plotting Pipe Bomb Attacks
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'The most challenging of opponents' - Klopp not underestimating Manchester United 'quality'
Man City braced for PSG to make mammoth Pep Guardiola offer
LSU staying in the national spotlight
Tottenham boss Mourinho happy with wantaway Eriksen for FA Cup win


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text:
Major league research
Three S&T faculty helped strike down claims that "juiced" baseballs were the cause of a spike in Major League home run hits in 1987. Dr. Lee Bain and Dr. V.A. Samaranayake in mathematics and statistics, along with Dr. Terry Lenhoff in mechanical engineering, were hired as independent testers. Bain and Lenhoff brought to the project more than a dozen years of testing baseballs for the National and American Leagues and several manufacturers to ensure rigid specifications were met. The team's testing methods included "pitching" baseballs with a cannon as well as taking measurements and conducting statistical analysis.
Their findings? There was no foul play. The baseballs all met major-league standards. When juicing speculation resurfaced in 1994, the S&T research was cited in USA Today, causing one writer to call the rumors "ball-oney."
Now that's a win for the home team!
« Tom Benton's 'Missouri,' from mural to movie
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Cheryl D.S. Walker: engineer, curator, lawyer, poet
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EV pioneer
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Engineering management Chair Suzanna Long, who holds four degrees from the university...


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text:
A Boulder Creek Christmas
Author: Mary Manners
Alani O'Dwyer offered her heart to Ryan Connolly years ago, and he tossed it aside without so much as a backward glance. Though the town of Boulder Creek dubs him a hero,she vows she'll never again fall victim to his charms. Ryan Connolly captains a raucous crew of firefighters at the...
Alani O'Dwyer offered her heart to Ryan Connolly years ago, and he tossed it aside without so much as a backward glance. Though the town of Boulder Creek dubs him a hero,she vows she'll never again fall victim to his charms.
Ryan Connolly captains a raucous crew of firefighters at the Boulder Creek Fire Department, yet he's unprepared for the adventure of falling in love with beautiful and headstrong Alani O'Dwyer.
But when a meddling angel at the annual Fighters for Hire charity auction brings Ryan and Alani together, even regrets from the past can't thwart Ryan's plans to make her his own.
Alani O'Dwyer swept locks of trimmed hair into a pile on the tile floor as she hummed along to the melody of "White Christmas" that drifted from the salon's surround-sound speakers. Outside the shop's front window, snow flurries danced through the air as traffic eased along Main Street. With Thanksgiving a mere memory, December had pranced in and Christmas now perched nicely on the holiday horizon. The increase in clientele at Lani's Styles and Smiles Salon over the past several days claimed proof of Boulder Creek's excitement over the impending celebration.
"Here comes your five o'clock," Chloe Connolly called from the wall-length front display window as she laced a strand of mini-lights around a showcase of upcoming advertised products. "And he looks like he can use a bit more than a trim and shave."
"He?" Though it was not unusual for men to frequent the salon, Alani didn't recall adding anyone of the male persuasion to the appointment register for this afternoon, nor did she remember penciling in any clients past the four-thirty slot. Friday evenings were usually light as far as customers went, and she could almost always count on closing up shop before dark. "Who booked him?"
"I did." Chloe positioned the last of the lights around a pair of jumbo-sized color-shield shampoo and conditioner pump bottles and then turned from the window to face Alani. Her dangly earrings caught the overhead light, enhancing wide set eyes the color of faded denim. Dark, choppy bangs slipped across her forehead to frame an oval face. "He called in a few minutes ago, and I just couldn't say no. He's a hardship case."
"A hardship…" Alani lifted her gaze to the glass and her breath caught at the sight of Ryan Connolly loping along the boulevard. Long limbs moved fluidly as he slanted his head slightly right, then left and right once more in a cursory check for oncoming traffic before he stepped from the curb and crossed over to the salon's walkway. Midnight-black hair—a little too much on the longish side for Alani's taste, peeked from beneath a toboggan that set off the electric-blue of his eyes. "Oh, no…you'll have to take this one, Chloe. After all, he's your brother."
"No can do…not today." She shook her head as she glanced toward the closest mirror, briefly studying her reflection. "I'm expected at the convention center in an hour to prep for the fundraiser tonight, and I still have to head home first to get glammed up."
"But you can't leave me in a lurch. I can't…I won't—"
"It's a haircut and a shave, Lani." Chloe shook her head as she lifted a hand to inspect the shimmery-red polish on her nails. "Good grief, I don't know which one of you is more hard-headed than the next. You know Ryan has a thing for you. Why don't you just give him a chance?"
"A thing?" Alani lowered her voice so as not to distract Mrs. Wexell, who was flipping through a magazine near the coffeemaker as her salty-gray hair adapted to the hairspray shield Lani had applied to ensure each strand remained in place until next week's visit. Mrs. Wexell proved as steady as the morning sunrise; Lani could count on fixing her hair every Friday at 3:00 sharp. "I did give him a chance—once—and you know how far south that ship sailed."
