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Audio Lounge, London Host a Special VIP Music Evening in Westminster to Thank their Highly Valued Customers
In August 2019, an exciting evening full of twists and turns that stimulated all the senses was held at the Hyatt Regency (The Churchill), just a short walk from Audio Lounge. The Library Suite provided a highly distinctive venue with its tall, domed ceiling and fine architectural details. Bookshelves lined with wonderful antique literary texts enhanced the sense of occasion.
Expectations were running high as a carefully curated selection of high- end audio equipment was put through its paces. On demonstration was the ultimate HD DAC X and HD PREAMP converters from Swiss manufacturer Nagra, supported by the VPS phono stage and CDC CD player. A pair of Nagra HD AMP's huge mono power amplifiers supplied power to the Sonja loudspeakers from YG Acoustics which use housings crafted from solid aircraft aluminium.
However, the star guest from amongst the sources was undoubtedly the new Garrard Model 301 turntable, which heralds a new chapter in the history books for this legendary manufacturer.
Another 'classic' was the wonderful Studer 802 tape machine, still in excellent condition, which provided a rare opportunity to experience the quality of first-generation master tape copies.
The evening was opened by Stuart McNeilis, CEO at British turntable and tonearm specialist SME, where many of the component parts of the new Garrard 301 are manufactured with the precision for which the company is renowned. On completion, they are delivered to the Swindon factory where final assembly takes place. A 12-inch SME tonearm is also mounted (the M2-12R), this time with the Ortofon A95 – a high-end MC pickup – on top.
Mr McNeilis shared the background, the hard work, and challenges involved in reviving the famous Garrard Model 301 to present it in as close to the original form as possible, with modern standards of handcrafted excellence. He particularly emphasized the friction idler wheel drive which, of course, remains integral to the modern version.
But now let's start. For this evening, our host presenter was Matthias Böde. The editor of the German Hi-Fi magazine STEREO is a highly sought-after professional in the field of high-end Hi-Fi and has been conducting workshops and demonstrations for more than 25 years. In the Hyatt Regency, he confessed that he had long considered how to present the highly revered Model 301 appropriately. Mr Böde opted for the quiet, almost intimate solo number 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' by American guitarist Earl Klugh from his album 'Late Night Guitar', released in the early 80s. Admittedly, despite almost perfection in terms of composition and arrangement, it is a rather banal work from the Easy Listening arena, however, it is so excellently recorded that it always fascinates anew.
And that's how it sounded! The Garrard 301 easily reproduced the guitar in all its musicality and dynamically between the loudspeakers. It was so natural it was breathtaking, and when afterward in 'Nice To Be Around' a perfectly staggered, lively playing orchestra framed the Earl Klugh's guitar, the listeners knew that they were listening to a turntable – indeed a whole high-end system – in a special class of its own which had effortlessly fulfilled their high expectations – if not surpassed them. When the last note had faded away, spontaneous applause even broke out.
After this successful prelude, further highlights from Mr Böde's prized record case followed. One example, was the current AudioNautes re-issue of the audiophile album 'Antiphone Blues', which showcases organ and saxophone within the acoustic environment of a church. The system had no problem in playing the finest details and was meticulously set up by the Audio Lounge team beforehand. Sometimes 'I Feel Like A Motherless Child' came across spaciously and with almost holy breath. Again applause. And again after Cheryl Porter had sung her version of 'I Look To You' based around the original from Whitney Houston. The audio system revealed so much energy and radiance with this fully analogue title, recorded in the 'Conservatorio' at Padua, that many of the listeners had goosebumps. The opinion was unanimous, that this was how it should sound.
Next came Lincoln Mayorga and his distinguished colleagues with their hearty 'America'. The direct cut from the label Sheffield Lab is renowned for its high-quality recording process where the band had played directly on the cutting foil, resulting in a captivating and lively dynamic. It is unbelievable how easily the system coped with sudden bursts of sound. And, it was really loud!
How could we be yet more hedonistic? We changed over to the Studer tape machine. This was already equipped with a coil, which offered master tape copies from the repertoire of the master tenor Luciano Pavarotti. These were provided by Italian supplier Hemiolia Records, run as half-track tapes at 38 centimetres per second – and direct copies of the master tapes managed by the Pavarotti Trust. The studio-Studer started with a gentle clack which let the large reels rotate, 'Che Gelida Manina' from the Puccini opera 'La Behème' was heard. The intensity with which the singer, who died in 2007, appeared in front of the audience was almost unbelievable. This demanded everything the system could muster so that the level meters of the powerful mono amplifiers swung threateningly far to the right. There was no dissonance, so much so that Pavarotti's incredible performance post mortem in the Hyatt Regency Hotel was greeted with sheer enthusiasm by the audience.
The question then arose as to whether the Garrard Model 301 could stand up to this performance. In order to clarify this, Matthias Böde had brought master tape copies of other albums with him. Among them was a concert recording of the jazz queen Ella Fitzgerald from 1969. The reel was quickly mounted on the Studer. It immediately played 'Hey Jude', with a powerful sound and characterful expression from the YG loudspeakers. Afterward, we put the same record onto the Garrard, to note that the differences were very small. Speaking of impressing, the old prejudice that the tape was in a class of its own was disproved.
Need another example? A treasure among the audiophile delights on offer was Cyndee Peters' version of the 'House Of The Rising Sun', recorded by the noble Swedish label Opus 3. With sparse accompaniment, the singer intones the blues classic, whereby the naturalness and spontaneity fascinate and the percussion intones impressive accents. An experience that we thought only came from tape recordings. Not so! The identically mastered record did certainly not come across as inferior to the tape in terms of authenticity and quality.
The Garrard delivered a masterpiece with 'Summer Me, Winter Me', a lavishly produced number by Canadian singer and pianist Anne Bisson and her trio, played from the album 'Four Seasons In Jazz', which was recently recorded in the studio of mastering luminary Bernie Grundman using direct cutting. This time, the CD from the parallel digital recording system served as a comparison. But the silver disc did not even come close to the black disc, which rotates in 45 rpm and offers much more magic and atmosphere. However, this is not the fault of the CD player, which is one of the finest of its kind. The direct cut LP is simply superior.
When offered the chance of a break, the enthusiastic audience said, 'carry on'! Now the Nagra CDC took over the scepter and played 'You Look Good To Me' from the Oscar Peterson Trio's album 'We Get Requests', which is highly acclaimed within the audiophile community. It is a very special CD, namely the 'K2HD'- Reissue of the US label, First Impression Music. Much attention was devoted to achieving the highest quality mastering and production in order to get as close to the original as possible.
Subsequently, FIM's sound specialists found out that it sounds much better when they play the digital master in real-time and with a precision burner on a previously specially treated MFSL Gold CD-R. In this version, they released the work as a 'Master Edition' for about $500. Matthias Böde owns one of the few rare copies in Europe and, after a short sequence from the K2HD CD, placed it in the drawer of the Nagra. And from this – believe it or not – the title sounded even more spatial, more natural and agile in its timbres than even from the superb K2HD CD, even though it is Bit-identical. Remember: the Hi-Fi world is always full of wonders and surprises!
But Matthias didn't end there and promised the ultimate high-end experience that comes with one of the most exclusive sound carriers in the world: the unique 'Crystal Disc' which is made from pure glass. It comes from a company specialising in optical products of the highest quality and is characterised by running extremely quietly.
The 'Ultimate High-Quality CD' serves as a comparison, where special materials are used in production to ensure sound reproduction that is unsurpassed in the CD sector. Scotty Wright's 'Saint Mic' album was produced in this format, and his cover version of 'Sound Of Silence' captivates with its outstanding sound. After the percussive intro and a brightly flashing bell, the velvety, expressive voice appears embedded in perfectly arranged orchestral sound. This really was spine-tingling!
Then the absolute highlight of the evening came! Matthias Böde also inserted the Bit-identical glass CD. The differences already become clear in the quiet introduction: the audio space opened up further, every tiny artificial touch of the previously heard UHQCD had disappeared. The voice sounded rich and rounded. A rare pleasure that is only granted to a few. The Crystal Disc from Matthias' collection could even be unique in England. Audio Lounge has promised a musical evening to remember and this managed to exceed even the highest expectations.
This sound experience could hardly be improved anymore, which is why we now go to the anteroom for snacks, drinks, and discussions about what we have just heard. But when Pavarotti sounds again from the Library, many of the listeners go back for more! At the end of this wonderful evening, we let the master smash the 'O Sole Mio' and of course the challenging "Nessun Dorma!" from Puccini's "Turandot". Is there any better way to end?
Okay, so just one more! Because the very last word should belong to the Garrard Model 301, which gave 'Two For The Road' from Earl Klugh's' Late Night Guitar' album heard earlier to see the happy listeners on their way. A highly memorable evening of musical entertainment had come full circle.
Audio Lounge would like to thank Matthias Böde and all our guests for coming and wish them all the best in sound and even greater musical experiences for the future.
(Written in association with Matthias Böde)
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ReviewsAlbums
Erica Blinn: Lovers In The Dust
Claudia Morello
Alt country rocker Erica Blinn has been performing since the age of 14, when she began playing the harmonica in Columbus bars. However, after keeping in touch with the band Watershed, she was introduced to Mike Landolt, who produced groups like O.A.R. and Maroon 5. She has released one eponymous EP, with Lovers In The Dust as her first full-length record.
The album opens with "Whiskey Kisses," which immediately and unexpectedly starts off with the chorus as well as guitars and a tangy piano riff. "Pull The Trigger" has a more rock and roll kind of melody, with Blinn urging the listener in her raw, country voice to, "Pull the trigger and dive right in," metaphorically, of course. This is not so different from "Home," which begins with a screeching guitar/harmonica intro and is the fastest-paced song on the LP. Decelerating a little with the title-track, Blinn chronicles her unfortunate encounter with love, which was sabotaged by a rumor and her own complacency. Not including the 30-second "Whiskey Kisses (Reprise)," the release ends with "One Of These Days," a slow apology to a past boyfriend.
Lovers In The Dust is a well-done tribute to the great country rock by legends such as The Eagles and The Allman Brothers, but with a feminine twist. The record genre-jumps a little, with some tracks seeming more like pop and others like pure Americana. On the whole, though, the album can be summed up as an edgier edition of whiskey-soaked country music.
In A Word: Spirited
claudia morelloerica blinnlovers in the dust
Vensaire: Perdix
Clan Of Xymox: Matters Of Mind, Body And Soul
Hard Working Americans: Hard Working Americans
Sparks: On Fire

