Some high school football teams have yet to find 10 opponents for the 2017 season. Some schools have seen longtime rivalries end, at least for now.
The cause seems to be the new formula for making the FHSAA football playoffs: a points system that seeks to prevent losing teams from making the postseason bracket while rewarding districts with more than two winning teams.
The new rules require teams to play at least eight games to make the postseason, but teams with winning traditions have had trouble finding opponents in a time of transition to a new formula.
"I don't think anybody is going to know the right (scheduling) formula until after this year," Cocoa head coach John Wilkinson said. "I think people are more worried about getting wins. People that want to challenge themselves are still going to challenge themselves. People that want to slip into the playoffs are still going to try to slip into the playoffs."
In the experience of some coaches, that has resulted in schools loading up on more beatable opponents.
"The new playoff format has seemingly done away with rivalry games and local games that might produce a larger gate," Palm Bay coach Dan Burke said. "Coaches would rather rent a charter bus and travel two hours in hopes of gaining valuable playoff points."
The playoff formula awards points based on winning or losing and based on the opponent's record.
One attempt to encourage challenging games is the reward of three points for playing teams that made the playoffs in either of the last two seasons. Wilkinson, who only recently found a 10th opponent, said even that rule can be skirted a bit.
"To me, it seems like if you're going to try to find a playoff team, you're going to find a 5-5 team that made the playoffs, instead of a state champion."
Palm Bay lost games against long-time rivals Melbourne and Bayside. Those not only settled neighborhood rivalries but typically sold more tickets than many other games on any of the teams' schedules.
"The addition of a charter expense with the loss of a large gate a local game brings means schools will lose money," Burke said. His Pirates won't face a Brevard County team until the third week of the season. "The fans, parents, alumni, band and cheerleaders also lose the opportunity to enjoy the neighborhood rivalries they have heard about growing up or used to enjoy on a weekly basis."
While Cocoa has been working for years to add out-of-area and even out-of-state games against strong opposition to its schedule, Wilkinson was only able to find two area opponents for 2017.
New Astronaut head football coach Justin Worden will lead his War Eagles into action against an opponent for the first time Tuesday as the spring football game season opens at Melbourne High.
The two Brevard opponents will meet at 6 p.m. at Tom McIntyre Stadium, the first of 10 games involving local teams and the only Tuesday game.
Three games will follow Wednesday, two Friday and one on Saturday. The final three games — one actually a three-team jamboree at Heritage, including Viera — will be on May 24.


MS14-030 RDP MAC Vulnerability CVE-2014-0296 3 - Exploit code unlikely 3 - Exploit code unlikely Not applicable This is a tampering vulnerability.
MS14-031 TCP Denial of Service Vulnerability CVE-2014-1811 3 - Exploit code unlikely 3 - Exploit code unlikely Permanent This is a denial of service vulnerability.
MS14-032 Lync Server Content Sanitization Vulnerability CVE-2014-1823 3 - Exploit code unlikely 3 - Exploit code unlikely Not applicable This is an information disclosure vulnerability.
MS14-033 MSXML Entity URI Vulnerability CVE-2014-1816 3 - Exploit code unlikely 3 - Exploit code unlikely Not applicable This is an information disclosure vulnerability.
MS14-035 Internet Explorer Memory Corruption Vulnerability CVE-2014-1770 2 - Exploit code would be difficult to build 1 - Exploit code likely Not applicable This vulnerability has been publicly disclosed.
MS14-035 TLS Server Certificate Renegotiation Vulnerability CVE-2014-1771 3 - Exploit code unlikely 3 - Exploit code unlikely Not applicable This is an information disclosure vulnerability.
MS14-035 Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability CVE-2014-1777 3 - Exploit code unlikely 3 - Exploit code unlikely Not applicable This is an information disclosure vulnerability.
MS14-036 Unicode Scripts Processor Vulnerability CVE-2014-1817 1 - Exploit code likely 1 - Exploit code likely Not applicable This exploitability assessment is for affected Microsoft Windows software.
MS14-036 Unicode Scripts Processor Vulnerability CVE-2014-1817 Not affected 1 - Exploit code likely Not applicable This exploitability assessment is for affected Microsoft Office software.
MS14-036 Unicode Scripts Processor Vulnerability CVE-2014-1817 1 - Exploit code likely 1 - Exploit code likely Not applicable This exploitability assessment is for affected Microsoft Lync software.
MS14-036 GDI+ Image Parsing Vulnerability CVE-2014-1818 3 - Exploit code unlikely 1 - Exploit code likely Permanent This exploitability assessment is for affected Microsoft Windows software.
This is a denial of service vulnerability on latest software.
MS14-036 GDI+ Image Parsing Vulnerability CVE-2014-1818 Not affected 1 - Exploit code likely Not applicable This exploitability assessment is for affected Microsoft Office software.
MS14-036 GDI+ Image Parsing Vulnerability CVE-2014-1818 1 - Exploit code likely 1 - Exploit code likely Permanent This exploitability assessment is for affected Microsoft Lync software.
V1.0 (June 10, 2014): Bulletin summary published.
V1.1 (June 17, 2014): For MS14-035, added an Exploitability Assessment in the Exploitability Index for CVE-2014-2782. This is an informational change only.


San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) 2019 attendees purchased their badges last fall, and have been waiting ever since for the lottery to allocate discounted hotel rooms, popularly known as 'Hotelpocalypse'. There are usually far more attendees who want to stay in downtown San Diego/the Gaslamp than available rooms, and as such, competition for those rooms is intense. OnPeak, the company that runs the hotel lottery, has announced that the submission date for SDCC 2019 will be on Thursday, April 11 at 9:00 am Pacific time. A waiting room will open up at 8:00 am Pacific time, and at 9:00 am everyone in the waiting room will be slowly funneled through to a request form. The link to the waiting room should be emailed to all registered attendees approximately 24 hours before the sale takes place.
The results of the lottery will be sent out in 2 batches: one on April 16 and one on April 23. All attendees will be notified (even if they were not allocated a room) by April 29.
While many attendees panic about Hotelpocalypse, it is important to remember that everyone who wants a room will have a room. There are always hotels available in Mission Valley and other places (out of downtown) on the shuttle routes. While many attendees prefer a downtown experience, everyone will have a place to sleep. Even those who are not initially allocated a room through the lottery will have the chance to book rooms after the entries is processed and OnPeak opens up the remaining hotel inventory to all.
More information about SDCC hotels, including a list of the hotels participating in the lottery, can be found on CCI's website.
Are you nervously awaiting the SDCC 2019 hotel lottery? Join the conversation on the FoCC forums!


When the time comes that you need to locate a Long Beach roofing contractor, will you know who to call on? Don't feel bad the average homeowner doesn't take the time to familiarize themselves with a roofing pro. They wait until emergency repair needs pop up and then try to distinguish which company would be best for them.
Being prepared means not making mistakes or bad judgment calls. It also means knowing that Magnum Contracting Group would be the perfect company to trust in, for your roofing service needs. We take this field of work seriously and that is clear from the customer satisfaction rating we have. Now, we look forward to working with you and providing you with the service that you need.
Your roof is as important to your home as the foundation and walls, if not more so. This is because it is your rooftop that protects the rest of the structure, including the people and possessions inside. Give us a call today in order to find out more about what we can do for you.
What many people do not realize is that there are a number of reasons your roof may end up needing repairs, some of which are preventable.
While trees make a great addition to your landscaping, they have to be kept in check. Trimming and pruning will avoid overhang and overgrowth. The threat trees pose is tearing at the singles or falling when one breaks.
Lack of roof maintenance is another issue, and one that can be avoided. Make it a point to get service and regular inspections, in order to prevent unnecessary repair needs.
Shoddy installation is something you don't want to deal with and could be easily avoided. Make it a point to only work with a reputable industry expert, in order to get the best in installation services.
Unfortunately, getting inferior repairs done is just as bad as having improper installation in the first place. You hire someone and think they did okay work, only to find out your repair work needs repair work.
The bottom line is that you need repairs taken care of in a timely manner, and handled by established experts.
Magnum Contracting Group, your Long Beach roofer, is the local leading service provider for roof replacements, as well. You can expect long term success with a roofing system that we install or replace for you. So give us a call today in order to get started on whatever roofing project you have a need for.
If you are looking for a professional Long Beach roofing contractor then please call 516-277-2300 or complete our online request form.


A typical snow bow from the Upper Owens!
Very solid up here and the latest storm will definitely move more fish into the river. This has been the norm here with each passing storm. The snowbows have continued to push up river and congregate in the usual holding areas. The river is different from previous years, in that not all the usual areas are holding fish. We are finding new fish in some areas where they would never hold before. Covering water and knowing these zones will get you into them. It will get messy here soon with the new snowfall in the area. Be careful when driving in and out. There have been huge mud puddles on the access roads prior to the storms and many vehicles have required assistance getting un-stuck during the melt off periods. 6mm Otter Eggs in Tangerine Opaque, Kiwi Flash, Dead Egg, and Apricot, #14-16 San Juan worm red, #14-16 Level Crystal Leeches, #14-16 Parallel Assassin Dark and Light, and #16 Broken Back Copper Tiger Midge are lighting up the fish!
Owens River - Middle: Producing Some Decent Wild Browns.
Hot Creek: Flows Now at 7 cfs.
Pyramid Lake: Lots of Fish Moving in Tighter to the Beach.


text:
Волфганг Валтер Бектъл () е немски журналист, преводач и писател на юношеска литература. Пише под псевдонима Волф Дуриан ().

Биография и творчество
Волфганг Бектъл е роден на 19 октомври 1892 г. в Щутгарт, Германия. От малък обича приключенските романи и още на 13 г. се е опитал да избяга в Америка като пътник без билет, но в Антверпен е хванат и върнат в къщи.

