text:
Thank you to everyone for raising donations for Ashbourne Town Band with #easyfundraising! If you haven't signed up yet, it's easy and completely FREE. 6,100 shops and sites will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to do your everyday online shopping - at no extra cost to you! Every donation you raise makes a difference to us so please sign up & share today. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ashbournetownband/?invite=1SQ8EM%26referral-campaign=c2s%26utm_campaign=admin-trigger%26utm_content=srt
Many online retailers will give a small donation every time you purchase from them, these include supermarkets, M&S, Amazon, NormansMusicalInstruments etc. It is easy to sign up - just follow the link below and remember to include easyfundraising in your favourites.
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ashbournetownband/
Regular Fund raising events
Over the course of a year we organises several fundraising events in order to pay for the general running of the band including instruments, music and uniforms. We don't receive sponsorship from elsewhere so these events are crucial to keep us going. Please try to support us and take part where you can. If you want any further information about any of our events please contact any member of the band.
Major fundraising activities
2012: Recorded CD
The band set up in what was the Mirage Hotel (Now the Ashbourne Lodge Care Home!!) where they recorded a CD of popular music including March Ashbourne, James Bond Themes, Cinema Paradiso, etc. A few copies of the CD are still available if anyone wishes to buy one!
May 2010: Scarborough / Filey
This time the band took off for Scarborough for the Bank Holiday weekend. Friday evening was occupied by dinner and a last minute rehearsal in the hotel dining room. Saturday members took the opportunity to explore the Scarborough sea front before boarding the coach for the short trip to Filey. Here we played in the bandstand to the enjoyment of the holidaymakers enjoying the sunshine. A quick trip back to Scarborough for early dinner and then back to Filey for a concert to an enthusiastic audience in the methodist church. After a leisurely start to Sunday it was back again to Filey for another concert on a very windy promenade adjacent to the RNLI lifeboat station. Here we were joined by Ashbourne's councillor Steve Bull and family (who just heppened to be in the area!!) who helped out with the collecting buckets. In the evening the band got together for an informal quiz night. All told a very enjoyable weekend having raised just over £500 (and $14) for the Filey RNLI.
June 2009: Mobile Garden Party
During the very wet and windy weekend of 6/7 June the band organised a mobile garden party for residents of Ashbourne and surrounding area. The band were booked to play a 20 minute slot at different locations in the area including private parties, Fairways Garden Centre, Ashbourne Market, The Cock Inn Clifton, Okeover Arms Mapleton and Edinburgh Woollen Mills Ashbourne. The event kicked off at Ashbourne Market Place at 12:00 Saturday following words of encouragement from the then Ashbourne mayoress Caroline Cooper and finally finished sheltering in a private garage in Clifton at 4:30 Sunday afternoon. In all we played at 14 venues and raised £1040 for charity to be shared between Rainbows Trust, Derbyshire Air Ambulance, Cancer Research and Diabetes UK. Most of the band survived the wet as did most of the music although one member was caught piecing together his copy of "She's The One" after it disintegrated in a particular heavy (torrential) downpour. Thanks to all our party hosts and also to Dave and Laura for hosting a barbecue on Saturday night, the proceeds from which also went into the collection bucket.
May 2008: Morecambe
Early May Bank Holiday weekend the band travelled to Morecambe where we were hosted by the Morecambe Brass Band Association. We arrived on Friday and once we were settled in, fed and watered we performed an impromptu concert (practice) for other hotel guests. Saturday morning was spent on a shopping trip to Lancaster followed by an open air concert on the promenade. In the evening we were joined by the MBBA Brass Ensemble for a joint concert. Sunday we performed another open air concert in Happy Mount Park. In the evening we were joined by members of MBBA for a quiz night (which was won by ATB MD Richard and his team). We were accompanied throughout by the then Ashbourne mayor Steve Bull and his family who co-ordinated the fund raising. We were surprised at the improvements to Morecambe and a good time was had by all. We raised over £500 for the Morecambe RLNI inshore lifeboat which was the service called out during the disastrous night in 2004 when 21 cocklers lost their lives. The youngsters were also given a tour of the lifeboats and facilities.
August 2007: Ball Drop and Car Wash
Many thanks to everyone at Ashbourne Fire Station who allowed us to use their venue for these two fund raising events. On the afternoon of Saturday 4th August literally hundreds of plastic balls were dropped from the Aerial Ladder Platform. Each ball was numbered and had been bought by players, friends and family of the Band. The first one to be caught by fireman Brian Tregunna belonged to Angie Lees who won the first prize. The Ball Drop took place at the end of the Fire Station's open day at which the Band also had a cake stall. The following Saturday, Band members and firemen joined forces and raised over £300 by washing cars. The funds raised were split equally between the Band and the Firemen.
July 2007: 8 Hour Concert
On Sunday 29th July at 10am the Band started the marathon 8 Hour Concert in Ashbourne Town Hall. The full Band of around 30 members played together for the first hour and a half and thereafter took it in turns, in three groups, to have 15 minute breaks. Between each piece the Band were allowed only a two minute break, strictly timed by various officials, to change over the music. At around 6.30pm the full Band regrouped to finish the 8 hour task together. Throughout the day the band dug deep into their music library with a line up from marches to hymns and all that popular music in between. This event was undertaken in aid of 5 local charities who will share the sponsorship money equally and were there on the day with a selection of stalls.
In 2006 the Band crossed the Solent to the Isle of Wight. They played at various venues on the island including a joint concert with Shanklin Town Brass Band.
May 2004: A-Z Challenge
The Band started by playing a march and a hymn in Ashbourne Market Place at 5am on a Saturday morning. Then they jumped into two mini buses and headed for Brailsford to do the same, then Clifton, then Denstone, then Ellestone. Get the picture? The band managed to find a 500 mile round trip that took it to every letter in the alphabet, except X! They returned in the early hours of Sunday to play a march and a hymn back where they started some 22 hours previously. The money raised was donated to the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK.
November 2003: Thorpe Cloud Challenge
18 playing members of the band were sponsored to climb and play at the top of Dovedale's most famous landmark. The Band played a 45 minute concert including such pieces as the Pennine Way, Climb Every Mountain and The Rambler. The money raised, over £800, was donated to the Derbyshire Mountain Rescue Team and the Wetton and Alstonefield First Responders.
In 2002 the band visited Bournemouth.
In 2000 the band visited Tenby and raised £900 for the local branch of the RNLI.
In 1998 the band visited Newquay and raised £700 for a charity which dealt with drug addiction and homelessness in young people. Some of this was raised thanks to the Band's musical director at the time, Mike Wareing, who famously agreed to shave off his beard.
In 1996 they raised another £600 for charities in Llandudno.
In 1994 the Band visited Southport and raised £700 for a local charity.


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Q: Unable to scoop out specific portions from a webpage using regex The following script written in vba can parse the names out of some json content from a webpage using xhr. I know there is a vba json converter out there as well to parse information from json content. If I could know the method to apply regex in such cases, I could have created the pattern to do the trick.
Current attempt (working one):
Sub GetNames()
    Dim str As Variant, N&, R&, rxp As New RegExp

    With New XMLHTTP60
        .Open "GET", "https://oresapp.asicanada.net/ores.imis.services/api/member/?address=&callback=angular.callbacks._0&city=&companyName=&personName=", False
        .send
        str = Split(.responseText, ":[{""Id"":")
    End With

    N = UBound(str)

    For R = 1 To N
        Cells(R, 1) = Split(Split(str(R), "FullName"":""")(1), """")(0)
    Next R
End Sub

Ain't it possible to parse names from the above link using regex?

A: Yes. You can use a lazy regex as follows
Option Explicit

Public Sub GetFullNames()
    Dim results(), matches As Object, s As String
    With CreateObject("MSXML2.XMLHTTP")
        .Open "GET", "https://oresapp.asicanada.net/ores.imis.services/api/member/?address=&callback=angular.callbacks._0&city=&companyName=&personName=", False
        .send
        s = .responsetext
    End With
    With CreateObject("VBScript.RegExp")
        .Global = True
        .IgnoreCase = False
        .Pattern = "FullName"":""(.*?)"""
        .MultiLine = True
        Set matches = .Execute(s)
        ReDim results(1 To matches.Count)
   End With
   Dim match As Variant, r As Long
   For Each match In matches
       r = r + 1
       results(r) = match.submatches(0)
   Next
   With ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1")
       .Cells(1, 1).Resize(UBound(results), 1) = Application.Transpose(results)
   End With
End Sub

Lazy quantifier:

The lazy .*? guarantees that the quantified dot only matches as many
  characters as needed for the rest of the pattern to succeed.
  Therefore, the pattern only matches one {START}…{END} item at a time,
  which is what we want.

No array:
Option Explicit
Public Sub GetFullNames()
    Dim matches As Object, s As String
    With CreateObject("MSXML2.XMLHTTP")
        .Open "GET", "https://oresapp.asicanada.net/ores.imis.services/api/member/?address=&callback=angular.callbacks._0&city=&companyName=&personName=", False
        .send
        s = .responsetext
    End With
    With CreateObject("VBScript.RegExp")
        .Global = True
        .IgnoreCase = False
        .Pattern = "FullName"":""(.*?)"""
        .MultiLine = True
        Set matches = .Execute(s)
    End With
    Dim match As Variant, r As Long
    For Each match In matches
        r = r + 1
        With ThisWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1")
            .Cells(r, 1) = match.submatches(0)
        End With
    Next
End Sub

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Gill Sandhu Cargo Movers is one of the leading packers and movers in Anand Gujarat which serve the end users with excellent cargo shifting services. There are several customers looking for our economical goods packing moving charges. We have been serving the end users from all across India with the best of relocation services like home relocation, home shifting, office relocation, corporate relocation, household shifting, residential relocation, etc. Many have been relocating from one place to another due to various reasons and as a result, they come into contact with us to reap benefits from our services. We work in a professional manner to get the goods shifted in an unsafe condition.


