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De Machtigingswet van 1933 (Duits: Ermächtigungsgesetz, ook bekend als Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich; Nederlands: Wet tot het lenigen van de nood van volk en rijk) werd op 23 maart 1933 aangenomen door de Duitse Rijksdag en afgekondigd op 24 maart 1933. Met het aannemen van deze wet zette de Rijksdag zichzelf buiten spel. De Rijksregering kreeg met deze wet wetgevende bevoegdheden waardoor een door de nazi's gedomineerde regering vrij baan kreeg bij het realiseren van een "nationaalsocialistische maatschappij" zonder dat er nog een controlerend parlement tussenbeide kon komen. De meeste historici achten hiermee de Weimarrepubliek de facto beëindigd, maar sommigen laten deze al met het aantreden van Adolf Hitler als rijkskanselier op 30 januari 1933 eindigen. De Weimarconstitutie is de jure tot 1945 van kracht gebleven, hoewel dat uiteraard in nazi-Duitsland alleen nog maar in schijn zo was.

Voorgeschiedenis
Een machtigingswet in het Duitse politieke systeem geeft de zittende regering tijdelijk buitengewone volmachten zodanig dat het parlement regeringsmaatregelen niet meer kan controleren of verbieden. Dit was bedoeld alleen in tijden van ernstige crisis als snel en kordaat optreden geboden was. Voor het afkondigen van een machtigingswet was minimaal twee derde van de stemmen in het parlement nodig.
In de jaren 1919-1923 waren er al eens door het parlement drie machtigingswetten aangenomen, die toen voor korte periodes golden, om de gevolgen te bestrijden van de crisisjaren van 1919 tot 1924. In de helft van de regeringsperiode van Ebert werd geregeerd op grond van deze machtigingswetten. Toch kende de Weimarconstitutie niet de mogelijkheid tot het afkondigen van dit soort wetten. Men redeneerde echter dat wanneer twee derde van de Rijksdag de grondwet kon wijzigen, deze ook tot een dergelijke vergaande wet kon besluiten (grondwetsdoorbreking).

Hitlers weg naar de macht
De democratie had het in het Duitsland van de jaren dertig moeilijk. Reeds Heinrich Brüning, die als voorheen vakbondsman, lid van de Deutsche Zentrumspartei en in maart 1930 aantrad als rijkskanselier, had pogingen ondernomen om namens de rechtse elites - het grootkapitaal, de grootgrondbezitters en het leger - de macht van de Rijksdag in te tomen. Het probleem was echter Adolf Hitler die men wel wilde maar niet kon negeren. Ook Hitler wenste de macht. Maar hoewel zijn beweging sterk was, had deze de hulp nodig van vooraanstaande personen. Het toeval wilde dat in die crisisjaren van de Weimarrepubliek enkele prominenten de kans kregen belangrijke initiatieven om tot een rechtse oplossing te komen, te ontplooien. Deze initiatieven bleken even zoveel politieke misrekeningen te zijn waarvan Hitler echter op termijn dankbaar profiteerde.

Een van die initiatieven was afkomstig van de toenmalige rijkskanselier Franz von Papen. Zijn bedoeling was te komen tot een presidentieel stelsel, waartoe de Rijksdag zou moeten worden ontbonden en de verkiezingen (ongrondwettig) zouden worden uitgesteld. Rijkspresident Paul von Hindenburg steunde dit initiatief. Von Papen opereerde echter in de Rijksdag dusdanig onhandig dat het voorstel daar werd getorpedeerd. Er werden op 6 november 1932 nieuwe verkiezingen gehouden. Voor de NSDAP was de uitslag niet al te gunstig. Toch werd Hitler op 30 januari 1933 benoemd tot rijkskanselier bij gebrek aan alternatieven.

Rijksdagbrand
Hitler trachtte zo veel mogelijk macht in handen te krijgen om zijn plannen onbelemmerd uit te kunnen voeren. Nu moest hij dat nog legaal doen. Op 27 februari 1933, nog geen maand na zijn aantreden, stond het gebouw van de Rijksdag in brand. Dit laatste gaf de gedroomde aanleiding tot de zogenaamde Reichstagbrandverordnung ('zum Schütz von Volk und Staat') ('ter bescherming van volk en staat') op grond van artikel 48 van de Weimarconstitutie (Weimarer Verfassung) waarmee Hitler vergaande bevoegdheden kreeg om 'de rust te herstellen'. Door sommige historici wordt aangenomen dat deze brand door de nazi's geënsceneerd was. In de eerste plaats werden nu onder andere de vrijheid van meningsuiting, de vrijheid van vergadering, de persvrijheid en het brief- en telefoongeheim voor onbepaalde tijd opgeschort. Verder was het gedaan met de zelfstandigheid van de deelstaten. Bovendien kreeg de regering (niet het leger (Reichswehr) die hiervoor eigenlijk verantwoordelijk was) het recht in te grijpen om de orde te herstellen. Vrijwel onmiddellijk na de brand werd begonnen 'verdachten' te arresteren zoals Rijksdagafgevaardigden, communisten en vakbondsleiders; allemaal mensen die de nazi's in de weg liepen.

Verkiezingen

Hitler achtte de tijd rijp om nog meer macht te verwerven door de grondwet op te schorten door een machtigingswet. Hiervoor had hij twee derde van de stemmen in het parlement nodig.
Op 5 maart 1933 werden opnieuw verkiezingen gehouden, die voor de NSDAP echter niet de zo gewenste absolute meerderheid opleverden. Ondanks de noodverordeningen wisten de socialisten en de communisten nog ongeveer een derde van het totale zetelaantal te veroveren: SPD - 120 zetels; KPD - 81 zetels. Samen dus 201 van het totaal aantal zetels van 647 in het parlement. De nazi's behaalden 288 zetels. Hun conservatieve coalitiegenoten van de DNVP verwierven 52 zetels. Het Zentrum bezette 74 zetels. Bij een stemming zou het er dus om spannen of zijn wet aangenomen zou worden.

Aanname van de machtigingswet
Na grondige voorbereiding richtte Hitler op 23 maart 1933 zich tot de Rijksdag. Hij sprak twee en een half uur. Hij plaatste de noodzaak om te komen tot een machtigingswet in een breder (nationaalsocialistisch) kader. Verder verklaarde hij onder andere dat de Rijksdag niet in zijn rechten zou worden beknot. Ook zou er niet worden getornd aan de rechten van de Rijkspresident. De deelstaten zouden zelfstandig blijven en ook de positie van de kerken bleef onaangetast. Deze toezeggingen waren bedoeld om met name het katholieke Zentrum over de streep te trekken, zoals door de nazi's was 'toegezegd' op de zogenaamde "Dag van Potsdam" (Tag von Potsdam - op 21 maart 1933), waar niet alleen het Zentrum, maar ook de liberalen en de vertegenwoordigers van de DNVP overtuigd werden van de noodzaak van een machtigingswet. Daarnaast waren er uitgebreide besprekingen gevoerd met de Beierse Volkspartij (BVP). Deze partij die haar thuisbasis in Beieren had en die het politieke katholicisme vertegenwoordigde, had belangrijke toezeggingen gekregen waaraan Hitler in zijn toespraak nadrukkelijk refereerde. De BVP was met 19 zetels van belang voor de tweederdemeerderheid. Als de BVP had tegengestemd was het voorstel niet aangenomen. Het Rijksconcordaat kwam op 20 juli 1933 tot stand. Er is discussie over de vraag of de toezeggingen van Hitler daaraan hebben bijgedragen.

Om de schijn van legaliteit te kunnen handhaven werd er alles aan gedaan om de wet binnen de daarvoor gestelde kaders te behandelen. In de eerste plaats diende het quorum van 432 afgevaardigden gehaald te worden. Wanneer de socialisten en de communisten - samen 201 leden - nog 15 andere leden van de Rijksdag hadden weten te overtuigen weg te blijven, dan zouden er slechts 431 afgevaardigden aanwezig geweest zijn. Om deze gang van zaken te verhinderen had de regering echter voorgesteld de 'Geschäftsordnung' van de Rijksdag te wijzigen. De Rijksdag ging hiermee akkoord wat tot gevolg had dat Rijksdagleden die zonder excuus afwezig waren (en dat is inclusief die leden die in voorlopige hechtenis zaten of die verdreven waren!) werden beschouwd als "unentschuldigt fehlend".

In de tweede plaats diende twee derde van de Rijksdagleden vóór te stemmen. Op de 'dag van Potsdam' waren het Zentrum, de liberalen en de leden van de DNVP al voor het standpunt van de regering gewonnen. De SPD nam niet deel aan deze manifestatie en de leden van de KPD waren verhinderd door "nützliche Arbeiten in den Konzentrationslagern", aldus Wilhelm Frick, minister van Binnenlandse Zaken in de regering-Hitler.

De voorzitter van het Zentrum, de katholiek "prelaat" Ludwig Kaas, beargumenteerde het "ja" van zijn partij met:
Die gegenwärtige Stunde kann für uns nicht im Zeichen der Worte stehen, ihr einziges, ihr beherrschendes Gesetz ist das der raschen, aufbauenden und rettenden Tat. Und diese Tat kann nur geboren werden in der Sammlung.
Die deutsche Zentrumspartei, die den großen Sammlungsgedanken schon seit langem und trotz aller vorübergehenden Enttäuschung mit Nachdruck und Entschiedenheit vertreten hat, setzt sich zu dieser Stunde, wo alle kleinen und engen Erwägungen schweigen müssen, bewusst und aus nationalem Verantwortungsgefühl über alle parteipolitischen und sonstigen Gedanken hinweg. […]
Im Angesicht der brennenden Not, in der Volk und Staat gegenwärtig stehen, im Angesicht der riesenhaften Aufgaben, die der deutsche Wiederaufbau an uns stellt, im Angesicht vor allem der Sturmwolken, die in Deutschland und um Deutschland aufzusteigen beginnen, reichen wir von der deutschen Zentrumspartei in dieser Stunde allen, auch früheren Gegnern, die Hand, um die Fortführung des nationalen Aufstiegswerkes zu sichern."