След завършването на гимназията изпълнява мечтата си и заминава за Америка. Там работи като мияч на чинии, дървосекач в Монтана, градинар в Айдахо, коубой и пощенски служител в Мексико. Завръща се в Германия и следва немски език и зоология. След дипломирането си в началото на 20-те работи като преводач и редактор на научно-популярното списание списания "Cosmos" в Щутгарт. От 1924 г. е главен редактор на берлинското детско списание "Der heitere Fridolin", издание за "спорт, игри, забавления и приключения".

Списанието се нуждае от вълнуваща детска история, с която се заема Волфганг Бектъл. Първото му и най-популярно произведение е "Момчето от сандъка". Първоначално е публикувано като серия в списание "Der heitere Fridolin", а през 1926 г. и като самостоятелно издание. Още с началните публикации историята има огромен успех и става бестселър. Тя има две филмови екранизации през 1960 г. и 1988 г. По време на нацизма е романът забранен поради проамериканската си насоченост.

След 1945 г. работи в ежедневниците "Рундшау" и "Берлинер Цайтунг", където пише под псевдонима Фридолин.

Волфганг Бектъл е автор на множество книги, които са преведени на няколко езика. Повечето от тях са на приключенски теми със силен биографичен елемент и разказват за любовта към природата, за животните, и за чуждите страни.

Синът му Волфганг Бектъл е писател и фотограф-натуралист, а дъщеря му Сибил Дуриан – детска писателка и сценарист.

Волфганг Бектъл умира на 8 ноември 1969 г. в Берлин, Германия.

Произведения
 Момчето от сандъка, Kai aus der Kiste (1924, 1926)
 Stabusch (1928)
 Mein Ferienbuch (1929)
 Die Hand durchs Fenster (1930)
 Малкия цар на ..., Auf, nach der Kokosinsel! (1930, 1934)
 "Achtung! Großaufnahme!" Ursula dreht einen Film. Ein lustiges Buch für Mädel (1935)
 Die lieben Tiere (1937)
 Infanterieregiment Grossdeutschland greift an. Die Geschichte eines Sieges (1942)
 Der kleine Gustav (1948) – с илюстрации от Алберт Шьофер
 Der See im Glas. Ein Aquariumbuch für Jung und Alt (1951)
 Eliza und die Seeräuber (1953)
 Робър, Robber (1955) – с илюстрации от Ханс Бетке
 Lumberjack. Abenteuer in den Wäldern Nordamerikas (1956) – с илюстрации от Рупрехт Халер, издадена и като "Ich war im wilden Westen"
 Der Salamanderklub (1957) – с илюстрации от Рупрехт Халер
 Die Glühköpfe (1961) – с илюстрации от Рупрехт Халер
 Erzähl von deinen Tieren (1963) – с илюстрации от Ханс Балцер
 100 Tiere von A bis Z (1966) – с илюстрации от Райнер Зайгер
 Fangt den Seeräuber Bonito (1967) – с илюстрации от Герхард Гощман
 Mister Kong (1968) – с илюстрации от Герхард Рапус
 Kleine Tiere in der großen Stadt (1970) – с илюстрации от Ерхард Шрайер
 Der Mann im Biberbau. Die Abenteuer des Jägers John Colter (1973) – с редакцията на Сибил Дуриан

Издадени в България
 Малкия цар на ... (1933)
 Момчето от сандъка (1946)
 Робър (1964)

Преводи
 Ърнест Томпсън Ситън: Rolf, der Trapper (1920)
 Ърнест Томпсън Ситън: Wilde Tiere zu Hause (1920)
 Едгар Алън По: Събрани съчинения (1922) – с други преводачи

Източници

  Биография и библиография в "Dressler"
  Библиография в Немската национална библиотека
  Биография в "Operamgil"

Външни препратки

Германски писатели
Германски детски писатели
Родени в Щутгарт
Починали в Берлин
Родени на 19 октомври
Починали на 8 ноември