"That was years ago, Lani. People change."
"I know, because I've changed, and I'm not going to fall for your brother—or any other guy—again. FYI…I'm not interested in a thing—or a fling—or anything of the sort. I'm…I'm…"
"Blushing."
"Chloe…" Alani swept the tufts of clipped hair to the central vacuum panel as Mrs. Wexell glanced their way, grinning ruefully, as if drunk on every word of the conversation. Lani activated the vacuum motor with a tap of her foot, and the surge of a whirr sucked up the mess. As she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the wall-paneled mirror, she realized Chloe was right; a ribbon of crimson tinged both cheeks, rivaling the color of her hair. A slow-moving swath of heat merely punctuated her condition as, like a wave, it rolled up and crested the nape of her neck. She cleared her throat, searching for an even tone as the rush of her pulse betrayed her. She lowered her voice, turning her back to Mrs. Wexell's prying eyes. "I wish you would give up your quest to play matchmaker—Ryan and I…well, it's just not going to happen. Ever."
"Ever is a very long time. And who said anything about matchmaking? It's just a haircut, Lani…and it looks like my brother can use a bath, as well, but that will have to wait until later. Must have been a hard day at the office."
Alani knew good and well Ryan's office was the fire hall directly across the street. He'd volunteered there through high school, and had been hired on full-time the day he turned eighteen following graduation their senior year of high school. Now, nearly a decade later, he'd climbed the ranks to captain of the Boulder Creek Fire Department, overseeing a raucous and hardy crew of a dozen full-time and twice-as-many volunteer firefighters.
A bell over the door chimed as Ryan strode through. The woodsy scent of smoke followed him like a halo. His face was smudged with soot, and when he tugged the hunter green wool toboggan from his head, heat-singed bangs fell across his forehead to frame eyes as blue as cobalt.
"What happened to you?" Mrs. Wexell called from her seat near the drink station before Ryan could get a word in. Her voice rang with the aged rasp of someone who'd seen the downhill side of seven decades and carried the wisdom to prove it. "You look like something the cat didn't even bother to drag in."
Chloe covered her mouth with the palm of her hand to stifle a snicker as Alani pursed her lips. Mrs. Wexell would sure have something to talk about when her daughter returned from Jenkins Five and Dime down the street to drive her home.
"Brush fire over on Twelfth and Magnolia got a little out of hand, Mrs. Wexell. No worries, though. We got it under control." Ryan nodded as if to emphasize the point. "You're looking rather lovely this afternoon. Who did your hair?"
"Alani, of course." Mrs. Wexell lifted her hand to pat the lacquered 'do as a smile spread across her face, enhancing deep laugh-lines at the corners of her rheumy eyes. "Thank you for the compliment, son. I wanted to look dapper for the gala tonight. It's a mighty generous thing you and your crew have been organizing to help bolster this town. A community garden is a fine idea. God will surely smile on your giving heart."
"It's nothing." Ryan stuffed the toboggan into the side pocket of his jacket. "My crew and I enjoy giving back to the people of our community. You're the real hero, Mrs. Wexell…funding the lion's share of the library arboretum last year. I've heard nothing but positive feedback concerning that project."
"How did you find out about my funding?" She jabbed a finger his way. "It was supposed to be a secret."
"Well, secrets don't usually last long around here." Ryan made a locking motion along his lips and then mimed tossing the key over his right shoulder. "But it won't go any farther than me…and this room."
"Fair enough. Now, I suppose Alani ought to get to work on you. It's going to take an act of God to restore your singed hair to anything presentable and to scrape that…that sooty rug of fur from your face." Mrs. Wexell nodded with one quick tip of her head and then made a flicking motion with her hand as if to brush off further conversation as she turned her attention back to the magazine. "Go on…get to it now."
"Yes, ma'am." Ryan's soft laughter rumbled like the roll of a distant thunderstorm as he brushed snowflakes from the collar of his jacket. They swirled through the air before sinking and melting into the tile around his feet. His gaze drifted right, and a smile curved his full lips. "Hello, Lani. How's business?"
The shortened version of her name slipped off his tongue like hot chocolate drizzled with rich fudge. Others called her Lani, but somehow, it never sounded quite as endearing as when Ryan employed the nickname.
"Good…fine." Alani turned away as flames licked her cheeks. She placed the broom back in its spot along the wall at the corner of the station as she murmured, "Did you get hurt today?"
"Hurt?"
"By the brush fire?" She ventured a glance back over her right shoulder, chastising herself for even caring. She shouldn't. Caring for Ryan would only lead to heartache. Oh, how she knew that firsthand. Even so, she continued. "Your hair…as Mrs. Wexell so aptly pointed out, is scorched."
"Oh, that…" His hand went to the ragged strands. "No, I'm good…it's nothing a long, hot shower won't cure when I make it home. But, for now, I just need a trim and a shave, if you have the time."
