text:
Careless Whispers
Carlton Stowers
Macmillan, Jan 15, 2001 - True Crime - 464 pages
When the bodies of three teenagers were found on the shores of Lake Waco, Texas in July, 1982, even seasoned lawmen were taken aback by the savage mutilation and degradation they had been subjected to. Yet only 52 days after the gruesome triple-murder was discovered, frustrated authorities suspended the case indefinitely.
Patrol Sergeant Truman Simons, who had been called to the scene that night, saw the carnage first-hand -- and vowed to find the ferocious killer or killers. He soon became a man with a mission, risking his career and his family's safety in search of evidence. Plunging himself into a netherworld of violence and evil, Simons finally got close enough to a murderous ringleader to hear his careless whispers--and ultimately, put him and his three accomplices behind bars for the brutal slayings.
Now, in his Edgar Award-winning account of the Lake Waco killings, acclaimed true crime writer Carlton Stowers lays bare the facts behind the tragic crimes, the twisted predators, and the heroic man who broke the investigation--with important updated information based on new developments in the case.
The seemingly senseless murders of three teenagers shocked the community of Waco, Texas in 1982. Eventually, four men were convicted in a case of murder-for-hire and mistaken identity. With no ... Read full review
User Review - cindyg - Borders
I was not happy with the story itself. But the book ended with no confession which was a little weird for a true crime novel. Read full review
Careless Whispers: The Award-Winning True Account of the Horrific Lake Waco ...
Stowers
Carlton Stowers is the author of more than two dozen works of nonfiction, including the Edgar Award-winning Careless Whispers, the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Innocence Lost, and Open Secrets. He and his wife live in Cedar Hill, Texas.
Title Careless Whispers
Pocket non-fiction
St. Martin's True Crime Library
Author Carlton Stowers
Publisher Macmillan, 2001
True Crime / Murder / General


text:
'Pa. we have a problem' - web ad presses Wolf to clean up shale pollution
PennLive - Blog
By John L. Micek
Good Wednesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Though a great many things attributed to him are, like much of politics, apocryphal, the great Yogi Berra, is once believed to have said that one can "observe an awful lot by watching."
Thus did we arrive at PennLive World HQ this morning to find the image you see below staring at us, unblinkingly, from the homepage of this very news organization.
Being curious sorts, we clicked through and were brought to the website of an outfit calling itself "CleanAirPa," which is apparently sponsored by the Clean Air Council.
The page reminds readers that, while a candidate, Gov. Tom Wolf "promised to do something about methane pollution," from natural gas wells.
Now that he's in office, "Wolf can ... keep that promise by providing effective oversight of the natural gas industry," the page reads.
The ad campaign calls on Wolf to "act quickly to reduce methane pollution by introducing best-in-the nation leak-prevention standards."
How, you ask? Well, by "using cost effective available technology and common sense work practices, the natural gas industry can quickly and significantly cut its emissions of methane and other harmful air pollutants."
During the campaign, Wolf was asked by many news organizations (including this one) what he intended to do about methane emissions from gas wells (and, yes, we did have to suppress our inner 12-year-old when asking the question).
During the 2014 primary, Wolf said he'd "work with key stakeholders to set new testing and monitoring regulations, and I will work with the private sector to promote the development of new technology that quickly and effectively detects fugitive methane emissions."
Wolf also said he'd "focus on reducing our overall greenhouse gas emissions by having Pennsylvania join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. I will work with the initiative and the member states to set emission caps that are fair to Pennsylvania, and I will use a portion of the revenue generated from the sale of permits to invest in renewable energy technology."
How's that stack up with the record so far?
As most readers know by now, Wolf has proposed a 5 percent severance tax on drillers, with a portion of the money going to environmental stewardship programs.
According to StateImpact Pennsylvania, while overall pollution by the gas industry increased from 2012 to 2013, methane emissions actually decreased.
The environmental news website notes that "methane is significant because it is a more potent greenhouse gas than C02 and needs to be reduced to fight climate change. Its reduction may indicate that 2012 federal regulations on reducing methane are working."
The Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry trade group, also touted the decrease on Twitter.
But that's only half the picture.
As StateImpact reports, while methane emissions from regulated sources, which include what are known as "completions" and "tanks" the emissions from increased for the "vast majority" of so-called "unregulated sources."
Rob Altenburg, of the environmental activist group PennFuture, tellsStateImpact that the increase from those sources "drives home the fact that a comprehensive plan to address all methane emissions is sorely needed.
"If you want to reduce emissions, regulations work," Altenburg told StateImpact.
The Wolf administration could not immediately be reached for comment on its efforts to tackle methane emissions.
And now you're up to date. See you all back here in a bit.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Two questions about Martha, the first is was he one of the Few ? He seems to recognize Akka as a sorcerer in Sumna. And the second is did he have any children of his own, it spend natural for him to have his own brood and easier than Kellhus because he was only half Dunyain. If he spent most of his time in Sumna then he would have his own power base and more than twenty years to do this.
Half Dunyain can't breed? It seems if he could have, he would have. It takes the Mark of the Few to allow Dunyain to pass off their genes, but The Mark is probably a petty recessive gene, made more recessive by only having half Dunyain genes. The Scholastic Wars probably wiped out most of the gene in the 3 Seas.
Maithanet was of the Few, as Proyas and Akka discuss in TDTCB.
Maithanet probably did not have children, since his credibility as a religious leader would be compromised if he did, and that would interfere with his mission. Note however that it seems only to be Inrithi priests that must be celibate, the subordinate cults of the Hundred seems to have at least some hereditary priests in them (e.g. the High Cultist of Gilgaol).
Err, Moenghus just said he couldn't - and that was that?
The religious expectations placed upon the Shriah of the Thousand Temples do not originate with Anasurimbor Moenghus.
I support the idea and think it's quite plausible that Dunyain-Human hybrids are mules.
Why would he? if Team Moe sr. needed more pseudo-Dunyain, Moe would father them himself. And he is the pope shriah.
Kellhus could have thought him the metagnosis and have him make quarter Dunyains, but my guess is that he has to play the more conservative part and control all the people who take umbrage with Kellhus breaking all the rules. If he started acting like Kellhus it would probably be much greater chance of rebellion and the whole empire collapsing.


Hello there i'm new to this game and looking for a clan to join and show me the ropes around this game. I enjoy this game and want to get a bit more better at this game. so far i run a zil warrior deck and trying to get better cards right now. Also i a level 6 about to be 7.


text:
#pragma once
#ifndef CUDARRAYS_DETAIL_COHERENCE_DEFAULT_HPP_
#define CUDARRAYS_DETAIL_COHERENCE_DEFAULT_HPP_

#include <cuda_runtime_api.h>

#include "../../coherence.hpp"

namespace cudarrays {

class default_coherence :
    public coherence_policy {
public:
    enum location : unsigned {
        GPU    = 0b01,
        CPU    = 0b10,
        SHARED = 0b11
    };

    enum class ownership {
        GPU,
        CPU
    };

    default_coherence() :
        obj_(nullptr),
        location_(location::CPU),
        owner_(ownership::CPU)
    {
    }

    virtual ~default_coherence()
    {
        unbind();
    }

    void bind(coherent &obj)
    {
        if (!obj_) {
            obj_ = &obj;

            register_range(obj_->host_addr(),
                           obj_->size());
        }
    }

    void unbind()
    {
        if (obj_) {
            unregister_range(obj_->host_addr());
            obj_ = nullptr;
        }
    }

    bool is_bound() const
    {
        return obj_ != nullptr;
    }

    void release(const std::vector<unsigned> &gpus, bool Const)
    {
        DEBUG("%s Release", *obj_);

        if (owner_ != ownership::GPU) {
            DEBUG("%s ownership -> GPU", *obj_);
            owner_ = ownership::GPU;
        }

        if (!obj_->is_distributed()) {
            bool ok = obj_->distribute(gpus);
            ASSERT(ok, "Error while distributing array");
        }

        mem_access_type prot;
        if (location_ == location::CPU) {
            DEBUG("%s obj TO DEVICE", *obj_);
            obj_->to_device();

            if (!Const) {
                location_ = location::GPU;
                DEBUG("%s transition: CPU -> GPU", *obj_);
            } else {
                location_ = location::SHARED;
                DEBUG("%s transition: CPU -> SHARED", *obj_);
            }
        } else if (location_ == location::GPU) {
            DEBUG("%s transition: GPU -> GPU", *obj_);
        } else { // location_ == SHARED
            if (!Const) {
                location_ = location::GPU;
                DEBUG("%s transition: SHARED -> GPU", *obj_);
            } else {
                DEBUG("%s transition: SHARED -> SHARED", *obj_);
            }
        }

        if (Const) {
            prot = mem_access_type::MEM_READ;
        } else {
            prot = mem_access_type::MEM_NONE;
        }

        // Protect memory so that it is not accessible during GPU execution
        protect_range(obj_->host_addr(),
                      obj_->size(), prot,
                      [this](bool write) -> bool
                      {
                          protect_range(this->obj_->host_addr(),
                                        this->obj_->size(), mem_access_type::MEM_READ_WRITE);

                          if (location::GPU) {
                              this->obj_->to_host();
                              DEBUG("%s obj TO HOST", *this->obj_);

                              if (write) {
                                location_ = location::CPU;
                                DEBUG("%s transition: GPU -> CPU", *this->obj_);
                              } else {
                                location_ = location::SHARED;
                                DEBUG("%s transition: GPU -> SHARED", *this->obj_);
                              }
                          }

                          return true;
                      });
    }

    void acquire()
    {
        DEBUG("%s Acquire", *obj_);

        ASSERT(owner_ == ownership::GPU);

