text:
Capital stirred Metaverse and eagerly voted for "Chinese version of Roblox"
A frothy feast under the artificial air outlet?
Recently, the meta universe has been pushed above the tuyere again.
Everyone is talking about this topic, with a look of puzzled excitement, but there is always a light towards the unknown in their eyes.
And capital is pouring into this fire track, trying to occupy the investment high ground first.
Recently, Zhuhai Sandbox Network Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Sandbox Network") has completed a strategic investment of 200 million yuan, which is mainly used to strengthen product research and development and improve UGC ecological construction.
Founded in 2015, Sandbox Network is positioned as a global game UGC platform to help ordinary players transform their ideas into games. Its core products include the game platform Blockman Go and the game editor Blockman Editor. It has more than 50 million players worldwide. user.
Now four rounds of financing have been completed. Investors include Huanju Times, IFC Investment, Yilian Capital, Chuangmeng Tiandi, Hi-tech Angel Venture Capital, and Zhixingtong.
People may not be familiar with this company, but in fact, it is already a large-scale game UGC platform that closely follows in the footsteps of Roblox, the first stock in the meta universe.
Image source: official website
And when it comes to Roblox, people who are talking about Metaverse will not be unfamiliar. The world's largest multiplayer online creation sandbox game platform was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in March this year. With the fermentation of the Metaverse concept, the third place is superimposed. The strong quarterly performance has now risen by more than 76%.
In the past, people yearned for facing the sea and blooming in spring. Now, the development of the meta universe has become the sea of stars in their hearts. However, at this stage, the sparks that have spread are very valuable, but they are still not enough to start a prairie fire.
1 gaming platform to become the meat and potatoes
Put on relevant audio-visual equipment and enter a virtual digital world parallel to and interact with the real world in the form of virtual avatars to survive and experience. This is people's current concrete understanding of the worldview constructed by the meta-universe.
From a certain level, this is a kind of free release of people's spiritual world. After all, desire is like a bottomless pit, but in real life, it is always limited. It is better to plug in the wings of imagination and go to the parallel world to be satisfied.
Metaverse is not a pioneering new concept, but the technologies it needs are all hot spots in the Internet economy, whether it is artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, or 5G, VR, and the Internet of Things. It is a blue ocean gold mine that needs to be unearthed urgently.
The map of the company that built Meta Universe, source of image: Kaiyuan Securities
At present, the development direction that is most easily connected with the concept is the game industry. As a simulation extension of this reality, it has become the first scene in the eyes of the public to receive dividends.
Recently, while the concept has brought a wave of gains in game stocks, the game UGC platform led by Sandbox Network and Roblox has attracted attention .
The eight elements of the meta universe proposed by Roblox, picture source: Kaiyuan Securities
Different from the game in the impression, this kind of platform mainly brings increment through content creation and social network. Players are not only one-way playing games, but also developers. They can create and extend the game world through their own creativity. With higher degree and randomness, it attracts players, and then forms a decentralized, bottom-up content production method to bring user stickiness. In this mode, the platform often charges for virtual items and value-added services in the game.
Image source: Internet
Compared with Roblox, the UGC ecology of the domestic sandbox network is not mature enough and in an early stage, but it has been optimized in terms of content and device compatibility. At the same time, although there is potential in the domestic market, the sandbox network currently focuses on overseas markets, and the user portraits of Blockman Go are mainly concentrated in the 9-19 year old group of teenagers.
The listing of Roblox, for the game UGC platform, is undoubtedly a shot in the heart, and it has pushed people's expectations of the meta universe to a climax.
In the context of the slow relaxation of epidemic restrictions, Roblox's performance in the third quarter of this year was dazzling, exceeding expectations, achieving revenue of 509 million US dollars, an increase of 102% year-on-year, but the net loss attributable to common shareholders was 74 million US dollars. The same period last year was a loss of 48.61 million U.S. dollars.
Key indicators point to more positive points. For example, the average number of daily active users (DAU) was 47.3 million, an increase of 31% year-on-year, which was 2.6 times that of the same period in 2019; the average daily active user bookings (ABPDAU) was US$13.49 and user engagement hours The number was 11.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 28%; users of all ages around the world invested a total of 11.2 billion hours on the platform, an increase of 28% year-on-year, an increase of three times compared with the same period in 2019; the third quarter booked $637.8 million, a year-on-year increase An increase of 28%.
Obviously, Roblox's profitability is closely related to user stickiness. The better the user activity, the more benign the platform content ecology. After attracting more users, the profit opportunity will be greater. At present, its revenue mainly comes from membership services and paid items. , Value-added services, etc.
The good performance has brought a wave of stock prices, but the soaring stock prices also mean that the heights are too cold.
Roblox is still losing money and even expanding. Although the influx of users will bring more profit margins, it also means that the costs that need to be allocated to platform developers are also rising, which will bring a certain degree of operational pressure.
Generally speaking, although Roblox has a dazzling aura, it is actually facing the dilemma of internal and external troubles.
Like the sandbox network in this article, Roblox's target group is also teenagers, that is, users under the age of 13. It will be broken if it is broken.
At the same time, the meta-universe of the big fire also ushered in the participation of all walks of life. Microsoft launched Mesh with all its strength, Facebook changed its name to Meta, and domestic Tencent and ByteDance also started to explore… the competitive situation is on the verge of breaking out.
The layout of domestic and foreign head manufacturers, picture source: Internet
2 Stuck in a hype circle?
However, it is precisely because of the gathering of people from all walks of life that the market has plunged into a frenzy.
It seems to be telling everyone that doing meta universe is a cool business these years.
We have seen this kind of enthusiasm in the past. Sharing economy, community group buying , or Bitcoin… They all have a commonality, that is, they have drawn a big pie in advance, a blueprint with a special future.
Then the capital swarmed in and started to be strong, staking out the land, fighting for scale, fighting for financial resources, and building up the momentum, but often the results were unsatisfactory. When a basin of cold water was poured down, the last place was feathers.
Now, the meta universe has inevitably entered this vicious circle.
Of course, it cannot be denied that the emergence of the metaverse has indeed brought a kind of vitality to the existing market, and provided people in this world with an exciting and reverie possibility.
It is important to know that after reaching the traffic ceiling, many Internet companies are more or less powerless in the face of Red Sea competition. Existing products are difficult to attract more increments. They are eager to have new variables to break this deadlock and achieve The so-called vision in the heart, so the meta universe burst out of the sky.
However, when facing the stars and the sea, one has to be down-to-earth.
The business of Metaverse has a threshold. At this stage, it is only in the stage of cognitive penetration. It is more of a state of co-creation. After all, it is not mature in terms of technology, supervision, and content. It is still far from building the so-called virtual world. Far from it.
So, what are people crazy about?
Overnight, business about Metaverse emerged. Some people invested in projects, some were broadcast live, some were selling classes, and they had even made money.
We are already very familiar with this irrational madness, because the concept of hype is the same no matter when.
We do not deny that game companies headed by Sandbox Network and Roblox are indeed making products according to their own vision and user needs, but more on the market is to take advantage of the hot hype, tell a new story, and draw a picture at this stage. Can't see the actual pie.
Meta universe application map, image source: Kaiyuan Securities
This kind of operation is the norm in the secondary market, and many companies are scrambling to find ways to catch up with the concept hot spots.
For example, after Jinke Culture changed its name to "Tom Cat", under the catalysis of the concept of Metacosmos , it once claimed on the interactive Yi platform that it had established a special working group for the direction of Metacosmos, and the stock price immediately rose.
In this regard, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange is also unambiguous and directly issued a letter of concern. Tom Cat explained that it is still in the early stage of exploration.
And the Yuan universe's exploration horoscope hasn't been written yet, and the winners who have reduced their holdings and cashed out have already turned and left the field.
Coincidentally, the game company Zhongqingbao , one of the meta-universe concept stocks , is also experiencing high stock prices under hot conditions.
Investigating the reasons for the rise, Zhongqingbao previously announced that it would launch a simulated business meta-universe game "Brewmaster". As soon as the news came out, the stock price was immediately reflected, and it has risen by 307% since September this year.
Source of the map: official public account
The bubble during this period is not a star and a half. In the final analysis, the meta-universe is still a moon in the mirror. Even most people are still trying to understand this worldview. The development of science and technology is not achieved overnight. This is a dream of seeking from above and below. The road is destined to be long.
However, this concept is very forward-looking and has a deep impact. Once the resulting anticipatory filter is added, it is easy to be confused and pay on the spot. Therefore, in the face of possible profitable opportunities, some people will still tout to make the bubble bigger and fly higher.
The skinny feeling of not seeing the actual development is very dangerous. After all, after excessive hype, this is a silly game of drumming and spreading flowers. Whether you can see the end of the meta universe is uncertain, but it is inseparable from being cut.
When technology has developed to a high level, compared with the real world, the meta universe is a piece of virtual paradise in people's hearts, and it begins to cut the bonus cake of the real world. The faith that this yearning brings is powerful, but at the same time very dangerous.
It's an old saying that too much is too much. The effect of unlimited expansion of the meta universe is undoubtedly to kill, but it is easy to bring gold opportunities to the hot hype.
Now in this stage of incubation and penetration, anyone can tell stories, and the meta universe does not need to be as short-lived as summer fireworks. After all, without a reasonable regulatory environment and rock-solid technical support, stories can only be stories. The legends passed by word of mouth are still illusory after all.
Posted by:CoinYuppie,Reprinted with attribution to:https://coinyuppie.com/capital-stirred-yuan-cosmos-and-eagerly-voted-for-chinese-version-of-roblox/
Shenzhen Skyworth Digital has received 50 million yuan of capital from Zhuhai Skyworth Qiangke. Skyworth Digital, an established set-top box manufacturer, has a strong interest in Metaverse?
The price is US$20w. This company wants to buy your face: regardless of gender or age, it is expected to be used in robots in 2023
rarity.tools: Do you know how rare your NFT is?
Giants take the lead in sounding the rallying call of "Metaverse", will the demons flurry or the heroes?
From NFT to Metaverse JGN, the layout of GameFi achieves ecological leap-forward development
Facebook evolved into a Metaverse: a centralized dystopian virtual world
This year's Christmas C-bit belongs to the Metaverse


text:
namespace net {
namespace {

void NetLogInvalidHeader(const NetLogWithSource& net_log,
                         base::StringPiece header_name,
                         base::StringPiece header_value,
                         const char* error_message) {
  net_log.AddEvent(NetLogEventType::HTTP2_SESSION_RECV_INVALID_HEADER,
                   [&](NetLogCaptureMode capture_mode) {
                     base::DictionaryValue dict;
                     dict.SetKey("header_name", NetLogStringValue(header_name));
                     dict.SetKey("header_value",
                                 NetLogStringValue(ElideHeaderValueForNetLog(
                                     capture_mode, header_name.as_string(),
                                     header_value.as_string())));
                     dict.SetString("error", error_message);
                     return dict;
                   });
}

bool ContainsUppercaseAscii(base::StringPiece str) {
  return std::any_of(str.begin(), str.end(), base::IsAsciiUpper<char>);
}