This project filled us with the enthusiasm and provided us with the opportunity to design for the cause. The project focused on the concept of inclusive society fostering the open collaborative community to ease employment of differently able people. On one hand it focused on empowering the disadvantaged with skill development and training courses. And on other hand it was to be a platform for employers and various other stakeholders.
We knew this was a very different project and demanded far more knowledge, interaction and unconventional route to designing. We moved out of our space and spent ample time with all groups of differently abled, observing and interacting with them to gain insights on their behavioral patterns & challenges faced by them and finally mapped the road ahead. The project had to be increasingly usable and attractive, boosting the sub-conscious of users while inviting corporate houses to the portal as well. Much emphasis was placed on colors and 'Call-to-Actions' for real time solutions. The whole website to be usable by the primary users had to be developed adhering to W3C compliance guidelines.
To achieve and map the objectives we worked around the different touch points demanded by each group. E.g., for VI, information hierarchy played an important role to ensure screen readers provided systematic information; whereas, HI required more visual content.
The most challenging task was usability and hence many tests were done on each module with real users. The first one was post wireframes, second after implementing designs and finally during Front-end development. Our development team familiarized themselves with W3C compliance code and tested each module with real users using screen readers. All the web pages were checked by each group to ensure the usability. We checked how screens would read out the content for the visually impaired group and the flow of information was structured accordingly.
Also while implying UI design elements, special attention was placed on colors, texts & call to action buttons. People with low vision required bright colors and hence red and blue were chosen as primary colors. Along with this we ensured that Typography was larger comparatively.
I would say Lollypop provided us the wings. First of all, they took the complete ownership and were with us while we were trying to develop this product. The value-add that they gave with their enthusiasm and the framework of design was absolutely amazing.


This instrument focuses on determining the temperament type of a child. Although there are instruments that can determine more than four temperament types (16 in some cases), this tool aims at keeping it simple so that children (and sometimes even their parents too) can understand more clearly why they behave in a certain way. The four temperament types that have been selected are in accordance with Hippocrates theory of personality types. They are the sanguine (pleasure-seeking and sociable) type, the choleric (ambitious and leader-like) type, the melancholic (introverted and thoughtful) type, and the phlegmatic (relaxed and quiet) type. There is a vast volume of information about these four types that will compare favourably with the criteria used in this instrument.
Subscribe now and get one month FREE!!
The main objectives of this instrument are threefold. Firstly, it teaches children that the specific temperament traits that they display are never wrong, should not change in totality or be done away with and belongs to each one of them as a very unique person. With this instrument a child may understand himself more and learn to accept himself just as he/she is.
Secondly, by understanding the temperament type of a child a parent can be guided in raising his/her child with so much more empathy and understanding. The professional who facilitates this instrument can guide the parent with regard to communication strategies and disciplinary measures that a child with a specific temperament type will benefit from most. The parent may also become more cognisant of the child's needs, what stimulates the child, what the child needs to learn and what not to do in interaction with a specific temperament type.
Thirdly, in the same way that the parent gains understanding of the child, the professional is also enlightened about the child's psychological functioning, which will provide a better understanding of how to approach the child in therapy and in what way to communicate and interact with the child. As such it forms a valuable tool in understanding the child in order to provide more effective intervention.
Watch the video for a detailed explanation of this product.
To enhance the quality of the video, click on the settings icon at the bottom on the video itself, then on quality and then choose 720 p HD or 1080 p HD.
All children from the age of 8 years old up to 13 years old and maybe even older may benefit from this instrument.
This product was designed to be used in English.
Preferably a professional (a person professionally trained in the evaluation and therapeutic intervention procedure with children within the human sciences) who has knowledge about the different temperament types should facilitate this instrument. Within a professional context the facilitator will automatically use the instrument in conjunction with his/her training and therefore add to the value of it with their expertise. The parent or caregiver assisting the child in answering the questions should have a thorough knowledge of the child. The instrument will therefore not be of much use if the parent/caregiver hasn't spend a lot of time getting to know the child, as in the case of for example the beginning stages of foster care.
This is a digital online product accessible by means of a subscription or membership. Once you've subscribed, you can make use of the product for as long as you have an active subscription with EQ Educational Products. Once the product has been opened for the first time, it caches in the browser and consequently it will open immediately every time after the initial opening, during which no internet is required.
This product was not designed for mobile devices or tablets. It can only run effectively on a computer. Please open the webpage in Chrome since the design of the product works best in this browser.
You will need a mouse with a mouse wheel (middle mouse button) to be able to make full use of the product.
This product will work effectively on most of the newer computers. The best way to test if the product will work on your computer is to open the Free "Build Emotion Faces" product, which was developed with the same system specifications as this product. If the product runs smoothly, are not performing extremely slowly and the graphics are of high quality, then your computer will most likely have the necessary system requirements you will need to open the other products after subscribing. If not, please view further requirements here.


How do sidewalk repair contractor in NYC repair cracks in sidewalks? We all know that concrete is superior sanded acrylic latex formulations. It can be fixed by filling the cracks occurred in concrete including others like stucco, patios, sidewalks, and driveways.
Concretes are available in different, and it's the versatile substance used for making garages, walls, flooring, and porches. Even though they have limited finishes, it can be made into smooth, swirl and rough shapes using different colors. We can color the concrete to resemble what stone color we are looking for. Concrete stamps can be used for creating the stone shapes. The sidewalk repair contractor NYC can place several forms and pour concrete in them all at one time. Pouring in patios can be more tedious.
Our sidewalk repair contractor in NYC will visit your home or office for preparing the estimate of the sidewalk repair and then discuss with our property manager about the sidewalk repairs. To get free from the concrete violations a professional sidewalk repair contractor in NYC can help us. They can repair our concrete cracks and makes our sidewalk up to code within no time. The concrete sidewalk can differ in shapes, colors and be made into any shape we can imagine. It's always better to look at other homes and businesses to do something before starting any project. See every nook and corner of the home premises, don't make it limited. Usually, sidewalks are not properly maintained or are often neglected.
Sidewalk violations occur if it is not maintained correctly as dirt and grimes gets into the sidewalks. It then results in diminished curb appeal, as concrete is a porous surface in which dirt and grime can get trapped in the pores easily and will make the concrete look older than it is. Sidewalks, porches, driveways, patios, steps and pool decks all represent costly and permanent parts of our property that are made up of concrete which all requires maintenance.


text:
Home > News > Hot news >
Students bind history of seniors in new book
Issue Time:2018-02-24
Living History book donated by John Barsby students to Berwick on the Lake residents
The history of residents at a Nanaimo seniors' facility is now a page-turner.
Graduating John Barsby students have documented the personal histories of some residents at Berwick on the Lake, binding mini-biographies in a new book that's meant to help seniors learn about their neighbours.
The idea came from 17-year-old Kameron Smith, who works at Berwick and wanted to know more about residents and for them to learn about their neighbours.
Students in the graduation class and student council helped her interview 17 people for the book, Living History.
"It was nice just hearing them and how happy they were recalling these memories and talking about their wives and husbands and children and how proud they were of their family. I really like to see that," said Smith, who noted there are some pretty interesting lives. "One lady, she was, I think, 98, she used to ride three miles to school every day in a horse and carriage. I couldn't even imagine that."
Keely Dodds, 17, who helped interview residents, said the experience with the book was worth it.
"You most definitely take something away from it," she said. "After that day it just almost opened my mind more. How could these people do so many things and all amazing things, too? … It's just amazing what people can accomplish."
Both students say residents had some advice to share, including from one woman, an owner of an iPhone, who told them to keep up with technology.
Tracey Hunter, recreation manager for Berwick on the Lake, called the project "absolutely fantastic." The book was donated to Berwick on the Lake and its staff plan to order more.
"It's just the transfer of information from the old to the young is huge. Some of the young kids today really have no idea what some of these seniors have lived through and the changes they've seen," said Hunter.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
InnovationTwitterShareSubscribe
Meet Dr. David Steen, the Man Saving Snakes on Twitter
Gently correcting your poor snake kung-fu on the Internet.
By Ben Guarino
If Twitter were to canonize a patron saint of snakes, there's no better candidate than David Steen. Unlike St. Pat, the apocryphal staff-wielding Irishmen, the Auburn University wildlife ecologist is decidedly pro-serpent, reintroducing indigo snakes to Alabama, where the species hasn't been seen in 60 years, and keeping the Internet up to date on all things slithery via his Twitter feed, @AlongsideWild. His bright idea is big, but uncomplicated: Give people a reason to appreciate snakes and they'll stop killing them with shovels.
"My overall goal is to encourage an appreciation for the natural world," Steen told Inverse. "We have to start in people's backyards." When that's not practical, the wilds of social media will suffice.
Steen's Twitter feed began as a way to promote his blog, but about two years ago Steen found himself scanning Tweetdeck for people who had incorrectly identified a serpent species. He started to message them, correcting their IDs and talking enthusiastically about the animals he loves. It wasn't long before he was chatting regularly with people from all walks of life, farmer and fishers and Lennox Lewis and Bubba Sparxxx. In fact, Steen's conversation with Sparxxx might just be the most pleasant discourse in the brief history of hip-hop ecology.
@TheRealBubbaK That is actually not a Cottonmouth, it's a non-venomous species called a Plainbellied Watersnake, Nerodia erythrogaster.
— David Steen, Ph.D. (@AlongsideWild) June 4, 2013
@TheRealBubbaK Yes but difference subtle. The redbelly gives it away. I explain more: http://t.co/9HSYJkraBi help promote snake consrvation?
@TheRealBubbaK Check out this summary about helping out on python project in Everglades, they are moving up: http://t.co/V4o1XLjXpP
Bubba, it turns out, made a common mistake. People seem particularly prone to believing harmless snakes are Copperheads, Cottonmouths, or Water Moccasins. It's survival instinct — better safe then dead — but it isn't helping snake species survive. "This is just a guess," Steen says, "half of the snakes people say are copperheads aren't copperheads." That insight birthed the hashtags #NotACopperhead and #NotACottonmouth, ruining some otherwise harrowing stories, but also saving some serpents.
@RCH2112 That's #NotACopperhead. It's a harmless Brown Snake, Storeria dekayi. I can answer your snake Qs at http://t.co/3ExvrHCsCz
— David Steen, Ph.D. (@AlongsideWild) July 31, 2013
The responses to Steen's efforts have been mixed. When Twitterers wonder about what type of snake they've photographed, "they're delighted to have a snake expert come out of nowhere," Steen says, adding that he loves to get responses along the lines of "I used to be afraid of snakes, now I'm learning and I'm not afraid." For Steen, the goal is to make ecology personal and to fight the idea that mother nature is out to get us.
"Snakes are just animals like any other animal. They're not dangerous if you use common sense," he said. "They're not killing machines."
If you come at a snake with a shovel, it's not being aggressive if it does something other than roll over and die. It's trying to survive.
— David Steen, Ph.D. (@AlongsideWild) June 11, 2015
Twitter being Twitter, Steen has been called "creepy" a fair amount. He's a snake person and people are sometimes unnerved by snake people. "I have had to develop a thick skin," he says, describing himself as an "emotionless, non-judgmental source" of information. He's coldblooded and fine with it. The unfortunate flip side of being guarded is that Steen doesn't exactly revel in the opportunity to call out Ted Nugent when America's insane uncle gun-nuts himself over a dead 9.5-foot-long rattlesnake. Maybe he should.
I'm glad that most hunters I know have a better wildlife ethic than you do, @TedNugent. "Killemall" is not wildlife management. For shame.
Yes, citizen science and education are important to Steen — but it's all done in service of the snakes themselves. "People out there, they'll see things I've never seen: prairie king snakes and mole king snakes," he said. "It breaks my heart when they think, 'Copperhead!' and then kill them."
Now Steen's techniques are being adopted by the conservation Twitterverse. The hashtag started by Canadian arachnologist Catherine Scott? #NotABrownRecluse.
The Internet remains a scarier place than our backyards.
Media via David Steen
PS5 leaks claim Sony could debut next-gen console in...
Bots are pushing conspiracy theories about Australia...
'Smash Bros.' fans are furious over "Lame AF" Januar...
Trump's "vape ban" has a major loophole targeted at ...
There's a fake Cybertruck driving around Russia