        DEBUG("%s ownership -> CPU", *obj_);
        owner_ = ownership::CPU;
    }

private:
    coherent *obj_;
    location location_;
    ownership owner_;
};

}

#endif

/* vim:set ft=cpp backspace=2 tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 textwidth=120 foldmethod=marker expandtab: */

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
North Korea will not attend 2022 Winter Olympics
North Korea announced it would not attend the 2022 Winter Olympics, blaming both the pandemic and "hostile forces" for the decision, specifically calling out the U.S. for raising tensions at the Games.
According to state-run media reports reviewed by Reuters, the country announced the news via a letter from North Korea's Olympic Committee and Sports Ministry to China, which is hosting the Winter Olympics next month.
"We could not take part in the Olympics due to the hostile forces' moves and the worldwide pandemic, but we would fully support the Chinese comrades in all their work to hold splendid and wonderful Olympic festival," the letter read.
North Korea's athletes were already forbidden from competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics after North Korea was suspended from the International Olympic Committee for refusing to attend last year's games in Japan because of COVID-19.
The U.S. has announced a diplomatic boycott of the gams, meaning it will not send administration officials but will send athletes. Other countries, including the United Kingdom, have joined the U.S. in that effort, which is meant to protest human rights abuses by Beijing.
North Korea, a longtime Chinese ally, also appeared to blame the U.S. for its decision not to attend.
In the letter to China, North Korea accused the U.S. of trying to prevent the games from succeeding, according to Reuters. Officials said the U.S. was "attempting to disgrace the international image of China."
"The U.S. and its vassal forces are getting evermore undisguised in their moves against China aimed at preventing the successful opening of the Olympics," the letter read.
Tags: World


There's not a lot we wouldn't do to get our hands on some tasty frieswhen we get that hankering, we just have to have them! Unfortunately, fries and a lot of other fried foods really don't and (shouldn't) have a big space in our nutrition plansbut don't worry, we've got you covered with something delicious and healthier for when that fried craving hits!
These parmesan zucchini fries are seriously so tasty and they're way less starchy and carb-packed than your standard fries. (And you can bake them if you really want to be good.) We like our zucchini wedges to pack a punch, so we've added chili powder and paprika, which you can omit if you feel like it. Trust us, though, when we say these are delish; they're the perfect choice anytime and we know anyone you share them with will feel the same!
Fill a deep skillet or Dutch oven with 2 inches of vegetable oil and heat over medium heat until oil reaches 350º F on a deep-fry thermometer.
In a shallow bowl or dish with a lip, mix flour, salt and pepper together.
Place beaten eggs in a second bowl.
In a third bowl, combine parmesan cheese, panko breadcrumbs, chili powder and paprika, and mix everything together.
Take zucchini wedges and first dredge them completely in flour mixture.
Shake off excess and dip in eggs, making sure everything is coated.
Let remaining egg drip off, then dredge in panko/parmesan mixture, pressing firmly so it adheres to the vegetable.
Working in batches, carefully lower zucchini into frying oil and cook, turning over in the middle, for 3-4 minutes, or until it's a reddish golden color.
Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.


text:
G S A for Safe Schools gay straight alliance
Social Networking Icons
Youth Leadership Board
Jobs, Internships & Volunteer Opportunities
Developing Youth Leadership
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Home > Know Your Rights – Federal Laws Protecting GSAs and LGBTQ Students
Know Your Rights – Federal Laws Protecting GSAs and LGBTQ Students
Download a PDF of this resource here.
1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
What it says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble…"
What it means: The Supreme Court has said that students in public schools maintain their 1st Amendment rights to free speech, which means they have a right to be "out", to voice their opinion about LGBT issues, and to organize peaceful protests (such as Day of Silence). They also have a right to take a same-sex date to the prom and dress and express themselves in a way that best matches their gender identity.
Key Court Case: Tinker vs. Des Moines.
Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
What it says: "No state shall…deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
What it means: This guarantees equal protection under the law to all citizens, and it applies to public schools. All students have a federal, constitutional right to equal protection, which means that schools have a duty to protect LGBTQ students from harassment on an equal basis with all other students.
Key Court Case: Nabozny vs. Podlesny. Jamie Nabozny's Ashland, WI school was found to have not done its duty in keeping him safe from anti-gay bullying and harassment.
Title IX of the Education Amendments
What it says: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance…"
What it means: This legislation covers all educational activities, with the exception of sex-specific groups (eg. sororities, the Boy Scouts). It prohibits sex-based discrimination and gender-based harassment, including harassment on the basis of a student's failure to conform to stereotyped notions of masculinity and femininity.
In 2010, the Obama administration sent a letter to 15,000 school districts, clarifying that Title IX forbids gender-based harassment. You can read that "Dear Colleague Letter" here.
Equal Access Act
What it says: "It shall be unlawful for any public secondary school which receives Federal financial assistance and which has a limited open forum to deny equal access or a fair opportunity to, or discriminate against, any students who wish to conduct a meeting within that limited open forum on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings."
What it means: If your school allows any extra-curricular activities to form, it has to allow for the formation of a GSA. Additionally, your school may not impose special rules or restrictions on the GSA that are not imposed on other clubs.
In 2011, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wrote a "Dear Colleague Letter" clarifying that GSAs are protected under the Equal Access Act. You can read that "Dear Colleague Letter" here.
legislation on lgbtq school protection
lgbt federal policies
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Wisconsin laws to protect LGBT youth
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Download article as PDF
10 Steps for Starting a Gay-Straight Alliance
Elements of a GSA
Fundraising Ideas for Your GSA
Common GSA Challenges
Sample GSA Group Agreements
Sample GSA Mission Statements
Running an Effective Meeting
Know Your Rights – Wisconsin's Pupil Nondiscrimination Law
Model Anti-Bullying Policy
Coalition Building
Ready-Made Events for the 2016-17 School Year
Words Hurt Organizing Manual
Frequently Asked Questions about Day of Silence
Planning a Big Event
Six Wisconsin Stories
Self-Care 101
Talking with Your GSA about HIV & AIDS
Resources for Middle School GSAs
Preventing & Addressing Bullying
School Experiences of Trans and GNC Students in Wisconsin
LGBT History Materials
Filing a Discrimination Complaint
Wisconsin GSA Directory
"Chippewa Falls Middle School's mission is to provide a safe and supportive place for all of our students to learn and grow together. The Safe Space training from GSAFE provided staff with valuable resources to become more aware of how to be a better gender inclusive school!" – Susan Kern, Middle School Principal
GSAFE • 122 E. Olin Ave., Suite 100, Madison, WI 53713
Phone: 608-661-4141 • Fax: 608-661-1360 • E-mail: info@gsafewi.org
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With more than 1 billion people using it each day, Facebook is always looking for ways to make communicating easier on the platform. This month, the company started rolling out more than 70 new emoji characters which can be sent to friends via the Messenger app.
The emojis cover a wide range of topics, such as food, animals, nature and sports. Users will soon be able to send an avocado, donner kebab, medal or even a woman doing a cartwheel.
Facebook is trying to add diversity when it comes to gender, with the first female athlete, surfer, police officer and pedestrian emoji to be introduced on any platform. They also want to expand racial diversity, which is why users will have the option to change the skin tone of the characters.
Keep up to date with the latest social media and marketing news by checking our blog!


Our entire lives have been consumed with fear. Each day I leave work trembling, afraid that today will be the day that I am taken from my home that night. Each day I watch my students leave the classroom in the afternoon, wondering if that was the last time I get to see them shuffle out of the room, all of them quietly staring at their feet. I can see it in my students faces, even though we never talk about it. The empty seats in the classroom, the constant revolving door of substitute teachers, it all goes without comment. The teachers all sit in the break room mostly silent with sporadic conversation that wilts under the palpable tension, and occasionally one of us will start crying. We discuss which assignments to cut out of our lesson plans, scrutinizing our own work more and more as time goes on. If any book has the slightest hint of revolution, we can't teach it. It breaks my heart, but I know I must make these decisions not only for myself, but for the safety of the school and my students.
Living in Argentina is so frightening and unsettling yet somehow forcibly normal. I wake up in the apartment that Alicia and I share, make coffee, the two of us go to work, come home and have dinner. We go out on Saturday evenings, have drinks in downtown Cordoba, chat with friends about the World Cup. But the heavy feeling never leaves, even for those tiny moments of laughter or a quick smile. Then the dread seeps back in. Imagining all the people coming from all around the world for the matches, cheering for their teams, clueless to the unfathomable suffering going on just outside the stadium. It's as if an invisible weight is permanently strapped to my shoulders, and a hand around my throat. There is no use in calling for help. There is no one to help us. The tears come from frustration and confusion, instead of anger. There's no point in being angry, because there isn't anybody to be angry at.
That inescapable weight comes from guilt just as much as fear. To think that so many of us wanted this just a few years ago. How naive we all were. We wanted this to happen. We truly thought this would fix Argentina, that the military would come in and do what they were supposed to do- protect us, repair what was wrong, give Argentina the order that we needed. We could not possibly imagine that our world would become the stuff of nightmares. And still, we all get up in the morning and go on with our day. Are we supposed to blame ourselves? Are we supposed to feel guilty for wanting Isabel gone, praying for some semblance of stability, only to have this instead? Are we supposed to blame Vidal, for shoving words down our throats, demanding we be real Argentines, when he is the most artificial of us all?
It seems to be a moment in which many Argentines are trying to figure out just what does it mean to be Argentinian. Are we somehow destined to be buffeted between right and left, decade after decade? Wasn't it better in the past, or was that just for the rich?