}  // namespace

HeaderCoalescer::HeaderCoalescer(uint32_t max_header_list_size,
                                 const NetLogWithSource& net_log)
    : max_header_list_size_(max_header_list_size), net_log_(net_log) {}

void HeaderCoalescer::OnHeader(base::StringPiece key, base::StringPiece value) {
  if (error_seen_)
    return;
  if (!AddHeader(key, value))
    error_seen_ = true;
}

spdy::SpdyHeaderBlock HeaderCoalescer::release_headers() {
  DCHECK(headers_valid_);
  headers_valid_ = false;
  return std::move(headers_);
}

size_t HeaderCoalescer::EstimateMemoryUsage() const {
  return base::trace_event::EstimateMemoryUsage(headers_);
}

bool HeaderCoalescer::AddHeader(base::StringPiece key,
                                base::StringPiece value) {
  if (key.empty()) {
    NetLogInvalidHeader(net_log_, key, value, "Header name must not be empty.");
    return false;
  }

  base::StringPiece key_name = key;
  if (key[0] == ':') {
    if (regular_header_seen_) {
      NetLogInvalidHeader(net_log_, key, value,
                          "Pseudo header must not follow regular headers.");
      return false;
    }
    key_name.remove_prefix(1);
  } else if (!regular_header_seen_) {
    regular_header_seen_ = true;
  }

  if (!HttpUtil::IsValidHeaderName(key_name)) {
    NetLogInvalidHeader(net_log_, key, value,
                        "Invalid character in header name.");
    return false;
  }

  if (ContainsUppercaseAscii(key_name)) {
    NetLogInvalidHeader(net_log_, key, value,
                        "Upper case characters in header name.");
    return false;
  }

  // 32 byte overhead according to RFC 7540 Section 6.5.2.
  header_list_size_ += key.size() + value.size() + 32;
  if (header_list_size_ > max_header_list_size_) {
    NetLogInvalidHeader(net_log_, key, value, "Header list too large.");
    return false;
  }

  // RFC 7540 Section 10.3: "Any request or response that contains a character
  // not permitted in a header field value MUST be treated as malformed (Section
  // 8.1.2.6). Valid characters are defined by the field-content ABNF rule in
  // Section 3.2 of [RFC7230]." RFC 7230 Section 3.2 says:
  // field-content  = field-vchar [ 1*( SP / HTAB ) field-vchar ]
  // field-vchar    = VCHAR / obs-text
  // RFC 5234 Appendix B.1 defines |VCHAR|:
  // VCHAR          =  %x21-7E
  // RFC 7230 Section 3.2.6 defines |obs-text|:
  // obs-text       = %x80-FF
  // Therefore allowed characters are '\t' (HTAB), x20 (SP), x21-7E, and x80-FF.
  for (const unsigned char c : value) {
    if (c < '\t' || ('\t' < c && c < 0x20) || c == 0x7f) {
      std::string error_line;
      base::StringAppendF(&error_line,
                          "Invalid character 0x%02X in header value.", c);
      NetLogInvalidHeader(net_log_, key, value, error_line.c_str());
      return false;
    }
  }

  headers_.AppendValueOrAddHeader(key, value);
  return true;
}

}  // namespace net

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Beaverton Doctor Crusades Against Vaccine Requirement at Oregon Capitol
"The epidemic is completely done, and no one died," he said.
Dr. Paul Thomas has a YouTube channel and a bestselling book on Amazon. He's a leading figure opposing Oregon's effort to require vaccines for admission to public schools. (Sam Gehrke)
By Rachel Monahan |
Dr. Paul Thomas, a Beaverton pediatrician who caters to vaccine-skeptical parents, is embracing his role as a "vaccine choice" crusader.
Related: Pediatrician Paul Thomas has 15,000 patients—and he tells them the measles vaccine might cause autism.
He's lobbying against Oregon House Bill 3063, which would remove the nonmedical exemption to vaccines.
Thomas spoke on the steps of the Capitol on April 23, arguing the effects of a measles outbreak this winter were overblown. "The epidemic is completely done, and no one died," he said.
He again linked vaccines, including the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, to autism—a claim with no scientific backing.
He engaged in a call-and-response with a crowd protesting the bill. "Will you ignore what you know and go get all the vaccines?" he asked. "No!" the crowd replied.
anti-vaccine
anti-vaxx
Oregon House Bill 3063
About Rachel Monahan
Rachel Monahan joined Willamette Week in 2016. She covers housing and City Hall.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Frédéric Jardin (born 18 May 1968) is a French film director.

Filmography

References

External links

Living people
1968 births
French film directors

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Know About Alyssa Milano; Husband, 2018, Net Worth, Children, Height
American actress Alyssa Milano holds a versatile personality as a producer, singer, and activist. And her nearly four-decades-long professional career has profited her with impeccable fame and appealing net worth.
Alyssa Milano had the taste of acting in an infant age of 7 after her babysitter took her to an audition. Since then, Hollywood diva has parted in more than five dozens of movies and TV shows.
Alyssa Milano's Bio: Age, Height
The 46-years-of-age actress was born as Alyssa Jayne Milano on 19 December 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. She was raised by her film-music editor father, Thomas M. Milano and a fashion designer and talent manager mother, Lin Milano. Alyssa also has a younger brother named Cory.
Alyssa, who stands at a decent height of 5 feet and 2 inches (1.57 m), is of Italian descent and was raised as a Roman Catholic.
You May Find Interesting: Know About Amy Schumer; Instagram, Movies, Husband, Age, Wedding
Career, Net Worth
Alyssa's babysitter took her to an audition for a part in a national touring company of Annie. She was selected from more than 1,500 girls and had to go on the road with her mother for 18 months. Later in 1984, Alyssa made her movie debut with the American drama film, Old Enough.
Her television debut also came in 1984 when she was cast as Samantha Micelli in an American sitcom, Who's the Boss, She was part of the show till its final season in 1992. Besides, the talented actress had much more of TV and movie exposure with The Surrogate (1995), Fear (1996), Public Enemies (1996), Charmed (1998-2006), My Name is Earl (2007-2008), and Project Runway All Stars (2013-present).
Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell in Charmed (Picture: IMDB)
Apart from that, she appears with the main role of Coralee Armstrong in black comedy-drama web series Insatiable since 2018. The show also adds some touch to her commanding net worth of $10 Million.
Also Read: Know About Katie Holmes; Net Worth, Jamie Foxx, Dating, Married, Height
Who Is Her Husband, Children?
As far as Alyssa Milano's relationship life is concerned, she has had so many in the past. However, fortunately, she is now driving a settled life with her Creative Artists Agency agent husband, David Bugliari.
Alyssa and David tied the wedding knots on 15 August 2009 at David's family home in New Jersey. They started their relationship in 2007 and went on to share the engagement rings in December 2008. The married pair welcomed a son named Milo Thomas Bugliari in August 2011 and a daughter named Elizabeth Dylan Bugliari in September 2014.
Alyssa Milano with her husband and children on 22 April 2019 (Picture: Alyssa's Instagram)
Before her marital bond with David, Alyssa was married to singer Cinjun Tate. However, the relationship ended with a divorce in early 2000 just a year or so after their blissful ceremony at the very start of 1999. Prior to that, Alyssa had short flings with Canadian actor Corey Haim and American actor Scott Wolf in between 1987 to 1993.
Some Interesting Facts About Alyssa Milano
Known for her activism, Alyssa called for a sex strike in May 2019 in retaliation of a recently passed abortion law in the U.S. state of Georgia.
She sued adult websites for unauthorized use of nude images from her films in 1998.
Alyssa has several Catholic tattoos on her body.
She is interested in playing musical instruments like the piano and flute.
Alyssa is an active member of UNICEF.
She is the surrogate granddaughter of late actress Katherine Helmond.
Previous PostPrevious Know About Ayesha Curry; Age, Stephen Curry, Wedding, Kids, Instagram
Next PostNext Know About Jack Avery; Age, Gabriela Gonzalez, Parents, Siblings, Tattoo