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text:
SURFLANT hosts CMC Training Symposium
NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES
Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Josue Escobosa
Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic
NORFOLK, Va. – Aiming to improve leadership and increase ship readiness across the surface force, Naval Surface Force Atlantic (SURFLANT), hosted a Waterfront Command Master Chief (CMC) Training Symposium here, Nov. 12.
Designed to inform senior enlisted leadership about the importance of interpersonal relationships and available programs across the surface force, nearly 30 CMCs shared lessons learned and ideas during the training.
"This symposium is the first of its kind and is meant to give relevant training to SURFLANT's top enlisted leadership," said Force Master Chief Jack Callison. "It was a great opportunity for our waterfront CMCs to express their views and insights in a forum-based training environment. I am looking forward to future symposiums, continually providing our leadership with up-to-date information and resources they can use to keep our Sailors informed."
"Leadership is a skill set," said Command Master Chief (CMDCM) Larry Linton, Fleet Chief Petty Officer Training Team Lead. "If we don't train and refresh our leaders, it's a skill set that can diminish over time. It's important that we come in and train and talk to our leaders about how we can improve."
The event included a number of topics intended to reinforce and refresh waterfront leaders regarding programs available to ships and their Sailors, such as 3-M, Navy Center for Language, and new Common Support Directorate procedures.
"There was some good information on a variety of things: 3-M, ethics, leadership; it was all pretty invaluable," said CMDCM Micheal Andreen from USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98). "I got a lot of good contacts from this, other CMCs and program leads to help my ship improve."
The training also addressed the importance of ethics, "Sailorization" and leadership relationships. The speakers focused on the importance of taking care of Sailors and leaders taking care of themselves, and programs available to provide assistance.
"Having just come back from deployment a couple of weeks ago, stress is high and there are definitely areas and topics that need to be addressed," Andreen continued. "I felt the training pointed me in the right direction to help with a lot of the stressors associated with coming home. Suicide prevention is an ever-important subject, especially in a time where stress is high and thankfully, it was one of the areas covered today."
"We saw a need to get the CMCs together, get on the same page and hopefully, we can get many of them together once a quarter," said CMDCM Scott Kelley, SURFLANT CMC. "We focus so much on training our Sailors and sort of forget it's just as important to train ourselves."
Story ID: 182205
Location: NORFOLK, VA, US
This work, SURFLANT hosts CMC Training Symposium, by PO1 Josue Escobosa, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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Thank you for your interest in Texas Custom Turf! Please contact us with any questions or submit the below form to learn more about our products and services. We look forward to providing you with a beautiful solution to all of your grass needs!
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In recent years, food deserts and food waste has become an important topic in America. Across the United States, 17 million children come from food insecure homes while 40% of food is wasted. In Nebraska, food comprises 17% of Nebraska's municipal waste stream; making it the third largest contributor to landfill waste in the state and first in Omaha (Partners 2017). Food deserts are still prevalent in Omaha, Nebraska; 20% of children in Nebraska are at risk for hunger. Food deserts can be avoided with the reduction of food waste, by donating instead of wasting. This study intends to shed light about food deserts and food waste in Omaha.
There are five themes for "Food Deserts and Food Waste Project." The themes are that low-income areas of Omaha have the most fast-food restaurants and the unhealthiest food options, the healthiest food is in West Omaha, there is a lack of transparency from grocery stores on food waste policies, food deserts in Omaha, and fewest grocery stores in low income areas. The low-income areas in Omaha are North, East, and South Omaha, with the most affluent area being West Omaha. There is a correlation between median household income and a disproportionate number of unhealthy food options. To understand the themes further, analysis of each section of Omaha—North, South, East (which is mostly included as part of North Omaha), and West was performed.
The data included the amount of grocery stores, fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and dine-in restaurants. A comparison was conducted on how each of these sections contained different choices for fast food, restaurants, and grocery stores by using Google Maps. This data was used to show different relation to food accessibility between low income and the more affluent areas.
To understand food waste, the organization Saving Grace was used. The data on their website was Omaha specific. They also show a list of donators and other research articles and videos displaying food waste and food deserts in Omaha Nebraska. Online articles from different news venues in Omaha were also used to display food deserts.
North and South Omaha are known to be low-income areas as opposed to West Omaha which is much more affluent. A 2015 census showed that North Omaha (which includes North Eastern Omaha) has a median income of $42,483. A 2010 census showed that South Omaha had a medium household income of $49,576. Both median incomes are significantly lower than the median income of the entire city of Omaha, which is $51,407. This is juxtaposed to West Omaha, which has a median income of $72,731 (Anon 2014).
Data was collected from the four regions of Omaha by viewing Google Maps, fast food restaurants were researched, varied information was found for each region. North Omaha offered most of its fast food options along 72nd street, a heavily traveled street in Omaha which is very accessible. A myriad of options are available: McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, Panda Express, Taco Bell among many others.
East Omaha seems to have the highest number of fast food restaurants, as it occupies East Dodge Street. This is the most heavily traveled street in Omaha which goes from downtown to West Omaha, so it is very convenient for people to impulsively choose fast food restaurants over other options. There are many dine-in restaurants located in the Old Market, but these are significantly more expensive than fast food places. South Omaha also has many fast food restaurants, but these are mostly located along the interstate, which appeals to passersby. There are quite a few dine-in restaurants, but these do not necessarily provide healthy options.
West Omaha has the lowest number of fast food restaurants. Although, there are quite a few fast food places along the interstate, these are not necessarily located in residential areas. West Omaha also provided the highest number of dine-in restaurants with healthier options on the menu.
There is a clear distinction between the types of food that are readily accessible in more affluent areas than what is accessible in low-income areas. Grocery stores are the healthiest options for families. Grocery stores allow people to decide the healthiest ways of preparing foods; deducing that areas with a high number of grocery stores will have healthier residents. It can also be said that these areas would be least likely be considered food desserts. In Omaha, the wealthiest area is considered West Omaha. The lower income areas are North, East, and South Omaha areas.
Starting with South Omaha, there were a total of 11 grocery stores. This portion of Omaha had barely any major chain grocery stores; stores like Baker's and Hy-vee. Many of the grocery stores were independently owned. Some of the stores had small produce sections or limited organic items. Some grocery stores in the areas were La Guera, Jacob's Grocery, Amigos Market, El Caribe Grocery store, etc. The major supermarkets were Family Fare, Aldi, and Walmart Neighborhood Market. In North Omaha, there were 18 grocery stores found. The makeup of these grocery stores is like what was found in South Omaha. There were more independently owned grocery stores than major chain grocery stores. There is still a limited selection seen in these grocery stores; having small produce sections and limited organic selections (Soderlin 2015). However, in the Benson area of North Omaha which is close to Central Omaha, there were two health markets. These two markets are called Jane's Health Market and Daddy's Neighborhood Fresh Market. Some of the independent grocery stores found are J-N-J Grocery store, J-N-D Grocery store, Phil's Foodway, Asian Family Market, Chubb's Food, etc. The chain grocery stores seen in this area are Baker's, Aldi, Walmart Supercenter, and Family Fare. Finally, in East Omaha there were 13 grocery stores. In this area, the ratio of chain to independent grocery stores is even. There are more chain grocery stores in East Omaha than in North and South Omaha. There is also a Hy-Vee in this area which was not seen in the other two regions. The selections in the independent grocery stores are the same as in North and South. Of all the low-income regions, the most common thing about them is that each had more fast food restaurants then grocery stores. Dine-in restaurants were also higher in these areas.
Moving to the most affluent areas of the Omaha which is the western region. When looking at the grocery stores in this area, there is a correlation to the topic of the healthiest food being in the most affluent neighborhoods. There were 30 grocery stores found in this area, with more chain grocery stores then independently owned. The major difference in this area is that the independently owned stores have better selection of foods. These independent stores include Natural Grocers, Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market, and Farm Fresh Market. These stores have greater produce selections and organic selections than those seen in the lower income regions. West Omaha also has a Whole Foods and a Trader Joes which is not seen in any of the lower income regions. These two grocery stores offer the healthiest options out of all grocery stores, and they are only located in West Omaha.
While researching food accessibility in Omaha, there were areas found that classified as food deserts. Many of the low-income areas has spatial orientation that would suggest poor accessibility to healthy foods. Supermarkets would be the healthiest option for low income neighborhoods, because they offer a variety of foods at an affordable price. "Supermarkets do employ large numbers of people and carry a wide variety of nutritious (and not so nutritious) foods, factors that make them major players in urban food systems and well suited for spatial analysis" (Shannon 2015). Starting with North Omaha, areas such as Benson had a higher density of grocery stores. Although, there are more grocery stores in the area, for residents to access a supermarket they would have to travel at least 1.5 miles. Florence had less grocery stores that are closely clustered together. The highest distances between grocery stores in that areas are 1.7 miles. Surrounding areas around Forest Lawn Funeral Home Memorial Park are seen to have the longest distance from supermarkets. These distances are as far as 2.3 miles to the nearest grocery store. Next, looking at South Omaha grocery stores have more of an even spatial orientation. Distances between grocery stores are under 2 miles. Many neighborhoods can access a supermarket in under a mile. In East Omaha, the closest thing to a supermarket is an Aldi. The closest supermarket is in the Florence area of North Omaha. The distance between the Aldi and Baker's in Florence is 1.6 miles. The distance of surrounding neighborhoods to the Aldi are as high as 1.8 miles. In these areas, fast food chains are more abundant then supermarkets. These areas also have smaller independent markets, but the selections are limited.
Looking at the most affluent area of Omaha, there is a distinct difference in the distances between grocery stores. There are also more supermarkets in this area, and even the independent grocery stores offer the same selection as a super market. The max distance between grocery stores is 1.3 miles. The supermarkets are evenly spread out to accommodate surrounding neighborhoods. West Omaha is not a food desert, there are more healthy options available to residents.
Transparency can be defined as operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. It implies openness, communication, and accountability. Big industrial grocery stores like Walmart and Hy-Vee state that they acknowledge that the U.S. has a food waste problem, and that they are taking drastic measures to deceases the amount of food that ends up in our landfill. Hy-Vee's webpage states that they throw out 20 to 40 percent of produce harvested each year. They are lunching what they call the "Misfits" program that reduces food waste at all levels, from the supply chain to distribution and disposal. Hy-Vee states that they work hand in hand with food donation organization, but through further analysis from Saving Grace Perishable Foods organization under the tab partners, there are only five Hy-Vee's in Omaha that donate food. Hy-Vee appears to be transparent to its customers about food waste and how they address it, but food waste is at the bottom of the barrel when compared to making profit. Also, through further investigation it is found that on the Saving Grace's website, they show a list of partners that all donate food to the organization. The types of partners are Atkin's Natural Food Store, Attitude of Food, Greenberg Fruit, Pizza Ranch in Papillion, Whole Foods, Cheesecake Factory and several others.
Through the data collected using geographical methods, there is distinction of what is accessible to different income brackets. In the lower-income areas, there is less access to healthy food. Lack of healthy food can lead to poor diet choices resulting in bad health. "Higher intakes of fruits and/or vegetables have been found for individuals residing in areas with greater access to supermarkets or other food stores offering healthy options in several, 3–5 but not all, 6–8 studies to date" (Ollberding et al. 2012). The selections of most of these grocery stores were limited with smaller produce sections and little organic options. Many of these independent grocery stores catered to certain ethnicities/races. This was not seen in West Omaha, there were hardly any grocery stores that catered to a certain demographic. It can be said that the lower income neighborhoods are populated by minority groups. "Previous research suggests that neighborhoods in the United States with high concentrations of poverty or of racial/ethnic minorities have lower access to healthy foods and greater access to unhealthy foods, compared with higher income or predominantly White, non-Hispanic neighborhoods" (Cubbin et al. 2012).
Higher income areas are surrounded by healthier options. Even the independent grocery stores in west Omaha offered bigger and better selections on produce and organic foods. There were more chain grocery stores present in West Omaha, showing that affluent neighborhoods have more options when buying healthy foods. The health of the population in this region could be significantly better than that of its counterparts. It is evident that grocery stores cater to the wealthier population to maintain their profit. This can be seen in the substantial amount of grocery stores in West Omaha. The amount of grocery stores almost triples that of South Omaha and doubles that of East Omaha. Low income areas can still be described as food deserts. Although, there is accessible food most of it is unhealthy. These residents cannot easily get fresh fruits and vegetables, they do not have a good selection of organic foods. The fast food in these areas outnumbers the grocery stores. A food desert can exist when there is more accessibility to unhealthy food than healthy food.
Food imbalance is defined as the average distance to any mainstream food venue divided by the average distance to a fringe food venue, in contrast to food balance where the distance to mainstream grocers is roughly the same as the distance to the nearest fast-food establishments (Budzynska et al. 2013). Omaha, Nebraska shows clear indications of food deserts and catering to affluent neighborhoods.
All themes interconnect and can help to create a full picture of the food desert and food waste situation of Omaha. The low-income areas of Omaha are in direct opposition with West Omaha, which has the healthiest food. Organizations in North and South Omaha seem to be vague on their food waste policies, whereas West Omaha seems to have more stores that donate to Saving Grace and other charities. Low-income areas have food deserts to the same degree that more affluent areas of Omaha experience them. Low income areas experience unhealthy food options as they also experience fewest supermarkets.
Many people who live in food deserts are forced to use various modes of transportation in order to obtain all of their nutritional needs. In the article "Beyond the Supermarket," the author notes how people in low-income areas of Minneapolis prefer to shop outside of their area due to perceived superiority of suburban supermarkets. They are often willing to travel a significant distance to do so. The author also speaks to the issue of fast food density among North and South Minneapolis and how they are appealing options to people, stating that "fast food was necessary when cooking at home was either inconvenient or logistically impossible" (Shannon 2015: 198). This is similar to Omaha in that many households are forced to travel outside of their immediate neighborhood in pursuit of healthier food. Many of these families often choose fast food, because it is one of the only places to eat without traveling outside of their food desert.
In another article "Healthy food access for urban food desert residents: examination of the food environment, food purchasing practices, diet and BMI," the authors discuss how significant a role fast food places on an individual's nutrition. They note that "…other data suggest that full-service supermarket access has little to do with diet or obesity and too much access to fast-food outlets and convenience stores, which predominantly sell energy dense, nutrient-poor foods and few healthy alternatives, is what matters for obesity" (Dubowitz 2014: 2227). This is very relevant to the study in Omaha, which is also concerned with the disproportionate number of fast food restaurants in North and South regions. Having such a high number of fast food restaurants is undoubtedly linked to poorer overall health. Throughout this study, low-income neighborhoods have a direct tie to all themes. The transparency of grocery stores is what informs curious customers; gathering truthful and accurate data, or information that relates to food waste and how they handle food waste protocol.
It is evident that a true disparity exists between areas of different median incomes. North and South Omaha, for a variety of reasons, experience a disproportionate number of unhealthy food options that they choose from on a daily basis. These lower-income areas are also more heavily impacted by food deserts, because they have such limited healthy choices.
This study helps to better understand food deserts and food waste in Omaha, Nebraska. Through analysis using Google Maps, it is now evident that there is a significant imbalance on food accessibility. This is directly affected by the median income of a neighborhood. It is also now evident that there is a problem with food waste that needs to be more seriously addressed by restaurants and grocery stores. By examining and understanding this information, the people of Omaha will be better able to solve these issues in the future.
Anon. 2014. "West Omaha Demographics and Statistics." West Omaha Demographics and Statistics . Retrieved April 13, 2017 (http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/NE/Douglas-County/West-Omaha-Demographics.html).
Budzynska, K; et al. 2013. "RESEARCH ARTICLE: Food Availability and the Food Desert Frame in Detroit: An Overview of the City's Food System." Environmental Practice 17(2):102-133.
Cubbin, Catherine; et al. 2012. "Social inequalities in neighborhood conditions: spatial relationships between sociodemographic and food environments in Alameda County, California" Journal Maps, 8(4): 344-348.
"Partners." Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://savinggracefoodrescue.org/partners/>.
"Hy-Vee." Hy-Vee. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <https://www.hy-vee.com/>.
Ollberding, Nicholas J; et al. 2012. "Food Outlet Accessibility and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption." American Journal of Health Promotion, 26(6): 366-370.
Shannon, Jerry. 2015. "Beyond the Supermarket Solution: Linking Food Deserts, Neighborhood Context, and Everyday Mobility." Annals of the American Association of Geographers 106(1):186-202.


