text:
Stats Can't Tell Us Whether Mike Trout Or Josh Donaldson Should Be MVP
By Rob Arthur
Filed under Baseball
The Toronto Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson celebrates after scoring during an August game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, California.
Alex Gallardo / AP
The Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout in the dugout before a Sept. 4 game against the Texas Rangers in Anaheim, California.
Jae C. Hong / AP
As MLB award season arrives, no prize looms larger than Most Valuable Player. From a statistical perspective, the best guide to the MVP award is undoubtedly wins above replacement, and some voters develop their MVP ballots at least in part based on WAR. If you were going just by WAR, the American League MVP should go to the Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson (7.1 WAR) over the Angels' Mike Trout (6.8 WAR); while in the National League, Bryce Harper (8.0 WAR) of the Nationals looks like an obvious choice (all stats are current through Sept. 13).
The problem is that we don't know who truly has the most WAR in each league.
WAR looks like a single easy-to-understand stat, but it's the product of a complex model. That model integrates information on all the ways a player provides value: his hitting, fielding, baserunning and (for pitchers) pitching. The WAR you find at, say, FanGraphs or Baseball-Reference.com is an estimate of all those categories combined.
However, like all statistical estimates, WAR calculations come with uncertainty. Here's where things get pretty statsy, so bear with me: You're about to get a crash course in confidence intervals. The true value of a player varies from what you find on the leaderboard — but we're not sure by how much. That's because of sample size. Although a whole season of baseball seems like a lot, it still doesn't provide enough data to allow us to be completely sure of each player's value. So Harper's 8 WAR could be 6 or it could be 10, but the number on the leaderboard represents our best guess.
When the uncertainty about a player is small, we can be more sure that the player who looks like the best really is the best. If the uncertainty increases, though, we become less able to distinguish his performance from those of his competitors. Trying to determine the magnitude of this uncertainty is tricky, but it's an important part of good statistical practice.
Confidence intervals help us establish how uncertain we are about our measurement. A confidence interval is a range that, based on statistical analysis, is thought to contain the true value of a player a certain percentage of the time.1 But the creators of only one model have made their full methodology public, allowing us to create confidence intervals. Their model is, appropriately, called openWAR. I used openWAR to generate 1,000 fictional seasons that resemble the current year2 but randomize the events in it.
Imagine that a player's season (hitting, fielding and baserunning) is made up of just four plays, which we number 1 through 4. When we run the simulations, all of a player's plays are randomized, so sometimes a season consists of plays 1 (a line drive the player hits for a single), 2 (a ball he commits an error on in the field), 3 (a stolen base) and 1 again; sometimes 1, 2, 3 and 3, etc. Each fictional season arises by picking at random from the plays that have happened, allowing the same play to be picked twice or more. From that, we can ask how often, in these imaginary seasons, a given player produced more or less WAR than it appears he did in the season we've just lived through in real life.3
Here's what those simulations produced:
In 53.5 percent of the fictional seasons, Donaldson exceeds Trout. But in the other 46.5 percent, Trout betters Donaldson. With such an even split, it's difficult to say for sure whether Trout or Donaldson has contributed more to his team's success. If we use WAR as our guide, we have little basis to determine which player deserves the MVP more. The confidence interval on Donaldson's WAR is simply too large to be sure that he's the more valuable of the two. That's not to say that Donaldson isn't our best guess, only that we are not confident in that guess; Trout is a perfectly defensible choice as well.
In the NL, the gap is more pronounced between the WAR leader and the runner-up. Harper's sublime offensive season has earned him the most WAR (8.0) in all of baseball. Meanwhile, the Mets' Yoenis Cespedes comes in second, with a relatively paltry total of 7.1 WAR. Yet, despite the larger gap between Cespedes and Harper than between Trout and Donaldson, in 33.6 percent of the simulated seasons, Cespedes's estimated WAR exceeds Harper's.
Much of the uncertainty in WAR comes from our imperfect measurements of defense. Because the vast majority of defensive plays are routine, a player's true defensive skill can be seen only on the few plays that are between the impossible and the everyday. A given player might see only about 100 such plays per season. Even in that subset of plays, the difference between a Web Gem and a hit can be as little as a couple of feet, the result of a lucky step or the wind changing at the right moment.
Even if we had much more data on defense than we do, our best tools for measuring it are falling behind front-office strategy. We watch baseball in the age of the defensive shift; teams are becoming more and more savvy about positioning both their infield and outfield to maximize the chance of getting outs. Without detailed data on how defenders are positioned before the play starts, most of our metrics are confounded by the front office's ability to instruct its players on where to stand.
WAR itself is not complete. Although all versions of WAR available today cover the basics of player value (hitting, fielding, baserunning and pitching),4 no current version picks up on some of the more esoteric skills in baseball, such as a catcher's pitch framing. Framing can contribute up to 3 wins to good catchers, so any MVP debate guided by WAR will underrate players like Buster Posey who contribute substantially in that arena.
Despite all of its flaws, WAR is still the best available tool for judging value, and certainly exceeds the older alternatives, such as RBIs and pitcher wins. At a minimum, WAR can tell us who the MVP isn't. For example, we know Matt Kemp's 2.0 WAR isn't likely to best Harper's even with all the uncertainty baked into WAR.5 But by old-school metrics, Kemp's 94 RBIs as of Sept. 13 exceeded Harper's 85. Because of sabermetrics, we know that has more to do with luck and context than value.
But like any tool, WAR has limitations. After a full season of baseball, our best measurement can't tell us who the single most valuable player in the league is with any substantial degree of confidence. It could be Harper, or Cespedes, or potentially even Joey Votto. In the absence of definitive evidence, let the debate continue.
For example, a 95 percent confidence interval is thought to include the true value 95 percent of the time.
They are sampled from the current year, with replacement.
Again, all numbers are current through Sept. 13.
It is also worth considering that the different versions of WAR differ slightly in terms of how they measure and value these skills. For example, openWAR rewards contextual performance more than other versions of WAR, which arguably makes it more suitable for judging the MVP race. Although all versions agree in broad strokes and tend to give rise to similar leaderboards, differences between models can generate significant gaps between players (up to 2 to 3 WAR).
Such a scenario unfolds only three times in 1,000 seasons.
Rob Arthur is a former baseball columnist for FiveThirtyEight. He also wrote about crime. @No_Little_Plans
MLB (704 posts) Baseball (332) Mike Trout (31) Bryce Harper (24) Wins Above Replacement (22) WAR (13) Mvp (6) Yoenis Cespedes (5) AL MVP (4) Josh Donaldson (3) NL MVP (2)


text:
.class Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference$1;
.super Ljava/lang/Object;
.source "SecDropDownPreference.java"

# interfaces
.implements Landroid/widget/AdapterView$OnItemSelectedListener;

# annotations
.annotation system Ldalvik/annotation/EnclosingClass;
    value = Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;
.end annotation

.annotation system Ldalvik/annotation/InnerClass;
    accessFlags = 0x0
    name = null
.end annotation

# instance fields
.field final synthetic this$0:Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;

# direct methods
.method constructor <init>(Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;)V
    .locals 0

    iput-object p1, p0, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference$1;->this$0:Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;

    invoke-direct {p0}, Ljava/lang/Object;-><init>()V

    return-void
.end method

# virtual methods
.method public onItemSelected(Landroid/widget/AdapterView;Landroid/view/View;IJ)V
    .locals 2
    .annotation system Ldalvik/annotation/Signature;
        value = {
            "(",
            "Landroid/widget/AdapterView",
            "<*>;",
            "Landroid/view/View;",
            "IJ)V"
        }
    .end annotation

    iget-object v1, p0, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference$1;->this$0:Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;

    invoke-virtual {v1}, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;->getEntry()Ljava/lang/CharSequence;

    move-result-object v1

    if-eqz v1, :cond_0

    iget-object v1, p0, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference$1;->this$0:Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;

    invoke-virtual {v1}, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;->getEntry()Ljava/lang/CharSequence;

    move-result-object v1

    invoke-interface {v1}, Ljava/lang/CharSequence;->length()I

    move-result v1

    if-gtz v1, :cond_1

    :cond_0
    return-void

    :cond_1
    if-ltz p3, :cond_2

    iget-object v1, p0, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference$1;->this$0:Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;

    invoke-virtual {v1}, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;->getEntryValues()[Ljava/lang/CharSequence;

    move-result-object v1

    aget-object v1, v1, p3

    invoke-interface {v1}, Ljava/lang/CharSequence;->toString()Ljava/lang/String;

    move-result-object v0

    iget-object v1, p0, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference$1;->this$0:Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;

    invoke-virtual {v1}, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;->getValue()Ljava/lang/String;

    move-result-object v1

    invoke-virtual {v0, v1}, Ljava/lang/String;->equals(Ljava/lang/Object;)Z

    move-result v1

    if-nez v1, :cond_2

    iget-object v1, p0, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference$1;->this$0:Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;

    invoke-virtual {v1, v0}, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;->callChangeListener(Ljava/lang/Object;)Z

    move-result v1

    if-eqz v1, :cond_2

    iget-object v1, p0, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference$1;->this$0:Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;

    invoke-virtual {v1, v0}, Lcom/android/settings/SecDropDownPreference;->setValue(Ljava/lang/String;)V

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.method public onNothingSelected(Landroid/widget/AdapterView;)V
    .locals 0
    .annotation system Ldalvik/annotation/Signature;
        value = {
            "(",
            "Landroid/widget/AdapterView",
            "<*>;)V"
        }
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    return-void
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
"When you're in a hand, you're never gonna be able to process what these solvers are offering up to you."
"What do we do with all this complexity? I can barely explain what a solver does, let alone how to interpret it."
"Just imagine a player who has software that can tell him how to play GTO style in game. How do you beat that player?"
"The most successful classrooms that I've been a part of are collaborative and dialogic."
Poker, Artificial Intelligence & Learning
Featuring Ben Saxton
The Libratus AI beating top poker pros is just the public face of a revolution in poker strategy. Journalist Ben Saxton joins Dirk and Jon to explain poker engines, cutting-edge strategy, and tips on how to learn.
Poker is undergoing a revolution in strategy thanks in part to AI-driven poker engines that enable precise computation of game theory optimal, or GTO, strategy. Based on physicist John Nash's "equilibrium", GTO is professionalizing a game historically known more for cigar smoke and degenerate gamblers than extremely complex math. Journalist, teacher, and poker player Ben Saxton joins Dirk and Jon to go inside these developments.
Poker's 2011 Black Friday
GTO Poker
Ben Saxton
Ben Saxton is a New Orleans-based writer who teaches at Tulane Medical School and Bard Early College. His essays, book reviews, and interviews about poker have appeared in Two Plus Two Magazine, PokerNews, and wsop.com. He is currently writing a book about Gulf Coast poker players.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Video footage from outside a North Carolina mall depicting a group-altercation involving a 51-year-old man and several preteen girls has resulted in the man facing charges for assault of more than one of the young girls.
David Steven Bell and his family were at the Asheville Mall together when the man reportedly noticed a woman who appeared to be having trouble with a group of youths. Bell notified the employees of the store he was in to alert them of the situation, and they called security to the location.
After Bell allegedly helped the woman leave the mall the group of children reportedly formed a circle around him outside the building.