text:
BubbleStream
James Michael Becher
a book bubble about
The Christmas Victory
This is a historical tiction novel which covers the years 1860 to 1909 and deals with the lives of H.W. Longfellow, his son, Charles and Mark Twain. What do the lives of Henry Wadsworth. Longfellow and Mark Twain have in common? The answer is that both of their lives contained terrible tragedies from which they eventually found real hope and spiritual meaning—at least in this novel. This book is about one little sermon and one, even littler poem, and how, fictionally, they may have influenced and given hope to, not only the author of the poem, Henry W. Longfellow, but also his son, Charles, and Mark Twain, whom Charles meets. Though suffering tragic losses, these all eventually find hope and spiritual fulfillment.
I, was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on June 8, 1943 to a Christian family and accepted Jesus at an early age. In Jr. High School, I became interested in writing and drama. I wrote poems, articles and a few short stories, and plays. In college, I won second prize in a contest with a Biblical short story, which now forms part of my first novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom, A novel of the Christ and the Roman Empire," published in 2003. In 2010, I wrote the sequel, "Of Such Is the Kingdom, Part III, Power and Persecution, A Novel of the early Church and the Roman Empire." I also wrote a Sci-fi novel, "Impossible Journey, A Tale of Times and Truth" and a non-fiction book, "Principles of the Kingdom." I graduated from Clearwater Christian College in 1970 with a B.A. degree in Bible-Literature, and from Biblical School of Theology in 1974 with a M. Div. Ordained in November, 1974, I served as assistant pastor/Bible teacher in several churches. I also served in a foreign-student ministry, where I met my wife, Berenice Carett from Venezuela. In 2014 I wrote an American historical novel, called "The Christmas Victory."
Amazon Barnes&Noble GooglePlay Apple Books Kobo
Author Insight
The war and the fire
I begin this excerpt with Henry's disappointment over the inevitability of civil war. I included this to show his already depressed state of mind when the larger tragedy regarding his wife takes place. The events here portrayed (in this excerpt) are true historical events. I enlarge on them only slightly to show what must have been Henry's state of mind and his reaction to these unspeakable tragedies. I end this excerpt with a look at his attitude that Christmas season, compared to that of his children. ------------- This book is now available as an eBook on Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo and Smashwords
Yet, he also recalled that lovely spring day when he had been speaking with his oldest son, Charles, now 17, about the possibility of civil war.
"I know that Lincoln has promised not to attack first," Charles was saying, but, with the way the south is now, don't you think civil war is a distinct possibility?"
"No Son, I don't." he had replied. "If anyone can unite this country, President Lincoln can."
But just then, they had heard the news boy outside, ringing his bell and yelling out the news of war. "Rebels attack Fort Sumter. War is declared! Read all about it!" He had sent Charles out to buy the paper and had slumped back in his chair, greatly disappointed. He had thought that surely Lincoln would be able to keep the country united and avoid war. He had slumped further down in his armchair and dozed off to sleep.
It was two and a half months later, and he had again been talking with Charles, when the news came of Union defeat.
He had been telling Charles "It looks like we have a good chance of winning the war."
"Yes, Father." Charles had replied. "Perhaps this stupid war will be over soon."
"Let's hope so, Son."
But just then, they had heard again the newsboy's bell and the boy yelling out the headlines: "Union forces routed at Carthage. General Sigel withdraws. Read all about it."
"Oh no!" he had sighed. "It looks like it's going the other way." Again he had gone into his study and had slumped down in his easy chair. Again he had begun to doze off.
It had been unseasonably hot that July, and Fanny had decided to trim the heavy locks of their seven year old daughter, Edith's hair. Dozing off, he had been able to faintly hear them speaking in the adjacent room.
"But, mother, I don't feel hot, really."
"Believe me, Edith, you'll feel a lot better without all that hair. Let me just trim off a few of these locks."
"Well, alight mother, but could you be quick about it? I want to go out and play."
At this point, he was in dreamland. He hadn't heard Fanny say, "There, that's perfect, and these locks are so perfect that I think I'll save one for posterity," or Edith ask: "O.K. Mother, can I go out and play now?" He hadn't heard Fanny remark as she heated the wax to seal the envelope, "Yes, dear, but change into your play clothes first."
"Must I mother?" the child had replied, still unheard by the slumbering Henry. Fanny had been about to answer, when, perhaps because of the distraction of Edith's question, some of the hot drops of wax had fallen unseen onto her dress. Then, as if on signal from an unseen evil force, a boisterous breeze had blown through the open window and set the smoldering dress aflame.
"Oh, mother, mother! Your dress is on fire!" had yelled Alice Mary, who'd been standing in the doorway, watching the whole procedure. In an effort to protect her young daughters from the flames, Fanny had rushed, screaming into her husband's study.
He had awakened with a start, yelling, "What in the world? O my God, Fanny!" He had first tried to extinguish the flames with a rug, and when that had failed he had begun to throw his body onto his wife, severely burning his face, arms and hands, yelling all the while.
By now all the children had gathered and begun yelling hysterically as well. Then Charles had yelled out, "Silence! We will get nowhere by panicking. You other children lead them to their bedroom, while I go for Doc. Buridge."
Soon Charles was back with the doctor. Henry had lain there in pain, as the doctor applied the ointment to him and to his wife beside him.
When he had awakened the next morning, she was still beside him. She had asked for a cup of coffee. Charles had brought it to her. She had drunk it and lain back in the bed. An hour later she was gone. Henry had called her name, but she had not answered. He had gotten up and tired shaking her, but there had been no response. He had gazed in disbelief and shock at her lifeless body.
He had asked God a thousand times since that fateful day, why. Why had she been taken from him when he felt he needed her so? Or why had he not died along with her? But, he realized that this was just selfish thinking. If he were gone too, who would take care of the children?
He had tried to forget about her and the terrible fire, first by turning to laudanum and ether, which he obtained from the nearby apothecary. They had also helped to ease the pain from the burns, but he'd soon found himself becoming too dependent on these substances and had realized that they could also leave him helpless at times to tend to the children when they most needed him. So he had decided to stop the drugs and to start a new writing project instead. He had come up with what he thought was a good idea for a new book--a group of poems centered around a wayside inn. The burns had begun to heal and be less painful, and his concentrated effort on his new writing project had helped him forget about the fire and his loss for a while. But, then the awful memories would come flooding back.
This Christmas season, 1861, the house seemed especially empty even with the cheery voices of the children. They had somehow gotten over their mother's death. Children are somehow more pliable than adults—they bounce back easier. He felt he would never get over it. And now that it was Christmas time again, he thought it may never really be Christmas again without her.
Barnes&Noble
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.
© 2022 Bublish and respective copyright holders bublish.com
Send a Bubble to your Friends!
Enter your friends' email addresses, and we will send them an email with a link to this Bubble.
Your Friend's Email Address(s)
Separate multiple addresses with , (comma)
Greeting Name
How your name will show in the email to your friend(s).
Send a note with the link
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish
Sign in to follow this author. Not a member? Use our Quick Signup!
Sign up to join Bublish and follow this author. Already a member? Sign in!
Choose Password *
By submitting this form, you accept the Bublish Terms of Service
© 2022 bublish - all rights reserved
FAQs & Tutorials
We use cookies so you get the best experience on our website. By using our site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy. ACCEPT COOKIES


Just finished session 3 and Loving it!
Home › Forums › Scalp Micropigmentation Forum › Just finished session 3 and Loving it!
This topic contains 1 reply, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Harvey 3 months ago.
I've just finished my 3rd session at the New York office and wanted to share my results. Very happy with how it came out, started very light on session 1 with color 28 I think, that looked very light after a week, but I was very nervous and Mike said he will start on the very cautious side to make me feel comfortable. Went a bit darker on session 2 and again on session 3 (color 16).
Pain I would say was about 2-3 out of 10 most of the time, maybe a 5 on the sides but still not that bad.
Mike is a great guy and knows his stuff, was confident from the minute I met him at the consultation that he would deliver and he did.
If anyone is still thinking about it, go for it, you don't need to be nervous, these guys are will give you what you want, I did quite a bit of research before choosing skalp and the choice was obvious as skalp have the most natural results by far.
Here is my head just after the 3rd session, had the whole top of the head done.


text:
Ottilia Preußing (auch: Preussing) (* in Mörfelden; † 19. April 1654 in Homburg vor der Höhe) war das prominenteste Opfer der Bad Homburger Hexenverfolgung und wurde am 19. April 1654 hingerichtet.

Leben
Ottilia Preußing war die Witwe des 1645 gestorbenen Bad Homburger evangelischen Pfarrers Lorenz Preußing.

Hexenprozesse Bad Homburg
Im Amt Homburg wurden unter Georg I. zwischen 1582 und 1590 20 Menschen wegen Zauberei verurteilt.
In Hessen-Homburg wurden 1622–1656 über 70 Personen als Hexen hingerichtet.
Landgraf Wilhelm Christoph von Hessen-Homburg ließ 1650–1661 in der kleinen evangelischen Landgrafschaft über 53 Personen wegen Hexerei hinrichten, darunter einige Kinder.

In Homburg wurden die Gefangenen im damaligen Rathausturm (Rathausgasse) inhaftiert. Die Verhöre fanden im Rathaus statt, die Verurteilung auf dem Marktplatz davor, während die Hinrichtungen auf dem Platzenberg geschahen (heute Leopoldsweg). 34 der Opfer stammten aus Seulberg, 21 aus Homburg, zehn aus Köppern, sechs aus Gonzenheim und vier aus Oberstedten.

Hexenprozess Ottilia Preußing
Das prominenteste Opfer war die Bad Homburger Pfarrerswitwe Ottilia Preußing. Bereits im Sommer 1652 geriet sie in den Verdacht der Hexerei. In einem Hexenprozess wurde der angeklagten Frau Müller Els unter der Folter das Geständnis abgepresst, sie habe Ottilia Preußing beim Hexentanz an der oberen Tafel sitzen sehen. Als Pfarrerswitwe genoss Ottilia Preußing zunächst einen gewissen Schutz gegen diese Anschuldigungen. Im Verlauf zahlreicher Verhöre kamen 1653 jedoch 20 weitere Denunziationen hinzu. Mehrfach wurde die Verdächtige als Obristin oder Königin der Hexen tituliert, die mit Dienerschaft und schwarzer Kutsche zu nächtlichen Treffen der Hexen fahre. Am 15. Februar 1654 gaben drei Homburger Schöffen zu Protokoll, dass die Inquisitin … nach ihres Mannes Tod in bösen Ruff, Zauberey halber geraten sei. Die Richter hatten immer noch Skrupel: Der Frauen geführte erbar leben und wandel stehet nicht wenig im Wege, heißt es im Anhang an die Aussagen der Schöffen [das von den Frauen geführte ehrbare Leben und ihr Lebenswandel stehen einer Verurteilung nicht wenig im Wege].

Verhaftung
Am 6. April 1654 wurde Ottilia Preußing wegen des Verdachts der Hexerei gefangen genommen und verwunderte sich drüber mit lächelndem Munde, angebend, dass ihr unrecht geschehe. Am 7. April wurde sie verhört. Das Protokoll sprach nun despektierlich von der dicke Pfarrerin. Wegen ihres Herzens Hertigkeit müsse man bei ihr die Folter anwenden. Daraufhin gestand sie Teufelspakt, Teufelstaufen und Schadenzauber wie die Vernichtung von Ernte und Vieh. Sie habe sogar den 1651 gestorbenen Enkelsohn der Landgräfin Margarethe Elisabeth auf Satans Geheiß vergiftet.