text:
/**
 *Module dependencies
 */

var exec = require('child_process').exec
	, spawn = require('child_process').spawn
	, util = require('../utils/util');

/**
 * Expose 'getPsInfo' constructor
 */

module.exports.getPsInfo = getPsInfo;

/**
 * get the process information by command 'ps auxw | grep serverId | grep pid'
 *
 * @param {Object} param
 * @param {Function} callback
 * @api public
 */

function getPsInfo(param, callback) {
	if (process.platform === 'win32') return;
	var pid = param.pid;
	var cmd = "ps auxw | grep " + pid + " | grep -v 'grep'";
	//var cmd = "ps auxw | grep -E '.+?\\s+" + pid + "\\s+'"  ;
	exec(cmd, function(err, output) {
		if (!!err) {
			if (err.code === 1) {
				console.log('the content is null!');
			} else {
				console.error('getPsInfo failed! ' + err.stack);
			}
			callback(err, null);
			return;
		}
    format(param, output, callback);
	});
};

/**
 * convert serverInfo to required format, and the callback will handle the serverInfo
 *
 * @param {Object} param, contains serverId etc
 * @param {String} data, the output if the command 'ps'
 * @param {Function} cb
 * @api private
 */

function format(param, data, cb) {
	var time = util.formatTime(new Date());
	var outArray = data.toString().replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g,"").split(/\s+/);
	var outValueArray = [];
	for (var i = 0; i < outArray.length; i++) {
		if ((!isNaN(outArray[i]))) {
			outValueArray.push(outArray[i]);
		}
	}
	var ps = {};
	ps.time = time;
	ps.serverId = param.serverId;
	ps.serverType = ps.serverId.split('-')[0];
	var pid = ps.pid = param.pid;
	ps.cpuAvg = outValueArray[1];
	ps.memAvg = outValueArray[2];
	ps.vsz = outValueArray[3];
	ps.rss = outValueArray[4];
	outValueArray = [];
	if (process.platform === 'darwin') {
		ps.usr = 0;
		ps.sys = 0;
		ps.gue = 0;
		cb(null, ps);
		return;
	}
	exec('pidstat -p ' + pid, function(err, output) {
		if (!!err) {
			console.error('the command pidstat failed! ', err.stack);
			return;
		}
		var outArray = output.toString().replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g,"").split(/\s+/);
		for (var i = 0; i < outArray.length; i++) {
		  if ((!isNaN(outArray[i]))) {
				outValueArray.push(outArray[i]);
			}
		}
		ps.usr = outValueArray[1];
		ps.sys = outValueArray[2];
		ps.gue = outValueArray[3];

		cb(null, ps);
	});
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Great investment or First-Time Buyer opportunity!
Rare Class D2 Rental. Free Hold.
2 Bed 2 Bath 2 Parking. Secure well maintained building.
4 level backsplit. Desired neighbourhood.
A backyard oasis. Steps to Grand River.
Great family home. Minutes to 401.
Charming century home. Large lot.


Contiweb announces the enlargement of its EMEA sales team as part of an ongoing strategy of diversification and expansion, from the company's traditional heat-set web-offset market into digital inkjet and packaging and label segments. The new sales team has been in effect since January 1st.
Contiweb's invigorated sales team will be led by Rutger Jansen as Sales Director, who has supported sales for the company since 1990, including Director of Sales and Service under Goss Contiweb.
In addition to the reinforced sales team, and as a further testament to their investment in labels and packaging, Rien van Tetering will join the team as Process Manager for Contiweb Thallo. Bringing over 35 years of experience and expertise in flexible packaging, van Tetering will work closely with the sales team to meet Contiweb's goals, and will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to the team, positioned to advise customers with product expertise and more importantly, supporting customers with the smooth implementation of new technologies.
With a complete ancillary offering in heatset web offset, Contiweb has been developing ancillaries for digital inkjet web production since 2014. In collaboration with HP, Contiweb launched a series of unwinder/splicers and rewinders at drupa 2016, designed to be entirely modular to provide customers with an easy path to full automation at either end of the press line. As part of a strategic partnership with DG press ServiceS, Contiweb acquired the intellectual property (IP) of the Thallo web offset packaging press which has been sold worldwide. The Contiweb Thallo easily accommodates flexo, gravure or digital units for hybrid configurations that maximise flexibility and efficiency for packaging producers.