"Well…" Lani busied herself straightening product along the shelves that lined the wall. "As a matter of fact I was just about to—"
"Take care of you," Chloe cut in, crossing the room to turn the faux-leather chair at Alani's station to face Ryan. "Have a seat, big brother." She used the endearment though Lani knew, as twins, Ryan stood merely twelve minutes Chloe's senior. "Time's not going to stand still for you. And it's not going to stand still for me, either, so I'm out of here while you two do your thing. Catch you both on the flip side."
"Bye, sis. Be safe." Ryan settled into the chair with an exaggerated sigh. "This snow has the roads a little slick."
"Of course." She flashed a smile as she snatched her coat from a hook on the wall and slipped into it. Her purse, stashed in the bottom file cabinet drawer behind the check-out counter, came next. "Y'all have fun now. Play nice." She positioned the purse strap over her shoulder as she nodded toward the drink station. "Keep an eye on them, Mrs. Wexell."
"Oh…I am." Mrs. Wexell glanced up from the magazine with a knowing smile. "And the Good Lord is, as well. No worries there. Trust me, dear."
"Of course I do." Chloe lifted the hood of her coat to shield her head from the snow as she made her way to the exit. The door closed softly behind her, bringing a jingle of the overhead bell to signal her parting.
"Well, all I have to say is that playing nice is no fun…no fun at all." Ryan shrugged from his jacket, tossed it into the empty seat beside him, and stilled as Lani secured a towel around his neck. "Ahh…this is the ticket. Just take a little off the top, Lani, and trim it up. And the shave…"
She reached for the electric shears. "If you insist."
"Oh, I do. I have to look my best tonight. The auction starts in a few hours."
"Auction?"
"You know…Fighters for Hire to raise money for the Boulder Creek Community Garden. It's this year's community service project."
"Oh, right…of course. How could I forget?"
Her tone betrayed her, and Ryan's slanted look told her he sensed the truth; the auction was all she had thought about for several days now…the better part of the week since the plans for the garden garnered final approval. It would be planted on the North end of the town center, midway between the fire hall and Styles and Smiles.
Since Ryan had become captain of the fire department three years ago, he led his crew in an annual Christmas holiday service project aptly named Fighters for Hire. Each member of the crew volunteered to be auctioned out for a day's worth of hours during the coming year, completing a list of honey-do projects for the highest bidder. The fundraiser proved wildly popular, and its success was renowned across a five-county radius. Copycat auctions sprang up across the region, and news reporters flocked to cover the event, headlining it on all four local channels during the nightly eleven o'clock slot.
Three years ago, funds went to Children's Hospital, two years ago they were earmarked for the local animal shelter, and last year the Boulder Creek Senior Center benefitted. This year the community would benefit from a community garden and greenhouse meant to supply vegetables to town residents via the local food ministry…if the funds proved to be enough to carry the project.
"Really…how could you?" Ryan winked. "I'm sure Chloe's mentioned it at least a hundred times. She was on the planning board."
"I know, and yes." Alani could almost feel Mrs. Wexell's stare burning a hole through her back as she worked to tame Ryan's unruly hair. She lowered her voice. "She has mentioned it a time or two…or ten."
"So you're coming?"
"No…not this year."
"Why not?" He frowned as disappointment shadowed his eyes. "You've never missed the festivities."
"I know but this year I have…other plans." Alani reached for the spray bottle and, with a few quick pulls of the trigger, dampened his hair. The extensive media coverage assured that, despite her absence from the gala, she'd get her fill of Ryan in his tux, his rugged good looks groomed to perfection while the cobalt tie and cummerbund his sister had described in detail to Alani enhanced the blue of his eyes. The camera loved him, and women flocked to him, falling over themselves in their attempts to garner undivided attention.
Face it—everyone loved Ryan Connolly. He rescued children and puppies from burning buildings on a weekly basis and had a smile that could melt ice off a snowman's hat. Yet he'd stolen Alani's heart, and then cast it aside without so much as a glance in the proverbial rearview mirror.
Even so, by all accounts Ryan remained the town sweetheart…an angel by popular decree.
But he wasn't Lani's angel...not by a longshot. And he'd never be, not as long as she had a breath in her. Once bitten, twice shy. And she remained a self-professed, virtual recluse when it came to Ryan Connolly.
So this year she'd put her foot down and stay far away from him on his night in the eye of the media storm. She didn't want his attention. She'd had that sort of attention a handful of years ago, and it had brought only heartache.
"Other plans, huh? Well, is that so?" Ryan's voice dipped and danced with the holiday music as he cocked an eyebrow and studied her reflection in the mirror. "What sort of plans…if you don't mind me asking?"
"I do… mind, that is." Alani took up a comb, tugged the close-set teeth through the thick waves of his Ryan's hair with a little more force than necessary. Water dripped along the nape of his neck and his slight grimace brought a prickle of satisfaction. It was small compensation for the misery he'd caused her over the years. She'd trusted him once, with her heart and her future, and he'd shattered that trust; she wouldn't again make the mistake of trusting him.