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A schoolgirl organised a fundraiser for a charity which helps children effected by the Chernobyl disaster.
Eloise Ridgway, 10, from Hinckley, put on a non-uniform day at Battling Brook Primary School which raised £443 for the Friends of Chernobyl's Children charity.
Pupils from the school were first introduced to the charity when it held an assembly last year.
The charity was formed after a nuclear reactor exploded in 1986 and 70% of the radioactive fallout landed in Belarus, contaminating the ground and the food that is grown there and eaten every day.
The charity brings around 500 children from Belarus to the UK for a month long holiday, where they get taken to the dentist, opticians, given nutritious meals and taken on days out to places such as Bosworth Battlefield and Bradgate Park.
Eloise's family hosted one of the children in need in August 2014. The Year 5 pupil decided she wanted to raise money so that more children could be helped. Eloise said: "I wanted to help these children that don't have all the things we have. It's not just toys and gadgets; they don't even have food in their fridge.
During the non-uniform day Eloise shared the details and photographs of the visit with other pupils and showed them what a difference four weeks made to her host child as well as making her realise how lucky we are.
Headteacher Stewart Marsden said: "I think it's great and it shows just how much compassion she has.
"One of our school aims is to teach the children we are all of equal worth and we should do our best for others.
"Eloise has got a really big heart. Her idea came to fruition and has raised money which will benefit other children's lives.


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Lilly King sets American record; IU's Blake Pieroni wins relay bronze
David Woods
david.woods@indystar.com
Indiana University sophomore Lilly King set an American record in the 50-meter breaststroke, and the Hoosiers' Blake Pieroni won a relay bronze medal Tuesday on opening night of the short course World Swimming Championships at Windsor, Ontario.
King, in qualifying for Wednesday's finals, was second in semifinals of the 50 breaststroke. Her time of 29.17 seconds broke the American record of 29.31 set by Katie Meili on Aug. 31. Top qualifier in 29.09 was Jamaica's Alia Atkinson, the world record-holder.
King, a 19-year-old from Evansville, won two gold medals less than four months ago at the Rio Olympic Games.
Pieroni won a Rio gold with Team USA in the 400 freestyle relay. In that same relay, he teamed with Michael Chadwick, Tom Shields and Paul Powers to tie Australia for third at 3:07.76 in Windsor. Pieroni's leg of 46.02 was third-fastest of 32 swimmers in the race. Russia won gold in 3:05.90.
Elsewhere, IU graduate Cody Miller was fifth in semifinals of the 100 breaststroke, the event in which he won Olympic bronze. Bloomington resident Zane Grothe was seventh in the final of the 200 freestyle.
South Africa's Clad le Clos won the 200 butterfly over Shields, 1:48.76 to 1:49.50. Shields now has nine medals from three short course worlds. Hungary's Katinka Hosszu won a gold in the women's 400 individual medley after taking silver in the 200 freestyle.
The United States' only gold medal was in the women's 400 freestyle relay. The meet continues through Sunday.
Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.


text:
Си Ши (, 506 год до н.э. — ?) — одна из четырёх великих красавиц Древнего Китая. Она, как считается, жила в конце Периода Весны и Осени в Чжуцзи, столице древнего царства Юэ.