 Beginning Saturday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 4, possession of alcohol is prohibited on the shore and river of the American River within Sacramento County Regional Parks' jurisdiction. The prohibition includes open or closed alcoholic beverages.
County Rangers will also continue to enforce the year-round alcohol restrictions from Paradise Beach to Discovery Park.
All fireworks are prohibited in Regional Parks.
Smoking is only allowed in developed picnic areas, asphalt surfaces, golf courses and on levee tops in the American River Parkway.
Open flame fires are not allowed, and barbequing is only permitted in designated picnic areas.
Life Looks Good On You—and so does a life vest! Before you dive in, put on a life vest. There are borrowing stations along Sacramento's waterways and at local fire stations. Remember, even the strongest swimmer can be pulled under by the strong river currents.
Kids Don't Float—but life vests do. Make sure your child wears a life vest. Sacramento County ordinance requires any child under 13 to wear a life vest before accessing any public waters (Sacramento County Ordinance 13.08.301). Bring a life vest for each of your children to the river.
Rivers are running especially fast and cold this weekend. Sacramento County recommends that people of all ages and abilities use caution when swimming or boating. Visit the Sacramento County's Department of Regional Parks website about water safety tips.
The number of visits to Regional Parks increases dramatically during holiday weekends, which increases the cost to staff and maintain the parks. In order to offset these costs and provide maximum staffing and enforcement, the vehicle entrance fee will increase to $8 for single vehicles and $13 for oversized vehicles and vehicles towing watercraft.
These increases will not affect annual pass holders. Visitors who regularly enjoy County Parks are encouraged to purchase an Annual Parks Pass, not only to save money but to help keep our parks safe and clean.
On September 8th, the Sacramento County Department of Regional Parks will open the Off-Paved Trail Cycling Pilot Program in the Woodlake and Cal Expo areas of the American River Parkway. Mountain bikers will be allowed to ride six miles of unpaved maintenance and fire roads in these areas during a trial period from September 2017 to 2020.
Mountain biking remains prohibited throughout the American River Parkway outside of the Woodlake and Cal Expo areas. The planning for the pilot program began with a public workshop with the American River Parkway Advisory Committee that received public comment and discussion in February 2016.
The purpose of the pilot is to determine whether Off-Paved Trail Cycling can be an appropriate permanent use in the American River Parkway. After the three year trial period and evaluation, this pilot program may be made a permanent use with an Area Plan Map Amendment approved by the Board of Supervisors.
Join us for Opening Day at 9:00 a.m. on September 8th at the Cal Expo Overflow Parking Lot.
To see the original press release from Sacramento County, CLICK HERE.
If you are planning to visit Loney Meadow during September and October, please expect to encounter limited parking and intermittent trail closures for specific sections of the trail around Loney Meadow.
Starting in late August and continuing through October, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and Tahoe National Forest (TNF) will be working to restore stream and wetland habitat across the 50-acre Loney Meadow. This project is part of a joint effort by SYRCL and the TNF to restore meadows within the Yuba River watershed to protect headwater streams that support water quality and supply, as well as wildlife and plant habitat throughout the region.
The Loney Meadow Restoration Project has three main goals: (1) improve plant and wildlife habitat; (2) recharge groundwater; and (3) reduce stream erosion.
This project is being completed in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, SYRCL, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Forest Foundation, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Earthwatch, Nevada County, and UC Davis.
If you are planning to visit the area during September and October, please expect to encounter limited parking and intermittent trail closures for specific sections of the trail around Loney Meadow. Aslo, Bowman Road may be closed for repairs this fall; please check the Tahoe National Forest website for more information (www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe).
For more information on the Loney Meadow Restoration Project, please visit www.yubariver.org or contact: Rachel Hutchinson, Science Director, SYRCL, rachel@syrcl.org or Luke Rutton, Hydrologist, Tahoe National Forest, lrutten@fs.fed.us.
To read the original press release from Tahoe National Forest CLICK HERE.
"During high volume days (weekends, holidays, and some Fridays) during mild weather seasons (spring, early summer and fall) users will be required to pay $8.00 per vehicle for a full day reservation. Except for some holiday times, there will not be a charge Mondays through Thursdays.
You will get those reservations *before* arriving at the park via an online calendar linked to our web site. The calendar will allow you to see which days require a reservation fee and secure reservations up to 60 days in advance.
With a full day reservation, you can arrive and leave any time you please within normal operating hours (1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset). From experience, we know that the parking lot tends to thin out after about 2:30 in the afternoon even during days that experience overcrowded conditions earlier in the day. So, in order to allow people to take advantage of space left after the parking lot naturally thins out, we are prepared to issue a set number of partial day passes for $4.00 to people wishing to arrive later in the day.
We will adjust the number of passes available as we observe parking trends once the new system is up and running, trying to allow as many visitors as the parking lot can comfortably hold. However, we will also save a portion of the gravel overflow area as a buffer in case there is more overlap between early and late visitors than we expected, so that nobody with a reservation gets turned away.
The horse trailer area will be reserved in the same way as the automobile area (same prices during the same peak days), but it will have its own separate quota of reservations to make sure the full gravel horse trailer area is kept just for trailered vehicles. Equestrians will be able to reserve up to 10 parking stalls, either for a full day or for just the afternoon. The 10 spots include mainly the equestrian gravel area but also is intended for a couple of spots in the overflow area.
We have high expectations that the net result of the new system will be a happier experience for everyone who comes to the park, as well as those who live around the entrance to the park, and that the overcrowding problems will become the exception, few and far between.
We will be implementing the reservation system starting September 1st, but will be giving the public a month's time to become familiarized with using the reservation system with no fees associated. Then on October 15th, we will begin collecting fees during the peak times.
The fee/reservation system is not intended in any way to be a money-maker. In fact, the revenues expected from parking fees is expected to be under half of what it will cost to administer the program. With the popularity of this park, it is simply the most effective way to assure visitors of a parking space when they arrive and limit the traffic impact on park neighbors.
I will be placing some information on our website for Hidden Falls, and on the FB and Twitter pages that the Rangers keep current.
This reservation system is new to all of us, so we will be monitoring it closely during its break-in period in order to respond to necessary changes. Once everyone has been accustomed to using the system, we hope to add other features such as monthly or annual passes, discounts for senior citizens, etc.
Lastly, the hours for full days will be dawn to sunset, and the afternoon, partial-day pass will be 2:30 - sunset. The exact hours will change, depending on the length of day (longer hours in the summer and shorter hours in the winter) but will be posted on the reservation paperwork.
Please feel free to contact me with any further questions, and to forward the above information as well as my contact information to anyone who may be interested.
Placer County's Hidden Falls Regional Park in North Auburn is a gem of a park. Unfortunately, parking can be hard to find, especially during weekends, holidays and times of mild weather, which is often.
To help avoid would-be park visitors from being turned away, the Placer County Board of Supervisors today approved a new parking fee during times of peak visitation.
Beginning in September, Hidden Falls visitors will be able to reserve a parking spot and pay the fee, when it's required, using a new online reservation system. Reservations for all other county park facilities will also be managed through the system.
Hidden Falls parking fees will be $8 per vehicle per day for peak times (8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.), when visitors to the park are often unable to find parking and are forced to change plans and leave; the fee will be $4 for partial days, outside peak hours. No fee will be required during off-peak times when the parking lot does not normally fill up.
"It is our hope that the new reservation system will help increase the number of visitors enjoying the park and avoid the frustration of being turned away," said Placer County Parks and Recreation Director Andy Fisher.
The proposed fee is comparable to the current $10 per day fee for use of the nearby Auburn State Recreation Area that is managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
The board's approval also authorizes the county to enforce parking violation fines of $25 for first time infractions and $100 for repeat offenders.
The fees and fines, in combination with the parking restrictions implemented in the areas bordering the park, are also intended to reduce traffic impacts to surrounding neighborhoods.
County staff will return to the board at a later date to reevaluate the parking fee program and further explore the possibility of discounts for members of our military community.
CLICK HERE to see the original article on the Placer County website.
Efforts to reduce vegetation are slated to continue on National Forest lands near South Lake Tahoe, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The mechanical cut-to-length (CTL) tree removal started this week and will continue on approximately 100 acres near the Pope-Baldwin Bike Path bike path. It is expected to continue through mid-October, weather permitting.
Thinning will take place in Unit 156, which is located adjacent to Highway 89 and the path.
USFS expects to issue a forest order temporarily closing the bike path for approximately two weeks.
The Forest Service will post closure signs in the area and the forest order will be posted online at http://bit.ly/2tvaaPB when it becomes available.
CTL thinning involves using a harvester to cut the tree down, remove the limbs and cut the tree into sections in the cutting area. For public safety, USFS advises people to avoid these areas due to the hazards posed by heavy equipment and falling trees. Hazards may be present even when operations have ceased for the day.
To see the original article and photos in the Tahoe Daily Tribune Newspaper, CLICK HERE.
The Western States Trail Ride, popularly called the Tevis Cup Ride, is the oldest modern day equestrian endurance ride, having been held annually since 1955. As such, it has been the inspiration and model for the most challenging endurance rides worldwide.
The Tevis Cup Ride follows a rugged portion of the Western States Trail which stretches from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Sacramento, California. Normally, the ride starts at the Robie Equestrian Park (elevation 7,000 feet), south of Truckee, California, This year because of late snow, they will start at Soda Springs. For the exact route, go HERE. The trail descends gradually approximately nine miles to the Truckee River at the Midway Crossing on Highway 89. The trail takes a route through Squaw Valley, the U.S. Olympic training facility and site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and ascends from the valley floor (elevation 6,200 feet) to Emigrant Pass near Watson's Monument (elevation 8,750 feet), a climb of 2,550 vertical feet in 4½ miles. From the pass, following the trail once used by gold and silver miners during the 1850s and rediscovered by Robert Montgomery Watson in 1929, riders will travel west, ascending another 15,540 feet and descending approximately 22,970 feet before reaching the century-old town of Auburn via the traditional route through Robinson Flat, Last Chance, Deadwood, Michigan Bluff, Foresthill, and Francisco's.
Much of this historic route passes along narrow mountain trails through remote and rugged wilderness territory. Participants who are unfamiliar with this area should use caution, especially in the high country and the route out of Foresthill to Francisco's. MUCH OF THIS TERRITORY IS ACCESSIBLE ONLY ON FOOT, ON HORSEBACK, OR BY HELICOPTER.
Due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the trail, the Tevis Cup Ride differs substantially from other organized endurance riding events. Adequate physical training and preparation for both horse and rider are of the utmost importance. The mountains, although beautiful, are relentless in their challenge and unforgiving to the ill-prepared.
The ride starts at in Soda Springs 5:00 AM Saturday, August 5, and continues through 5:00 AM Sunday where the riders finish in Auburn Fairgrounds. But, riders and their support crews are are traveling up to Soda Springs this week and today, Friday, August 4.
PLEASE, anyone who is not a participant or support crew for this ride, STAY OFF THIS TRAIL THIS WEEKEND. If you would like to know more and where you can see the brave riders and horses compete, go to the website HERE.
On Friday, August 4th, Hidden Falls Regional Park will be visited by hundreds of grazing goats for weed control within the park and will be staying for a few weeks. The Hidden Falls personnel is asking trail users not to touch the goats or the temporary fence lines.
To find out more information about Hidden Falls Regional Park, to see the webcam and and to sign up for their updates, CLICK HERE.
Runners in the Truckee-Tahoe region will have plenty of options for competing this weekend with a pair of events slated for Saturday, Aug. 5, ranging from a 5,000-foot ascent to a 50-kilometer ultra marathon.
Ascent Runs will host the finale of the three-part Tahoe Dirt & Vert Series with a race featuring more than 5,000 feet of climbing from Carson City, Nevada, up to Snow Valley Peak above Lake Tahoe, and then back to the finish line at Carson City; while in Truckee, Tahoe Mountain Sports will host the third annual Sierra Crest 50K and 30K Ultra Run and 15K Fun Run.
The Sierra Crest Ultra Run will benefit the Auburn Ski Club's Training Center Biathlon Programs.
The 30-kilometer and 50-kilometer races start at Tahoe Donner's Alder Creek Adventure Center end at the Auburn Ski Club Training Center at Boreal Mountain Resort.
The 50-kilometer course features 4,660 feet of elevation gain and 4,125 feet of loss; while the 30-kilometer route has 3,493 feet of gain and 2,948 feet of loss.
The course will take runners on single-track trails between Truckee and Donner Summit.
If you are not a participant in these events, please take care on these trails.


text:
The EESC issues between 160 and 190 opinions and information reports a year.
It also organises several annual initiatives and events with a focus on civil society and citizens' participation such as the Civil Society Prize, the Civil Society Days, the Your Europe, Your Say youth plenary and the ECI Day.
Find the latest EESC opinions and publications at https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/our-work/opinions-information-reports/opin... and https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/our-work/publications-other-work/publications respectively.
The EESC is active in a wide range of areas, from social affairs to economy, energy and sustainability.
Learn more about our policy areas and policy highlights at https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/policies
The EESC holds nine plenary sessions per year. It also organises many conferences, public hearings and high-level debates related to its work.
Find out more about our upcoming events at https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/agenda/our-events/upcoming-events
Here you can find news and information about the EESC's work, including its social media accounts, the EESC Info newsletter, photo galleries and videos.
Read the latest EESC news https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/news-media/news and press releases https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/news-media/press-releases
The EESC brings together representatives from all areas of organised civil society, who give their independent advice on EU policies and legislation. The EESC's 329 Members are organised into three groups: Employers, Workers and Civil Society Organisations.
Find out more about our Members and groups at https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/members-groups
The EESC has six sections specialising in specific topics of relevance to the citizens of the European Union, ranging from social to economic affairs, energy, environment, external relations or the internal market.
Find out more at https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/sections-other-bodies
COVID cannot cancel creativity
Digitalisation in the music sector: a lifeline during the pandemic
Cultural Event
This event is staged 100% virtually.
The cultural and creative sectors were one of the industries hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, using digital tools, creativity and innovation, artists where able to stay in contact with their audiences, to share content and to bring concerts into living-rooms. New forms of content have emerged, some of them showing the artist recording in their own home and creating a more personal relationship compared with the previous stage-audience separation. Digitalisation has also brought music to people who would otherwise not necessarily have attended a venue, e.g. a classical concert to marginalised or vulnerable groups.
This cultural project is a joint initiative between the three Groups of the EESC. Featuring interviews with people involved in the music sector, it will explore how the sector has adapted to the restrictive public health measures through smart use of digitalisation and innovation, how this has accelerated digitalisation in the music sector, and how the innovation boost can be harnessed after the pandemic. The project will also explore the particular challenges musicians and other workers in the music industry have faced during the pandemic and how digital innovation could be used after the pandemic to improve their working conditions.
The project will show how crucial culture is for citizens, including in times of crisis. Supporting this sector and helping it to survive is essential for our society and will play a fundamental role in driving the recovery.
Civil Society Organisations' Group