In just two days, the seventh season of Thrones will set sail like Arya heading to Braavos at the end of Season 4, so grab your best winter coat. Speaking of Ned and Catelyn Stark's youngest daughter (how about that smooth segue?), you may be wondering which Game of Thrones Season 7 episodes Arya will be in. Oh, if only GoT was the kind of television program that was willy nilly with the details. But GoT is not that kind of program; HBO keeps as many deets about forthcoming episodes under lock and key as possible.
Sure, HBO will occasionally release things like a poster of Jon Snow several months after he "died" in the Season 5 finale, but that was a special exception. All of this is to say that there isn't a ton of information about Season 7 or who will appear in what episode at the moment.
But here is what we do know: So far, Arya's only confirmed Season 7 episode is Episode 1. According to IMDb, Maisie Williams will be in "Dragonstone," but beyond that, it's TBD. And remember those three episode descriptions that were released last week? Arya's name is no where to be found. Sure, she could be the "unexpected visitor" that swings by Daenerys' place in "Stormborn," but that's nothing more than a baseless guess.
Judging from the Season 7 photos, it looks like Arya may be making her way back to Winterfell. Assuming her expedition is a long one (for starters, it looks like she posts up in the woods at least once) that doesn't begin and end in the first episode, there will certainly be more Arya this season. And thank goodness. She has so much traveling to do, siblings to reunite with, and revenge to exact.
Oh, and one more thing: Ed Sheeran will interact with Arya in Season 7. So if that doesn't happen in the premiere, feel free to bet your ducats that it'll happen later on, and feel free to bet your ducats that there will be at least one more Arya episode.


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February 1, 2017 February 1, 2017 Emma Scott
Yesterday's Gone
Loyle Carner is a name that won't be new to many of you. Even before his stunning debut album, Yesterday's Gone, this man had supported the likes of Kate Tempest, MF Doom and Joey Badass. He established himself before all the trappings of 'success' had caught him up. Instead of releasing music and waiting for the fish to bite, he stormed onto the scene and gained a fierce following of both lay people and cheiftan's of the biz. So, what makes this guy so great, bro? Looks like I'm about to tell y'all.
Loyle Carner (or Benjamin Coyle-Larner as he's actually called), has a gift with words. His lazy, feel-good flow is often painfully counteracted with heart-wrenching lyrics of love, loss, family and friendship in its rawest forms. Pain is etched into this album with intricate care, apparent in the subtle breaking of his voice or the perfect use of wordplay. Carner moulds the language he uses with a sensitive hand, shaping vignettes of those around him that capture not only his perspective but his empathy for theirs. His inner struggles are presented honestly, without embellishment or self-indulgence. This masterpiece of soul, told through the medium of laid-back hip hop, is charged with emotion and yet brim full of wit.
"The Isle of Arran", the opening track on the album, samples a gospel choir, inevitably singing about the redemption to be found in God. The song is a perfect example of Carner's wisdom, reaching far beyond his 21 years. He weaves faith troubles into the narrative of his own loss and the struggles of family life. With his biological father gone, and his beloved stepdad passing in 2014, the theme of father figures is recurring for Carner and underscores much of his emotional material.
"The Seamstress" has as much passionate weight as the opener. The flow on this track is irresistible, the rhythm and placement of words mummered in a stream of consciousness style. The subject of drinking ties in neatly with the flow, which undulates and pours itself over the jazzy production. Shout out to Loyle Carner's cat, who has the privilege of being a cat-on-the-wall when Carner's cooking up sweet sweet music.
But it's not just tears that Carner can provoke, he's also able to create witty portrayals of his plaintive surroundings. "Stars & Shards", with its funking funk filled backdrop (I'm guessing Tom Misch had something to do with this?), describes the messy, uncertain life of a drug dealer. Bars like, "cutting more lines than disabled kids up in Thorpe Park", are so on it that I get tingles in my toesies. He has the ability to turn the story of a dead-beat figure into a hotbed of sage bars that accumulate into a vivid image of real life.
And of course the old greats, those tracks Carner released well before his debut album. "NO CD" is a tribute to the rap legends of the 90s, infinitely relatable to anyone that has spent time grooving to the greats in the safety of their messy rooms. "Ain't Nothing Changed" is a defiant middle finger to the oppressive side of the music industry. "Florence" is a beautiful imagining of the bond between sister and brother, "know I'm only one pancake away". Is there anything this man can't turn to gold?
Undoubtedly, the crowning tracks of the sensitive side of the album are "Mrs C" and "Sun Of Jean". The first is a tribute to a friend's mother suffering from cancer. Considered, thoughtful and ultimately one of his most moving tracks. Carner is underset by simple bongos, piano and a mournful saxophone solo that carries the entire song into weeping territory. "Sun Of Jean" includes piano playing from his stepdad and potentially the sweetest poem ever, written and recited by his mum. The song is an intense analysis of family life that reveals itself shyly but with characteristic grace.
As a first album, there is nothing to do but congratulate.
Peace and jamz,
loyle
Previous 2016: What you missed
Next Exclusive Interview with D.I.D's Rob Milton


Alex Rodriguez took main steps to make sure that his proposal to Jennifer Lopez was picture-perfect.
Rodriguez famous that every thing "labored out effectively" when he lastly popped the query to Lopez, 49, in March after two years of relationship. The World of Dance Choose opened up concerning the magical second throughout her look on Elvis Duran's radio present on April 9 and confessed that the pair haven't began marriage ceremony planning.
Lopez additionally opened up about her romance with the athlete on April three throughout an interview with SiriusXM and revealed when she knew that Rodriguez was The One.
The "Jenny From the Block" songstress teased that the retired MLB star appeared "too good too quickly," however she "couldn't be happier" now that they're engaged.
Enroll now for the Us Weekly e-newsletter to get breaking superstar information, sizzling pics and extra delivered straight to your inbox!


text:
CategoryPolicing/Regulation
By : London Geographies August 18, 2018 August 18, 2018
Architecture and commerce: Looking into the 'past' and 'present' within the spectacle of Canary Wharf; the 'gated' community'
The site of investigation for my palimpsest project concerns Canary Wharf, a former port which became a financial district, located within the borough of Tower Hamlets. It was historically known as the West India Docks, which underwent an economic transformation by the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) in 1981. The main objective of the redevelopment
Using Palimpsest to Understand the City's Cultural Re-appropriation of Graffiti and Street Art and the Impact it has on its Representational and Socio- Political Function
Abstract Having worked for renowned street artist Banksy's press relations team for the past few summers, including throughout his critically-acclaimed exhibition 'Dismaland' in Weston- Super-Mare in 2015, I have been conditioned to celebrate street-art; appraising its satirical socio-political commentary and commending the voice it gives the minority. However, living in Shoreditch for the past two
Two Centuries of Sundays in the Park: Control, Subversion, and Performative Spectacle in Speaker's Corner
This paper dives into the cacophony of Speaker's Corner (henceforth, SC or the Corner) to trace histories of performative control and subversion. Each Sunday afternoon, speakers cluster in the North-Eastern corner of Hyde Park, an area designated for public address, to woo audiences for their speeches, songs, protests, and mockery. The Corner, today, echoes a
By : London Geographies January 27, 2018 June 4, 2018
Change, Continuity and Representation on Rye Lane through Palimpsest
I use the metaphor of palimpsest to look at representation on Rye Lane. Through an ethnographic study I focus on change and continuity at 135 Rye Lane, and how the contemporary space is one embedded in historical and spatial relations, governed by contemporary hierarchies of belonging. Drawing on Lefebvre's notion of representational space (1991), firstly
The Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in Bloomsbury, London was a charitable home for abandoned children founded by Thomas Coram in 1739. The hospital was in operation until 1926 when it was relocated and the original building demolished. Today, select memories and structures of the hospital are preserved in the Foundling Museum, located in an adjacent building. Drawing
Charles Booth's Representation of Londoners: Class, Gender, and Morality
Charles Booth's social survey of London spanned almost two decades and resulted in 17 volumes in the Life and Labour of the People in London, providing an incredibly rich source of knowledge about the city and its inhabitants (Charles Booth's London). One of the most important products of the survey was the poverty maps of
'Dirt' in Booth's Poverty Classification
The Booth archives contain a collection of surveys which were gathered to generate evidence about the working and living conditions of Londoners. What this essay will focus on is the language used to represent social class in this area, specifically looking at the language associated with dirt that Booth uses to classify poverty. By using
Comparing Charles Booth's St. Clement Danes with Today's
Charles Booth (1840 – 1916) was an English businessman and an active participant in local politics in the place of his birth, Liverpool. Booth developed a sense of obligation towards the poor and improvement of social conditions (LSE Booth webpage: see bibliography), and the rapidly spreading problem of poverty in the fast-expanding Victorian cities incited
19th Century 'Police and Publicans'
Introduction Archival research is an essential tool for historical geographers who seek to think and write about places and people that have long since vanished. Effectively removed from their field sites, these academics are faced with the challenge of navigating documents in an effort to source relevant data while remaining extra critical of inherent subjectivity.
All Stories107
Architecture/Landscape15
Consumption23
Employment7
Gentrification13
Method13
Misc.11
Modernity6
Monuments17
Othering6
Place16
Policing/Regulation10
Poverty7
Protest20
Racism14
Sexuality4
Slums3