text:
Regina King (født 15. januar 1971 i Los Angeles i Californien) er en amerikansk skuespiller.
Hun har gået på Westchester High School og University of Southern California.

Regina King begyndte sin skuespillerkarriere i 1985 i rollen som Marla Gibbs' datter Brenda i tv-serien 227, en rolle hun spillede til 1990. I dag spiller King med i storfilm. I 2004 spillede hun korsangerinden  Margie Hendricks i Ray. Hun lægger stemme til Huey og Riley Freeman i Adult Swim serien, The Boondocks. Hun giftede sig med Ian Alexander Sr. den 23. april 1997.

Udvalgt filmografi

Film

Tv-serier

Priser

 Image Award
Bedste Kvindelige Birolle – Ray 2005
 BET Award
Bedste Skuespillerinde 2005

Eksterne henvisninger

Skuespillere fra Californien
Filmskuespillere fra USA
Tv-skuespillere fra USA
Personer fra Californien

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Flu is not the only danger: Get a booster shot against whooping cough too
Whooping cough vaccine protection doesn t last long enough
Whooping Cough Booster Declines Rapidly Over 4 Years
Dr. Ross on non-flu contagion, in Examiner.com
Study shows protection from pertussis vaccine wanes dramatically over time
Double dose on vaccine news
By ACSH Staff — January 16, 2013
While the flu epidemic rages, reminding us that this viral contagion is nothing to be messed with, an ongoing epidemic has taken a bit of a back seat. Pertussis, or whooping cough, struck the highest number of Americans in 2012 since the days of President Eisenhower.
Early preliminary government figures of 2012 cases show that almost 42,000 Americans were diagnosed with the bug that causes days (or weeks) of severe coughing, headache, and fever. The cough typically has a high-pitched rasping sound, hence the descriptive moniker. While severely unpleasant for anyone infected (and their spouses), newborns and infants are the most vulnerable to severe complications, and even fatalities. These babies are unable to receive the vaccine before their immature immune systems have developed somewhat: only after 2 months of age can an infant get the first of the series of five TDaP shots, providing needed protection against the invading bacterium.
It used to be a common threat, with hundreds of thousands of cases annually. Cases gradually dropped after a vaccine was introduced in the 1940s. but case counts started to climb again in the 1990s. There were more than 27,000 reported cases in 2010, the year California saw an especially bad epidemic. The number of whooping cough cases had remained constant at about 5,000 per year before the 1990s, but numbers have been climbing since then. This may be attributed to the fact that the vaccine used originally caused occasional serious reactions, and it was substantially changed about 20 years ago.
Unfortunately, the newer vaccine does not seem to provide as long-lasting protection as the old one. For this reason, health officials have recommended that certain groups especially pregnant women get another booster shot to strengthen the protection offered by the vaccine, originally administered to infants and children. They are contemplating such recommendations for teens and adults as well.
This measure seems necessary, because, sadly, the severely-affected newborns and infants are most often infected by their parents and other family members, who may not even know that they harbor the contagion. The older vaccine, while not well-tolerated in some, did provide many years of immunity. The protection conferred by the new vaccine seems to wane after ten to twenty years, accounting for the recurrent epidemics among older teens and young adults. These groups bring the bug into the homes of infants too young to have received the vaccine, and the consequences can be tragic.
As we look back on 2012, we are reminded once again of the importance of getting vaccinated, be it against the flu, whooping cough or a multitude of other illnesses which can be prevented. While 2012 was the worst year for pertussis (whooping cough) in six decades, according to Dr. Tom Clark of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is the possibility of reaching even higher numbers in the coming years.
The winter of 2012-13 one of the worst for the flu in a decade. We may not be at the peak yet. CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden: It seems to be starting earlier than most flu seasons and the strain of flu that s spreading tends to be associated with earlier and more severe flu years. Just another reason you may want to think about stopping by your doctor or your local pharmacy, if you have not already done so, to get your yearly flu vaccination. Many such sites also have other vaccines available, including the TDaP against pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus.
That s right: It is not too late to get your flu shot. There are plenty of doses available, but unpredictable demand may cause temporary shortages in some localities. Don t give up!
By ACSH s Gilbert Ross, MD. Originally published Jan. 15, 2013 in Examiner.com.


This is part 2 (ref part 1) of a two part blog series about EMI / RFI gaskets offered by Stockwell Elastomerics. Most EMI gaskets manufactured by Stockwell serve several functions; the first is to shield EMI emissions, the second is to protect a device from being interfered with by external emission (often referred to as susceptibility). Lastly, Stockwell EMI gaskets also perform the dual function of environmental sealing, protecting electronics from water damage from splashing, washing or rain.
How is silicone rubber conductive?
The short answer is – it's not. Silicone rubber, the polymer of choice for most conductive rubber products, is not inherently conductive however the raw compound can be densely mixed with very fine conductive particles. Since they are so densely mixed, the powder-like particles create an electrical path through the rubber. The silicone rubber still maintains its elastomeric properties allowing it to be compressed. There is some trade off with tensile strength due to the fill, but this is typically not a concern since EMI gaskets are used in a compressed state.
How are particle filled EMI gaskets made?
Stockwell Elastomerics manufactures conductive filled EMI gaskets by either compression molding the gasket directly or by cutting parts from pre-manufactured sheets.
Molding EMI gaskets – best selected for volumes justifying a mold investment. Very often the payback is quick if there is material saving over die cut parts. Molding EMI gaskets allows for 3D features such as sealing beads that can reduce the clamp pressure needed to make a seal. In general, conductive adhesive backings are not available (with some exceptions).
Waterjet cut or die cut EMI gaskets – cutting pre-formed sheets or rolls of material allows Stockwell to quickly manufacture custom EMI gaskets. EMI gasket sheets are readily available with or without 3M conductive PSA backings. Waterjet cut EMI gaskets are often preferred for optimizing yield and responsive manufacturing.
Stockwell Elastomerics offers several EMI gasket materials, most often the delineation is between commercial applications and military applications. Some military applications require material to meet MIL-DTL-83528, this specification concisely defines the base polymer (silicone or fluorosilicone) and the specific conductive fill, silver coated aluminum is the most common.
Commercial and military applications not requiring MIL-DTL-83528 often use nickel coated graphite particles as the conductive fill. Nickel graphite is significantly lower cost than silver/aluminum with very good shielding properties.
Below are Stockwell Elastomerics materials commonly specified for EMI application.
Stockwell Elastomerics is a U.S.A. EMI gasket manufacturer supplying custom EMI gaskets globally to OEMs. With a core competence in silicone and a responsive manufacturing model; Stockwell Elastomerics offers many material and processing options to meet most EMI gasketing requirements.