Otto Wels, voorzitter van de SPD sprak de laatste vrije woorden in de Rijksdag:
"Die Wahlen vom 5. März haben den Regierungsparteien die Mehrheit gebracht und damit die Möglichkeit gegeben, streng nach Wortlaut und Sinn der Verfassung zu regieren. Wo diese Möglichkeit besteht, besteht auch die Pflicht. Kritik ist heilsam und notwendig. Noch niemals, seit es einen Deutschen Reichstag gibt, ist die Kontrolle der öffentlichen Angelegenheiten durch die gewählten Vertreter des Volkes in solchem Maße ausgeschaltet worden, wie es jetzt geschieht und wie es durch das neue Ermächtigungsgesetz noch mehr geschehen soll. Eine solche Allmacht der Regierung muss sich umso schwerer auswirken, als auch die Presse jeder Bewegungsfreiheit entbehrt […]
Wir deutschen Sozialdemokraten bekennen uns in dieser geschichtlichen Stunde feierlich zu den Grundsätzen der Menschlichkeit und der Gerechtigkeit, der Freiheit und des Sozialismus. Kein Ermächtigungsgesetz gibt Ihnen die Macht, Ideen, die ewig und unzerstörbar sind, zu vernichten […]
Auch aus neuen Verfolgungen kann die deutsche Sozialdemokratie neue Kraft schöpfen. Wir grüßen die Verfolgten und Bedrängten. Wir grüßen unsere Freunde im Reich. Ihre Standhaftigkeit und Treue verdienen Bewunderung."

Hitler reageerde woedend: "Ich will auch gar nicht, dass Sie dafür stimmen. Deutschland soll frei werden, aber nicht durch Sie."

Het gevolg van het voorafgaande brutale optreden van de nazi's was dat op het moment van de stemming
 26 afgevaardigden van de SPD gevangengenomen of gevlucht waren;
 81 afgevaardigden van de KPD gevangengenomen, vermoord, gevlucht of ondergedoken waren;
 2 afgevaardigden om onduidelijke redenen niet aanwezig waren.

In totaal namen 109 afgevaardigden niet aan de stemming deel. 94 leden van de SPD stemden tegen. In totaal werden er 538 geldige stemmen uitgebracht. Met 444 stemmen vóór zette de Rijksdag zich op 23 maart 1933 buiten spel en kreeg Hitler vrij spel.

Gevolgen

Gleichschaltung
De basis voor de nu volgende Gleichschaltung van volk en land met de ideologie van de NSDAP was deze machtigingswet van 1933. Hitler kon nu wetten en decreten uitvaardigen zonder dat het parlement daar nog een stokje voor kon steken. Dit proces begon met de wet van 31 maart 1933 waarbij de Duitse Länder hun autonomie verloren en met de wet van 7 april 1933 waarbij er rijksstadhouders werden aangesteld. Er zouden nog vele maatregelen volgen waarbij iedere keer de vrijheid iets verder werd ingeperkt. Ondertussen was sinds de Rijksdagbrand al een groot aantal van de tegenstanders van Hitler gearresteerd. Dit ging nu in versneld tempo door. Begin april 1933 waren er alleen al in Pruisen 25.000 mensen in 'preventieve hechtenis' genomen'. In Beieren werden in de maanden maart en april zo'n 10.000 communisten en socialisten gearresteerd. De gevangenissen waren al snel overbevolkt. In Dachau werd in alle openheid op 22 maart 1933 het eerste concentratiekamp geopend om de vele gevangenen te huisvesten. Snel volgden er meer van zulke kampen. Op 8 april 1933 werden de 81 zetels die de KPD bij de verkiezingen van 5 maart behaald hadden op grond van de Reichstagbrandverordnung nietig verklaard. Op 22 juni werd de SPD verboden. In augustus 1933 werd Wels met 32 anderen het Duitse staatsburgerschap ontnomen ("Erste Ausbürgerungsliste des Deutschen Reichs von 1933" - er zouden nog 358 lijsten volgen). Wels vluchtte. Uiteindelijk waren zo goed als alle tegenstanders gearresteerd, gevlucht, 'onverklaarbaar verdwenen' of vermoord.

Gevolgen voor de wetgeving
Slechts zelden nog zou de Rijksdag zich met wetgeving bezighouden. Ook van de kant van de regering kwam er weinig van wetgeving terecht. Later werden de wetten vervangen door verordeningen om uiteindelijk uit te monden in "Führerbefehle" waarbij Hitlers wil letterlijk wet geworden was. De consistentie hierbij was echter ver te zoeken, zodat er sprake was van grote rechtsonzekerheid.

N.B. De afkondiging van onder andere wetten gebeurde in het Duitse rijk (van 1871 - 1945) in het "Reichgesetzblatt". De wetten die de uitgevaardigd werden op grond van het machtigingsbesluit zijn te herkennen aan de aanhef "Die Reichsregierung hat das folgende Gesetz beschlossen".

Verlengingen van de machtigingswet
Op 30 januari 1937 werd door de Rijksdag de machtigingswet verlengd tot 1 april 1941 en op 30 januari 1939 tot 10 mei 1943. Duidelijk mag zijn dat hier geen sprake meer was van democratische besluitvorming. In 1943 verbood Hitler bij decreet de opheffing van de wet.

Situatie in de huidige Bondsrepubliek
De grondwet van 1949 bepaalt dat deze slechts tekstueel kan worden gewijzigd.

De tekst van de machtigingswet van 23 maart 1933

Vertaling daarvan in het Nederlands geeft:

Duitse wet
Politiek in de Weimarrepubliek
Politiek in nazi-Duitsland
1933


Not his responsibility but if he had given the film had a lighter touch like say O'Toole's earlier films, The Ruling Class and My Favorite Year, the film and performance would have been much easier to swallow and given O'Toole a better shot at the award almost everyone really wanted to give him.
Michel seems incapable of recapturing the light touch he displayed in 1999's Notting Hill, but maybe that was more the result of Richard Curtis' screenplay and the acting than his directing. Anyway, that's my take.
Big Magilla wrote: I doubt anyone could have made a hit out of this material, but Roger Michell whose heavy-handed directorial style killed Peter O'Toole's last chance at an Oscar for Venus, probably wasn't the best choice.
What do u mean? Why O'Toole's loosing was Michell responsability?
Finally caught up with this dog on Blu-ray. Murray's performance is bad, but Linney's isn't much better. She plays a formidable woman who became FDR's curator and died in her hundredth year in 1991 as a little mouse. It's totally ridiculous. The supporting cast is ill-used with only Samuel West as King George coming off half decently. The film's climax has him taking a bite out of a hot dog.
I doubt anyone could have made a hit out of this material, but Roger Michell whose heavy-handed directorial style killed Peter O'Toole's last chance at an Oscar for Venus, probably wasn't the best choice. On the other hand, a film about the Roosevelts in which the British king and queen come off better could only have been made by an Englishman.
I would think a decent actor should be able to do a respectable job with FDR's accent. He would just do the basic research of watching a few speeches of FDR on YouTube. Then, he would try to mimic what he heard, speak into a tape recorder, compare that to the FDR speeches, and go through a series of tial-and-errors with this. It is too bad that, in his time, Jim Backus, Thurston Howell III on Gilligan's Island, never played FDR. He had the perfect look and accent.
Jeffrey Wells panned it and In contention removed the film, Murray, Linney and Olivia Williams from its Oscar predictoins overnight. It appears to be one of those films that sounds good on paper but fizzles in reality.
Why the hell would Murray or anyone else play FDR with a "Southern" accent when he came from one of the oldest families in New York and had a cultured, speaking voice closer to a New England accent than a Southern one?
Bill Murray is a man of many talents who has lately struggled to find the right outlet for them. The latest example, "Hyde Park on Hudson," finds Murray in a tame, mannered costume drama delivering his best FDR impression. The actor's pathos and deadpan skills are buried in the material, which also suffers from a continuous lack of inspiration. It's high-minded entertainment with low ambition.
Taking cues from playwright Richard Nelson's screenplay, director Roger Michell ("Notting Hill") follows a curious tangent of FDR's presidency, when during the summer of 1939 the president left the White House to spend time at his family home in upstate New York. While there, he invites the King and Queen of England (Samuel West and Olivia Coleman) to pay him a visit to discuss Britain's mounting pressure to join the war against Germany. The meeting arrives around the movie's midpoint and contains ample entertainment value outside of the context of the story surrounding it.
Before that happens, however, FDR forms a different sort of special relationship -- with his neighbor, the shy and gullible Daisy (Laura Linney), also the movie's narrator. Taking Daisy on romantic trips through the town's natural splendor, FDR quickly romances Daisy and even assures her that he'll leave wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) and move into a home with Daisy when his presidency is complete. Naturally, FDR's charm hides his hogwash, a lesson that Daisy learns the hard way once his pattern of marital indiscretions becomes clear.
Watchable but never particularly engaging, "Hyde Park on Hudson" progresses with its pedestrian scenario by relying on its actors to carry it along. Unfortunately, both leads deliver muted, unremarkable performances on the level of the material. Murray's delivery is particularly tiresome: His faux southern accent comes and goes, and despite a number of amusing asides his face often freezes into a typically restrained Murray expression that distracts from the character.
Linney bests her fellow actor with a functionally sad, restrained turn, although in spite of her narration she's largely marginalized by the plot. Elizabeth Marvel, in a supporting role as FDR's knowing secretary Missy, stands out for her fierce, icy approach to wrangling the president's quixotic nature. But the real star is cinematographer Lol Crawley ("Ballast"), whose advanced color palette alternates between bright imagery and deep shadows to convey both the serenity of the countryside and the secrets lurking within it. Unfortunately, the story can't keep pace.
Only once the King and Queen make their awkward entrance does "Hyde Park on Hudson" gain some enjoyable qualities. During a prolonged meeting between the president and the king, the duo bonds over handicaps (FDR can't walk and the king stutters) and Nelson's script strikes a complex note pitched between comedy and political intrigue. Unfortunately, the sequence works so well that it makes the rest of the movie appear shallow and generally useless by comparison, and when Daisy regains her prominent role "Hyde Park on Hudson" sinks back to its tedious foundation.
While easily comparable to "The King's Speech" for taking place during the same period and filling in a gap in that movie's timeline, "Hyde Park on Hudson" lacks the sort of conflicted protagonist that gave the earlier movie a semblance of high stakes. Despite his larger-than-life presence, FDR comes across as a blithe, untroubled man whose true depth is either obscured by his stealthy mannerisms or simply not contained in the screenplay. The story comes across like a quest to turn history into entertainment, and as a result it lacks any lasting value. "I helped him forget the world," Daisy tells us at one point, but in "Hyde Park on Hudson," she also helps the movie lose its way.
HOW WILL IT PLAY? At the Telluride Film Festival where it had its world premiere, "Hyde Park" received mixed reviews but scored accolades for its performances. While it next stops at Toronto and NYFF, Focus Features will release the film later this year and likely push hard for Murray and Linney during awards season. As a star-studded period drama pitched as entertainment, it could perform well among older audiences.