Even so, how could she begin to explain that for three years running at the Fighters for Hire auction her heart had faltered with waves of disappointment as she'd watched him go to the highest bidder? Last year the victor was some bleached-blonde in a low-cut sequined number who'd traveled from two towns over for the sole purpose of snagging Ryan's handyman services. Alani could blame no one but herself—pride kept her from bidding because, after all, when it came to Ryan Connolly good sense dictated she would be best served by keeping her money—and her heart—tucked away deep in her pocket.
Nonetheless, Alani could use help with a few projects around the small, aging house that she'd inherited from her grandmother when Grandma Cora passed away a year ago; it was laden with character and warm memories, yet falling apart at the seams. But she'd have to figure out how to accomplish at least the most pressing projects on her own, because she'd never be able to pay Ryan—or anyone else, for that matter.
So, what was the point of going to the auction? She'd write a check for a modest donation to help support the community garden—an amount she could afford to part with—and call it a day. Spending the evening tucked away with a paperback and a cup of hot chocolate was the smartest move she could make…affording as much distance as possible between her and Ryan Connolly.
by Sharon Dean
A Boulder Creek Christmas: By Mary Manners Coming full circle.... Taking me back to a time of my life where an event had come full circle for me, Mary writes a story that will warm your heart this Christmas season and maybe even help an event in your life come full circle. With Alani and Ryan's story, a long ago love is never forgotten. As the Christmas season is upon them and schedules are busy, Alani and Ryan are pushed together by family and friends at every chance wanting their long ago love to rekindle. Set in their ways after all these years, Alani and Ryan both, struggle with their feelings, then and now. Trying not to let their feelings or friends get in the way, they are both stubborn and try to get through their busy lives without each other. But one thing has them connected...Alani's grandmother Cora's house. Time spent their together long ago, many special memories are made. When repairs are needed, Ryan is the perfect fellow for the job. But can the memories spen
by Renette Steele
A Boulder Creek Christmas Mary Manners never disappoints. Her stories entertain in a delightfully charming way and I can always count on them to be clean, wholesome and uplifting, A Boulder Creek Christmas fits right in with all the Hallmark Christmas movies I have been watching. The charm of a small town, a little friendly nudge from a resident and a fire rekindled will capture your heart. Lani works as a hairdresser at the local salon. Her favorite customer is a dear sweet 70's something, Mrs. Wexell. Lani's friend and boss, Chole tries to encourage Lani to take more time for herself. Chole's handsome brother is a trusted firefighter. Captain Ryan is busy around town setting up community gardens, leading the charity ball with Fire fighters for hire action and putting out fires. Can Ryan put out the fire smoldering in Lani? Read this story by Mary Manners to learn about all the antics it might take and who is really behind it all. I give this story 5 Christmas stars o


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text:
SSC Exam Dates 2021 Revised: Check Here For Details
Updated Fri, 19 Mar 2021 06:14 PM IST
Staff Selection Commission has released a revised canlendar for all the exam that were to be conducted between March 2021 and April 2021. The revised schedule has been released on the official website of SSC i.e., ssc.nic.in. Candidates who are appearing for various exams being conducted by SSC can check the revised schedule from the official website of SSC and also get the details in this article.
As per the official notice, exam schedule was released on 7th October, 2020 for all the exams that were to be conducted between 1st October, 2020 and 31st August, 2021. Now, because there are state assembly elections in some of the states during March-April, 2021, SSC has decided to revise the schedule for conducting various exams. The modifications that have been made are as follows:
Name of The Examination Tier/Phase Scheduled Date Revised Date
Junior Engineer (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Quantity Surveying & Contracts) Examination, 2020 Paper-I 22.03.2021 to 25.03.2021 22.03.2021 to 24.03.2021
Sub-Inspectors in Delhi Police, CAPFs and Assistant Sub Inspectors in CISF Examination, 2019 Paper-II 26.03.2021 08.05.2021
Stenographers Grade 'C' & 'D' Examinations, 2020 29.03.2021 to 31.03.2021 To be announced later
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The end of the world has already begun
Bill Bonner | Nov 8, 2015 | Palm Beach Daily | 5 min readPrint
Editor's Note: The Daily is pleased to welcome back Bonner & Partners chairman and longtime PBRG friend Bill Bonner. Bill's unparalleled knowledge of the financial world never fails to command the attention of our PBRG community. We expect his views today will hold the same value…
From Bill Bonner, chairman, Bonner & Partners: A few weeks ago, it looked as though the end of the world had begun.
We're talking, of course, about the world in which credit, stocks, and central bank reputations only go up.
But after a big fright in August, investors recovered their relaxed madness. They concluded there was nothing to worry about.
They may be right. You never know. But our guess is the end of the world has already begun… and they just can't face it.
Disappearing growth
Since the end of World War II, credit has been expanding in the U.S.
At first it was a healthy expansion. Young, middle-class families took out mortgages and ran up bills on "charge cards," such as Diners Club and American Express.
