Read more here. At 2 months out, you should be working on mailing out your wedding invitations (6-8 weeks before the wedding). Here are a few tips we give our clients before dropping those beauties in the mail box!
Time to Meet with your Planner!
Who do you need to buy gifts for?


It truly is the local community support that makes the largest impact. Without this, Kawartha Lakes Food Source (KLFS) would not be able to support those who do not have enough.
Kawartha Lakes Food Source relies on donations from: individuals; businesses and their owners and staff; service clubs and their membership; and churches and their congregations.
We would like to recognize both a local business and our local donors.
Burns Bulk Food has been a staple downtown business that supports our local economy through employment, supports community events through sponsorship, and has been a family owned and operated business since 1985.
To show our appreciation to our donors and to thank them for sharing the gift of a donation, Kawartha Lakes Food Source is proud to announce that Burns Bulk Food is our very first Food Supporter. "We always want to give back to our community and this is a unique way to thank those who support others." Dan Burns, Owner.
Kawartha Lakes Food Source would like to thank Dan Burns, family and staff for your support in recognizing those who help those who do not have enough. When you shop and show your card on Wednesdays, you will receive 10% off your purchase.
If you are a donor of KLFS and do not have a card, please contact the office and we would be happy to provide, or replace, your card.
Donations can be made online at www.kawarthalakesfoodsource.com, by cash, credit or debit by coming into the distribution centre located at 41 George Street West Monday and Friday between 8:30 am – 4:30 pm or mail a cheque to Box 123, Lindsay K9V 4R8. We can arrange for monthly donations and accept major gifts.


I am taking a snapshot of this subsite alone http://bit.ly/2mNOlYQ (but the zip does not seem to contain the active plugins on that subsite)? I need a complete snapshot so someone can have ALL content and database info specific to this subsite only so they can restore onto another host of their own.
If you have Snapshot Network Activate, when making a backup (choose which blog to activate) there is an option to select Plugins and themes after you check Include selected files. If you choose to include common files these will be added to the backup automatically.
I am familiar with the easy migration link and have done it many times, but my point is that that the dropdown menu is not there.
That is my point. The dropdown menu for selecting themes and plugins etc is not available. This is at the network level.
Why would that be and what do I need to do to be able to get those to show as options?
WPMUDEV Support is enabled so you can go see for yourself what I mean.
Looks like I was right before. I have Snapshot Network Activated but there is not options for dropping down to get to selecting plugins, themes, etc???
Is it a bug or some setting I need to choose to make those options appear?
Hello Greg , hope you're doing well!
This is how Snapshot works by default. The "Include selected files:" option showing up when backing up the main site of a Multisite installation. Since you've selected to backup a subsite this option is not available.
Within the /wp-content/uploads/ folder the Snapshot backups by default plugins and theme files.
So, active theme and active plugins will backup on subsites when it is network activated?
I will try again but I did not see theme and plugins in the zip I did before.
Do I need to network deactivated snapshot and just activate per subsite to get them?
Is there a setting to only grab the active theme and active/enabled plugins too and not all?
If you actually mean including the plugins themselves in the snapshot, that's not possible on a per sub-site basis and you can't enable Snapshot only for single sub-sites.
When restoring from a snapshot, you can choose which theme to have enabled and if you want all plugins to be disabled from the Restore Theme Options box at the bottom of the screen.
So...how can one move a subsite to a new single wp installation then?
For a sub-site and not the main site of the Multisite, I'm afraid you'd need to download via FTP the sub-site's necessary plugins and themes from the server you're migrating from and then upload them ( again via FTP) to the new site before importing the snapshot.


First of all, how is the digital team structured, and how does it fit into the wider commercial organisation?
JN: The digital team work with all areas of the club as you can imagine but sit within the 'Marketing, Media & Fan Development' department.
That means we collaborate closely with teams that lead our fan engagement initiatives and marketing (both consumer and corporate) communications. We're not operating in silos and I'd say there is a collective 'digital-mindedness' across this group.
The team itself is a mix of product and project managers, content producers, social media experts, video producers and photographers all reporting to a Head of Digital and a Head of Content.
Our UX, design and development execution is currently outsourced but the plan is to expand our team this autumn to fulfil some internal digital product development. Continuous delivery across our core products is a key objective for the team over the next year.
Do you have the freedom to experiment with digital marketing? How does the relationship with the senior management work?
JN: I like to think that our senior management expects us to explore new initiatives and innovation. We have a reputation for impactful digital output so we are always exploring new ways to distribute our content.
We need to justify our projects commercially and football clubs have the same concerns as any business when thinking about digital experimentation.
What are the biggest challenges of managing social media for a football club? I imagine you have to deal with a small group of morons from opposing supporters?
CN: Ha ha! Football, like any sport, invokes serious passion from its devotees – it's what makes the game what it is. Social media provides a platform that allows this passion to be amplified, both in a positive and negative way.
For me the biggest challenge is ensuring that City's social media platforms remain at the forefront in the field and that we are constantly providing our fans with the best possible behind-the-scenes content from their club, as well as having an authentic tone of voice.
How important is digital marketing for Manchester City? Is this 'digital transformation' something that has occurred since the takeover a few years ago? If so, can you explain how the club has adopted digital and the importance placed upon it?
JN: I think the club considers digital to be more than simply another marketing and communication tool and has done for a few years now. Our supporters want to be informed, helped, entertained and involved – and digital is often the most effective way to do this, in terms of both cost and impact.
Given the central role technology now plays in our lives, and in particular mobile devices, the motivation is always to make a big impression in the digital space with any initiative the club runs.
#citystories is a good example – we wanted to create an easy-to-digest history of the club and decided to deliver this through an online space which gives the fans a platform to populate their memories and stories of supporting City.
Essentially it's a crowdsourced history of the club.
Are you looking to expand abroad, particularly in the far east on platforms like Ren Ren and Sina Weibo? What challenges do these platforms present?
CN: We've recently expanded our digital offering to include 10 new language websites so we've also launched corresponding language Twitter accounts to give our fans who don't speak English an opportunity to engage with the club.
As we expand further, we will be launching more local social media channels to complement our offering. We already have Sina Weibo and Tencent channels which are proving extremely popular.
How can the club continue to engage its core fan base while also expanding the brand internationally?
JN: It's a challenge for sure but one where we feel we are getting the right balance. When we launched the new language websites it would have been quite easy for the ardent, Manchester-based supporter to react with a 'so what?'.
But actually the response was very positive from all fans. It's no secret that City wants to be a top European club for years to come and this means we are of course looking to increase our fan base – both locally and globally.
Digital is obviously the ideal vehicle to drive this enterprise as it enables the club to communicate its vision and brand across the world quicker than any other medium.
Above all, the focus is on providing our supporters with the most engaging and informative content delivered through the most appropriate channel. Without giving too much away, the team here are currently working on a suite of new mobile, social and digital products and services which will enhance the fan's experience, no matter whether they follow the team from Ardwick or Australia!
Do you provide social media guidelines to players and staff?
CN: We have guidelines but mostly we're on hand to just offer support for players and staff and we can assist with removing fake accounts and getting verification.
Thankfully, our players understand the potential pitfalls and perils of social media and use it in a responsible way.
What are the most effective social channels for engagement / advocacy? How do they differ?
CN: All social media channels are effective in their own particular way, dependant on what you are trying to achieve. Clearly Facebook is huge, in terms of engagement and numbers, but there's a lot of white noise on there so it's possibly not the best place for advocacy.
Twitter is driven by conversation – it's at its heart – so garnering fan opinion on a particular campaign or issue is easier to achieve on there. I find that Google+ has a more learned and techy audience so it's a good space to try out new innovations and concepts before launching them into the mainstream.
JN: @mcfcgeeks is an interesting one as we're not sure any other football club has this approach – it's a channel that allows us to have a two-way conversation with our more tech-savvy supporters via a blog and Twitter.
We keep them informed about our digital developments, sometimes with a techy slant, and they tell us what they think can be improved or isn't working.
We recently ran a closed beta with a group of 'MCFC geeks' and this proved really successfully in getting early user testing feedback.
How do football fans use mobile? Is it for information or do they buy merchandise and tickets through mobile as well? If so, what proportion of ticket sales take place on mobile?
JN: We have a wide cross-section of people that are passionate about City but within our supporters there are certainly different 'digital personas'.
Mobile usage is an feature that runs through all these groups – generally all of our fans want to be the first to hear the latest club/team news and new technology, especially across mobile, has made it easier than ever for us to provide an ever-evolving content schedule.
Our new matchday centre is a great example – built in HTML5, it's responsive and works cross platform (desktop, mobile and tablet) giving the fans engaging live match content faster and slicker than elsewhere.
Improved integration between our shop, ticketing, mobile channels and overall digital ecosystem is something we are continually striving to improve. It's a continual process of test, learn and enhance.
In my experience, football clubs have such dreadful ticket buying sites (my club, Newcastle Utd, is perhaps the worst). How do you approach this?
JN: We put time into ensuring that the user journey and information around ticketing sales is optimised on our site.
We have recently developed a new fixtures section of the website which provides a much more intuitive handover to the ticket transaction pages and we are constantly looking at ways to improve the overall experience.
Despite Snapchat's reputation as a seedy sexting platform, it recently secured $60 million in funding which values the company at around $800 million.
Though the smartphone app hasn't published its user numbers, more than 200 million pictures and videos are shared over the platform on a daily basis.
For the uninitiated, Snapchat allows users to send images and videos to their friends, but once viewed the messages are then deleted forever after 10 seconds or fewer.
It's the ultimate in short-term, throwaway messaging, so it's no real surprise that it's been used for illicit purposes, but it is a bit weird that brands have been looking to get involved.