Conceptualize Your Idea With Us!
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We give shape to your dream business by launching a cutting-edge app with stellar features coupled with a seamless website. To know more about launching an advanced app, you can always talk to our experts. You can tell us your business requirements. We love to listen to you!
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Scale Up Your Business With Us!
Once you're done with the product launch and other basic steps, we know you need assistance in scaling up your business to greater heights. Our research team will help you know which markets to expand to and will also assist you to improve features in your YouTube clone app based on your customers' feedback and so on.
Technology is evolving, and so is our state-of-the-art YouTube clone script. The mobile-friendly apps will be designed and developed to be compatible with all the latest and existing smartphones in the market.
Our YouTube Clone will provide end-to-end customizable solutions that will incorporate all the client's requirements with ease. And the best part, it is pocket-friendly.
The development team analyzes the functionalities and performance of the app and ensures the end product to be easily installable in the planned smart devices. So, be it smart-phones or desktops, the installation will be a cakewalk.
The YouTube clone app will perform seamlessly under an increased load with ease via advanced coding designed to anticipate a possible surge in service requests in near future.
Clients can easily infuse google ads within the app. Video or moving ads can also be placed for a particular section or channel of videos that commence before the beginning of the video or can be placed systematically in-between intervals.
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The app will convert numerous video format to FLV for smooth and uninterrupted video playback. Additionally, the app is designed to reduce larger memory units into smaller fragments without affecting video quality for easy uploads onto the server.
Users can report or flag videos or channels if they feel the content is demeaning, disturbing or not ideal for the platform. The app admin will review the content and take action as per company policy which includes removing the video content and take legal actions accordingly.
App users will be offered with numerous payment options including credit/debit card and other digital payment options. All this can be customized as per clients requirements.
Users can reach their followers or the audience by running live streaming via the app, this includes paid ad campaigns as well.
Your app can house unlimited users and based upon your server infrastructure, you can stream infinite hours of videos with numerous categories including music, sports, entertainment, technology and much more.
Users can choose from numerous languages including English, Mandarin, Spanish and others. The feature is designed to cater to the global audience.
You will own the entire source code of your product. The application will be hosted on your dedicated server.
Can the YouTube Clone App be customized?
Yes, the script you purchase from us is 100% customizable and as per your requirements will be developed and delivered.
After product launch, will you help with further enhancements?
Yes, we will be delighted to assist you with any enhancements you seem fit after launch. You can discuss this in detail with our experts.
Yes, the payment as agreed upon will be only one-time and no hidden costs are involved.
Will technical support be provided after delivery?
Yes, you will be provided with complete technical assistance as per the agreed period.


For a final Saturday-swim that day, the salty-feisty sea-dog and her fine-warm human took me to the Light House beach at Kiotari. Earlier, we'd ventured into the blue and then relaxed cheek to cheek. The freddo cappuccino, the laid-back soundtrack, the soothing shade and the cooling sea provided the ultimate chill on a hot afternoon.


Novopetrykivka is a small village south west of Donetsk. It was under German occupation between 1941 and 1943.
Native Western Jews took refuge in the village, accommodated by local inhabitants. They were killed in the said place "Kruchi" in a clay pit. Today there is no monument at this place and it serves more or less as a dump.


text:
The day's top national and international news
19 People Confirmed Sick on Emirates Flight to JFK After 100 Report Feeling Ill
Multiple passengers and crew had headaches, sore throats, coughs and fevers
By Pei-Sze Cheng, Sarah Wallace, Jonathan Dienst, Adam Kuperstein and Ida Siegal
Published Sep 5, 2018 at 6:40 AM | Updated at 3:08 PM PDT on Sep 6, 2018
Multiple Passengers Sickened on Emirates Flight to JFK
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/jfk-flight-sick-emirates-new-york-dubai-new-york-492492391.html
At least 19 people have been confirmed sick after a plane landed at John F. Kennedy Airport Wednesday morning with dozens on the packed international flight reporting feeling ill. Adam Kuperstein reports.
(Published Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018)
UPDATE: Mystery Illness on Jet to JFK Determined to Be Flu
At least 19 people have been confirmed sick after a plane landed at John F. Kennedy Airport Wednesday morning with dozens on the packed international flight reporting feeling ill.
Emirates Flight 203 from Dubai was quarantined on the runway for hours after 106 the 521 people on board the flight reported feeling ill. The cause of the outbreak has not been confirmed, but a Jamaica Hospital spokesperson says multiple passengers and crew treated were experiencing headache, sore throat, coughs and fever.
The vast majority of the symptomatic passengers was cleared of illness and allowed to continue on the remaining legs of their trips. The office of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said 10 people -- seven of them crew members and three passengers -- were taken to hospital, while another nine were sick but declined medical attention. The CDC had slightly different information, saying 11 people were taken to hospital of a total 549 people on board.
Plane Quarantined at NYC Airport With Hundreds on Board
Larry Coben
The city health department says symptoms indicated "this is probably influenza," but final determination is pending the lab results of the respiratory samples taken, expected later Wednesday night. Because the Emirates flight is so long, it's possible that there was ongoing transmission on it, according to Dr. Oxiris Barbot, acting health commissioner. That specific scenario rarely happens, but the flu -- which can take one to three days to incubate -- does spread easily.
Erin Sykes, who was on the Emirates flight, told News 4 New York some passengers were sick before they even boarded the plane. "When they were standing in line to board, people were coughing," she said. "People were not covering their mouths."
Sykes became so concerned by the situation that she asked a flight attendant for a mask before the flight took off, she said. The attendant, however, said there weren't any on board. "I proceeded to put my jacket and the blanket over my head for the entirety of the flight because so many people were coughing, and so dramatically," she said, adding that some passengers were sick to their stomachs.
Rapper Vanilla Ice Survives JFK Contagion Flight Unscathed
Passenger Hadi Nadimi recalled, "The gentleman sitting next to me said that he said he saw a lot of people, before we sat in the plane, lot of people were coughing and people were like spitting into napkins and stuff. So it was iffy from the get-go."
After landing, rapper Vanilla Ice confirmed he was also on the flight. He was not sickened.
The flight landed about 9:10 a.m. to a huge emergency runway response. Port Authority Police and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were waiting in a staging area to check passengers.
"There was around five doctors, medical personnel who were coming downstairs on the lower deck to collect the passengers who were coughing," said a passenger named Lydia Ayallew.
Chopper 4 was over the scene at landing, where about seven ambulances were lined up to treat sick passengers, as well as dozens of other emergency response units including police and Homeland Security.
Emirates issued a statement confirming that some passengers had taken ill. It later tweeted, "We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience caused. The safety and well-being of our customers and crew is always our top priority."
LeBron Surprises NYC School's Basketball Team With Coveted 'CTK' Kicks
The mayor's office initially said the flight had stopped in Mecca, which is experiencing a flu outbreak, and that may be a possible source of the outbreak. A spokesperson later said the flight was in fact direct, but that some of the passengers had previously been in Mecca.
The CDC said passengers who are not ill would be allowed to continue with their travel plans. They advise anyone who got treated and released to see a doctor if they develop symptoms in the coming days.
TV host Diala Makki, who flew in for Fashion Week, said she was going straight to the doctor's office before heading to the red carpet.
"The officials on the ground, they took our temperature to make sure we were OK," said Makki. "It was a dramatic morning."
"My first question is, if it is a virus, why did they let them on the plane?" said passenger Srinivasa Rao. "I sat with them for 13 hours. If it is a virus, we are all breathing the same [air]."
"I'm worried what's gonna happen in the next 72 hours," said Nadimi. "Am I gonna catch up something or not? I don't know."
Anonymous Official Cites Trump's 'Amorality' in NY Times Op-Ed
Jamaica Hospital officials said because those aboard the plane were kept in isolation, hospital operations were not impacted. The hospital was especially well prepared for the health emergency, because it had gotten federal funds and mandated training in the 2014 Ebola outbreak, according to former CDC chief medical officers Robert Amler.


text:
namespace FriendsOfPesho
{
    using System;
    using System.Collections.Generic;
    using System.Linq;

    public class StartUp
    {
        static List<Vertex>[] vertices;
        static int[] hospitals;
        public static void Main()
        {
            var PointsStreetsHospitals = Console.ReadLine().Split().Select(int.Parse).ToArray();

            hospitals = Console.ReadLine().Split().Select(int.Parse).ToArray();

            ReadInput(PointsStreetsHospitals[0], PointsStreetsHospitals[1]);

            int bestSum = int.MaxValue;
            for (int m = 0; m < PointsStreetsHospitals[2]; m++)
            {
                int sum = Dijkstra(hospitals[m] - 1, PointsStreetsHospitals[0]);
                if (sum < bestSum)
                {
                    bestSum = sum;
                }
            }
            Console.WriteLine(bestSum);
        }

        private static int Dijkstra(int start, int n)
        {
            // HashSet<int> visited = new HashSet<int>();
            bool[] visited = new bool[n];
            int[] distances = Enumerable.Repeat(int.MaxValue, n).ToArray();
            distances[start] = 0;

            var queue = new SortedSet<Vertex>();

            queue.Add(new Vertex(start, 0));

            while (queue.Count > 0)
            {
                var current = queue.Min;
                queue.Remove(current);
                // visited.Add(current.Name);
                visited[current.Name] = true;

                foreach (var next in vertices[current.Name])
                {
                    if (distances[next.Name] > distances[current.Name] + next.Weight)
                    {
                        distances[next.Name] = distances[current.Name] + next.Weight;
                        queue.Add(new Vertex(next.Name, distances[next.Name]));
                    }
                }

                while (queue.Count > 0 &&
                  visited[queue.Min.Name]) // visited.Contains(queue.Min.Name)
                {
                    queue.Remove(queue.Min);
                }
            }

            int sum = 0;

            for (int i = 0; i < hospitals.Length; i++)
            {
                distances[hospitals[i] - 1] = 0;
            }

            for (int k = 0; k < n; k++)
            {
                sum += distances[k];
            }
            return sum;
        }

        private static void ReadInput(int v1, int v2)
        {
            vertices = new List<Vertex>[v1];

            for (int i = 0; i < v2; i++)
            {
                var edge = Console.ReadLine().Split(' ').Select(int.Parse).ToArray();
                var from = edge[0] - 1;
                var to = edge[1] - 1;
                var w = edge[2];