По преданию, красота Си Ши была так велика, что когда красавица перегнулась через балкон, чтобы посмотреть на рыбу в пруду, та была настолько ослеплена, что забыла как плавать и начала тонуть. Эта легенда породила одну из двух китайских идиом: 沉鱼落雁,闭月羞花 (пиньинь: chényú luòyàn, bìyuè xiūhuā; рыбу заставить погрузиться вглубь, а летящего гуся опуститься на землю), использующихся, чтобы подчеркнуть чью-либо красоту.

История Си Ши
Гоуцзянь, правитель Юэ, потерпел поражение в войне против Фучая из царства У, и Юэ стало частью У. Планируя свою тайную месть, министр Гоуцзяня Вэнь Чжун, зная пристрастие Фучая к слабому полу, предложил отправить к Фучаю, правителю У, в качестве дани специально подготовленных красивых женщин. Другой министр, Фань Ли, нашел Си Ши и Чжэн Дань, которых подарили Фучаю в 490 г. до н. э.

Фучай построил в императорском парке на склоне горы Линянь дворец Гуаньва (дворец Красивых Женщин), что в пределах 15 км к западу от Сучжоу.

Очарованный красотой и лаской женщин, правитель забыл о своих государственных делах, и, подстрекаемый наложницами, убил своего лучшего советника — великого генерала У Цзысюя. Управление вооружёнными силами У было «обезглавлено», Гоуцзянь сумел восстать и царство Юэ вновь обрело независимость.

По легенде (согласно Юэ Цзюэшу в авторстве Юань Кана), после падения царства У, Фань Ли ушёл в отставку с министерского поста и вместе с Си Ши отплыл на рыбацкой лодке в туман пустынного озера Тай Хэ, после чего их никто не видел (越绝书). По версии Мо-цзы, Си Ши в итоге умерла, утонув в реке (西施之沈,其美也).

Влияние на культуру

Китайская культура

В честь Си Ши возведён храм, который находится у подножия горы Чжу Лу в южной части города, на берегу реки Хуаньша.

Озеро Сиху в Ханчжоу называют воплощением Си Ши, поэтому его еще называют озеро Сицзы, что означает — леди Си. В своей знаменитой песне «Просторы Западного озера в солнце и в дождь» () (饮湖上初睛居雨), известный поэт Су Дунпо сравнивает красоту Си Ши с западным озером.

Ли Бо во времена династии Тан посвятил ей стихотворение «Сиши» (по С. А. Торопцеву; оригинальное название на китайском: 咏苎萝山). Менее известный танский поэт  также написал стихотворение «Си Ши» (), в котором он сомневается, что она могла стать причиной гибели целого государства.

Вьетнамская культура
Вьетнамцам Си Ши известна как Тэй Тхи (). Вьетнамские историки рассматривают историю царства Юэ как историю Вьетнама.

В этом контексте, Тэй Тхи — героиня вьетнамской борьбы за независимость, пример вьетнамской Юдифи, использующей свою красоту и привлекательность для борьбы против Китая, в качестве которого позиционируется царство У.

Фучай рассматривается как китайский захватчик, который напал на вьетнамское царство Юэ. Армию Юэ возглавлял вьетнамский друг Тэй Тхи Фань Ли. По разным версиям, правитель Фучай либо покончил жизнь самоубийством, а Тэй Тхи бежала и больше никогда не выходила замуж, либо Фучай был убит вьетнамскими войсками, а Тэй Тхи сбежала с Фань Ли.

Антипод
Чэнъюй 东施效顰 Dōng Shī xiào pín («Дун Ши подражает движению бровей»), в современном китайском языке образно обозначающий слепое подражание с плохим эффектом, отсылает к сюжету, известному по Чжуанцзы (гл. 天運): дурнушка, пытаясь имитировать естественные движения красавицы Си Ши, только вызывает отвращение. Любопытно, что ни Чжуанцзы, ни другие китайские классики не упоминают имени Дун Ши. Не исключено, что оно является продуктом народного творчества, обратившего первую часть имени в противоположность (Си «запад», Дун «восток»), по карнавальному принципу.

Чэнъюй «Дун Ши подражает движению бровей» используется в романе «Сон в красном тереме» (гл.30, сцена «похороны цветов»).

Примечания

Четыре красавицы
Персоналии, чья дата смерти не установлена
Юэ (царство)
У (царство, Чуньцю)
Родившиеся в Чжуцзи

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: How to get the first column of the list? I want to extract the data for the first column. I want the output only have [male, farmer] and the rest are ignored. What should I do?
import numpy as np
from scipy import stats

data = np.array([[11, "male",1222,"teacher"],[23,"female",333,"student"],[15,"male",542,"security"],[44,"male",4422,"farmer"],[25,"female",553,"farmer"]])

# type of the data above
types = ["num","cat","num","cat"]
idx = []
for index, _type in enumerate(types):
    if _type == 'cat':
        idx.append(index)

mode = []
for i in idx:
    mode.append(stats.mode(data[:,i]))
print("mode: {}".format(mode))

If the code [sub[0] for sub in mode] is included in the code, the output is still messy although only have the first column (the output is shown below).
mode: [array(['male'], dtype='<U11'), array(['farmer'], dtype='<U11')]

A: Does that help?
In [1]: l=[[1,2,3],[4,5,6],[7,8,9]]
In [2]: [sub[0] for sub in l]
Out[2]: [1, 4, 7]

A: UPDATE
Try:
[element[0][0] for element in mode]

Generally, [x for x in iterable_structure] will allow you to access each element in the list, process it and create new list. Take a look at:
https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/datastructures.html#list-comprehensions

A: >>> import numpy as np
>>> x = np.array([[1,2,3,4],[5,6,7,8]])

>>> x
array([[1, 2, 3, 4],
    [5, 6, 7, 8]])

>>> x[:,0] # for returning the first column using '0'
array([1, 5])

I think this might help you

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Working out at a local gym! Trust me, I take fitness in school and we do cardio and strength training. I am already seeing results! Unless, are you already unhealthy?
the "quick" part is whats going to damage your health. It takes time and dedication to build your body correctly.
Unfortunately for all of us, there is no any quick way to buff, strong and big without damaging one's health. It takes time, considerable time, and dedication to get there.
it depends on what kind of muscle you want. if you want to bulk up, weight training is the thing to do. if you want lean muscles and flexibility the best thing in my opinion is a martial art. i suggest wing chun, its really good and you get results pretty quick if you practice it often.
Is your job physically damaging your body?
Is coffee the only way to get your day started?