On Friday, Mexican criminal Julio Villasana was sentenced to 25 years in prison for causing the drunk-driving accident that killed Nashville musician and mandolin expert Charlie Derrington. (See my initial VDARE.com coverage last year: Music Community Loses a Unique Figure).
Sadly, the death was preceded by a familiar litany of illegal immigrant crimes on the part of the killer. Villasana was drunk at three times the legal limit, with a blood alcohol level of 0.23. He has been a habitual criminal, including four DUI arrests and and 14 deportations.
For Susan Derrington (shown in court), the sudden death of her husband plunged her into a terrible darkness.
Losing her husband of 24 years, she said, has been almost unbearable.
She also understood the immigration aspect of the crime due to Washington malfeasance, remarking, "I'm very much in favor of closing the borders."
The good news is that Villasana was sentenced to the maximum sentence possible, 25 years. The bad news is that Tennessee law permits parole after only 30 percent of the sentence has been served.


We wrote abut uClibc in this article. In this article we will build an entire Linux system using uClibc that has gcc, system utilities, a 2.4.20 kernel, and uses less than 63 megs total for the entire system. The intent is for us to write homebrew articles on a stable system that can run with minimal resources. We also don't want to have to deal with security issues. This will run on some random piece of garbage (386, 486, Pentium), and we won't have to have to worry so much about patching the OS/Services, since not much is running. A secondary goal is to have a system that will fit on a 100 meg zip disk. In future homebrew articles, we will use this system to compile and run our projects on.
We will start with bare metal. No OS, nothing. This article will also provide some ideas for recovery. First, grab a copy of SuperRescue, and create a CD to boot from. We used version 2.1.2.
Here is our .config file. Note that this is a trimmed down kernel without modules. Back to our uClibc box. In addition to the kernel, we will need a bootloader. We'll use Lilo version 22.4.1 which is *not* availablehere, but newer versions are. We will also need NASM. We will use version 0.98.35 available here.
at a prompt, a sub-shell can be invoked with the exclamation mark.
/sbin/lilo must now be run to complete the update.
Please specify the name of the kernel image file you want to boot by default.
An old version of the configuration file /etc/lilo.conf already exists.
Type  !cat /etc/lilo.conf.tmp  if you want to check the new configuration file.
Ready to install LILO's boot sector on your hard disk.
Type  !cat /etc/lilo.conf  if you want to check the configuration file.
configuration. The boot sector has not been changed yet.
if there are have been warnings, they will be repeated again.
Released 27-Jan-2003 and compiled at 23:13:30 on Mar  2 2003.
/boot/boot.0300 exists - no backup copy made.
Let's reboot this jalopy. Here is a screenshot of lilo booting the new 2.4.20 kernel. We can log on!.
We now have a complete, bootable, development system that uses less than 70 megs hard disk space. Look forward to more articles in our homebrew area that use the uClibc system. We will also document configuration and upgrades for our new uClibc system. Nothing has been configured yet. We were able to recompile the 2.4.20 kernel with this system, so it is truly self contained.


text:
Taki Mai
In the island nation of Fiji, it is customary for friends to gather at someone's home each evening after work, sit on the floor around a large bowl, called a tanoa, filled with "grog," or powdered kava, from the root of a local plant, mixed into water. Each of the friends passes around a coconut shell, drinking the kava mixture. Grog isn't particularly good-tasting, but the effect is a feeling of tranquil well-being, serene relaxation. You are not stoned or drunk and remain clear-headed. The sharing of kava beverage has been a tradition in Fiji – and, indeed, in many countries around the Pacific region – for centuries. A young engineer, named Zane Yoshida, who grew up in Fiji, educated in Australia and ran an international plastics company, felt since energy drinks were so popular, a beverage that offered profound relaxation would have to become popular. After all, Zane reasoned, contemporary life is filled with everyday stress. He called his kava beverage, Taki Mai, which in Fiji means, serve me now. When Healthy Brand Builders engaged with Taki Mai, it needed a new formula, new flavors, new packaging, new logo, in short everything to turn it into a successful beverage. We transformed it from an 8-ounce drink to a 3-ounce shot. We called in our top flavor experts and made Taki Mai palatable in four tropical flavor SKUs. We brought in a top branding agency, created a new logo, packaging, in-store displays, trade show booths, a positioning line, advertising and most recently, branded extensions for kava powder and kava capsules. As American's interest in kava grows, Taki Mai is gaining acceptance. It's already in Whole Foods in several California markets and about to roll out into Vitamin Shoppes nationwide.


Looking to Invest! We have got a deal for you!! Well Maintained 3 Bedroom 1 1/2 Bath Duplex with so Much to Offer!!! Each Unit has their own Basement with Walk-Out, New Neck on each side! Outstanding Yard with Beautiful View of Northern Maine Country Side!! HWBB, Metal Roof..3 Acres.. Solid as a Rock!! Live in One and Rent the other.. Don't Pass this up!!


As a professional Polydextrose food additives and food ingredients supplier and manufacturer, JUSTCHEM has been supplying and exporting from food additives and food ingredients China for almost 10 years, please be assured to buy food additives and food ingredients at Justchem. Any inquiries and problems please feel free to send emails to us via sales@justchem.com we will reply you within 1 working day.
Polydextrose is a synthetic polymer of glucose. It is a food ingredient classified as soluble fiber by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as Health Canada, as of April 2013. It is frequently used to increase the non-dietary fiber content of food, to replace sugar, and to reduce calories and fat content. It is a multi-purpose food ingredient synthesized from dextrose (glucose), plus about 10 percent sorbitol and 1 percent citric acid. Its E number is E1200. The FDA approved it in 1981.
Storage: Put in cool, dry area, well closed container or bag. 15-25 °C and a relative humidity of max. 55% is recommended.
Polydextrose is commonly used as a replacement for sugar, starch, and fat in commercial beverages, cakes, candies, dessert mixes, breakfast cereals, gelatins, frozen desserts, puddings, and salad dressings. Polydextrose is frequently used as an ingredient in low-carb, sugar-free, and diabetic cooking recipes. It is also used as a humectant, stabiliser, and thickening agent.
Polydextrose is a form of soluble fiber and has shown healthful prebiotic benefits when tested in animals. It contains only 1 kcal per gram and, therefore, is able to help reduce calories.


text:
Termin -{R25}- ima više značenja.

 R-oznake, R25: Otrovno ako se proguta
 Renault 25, familija automobila

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


"I have worked with Sander for quite some time now. He always comes up with interesting ideas.
While working out these ideas, it's a joy to brainstorm with him about the different possibilities. Moreover, we always have a lot of fun and laughter during the shoot."
"Most importantly, the resulting pictures are always beautiful, interesting, and worthwhile.
Taken together, I highly recommend him."
"I worked together with Sander during the implementation of the interior design of the Lighthouse of Breskens, and I've experienced the collaboration as very pleasant. The interior design I had conceived included five large mahogany lamps each featuring a B&W photo from the inside."
"Apart from delivering these photos, Sander further contributed to the development of the lamp concept with the idea that the photos should reflect the 4 elements (water, air, earth & fire), linked together by the lighthouse as the 5th element."
"The result is magnificent and the photos strenghten the interior design that I had envisioned."
"A few weeks ago I finished my second internship under Sander's supervision, and I have to say I already miss working with him! He helped me tremendously with discovering my own style of photography as well as with finding out who I am, both at a personal and at a professional level."
"He wasn't only an excellent supervisor, but also a fantastic mentor."
"For the second time we asked Sander to photograph the last-year students of the weekendschool in order for them to experience a real photoshoot and be a model for one day. I got goose bumps when I first saw the resulting pictures, they are absolutely stunning!"
"His photos really touch me; the power of each of these children is so clearly present. And he managed to capture them in such a striking way that it's not hard to imagine what each of them must look like later on in life, it just shines through. I simply can't stop looking at them!"
"Borger Tegels & Sanitair wanted to be different and more exclusive. Sander created a series of B&W photos for our new website and advertisements. He was also very helpful in thinking along with the creation of the website and marketing."
"Not only did it set us apart from competitors, it gave our business a real boost, inviting many more potential clients to the showroom to see our products and experience our colourful service. I'm extremely pleased with the results!"
"Full of patience and with great attention to detail, Sander is able to make extraordinary pictures. The photographs have a simple elegance to them, layered with both atmosphere and symbolism, and each element present within the frame has its purpose."
"In addition, he is a master of light. I experienced our collaboration as very pleasant and special."
"Sander is a top photographer."
"I'm delighted with the result."
"Without anyone noticing, Sander manages to capture the decisive moments in a beautiful way."
"He knows how to create a series of photos that vividly bring those special moments back to life. I've experienced Sander as easy-going, talented, and professional, and I'm very happy with the photos he created for me."
"Sander was assigned to document the public academy lectures on chronic pain. During the event we were surprised to barely notice him being present, and perhaps that's how he managed to create a series of photos that look both authentic and artful."
"I think the photos are brilliant, the results exceeded my expectations that were already rather high!"
"The company you keep: Niels' colleague Sander Martens took pictures of us as a family. The idea was to make a 'report' of this particular moment in our life."
"The result is...art. The photos are beautiful and funny and perfectly capture the sometimes rather crazy and chaotic atmosphere while simultaneously showing the idyllic environment within and outside the house. We're really happy with the result!"


A Course in Lens Design is an instruction in the design of image-forming optical systems. It teaches how a satisfactory design can be obtained in a straightforward way. Theory is limited to a minimum, and used to support the practical design work. The book introduces geometrical optics, optical instruments and aberrations. It gives a description of the process of lens design and of the strategies used in this process. Half of its content is devoted to the design of sixteen types of lenses, described in detail from beginning to end.
This book is different from most other books on lens design because it stresses the importance of the initial phases of the design process: (paraxial) lay-out and (thin-lens) pre-design. The argument for this change of accent is that in these phases much information can be obtained about the properties of the lens to be designed. This information can be used in later phases of the design.
This makes A Course in Lens Design a useful self-study book, and a suitable basis for an introductory course in lens design. The mathematics mainly used is college algebra, in a few sections calculus is applied. The book could be used by students of engineering and technical physics, and by engineers and scientists.


