text:
10 Amazing Modern Societies You Won't Believe Are Real
By Stephanie Pappas
(Image credit: Nick Fox / Shutterstock.com)
Any time you get more than a few people living together, you've got a society. For many of us, that may mean the familiar milieu of family units, local municipalities and national governments.
But there are many ways to organize a group, as the following societies show. Because of circumstance, tradition or other factors, some of these groups have self-organized in ways that might seem alien to those in the mainstream — cannibalism, underground mansions and wild tree-house dwellings are just some of the more notable features of these societies. Others have formed strikingly familiar community arrangements in extraordinary circumstances.
FIRST UP: A self-governing prison …
A tribe that lives in tree houses and practices cannibalism
(Image credit: GUDKOV ANDREY / Shutterstock.com)
Say you're an isolated tribe known for building elaborate tree houses … and for cannibalism. And say a bunch of weird foreigners keep showing up at your doorstep, wanting to know about your crazy flesh-eating customs. Wouldn't you feel just the slightest temptation to exaggerate?
That may be what happened when a Korowai man from the Indonesian province of Papua told a reporter for the Australian version of TV program "60 Minutes" that his 6-year-old nephew was doomed to be cannibal chow if he didn't get any help. A rival "Today Tonight" (another Australian TV news program) crew staged an elaborate rescue but ended up stuck in Jayapura over the lack of a visa. Anthropologists were skeptical of the brouhaha, especially as the boy in question turned out to be from another local tribe, not the notorious Korowai. Plus, anthropologists say the Korowai gave up cannibalism decades ago. They've also learned what tourists like to hear.
"Most of these groups have 10 years' experience in feeding this [cannibal] stuff to tourists," Australian National University anthropologist Chris Ballard told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2006.
Cannibalism aside, the Korowai are famous for their tree-house dwellings, which are often built about 40 feet (12 m) above the ground. Every decade or so, clans of the Korowai would traditionally gather to build a longhouse for a feast with neighboring clans — a ritual of renewal.
Self-government at San Pedro Prison
(Image credit: Public Domain)
San Pedro Prison in La Paz, Bolivia, isn't an ordinary prison. It's more like a mini city, with a thriving drug trade, a real-estate business and, for many years, tourism. Children live there, raised by convicted parents and the innocent spouses who can't afford to raise them alone on the outside.
A 2003 ABC documentary on San Pedro revealed a world where drug kingpins get special self-financed build-outs in which to serve their sentences. According to the BBC, prisoners work to pay rent, creating a stratified society in which the wealthiest inmates have private bathrooms and kitchens, while the poorest are crammed into small cells or are forced to sleep outside. There are about 1,500 inmates in San Pedro. They self-govern through democratically elected representatives for each section of the complex. [Criminal Minds: A Psychiatrist's View from Inside Prison]
But this isn't a peaceful society. Stabbings are common, and ABC found smokable cocaine being produced, consumed and trafficked in and out of the prison gates. Tourists could long check out the prison for the cost of a small bribe. In 2013, Bolivian officials announced the imminent closure of San Pedro after the alleged rape of a child inside; the event seems to have ended the practice of tourism at the prison, but San Pedro otherwise remains open for business.
UP NEXT: Digging underground
An opal-mining underground town in Australia
(Image credit: Tim De Boeck / Shutterstock.com)
The town of Coober Pedy in southern Australia (population: approximately 1,700) is hot. Very hot. The record high temperature in January (summer in the Southern Hemisphere) is 116.8 degrees Fahrenheit (47.1 degrees Celsius). Because of this desert climate, more than half of the town's residents live underground.
Coober Pedy is an opal-mining town, so perhaps it's fitting that residents dug to beat the heat. The dugout homes of Coober Pedy aren't mole-people affairs, either. According to the town's website, some are positively mansion-like, with square footages of more than 4,800 square feet (450 square meters). Underground, the temperature stays a comfortable 77 degrees F (25 degrees C), no matter how the sun blazes above.
UP NEXT: Where walking marriages are a thing
Tiny island in the middle of the Bering Strait
(Image credit: Public domain, courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard)
Little Diomede Island redefines isolation in a state sprinkled with communities that can be reached only by bush plane. The island, also known as Ignaluk, is smack-dab in the middle of the Bering Strait. It's part of Alaska, but its closest neighbor, Big Diomede Island, is part of Russia.
The 2.8-square-mile (7.3 square kilometers) island is home to about 70 people, according to the local school district's website. In 2012, the island got its first regularly scheduled helicopter service to the mainland (prior transportation had depended on mail-delivery flights, according to Alaska Dispatch News). This service isn't a panacea, though. In 2015, helicopter maintenance and bad weather cut the island off for several weeks in winter. The islanders shared dwindling food and supplies until transport was re-established.
UP NEXT: Living on "Mars"
The walking marriages of the Mosuo
(Image credit: Yu Zhang / Shutterstock.com)
A unique family structure has emerged around Lugu Lake, a Himalayan jewel between China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. The local Mosuo culture is famous for its "walking marriages," in which women invite men to stay the night, but couples don't live together. Mosuo culture is often misconstrued as polygamous, but although women can change partners, they more often engage in serial monogamy or stay with the same man for life, according to the Mosuo Project, a local cultural development association. Women stay in the home of their family of origin, and their children are raised by the maternal line. Men don't have many responsibilities for their own children, but they do help care for the kids of their own female relatives. [10 Wedding Traditions from Around the World]
UP NEXT: A tribe with no outside ties
The most isolated island in the world
(Image credit: NASA)
North Sentinel Island, an Indian territory the size of Manhattan, is home to the Sentinelese, a group mostly uncontacted in the modern era. Survival International calls the Sentinelese perhaps the most genuinely isolated tribe on Earth.
Unlike the Mashco-Piro, the Sentinelese haven't fled previous contact; they've resisted it for all of modern history. In fact, according to Survival International, their language is so different from that of neighboring islanders that the Sentinelese have probably been avoiding contact with outsiders for thousands of years.
Anthropological expeditions to North Sentinel Island throughout the 1960s and 1970s failed to convince the inhabitants that contact was in their best interest; intruders were often shot with bows and arrows. While there have been isolated instances of contact since, the Indian government has largely left the Sentinelese alone in recent years. After the massive tsunami of December 2004, it was thought that the entire tribe had perished, according to "The Lonely Islands," (Andaman Association, 1998) a book on the Andaman Islands, of which North Sentintel Island is one. But a helicopter sent by Indian authorities to check on the tribe three days after the disaster was met by defiant figures on the beach, throwing rocks and shooting arrows. No one knows if any Sentinelese died that day or how the tribe survived.
UP NEXT: Meet a few brave and chilly souls.
The uncontacted Mashco-Piro
(Image credit: © G. Galli/uncontactedtribes.org)
In the Amazon of Peru and Brazil live uncontacted peoples who live as hunter-gatherers with little to no interaction with outsiders. It's not that these groups, such as Peru's Mashco-Piro, don't know about modern life; it's that they've been treated badly by it. Many are descendants of ancestors who ran from slavers during the region's rubber boom, according to Survival International, a global advocacy organization for tribal people. In the modern era, contact with outsiders has often ended horribly, as uncontacted people lack immunity to common diseases. An expedition by the oil company Shell accidentally contacted the Nahua tribe in the 1980s, introducing disease that killed half the tribe in the next few years, according to Survival International. [The Awa: Faces of a Threatened Tribe]
The Mashco-Piro of Peru hunt in the forests during the wet season, catching deer, tapir and monkey, and gathering berries, nuts and plantains. In the dry season, they camp along riverbanks, fishing and feasting on eggs laid by river turtles in the sandy banks. Recently, the group has started to make contact with locals. Some of this contact is peaceful, and sometimes, it consists of violent raids, including one that led to the death of a 22-year-old villager in May 2015.
UP NEXT: Earth's most isolated island
A culture that wears its scars
The Surma people — made of the culturally similar Mursi, Me'en and Suri tribes in South Sudan and Ethiopia — are best known to outsiders for their unique approach to ornamentation. Traditionally, girls have their lips pierced at puberty and gradually stretch the hole with pottery plates that can reach nearly 5 inches (12 centimeters) in diameter.
According to the University of Oxford, donning this decoration is similar to wearing high heels. A signal of adulthood, the ornamentation alters women's gait to include a graceful, high-chinned head sway, according to anthropologist Shauna LaTosky. The lip plates are a sign of formality, according to LaTosky; women who neglect to wear them might be seen as lazy or sloppy (though many older married women rarely wear their lip plates).
There's more to the Surma than lip plates, though. There are fewer than 200,000 people split among the three tribes, all of which have a pastoral lifestyle. Cattle are a currency, making up dowries for marriage. Surma people also decorate themselves with body paint and scarification, in which they make small decorative cuts to form scarred designs on their skin. Men show off their prowess through donga, or pole fighting, while women compete in ula, or bracelet fights, in which they attempt to strike one another with iron bracelets worn on the wrists, according to the University of Oxford.
UP NEXT: Island of 70 people
The 17-month, 6-person society
(Image credit: ESA/IPMB)
From June 2010 to November 2011, six men from France, Russia, Italy and China came together to form a temporary — and very isolated — society in a 5,920-square-foot (550 square meters) module.
It was the Mars500 mission in Moscow, a simulation of what it would be like for a crew of astronauts to travel to Mars and back. The goal was to study the mental and physical health of the six crewmembers, including whether the close quarters and isolation would lead to intractable conflict.
According to the agencies that ran the simulation, this six-man, cross-cultural society did remarkably well in getting along. They watched films together in their downtime and celebrated holidays, much like overwintering Antarctic staff. A 2014 report found that the crew was five times more likely to fight with mission control than with one another.
Researchers did find, however, that the crewmembers moved less and less as the experiment dragged on, and four out of six experienced sleep disturbances (a common issue for astronauts who aren't exposed to daily cycles of light and dark). One crewmember reported depressive symptoms over much of the 520-day simulation.
A more recent mock Mars mission wrapped up in August 2016, after six crewmembers spent a year living in an isolated habitat on Mauna Loa, Hawaii.
UP NEXT: Cannibals who live in wild tree houses
Antarctica in winter
(Image credit: Rob Jones, National Science Foundation.)
It's a temporary society of sorts: the few brave souls who spend the winter on the frigid southernmost continent. It's dark — the sun doesn't get above the horizon for months — and cold and incredibly isolated. The distance to another spit of land is so large, and the danger of flight is so severe, that staff members stuck at the station have resorted to treating their own cancer. A successful rescue mission to the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in June 2016 was international news. Scientists use overwintering staff as guinea pigs approximating astronauts on long-haul space flights.
The experience of overwintering depends on where it's done. McMurdo Station, for example, often has more than 100 technicians and staff members on-site over the winter, while smaller bases may have just a dozen.
To get by, Antarctic winter residents look forward to small joys, like the celebration of Midwinter's Day. In 2013, British Antarctic Survey staff started their Midwinter's Day with a viewing of the sci-fi horror film "The Thing" and then moved on to a feast of quesadillas and shrimp. Staff members make gifts by hand for one another, learning crafty skills such as carpentry to do so.
"You can't go shop and buy anything, so you put in a lot of effort and time," said Andy Barker, an employee at the air unit at the British Antarctic Survey headquarters in Cambridge who had spent three winters in Antarctica, told Live Science in 2013.
UP NEXT: Women wear discs in their lips rather than high heels.
Stephanie Pappas
Live Science Contributor
Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior. She was previously a senior writer for Live Science but is now a freelancer based in Denver, Colorado, and regularly contributes to Scientific American and The Monitor, the monthly magazine of the American Psychological Association. Stephanie received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
The James Webb Telescope detected the coldest ice in the known universe – and it contains the building blocks of life
Optical illusion gives rare green comet an 'anti-tail' that seemingly defies physics
Stunning CT scans of 'Golden Boy' mummy from ancient Egypt reveal 49 hidden amulets
South Korea's lunar orbiter unveils jaw-dropping images of Earth and the moon