text:
Kanye West Releases Ultralight Prayer for Easter
By Jessica Derschowitz / Entertainment Weekly
Kanye West celebrated Easter Sunday with the surprise debut of a new song, "Ultralight Prayer."
West tweeted a link to the track on Sunday afternoon, adding, "Happy Easter!"
The two-minute song sounds like an extended, alternate version of Kirk Franklin's outro on "Ultralight Beam," the opening track on West's latest album, The Life of Pablo.
Take a listen to "Ultralight Prayer."
This article originally appeared on Ew.com
Hugh Jackman Rescues Swimmers From Riptide at Sydney Beach
How We Can Learn to Live with COVID-19 After Vaccinations


There are a number of variables that affect the life of your spa filter such as the amount your spa is used, and how the filter is maintained. Over a period of time your cartridge will gradually block up and will need replacing. Pleated filters should be cleaned and we recommend every two weeks. Micron filters cannot be cleaned but need to be replaced every 3-6 months if the spa pool is being used regularly.
TIP: Having a second set of filters to alternate with your filter cleaning routine, will extend the life of your filters.
In a spa with very high use once a year is advisable but changing your filter at least every 18 months is considered a general rule depending on the maintenance regime.
NOTE: Replacement filters can be purchased here.


IPC Media is investing a six-figure sum in its biggest research project to date to better understand and connect with consumers. The aim is to develop new products and magazine titles.
The Origin Panel will be run by IPC's research division, IPC Insight, and marks the largest ongoing research programme IPC has ever undertaken. The media company says the venture will offer IPC "unrivalled consumer insight into the UK's female population".
Over six months, IPC has recruited a 7,500-strong nationally representative panel of UK women, together with independent research agency, SPA. IPC Insight aims to keep in touch with this Origin Panel via an online community, and amass quantitative and qualitative data in what it claims will be "a true bellwether of UK women".
IPC Media houses the IPC Southbank, IPC Connect and IPC TX brands and IPC magazines reach over 70% of women the UK.
The publisher's titles range from Chat and Pick Me Up to Marie Claire and Woman & Home.
Turn of the tide for DDB London?
DDB London's chairman and chief executive Stephen Woodford says retaining the 12m Teacher and Development Agency (TDA) business (MW last week) was a "huge" result for the agency, which has been conspicuously quiet since Woodford took over at the start of the year.


Are you looking for the best price for Football Manager 2011? Then look no further because at gonetomorrow.co.uk we compare prices from more UK retailers to help you find Football Manager 2011 cheapest without having to spend hours scouring the internet.
According to unofficial data gathered from the ministry of Football manager 2010, people played the game for an average of "all their free time" resulting in many frustrated other halves calling full time on their relationships!
The bad news for abandoned spouses everywhere, is that Football Manager is back in the form of Football Manager 2011 and it's bigger, better and more addictive than ever!
A few of the many improvements are that aspiring managers can now negotiate contracts with players in real time. And by working with a multitude of real-life football agents, Sports Interactive gained an insight as to how these negotiations can be made as realistic as possible in-game.
Prepare to meet different types of agents in your contract talks; each with their own personality so will therefore need a different approach.
There have also been huge improvements in the 3D Match engine with over 100 new animations added, as well as more player emotions, new player models, new stadiums, pitch textures, improved lighting, floodlit night matches, more goal celebrations and lots of other extras which improve what was already the best match simulation on the market.
So players ready? Kick Off is almost upon us!
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If you are in your mid-30's or younger, you probably don't know what an 8 Track tape is, but that's okay. Think of the 8 Track as being like a cassette tape, only bigger. Anyway, I bought it at a record store in downtown Scranton, back in the day when such things existed. I'm not sure why I picked that particular 8 Track tape, but I do remember playing it over and over again. I ended up having several 8 Track tapes actually, some of which (including two by ABBA) I now own on CD.
I'm not even going to bother explaining what an LP is, other than to say it also goes by the name "record". Anyway, after I bought my first real stereo (at long-forgotten named discount department store in Dunmore), I needed a record to play on it, and Blondie's "Heart of Glass" was popular, so I bought it. I ended up buying many, many more albums over the years. My mother actually had a large number of LPs growing up, and I remember many an hour spent listening to "West Side Story" on the home stereo. "You're never alone, you're never disconnected, you're home on your own, company suspected, you're well protected".
The girl was named Patty, and at the time I actually, kinda, sorta actually fit in. Don't worry, by the time puberty hit full-on, all that would change. Anyway, she was a nice girl and I had absolutely no clue as to what I should or could do about the crush I had on her. I suspect that these days that's not the case.
Honestly, I think this was my first real date. My God, it took so much courage on my part to even ask the girl to go with me, as I had such a crush on her. Oh, and I was so nerdy, dorky, etc. To make matters worse, I wore (I think) a white Tux. Note that at the time I was very tall and very thin, meaning that I ended up looking like a Q-Tip. Anyway, the Prom was el-busto for reasons that to this day are too many to count and too painful to recall. Somewhere there is a picture of this. To my date...Sharon...all I can say is this: "I'm Sorry!".
It was a light green in color, except for the front quater panel, which was orange (actually it was green and rusted originally, so I got a used orange one from DeNaples junk yard). No carpet. AM radio. Reverse that really didn't want to work most of the time...think reving the motor and a giant "thud" when it went into gear. I shared the car with my brother Rich.
I bought this pig from someone in Mechanicsburg while I was in college. It had something like 1K of memory. It did nothing. I repeat, nothing. No disk drive. No hardrive. I think I wrote little programs that would tell it to make sounds. I now have watches with more processing power.


text:
Recruiting Notes: Hopkins Produces Again
By: Chris Horne | January 8, 2010
For Highland Springs (VA) head coach Loren Johnson, one word adequately describes defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins . The word is consistency, something the 6-0, 285-pound senior has shown since earning a starting spot on the varsity as a freshman.
"Derrick's like a baseline. He is straight across. He is consistent all the way across," said Johnson, who just completed his second season as Springers head coach. "He has a good, fast twitch for a big guy. He uses his hands very well. He is getting himself in shape. He plays basketball, so he has good feet. Derrick is consistent all the way around. If you're looking for five traits in a defensive lineman, Derrick has all of them."
Hopkins racked up 59 tackles including 13 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2009, earning Richmond Times-Dispatch all-metro honors for the third time. He'll take his game to Virginia Tech, where his brother, Antoine, will be a sophomore defensive tackle next season.
Coach Johnson wouldn't speculate as to how early Hopkins may see the field in Blacksburg, but he does believe the talented prospect has a leg up on the competition.
"The learning curve will be different for Derrick because he sort of has Cliffs Notes on the system," Johnson said. "I think that could help him contribute very early. We'll wait to see what happens when he gets to camp and if he can do the things they want him to do. He's getting better, which is scary. When you have a player as consistent as he is getting better and better, you could have a great player."
If Hopkins were two or three inches taller, he may have been recruited by schools throughout the country. No matter, though.
"I think Derrick's where he wants to be, regardless of if he was highly recruited or not," Johnson said.
Hopkins, who goes by Skip, carries a 2.5 GPA and has attainted a qualifying SAT score. He is on track to fully qualify.