Just like we love to share super green juices and smoothies, we love sharing soups too! This soup is a great way to up your greens for a warming summer or winter soup! This soup is packed full of green goodness with loads of magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, B vitamins, vitamins A, K, C, E and protein. The garnish is optional but it adds a great texture and added bonus flavor!
Wash and prepare vegetables as instructed.
Heat oil in medium pot and sauté the leek and garlic over low to medium heat until soft.
While the leek and garlic cook, line a baking tray and rub oil into the 2 leaves of kale for garnish, salt lightly and bake in oven for 10-15 mins, or until crispy. Add the nuts in for the last 6 minutes to toast lightly.
Add in the zucchini, leafy greens and basil and stir for a few minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and season to taste. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Garnish with the crispy kale and toasted nuts and serve immediately.


FinTech Group Bank AG operates two attractive ATM services to its partners: firstly, the operation of ATMs for corporate customers, secondly, the operation of mobile ATMs for concerts, festivals and other events.
Our corporate clients take the opportunity to establish a cash machine on-site as a service to employees or customers. We take care of everything here, from the regulatory application and operation of the machines to their installation and monitoring, and even refilling and technical maintenance.
With our partner Prosegur, Germany's leading cash logistics company, we operate Germany's first truly mobile ATMs. This is a converted armoured truck that can go from event to event and offers organizers many advantages.
Services: Nothing is more annoying for visitors than cash running low with no ATM nearby.
Flexibility: The machine can be set up where it is best for you and your guests - it only needs a power supply. The machine has its own access to the Internet for account queries.
Security: The processing of payments through the mobile ATM is totally safe and is guaranteed through us and Prosegur GmbH.
ATMs serviced by FinTech Group Bank AG can be branded on the outside and the screen interface with your individual look & feel.
Neutrally appearing ATMs serviced by FinTech Group Bank AG can display your individual screen interface, which shows upon activation.


Google's research department has released an interactive timeline that explores the popularity of music genres across the years from the 1950s to the present day.
The visualisation has been constructed based on how many Google Play users have specific albums or artists in their libraries. The thickness of each stripe along the timeline correlates with the popularity of that particular genre in each year.
To explore each genre in more detail, you can click on its stripe to find out about the waxing and waning popularity of its various subgenres and fusion genres. Alternatively, you can also search for specific albums or artists. The music Fleetwood Mac produced in the mid 70s, for example, has been dramatically more popular than anything else the band has released before or since.
Unsurprisingly, this coincides almost perfectly with the release of the album Rumours in 1977.
Google says that the timeline starts in 1950 because the data before that is too sparse to incorporate into the visualisation.
The data has been normalised according to the total number of albums released every year, so as to give an accurate and proportionate picture of the popularity across the decades.
The popularity of classical music has been omitted from the timeline as unlike contemporary music, its popularity is usually based on its composition date, rather than its recording date, and so incorporating the data would be "counterintuitive", Google says.


Watching Movies for Kids with Kids Movies Kodi Addon could get your online privacy compromised. To protect your online identity and data, you need to get Kodi VPN.
Kids Movies Kodi as the names suggest brings you Movies that are related to Kids. Some of these categories include Latest Movies, Disney Channel Movies, Disney Princess Movies, and Barbie Movies.
Also, you can find it in various Movie Genre option. It is found in Zadar Repository that contains many other Kids addons. This guide explains precisely how to install Kids Movies on Kodi.
Watching any kind of Movie with Kodi could get your online privacy compromised. However, you can hide your internet activity using VPN for Kodi streaming.
Do check out the list of top Kodi addons for more video content.
We recommend you using PureVPN or Surfshark VPN for a smooth streaming on Kodi. They have high-speed servers that avoids ISP throttling.
This add-on remains to be a perfect match for Kids if they want to enjoy watching Movies. It has precisely those movies that are eligible for Kids. Similarly, Kids Movies Kodi is a fund add-on for Kids that shows Disney Movies, Barbie, etc. This guide explain how to install Kids Movies on Kodi.


text:
Trump expected to veto defense bill, forcing Congress back to the Hill – Fox News
President Trump is expected to veto the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Wednesday, sources tell Fox News, forcing the House and Senate to reconvene immediately following Christmas.
Trump's promise to veto the $740 billion defense package, which directs Pentagon funding and policy, will force Democrats and Republicans to attempt to override his ruling.
Trump has until Dec. 23 to veto the NDAA, which will force House members to reconvene on Dec. 28 to vote on the override. If they are successful in obtaining a two-thirds vote in favor of rejecting Trump's veto, the Senate will then vote to override on Dec. 29, sources confirmed for Fox News.
MCCONNELL IMPLORES TRUMP NOT TO VETO DEFENSE BILL, PREPARES OVERRIDE EFFORT
The Senate will also need to achieve a two-thirds vote in favor of overriding the president. If successful this will be Congress' first veto override during Trump's presidency, as he prepares to leave office in less than one month.
The defense bill was approved by Congress with strong bipartisan support, passing in the House 335-78, and in the Senate 84-13 – making it likely Congress could override the president's veto.
However, senators remain concerned that some GOP House members may choose not to counter the president's decision.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has already said he would not vote in favor of overriding the veto, prompting one senator to tell Fox News that the consensus among senators on the chances of a successful House override is about 50-50.
Trump first promised to reject the defense bill earlier this month, after Congress omitted language on Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which the president has called "a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity."
The president has long sought to take on "big tech," which he believes is unfairly protected by Section 230 and therefore allows conservative bias on social media platforms.
Section 230 provides legal protection for technology companies from content produced by third parties or users on social media in particular.
CLOCK TICKS CLOSER TO GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AS BITTERLY DIVIDED SENATE PUNTS VOTE TO FRIDAY
"I will Veto the Defense Bill, which will make China very unhappy. They love it," Trump tweeted Thursday. "Must have Section 230 termination, protect our National Monuments and allow for removal of military from far away, and very unappreciative, lands. Thank you!"
The Senate could face its own challenges in getting an override vote successfully though before Jan. 3, when the 117th Congress will take office.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., pushed to stop the bill from passing through the Senate earlier this month, when he contested a measure in the legislation that would prevent the president from being able to unilaterally withdraw troops from war zones.
Paul blamed Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and called her a "neocon," saying her philosophy was "substantiating war and making sure that it becomes and is perpetual war."
"I've told them I'll come back to try to prevent them from easily overriding the defense bill veto," Paul told reporters, pledging to do his best to prevent a successful override vote, reported Politico.
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has urged Trump not to veto the measure and said Tuesday that he and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are crossing party lines to get this defense spending package passed together.
"The Democrat leader and I have agreed to unanimous request as follows: the Senate will meet for pro forma sessions only until Dec. 29 when we will return to session," McConnell said, according to C-SPAN producer Craig Caplan.
"In the event the president has vetoed the bill and the House has voted to override the veto (Dec. 28), the Senate would have the opportunity to process the veto override at the time."
AFL: Dale Thomas takes brutal revenge on The Bachelorette's Georgia Love
Sophie Kasaei sends temperatures soaring in a Mrs Claus-themed bodysuit for racy snap


text:
Georges Grün (ur. 25 stycznia 1962 w Etterbeek) – belgijski piłkarz grający na pozycji środkowego obrońcy.

Kariera klubowa
Karierę piłkarską Grün rozpoczął w stołecznym klubie RSC Anderlecht. W 1982 roku został przez trenera zespołu Paula Van Himsta włączony do kadry pierwszego zespołu. W tamtym sezonie zadebiutował w pierwszej lidze belgijskiej. Został wicemistrzem kraju, ale w pierwszym składzie klubu zaczął grać rok później. Wtedy też drugi raz zajął z Anderlechtem 2. miejsce w lidze oraz wystąpił w finale Pucharu UEFA z Tottenhamem Hotspur, przegranym przez Belgów po serii rzutów karnych w drugim meczu (w obu padł remis 1:1). W 1985 roku pierwszy raz w karierze wywalczył tytuł mistrza Belgii. Zarówno w 1986 i 1987 roku obronił mistrzostwo, a w 1988 roku zdobył z "Fiołkami" Puchar Belgii. W 1989 roku powtórzył ten sukces i równocześnie został wicemistrzem ligi. W 1990 roku awansował z Anderlechtem do finału Pucharu Zdobywców Pucharów, jednak Belgowie ulegli w nim 0:2 włoskiej Sampdorii. Po zakończeniu sezonu 1989/1990 Grün odszedł z Anderlechtu.

Latem Grün został zawodnikiem włoskiej Parmy stając się trzecim obcokrajowcem w zespole obok Brazylijczyka Cláudio Taffarela i Szweda Tomasa Brolina. W Serie A zadebiutował 9 września w przegranym 1:2 domowym spotkaniu z Juventusem. W 1992 roku osiągnął swój pierwszy sukces we Włoszech, gdy zdobył Puchar Włoch. W 1993 roku dotarł z Parmą do finału Pucharu Zdobywców Pucharów i przyczynił się do zwycięstwa 3:1 nad Royal Antwerp FC. W 1994 roku także dotarł do finału tego pucharu, jednak parmeńczycy przegrali w Kopenhadze 0:1 z Arsenalem. Sezon 1993/1994 był ostatnim dla Grüna w Parmie, dla której rozegrał 109 ligowych meczów i strzelił 9 goli.