text:
Home » Articles » Defense Department's 'Fourth Estate' Under Scrutiny
Defense Department's 'Fourth Estate' Under Scrutiny
By Jon Harper
Photo: Defense Dept.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has ordered a sweeping review of the Pentagon's "Fourth Estate" to look for ways to free up money to invest in the department's top modernization priorities. But it could be difficult to make large cuts, one analyst said.
The organizations under the microscope will include agencies that report directly to the office of the secretary of defense and not the military services. For fiscal year 2020, President Donald Trump requested $116.6 billion for defense-wide programs.
The "comprehensive zero-based review" will try to identify "resources that can be reallocated to our highest priorities in support of the National Defense Strategy through the FY 2021-2025 program and budget review, as well as adjustment to FY 2020 where feasible," Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist said in an August memo.
When he was secretary of the Army, Esper ordered a "night court" process that led to the realignment of more than $30 billion toward the service's top modernization priorities.
However, it may be difficult to find a large amount of savings in the defense-wide accounts, said Roman Schweizer, managing director for aerospace and defense at the Cowen Washington Research Group.
"We're optimistic this [new review] can generate results but it will be a hard slog," he wrote in a note to investors. "There are big chunks of spending that are hard to cut (military health care, Missile Defense Agency and Special Operations Command) and even smaller agencies/activities have political constituencies. It's doubtful that many of these changes will show up in time for the FY '21 budget, and the FY '22 budget could be the last Trump administration-influenced budget."
However, the fact that Norquist is leading the initiative means officials will have "high-level horsepower" to make changes in resourcing plans, Schweizer said. Significant reductions in defense-wide accounts could negatively affect government services companies, he noted.
Esper has said the fiscal examination will eventually address other parts of the Defense Department enterprise.
In the coming years, Schweizer said he expects bipartisan support for investing in next-generation capabilities to give the military an edge over peer competitors China and Russia.
"There is the potential for the most significant change in defense [research and development] and modernization in the last three [or] four decades," he wrote. "We think the perpetual upgrade cycle to old systems will give way to R&D and field of new platforms/capabilities. This could cause significant shifts in market segments for defense primes and specific equipment manufacturers."
Topics: Defense Department
Export Controls: a Contentious Issue Reaching a 'Boiling Point'
Air Force Fears Irreversible Damage From Budget Impasse
To Absorb Deep Cuts, DoD Would Shrink Army, Shed Aircraft Carriers and Fighter Squadrons


text:
U.S.|A Placid North Dakota Asks, Recession? What Recession?
A Placid North Dakota Asks, Recession? What Recession?
By MONICA DAVEY DEC. 5, 2008
Welding a seam on a wind tower in Fargo at DMI Industries, where 383 are employed and a $20 million expansion is under way. Credit Dan Koeck for The New York Times
FARGO, N.D. — As the rest of the nation sinks into a 12th grim month of recession, this state, at least up until now, has been quietly reveling in a picture so different that it might well be on another planet.
The number of new cars sold statewide was 27 percent higher this year than last, state records through November showed. North Dakota's foreclosure rate was minuscule, among the lowest in the country. Many homes have still been gaining modestly in value, and, here in Fargo, construction workers can be found on any given day hammering away on a new downtown condominium complex, complete with a $540,000 penthouse (still unsold, but with a steady stream of lookers).
While dozens of states, including neighboring ones, have desperately begun raising fees, firing workers, shuttering tourist attractions and even abolishing holiday displays to overcome gaping deficits, lawmakers this week in Bismarck, the capital, were contemplating what to do with a $1.2 billion budget surplus.
And as some states' unemployment rates stretched perilously close to the double digits in the fall, North Dakota's was 3.4 percent, among the lowest in the country.
"We feel like we have been living in a bubble," said Justin Theel, part owner of a dealership that sells Toyotas, Dodges and Scions in Bismarck. "We see the national news every day. We know things are tough. But around here, our people have gone to their jobs every day knowing that they're going to get a paycheck and that they'll go back the next day."
North Dakota's cheery circumstance — which economic analysts are quick to warn is showing clear signs that it, too, may be in jeopardy — can be explained by an odd collection of factors: a recent surge in oil production that catapulted the state to fifth-largest producer in the nation; a mostly strong year for farmers (agriculture is the state's biggest business); and a conservative, steady, never-fancy culture that has nurtured fewer sudden booms of wealth like those seen elsewhere ("Our banks don't do those goofy loans," Mr. Theel said) and also fewer tumultuous slumps.
As it happens, one of the state's biggest worries right now is precisely the reverse of most other states: North Dakota has about 13,000 unfilled jobs and is struggling to find people to take them.
"We could use more people with skills for some of these jobs," Marty Aas, who leads the Fargo branch of the state's Job Service North Dakota, said as his offices — where the unemployed might come for help — sat quiet and nearly empty. State employees outnumbered the six clients on a recent afternoon. (Mr. Aas insisted that such a slow afternoon was rare.)
State officials and private companies have begun looking elsewhere to recruit workers, including traveling in October to Michigan, where tens of thousands of workers have been laid off, and, this month, holding an "online job fair," anything to lure people to a place that is, at least for now, removed from the deep financial dismay — if also just plain removed.
"Our problem is that everybody thinks that it's a cold, miserable place to live," said Bob Stenehjem, a Republican and the State Senate's majority leader. "They're wrong, of course. But North Dakota is a pretty well-kept secret."
With 635,867 residents, North Dakota is among the least populous states, and, in the past few years, more people have moved away, census figures show, than have moved here.
Katie Hasbargen, a spokeswoman for Microsoft's Fargo campus, which is in the middle of a $70 million or so building expansion and is, even now, looking for a few additions to its work force (of more than 1,500), said false perceptions of the state are the problem when it comes to recruiting workers. "The movie," Ms. Hasbargen said, referring to the 1996 Coen brothers' film that bears this city's name, "didn't do us a lot of favors."
A slow afternoon at the Fargo branch of Job Service North Dakota, where the state employees outnumbered the job seekers. Credit Dan Koeck for The New York Times
On a recent evening, as the night shift arrived at DMI Industries, where 383 workers (an all-time high) weld gigantic towers for wind turbines and where a $20 million expansion is under way, Phillip Christiansen, the general manager, wandered the plant, noting those who had been recruited from elsewhere — three from Michigan not long ago, another from Louisiana. "It's very competitive around here trying to find people," he said. "In this environment, it's a little hard."
Not that people are complaining much. Downtown, in the line of gift shops along Broadway, where shop owners reported sales that were healthy (though always sensible), residents said they were pleased — if a tad guilty — about the state's relative good fortune.
No one was gloating. No wild spending sprees were apparent. No matter how well things seemed to be going, many said they were girding, in well-practiced Midwestern style, for the worst.
"You're always a little worried," Mr. Christiansen admitted. "You get a tickle at the pit of your stomach."
In truth, economic analysts said North Dakota has already begun showing some of the painful ripples seen elsewhere. Some manufacturing companies here have lately made temporary job cuts as orders for products have dropped nationally. Shrinking 401(k)'s — "201(k)'s," some here grump — are no bigger here than anywhere else. And, most of all, drops in oil prices and farm commodity prices are sure to sink local fortunes, experts said.
An economist at Moody's Economy.com recently warned that conditions in North Dakota had "slowed measurably in recent months, and the state is now at risk of being dragged into recession." In an interview, Glenn Wingard, the economist, described North Dakota as "an outlier" up to now in a broad, national slump.
"It's not going to hold," Mr. Wingard said, suggesting that the state would now probably have to suffer through a reversal, or at least, a slowdown, much like other places that benefited from rising fortunes tied to energy, high oil prices and booming farm commodity prices.
Still, Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University in Omaha, who conducts a regular survey of economic conditions in nine states through the nation's middle, found North Dakota to be the only one expected to experience an expanding economy over the next three to six months. "This will hit North Dakota," Dr. Goss said of the recession, "I just don't think it'll ever be as significant."
Just as state officials in Minnesota — due east of here — this week revealed a staggering $5.2 billion deficit, Gov. John Hoeven of North Dakota gathered with lawmakers at the State Capitol to talk, in part, about the $1.2 billion budget surplus — the result, in part, of increased revenues from oil, and a sum that is all the more astonishing given the size of the state's total budget, $7.7 billion over the next two years.
Mr. Hoeven, a Republican whose party controls both chambers of the state legislature and who was re-elected last month with more than 70 percent of the vote, offered proposals few other states are likely to hear this year: $400 million in property and income tax relief, $130 million more for kindergarten through 12th-grade education, 5 percent raises for state workers, $18 million for expansion of a state heritage center, and so on.
The surplus, several lawmakers asserted, will actually make their jobs and choices far more complicated.
"Now that there is money," said State Senator David O'Connell, a Democrat and the party's minority leader, "I could go to three meetings a day with people who will say they want more money or want a one-time spending package or something."
Mr. Stenehjem, who likewise complained that "when you have $1.2 billion sitting around, there's about 50 billion ideas of what to spend it on," quickly noted that there were worse budget problems to have.
"Don't get me wrong," he said. "I would rather deal with this.
"Prudence is important at this point," Mr. Stenehjem, a lifelong North Dakotan, went on. "North Dakota never gets as good as the rest of the country or as bad as the rest of the country, and that's fine with us."
A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: A Placid North Dakota Asks, Recession? What Recession?. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Bright Spot in a Bleak Economy FEB. 22, 2015