Then in the late 1950s came the first credit cards. This was accompanied by large increases in consumer credit.
Until the 1970s, all was well because wages were rising, too. And with so much new technology coming online, people believed their wages could only increase.
Debt was no problem—neither for the nation nor for households. We'd "grow our way out of it."
But a strange—and not fully understood—new trend began in the 1970s. After accounting for inflation, incomes for most Americans dramatically tapered off.
The economy was slowing, too, after taking the effects of inflation into account.
At first this was thought to be temporary—a fluke perhaps caused by the 1973 oil crisis. But the trend toward lower economic growth continued. Decade after decade, the trend in GDP growth was down. In most parts of the U.S., GDP per person peaked in the 1970s or 1980s.
Remarkably, the average American working man earns less today than he did a half-century ago (again, accounting for changes in consumer price inflation).
That's not the same as saying a person with a good job earns less today than he did in the 1960s. According to Census Bureau figures, the average inflation-adjusted wage for Americans in the top 5% of earners is up by more than 75% since 1967. Women earn a lot more, too.
But good jobs have become scarce. The labor participation rate—the percentage of working-age people who have jobs or are looking for jobs—is at its lowest level since 1977.
Debt goes sour
But although economic growth and most people's incomes slipped, debt (the flip-side of credit) kept growing.
This was Stage II: the unhealthy phase of the credit expansion. No longer backed by broad-based wage increases, debt was expanding beyond the capacity of the economy—and borrowers—to repay it.
We were asking for trouble.
You may be wondering how this was possible. Why would lenders extend credit to people who couldn't pay it back?
The answer: The fix was in.
In 1971, President Nixon dramatically transformed the global monetary system. Under the previous Bretton Woods system, the dollar was backed by gold. And the major global currencies traded at fixed rates to the dollar… and by extension to gold.
This meant a nation couldn't get too far into debt… especially when it came to its trading partners.
Trade surplus nations—which amassed dollars in return for net exports to the U.S.—could ask to redeem their dollars in gold. This caused gold to leave the overspending nation and flow to the creditor nation.
That's how the U.S. got so much gold in the first place. France and Britain spent more than they could afford on World War I. The U.S. sold them food, weapons, and fuel… and demanded gold in repayment.
But by the 1960s, the shoe was on the other foot.
The U.S. started spending money on both "guns and butter"—a Great Society at home and a war in Vietnam.
Much of the spending to fund the war in Vietnam ended up as dollars in the hands of Vietnamese branches of French banks. And when, in 1965, President Charles de Gaulle sent the French navy across the Atlantic to pick up $150 million worth of gold in exchange for dollars, it was greeted like a long-lost relative at the reading of the will.
Finally, with gold being airlifted from Fort Knox to meet foreign demands for payment, rather than honor Washington's promise to convert dollars to gold, Nixon panicked and defaulted.
Henceforth, anyone holding dollars was on his own…
"Tall Paul" takes over
It all would've gone bad very fast. By April 1980, the annual rate of consumer price inflation was running at almost 15%.
Gold soared as high as $800 an ounce. It looked as though Nixon's new fiat money system would go off the rails soon—as all previous experiments with paper money had.
Instead, in 1979, President Carter appointed Paul Volcker as Fed chairman. Volcker stepped in front of the runaway train and commanded it to halt. And it did…
By January 1981, "Tall Paul" jacked up the federal funds rate—the key lending rate in the economy—not to 2%… or 4%… or even 8%. He set it at 19%—and placed the train squarely on the tracks again.
We remember the howls of discontent. Volcker was "stifling the economy," said the politicians. He was "killing jobs," said the newspapers. He was causing "the worst downturn since the Great Depression," said the economists.
But Volcker didn't budge. And when Ronald Reagan entered the White House in 1981, he backed Volcker.
Volcker announced his intention to squeeze inflation out of the system soon after he became Fed chairman.
Bonds—which do well when inflation is low—should've rallied. Investors should've raced to lock in roughly 10% yield available on the 10-year Treasury note.
Instead, bond prices fell… and bond yields rose.
People weren't aware—or weren't willing to believe—a major change had occurred. It wasn't until 1982 that the bond market turned. Finally, investors realized it was a new world.
Volcker saved the system. Bond yields—and interest rates—have been coming down ever since.
Too bad he didn't save a better system.
Not many men can resist the appeal of free money. Americans proved they were no better at it than others.
Falling interest rates and the paper dollar gave them a way to impoverish themselves—by spending money they hadn't earned.
They took the opportunity offered to them. They borrowed and spent… and drove the entire world forward at a furious pace.
But now that stage is over.
Reeves' Note: Bill just released a message about a disturbing event linked to a sudden collapse in our credit system. Today he's revealing never-before-seen research detailing this threat… and what you can do to protect yourself. Access it here.


