A large Jewish family emigrated from Wilna, Lithuania and three of the brothers went into the cattle business in Colorado. Joseph Miller was the father of Israel Miller and the grandfather of Micky Miller. Micky (Myron) married Louann, daughter of Charles and Louise Rosenbaum. Micky Miller received his law degree from the University of Denver. Both Micky and LouAnn Miller are active in the Colorado Democratic Party. Micky Miller had a successful legal career in Isaacson Rosenbaum, with his father-in-law and brother in-law, representing the Denver Nuggets and Samsonite Corporation. He managed the development of Montbello subdivision, consisting of the large cattle ranches owned by the Miller family. The collection contains photographs, scrapbooks, booklets, a law degree, law licenses, DVDs, news clippings, and a wedding anniversary lace bells cake topper, and menoir related to Micky and Louann Rosenbaum Miller from 1940 through 2016.
Myron (Micky) and Louann Rosenbaum Miller Papers. Special Collections and Archives. https://duarchives.coalliance.org/repositories/2/resources/173 Accessed April 22, 2019.


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Of Virgins and Angels
Marvin Olasky
Posted: Feb 17, 2016 12:01 AM
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
Hal and Fran had lived together for three years. The IUD she relied on led both to think their sex would be immaculate. But when Fran said, "I'm pregnant," Hal after only a 10-second pause replied, "I love you. Let's get married." Fran sniffled, smiled, and nodded.
A week later their pastor pronounced them husband and wife. No time to register or even coyly solicit presents, so their friends pooled cash and procured an elaborate gag gift: a Virgin Islands honeymoon for two 30-year-olds who were anything but.
On the flight to St. Thomas, Hal asked, once, "Doing OK?" Fran smiled, "No morning sickness. Everything's fine." At the hotel they read a brochure describing the famously beautiful Lindquist Beach. Their sex that night was fine but nothing special.
The next morning Hal counted six cruise ships docked and ready to spit out passengers. "Herds," he grumbled. They hailed a cab. The driver said, "Lindquist will be packed. How about trying Emerald Beach? Not crowded. Beautiful. Six dollars each." Hal replied, "Sounds fine. What about it, babe?"
As Fran hesitated, the driver said, "I take you there. You take a look. You don't like it, I drop you off elsewhere." When they arrived in the parking lot of a Best Western hotel, Hal jumped out, rounded a corner, and peered at the beach. Sand. Water. Only a few people. "Looks fine to me," Hal reported back. "OK, Fran?"
She gave a thin smile and joined him on the lot. He handed a $20 bill to the driver and asked for change. The cabbie said he didn't have any but would come back to pick them up: "I give you my word. Just tell me when." Hal said, "Ninety minutes. Right, Fran?" She nodded. They walked onto the beach. Fran said, "The sand's kinda dirty. There's almost no one here."
Hal smiled, "That's the point. The water's really clear. Put your bag down over there and let's get in." Fran did as Hal told her. They walked in until the water was chin-high. Cool but not cold. Then two teenage boys appeared on the beach. "I wonder if our stuff is safe," Fran said. They watched. The teens finally left. Fran said, "I'm shriveled," and walked out.
Hal stayed in for a few more minutes, then joined her. "We don't have chairs," Fran said. "The sand's dirty." She picked up her bag, walked toward the parking lot, and sat on a wall. "I'll just wait here." Hal replied, "That's silly. Let's walk some more." Fran said, "No. Let's go back to the hotel. Now."
Hal countered, "The driver said he'd pick us up soon. We'll wait." Ten minutes later an elderly cabbie pulled up: "Hotel district?" Hal replied, "A driver said he'd come back for us." The old cabbie laughed: "Suit yourself. The Valentine's Day parade is starting. Lots of virgin lovers over there. Good fares. No way your driver comes back."
Hal said, "Let's wait." They waited. They finally jumped into another taxi, which soon was stuck in traffic as the parade took over Main Street. "We can get there faster by walking," Fran said: "Pay the man." She was already out of the car. Hal threw a $10 bill onto the seat and followed her.
A Navy band marched past, playing "Anchors Aweigh." Fran bumped elbows down the sidewalk while the song faded. Hal finally caught her by the arm and swung her around. She was crying. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's all wrong," Fran replied. "We wouldn't be here if I wasn't pregnant. We wouldn't…" Hal couldn't catch her last few words because a straggling trio at the parade's tail—a tuba, a trombone, and a girl holding a Salvation Army banner—was tooting out a vaguely familiar tune: Da-da-da-dada-da-da. But what were the lyrics?
Hal and Fran stood, gripping each other. As if he could read Hal's mind, a man behind them with a powerful voice said, "I love that hymn. 'What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.'"
Fran turned to the man, wanting to hear more, but he had disappeared.
Massive Turnout at Pro-Second Amendment Lobby Day in Virginia
Katie Pavlich
'We Are Not Walking Away': Prince Harry Addresses His Soft Royal Exit
Triggered NBC News correspondent Gabe Gutierrez tries to pass off the Pledge of Allegiance at Virginia gun rights rally as something very different [video]
NYT: We endorse Warren. And Klobuchar! But pretty much anyone but Trump; Update: "Gifted storyteller"?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In the history of drug litigation, one fact that clearly emerged is that companies paid doctors a lot of money or provided a great deal of free samples and gifts to promote their drugs. Many times the doctors were "thought leaders" or provided stipends to make "academic presentations" to doctors with the real purpose of promoting use of the drug. As result of this part of the marketing program, sales often soared and doctors and sales reps alike were rewarded. In December 2013, GSK announced it is changing its playbook and will no longer pay doctors to promote its drugs or shell out bonuses to sales reps based on their ability to boost prescription numbers.
CareFusion and Abbott Laboratories have recently settled with the federal government to resolve allegations stemming that the companies violated the False Claims Act by paying doctors kickbacks and promoting its products for uses that were not approved by the FDA.
CareFusion settled their claims for $40.1 million dollars. The settlement resolves allegations that CareFusion paid $11.6 million in kickbacks to Dr. Charles Denham while Denham served as the co-chair of the Safe Practices Committee at the National Quality Forum, a non-profit organization that reviews, endorses and recommends standardized health care performance measures and practices. The settlement also resolves claims that CareFusion knowingly promoted the sale of ChloraPrep for uses that were not approved by the FDA.
Additionally, Abbott Laboratories will pay $5.475 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to encourage doctors to implant the company's carotid, biliary and peripheral vascular products. The Illinois big pharma company was alleged to have paid prominent physicians for teaching assignments, speaking engagements and conferences with the expectation that these physicians would arrange for the hospitals with which they were affiliated to purchase Abbott's carotid, biliary and peripheral vascular products.
At the Brandi Law Firm, we help people throughout the country who have been harmed because of a defective drug or medical device such as women contracting type two diabetes while using Lipitor, people suffering from bladder cancer while using Actos, Fosamax users suffering atypical femur fractures, DePuy ASR hip users requiring revisions or suffering toxic poisoning, and women suffering significant pain, erosion and removal of Vaginal Mesh Instead of treating all victims of defective drugs and medical devices the same we take a different, more personalized approach with a team of experienced defective drug attorneys and paralegals working for every client. Our goal is to provide you with information about your legal options and to help you pursue compensation and holding these drug companies responsible for their dangerous actions. Please contact the Brandi Law Firm today (1-800-481-1615 or email us) to talk with the experienced San Francisco defective drug attorneys.