text:
Power California
powercalifornia.org
Assets: $4,549,227
Power California, formerly known as Mobilize the Immigrant Vote, is a voter-registration coalition that pushes left-of-center ideas and voter engagement with immigrants in the state of California.[1]
Despite proclaiming it is a non-partisan organization, Power California promotes left-of-center and progressive viewpoints such as granting a "path to citizenship" for illegal immigrants, government-controlled healthcare, and "end[ing] the exploitation of our natural resources."[2]
Power California has allied itself with organizations such as the California Environmental Justice Alliance, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Californians for Justice, and Resilience Orange County.[3] It also has an explicitly political Action Fund which was fined $5,000 by California's Fair Political Practices Commission for failing to "timely file two semiannual [sic] campaign statements."[4]
Power California is a Californian voter-registration coalition that encourages young people to think with left-wing ideas, and calls for everyone who lives in the state, regardless of citizenship status, to be fully involved with the decision-making processes of California.[5]
Power California was originally called Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV) but changed its name in 2018 when MIV merged with another minority-focused voting coalition called YVote.[6]
MIV started as a state-wide campaign in 2004 to organize a coalition with multi-ethnic organizations that worked with immigrant communities to boost the number of voters from immigrant backgrounds. MIV and the other organizations did this by helping immigrants register and mobilize others in their community.[7]
The original MIV campaign was governed by a Coordinating Committee comprised of six coalitions and coalition-conveners. The Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition (BAIRC); the California Partnership (CAP); the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA); the Korean Resource Center (KRC); Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action (PILA); and Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN) were the six coalitions on the Coordinating Committee.[8]
According to Power California's 2014 990 tax form, the organization received $795,910 from contributions and grants.[9] The organization saw a large dip in grants and contributions in 2015 as it only received $237,355 for that year.[10] Power California saw a large rise in contributions and grants in 2016 when it received $1,661,538 throughout the year.[11]
While it was called Mobilize the Immigrant Vote, the organization received multiple grants from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund between 2011 and 2017. The total amount of money granted to MIV by the Fund between those years is $955,000.[12]
Although it lists itself as a non-partisan organization, Power California promotes left-of-center and progressive viewpoints such as socialized healthcare, blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants, and green energy.[13]
Power California, known as MIV at the time, began its voter engagement drive in 2004 after it began its original campaign with the Northern California Citizenship Project (NCCP). Power California targeted foreign-born voters in the state, which amounted to nearly 15%, to greatly increase voter engagement. The organization did this by producing multi-lingual "palm cards" containing information on how to vote, where to vote, and what voting rights immigrants had.[14]
Power California started 99Rootz, its regional youth and young adult leadership initiative, in early 2018. The youth organization focuses on social justice initiatives and building "leadership pathways and safe spaces for growth and development" for young people that live in the towns along California State Route 99, which cuts through the highly agricultural and immigrant-rich Central Valley.[15]
99Rootz has also developed "Summer Academies." These academies hold "deep training" sessions on political education, identity politics, and campaign planning.[16]
According to Power California's executive director Luis Sanchez, the organization has registered and pre-registered 10,000 young voters in 2018 and reached out to thousands more to interest them in casting their vote. Sanchez also claims Power California informs young voters on issues such as immigration, the environment, and affordable housing.[17]
Power California has many partner organizations including, the California Environmental Justice Alliance, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Californians for Justice, and Resilience Orange County,[18] which celebrates the undocumented status of its Executive.[19]
Power California also has an action fund called Power California Action. Originally founded in 2011 as MIV Action Fund, the name was changed in 2018 to reflect the merge of YVote and Mobilize the Immigrant Vote.[20] While it was still under its former name, MIV Action Fund was fined $5,000 by California's Fair Political Practices Commission for failing to "timely file two semiannual [sic] campaign statements covering the reporting periods of October 21, 2012 through December 31, 2012 and July 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014, in violation of Government Code Section 84200 (2 counts)."[21]
Despite claiming to be non-partisan, Power California Action's mission is to "advance a progressive agenda."[22]
Power California, under their former name, is also a member of We Are America Alliance,[23] an organization created in 2006 that holds similar ideals to Power California, and focuses on voter engagement with left-wing immigrants.[24]
Power California also collaborated with CultureStrike and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration in 2015 to create UNTIL WE ARE ALL FREE, an initiative that aims to address "racial justice" by challenging deportation of illegal immigrants and incarceration of minorities through art and culture.[25]
"About Us." Power California. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://powercalifornia.org/history/. ^
"MIV 2010 Campaign." Mobilize the Immigrant Vote. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://krcla.org/sites/default/files/images/about-krc/miv_platform_2008_english.pdf. ^
"Alliance." Power California. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://powercalifornia.org/partners/. ^
"We Are California, A Sponsored Committee of Mobilize the Immigrant Vote Action Fund and Aparna Shah." Fair Political Practices Commission. Accessed December 11, 2018. http://www.fppc.ca.gov/enforcement/EnfDivCaseResults/stipulated-agreements/2017-sdo/december-sdo/we-are-california-a-sponsored-committee-of-mobilize-the-immigrant-vote-action-fund-and-aparna-shah.html. ^
"Power California Launch Events for NorCal & SoCal." Eventbrite US Blog. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/power-california-launch-events-for-norcal-socal-tickets-46992775657. ^
"Immigrant Vote and Civic Participation." Border Militarization Policy | National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Accessed December 11, 2018. http://www.nnirr.org/~nnirrorg/drupal/immigrant-civic-participation. ^
"Mobilize Immigrant Vote 2006." WaybackMachine. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20070823235422/http:/www.mivcalifornia.org/about/index.html. ^
"MIV 2014 990." Guidestar. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2014/770/651/2014-770651682-0c03f536-9.pdf. ^
"MIV 2015 990." Guidestar. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2015/770/651/2015-770651682-0d53ec07-9.pdf. ^
"MIV 2016 990." Guidestar. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2016/770/651/2016-770651682-0e7aa785-9.pdf. ^
"Mobilize the Immigrant Vote." Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. August 02, 2015. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.haasjr.org/grants/grantee/mobilize-the-immigrant-vote. ^
Tactaquin, Catherine. "Voting Rights for Immigrants." Poverty & Race Research Action Council. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.prrac.org/pdf/tactaquinnovdec2004.pdf. ^
"Building a Different Form of Power: Young People's Voices from California's Central Valley." OpenDemocracy. June 24, 2018. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.opendemocracy.net/transformation/pacita-rudder/building-different-form-of-power-young-people-s-voices-from-california-. ^
Amaro, Yesenia. "'My Voice Will Make a Change.' Valley Voters of Color Aim to Boost Election Participation." Fresnobee. October 26, 2018. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.fresnobee.com/news/politics-government/election/article220266410.html. ^
Www.facebook.com/resilienceoc. "Welcome Our New Executive Director." Resilience OC. February 10, 2018. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://resilienceoc.org/welcome-new-executive-director/. ^
"Power CA Action Fund | HISTORY." Mivactionfund. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.powercaaction.org/history. ^
"Power CA Action Fund | MISSION AND VISION." Mivactionfund. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://www.powercaaction.org/mission-and-vision. ^
"California." We Are America Alliance. Accessed December 11, 2018. http://weareamericaalliance.com/states/california. ^
"Home." We Are America Alliance. Accessed December 11, 2018. http://weareamericaalliance.com/. ^
"Until We Are All Free." Until We Are All Free. Accessed December 11, 2018. http://www.untilweareallfree.com/#about-us. ^
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2020 Dec Form 990 $5,341,766 $3,868,263 $4,549,227 $254,156 N $5,228,977 $82,863 $14,808 $121,659
2019 Dec Form 990 $4,370,775 $4,641,945 $3,388,636 $567,068 N $4,284,749 $38,512 $35,170 $130,492 PDF
2018 Dec Form 990 $4,943,709 $3,090,304 $3,470,752 $378,014 Y $4,877,782 $59,389 $6,538 $340,673 PDF
2017 Dec Form 990 $889,242 $942,685 $1,110,819 $76,486 N $776,311 $109,892 $1,129 $196,576 PDF
2016 Dec Form 990 $1,693,352 $832,612 $1,122,068 $34,292 N $1,661,538 $31,401 $206 $99,300
2015 Dec Form 990 $239,052 $574,835 $256,888 $29,852 N $237,355 $0 $664 $93,651 PDF
2014 Dec Form 990 $797,197 $711,249 $579,602 $31,783 N $795,910 $705 $482 $96,075 PDF
2011 Dec Form 990 $539,257 $803,716 $618,411 $48,410 N $536,108 $0 $2,871 $88,068 PDF
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Strange thing – but from a distance the ice cliffs of Antarctica looked vaguely like the low chalk cliffs of Ramsgate.
Everything here is implausibly white and blue. Filming out of the porthole in my cabin, as they smash they're way through the sea ice to create a mooring point, I have to wear sunglasses just to look out. The snow and ice is sculpted and fractured into strange cartoon shapes. Where there's a crack it does this trick of glowing from the inside 'gas-ring' blue. The path that we'll be taking up to the station is marked out with black oil drums and black fluttering flags on bamboo poles. The path meanders up the slope and through a gap in the ice-cliffs – all very minimal Japanese styling.
Scale is a weird killer here. Part of the dislocation is caused by all reference points having been removed – there's no 'thing' to re-calibrate your senses against. Maybe when I can get off and look back at the boat it will start to makes sense but at the moment it's a hallucinatory jumble of blue ice, white snow and grey sky. It's actually very unreal and kitsch in places. The braking sea-ice cracks up in huge chunks like monstrous mint cake – blue inside with a coating of fluffy white. Startled emperor penguins look on – outraged that their backyard is being demolished.
I guess it does sort of look like Christmas – just a scary, grown-up, older-brother of Christmas.
I'm all packed and waiting for the Sno-Cat.