People suffering ailments from joint pain to arthritis may have tried numerous products or prescriptions to help alleviate discomfort.
But many are turning to cannabidiol or CBD, a phytocannabinoid found in the hemp/cannabis plant.
Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, CBD doesn't have an intoxicating behavior on the body. Thus those who use CBD, whether in the form of oil, lotion, food or "vitamins," don't experience the "high" associated with cannabis.
According to a consumer survey published by consulting firm A.T. Kearney, consumers understand that there is more to cannabis than its psychoactive elements . Kearney's survey found that 55 percent of consumers would try "therapeutic cannabis" in foods, while 50 percent said as much about vitamins. Forty-three percent said they would try such cannabis in skincare products.
CBD contains antioxidants and neuroprotectants, which help regulate the body's endocannabinoid system, according to the owners of the Agona Center of Wellness & Natures Farmacy in White Oak.
CBD targets receptors of the brain and body that treat and prevent physical and mental health issues by maintaining homeostasis (the maintenance of internal stability), the Agona Center website states.
Dr. Daniel Agona and store owner and wife Amy Agona find that their patients and customers already are familiar with CBD products and often seek the tinctures, balms, lotions, gummies, chocolates and soaps available.
The Agona Center's top three sellers are the tinctures, balm and lotion, the couple said.
"We found that CBD/HEMP helps with pain, inflammation, sleep problems, anxiety, tissue and joint healing, and arthritis," Dr. Agona said.
"People are looking for something more natural for pain control. It is not habit forming and will not give them a high. But it can take care of pain issues. It's wonderful," Amy Agona said.
The products the Agona Center sells have lab reports attesting to their high quality, Dr. Agona said.
"I do stress they need professional guidance, which we provide," he said.
Customers do not need a medical marijuana card to purchase products made with CBD/Hemp Products, Dr. Agona stated.
Among those who might benefit are people who have tried prescription medications with little or no relief and those interested in non-traditional methods of treatment, the couple said.
People seeking pain relief and who do not want to take opioids, or who want to discontinue prescribed opioids, may want to consider trying CBD products, Dr. Agona said.
The market is growing, Dr. Agona said, with customers and patients now asking about the products they began selling less than a year ago.
"I've never seen anything like this before. … This is in high demand. We get traffic constantly for these products," he said. "I had been reading about it for some time and did research. We use it ourselves. It's quick acting. With CBD and hemp, you get results right away.".
The tincture has helped others who suffer from anxiety issues and panic attacks, she said.
With tincture, people can start at a lower dosage, see how they tolerate it, and adjust as needed.
The oil has even been shown to be useful for dogs, they said, who may experience pain or arthritis.
"We have a patient that takes it for himself and gives it to his Doberman. The dog was having problems walking and getting up. He gave his dog some of the tincture and he is walking around now. The patient says 'I swear by it,'" Amy Agona said.
Product use depends on the health issue an individual is treating, the couple said. That's why they suggest coming in and speaking with them for guidance.
"This product, this company, it's effective, it's helping people, which is what it's all about," Amy Agona said.
CBD oil has been the star of 2018, at least when it comes to health (and beauty, for that matter)….
What is CBD really good for?


The Wonderkamers, situated at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (Municipal Museum in The Hague) is a game-changing exhibition that expertly utilises the interactive nature of Pharos' control solutions. Local experts in lighting design and show control Rapenburg Plaza worked with Pharos to design the lighting and AV/show control system for this award-winning installation.
Five Pharos LPC 1 controllers expertly manage the multiple elements of the display including interaction with a Medialon server and separate game server. Various RGB fixtures, LEDtiles, Par spotlights, strobe lights, Philips Hue and different custom made items are programmed in a dynamic way to synchronize with multiple movies and also with a movement or a specific choice of game player.
The thirteen rooms and miniature museum each have their own specific lighting design and are programmed to bring the visual arts to life through a computer game that places the individual visitor at centre stage. All players are given their own tablet that works as a show controller for the room they are playing in.
The Pharos controllers' ability to facilitate game management as well as interact with UDP messages from QR code readers present an ideal solution to the complexities demanded by the exhibition's requirements. Combined with Rapenburg's established expertise in AV and show control, this has resulted in a unique visitor attraction that offers a fresh and entertaining introduction to fine art.