Now I don't usually veer into baby things territory on this site but just sometimes you encounter such beautifully designed products that they warrant talking about. This evening, while online owling I came across a company called Wishbone.
I instantly fell in love with their gorgeous 3 in 1 bike, a balance bike for little kiddies to help them get used to riding, but it was when I was snooping around on their website that I came across another of their products, the Wishbone Flip, another 3 in 1 – walker, rocker and ride on toy perfect for my little one as he starts growing!
Check out this video of the Flip and see more of their products on the Wishbone website here.
This entry was posted on November 14, 2014 by antiqueowl in Kids, Online owling, Stuff for Owlets and tagged design, Flip, kids, Wishbone.


text:
OKC Police: Man arrested after fighting police dog
Updated: 6:44 PM CDT Apr 7, 2015
Jonathan Greco
A man is behind bars after reportedly getting into a fight with a police dog.Video: Man tries to fight K-9 officer, loses, police sayAn officer spotted a stolen 1989 Chevrolet truck Monday near Interstate 35 and Southeast Grand Boulevard. The suspect pulled over and tried to run away after the officer turned on his overhead lights, officials said.The suspect was identified as 35-year-old John Emberson.Kayne, a police dog, chased down Emberson, who then tried to fight with the dog, police said.Emberson was taken to a local hospital with injuries that he suffered during the fight. He was arrested on complaints of driving a stolen car and assault and battery of a police dog.The truck was reported stolen Saturday, according to a police report.
A man is behind bars after reportedly getting into a fight with a police dog.
Video: Man tries to fight K-9 officer, loses, police say
An officer spotted a stolen 1989 Chevrolet truck Monday near Interstate 35 and Southeast Grand Boulevard. The suspect pulled over and tried to run away after the officer turned on his overhead lights, officials said.
The suspect was identified as 35-year-old John Emberson.
Kayne, a police dog, chased down Emberson, who then tried to fight with the dog, police said.
Emberson was taken to a local hospital with injuries that he suffered during the fight. He was arrested on complaints of driving a stolen car and assault and battery of a police dog.
The truck was reported stolen Saturday, according to a police report.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Robin Schulz, Dennis Lloyd
Irreplaceable Trees Among Thousands Lost in Storm Arwen
That's according to the National Trust
Gale force winds as Storm Arwen hit the UK brought down thousands of trees, including "irreplaceable" specimens, the National Trust has said.
The conservation charity said the full extent of the damage caused by the storm was still being assessed, but restoration was likely to cost at least £3 million.
More than 50 trees were uprooted at the Trust's Bodnant Garden in North Wales, including a 51-metre tall "champion" coast redwood, as well as many hybrid rhododendrons that are unique to the property, it said.
The devastation left staff in tears and the clear-up is expected to take several months.
At Wallington in Northumberland, thousands of trees came down as winds reached speeds of up to 98mph, including more than half of a generation of 250-year-old oak and beech trees planted by Sir Walter Calverley Blackett.
The property is without power, phone lines and water, and all footpaths are blocked, the National Trust said.
In the Lake District, the charity's staff were still counting the number of trees brought down, but expect the final total to be in the thousands.
Hundreds of trees were lost on estates such as Wray Castle, Fell Foot and Sizergh, while at Tarn Hows, a 19th century landscape once owned by Beatrix Potter, fallen trees and debris are blocking access roads and paths.
Other National Trust properties that were badly affected include Hardcastle Crags in West Yorkshire, Erddig near Wrexham, Cragside in Northumberland and Attingham Park in Shropshire.
Andy Jasper, head of gardens and parklands at the National Trust, said the storm had delivered a "huge blow to British heritage" at Bodnant, taking down some of the most important and earliest specimen trees at the garden.
"With it being National Tree Week we had expected to be celebrating the extraordinary trees in our care – not witnessing the scale of destruction we have.
"But this week has taken on a new significance for us, and we're asking our supporters to donate, if they can, to help us restore the places affected."
He said the gardens and landscapes would take months to clear up, and years or even decades to fully restore – and some would not be the same again.
"We will also make sure that this restoration work is as resilient as possible to extreme weather events of this kind, which are becoming ever more common as the climate changes."
Acting head gardener at Bodnant Garden, Adam Salvin, added: "It's been a real shock to staff and volunteers coming in to see the devastation caused in one night. There have been tears.
"We've seen storms and floods here before but this damage is on a scale not seen in living memory."
The trust is advising visitors to sites in northern Wales and England to check property websites before setting out, as some places remain closed and walking routes at others may have changed due to the damage.


Tie-dyed t-shirts had to be home-made in 1970, when only freaks wore them.
The crisp feeling in the air, the rustle of dry leaves skittering along the sidewalk, the scent of fresh apples — these things signal the most poetic time of the year, for me.
Others may wax nostalgic about spring or soft summer nights, and those things have their appeal. But nothing quite compares to the bittersweet bliss of October, when the world tilts toward the darkness again, at least in this hemisphere. There is a rush of energy to this autumnal shift, a sense of urgency. Time's a wastin', get the harvest in. The season hums with a "back-to-school," anything-can-happen mood of fresh opportunity.
This mood changed my life back in October of 1969, when there were a lot of fresh ideas, and some recycled ones, adrift on the shared consciousness of our nation. At that time I had already dropped out of high school, dropped out of college, and tuned in to the mesmerizing pull of a group of scruffy musicians in the D.C. area who were gaining momentum on the local scene.
They started out as a trio, guitar, bass and drums. Within a few months that core had expanded to a collective whose appearances included anywhere from six to 12 performers on stage. The repertoire was eclectic and the group dynamic was volatile, but when they were going good, they were as good as anybody, and better than many.
For the last century, to play in a band has become almost a rite of passage for a large percentage of America's youth. The type of music doesn't matter. It's the playing that defines us.
The United States is a nation of bands. But what makes a band different from individual musicians who may be more skilled and talented than the average band, is that bands can only exist through consensus. And consensus is never easy. Ask anyone in Washington, D.C.
In the beginning of the band that dominated my life for three years, we all lived together in one house. When the band grew too big to fit into the house we shared in D.C., we found an old farmhouse in the Virginia countryside and moved there. The house was big and rambling, but it wasn't designed to accommodate a horde. There were enough rooms that could be used as bedrooms, but they weren't equal in size or charm. The question of who should get the best, or biggest, room was discussed. In the end, it was decided that the order of choice would be decided by a cut of the cards. The day before the move happened to be the drummer's birthday. He was late to the card cutting and as it turned out the card he drew was the lowest.
Yet, as the guys went through the house for the first time the next day (none of them had seen it before; in order to rent the house we had sent our most respectable looking pair to negotiate the deal, keeping the musicians out of sight) each found a room that suited his needs. And most were happy, with the possible exception of the organ player who chose one of the smallest rooms because it had the only private bath, which later proved to be nonfunctioning. Also one of the lead singers chose an attic room that had great potential after he lobbied to have the group pay for his building supplies to fix it up. Those supplies are probably still sitting up there in the dust.
But the drummer, choosing last, selected an overlooked room above the kitchen. It had its own private staircase to the kitchen, thus ensuring a good spot in the line for dinner, and was the warmest room in the house, a key plus in the drafty old structure.
We were happy for a while in that old house. Everything the band earned was used to pay our expenses. The musicians got one dollar per gig.
If that sounds like communism, I suppose it was to an extent. But it was more than that. It was a democratic commune. We debated every expenditure. The milk vs beer argument was never won by either side. And there were other, ahem, expenses.
By the time the band broke up a couple of years later, we were no longer living together. We got together for gigs, but the day-in-day-out sharing of good times and bad had lessened, and without that daily closeness, understanding and sympathy lose the race with self-interest and ambition.
Yet the funny thing is, the band enjoyed its peak when everyone was more concerned about the group as a whole than about themselves as individuals. The willingness to work for the good of the whole benefits all the parts.
This is the key not simply to rock and roll survival, but to national strength. We in this country like to think of ourselves as champions of individual freedoms. But what made this country great in the first place was the readiness of all the individuals who sacrificed for the good of the whole.
It might sound corny, but sometimes nothing swings like the basics. The country that plays together stays together. We may never agree on the milk vs beer question, but as long as we keep the discussion civil, we still have a chance for greatness.