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Romeries is a village approximately 16 kilometres south of Valenciennes and 4 kilometres north-east of Solemes. The Communal Cemetery is on the west side of the village on the north side of the road to Solemes.
Wheelchair access to this site is possible, but may be by alternative entrance.
Part of the II Corps retired through this area during the Retreat from Mons in August 1914, and in October 1918, Commonwealth forces returned during the Advance to Victory.
Briastre was captured on 10 October 1918, Belle Vue Farm on 20 October, Romeries itself and Beaudignies on 23 October and Englefontaine on 26 October. The Battle of the Sambre, the last great action of the war, carried the front forward into Belgium and ended with the Armistice. Romeries Communal Cemetery Extension is one of the burial grounds of those who died between these dates.
BRIASTRE-SOLESMES ROAD MILITARY CEMETERY, BRIASTRE (Nord), was used by the 37th Division and the 1st Wellington Regiment (New Zealand) from the 11th to the 16th October, 1918. It contained the graves of 25 soldiers from the United Kingdom (12 of the 4th Middlesex) and 11 from New Zealand. It was about 800 metres South-East of Briastre, across the Selle.
BRIASTRE CHURCHYARD contained the grave of one New Zealand soldier.
BELLE VUE FARM CEMETERY, BRIASTRE, was 200 metres South of the Farm, which was almost immediately East of Briastre, across the Selle. It contained the graves of 16 soldiers of the 4th Middlesex who fell on the 10th October.
BEAUDIGNIES CHURCHYARD (Nord) contained the graves of five New Zealand soldiers who fell on the 4th November.
ENGLEFONTAINE GERMAN CEMETERY contained the graves of three soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell on the 26th and 27th October.
GRAND GAY FARM CEMETERY, LOUVIGNIES-QUESNOY (Nord), was nearly 1.6 kilometres South of Louvignies. There were buried in it 37 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 24 of whom belonged to the 9th Duke of Wellington's.
SALESCHES CHURCHYARD (Nord) contained the graves of three soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell on the 25th and 29th October.
ST. PYTHON COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION was made by the 2nd Division. It contained the graves of 23 soldiers from the United Kingdom, two from New Zealand, and one from Canada, who fell between the 27th October and the 8th November.
There are now 832 burials and commemorations of the First World War in the extension. 129 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 15 casualties believed to be buried among them.
Casualty Details: UK 719, Canada 1, New Zealand 112, Total Burials: 832.
G/46730 Private Ernest Jackson, 24th Bn. Royal Fusiliers, executed for desertion, 7th November 1918, aged 32. Plot IV. C. 20.
28939 Corporal John McNamara, V. C.
9th Bn. East Surrey Regiment, died 16th October 1918, aged 29. Plot IV. D. 17.
Son of John and Margaret McNamara; husband of Mary Ann Mitchell (formerly McNamara), of 82, Stone Row, School Lane, Preston.
Citation: An extract from the London Gazette, dated 12th Nov., 1918, records the following:-"For conspicuous bravery, initiative, and devotion to duty. When operating a telephone in evacuated enemy trenches occupied by his battalion, Cpl. McNamara realised that a determined enemy counter-attack was gaining ground. Rushing to join the nearest post, he made the most effective use of a revolver taken from a wounded officer. Then seizing a Lewis gun he continued to fire it till it jammed. By this time he was alone in the post. Having destroyed his telephone, he joined the nearest post, and again displayed great courage and initiative in maintaining Lewis gun fire until reinforcements arrived. It was undoubtedly due to the magnificent courage and determination of Pte. McNamara that the other posts were enabled to hold on, and his fine example of devotion is worthy of the highest praise."
22nd October 1918, aged 19.
Killed in action 4th November 1918, aged 28.
Son of Emily Keighley (formerly MacLachlan), of Alston Hall Villa, Grimsargh, Preston, England, and the late John MacLachlan.