The latest attack lets criminals defeat firewalls and spy on where someone goes and what they do online.
It comes after a series of other attacks that, experts say, have left the basic protection in wi-fi comprehensively "broken".
But compatibility issues mean that many will have no alternative but to use the much weakened protection system.
The basic security measure in the technical specification for wireless networks, 802.11, is known as Wired Equivalent Privacy.
WEP encrypts data flying back and forth between a computer and an access point to stop people spotting and stealing confidential information.
It does this using an encryption key but numerous attacks have shown how easy it is to get hold of this key and unlock access to the wi-fi network or your data.
"WEP as a security measure is so broken that your (and everyone else's) kid sister can easily circumvent it," said computer security researcher Ralf-Philipp Weinmann, co-author of the aircrack-ptw tool that can crack WEP in minutes.
Anyone caring about their privacy, said Mr Weinmann, should not use WEP to stop others using their wi-fi hotspot.
Mr Weinmann and his colleagues unveiled aircrack in early 2007 but prior to that three other research teams, in 2001, 2004 and 2005 showed how to circumvent WEP.
The latest attack, created by Vivek Ramachandran of AirTight Networks, tricks a computer into thinking it is logged on to a wi-fi network it trusts. It exploits the basic hand-shaking system in wi-fi to get hold of lots of data it can analyse to crack a key.
While the chance that someone will piggyback on your wi-fi network is low, there have been cases in the UK where this has happened.
In London one man has been arrested and charged under the 2003 Communications Act for using someone else's wi-fi link without permission.
Alongside this is the risk of people using your broadband connection for potentially criminal activity.
However, said Mark West of the home tech help company Geek Squad, many people are forced into using WEP despite its shortcomings.
"WEP might be all they can run," he said.
The well-publicised problems with WEP have resulted in improved security systems for wireless networks known as Wi-fi Protected Access (WPA).
An improved version of this, called WPA-2, appeared in 2004 but is not yet widely used.
Mr West said backwards compatibility problems might mean that people cannot opt for the better protection found in WPA or WPA-2.
Using either of these requires Windows XP fitted with Service Pack 2, Vista or OS X on the Mac. Linux also supports WPA.
Drivers for wi-fi access cards might also need to be updated and the firmware on a hub might also need refreshing. Any other device that tries to link via wi-fi will also need updating.
For many, said Mr West, updating all these separate components could be too much to ask.
A spokesman for BT said that it used WEP on its home hub products because of the compatibility issues.
"We use WEP for a very sensible reason," said the spokesman, "there are a number of devices out there in the marketplace that do not use WPA."
When helping people install wi-fi networks Geek Squad started trying to use WPA-2 but often had to fall back on the weaker protection.
WPA-2 was only made mandatory on wi-fi access points manufactured after September 2006, which means much wireless hardware still relies on WEP.
"It's often the lowest common denominator," said Mr West, adding that it was better than nothing.
He said: "It's more of a deterrent that will prevent most people being able to access that router."


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AI vendor H2O.ai introduces new deep learning tool
H2O Hydrogen Torch can be used in healthcare, HR and customer experience settings. Users can make models for image, video and natural language processing applications.
Esther Ajao, News Writer
Published: 17 Feb 2022
H2O.ai, an AI cloud vendor that develops an open source machine learning platform for enterprises, has introduced a new deep learning training engine.
H2O Hydrogen Torch is a no-code/low code tool that enterprises can use to train and tune image, video and natural language processing (NLP) models.
The vendor said the tool will enable enterprises to create machine learning models from unstructured data such as images, videos and product reviews for applications in healthcare, manufacturing, insurance and other areas.
"H2O[.ai] has a lot of experience in operationalizing machine learning models with enterprises," said Kashyap Kompella, an analyst at RPA2AI Research. "This is an extension of that capability in the deep learning context."
Filling a gap
With Hydrogen Torch, the vendor is filling the gap its H2O Driverless AI predictive analytics system doesn't address.
H2O Driverless AI is an automated machine learning platform for difficult data science and machine learning workflows such as feature engineering and model validation and tuning.
H2O[.ai] has a lot of experience in operationalizing machine learning models with enterprises. This is an extension of that capability in the deep learning context.
Kashyap KompellaAnalyst, RPA2AI Research
However, the system is designed mainly for applications that apply traditional machine learning methods not deep learning.
Hydrogen Torch's focus on unstructured data will enhance H2O.ai's portfolio in the deep learning area, Kompella said.
"This also reflects the adoption of deep learning by enterprises," he said, noting that H2O.ai is positioning itself as a provider of commercial support and add-on products to go on top of core open source offerings.
AI and healthcare
But H2O.ai may be at risk of overpromising with the various potential applications of Hydrogen Torch for deep learning, said Dan Miller, an analyst at Opus Research.
H2O.ai said for images and videos, Hydrogen Torch can classify, regress and detect objects. The tool could also be trained to analyze medical X-ray images for abnormalities with a "human in the loop," for example, according to the vendor.
One use case of Hydrogen Torch is training models to identify abnormalities in the medical field.
Using AI in medical settings, though, may be more complicated than H2O.ai thinks, Miller said.
"Medical applications of AI is a quagmire that was exposed when IBM Watson tried to make a showcase of human-in-the-loop applications for diagnostics," Miller continued, referring to IBM's Watson Health AI system, most of whose tech assets the tech giant sold off recently.
H2O.ai's attempt to reach into healthcare is reminiscent of how IBM tried to use Watson to work with hospitals to find patterns and anomalies in X-rays, Miller said.
While IBM Watson had some successes, ultimately healthcare providers and the vendor realized that accurate diagnoses and treatment recommendations must come from physicians and not mainly from AI models.
While IBM Watson and Hydrogen Torch do compete as AI vendors, a better comparison would be between hype versus reality in AI, argued Sri Ambati, CEO and cofounder of H2O.ai.
"Overpromis[ing] and underdeliver[ing] has been a problem for our space, but that doesn't take away the fact that there's a lot of good innovation that has come to bear," Ambati said.
And while healthcare is complex and it is easy to get bogged down by the complexity of the industry, it is important to work with human domain experts, he said.
"The problem is difficult, and deep and multidimensional," he said.
Because diseases and health conditions affect individual patients differently, among other reasons, it is difficult to apply AI to situations that vary so widely, Ambati said.
To ensure AI algorithms and machine learning models are responsive to such complex real-world scenarios, H2O.ai is working closely with major U.S. hospitals and healthcare organizations to bring what Ambati called a "multidimensional approach" to healthcare, he said.
"I think the early successes or pronounced failures of Watson and others were because they were kind of the dinosaurs of our space," he continued. "The market has changed dramatically since those failures."
Creating a no-code model
For NLP, Hydrogen Torch can be used to create models for text classification, regression, token classification and sequence-to-sequence analysis. H2O.ai said the tool can predict how satisfied a customer is from a transcribed phone call or by summarizing and analyzing a large portion of text such as a medical transcript.
However, "the description of using H2O Hydrogen Torch for natural language processing doesn't feel accessible to the sorts of folks they are appealing to," Opus Research's Miller said.
Professionals who are looking for a no-code AI tool may not necessarily understand the features of Hydrogen Torch, he said.
"If you're going to ingest a lot of unstructured data ... and then detect patterns, then there ought to be a sort of a natural language way to understand the patterns that you saw," Miller continued. "I think they're saying that they do that, but I just can't tell."
According to Ambati, new data scientists or business users do not need to use code to create or train models in Hydrogen Torch. However, the low-code side of the tool comes into play when taking the models created with Hydrogen Torch and embedding them in applications or deploying them into API-based services to make them easier to consume.
H2O.ai said Hydrogen Torch was built by Kaggle Grandmasters, expert members of the Google-owned online community of data science and machine learning practitioners who host competitions and a cloud-based workbench, and also publish data sets.
The tool is currently available on H2O's AI cloud platform.
Customers can try the deep learning tool for free. Prices for customers that want to purchase the service depends on the application, Ambati said.
Buying an AI Infrastructure: What You Should Know –Data Science Central
AI Technology with Domain Expertise to Augment IT Operations –BROADCOM, Inc
How AI in the workplace is changing ERP systems –TechTarget ComputerWeekly.com
Optimising content management workflows with AI –TechTarget ComputerWeekly.com
Dig Deeper on AI technologies
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Exploring AI Use Cases Across Education and Government –Dell Technologies
The Future of Work: AI Assisting Humans to be More Productive –Citrix
How AI Will Blanket Your World –Intel
Teradata and H2O.ai partner on multi-cloud platform – Enterprise AI
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At Outreach Productions, located just outside of Fredericton, our in-house video production, graphic design, application development, website, digital marketing, and audio production teams collaborate daily. Our integrated creative approach ensures our customers get the best value for their marketing budget. We don't just want to be another supplier, we want to serve as your strategic partner for creative online marketing solutions.