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Jennifer Frost's "Producer of Controversy"
Jennifer Frost is an Associate Professor in history at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her books include Hedda Hopper's Hollywood: Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism.
Frost applied the "Page 99 Test" to her latest book, Producer of Controversy: Stanley Kramer, Hollywood Liberalism, and the Cold War, and reported the following:
My book examines the career, politics, and films of independent Hollywood filmmaker Stanley Kramer in the context of the Cold War. As a producer-director, Kramer became best known for making social problem films—films that took as their subject a problem or conflict in society—and for his liberal politics. He made films about contemporary topics such as American race relations, as with The Defiant Ones (1958) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). His films' liberal themes of racial and ethnic tolerance, freedom of thought and expression meant they were categorized as "message movies." Throughout his career, the political messages of his films provoked much controversy but also made them relevant to the most significant issues and debates of his day.
This fact is nowhere more true than with the Kramer movie discussed on page 99: On the Beach (1959). This film addressed the catastrophic global consequences of nuclear war. An adaptation of Nevil Shute's novel, the movie stars Ava Gardner and Gregory Peck. It tells the story of a group of Australians, an American nuclear submarine commander, and his crew awaiting certain death from radioactive fallout following the outbreak of nuclear war in the northern hemisphere. "This is by far the most important story that I have ever found," Kramer declared, after purchasing the rights to Shute's novel. "It is an enormous challenge," he added, because "it was a story that must reach everybody, so that its message could penetrate every corner of the earth."
Page 99 picks up the story of how Kramer and his team took On the Beach from page to screen and began to work with United Artists to promote the film. Their promotional campaign confronted a paradoxical challenge: how to transform a grim and depressing story into popular entertainment that would attract a global audience? They set about
…designing a promotion campaign with an "emphasis on the world-shaking theme over all other box office factors," where "the bigness and eminence of the story" took precedence over "a stellar cast." United Artists ballyhooed their campaign as unprecedented in Hollywood history given its worldwide reach. They also could not resist a bomb-related metaphor. "United Artists officially opens the missile age in motion picture publicity…dispersing a message of unmistakably inter-continental significance." Every element of the campaign, every "paratext," was international in orientation: the newspaper display ads, posters, trailers, special screenings, and, especially, the premiere.
Held on December 17, 1959, the global premiere of On the Beach "addressed all mankind." "Never Before in the History of the Industry Has the World Been Linked Together by One Motion Picture" blared the publicity. Host cities included Berlin, Caracas, Chicago, Johannesburg, Lima, London, Melbourne, Moscow, New York, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Zurich, and even the U.S. naval station in Antarctica premiered the film to ensure coverage of all seven continents. Prominent political figures and dignitaries attended premieres, including mayors in Berlin and Johannesburg and members of royal families in Stockholm and Tokyo.
On the Beach's international premiere prompted a discussion by President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Cabinet, where officials raised concerns about the film's "strong emotional appeal for banning nuclear weapons." The message Stanley Kramer sent still remains relevant.
Learn more about Producer of Controversy at the publisher's website.
My Book, The Movie: Producer of Controversy.
Posted by Marshal Zeringue at 8:05 AM
John C. Hulsman's "To Dare More Boldly"
Rick Shine's "Cane Toad Wars"
Adam Winkler's "We the Corporations"
Susan Goldman Rubin's "Coco Chanel"
Daniel Livesay's "Children of Uncertain Fortune"
Harvey G. Cohen's "Who's In The Money?"
William I. Hitchcock's "The Age of Eisenhower"
Anna Zeide's "Canned"
Amy Wallen's "When We Were Ghouls"
Alexandra Cox's "Trapped in a Vice"
Amanda L. Izzo's "Liberal Christianity and Women's...
Patricia Fara's "A Lab of One's Own"
D. Bruce Hindmarsh's "The Spirit of Early Evangeli...
Alison McQueen's "Political Realism in Apocalyptic...
Matthew Restall's "When Montezuma Met Cortés"
Wilson, Cribb, Trefalt, and Aszkielowicz's "Japane...
John Willinsky's "The Intellectual Properties of L...
James Garbarino's "Miller's Children"
Jerry Gershenhorn's "Louis Austin and the Carolina...
Andrew J. Huebner's "Love and Death in the Great W...
Shoba Narayan's "The Milk Lady of Bangalore"
Andrew Urban's "Brokering Servitude"
Amy Bass's "One Goal"
Cynthia Miller-Idriss's "The Extreme Gone Mainstre...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
How To Experience Singapore Like A Local
I've lived in Singapore for 53 years – it's a clean, safe, efficient and fun place with lots of good food and friendly people. In fact, it was named Asia's most liveable city in 2018, thanks to the high quality
of living. Singapore is also easy to get around with convenient public transport options of metro (MRT), buses or taxi and inexpensive fares.
It's also a city of contrasts and a melting pot of cultures. The Urban Adventures Total Singapore morning bike tour offers you maximum coverage of the city, from the oldest neighbourhood to the ultra- modern Marina Bay, in just four hours.
It's a great way to check out the different enclaves of Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures and other key places to revisit later. Every building and structure tells the story of the vast transformation that happened over just a half a century of development and driving through Singapore will give you an appreciation of how clean and green this city is.
RELATED: Singapore's Lesser Known Sights
For the best overview, take a 20-minute taxi from the city to the 105m-high Mt Faber in central Singapore, which offers a scenic view over the resort island of Sentosa – you can also take the cable car there from Harbourfront MRT Station. For that famous skyline, 1-Altitude rooftop bar at 1 Raffles Place in the heart of Singapore's financial district is the world's highest alfresco bar and offers a 360-degree view of the cityscape.
Singapore really is a foodie paradise. There are coffee shops all over Singapore where you can sample the local breakfast of kaya toast (buttered toast topped with a sweet jam of coconut and egg) and coffee with condensed milk. Ya Kun Kaya Toast is a popular local coffee shop chain that is found in most shopping malls, or try traditional cafe Nanyang Old Coffee near Chinatown MRT Station.
RELATED: Stop In Singapore To See More Of Asia
RELATED: Want to know more? Check out the Singapore Travel Guide!
Eating is considered our national pastime and no visit to Singapore would be complete without a trip to a local hawker centre. These street food stalls are popular among Singaporeans as we mostly eat out due to the convenience and affordability – you can get a full meal of rice or noodles with drinks for just SGD$5, plus hawker centres are located almost everywhere and have long opening hours.
On our Chinatown Food Adventure, we zoom into the culture and sample local delicacies on an afternoon walking tour that includes Chinatown Complex Food Centre – Singapore's largest hawker centre with more than 220 food stalls, including the one Michelin-starred Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle.
While the focal area of the tour is Chinatown, it's about more than the Chinese culture – it explains the diversity of the nation, how we live and work and highlights Singapore's interesting architecture. It's a crash course on the Singapore lifestyle and cultures.
Words: Rene Ng
Get yourself to Singapore with these hot flight deals!
Perth to Singapore Airfare
Unique is the word that best captures Singapore, a dynamic city rich in contrast and colour where you'll find a harmonious blend of culture, cuisine, arts and architecture. A bridge between the East and the West for centuries, Singapore, located in the heart of fascinating Southeast Asia, continu...
Return from $674*
Travel Dates: 22 Apr 2022 - 31 May 2022
Adelaide to Singapore Airfare
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singapore Asia
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Quiz: What Famous Hong Kong Dish Are You?
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text:
The Wandering Rose	 August 2, 2017 Destinations
Duke of Edinburgh: Going for Gold in Dartmoor: Part 2
The short walk to Bellever that evening proved tough, fighting back the tears as we found the entrance to the enchanted forest. I was a jumble of emotions as we wandered through the wooded glade, only to discover that our leaders were waiting alongside our assessors. There were boulders through the river, which we were to cross to reach our camp on the other side, but with our backpacks heavy, we took the safer option and walked back to the road, taking a bridge to the other side.
The assessors gazed over us as we wrestled with wet tent sheets and a clattering of pegs. We pulled together to get it down, all aware we were being watched. It was a gorgeous spot to make base, minus the growing swarm of nats (midgets) that came forward later that night. A blinding golden light illuminated the footbridge and striking rays beamed down from between the trees. My mobile had died so I couldn't capture that scene, but instead savoured that moment, a joyous thread in the weave of time.
It was late before I made food that night, the sun had all but vanished and the nats were out in force. I was damned to eat on the move to avoid the hovering nuisances. Sleep wasn't great either, with a shallow dent in the grass below my tent I struggled to get comfortable, the blood rushed to my head and my nose bled. Blocked up I struggled to breathe, I had no charge in my phone and was forced to fumble for my survival bag to stop myself from shivering.
The tranquil setting had been punctured by my discomfort, but I awoke the following morning, determined to do better. It didn't last long as my chest tightened dramatically on our first climb out of camp. I paused, scrambled for chocolate in my pocket, (which quickly crumbled) and took my time to get to the top. I struggled to keep up and tried to remain calm. Luckily this scary spell of pain passed almost as fast as it had occurred and we ploughed on over the hill and down the road to a hidden dirt track.
After initially missing our turning, we doubled-back and found it, before pushing down through bush and bramble, trying not to trip over half-exposed rocks. At the tail end of this long and rather treacherous trail was a cute bend of a dozen plus steeping stones, which I flew over, much ahead the rest. You can turn the child into an adult, but there is always a child within! We only travelled the length of a field before reaching a second smaller set of stepping stones, before continuing over further tors. By-passing working farms and intimidating fields of grazing cows, we really pushed through the rising heat to meet our leaders by Princetown.
When eventually our paths met, we sat and rested, observing the cute scene of a mother and her foal cwtching by a neighbouring gate. We were fairly weather-beaten and due to safety concerns we were pulled aside and fully rehydrated before marching on over the moors and down towards the welcome shade of a thick forest. Wandering down the gravel path, I gazed up to find myself confronted by the most mesmerising scene. It was like one of those dreamy photographs on Pinterest. Contained tight by lines of firs either side, the path meandered onward, towards the great rising spectacle of an ominous standing tor before us. It was really one of those scenes you though you could only find in America or the vast wilderness of Canada, but no, this was the captivating scenery of Dartmoor, England. Undoubtedly another of those, I wished I'd taken a photo, but the scene for too enchanting not to witness solely in that moment instead.
The final slog took guts and real effort, to push upward on a virtually empty stomach ,whilst desperate for the loo. The views were delightful, as we bypassed a lone camper and his dog, lounging by a canal, continental sounds drifting playfully from his van. Following the waterway we drew out of the forest and up a further hill to reach the road once more.
Reaching the base of Leedon Tor we were quizzed by our assessors on first aid scenarios and the Countryside Code. This would be the penultimate passing between us and the finish line the next day. The sun had already fallen as we pitched on the tor that night, windy nearly sweeping our tents away on the unprotected plain. I stayed up long enough to watch the sun turn red and bed itself behind the clouds.
Though I went to bed flat out, with sparse food and the fear of being trampled in my sleep by the roaming herd of cows, I still awoke at 5.30am the following morning with optimism present. That was until our 6.30am start-off became 8am, which begrudgingly annoyed me, up on time and raring to go. Setting off as such slightly dishevelled, we traipsed over tor after tor, ploughing through the bi-polar weather, until we reached an ideal resting place for lunch, beside a cairn.
There was very little left of the trek, but we made time for one last group photo before the finish to document our time. We questioned paths and stared down further cows, improvised to cross barbed-wire fences and lost our leader on the final tor. But in time we etched toward the road once more, this time we homeward bound.
Copyright: Menna Hanford
By this stage you could visualise the finish, but even now it proved hard to push on. Slowly we picked up the pace, back aching, legs shaking, heads spinning we mustered on. I tried for a sprint finish, but my body reckoned it was seriously going to faint or take a stoke if I pushed it anymore and so I steadily made toward the mini-bus in sight. Those final moments are a true compilation of emotions rising to the boil and I crossed that line beaming! The thrill and joy and relief accumulates, you can't help but smile. It doesn't hit you straight away just what you've truly accomplished, as you're rushed off to be reviewed by the assessors. You're on tender hook until they claim that you've passed and you're pleased undoubtedly, but it still hasn't really sunk in.
Copyright: Scott Thomas
Looking back a week on from that finish line I can wholeheartedly say it was one of the greatest things I've ever partaken in or achieved. It was more than just the Gold Award, there were so many small personal accomplishments, I learnt a lot about myself and tested my limits, it's a challenge for a reason and I'm glad I didn't give up!
Dartmoor National Park is an outstanding area of natural beauty, which I would thoroughly recommend you visit for peace and solitude, it's a place to escape the modern world. Do respect the Countryside Code when visiting, we want to keep it just a nice for future generations too. For more information on the Duke of Edinburgh Award, look at the official website or search around your local area for the nearest participating centre.
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adventure, award, backpack, camping, countryside, dartmoor, devon, duke of edinburgh, england, environment, expedition, explore, gold, landscape, moors, mountains, mystical, outdoors, tor, united kingdom, walking
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FMCSA issues HOS waiver to speed baby formula production ramp
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on Monday issued an hours of service waiver for haulers of baby formula and related manufacturing ingredients.
Baby formula was already included in the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration that allowed for hours of service waivers for drivers transporting baby formula as a finished product. Monday's emergency declaration clarifies that HOS requirements are temporarily waived for motor carriers transporting for both baby formula and the other ingredients used for production, such as corn syrup, casein, hydrolyzed protein and whey.
The waiver covers motor carriers hauling formula and its ingredients to either manufacturers, distributors or stores.
Baby formula has been in short supply since the FDA in February closed Abbott Nutrition's plant in Sturgis, Michigan, after four infants contracted bacterial infections from formula made there. President Biden last week invoked the Defense Production Act to increase baby formula production, requiring suppliers to direct ingredients to baby formula manufacturers as a priority.
According to FMCSA, by execution of its emergency declaration, motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance to the emergency in direct support of relief efforts related to the emergency as set out in this declaration are granted relief from 49 CFR § 395.3, maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles. Direct assistance does not include routine commercial deliveries, including mixed loads with a nominal quantity of qualifying emergency relief added to obtain the benefits of this emergency declaration. To be eligible for relief from 49 CFR § 395.3, the transportation must incident to the immediate restoration of baby formula supplies.
Direct assistance terminates when a driver or commercial motor vehicle is used in interstate commerce to transport cargo or provide services that are not in support of emergency relief efforts related to the emergency as set forth in this Emergency Declaration, or when the motor carrier dispatches a driver or commercial motor vehicle to another location to begin operations in commerce. (49 CFR § 390.23(b)). Upon termination of direct assistance to emergency relief efforts related to the emergency as set forth in this Emergency Declaration, the motor carrier and driver are subject to the requirements of 49 CFR § 395.3 while operating commercial motor vehicles, except that a driver may return empty to the motor carrier's terminal or the driver's normal work reporting location without complying with 49 CFR § 395.3, except as noted herein. When a driver is moving from emergency relief efforts to normal operations, a 10-hour break is required when the total time a driver is engaged in emergency relief efforts, or in a combination of emergency relief and normal operations, equals 14 hours.
Cuban citizen pleads guilty in Texas CDL fraud scheme