text:
f Random distribution of mixed species malaria infections in Papua New Guinea.
R K Mehlotra, K Lorry, W Kastens, S M Miller, M P Alpers, M Bockarie, J W Kazura, P A Zimmerman
Affiliations: 1 Division of Geographic Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4983, USA.
Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 62, Issue 2, 1 Feb 2000, p. 225 - 231
Plasmodium falciparum (Pf), P. vivax (Pv), P. malariae (Pm), and P. ovale (Po) infections are endemic in coastal areas of Papua New Guinea. Here 2,162 individuals living near Dreikikir, East Sepik Province, have been analyzed for complexity of malaria infection by blood smear and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnoses. According to blood smear, the overall prevalence of Plasmodium infection was 0.320. Most individuals (0.283) were infected with a single species only. The prevalence of mixed species infections was low (0.037). Further analysis of a 173-sample subset by nested PCR of small subunit ribosomal DNA resulted in an overall 3.0-fold increase in prevalence of infection, with a 17.5-fold increase in the frequency of mixed species infections. Among mixed species infections detected by PCR, the frequency of double species was 0.364, and that of triple species was 0.237. Nine individuals (0.052) were infected with all 4 species. To determine if infection status (uninfected, single, and multiple infections) deviates from an independent random distribution (null hypothesis), observed versus expected frequencies of all combinations of Plasmodium species infections, or assemblages (Pf-, Pv-, Pm-, Po-, to Pf+, Pv+, Pm+, Po+), were compared using a multiple-kind lottery model. All 4 species were randomly distributed whether diagnosed by blood smear or PCR in the overall population and when divided into age group categories. These findings suggest that mixed species malaria infections are common, and that Plasmodium species appear to establish infection independent of one another.


The event showcased the work of our Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Honours), Bachelor of Arts (Photography) (Honours), Master of Fine Art (Coursework) and Master of Arts (Art in Public Space) students. The opening night is an excellent opportunity to experience contemporary creative practice in a lively atmosphere, and to celebrate the achievements of our students.
The Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Honours), Master of Fine Art (Coursework) and Master of Arts (Art in Public Space) exhibitions ran from Friday 7 December to Saturday 15 December 2018.


text:
Comparing AWS SQL Server With Azure SQL Database
Herve Roggero
Updated date Oct 15 2019
In this article, I will provide an overview of some of the major differences between the AWS RDS SQL Server service and the Azure SQL Database service.
Both offerings are considered Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) implementations, which by nature imposes certain limitations that we will cover. This article does not review the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) implementation of SQL Server. I will compare the services at a high level, providing an overview of their implementation and architecture, T-SQL limitations summary and licensing models.
Please note that cloud-based services evolve rapidly; the information provided in this article is valid as of September 2019.
A stark contrast in approach to delivering services between the two cloud service giants begins with how they both deliver their SQL Server database services. Microsoft uses the latest binaries available for SQL Server (SQL Server 2019), ensuring that your application always runs on the latest binaries available. On the other end, Amazon offers a mostly fixed versioning model (from 2012 to 2017 at the time of this writing) that requires you to choose which version to use. There are pros/cons to each approach however since some legacy applications cannot always run on more modern database engines, the AWS RDS service gives organizations more flexibility by offering various database engine versions; however this is a departure from a pure Platform as a Service (PaaS) model that helps your organization run on the latest platform, which helps you avoid complex and expensive migrations in the long run, and automatically gives you additional features over time. The Microsoft Azure model drives you into a Virtual Machine implementation if you need to use earlier versions of SQL Server.
Conceptually both RDS SQL and Azure SQL DB offer a SQL Server-based hosted service that can be accessed via traditional management tools and applications.
From an availability standpoint, the Azure SQL Database provides 99.99% uptime (calculated monthly). Two high availability models are available depending on the service tier you select standard availability and premium availability. The standard availability model separates storage from compute by using blob storage to store data; the actual server running SQL Server simply mounts the blob storage files for the database and log files. The premium availability model implements Always On Availability Groups in which each node (up to four nodes are provisioned) in the cluster contains a local copy of the data, and ensuring that two of the nodes implement a two-phase commit to avoid data loss. It is worth noting that the Azure SQL Database service provides a secondary read replica for the premium availability tier, allowing applications to access a read-only version of a database without impacting the primary read/write database.
The AWS RDS SQL Server service offers a tier without availability (with no SLA) and another with a single standby server that AWS RDS can use to failover automatically with a 99.95% availability (calculated monthly). The high availability mechanism used depends on the version of SQL Server selected. The AWS RDS service also does not offer a secondary read replica at this time; reports that need access to real-time or near-time data sets will need to connect to the primary read/write instance. The ability to choose an AWS RDS SQL Server without an SLA seems to provide an interesting cost advantage for development and testing scenarios since pricing for a single instance is about half the price according to the public Amazon pricing page. The Microsoft Azure platform also offers a dev/test pricing model that provides up to 55% savings on license for Visual Studio subscribers. For critical applications requiring high availability and a read replica, the Azure SQL Database offering seems to be providing the best option at this time, both in terms of availability and secondary read replica.
From a licensing standpoint, both cloud offerings provide a license-included fee model, so that you do not have to purchase a SQL Server license separately. Generally speaking, it is best to use a license-included model since you can easily create and destroy database instances whenever needed; so you only pay to license for the amount of time you have a running database. However, for certain companies, it may be beneficial to leverage a BYOL (bring your own license) model. Only the Azure SQL Database service offers both a license-included model for both offerings and a BYOL model for managed instances if desired. Amazon RDS SQL Server currently does not offer a BYOL licensing model due to restrictions imposed by Microsoft. You should note that the BYOL model offered by Microsoft can provide some significant savings.
(*) BYOL is only available for vCore pricing
License included model
BYOL
AWS RDS SQL Server
Yes (*)
Azure SQL – Single Database
Azure SQL – Managed Instance
There are specific limitations for both AWS RDS SQL Server and Azure SQL DB. Some of the limitations are inherent to the database version being considered while other features are simply unavailable due to management or security concerns on each platform. It is worth noting that initially, the AWS RDS SQL Server implementation offered the closest compatibility to an on-premise implementation, while Microsoft was offering a pure PaaS implementation specifically designed for cloud-born applications. However, Microsoft also released a version of its PaaS SQL Server offering called Managed Instances, which is designed to compete on feature parity with AWS RDS and offers near 100% compatibility.
For a complete list of T-SQL features that aren't supported by database offering on Microsoft Azure, please see here for Managed Instances and here for Single Databases. And the equivalent documentation (significantly less detailed however) for AWS RDS SQL Server is here.
Here is a partial and high level synopsis of the key feature differences in the various offerings for both AWS RDS and Azure SQL Database.
(*) Provided by the service; access with T-SQL may be restricted or unavailable
(**) Limited support or depends on service tier selected
AWS RDS
Azure SQL DB (Single)
Azure SQL DB (Managed)
BACKUP command
No (*)
Yes (blob)
Column Store Indexes
Yes (**)
Data Quality Services
Database Mail
FILESTREAM
Optional (*)
Linked Server
OPENROWSET
Resource Governor
R-Services
Yes (preview)
Server-level Triggers
Yes (**) – no endpoint
SQL Agent
Both services offer a very different connectivity architecture, with AWD RDS offering a direct connection pattern while the Azure SQL Database leverages a gateway that provides transparent routing or redirection. The AWS connectivity model is straightforward and requires no specific explanation since it mirrors what most developers would expect in a traditional data center design; database instances are provisioned (as Virtual Machines) and the binaries are deployed on the VM. In the AWS RDS environment, each new database instance is deployed in its own Virtual Machine. In the Azure space, however, databases can be deployed on the same server, coexisting with other customer databases with a high degree of isolation ensuring strong security. As a result, the Azure design needs a gateway mechanism to properly identify which database your application is attempting to connect to, and on which server.
The Azure gateway design was initially created exclusively for routing purposes (as a proxy), allowing the database service to scale significantly by dynamically routing the database connection to the server hosting the database at that point in time. This connectivity model does not apply to Managed Instances; it is only used for Single Databases service (including elastic pooled databases). From a client standpoint, this means that in the Azure SQL Database world the primary database can be hosted on any server at any point in time; while transparent in nature, this could cause temporary connectivity loss that a simple connection retry would fix. More importantly, this gateway routing architecture can also have a noticeable negative impact on applications that require fast response times.
While the gateway proxy design was largely transparent, Microsoft introduced a redirect mechanism that allows clients to opt for a direct database connection instead. The client still connects to the gateway first, but gets redirected to the server hosting the database at that point in time; once connected to the database the gateway is no longer needed. While this is the recommended connectivity mode for performance and lower latency, it also requires that clients modify their internal firewalls to allow connectivity to all Azure IP address ranges and ports between 11000-11999. In comparison, the proxy connection method only requires two IPs per region, on port 1433. The default connection policy is different depending on the location of the client: external clients will connect using the proxy method by default, while internally (within Azure) clients will connect using the redirect method by default.
Implementing retry logic in application code, on any cloud provider, is important since databases are usually hosted behind multiple firewalls and routers; however, retry logic is likely more important against the Azure SQL Database platform since database servers can be relocated to new hosts at any given time for overall service scalability. While the gateway approach used by the Azure SQL Database service seems extraneous at first glance, it offers some interesting management and scalability capabilities that are only possible when such an architecture is implemented. More specifically it allows the Azure platform to transparently move databases when it is necessary to do so, such as hardware malfunctions, and environment upgrades, in addition to providing a set of capabilities centrally such as firewall configuration and audit logs (you can think of the Gateway as a read-only master database for Azure SQL Database). While the AWS RDS environment also accounts for hardware and environment-related concerns the gateway model provides a high degree of server abstraction.
As we have seen from this high-level overview, both the AWS RDS and Azure SQL Database services compete on how to deliver the best experience for customers. AWS RDS delivers a more server-oriented model that provides strong backward compatibility for applications that need earlier versions of SQL Server, while the Azure platform provides a dynamic architecture that is always running the latest version of SQL Server and shifting the platform choice from a version decision to a service level decision (single database vs. managed instance).
Azure SQL Database
Comparing AWS SQL Server