HALT, from Vaaasm is a wacky run-and-gun actioner starring a group of law enforcement officers managed by a private company. You take on the roles of officers Chris Tracy and Turner Chase who are investigating the members of a criminal organization known as "The Human". The duo blast their way through an eclectic array of baddies in the form of skeleton robots, turtles, mutant bees, and even a flying squid submarine. Players have access to a variety of weapons and ammo, and dozens of upgrades, allowing them to modify their weapons for heavy fire, bouncing bullets, freeze bullets, explosives, and biological weapons... or just drop a couple of turrets into the level and spray everything with a barrage of hot lead.
The game is coming to PC and Mac but does not yet have an announced release date.


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CHARACTERS | Recalling Stick Artist-Poet-Philosopher-Shaman Boyd Carr
July 26, 2020 / No Comments
"Characters" is a WestVirginiaVille.com series profiling people with a West Virginia connection—living & dead & not necessarily natives—worth knowing more about. We define 'character' as being one and having some.
By KIRK JUDD | For WestVirginiaVille.com | July 26, 2020
"My.th(ic) storyteller," by Boyd Carr.
I have the stick. Not a stick. Not just any stick. I have THE stick. The stick artist/poet/philosopher/shaman Boyd Carr carved that holds one of the keys to his mega-masterwork "MY.TH." He also called it, "The Stickman Story." Boyd and I were friends for 40 years. He once flattered me by referring to me as "a contemporary." (He also once referred to me as his seeing-eye dog, but that is another story). I was privileged to spend many hours with him on the road as we traveled back and forth from his home in Bedford, VA, to the annual West Virginia Writers conferences at Cedar Lakes near Ripley, WV.
The stick carved by artist/poet/philosopher/shaman Boyd Carr, part of the key to his opus "MY.TH."
Those many five-hour chunks of road trip conversation were priceless. Boyd may not have thought of himself as my teacher, but I certainly was his pupil. I learned the story of his life, of how an artist lives, and much, much more.
Boyd was one of the few true geniuses I have known. He was brilliant in his use of language and in the art of storytelling. His visual art, in many media, is unique and powerful in its impact. His wit and intellect were evident and compelling.
He believed an artist had a responsibility to their culture. If they found themselves trying to create art, they should "hang out their shingle," forsake everything else, and share their artistic vision.
"Joe McCabe" by Boyd Carr
Though obviously in a class of his own, he was so at ease with himself and others that he charmed everyone he met. And his philosophy? Well, there never has been anything like it. He broke ground. It wasn't easy to do, it isn't easy to understand, and it is even harder to explain. But oh, brother is it fun!
I've included what I wrote (below) to introduce Boyd at a planned reception and showing of some of his card-stock print sketches, originally scheduled for April 29, 2020, at the West Virginia University Library. But of course, the pandemic quashed that, and Boyd died on June 18, 2020. Hopefully, the show will go on in some fashion. But to describe Boyd in a single paragraph or page is impossible. It will take a volume. Or two.
From a June 19, 1983 Huntington Herald-Dispatch profile of poet Allen Ginsberg by Douglas Imbrogno, after Ginbserg was featured at the West Virginia Writers Inc., conference at Cedar Lakes, in Ripley, WV | Story to come about his visit in a future issue. Subscribe for notice: WestVirginiaVille.substack.com
One thing I will say is that Boyd was completely committed to his art. (His art, as he thought of it, included everything he touched, created, or thought.) He believed an artist had a responsibility to their culture. If they found themselves trying to create art, they should "hang out their shingle," forsake everything else, and share their artistic vision.
That, Boyd did.
He taught a lot of us along the way. Not only about art, or mythology, or time, or philosophy, or science, but also about how to understand and appreciate living in terms of this universe. As I said in the last line of "Are You Listening?" a poem I wrote in 1991 dedicated to Boyd:
My shingle is out now
because I'm afraid I understand
had everything to do with that.
Boyd Carr
Boyd Carr Gallery
A gallery of artwork and photos of Boyd Carr from a memorial post to him on the WV Writers Inc. Facebook Page. CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGES.
Breaking the Code
Below is an introduction by Kirk Judd for a scheduled April 29, 2020, West Virginia University Library opening of Boyd Carr's work, canceled because of the pandemic.
A. James Manchin, then Secretary of State of West Virginia, upon meeting Boyd Carr for the first time, designated him as the 'West Virginia Ambassador of Art Among All People.' And that he was.
Boyd, though legally blind, still produced art, poetry, and philosophy of a high order up until his death at age 88 in Bedford, Virginia, near his hometown of Roanoke. There was no one like him.
Boyd started his journey to art early, despite a difficult childhood. After some turbulent years in public and private schools, he found himself attending Roanoke College, running track and playing football. He showed promise in both sports, and soon found himself at the University of Virginia, on the track team and majoring in Aeronautical Engineering, of all things.
At UVA, Boyd started his "cartooning" career, as he likes to say. He submitted five theses in his AE program before they finally accepted one and graduated him after (he says) making him promise never to design an airplane. All those theses were created and submitted as cartoons, or what we now might call "graphic comics."