On the run from her old flame's criminal family, Sara Jones hides in Billings, Montana. But when people around her start dying from poisonous spider bites after she receives a mysterious package with one concealed inside, she finds herself trapped between the crime family and a sinister group that uses spiders to incapacitate their prey. Even her new boyfriend starts acting suspiciously. Can she escape?
Armed with her newly acquired Tegen abilities, Sara Jones is determined to destroy her ex-lover's organized crime empire, one link at a time. She has tracked some of his nefarious associates to Baton Rouge. But before she can fully execute her plan to wipe out that criminal element, she is confronted with her former lover and an out of control Tegen. Death and mayhem ensue as Sara tries to outrun and outsmart an enemy she knows all too well.


The first thing you can do for your stair risers is painting the risers. For example, you could match the staircase to the chandelier that is hanging above them or to the artwork that is displayed on your walls surrounding the stairs. Having idea about painted stair risers, you can come up with the idea of chic and clever pattern instead of painting the entire riser the same color. The other option is choosing pastel shades. After that, you can mix and match the colors just the way you like. The shades will look really nice, especially since the treads have that light natural wood look.


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KET supplies first ITP miniMBR™ Package Plant to Gerstell Academy in Finksburg, MD.
KET installed the ITP miniMBR™ 4-stage bardenpho package plant with innovative BNR control system during the Summer of 2017. JMT, Gerstell's consulting engineer specified the miniMBR™ which was designed to re-purpose and utilize all of the existing infrastructure for the new system. The SBR was converted into an equalization basin and the effluent sub-surface disposal system was completely reused.
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text:
Home Salutes & Awards Lancaster Sailor recognized during Black Engineer of the Year Awards
Lancaster Sailor recognized during Black Engineer of the Year Awards
Navy photograph by PO2 Kathleen Church
Fleet Master Chief April Beldo, fleet master chief for manpower, personnel, training and education, receives a Black Engineer of the Year Award for her contributions across the fleet at the Stars and Stripes dinner. The event was held at the 30th annual BEYA conference in Philadelphia, Penn.
Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education Fleet Master Chief April D. Beldo, a native of Lancaster, Calif., was recognized Feb. 19, as the 2016 U.S. Navy Non-Commissioned Officer award recipient during the Black Engineer of the Year Awards 11th Annual Stars and Stripes dinner in Philadelphia.
"I'm humbled and honored to receive this award," Beldo said following the award presentation. "This represents 33 years of service in the Navy doing what I love — leading and mentoring sailors. And more than anything, it represents the simple truth that you can do anything you put your mind to if you work hard and stay focused."
Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Bill Moran attended the ceremony and gave the dinner's keynote address highlighting the importance of STEM, how organizations like BEYA contribute to the success of the Navy, and the important role leaders like Beldo, and the other BEYA award recipients play in today's Navy.
"What better way for us to remember the legacy of this great city, than to reflect on the American spirit that is still ignited, and shining brightly in these individuals tonight," Moran said during his remarks. "My fervent hope is that by reflecting on what these leaders have accomplished, it will ignite us all with courage and tenacity and cause us to dream, to dream what we see."
Moran said BEYA helps play a key role in showing young men and women throughout the country what is possible as well as the true meaning of mentorship and leadership.
"Our Navy must be led by individuals who dream the possible, who are consumed with a passion for excellence, and the will to win," Moran said. "It's up to us to show them the way. There is no better place to be, no better life to live than in the service of a cause greater than self."
The three-day BEYA conference, which concludes Feb. 20, brings together young men and women from around the country who demonstrate outstanding performance in a technical field and show great potential for shaping the future course of engineering, science, math and technology.
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Electronics retailer, JB Hi-Fi has delivered mixed half-yearly results across its trans-Tasman footprint, reporting solid revenue and profit surges in Australia, offset by a slight fall in New Zealand sales for the six month period, compared to the previous year.
The company, which operates more than 300 retail outlets across A/NZ, reported a 23.6 per cent surge in revenue for the six-month period ending December 2016, to $AU2.6 billion, compared to the previous year, along with a 16 per cent boost in profit to $AU110.4 million.
The company's total sales in Australia for the six-month period came in at $AU2.2 billion, representing an 11.7 per cent rise on the previous year, while gross profit in Australia increased by 13.2 per cent during the period, to $496.5 million.
According to JB Hi-Fi's half-yearly financial report, the key growth categories for its Australian operation were communications, audio, cameras, accessories, computers, and home appliances.
During the six month period, the company's online sales grew by 40.4 per cent compared to the same period last year, to $AU84.8 million, or 3.8 per cent of total sales.
Meanwhile, the company's JB Hi-Fi Solutions business in Australia continued to grow and has been slated to deliver on its longer-term aspirational sales target of about $AU500 million annually – through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.
At the same time, JB Hi-Fi's cost of doing business (CODB) in Australia for the period was down by 13.9 per cent, to $AU496.5 million, while its pre-tax earnings in Australia (EBITDA) were up by 21.5 per cent compared to last year, to $AU165.6 million.
In New Zealand, however, the company's sales declined by 1.7 per cent during the period, to $NZ125.1 million, while pre-tax earnings (EBITDA) came in at $AU2.5 million, down from the previous year's result of $AU3.2 million.
According to the company, New Zealand sales in the corresponding period last year were impacted by "elevated market wide demand for third party prepaid content cards" – a contributing factor to the sales dip this year.
JB Hi-Fi told shareholders that the overall performance of its business performance in New Zealand remains an "ongoing focus for the management team".
The latest financial results are the first since the company finalised its $AU870 million acquisition of home appliance retail chain, The Good Guys, in late November 2016, in a move that boosted the group's footprint to 295 stores across the A/NZ market.
In December 2016, total sales for The Good Guys were up by 0.7 per cent compared for the same period the previous year, to $AU263.1 million, while earnings of $14.3 million for the month were also up on last year.
For Murray, the new year represents a period of increased integration of the two businesses – a process that is expected to result in overall cost savings for the group.
"As indicated at the time the acquisition was announced, given the proximity to the critical Christmas trading period for both JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys, there would be limited integration undertaken in 2016," Murray said. "As we move into 2017, we are taking a deliberate and considered approach to how we integrate and leverage the scale of the group.
"Our work to date has validated the rationale regarding the power of the combination and the strategic merits of the acquisition. We reconfirm our synergy assumptions of $15 to $20 million per year after a three-year integration period, and remain highly confident in our ability to realise these benefit," he said.