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(EXPIRED) Best Buy Deal of the Day: Save $50 on Select Models of the Apple Watch Series 1
Today, Best Buy is taking $50 select models of the Apple Watch Series 1. The price of the Series 1 version is regularly $299, so this deal makes the Apple Watch $249. On the company's website, only three of these Apple Watches can be bought for that price of $249.According to Target's ad this week, consumers can save $70 on the Apple Watch Series 2. This can be price-matched at Best Buy too.
This Deal of the Day promotion will end at midnight ET tonight. If you're in the market for an Apple Watch this week, look into getting this deal. If not, it's no big deal. This is not the best deal we have seen from Best Buy in weeks' past, so if you miss this one, no worries.
(EXPIRED) Best Buy Deal of the Day: Save $30 off on Select iPad Models
Opinion: How to Cut The Cord in 2017
How to Stream 2018 Midterm Election Coverage
The midterm election is today here in the United States. You're probably wondering how you'll be able to…
Apple Deals at Target This Week (Ad Week 08/06/2017-08/12/2017)
Target is currently having a big Back to School sale going on at their stores and online this…
Opinion: Can You Use an iPad Pro for College in 2018?
Apple has been advertising the iPad Pro a lot lately ever since the release of iOS 11 in…


White flour tortilla, rice, beans, cheese, cream, choice of meat, pico de gallo and guacamole.
Chips topped with beans, cheese, cream, and guacamole.
3 corn tortillas, choice of meat, topped with onions, cilantro, cotija cheese, and guacamole. Served with rice and beans.
Choice of meat, onions, peppers, guacamole, and cream. Served with rice and beans and tortillas.
Corn tortilla, choice of meat topped with cheese and cream. Served with rice and beans.
Deep fried flour tortilla, beans, cheese and choice of meat. Served with rice and beans.
Mixed greens, tomatoes, and avocado with chicken, steak or shrimp.
Shrimp cocktail. Shrimp, onions, orange and lemon juice, tomato sauce and mustard.
Breaded fried slice of avocado.
Stuffed avocados with cream, shrimp and pico de gallo.
Roasted potatoes, fish fillet topped with Veracruzana sauce onions, chile de Arbol, red peppers, tomatoes, and capers.
Fried corn tortillas filled with chicken topped with cream and cotija cheese. Served with rice and beans.
3 fried corn tortilla, topped with beans, choice of meat, lettuce, queso fresco, cream, and guacamole.
Ribeye steak with roasted potatoes, mushrooms and chile morita sauce.