After a stint in the Air Force, a failed marriage, and an abrupt end to his career in the family optics business, Boyd found himself at loose ends. His new wife Gloria, secretary to the Bishop of the Episcopalian Diocese of West Virginia, told him he should try art full time. He did.
His brilliant pen and ink drawings and pithy humorous captions won him a place as staff artist for the Ripley Arts and Crafts Fair of WV, The West Virginia Hillbilly, Appalachian Journal, the West Virginia Art News, the Episcopal Diocese of WV, and West Virginia Writers, Inc.
Stick Man Story Lineup, Boyd Carr
During this time, he renewed his lifelong interest in serious art, and over the years created an abundance of work in many styles, including wood carvings and wire and cardboard sculpture.
Beginning in the late 1970s and through the 1980's and 90's, Boyd traveled the states of Virginia and West Virginia, sketching whatever caught his fancy, including many structures and places now vanished from the landscape.
Through all of this, Boyd worked for 40 years on what he called "MY.TH" (my thesis), which attempts to describe how a myth could be created and defined by graphic objects in a literate culture.
Heavily influenced by Joseph Campbell, this masterwork morphed into a full-blown description of how the myths of ancient cultures were developed as life-instructions for a population without a written language, to guide them to an understanding of time and existence on this planet.
Boyd maintained that his work had "broken the code" of the Christian church, and brought in elements of science, mathematics, and other disciplines, religions, and philosophies.
Brilliant, amazing, wise, talented, remarkable, and many, many other like adjectives all have been used to describe Boyd Carr.
They all are correct.
In accordance with his wishes, Boyd Carr's substantial collection of art and literature will be gifted to WVWriters, Inc. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Family and friends are encouraged to share about Boyd and celebrate his life on the following link to the WVWriters facebook page: facebook.com/groups/78858073689/
Kirk Judd has lived, worked, trout fished and wandered around in West Virginia all of his life. He was a member of the Appalachian Literary League, a founding member and former president (and JUG recipient) of West Virginia Writers, Inc. , and is a founding member of and creative writing instructor for Allegheny Echoes, Inc., dedicated to the support and preservation of WV cultural heritage arts. Author of 3 collections of poetry, "Field of Vision" 1986, "Tao-Billy" 1996, and "My People Was Music" 2014, and a co-editor of the widely acclaimed anthology, "Wild, Sweet Notes—50 Years of West Virginia Poetry 1950—1999", he is widely published. Kirk was honored to be one of the 5 readers selected for the installation ceremony of Louise McNeill Pease as Poet Laureate in 1979 at the WV Cultural Center on the Capitol grounds in Charleston, WV. He currently sits on the board of the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation headquartered in Hillsboro, WV. He is internationally known for his performance work combining poetry and old time music, and has performed poetry in Ireland and across West Virginia at fairs, concerts, and festivals for the past 35 years.
Kirk Judd and Boyd Carr, West Virginia Writers Conference, Ripley, WV.
CHARACTERS: A Rebel of the Decidedly Non-Confederate Sort: She hated several things, one of which she called"narrowmindedness," a catchall term for her that included racism, religious bigotry, homophobia, science-denying, disapproval of card playing, abstinence from wine and other offenses against humanity.
CHARACTERS | The One-Armed Bandit of No. 1 Holler, West Virginia: The life story of the "The One-Armed Bandit" is the stuff of heroes and legends. You may not know Gary Mays' tale, though, as the major league career the West Virginia native might have had may have been blocked by racism. But nothing ever kept Gary Mays down for long.
DON WEST | Part 2: "May It Be So": Long before it became fashionable, Don West fought the passive hillbilly stereotype by pointing to mountain labor's traditions of struggle and solidarity.
artcharacters
READINGS | "Please Take Care of My Friend: Heart Advice from a Stranger"
A Portrait of the Artist in Her Studio & Out: Jes Reger


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Home | News | Learning Technologies Group recognised as one of Europe's fastest-growing companies by Financial Times
Learning Technologies Group recognised as one of Europe's fastest-growing companies by Financial Times
LONDON—Learning Technologies Group plc (LTG) has been recognised as one of Europe's Fastest Growing Companies by the Financial Times (FT). The honour follows LTG's progress to extend its offerings beyond corporate digital learning to talent management services and technology.
The third annual FT 1000 ranking, compiled with Statista, includes European companies that reached the highest compound annual growth rate in revenue between 2014 and 2017.
"We are honoured that the Financial Times has recognised LTG among the top 1,000 companies that are the driving force of the European economy," said Jonathan Satchell, Chief Executive of LTG. "We're focused on delivering innovative services to our customers while expanding our reach in the rapidly growing e-learning and talent management market. Inclusion on the Financial Times list is a recognition of our ability to evolve and address all aspects of the employee lifecycle, while maintaining our core mission of providing the best products and services to our customers."
LTG continues to expand its market presence through enhanced product offerings and strategic acquisitions, including the most recent integrations of PeopleFluent and Watershed. PeopleFluent powers talent strategy with comprehensive recruiting, performance, succession, compensation, and learning solutions, while the acquisition of Watershed, brings data analytics capabilities in-house to give clients compelling insights into their learning programs.