                AddEdge(from, to, w);
                AddEdge(to, from, w);
            }
        }

        private static void AddEdge(int from, int to, int weight)
        {
            if (vertices[from] == null)
            {
                vertices[from] = new List<Vertex>();
            }

            vertices[from].Add(new Vertex(to, weight));
        }
    }

    public class Vertex : IComparable<Vertex>
    {
        public Vertex(int name, int weight)
        {
            this.Name = name;
            this.Weight = weight;
        }

        public int Name { get; set; }

        public int Weight { get; set; }

        public int CompareTo(Vertex other)
        {
            if (this.Weight.CompareTo(other.Weight) == 0)
            {
                return this.Name.CompareTo(other.Name);
            }

            return this.Weight.CompareTo(other.Weight);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
FUNDRAISING NEWS: War on Want sets up online drinking game
Dominic Wood
War on Want hopes to attract its younger supporters to an online game, which asks Christmas drinkers to count how much they spend on alcohol in December, then donate the price of an average round to fight world poverty.
The December Damage Calculator game, at www.waronwant.org, invites visitors to assess what drinks and how many rounds they buy on an average night in the pub at this time of year, and to guess how many pub visits they will make in total during December.
The site then calculates the total and places that figure in the context of world poverty. It tells readers that half the human race lives on less than £1.50 a day and measures their festive alcohol spend as a percentage of others' annual income.
The link has been sent to the charity's 10,000 younger supporters, aged 18-40. "This game is a new initiative to attract our younger, computer-using donors, who rarely respond to our traditional posted mail-outs." said Mark Henstock, fundraising director at the anti-poverty charity.
"We hope the game will be so much fun that recipients will send the link on to their friends."
Henstock said he would be delighted to raise £5,000 from the game, which was designed in-house at no cost. The low target was based on the amount raised by a similar idea run by another charity, which asked people to donate a share of their salary.
The charity hopes to receive £25,000 from its traditional direct mail appeal, which it sent to 10,000 older supporters last week.


text:
Terc-butyllithium (LiC4H9) je organokovová sloučenina lithia využívaná při organické syntéze, většinou coby velice silná báze. V čisté podobě se jedná o bezbarvou krystalickou látku, v chemické syntéze se ovšem používá jeho roztok ve vhodném organickém rozpouštědle. Roztoky jsou velice nebezpečné svou pyroforicitou (samovznětlivostí). Látka je silně žíravá a nestálá. Jeho roztok se uchovává se v dusíkové nebo argonové atmosféře v temných nádobách s membránou pro vpich jehly. Vzhledem k jeho nestabilitě a schopnosti samovznícení za pokojové teploty s ním lze pracovat jen v inertní atmosféře za dodržení přísných a specifických podmínek pro práci s pyroforickými látkami. I samotné reakce s ním jsou často vedeny za použití specializovaných rozpouštědel mnohdy za velmi nízkých teplot. Činidlo je coby stabilizovaný terciární karbaniont schopno deprotonovat většinu kyselých vodíků napříč organickou syntézou.

Reference

Související články
 Butyllithium
 sec-Butyllithium

Externí odkazy

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpwlfvERUFc
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21iC4YEgOAs
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUHrzcEunNY

Organolithné sloučeniny
Terc-butylové sloučeniny


I came across a great organization blog that suggested 15 minute declutter missions.
Finally, something I can actually tackle!
A great place to start is your kitchen.
Remember that you can usually borrow those odd things you only need once every few years.


text:
Franz Pomassl (* 1966 in Gföhl) ist ein österreichischer Klangkünstler, Musiker, DJ, Labelbetreiber und Hochschullehrer. Seine Werke lassen sich der elektronischen Musik zuordnen.

Leben
Franz Pomassl studierte von 1989 bis 1991 bei Arnulf Rainer Malerei an der Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien und von 1991 bis 1992 ebenfalls an der Akademie die technischen Grundlagen der Malerei bei Franz Graf. Ab 1991 studierte er außerdem elektroakustische und experimentelle Musik an der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. 1995 folgte ein Studium der Fachrichtung Neue Medien an der Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien sowie 1996 ein Studium an der Tokioter Zokei Universität.

Ab 1992 präsentierte Pomassl erste Ausstellungen und Intermediaprojekte, unter anderem Silicon Planet und Time Based Bar (1992), Wiener Heute (1993), Monitor 93 (1993) und Simulationsroom-Mosaic Soundscape (1993).

Als Musiker experimentiert er mit den Grenzen der auditiven Wahrnehmung, in dem er die Parameter der Musikinstrumente überschreitet und die Barrieren der akustischer Rezeption auslotet. Pomassl entwickelt auch elektroakustische Geräte und Verfahren, mit denen er insbesondere die räumlich-physischen Wahrnehmungen der Rezipienten anspricht. Unter anderem nutzt er für Menschen nicht hörbare infrasonische Frequenzen, die aber von der Hautoberfläche sowie den inneren Organen wahrgenommen werden können.

1996 erschien auf Craft Records mit Skeleton 1 sein erstes Album als Pomassl. Der zweite Teil Skeleton 2 erschien 1997. Nach einem Forschungsaufenthalt am Erdbebensimulationszentrum in Tokio entstand das Album Trail Error. Aus der Zusammenarbeit mit Kodwo Eshun entstand 1999 das Album Architectronics. Live präsentierte er seine Arbeiten als DJ und Live-Act, unter anderem Europa, Nordamerika und Japan.

2011 habilitierte er an der Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien. Er lehrt dort als Dozent im Fachbereich "Kunst und Sound" und ist Begründer sowie Leiter des Forschungslabors Sound / Soundstudio und der wissenschaftlich-gestalterischen Interdisziplin "Sound" am Institut für bildende Kunst.

Pomassl lebt und arbeitet in Jaidhof und Wien.

Diskografie (Auswahl)
Alben
 1996: Skeleton 1 (Craft Records)
 1997: Skeleton 2 (Craft Records)
 1997: Trail Error (Laton)
 1999: Architectronics (mit Kodwo Eshun; Craft Records)
 2002: Retrial Error (Laton)
 2006: Skeleton (Laton)
 2007: Spare Parts (Raster-Noton)
 2011: Surplus Ships (Laton)

Singles & EPs
 1999: Soundtrack #02 (Ego Vacuum)
 2007: Skeleton (Sex Tags Mania)

Auszeichnungen
 1990: Anerkennungspreis für Bildende Kunst des Landes Niederösterreich

Weblinks
 Pomassl bei laton.at

 Pomassl bei Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien

Einzelnachweise

Klangkünstler
Musiker (elektronische Musik)
Musiker (Österreich)
Österreicher
Geboren 1966
Mann


Brutally Honest Tuesdays began as a live show that streamed every Tuesday. I did 14 episosdes that way.
Then my travel and speaking schedule made it impossible to do it every week, so now I live stream the show whenever I feel moved to, on an irregular basis.
Are you frustrated you still aren't living "The Life of Your Dreams," even after reading all the books, taking all the seminars, using all the "latest" techniques and getting coaching?
If your answer is "Yes!" (drum roll please), you're going to love, love, love the show!
Warning: Be prepared for some brutal honesty about the lies, illusions and stories that are keeping you blocked, and The Truth that will set you free.
Consider yourself officially invited to join me!
I'll be there to share, answer your questions, and respond to your comments. I'll also be there 10 minutes early to chat with you casually before the show officially begins.
Forces that, odds are, no one ever told you about before.
From that Page, you can watch the live episodes, share comments and ask questions.
From that page, you can watch the episodes, share comments and ask questions.
From my YouTube Channel, you can watch the episodes, share comments and ask questions.


text:
Health Ministry proposes amendment to law on hospital fees
The Health Ministry has proposed an amendment to the law on hospital fees which was invalidated by the Constitutional Court in July of this year. The ruling, which invalidated the 100 crown fee per day per patient, means that as of January 1, patients will not be asked to contribute anything to hospital care. Hospitals say this will create a serious financial problem. The Health Ministry, which has proposed bringing the fee down to 60 crowns per day, has urged the government and parliament to debate the proposed amendment in a state of legislative emergency which would allow it to come into force as of March next year.
Author: Daniela Lazarová
Clown Doctors celebrate 20 years of service at Czech hospitals
MPs pass bill requiring long-term residents to use state health insurance
Vojtěch returning as health chief as Arenberger quits


text:
Fans have come to the conclusion that 'Game of Thrones' season eight "sucks"
by: Emma Guinness
The Battle of Winterfell might have had Game of Thrones fans talking for all the right reasons, but the same can't be said for last night's episode, The Last of the Starks.
To begin with, after learning that Jon Snow is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, we basically saw him throw away his birthright because his girlfriend wants it more than him.
A fail made so much worse by the fact that Daenerys still insists on calling herself the "rightful" heir to the Iron Throne when she isn't - or, at the very least, she knows fine well that her nephew has a better claim than her.
And then we had to watch the Mother of Dragons basically lead everyone onto what looks like certain destruction by immediately starting a war with Cercei. They deserve a chance to recouperate, woman!
For many fans, this was the most shocking scene in last night's episode:
It's no wonder then that people are interpreting Missandei's final word "dracarys" ("dragonfire" in High Valyrian) to signal Dany's fall down the same path that led to her father being dubbed the "Mad King".
Some fans really want to have a stern word with the show's writers:
Others are just plain disappointed:
And then there's those who just hate the storylines:
If you haven't seen it yet, this is the preview trailer for episode five:
What do you think? Is the final season a letdown or everything you hoped it would be?


United Way of Lake County is preparing our children to succeed in a changing world by focusing on education and building safe and stable families.
When kids fall behind in school, they become frustrated and check out before they drop out. We are targeting the root causes of school failure through effective educational programs from birth to graduation.
When we give children the skills to succeed in school we give them a foundation for lifelong success.


text:
Artamus fuscus е вид птица от семейство Artamidae.

Разпространение
Видът е разпространен в Бангладеш, Бутан, Камбоджа, Китай, Индия, Лаос, Мианмар, Непал, Шри Ланка, Тайланд и Виетнам.