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This is already becoming a 'must-have' with payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe. It's a fairly good sign of what's to come in the website development industry. Google Chrome is also putting a lot more emphasis on highlighting websites that aren't using SSL certificates. Even if you're just looking to evidence your GDPR compliance, this can also go some way to securing your customers data even further.
We can set up your website with a security certificate at a very low cost and with very fast turnaround time. Even if, like ours, you don't exactly need it. We're recommending it to all of our clients now, but especially to those dealing with customer data or payments. You might feel like it's unnecessary but technology moves at such a rapid pace and we see it as our job to ensure your website is up to date with these changes.
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text:
...And Democracy Continues Its March
"Fetters and headsmen were the coarse instruments which tyranny formerly employed; but the civilization of our age has perfected despotism itself, though it seemed to have nothing to learn." de Tocqueville, Democracy In America (pg.97)
America really is entering a period of greater democracy. Bill Clinton's election campaign has never stopped. Polls are still being taken about his latest struggles. From the New Hampshire primary to the health care reform campaign, TV has tried to draw us into his endless fights with other mighty bureaucrats - from George Bush to Robert Dole to Saddam Hussein. Even more, we are expected to cheer Clinton in fights against us. "How well do you think that Clinton succeeded in communicating the need for sacrifice to the American people."
The 1992 elections had the biggest turnout of a presidential election in twenty years. From elections to polls to talk-radio to the "internet," never has the average citizen had so many chances for a voice in their government. But this hasn't helped the hapless citizen. The average, passive voter probably is poorer and has less control over his or her life than ever before.
To understand how people lose this game, we have to look at how the game is really played.
In pro basketball, fouling is part of the game. Some teams play with a little more finesse, other use a little more brute strength. The honest fan doesn't look down on the player who fouls, only the player who gets caught. So the player is allowed to do anything - except to question the real rules of the game. If Kurt Rambus (a "physical player" from a few years back) said at a press conference "Yes, I intend to foul people, that's my job," he could be expelled from the league.
American Democracy works the same way. If we play the game, we can question everything except the real rules of the game. But here the game is something that dominates our lives.
The game today is exchange. It dominates our daily lives when we must exchange our time at work for our survival. It dominates the world system when the electronic world market allocates all resources by exchange.
Poll takers constantly ask about OJ Simpson's murder trial, the best way to make America more productive or how to keep children off drugs. But answering these sorts of questions only makes people think more in terms of life continuing exactly as it is now. The pollsters' slave questions talk only about how this society should best be run. They assume that everyone will live in nuclear family, go to work, work really hard for low pay, come home and look at a TV star on the moving screen.
The Illusion
We attack democracy as such, we don't want "real democracy" instead of "fake democracy." Today's system of vacuum-packed choices is the flip-side of the market perfecting itself. The progress of exchange, of capital, is also the creation of capital's own model of thinking.
All forms of democratic ideology appeal to a model of human behavior that implies each person is wholly separate social agent who only affects others in fixed, definable ways. Perfect democracy - constant polling, an almost permanent election campaign - merely weighs each impulse in the market place of ideas.
Democracy is the language of "common sense" in a world where capitalism controls people's senses. It defends the right, for example, for a man to shout cat-calls at a woman because that man's actions are simply "free speech" not connected to any social action.
Today's democracy never has to attack its true enemies but only phantasms within itself. It is only the exchange of one sort of rhetoric for another. So all rhetoric of this sort is empty because is only used to shout at another. Most voters vote for the candidate they think will win instead of the candidate they agree with. This is logical. Why should they care? Everyone knows that things will remain about the same no matter what they do. So why not support a winner instead of a loser? No one cares that politicians lie. They care if the politician gets caught lying. This proves the politician is weak and so a loser.
If you make a choice passively, someone could just as well act on your choice without you having to do anything. Of course presidential elections are only held every four years but if Clinton responds to each month's polls, the government truly hears the passive "voice of the people."
"Would you like me to shoot you now or wait till I get home?" Elmer Fudd to Daffy Duck. "Should the federal government cut services or raise taxes?" Bill Clinton to the working class.
Of course all the choices the media serves up to us have hidden clauses that change their apparent meaning. The federal government reduces its entire budget. Then the local puppets frame the choice of cuts for local voters. These voters then get to support one austerity measure or another.
But this is because the marketplace of ideas works against us. But is this because this market is unfair? No! Even a fair marketplace of ideas simply decides the best direction for capital. Our disadvantage in talk-show dialogues is the same as our disadvantage compared to employers or banks.
Why Democracy Now?
"We must learn to make the process of governing as entertaining as we have learned to make [electoral] politics entertaining."
Max Frankel, Editor, The New York Times
The game of letting the ruled participate in their own exploitation not new. The present subtle switch from George Bush's upper-class style to Bill Clinton's democratic style is a counter-part to the rise of the mega-capitalists. The eighties ended with stock market crashes that heralded the end of junk bonds as a strategy for total capital to expand. The economy could no longer be artificially expanded by the easy-money financial manipulations of Michael Milken, George Bush, Paul Volker and Company.
Instead of artificially expanding, it is now sucking all resources into it's empty center. The faction of capitalists at the very top are the billionaires - financiers like Adnan Khoshaggi, entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and a host of invisible characters. This small group had their wealth and power tremendously increased by the expansion of financial manipulations and electronic world markets. Currency and "derivative" speculation had expanded until today they involve trillions of dollars changing hands on a weekly basis. This game uses and expands the power of this ultra-rich class.
As today's crisis system moves to marshall every possible force in its defense, uses our choices about how best to be exploited against us. This system is the dictatorship of the commodity, the world market and of the billionaires. But simultaneously it is the rule of democracy. Once all action and every person can be translated into empty choices, those choices can be exchanged with each other like dollars or spectacular images.
If people are given a free choice about how to sell themselves to the world market, then the system in total will run much more smoothly. When commentator say "let the public decide the best health plan" they mean let people find a plan that gives the insurance companies the highest premiums that workers can pay and still survive on. Managers will give people free-reign to decide which way to sell themselves to the market.
Democracy became the dominant ideology right after "tight-money"/slow growth became the main economic policy. Tight money reigned in financial speculation and began the present system of reorganization-terror. It goaded lower-level capitalists to produce more without spending more. This caused corporations to attack both workers and the previously ignored level of middle-management.
The financial capitalists' power depends on the expansion of an abstract chunk of money. So democracy is an ideal strategy. The financial capitalist don't care whether they invest in defense contracting, prisons, computers to track drug-offenders, or for-profit hospitals.
Thus the ruling party switched from the party of corruption - the republicans under Bush, to the party of participation - the Democrats under Clinton. But naturally democracy implies many more switches after this.
Historical Democracy
As capitalism has developed, democracy was held back by local authoritarians and by the capitalist's fear that the idea of democracy would make people ungovernable.
Now that capital has perfected democratic participation, all previous forms of capitalism can be seen as instances of democracy. It is thus not surprising that democratic think-tanks are able to give good advice to dictatorships like Pinochet's Chile. It is not surprising that Hitler came to power through the democratic operations of the Wiemar republic. (There was some cheating but we already know cheating is part of any game.)
Democracy is now the ideal dialogue of capital. Participation in this process is speaking the language of the market whether it is participatory, authoritarian or technical. The methods of military "psy-war" propaganda are the methods of the modern democratic political campaign are the methods of modern government are the methods of leftists discussing ways to improve the system. The enemy is isolated, personalized and attacked using claims that are most likely to get automatic reactions from the isolated spectator.
Every apparent rebellion that failed, every useless exercise of freedom, reappears in the accounting of capital. The system of the Soviet Union was identical to the system of war-time production in our "free-market" system. Thus the final end of the Soviet Union has given the extended insurance system a quantitative measure of state-capitalism versus private enterprise.
The more people relate on the level of "pure democracy," the more they relate on the level of abstract, formal equality. And the more they have an incentive to solve the system's problems. Everyone becomes a bureaucrat versus everyone else. Everyone is equal as long as they each play the same role. We are all equal as consumers, voters, TV watchers, or citizens. That is, we can all be exchanged in our functions.
To write a letter to a congressman is to enter into a huge system of data-creation that ultimately makes people less powerful. The ultimate passivity of a permitted, experimentally controlled role makes it predictable.
The stock market, the media consultants, the political think-tanks, the pollsters, the market researchers, and the big charities constitute an immense electronic memory bank and simulation of all the permitted choices that "consumers," "the public," the spectators, the passive make. The election industry speculates about each way that each given choice is framed and then creates strategies for extracting maximum profits from each citizen's choice.
With this automation of control, democratic regimes are now the most cost effective. This is part of today's intensification of democracy. Once ideology sees formal democracy in all acts of government, cost accounting demands that redundant local tyrants be removed. Even in backward areas like Haiti or Somalia, capital moves to replace local butchery with the "accidental" mass murders of democracy.
Decisions?
Revolutionaries oppose every version of democratic ideology. On one hand, after a revolution there won't be a need to fixate on the process of reaching each decision. For example, one person could decide a day's delivery schedule in a communal warehouse without oppressing the other workers. Other workers might prefer to spend their time walking on the beach than double checking each decision. The dispatcher would have no coercive power over the other participants in the warehouse. Deciding the schedule would not give her entrenched privilege that she could accumulate and exchanged for other things. For their own enjoyment, the worker might want to collectively decide the menu of a communal kitchen even it was a less efficient use of time.
No scheme for managing society will by itself create a new society. Highly democratic, highly authoritarian and mixed schemes are now used to administer capitalism. The basic quality of capitalism is that the average person has little or no control over their daily life. Wage labor dominates society. You must exchange your life to buy back your survival. Whether people under capitalism make the decisions about which records they buy, which inmates serve long sentences, what color the street lights are, etc., is irrelevant.
The community that escapes capitalism will involve people directly controlling the way they live. This is the individual and collective refusal of work, commodity production, and exploitation. This will involve much collective decision making and much individual decision making. The transformation cannot be reduced to a set way of making decisions or a fixed plan of action.
Not believing in democracy means not automatically knowing how to proceed if people have a profound disagreements. So be it.
Anti-democratic Communism
Communists do not say that without capitalism we can guarantee that humans will create a human community. It says that with capitalism, humans cannot create a human community. It sees that any movement for a true community will oppose capitalist social order and social relationships all along the way. The motivating force will not come with a communist blue-print. It will come from living of proletarians creating a new social relation.
The spirit of collective power, of a community of masters, is exactly the opposite of the democratic spirit. Democracy drowns the individual in the choices of the majority. It presumes that the individual choice is always hostile to the power of the masses. Thus democratic ideology creates the paranoia that everything contrary to its current formalism of process is the same as Stalinist dictatorship.
The spirit of proletarian struggle can be seen when a group of partisans fan-out to defend a city. Each wing has the power to act alone in attacking capitalist forces. Each wing is just as willing to give in to the authority of the other proletarians when they indicate they know the terrain better.
The formal decision making process will depend on the situation. Unanimity, a majority vote, or minority action will be used depending on the terrain of the battle. It is not a matter of fixed rights but of people supporting each other.
Those who are taking back their lives must be strong and alive, not fair and democratic. When a mass of comrades satisfy their desires by looting a supermarket, they have acted directly on their collective wills. But it is ridiculous to say this action was fairer than them collectively voting for a congresswoman/man or voting to raise their taxes to pay for more police. They violated "process" by not polling everyone beforehand. It's not a matter of whether looters could ever have the right number of people together to "have permission" to act. Proletarians should always act as actively allied creators of a new order, not as passively equal citizens.
Virtually all of the past two hundred years' lurches towards the potlatch, towards communism, have begun undemocratically. The rioters of LA did not require the formal permission of a decision-making body before creating their explosion. The insurrection that started the Spanish Civil War in 1936 began with a spontaneous reaction of workers to Francisco Franco's military coup. The wildcat general strike in May of 68 in Paris began with a spontaneous rejection of the entire society that was fueled by street fighting.
These same insurrections have tended to end when the fetish of democracy reasserted itself. May 68 reached its limits with union officials still controlling the gates of the striking factories.
These elected representatives of the workers separated the movement until everything cooled down. (Again there was certainly a lot of cheating in the French CGT's "union democracy" but this wouldn't have changed the final result. See "How To `Go Beyond The SI' In Ten Simple Steps," this issue) In Spain 36, democratically elected anarchist union leaders controlled the tendency to communalize all society. They were able to convince the most militant workers that it would be undemocratic to impose socialism without the approval of the passive majority.
The dispossessed should not be fair but be alive and strong. To be anti-democratic is to reject the fetish of democracy, to not give any voting process an inherently superior position over the total process of living. Proletarians, those who have nothing to lose from the destruction of this society and know it, must become anti-democratic to achieve their ends.
Workers must seize control of their workplace or their neighborhood. Not to manage them in the same way as before but to have as much power as possible. Even if at a certain point a group of proletarians use votes to decide the path taken, they cannot allow democratic blessings to justify their actions any more than they can allow reformism, unionism, or pacifism to mystify their actions. The number in favor of a decision will be only one factor among many influencing those who refuse the democratic fetish.
Minorities Confronting Democracy
The passive of today accept democracy more than ever. This weakness may be partially offset by the tremendous willingness of the system's propagandists to rely on raw democracy to accomplish it's goals. Freedom of choice is no longer only given as a concession but is pushed constantly as a weapon.
At the point when revolutionaries realize that they have nothing to lose from the destruction of this society, they may realize the mirage of it's democracy. The LA riots were the most undemocratic action imaginable - absolutely no permission was ever asked by those who looted, either from authorities or from unions or from workers councils. Still there was no conscious critique of democracy in that short time in LA.
So we can imagine many more insurrections, like Paris 68, where masses with many democratic and other bourgeois illusions act in a practically communist manner. Here, if the word "democracy" is used by people to describe reconquering their own lives, self-conscious communists wouldn't mindlessly attack it. Rather, an anti-democratic minority would spell-out the practical actions that are necessary to achieve a new society and show how little formal democracy has to do with them. In those conditions, an anti-democratic minority is in a good position to fight the mystifications that have served as breaks on the earlier movements.