Patients with heart failure (HF) present with symptoms of dyspnea and shortness of breath. A patient who presents to the emergency department with acute symptoms may have decompensated HF with excessive volume overload. The etiology of HF is coronary artery disease, hypertension, valve disease, or idiopathic. The differential diagnosis includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-Terminal (NT)-proBNP are biomarkers for HF, and either BNP or NT-proBNP should be measured in patients presenting to the emergency department with symptoms suggestive of HF. Increased levels of BNP or NT-proBNP are consistent with HF.
The diagnostic cut-off concentration for BNP is typically 100pg/mL. However, patients with renal and pulmonary disease can have intermediate values between 100 and 500pg/mL. The diagnostic cut-off for NT-proBNP is variable and age-dependent. Many laboratories use a cut-off of 125pg/mL for patients younger than 75 years of age and 450pg/mL for patients 75 years of age and older. However, other laboratories use higher cut-offs (e.g., <500pg/mL for patients younger than 50 years of age, <900pg/mL for patients younger than 75 years of age, and <1800pg/mL for patients 75 years of age and older).
Pro-BNP is the precursor protein to both BNP and NT-proBNP and originates from both the atrium and ventricles of the heart. Under physiologic conditions of volume overload, ventricular stretching and myocardial ischemia, pro-BNP is converted to these metabolites. BNP is the active metabolite and counteracts hypertension by stimulating vasodilation and the clearance of water and sodium. NT-proBNP is not biologically active. There is, essentially, no difference in the diagnostic value of BNP versus NT-proBNP. The choice of one assay over the other is determined by the availability of the specific instrumentation in use by the clinical laboratory.
Unlike acute coronary syndrome, which requires serial testing within a short time interval for diagnosis, HF is a chronic disease and only one sample is warranted at the time of admission. If a patient is diagnosed with decompensated heart failure, a second test after 1-2 days may be warranted to determine if diuretic therapy has been successful in compensating HF by lowering the BNP/NT-proBNP values. After the patient has stabilized, a third test may be indicated at the time of patient discharge to determine the baseline or "dry" weight BNP/NT-proBNP level. This may be useful in risk stratification of HF patients for future exacerbations.
Conditions other than HF can increase BNP and NT-proBNP, including age, renal failure and pulmonary disease, so results should be interpreted in the clinical context.
Drugs and herbal supplements do not affect BNP or NT-proBNP measurements.
No laboratory result is absolutely confirmatory for HF.
BNP and NT-proBNP have been tested in large cohorts of high-risk patients without symptoms of HF but for whom follow-up data are available. The current evidence suggests that measuring BNP and NT-proBNP in asymptomatic patients is not cost-effective. International cardiology guidelines have suggested that echocardiography may be useful in screening asymptomatic patients for idiopathic HF, especially from first degree relatives with HF. These patients can be treated with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors if deemed necessary.


text:
King's Lynn Town re-sign star duo for next season
Mark Armstrong
mark.armstrong@archant.co.uk
@markarmy
Michael Gash has signed a new one-year deal with King's Lynn. Picture: Archant
ARCHANT EASTERN DAILY PRESS (01603) 772434
King's Lynn Town have re-signed Michael Gash and Frazer Blake-Tracy as new manager Simon Clark bids to mount another promotion assault at The Walks.
Action King's Lynn Town v Gosport Borough at The Walks - Lynn Town's Frazer Blake-Tracy. Picture Matthew Usher.
Both players were cornerstones of the Linnets' success last season, which saw them finish second in the Evo-Stik Premier Division on 100 points before losing out in the play-off final to Slough.
They have signed new one-year deals with the club as Lynn look to go one better than last season.
Blake-Tracy was signed from Lowestoft Town last summer after impressing for the Trawlerboys as he made the switch across East Anglia with Ryan Jarvis.
His performances down the left-flank and at centre-half were one of the features of Lynn's promotion campaign last season.
Gash joined the Linnets after being released by Barnet in 2017 following a cruciate ligament injury. However, the big striker showed few signs of wear and tear for Ian Culverhouse's men during the last campaign, acting as the focal point for Lynn going forward scoring 14 goals in the process.
New Lynn chief Clark is delighted to get both back on board for next season's crack at promotion.
"Frazer is a rare breed. He is really steady in both his outlook and demeanour and is a young man who can play in the really big games at this level," said Clark, speaking to the club's official site.
"I watched in both of the play-off games and he was very composed. He can play in a couple of positions and I believe there is still more to come.
"He is a tremendous asset for the football club.
"Frazer wants to push on and that's a massive thing. He's a great kid and I can't wait to start working with him."
On keeping Gash at the club, Clark added: "When I came to the club I was totally honest and open with all of the players and they all spoke so highly of Gashy.
"He's a vital cog for this football team.
"You need someone you can hit and also somebody who can score you a reasonable amount of goals and Michael does both.
"Having spoken to him in length he's still a good pro, but the most important thing is that he still remains hungry to produce the goods on the pitch."
Ryan Jarvis
Lynn Town


text:
Jeffrey Stuart Wins 10-mile World Championships
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
The Kingdom Games has started in the state of Vermont and it is skewing older. Masters swimmer Jeffrey Stuart from Manchester is another one of the stalwart marathon swimmers from the state of Connecticut. The 53-year-old won the 2014 WOWSA 10-Mile World Swimming Championships in Lake Memphremagog in 4:24:17.
He held off 23-year-old Cole Gridhart of Cibolo, Texas by a minute.
Gindart describes the race, "It was quite the horse race, and our yackers were the only ones that got to see the most exciting part. Jeff had a clear lead until around mile 6 when I caught up to him. But he was not about to let me pass, so as I caught up he started to pick up the pace. He and I ended up swimming shoulder to shoulder, matching each other stroke for stroke, for about 20 minutes. Finally when I had to stop for a feed Jeff took the opportunity to put some distance between us again, and I just didn't have enough in the tank to close the gap again after that."
The Top 10 results:
1. Jeffrey Stuart (53) 4:24:17
2. Cole Gindhart (23) 4:25:17
3. Maury McKinney (53) 4:54:08
4. Barney Heller (60) 4:59:07
5. Flavio Pardo (46) 5:03:51
6. John Royer (31) 5:04:53
7. William Miller (49) 5:13:06
8. Kit Koenig (45) 5:22:06
9. Leigh Schmitt (41) 6:00:45
10. Brian McLaughlin (59) 6:12:59
Copyright © 2014 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Tags: Jeffrey Stuart


text:
module Spree
  module Api
    module OrdersControllerExtensions

      def apply_coupon_code
        find_order
        authorize! :update, @order, order_token
        @order.coupon_code = params[:coupon_code]
        @handler = PromotionHandler::Coupon.new(@order).apply
        status = @handler.successful? ? 200 : 422
        render json: @order,
               scope: current_spree_user,
               serializer: Sprangular::OrderSerializer,
               root: :order,
               status: status,
               meta: {
                 success: @handler.success,
                 error: @handler.error,
                 successful: @handler.successful?,
                 status_code: @handler.status_code
               }
      end

    end
  end
end

Spree::Api::OrdersController.prepend Spree::Api::OrdersControllerExtensions

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
TERROR STALKS MCT STAGE
Abigail Gordiany in VERONICA'S ROOM at Melbourne Civic Theatre. Photo by Max Thorton.
Mover over Halloween Horror Nights. Melbourne Civic Theatre director Peg Girard has yet again let loose her creep-out side in what will no doubt be a spine chilling production of "Veronica's Room."
This is the second time Ms. Girard has directed "Veronica's Room." The first time was in a makeshift theater in the Palm Bay campus of Eastern Florida State College. Now, it's at MCT where technical aspects of the show can get built into it over time and remain in place.
"This production is very different," she said. "The space is a lot better for the show. We have more control of the environment and lighting and sound. Last time I did it was in a college auditorium. We have been able to bring the set closer and more enclosed, so you feel like you're in the room with them."
Before, the show was mounted in a college classroom requiring sets and lights had to be struck after the Sunday matinee to make room for classes. They were remounted on Friday before the evening's show.
Now though, it's gonna be total terror. Can you imagine what scenic/lighting designer Alan Selby and sound designer Wendy Reader will be able to do?
After his astounding success with the 1967 novel "Rosemary's Baby" playwright Ira Levin had good success with the equally terrifying "Veronica's Room." This drama debuted on Broadway in 1973, coincidentally, in the month of October. Just in time for Halloween.
The characters in it are an older and younger couple, listed only as The Woman, The Man, The Girl and The Young Man. The couples come together as strangers but soon sinister elements arise as the older couple bring their "new friends" to their home and convince The Girl to slip into one of the dresses of a dead woman, Veronica.
Like Levin did five years later in "Deathtrap," here he employs mind-bending plot twists which throw the audience off balance and sets the storyline careening into sheer terror.
In addition to working with a text filled with twists and turns, Girard has her design team embellishing the play with shadow-filled visuals and evocative sound.
Her cast includes Sally Contess as The Woman and Peter Olander as The Man, both of whom Girard has directed in multiple productions. Here, she says Contess has stepped into a "tour de force" role.
Mike Landau is The Young Man and Abigail Gordiany is The Girl. This is Landau's third time being in a play.
From left: Mike Landau, Sally Contess, Abigail Gordiany and Peter Olander in VERONICA'S ROOM at Melbourne Civic Theatre. Photo by Max Thorton.
An Orlando resident, Gordiany performed in the ensemble in MCT's recent "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." "Veronica's Room" is her first straight play (non-musical).
Gordiany said people are going to be "100 percent" creeped out by "Veronica's Room." After last week's opening, audience members sought her out as they were leaving the theater and expressed their delight in the show's intensity.
"They were like 'Wow, this is a freaky show, you really scared us'," she said. " That was good. That was what we wanted to hear…It's perfect for Halloween."
Go if you dare.
SIDE O' GRITS: "Veronica's Room" runs through Nov. 11 at Melbourne Civic Theatre, 817 E. Strawbridge Ave., Melbourne. Tickets are $29 and $31. Call 321-723-6935 or visit MyMCT.org.
Previous Article GET OUT! October 5 to 7
Next Article GET OUT! October 12 to 14