Verurteilung
Am 12. April 1654 ratificirte (unterschrieb) sie das Protokoll über ihre angeblichen Schandtaten. In den Akten folgt auf elf ausführlichst und untertänigst formulierten Seiten ihr Testament. Darin stiftete die offenbar kinderlose und begüterte Pfarrerswitwe u. a. je 50 Gulden an die Kinder von zwei Homburger Geistlichen und weitere 800 Gulden an Kirchen, Schulen und pensionierte Pfarrer. Im Gegenzug bat sie um die Gnade, daß mein verblichener Leichnam nach Christlicher gewohnheit … mit Haltung geistlicher leichpredigt in sein ruhbettlein begraben werden soll. Das Todesurteil wurde am 19. April 1654 vollstreckt und Ottilia Preußing mit sechs weiteren Angeklagten vom Scharfrichter enthauptet. Aber eine Gnade wurde ihr gewährt: Ihr Leichnam wurde auf dem Georgenfriedhof begraben. Der Georgenfriedhof (gelegen vor den Toren der Stadt an der gleichnamigen kleinen Kirche) ist nicht mehr erhalten. Das einzige, was von ihm blieb, ist der Flurname Georgenfeld. Heute ist diese Flur bebaut, und der Name ging in einen Straßennamen ein, der sich auf den alten Friedhof der Ehrlosen bezieht.

Rehabilitation und Gedenken
Seit 2003 weist eine Gedenktafel am Rathausturm in Bad Homburg auf die Opfer der Hexenverfolgung hin. Die Errichtung dieser Gedenktafel geht auf eine Anregung von Dagmar Scherf an das Stadtparlament zurück. Über das Schicksal der Ottilia Preußing führten die Studiobühne Bad Homburg und die Theatergruppe Friedrichsdorf 1996 das Theaterstück "Homburger Hexenjagd" von Dagmar Scherf auf. Die Stadtverordnetenversammlung hat am 1. April 2012 einstimmig die Opfer der Hexenprozesse aus moralischen Gründen rehabilitiert.

Literatur
 Dagmar Scherf: Homburger Hexenjagd oder Wann ist morgen, VAS Verlag Frankfurt a. M., 2000
 Dagmar Scherf: Wegen Hexerei zu Tode gebracht. Vor 350 Jahren wurde das junge Seulberger Mädchen Kunigunde hingerichtet. In: Frankfurter Rundschau, 19. April 2004, Nr. 91, S. 40
 Rolf Hafner: Wahnsinn und Aberglaube – Arbeit für den Henker. Hexenwahn und Hexenprozesse in der Landgrafschaft Homburg vor der Höhe, in: Alt-Homburg, September 1992–September 1993
 Franz Luschberger: Hexenprozesse zwischen Main und Taunus, Protokoll der Offenbarungen und Grausamkeiten, Hochheim am Main 1991
 Hartmut Hegeler: Hexendenkmäler in Hessen, Unna 2013, S. 10–13, ISBN 978-3-940266-15-6

Weblinks
 Günther Scherf: Turm erinnert an Folteropfer. Auf dem einstigen Kerker der Homburger "Hexen" weht eine vergoldete Schützenfahne. (abgerufen am 28. April 2016)
 Andrea Herzig: Erlösung für die Becker Anna. In: Frankfurter Rundschau, 1. November 2013 (abgerufen am 28. April 2016).

Einzelnachweise

Opfer der Hexenverfolgung
Person (Bad Homburg vor der Höhe)
Person (hessische Geschichte)
Hingerichtete Person (17. Jahrhundert)
Hingerichtete Person (Heiliges Römisches Reich)
Geboren im 17. Jahrhundert
Gestorben 1654
Frau


text:
A TANK IN YOUR TOWN – WHALE ISLAND
Marketing	 May 20, 2016
David Fletcher, Home Front, Tanks
Tanks were not only presented to towns and cities under the National War Savings Scheme, they were also donated, by the Tank Corps to locations where tanks or components of tanks were built, or to places that had been instrumental in tank development in other respects.
One such was Whale Island in Portsmouth Harbour. Whale Island was the home of HMS Excellent, the Royal Naval Gunnery School where some tank gunners had been trained in 1916.
Whale Island Handover Ceremony
The tank, a Mark IV male training machine carrying the number 102, was delivered to Whale Island at the end of March 1919 but the official handover ceremony did not take place until 1 May 1919 when Brigadier-General E B Mathew-Lannowe, commanding the Tank Corps Centre, supported by a Tank Corps Guard of Honour, officiated at a ceremony at HMS Excellent.
Although displayed at Whale Island and kept clean it was starting to deteriorate internally. In 1940 a Second Lieutenant Menhinnick, then in the Army but anxious to transfer to the Navy, went to a lot of trouble to get it running again. Using bits taken from the presentation tank on Southsea Common, with a machine-gun position on top and now painted in camouflage colours it was intended to use it to defend Portsmouth in the event of a German invasion.
Commanded by a Lieutenant Day R. N. and with a crew of sailors the tank made a number of trips ashore, into Portsmouth, and on one occasion was in collision with a private car. The tank was retired from active service in 1942 but remained on display at Whale Island until 1971 when it was given back to the Army and after further restoration was presented to the Tank Museum in 1972 where it remains on display.
david fletcher, first world war, mark IV, Tank, whale island
For the Tank Corps the Battle of Hamel was
Tony Day
( October 7, 2018 )
I have sent a separate email about this tank to your website.
I used to play on the HMS Excellent tank while my Dad was playing cricket there in the early 1970's


text:
Home›News Watch›Marine Le Pen praises Cameron stance on multiculturalism
Marine Le Pen praises Cameron stance on multiculturalism
Leader of France's National Front has congratulated David Cameron on his controversial speech.
The leader of France's National Front has praised David Cameron for what she says is an endorsement of her party's far-right views on multiculturalism and immigration.
Marine Le Pen was elected to lead the National Front last month. She claimed the prime minister's speech on the failures of multiculturalism showed he was taking Britain's Conservatives towards her stance on the issue. "It is exactly this type of statement that has barred us from public life [in France] for 30 years," she told the Financial Times. "I sense an evolution at European level, even in classic governments. I can only congratulate him."
Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, was among European leaders listening to Cameron's speech in Munich at the weekend. He is accused of having played into the hands of rightwing extremists by talking of the failings of multiculturalism within hours of one of the biggest anti-Islam rallies ever staged in Britain.
Cameron called for a new "muscular liberalism", promoting British values and national identity. A policy of "passive tolerance" had only served to encourage Islamist extremism, he argued.
Marine Le Pen is daughter of the former National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. She told the FT it was "indisputable" Cameron was moving the Conservatives closer to the traditional positions held by her party. A Conservative spokesman said she had "clearly failed to understand the prime minister's speech".
Cameron told the Munich Security Conference, attended by world leaders, that state multiculturalism had failed in this country and pledged to cut funding for Muslim groups that failed to respect basic British values.
He warned other European leaders that they needed to "wake up" to the threat of Islamist extremism and the radicalisation of Muslims inside their nations' borders.
He blamed the radicalisation of Muslim youths and the phenomenon of home-grown terrorism on the sense of alienation that builds among young people living in separate communities and the "hands-off tolerance" of groups that peddle separatist ideology.
Muslim and anti-fascist groups questioned the prime minister's judgment and sensitivity to the issues, saying he had handed a propaganda coup to the hard-right English Defence League as 3,000 of its supporters marched through Luton chanting anti-Islamic slogans.
In opposition the Tories began considering the policy on Muslims, which critics say risks branding many as extremists even though they do not espouse violence.
Critics say it is based on flawed neo-Conservative thinking and risks backfiring, while supporters say it is necessary to tackle those who are fellow travellers with violent extremists.
Video: Demonstration Calls for REAL Change in ...
India and Pakistan to resume talks
Racist thug held a knife to Muslim woman's throat and demanded she remove her hijab
Joe Biden says Egypt's Mubarak no dictator, he shouldn't step down
Hizb ut-Tahrir and other Islamic groups demand end to Syria's repression against protesters
Trojan horse row leaves pupils in limbo
Brigadier's arrest brings Hizb-ut-Tahrir into focus
The Egyptian people's revolution is being hijacked by the army
Julie Kinnear 11 February, 2011 at 17:43 Reply
Even though Le Pen has praised Cameron after presenting his views I don't think there is much in common between the two politicians. Cameron has simply expressed his vision for Britain which may help in the fight against terrorism but Le Pen has always made such statements in order to gain political power and support.
preditor 12 February, 2011 at 00:18 Reply
Dear Ms Kinnear,
Cameron conflates security with cohesion and used the language that the some racist parties now use. There are many in Britain who view homosexuality as a sin but are not Muslims, yet no one accusses them of damaging community relatons or claims they 'terrorists'. Sadly we have seen mainstream politicians tack more and more towards the language and views of the extreme right.
Regards, Abdallah


text:
London CityAirport Guide
Flight Departures
London City History
Taxis & Transfers
London City Airport Hotels
Book Cheap Flights
Getting to London
London City Directory
British Airways to increase London City flights to Isle of Man
Posted on 5th February 2014 at 12:00 pm.
Written by Team Writer
Beginning on March 30, British Airways will expand their scheduled flights from the Isle of Man to London City Airport. This summer, the number of scheduled flights will increase from one to three on weekdays, with one flight on Saturdays and two on Sundays.
The new service will provide potential customers with easy access to the centre of London and will also allow them to connect to 25 British Airways international destinations served direct from the Docklands airport, including Frankfurt, Zurich and New York.
Benefits of flying to and from London City include easy access to Canary Wharf and the City of London. With excellent, low cost transport links on the DLR and London Underground, customers can also reach central London in less than 30 minutes.
Check in at London City Airport does not close until 15 minutes before departure for individuals travelling with hand luggage only and 20 minutes for those with checked in luggage.
All-inclusive fares from the Isle of Man to London City are available for booking now on the British Airways website. Fares include complimentary online check in and seat selection up to 24 hours before departure, two pieces of hand luggage, complimentary food and drinks on board including a hot breakfast on morning flights, and no debit card fees.
British Airways is delighted that that they will be able to expand their services from the Isle of Man as there has been a demand for additional flights that are compatible with business and leisure trips to London. The schedule will also make it possible for business travellers to have a full business day in London with the new earlier flights.
Other Airport Guides:
E. Midlands
London City
The Airport Guides Network is a trading style of Fubra Limited.
This site is not affiliated with the official site and is an independent guide to the airport. We try to ensure that information is as up to date as possible, but we cannot be held responsible for any omissions or errors from changes we have not been made aware of. This site also uses affiliate links, where we may receive a small commission for purchases you make via these links.
Copyright © 2003 - 2022, all rights reserved.


text:
Nothing in Common is a 1986 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall. It stars Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason in what would be Gleason's final film role; he was suffering from cancer during the production and died less than a year after the film's release.