Waterproof Digital Cameras - What are the Options?
Waterproof digital cameras are great for the beach and swimming pool or if you want something robust to go mountaineering or snowboarding. There are four options if you want to take pictures in a wet environment or if you are planning to make shots in a situation where our camera may get dropped or knocked.
The first option is to use your normal camera but keep it in a case with an O-ring which ensures no moisture or dust can get inside and which will protect it from shock. The Pelican 1040-027-100 Micro Case is a water-resistant and dust-proof case that will take small items such as your point-and-shoot camera and protect them completely thanks to a rubber liner which doubles as an O-ring seal. It is also crush-proof meaning you could stand on it or even drive over it and the contents will be fine! Note that it is not for swimming and should not be submerged in water. However, if you want to protect your gear without actually taking it in the water, Pelican cases are the best on the market for protecting small items such as compact cameras, cell-phones etc and by all accounts they last a life-time. Click the link to see the full range of Pelican waterproof cases .
The third, inexpensive option, is to buy disposable waterproof cameras and leave your digital camera at home. These cameras are not shock-proof of course but at the price it doesn't matter too much. If you're going on holiday consider buying a multi-pack of disposables to save money and to make sure you don't miss any shots. The Fujifilm Quick Snap The camera has enough ISO 800 colour film pre-loaded to take 27 shots per camera and is waterproof up to a depth of 17 feet. The shutter release has been enlarged for easy operation in situations such as snorkelling. The shutter-release button is also easier to handle and the knob for winding the film is large too. These features are particularly important if you are participating in a sport where you need to wear gloves. It comes in single packs or multi packs , and if you buy a four-pack you save 39 per cent.
The fourth and final option is to purchase a waterproof digital camera. Again, not shock-proof but suitable for diving, snorkelling and so on. The Canon PowerShot D10 is one of the most popular waterproof cameras around, and rightly so. This little gem is waterproof to 33 feet so great for diving, snorkelling and surfing. It is cold resistant from 14-104 degrees Fahrenheit so the lens cannot freeze and is great for mountaineering and snowboarding. It is also shockproof up to 4 feet - suitable for virtually any rough sport you can imagine. It's got 12.1 megapixels, plus 3x optical zoom lens and has 19 shooting modes, 16 special scene modes and loads of other features such as face detection, blink detection and so on. As one customer puts it: "It's the perfect no-nonsense, take-along-everywhere (really every where!) vacation camera. To see the full range of Amazon's waterproof digital cameras follow the link.
I hope this short guide to the options available for waterproof digital cameras has helped you to make a choice. Happy holiday!


text:
Масьяф () — місто в Сирії, у мухафазі Хама, відоме великою середньовічною фортецею.

Історія
Масьяф був заснований візантійцями в долині Оронта, на перетині торгових шляхів Хама — Баніяс та Антіохія-Хомс.

1103 року Масьяф захоплюється Раймундом IV, графом Тулузи та Триполі.

Близько 1140 року асасини-нізарити купують Масьяф і ще кілька сусідніх фортець у хрестоносців. Масьяф стає головною фортецею асасинів у Сирії.

1157 року в регіоні відбувається сильний землетрус, що зруйнував сусідню фортецю Шайзар (Shaizar).

1163 року главою («старцем гори») асасинів Масьяфа стає Рашид ад-Дін Сінан.

1176 року Масьяф безуспішно брався в облогу Саладіном.

У вересні 1193 року помирає Рашид ад-Дін Сінан, «старець гори» Масьяфа і один із найбільш значущих лідерів асасинів-нізаритів.

1256 року столиця асасинів, Аламут взята монголами, а 1260 та ж доля спіткала й Масьяф. Того ж року мамлюки (за участю асасинів на їх боці) під проводом султана Бейбарса I розгромили монголів у битві при Айн-Джалуті та вигнали їх із Сирії. Асасинам вдалося повернути Масьяф, а також ще кілька фортець.

1270 року Бейбарс включає Масьяф до складу держави Мамлюків. Остання фортеця нізаритів, Аль-Каф, стає частиною мамлюкського султанату 1273 року.

1516 року Масьяф захоплений турками-османами. Аж до XlX століття тривала боротьба між нізаритама та алавітами за контроль над містом.

1920 року входить до складу держави Алавітів під французьким мандатом.

5 грудня 1936 року, разом з усією державою Алавітів, Масьяф входить до складу Сирії.

З 2000 року програма підтримки історичних міст Ага-хан (HCSP) проводить кампанію по збереженню міста та фортеці Масьяф.

Фортеця
Фортеця зберегла більшу частину своїх стін. Вона займає скелі шириною в 10 метрів. В архітектурі замку присутні елементи греко-римської та візантійської архітектур. Найкраще збереглися ворота, увінчані зубцями та парапет з бійницями.

Масьяф в культурі

 Масьяф з'являється у відеоіграх Assassin's Creed та Assassin's Creed: Revelations, як фортеця асасинів.

Див. також

 Асасини
 Аламут
 Алавіти
 Хасан ібн Саббах
 Assassin's Creed (серія ігор)

Примітки

Посилання

 Масьяф
 Anthony Campbell, «Assassins of Alamut», 2004

Література
 Janine & Dominique Sourdel, Dictionnaire historique de l'islam, PUF, coll. «Quadrige», 2004, 1056 p. (ISBN 978-2-13-054536-1), p. 550, article Masyaf
 Georges Pillement, Liban, Syrie et Chypre inconnus, Albin Michel, coll. "Les guides Pillement, ", 1971

Міста Сирії
Ісмаїлізм
Провінція Хама

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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The last week has been totally upside down, it started with a visit to the Dentist for a clean and some work, I was ready to scream at them, because I had had my annual check up three weeks before, and at the time the Dentist had done a lot of prodding, where they had been pain free all year, by the time she had finished, I had problems.
I arrived for the clean, which is normally done first, but this youngster decided she would do the work first, and before she started said it might take more than one appointment, I told that I hoped not, I had waited three weeks, and they knew what work was needed, and should have allowed the time.
Anyway she got underway, drilled, filled and drilled again in the same spot, then stopped, and said I needed an x-ray, which she took, then said I needed an extraction, as the tooth was bad, where it entered the bone. I told her to get on with it then, but she said she could do no more until it had been authorised by my Provider. She said good-bye then started to walk off, I was fuming, and asked her about the clean and other work, she shrugged her shoulders, I said you have started work on the tooth, knowing I am going on holiday next week, left me with a big hole, and I know that if I have trouble whilst away, my insurance wont cover it, knowing I was in the middle of treatment. She told me that if the authorisation didn't come through I could go to the Emergency treatment.
I left, and informed Marcela, who climbed the roof, firstly she rang them, but the girl, which is what she was, was busy, so after work she went and confronted her, and seeing Marcela with her eyes popping out of her head, is no fun event! She agreed to try and get the authorisation rushed through, or arrange for me to attend for emergency treatment.
That night, I went down with a virus, and spent the next two days in bed or the bathroom, the authorisation for dental treatment couldn't be rushed, so that left me Saturday for the treatment, if I wanted it before our hols, however Friday night, it was still touch and go, as to whether I would have recovered sufficiently to sit through it.
Saturday morning, I went, fortunately saw another Dentist with more experience, who after world war three, managed to get the tooth out, she said it was one of the biggest she had seen, which in turn means I now have an extra big gap, and at the moment four stitches, which I have to have out next Saturday.
How things change...in the past Dentists have all told me to swill my mouth regularly with warm water and salt, but my Dentist, said no, definitely not, just keep it clean, and no exercising for three days on anything that results in puffing air in and out of my mouth.
There has been some pain, but nothing unbearable, the first two days I lived on Marcela's homemade soup, which were very tasty, now I am eating normally, well within reason, as I am not sure I have totally shaken off the virus, as my stomach keeps reminding me.
This morning, I have been hedgecutting and some other gardening, before the rains come down again later.
I will leave some gardening for Henry, who will be here looking after the house and the boys whilst we are away. He is arriving on Friday.