text:
Visitor logs reveal Jeffrey Epstein visited the Clinton White House at least 17 times in the early 90s
Danial Bates
Thu, 02 Dec 2021 22:52 UTC
© The William J. Clinton Presidential Library
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein seen with President Bill Clinton at the White House in 1993.
Jeffrey Epstein's access to the Clinton White House has been laid bare by visitor logs exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com, which reveal the pedophile visited at least 17 times during the former president's first few years in office.
Epstein, who died in 2019, visited Bill Clinton at the Executive Mansion over the course of three years with the first invitation coming just a month after his inauguration in January 1993.
The logs show the late financier showed up on 14 separate days, even making two visits in a single day on three different occasions.
Epstein was invited by some of Clinton's most senior advisers and aides, including one who later served as Treasury Secretary, according to records. The documents reveal that the vast majority of Epstein's visits stated that he was going to the West Wing, meaning there was a strong likelihood he was meeting Clinton.
The disclosure puts renewed scrutiny on Clinton's friendship with Epstein, who was known to have flown the former president on his private jet - known as the 'Lolita Express' - dozens of times after he left office.
When Epstein hanged himself in jail after his arrest in 2019, Clinton claimed that he knew 'nothing about the terrible crimes' his friend carried out.
And while Epstein's crimes did not become public knowledge until his arrest in 2006, the visits to the White House would have occurred during the same time frame that his alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell is accused of recruiting underage girls for him. Maxwell, 59, is accused of being Epstein's procurer between 1994 and 2004, a period of time during which the pedophile appeared to have been gaining the trust of the most powerful man in the nation.
Clinton's historic victory over George H.W. Bush in the 1992 election paved the way for him to serve two terms in the White House and become one of the most successful Democrats in US history.
Meanwhile Epstein was still establishing himself as a financial manager and had recently left Towers Financial, a debt collection agency which would collapse in 1993 due to a $450million Ponzi scheme, the largest in the US at the time.
Steven Hoffenberg, who ran the company with Epstein, was jailed for 20 years. Epstein was never arrested nor charged.
Epstein met Maxwell in the early 1990s and the two briefly dated before she eventually became the manager of his Palm Beach mansion and, as prosecutors allege, top recruiter of minors.
Over the next decade he would acquire the trappings of a billionaire playboy: his private island in the Caribbean, a $75million mansion in New York which was the largest private residence in the city at the time, and his ranch in New Mexico. He would also acquire the friendship of one William Jefferson Clinton. Reports have claimed that Clinton was a self-made man and may have been drawn to Epstein because he was cut from a similar cloth.
As Epstein reportedly told his friends: 'I invest in people - be it politics or science. It's what I do.'
1993: Epstein's first visits
The visitor logs were obtained by DailyMail.com from the Clinton Presidential Library under a series of FOIA requests.
They show that Epstein's first visit to the Clinton White House was on February 25, 1993 and the person who issued the invitation is listed as 'Rubin'. The location of the visit is listed as 'WW', or West Wing.
© AFP via Getty Images
According to the visitor logs, Epstein's first visit to the Clinton White House was authorized by a person identified as 'Rubin', believed to be Robert Rubin (pictured) who was the president's director of the National Economic Council at the time and was later appointed Treasury Secretary
The most prominent Rubin in the White House at the time was Robert Rubin, who took up his position as director of the National Economic Council when Clinton took office. Rubin was so favored by Clinton that he was appointed Treasury Secretary in January 1995.
Rubin would go on to serve as chair of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an international affairs think tank, between 2007 and 2017.
Epstein was a member of the CFR from 1995 until 2009 and donated $350,000 to the organization, money which it later gave to an organization which fights human trafficking.
The logs show that Epstein was admitted for his White House visit at 9:19am that day, when Clinton had plans to meet with Rubin at 1:45pm, according to the president's daily schedule. It is not clear if Epstein attended the meeting.
When DailyMail.com called Rubin's home, his wife said to 'call his office' before hanging up.
A spokeswoman for Rubin said: 'To the best of Mr. Rubin's recollection he never met or spoke with Mr. Epstein.'
Epstein's next visit was on September 29 to attend a reception organized by the White House Historical Association after he donated $10,000 to help renovate the building. It was one of the earliest instances of Epstein using philanthropy to gain access to powerful men, a tactic he would deploy extensively later after his 2006 conviction for having sex with underage girls. Photos from the event show Epstein and Clinton shaking hands with both men smiling broadly.
In the background Maxwell, who attended with Epstein, can be seen looking intently at Clinton.
Another photo shows Clinton talking to Maxwell and Epstein together as guests mingle around them.
© The Washington Post via Getty
White House social secretary Ann Stock who was listed in Epstein's little black book, was the reception's point of contact during his September 29, 1993 visit
White House social secretary Ann Stock, who was listed in Epstein's little black book, was the reception's point of contact. Stock would have been a useful ally for Epstein and when she left the role in August 1997, the former president said it was a 'personal loss' for him.
The person who approved the visit for Maxwell was 'Rathbone', which appears to be Linda Rathbone, who was special assistant to the chief of staff at the time.
Stock did not return messages asking for comment, and neither did Rathbone.
Epstein's third visit to the White House was on December 17 and the admitting authority was 'Mortman', which appears to be Lisa Mortman, staff assistant to the director of media affairs at the time.
Epstein entered the White House at 9:27am and Clinton's presidential schedule for that day shows that at 10:10am he and Hillary Clinton attended the announcement of a $500million grant to improve education from Walter Annenberg, the late publishing billionaire.
The grant was the largest of its kind at the time and Clinton praised it in front of a crowd of people, saying it 'couldn't have come at a better time'.
While it is not clear if Epstein attended the event, it is exactly the kind of nexus of philanthropy and power that he used to further his own ends.
Other attendees included Senator Ted Kennedy, Richard Riley, who was education secretary at the time, and education reformer Ted Sizer.
Mortman did not return calls asking for comment.
Epstein's fourth visit to the Clinton White House was on December 21 and he was signed in by 'Kelley'.
No other details are given but, intriguingly, Clinton's mother was called Virginia Clinton Kelley and she was still alive at the time - the following month she died of cancer. The visitor logs show that Epstein's destination was the West Wing and he arrived at 12:16pm.
That morning Clinton attended a memorial at Arlington National Cemetery for the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 and returned to the White House by 11:15pm.
He would remain in the Oval Office until 2pm for 'Lunch/Phone and Office Time', leaving a large window in which he could have met Epstein.
A dozen visits in 1994
The vast bulk of Epstein's visits - 12 in total - came during 1994.
The first was on March 24 and was approved by 'Middleton', which was Mark Middleton, who at the time was special assistant to the president. He was also assistant to the chief of staff, Thomas F. 'Mack' McLarty. Middleton, who left the White House in February 1995, was accused of setting himself up as an international deal-maker, exactly the kind of person that would appeal to Epstein.
In 1996 an investigation by the White House found that Middleton had abused his access to impress business clients and he was barred from the executive mansion without senior approval. Middleton denied the claims.
The visitor logs show that on March 24, 1994, Epstein arrived at 3pm and by that time Clinton had already left for the day on a visit to Pope Air Force Base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, later followed by a private event in Dallas, Texas.
The other name that features prominently on Epstein's 1994 visits is 'Ewing', which was Karen Ewing, who worked in the chief of staff's office. A source said that she was involved in sending names of visitors to be cleared by the Secret Service and that Epstein was there to see Middleton, not her. The logs show that some of Middleton's meetings with Epstein happened in room 176 which was in the old Executive Office building, not the White House.
The source said that Middleton asked for a meeting room next to the White House mess, which was in the West Wing, so he could impress his guests with his proximity to the Oval Office. The source said: 'Mark was trying to make himself look bigger than he was. He was trying to make himself out like he had more power than he really did in the White House.
'Mark knew that Epstein was managing the money of Les Wexner', referring to the billionaire founder of L Brands and Victoria's Secret.
'The year 1994 there were midterm elections, Clinton needed money and Mark thought he could get some of Wexner's money.
'Mark wanted to set himself up as the guy who could bring in those kinds of big donors', the source said.
The source remembered Epstein as being 'very charming' but that was normal for people wanting to get access to the president. The source said: 'He didn't dress very smartly and wore jeans and a button down white shirt.
'One time he got chatting with me and claimed he had been a Navy SEAL. I'd just read a book on the SEALs so I knew how to check if he was telling the truth and asked him: 'What was your class number?'
'A real SEAL could answer that in a second but Epstein couldn't. He looked at me and smiled and his face said: 'You got me'. I just smiled back at him and we moved on.'
According to a source, among the people that Epstein would meet on his trips to the White House was George Mitchell, (pictured far left with the Clintons in 1999) the former senator who at the time was Senate majority leader
According to the source, among the people that Epstein would meet on his trips to the White House was George Mitchell, the former senator who at the time was Senate majority leader. Mitchell later served as the US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace under President Obama and was among the powerful men Epstein victim Virginia Roberts claimed she was loaned out to for sex by the pedophile in a deposition. Mitchell has always denied any wrongdoing.
Epstein's next visit was on April 20, 1994 and he was signed in at 3pm. Clinton was in the Oval Office until 3:15pm that day when he began a series of briefings with high level staff. The following day, April 21, Epstein made two visits to the White House on the same day, both signed in by Ewing, at 5pm and 7pm.
In both cases his destination was the West Wing.
Clinton's daily schedule shows him either in the Oval Office for briefings or attending a reception for the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments. At 7pm Clinton arrived at Blair House for a reception for the Prime Minister of Greece and returned to the White House by 8pm, meaning he could still have met Epstein. The source said that days like this were the likeliest that Clinton and Epstein met.
The source said: 'Mark probably looked at the president's daily schedule and said: 'Come back later and we'll try and get you in there to see him.
'Even if it was just for a few minutes, you're still meeting the president'.
Four days later on April 25, Epstein was back at the White House again, once more destined for the West Wing. Epstein's 5:15pm arrival came during a time when Clinton had some free time in his schedule. The former president attended an event to announce, with a grim irony, the first National Crime Victims' Rights Week and finished mid afternoon.
After that the schedule says he had 'down time for the remainder of the day', meaning he had plenty of time to see his friend, Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein returned to the West Wing twice in one day on May 13 in visits signed off by Middleton and Ewing. His first visit was at 12pm and the second was at 4pm, both bound for the West Wing. Clinton's schedule for the day shows him having 'lunch, phone and office time' from 11:05am to 1:05pm in the Oval Office that day and 'phone and office time' in the Oval Office, both periods that coincide with Epstein visiting.
June 7 was Epstein's next trip to the West Wing: Clinton was away at the time on an official visit to France.
However Clinton was in the White House on July 28, when Epstein would return for two visits in a single day. Epstein's 2pm visit to the West Wing coincided with Clinton's lunch and office time in the Oval Office.
Epstein's 6:30pm visit coincided with Clinton attending a Congressional meeting and then a reception in the Blue Room followed by a dinner in the State Room organized by Ann Stock. It is unclear if Epstein attended.
Epstein had two final visits in 1994, the first of which was on September 26 and was signed off by Middleton. Clinton was in New York at the time attending the UN General Assembly.
Epstein's next visit was on October 27 and he was signed in by Stock. Clinton was out of the country at the time on an official visit to the Middle East - on that day he was in Jordan. Intriguingly the logs show that Epstein's destination was the East Wing but Hillary was on the trip with Clinton. The source believed that Maxwell attended the White House with Epstein during the summer of 1994 for one visit, though her name does not appear in the visitor logs.
Middleton did not return calls asking for comment. Ewing declined to comment.
A friendship flourishes
Epstein visited Clinton just once in 1995, on January 28, and he was again signed in by Middleton, with the time of entry 2:45pm.
That day Clinton had 'down time' from 1:45pm for the rest of the day, leaving him plenty of time to see Epstein. It would be Epstein's final visit to the White House, but by then the connection with the president had been made.
The two men began to socialize outside of the White House and two months later, on March 30, Epstein paid up to $100,000 to attend a Democrat fundraiser in Palm Beach where Clinton was present. Also attending was Miami Vice star Don Johnson, Deandra Douglas, then the wife of actor Michael Douglas, singer Jimmy Buffett and billionaire investor Ron Perelman.
Soon the friendship between Epstein and Clinton was close enough that mutual friends were bringing the financier up in conversation.
British socialite Lynn Forester, who served on Clinton's National Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee and on his Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, wrote a letter to the former president on April 27, 1995 referring to Epstein. Forester, who some believe introduced the two men, wrote: 'Dear Mr. President: It was a pleasure to see you recently at Senator Kennedy's house.
'There was too much to discuss and too little time. Using my fifteen seconds of access to discuss Jeffrey Epstein and currency stabilization, I neglected to talk to you about a topic near and dear to my heart. Namely, affirmative action and the future'.
In 2000 Forester would sell her townhouse in Manhattan for $4.95million to an anonymous corporation with the same address as Epstein's office on Madison Avenue. The price was $8.5million less than its market value - Maxwell moved in soon after and remained there until 2016 when she sold it for $16million.
Comment: That's Lynn Forester de Rothschild, aka Lady de Rothschild, wife of 'the top guy'...
Clinton's post-presidency
Flight logs from Epstein's planes show that after leaving office Clinton flew at least 26 times on the pedophile's jet - known as the 'Lolita Express' - and as many as 10 times with no Secret Service detail. The trips included a multi-stop tour of Asia in November 2003 to destinations including Russia, Oslo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, the logs show.
© MEGA
The newly uncovered visitor logs puts renewed scrutiny on Clinton's friendship with Epstein, who was known to have flown the former president on his private jet - known as the 'Lolita Express' - dozens of times after he left office. Clinton is pictured on the aircraft with Ghislaine Maxwell in 2002
In 2002 Clinton took a trip to Africa aboard Epstein's plane with disgraced actor Kevin Spacey and the comedian Chris Tucker.
Photos previously published by DailyMail.com showed Clinton being given a massage on the trip by Chauntae Davies. Davies was an Epstein victim who worked as a flight attendant and was repeatedly raped by the pedophile.
Speaking to New York magazine in 2002, Clinton said: 'Jeffrey is both a highly successful financier and a committed philanthropist with a keen sense of global markets and an in-depth knowledge of twenty-first-century science.
'I especially appreciated his insights and generosity during the recent trip to Africa to work on democratization, empowering the poor, citizen service and combating HIV/AIDS'.
Clinton and Epstein were so close that the financier had email addresses for Clinton and 21 numbers for him in his 'black book' of contacts.
Epstein donated more than $94,000 over the years to candidates from the Democratic party, an apparent attempt to buy influence. In addition, Epstein's lawyers have claimed that he helped Clinton devise the Clinton Global Initiative, his philanthropic organization which is the focus of his post-presidency.
Clinton was also photographed hugging Epstein's housekeepers on a trip to his mansion in New York.
Multiple reports have claimed that Clinton visited Epstein's island in the Caribbean, a claim which the ex-president's former close adviser Doug Band has said is true. Virginia Roberts, the Epstein victim, said in a 2011 deposition that Clinton visited Little St James and arrived with 'two young girls' from New York.
Roberts said: 'I remember asking Jeffrey what's Bill Clinton doing here kind of thing, and he laughed it off and said 'well he owes me a favor.'
'He never told me what favors they were. I never knew. I didn't know if he was serious. It was just a joke...
'...He told me a long time ago that everyone owes him favors. They're all in each other's pockets'.
Clinton's spokesmen have always strongly denied the allegation.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Band has claimed that Chelsea Clinton was so close with Maxwell because she 'had access to yachts and nice homes' and 'Chelsea needed that'.
Indeed Maxwell was invited to Chelsea's wedding in 2010 in Rhinebeck, New York, and a photo of the event shows her craning her neck down the aisle at the bride.
In the wake of Epstein's suicide in 2019, Clinton issued a statement amid outrage at his friendship with the sex offender.
A Clinton spokesman said at the time that he 'knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York'.
The statement said: 'In 2002 and 2003, President Clinton took a total of four trips on Jeffrey Epstein's airplane: one to Europe, one to Asia, and two to Africa, which included stops in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation'.
A spokesman for Clinton did not return requests for comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.
drongo · 2021-12-04T02:37:42Z
It takes one to know one.
Behind the scenes powers at play. Whose play? Bidens? Obamas? Soros? Hmmm.
Dog · 2021-12-04T05:36:39Z
nothing fishy here ....
Psstoffgoy · 2021-12-04T09:24:10Z
Sadly you can replace any "global leader" (self proclaimed) with the sewer sludge Clinton's, they ALL come from the same septic tank. The long awaited revelation is beginning, more and more will be exposed and I would expect they will turn on each other as the tower of lies crumble.
Each time, that I read the last Ball Shit about the " CLIMATE " that is done by the Humans, each time that I read the last Ball Shit about the...
Someone once said, "If you can get people to ask the wrong question, it doesn't matter what the answer is." "Did Epstein commit suicide, or was he...
Tom is a citizen of Greece.
Chester Goode
"Integrating information in the brain's EM field: the cemi field theory of consciousness" [Link] "The movement of energy that occurs in the...
ge0m0