text:
Q: asp.net core not loading static files I have an app .NET core 2.1 with this code:
 public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IHostingEnvironment env)
    {
        app.UseStaticFiles();
        app.UseStaticFiles(new StaticFileOptions
        {
            FileProvider = new PhysicalFileProvider(
        Path.Combine(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory(), "Assets")),
            RequestPath = "/Assets"
        });
        if (env.IsDevelopment())
        {
            app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
        }
        else
        {
            app.UseHsts();
        }

        app.UseHttpsRedirection();
        app.UseMvc();
    }

and my structure folder:

but none of these urls open the image:
"my-website.com/images/snes/alien.jpg"
"my-website.com/wwwroot/images/snes/alien.jpg"
"my-website.com/Assets/Snes/alien.jpg"
anybody know what is wrong?
Edit: Here is the folder get by CurrentDirectoy() method (apparently is correct):

Edit2: With this code work on localhost but not when i publish on azure:
 app.UseFileServer(
        new FileServerOptions()
        {
            FileProvider = new PhysicalFileProvider(Path.Combine(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory(), "wwwroot"))
        });

A: You are most likely in a working directory that is different than the one you think. Please check this by setting a breakpoint on foo:
public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IHostingEnvironment env)
{
    var foo = Directory.GetCurrentDirectory();
}

The solution depends in how you start the application.
If you are doing it via Visual Studio, probably you have set another Working Directory in the Project properties?

If via command line, you need to cd to your project root.
Another solution, would be to use the directory of your assembly:
// get the directory
var assemblyDirectory = Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location));
var assetDirectory = Path.Combine(assemblyDirectory, "Assets"));

// use it
app.UseStaticFiles(new StaticFileOptions
{
    FileProvider = new PhysicalFileProvider(assetDirectory),
    RequestPath = "/Assets"
});

A: If you are using visual code then you have to set up your working directory in cwd parameter of configuration array of your lunch.json file. See attached screenshot.

A: use IHostingEnvironment
app.UseStaticFiles(new StaticFileOptions
{
     FileProvider = new PhysicalFileProvider(Path.Combine(env.ContentRootPath, "Assets")),
            RequestPath = "/Assets"
});


text:
Smash & Grab
"Brother" of Cityslikr
Steve Bannon charged with money laundering and conspiracy…
What's with these fucking guys anyway?!
How much money do they need?
A quick Google search of the former president's über ally and far-right noisemaker suggests the man's worth to be anywhere from $9-$48 million, current estimates having it pegged at a cool twenty mil. Now he's charged with trying to skim a million bucks from the 'We Build the Wall' scam?
That's like somebody with $10 on hand, stealing the buck and change tip left on the table next to him. The difference being the guy with ten dollars actually needing the extra cash. I guess 9 or 20 or 48 million only goes so far these days. What with inflation and such.
Now, I get money's money, and guys like Bannon and his former boss are master bullshit artists who might not possess anywhere near the amount of wealth they claim to have except, of course, come tax time. Hell, what money they do have could well have come via the same route Bannon attempted to pocket the Wall money, fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, etc., etc. This is just how they do, this million dollars their way of conducting business.
It's the grubby sordidness of it that gets me.
Now, of course, grubby sordid chic pretty much describes Bannon's aesthetic. Unlike the former president who desperately tries to mask his own sordid grubbiness in blue suits, white shirts, red ties, spray on colour and glue on hair, Bannon simply lets his pasty dissolution fly.
Entitled white male has no fucks to give. Your drunk uncle. The corner tavern regular with his designated bar stool and a penchant for scarfing scraps of food off the plates of other customers.
If he wasn't so politically dangerous, he'd be a kind of a fascinating figu—a captivati—an oleaginous, squalid figure in a way a lot of sociopaths are.
Steve Bannon. A superhero's alias. Steve Rogers. Bruce Banner. Oscar Madison during the day, Captain… Sergeant… Doctor… ??? Yeah, I got nothing. No superpowers spring to mind except, maybe, drinking everyone under the table, making off with their wallets and keys while they're passed out.
Steve Bannon. Supervillain then. The anti-Peter Thiel. Sloppy and disheveled in the day, Mr… Dr… Reichsführer… Nope. There's no Jekyll/Hyde alter ego for Steve Bannon. The criminality, the villainy is entirely the point. Your laws do not apply to him, natural or legal. After being charged last week, he was released without bail. What the fuck's that about then? I thought. The man's loaded. He presumably has a passport. A prime candidate to travel to someplace with no extradition treaty. Hungary maybe?
Guys like Steve Bannon seldom-to-rarely face any real consequences for their actions, guilty or not. Like his former boss. In fact, there's every reason to believe he's going to come out of any of these proceedings richer and more infamous with the crowds he preys on than he already is. Like Alex Jones. "It was a very powerful, spiritual day for me," Bannon told fellow far-rightzi, Charlie Kirk on Friday, post-fraud etc. charge (greasy Stevie just don't give a fuck), about the day he was charged back in 2021. "A lot of things came into high clarity… one of the best days of my life." And as he made his way to give himself up, he bellowed for the gathered cameras, microphones and onlookers about his political persecution and attempts to shut down his voice in the lead up to the mid-term elections.
Political persecution. A political prisoner. A martyr to the cause. Send $15 and donate to his legal fight. Be a true patriot.
There are not enough eye rolls.
Just another scam artist. Ideology for sale. An agitator for profit emphasis always on the profit.
But those he always seems to be skimming from, those donors to the We Build the Wall and all the other right-wing sites and causes for the grift? Don't they see it? If you handed over your money to be used for a specific purpose you believed in, and discovered that instead the cash was lining the pockets of the benefactors, wouldn't you be a little miffed at the perps? Disillusioned even? Surely, there must be the true believers who view the big, beautiful Wall as something more than a symbol, a metaphor, a fundraising opportunity. An actual, honest to god wall of concrete and steel that would keep out all the dark-skinned rapists, drug dealers and job stealers.
Will we see any outrage at being fleeced from them?
Or do they hunker down behind Bannon's political persecution rhetoric, not for a second believing they'd been had? Instead, seeing the charges as nothing more than further proof of Deep State nefariousness. The out-of-control liberal elites once again going after one of their own.
Better and more comforting than being taken for an easy mark, a gullible rube.
More troublesome for me, though, and, in all likelihood, far more widespread among the far gone, far-right cult members, is that none of it matters. Of course the Wall was bullshit. Of course conmen like Steve Bannon would stand to make money from the concept. That's just a given and utterly beside the point.
It's the blatant criminality that stokes all their fires. It's the outrage making that spurs them on. Offending sensitive liberal pieties is the point. Law and order for others. Lawlessness for us. They are foot soldiers in the politics of nihilism that forms the core of thinking for players like Steve Bannon, a politics that has given up on solutions and the common good because it's too difficult and might demand a little personal sacrifice and compromise.
And if he and some of the other smarter, scheme-ier ones make a few bucks along the way, what's the harm in that?
This is America, after all.
Wrestling Rank, Murky Water
In "Covid"
The Huckster Age
In "Philosophical Musings"
In "CBC"
Categories: Law, Newspapers, Press coverage, The Guardian
Tags: Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon, We Build the Wall