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Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a massive 464-page strategy guide at launch
By Shaun Prescott 04 December 2020
That's a lot of official strategy.
The internet is awash with user guides for pretty much every game you could name, but there's still something nice about a physical strategy guide. Cyberpunk 2077 is getting one, and not only does it look like a neat coffee table book, it's also a whooping 464 pages long. Verily a tome of Tolstoyan proportions.
Cyberpunk 2077: The Complete Official Guide releases on December 10 alongside the game, and it looks pretty thorough: in addition to outlining the "specifics of all key gameplay systems" and walkthroughs for every quest, the book contains a flowchart showing the possible options and culminations of each quest, as well as how they all interact with each other.
That's arguably the best feature, but there are also annotated maps and a guide to character creation. The book comes in two editions: the standard paperback edition is 464 pages ($24.99 / AU$39.95) while the hardcover collector's edition is 496 pages ($39.99 / AU$59.95), and comes with a bunch of extra images. There's more info on the publisher's website, including where to buy it in the US, Canada and Australia.
It should be stressed that this is an official guide: there are a handful of unofficial guides already available on Amazon, and you probably want to avoid buying them. Anything purporting to be a strategy guide for a game that isn't released yet, without the blessing of CD Projekt Red, is probably a fake.
Because book trailers are a thing now, here's one for the official Cyberpunk 2077 guide:
It may be hard to believe, but Cyberpunk 2077 is actually releasing next week. Here are nine very useful ways to prepare for the game's imminent release, and here's a look at the eight year wait for CD Projekt Red's massive RPG.
How long is Cyberpunk 2077?
Shaun is PC Gamer's Australian editor and news writer. He mostly plays platformers and RPGs, and keeps a close eye on anything of particular interest to antipodean audiences. He (rather obsessively) tracks the movements of the Doom modding community, too.


text:
Q: Which fields are required in a web server ssl certificate? I am learning about SSL certificates and doing some testing with a web server on my machine. I am trying to understand which field are required to be in the server certificate in order to be accepted by the browser. So far I came to this conclusions.
Certificate contains this information

*

*Version and serial number.

*Information about the issuer: country, state, city, organization, organization unit common name, email.

*Validity: not before date, not after date.

*Information about the the subject: country, state, city, organization, organization unit, common name, email.

*Subject public key: algorithm, length, key.

*Other information (extensions), like subject alternative name for example.

What is required

*

*The certificate has to be signed by a trusted CA.

*The Common Name of the subject has to be present and correspond to the domain name of the site.

*A certificate can be valid for multiple hostnames, in which case they have to be specified in the Subject Alternative Name extension. Some browsers require this extension to be present in the certificate.

*The validity date has to be valid and therefore can not be empty

A: One good place place to look for these details is in the CA Browser https://cabforum.org/ forum baseline requirements document.
The details for all certificates involved can be found in section 7.

*

*latest requirements (2019-02-01) https://cabforum.org/wp-content/uploads/CA-Browser-Forum-BR-1.6.3.pdf

*https://cabforum.org/baseline-requirements-documents/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


i can't remember the last time i looked at a fashion editorial and thought WOW. i suppose i'm just not in the habit of paging through Vogue (or buying it, for that matter) and soaking up the editorials like many people do. but this one for Vogue Germany is just exquisite.
my goodness! the colours! and that woman lying in the grass! amazing!
wonderful moods and these constrasts, just perfect!
You know, this is true beauty (period). I wish I saw more editorials like this. Just what I would show my daughters, when I have some. :-) Thank you for this post.
Powerful, strong and beautiful. Enough said!
BEYOND gorgeous!!!!!!! What amazing colors!
This is as incredible as you say. WOW is appropriate.
My favorite Jamaican model I love Miss Williams!
These are absolutely INCREDIBLE. Julia Noni's photography is so artful and so inspirational. Also, the model is stunning – her skin is gorgeous. She's practically glowing! Love every bit of this editorial.


Take exit 179. Turn left onto 220th St. SW. Follow 220th St. SW West and cross over Highway 99.
Take exit 179. Turn right onto 220th St. SW. Follow 220th St. SW West and cross over Highway 99.
Gribbin Chiropractic is on the corner of 220th & 76th.


Sounds like that old song, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, doesn't it? Well, it certainly does seem a long time passing, let me tell you. Is it my imagination, or does everyone have their eyes trained on their mobile devices? Check it out the next time you're in the elevator. Does anyone actually make … Continue reading Where Has All the Flirting Gone?