Latem 1994 roku Grün wrócił do Anderlechtu i rywalizował o miejsce w składzie z takimi zawodnikami jak Marc Emmers i Olivier Doll. W 1995 roku wywalczył tytuł mistrza Belgii, a w 1996 roku został z Anderlechtem wicemistrzem kraju. Po tamtym sukcesie odszedł z klubu i wrócił do Włoch zostając zawodnikiem Reggiany. Reggiana zajęła jednak ostatnie miejsce w lidze i spadła do Serie B, a Grün w 1997 roku zakończył piłkarską karierę.

Kariera reprezentacyjna
W reprezentacji Belgii Grün zadebiutował 13 czerwca 1984 roku podczas Euro 84, w wygranym 2:0 meczu z Jugosławią i w debiucie zdobył gola. Na tym turnieju wystąpił także w dwóch innych spotkaniach grupowych: z Francji (0:5) i z Danią (2:3).

W 1986 roku Grün po raz pierwszy wystąpił w turnieju o mistrzostwo świata. Na boiskach Meksyku zagrał w sześciu meczach Belgów: z Irakiem (2:1), z Paragwajem (2:2), w 1/8 finału z ZSRR (4:3), w ćwierćfinale z Hiszpanią (1:1, karne 5:4), w półfinale z Argentyną (0:2) oraz w meczu o 3. miejsce z Francją (2:4). Z kolei w 1990 roku na mundialu we Włoszech Grün zaliczył dwa mecze: z Urugwajem (3:1) oraz w 1/8 finału z Anglią (0:1 po dogrywce). Swój ostatni mundial Grün zaliczył w 1994 w USA. Tam zagrał czterokrotnie: z Marokiem (1:0), z Holandią (1:0), i w 1/8 finału z Niemcami (2:3 i gol w 7. minucie meczu). W 1995 roku zakończył reprezentacyjną karierę. W drużynie narodowej wystąpił łącznie 77 razy i strzelił 6 bramek.

Bibliografia

Reprezentanci Belgii w piłce nożnej
Piłkarze RSC Anderlecht
Piłkarze Parmy Calcio 1913
Piłkarze AC Reggiana 1919
Uczestnicy Mistrzostw Europy w Piłce Nożnej 1984
Uczestnicy Mistrzostw Świata w Piłce Nożnej 1986
Uczestnicy Mistrzostw Świata w Piłce Nożnej 1990
Uczestnicy Mistrzostw Świata w Piłce Nożnej 1994
Urodzeni w 1962
Ludzie urodzeni w Etterbeek


text:
Tony Niessner (* 8. Juli 1906 in Prag, Österreich-Ungarn; † 18. November 1986 in Wien) war ein Schauspieler, Regisseur und Sänger.

Leben
Nach einem abgebrochenen Studium der Musikwissenschaften, versuchte er es in Prag mit Gesang. Er absolvierte einige Gastspiele an deutschen Theatern, bevor er 1935 sein Debüt am Johann Strauß-Theater in Wien gab, wo er auch nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg engagiert war und inszenierte am Raimundtheater, an anderen Bühnen in Wien und auch im Ausland (darunter in Kairo ein Musical). Er moderierte mit Karl Grell die Sendereihen "Der tönende Operettenführer" und "Wiener Sang-Wiener Klang". Niessner war auch ein bekannter Wienerlied-Sänger.

Niessner stand 1944 in der Gottbegnadeten-Liste des Reichsministeriums für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda.

Seine letzte Ruhestätte befindet sich auf dem Grinzinger Friedhof (Gr. 22, R. 6, Nr. 1C) in Wien.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Sänger
Filmschauspieler
Theaterregisseur
Musiker (Nationalsozialismus)
Darstellender Künstler (Wien)
Träger des Goldenen Verdienstzeichens des Landes Wien
Träger des österreichischen Ehrenkreuzes für Wissenschaft und Kunst
Person (Cisleithanien)
Österreicher
Geboren 1906
Gestorben 1986
Mann


text:
BHP sells stake in metallurgical coal JV to Stanmore for up to $1.35 billion
MITSY
7 November 2021, 5:48 pm ·2-min read
FILE PHOTO: BHP's logo is projected on a screen during a round-table meeting with journalists
(Reuters) -Global miner BHP Group Ltd signed a deal on Monday to sell its stake in BHP Mitsui Coal (BMC), a metallurgical coal joint venture in Queensland, to Stanmore Resources Ltd for up to $1.35 billion, the companies said.
Stanmore, which is majority-owned by Singapore-listed Golden Energy and Resources Ltd, agreed to acquire BHP's 80% stake in BHP Mitsui Coal, which owns and operates two open-cut metallurgical coal mines in the Bowen Basin.
"It's a fair to good price from the (seller's) perspective," said analyst Peter O'Connor of Shaw & Partners in Sydney.
The remaining stake in BHP Mitsui Coal is owned by Japan's Mitsui & Co Ltd.
Stanmore will pay $1.1 billion on completion of the sale and an additional $100 million six months after that. There is a potential for up to $150 million in a price-linked earnout, payable in 2024, the companies added.
Stanmore, which has a market capitalisation of $207.1 million, according to data from Eikon, said it intends to fund the acquisition with a $625 million debt facility and a $600 million equity raising. (https://bit.ly/2ZZpgzh)
The deal allows Golden Energy, controlled by Indonesia's Widjaja family, to diversify beyond thermal coal.
Golden Energy runs a thermal coal mine in Indonesia and a gold mine in Queensland. It will guarantee Stanmore's obligations and any break fee to up to $600 million.
The deal still needs to go to Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board for approval. Shares in Stanmore saw their best session in five years, surging as much as 23.7% to A$1.280 ($0.9469). BHP shares rose 1.2%.
Analysts at RBC expect BHP to distribute proceeds from the divestment among shareholders via special dividends on completion in mid 2022, supplementing the miner's dividend yield by about 0.8-8% in the year ending in June.
BHP will continue to operate BMC until completion and work with Stanmore during the ownership transition, the miner said in a separate statement https://bit.ly/303nXiv.
($1 = 1.3517 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Harish Sridharan. Additional reporting by Melanie Burton in MELBOURNE; Editing by Peter Cooney and Himani Sarkar)
29 TOP Condos in 2022 for Those Who Need to Move In Urgently
These TOP condos will be completed and move-in ready in 2022; perfect for those who don't quite fancy a resale condo and can't wait years for a new launch condo to be completed.


text:
Анджей Пйотр Красьніцький (, нар. 31 січня 1949 у Нідзиці) – польський спортивний діяч, з 2006 року президент Федерації гандболу Польщі, з 2010 року президент Польського Олімпійського комітету.

Біографія
У 2002-2005 роках він був президентом Польської конфедерації спорту. 15 січня 2006 року став президентом Федерації гандболу Польщі та першим віце-президентом Польського Олімпійського комітету. 20 квітня 2010 року, після смерті Пйотра Нуровського, він став президентом польського олімпійського комітету. На наступні терміни, обрані 13 квітня 2013 року, він був єдиним кандидатом і 22 квітня 2017 року також був єдиним кандидатом після того, як Ришард Чарнецький відкликав заявку.

Відзнаки
У 2005 році за видатні досягнення в галузі розвитку спорту президент Александр Квасневський нагородив його Кавалерським хрестом Ордену Відродження Польщі, і в 2015 році президент Броніслав Коморовський за видатні досягнення в діяльності польського олімпійського руху дав йому Командорський хрест цього звання.

Примітки

Уродженці Ніджиці
Польські спортсмени


text:
The structures of phytotoxic compounds from Thamnosma Montana. The action of phytotoxic compounds on plants. Preparation and reactions of S-phenylthiolcarbamates. Studies on the synthesis of actidione
Crosby, Donald Gibson (1954) The structures of phytotoxic compounds from Thamnosma Montana. The action of phytotoxic compounds on plants. Preparation and reactions of S-phenylthiolcarbamates. Studies on the synthesis of actidione. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/T35B-D641. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-12042003-095430
The chemistry of the three phytotoxic compounds isolated from Thamnosma montana by E.L. Bennett in 1949 has been studied, and two of the substances have been identified as the known furocoumarins isopimpinellin and byakangelicin. Degradation and partial synthesis of the third compound have shown that it is also a furocoumarin, and have indicated its probable structure.
The effects of several naturally-occurring phytotoxic substances on plants have been observed under controlled conditions, and have been compared with the effects noted in nature. The mechanism of the toxic action is still ambiguous.
Convenient methods for the synthesis of S-substituted thiolcarbamates have been found, and the scope and limitations of their reactions with primary and secondary amines, amides, and hydrazines to produce ureas, acylureas, and semicarbazides, respectively, have been determined. The mechanism of the general reaction and its application to the identification of organic compounds also have been considered.
Attempts have been made to synthesize the antibiotic substance "Actidione" by four different routes, and although this end has not been achieved, much groundwork has been laid for the eventual preparation of the compound.
Niemann, Carl G.
10.7907/T35B-D641
PDF (Crosby_dg_1954.pdf) - Final Version


text:
package androidx.appcompat.widget;

import static androidx.annotation.RestrictTo.Scope.LIBRARY_GROUP_PREFIX;

import android.content.Context;
import android.content.res.Configuration;
import android.content.res.Resources;
import android.os.Build;
import android.transition.Transition;
import android.util.AttributeSet;
import android.util.Log;
import android.view.KeyEvent;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.view.MotionEvent;
import android.widget.HeaderViewListAdapter;
import android.widget.ListAdapter;
import android.widget.PopupWindow;

import androidx.annotation.DoNotInline;
import androidx.annotation.NonNull;
import androidx.annotation.Nullable;
import androidx.annotation.RequiresApi;
import androidx.annotation.RestrictTo;
import androidx.appcompat.view.menu.ListMenuItemView;
import androidx.appcompat.view.menu.MenuAdapter;
import androidx.appcompat.view.menu.MenuBuilder;
import androidx.core.view.ViewCompat;

import java.lang.reflect.Method;