The upward trend in the Indian construction machinery market continues. Main driving force are the country's high infrastructure investments. This year, the industry will meet at bauma CONEXPO INDIA in Delhi from December 11 to 14. Many key industry players already confirmed their participation.
The Indian construction machinery market is still on an uptrend: after an exceptional gain of 34 percent in 2016, the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) determined a still very considerable growth of twelve percent for 2017. "And also the start of 2018 was extremely positive, as the first months witnessed a strong sales performance," reports Sebastian Popp of the Construction Equipment and Plant Engineering Association in the VDMA. The Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) provides an indicative value here. Established by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry to promote the international brand and location marketing activities, the trust estimates that in the Indian fiscal year of 2018—i.e. from April 2017 until March 2018—almost 97,000 construction machines were sold throughout the country.
In general, things are looking good for the second most populous nation after China worldwide. Looking at the World Economic League Table 2018 published by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, India will overtake the United Kingdom and France in terms of the gross domestic product to move two places up and become the world's fifth largest economy in 2018.
The development in the construction machinery market is mainly driven by the state's massive infrastructure expansion. According to the British market research company Off-Highway Research this expansion is a top priority for the Indian government that monitors all projects at highest level to overcome potential obstacles as quickly as possible. At the very top of the agenda is road construction. In October 2017, the Indian politicians therefore approved the biggest ever highway development plan to develop and expand almost 84,000 kilometers of roads at an investment of USD 107 billion by 2022. Money that will also boost further sales of construction machines.
Off-Highway Research for example believes that the sale of bulldozers in India will increase by more than 25 percent over the next five years. According to the experts quite a few foreign companies managed to conquer significant market shares, competing with the domestic and dominating bulldozer manufacturer BEML. Also the real estate market—primarily housing—sends out positive signals: IBEF assumes that it will grow from an estimated USD 126 billion in 2015 to USD 180 billion in 2020.
In the Indian construction machinery market, crawler excavators and backhoe loaders remain a mainstay. According to IBEF these two types are expected to account for 68 percent of the units sold in 2018. With an increase of almost six percent over 2015, crawler excavators are estimated to yield the highest growth rate.
To participate in the growing Indian market also in the future, many major companies in the global construction machinery industry—such as Action Construction Equipment, Bauer, Hyundai, KYB-Conmat, Manitou Equipment India, Puzzolana, Schwing Stetter India, Volvo India, Wacker Neuson and Wirtgen India—already registered with bauma CONEXPO INDIA. The trade fair for construction equipment will be held from December 11 to 14, 2018 at the HUDA Ground in Gurgaon/Delhi.


text:
Carriera

Club
Ha giocato nella massima serie dei campionati egiziano e turco.

Nazionale
Nel 2002 ha esordito in nazionale.

Palmarès

Club

Competizioni nazionali

Ismaily: 1999-2000
Al-Ahly: 2005-2006, 2006-2007
Zamalek: 2007-2008

Ismaily: 2001-2002
Al-Ahly: 2005-2006, 2006-2007

Collegamenti esterni

Calciatori della Nazionale egiziana


I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about this week as everything felt a bit trite after last week's share. I thought about writing about the positive mind since I just taught a workshop on that last night. Or about writing about how to reconnect to the "joy" in your life after listening to a pretty annoying (but super helpful) podcast about it.
I thought about writing about the "WHY GOD WHY!?" moment I had collapsed in my stairwell this weekend and how I pulled myself out of it by using the tools in the Joy podcast: "Find the things that bring you joy and do more of them in your life" (duh). Apparently what brought me joy was putting together a rad outfit and fun makeup and hair and going out with my friends to see a dirty rock n roll show and running into a bunch of exes while looking fly. Zing!
But as I started to write all of those posts, they just felt a bit flat. I don't know why I didn't want to write about any of that. And instead all I kept thinking about were the emails from people in the past couple weeks who have responded to my last two posts about my breakup and not feeling like my shiny self.
I kept thinking about the email I got forwarded from a well-known blogger who had her own "surprise!" breakup and how she's coping with it, including creating a killer Spotify Playlist and how she's not calling it a "break-up" but rather a "break-upgrade" (hell yeah sister) and listening to songs that would make anyone want to stand taller, stronger, and occasionally smash things.
I kept thinking about the people I know in my life who are going through extremely difficult things like divorces, cancer, being ghosted by people they love, caregiving, chronic illnesses, the loss of their jobs, miscarriages, CPS issues, and just being so sad that all they want is a "dad hug" (me too girl…me too).
And then I think about how all of these people still get up every morning and take care of their kids, reach out for help, reach out to others to help them, volunteer their time, get their needs met, sing songs, write poetry, go to therapy, go to doctors appointments and put their hearts on display for everyone to see and I think about how brave and courageous and incredible that is.
That people in the world can be in so much pain and still show up with beauty and grace and still give to others and go on living in the face of so much hurt. We are all so much stronger than we realize.
Continuing to get up each day while you're grieving is courageous. Lending a helping hand to someone else when you're suffering yourself is compassion personified. Showing up for yourself and your loved ones when you have to duck into the bathroom to sob now and again takes strength. And I just keep seeing that over and over in my life.
No one gets out of here unscathed, but we can make it all a lot easier on ourselves and each other while we're here by loving ourselves and loving others. So I guess this post is to say THANK YOU.
Thank you to the people who have reached out and said "me too" and "you're not alone." Thank you to every person who is or ever has been in pain and has kept going. Thank you to the people who are still there for their kids even when they are going through the unthinkable. Thank you for showing the world and me and everyone around you that pain doesn't have to mean the end of anything but rather an opportunity to experience more goodness in the world. The bright side of things. The light in the darkness.
I still do want to share with you the info about the Positive Mind that I taught in my workshop because it applies here too since it's all about how to see the light in our lives even amongst the dark. I made a video for you that explains this and I share a meditation for it in case you need a little extra boost of lightness. Check out this video to find out why the Positive Mind (and Negative Mind for that matter) is so important.
This practice opens the heart center and the feelings of the positive self. It is a gesture of happiness. The hand mudra became a symbol for blessing and prosperity.
Posture: Sit with an erect spine. Curl the ring finger and little finger into each palm. Bend the thumbs over top of them to lock them into place. Keep the first two fingers straight. Bring the arms so the elbows are by the sides, and the hands are by the shoulders with the two fingers of each hand pointing straight up. Bring the forearms and hands forward to an angle of 30 degrees from the vertical. Press the shoulders and elbows back firmly but comfortably. The palms face forward.
Eyes and Mental Focus: Close the eyelids. Roll the eyes up gently and concentrate at the brow point, the Third Eye area at the top of the nose where the eyebrows would meet.
Breath: Create a steady, slow, deep, and complete breath.
To End: Inhale deeply and exhale three times. Then open and close the fists several times. Relax.
So now I want to know…where do you sit right now? Are you collapsed in a stairwell experiencing the unthinkable? Are you feeling strong and reaching out to those who need help? Or are you both? Leave a comment below and let me know what you do in times of challenge to help you get through. Either way, thanks for showing up today and every day.
P.s. Here's a pic of my super fun ladies night.
← Her breath on my neck and I could have sworn it was….
Good stuff ms Sally. To quote Ann K .. it's not a breakdown it's a breakthrough!
Those people are filtered out for a reason, they weren't there for you to be your best self or lift you higher.
Rejection is God's protection. Good riddance!
"Rejection is God's protection!" I love that Lady E! And can see the ways in which that totally applies to my life. Thanks for reading and for chiming in! LOVE YOU SISTER!