Източници

Artamus
Фауна на Индо-Малайската област


text:
Man credits taco with saving his life after car gets shot
Marnie Shure
Filed to:Cars
Photo: eyfoto (iStock)
On a road bordering the desert in Tucson, Arizona, a man's car was shot at several times, and he says he has a taco to thank for his safety. KOLD News13 reports that Ryan Bishop was driving on Houghton Road earlier this week, eating a taco behind the wheel, when his driver's side window was shattered by a bullet. Several more shots were fired in the direction of the car, and when Bishop pulled over to call the police and inspect the damage, he saw the bullet sitting on his dashboard.
The bullet, it turns out, had entered the car at exactly the point where Bishop usually rolls down the window to rest his arm. But because he was eating a taco at the time, his arm was fully inside the car, and his window was rolled up to prevent the wind from spilling his food. "I'm pretty sure [eating a] taco saved my life, or at least stopped my arm from getting blown apart," Bishop told KOLD. (This wouldn't be the first time tacos have saved lives, mind you.)
The gunshots appear to have been aimless, as the police are treating this case as "criminal damage/malicious mischief." Bishop hopes both he and his miracle taco serve as a lesson to those using firearms carelessly; as he said to KOLD, "Maybe they will think a little bit harder before they go out into the desert, close to very publicly used roads [to shoot]."
Taco Bell optimistically suggests turning Taco Bell food into complex bisque
Maybe don't bring your guns to Chuck E. Cheese's
Use taco seasoning mix to cook much more than tacos
The state of the plain fast food hamburger
Marnie Shure is editor in chief of The Takeout.


My objective is to gain a P-5 teaching position in the Southeastern area of Georgia.
I believe I am a life-long learner. I learn through experiences and reading. I am a member of several affiliations including, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and Pi Lambda Theta national honor society for educators. I enjoy keeping up with current research and strategies in education. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends.
Throughout my educational experience at Georgia Southern I worked as a nanny for several different families. For one family, I cared a for young boy (age 4) with severe autism and a young girl (age 7) with emotional issues. During this time I creatively developed fun activities to encourage participation and interaction. For another family, I cared for a five month old child and encouraged engagement in activities related to the development of motor skills. During the final year of my education at Georgia Southern University, I cared for three children ages 4, 8, and 10. I took them to and from school, church, and extracurricular activities. I helped the children with homework and school projects, encouraged reading, and tutored the children when necessary.
I have a true passion to help better the lives of children that come into my life. My belief is that all children can learn and grow when provided with the necessary support and encouragement. My work experience as a nanny shows my dedication to helping all children grow.
This program is based on developmentally appropriate practices and teaches the importance of appropriate diversity in instructional planning, assessment, and classroom management. Specific courses showed me how to address issues in a multicultural classroom and plan instruction to meet the needs of a diverse body of learners. I explored the relationships between content, curriculum, and instruction as well as how to effectively integrate these ideas into my own teaching. Other courses, taught me how to successfully research educational topics, apply various learning theories to adapt my own philosophy of teaching, and how to integrate my educational theory with classroom practices. I gained extensive knowledge of how to effectively plan and teach mathematics, social studies, science, and language arts. I also learned how to address issues in a multicultural classroom and plan instruction to meet the needs of a diverse body of learners.
I chose to participate in the reading endorsement program while completing my maters. Through my interaction and completion of the specific reading courses I gained more advanced skills and knowledge of how to assess the literacy needs of students and then plan individualized and developmentally appropriate instruction.
The Early Childhood Education program at Georgia Southern University focuses on preparing aspiring educators to demonstrate competency in all areas related to education at this level. Through the completion of the program I gained a wealth of knowledge regarding classroom management, instructional planning, differentiation, educational technologies, content knowledge, educational theories, and educational practices. I had many opportunities to analyze actual teachers in various K-5 grades as well as practice implementing my own teaching in the classrooms. During my student teaching semester I was able to experience taking charge of a classroom with all the responsibilities and duties of a teacher. My participation in the student teaching program helped me to better understand how to implement and use all the knowledge regarding education in an actual classroom setting. I gained a deep understanding of the effectiveness of positive behavior management and the importance of collaboration with other teachers, administrators, and parents.


This sterling silver Celtic necklace features a classic Trinity knot with an interconnected circle. The fancy Celtic necklace measures 5/8" wide x 1" tall, including the jump ring and the chain bail, and includes a 18" long sterling silver chain.
These sterling silver Celtic studs features Trinity knots that are interlaced with circles.
These sterling silver Celtic studs features Trinity knot earrings that are interlaced with circles.


We have extensive experience in renewable energy which covers diverse technologies including bio-mass, wind, bio-fuels, solar PV and anaerobic digestion.
Our clients include landowners, developers, investors, funders and operators who need advice on all aspects of each individual project.
Our team can advise on a range of issues such as project finance, option and lease agreements for various renewable developments; planning agreements; construction contracts; grid connection agreements, statement of FIT terms/power purchase agreements and project finance for the renewable projects.


text:
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  <coverage/>
  <testsuites>
      <testsuite name="DummyTestSuite">
          <directory suffix="Test.php">.</directory>
      </testsuite>
  </testsuites>
</phpunit>


Memories of eyewitnesses, a portrait of a left-wing intellectual viewed from different angles and illustrated with archive materials and a theatre mis-en-scene.
"As a cynic, I say that when I die, television channels will appreciate the film" said Miloš Zeman as the documentary was being made.
Nobody Is Listening is an attempt to portray the philosophy of one of the greatest Czech thinkers of our time - philosopher, sociologist and essayist Václav Bělohradský. It is an opportunity to think about the current state of human existence in political, media, universal, social and personal contexts.
33-year-old Roman is one of twelve people who decide to undergo group therapy in an isolated community in order to tackle their drug addition. Like the others, he also brings with him a murky past which he tries to come to terms with – perhaps it will help him find a new life for himself.
The police are knocking on Libor's door and are interested to know where he got the money for his luxury villa. Libor is simply interested in his family's welfare, and so he does a bunk with them.


The southern and eastern Mediterranean, known within the EBRD as SEMED, is the latest region in which we are working to boost economic growth and develop open and sustainable market economies.
The EBRD has been investing in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia since September 2012.
The Bank rolled out its first investments in Lebanon in 2018 as well as in the West Bank and Gaza where the EBRD has also started working.
In their different ways, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia emerged from the Arab uprising of 2011 with different political systems and a new determination to reform their economies.
The four countries, the European Council and the G8 all called on the EBRD in 2011 to extend its mandate to include the SEMED region and apply to it the lessons learned during the transition in central, south-eastern and eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Egypt and Morocco originally joined the EBRD as shareholders in 1991. Jordan and Tunisia became members at the end of 2011.
Lebanon joined the EBRD as a shareholder in July 2017.
The EBRD is building greener and more inclusive economies in the SEMED region.