Don't you love time. Okay, that's a lie, 24hrs is too short for a day. The number of times I get home so exhausted and I just want to pass out, but I still want to do important things like meet up with friends (for dinner, a'cuppa tea, laughs, drinks) then still manage to do school work and slot in some time for my stuff.
Fortunately that is not the time I'm talking about. I'm talking about time…the lengthy time. You know the one that gives you an opportunity to learn, not the 24 hour meanie one. By the way given super powers, I think I will drop the flash one that I've always wanted, now that it's my aim to learn to keep time and pick the time-extending one, so that I can have more time on my hands…smart move huh!
Time as limited a resource as it seems or actually is, is one of the most important things in life. Ever find yourself asking someone to give you more time or you cannot get (or have enough) time to do something or that you can only judge a situation given time. Time, time, time. It's just happens to be all over your space and there's no way you can evade it. The birthdays we celebrate, the friendships we form, the relationships we have, our achievements, the people we become…all in the long run, are all as a result of time. I love it when people celebrate good times. It's also with time that some bad things happen you lose loved ones, you create fr-enemies, relationships fail, you miss out on the good things, you don't say or do what you would've wanted to say or do, you don't get or achieve what you wanted and so on.
Time talks, teaches, makes you learn, gives you more information, shows you things, give things meaning, makes you figure our what's important what is not, what's dominant what is not, your worth or value to people/places, it's what tells you if you made the right or wrong choices. Basically it becomes your voice of reason when all else is probably failing. With time, you can always know where to place yourself in life's different situations and where to place those situations in your life as well (always a two-way…like you do me, I do you kind of thing…lol). It's just as simple to understand as that or as difficult to absorb as that.
Love, Light, Peace! I saw this somewhere and thought, "How cool, I should do it too". So, I choose to light a candle and think of everyone sending love and thanks, I wish to send love and peace to all mankind. Wonderful Wednesday!


text:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:id="@+id/main"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:layout_weight="10"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    tools:context=".activities.IntroActivity">

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="0dp"
        android:layout_gravity="center"
        android:layout_weight="2"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:paddingStart="32dp"
        android:paddingEnd="32dp"
        android:text="@string/slide_02_header"
        android:textSize="28sp"
        app:fontFamily="sans-serif-thin" />

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="0dp"
        android:layout_gravity="center"
        android:layout_weight="7"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:paddingStart="64dp"
        android:paddingEnd="64dp"
        android:text="@string/slide_02_text"
        android:textSize="16sp" />

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="fill_parent"
        android:layout_height="64dp" />
</LinearLayout>


The farm is located very close to the Aegean touristic region. It is built on a land about 3000 square meters. There is a museum, guest house, restaurant, stall, pond and a production facility on the land. Both on open areas and in greenhouses organic certified products are grown. While almost all kinds of fruits and vegetables are cultivated in the farm; products like citrus, grape, olive, almond, peach, cherry, quince are processed by conventional methods and they are met with the consumers.
When Can You Visit Gursel Tonbul Farm ?


CLEMSON, South Carolina — Medical Beam Laboratories LLC, a company recently formed by researchers from Clemson University's Medical Physics lab, has been awarded the InnoVision Award for Technology Development for its work in advanced robotic radiosurgery.
Medical Beam Laboratories staff receive the 2017 InnoVision Award for Technology Development.
The annual award honors one company in South Carolina that has developed a novel technology for commercial or internal purposes.
Medical Beam Laboratories, started in 2015 by physics and astronomy doctoral student Donald Medlin and professors Endre Takacs and Mark Leising, is developing an innovative radiosurgery device to obliterate cancerous tumors quickly, precisely and at a fraction of the cost of current treatments.
Physics and astronomy research associate Leon Zheng provided an incomplete design for the device back in 2015, launching the group's collaboration and leading the creation of the company, which is also known as Beam Lab.
Medlin, the CEO of Beam Lab, said he and his team weren't expecting to win the award at the InnoVision awards dinner last month.
Given that InnoVision is the premier organization for technological advancement in South Carolina, winning one of the eight InnoVision Awards is an honor for a company. Previous winners of the Technology Development Award, such as Milliken, a global manufacturer of chemicals, floor covering and performance materials; and Proterra, known around the Upstate for its zero-emission buses, have been bolstered because of their InnoVision Awards.
A prototype for the team's radiosurgery device is currently in the works.
The company's award-winning device is intended to improve cancer outcomes for people and also for their four-legged friends.
Beam Lab's device uses 26 pencil beams of well-defined gamma radiation, which can eliminate a tumor in one to three fractionations.
"The beams are all targeted at the tumor volume and they rotate around the patient so that they're entering at different angles. This reduces the dose spillage outside of the tumor volume and minimizes the damage to the surrounding healthy tissue," Medlin said.
A rotating treatment head that stands out against typical, static radiosurgery devices.
An image guidance system is included in the design to monitor the tumor's position in real time, ensuring that the radiation beams don't stray from their tumor targets.
Computer simulations, akin to those used by particle physicists at the Large Hadron Collider on the border Switzerland and France, have validated the device's abilities up until this point.
Beam Lab is housed at Greenville Technical College's Center for Manufacturing Innovation.
Beam Lab is currently producing its first device, which will be used for human applications in Europe beginning in fall 2018. They're also fundraising to launch the first radiosurgery device designed and optimized for veterinary applications, which they hope will be piloted by a qualified veterinary hospital in Greenville. The Clemson University Research Foundation (CURF) has patented the team's technology, and licensing agreements are presently under way.
Data compiled from both veterinary and human applications will provide the foundation for Beam Lab as the company seeks FDA approval for their device. Medlin said he hopes to have a radiosurgery machine available for domestic hospitals by 2020.
He credits the South Carolina Research Association (SCRA) for providing startup funds for the technology; and Takacs, Zheng, and Leising for spearheading the idea with him.


Are you afraid to love again? If you've been deeply hurt it's understandable. But it's always possible with the high reward endeavor of loving … [Read more...] about Afraid to Love Again?
Perfume & Cologne - Free shipping!


A side-by-side comparison of top variable speed pool pumps, by price, popularity, horse power, speed range, etc.
Atlantis Natural Saltwater Chlorinators / Chlorination Systems for Pools and Spas eliminate the need for toxic chlorine products and nearly all other pool chemicals. Five Year Unconditional Warranty.
Get certified pool operator courses from Pool Operation Management in Florida, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia, and Alabama.
Easy Times Hot Tubs offers new and used spas and hottubs, spa chemicals, filters, accessories, parts and service.
Discover sauna detoxification benefits with far infrared saunas, steam showers, and steam bath generators. Reviews the top home sauna heaters, portable sauna kits, and modular steam saunas.


text:
package com.jeromewagener.game.objects.projectile;

import com.jeromewagener.game.Game;
import com.jeromewagener.game.objects.GameObject;
import com.jeromewagener.game.objects.mobile.AbstractMob;
import com.jeromewagener.game.graphics.Screen;
import com.jeromewagener.game.graphics.Sprite;
import com.jeromewagener.game.objects.producer.Producer;

import java.util.Iterator;

public class FireProjectile extends Projectile {
    public static final int FIRE_RATE = 6;

    public FireProjectile(GameObject source, int xOrigin, int yOrigin, double angle) {
        super(source, xOrigin, yOrigin, angle);
        speed = 1;
        range = GameObject.random.nextInt(30) + 50;
        damage = 20;
        sprite = Sprite.PROJECTILE;

        newX = speed * Math.cos(angle);
        newY = speed * Math.sin(angle);
    }

    @Override
    public void update() {
        // check mob collisions
        int newX1 = new Double(x + newX).intValue();
        int newY1 = new Double(y + newY).intValue();

        Iterator<AbstractMob> enemyIterator = level.getEnemies().iterator();
        while (enemyIterator.hasNext()) {
            AbstractMob enemy = enemyIterator.next();
            if (enemy.x - 10 <= newX1
                    && newX1 <= enemy.x + 10
                    && enemy.y - 10 <= newY1
                    && newY1 <= enemy.y + 10) {

                if (source == enemy) {
                    move();
                    return;
                }

                Producer.produceBloodParticles(level, (int) x, (int) y, 10, 10);
                enemy.life -= 10;

                if (enemy.isDead()) {
                    enemyIterator.remove();

                    if (level.getEnemies().isEmpty()) {
                        Game.gameState = 2;
                    }
                }

                remove();
            }

            if (level.xTileCollision(x, y, newX) || level.yTileCollision(x, y, newY)) {
                Producer.produceDebrisParticles(level, (int) x, (int) y, 20, 30);

                remove();
            }
        }

        move();
    }

    @Override
    protected void move() {
        x += newX;
        y += newY;

        if (getTravelledDistance() > range) {
            remove();
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void render(Screen screen) {
        screen.renderSprite((int) x - 8, (int) y - 2, sprite, true);
    }
}


text:
Grace Terry
NEWS 4/20/21 9:50pm
'It has been far too long': Derek Chauvin murder conviction evokes sense of justice for Elon community
By Grace Terry and Mackenzie Wilkes
Derek Chauvin was found guilty of three charges for the murder of George Floyd: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin faces up to 40 years in prison, and his sentencing is expected in the next few weeks.
SPORTS 4/6/21 3:23pm
Women coaches underrepresented at Elon, Division I sports
By Grace Terry
In the last 50 years, the number of female athletes in college sports dramatically increased. However, women coaches are now more underrepresented in women's college sports. Currently at Elon, approximately 26% of non-volunteer coaches are women 一 double counting for coaches who are on staff with multiple teams. Female collegiate coaches have not always been underrepresented in women's sports. The trend started when Title IX 一 a law, which prohibits federally funded institutions from discriminating on the basis of sex 一 was enacted in 1972 and greatly increased representation of female athletes.
SPORTS 3/12/21 12:08am
Elon women's basketball falls to Drexel in CAA tournament quarterfinal
By Grace Terry and Caleigh Lawlor
Elon women's basketball will not be advancing in the 2021 Colonial Athletic Association championship. The no. 6 Phoenix lost to the no. 3 Dragons 65 - 59 in the quarterfinals. The Phoenix had the opportunity to host the event at Schar Center for the second year in a row after the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burlington businesses build back up
Some small businesses in the city of Burlington are trying to recover from the economic fallout due to the coronavirus pandemic. Loans and reopening businesses have aided in their efforts to rebuild after economic decline.
LIFESTYLE 2/18/21 5:08pm
Elon alumna converts school buses into mobile homes
Elon University alum Megan Donahue '20 and her mother, Lisa, cover Tobius' metal sides with paint looking for any spots that need touch-ups. Tobius is the latest bus the mother-daughter duo is transforming into a home under the banner of their company Live Simply. The company began as a way to honor Megan's brother, Michael, who died in 2015 after getting hit by a car.
LIFESTYLE 12/8/20 6:10pm
A look into Alamance County's only mosque
Located on Mebane Street in Burlington, Shaher Sayed and his family acquired the Burlington Masjid's building u2014 which used to be a church u2014 on the last day of 2014. Sayed and his family had been laying the groundwork for that move for years. In 2004, they started a Sunday school which they held in rented out spaces and Shaher Sayed's wife, Amal Khdour, started the clinic in 2009.
NEWS 10/30/20 2:18pm
Alamance County's people of the polls
Voters in Alamance County have lined up at the polls for early voting at the county's five locations. Adrianne Mowry has been at Holly Hill Mall encouraging voters to vote for the Green Party while Sadie Howard-Stanfield has been working at polls for over 30 years and his currently the Democratic precint chair at the Elmira Community Chair.
NEWS 10/29/20 10:33am
COVID-19 spikes cause anxiety, ire among students
Some students are angry after seeing the spike in the school's COVID-19 case numbers, while others feel like they can't socialize at all because of the record high case numbers. One student said she most of that anger was directed at the Elon administration and believes that through their emails, the university is blaming students for the spike in cases.
Elon University to return to social hiatus, expects increase to High Alert
Elon University will return to social hiatus on Oct. 23 due to a recent spike in cases, according to an email update from Jeff Stein, chair of the Ready & Resilient committee. Some of the restrictions include prohibiting visitors in on campus housing, closing indoor seating in dining halls and suspending high risk club sports and intramural activities.
North Carolina, Alamance County voting trends in presidential elections
In nine of the past ten presidential elections, the Republican party candidate has won the state of North Carolina. President Barack Obama was the lone Democrat to take the state when he won it by 0.32% in 2008. Michael Bitzer, who runs the political blog Old North State Politics and is a professor of politics and history at Catawba University, saw a shift in the state.
NEWS 10/8/20 3:47pm
Elon University ranks #371 for social mobility
The social mobility category looks at a school's capabilities to graduate and support students who receive a federal Pell Grant. In this category Elon ranked in the bottom 20 for national universities, No. 371. According to the U.S. News and World Report website, the factors that go into the social mobility category are a part of the "17 different measures of academic quality" that go into determining the overall rankings.
NEWS 9/28/20 12:00pm
How to get on and off Elon University's Board of Trustees
By Grace Terry , Kyra O'Connor and Abby Goretsky
Whether they received nominations from the board or President Connie Book herself, members of the Elon University Board of Trustees are appointed and selected to serve four-year terms to further the university's mission.
NEWS 9/28/20 9:55am
Expanding Elon's Latinx community with El Centro
By Grace Terry and Hannah Massen
While El Centro has always been a space that championed Latinx and Hispanic culture education, after a 2018 Latinx/Hispanic Working Group report recommendation, the center decided to shift their focus. They began working to create a resource-focused center for students who identify as Latinx or Hispanic.
Expandiendo la communidad Latinx de Elon con El Centro
Si bien el Centro siempre ha sido un espacio que ha abogado por la educación de la cultura latina/hispana, siguiendo la recomendación del informe del Grupo de Trabajo Latino / Hispano del 2018, el Centro decidió cambiar su enfoque. Comenzaron a trabajar para crear un centro centrado en recursos para estudiantes que se identifican como latinos o hispanos.
Dining moves to grab-and-go only
Starting at 5 p.m. on Sept. 25, all on-campus Elon University dining will be grab-and-go through Sept. 30, according to an email for the Chair of the Ready & Resilient Committee Jeff Stein.
Pro-Trump parade drives through Elon University's campus
By Jack Norcross and Grace Terry
A parade of vehicles supporting President Donald Trump drove through the Elon University campus Saturday.
Mask study gives insights into low-cost way to test effectiveness of masks
David Grass, a research assistant at Duke University, is one of seven researchers who were involved and who created this device. The group's goal was to create a low-cost way to test the effectiveness of different face coverings.
Elon University ranks No.88 overall on the U.S. News and World Report 2021 list of best national universities
Elon University ranks No. 88 among national universities and No. 55 among private universities on the U.S. News and World Report 2021 list of best national universities. This ranking is down four spots both overall and for private universities from the 2020 list, when Elon ranked No. 84 and No. 51 一 Elon's first year of eligibility for the list.
NEWS 9/8/20 9:25am
Elon University randomly selects hundreds of students, faculty and staff each week for COVID-19 testing
Currently, the random COVID-19 testing for students is being conducted every Wednesday in Alumni Gym while testing for faculty and staff is being done through mail-in tests. Students receive instructions on how to sign-up for a time and more information about what to expect in the email from Stein.
NEWS 9/5/20 10:59pm
March in Greensboro honors Marcus Smith almost two years after his death
On Saturday Sept. 5, protesters marched through the streets of Greensboro in honor of the upcoming anniversary of the Black man's death. The event was called the March for Marcus and was put on WHOA: Working Class & Houseless Organizing Alliance — a group that helps promote change for "the working class, homeless, migrant and other disenfranchised communities," according to the groups Facebook page.
More Articles by Grace Terry »
Bocock_Terry-4.jpg
Terry_Virtual-2.jpg
Terry_Conference-4.jpg
healthcare-terry-grace-1.jpg
JAD_1720.jpg
ROTC.png
online ad.jpg
Tammi Jaskulski
Damaged driver's licenses
More Media by Grace Terry »


text:
Q: Get a specific id from a table in mvc I need to get an id value from a table where the primary key from that table matches the current UserId. I'm using the entityframework/mvc login tables(UserProfile, UsersInRoles, and Roles), but I have another table which is called CompanyUser which doesn't have a relationship with UserProfile. And I cant create a relationship between them because of how the project is built.
In my CompanyUser table I have column UserID and CompanyID, The UserID is the exact same as UserID in the Table UserProfile. So what I need to do but don't know how other then that I can use .equals or .where, is to get the specific CompanyID where UserID inside the same table matches with websecurity.currentUserID.

A: It's not entirely clear, but I suspect you just want:
var currentUserId = websecurity.CurrentUserID;
var companyId = db.Companies
                  .Where(x => x.UserID == currentUserId)
                  .Select(x => x.CompanyID)
                  .Single();

Change Single to First or FirstOrDefault if you don't know that there'll be a matching record, or if there may be more than one.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Stephen Kimber > Books > Sailors, Slackers… > Why "Sailors, Slack…
Why "Sailors, Slackers…"
I was born in Halifax four years after the infamous VE-Day riots that ended World Ward II. I've lived in the city most of my life but, until recently at least, knew very little about those dramatic events, or the tumultuous five-and-a-half years that led up to them. Perhaps because it ended so badly, Halifax's role in World War II — arguably its finest hour on the world stage — is rarely spoken of, or written up, or bragged about these days. Growing up, I learned more about the 1917 Halifax Explosion — the last "good" bad thing that happened to the city — than I ever did about Halifax's brief shining moment as the "most important port in the world."
There may have been other logical reasons for that too. My parents were not untypical of the new, upwardly mobile working class. Having grown up in the Depression and survived a world war, they preferred to live in the present and dream of a future for their children rather than dwell on a past that was. . . well, past. As for me, I came of age in the sixties when the present seemed far more interesting than the past, and future peace meant more than past war.
Perhaps that's why I didn't realize until recently that our home had been one of those transformed into a boarding house for servicemen during the war. My room — the one I once chose to have painted battleship grey for reasons that escape me now — was rented out to a procession of nameless, faceless young men, some of whom probably never came home again.
I knew, of course, that my father and his two brothers served in the Royal Canadian Navy, but I was never curious enough then to ask him about it. By the time I wanted to know, my father was dead. I'm still not sure if he joined the navy for the "duration of hostilities" because he wanted to do his patriotic duty, or because he needed a job. I do know it was his first steady job. He was 25.
My mother turned 21 on September 8, 1939, two days before Canada officially joined the war against Germany. She was at her parents' cottage on the edge of Bedford Basin. "I remember watching planes flying in together. It made me nervous."
A few weeks later, her boyfriend Ted, my father, showed up at her workplace in his newly issued navy uniform. With his first pay cheque, he bought her a locket. He asked her to marry him, but the war made planning difficult. In the end, they decided to take advantage of a brief shore leave in August 1940 before he left for England — for who knew how long — to pick up a new ship.
When he was at sea, my father wrote to my mother every day, using flimsy, military-issue, onion skin letter-forms that folded neatly into their own self-contained envelopes. My mother kept packets of those letters, brittle and neatly wrapped with elastic band, for years. I never bothered to look at them until it was too late. After my father died and my mother sold their house, she threw the letters out. Even after their wedding, my mother continued to live with her mother and father – and the constant stream of borders through my grandmother's home. At any one time, half a dozen soldiers and sailors – plus my then-teenaged uncle – would sleep on cots in the attic while an equal number occupied two of the four second-floor bedrooms. Most stayed for only a few weeks. My grandmother would get a call at two or three in the morning, my mother explained when I did finally began asking about such things a few years ago. "'There's a train coming in,' they'd say, and so she'd have to get up and get the house ready for another lot."
Most were nice enough, she says, but some were, well, condescending and dismissive. "Nothing was ever as good as Toronto," she remembered. "They were always bragging up Toronto and complaining about how they couldn't get a drink here."
In her spare time, my mother volunteered at the North End Services Canteen, which fed close to a thousand sailors every day. It was no big deal, she says. Volunteering was just what everyone did back then.
Her own recollections of the riots are as blandly unrevealing. My parents and my then two-year-old sister Judith attended the fireworks on Citadel Hill to celebrate the victory in Europe. "Everyone was happy," my mother remembers. "We did hear the glass breaking downtown but we didn't go down there so we didn't know what it was about." The next day, she and my father were sitting on their front step as dozens of people walked by with parcels under their coats. "But it wasn't like now when you can turn on the TV and see everything," she tried to explain. "We only turned the radio on for special times, so we had to wait for the papers to find out what had happened."
As for me, I know now that I waited far too long to begin finding out what really happened during those years in Halifax. I'm only glad I didn't wait too long. The last of my parents' generation, the ones who lived, loved, laughed and cried their way through those days, still have their stories. And those of my generation, the ones who once thought history doesn't matter, now know better.
— Stephen Kimber
Reviews – Sailors
High Seas Rescue: Another True Tale of World War II Halifax
Excerpt – Sailors
Sailors, Slackers – Buy The Book
Kimberly on Where's the money?Excellent read!!!


text:
Jubilee House eller Golden Jubilee House är det officiella residenset för Ghanas president.