text:
Aiken-Rhett House, Charleston, SC - Pt. I
Photos via Library of Congress
"Through closed shutters the tendrils of vines reached in from outside. Broken chains of prisms hung from chandeliers. Rotting silk drapery clung to gilded poles. Silver hardware had turned black, and a heavy black dust covered everything and hung in the air, so thick in one room that they could not breathe." - Henry Wiencek, "Old Houses"
So was the Aiken-Rhett house when the curator from the Charleston Museum entered the neglected mansion accompanied by two decedents of the family that had lived in the house for 150 years. The last occupant of the house, Frances Rhett, had moved out of the house three years prior, and had recently donated the house to the museum. Her late husband, I'on Rhett and his brother Andrew Burnet Rhett, Jr., occupied the house (with staff) as bachelors for many years, spurning any ideas of modernization, living just like their ancestors had.
1830's Entrance Hall - Photo via Library of Congress
The fourteen room mansion was built in 1817 by John Robinson, a wealthy merchant, who only lived in the house for a short time until he was forced to forfeit it to his creditors when several of his ships were lost at sea. One of the creditors, William Aiken, took possession of the house until he was killed in a carriage accident and the house passed to his son William Aiken, Jr.
William Aiken, Jr., a wealthy planter and future governor of South Carolina, with his wife Harriet were to have the greatest influence on the appearance of the Aiken-Rhett house. Beginning in the 1830's, they oversaw an extensive redesign of the house in the Greek Revival style. The first floor was divided into double parlors and the entrance was moved from the wide front porches (know in Charleston as piazzas) to the side, where an elegant marble entrance hall was built.
Photo - Michael Eastman
In the 1850's, the Aikens once again redecorated, this time in the Rococo Revival style. A gallery was built to display the artwork acquired from the family's travels throughout Europe and a large portrait of Harriet Aiken, by George Whiting Flagg, was installed in the second parlor, so large that a window was blocked off to accommodate the life-sized painting.
William Aiken passed away in 1887, followed by his wife in 1892. At Harriet's death, her daughter Henrietta began a custom that was followed by successive members of the family, her mother's room was simply shut-off, her belongings left untouched.
Henrietta and her husband, Major A.B. Rhett, raised their family in the house. When Henrietta passed away it was divided between her children and their heirs. Burnet Rhett, Jr and his brother I'on Rhett, followed by his wife Frances were the last occupants of the house. Little by little, rooms not needed were closed and left for time to take it's course.
Harriet's bedroom
The Art Gallery
The Back Staircase
Photos via The Library of Congress
Posted by the architecturalist at 1:20 AM 2 comments:


[29046.552054] dvb-usb: found a 'LOGFARM LOG-J200' in warm state.
[29046.552130] dvb-usb: will use the device's hardware PID filter (table count: 16).
[29050.957307] dvb-usb: LOGFARM LOG-J200 successfully initialized and connected.