As human actions change the planet in irreversable ways, will human bonds suffer irreversable damage, too?
Reuters Pictures A man ekes out a living scavenging on a garbage dump in the Philippines.
This February, while cranes were hoisting cladding to the 141st floor of the Burj Dubai tower (which will soon be twice the height of the Empire State Building), the Stratigraphy Commission of the Geological Society of London was adding the newest and highest story to the geological column.
The Geological Society of London is the world's oldest association of Earth scientists, founded in 1807, and its Commission acts as a college of cardinals in the adjudication of the geological time-scale. Stratigraphers slice up Earth's history as preserved in sedimentary strata into hierarchies of eons, eras, periods and epochs marked by the "golden spikes" of mass extinctions, speciation events and abrupt changes in atmospheric chemistry.
In geology, as in biology or history, periodization is a complex, controversial art and the most bitter feud in nineteenth-century British science–still known as the "Great Devonian Controversy"–was fought over competing interpretations of homely Welsh Graywackes and English Old Red Sandstone. More recently, geologists have feuded over how to stratigraphically demarcate ice-age oscillations over the last 2.8 million years. Some have never accepted that the most recent inter-glacial warm interval–the Holocene–should be distinguished as an "epoch" in its own right just because it encompasses the history of civilization.
As a result, contemporary stratigraphers have set extraordinarily rigorous standards for the beatification of any new geological divisions. Although the idea of the "Anthropocene"–an Earth epoch defined by the emergence of urban-industrial society as a geological force–has been long debated, stratigraphers have refused to acknowledge compelling evidence for its advent.
At least for the Geological Society of London, that position has now been revised. To the question "Are we now living in the Anthropocene?" the twenty-one members of the Commission unanimously answer "yes." They adduce robust evidence that the Holocene epoch-the interglacial span of unusually stable climate that has allowed the rapid evolution of agriculture and urban civilization–has ended and that the Earth has entered "a stratigraphic interval without close parallel in the last several million years." In addition to the buildup of greenhouse gases, the stratigraphers cite human landscape transformation which "now exceeds [annual] natural sediment production by an order of magnitude," the ominous acidification of the oceans, and the relentless destruction of biota.
This new age, they explain, is defined both by the heating trend (whose closest analogue may be the catastrophe known as the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum, 56 million years ago) and by the radical instability expected of future environments. In somber prose, they warn that "the combination of extinctions, global species migrations and the widespread replacement of natural vegetation with agricultural monocultures is producing a distinctive contemporary biostratigraphic signal. These effects are permanent, as future evolution will take place from surviving (and frequently anthropogenically relocated) stocks." Evolution itself, in other words, has been forced into a new trajectory.
The Commission's coronation of the Anthropocene coincides with growing scientific controversy over the 4th Assessment Report issued last year by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC is mandated to establish scientific baselines for international efforts to mitigate global warming, but some of the most prominent researchers in the field are now challenging its reference scenarios as overly optimistic, even pie-in-the-sky thinking.
The current scenarios were adopted by the IPCC in 2000 to model future global emissions based on different "storylines" about population growth as well as technological and economic development. Some of the Panel's major scenarios are well known to policymakers and greenhouse activists, but few outside the research community have actually read or understood the fine print, particularly the IPCC's confidence that greater energy efficiency will be an "automatic" byproduct of future economic development. Indeed all the scenarios, even the "business as usual" variants, assume that at least 60 percent of future carbon reduction will occur independently of greenhouse mitigation measures.
The Panel, in effect, has bet the ranch, or rather the planet, on unplanned, market-driven progress toward a post-carbon world economy, a transition that implicitly requires wealth generated from higher energy prices ultimately finding its way to new technologies and renewable energy. (The International Energy Agency recently estimated that it would cost $45 trillion to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.) Kyoto-type accords and carbon markets are designed–almost as an analogue to Keynesian "pump-priming"–to bridge the shortfall between spontaneous decarbonization and the emissions targets required by each scenario. Serendipitously, this reduces the costs of mitigating global warming to levels that align with what seems, at least theoretically, to be politically possible, as expounded in the British Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change of 2006 and other such reports.
Critics argue, however, that this represents a heroic leap of faith that radically understates the economic costs, technological hurdles, and social changes required to tame the growth of greenhouse gases. European carbon emissions, for example, are still rising (dramatically in some sectors) despite the European Union's much-praised adoption of a cap-and-trade system in 2005. Likewise there has been little evidence in recent years of the automatic progress in energy efficiency that is the sine qua non of the IPCC scenarios. Although The Economist characteristically begs to differ, most energy researchers believe that, since 2000, energy intensity has actually risen; that is, global carbon dioxide emissions have kept pace with, or even grown marginally faster than, energy use.
Coal production, especially, is undergoing a dramatic renaissance, as the nineteenth century has returned to haunt the twenty-first century. Hundreds of thousands of miners are now working under conditions that would have appalled Charles Dickens, extracting the dirty mineral that allows China to open two new coal-fueled power stations every week. Meanwhile, the total consumption of fossil fuels is predicted to increase at least 55 percent over the next generation, with international oil exports doubling in volume.
Moreover there are disturbing signs that energy companies and utilities are reneging on their public commitments to the development of carbon-capture and alternative energy technologies. The Bush Administration's "marquee demonstration project," FutureGen, was scrapped this year after the coal industry refused to pay its share of the public-private "partnership"; similarly, most US private-sector carbon-sequestration initiatives have recently been cancelled. In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, Shell has just pulled out of the world's largest wind-energy project, the London Array. Despite heroic levels of advertising, energy corporations, like pharmaceutical companies, prefer to overgraze the commons, while letting taxes, not profits, pay for whatever urgent, long-overdue research is actually undertaken.
Dubai, which has little oil income of its own, has become the regional financial hub for this vast pool of wealth, with ambitions to eventually compete with Wall Street and the City of London. During the first oil shock in the 1970s, much of OPEC's surplus was recycled through military purchases in the United States and Europe, or parked in foreign banks to become the "subprime" loans that eventually devastated Latin America. In the wake of the attacks of 9/11, the Gulf states became far more cautious about entrusting their wealth to countries, like the United States, governed by religious fanatics. This time around, they are using "sovereign wealth funds" to achieve a more active ownership in foreign financial institutions, while investing fabulous amounts of oil revenue to transform Arabia's sands into hyperbolic cities, shopping paradises, and private islands for British rock stars and Russian gangsters.
Two years ago, when oil prices were less than half of the current level, The Financial Times estimated that planned new construction in Saudi Arabia and the emirates already exceeded $1 trillion dollars. Today, it may be closer to $1.5 trillion, considerably more than the total value of world trade in agricultural products. Most of the Gulf city-states are building hallucinatory skylines–and, among them, Dubai is the unquestionable superstar. In a little more than a decade, it has erected 500 skyscrapers, and currently leases one-quarter of all the high-rise cranes in the world.
This super-charged Gulf boom, which celebrity architect Rem Koolhaas claims is "reconfiguring the world," has led Dubai developers to proclaim the advent of a "supreme lifestyle" represented by seven-star hotels, private islands, and J-class yachts. Not surprisingly, then, the United Arab Emirates and its neighbors have the biggest per capita ecological footprints on the planet. Meanwhile, the rightful owners of Arab oil wealth, the masses crammed into the angry tenements of Baghdad, Cairo, Amman, and Khartoum, have little more to show for it than a trickle-down of oil-field jobs and Saudi-subsidized madrassas. While guests enjoy the $5,000 per night rooms in Burj Al-Arab, Dubai's celebrated sail-shaped hotel, working-class Cairenes riot in the streets over the unaffordable price of bread.
4. Can Markets Enfranchise the Poor?
Emissions optimists, of course, will smile at all the gloom-and-doom and evoke the coming miracle of carbon trading. What they discount is the real possibility that a sprawling carbon-offset market may emerge, just as predicted, yet produce only minimal improvement in the global carbon balance sheet, as long as there is no mechanism for enforcing real net reductions in fossil fuel use.
In popular discussions of emissions-rights trading systems, it is common to mistake the smokestacks for the trees. For example, the wealthy oil enclave of Abu Dhabi (like Dubai, a partner in the United Arab Emirates) brags that it has planted more than 130 million trees–each of which does its duty in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, this artificial forest in the desert also consumes huge quantities of irrigation water produced, or recycled, from expensive desalination plants. The trees may allow Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed to wear a halo at international meetings, but the rude fact is that they are an energy-intensive beauty strip, like most of so-called green capitalism. And, while we're at it, let's just ask: What if the buying and selling of carbon credits and pollution offsets fails to turn down the thermostat? What exactly will motivate governments and global industries then to join hands in a crusade to reduce emissions through regulation and taxation?
Kyoto-type climate diplomacy assumes that all the major actors, once they have accepted the science in the IPCC reports, will recognize an overriding common interest in gaining control over the runaway greenhouse effect. But global warming is not War of the Worlds, where invading Martians are dedicated to annihilating all of humanity without distinction. Climate change, instead, will initially produce dramatically unequal impacts across regions and social classes. It will reinforce, not diminish, geopolitical inequality and conflict.
As the United Nations Development Program emphasized in its report last year, global warming is above all a threat to the poor and the unborn, the "two constituencies with little or no political voice." Coordinated global action on their behalf thus presupposes either their revolutionary empowerment (a scenario not considered by the IPCC) or the transmutation of the self-interest of rich countries and classes into an enlightened "solidarity" without precedent in history. From a rational-actor perspective, the latter outcome only seems realistic if it can be shown that privileged groups possess no preferential "exit" option, that internationalist public opinion drives policy-making in key countries, and that greenhouse gas mitigation could be achieved without major sacrifices in upscale Northern Hemispheric standards of living–none of which seems highly likely.
And what if growing environmental and social turbulence, instead of galvanizing heroic innovation and international cooperation, simply drive elite publics into even more frenzied attempts to wall themselves off from the rest of humanity? Global mitigation, in this unexplored but not improbable scenario, would be tacitly abandoned (as, to some extent, it already has been) in favor of accelerated investment in selective adaptation for Earth's first-class passengers. We're talking here of the prospect of creating green and gated oases of permanent affluence on an otherwise stricken planet.
Of course, there will still be treaties, carbon credits, famine relief, humanitarian acrobatics, and perhaps the full-scale conversion of some European cities and small countries to alternative energy. But the shift to low-, or zero-emission lifestyles would be almost unimaginably expensive. (In Britain, it currently costs $200,000 more to build a zero-carbon, "level 6" eco-home than a standard unit of the same area.) And this will certainly become even more unimaginable after perhaps 2030, when the convergent impacts of climate change, peak oil, peak water, and an additional 1.5 billion people on the planet may begin to seriously throttle growth.
The real question is this: Will rich counties ever mobilize the political will and economic resources to actually achieve IPCC targets or, for that matter, to help poorer countries adapt to the inevitable, already "committed" quotient of warming now working its way toward us through the slow circulation of the world ocean?
To be more vivid: Will the electorates of the wealthy nations shed their current bigotry and walled borders to admit refugees from predicted epicenters of drought and desertification like the Maghreb, Mexico, Ethiopia, and Pakistan? Will Americans, the most miserly people when measured by per capita foreign aid, be willing to tax themselves to help relocate the millions likely to be flooded out of densely settled, mega-delta regions like Bangladesh?
Market-oriented optimists, once again, will point to carbon offset programs like the Clean Development Mechanism which, they claim, will allow green capital to flow to the Third World. Most of the Third World, however, probably prefers for the First World to acknowledge the environmental mess it has created and take responsibility for cleaning it up. They rightly rail against the notion that the greatest burden of adjustment to the Anthropocene epoch should fall on those who have contributed least to carbon emissions and drawn the slightest benefits from 200 years of industrialization.
In a sobering study recently published in the Proceedings of the [US] National Academy of Science, a research team has attempted to calculate the environmental costs of economic globalization since 1961 as expressed in deforestation, climate change, over-fishing, ozone depletion, mangrove conversion and agricultural expansion. After making adjustments for relative cost burdens, they found that the richest countries, by their activities, had generated 42 percent of environmental degradation across the world, while shouldering only 3 percent of the resulting costs.
The radicals of the South will rightly point to another debt as well. For thirty years, cities in the developing world have grown at breakneck speed without any equivalent public investment in infrastructure services, housing, or public health. In large part this has been the result of foreign debts contracted by dictators, payments enforced by the International Monetary Fund and public sectors wrecked by the World Bank's "structural adjustment" agreements.
This planetary deficit of opportunity and social justice is captured in the fact that more than one billion people, according to UN-Habitat, currently live in slums and that their number is expected to double by 2030. An equal number, or more, forage in the so-called informal sector (a first-world euphemism for mass unemployment). Sheer demographic momentum, meanwhile, will increase the world's urban population by 3 billion people over the next forty years (9 percent of them in poor cities), and no one–absolutely no one–has a clue how a planet of slums, with growing food and energy crises, will accommodate their biological survival, much less their inevitable aspirations to basic happiness and dignity.
If this seems unduly apocalyptic, consider that most climate models project impacts that will uncannily reinforce the present geography of inequality. One of the pioneer analysts of the economics of global warming, Petersen Institute fellow William R. Cline, recently published a country-by-country study of the likely effects of climate change on agriculture by the later decades of this century. Even in the most optimistic simulations, the agricultural systems of Pakistan (a 20 percent decrease from current farm output predicted) and Northwestern India (a 30 percent decrease) are likely to be devastated, along with much of the Middle East, the Maghreb, the Sahel belt, Southern Africa, the Caribbean and Mexico. Twenty-nine developing countries will lose 20 percent or more of their current farm output to global warming, while agriculture in the already rich north is likely to receive, on average, an 8 percent boost.