text:
require "oj"
require "loga"
require "rack/authorize"

# Loga initialization based on previous
# configuration if existing or rescue error
# to provide new configuration
begin
  Loga.configuration.service_name = "RACK_AUTHORIZE"
  Loga.logger.formatter = Loga.configuration.send(:assign_formatter)
rescue Loga::ConfigurationError
  Loga.configure(
    filter_parameters: [:password],
    level: ENV["LOG_LEVEL"] || "DEBUG",
    format: :gelf,
    service_name: "RACK_AUTHORIZE",
    tags: [:uuid]
  )
end


We would love to add a few bedrooms, open the kitchen (add more counter space/island), front porch, new roof and siding.
Need to get estimates for a 2nd floor addition on a ranch home.
2 full upstairs bathrooms. Full gut on both. One is kids and one is in master.
Would like to build a permitted a-frame over existing paved front porch. While you guys are here, would like to also discuss interior remodeling for the future.
1. Install sliding glass door in back of house. 2. Remove wall to accommodate sliding glass door. 3. Steps down to patio. 4. Open wall or just cut out between dining room and kitchen.
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To let in the light and provide a safe entrance and exit, it's important to include the right kind of basement windows. Kuhn Construction offers basement egress windows and window wells that are essential if you're planning to use your remodeled basement as a living space.
The kitchen acts as the heart of the home, serving not only as the place you make food but as a gathering space for family and friends. If you have ever wanted to upgrade your kitchen Kuhn Construction offers a variety of remodeling services to help make your kitchen dreams a reality. We offer custom cabinets, stylish countertops, kitchen islands, and much more! We work with you to help design and create your perfect custom kitchen that you'll love!
The bathroom is another room in your home you spend a lot of time in. If you want to upgrade the feel of your bathroom, let Kuhn Construction help by providing expert remodeling services like tub to shower conversion, shower surrounds, walk-in tubs, and much more. Come to our showroom or call to start designing your dream bathroom today! We offer free, cost-quotes for remodeling projects in Islip, Long Island and surrounding areas.
Ready to get started on your home transformation? Kuhn Construction is the home remodeling and basement finishing company that you can rely on for home additions, kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, and more. Contact us today for a free quote in Islip, Long Island and surrounding areas!
Kitchen, windows, refinish wood floors, maybe a roof. remove master bedroom wallpaper and paint.


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Important aspects that will ensure social-media marketing success is to make sure of its relevance to your customer, the value it provides them, and the strength of the foundation on which it is built. By using social media for marketing you will see that it is an cost-effective method of advertising through social channels along with media releases that will attract a huge amount of visitors to your website. Whether you want to market your products, publish the business updates, press releases, social marketing is the highly effective method that will earn you profits on a long run.
Customer loyalty is most effective when your customers can feel engaged with your company. When companies are using social media for marketing, it helps put this "human face" on their company and builds trust, which builds relationships. Customer expectations are huge and brands are failing. Trust has switched from institutions to friends, and the barriers to the flow of information have faded. Customize your messages in such a way that is appropriate in your target market. Also, popular sites in one market might not be as popular in another. Businesses use social marketing and when used effectively are better able to connect, interact, and respond to the needs of their customers. It helps them reach their ideal target market and by doing so results in heightened brand awareness, better customer service and increased web-presence.
We are now seeing that companies are no longer the one-way communication houses trying to force us to buy what we don't need. We are now a player in that conversation and today's development of online social-media is but an extension for that craving to be heard, to play a part and even lead. Companies are finding that consumers are no longer searching their websites for information, but are using social media for marketing.
Whether a company is large or small, no one can afford to ignore this growing presence in our lives. Using social media for marketing is not only cost-effective, it will help you to grow your customer base by taking part in two-way dialogue with your customers. You are now able to shape your products and services based on real-time customer feedback and you can drastically improve your customer service by responding quickly and easily to any queries, questions or concerns people might have. In addition, using social media for marketing purposes allows you to reach out to existing customers and to find new ones, and it also makes it easy for the people you reach to spread the message on to their online friends.
Paid advertising can pretty much be done in congruence with social media marketing. The goal is to drive a highly-targeted audience to your site through paid advertisement on other sites. This will only work if you have optimized your site to convert. If you're driving qualified traffic to your site, but your landing page is not optimized to convert this traffic, then you will lose a lot of advertising dollars.
Internet Marketing is quickly becoming a sought after business that an anyone can be successful in. From college students to the unemployed, if you want something bad enough you must work for it.


text:
Home Tech TCL Updates Televisions With Google TV After Complaints
TCL Updates Televisions With Google TV After Complaints
TCL: After almost two weeks on stand-by, TCL resumed, this Tuesday (21), sales of smart TVs series 5 and 6 with Google TV. The devices were removed from Best Buy stores, in the United States, after complaints from users.
Introduced at the beginning of the year (during CES 2021), the devices — which have screens ranging from 43 to 85 inches and 4K or 8K resolution — came out of the e-commerce giant's "shelves" on the last day. main complaints from consumers, which, fortunately, were heard by the manufacturer.
"We are sorry to hear that some customers have faced challenges related to the stability of the user interface of our Google TV devices," the manufacturer said in an official statement on its website.
"Our high-performance TVs are constantly evolving, and recent software updates have allowed us to make significant progress, but we will continue to refine the models in question," he added, temporarily interrupting the sale of the units. However, the wait is over.
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John Lewis - November 23, 2021


text:
MICHAEL ANO
Michael Ano is an artist, curator, and educator. Contemplating the transmission of ideas and its correlative relationship to systems of power- Ano makes alternative platforms for information distribution, to explore how ideas and people connect to ask whether pedagogical methods can more fully democratize the diffusion of learning, and to conduct critical thought experiments in deconstructing how resources associated with social stratification are codified. He has explored a variety of pedagogical practices both formally and informally through different lenses: as a student, instructor, facilitator, and producer.
Ano was the co-founder and director of Catalyst Gallery at University of California, Irvine from 2005-2007. In 2008 he founded ASAP (after school arts program) a nomadic arts education collective modeled after the grade school programs of the same name. Ano has mediated projects at Visual Communications, Outpost for Contemporary Art, Otis College of Art and Design, the New Museum's Ideas City, and Slanguage's Third World Creative. His work has been exhibited at the Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Sea and Space Explorations, and the San Diego Art Institute. He has worked organizing educational programs and outreach at the Orange County Museum of Art, the Norton Simon Museum, the New Museum, University of California, San Diego, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Most recently Ano joined the editorial collective FIELD: A Journal of Socially-Engaged Art Criticism, and became contributor tor KCET's ArtBound.
Born in Los Angeles, CA
Lives & works around Los Angeles, CA
mikeano@gmail.com
Exhibitions/ Workshops / Talks
UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS (solo), UC San Diego VAF, San Diego, San Diego, CA
ALL SYLLABUSES, UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
WHAT IS AN MFA WORTH, College Art Association, New York, NY
ALL SYLLABUSES v1, ARTifact Gallery, San Diego, CA
CAT124, ARTifact Gallery, San Diego, CA
FISP Conference, UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
MCASD Community Day, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, San Diego, CA
CAT124: EXPERIENCE- FALL, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, San Diego, CA
CAT124: EXHIBITION BUILDING- WINTER, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, San Diego, CA
CAT124: EXHIBITION BUILDING- SPRING, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, San Diego, CA
3X3 #1, #2, #3, #4, ARTifact Gallery, San Diego, CA
LET'S COLLABORATE!, UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
ARTIST TALK, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA
Monster Drawing Rally, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA
MAS ATTACK 8, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA
Oikiosis (solo), UC San Diego VAF, San Diego, CA
Summercamp's ProjectProject: Summer Time Shift, Summercamp, El Sereno, CA
The Quiet After 10, Emily O, Highland Park, CA
Odyssey, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
EXTENSIONS: Painting: here, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, San Diego, CA
EXTENSIONS: ART AND HUMOR, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, San Diego, CA
A Collapse of Distance, VAF: Performance Space, San Diego, CA
EXTENSIONS: ART AND COLOR, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, San Diego, CA
ASAP: In and Around the University, New Museum- Ideas City, New York, NY
You Didn't Think I Could Run a Mile in 6 Minutes, GATE Projects, Glendale, CA
LA Stories, Pehr Space, Echo Park, CA Curators
Public Interest, LACE, Los Angeles, CA
ASAP: A Complete Art History in About an Hour, Amy Adler's Studio, Echo Park, CA
Godzilla vs Mothra: II, Slanguage Studio, Wilmington, CA
A Three Hour Tour, Torrance Art Museum, curated by Lara Bank, Torrance, CA
ASAP: On Relational Aesthetics, Sea and Space Explorations, Eagle Rock, CA
Godzilla vs Mothra (solo), Waterloo, Echo Park, CA
ASAP: Boards and Nails, Outpost for Contemporary Art, Highland Park, CA
ASAP: After Identity, Visual Communications, Los Angeles, CA
___:__, A Solo Show, Sea and Space Explorations, curated by Lara Bank, Eagle Rock, CA
ASAP: Arts Education LA, Visual Communications, Los Angeles, CA
Alumni Show, Catalyst Gallery, Irvine, CA
Learning to Rob a Bank (solo), Room Gallery, Irvine, CA
Captive, curated by Carol Cheh and Kristen Raizada, Gatov Gallery, Long Beach, CA
The Look of Slaw, curated by Juli Carson, University Gallery, Irvine, CA
Expert Witness, curated by Ciara Ennis, University Gallery, Irvine, CA
Nobody Has to Know, curated by Deborah Oliver, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
Screen Slam, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
2016-18 Deep Time Univeristy, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego, CA
2010-13 Public Interest: ASAP @ LACE, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA
2009 ASAP @ Sea and Space Explorations, Eagle Rock, CA
2008 ASAP @ Visual Communications, Los Angeles, CA