text:
The emergency room bill is enough to make you sick
By Steve Lopez
Are you ready to play "How much was that visit to the ER?"
OK, so a weekend athlete is playing soccer with his pals in Santa Monica, tries to make a stop and butts heads with an opposing player.
Our warrior goes down in a heap, stands up, touches his head and realizes he's bleeding.
It's immediately clear that although the injury doesn't appear to be serious, our boy is going to need some stitches on his forehead, just under the hairline.
So Lance Budris, who happens to be a doctor, is out of the game and on his way to get patched up.
"I thought about calling a friend to stitch it up," said Budris, an anesthesiologist.
But it was Sunday morning, and he didn't want to bother a colleague on a day off for so minor a mishap. Instead, he had a friend drive him to a Westside hospital, where he walked into the emergency room in his soccer gear, holding a bloody towel to his head.
After a short wait, a nurse took his vitals, an ER tech washed the gash with a saline solution and he got a tetanus shot because he couldn't remember when he'd had his last one.
Then the doctor came in, draped the area and sutured the wound, a two-layer job that required 29 stitches. Budris was on his way roughly two hours after arriving at the hospital.
That was in July.
The bill arrived last month.
Go ahead, take a wild guess before you read the next paragraph. Are you ready?
Two bills, one for ER costs and one for the doctor's fee, totaled nearly $5,000.
Dr. Budris was floored.
As a physician, he's well aware that emergency room treatment is very expensive. But knowing the true cost of the limited supplies and labor required to treat such a minor wound, he found the experience more than a little disturbing.
For one thing, he could barely understand the bill sent him by the hospital, which he asked me not to name. I agreed after checking around and finding that the charges were not out of whack with other ERs. Budris' story isn't about one hospital.
Instead, it's a snapshot of a healthcare system gone mad, in which doctors are discouraged, hospitals go out of business and costs are inflated in a shell game between health insurance companies and medical service providers, while the patients who pay their bills get shafted.
But back to Budris' bill. It listed something called "M/S SUPPLY GENERAL," which came to $1,247. Then there was another $2,425 for "EMERGENCY ROOM GENERAL."
"I'm a doctor and I can't tell you what all of that means," said Budris when we met for coffee and went over the bill together.
Then there was $360 for "PREVENTIVE CARE VACCINE," the tetanus booster.
Budris knows exactly what the true cost was there, because he buys boosters for his own practice.
At $27 each.
The bill's explanation for insurance adjustments was virtually incomprehensible, which of course should surprise no one. Bottom line? Budris' Blue Shield PPO paid $2,200 -- or perhaps $2,409, it's hard to say -- and, after what looks like an unexplained additional "adjustment," he was left with a $1,066.43 bill, plus the additional $600 physician fee.
Budris called the hospital to complain about the whole shebang and ask for an explanation, as well as an adjustment, and he later got a remarkably incomprehensible letter of explanation informing him that although his request for a "patient liability reduction has been partially denied," his cost was being reduced to $659.04.
"Here it is," Budris said at the coffee shop. "This is our national debate right now."
He has a hard time understanding why there are forces in Washington and elsewhere resisting the overhaul of a system that is built for profit rather than health, costs vastly more per person than systems in other industrialized nations and still shuns "great segments of society."
Budris said he thought about his own billing practices and asked himself, "Am I a hypocrite?" He's not gouging patients, he said, but he's a player in a system where gouging is part of the game.
Budris wonders why there isn't a list of services and prices when you walk into a hospital. If you go to a restaurant, a law office or an auto repair shop, you're told in advance what you can expect to pay.
But when it comes to medical services, you don't know the prices or the rules of the game, and you always feel a little bit like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.
"The hospital says to the insurance company, 'OK, this is our number.' And the insurance company says, 'No, we don't pay that number. We pay this number.' "
And the cost of that game, which involves lots of paper shuffling, is all added on to the cost of healthcare.
Emergency rooms are extremely expensive to run and many of them lose money, said Dr. Marshall Morgan, chief of emergency medicine at the UCLA Medical Center. They have a large number of uninsured patients they are obligated to treat, and patients with insurance end up paying for more than the true cost of their own care.
"The bottom line is that hospital charges I see have little relationship to anything I can perceive as reality," said Morgan.
He said the current healthcare system has given health insurance companies "more money than God," with Big Pharma doing quite nicely, "and I'm not bad off myself." But we pay far more than we get back in healthcare, he said, and although he would like to see a national single-payer system that removes profit from the equation, he isn't betting on one.
"The insurance companies have huge amounts of money, and like everyone else," he said, "they buy and sell our Congress people."
Dr. Budris asked physician friends what they thought his ER bill was for his 2-inch laceration. They gave knowing smiles and guessed in the $5,000 range, or up to 10 times what the true cost of service might have been.
Lots of people are party to a dishonest and inefficient system, said Budris. He doesn't single out insurance companies, even though his wife, a critical care nurse, was dropped by her insurance company.
It claimed she had concealed an illness; the Budrises argued the condition was previously undiagnosed.
It's one crazy fight after another.
steve.lopez@latimes.com
Steve Lopez
Steve Lopez is a California native who has been an L.A. Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards for his reporting and column writing at seven newspapers and four news magazines, and is a three-time Pulitzer finalist for commentary – in 2012, for his columns on elder care; in 2016, for his columns on income inequality in California; and in 2018, for his columns on housing and homelessness. He is the author of three novels, two collections of columns and a non-fiction work called "The Soloist," which was a Los Angeles Times and New York Times best-seller, winner of the PEN USA Literary Award for Non-Fiction, and the subject of a Dream Works movie by the same name. Lopez's television reporting for public station KCET has won three local news Emmys, three Golden Mike awards and a share of the Columbia University DuPont Award.
Archaeologists explore a rural field in Kansas, and a lost city emerges


May 02, 2018 09:00 ET | Source: Unified Office, Inc.
Nashua, NH. , May 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unified Office, Inc, a leading managed services provider offering reliable hybrid cloud-based Voice/UC communications services, IoT and business analytics to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), announced today that the US Patent Office has issued a patent for its Highest Quality Routing Protocol™ (HQRP™), U.S. Design Patent Number 9,929,950, method and apparatus for routing voice calls over VoIP networks. The patent covers the technology used in Unified Office's Highest Quality Routing Protocol™ (HQRP™) transmission network. Unified Office's HQRP™ essentially solves the quality and reliability problems that VoIP/UC has suffered from since it was invented and eliminates the need for costly dedicated T1 access lines, MPLS tunnels and other legacy techniques. HQRP provides the network which our Total Connect Now℠ (TCN℠) business communications service offering is based on.
Unified Office's previously patented Visual Performance Suite provides a real-time view of changes in operational performance levels and actionable intelligence for SMBs, enabling them to stay on top of real-time business performance, to take immediate actions, and to apply continuous operational improvements. All of these Total Connect Now℠ (TCN℠) services are designed to help businesses provide higher levels of customer satisfaction, increased customer retention, and in many cases increased revenues and profitability.
Total Connect Now℠ is an easy to use managed business communications service that integrates voice and video communications, messaging, service-level monitoring, business continuity, and business analytics tools into a seamless, high quality, reliable communications service that can be configured to meet the unique needs of any business. Unified Office provides an at-a-glance view of customer service responsiveness in real-time, along with on-demand and scheduled reporting, and real-time analytics for any single or multilocation business. All of this can be viewed, configured and accessed remotely via the Unified Office fully integrated TCN℠ Operational Management Suite™ (TCNOMS™) web-enabled portal on any device.
Unified Office is a managed services company that takes total responsibility for its customers' business communications services. Proactive service monitoring and business continuity backup around the clock ensures a worry-free experience. With Unified Office's extensive interoperability testing, users can rest assured that their service provides outstanding reliability and is available whenever and wherever they need it.
Unified Office, Inc. is a leading provider of SDN-based, hybrid cloud, managed, Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and Unified Communications services to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Unified Office's Total Connect Now℠ service architecture was purpose-built to deliver the highest quality of experience and availability, leveraging the latest in extensible business VoIP communications technology and cloud-based infrastructure to enhance SMB workforce productivity. Their cloud-based intelligent network incorporates Unified Office's unique adaptive Highest Quality Routing Protocol™ (HQRP™) for end-to-end service quality, and Business Continuity "shadowing" to ensure high availability operation over one or more redundant broadband links.
The Unified Office Visual Performance Suite™ and IoT service platform provides a real-time view of changes in operational performance levels and actionable intelligence for SMBs, store managers and business owners, enabling them to readily determine real-time business performance, take immediate actions, and apply continuous operational improvements. This results in higher customer satisfaction, increased customer retention, and increased revenues and profitability. For more information visit www.unifiedoffice.com.


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Q: Landscape view issue with navigation bar Default Navigation bar height is 64.But after change it's orientation to landscape navigation bar height changed to 28.I want to set Fix navigation bar size in all orientation.

A: You can add orientation observer:
NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(self, selector: #selector(rotated), name: NSNotification.Name.UIDeviceOrientationDidChange, object: nil)

And add rotate method:
func rotated() {
    let height: CGFloat = 50 //whatever height you want to add to the existing height
    let bounds = self.navigationController!.navigationBar.bounds
    self.navigationController?.navigationBar.frame = CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: bounds.width, height: bounds.height + height)
}