While the film did make back over 2.5 times its budget, it was not considered a big financial success on initial release, though it became more popular as Hanks' fame grew. It is considered by some to be a pivotal role in Hanks' career because it marked his transition from less developed comedic roles to leads in more serious stories, and many critics also praised Gleason's performance.

Plot
David Basner, a shallow, childish yuppie recently promoted at his Chicago ad agency, returns to work from a vacation. His parents have separated after 36 years of marriage and he must care for his aging, bitter father, Max, and support his emotionally fragile mother, Lorraine. His father has just been fired after 35 years in the garment industry.

Although his ex-girlfriend, Donna, is sympathetic, she tells him he ought to "grow up". David believes that if he became less child-like, his advertising work could be adversely affected.

David is developing a commercial for Colonial Airlines, owned by the rich and bullish Andrew Woolridge. A successful ad campaign would likely gain him a partnership in his company. David develops a relationship with Woolridge's daughter, Cheryl Ann Wayne. His father is well aware of his playboy nature, and is critical of his frivolous lifestyle.

His parents each begin to rely more on David. His mother needs help moving to a new apartment. His father needs to be driven to his doctor. David is awakened late one night when his mother's date ends badly, and she reveals that Max humiliated her sexually and was unfaithful. Confronting his father, he tells him, "Tomorrow I'm shooting a commercial about a family who loves each other, who cares about each other. I'm fakin' it." David becomes distracted by his attention demanding parents, which affects his work.

As a peace offering, David takes Max out to a club to hear some jazz music. He discovers that Max is severely diabetic and hasn't been following his diet. As a result, Max requires amputation of some toes and a foot. He and Lorraine discuss their life together, and she condemns him for his abuse. Privately, Max is overwhelmed with regret.

Woolridge insists that David accompany him to New York to promote the new ad campaign, which would prevent him from being present for Max's surgery. When David refuses, he loses the account. His boss Charlie is sympathetic and assures him he will intercede with Woolridge, giving David time to be with his father.

Confiding with Donna about the situation at work and his father's health problems, she gives David a sympathetic ear. He reaches out for her hand, and they show to be mutually interested again.

David brings Max home from the hospital, who tells him, "You were the last person I thought would ever come through for me." When David returns to his job, he takes him along while he shoots commercials.

Cast
 Tom Hanks as David Basner
 Jackie Gleason as Max Basner
 Eva Marie Saint as Lorraine Basner
 Hector Elizondo as Charlie Gargas
 Barry Corbin as Andrew Woolridge
 Sela Ward as Cheryl Ann Wayne
 Bess Armstrong as Donna Mildred Martin
 Dan McGuire as The Caddie

Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 54% out of 24 professional critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 5.9/10.

Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film a 2.5 out of 4 stars and stated in his review "The movie splits in two, starting out as a wise-guy comedy and ending up as the heart-breaking story of a yuppie who is trying to understand his bitter, lonely parents. Movies aren't novels."

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan viewed this film at Camp David on August 2, 1986.

Soundtrack

 "Nothing in Common" by Thompson Twins - 3:30
 "Burning of the Heart" by Richard Marx - 4:15
 "If It Wasn't Love" by Carly Simon - 4:18
 "Over the Weekend" by Nick Heyward - 3:58
 "Loving Strangers" (David's Theme From Nothing In Common) by Christopher Cross - 4:03
 "Until You Say You Love Me" by Aretha Franklin - 4:50
 "Don't Forget to Dance" by The Kinks - 4:35
 "No One's Gonna Love You" by Real To Reel - 4:12
 "Seven Summers" by Cruzados - 4:38
 Instrumental Theme by Patrick Leonard - 2:08

The soundtrack was released on LP, CD and cassette in 1986 by Arista Records.

Television series

The movie inspired a short-lived NBC sitcom in 1987 that was scheduled to follow the highly rated Cheers. Due to audience drop-off, the sitcom was cancelled. The series starred Todd Waring as David Basner and Bill Macy as his father Max Basner.

See also
 List of films featuring diabetes

References

External links

1986 films
1980s romantic comedy-drama films
American business films
American romantic comedy-drama films
Films about father–son relationships
Films about advertising
Films adapted into television shows
Films directed by Garry Marshall
Films set in Chicago
Films shot in Illinois
Films shot in Chicago
TriStar Pictures films
1980s English-language films
1980s American films
Films about disability


text:
Boyle GAA Update
Update 10 February 2014
Results of last Club Lotto draw which was held in Creightons; Winners of €20 each--Eileen McGowan, Michael Costello, Matt Smith, Deirdre Kearney, Marina Scally and Aoife Brady. The house prize was won by Andrew Healy. The Jackpot wasn't won and it will be €5,500 for next Saturday night's draw, which will be held in Mattimoes. Team E will be in charge.
The Club Dinner Dance in Kilronan Castle Hotel was an outstanding success. We were delighted to have Shane Curran as Special Guest, accompanied by his wife Sharon. The Ladies Club Chairperson, Karen Brogan and Men's Club Chairperson, Martin Dolan welcomed the attendance and thanked all involved in all aspects of GAA activity in Boyle. Gratitude was expressed to players, parents, management teams, sponsors and supporters. The player of the year awards which this year were chosen by the managers of the respective teams went to the following, Intermediate Player of the Year (joint winners) were Mark O'Connor and Darren O'Connor and was presented by Mary Clifford and Mary Smith. U21 Player of the Year went to Killian Cox and was presented by Kathleen Hanmore. Junior Player of the Year was Noel McKenna and was presented by Leonard Sutton. Ladies Club Player of the Year went to Danielle Gaffney and Danielle was presented with the Seán Daly Memorial Trophy by Paddy Daly. Club Person of the Year went to a very surprised Michael Furey and was presented by Martin Dolan. The worthy recipient of the Hall of Fame award was Liam Kerins who in his own words said '' good things come to those who wait''. Medals were presented to the U21 panel who were runners up in the Division 1 County Championship, by Shane Curran. Shane also presented medals to the County Intermediate Champions. Awards were presented to the Intermediate Management Team of David O'Connor, Bernard Shannon, Michael Bermingham and Ciaran Supple, by the players and by the Club, in appreciation of their commitment to the squad and their hard work throughout the year. Captain David Callaghan, on behalf of the panel, thanked the outgoing management for their great work. Special presentations were made to Aidan Lavin, former Club Chairperson, Kathleen Hanmore, former Secretary and Tony Conboy, former P.R.O. all of whom have stepped down from their positions recently. Those presentations were made by Martin Dolan, Mary Smith and Mary Clifford respectively. Shane Curran treated the gathering to a witty, inciteful and motivating address, with many anecdotes relating to his own playing career which he informed us will go for another year at least! The Club deeply appreciates Shane's contribution to the occasion. Everyone was delighted to welcome Roch Hanmore back into the club after an absence of some 8 years and he informed me that his time to play for Boyle was a championship relegation match with Padraig Pearses in Athleague back in 2006! The Club wishes to thank all who supported the Dinner Dance and all who helped in making the occasion such a success. Special mention must go to Tony Conboy who compered the event with his customary panache, to James O'Boyle for his excellent audio visual input relating to the various presentations, to Martin Purcell for the preparation of the event programmes, and to the management and staff of Kilronan Castle Hotel for the excellent meal and facilities.
The McGovern Directional Drilling panel will commence life in the Senior League on Sunday week the 23rd with a trip to Frenchpark to play Western Gaels. Well done to Enda Smith who had a big impact when introduced in Roscommon's league encounter with Wexford in Kiltoom yesterday, contributing 2 points from play. Fuerty were unfortunately beaten yesterday in Croke Park in their Junior All Ireland Final, and Kiltane from Mayo also lost on the day so commiserations to both and especially Jonathan Conroy who was involved with Fuerty. Sympathy is extended to the McKeon family, Killaraght and the Henry family, Cootehall on their recent sad bereavements.
Posted by BOYLE GAA at 03:36
BOYLE GAA
Update 3rd February


Could Britain's young but fast-growing National Employment Savings Trust be a useful model for defined-contribution schemes in Asia? The fund's deputy CIO spoke about how it invests.
HSBC's UK retirement scheme is increasing its quasi-passive exposure, reflecting a trend among its peers. Their approach may interest Asian investors drawn to smart beta.


You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'jruby' tag.
I installed ThoughtWorks Studios' Mingle (Early Access Windows Version) a few weeks ago. I was interested in Mingle only because it runs on JRuby.
The installation was straightaway. It just worked. It runs a small executable called MingleServer.exe in which something are hidden. Hmm. Most of the ruby codes are obfuscated to protect IP. Fair enough. But, still it is interesting to see how it is deployed.
Mingle freezes not only rails but also all required gems.Everything even JRE is in one package to guarantee it will work when deployed. I have used Gems On Rails (aka vendor everything) to freeze some gems, but I could not get freezed ActiveRecord-JDBC working when I tried to run JRuby on Rails in Tomcat. Fortunately config files are not obfuscated. The environment.rb includes similar codes to Gems On Rails, which might be a trick to get all working.
Mingle has a retty plugin installed. Retty is a Ruby on Rails plugin that lets Jetty run as a server using JRuby. Even though it's specific to Rails, it's very interesting to read the server code since I tried the Jetty in JRuby, too.
Now 1.0 general release is available with an interesting pricing. I might try UNIX version to see if anything changed or wait for 1.1 release which will be delivered as a .war file that can be deployed on any of the popular Java EE application servers.
P.S. I've just realized that the public search on kiyo.wordpress.com does not search comments. Why? Google crawl the comment feed of each post.
I have been checking the progress of JRuby since RailsConf Europe 2006. The time has come to try this out.
I had a minor problem with its installation, but I'm impressed very much when I've got JRuby-0.9.9, Rails-1.2.3, Tomcat-5.5.9 and PKI framework at work working together nicely. A big thank you to the JRuby team.
The problem I had was nothing to do with JRuby, but Subversion. I could not checkout the rails-integration at work since the svn protocol was blocked ("Unknown hostname 'rubyforge.org'" error) and RubyForge did not allow the checkout over http (405 Method Not Allowed error). When I tried it on a work laptop at home, it still did not work ( Can't connect to hose 'rubyforge.org': A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or …). In the end I had to disable a firewall software. Hope this saves someone else's time.
I am really looking forward to JRuby 1.0. It's a very exciting time.
I can't go RailsConf 2007, but I want a JRuby T-Shirt!