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Competency Module: Surplus, Disposal and Closeout
Instructor: Mr. Michael B. Gustafson, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB, MBA
NIGP MASTER INSTRUCTOR
Mr. Michael B. Gustafson, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB, MBA
mikegustafson54@gmail.com — Phone: 502-680-2671
Mike retired from the Commonwealth of Kentucky in August 2016. While he was with the State, Mike was in the Office of Procurement Services (OPS) in the Finance and Administration Cabinet (FAC) where he was a Strategic Procurement Specialist II.
Mike began his procurement career with the State in April 2000. During this time, he had the responsibility of creating and administering the Master Agreement Contracts for many of the transportation related items - fleet vehicles, school buses, tires, tractors, mowers, backhoes, all-terrain vehicles, boats, aircraft, fleet fuel, diesel and propane fuels. Mike was also the subject matter expert on all types of insurance, advertising, marketing, and digital media services, office supplies, and public safety and law enforcement items.
He worked with many State Agency representatives in the development of Request for Bids (RFBs) and Request for Proposals (RFPs) which resulted in Contracts and Master Agreement Contracts for their use. These were for the use of many of the State Agencies, local governments (cities and counties), schools, and universities. He also worked closely with those he supported on their Procurement Buying Plans and Spend Analysis.
In addition to Mike's State procurement-related experience, Mike has management supervisory experience. His supervisory responsibility and accountability were for various size U.S. Army active-duty units (as a Platoon Leader for a 35-person platoon (at Ft Campbell, KY) and as a Battery Commander for a 150-person Air Defense Artillery battery (at Spangdahlem Air Force Base, Germany.) He had responsibility for office staff management in logistical and supply-related active and reserve-duty offices. Mike served as a military Instructor as well as a Regional Coordinator for 6 years in the Command and General Staff Officer College (CGSOC) and taught numerous strategic and logistical courses to military personnel. Mike retired from the US Army Reserves with 28 years of service.
Mike served as the supervisor for the procurement office / warehouse in an automotive Tier 1 parts supplier. Mike insured that the procurement and warehousing activities were accomplished in a timely manner to allow for uninterrupted automotive parts production and delivery. He was also responsible for all operational and maintenance related procurements for the production facility.
Mike received his NIGP-Certified Procurement Professional (NIGP-CPP) certification in May 2021, his Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) certification in November 2008, and his Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) certification in April 2002. Prior to his retirement, Mike served as a member of the NIGP Chapter - Kentucky Public Procurement Association (KPPA) Board of Directors and was the Chairperson of the Education, Professional Development, and Certification Committee. Mike was honored to be selected as the recipient of the KPPA Betty Bingham Lifetime Achievement Award in October 2017.
In his much-awaited role as retired, Mike plans to continue facilitating NIGP courses and to travel as much as possible.
Email: mikegustafson54@gmail.com
Currently on the NIGP Faculty for the following courses:
Legal Aspects of Public Procurement
Risk Management in Public Contracting
Sourcing and Solicitation
Specialization Certificate - Construction Procurement
Core Certificate - Foundations of Planning and Analysis
Core Certificate - Foundations of Strategy and Policy
Competency Module - Cost, Price, and Value Analysis
Competency Module - Economics, Budget, Financial Management, and Accounting
Competency Module - Ethics, Integrity, and Transparency
Competency Module - Marketing Analysis and Forecasting
Competency Module - Negotiations
Competency Module - Requirements, Planning, and Understanding
Competency Module - Specification Development
Competency Module - Standardization
CPPB Prep Class
CPPO Prep Class
Previously on the Faculty for NIGP courses prior to the beginning of the Pathways program:
Contract Administration in the Public Sector
Developing and Managing Requests For Proposals in the Public Sector
Introduction to Public Procurement
Sourcing in the Public Sector
Strategic Procurement Planning
The Legal Aspects of Public Purchasing
Surplus, Disposal, and Closeout
The need to effectively and efficiently dispose of surplus or outdated materials is critical to the fiduciary responsibility of any governmental entity. Public procurement professionals must not only create processes and procedures by which they can safely and efficiently dispose of surplus, excess, and scrap materials but also determine those elements that must be met in order to safely dispose in accordance with the law.
Competency Module: Surplus, Disposal and Closeout (Member: Standard) $165.00 02/22/2023
Competency Module: Surplus, Disposal and Closeout (Non-Member: Standard) $265.00 02/22/2023
Competency Module: Surplus, Disposal and Closeout (Member: Standard) $165.00
Competency Module: Surplus, Disposal and Closeout (Non-Member: Standard) $265.00
(prices valid until Feb 22, 2023)
NIGP's Surplus, Disposal and Closeout course creates a dedicated learning experience where students leave with the ability to:
Develop processes and procedures to ensure safe, efficient, and ethically-aligned disposal of surplus, excess, or obsolete commodities.
Identify the checklist of items which need to be considered in closing out a contract file.
Identify the purpose of a lessons learned memo.
In order to successfully complete the NIGP Competency Module: Surplus, Disposal and Closeout, learners must:
Get a Core Certificate: Foundations of Warehousing & Inventory Management by adding the following competency modules:
Asset and Inventory Management
Competency Module: Contract Management and Performance
Contract management and performance are at the heart of public procurement, with legally-enforceable contracts fulfilling the...
Competency Module: Logistics and Transportation
The ability to plan, implement, and control the overarching transportation of procurements in, through, and out of a governme...
Core Certificate: Foundations of Warehousing and Inventory Management
Oftentimes overlooked in favor of the more traditional responsibilities, the warehousing and inventory management apparatus...


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28 people shot, one fatally, during gunfight at Arkansas car show, police say
Two men were to have opened fire at each other while bullets hit several bystanders
By Gina Harkins
Craig Timberg
Updated March 20, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. EDT|Published March 19, 2022 at 11:36 p.m. EDT
A shooting at this site in Arkansas injured dozens of people and killed one Saturday night. (Staci Vandagriff/Associated Press)
Two men opened fire at a car show in a small Arkansas city on Saturday evening in what police called a "gunfight," wounding 28 people, one of them fatally. Among the wounded were at least five children under the age of 12.
The attack stunned Dumas, a city of about 4,000 people in southeastern Arkansas where a local nonprofit group has long sponsored such car shows, and reverberated across the state. Federal and state officials tweeted condolences, requests for prayers and support for law enforcement investigating the shooting.
Arkansas police said that they had one man in custody but that he was being held on unrelated charges after leaving the scene of the shooting. State police spokesman Bill Sadler later said that the man in custody is being questioned in relation to the shooting.
Authorities were still looking for at least one other man, Bill Bryant, director of the state police, said at a Sunday news conference. "It was no mass shooting intended on this. It was two individuals who got in a gunfight," Bryant said, adding, "You don't expect that from small-town Arkansas."
Bryant said the man who died, Cameron Shaffer, 23, was a bystander not suspected of being involved in the shooting. Shaffer was from Jacksonville, a suburb of Little Rock, about 90 minutes away by car.
Bryant said two of the child victims were under the age of 2, while others were 8, 9 and 11. Arkansas Children's Hospital reported treating six victims of the attack and said that most had been released by Sunday. Bryant said it was not clear whether five or six children were wounded in the attack.
The shooting occurred during the 16th annual Hood-Nic car show. Hood-Nic is short for "neighborhood picnic," and it is hosted by the Delta Neighborhood Empowerment Youth Organization. The group raises money for tutoring, scholarships, backpacks for students and other support for residents of Dumas and the surrounding area, according to its website.
The group focuses on helping those in what it calls "poverty-stricken" areas. "We are heartbroken and in shock at what took place during tonight's car show," said a Facebook post from the foundation.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) tweeted Sunday, "As the investigation continues I will examine details to see if there are any steps that could have been taken to prevent this type of tragedy."
Dumas police responded to the incident at 6:50 p.m. on Saturday after reports of gunfire in the parking lot of a former discount store on U.S. Highway 65, a commercial road passing through the middle of Dumas.
Video obtained by an NBC affiliate in Arkansas showed people leading victims of the shooting to ambulances. Wallace McGehee, the event's organizer, told the station that he "saw a bunch of shooting and people running." He was running, ducking and "trying to get kids out of the way," he added.
"That was the issue for all of us, was getting kids out of the way, getting people out of the way," McGehee said. "Some of us put our own self into risk just to get people out of the way, to get the kids out of the way." He added, "We've been doing this for 16 years and never had a problem."
Chris Jones, a Democratic candidate for Arkansas governor, said he had attended the Dumas event before the shooting and had registered voters, enjoyed music and seen friends there. "I am deeply saddened (and honestly angered) by this tragedy," Jones said in a statement. "Dumas needs our thoughts and prayers and actions."
Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Sanders, a former White House press secretary, tweeted Sunday morning, "Prayers for the community of Dumas for the senseless and tragic shooting at a community event last night. Thankful for our law enforcement and first responders for their actions during this difficult time."
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) tweeted, "The hearts of Arkansas from across the state are with the people of Dumas today. I'm grateful to the Arkansas State Police for their work on the case, and I pray that God will bring comfort to the victims and their families."
Anyone with information on the shooting was urged to contact law enforcement.
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This forum covers Tamaqua, PA local community news, events for your calendar, and updates from colleges, churches, sports, and classifieds. Give us your feedback on government issues or coverage from TV stations and Radio networks in your area.Venezuelan Spanish (castellano venezolano or español venezolano) refers to the Spanish language as spoken in Venezuela.The fleeing foreigner can employ a number of tricks to escape them.Gringo is a catchall word for foreigners used across Latin America.Spanish was introduced in Venezuela by the colonizers.
Maldy's album, released in 2007, was named Reggaeton De Markesina.Perhaps the last of these has been the most fundamental influence on modern Venezuelan Spanish, to the point that Canarian and Venezuelan accents may seem indistinguishable to other Spanish speakers.Italian and Portuguese immigrants from the late 19th and early 20th century have also had an influence.It's unlikely to be added to the long list of official products anytime soon, but a new smartphone game called Run Gringo Run may be closer to Olympic reality than any sponsor's glossy TV commercial.Dreamed up by a group of Brazilian computer geeks looking for light relief from a corporate IT project, Run Gringo Run is a free application for Android phones whose central character is a foreign tourist fleeing a group of youths attempting to rob him.