This birthday celebration is brought to you by the power of Twitter.
Last year (2017), I tweeted Erica S. Perl to wish her a "Happy Birthday" and she replied back that she shares a birthday with Scott Magoon.
Scott Magoon is the author-illustrator of Boy Who Cried Bigfoot! and Breathe. He has also illustrated books for Kate DiCamillo (Spoon and Chopsticks) and Ame Dyckman (Misunderstood Shark).
Upon, finding out that Erica S. Perl and Scott Magoon were birthday buddies I tweeted Scott to congratulate him on his book, I Have a Balloon.
I asked Scott if we could add his birthday to our growing author and illustrator birthday calendar.
Let's fast forward to this year (2018)...I thought it would be fun to have a Twitter-inspired birthday celebration for Scott who illustrated the 2018 New York Times Best Seller, Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship.
We would be meeting the authors of Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship, Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, on September 1st at the National Book Festival 2018 and I had a quick and fun way to let Scott know we were thinking of him.
Rescue and Jessica is a courageous story about Jessica and her service dog, Rescue. Rescue learns he is more suited to be a service dog despite be trained as a guide dog. Jessica learns she will be an amputee after suffering a tragic injury at the Boston Marathon in 2013. They are both worried about what the future holds but their perseverance leads them together. Together Rescue and Jessica form a friendship like no other.
Before leaving Ohio for Washington D.C. I had everything I needed for our Twitter birthday celebration.
Upon meeting Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, I explained our blog and asked if they would share their birthdays with us (Jessica's is March 1st and Patrick's is June 8th). Then, I asked if they would help us celebrate Scott Magoon's birthday right there in the autographing line!
I tweeted the photo to Scott and he replied right away! Yay! Our first ever Twitter birthday party!
A huge thank you to Jessica and Patrick (and Rescue) for helping out and for signing our book.
I hope to add Scott Magoon's autograph to our book when he visits the Mazza Museum for the Weekend Conference on November 8-9, 2018!


Marilyn was wonderful throughout the process and we knew we were in great hands from the moment we met her. She is very professional without any pushy real estate tactics. We were very happy with how she handled the sale of our house and would use her again in the future! Marilyn's assistant Ashleigh is also lovely and so helpful and responsive to any questions. All in all, it was an easy, stress-free experience from start to finish. Thank you MTR!


As you can tell by the title, today is going to another installment of Craft Guide!
Now for those of you who may be new to the blog, Craft Guide is a series of in-depth posts designed to give you more information about a certain crafting topics. These posts are great for beginning crafters who are looking to understand a craft topic (like jewelry making) better.
Today I thought we could get back to basics and just talk about craft tools!
When considering all of the crafting tools at your disposal, figuring out what you really need can be a bit daunting. So today I will be sharing with you the 12 basic tools that I think every beginning crafter needs to have in their craft tool box. I really want you guys to look at this list as your ''meat and potatoes'' in terms of craft tools. These particular tools will be with you through all your different phases of crafting, whether you are doing macramé or scrapbooking!
With that little intro done, let's learn about some craft tools!
Set Of Pliers: Having a set of pliers can help you in many different areas of crafting. Usually, when purchasing a set of pliers, you will receive a pair of round nose pliers, needles nose pliers, and wire cutters. Each of these tools is designed for a specific purpose but can make any beginning crafter's life much easier. For example, these tools could be used for wire cutting, jewelry making or even taking the cap off a stubborn glue bottle.
Craft Knife: Over the years, my craft knife as become my crafty best friend! Don't get me wrong scissors are important, but a craft knife can sometimes be more useful than your best pair of scissors. Why do you ask? Well, a craft knife can allow you to make those small intricate cuts which you can't get with scissors. Also, it can be used in variety of other projects like making cards or carving stamps.
Craft Tweezers: Did you know that there were tweezers especially designed for us crafters? Well, they exist and should definitely be in every beginner's craft tool box. The particular tweezers that I featured (above) are like most tweezers designed for crafters. They have a non-stick grip coating and a precise tip, which is perfect when working with smaller items. These smaller items could be gems, beads, findings and other small embellishments.
Craft Mat: Craft mats (like most things in the craft world) come in many different styles. For example, you have self-healing craft mats, regular craft mats (not designed for cutting) and silicone craft mats. Having a craft mat is important because it allows you to protect your work surface while still being messy creative.
Hole Punch: A hole punch doesn't sound too exciting but it is an important craft tool! Having a normal round hole punch can help you make tons of awesome craft projects. For example, you could use your round hole punch to make a garland, confetti or a picture book.
Paint Brushes: Paint brushes are a must in your a new crafter! Personally, I would recommend getting a set of normal paint brushes (like flat bristles brushes) and a set of foam brushes. This is because you can use your normal paint brushes for everyday painting but use your foam brushes for those project which involve glues (like Mod Podge). That way you are not ruining your normal brushes and can throw away the foam brushes.
Scissors: This is really a no-brainer but having a good pair of sharp scissors is important for every new crafter!
Paper Cutter: This is probably, the most expense craft tool on this list. However, I think having a small paper cutter is great for a beginning crafter because they can use it in a variety of craft projects. This tool is especially helpful if you are a beginning crafter that is into card making, scrapbooking or album making.
Much like craft mats, paper cutters come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. The one I featured today is under $15.00 dollars, can cut up to 5 pieces of paper at once and is made by Fiskars (which is the leading maker in scissors). There are many affordable options out there, so I would recommend looking at your paper cutter as an investment piece and do your research before buying.
Ruler: A ruler is another tool which seems to get lost in the sea of craft supplies. So make sure you have a good 12-inch ruler to help you in all your crafty projects!
Bone Folder: A bone folder could be seen as important to some folks but not to others. I included it because it's a basic crafter's tool which has become really popular in today's DIY projects. The tool itself is also an inexpensive craft tool (depending on what brand you buy) and can help you in a lot of your projects. For example, card making, bookbinding or even origami.
Pencil Sharpener: This is probably the most underrated and forgotten about tool in the craft universe! Having a sharpener (or a couple of sharpeners) should be mandatory if you are a crafter (lol). This is because a sharpener can come in handy whether your drawing, coloring or just sketching an idea for your next project.
Hot Glue Gun: As we all know, the hot glue gun is the most important tool in your craft box! It can be used in a variety of projects, is quick to dry and creates a very strong bond. There are also different types of glue sticks available which can give a new crafter more room to experiment but for cheap.
Ok, after reading that last paragraph again, I sound a little bias (lol). However, a hot glue gun is still important to have!
So folks, there you have my 12 basic tools for the beginning crafter! I tried to provide a variety of inexpensive but important tools, which could be used in multiple areas of crafting. Also if you are new to crafting and are reading this list, let me be the first to say, welcome to the DIY community!
What craft tool do you think needs to be in every beginners' tool box?
Good Evening, I just wanted to let you know that I loved this list. You see I have just started my crafting adventure and used your list. Working on many projects and a lot of the items came in handy; yet the glue gun is my go to for adhesive. Thanks you and happy crafting.


LGT Bank is now a main sponsor of the Bregenz Festival. A two-year partnership with this cultural event at Lake Constance was agreed in January. The Bregenz Festival is an internationally renowned arts festival held in Bregenz, the capital of the state of Vorarlberg in Austria.
A particular highlight of the festival is the "opera on the lake," which is performed on the world's largest floating stage. Visitors are impressed by the unique acoustics and the colossal, technically sophisticated stage design set against the natural backdrop of Lake Constance. A major musical theater production is performed on the lake stage in July and August each year. In 2013 and 2014, the Bregenz Festival is putting on "The Magic Flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the world's most popular operas.
"LGT has always felt connected to the arts and culture. The same is true of our owner, the Princely House of Liechtenstein, who possess one of the largest art collections in Europe," says Thomas Piske, CEO of LGT Private Banking, explaining the reasons behind the commitment made by LGT. "The Bregenz Festival inspires thousands of people every year and is synonymous with high quality-awareness and innovative thinking. These are also values shared by LGT in its Private Banking activities."


Over-tourism may be the buzz word of 2017 but it marks a watershed moment where there is a growing realisation in the travel industry that visitor numbers at all costs is no longer a sustainable strategy. Starting from the smart city template, destinations are adapting to challenges such as overcapacity and are harnessing the power of technology to this end.
The United Nations made 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism, months after the successful signing of the COP21 agreement in Paris in December 2016. With a sharper focus on sustainability, it is therefore not then too surprising that certain tourism flashpoints have hit the global headlines, and the travel industry is having to justify its continued growth along with its common practices. Barcelona has borne its fair share of media headlines for the rising tensions between local residents and incoming tourists, with the city centre creaking at the seams as city break tourists fly in on low cost carriers and cruise ship passengers add to the volumes. Currently, Barcelona's El Prat airport caters for 44 million passengers annually, and is aiming to raise its capacity to 55 million. Other destinations to hit the headlines include Iceland, Venice and Bhutan, with the latter imposing restrictions on international visitors as a means to protect its environment.
Europe has been at the forefront of the criticism concerning over-tourism, as the presence of tourists has started to damage the local environment and the quality of life of residents by impacting on public services, such as transport and waste disposal. Tolerance levels towards visitors have thus been reduced, owing to the sense that the city is no longer theirs and they feel that they have been pushed out, whether through high rents or property being repurposed for tourists. This is also a challenge for seasonal migrant workers, who may no longer have anywhere to stay locally during the season.
However, in the scheme of things, population density is not excessively high in Europe compared to densely populated cities in Asia, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. For example, Hong Kong tops Euromonitor International's top City Destinations index,welcoming over 25.7 million international tourists, with a very high population density of 7,058 people per sq km.
Barcelona is struggling to cope with the sheer numbers of visitors, and the debate has erupted on a global stage, with anti-tourism graffiti and residents' rising anger and frustration over the lack of affordable housing, which has been blamed on private accommodation being rented illegally. The city is also suffering from the large volumes of cruise passengers that arrive in the city on a daily basis, with 2.6 million a year in what is the world's fourth largest port and the Mediterranean's largest. The city is one of the mostly densely populated in Europe, with close to 15,824 inhabitants per square kilometre, and mass tourism is exacerbating the problem. Barcelona is expected to receive 7.6 million international arrivals in 2017, up by 8% on 2016. Growth is expected to slow to a 2% CAGR over 2017-2025, with a deceleration taking place as a result of capacity challenges and steps being taken to control visitation. One option being floated is the introduction of a tourist tax that may be applied to day trippers, including cruise passengers. However, unless the tax is set at a very high level, it is unlikely to deter cruise operators from offering Barcelona as a destination on their itineraries.
The city is home to eight UNESCO listed sites, and is on the body's "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" list, which means that the city is of immense importance to culture, thanks in part to the unique architecture of Antoni Gaudí. This status makes it even more important that a balance is struck between the local community and international visitors interested in the city's unique cultural offer.