Facet Stylized Oval Diamond Hoop Earrings. A contemporary take on the classic hoop earring. Consequently, what's not to love here!
Take a look at these. First of all, you get an expertly designed setting featuring almost a full carat (.90 cts.) of ethically sourced diamonds. Finely crafted of 14K white gold with a fresh, fun, modern look. As a result, you'll feel happy every time you put them on.
From the internationally recognized designer, Facet of Barcelona. Facet of Barcelona controls the quality and designs of its collections as few others can. Therefore, they have become a trusted, leading international designer. Facet of Barcelona celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2018.
See more from Facet of Barcelona.


The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ledzokuku, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, has contracted a physically challenged group in Teshie-Tsuibleoo, the More Hope For The Disabled Foundation (MOHO), to manufacture sandals for over 20 basic circuit schools in the constituency.
The contract worth over GH¢9,000 was awarded by the MP to provide a source of employment and livelihood for the group in the Ledzokuku Municipality.
Over 400 sandals are expected to be delivered by this group. When the Daily Graphic visited their workshop at Ledzokuku last Tuesday, work was ongoing.
The President of the foundation, Mr Joe Mends, expressed delight in the project after years of knocking at the door of the Disability Council and other agencies responsible for the physically challenged without yielding any result.
"I am glad we finally have jobs. We don't want to beg on the streets. We at MOHO (the first of its kind in the constituency), can work and as our motto says: 'Turning disabilities into abilities,' we are ready to turn our handicaps into something useful for society," he stated.
Some beneficiary schools are the Teshie Camp 1 Primary, Teshie LEKMA,1,4,5,6,7,9 and 11 Primary, Teshie Salem Presby JHS, Teshie Salem Presby Primary and Teshie LEKMA 7 JHS all in Ledzokuku South.
Dr Okoe Boye told the Daily Graphic his relationship with the MOHO, as one of their benefactors, preceded his status now as an MP.
According to him, it was also a response to the plea by the foundation to provide its members who were ever ready to work with some form of livelihood and means to eke out a living.
He pledged to provide more support for MOHO and assist in making it a viable tool for employing the physically challenged in Ledzokuku.


List two character references that are not peers or relatives.
If the answer is YES to the above question, please explain below.
Write about your past experiences with disrespect and what your life looks like now that you're building a culture of respect at ASU. Think about ways you have experienced disrespect, how you have disrespected others, how you have lived out the core values, and how you're going to use the core values to build a culture of respect.
We'll reach out to you about mentorship opportunities soon!


The secret is out. The Santa Maria Valley wine trolley is the popular, affordable and fun way to experience the valley's wine, beer, food and "Santa Maria Style" hospitality. When you hop aboard the wine trolley, don't be surprised to see other winery-goers, sightseers and maybe even a group of girlfriends celebrating a birthday.
You can begin your day on the trolley in Old Town Orcutt. This great starting and ending point has plenty of restaurants, shops and tasting rooms to visit before and after your trolley tour.
Buy your $10 trolley tickets from merchants near Orcutt's two trolley stops on West Clark Avenue. Old Town Market, a block from the historic Far Western Tavern steakhouse and the tasting room at CORE Winery, have tickets waiting for you.
CORE's co-owner, Becky Corey, will invite you inside and may even greet you with a hug. Her winemaker husband, Dave, posts up behind the bar entertaining customers. It's unusual in most other wine regions to see such down-to-earth winery owners, pouring their wines on-site, but this is where you'll likely find Dave, Santa Maria's cycling vintner. When he's not leading his Bike & Bottle bicycle wine tasting tour to the beach, teaching college winemaking courses or handcrafting red blends in the cellar, he will be glad to provide banter from behind the bar.
Another spot that sells trolley tickets is the cnagy wine tasting room, home to Orcutt native Clarissa Nagy. Her handcrafted Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache and Gewürztraminer are delicious and fresh.
The brightly-painted street rods at one of the local car shows might catch your eye on California Street. If you prefer antiques over autos, you can go antiquing at Déjà Vu at the Loading Dock. Or, if your main focus is wine, indulge in tasting a few Central Coast boutique wines at Vino et Amicis (Wine and Friends) before venturing deeper into the appellation.
Be sure not to miss the wine trolley as it moves down West Clark Avenue to meet you at the pickup point. The handsome red trolley, resembling a San Francisco cable car, has room for 28 people and is well maintained and clean. With plenty of headroom to stand (or dance), the trolley is comfortable and full of windows to enjoy the valley views or feel the cool coastal breeze.
Show the trolley driver your tickets to continue your wine country adventure. Feel free to join others in song and sing along to the trolley's music as you depart for the next stop on the trail.
After about 10 minutes, you will roll into the entrance to Presqu'ile Winery, up the hill through blocks of pinot noir and chardonnay vines full of leafy canopies and clusters of grapes soaking in the high noon sun. As your view becomes unobstructed by the vines, you'll see Presqu'ile's tasting room and winery perched atop Santa Maria Valley's ancient sand dunes.
Presqu'ile's contemporary hospitality center looks like an Architectural Digest cover photo, framed through the trolley windows. The views are stunning, with mountains to the east, a peak of the dunes to the west and vineyards all around.
Once inside the tasting room, you can select from a menu of wines, which includes Presqu'ile's bright and lively sauvignon blanc. Some groups bring picnic lunches and sit at tables on the sprawling terrace with a bottle of wine. Others opt to order Presqu'ile's charcuterie platter or Parisian sandwiches and head off for a game of horseshoes. You can also book a tasting and winery tour and stroll through their impressive barrel cave.
Like clockwork, the trolley will arrive to take you to the next destination. Turn in your horseshoes, take a final sip of pinot noir and say farewell to Presqu'ile. Or, you can stay longer to enjoy the spectacular surroundings and wines.
The trolley's next stop is Cottonwood Canyon Winery, a 78-acre estate specializing in pinot noir, chardonnay and syrah. At Cottonwood Canyon Winery, you can absorb the views of the eastern Santa Maria Valley. Aside from the amazing scenery, they offer several picnic areas and wine cave tours, including the first wine caves built in Santa Barbara County. Make plans in advance to see inside the rustic, man-made, 6,000-square-foot cave system where the winery stores 700 barrels of wine and hosts winemaker dinners.
Another hour of discovery and the wine trolley will arrive to take you on a ride through Santa Maria's rich agricultural fields on Betteravia Road. A brief ride on the 101 takes you to the next wine tasting room on the route. Take this opportunity to sit back, relax, and enjoy your carefree day.
The popular Costa de Oro tasting room bustles with people from the wine trolley. On Saturday afternoons, Costa de Oro has complimentary appetizers and live music. The winery is known for its estate pinot noir and chardonnay made by winemaker/owner Gary Burk, who also happens to be a rock guitarist and regularly takes the stage with his band.
You can finish your day at The Radisson hotel to rest and recharge before experiencing Santa Maria Style hospitality again tomorrow. Or, if you're not ready to call it a day, your next stop will be in Old Town Orcutt, where your adventure started.
Wine tasting can take it out of you, and sometimes food is in order. The charming Pizzeria Bello Forno is perfect for dinner. Share delicious wood-fired pizza topped with cherries, fennel sausage, goat cheese, arugula and more.
Cheers to a true Santa Maria Style experience, and a memorable day on the trolley. Be sure to check your calendars to plan another great wine adventure on the Santa Maria Valley wine trolley.


text:
You are here: Home / 2009 / Archives for September 2009
Chick Flicks: Only Pretty Girls Need Apply
Did you ever have one of those days when you felt ugly? Fat? Old? No matter what you look like or how much self-esteem you have, sometimes I think we all have those days (or weeks). Your hair is out of control…all your pants are too tight…there is a pimple the size of a Volkswagen on your forehead. Let's just blame it all on HORMONES.
I am having one of those days and I thought of a movie I watched on my flight from London last year-Penelope . It is a really cute movie that has some interesting things to say about beauty and how we can find it in ourselves.
Penelope [the pig-faced girl]
Penelope is a romantic fable that stars Christina Ricci as the title character. Penelope Wilhern is the child of wealthy socialites and is cursed by a spell that causes her to be born with the face of a pig. The spell can only be broken when she is truly loved "by one of her own kind".
Her parents keeps her hidden in their estate and parades a succession of rich young men in front of Penelope (who is hidden behind a mirror) in an attempt to find her a husband that can break the curse. Even though they like Penelope for her money, none of them can bear to look at her. But this doesn't break Penelope's spirit. She is happy with her books and her gardening. What kind of curse is it that can only be broken by finding husband?
Enter Peter Dinklage, who plays an sleazy tabloid reporter that wants a picture of the mysterious 'pig-faced girl'. He bribes Max (played by the dreamy Scotsman James McAvoy) to pose as a prospective suitor. But the down-on-his luck gambler finds himself falling for Penelope, not for her looks, but for her personality. Because Max knows that he is unable to break the curse, her disappears instead of disappointing Penelope.
Her parents are devastated. So tired of letting them down, Penelope runs away into a whole new world. She goes to a pub that Max mentioned, drinks her first beer, rides on a Vespa and meets her very first friend, the adventurous Annie. Annie is played by Reese Witherspoon, who also produced the movie.
I Like Myself The Way I Am
With her face covered in her 'signature' purple scarf, Penelope eventually becomes an overnight celebrity. Instead of running from people to hide her face she shows the world who she really is-the person inside and not the 'pig-faced girl' they saw in the tabloids.
I don't want to tell you the whole story, you can rent it for yourselves on Netflix. I guess my point is more about being happy with ourselves and not letting the world define us by their idea of what is beautiful.
Remember the media sensation, Susan Boyle? She became famous overnight, not so much for her amazing voice when she sang on Britain's Got Talent. But more so because she didn't look like the audience and the judges thought a person with talent should look. Even though she has a voice like an angel, the first thing people wanted to do want give her a make over. OK. She did need to do something about those eyebrows, but the focus of the attention was more on how she looked and not her voice.
When it comes to Chick Flicks, sometimes I would like to see more women who get the guy, not because she is the prettiest choice, but because she is the best choice. I love the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces because Jeff Bridges eventually falls in love with Barbra Streisand for herself (ok…and I LOVE Barbra…she's like buttah), not for her looks.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for looking good, taking pride in my appearance and all that. I love mani-pedis, hair products, fashion and make-up. But that's not who I am. It makes me wonder, what do people think when they see me? Are they judging me by how I look? OK…I am not 23 anymore and I seriously need to workout and lose 25 pounds. But that's not who I am. I am more that the sum of my parts. So maybe I should take a page out of Penelope's book and not worry about what others think or even judge myself by the pages of fashion magazines and just like myself the way I am.
I really want to hear from you.What are you thoughts?
Just Chick Flicks Fall Movie Preview: Agora
Set in the 4th century A.D. in Alexandria, Egypt, under the Roman Empire, with religious revolts in the streets. Agora tells the story of a brilliant woman astronomer named Hypatia and her fight to save the wisdom of the Ancient World. There is also a love story in which the two men compete for her affections. The clever and rich d Orestes and the slave Davus.
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar, Agora stars Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, Max Minghella as Davus and Oscar Isaac as Orestes.
Agora will be released December 18th. Subscribe to Just Chick Flicks for information about the upcoming fall and winter movie releases.
Just Chick Flicks Wears Prada (I Wish…)
Fall Preview: The September Issue
If you loved The Devil Wears Prada, then you must see The September Issue. This movie features, Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue Magazine and the most powerful woman person in the fashion today. Follow the larger than life Wintour as she reigns over the fashion world's designers, models, photographers, and editors.
Director R.J. Cutler gives us a rare inside look at the months leading up to the printing of the huge September issue of Vogue. We also get a behind the scenes look at fashion week, witness the demanding process it takes to remain at the top of the ever-changing fashion field.
In The September Issue we glimpse into a world many of us might dream about but few ever see. As a young girl, I had dreams of being a fashion designer. I can't tell you how many sketch pads I used drawing my designs. I think I would have been pretty good too. I can't wait to see this movie, so I can live vicariously through Ms. Wintour's life…at least for 2 hours.
Watch the trailer located in the sidebar.