The Wagon R name is synonymous with Maruti Suzuki's success for almost two decades and it is one of the cars that laid down the foundation triggering a huge momentum among family-oriented buyers in the volume space. In its 20th year in 2019, the leading carmaker in the country has brought in an apt upgrade as the Wagon R finally switches away from its no-frills character to a modern demeanour.
Having been through a lifecycle of not-so-greater upgrades in its two generations, Maruti Suzuki has impressively managed to maintain its sales consistency with the Wagon R as more than 22 lakh units have been retailed and just in 2019, over 1,52,020 deliveries were made as part of reaching the final 10 lakh mark in just over 6 years.
Glancing over the exterior, you could see that Maruti Suzuki has used an evolutionary approach to design. Compared to the previous model, the changes are India specific and they do not replicate the latest sixth-generation Wagon R sold globally. Up front, the updated grille that Maruti Suzuki calls as "architectural grille" has a unique presence and with the black inserts, it has become more prominent than ever.
The headlamps are slimmer and wider with dual split alignment while the bumper section is redesigned with new round shaped fog lamps and housing. The air inlet is wider and finished in black colour for a two-tone appearance. The bonnet is shortened and dips down to allow for driver's better road visibility.
The side profile has 14-inch wheels with MRF ZVTV tubeless tyres and the upright pillars are retailed to maintain its authentic tall-hatch nature. The body panels have been cut in just above the wheels for a flared arch look while the redesigned C-pillar with the absence of rear quarter glass has enhanced the overall stance with the black elements hiding the bulkiness to give a floating roof design.
The roofline itself is fairly straight as the older model but without roof rails and the wing mirrors with turn signals are adjustable and retractable electrically in ZXi grade. The updated continue on the rear as the vertically positioned pillar-mounted tail lamps look more dynamic and is shaped along the pillar design. It is accompanied by bigger chrome nameplate positioned above the registration plate. There's no roof integrated spoiler, and instead, the stop lamp is repositioned inside the hatch door.
The rear bumper gets its share of design updates with two reflectors while body coloured bumpers is standard across the range and body coloured ORVMs and door handles are available in VXi and ZXi. Both the exterior and interior can be customised from three different packages: Robust, Playtime and Casa and they offer dual-tone front and rear extenders, wheel arch cladding, front and rear number plate garnishes, side underbody protector, etc.
The interior, on the other hand, can be had with new sill guards, door visors, variety of contrast designer mat and seat cover finishes, new steering wheel cover and more. Maruti Suzuki does not offer the 2019 Wagon R with alloy wheels and spoilers even on the top ends but they can be optioned from the accessories list. The six vibrant colour options in which the new Wagon R can be had are Poolside blue, Nutmeg Brown, Autumn Orange, Superior White, Silky Silver and Magma Grey.
The new Wagon R is based on the fifth generation Heartect platform as the Baleno, Dzire, Ignis, Swift and recently launched Ertiga. The availability of the new architecture meant the hatchback's kerb weight has lowered down, between 50 and 65 kg depending on the variants (805-845 kg), with increased rigidity and stiffness to comply with new safety standards.
More crucially, it helps in the handling and composure bits of the new hatchback along with bigger proportions for a more roomier cabin. It is longer and substantially wider than the second-gen Wagon R while the wheelbase has grown by 35 mm to 2,435 mm and is now similar to the Ignis. The fuel tank capacity now sits at 35 litres (3 litres more) and the biggest improvement is on the trunk capacity.
Maruti Suzuki calls the bootspace as best-in-class and it has got deeper and wider to accommodate more than 340 litres – larger by well over 150 litres. With 60:40 split rear seat in top-spec variants, the practicality that the Wagon R is accustomed to, has improved by a big margin.
The interior is a radical departure compared to the previous model and the use of good quality plastic materials is a welcoming addition. The centre console gives a floating dashboard feel and the AGS shifter pattern is typical to every other budget Maruti Suzuki's money can buy, and the clunk while shifting between reverse, neutral and drive can be felt.
The metallic garnishes in the gear shifter, around the air conditioning vents and the steering, add a neat touch to the dual-tone black and beige theme and enhance the premium nature of the hatchback. The major highlight inside the cabin is the seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity with SmartPlay studio.
The SmartPlay studio with responsive touch function has been intuitive with Bluetooth, voice recognition and navigation. The steering wheel has integrated controls for hands-free calling and audio. The SmartPlay Remote turns the smartphone into a real-time remote controller and the vehicle alert system shows updated vehicle performance and door open warning among other functions.
The instrument cluster is a whole new unit with the reddish amber theme until VXi and white illumination in the ZXi. It displays necessary information like the driving range, low fuel warning, digital tachometer, gear position indicator, instantaneous and average fuel consumption, door ajar and headlamp on warning.
The Indo-Japanese manufacturer has equipped the new Wagon R with several standard features such as driver side airbags (front passenger airbag optional in LXi and VXi), reverse parking sensors, central locking, ABS with EBD, seatbelt reminder for driver and co-pilot, speed sensing auto door lock and security alarm in VXi and ZXi, etc.
The seatbelt pre-tensioner and force limiter feature is used only in ZXi and optional in others. The speed alert warning sensors send out two beeps every minute if the speed crosses 80 kmph and when at above 120 kmph the beep continues non-stop until the speed is reduced.
In response to the growing competition in the segment and to lure in a wider set of customers, Maruti Suzuki has cleverly expanded the price range of the new Wagon R by offering a new petrol engine. Along with the 1.0-litre K10B three-cylinder, DOHC petrol unit making 67 PS at 5,500 rpm and 90 Nm at 3,500 rpm, the tried-and-tested 1.2-litre four-cylinder DOHC K12M mill that is employed in the Swift, Dzire and Baleno has been introduced.
It develops 83 PS at 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm at 4,200 rpm. The smaller engine continues to be sold in LXi and VXi grades while the new powertrain takes its place in VXi and ZXi variants. Both the engines can be had in either five-speed manual or five-speed AMT transmission to address customers depending on the different price bracket.
Maruti Suzuki has crammed in the new engine for good use and the Heartect platform supports it with much-improved driving feedback. Resultantly, the mileage figures have improved as the Wagon R is claimed to return 22.5 kmpl and 21.5 kmpl on the 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre petrol engines respectively. With our day behind the wheel, it is easy to say that the ARAI-certified figures are easily attainable and above 23 kmpl is achievable in any typical driving conditions.
The Heartect platform has brought its charm of enhancing the ride quality in the new generation Wagon R. From the outset, it can be said the ride quality is incomparable to the Swift and Ignis that it shares engine and architecture with. However, compared to the last-gen Wagon R the improvements have been apparent.
Sitting inside, you could feel the extra cockpit space for the driver being offered as the dashboard protrudes at the centre console and curves in to allow for good driver as well as front passenger leg room. The steering wheel can only be tilt adjusted though and the headrests cannot be even in the high-end variants. I also wished the seat could have been adjusted for height to further improve driver's comfort on long journies.
If you want to have a little driving fun with the new Wagon R, the 1.2-litre variant will be largely appealing. The throttle response is not quite immediate on the five-speed AMT (AGS) we drove but it does come alive in traffic conditions with effortless characteristics. The power delivery is adequate in the lower rpms for a small hatch like Wagon R considering the family-oriented buyers it aims at.
The new powertrain addition is a big departure in the right way from the smaller 1.0-litre engine and it gives good driving confidence. The platform does come on its own especially on the highways as higher speeds can be dealt with in ease. There have been a few surprising bits I really need to talk about! One is the vastly improved suspension.
The MacPherson front strut and torsion beam rear with coil springs absorb the average bumps easily while the front disc and rear drum brakes do have appreciable composure levels even while braking hard from three digit speeds. The engine does not rev freely as its behaviour depends on the throttle input and the transition between each gear is smooth only in the lower speeds.
The much improved braking stability and suspension are accompanied by a rather quieter cabin as the NVH levels are a segment above in my opinion. There were no unwanted rattlings and vibrations felt on the steering wheel and it's a brand new unit. However, the feedback in the lower gears could have been improved and having said that the feedback is a notch above compared to the last generation Wagon R.
In the top-spec ZXi variant, the cup holders on all four doors are usable while the door pockets provide decent space for everyday belongings. The 1 kg tray under the front passenger seat is another practical feature but the glove box has very little space. The centre stack is also part of the third generation upgrade with the gear lever in handy position to operate along with USB charging port, Aux and 12V socket installed inside small utility space.
The 2019 Wagon R does indeed have some amount of body roll due to its tallboy nature but it's another part where significant improvement has been made. At the rear, three adults cannot sit abreast with enough comfort but it's manageable for short trips (two adults and a child is ideal) and the middle passenger area can be converted into a foldable armrest.
The 135 mm longer wheelbase has aided in adequate leg and head room even when the front seats are partly reclined while the rear thigh support is decent enough. The remote keyless entry and rear defogger are the other features that make the life easier.
The new Wagon R is priced between Rs. 4.19 lakh and Rs. 5.69 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Despite the exterior makeover, upgraded interior, premium interior and standard safety features, the price increase compared to the last generation model has been minimal. It speaks volumes into how committed Maruti Suzuki is to keep the Wagon R nameplate going for years to come while retaining its price advantage.
At the end of the day, the dynamic and spacial improvements made courtesy of the new platform outshine the small niggles like the lack of steering feedback, non-availability of adjustable headrests, alloy wheels on top-end variants and driver seat height adjustment.
The new Wagon R has all the ingredients to replicate the success of its predecessors and ticks all the right boxes for customers wanting to remain in the segment with upmarket features, more spacious interior and boot complemented by modern looks paying the same price.
And for the enthusiasts wanting to own smoother and decently powerful 1.2-litre fuel-efficient petrol engine, you need not have to look away for any budget option than the 2019 Wagon R – the new entry-level Heartect platform based car in India.