My Approach to complex systems is borrowed from Statistical Mechanics and Dynamical Systems theory. I could not know such "hot" topics without the valuable support I have received (and I still receive) from my Ph.D. Advisors: Prof. Angelo Vulpiani & Dott. Fabio Cecconi. To both of them I want to express my profound gratitude. Their legacy and "finger print" will be always present in my work.


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Jeffrey Blum· 1 year ago ·1 min read
Ben Shapiro film brings iconic actor out of retirement
Jeffrey Blum
Controversial actor-director Vincent Gallo is reportedly breaking nearly a decade-long hiatus for a role in a film produced in collaboration with the conservative news outlet The Daily Wire.
Gallo has joined the cast of 'Shut In', a thriller film directed by D.J. Caruso, Deadline reported. The movie features Rainey Qualley as a young single mother plotting escape from her abusive ex, played by Jake Horowitz. Gallo's character is an "amoral and drug-riddled" accomplice of the captor, the movie news website said.
Gina Carano is showing how to beat cancel culture by making a movie with Ben Shapiro. Others must go independent and follow suit
The script was initially earmarked by New Line, but remained in stasis until the option expired. Producer Dallas Sonnier then brought it to The Daily Wire.
He previously collaborated with Ben Shapiro's conservative news company to produce the 2020 school shooting thriller 'Run Hide Fight'. He is also producing 'Terror On The Prairie', a Western starring 'Star Wars' exile Gina Carano.
Gallo, who is known for directing the 2003 indie film 'The Brown Bunny' and for his award-winning performance in 2010's 'Essential Killing', has not had an acting role since 2013, when he played in the Japanese suspense film 'Human Trust'.
Deadline called him "a natural fit" for a production by The Daily Wire, citing his vocal support for Donald Trump and political conservatism and a record of "making incendiary and provocative comments" online.
'Shut In' is slated for an early 2022 release through The Daily Wire's website.


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Guille Faingold/Stocksy
This Is What Receiving Oral Sex Feels Like, According To 6 Women
How do you feel about receiving oral sex? Is it at the very top of your sexual menu, or does even the thought of it make you uncomfortable? Maybe you don't really know. While none of those answers are wrong, oral sex is worth exploring, simply because learning about what you like in bed is a great way to fully enjoy your sexuality. Maybe you're familiar with the mechanics of cunnilingus, but you aren't really sure what what receiving oral sex feels like. And frankly, "good" isn't enough of a descriptor for something as complex and beautiful as oral.
I asked several women to describe what oral sex feels like to them, and the answers were honestly so fascinating. It's so personal and intimate in each of their experiences that, of course, their feelings about it are just as unique.
It also serves as a great reminder that there really is no "right" way to feel about oral sex. Whether you're a fan or not, your feelings are yours, and they are valid and beautiful. That being said, it's always so interesting to know how other women feel about about sex, because there is truly solidarity in sharing our experiences. With that being said, here's what six women had to say about what oral sex feels like for them.
It's an amazing feeling of release.
"Getting oral sex feels like... anticipation, tension, then relief. Like clenching your fist really tight and then being able to stretch out your fingers. Or being in a quiet room all day and finally getting to scream. Or taking off your bra when you get home. It feels like your whole body can physically exhale." — Iman, 24
Starts feeling good, ends feeling even better.
"It starts as a tickle and a flutter in my stomach and builds into a warm pressure and finally a great orgasm, but with the wrong person in the driver's seat it can just feel weird or wrong, like someone got lost and doesn't even realize Google Maps exists." — Carmen, 35
It's not for everyone and that's OK, too.
"In all honesty, the experience of receiving oral sex has always been... pretty underwhelming when compared to the actual shebang. The best case scenario is usually when it's slow and soft. It feels like a wet (best part), soft, but powerful force is touching you in the most vulnerable way. The vulnerability only adds to how sexy the whole experience is. It's really that good when it's done right. It's incredibly hot and, it may sound funny, it... tickles but in the most intoxicating way. But, of course, that almost never happens.
Instead, in my experience, it has always been like when someone goes to a bar crawl to enjoy a night and doesn't realize there are other bars to crawl. Except the bar crawl is your vagina. The one bar that won't be left is your clitoris. And that person that won't leave is a tongue. I can truly do without it sometimes." — Cassie, 25
Technique matters.
"I think how it feels depends a lot on the technique of the person performing it, to be honest. In my favorite experiences with it, it feels kind of like a suction cup, but that's my personal preference! It's all about figuring out what you like, and speaking up about it." — Stella, 25
Enthusiasm matters, too.
"When done right, it's hot AF. Someone you're (hopefully) attracted to is essentially sucking and licking all your most sensitive spots and you feel it all over. It's wet but not in a weird way. It's just fun and sexy and the best thing ever. When done wrong, it's awkward and sort of feels like a wet blob just poking at your labia. You can definitely tell when someone doesn't know what they're doing or doesn't want to be doing it, period." — Vicky, 25
When you're with the right partner, it can serve as a tool to help you love your body and appreciate your own pleasure.
"I've known a lot of people who feel uncomfortable with receiving oral sex for various reasons (body shame, feeling vulnerable, discomfort with being the center of attention). I would encourage the curious but nervous to persevere, because it can also be really hot! It's pretty great to feel your partner so singularly focused on your pleasure, and it can honestly be good practice for those of us who learned that our pleasure was less relevant in sexual encounters.
It can also be a very useful exercise in communicating with your partner about what you like. Oral sex feels really different depending on who's doing it and what exactly they're doing, but when people are good at tuning in to both your verbal and nonverbal cues, it can be incredible." — Rosemary, 46
The way you feel about receiving oral can be both simple and complex, and that's just one of the things that makes it so amazing. However you feel about it personally, embrace your truth, and don't be afraid to ask for what you want (or don't want) from a partner.