text:
Port Arthur Library celebrates the 'Year of the Rabbit'
Kim Brent, Photojournalist
The Flaming Lion Dancers perform at the Port Arthur Public Library, helping celebrate the Lunar New Year and 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit." Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
Kim BrentShow MoreShow Less
Yesenia Castaneda checks out her family's Lunar New Year animals with children Daisy and Joseph before The Flaming Lion Dancers perform at the Port Arthur Public Library, helping celebrate the Lunar New Year and 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit." Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
Emma Nguyen checks out the materials describing the Lunar New Year holiday at the Port Arthur Public Library, which celebrated 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit." Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
The Flaming Lion Dancers musicians keep the beat as they perform at the Port Arthur Public Library, helping celebrate the Lunar New Year and 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit." Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
Traditional gifts decorate a table inside the library before The Flaming Lion Dancers perform at the Port Arthur Public Library, helping celebrate the Lunar New Year and 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit." Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
A crowd lines up to enjoy traditional Lunar New Year foods during a "Year of the Rabbit" celebration at the Port Arthur Public Library Monday. Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
Families gather for a post-performance meal at the Port Arthur Public Library as they celebrated the Lunar New Year and 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit." Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
The Port Arthur Public Library, celebrated the Lunar New Year and 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit" Monday. Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
Tu Nguyen and son Alex check out the materials describing the Lunar New Year holiday at the Port Arthur Public Library, which celebrated 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit." Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
Yesenia Castaneda holds her son Joseph as the Flaming Lion Dancers make their way through the crowd after performing outside the Port Arthur Public Library, helping celebrate the Lunar New Year and 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit." Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
The crowd watches as the Flaming Lion Dancers perform at the Port Arthur Public Library, helping celebrate the Lunar New Year and 2023 as the "Year of the Rabbit." Photo made Monday, January 23, 2023 Kim Brent/Beaumont Enterprise
The Flaming Lion Dancers, a traditional dance ensemble based at the Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church in Port Arthur, are celebrating the 2023 Lunar New Year.
The group led the festive New Year's Day parade from business to business on 9th Avenue Sunday, then performed their Lion Dance at the Port Arthur Public Library on Monday. Additional performances are scheduled this week, including one Wednesday night at Lamar University.
It's a busy time of year for the youth dancers as young as 9-years-old who suit up in colorful dragon costumes, dancing to music played by members of the group on a drum, with gongs and cymbals in the background.
Monday's celebration didn't include the fireworks that are traditionally set off during the dance, but exploding crackers filled with confetti did the trick, drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd who gathered outside the library's entrance for the performance.
The smoke and loud bang are meant to fight off evil spirits, making way for the good spirits to fill one's home in the new year.
The music, dance and colors of the dragons all carry symbolic meaning, library staff member Nuong Tran said, adding that Monday's Lunar celebration at the library has been years in the making.
Related: Harvey's legacy in Port Arthur
"We started making plans years ago, but then Harvey happened and COVID, so now that things have settled down, we wanted a big celebration now that we can it," Tran said.
She reached out to Linh Nguyen, who runs the Flaming Lion Dancers program, to bring their performance to Monday's event.
Following the dance, the dragons worked their way through the crowd, stopping to be petted by children, whose parents gave them dollars to offer the dragons to thank them.
A "Mr. Good Luck" character also worked his way through the crowd, holding a golden lamp overflowing with coins in his hands. For good luck advice, you could ask him anything.
Given the sizable Vietnamese population in Port Arthur, the festivities included traditions found within both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, who share the same lunar calendar and animal symbols, but differ in the details.
Related: Pictures from the past - Year of the Dragon celebrated
Per the larger Chinese Lunar New Year, 2023 is the year of the rabbit, while in Vietnam, the holiday, known as Tet (which means to eat), is the year of the cat.
Red and gold brocaded emblems decorated tables set inside the library's community room showcasing information and gifts traditionally given at the holiday. They read "Chuc Mung Nam Moi" – Happy New Year in Vietnamese.
The gifts set within the display were wrapped in red cellophane with gold accents – colors symbolizing good luck in Asian culture.
Those gifts are typically given to elders on New Year's Eve, with more gifts for family to follow on New Year's Day and the week to follow.
Celebrating elders and family is at the heart of the Asian Lunar New Year celebrations, Tran said.
She said "it's like a big family reunion with lots of gatherings, playing games and attending events" like the parade and dances that took place Sunday and Monday. And traditional celebratory foods are at the heart of it all.
Candies, fruits, sticky rice and noodles are central to Asian New Year celebrations. Timed to the start of spring, the cherry blossom is the flower most associated with the Lunar New Year and also decorates the gift wrapping.
Spring is considered a period of rebirth when, much like western new year's festivities signifying a time to be "out with the old and in the with the new," the Asian new year holiday focuses on "out with the bad and in with the good."
Related: Somber start of Lunar New Year mars festivities
Homes are traditionally cleaned and new clothes are bought to ring in the new year. And with it, the new, better spirits to come.
For those born in a year associated with the Lunar New Year spirit animal, spreading the good luck associated with that designation is a gift to be shared.
Felix Nguyen was born in the year of the rabbit.
And in keeping with tradition, he was the first to enter the homes of family members, including his god-parents' as well as his own.
"He's the first one to walk inside the house and bless their house on the first day of the new year, because he's the luckiest one," said younger brother Alex.
Related: Port Arthur Juneteenth celebrations honor diversity
The family was among the crowd of more than 50 who gathered at the library for Monday's event.
Aside from the local Asian community, white, Black and Hispanic patrons showed up – all enjoying the dancing, food provided by Sam's China Inn, a cake made by Golden Croissant and the opportunity to celebrate the symbolic start of a new year with new possibilities.
It's an opportunity Tran seized to suggest future library programs benefiting families in the community like internet technology courses and crafts for kids.
"I hope to see more of these beautiful faces in the future," she said.
kbrent@beaumontenterprise.com
twitter.com/kimbpix
Kim Brent
Reach Kim on
Kim Brent is a photojournalist with The Beaumont Enterprise.
She came to Beaumont in September 2014 amid a search for full-time positions after her previous paper in Michigan reduced many staff members, Kim included, to part time.
"I managed to eke out a living by getting a second job in my off time working at the deli counter of a local grocery store," she said. "And let me just say, slicing meat for hours on end is no fun for a vegetarian."
When she's not out covering our community, she loves to paint, knit, read, write and love and be loved by my two kitties, Memphis and Skeets.
"And yes, I also like to take pictures for the pure joy and creativity of it."


Terminal (Queue Call Actuator) Device Physical Queue Call device. Calls are initiated by pressing onto buttons of this device. Contains 16 buttons (Numerical buttons to call any specific queue no and some special function buttons as sleep, transfer to other counters/services, show number of waiting persons etc.) All buttons can be programmed for custom functions. It is fully compatible to QVista main Queue Control software enabling also parallel running with Virtual Terminal software.


Note: Prior registration is recommended. This workshop is conducted in Japanese.
In this special workshop, Photo Gallery International, which offers matting, framing, archiving, and preservation services to collectors and museums, and POETIC SPACE, a photography gallery which also offers framing consultation, will provide information on the best ways to enjoy, safely archive, and frame your photography collection.


The Australian Careers Business College's Career Advisors are available to visit your school to help provide your students with information on career options and pathways.
These visits complement our regular Open Days where students can visit the college to explore the study options we provide and experience the positive learning environment.
Our Careers Advisors represent ACBC at careers markets, expos and other specialised events related to career planning and study options, and are enthusiastic about helping students discover the course and path of study that both fulfils their goals and provides tangible career outcomes. We are particularly passionate about demonstrating to students that their ATAR score is not the only indicator of their potential to pursue further study and success in a field of their choice.
We invite you to be part of fun and enlightening student presentations by Australian Careers Business College that showcase the latest trends, careers and options available. Our team will come to your school at a time and day suitable for you and your Year 10, 11 and 12 students.
Our insightful presentation also offers advice on job placement techniques and job interviewing skills by conducting mock interviews preparing them for future employment.
At the end of the presentation every student receives a booklet filled with valuable information for future reference.
We can also arrange for ex students from your school who are graduates of ACBC to come and speak to your students about their experiences, including work experience.
Why recommend ACBC to your students?
Small class sizes with high staff to student ratios to ensure individual attention.
Seven distinct business and childcare study streams.
Qualifications that are recognised nationally by professional, government and private employment agencies.
Courses that provide automatic entry (with credit) into university.
An excellent opportunity for employment upon completion of study.
Hands-on assistance with developing job strategies including career guidance, resume preparation and interview techniques.
A Work Placement Program to provide the combination of qualifications and experience that is valued by employers.
A team of committed and inspiring Careers Advisors and teaching professionals focused on the success of each individual student.
We can participate in school expos and career evenings.
Our Career Advisors can visit your school class to provide information and answer questions about ACBC courses, student services, work placement and graduate destinations.