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Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty
From Kathyrn Bigelow, director of the critically acclaimed film "The Hurt Locker," comes "Zero Dark Thirty," a film that documents the search and pursuit of Osama Bin Laden. The most important thing for this movie is to know what to expect, as the movie has far less action than "The Hurt Locker." Although the previews for the movie depict a high intensity, action packed thriller, these sequences are saved for the end of the film.
Just because there are less action sequences in "Zero Dark Thirty" does not make it a bad film. The build-up and pursuit of Bin Laden in the first two hours of the movie set a highly grave tone, which in turn amplifies the importance of the infamous manhunt. This setup also intensifies and enhances the final 30 minutes or so when the Navy SEALS are briefed and deployed into Bin Laden's compound. The high tech gear and weaponry of the SEALS is something to be marveled, yet it also raises some important questions.
The viewer will likely wonder how much can actually be revealed surrounding this top-secret mission and what is actually true. The nature of the situation is quite enigmatic, and the everyday citizen cannot distinguish fact from fiction, especially in the depiction of a Hollywood movie. Although the movie contains real life events, like various unforgettable and heinous bombings in the Middle East, it is foolish to fully accept everything that is presented in the film. However, the behind-the-scenes look at the situation does provide illuminating insight to the high-stress work environment of government organizations such as the CIA.
Common criticism of the film pertains to the amount of time it takes to get to the action-packed end. Viewed from an analytical standpoint, the filmmakers used an extended amount of time to attempt to mimic the frustration and prolonged waiting associated with the hunt for Bin Laden. Interestingly enough after years of hunting, searching, and studying, Maya, the protagonist (Jessica Chastain ) is not fully relieved at the end of the film. She spent several years on one thing, and this goal engulfed every aspect of her life, even degrading her mental and physical health. However, the relief she was expecting did not necessarily come. Revenge is a prominent theme in the movie, and the ending is a clever commentary regarding the obsession over vengeance.
Surprisingly enough, the movie is more of an intellectual experience than that of pure action and violence. Some of the torture scenes are graphic and disturbing, but the goal of these scenes was to shed light on such atrocities. The best thing to do before this movie is to expect about two hours of setup (with the occasional explosion here and there.) After this, the viewers are rewarded with a stealthy and intense depiction of precise training and tactics orchestrated by the Navy SEALS—something everyone can enjoy. "Zero Dark Thirty" is rated R and should not be considered appropriate for younger audiences.
'Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty' has no comments


INU - Once again demonstrating his hostility towards democracy and popular sovereignty, in an interview with Bloomberg News on June 19th, Reza Pahlavi, the son of a former Iranian dictator who was overthrown by the Iranian people rehashed a number of false accusations against Iran's democratic opposition, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
INU - A few days ago it was reported that US sportswear giant Nike would not be supplying free cleats to the Iranian World Cup team due to the new sanctions that the Donald Trump administration has levelled on the Iranian Regime.
INU -The Iranian regime has had a very aggressive stance towards the United States in recent years. Even after the years of appeasement from former president Barack Obama, the Iranian regime taunted and spoke out against America and its influence that it considers dangerous.
INU - Politicians from Hamburg, Germany, have rekindled a call from last year to cancel the city's contract with an institution controlled by the Iranian regime, after it took part in the annual al-Quds Day rally in Berlin, a Regime "holiday" which calls for the destruction of Israel.
INU - When the mullah's regime took over Iran in 1979, no one expected it to last long, especially not once the mullahs began brutally targeting those who had helped bring about the revolution as well as those loyal to the Shah.
INU - Trita Parsi, former head of the National Iranian American Council, wrote an editorial in The Nation that criticized the Trump administration's efforts to rein in Iranian expansionism. "Iran was not about to capitulate," said Parsi. This statement seems to reflect the connection between the key Iran lobbyist and leadership in Tehran.


The experiment is borne out of an unusually busy workload and reduced summer readership. We want to continue to provide the news and angles we normally provide, yet allow for a bit more flexibility in our publishing schedule (which normally is Monday through Friday). Instead of publishing our normal five to seven stories per day, we've culled together some of the most interesting stories of the past two weeks and summarized them in a single story.
Most of the entries are consistent with CopyCense's traditional code and content coverage. Others — like our Malcolm Gladwell post — initially seem off-topic, but somehow we try to tie the subject matter in to what we normally do. The hope is that Clippings will allow us to continue posting regularly (but less than daily), while continuing to provide the "connect the dots" coverage to which our readers have become accustomed.
We concede there are some pitfalls to this approach. First, Clippings is more a "Week In Review" approach than a daily approach. Some will like that, some won't. Another thing we lose with this approach is our categorization scheme, which we hold sacrosanct here. We're testing different solutions that may supplement or replace our traditional approach to categorizing stories.


This easy version of Chicken Alfredo Pasta is perfect for quick weeknight dinners, or whenever you need a satisfying creamy pasta dish! Chicken is browned and added to ..
Betty demonstrates how to make Creamy Italian Chicken. This slow cooker recipe was sent in by Kirsten Kite.
Chicken Marsala is an easy to make chicken dish that everyone loves. This is filled with meaty chicken breasts, Marsala wine, mushrooms, and onions.
One of Olive Garden's most popular dishes is their grilled chicken and Alfredo sauce. It is hard to resist this tasty dish.
How easy you want your Saturday or Sunday breakfast to be? Well, it can't get easier than this medley sandwich to keep you full and going for the rest of the day.
You can make chicken Parmesan in the oven its easy to do, and it only takes about 20 minutes. You simply need some sauce, a couple of chicken breasts, and cheese.
Budget Bistro is here to save the day! Informative and refreshing. We'll show you how to make a gourmet meal on a dime budget.