In addition to PeopleFluent and Watershed, LTG's best-of-breed digital learning and talent businesses include LEO Learning, gomo, Eukleia, PRELOADED, Rustici Software, VectorVMS and Affirmity.
To be included on the Financial Times list, companies must be independent with primarily organic revenue growth of at least €100,000 generated in 2014 and at least €1.5 million generated in 2017. Companies listed on a stock exchange could not have its share price fall 50 percent or more since 2017. The minimum average growth rate required for inclusion this year was 37.7 percent.
LTG experienced a compound annual growth rate of 51.7 percent from 2014 to 2017.
In 2018, LTG was also identified as one of London Stock Exchange Group's 1000 Companies to Inspire Britain because of its consistent revenue growth and significantly outperforming industry peers. LTG's 2018 full-year results can be viewed here.
The Financial Times 1000: Europe's Fastest-Growing Companies list can be found here.
About Learning Technologies Group
Learning Technologies Group is a leader in the high-growth workplace e-learning industry. The Group offers truly end-to-end learning solutions ranging from strategic consultancy, through a range of content and platform solutions to analytical insights that enable corporate and government clients to meet their performance objectives.
LTG is listed on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market (LTG.L) and headquartered in London. The Group has offices in Europe, the United States, Asia-Pacific and South America.
For more, visit ltgplc.com.
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17 Dhul-Qa'dah, 1440 AH
Mosque Staff
Azan Receiver
Madrassa
Islamic Month: 17 Dhul-Qa'dah 1440
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01 Monday 28 2:59 4:00 4:44 1:15 1:45 6:42 7:15 9:26 9:28 10:29 10:40
02 Tuesday 29 3:00 4:00 4:45 1:15 1:45 6:42 7:15 9:26 9:28 10:29 10:40
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04 Thursday 2 3:01 4:00 4:46 1:16 1:45 6:42 7:15 9:25 9:27 10:28 10:40
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— I am Kaab, and proceeded to read the poem which he had written. The Prophet was very pleased with the poem and taking off his cloak he presented it to Kaab. After Kaab's death his heirs sold the cloak to the Emevi rules for twenty thousand drams of silver, and thus the cloak was passed first to the Emevis and then into the hands of the Abbasis. Now it is among the relics which Sultan Selim brought to Istanbul. Among the Holy Relics are the words of the Prophet, a letter parchment written by him called the 'Name-i Saadet', one of his seal made of cornelian stone, a piece of his tooth which broke during the battle of Uhud, the sacred banner of Mohammad, a hair from his beard, the swords of Ebubekir, Omer, Osman and Ali, a copy of the Koran written on gazelle skin which Osman was reading at his death, the footprint the Prophet in porphyry, the lock and keys of the Kaaba in Mecca, tv pieces from the cover of the Kaaba, a water pipe from the Kaaba, tt-cover of the Hacer'ul-esvet (the black stone in the Cubical House at Mecca, a gold light fitting decorated with precious stones, lamps, prayer carpet' and many other valued objects. The Hirka-i Saadet Apartment has recently been renovated and opened to the public.


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Bob Huggins and John Calipari Have Now Spoken About Oscar Tshiebwe
Morgantown, West Virginia – Following Oscar Tshiebwe's decision to leave West Virginia and commit to play for Kentucky, Bob Huggins was asked if John Calipari called him to ask about his former player.
Huggins replied, "No, I haven't talked to him. He texted me. He didn't ask me anything."
Huggins, at the time, appeared to be very disappointed that his "great friend" Calipari didn't bother to pick up the phone and speak with him before reaching out to Tshiebwe.
Now, Calipari is trying to clarify why he didn't call Huggins: "Bob and I have talked. I texted him. The people that we had talked to with Oscar were Bob Huggins fans, so that's why I never picked up the phone and called him. But since then we have talked by phone."
To be clear, these people that "were with Oscar" when Calipari spoke to Tshiebwe, are likely the very same people that pushed him to leave West Virginia and are almost certainly not "fans of Bob Huggins."
Even if that was the case, if Calipari considered Huggins such a good friend, he clearly should have had the decency to pick up the phone and speak with him before trying to poach his former player.
Calipari went on to say, "Just being in that environment, being coached by Bob, who – in my mind – is a Hall of Famer. Having that background before he comes here is good."
In the ugly world of college basketball, John Calipari is the type of coach that will do and say anything to get players to go to Kentucky, even if it means risking a decades-long "friendship" with another coach.
John Calipari says Oscar Tshiebwe will arrive in the coming days, ready to make impact in practice https://t.co/9oSJUBkH6X
— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) January 15, 2021
Auburn Coach Says Beating WVU Would Have Been a Real Prize
Governor Justice Tests Positive For COVID on the Same Day He…
It's Time to Have a Real Discussion About Bob Huggins…
Do WVU Fans Still Believe in Bob Huggins?