"His playing is a perfect example of the unique, indescribable charm of the Slavs, who are the best pianists in the world." These lines – written in 1897 – were not meant for Daniil Trifonov, the Artist in Residence for the 2018/2019 season, but Alexander Scriabin. Although a temporary injury to his right hand in 1891 nearly put an end to his pianistic career, Scriabin, who was born in 1872, first made a name for himself as a piano virtuoso after completing his studies at the conservatory in his native city of Moscow. As an eccentric par excellence and a clever marketing strategist, he consistently limited himself to interpretations of his own works when he performed.
Scriabin's only piano concerto, which had its premiere in 1897, follows the traditional three-movement form, and the shimmering chromaticism of the score is firmly anchored in the extended tonality of the late 19th century. Nevertheless, with this work the composer also en passant, as it were, bridged a gap between two far more prominent colleagues: seemingly improvised, elegant arabesques in the solo instrument recall the music of Frédéric Chopin, while the subtle dialogues between the piano and the orchestra woodwinds are obviously echoed in Sergei Rachmaninov's concertos. Rachmaninov's pianistic shows of strength are for the most part alien to Scriabin, however. Despite considerable demands on the pianist's technical skills, the solo instrument never descends into superficial virtuosity. When – as in the graceful second theme of the first movement, for example – it monopolizes the proceedings for a moment, it is with almost disarmingly straightforward octaves in both hands. The second movement consists of richly figured variations on a characteristic theme, until pianistic arabesques finally become part of the theme in the finale of the concerto; its development is characterized by a carefully calculated increase and decrease in musical intensity.
This rarely played work is interpreted by pianist Daniil Trifonov, who was born in 1991 and is not only approximately the same age as Scriabin was when he composed his piano concerto but is also considered one of the best pianists in the world today. The second half of the concert, conducted by Andris Nelsons, features Dmitri Shostakovich's Eleventh Symphony, which reflects on the historical events during the Russian Revolution of 1905.


text:
The Patriot Files Forums > Military News > Afghanistan
Afghanistan war at a stalemate, top general tells lawmakers
BY: ELLEN MITCHELL - 12/04/18 05:45 PM EST
RE: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4...ells-lawmakers
Fighting in Afghanistan is at a stalemate and the country would likely fall to the Taliban if the U.S. were to pull troops from the conflict now, the officer nominated to head U.S. forces in the Middle East told the Senate on Tuesday.
"I believe that the operational military situation is largely stalemated," Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
McKenzie, speaking at his confirmation hearing to become the next head of U.S. Central Command, warned against withdrawing U.S. troops from the 17-year war as Afghan security forces are not yet able to defending their nation.
"If we left precipitously right now, I do not believe they would be able to successfully defend their country," McKenzie said.
"Their losses have been very high. They're fighting hard, but their losses are not going to be sustainable unless we correct this problem."
The U.S. military has been in Afghanistan since 2001, when it removed the Taliban from power.
During that time, more than 2,400 U.S. forces have died in the conflict, including 12 this year.
Afghanistan has been in conflict since the late 1970s when U.S.-backed Afghan guerrillas repelled the Soviet Union from the country in a nine-year war.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Monday called for the international community to help end the war in Afghanistan as nearly 40 years of conflict "is enough."
The Trump administration has moved to push the Taliban to peace talks in an attempt to bring about an end to the violence, with U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad leading the charge.
Appointed in September, Khalilzad has moved quickly to reach out to as many top Taliban figures as possible in an attempt to start peace discussions before President Trump orders a troop pullout without an end to the conflict.
Khalilzad met Tuesday with Pakistani officials and will also travel to Afghanistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to try to wrangle support.
But talks have floundered, with the Taliban currently holding control of nearly half of the country, while routinely carrying out attacks on government officials and local security forces.
Lawmakers made clear their frustration with the pace of the diplomatic and military efforts to bring an end to the fighting, questioning McKenzie on everything from the lack of progress in the conflict, to growing Taliban control in Afghanistan.
"We've been at it for 17 years; 17 years is a long time," said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.). "What are we doing differently when it comes to the Afghan security forces that we haven't done for 17 years?"
McKenzie did note that Khalilzad's efforts is "a new element in the equation that we have not had before – working to actually try to come to some form of reconciliation and a political end state to the conflict that we've been unable to approach before."
In response to a question from Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) on new reports that the Afghan government now only controls 56 percent of the country, McKenzie explained that the Afghan government has chosen to secure and defend more populated areas of the country.
Such a move "has been a trade off in giving up more sparsely populated areas."
"It's concerning, but it's not a critical factor," McKenzie said.
McKenzie also said that the Taliban are "in a stalemate" and it's "critical to maintain unrelenting pressure" on the group to bring them to peace talks.
"We believe that it is important to convince the Taliban that, even as we are in a stalemate, so they are in a stalemate, and they will be unable to find a path to victory on the battlefield," he said.
Senior Army leaders have used the term "stalemate" frequently in the last year to describe the fighting situation in Afghanistan, with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford using the description last month.
The Taliban is "not losing right now, I think that is fair to say," Dunford said during the Halifax International Security Forum on Nov. 17.
"We used the term stalemate a year ago, and, relatively speaking, it has not changed much."
Dunford added that the United States is "a long way," from reaching reconciliation with the Taliban.
O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
"IN GOD WE TRUST"
Send a private message to Boats
Find all posts by Boats
Boats Donation Stats


text:
Lieutenant Michael John "Chip" Chiapperini
Webster Police Department
Webster Police Department, New York
End of Watch Monday, December 24, 2012
Michael John "Chip" Chiapperini
Lieutenant Michael Chiapperini was shot and killed while responding to a house fire at a home on Lake Road in Webster.
Lieutenant Chiapperini had responded to the fire as as a volunteer firefighter and was on the first piece of apparatus to arrive at the scene. As he and the other volunteer firefighters exited the pumper truck to start fighting the fire, a subject opened fire on them from an ambush position. Lieutenant Chiapperini immediately assessed the situation and began providing tactical direction to the other firefighters to take cover. He then maneuvered through the fire truck's cab and began moving on foot towards the shooter's location as the other responders took cover.
As he made his way towards the subject he was shot in the head and fatally wounded.
The subject held other responding officers at bay for several hours until finally committing suicide.
Volunteer Firefighter Tomasz Kaczowka was also shot and killed by the subject.
Lieutenant Chiapperini had served with the Webster Police Department for 20 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Weapon Rifle
Offender Committed suicide
Remembering and reflecting. Our love to Kim, Nick, the girls and your entire family.
The DelNagro Family
NYSP -Troop E


text:
Shop Shop Use the keyboard left and right arrows to navigate between high level categories
Shop Skates
Shop Sticks
Shop Helmets
Shop All Player Protective
Shop Protective
Shop all goalie protective
Shop Goalie
Monochrome Collection
All Outside Collection
More for Sale
My account
BEST IN CLASS STEEL QUALITY
STEP STEEL: REDEFINING BLADES
We search the world for the best steel alloys to make blades you can count on to put you on top of your game. From the very start of production, we constantly monitor our raw materials to make sure they meet our exacting standards.
MIRROR FINISH FOR OPTIMAL GLIDE
STEP V STEEL: LESS FRICTION, MORE POWER
The stainless steel surface is carefully polished to obtain a mirror image for a sharper edge after every sharpening and reduced resistance on the ice. With optimal glide, you use less energy during games and get more precise turns.
CARBON-COATED TECHNOLOGY FOR SUPERIOR EDGE
STEP BLACKSTEEL: THE BEST BLADES, PERIOD
Every STEP BlackSteel blade is coated with a layer of carbon nanoparticles to create an incredibly find, hard edge. Like a high-quality chef's knife, there are no burrs after sharpening and the hardened edge withstands impacts on the ice while lasting longer than other blades. All told, STEP BlackSteel maximizes your skating speed by requiring less energy to move on the ice.
191520440374 Helmets
Tacks Helmets
Tacks 70 Combo Helmet Junior
The CCM TACKS 70 hockey helmet has a lightweight design, an Easy Flip Clip adjustment for elevated comfort and a modern look that professional hockey players approve. Offered as a combo with FM70 facemask in silver. *Scientists indicate that brain injuries and concussions are mainly due to linear and rotational accelerations of the brain. No hockey helmet can prevent or eliminate the risk of head injury, including concussions.
Add to bag . Product is unavailable. Give it another shot soon!
Lightweight yet durable CCM TACKS 70 hockey helmet.
Easy Flip Clip adjustment for elevated comfort and a modern look that professional hockey players approve.
HT70C-JR
SKU ...........................................................................................................
Dual-density liner
Tool-free kid-specific adjustments
High density PE shell with intergrated ear covers
français (Canada) English (United States) čeština (Česká republika) English (Czech Republic) suomi (Suomi) English (Finland) Deutsch (Deutschland) English (Germany) svenska (Sverige) English (Sweden)


BEDCHAMBER GAMES is now on sale!
It's Lawrence Byron's turn to meet his perfect match. Bedchamber Games, the third and final installment of the Rakes of Cavendish Square trilogy, is available now. Visit the Bedchamber Games page to find out more about the novel and to read an excerpt.
Posted in Read All About It | Comments Off on BEDCHAMBER GAMES is now on sale!
Read the story description and check out the exciting new cover for Brie Grayson's book, Mad About the Man (The Graysons, Book #3). Coming 10.6.15. Pre-Order Now!
For those of you who've been eagerly awaiting books for Leo, Lawrence and Esme Byron, I have great news. I am currently under contract with my publisher to write full-length novels for each of the younger Byron siblings in my new Rakes of Cavendish Square Trilogy. Lord Leo's book, The Bedding Proposal, will be released March 3, 2015 and is now available for pre-order with Lawrence and Esme's books to follow.
Posted in Read All About It | Comments Off on More Byron stories coming!