CCF believes that it is important that we serve the region where our students work and live. The College sits on 135 acres located in the City of Norwalk, near the intersection of Interstates 5, 605, 105, and State Route 1. This makes the campus geographically convenient for students coming from Southeast Los Angeles County and North Orange County. Our student population is as vibrant and diverse as the region. An average of 22,000 students attend annually, and participate in over 180 areas of study and 87 degree and certificate programs.
CCF actively builds relationships with city governments, small businesses, and corporations in Artesia, Bellflower, Buena Park, Cerritos, Cypress, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, La Mirada, Long Beach, Norwalk, and Santa Fe Springs. Our Development Office regularly discusses our mission with interested parties, and invites them to connect with the campus. These relationships have led to donations, grants, sponsorships, revenue-generating joint ventures, and the development of affiliated educational programs.
In order for our students to be successful, the region where they live and work needs to be strong economically. The Center for Corporate Training brings opportunity via innovative workforce training solutions, career technical education, internship opportunities, and job opportunities with corporate partners.


Perla Hudson, the wife of former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, has poked fun at Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose following his rare TV interview this week.
"I was waiting for something enlightening and all I got was promotion for a show and his evident affinity for a chili burger," she says in an interview with Us Weekly following Rose's appearance on US TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 25.


The Summer I Turned Pretty synopsis: Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer–they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
There's a series that I read recently, in one day actually, that I have thought of a song for. The series? Well that would be Ms. Jenny Han's Summer series, of course!
And the song? It's old…like, 10 years old, old! The band originated here in Houston and it was called Fenix TX. The song is called Tearjerker…which I don't think could be more aptly named for the Summer series, as they both have so much angst. So, for Conrad and Belly…here it is. :) Hope you fans approve.
please don't miss me too long.
and I'm all right without you.
the stars still spell out your name.
is it you're just not around?
Very cool song, now I need to check out the series you've paired it with.
Great song. I have 2 of the books from the series, can't wait to get the rest so I can read it. I've heard good things.
YES! Definitely start them soon!! They're SO good!
Love Fenix TX. Great pick!


I'm adding an X-Brace to an existing roll cage and wanted to see if you have any tips/recommendations on welding the area in the attached photos - Bottom of X-Brace to frame. The gap is a bit large.
I have a Hobart 210 MVP (using 220V).
I think Dale has replied previously to what appears to be the same post with some very good advice. I'm curious if your plans are to GTAW it or GMAW it? You don't mention the material used? That will have some bearing on process and filler metal. As well how experienced you are at welding. But from what you've shown, I'd say your ready to weld it?


text:
With legal break, ukulele player will perform with reggae star
Posted: 9:09 PM, Aug 09, 2016
HONOLULU (AP) — A Maui ukulele player who unwittingly sang a duet with reggae artist Matisyahu will be performing with the singer in Hollywood.
But making the opportunity happen required help from Maui's top prosecutor and public defenders. A judge is allowing Clint Alama to fly to Los Angeles and back while temporarily released from jail, where he's being held on a probation violation after convictions for assault and other charges.
Matisyahu and his bassist Stu Brooks were at a Maui coffee shop recently when they heard Alama strumming the singer's hit "One Day." Matisyahu sang along, while Alama seemed oblivious to his singing partner's identity. Brooks filmed the impromptu duet.
The musicians later invited Alama to perform the song at their concert Friday at the Hollywood Palladium. There was one problem, Alama revealed: A warrant was out for his arrest because of the probation violation.
Brooks posted that conversation on Facebook. Maui County Prosecuting Attorney John "J.D." Kim saw the video and looked into Alama's case. Kim said he had watched the earlier coffee shop video while on vacation in Atlanta, and enjoyed seeing a local guy get some positive attention.
So Kim got in touch with Alama's public defenders and probation officials to come up with an arrangement. Meanwhile, Alama turned himself in earlier this week, was arrested and remains jailed at Maui Community Correctional Center.
A judge agreed to temporarily release Alama, allowing him to take a red-eye flight to Los Angeles Thursday night, perform "One Day" at the Hollywood Palladium on Friday and then return to Maui, Kim said.
"The court has allowed him this one opportunity of a lifetime," Kim said. He warned that if Alama gets into trouble or doesn't return, a judge could send him to prison.
Alama's public defenders didn't immediately return calls seeking comment on his behalf Tuesday. Records show Alama is also known as Clint Alama-Barido. After the concert, he must remain in jail unless he can post $50,000 bail. A court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16.
Brooks said he and Matisyahu don't know the details that led to Alama's convictions, but are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. "It seems like everyone is supporting him," Brooks said. "He seems to have a lot of fans (in Hawaii)."
The musicians are handling Alama's travel arrangements, including having him picked up from the airport.
"He's been given an opportunity to showcase his talent. We decided far be it from us to hold him back," Kim said. "That's the true meaning of aloha— to give these guys a second chance, to understand their circumstances. Now it's on him."


Following successful concerts in 2009 and 2010, the March concert will showcase a new breed of local talented musicians selected from the 2010 ABRSM practical examinations.
The concert program promises an exciting mixture of piano and other instrumental players. Besides Grade 1 to Grade 8 piano high scorers, this concert will feature performance from diploma students, violin (Grade 1 - 3), viola (Grade 5), double bass (Grade 4, 5, 8), flue (Grade 3) and percussion (Grade 6).


text:
package org.xmlactions.mapping.xml_to_bean;

import org.xmlactions.action.actions.BaseAction;
import org.xmlactions.action.config.IExecContext;

public class KeyValue extends BaseAction {

    private String key;
    private String value;

    public String execute(IExecContext execContext) throws Exception {
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
        return null;
    }

    public void setKey(String key) {
        this.key = key;
    }

    public String getKey() {
        return key;
    }

    public void setValue(String value) {
        this.value = value;
    }

    public String getValue() {
        return value;
    }

}


(Bloomberg) -- Outgoing President Joseph Kabila could remain the power behind the throne in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the highest court rules on a challenge to last month's presidential-election result.
Martin Fayulu, the runner-up in the Dec. 30 poll, has petitioned the Constitutional Court to order a recount of the votes, saying official results proclaiming rival opposition candidate Felix Tshisekedi the winner were rigged. Fayulu's claims that the results were inaccurate are supported by the country's influential Catholic bishops, who've said the electoral commission's tally doesn't reflect the findings of its nationwide observer mission.
Unless Fayulu secures his preferred decision, it could be Kabila, who's ruled the cobalt- and copper-rich nation for almost 18 years, who benefits from either of the other options available to the court, according to analysts including Claude Kabemba, director of the Johannesburg-based Southern Africa Resource Watch. If the vote is annulled, he'll remain in office until a new election is organized; should the court validate the result, the incoming president has already signaled his willingness to work with his predecessor.
Kabila was barred by the constitution from seeking a third term. He nominated Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a loyalist former interior minister, to run for the presidency for the ruling Common Front for Congo coalition known as the FCC.
The result announced last week by the electoral commission confounded expectations that Shadary, whose campaign had far superior financial and logistical resources, would win. Fayulu comfortably topped an opinion poll in late December, but came second with 35 percent, behind Tshisekedi with 39 percent. Shadary finished a distant third with 24 percent.
Fayulu accuses Tshisekedi of having struck a secret agreement with Kabila to obtain the presidency -- a charge the president-elect's camp strongly denies.
The Presidential Majority, the biggest grouping in the FCC, is prepared to "start all negotiations necessary" with the president-elect -- under Kabila's leadership -- to collaborate together to establish an effective government, spokesman Andre Alain Atundu said Jan. 12.
If the court approves the official results, Tshisekedi will have an opportunity to wield tremendous influence in Congo.
But while he'll have a mandate to appoint senior judges, security officials and state company bosses, he'll be confronted by the informal patronage networks that "riddled" Kabila's administration, said Jason Stearns, director of the Congo Research Group at New York University.
Tshisekedi's capacity to act independently will also be constrained by the National Assembly, where Kabila's ruling coalition won a crushing majority in the concurrent parliamentary vote. Tshisekedi is obliged to select his prime minister from the FCC's ranks, while Kabila will look to retain other key portfolios, according to Kabemba.
Fayulu has said he wants a recount for all three elections -- presidential, national and provincial parliament -- and told supporters that results collected by his coalition's own compilation center show he won 61 percent of the vote.
Fayulu has been backed by regional leaders, with the 16-member Southern African Development Community calling for a recount, according to a statement emailed by Zambian President Edgar Lungu's office. SADC member countries South Africa and Zambia both sought to soften that language by issuing separate statements on Monday saying any decision about a recount should be left to the authorities in Congo.
The Constitutional Court began considering the challenge on Monday and is expected to announce its ruling by the end of the week. It's unlikely the court will decide to accept Fayulu's request, said Stearns.