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Kohli, the next genius?
Talent is one thing. Many players have talent, but very few have the self-belief to back their talent. Kohli is one who demands to be noticed and thrives on the spotlight.
Greg Chappell
06 April, 2016 15:47 IST
The greats can see how to succeed when others only see a chance to fail. Virat Kohli has it in spades. - Getty Images
In the words of the German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer "talent hits a target that no one else can hit; genius hits a target that no one else can see".
Indian cricket has had a number of batting genii in its short history. As a batsman, I have always been attracted to those with the ability to make the difficult look commonplace. India have had many good players in my time, but, in my opinion, they have had three genii of the art in M.A.K. Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
Is Virat Kohli the next manifestation?
On what we saw during the T20 World Cup, Kohli is going to have commentators from all over the globe comparing him to those three greats of Indian cricket.
There is no doubt that he has the physical talent. On his record so far, it seems that he has the mental ability to match his physical talents which allow him to bring out his very best work at the moment that it is most needed.
The difference between the very good and the great is the imagination to which Schopenhauer eluded.
The greats can see how to succeed when others only see a chance to fail. Kohli has it in spades; as did Pataudi, Gavaskar and Tendulkar.
Some of Kohli's innings in the T20 World Cup were inspirational. Australia probably didn't play as well as they would have liked in Mohali, but it took a truly remarkable innings to beat them.
I remember watching Pataudi bat against Graham McKenzie at the MCG nearly 50 years ago. Already handicapped by the loss of one eye, Pataudi was also hampered by a hamstring injury, but, batting at number seven in each innings, he belted the best Australia could offer to the tune of 75 and 85 in a remarkable display of inspired batting.
What he could have achieved with two eyes and on two legs we can only imagine.
Pataudi had the skill, courage, confidence and determination to make a difference to Indian cricket as he refused to let any obstacle stand in his way. His deeds inspired generations of Indian cricketers to come.
Gavaskar was "The Master"
Small of stature, but big of heart, Gavaskar withstood the might of the West Indian fast bowling contingent at a time when they brushed aside most whom they came up against. His record in India and overseas stamp him as one of the best that has played the game. That he did it opening the innings makes his achievements even more laudable.
His ODI batting did not reach the heights of his Test deeds, but had he grown up in a later era with the modern bats, smaller grounds and a mindset conditioned by growing up with the shorter format, his short-form record would have looked very different.
Tendulkar could have been anything. The earliest version of Tendulkar could have climbed even loftier heights than he did.
In that iteration, he was a will-of-the-wisp who made the lives of bowlers a misery. He was a target that they just couldn't nail down. He had all the shots. It seemed there was nothing that he could not do with a bat in his hand.
Either because of injury or the weight of expectation, "The Little Master" became more conservative as his career went on. This conservative mindset caused him to be more restricted in the range of shots he had available and prevented him from building an even more meritorious record.
T20 came along just a fraction too late for Tendulkar to achieve much on the international stage, but his IPL record suggests that he would have been a force to reckon with in that format as well.
I like what I see in Kohli
He has talent, but, more importantly, he has the presence. He looks like he belongs and wants to make a difference.
One of the challenges for elite athletes is to remain in the real world and not get carried away with the false charms of adulation and fame. When one is travelling and living in a bubble which is the lot of elite cricketers, especially those in India, it is easy to become distracted. There is a list of victims much longer than a list of those who have survived and thrived.
The trick is to remember that the real world is actually the one outside the bubble and that inside the bubble is virtual reality. If one can remember that and focus on the reason for being inside the bubble life is likely to be quite fulfilling.
Those who think that the bubble is the real world generally come crashing down and fulfilment is the last thing on their list of experiences.
Provided he keeps his feet on the ground, I believe Kohli's name will be mentioned in the same breath as Pataudi, Gavaskar and Tendulkar by the time he has finished.
At a comparable period in their career, it is interesting to compare the progress of the three.
With the help of the Wisden Impact Index I have discovered that at a comparable stage in their respective career Gavaskar has a 33 per cent higher Test impact (in a match and series context) than Kohli and a 72 per cent higher impact than Tendulkar while Kohli has a 29 per cent higher impact than Tendulkar.
In terms of consistency, Gavaskar has the lowest failure rate of 29 per cent compared to Kohli 45 per cent and Tendulkar 48 per cent at the comparable stage (72 Test innings).
Looking at their overall career impact, Tendulkar's is six per cent higher than Gavaskar and three per cent higher than Kohli; Kohli's being three per cent higher than Gavaskar.
In terms of consistency across their career, Gavaskar ended on 36 per cent, Tendulkar on 42 per cent and Kohli sitting on 45 per cent. One would imagine that Kohli will lower that rate as he moves into the most productive years of his career.
In ODI cricket, Kohli and Tendulkar have remarkably similar failure rates after 163 innings (Kohli's current total) at 43 per cent and 44 per cent respectively, but Kohli has had an eight per cent higher impact than Tendulkar, meaning that his runs in the context of the game and series are measured as being more important.
Over a complete career, Tendulkar turns the tables on Kohli with a two per cent higher impact overall.
Comparing them across Tendulkar's entire ODI career, Kohli has scored a larger proportion of runs vis-à-vis Tendulkar albeit at a lower Strike Rate Impact, but when it comes to building partnerships, absorbing pressure and chasing, Kohli is ahead of Tendulkar.
In fact, Kohli has absorbed the most pressure of any Indian batsmen in ODIs and has the highest Chasing Impact in ODI history which puts him in rare air indeed. Especially when you consider what Dhoni has achieved in his illustrious career.
Kohli appears to be a driven individual so, on the evidence so far, we can look forward to many more match-winning performances and series defining efforts from him before he has finished.
I am not prepared to say that his record will be better than his illustrious predecessors, but nor am I ruling it out.
Read more stories on Columns.


proGanix 1-0-2 is intended for the upkeep of groves and orchards. It is close to pH neutral, and is therefore the safest product to use during bloom season, as a foliar application.
We have a new product committed to fruit tree development: proGanix 1-0-2. It will not only prolong the life of your groves and orchards, but it will invigorate your canopy and leaf size, with bacteria such as azotobacter. It is gentle with regards to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and can freely be sprayed on blossoms, whether citrus or cherry. There will be no bud loss from this foliar spray. (Note that it can also be deployed via microjet).


Can We Pause for an Armistice of Understanding?
As the month of November moves forth, people around the world are called upon to remember the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, when political and military leaders who had been directing deadly battles that decimated populations came together in a wagon in the French countryside to sign an armistice, a call for a peace that would put a written end to a war that had supposedly been waged to end all wars. But I see as 2017 is coming to a close, humanity has had little respect for its own written call for peace.
I read in an online journal sent to me from middle America that at least one gathering that had supposedly been called last weekend to honor veterans who had fought in various wars that have taken place since the date of that armistice almost 100 years ago, a speaker used his lectern as a bully pulpit for political commentary, for talk of the divisions among Americans, and not for much unity or grace. The person who had sent me the journal article is a former community college student of mine and a veteran of two of our modern wars; he is also the son of a veteran of World War II. He feels, he writes in his commentary, a lack of respect.
Then I saw that I had received online yet another of the many requests sent to me each day for support of laborers around the world who work for what they call "supplier companies (that) produce for multi-national brands." I noticed this petition in particular because it concerns people who work in Turkey at a factory producing clothes and sporting materials for a company that has as one of its top executives the husband of another of my community college students; the executive is also the father of a soccer player whose international team uses the products in question...at a discount, of course. The workers in Turkey are calling in their petition for leaders such as my student's husband to take some responsibility for the fact that company leaders are being paid outlandish salaries while workers are being laid off and their factories closed in places where no other work has been available for years. I asked my student, the wife of the company executive, if she knew anything about any of this, and she timidly replied that it was "probably the same complaints we always hear. They won't take responsibility for what they do, and they try to put it on us." I asked her if this question of who is responsible for what might be better addressed in a context of mutual respect, of humane treatment, one side of the other. "What is this about respect?" she snapped back in an instant message online, and "What does that have to with responsibility?" And, as I read her subsequent diatribe, I wondered yet again about the connection between responsibility and respect.
Raphaelle Bellon, a professor of history in France, writes in the French newspaper Le Monde that we teachers are responsible to give our students "the keys to understand a complex world"; we must also open doors for them and help them to understand various types of authority and governance. But "the job of being a professor has changed," Bellon reminds her readers: "We must realize that society no longer holds respect for the job a priori." It is for us to incite, to generate respect in our learners, Bellon claims, and we do that best by taking responsibility for the subject matter that we are transmitting and the way in which we are transmitting it. It is, after all, quite easy to verify anyone's claims by doing a bit of research online; it is our responsibility to incite learning through question-asking, through querying of convictions. "Facts! And more facts!" Bellon writes. And a search for facts and the support that underlies them will lead students to have to recourse to... books, Bellon cries out!
And there is another object of respect that I believe cannot lose its importance, particularly in college: Books. As I see colleagues creating "study packs" and "coursework collections" that are made up of journal articles and a few excerpts from various "important works" related to the subject being taught, I continue to demand that students become learners, that they come to "contextualize" what they are learning today alongside what has been learned before, as Bellon puts it. Many of my 21st Century community college students are not used to reading books; they flip through screen representations of subject matter, they listen to audio feed and they watch video lessons. As Bellon suggests we all must do who learned our subject matters many decades ago, I listen to my students' frustrations, I try to meet them where they are mentally and emotionally, giving them respect, and taking responsibility for what they might learn. And I ask them to begin to love genuine books.
The world is going through a rather "in-your-face" era of challenges right now, I believe, in which every thought and belief is accorded equal time and equal status. The Atlantic magazine fears that this tendency has helped make us moderns "go haywire", particularly in the USA, at once granting respect to those who may not merit it and protesting loudly in the faces of those to whom we would rather that respect not be given. In the cold light of no context, students should be listened to when they do not understand and when they cry out for some sort of systemic justice. It is our responsibility to listen, to call for reasoning and critical thought, and to respond.
Perhaps the in-your-face mentality might, if we can pause a moment to respect one another, lead to an armistice in understanding, to a peaceful sense of responsibility?
Rising Populism or Merely Growing Frustration?


text:
Karen Ebenezer
Dance, Drama
Brittle Steel Magnolias
Immersive performance experiences usually toe the blurry line between smashing through the fourth wall and discomfiting the audience with its intimacy. But when onlookers can cling to the familiarity of a tried and true theme, a delightful complacency settles in, and expectations tend to plateau. In director/choreographer/creator Mary John Frank's production of Debutaunt, five Southern belles conduct their coming-of-age rituals through an "interactive dance-based experience" complete with forehead-to-floor bows and book-balancing posture exercises. But the concept behind said experience wavers somewhat on the brink of maturity, even if the white gowns and heady dance numbers sufficiently hide the brittle subject matter.
The production is held at a fancily-named warehouse—Atelier Roquette—in one of the many silent streets of Red Hook's old factory areas. We are greeted at the door by a perennially drunk debutant (Rachel Guest) and her wearied escort (Julian Devine), and are led into the cotillion-style party, where we are handed wristbands that match us to a particular deb. As the girls practice their court bows and posture exercises under the wrathful eye of steel magnolia Martha McMillen, they strain to hold their smiles and seek to incite rebellion against her.
We harbor a half-sympathy, half-envy for the girls as they ready themselves for their debut, and their hunky escorts are welcome foils (Teddy Tedholm, something of a dance wunderkind, is the endearingly bumbling companion to Brittany Posas' character). But they are conventional characterizations: the nerdy feminist (Melanie J. Comeau), the vapid cheerleader (Cara Seymour), the insecure overachiever (Brittany Posas), the wild drunk (Rachel Guest) and the "fat" girl (Elizabeth Dunn)—who really isn't, by any standard, but perhaps that's the point. Mantled mirrors show bodies that can be pinched, sucked in and held in the right places for a dress to fit, and salon tables hold every airbrushed fashion magazine that wreaked havoc on one's image perception as a teenager. In a mini performance that was deemed a fit exploration of this topic, the deb that "has" to lose her baby fat (Dunn) literally runs in circles around her proudly slim mother (Donna Fish), who is armed with a stopwatch and a whistle.
But everyone is beautiful, and so is everything. Baby chandeliers and Christmas lights cling to the ceiling, strewing a lovely soft light on the checkered ballroom floor while couples waltz through dreamy dance sequences. Frank's discarded personality as an ex-deb gives the choreography a bittersweet ache, and is the reigning success of this immersive experience. The five debutantes whom she directs are accomplished expressive dancers, as are their respective escorts. If it weren't for the impromptu games of beer pong and the active attempts of the performers to mingle with the audience, spectators might have found the romance of the setting a little too intimate. Perhaps our savior in this respect is the Mistress of Ceremonies, Martha McMillen (played by Catherine C. Ryan), whose twanging shrieks and honeyed insults give her a kind of Disney-villain likability.
But at some point, one cannot think past the pink lights and projections; projection designer Bart Cortright and lighting designer Joe Cantalupo have seen to such pretty distractions. On the walls behind the dance floor, screens show definitions of words like "daughter" and "princess" as short clips of girls with guns play next to it (perhaps a new subset of warrior feminists?) Costumer designer Liene Dobraja's white, virginal gowns swish across the floor and further remind us of the hackneyed roles the girls are forced to play. It seems ironic that the dimensionless themes of the show (it doesn't matter what's on the outside, I'm a lady on the inside) are almost exactly replicated in the very fashioning of the production. At it's core, Debutaunt's substance flattens in service of unrepentant style.
The performance breaks into a rip-roaring dance party after a satisfying, if lightweight, climax. As for the audience, there is no time for sheepish introversion. Outstretched hands drag you onto the dance floor and the sheer insistence on interactivity makes for quite an enjoyable experience. You are encouraged to take pictures with the show's official photographer and post them to social media, in the requisite nod to our ballooning digital age (which doesn't jar with the Old South flavor of the performance at all, interestingly enough). In the end, any nuance not overworked into a feminist trope may have given more heart to the production, but it remains a sparkling, and rather gilded, ball of fun.
Debutant ran at Atelier Roquette (63 Commerce Street in Brooklyn) to June 28. For more information, visit DebutauntBall.com.
Tagged: dance, debutante ball, escorts, flimsy feminism, immersive theatre, interactive theater, Southern, steel magnolias
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International Registration | Madrid Protocol
Nareeta Martin on Unsplash
Trade marks are territorial rights and if you wish to gain registered protection for a particular country, you need to apply for protection in that country. There are two filing options, namely a national trade mark application or International Registration (via the Madrid Protocol). Here we outline some of the key features on the International Registration.
National Trade Mark Application
With this traditional form of protection, a trader simply applies to register the trade mark in each country of interest.
Local attorneys are required to handle the application in the relevant jurisdiction. The application process is similar to Australia and New Zealand with some variations as to cost, timing and procedural requirements for some countries.
The Madrid Protocol provides a cost effective system for international TradeMark protection
International Trade Mark Protection
A single application can be filed for an International Registration (IR), pursuant to an international treaty (the Madrid Protocol). The name is a little misleading in that it does not automatically provide protection internationally and you need to designate particular countries of interest. The costs vary according to the countries designated.
International Registration Overview
The Madrid Protocol registration system is handled by a central government agency known as the 'International Bureau' (IB) of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) located in Geneva, Switzerland. The IB is in charge of processing and undertaking preliminary examination of all international trade mark applications filed under the Madrid Protocol system. There are currently 98 countries which are participating members of the Madrid Protocol.
Current members of Madrid Protocol
African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and, Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic People's Republic of Korea Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, European Union (EU), Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal,Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe
A European designation of an International Registration covers, namely Austria, Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the (for the moment) United Kingdom.
This system essentially allows an Australian individual or business to file a single international trade mark application based on an existing Australian trade mark application or registration. This single application is filed with the office of Origin (for Australian traders typically IP Australia) nominating any or all of the other participating Madrid Protocol member countries.
IR Process
The IR must be based on a valid "Basic Application" or "Basic Registration" which is an application filed in a Madrid Protocol country (typically Australia or New Zealand) of which the applicant is a national, domiciled or has a real and effective industrial or commercial establishment. Once a general formalities examination is undertaken, IP Australia or IPONZ will forward the IR to the IB.
IR – Some advantages
Cost – an IR is typically cheaper than a series of national applications.
There is a guarantee on the period (12-18 months from the date of notification of the International Registration) within which potential grounds of refusal to protect a mark can be raised by the Offices of the designated countries. There are no specific time limits imposed for national applications and there can be lengthy delays in obtaining trade mark protection.
Reduced maintenance costs. Instead of having to separately instruct each local agent to renew national trade mark registrations in each country, the IR countries can be renewed by a single request to the IB. This request will be effective across all designated countries. Similarly, a single request need only be made to record changes, such as name/address details.
Additional countries can be designated at any time after the IR is obtained. Subsequent designations are useful in situations where an Australian business expands operations into another market at a later stage or where new countries accede to the Madrid Protocol.
IR – Some disadvantages
The principal disadvantage is that if the IR encounters an objection in a particular country, we need to instruct attorneys in that country to handle the designation. There are costs associated with taking over the designation and if the designation encounters an objection the IR may not have been significantly cheaper.
An IR must be based on a national application or registration (a basic trade mark). An IR is dependent on the basic trade mark for a period of 5 years. Any restriction or cancellation of the basic trade mark resulting from an action that started within this period can also impact on your IR.
Not all countries are members of the Madrid Protocol.


text:
package client;

import java.io.*;
import java.util.StringTokenizer;

import objects.BWAPISettings;

public class ClientSettings
{
	public String			ClientStarcraftDir;
	public String			ClientChaoslauncherDir;
	public String			TournamentModuleFilename;

	public String			ServerAddress;
	public String 			DefaultBWAPISettingsFileName;

	public BWAPISettings	bwapi = new BWAPISettings();

	private static final ClientSettings INSTANCE = new ClientSettings();

	private ClientSettings()
	{

	}

	public static ClientSettings Instance()
	{
        return INSTANCE;
    }

	public void parseSettingsFile(String filename)
	{
		try
		{
			BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new FileReader(filename));
			String line;

			while ((line = br.readLine()) != null)
			{
				line = line.trim();

				if (line.startsWith("#") || line.length() == 0)
				{
					continue;
				}

				parseLine(line);
			}

			br.close();
		}
		catch (Exception e)
		{
			System.err.println("Error parsing settings file, exiting\n");
			e.printStackTrace();
			System.exit(-1);
		}

		bwapi.loadFromFile(DefaultBWAPISettingsFileName);
	}

	private void parseLine(String line) throws Exception
	{
		StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(line, " +");
		String type = st.nextToken();

		if (type.equalsIgnoreCase("ClientChaoslauncherDir"))
		{
			ClientChaoslauncherDir = st.nextToken();
		}
		else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase("ClientStarcraftDir"))
		{
			ClientStarcraftDir = st.nextToken();
			System.out.println("StarCraft Dir:   " + ClientStarcraftDir);
		}
		else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase("ServerAddress"))
		{
			ServerAddress = st.nextToken();
		}
		else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase("TournamentModule"))
		{
			TournamentModuleFilename = st.nextToken();
		}
		else if (type.equalsIgnoreCase("DefaultBWAPISettings"))
		{
			DefaultBWAPISettingsFileName = st.nextToken();
		}
		else
		{
			System.err.println("Ignoring incorrect setting type in settings file:    " + type);
		}
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Meth conviction reversed after expert witness confesses to smoking meth - before trial
David Murray
The felony drug conviction of a man arrested in Great Falls for possessing methamphetamine was reversed Thursday, after it was revealed that the chemist who testified to convict him was stealing methamphetamine from the Montana State Crime Lab, and was likely under the drug's influence while presenting evidence in the courtroom.
"The court heard credible testimony indicating that Mr. (Derrick) Thrush (a forensic scientist for the State of Montana) stole items of physical evidence, namely meth, from the custody of the Montana State Crime Lab," wrote District Court Judge John Parker in an order issued Thursday afternoon. "The evidence proved that Mr. Thrush, by his own admission, ingested meth into his system while en route to the trial. Mr. Thrush was likely under the influence of meth at the time that he, through his testimony, helped ensure the criminal conviction of Mr. Bachtell for the offense of methamphetamine possession."
James Donald Bachtell was arrested by Great Falls police on June 16, 2017, after officers found suspected methamphetamine residue in a glass pipe Bachtell was carrying in his pocket. According to court documents, forensic chemist Derrick Thrush was called to present expert testimony at Bachtell's trial on Feb. 12, 2018.
Bachtell was convicted of felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs the following day. Thrush's analysis and testimony as an expert witness was cited to provide conclusive evidence that the residue found in the glass pipe Bachtell was carrying on June 16 was, in fact, methamphetamine.
According to a public defender's office filing, just two days after Bachtell's conviction Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki called Bachtell's lawyer, Vince van der Hagen, to tell him that Thrush "had ingested methamphetamine during his drive from Missoula to Great Falls on February 12th."
On Feb. 23, the Administrator of the Montana Department of Justice's Forensic Science Division issued a letter alerting various criminal law offices that an internal investigation had determined that one of their employees (Derrick Thrush) had "removed portions of drug evidence submitted to the lab for evidence."
The letter from Administrator Scott Larson said "the employee has been terminated from employment" and that the office was "not aware of any inaccuracies with the results in our final reports, but we will have to complete our investigation before we know the full parameters of this situation."
In his order, Parker found that Racki and the Cascade County Attorney's Office "were the first party to bring this troubling information to light" and "handled the matter ethically and appropriately."
"Neither counsel was on notice of this situation prior to the verdict," Parker wrote. "Therefore, the state could not disclose it to the defense."
On Aug. 14, 2018, Thrush pled guilty to three felony drug possession charges, as well as misdemeanors for theft and official misconduct. A report from the Missoulian newspaper states Thrush's brother-in-law alerted police to thefts from the crime lab, and that Thrush's wife found methamphetamine in their Missoula home in December 2017.
Defense filings state that on March 2, 2018, Racki told van der Hagen that Thrush had confided in a co-worker at the State Crime Lab "that he last ingested meth on the drive from Missoula to Great Falls on Feb.12th."
This is the second time a crime lab employee has pled guilty to stealing drugs from the state's forensic testing facility. In 2015 an evidence technician, Steven Brester, admitted to stealing opioids that were being stored as criminal evidence. Brester's conviction forced courts to drop charges against 69 drug case defendants across the state.
Court documents filed by the Cascade County Attorney's Office state that during interviews with investigators Thrush admitted to having taken "leftover meth" from crime lab evidence bags "5-6 times in the past year," but that he never used meth at the lab. Thrush told investigators that he believed none of the cases he worked on had been affected by his drug use.
"In a nutshell, Mr. Thrush is a fraud," van der Hagen wrote in his motion for a new trial. "Defense Counsel believes Mr. Thrush committed perjury on the witness stand, at least to the extent that he testified he was following proper procedures. He clearly did not follow Crime Lab procedures when he ingested meth he handled at the Crime Lab and when he testified at trial after ingesting the meth."
In his order dismissing Bachtell's conviction, Parker found that Thrush had violated Bachtell's right to a fair trial.
"Mr. Thrush, as an agent of the Crime Lab, trampled on Mr. Bachtell's constitutional rights while sitting in the witness stand only several feet away from the presiding judge in the case," Parker wrote. "The manifest hypocrisy in this situation — when a Montana Department of Justice employee with meth in his system testified and helped secure another man's meth possession conviction — is abhorrent."
Parker ordered that Bachtell's felony criminal drug conviction be reversed and set the date for a new trial on his charges for Nov. 19, 2018.