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Tag Archives: Leonard Bernstein
By René Spencer Saller ¶ Posted in classical, Program Notes, Rants and Appreciations ¶ Tagged Leonard Bernstein ¶ 2 Comments
God on Trial
by René Spencer Saller
According to Jewish tradition, mourners recite the Kaddish to prove that they still praise God, even in their grief. Although the title for his third symphony explicitly refers to the Jewish prayer for the dead, Bernstein's Kaddish focuses on the living. More specifically, it deals with our need to find meaning in an absurd and indifferent universe. In the emotionally fraught original text that shapes this dramatic narrative, Bernstein's speaker and stand-in hectors God, who remains maddeningly silent; after much pleading and recrimination, the speaker eventually finds, if not peace, at least a way to go on.
In Judaism, arguing with God is a time-honored tradition. From the Old Testament's Job to the American poet Allen Ginsberg (whose Beat epic Kaddish, dedicated to his late mother, had appeared a few years earlier), Jews had been taking the Creator to task for thousands of years. Although Bernstein expected that his Kaddish would be controversial, this challenging and underrated symphony left audience members and critics more perplexed than outraged. The score presented various difficulties, mostly owing to its outsize ambition. It juxtaposed a crisis of faith with an underlying faith in humanity; it dramatized the dream of peace in a world of strife as a struggle between harmony and dissonance. As the music shifts from sublime melodies to unsettling 12-tone excursions, the narrator accuses, negotiates, and consoles.
Written for a large orchestra, a full mixed choir, a boys' choir, a soprano soloist, and a narrator, Kaddish asks tough existential questions and doesn't settle for pat or reductive answers. Even though it is nominally a prayer for the dead, it never mentions death at all. Instead, it grapples with the human drive toward self-destruction, the elusiveness of faith, the infinite ways we betray and redeem one another. In English, Hebrew, Aramaic, and an even greater number of musical languages, the symphony builds a Babel, a welter of voices. Our civilization remakes itself in crisis; out of the welter of voices comes a fragile, tentative hope. The final movement ends with a resolution, but it's an uneasy one. Whereas a conventional Christian Requiem would end on a note of triumph, Bernstein's Kaddish closes with a dissonant, suspense-laden chord.
Bernstein was finishing up the scoring of Kaddish on November 22, 1963, when the U.S. President, whom he not only supported but considered a friend, was assassinated in downtown Dallas. Stunned and grief-stricken, he dedicated the symphony "to the beloved memory of John F. Kennedy." A few weeks later, in Tel Aviv, Bernstein led the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in the world premiere. A month after that, he conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the U.S. premiere, with his spoken text recited by his wife, Felicia Montealegre. Dissatisfied with the recitation's excessive length, he revised the work in 1977 and recorded it for the Deutsche Grammophon label. In 1981, he conducted a performance of Kaddish in Rome, where the Pope, who had recently survived an assassination attempt, was in attendance. In 1985, Bernstein led the European Community Youth Orchestra in a performance to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Do yourself a favor and track down the Youtube video. By the final movement, the Maestro's face is wet with tears.
Copyright 2015 by René Spencer Saller
Bernstein and Orff
By René Spencer Saller ¶ Posted in Music Writing, Program Notes ¶ Tagged Bramwell Tovey, Carl Orff, Leonard Bernstein, St. Louis Symphony, St. Louis Symphony Chorus ¶ 2 Comments
This weekend guest conductor Bramwell Tovey leads the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Chorus in Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
If you can't make it to the live concert at Powell Hall tonight, tune in at 8 PM CST to St. Louis Public Radio. That's FM 90.7 for those of you in the broadcast range, or you can follow the livestream here:
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/#stream/0
My program notes can be read on the SLSO website, in the Plan Your Visit section, but here's a somewhat longer version for those who enjoy extraneous details.
BernsteinOrff


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Published — January 5, 2012 Updated — May 19, 2014 at 12:19 pm ET
Romney PAC gave trash-talking rival Santorum $10K donation in 2006
Romney sought alliance with embattled senator prior to presidential race
Aaron Mehta
Josh Israel
Rick Santorum says Mitt Romney is a "bland, boring, career politician who will lose to Barack Obama" — talk about an ingrate.
Santorum's criticism came despite his acceptance of a $10,000 contribution in 2006 from a political action committee controlled by Romney.
Romney's "Commonwealth PAC" sent then-Sen. Santorum the donation in an attempt to gain support among leading conservatives ahead of Romney's 2008 presidential campaign. At the time, Santorum was locked in a tough re-election battle in Pennsylvania.
Santorum finished a mere eight votes behind the GOP frontrunner in the Iowa Republican presidential caucuses Tuesday and is hoping to keep up his unexpected momentum. Santorum made the comment in a recent fundraising solicitation.
Santorum threw his support behind Romney in 2008 — an endorsement he has since tried to walk back, defending it as a move to stop the nomination of Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the eventual GOP nominee.
In a dizzying twist, McCain joined Romney Wednesday to announce his support for the former Massachusetts governor. McCain's appearance was notable, given how acrimonious things were between the two men during the 2008 campaign.
And speaking of McCain, "Winning our Future," a so-called "super PAC" supporting the candidacy of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, has gone negative — sort of. Despite Gingrich's past exhortation to his supporters that they stay positive, the group featured "A Tale of Two Mitts," a McCain ad from 2008 mocking Romney for his flip-flopping on abortion and gun rights.
Winning Our Future, not to be confused with the pro-Romney "Restore Our Future," has not released a list of donors, nor will it be required to until the end of the month. Super PACs can raise unlimited amounts from corporations, individuals and labor unions and use the funds to elect or defeat candidates.
The contribution may have gotten Santorum to take Romney's side, albeit temporarily, but it didn't help much in the election. Santorum was thumped by now U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, his Democratic opponent, by 17 points.
John Dunbar contributed to this report.
Read more in Money and Democracy
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With recall looming, the controversial Republican is back in the spotlight
Casino mogul's $5 million check to pro-Gingrich group a harbinger of GOP help to come
Vegas billionaire may double down on GOP


From the full circle department: Lovers of the sound and experience of good ole vinyl records at the highest level, and who might have an extra, oh, $10,000 or $20,000 or so lying around, will want to check out the new Technics Reference Class SL-1000R/SP-10R turntable that will be available shortly.
Scarsdale, N.Y. audio/video specialty store Value Electronics staged a retail sneak peek for the new turntable Saturday, One of the first Technics SL-1000R units was presented to anxious fans, many of whom had heard the legend of the old pro-grade SP-10 that is now updated as the reissued SP-10R, the core of the SL-1000R.
Pictured at top: Technics' Bill Voss (left) and Value Electronics' Robert Zohn.
To clarify, the SP-10R is only the direct-drive turntable motor system with a platter on top, minus the tonearm and a plinth on which to mount it.
The Technics SL-1000R is the full turntable system, with the new SP-10R at its heart and a classic pro-grade S-shaped Technics tonearm, both mounted to a matching plinth. Connected by wire is a separate power supply, off-loaded from the turntable to ensure no vibration or interference leaks through.
The suggested retail price for SP-10R is $9,999. The Technic SL-1000R will run $17,999.
Robert Zohn, proprietor of Value Electronics, said he will be delivering Technic's first SP-10R that will be coming into the United States on Friday.
Like the SP-10 of the Seventies, the fully assembled system presents amazing performance specifications including bat-level low wow, flutter and rumble (signal-to-noise) performance from Panasonic/Technics' long-acclaimed direct-drive technology.
The SP-10R has .015% wow and flutter, and a -92 dB signal to noise ratio or rumble. One of the ways they achieved this in the past was to develop a massive platter and a motor that was so strong that folklore began that a person could virtually stand on it and turn.
Voss said the new design in the SL-1000R/SP-10R includes a coreless direct drive motor designed to address the so-called "cogging effect" that makers of belt-drive turntables pointed out was an audible effect produced by micro vibrations in direct drive motors. The effect results from the momentary shift in polarity between the north and south poles of the magnets used in the motor and platter of the direct-drive system.
Technics has long disputed that such a "cogging effect" is audible in its higher-end turntables, which have 11 pound platters and the like, but it developed a system around the new coreless motor that mutes the "micro vibrations," perceived or otherwise, to take away any possible doubt in an audiophile's (or competitor's) head.
The latest upgrade also includes the use of the newly designed aforementioned high-torque coreless direct-drive motor with twin rotars, 18 instead of nine stator coils in two levels, a high-quality bearing, a 7kg (almost 15.5 pounds) brass, rubber and aluminum platter and Blu-ray circuitry to precisely control the speed and pitch. Gone is the use of old fashioned Quartz PLL used back in the turntable hey days.
The new turntable continues to have a separate power supply from the turntable to keep any chance of interference to absolute minimum.
Voss said a key change in the current models is the redesigned dual level 18 stator coils that are shifted 60 degrees offset.
If that's not enough, Voss said that where the center spindle goes into the motor Technics has placed a lubricant bath and a unique plastic bearing to further minimize friction that might create wear or sound.
For the in-store demo, Voss and Value Electronics set up a $100,000 Technics reference stereo system consisting of an SE-R1 High Resolution amplifer, SU-R1 Network Player/Preamp and SE-R1 High Resolution loudspeakers, along with the SL-1000R outfitted with a third-party moving-coil cartridge.
For the test, Voss used a range of vinyl records selected from his personal library, including an only recently opened copy of a Gerry Mulligan LP sealed since the Fifties, and a few favorites from the audience. The sound from each sample was beautifully flat, full and yet lacking any hint of shrillness in the highs that can mar CD performances.
For good or bad–depending on which side of the vinyl you sit–the system also reproduced the surface noise of the record including the occasional pop and click that true record enthusiasts relish, But they seemed much less annoying than I remembered. I guess that's where $17,999 and 30 years will bring you: right back where we started.