TRUE BELIEVERS? – Here it is, five-and-a-half months into the Trump presidency, and believe it or not, at least 40% of the country still believes he's the cat's meow. As a recent segment on CNN proves, despite all of the incredibly outrageous BS that Trump has pulled thus far, there are folks out there, apparently some of the same supporters who put him in office in the first place, who are proud of the blinders they wear which keeps them from realizing that the man is a total disaster.
When questioned, many of them say they wanted someone "real" in the office. Well, they are getting their wish, because there is no question that Trump is "real" alright….real CROOKED! Trump supporters hate government so much, they have no problem supporting someone who pays no attention to protocol, or the law. They just want what they want….someone who will look out for THEIR interests first, because after all, if they're happy, then the country's happy.
And if the rest of the country is unhappy, then that's too bad, because Trump supporters will still be happy.
But wait a minute…even though they're still "happy," tat doesn't mean they're pleased with everything that they're seeing and hearing from the blonde blowhard!
Traditionally, the president of the United States only tells what the world what he's thinking only after he and his advisors have figured it out, because what he says and does represents the government, not just himself.
So when Trump lies and accuses his predecessor Pres. Obama of "tapping" Trump's phone, or reporters of "fake news" about his campaign/administration's honeymoon with the Russian government, even many of his supporters have hard time swallowing it.
And yet they still trust him.
Better to do that, than to admit that they are wrong, and that they basically support a fool who will easily get us all in trouble.
But these folks, who I will readily admit are both selfish and ignorant, seriously believe that they are in the driver's seat now, and things are going to be done their way.
Never mind that many of the major promises they believed made by Trump to them are NOT going to happen.
They are NOT going to get quality, lower-cost health care from Trump.
Trump supporters are going to get screwed!
They are NOT going to get a wall, paid for by Mexico, at the US border to stop illegal immigrants.
They are going to get screwed!
They are already not getting their Muslim travel ban because federal court after federal court sees it for what it is – ethnic and religious discrimination.
Trump supporters are already screwed!
Unquestioned loyalty is a laudable American trait. But unbridled stupidity is not. Trump supporters elected someone totally unprepared to govern. They assumed that governing is a simple matter of making deals and running your mouth. Only now are they realizing why American government is so messy – because there is no real central authority.
And that's why it can't be run like a business. The ultimate purpose of government is to serve.
The ultimate purpose of government is to make money.
Pres. Trump doesn't believe in service. He believes in money.
And that's why he's screwing all of his supporters…..and all of us!
Thus far, several NC NAACP officials have announced who they are supporting to become the conference leader, but the current president says he'll wait until he's actually set to step down.
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, outgoing president of the NCNAACP, says even though he's already announced his intentions to step down after 12 years to join a national movement surrounding the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 Poor People's Campaign, he hasn't done so yet. In a phone interview last week, Rev. Barber said when he does decide what his last day on the job will be, he will also announce who he'd like to see become the next conference president during state conference elections in October.
Barber's announcement is expected to occur by the middle of June. First Vice President Carolyn Coleman said last week that candidates for state president are expected to formally file by June 15th.
Thus far, only Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, NCNAACP Third Vice President for the past six years, and president of the NC Council of Churches, has been the only one to formally file to run for the post.
"My 53 years of membership in the NAACP, and twelve years of leadership experience in the N.C. NAACP prepare me to become the next President of this great civil rights organization," Rev. Spearman, who also pastor's a church in Greensboro, said in a statement sent to NCNAACP membership last weekend.
Ms. Coleman has said she hasn't decided yet, and former NCNAACP Pres. Melvin "Skip" Alston has indicated that he's definitely not a candidate, but will support Ms. Coleman if she runs.
Rev. Spearman, however, seems to be attracting a good deal of support thus far.
Rev. Cardes Brown, president of Greensboro Branch of the NAACP, and state chapter Religious Affairs Committee chairman, has formally endorsed Spearman, as has Bishop George Battle, presiding prelate of the Piedmont Episcopal District.
"Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman is prepared to carry on Dr. Barber's vision, spirit, and intellectual brilliance as Barber moves to another lane…"wrote atty. Al McSurely, chair of the NCNAACP Communications Committee.
Leslie Malachi, national director of the 2,200-member African-American Ministers' Leadership Council, agrees, writing that if Rev. Spearman is elected the next NCNAACP president, "This is the assignment for one who will not only speak truth to power but speak truth with power."
Meanwhile, which one of the four current NCNAACP vice presidents will serve out the rest of Rev. Barber's term after he formally steps down? According to the NAACP Constitution, the first vice president automatically assumes that role when the current president leaves before the term is up, unless the first vp decides not to take it.
In this case, First Vice President Carolyn Coleman has said she hadn't made up her mind on succeeding Rev. Barber, and he would not confirm whether what she decided during a meeting last Monday. There was speculation that both Ms. Coleman and Second Vice President Carolyn McDougal would step aside, allowing Third Vice President Spearman to assume the post, but as of press time, there was no confirmation of that.
For a third time since 2011, the state Supreme Court will have to review North Carolina's legislative and congressional redistricting maps, and this time, North Carolina justices will have to heed the US High Court's finding that the state's redistricting process is unconstitutionally flawed because of racial gerrymandering.
The US Supreme Court Tuesday sent a 2011 redistricting lawsuit, Dickson v. Rucho, back to the North Carolina justices again after the federal High Court ruled last week that the state's Republican-led General Assembly "stacked-and-packed" black Democrats into the First and Twelfth Congressional Districts so that they would have less influence in other congressional districts.
In 2015, the GOP-led NC Supreme Court ignored federal direction that the 2011 maps were racially skewed, ruling instead that the overuse of race in the voting maps was entirely proper.
That ruling is not likely to return now that the NC Supreme Court is 5-4 Democratic majority.
Eric Ellison, chairman of the Forsyth County Democratic Party, agreed.
"Same old story – the NC Republican -led legislature has drawn race-based district lines which once again, have been found to be unconstitutional," Ellison, who is also an attorney, said.
"The people of Forsyth County are confident that the current North Carolina Supreme Court will finally put this issue to rest and declare the currently drawn lines are unconstitutional and violate our 14th Amendment. Better yet, the North Carolina Legislature should see the writing on the wall and immediately re-draw the lines in a non-racial, non-partisan fashion, and declare new elections this year so that the people of North Carolina can have immediate relief from illegal and unconstitutional representation.
Most observers note that that is not likely to happen, especially with the 2018 midterm elections right around the corner.
The US Supreme Court is expected to rule directly on the 2011 state House and Senate legislative districts shortly. Meanwhile, supporters of the Supreme Court decisions thus far feel that despite rumblings from the Republican leadership about trying again with both redistricting, and voter ID, which was also struck down, the legal handwriting is on the wall.
[RALEIGH] For the first time this year, protesters associated with the Moral Monday movement allowed themselves to be arrested by state Capitol police after loudly demonstrating in the Legislative Building, pressuring state lawmakers to expand Medicaid for hundreds of thousands of poor North Carolinians. Outgoing NCNAACP Pres. Rev. William Barber, led protesters through the halls of the NC General Assembly, and in front of House Speaker Tim Moore's office. By midday, 32 demonstrators, including Barber, had been arrested and taken away.
[RALEIGH] The state Board of Elections is proposing important emergency changes to election procedures in the aftermath of last fall's Hurricane Matthew devastation, and the problems caused after then Gov. Pat McCrory challenged Democratic opponent Roy Cooper when he lost re-election. Election officials want the emergency power to change election schedules in the aftermath of a disaster, natural or military. Officials will also require those protesting an election result to certify under threat of perjury that their facts are "true and accurate," or be punished if not. Comments about the propose changes are being accepted by the NCBOE now through July 31st by emailing rules@ncsbe.gov or mailing them to N.C. State Board of Elections, Attn: Katelyn Love, Deputy General Counsel, 441 N. Harrington Street, Raleigh, NC 27603.
[RALEIGH] Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper isn't taking any encroachment of his appointment powers by the state legislature lying down. Last Friday, Cooper filed a third lawsuit against Republican leaders, accusing them of unconstitutionally reducing the size of the NC Court of Appeals. Lawmakers reduced the size of court from 15 to 12, suggesting that the workload had gone down. Cooper vetoed the law, but Republicans overrode his veto.


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In de getaltheorie, een deelgebied van de wiskunde, is het Kronecker-symbool, geschreven als  of (a|n), een veralgemening van het Jacobi-symbool voor alle gehele getallen n.

Het Kronecker-symbool werd geïntroduceerd door Leopold Kronecker.

Definitie
Laat n een niet-nulzijnd geheel getal met priemfactorisatie zijn
,

waar u een eenheid (dat wil zeggen, u is 1 of −1), en pi de priemgetallen zijn. Laat a een geheel getal zijn.

Het Kronecker-symbool (a|n) wordt gedefinieerd door

Voor oneven getallen pi, is het getal (a|pi) gewoon het gebruikelijke Legendre-symbool. Dit laat het geval over, waar pi = 2. We definiëren (a'''|2) door

Aangezien dit het Jacobi-symbool uitbreidt, is de hoeveelheid (a|u) gewoon 1, wanneer u = 1. Wanneer u = −1, definiëren we dit door

Ten slotte nemen wij

Deze uitbreidingen volstaan om het Kronecker-symbool voor alle geheelgetallige waarden n'' te definiëren.

Zie ook
 Kroneckerdelta

Modulair rekenen


The Mindspa Institute was founded in 2007 and focuses on customizing strategic training and motivational interventions to suit the specific and unique needs of the client. With our many years of hands on experience gained in the corporate environment we are positioned to provide our clients with customized design and delivery of innovative business and people solutions in a very practical and useful manner and geared for the South African reality.
The greatest gap in the world is between "knowing" and "doing" so all our training interventions focus on bridging that gap through interacting with the business and its management and employees and enabling them to take the lessons and practically implement the changes in their work and personal lives.
With our in-house division we provide clients the opportunity to have training interventions at their premises on dates that works best for the organization. In-house training becomes more cost effective should you have five or more people interested in a particular program.
Download the vector logo of the The Mindspa Institute brand designed by Double-U Design in Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) format. The current status of the logo is active, which means the logo is currently in use.


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world-working.com — website for business contacts with employer job seeker in every corner of the Earth.
The employer of any country of the world, by registering on our website, has access to the job seekers data from around the world, which are on our website.
The design of our site is made with the expectation of an intuitive understanding for easy, quick and efficient registration and retrieval of necessary information.
1. Service fee
According to the provisions of the Tax Code of Ukraine, a service fee is charged on the site.
1.1 For employers:
1.1.1. Placing a vacancy on our website for non-residents of Ukraine - the equivalent of 0 USD.
1.1.2. Placing a vacancy on our website for residents of Ukraine - 0 UAH.
1.1.3. Placing a vacancy for a slideshow of the home page for non-residents of Ukraine - equivalent of 0 USD.
1.1.4. Placing a vacancy for a slideshow of the home page for the residents of Ukraine - 0 UAH.
1.1.5. The cost of extending the job is similar to the first publication.
1.1.6. When placing a one-time job by 10 - 50% of the cost of the tariff for all vacancies.
1.1.7. During the first 7 days of all the jobs are displayed in a slide show for free.
1.1.8. Gaining access to the jobseeker's contact data as non-resident of Ukraine - equivalent of 0 USD
1.1.9. Gaining access to the jobseeker's contact data as resident of Ukraine - 0 UAH
1.2. For job seekers:
1.2.1. Gaining access to the employer's contact data as non-resident of Ukraine - equivalent of 0 USD.
1.2.2. Gaining access to the employer's contact data as resident of Ukraine - 0 UAH.
1.2.3. Placing a CV as any jobseeker - free of charge.
1.2.4. Placing a CV at the slider of the homepage as non-resident of Ukraine - equivalent of 0 USD.
1.2.5. Placing a CVat the slider of the homepage as resident of Ukraine - 0 UAH.
1.2.6. Prolongation of CV's availability -costs same as first publication
1.2.7. During the first 7 days of all abstracts are displayed in a slide show for free.
2. Conditions of accommodation and information on the site
2.1. Only registered users can use the services of the site.
2.2. The term of access to information on job / resume 30 days. In the absence of the extension of the vacancy/resume removed from the site.
2.3. Accommodation Online job/resume only after full payment of services according to the website rates.
3. Terms of advertising on the site
3.1. The standard size of the banner is 260x297, the cost of placement in the advertising slider on the main page of the site for residents of Ukraine is 25 UAH / day, for non-residents - 1 $ / day.
3.2. Placement of advertising on other pages of the site for one advertising banner for residents of Ukraine - 10 UAH / day, for non-residents - 0.5 $ / day.
4. Terms of payment
Currently Online WORLD-WORKING.COM There are two payment systems - 2checkout, LiqPay and Direct Translation.
The procedure for making the user pay:
4.1. In order to pay for any service, you must be logged into your account.
4.2. Use the navigation menu on the personal account, select the My job or My Resume , depending on the order in which the office you are logged in.
4.3. Next you will see a list of your CV or positions. Consider the example of summary.
For example; You want your resume participated in a slide show on the home page. To do this, click on the Pay .
4.4. Then you get to the payment page of the application, where you see the full details of what you pay for.
4.5. Select a payment system to pay for and click Pay .
4.6. After successful payment, your resume automatically goes to a show on the slide show.
4.7. Other forms of payment are carried out exactly in the same way as in the example with the payment summary.
The management reserves the right to change any of the above stated items at any time and unilaterally.