To get 4G LTE speed where available you must have a 4G LTE capable device and a 4G LTE SIM card. Actual availability, coverage and speed may vary. LTE is a trademark of ETSI.
I like this plan, cheaper than my country has them, and you need to know how to use it as well, be informed, you may also try to look it up through internet...it is not like this info is hidden or something, in fact, I found more reliable to look it up from my end at forums, customer service is normal, note that hiring center of EVERY call center is constantly changing, this mean that almost everyone is new, they are not trying to give you a hard time, they do as much as they can, so ask this yourself, would you like to be treated as you tread everyone you do not know?
From what I have experienced thus far, this seems to be a great plan. My mother (in her 70s) gets a smartphone and no crazy 2 year commitment. She has a smartphone to make calls and see pictures (unlimited!!). She doesn't use much data so this is a great option. The setup was payless and it seems to be working. What more can you ask for ... Nothing. I'm glad to have found out about the plan. Thanks Wal-Mart and T-Mobile!!
I was a little skeptical at first, but email delivery worked like a charm. Installed it in my new Apple iPhone SE, which Walmart has on sale for a terrific price, and the combo is a great pair. I would highly recommend this product. At $24.88/mo you can't go wrong.
I don't use a lot of data so giant plans costing me over $100 a month have always left me super frustrated. This has worked great for months now. I highly recommend setting up your account IN THE STORE. It took about an hour and I didn't have to worry about any complicated details or leave with unanswered questions.
Took some time but FINALLY it happened!!!
1. Did you scroll down and ask this question before reading the description or looking at the image? Did you bother trying to figure this out on your own? The answer to your question is at your fingertips, or scroll up and read a few lines. Be smart, figure it out, don't depend on others to solve your problems.
Can I use my ATT Phone?
1. No, this can't be used on ATT Phone.
1. This requires an unlocked phone.


Home Community Fantasy GP Can you beat Simon Lazenby in Fantasy Grand Prix?
Fantasy Grand Prix just became yet more interesting, with Simon Lazenby joining the Sett with his own championship to compete in – the Official Simon Lazenby World Championship.
Simon's known for his leading role with Sky Sports F1 alongside Brundle, Herbert and Hill. He's right there in the paddock every weekend chatting to everyone who's anyone in F1, so he should be right on the money with his Fantasy GP team and predictions – why not challenge him?
If you're already playing Fantasy Grand Prix, simply head over to the Simon Lazenby Championship and join.
If you're not playing yet, head over to Fantasy Grand Prix now and create your team. Choose your 3 drivers and 3 cars, then you can join Simon's Championship.
You can also play via your iPhone or Android device with the Badger GP App. It's less than £1 and free from adverts.
Yes of course, Simon will provide some money-can't-buy merchandise, signed in the paddock by one or more of the current drivers for the 2016 Simon Lazenby Champion along with some Sky F1 merchandise for the 2 runners up at the end of the year.
Budget Caps and all that – Will it ever work?


Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has appealed to the government, Colombo Municipal Council and responsible officials to stop the haphazard dumping of garbage at Muturajawela and to find a long term solution to this problem in a way that it does not cause destruction to human life and to the environment.
"I have been made to understand that the Colombo Municipal Council and some of the Government Agencies responsible in the clearing of garbage collected in the city have started to dump the garbage without any concern for the environmental damage in the Muturajawela area once again", the Cardinal said in a statement.
What is more serious is the fact that even human body parts that are discarded from hospitals and mortuaries have been taken and dumped in Muturajawela at a place where there is water. Thus the waterways have started to experience severe pollution and it will seep into the Negombo Lagoon causing immense harm to human life in the Negombo, Jaela, Dandugama and Katunayaka areas, he said.
"It will also destroy the fishing resources in the Negombo Lagoon. Besides many have observed that this is being done haphazardly without any study of the suitability of the location for such dumping", he warned.
As. a result of this action, the vast Muturajawela marsh, which has been gazetted under the Environmental Protection and Conservation Act, will be exposed to great danger and destruction, the Cardinal noted. "Hence, we wish to lodge our strongest protest against this action. We believe that there should be a more eco-friendly and longstanding solutions to the problem of garbage collected in the city of Colombo".
"We cannot accept the present attitude of taking the garbage and dumping it in all kinds of places without a proper study of its ill effects and the threat to human life it would bring", he added.


My oh my, this baby already knows what he/she wants. It's hilarious. The best part is that the baby is already telling me what he/she wants... and getting it.
This started a few weeks ago (around week 31) and hasn't stopped. Well, I should say that I noticed it a few weeks ago, who knows how long it has been going on.
The first example relates to getting out of bed in the morning. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and want to lounge in bed, like on a Saturday when I want to sleep until 8 am instead of 7 am (my body doesn't let me sleep past then anymore). After about 45 minutes of tossing and turning, the baby literally kicks the side of my stomach that is on the mattress. It's like the baby is kicking the bed through my body to get me to move. There isn't any kicking on the other side (the "up" side), or in the front. Only where my body is touching the bed as if to say, "Get up! Get out of bed! Now!" This makes me giggle, and of course I give up on the hope of more sleep and get moving for the day.
The second example pertains to food. Of course. If I'm running around and not eating every 2 hours like I usually do, the baby lets me hear it. It's not normal kicks. It's more like angry attention-grabbing kicks saying, "Mommy! Feed me!" I equate it to crying I guess. So if I haven't eaten for about 4 hours, the baby gets upset and starts to bruise my insides. This is probably normal, but I love that I can link it to a cause (Yes, I'm a dork. My engineering background makes me love cause and effect relationships.) Oh, and if you're wondering... yes I eat ASAP when the baby reminds me that I'm late to eat. Plus, I'll start to get dizzy if I don't. Not so fun.
The third is perhaps the funniest. I have this one pair of maternity jeans that has a tight band at the top (most of mine are loose at the top). When I wear this specific pair of pants, the baby spends the day kicking at the tight waist band! Nowhere else on my belly, just at that specific area! I will move it up and down throughout the day, because it's not comfortable, and the kicks follow the waist band. Pretty funny. I try to avoid wearing those pants, but I only feel up to doing so much laundry in a week (and yes, I'm too cheap to buy more at this point).
The fourth is most frustrating to me. The baby will be kicking and rolling away, making my whole stomach move in a way that is very obvious to the eye. I want to record this, so that I have the memories for later. Also, so I can share with family and others that are interested! Anyway, as soon as the video camera comes on, the baby gets shy! No more movement. It's like the baby knows that a camera is around. It drives me nuts. How does this happen? Obviously the baby isn't psychic, but I really don't understand the coincidence! It cracks me up.
I told my husband about these things a few weeks ago. He laughed and said, "Sounds just like you!" I hadn't realized this, but yes! When I want to get out of bed (or off of the couch, etc) and get moving, I HATE laying/sitting there waiting. I have a lot of trouble doing absolutely nothing. Looks like the baby hates me laying around too! Hunger. Oh hunger. My poor husband. When I'm hungry, I let you know. I get dizzy (and cranky) if I don't eat often enough. My husband can usually wait hours to eat, and it doesn't phase him. Lucky him, right? So here we go again, another example. Another thing, I hate wearing tight clothes. I don't like being uncomfortable. If you don't believe me, ask my sisters (who think I need a total makeover). And finally, I'm shy. Super shy. I don't really like my picture being taken, I don't like attention at all. Yuck. I hope the baby will not be shy like me, but it doesn't look like we're starting off that way!!
So all in all, it looks like our baby will be their mother's child! Now, is this a good or a bad thing? Hey, be nice!


A new solo exhibition of work by renowned social practice artist Marisa Morán Jahn opens at U-M's Stamps Gallery today and runs through March 2. This video introduces the exhibition, "The Mighty and The Mythic," which brings together three projects that highlight Jahn's deep and meaningful collaborations with low-wage immigrants, caregivers and youth.
Rechargeable "structural batteries," which store energy in parts of the devices they power, hold possibilities for reducing weight and improving efficiency in such things as electric vehicles, drones or tablets. So far, such batteries have been heavy, short-lived or unsafe, but this video shows how U-M researchers have developed a cartilage-like material that can be used to make them strong, flexible and rechargeable.


Karhu releases two Aria color ways that pay homage to the original design, color and construction. The latest Arias receive pigskin suede and nylon mesh at the toe for breathability. The mono-sock construction provides comfort and a secure fit around the foot. One of the Arias receives a speckled midsole to add detail on the compression EVA midsole. Both Arias are dressed up in two OG inspired color ways associating back to when it was a premium running model in the 90s.
We're releasing two dope colorways from Karhu's "Villapaita" (the Finnish term for sweater) Pack. The Aria & Fusion 2.0 will be available online and in-store this Friday at 11am.


text:
Lophometopum bivittatum är en kackerlacksart som beskrevs av Karlis Princis 1951. Lophometopum bivittatum ingår i släktet Lophometopum och familjen småkackerlackor. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Småkackerlackor
bivittatum