text:
Bill To Prohibit Tribal Marks Passes Second Reading
National News News
22 March 2017 National News News
A Bill for an Act to provide for the Prohibition of Facial Mutilation, Offences, Prosecution and Punishment of Offenders has passed second reading in the Senate, on Tuesday.
The Bill is also for the Protection of victims under threat of facial mutilation and other related Matters.
Sen. Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi), who sponsored the bill, said that there was no doubt that Africans of old used tribal marks as a means of proper identification.
Leading debate on the bill, Melaye said in those days, members of the same village, tribe or lineage had the same tribal marks.
Melaye said that the hometown and lineage of a child or anyone with tribal marks were immediately identified, while outsiders who did not have such marks were also spotted.
He further explained that parents also used tribal marks to lay credence to the legitimacy of their children.
"All these reasons cannot be scientifically proven, and hence cannot enjoy the support for this harmful practice''. "The irony of these marks is that it makes victims subjects of mockery by friends. Imagine someone being called a tiger simply because of the thick cheeks resulting from facial marks.
According to Melaye besides the health implication of the practice, it was an infringement on the rights of children, that every Nigerian child deserved the right to live.
He called on his colleagues to support the passage of the bill. Contributing to the debate, the Chief Whip, Sen. Olusola Adeyeye commended Melaye for coming up with such an important bill.
According to him, many children have suffered stigmatisation as a result of the practice. Adeyeye described the act as evil, adding that if it was for the purpose of identification, there was no way any parent would not identify their children without tribal marks.
"The Constitution provides that the primary function of government is protection of lives. "It is disheartening to note that children who have not been tested to know if they are short of blood are being made to lose blood. "In the 21st century, not only this chamber but every chamber in Africa should rise up to this occasion to stop the pains being inflicted on our children," he said.
The Chief Whip called for stiff penalty to deter others, adding "our generation must permanently stop that reproach''. " I pray no child will have the kind of mark I have on my hands. This should be banned and we will proscribe severe penalties for both the parents and the so called surgeons," he added.
The Minority Leader, Sen. Godswill Akpabio equally supported the bill, saying it was a welcome development. "In those days, people wanted it because they were from royal homes, but these days it is no longer in vogue.
"The international community will be happy we rose to this occasion, so I support this with all my heart. "It is a violation of the rights of children. The child has no option and can't fight back. Outside the infection, pain can generate something else and lead to insanity.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, said the bill was commendable in view of what children from some parts of the country were being subjected to.
"I am aware that under our constitution, especially Section 34 (1) forbids torture in humans and degrading treatment. "This is no doubt inhuman, and it is our responsibility as lawmakers to add flesh to the bones of our constitution. "On a day like this, I am proud of the senate and I believe that when it goes through the second reading it will go to the committee and return as quickly as possible.
"This is so that we pass it and ensure that it is implemented as quickly as possible to save our children from this inhuman degrading treatment,'' he said. The bill was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to be returned to senate in four weeks.
Vanguard.
Modupe.aduloju DinoMelaye, Offences, ProhibitionofFacialMutilation, Prosecution, PunishmentofOffenders


Apple's upcoming iOS 6 release will be reportedly be headlined by the debut of Apple's own mapping application, replacing the Google Maps application which has been part of the platform since the release of the first iPhone.
Is Google's decision to charge sites or apps using Google Maps API for high volume usage beginning to backfire? Apple and Foursquare have both severed ties with Google Maps, instead opting to use a free alternative, OpenStreetMap.