Palatset består av fyra byggnader med en gemensam övervåning och sägs påminna om Ashanti-folkets gyllene stol. Byggnaderna i glas och stål har en bas på 19×19 meter och avsmalnar mot taket. En stålkonstruktion på taket utgör stolens sits. Jubilee House uppfördes 2008 med stöd från Indiens regering intill en tidigare administrationsbyggnad i den brittiska kolonin Guldkusten som kallades Flaggstaff House. Byggnaden fick namnet Golden Jubilee House i samband med firandet av 50-årsjubileet för Ghanas självständighet.

Presidentens administration, som tidigare hade säte i Osu Castle, flyttade in i byggnaden 2013 och i mars 2018 fick palatset sitt nuvarande namn av president Nana Akufo-Addo.

Källor

Byggnader i Ghana
Accra
Arkitekturåret 2008
2008 i Ghana

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Align Coworking Space
The 24/7 Coworking Space at Align is a collaborative space at the heart of the historic Union Station District in the southern part of downtown Tacoma. Located in the Tioga Building on the University of Washington Tacoma campus, the newly remodeled space offers shared and individual desk space, as well as conference rooms, break-out space, and event space overlooking Mount Rainier and the beautiful UW Tacoma's brick architecture. The location is within walking distance of restaurants, businesses, museums, parks, attractions and historic architecture.
Align's Coworking Space aims to incubate, support, and encourage the growth of high-quality start-ups. We also help grow businesses through a flexible, high-energy and collaborative working environment. We focus on creating an innovative and community-driven model of building a space for a strong and ever-growing community of women business owners. We provide the space so women can focus on what's important: building and growing their businesses. While our aim is to provide a space for women, we are inclusive of all. Our next step is creating a partnership for childcare.
Flexible working environment without the hassle of owning an office
Desk options of a shared co-working desk or your own personal dedicated desk
Ultra High-Speed Internet and Wi-Fi connectivity
Complimentary water, coffee and tea
Multifunction printer, copier and scanner
Comfortable break out area with a whiteboard and lift-top coffee table
Conference room with a large table and whiteboards, conferencing calling…and our super comfortable ergonomic chairs!
We offer flexible terms and rates. Please contact us for daily and monthly pricing details.
Women's Business Initiative
Tacoma Food Collective
Business In Tacoma & Pierce County
info@aligncatalyst.com
1901 Jefferson Ave., Suite 105, Tacoma, WA 98402
Appointments are available outside of regular business hours.
Designed By Zephyr Webpages
TAC 253-441-0072
SEA 206-905-1505
1901 Jefferson Ave. Suite 105 Tacoma, WA 98402
© All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Designed By Zephyr Webpages
We use cookies for various purposes including analytics and personalized marketing. By continuing to use the service, you agree to our use of cookies.


China and the Philippines plan to conduct talks and potentially sign an agreement regarding joint exploration for hydrocarbons, oil and natural gas in South China Sea. This agreement could cover portions of the South China Sea such as the Reed Bank that were under dispute in the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has said that the joint exploration project will not require the Philippines to set aside its claims to the disputed territory, but that he hopes to develop a framework for joint exploration that will allow the two countries to work together while otherwise maintaining its claims. The Philippines have proposed splitting the resources from the joint exploration project 60-40 (in the Philippines favor) with China.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to the Philippines to discuss the joint exploration project was originally scheduled for Sept. 16 to 18, but has been rescheduled due to Typhoon Ompong.
Japan has acknowledged the deployment of a submarine to the South China Sea to participate in military drills between Aug. 26 and Oct. 30, the first time it has openly announced the deployment of a submarine to the disputed region. The submarine, the Kuroshio, conducted antisubmarine warfare exercises along with a helicopter carrier and a pair of destroyers on or about Sept. 13.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe downplayed the significance of this acknowledgement, telling reporters on Sept. 17 that the military drills were not conducted with any specific country in mind, that Japan has conducted such drills in the past, and that his country's relationship with China was improving.
The deployment comes in the context of a somewhat warming relationship between the two powers, tempered by Japan's recognition of China's growing military ambitions. Several experts told the New York Times that Tokyo's announcement is meant to send a message to China that Japan will continue to stand up for itself. "We are sending a signal that China cannot just do whatever it wants to do and get away with it," said Narushige Michishita, director of the Security and International Studies Program at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, to the Times.
Following the exercises, the Kuroshio also visited the Vietnamese port of Cam Ranh, the first time a Japanese submarine has visited the country. This visit seems to be part of a larger initiative by Japan and Vietnam to improve their bilateral relationship, an initiative that may be partially aimed at counterbalancing against China.
On Sept. 5, Indian Minister of Defense Nirmala Sitharaman and U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis announced the signing of a new "Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement" between the two countries, which will allow India to buy new defense technologies from the U.S. and access secure communications systems. Before the signing of this agreement, American weapons systems sold to India could not include these secure communications.
The agreement will allow the two states' militaries to conduct joint operations more effectively by improving their ability to conduct secure communications, and will also allow the Indian military to communicate with other countries that have signed similar agreements with the United States.
The agreement was the result of the week-long "2+2 Dialogue" between the two countries' diplomatic and military chiefs in New Delhi. Other key announcements from the meeting include both sides agreeing to speed India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and the announcement of enhanced defense cooperation such as joint military exercises in 2019 and the establishment of a direct hotline between India and the U.S.
One area where the two sides did not reach agreement was on India's planned purchase of five S-400 surface-to-air missiles from Russia. The United States opposes the deal due to its sanctions against Russia and has declined to grant India a waiver for the purchase, but discussions on the missile systems continue between the parties.
The government of Malaysia has cancelled three pipeline projects backed by China with a value of approximately $4.1 billion. Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir, whose electoral victory this May ended six decades of rule by the Barisan National political coalition, has instituted a review of contracts between the two governments after suspending construction on the pipelines in July.
The cancelled projects consist of two oil and gas pipelines in mainland Malaysia and the island of Borneo, and a pipeline linking the state of Malacca to a refinery and petrochemical plant in the state of Johor.
The decision to cancel these contracts was in part motivated by a desire to cut government debt in response to findings that the previous government of former Prime Minister Najib Razak was underreporting the state's debt. Razak was arrested and charged soon after the election for his role in the 1Malaysia Development Board, or"1MDB," scandal, in which Razak and other officials were alleged to have diverted state funds to pay for their luxury lifestyles. He was again arrested on further abuse of power charges this month. Some of the government's liabilities are the result of this theft of state funds.
But part of Mahathir's motivation also seems to be to reduce Malaysia's dependence on China. During a visit to China in August to sign new trade agreements, Mahathir warned against the potential for a "new version of colonialism" focused on unfair trade treaties. While campaigning for office, Mahathir had criticized Chinese investment in Malaysia, and had first made the promise to review the contracts.
The East Coast Rail Link, a planned route that would connect the east and west coasts of Malaysia, and which at $20 billion represents the largest Chinese investment in Malaysia, was also suspended in July, and remains under review.
In the Wall Street Journal, Rob Taylor and Rachel Pannett discuss how recent U.S. Marine deployments to Guadalcanal, the site of one of their most famous battles of World War II, reflect America's changing strategies to counteract Chinese influence in the Pacific. The U.S. Marines joined a fleet of Australian vessels including Australia's largest warship, the HMAS Adelaide, which were touring Pacific Islands en route to military exercises in Hawaii.