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Book Review – Istanbul by Thomas Madden
September 8, 2019 Tim Migaki Book Reviews One comment
Istanbul: City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World by Thomas F. Madden
Istanbul (AKA Byzantion/Constantinople depending on the era) is another city that I would love to see someday. Thomas Madden's previous book on the history of Venice frequently references the strong connection that the Venetians have with the city of Constantinople. Therefore, I wanted to continue on and see what Madden had to say about "The City," as it is often called. While it may not get the same attention as London, Paris, or Venice, anyone who knows their world history understands the importance of geography and location. No truer words have been spoken for a city that literally sits astride the continents of Europe and Asia. In many ways, Madden's "Istanbul" serves as a sequel to "Venice" and provides much of the same sweeping and broad narrative that allows the reader to better appreciate the historical significance of the city on the Bosporus.
When compared with Bettany Hughes' "Istanbul", Madden's narrative flows much better and is easier to make sense of. However, much like "Venice," the book is aimed at a more casual audience and not the serious historian, although it does contain a few pages of endnotes and a bibliography, but not nearly to the extent of Hughes. As a result, it keeps the historical narrative moving and does not bog down too much in scholarly minutiae, for better or worse. Madden understandably evokes the image of Istanbul as romantic, hedonistic, and full of intrigue. Indeed, we do not describe politics as "byzantine" for nothing. Thankfully, Madden gracefully navigates us through the labyrinth of emperors, sultans, and conquerors that have ruled Istanbul over the centuries. We also get a very good picture of a metropolis that has undergone dramatic changes throughout its life. Where one regime has fallen, another, sometimes totally different, has risen in its place.
Most of the book is focused on Constantinople throughout the Middle Ages. Through the waning days of the Roman Empire to its dramatic capture by the Ottomans in 1453, and finally, through its transformation into modern Istanbul, we see a city that changes its geography as much as it does its rulers. Other reviewers have summed it up as, "some people came, built great stuff, other people came and destroyed it then built other great stuff. Unfortunately, not much of that great stuff remains, but you can see some of it." This book is, in some ways, better than Madden's previous work, "Venice" because I found the narrative to be more focused and flowing. Furthermore, the narrative retains its momentum as it moves into the post-WWI time period with the end of the Ottoman Empire and Constantinople transitioning into Istanbul along with Ataturk's reforms to create the modern country of Turkey.
In terms of criticisms of the book, I wish there were more endnotes so I could pinpoint some of the details. However, bearing in mind that this book is written more for the casual historian, it is not a deal breaker. Another thing that I found odd was the lack of a more detailed discussion on the economics of the Black Sea, the Bosporus Strait, and especially, the Silk Road. Much is said about the strategic location of Constantinople, but little is mentioned of why that is and just how much trade went through the city on its way to and from Europe or Asia.
Istanbul would definitely be an interesting city to visit. Tourism comprises a substantial portion of its industry, but there are larger urban improvements in the works (some more controversial than others). It seems like the city has been torn up or burned down (intentionally or otherwise) and rebuilt for centuries. Seemingly every time they dig down to do construction, a new archaeological stratum is discovered. Istanbul's history may very well rival that of Venice. Whether it is the changes in religion and ruler or the constant ebb and flow of European and Asian populations, Istanbul remains a city that has sat between two worlds its entire existence.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Very good/worth your time.)
Book ReviewsbooksByzantine EmpireConstantinoplehistoryIstanbulOttoman Empire
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Jeff Groves says:
I was there in 1986, Istanbul was surreal. Every Mediterranean culture or civilization for the last 3,000 years has left a mark on that city. You can see Egyptian monoliths, Roman aqueducts, Islamic mosques, and Christian cathedrals all in the same afternoon. The cobblestone side roads were laid hundreds of years ago, and the sulfur from coal heating fires mixed with the leather tanning chemicals creates a unique ambiance. I imagine the Middle Ages would look like Istanbul.


Self-perception and reality seem to line-up when it comes to judging our own personality | Utter Buzz!
Buy Any 2 Items And Get FREE US Shipping. Check out all the BBQ shirts you can wear this year for of July! Grill on!
I wrote this piece after the election, but I don't want to stand up here and talk about politics. We've had enough of that this week.
Distraught, Amanda steals a newborn from one of her slaves and renames the baby Granada.
I had the pleasure of meeting Rachael Madori at a talk that Chor Boogie and I offered about the iboga medicine with the Aware Project in Los Angeles.
A Video Guide to Help You Find the Perfect Fitting Dress.
The set is now available to stream via the KEXP website. There is also a great set of photos from the session on KEXP's Flickr page.
Click on a CD to jump to its lyrics. Please allow a few seconds.


Build your own pumpkin race car to bring and compete in this wacky and zany side-by-side down hill race. Plus there will be lots of room to watch these exciting races. Prizes will be awarded in each division as well as for creativity.


Sure, I know that it's always possible to find a founding father with whom you agree and whittle an intentionally broad or abstract statement into a narrow political view. And so I think the above quotation is broad enough and certainly abstract enough to appeal to a great majority of us—given that congressional disapproval numbers are consistently above 75%. And since I do not intend to talk about political views, I can safely say that we agree: something is wrong. However, what's wrong is not high unemployment, not declining high school graduation rates, not increasing gas prices, not high poverty rates, not inadequate healthcare, not even that the rent is too damn high. Those are all results of "material defects" like the kind Hamilton refers to, and I argue that we do not have an efficient mechanism to determine what the defects are nor how to fix them. We are a new species—of disapproval—borne from a relentless misrepresentation of facts, too egregious to be ignored.
If the unfavorable situations listed above are results of material defects in our national system, high public political disapproval numbers reflect material defects in our nation's voters.
Though there is no disciplinary consensus about whether elections "work," given what voters know, political science has revealed certain mechanisms through which a low-information electorate may behave as if reasonably well informed. To the extent that the electorate performs well, the credit is largely due to political parties, and to the statistical properties of aggregation (which can neutralize uninformed votes). At their best, political parties provide voters with simple, reliable, and easily learned cues about candidates' ideology and policy preferences.
In other words, in the best case, voters may have a vague idea about what to expect if that candidate were elected should that candidate be a simple representation of a broad ideology and then act perfectly in line with the national party. In practice, we see that candidates are complex and continually break outright promises much less live up to ideological expectations—an empirically weak indicator of future behavior. Furthermore, given that recent experimental evidence suggests that informed voters do make better decisions, we can infer that relative to an informed electorate, an ignorant electorate has a lower probability of also being a happy electorate.
Between the two types of actors in this republic, the citizen voting population and everyone inside the system of checks and balances, the latter group has dedicated a significant amount of their legislative time thinking of ways to prevent themselves from taking advantage of the former group. The timeline of campaign finance reform shows an almost 150 year history of representatives changing the rules of their influence. Among the voting population, there have been diverse efforts made to study the ways citizens learn political information, influence the information they learn, increase the number of people who vote, and rally behind specific causes. If we are indeed this species of general disapproval, this implies that both groups have been unsuccessful.
Perhaps what we need is a fourth branch of government, smallish and economical, operating independently, with a mission to build and maintain a friendly user interface for citizens to manage their government….
Imagine being able to go to one website to see the best arguments for and against every issue, with links to support or refute every factual claim. And imagine that professional arbitrators would score each argument. A good judge can believe a defendant is guilty and still rule that the prosecutor didn't make his case. Arguments can be graded for context, accuracy and logic….
A cleverly designed user interface could compare the positions of your elected representatives to the opinions of smart citizens who have done their homework, and to experts as well….
In theory, the Internet could make the cost of running a campaign almost trivial by modern standards. The new user-interface branch of the government would be in charge of making it easy for voters to see video clips, interviews, debates and useful comparisons of the candidates' positions.
I think we are in general agreement that such an interface seems like a wonderful idea despite its abstractness. I also understand that there are numerous problems involved in implementing the interface: creating an educationally efficient design, ensuring the ethics of the people overseeing it, maintaining trustworthy contributors, investigating any accusations of malfeasance, and then getting people to actually use it. And I hope that each post in this series will make an incremental step toward finding a general solution.
Now for the grandiose conclusion: In the proximal years following Hamilton's essays, the citizens of the United States voted on significant changes to the structure and power of this country's legislature. I hope that through identification and discussion of our current material defects we will be able to make the significant and major changes we find necessary.


text:
Q: Firebase Cloud Functions deploy async function with NPM 8 my functions package.json
...
"dependencies": {
    "firebase-admin": "~5.13.0",
    "firebase-functions": "^2.0.0",
    "puppeteer": "^1.6.2"
},
"engines": {
    "node": "8"
}

my old non async functions get deployed. But not my new async one:
exports.screenshot = async  (req, res) => {
  const url = "https://google.de"; // req.query.url;

  if (!url) {
    return res.send('Please provide URL as GET parameter, for example: ?url=https://example.com');
  }

  const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
    args: ["--no-sandbox"]
  });
  const page = await browser.newPage();
  await page.goto(url);
  const imageBuffer = await page.screenshot();
  await browser.close();

  res.set("Content-Type", "image/png");
  res.send(imageBuffer);
};

when running: firebase deploy --only functions:screenshot
I get the error:
The following functions are found in your project but do not exist in your local source code:
        screenshot(us-central1)

what can I do?

A: exports.screenshot = functions.https.onRequest(async (req, res) => {
...
});

did it for me

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Industries in the Nonstore Retailers subsector retail merchandise using methods, such as the broadcasting of infomercials, the broadcasting and publishing of direct-response advertising, the publishing of paper and electronic catalogs, door-to-door solicitation, in-home demonstration, selling from portable stalls and distribution through vending machines. Establishments in this subsector include mail-order houses, vending machine operators, home delivery sales, door-to-door sales, party plan sales, electronic shopping, and sales through portable stalls (e.g., street vendors, except food). Establishments engaged in the direct sale (i.e., nonstore) of products, such as home heating oil dealers and newspaper delivery service providers are included in this subsector.
SICCODE.com compiles comprehensive business data and executive contact leads for businesses within NAICS Code 454 - Nonstore Retailers . Some of the leading and most notable companies are listed below. To order a list of companies within NAICS Code 454 - Nonstore Retailers for marketing (postal mailing, telemarketing, emailing) or analytics-use, click on the link below to "Buy Business List". Our data analysts are standing by to assist in your list setup and target marketing.