/**
 * A MenuPopupWindow represents the popup window for menu.
 *
 * MenuPopupWindow is mostly same as ListPopupWindow, but it has customized
 * behaviors specific to menus,
 *
 * @hide
 */
@RestrictTo(LIBRARY_GROUP_PREFIX)
public class MenuPopupWindow extends ListPopupWindow implements MenuItemHoverListener {
    private static final String TAG = "MenuPopupWindow";

    private static Method sSetTouchModalMethod;

    static {
        try {
            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT <= 28) {
                sSetTouchModalMethod = PopupWindow.class.getDeclaredMethod(
                        "setTouchModal", boolean.class);
            }
        } catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
            Log.i(TAG, "Could not find method setTouchModal() on PopupWindow. Oh well.");
        }
    }

    private MenuItemHoverListener mHoverListener;

    public MenuPopupWindow(@NonNull Context context, @Nullable AttributeSet attrs, int defStyleAttr,
            int defStyleRes) {
        super(context, attrs, defStyleAttr, defStyleRes);
    }

    @NonNull
    @Override
    DropDownListView createDropDownListView(Context context, boolean hijackFocus) {
        MenuDropDownListView view = new MenuDropDownListView(context, hijackFocus);
        view.setHoverListener(this);
        return view;
    }

    public void setEnterTransition(Object enterTransition) {
        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 23) {
            Api23Impl.setEnterTransition(mPopup, (Transition) enterTransition);
        }
    }

    public void setExitTransition(Object exitTransition) {
        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 23) {
            Api23Impl.setExitTransition(mPopup, (Transition) exitTransition);
        }
    }

    public void setHoverListener(MenuItemHoverListener hoverListener) {
        mHoverListener = hoverListener;
    }

    /**
     * Set whether this window is touch modal or if outside touches will be sent to
     * other windows behind it.
     */
    public void setTouchModal(final boolean touchModal) {
        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT <= 28) {
            if (sSetTouchModalMethod != null) {
                try {
                    sSetTouchModalMethod.invoke(mPopup, touchModal);
                } catch (Exception e) {
                    Log.i(TAG, "Could not invoke setTouchModal() on PopupWindow. Oh well.");
                }
            }
        } else {
            Api29Impl.setTouchModal(mPopup, touchModal);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void onItemHoverEnter(@NonNull MenuBuilder menu, @NonNull MenuItem item) {
        // Forward up the chain
        if (mHoverListener != null) {
            mHoverListener.onItemHoverEnter(menu, item);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void onItemHoverExit(@NonNull MenuBuilder menu, @NonNull MenuItem item) {
        // Forward up the chain
        if (mHoverListener != null) {
            mHoverListener.onItemHoverExit(menu, item);
        }
    }

    /**
     * @hide
     */
    @RestrictTo(LIBRARY_GROUP_PREFIX)
    public static class MenuDropDownListView extends DropDownListView {
        final int mAdvanceKey;
        final int mRetreatKey;

        private MenuItemHoverListener mHoverListener;
        private MenuItem mHoveredMenuItem;

        public MenuDropDownListView(Context context, boolean hijackFocus) {
            super(context, hijackFocus);

            final Resources res = context.getResources();
            final Configuration config = res.getConfiguration();
            if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 17
                    && ViewCompat.LAYOUT_DIRECTION_RTL == Api17Impl.getLayoutDirection(config)) {
                mAdvanceKey = KeyEvent.KEYCODE_DPAD_LEFT;
                mRetreatKey = KeyEvent.KEYCODE_DPAD_RIGHT;
            } else {
                mAdvanceKey = KeyEvent.KEYCODE_DPAD_RIGHT;
                mRetreatKey = KeyEvent.KEYCODE_DPAD_LEFT;
            }
        }

        public void setHoverListener(MenuItemHoverListener hoverListener) {
            mHoverListener = hoverListener;
        }

        public void clearSelection() {
            setSelection(INVALID_POSITION);
        }

        @Override
        public boolean onKeyDown(int keyCode, KeyEvent event) {
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                    menuAdapter = (MenuAdapter) adapter;
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                // Find the menu item for the view at the event coordinates.
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The Story: An investment banker tries to save her career, while her boyfriend is secretly (and illegally) trying to sabotage her. The Lowdown: A not-very-thrilling Wall Street thriller with hints of feminism that don't quite come together — and a weak cast that doesn't help things.
Meera Menon's Equity is, in theory, a feminist take on a film like J.C. Chandor's Margin Call (2011), a movie that tackles the corruptness of America's financial institutions while also picking at glass ceilings and the inequality women feel in the corporate world. Unfortunately, Equity never quite works as either, existing as a fairly toothless thriller and a not-very-effective examination of gender inequality — thanks to its confused message and the inherent nature of its plot. This is a movie that wants you to believe that venture capitalists, bankers and investors have been corrupted by greed, but still wants you to feel sympathy for people who've chosen this for their life. Since the film doesn't have the talent to make the latter happen, what's left is a movie with no emotional center and no means of stirring up outrage. It's a flaccid picture that's watchable and little else.
The film follows Naomi (Anna Gunn), an investment banker who just saw a huge deal fall through (the first of her career) and is looking to redeem herself by handling the public offering of a new, secure and presumably unhackable social network. She's competitive by nature, and her outlet is making money and gaining power — something she doesn't shy away from, even though it means behaving in ways that are typically looked down on in women. She's also looking for a promotion, but she has little room for error in her suddenly faltering career. Not helping things, unfortunately, is her boyfriend, Michael (James Purefoy), who's involved in some shady insider trading deals and is secretly being investigated by the feds.
The main thrust of Equity is Naomi's slowly disintegrating deal, which is being covertly torn apart by Michael, who's on the take. This is where the "thriller" aspect of the film comes into play, as Michael's duplicity slowly sinks Naomi's deal while she struggles to keep it all in one piece. As a tract on the evils of greed (Michael's machinations will certainly lose money or ruin the retirement funds of everyday investors), Equity doesn't work, since it never manages to actually enrage you. This is mostly because of the film's focus, Naomi. She's just as greedy and cutthroat as anyone else in the film — she just loses. The film wants to evoke a measure of sympathy for her, but this is a difficult proposition since her only true motivation is money. Even with her bosses constantly screwing her over based on her gender (at least that's how the film frames it, though what the film does show is a lack of competence), why should one feel sympathetic? There's no real soul, nothing human about this character, nothing relatable to really latch onto.
There is a universe where Equity works, but it's not this one, mostly because of the cast the film is saddled with. It's a lot of supporting actors trying to carry a film that needs at least one strong central performance. Gunn is perfectly fine as Naomi, but the meatier moments come across as goofy. The script doesn't help, since what she's given is a short rant about chocolate chip cookies and the opportunity to knock over a Jenga tower, moments that feel like they were concocted by a poor man's David Mamet. Gunn doesn't have the range to pull these scenes together. In her defense, at these points near the end of the film, Equity had already slowly unraveled. Rated R for language throughout.
Opens August 26 at Carolina Cinemark.


Can Stroke Risk Increase with Daylight Savings Time?
Many groan at the thought of losing an hour's sleep over daylight savings time. In addition to being annoying, however, studies indicate that the event may also be a health hazard to some people, particularly seniors. Specifically, researchers in Finland learned that disrupting the sleep cycle might increase the risk of ischemic stroke. These findings are particularly important for seniors who receive post-stroke care in Ft. Lauderdale.
A number of previous studies revealed that shift workers are more inclined to have trouble with cardiovascular disease and stroke due to disrupted circadian rhythm cycles and sleep patterns. However, a group of scientists from the University of Turku led by Dr. Jori Ruuskanen were curious as to whether or not individuals suffered ill effects secondary to daylight savings time.
The group gathered and evaluated the data involving more than 11,000 people who were hospitalized two weeks before and two weeks after daylight savings time. Based on the reasons for the hospitalizations, the scientists found that on the Monday and Tuesday following the Sunday time change, the number of people seeking medical attention for stroke symptoms was eight percent higher. The researchers also found that the stroke risks for cancer patients rose by 25 percent. Additionally, seniors over the age of 65 had an increased risk of 20 percent. The data also revealed that the greatest number of strokes occur in the mornings.
As the days progressed past the weekend, the percentages gradually declined as individuals eventually adapted to the time change. Dr. Ruuskanen was quick to point out that all of the stroke patients had a number of contributing factors leading to the eventual outcome. However, for reasons still unknown, the disrupted sleep cycle brought these factors to a head.
Keeping in mind the possible dangers related to lost sleep, the National Sleep Foundation suggests that people sleep in on Sunday morning to counteract the effects of the lost hour. Another alternative includes taking a nap in the afternoon. Family caregivers in Ft. Lauderdale should ensure seniors in their care make up for lost sleep as aged people are more susceptible to their younger counterparts.
Should your loved one experience stroke and need help at home, reach out to Home Care Assistance of Ft. Lauderdale. We are a dedicated provider of post-stroke home care Ft. Lauderdale seniors need to confidently recover in their own homes. Our compassionate caregivers ensure our client's needs are met by offering personal care assistance and mobility training as well as emotional support. This allows seniors to recover swiftly and safely in a familiar environment. Call an experienced Care Manager at (954) 909-0370 today to schedule a complimentary consultation.


Swelling Dwelling is a playful and thrilling story that utilizes everyday light sources to transform the paper into a shadow puppet show in your own home. To ignite this visual alchemy, the reader simply holds a light to the backside of each page, revealing hidden images that complete the scene and guide the reader through the captivating story.
I have mimicked this effect digitally but holding a print copy in your hands is crucial to fully experience the book. Please contact eroyn.franklin@gmail.com to receive a print version.


I am living temporarily in Boston but I'm from the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean and there are very few women there who choose to wear their natural hair. Natural hair is usually associated with the artsy type, older women, or rastafarians and it is generally considered either unattractive or unmanageable.
I transitioned for 6 months with micro braids and I've been natural for about 2 1/2 years now.
It took a friend and me from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to remove the extensions and cut my hair into a 1 1/2 inch round afro. It was all by chance, but once I cut it, I was happy that I no longer had to admire natural hair from a distance; now, I could experience what it was like first-hand. I've been in love ever since!
Because I could not keep my hands off my new growth under the braids, I kept losing quite a few of them. I even permanently removed a few extensions at the nape of my neck to support my habit! When I finally took all of the braids out, I was so elated. But, naturally, I was nervous about what my friends, family and new boyfriend would think. But, besides those initial fears, I grew more confident as I convinced myself everyday that it is nobody else's business how I choose to wear my hair. Even to this day, I remind myself that no other group of people can achieve with their hair what I can with mine – that, in itself, should be a source of pride.
My close girlfriends were very supportive but a few friends who are black and of other races either told me they preferred the extensions and my straightened hair or they just didn't acknowledge my natural hair at all.
My family was pretty supportive, but I think it took a while for my parents to warm up to the idea – particularly my father (he's still adjusting). And I get mixed reviews from acquaintances and strangers. My boyfriend, on the other hand, is my hair's number one fan. He's always encouraging me to wear protective styles to maintain the health of my hair and I can never get his hands out of my freshly washed hair.
I've also received lots of helpful tips and inspiration from motowngirl.com, my Fotki friends, and books like Hairstory, The Bluest Eye and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
As a black woman, I am more confident in my own skin… and hair! I actually love the stares I get from people now because of my hair, because I feel like I am educating the public on what black women really look like – regardless of their health or wealth. Also, since I've gone natural, I feel a stronger allegiance and responsibility to the African diaspora because I realize that the reason I relaxed my hair was because I was too busy making excuses for why my naps were unacceptable. When I really should have been exploring the reasons I was buying into that notion in the first place. Now, that I am natural, I feel like nobody can ever tell me who I am or who I am supposed to be and I hope to encourage others to think similarly.
The surprises. My hair never looks the same from one day to the next. It can be frustrating when I'm trying to duplicate last week's amazing twist out, but I've learned to give my hair the freedom it needs to express itself.
Just do it! And expect to get frustrated with your texture, but before you decide to revert to chemicals, remember that you probably never gave your hair enough time to prove itself to you.
After being subjected to chemical treatments for so long, your hair may just be suffering from performance anxiety.
Check out Caymanian's Journal here!


The section of the Scottish Government's digital strategy, 'Realising Scotland's Full Potential in a Digital World', on digital public services has two notable quotes.
"A world-class digital Scotland requires a world-class digital government," says Derek Mackay, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work.
"We will achieve our vision that, by 2020, all councils in Scotland will be digital businesses," says Lorraine McMillan, chief executive of East Renfrewshire Council and chair of the Local Government Transformation Board.
However, research earlier this year from Civica identified an alarming reality gap between these high-level aims and the public sector charged with making them happen.
"In our survey, 57% of local government employees in Scotland do not believe the nation will achieve its digital vision by 2020," it said.
"Only 43% of local government workers believe the country will achieve its vision of being recognised as a truly digital nation by 2020."
Moreover, another stat that "only 19% of local government employees in Scotland believe their organisation has a clear vision for its transformation journey" is especially concerning.
Meanwhile, the 'Public Sector ICT Expenditure in Scotland' report from ScotlandIS predicted that annual government spending on digital in Scotland will increase to £877m.
Most notably among these is Estonia, now globally renowned as the world's leading digital nation.
The country is one fifth the size of Scotland, and e-Estonia has been achieved largely through necessity being the mother of invention.
After gaining independence from the Soviet Union, the country needed to quickly establish an entirely new national infrastructure and, with limited means to do so, built it from scratch via efficient, low-cost systems.
This foundation for excellence has blossomed into an end-to-end integrated digital nation.
Whereas the UK boasts a few exemplar online applications, everything about Estonia is digital: submitting your tax returns, court proceedings, your medical records, setting up a business – even voting in elections.
The backbone is the X-Road system, which has been in use since 2001.
It doesn't try to centralise all government data, instead it acts as a gateway to unify the many local information stores each agency holds – a crossroads between applications.
Through a national identity card embedded with a microchip, each citizen is issued a unique digital identifier that then retrieves their local data when required for each transaction.
This is the central foundation to a 'government as a platform' approach – something that many countries, including the UK, are trying to achieve.
Enforced through law, every citizen controls access to their own data.
They can choose to share some aspects of their medical records, but lock down others, and every access request to their information by public-sector officials is logged and making inappropriate requests is a criminal offence.
Estonia passed the Digital Signatures Act as far back as 2000, and standardised the national public key infrastructure, making the X-Road system possible.
In short, it legally forces government agencies to be efficient, legislating that they are not allowed to continually reinvent the wheel by recreating data capture forms for citizens to repeatedly input their personal information that has already been captured elsewhere.
The Civica research also highlighted that "40% of Scottish citizens still don't trust their council or government to handle their data", which is no surprise, when every online service, every GP visit and every other interaction point requires yet another paper form to be filled in – with the same personal data we have supplied innumerable times before.
Its global reputation as tech leader does far more for Estonia than just promote its national brand.
Many other countries such as Finland and Canada have begun to emulate their approach and are also adopting the X-Road system, creating international export opportunities for Estonian experts and technology vendors.
This category of the tech sector is defined as 'GovTech', one that venture capital firm and tech incubator Public.io forecasts will grow to a £20bn market in the UK by 2025.
Globally, it's expected to grow to over $400bn, and pursuing that opportunity offers a double whammy of fiscal benefit for the country.
Successfully growing this sector locally would directly improve their own efficiencies and further compound the economic benefits through their own cost savings.
In Estonia, digitising processes has reportedly saved the state two per cent of its GDP a year in salaries and expenses.
For Scotland, this would equate to savings of nearly £4bn per annum.
However, even that giant sum still pales into significance when we consider the big picture of the benefits that come with being a fully digital nation in terms of skills, productivity, and business growth.
Microsoft Scotland estimated in its 'Blueprint for a Digital Nation' that a full embrace of the required spectrum of ICT sector policies would add a cumulative £100bn to Scotland's GDP between 2014 and 2030.
Nothing of what is proposed in order to achieve this is unrealistic. And, as Estonia demonstrates, it has been done already by others.
So, imagine a government as entirely efficient as theirs, imagine all aspects of Scottish society like public transport being seamlessly interlinked via an X-Road type system, imagine the rising tide of improved skills across our populace, and imagine the new generation of entrepreneurs this would enable.
Imagine even just ten more startup acquisitions like Skyscanner, each one generating over £1bn new wealth for the country through their acquisition.
Neil McEvoy is the founder of Digital Scotland, a community dedicated to helping Scotland become a world-leading digital nation. He tweets as @DigitalscotNews.


text:
9 Obstacles That Moms In Freddie Gray's Neighborhood Face
Image: WordsmithChristine.com
Christine StoddardHolly Fox
cstoddard
I recently spent some time in Freddie Gray's West Baltimore neighborhood asking local women for their thoughts on police reform.
I was curious because, as the Freddie Gray trials drag on, I can't help but feel that city and state officials are failing to ask everyday people what needs to change. And I mean ask them directly, in ways that acknowledge that they have real lives with real responsibilities and may or may not have reliable transportation or Internet at home.
Last May, Maryland set up a police reform task force to make legislative recommendations to the General Assembly. Yet most of the public hearings took place during business hours in Annapolis, which is a 45-minute drive from Baltimore. As a result, the hearings were poorly attended, particularly by the people who had the most at stake — residents of low-income, historically Black, urban neighborhoods.
As a woman, I was especially interested in hearing what women in and near Sandtown-Winchester had to say. So I stopped them on the street and approached them at bus stops — and when they were willing to talk to me, I listened.
Many of the women I encountered were young, single mothers. Some of them expressed concerns about raising their children in the neighborhood. They didn't want their children to grow up and get harassed by the police. They didn't want them to get hurt by gangs or get involved in the drug trade. These women aren't being paranoid. They have good reason to worry.
Sandtown-Winchester is the "other" America — 72 square blocks of the kind of community you would never see on a postcard. The neighborhood, once known as Baltimore's Harlem due to its bustling culture and commerce, has watched its population decline for decades. In 1990, 11,000 people lived here.
Currently, Sandtown, as the locals call it, is home to 8,500. And it shows. With one out of every three buildings vacant or abandoned, boarded-up doors and windows are a common sight. There's very little greenery, and there are no grocery stores.
The LA Times called the neighborhood "'The Wire' in real life." Normally I bristle at comparisons between the HBO show and the real Baltimore, but Sandtown is a reminder that the distance between fact and fiction is not always so great. In this neighborhood, crime and desperation are the reality. That's not a judgment of the people who live there: It's an indication that America has to do better — for all of its people.
Sandtown mothers are brave — especially since more than a third of them head single-parent households.
Here are the top nine challenges that many of the neighborhood's mothers face every day:
The average life expectancy of Sandtown residents is 65. Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer all are relatively common.
Then there's the issue of barriers to care. Perhaps the best examination of those barriers you'll find is the series "In Poor Health" by Kaiser Health News and Capitol News Service. Check out this chart showing how Freddie Gray's neighbors are hospitalized with life-threatening conditions at rates far above the city and state averages.
2. Housing
Affordable housing is a problem, as are negligent landlords and lead poisoning due to old lead paint remaining in old houses.
More than 3% of local children under age 6 have potentially dangerous levels of lead in their blood (just as Freddie Gray did). FiveThirtyEight.com calls the city's epidemic "a toxic legacy."
3. Under-education
Just over a quarter of the neighborhood's adults above age 25 have a high school diploma. If you include GEDs, the number jumps up to 66%. However, only 6% of Sandtown residents have a college degree.
Limited education means limited job opportunities, as well as limited power and awareness when it comes to advocating for their families and their community.
4. Unemployment
Less than half of the neighborhood's residents aged 16 to 64 have jobs. That's double the unemployment rate for the rest of Baltimore.
It's no surprise, then, that poverty prevails. The median household income in Sandtown is about $24,000 for a family of four.
That makes the annual cost of childcare ($8,000+) seem pretty unrealistic.
5. Public Transportation (Or Lack Thereof)
While getting around Sandtown may not be difficult, getting out of it is much trickier.
In an op-ed for The Baltimore Sun, Odette Ramos wrote that "efficient public transportation" is even more crucial than neighborhood job training programs. "Job training programs in Sandtown," she continued, "do little to help residents if there's no way for them to reach workplaces in the suburbs."
6. Drugs
Baltimore is the nation's heroin capital. And West Baltimore neighborhoods like Sandtown, which is home to the Tuerk House treatment program, are particularly afflicted.
"I think the social degradation of the community directly impacts addiction," writes Stanton Peele in Pro Talk, a Rehabs.com community. "I also think there is no answer to addiction that doesn't address such problems. And if they aren't addressed, there's no reason to expect drug addition to decline in Baltimore any time soon, no matter how many people are enrolled in rehab." I couldn't have said it better myself.
7. Violence
The real estate website Point2Homes.com puts Sandtown's rate of personal crime risk, murder risk, rape risk, assault risk, and robbery risk all well above the national average. After Baltimore's Uprising last year, murder levels in West Baltimore reached the highest they had been in 40 years.
8. Police
Policemen who perform the duties of their job as intended are heroes. The ones who don't — whether in Baltimore or elsewhere — harm the places they're supposed to protect. The women I spoke to while reporting said that many local police are rude at best and brutal at worst.
I can objectively say I had never seen so many police cars and officers in a single neighborhood before. Rather than being protected, the people of this neighborhood are being policed.
9. Incarceration
In a place where drug-related offenses are commonly prosecuted, Sandtown has the state's highest incarceration rate. (Freddie Gray himself was arrested for drug-related offenses more than a dozen times.)
According to the Justice Policy Institute, instead of throwing tax dollars at prisons, those funds could be invested "in an array of programs and resources already available to help address community challenges." Check out the cost per person for adult drug treatment, employment training, and more here.
freddie gray trials
The Aftermath of Freddie Gray's Homicide: A Pot Simmers In Baltimore
10 Ways To Parent Teenagers Without Violence
Freddie Gray's Murderers Will be Charged, But Is That Enough To Call "Justice?"
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In extremely cold, snowy and windy conditions, your safest option is to stay indoors. But if you have to head outside, experts at Rush University Medical Center have advice for avoiding the most common cold-related injuries: frostbite, hypothermia and falls.
Ed Ward, vice chairperson of emergency medicine at Rush, suggests that people should put off any unnecessary trips outside until the weather moderates.
"Let it wait," Ward said. "Limit the time you spend outside." Ward also recommends that people wear multiple layers of loose, warm clothing and to pay special attention to keeping head, hands, ears and feet warm.
Subzero temperatures can make exposed skin vulnerable to frostbite. Frostbite is damage caused by freezing of the skin and underlying tissues and "can occur within minutes, usually before people realize it," according to Paul Casey, MD, an emergency room physician and associate chief medical officer at Rush. "If you feel numbness or stinging, get out of the cold immediately," he adds.
If you suspect frostbite, rewarm the affected area gently and gradually by immersing it in warm — never hot — water; and do not rub the affected area. If after several minutes the area remains numb or has a grayish-yellow color, call your primary physician, or visit an urgent care clinic or emergency room. In more severe cases, blisters or sores might develop.
"Our bodies protect us from extreme cold by sending blood to our core to keep our organs warm. But when cold exposure persists, our whole body cools to dangerous levels. When your core body temperature drops below 95 degrees, you have hypothermia," Casey explains.
Symptoms include persistent shivering, stiff muscles and impaired physical coordination, and symptoms also can involve confusion or irritability. The very young and old, and those with cardiac conditions, need to be especially careful of not becoming hypothermic.
People who might be hypothermic need to get out of the cold quickly, remove any wet clothes and steadily get warm. Those experiencing symptoms of hypothermia never should be re-warmed using hot water bottles, electric blankets, or other thermal heat sources. If shivering persists after several minutes or a person seems confused, seek medical attention immediately.
Hypothermia is a contributing factor in more than 25,000 deaths in the U.S. annually.
Fernandez says paying close attention to where you're walking and wearing the right footwear — boots or shoes with good traction — is a key factor in avoiding falls.


text:
Show and Tell Sells
Many dealership finance and insurance managers lack creativity when selling extended warranties.
Steve Finlay | Nov 18, 2008
LAS VEGAS – A dealership finance and insurance manager keeps a broken drive shaft leaning against the wall of her office, says Jim Devitt, national sales manager at NAC, an extended-warranty firm.
When visitors ask why it's there, she tells them it's a failed part off her 4X4 vehicle. She adds that, had she not had an extended warranty, replacing the drive shaft would have cost her nearly $1,000.
She sells a lot of extended warranties with that approach.
"Many dealership business managers lack creativity, especially in the use of visuals to illustrate a point," Devitt, a former service-contract sales trainer, says at the F&I Management and Technology conference here.
He tells of another dealership business manager who keeps a bucket of parts, costing various amounts, on display in his office.
"He uses them to show – not just tell – why extended warranties are important," Devitt says. "It helps demonstrate why most dealerships have two service technicians to every one car salesperson."
He adds: "It cements your point when you tell a customer, 'I agree with you that cars are better today and less likely to break down, but last month we had $107,000 in warranty repairs."
Yet, selling extended warranties is becoming increasingly hard in today's economic environment.
For one thing, a sharp drop in vehicle sales has reduced the number of prospects who might buy car-protection packages offered at dealerships.
For another thing, because of the current credit crisis, many lending institutions no longer extend auto-loan terms to include F&I and aftermarket products.
It makes selling extended warranties, typically the most popular F&I product, hard – but not impossible, service providers quickly note.
"There has been a lot of baggage about ESCs (extended-service contracts), but they should be presented as a value proposition to customers," says Dennis Doyle, vice president-marketing and product development for GMAC LLC's dealer products and services.
Dealers should make sure their service managers and service advisors are selling that value, he says. "It's not just about selling products, it's about fostering long-term customer loyalty."
F&I managers should be "teachers," who educate customers, says Sharron Anania, CNA National Warranty Corp.'s vice president-sales.
Anania, a former F&I manager at a Chrysler dealership, recommends F&I personnel show customers the dealership service department.
On such facility tours, F&I staffers should point out the sophisticated equipment and emphasize that "it's no longer so much repairing parts as replacing them, and parts are expensive on today's complicated cars," she says.
She adds: "You need to come across as a counselor and not as someone trying to sell a product."
It's often easier to sell the vehicle than an extended warranty for it, says Kevin Hausch, a regional vice president at a Protective Life Corp. subsidiary.
"When was the last time someone said, 'I want a service contract and a car to go with it?'" he says.
But service-contract sales can be increased from 36% at a typical dealership to 70% with a process that includes training, says Tom Murray, executive vice president of Resource Automotive.
"Training is important for everyone, even veterans," he says. "Why do you think baseball spring training also is for athletes who've been playing professionally for 10 years?"
Murray tells of new dealership F&I staffers who outsell veterans because the former underwent sales training and the latter didn't.
"You only have a few minutes in the F&I office before a customer's attention goes off in different directions," he says. "Do you want to wing it or follow a process?"
Some F&I managers bungle presentations by not asking enough qualifying questions, such as about how many miles a year will a purchased car be driven, Devitt says.
"They go into the sales pitch before they know the person in front of them," he says. "Let customers know you are on their side and that you know them."
Anania agrees. "During a presentation, every time you say, 'You told me earlier…' increases the chance of a sale," she says. "But you can't say that if you didn't ask."
With dealerships on the rocks today and looking for all available profit opportunities, effectively selling extended warranties can take on even greater meaning.
"Be an active participant in your own rescue," Murray says.
TAGS: Dealers F & I Retail


The threat lies south of the border where a crazed, but effective demagogue has turned lies into truth and the media into the enemy. We can't let that happen here.
CHELSEA, QUE.—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is afraid the 2019 election campaign (which has already begun) is going to be "the most divisive and negative and nasty" in Canadian history. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer shares the same fear: "It's going to get worse, it's going to get nasty," he warned Conservatives at a pre-campaign, campaign launch recently.


PR people have got to be pretty efficient at meeting deadlines. So what are we doing launching a slow watch?
The idea, created by Chris Noerskau and Corvin Lask, is to bring time keeping back to basics. Forget the seconds, forget the minutes. Just watch the hour hand as it moves across a 24-hour dial, and you'll begin to enjoy a slower pace of life, where the day has a natural flow.
We've all been wearing one and so far, we're loving it. Who starts meetings at 9.08, or 3.17?
Check out our favourite from the new slow watch collection. All priced £190-£230, Swiss-made, with quartz movement, 100m water resistant, stainless steel.
What head turners they are – and already in the Evening Standard trend watch spot!