text:
Caroline County Retired Teachers' Association
barbara1short@gmail.com
Tuckahoe Equestrian Center
http://www.tuckahoeequestriancenter.com
P.O. Box 251, Denton, MD 21629
The Tuckahoe Equestrian Center is a 'Family and Youth-Oriented' organization located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Tuckahoe State Park north of Route 404. We are a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization, actively promoting all equestrian activities such as 4-H, youth activities, games days, trail riding, driving, jousting, parades, and horse shows which include jumping, dressage, and English or Western equitation.
Tuckahoe Equestrian Center features a barn with several stalls, a clubhouse, tree-shaded picnic area, a 300′ x 150′ outdoor arena with a permanent raised announcer's stand, lighted jousting path, permanently installed audio system which covers the entire equestrian center grounds, and 15 miles of trails throughout the state park. Color-coded trail maps and trail guides are available at the Tuckahoe State Park office on Eveland Road.
Fees are $30/year for individual membership or $40/year family membership.
Caroline County Bird Club
birder231@hotmail.com
carolinebirdclubmos.blogspot.com
c/o Danny Poet, P. O. Box 223, Queenstown, MD 21358
Caroline County Chapter of a non-profit statewide organization, the Maryland Ornithological Society (www.mdbirds.org), comprised of people who are interested in birds and nature.
Promotes the study and enjoyment of birds, knowledge about our natural resources and fosters its appreciation and conservation. Maintains a system of sanctuaries to encourage the conservation of birds and their habitats. Helps to record and publish observations of bird life. Volunteers accepted to help clean Pelot Sanctuary, go into schools and teach children about nature, and to lead bird walks. If you find an injured bird, or to find a bird rehabilitator in your area, please go to the following websites: https://tristatebird.org/ orhttp://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/rehabilitators.aspx. For our Facebook page please visit: https://www.facebook.com/Caroline-County-Bird-Club-138388266259687/?ref=hl
Yearly dues for members. All activities are free and open to the public.
AARP, Chapter #915
www.aarp.org
To address the needs & interests of persons 50 and older. Through information and education, advocacy and service, the group seeks to enhance the quality of life for all by promoting independence, dignity, and purpose.
Meetings on the second Monday of every month start with a covered dish luncheon at noon, followed by a program of guest speakers or entertainment. Meetings are held at the Denton Church of the Nazarene, 10660 Greensboro Road, Denton. There are no meetings in July and August. Members donate their time, money, and goods to local non-profit organizations in the area. The group also sponsors a yearly free tax assistance service at each of the library branches. The tour committee sponsors trips that are open to the public.
Must be a member of the National AARP to qualify for local chapter membership
Yearly dues of $7.
Caroline County and adjacent counties.
jane@terebey.com
To discuss selected books reflecting topics of interest and to generate lively discussion.
Meets monthly on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM at the Caroline County Public Library, 100 Market Street, Denton in the small meeting room. The club meets January-November (no mtg. in December). The discussion leader and refreshment provider rotates among attendees. Information about upcoming book discussions can be found in the monthly Caroline Review magazine.
Mid-Shore
Scouts, BSA
podom@dmvc.org
www.delmarvacouncil.org
100 W. 10th Street, Suite 915, Wilmington, MD 19801
It is the mission of the Scouts of America and the Del-Mar-Va Council to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout oath and law.
The Scouts of America is the Delmarva Peninsula's foremost youth program of character development and values based leadership training. In the future Scouting will continue to: Offer young people responsible fun and adventure; Instill in young people lifetime values and develop in them ethical character as expressed in the Scout Oath & Law; Train young people in citizenship, service, and leadership; Serve America's communities and families with its quality, values-based program.
Cub Scouts is for boys and girls ages 5-11, Scouts is for boys and girls ages 11-18
Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne's and Dorchester Counties
Chesapeake Bay Community Band
deedee@LNF.com
http://www.chesapeakebaycommunityband.org
P.O. Box 601, Stevensville, MD 21666
To maintain a community band of youth and adult volunteers who provide a pleasurable musical and cultural experience through concerts for community functions in Queen Anne's County Maryland and the surrounding Chesapeake Bay Region all the while providing a forum for band participants to continue to expand their musical training and knowledge. Our continuing goal is to grow in musical performance, experience and membership thereby enhancing the quality and ambiance of performances.
The Chesapeake Bay Community Band was formed in 1994 as the Kent Island Volunteer Marching Band and incorporated as a 501c3 Non Profit Organization. The group performs public concerts and provides musical support for community functions in Queens Anne's County Maryland and the surrounding Chesapeake Bay Region. The band's repertoire includes marches, classic concert band literature and Broadway favorites. The Chesapeake Bay Community Band is opened to anyone who plays a concert band instrument and has the desire to perform in a community band. We are always looking for new members.The band rehearses the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 PM atthe American Legion Post in Stevensville, MD. https://www.facebook.com/ChesapeakeBayCommunityBand/
Community Club of Preston
tammyhcoulbourne@gmail.com
P.O. Box 4, Preston, MD 21655
To help the community of Preston through volunteer work.
The Community Club of Preston was founded in 1923, and continues to be active as it nears its 100th anniversary. The Club meets the third Tuesday of the month from September through June, at 12 noon at the Community/Lions' Club building, 114 Williamson Street, Preston, with some exceptions. Funds are raised by the Club through such activities as a Fashion Show/Luncheon and Christmas House Tour. Proceeds from their fundraisers go back in to the community via support of such groups and projects as the Preston Fire Department, Imagination Library for Caroline County, Partners In Care, CASA of Caroline County, local high school culinary departments, Power Purse ER Victims Project, Preston Elementary School, Colonel Richardson Middle School, and Colonel Richardson High School. The Club has purchased Christmas gifts for needy families, conducted a coat drive, and offers scholarships to graduating Colonel Richardson High School Seniors. The Club also installed and maintains the Little Free Library (#37123) at the James T. Wright Memorial Park in Preston. The Club is always looking for new projects to support, as well as for new members to help us accomplish our goal of supporting our local community. For more information regarding possible assistance, or if you are interested in joining the Club, call 410-310-5454.
$25/year membership fee
Choptank Ruritan Club
jhannawald@comcast.net
www.ruritan.org
P.O. Box 75, Denton, MD 21629
To create a better understanding between people and make their area a better place to live and work.
Supports local hospice foundation and United Concerned Christians through monetary donations. Gives 2 $1,000 scholarships a year to local high school students. Serves funnel cakes at the Summerfest . All proceeds from events goes back to support various local organizations in the county.
Must be invited to join and sponsored by a member.
$175 per year per member
Choptank River Heritage
info@choptankriverheritage.org
choptankriverheritage.org
CRH documents historic places, people, and events in the Choptank River watershed, with a focus on Caroline County. We share stories of Choptank River heritage sites through blogs and other social media publications. Geographic research about places, placenames, and natural and man-made features forms the basis of our storytelling. We help neighbors and visitors Stand in the Place.
We engage residents and visitors in the care and preservation of the Choptank River by identifying, documenting, mapping, and publishing information about historic sites and other cultural resources.


text:
Praxidike (/prak.si'di.ke/), cunoscut și ca , este un satelit natural neregulat, retrograd al lui Jupiter. El a fost descoperit de o echipă de astronomi de la Universitatea din Hawaii condusă de Scott S. Sheppard în 2000, și i-a fost dată denumirea provizorie de .

În august 2003 el a fost denumit în cinstea lui Praxidike, zeița din mitologia greacă a pedepselor.

Orbită

Praxidike îl orbitează pe Jupiter la o distanță medie de 20.824.000 km în 609,25 zile, la o înclinație de 144° față de ecliptică (143° față de ecuatorul lui Jupiter), în direcție retrogradă și cu o excentricitate de 0,1840.

Praxidike face parte din Grupul Ananke, despre care se crede că sunt rămășițele unei spargeri a unui asteroid heliocentric capturat. Cu un diametru de aproximativ 7 km, Praxidike este al doilea cel mai mare membru din acest grup, fiind după Ananke.

Caracteristici
Satelitul are o culoare aparent gri (indecii de culoare B-V=0.77, R-V= 0.34), similar asteroizilor de tip C

Referințe

Ephemeris IAU-MPC NSES
Mean orbital parameters NASA JPL

Legături externe
Paginile lui David Jewitt
Paginile lui Scott Sheppard

Sateliții lui Jupiter
Obiecte astronomice descoperite în 2000


text:
Unit at Urbana sees $2 million loss
The seller of a 2,314 sqft unit at Urbana in prime District 9 incurred the biggest loss for the week of June 6 to 13. He bought the unit in a sub-sale for $5.55 million ($2,399 psf), the project's highest price on record in terms of both quantum and psf price, in Aug 2007 and sold it for $3.52 million ($1,521 psf) on June 7. The $2.03 million loss, the biggest at Urbana so far, translates into 37%, or 5% a year over a holding period of nearly 10 years. June 8 saw the 11th unprofitable transaction at Scotts Square in prime District 9 this year. The seller of a 635 sqft, one-bedroom unit made a loss of $771,525. He bought the unit for $2.68 million ($4,214 psf) from the developer in Sept 2007 and sold it for $1.91 million ($3,000 psf). This translates into a 29% loss, or 3% a year over 10 years. Meanwhile, a 2,626 sqft, four-bedroom unit at Pebble Bay fetched the biggest profit of the week on June 7. The previous owner bought the unit for $2.08 million ($792 psf) from the developer in Apr 1996 and made a $1.6 million profit when he sold it for $3.68 million ($1,401 psf). He realised a 77% gain, or 3% a year over 21 years.... Continue Reading
Topics: #Condominium #Investment #News #Residential #TheEdge
Unit at Wing On Life Garden reaps $2.5 mil profit
Resale unit at Cairnhill Plaza reaps $1.5 mil profit
Unit at 8 Napier incurs $969,000 loss
Four-bedroom unit at The Claymore rakes in $3.4 mil profit
Profit of $4.65 mil for first unit sold at Ardmore Park this year
Fifth loss this year at The Oceanfront @ Sentosa Cove
Large condo units sold for million-dollar profits
Profit of $2.5 mil at Astrid Meadows


text:
Das Perch Light ist ein Leuchtfeuer im Firth of Clyde gegenüber dem West Quay in der schottischen Stadt Port Glasgow in Inverclyde. 1990 wurde das Bauwerk in die schottischen Denkmallisten in der Kategorie B aufgenommen.

Beschreibung
Das Leuchtfeuer befindet sich auf einer kleinen, felsigen Gezeiteninsel mit dem Namen "The Perch". Es liegt rund 90 m abseits der Hafenanlagen am Südufer des Firth of Clyde. Während Historic Scotland eine Bauzeit in den 1860er Jahren angeben, ist in anderen Quellen auch eine Errichtung um 1890 verzeichnet. Das Bauwerk befindet sich noch im ursprünglichen Zustand. Es besteht aus einem sich leicht verjüngenden, niedrigen, gusseisernen Zylinder, der auf einem steinernen, gestuften Fundament fixiert ist. Insel und Fundament sind nur bei Ebbe sichtbar. Darauf sitzt eine Laterne mit dreieckigen Gläsern und Balkon, die in einer Kuppel schließt. Der im Karomuster in den Farben schwarz und weiß gestrichene Turm ist über eine Stahltreppe von der Insel aus zugänglich. An Land, ein Stück flussabwärts befindet sich der höhere Leuchtturm am West Quay, der ähnlich gearbeitet ist.

Einzelnachweise

Weblinks

Kategorie-B-Bauwerk in Inverclyde
Erbaut in den 1860er Jahren
Leuchtturm in Schottland
Bauwerk in Port Glasgow
Leuchtturm in Europa
Verkehrsbauwerk in Inverclyde