If your extremities (fingers, toes, ears, or nose) tend to chronically tingle, go numb, sometimes turn slightly blue, or just have attacks of pain you could be struggling with Raynaud's (ray-NOHZ) disease (also referred to as Raynaud's syndrome or Raynaud's phenomenon). There is primary Raynaud's which is the most common and secondary Raynaud's which can be more serious, but less common.
Symptoms are often associated with exposure to cold which can trigger bouts of discomfort or even stinging pain. However, Raynaud's can attack just about anyone in any climate. These attacks can last a few minutes to several hours and science just can't wrap its head around it.
Medical treatment options may involve calcium channel blockers, vasodilators, nerve surgery or chemical injections. Like many conventional pharmaceutical choices, these treatments could come with a price. Side effects are always a risk and medical treatment could just tamp down symptoms rather than address the root cause. Overall applying a synthetic approach could, over time, do more systemic damage than good.
If you are diagnosed with this condition or have symptoms that may be similar, talk to your doctor about trying these 6 natural ways to manage Raynaud's disease. One or more may allow your body to embrace natural healing as opposed to navigating alien substances or invasive surgery that could put you on a track of more pain than gain.
Women between the ages of 15 to 30 are more susceptible to developing Raynaud's as well as those living in colder climates.
Essential fatty acids can be found in fish oil supplements or, if you are vegetarian/vegan, in algae supplements as well.
Derived from the leaves of the gingko tree, gingko biloba is an extract that has been used as an ancient and modern herbal remedy for a variety of ailments including: inflammation, arthritis, compromised circulation, and brain challenges such as fading memory, focus, and cognitive speed. Now, Raynaud's might be added to the list.
Try a gingko supplement each day (follow supplement dosage instructions) to see if symptoms improve. Be sure to check with your doctor first as gingko may be contraindicative to certain conditions and medications.
Be sure to take niacin under the care of a professional holistic or medical practitioner.
Try some of these 6 natural ways to manage Raynaud's disease. Your body may thank you for an easy to embrace application rather than a synthetic onslaught of drugs.


Pretty and elegant Lyla is a quiet-natured, sensitive and loving little dog. She was initially fostered with a large number of other dogs, and while she gets on really well with them all, we believe she would flourish in a quieter home where she has the space to build a close and loving relationship with her human. That is all that she really wants.
Lyla was surrendered with her brother Sammi for re-homing by a well meaning fellow who had collected and cared for 25 dogs on his small property. Since a small puppy she has not been off that property, so when she and her brother came to us they were completely un-socialized. We could not believe how quickly they embraced their freedom, and adjusted to a normal life and routine. While for the first couple of months they relied on each other a lot, in the past 2 weeks Lyla has been just with one other dog in foster away from her brother and she has really blossomed.
Lyla is now a sweet, well behaved dog who can meet other dogs and people calmly and greet them nicely. She is great off lead, with excellent recall and walks very well on the lead. She is house trained and is nice and calm in the home, unless another dog strikes up a game (which she is always up for). She is a very smallish dog, weighing in at 12 kg, and has a very light frame, so she is great for a lap cuddle which is pretty much her favorite thing. While tiny, she is also quite athletic, and really enjoys her runs. When she meets a cyclist, she will often run along with them for 50 metres or so just for fun, so we think she would be great for someone who wants a doggy running or cycling companion.
Our rescue and rehabilitation work happens in Central Australia, but because of the scarcity of adopters locally, our re-homing operation is in South Australia. Lyla's adoption fee includes crate hire, courier transport by road from Tennant Creek to Alice Springs, and a direct flight from Alice Springs to Adelaide.
When Lyla came to us we discovered that she had "spey incontinence", a relatively common condition. This caused her to occasionally wet her bed when she was asleep. This has been completely resolved by starting her on hormone replacement tablets. She needs to have one tablet once weekly to keep her dry. She will come with a good supply of these tablets. Otherwise she is fit and well and ready to go.
She will be wormed and heart-worm treated again just before leaving the Territory. She should be de-wormed fortnightly for a month and have at least 1 further heart-worm treatment after she arrives down south.


text:
Matthew Warner : Blog : The Three Golden Eggs (or: Don't Drink and Blog)
The Three Golden Eggs (or: Don't Drink and Blog)
Deena and I joke sometimes that while a bigger house would be nice, it wouldn't change much around here. Our family would still try to occupy the same five square feet of space, all the time. A typical morning will find Dad (that's me), sitting on the can and realizing a second too late that he forgot to latch the bathroom door. In comes my almost 11 month old, Thomas, asking, "Dah dah dah?" Right behind him is my two year old, Owen. "What's Daddy doing? He's pooping!" And then right behind them is my wife to pull them all back out and latch the door properly. I just turn to a fresh page in the newspaper and sip my coffee.
Working at home with two boys makes time management a challenge. Although I'm fortunate to have a wonderful setup where I only have to spend four hours a day in front of a computer — leaving the other four free for child care — sometimes the only way to get a damn thing done is to sit up late and work with a shot of whiskey on the side.
And staying up late to socialize? Ha! If it's 9 p.m. and the kids are asleep, then that's a good time to pass out, too. (Okay, I'm exaggerating, but only slightly.) Having friends over last Friday to watch a 1980s TV movie, The Incredible Hulk Returns, on Netflix, which kept me up to an ungodly 11 p.m., about killed me. Incidentally, I cut my teeth watching Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno portray Banner and Hulk, but my god were they such pussies compared to the Hulk of the current Avengers movie. I just couldn't stop laughing at the scene in the 1980s movie where Hulk is felled by tranquilizer darts, and he and Thor are powerless to stop a helicopter from flying away.
All of this brings me to my point, which is, of course, fairy tales.
By fairy tales, I refer specifically to that wonderful tradition (and I say that without the slightest sarcasm) of telling Owen a tale at bedtime, either reading from a book or reciting from my head. I'm discovering it's one of the greatest joys of fatherhood, next to the morning bathroom intrusion, variations of which are Yank Daddy's Shower Curtain Aside and Inventory Our Special Attributes.
Owen cycles through different favorite movies (currently Thomas the Tank Engine and the Wobbly Whatzits, or what the fuck, I can't remember now) and favorite books (currently a book with awesome illustrations of tornadoes). Past movie favorites have included the Rugrats's retelling of Jack & the Beanstalk and before that Toy Story 2 (which I can thoroughly appreciate after the 30th viewing, again said without a trace of irony). Past book favorites have included the Berenstain Bears B Book. Recite it with me: big brown bear, blue bull, beautiful baboon biking backwards blowing bubbles bump black bug's banana boxes and Billy Bunny's bread basket and bonk Brother Bob's baseball bus and Buster Beagle's banjo bagpipe bugle band, and that's what broke Baby Bird's balloon.
What was I talking about again?
Yes. Fairy tales.
So, a few weeks ago, as Owen is in the throes of processing the Rugrats and Jack & the Beanstalk, every night he's naturally asking me or Deena to tell him the story of Jack & the Beanstalk at bedtime. The traditional version includes a goose who lays golden eggs and a golden harp that sings. Anyway, so I'm sitting there on his bed, having just put him into his Buzz Lightyear green underwear and tucked him under his Elmo blanket, and arranged his four stuffed animals (Tiger, Curious George, the brown dog, and Winnie the Pooh) along the side of his bed to keep vigil. I ask Owen what story he wants to hear, and he says, "The Three Golden Eggs."
What the hell. I decide to improvise something. I decide that it's a prequel to Jack & the Beanstalk. Over the past few weeks, the rough edges have smoothed out, and now he asks for it nearly as much as the one about young Jack.
In my drunken blogging stupor, I offer it to you, in slightly longer form:
The Three Golden Eggs
Once upon a time, a runt of a goose named Geesy lived with his brothers and sisters, who made fun of him. "You're such a runt, and you don't fit in here," they said. "Why don't you leave?"
So that's exactly what Geesy did. On a cold morning, he flapped away from the other geese, out into the world.
Soon he flew up into the highest mountain range, above the clouds where they were never obscured by storm or wind. Atop one mountain, Geesy came across a bird's nest of darkest wood, its twigs harvested from the farthest corners of the land. Inside were three golden eggs, and upon them sat a great, golden bird.
"Ho there, traveler," the golden bird said. "You look like an honest bird, and I have need of one."
Although Geesy felt worthless and despondent, he nodded respectfully to the great golden bird. "How may I be of service?"
"My three golden eggs are about to hatch, and I need to go out and forage for food. I need you to sit on them and hatch them in my stead. If you do, I'll give you a great reward."
Geesy felt he had nothing better to do, so he accepted the job. As soon as he sat down on the three golden eggs, the great golden bird flew away.
After a while, the first egg hatched. Out crawled a tiny golden bird, just like its parent. It immediately flew off.
The second egg hatched. Inside was a tiny golden harp with the head of woman. "Good morning!" it cried to Geesy. "May I sing you a song?"
"Sure. It's lonely here. What can you sing?"
"Anything your heart desires."
So Geesy asked her to sing an old ballad, The Honking of the Skies, which reminded him of home. And the harp sang it perfectly.
Soon, the last egg hatched. But inside was nothing. It was just an empty shell.
After a while, the great golden bird returned. "Ah, I see you have hatched my three eggs. Very well done."
Geesy bowed his head. "I'm so sorry. I'm afraid I failed you." He went on to tell the great golden bird what happened.
The great golden bird threw back its head and laughed. "You have done exactly as I asked of you. From the first egg hatched my son. When he flew away from you, he came and found me, and I fed him the food I had foraged.
"The second and third eggs contained gifts for you.
"The golden harp that sings any song you request will keep you company for the remainder of your days. You will never be lonely again.
"The third egg appeared to be empty, but when it hatched, it changed you. It gave you the ability to lay golden eggs of your own. They will not hatch but will be solid gold ingots that you can melt down or sell, and they will give you wealth for the remainder of your days. Now go forth with my thanks."
So Geesy — now the goose who laid golden eggs — set off again. Under his wing, he carried the golden harp that could sing anything asked of it, even The Honking of the Skies. And they were very happy together — until one day, when Geesy came upon a castle in the clouds. In the castle lived an evil giant, who enticed Geesy to come inside.
But that is another story.
← A New Way of Old Storytelling My Favorite, 5-Star Books →


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