10 Ways to Prevent Summer Learning Loss!
You are here Home » Summer Learning » 10 Ways to Prevent Summer Learning Loss!
Preventing the summer learning loss known as "The Summer Slide", is a tremendous issue for teachers and schools. Personally, I hate sitting down with parents at beginning of the year conferences and informing them that their child has a lower reading level at the start of the year than they had at the end of the previous school year.
How Can Teachers Help Prevent Summer Learning Loss?
When I was first asked about how teachers can keep students learning all summer, I thought… adopt? After all, children spend their summers away from us, and out of our control unless they are our own. Thinking about it a bit more though, honestly the answer is to adopt, but not the children, adopt the parents. Adopting the parents means cultivating an excellent relationship with the parents of your students, and making yourself available to them at any time. How far you go with this depends on your personal comfort level.
At the start of every school year I create a private blog for parents, hand out my school email, and personal cell phone number to parents. I send postcards though the mail, make regular phone calls, and even do home visits. When the school year ends I still have parents checking in on our class blog, sending me texts from vacation, and emailing asking for how to help their child keep up their learning over the summer.
It is not too late, to increase parent communication and prevent summer learning loss.
1. Many museums offer free or significantly reduced rates for certain weekends or activities in the summer. Parents are often unaware of the opportunities available to their children during the summer. I gather together as much of that information as I can and add it to the class blog. Alternately, this information can be added to a printable calendar and sent home with students at the end of the year.
2. Every year I purchase a subscription to Raz-Kids for my class. Raz-Kids is a online reading program from Reading A-Z. Students listen to books on their reading level, record themselves reading, and take comprehension quizzes. They earn stars for their work and teachers are allowed to sign in and award more stars to students as you see fit. Students then use the stars to "purchase" items for their virtual rocket ship world. Kids love earning stars, and at the end of the year I let children know I will be checking in occasionally over the summer and awarding extra stars to students I see have been reading. Kids love doing this, and it really helps with the summer slide.
3.Our local library holds load of free events for children over the summer. Parents often don't know what is going on. Many are new to the area and have not ever been tot he library in town. I add all the library events to the blog calendar, and to the paper calendar I will send home.
4. There are lots of online learning games for students that I have used in the classroom over the year. I add links to these games and make sure to show students how to get to them from our class blog. Showing the kids is key because it keeps parents and students login in all summer. Some great sites I love for summer learning activities are pbskids.org, cbeebies (story time), bbc the magic key and, soft schools math games.
5. My school does not own a subscription to timezattack by big brains.I did buy it for my own children at home and it is awesome for helping them learn their math facts. Parents can download a free demo version of the game which will help with math facts practice.
6. Throughout the school year I teach my students how to play various games with their sight words.(Some of them I use are available on my store) At the start of the summer I send students home with flashcards for next year's word list. I also include a directions sheet for how to use the list to play the sight word games we have played throughout the year. (Cards are not cut out – they can take care of that. ) Children love to play the games and they make great rainy day fun.
8. If you don't have a class blog, another option is to mail out a summer newsletter. Mine includes reminders about upcoming events in town, and crossword puzzles/word searches of words and concepts for students to practice. A great place to make a word search/crossword puzzle for something like that is discoveryeducation.com. If you work with a teaching team, it is something you can each sign up to do once during the summer. Then you can space out mailing them to reduce summer learning loss throughout the summer.
9. Our school uses our auto call through the year to remind parents of upcoming activities at school. This system can also be utilized during the summer to send out reminders about summer school or available summer enrichment activities.
10. Keep kids writing by sending home summer writing journals. (Click here to grab one from my store for only $1.00) I usually run off my summer writing journal with CCSS aligned prompts for students to take home over the summer, and I also hand out a self-addressed (school address) stamped envelope and some writing paper to encourage students to write me a letter over the summer. Usually I don't read these until I get back to school in the fall, but it is a great way to start the year with a smile.
Sadly, there is no way to completely prevent the summer learning loss slide. Even children who spend their summers in summer school sometimes regress, but there are things we can do to help. I hope this post has given you some ideas for your students.
How do you prevent the summer slide in your classroom? Please share your ideas in the comments section below. I would LOVE to hear from you!
Great ideas to keep the kids from sliding down the slide over the summer. I know that parents find it helpful that you are sending home fun recipes to keep the kids learning over the summer. Very clever!


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Q: android-Way of detecting low battery notification Is there a way to detect a low battery notification in android eclipse?I have an action game that needs to be paused when it appears.

A: There is a tutorial in the official developers web about monitoring the battery level and charging state. I hope it helps you.
http://developer.android.com/training/monitoring-device-state/battery-monitoring.html

A: This post might be help full look at that Battery Level Also look into this link Battery Level and State

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Thank you so much, so glad you're enjoying them!!
Would u male a wedding cake?
Love the simplicity of this recipe, and can't wait to try it!
In case of using the soft, medjool dates, would you still recommend soaking them beforehand?
Thank you so much! If the dates are very soft don't worry about the soaking, but if they're on the hard side I'd definitely recommend soaking them!
This has become my go-to chocolate cake when I'm craving something sweet but still want to be healthy! Thanks for the inspiring recipe!
Thank you so much, really glad you like it!
Nice recipe! Can I use coconut flour or any other type of flour instead of ground almond? Thank you!
Thank you! Not sure about coconut flour, but you could use any other type of ground nuts of seeds such as ground hazelnuts, ground walnuts or ground sunflower seeds. Hope that helps!


I'm at Grace R. Duncan's today blogging about why I wrote On Wings of Song as part of her Throwback Thursday series. Thanks again, Grace, for hosting me. You can read the post here.
I'm at fellow NZRRW author Jamie Sands' blogging about why I write historicals. Thanks for hosting me. You can check out the post here.
Monthly Blog At Love Bytes Reviews – Can I Have This Dance?
My November monthly post at Love Bytes Reviews is about writing and music, and is in part inspired by the orchestra concert I played in last night.
Bec from Bike Book Reviews has written a lovely review of On Wings of Song for Day 6 of their Countdown to the Holidays. You can read the review here. Thanks, Bec!


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Q: javax.jms.MessageConsumer hangs on receive when consumer closed According to the javadoc, if I call receive() on a javax.jms.MessageConsumer it will block indefinitely until a message is produced or until the message consumer is closed.
I have a thread in which a receive() is being called. As part of the thread shutdown I am calling close(), but the consumer still blocks in receive() and so the thread will not shutdown. The gist of my code is:
public String receiveMessage() {
...
...
   System.out.println("About to receive")
   TextMessage message = (TextMessage) consumer.receive();
   System.out.println("No longer receiving")
...
...
}

public void stop() {
    try {
        if (consumer != null) {
            consumer.close();
        }
    } catch (JMSException ex) {
        throw new IllegalStateException(ex);
    }
}

In the debugger I can see close() being called, but the receive still blocks. If I use the receive() method with a timeout it will block until the timeout expires.
Everything looks right to me, hopefully someone can tell me what I am doing wrong.

A: I've sorted the problem, I wasn't doing a connection.start() anywhere. Once I put this in, the MessageConsumer.receive() stopped blocking when I closed it and everything worked as I had expected.
Thanks for your suggestions.

A: One further thought.
In JMS, Connection is multi-threaded.  Session and below (Consumer, Producer, Message, etc) are not thread-safe.  If you're accessing any of that non-thread-safe stuff from multiple threads, you're responsible for avoiding multi-threaded access.
The code you show below looks like you're calling methods on Consumer from a couple of threads.  A violation of that rule.
It might be safer to just close the Connection object.  No threading conflicts and any sensible implementation would do the right thing to clean up resources associated w/ the Connection.

A: But still, calling consumer.close() on another thread is not the right thing to do. You will need to do a connection.Close which will take care of closing all sessions, consumers, producers etc under that connection.

A: *

*Try receive(long timeout), and don't forget to to check that returned mesage is not null.

*In addition to consumer.close() you may also interrupt polling thread - if close() is implemented poorly and doesn't notify blocked receiver, this will wake it up.


text:
Gmina Liw is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Węgrów County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It takes its name from the village of Liw (the site of a castle; formerly a town). The administrative seat of the gmina is the town of Węgrów, although the town is not part of the territory of the gmina.

The gmina covers an area of , and as of 2006 its total population is 7,677 (7,616 in 2013).

Villages
Gmina Liw contains the villages and settlements of Borzychy, Janowo, Jarnice, Jarnice-Pieńki, Jartypory, Krypy, Kucyk, Liw, Ludwinów, Ossolin, Pierzchały, Połazie, Popielów, Ruchenka, Ruchna, Śnice, Starawieś, Szaruty, Tończa, Tończa-Janówki, Witanki, Wyszków, Zając and Zawady.

Neighbouring gminas
Gmina Liw is bordered by the town of Węgrów and by the gminas of Bielany, Grębków, Korytnica, Miedzna, Mokobody, Sokołów Podlaski, Stoczek and Wierzbno.

References

Polish official population figures 2006

Liw
Węgrów County

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia