Was Mar's way of describing his educational background confusing? A source suggests it is.
There's a raging online debate about the right way his words should be interpreted. Judging from readers comments and tweets from pro-Admin personalities, it appears that Roxas' supporters insist that Roxas was honest about it. They say that the use those words do not really sow confusion. It's just that many Filipinos are unfamiliar with Wharton jargon.
Mar's "Background" in Economics: From Age 7 to 22.
Did Roxas really sow confusion with his vague statements about his education? Was it an honest mistake?
The answer usually depends on which side you're on, but it appears that even America's diplomats were confused about what Mar Roxas' "Wharton education" means.
A leaked confidential US Embassy Manila telegram entitled "Ambassador Continues Dialogue with Presidential Hopeful Senator Manuel 'Mar' Roxas", details a 2008 private meeting between then-Senator Mar Roxas and US Ambassador to Manila Kristie Kenney.
Kristie Kenney, US Ambassador to Manila from 2005 to 2009.
According to Kenney, Roxas met with her for a private breakfast to discuss the Roxas' 2010 presidential ambitions, among other things.
"Roxas confided to the Ambassador that he was not sure how he personally would tackle that problem, given that his Wharton MBA and ten years on Wall Street as an investment banker did not 'exactly call to the common man'," Kenney wrote, in the third person.
On one hand, Kenney thinks Mar has a Wharton MBA. On the other hand, the end notes do not show any information about an MBA.
One thing is clear, though: Even Kenney was confused. Now who's fault is it? Surely, it isn't Kenney's.
That is, even for a US Ambassador, Mar's words about his education background imply he has a Wharton MBA.
The telegram, written by Kenney, was for dissemination to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, the US Secretary of Defense, the US Secretary of State, the United States Pacific Command, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
With this US Embassy cable, who among the US Government, the US Military, and the ASEAN actually think that Roxas has a Wharton MBA?
Now, as to what "post-graduate studies at the Kennedy School of Government" means, I personally do not care anymore, that's why I will not pursue the education issue any further.
Because this issue is already too ridiculous. Mar's communication skills, let alone his real intentions, are already too ridiculous.
I really wanted to stop talking about the Mar Roxas' Wharton MBA brouhaha, because even I agree with a lot of people who say this is a minor issue.
But I chose to talk about it one last time, because Mar Roxas is a gift that keeps on giving: the more I learn about the Wharton chismis, the more Mar looks like a joke.
Okay, Mar Roxas, last' na 'to. Sumasakit na ang ulo ko sa iyo.


text:
Cang-mu () je sypaná hráz ve výstavbě na řece Brahmaputře v
Tibetské autonomní oblasti v Čínské lidové republice. Součástí její stavby je i vybudování vodní elektrárny s šesti Francisovými turbínami s celkovým výkonem 510 MW. Výška hráze má být 116 metrů a její délka 389 metrů. Stavba začala v roce 2009 a její dokončení se předpokládá v roce 2015.

Jedná se o první přehradu postavenou na Brahmaputře a plán na její stavbu, údajně zpočátku tajený a popíraný, znepokojil Indii, jejíž severovýchodní část leží na dolním toku Brahmaputry.

Reference

Brahmaputra
Hráze v Číně
Stavby v Tibetské autonomní oblasti

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Insects African moths A recently started site, created by Roy Goff who is based in the Gambia.
College Research Paper Resources College Research Paper Resources A Student's Guide to Hidden Internet Resources, Databases and More. A guide to finding academic resources on the "invisible" or "deep" web.
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2019). Flora of Mozambique: Other links.


"Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built" (35:3). King Josiah's temple restoration and religious reforms were the last bright era in Israel's history before everything collapsed. Briefly, Josiah glimpsed what God had intended for Israel – a peaceful, productive society centered on the worship of the One God in Jerusalem's temple. The ark was put in the holy place, and the people celebrated Passover together. It was a time of revival and peace before the coming turmoil (ch 36).
During Israel's dark, rebellious years, God had "sent persistently to them by his messengers" (36:15). King Josiah heard God's call to repentance and used his lifetime to call others.


text:
class AddCustomUrlFieldToBlogPosts < ActiveRecord::Migration
  def change
    add_column :refinery_blog_posts, :custom_url, :string
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Current: STEM for Britain 2017
STEM for Britain 2017
Last night was the final of STEM for Britain 2017, supported by Stephen Benn, Director of Parliamentary Affairs for the Royal Society of Biology, and Stephen Metcalfe MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, as well as many MPs, universities, and learned societies.
Sharon Todd, Executive Director of SCI, and Nick Bourne, of the SCI London Group, attended on behalf of SCI to support the work of past-member, Dr Eric Wharton, who initiated SET for Britain, the forerunner to STEM for Britain.
This annual event aims to raise the profile of Britain's early-stage researchers at Westminster by engaging Members of both Houses of Parliament with current science, engineering, and mathematics research being undertaken in the UK, particularly by their local constituents and in their local universities. SCI believes that these aims are more important than ever: the current global challenges we face are significant and complex and require a multi-disciplinary, innovative approach. Supporting early-stage and early-career research scientists, engineers, and technologists is an essential part of that mission.
Around 500 early-career researchers entered the competition, with 35% being selected to present their work in one of the three poster sessions in Parliament. To encourage maximum participation by early-career researchers, the competition was divided into five subject areas:
Biological and Biomedical Science
Each session concluded with a reception and prize-giving, and the three best presentations in each category were awarded a medal. The five gold medal winners were also presented with a year's SCI student membership before being interviewed by the judges for the Wharton Westminster Medal, which is awarded for the ability to communicate their work to a lay audience.
Lauren McNeill, from Manchester Metropolitan University, was awarded the Wharton Westminster Medal, which was sponsored by SCI, after winning gold in the Biological and Biomedical Science category for her poster on a fast, simplified detection method for New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) outside the lab. Sharon was impressed with her presentation, saying, 'Lauren clearly communicated the applications of her project and the resulting benefits to society. Being able to distil the complex science into practical and easily understood applications is an essential part of communicating science'.
Both Stephen Benn and Stephen Metcalfe spoke eloquently on the importance of science for the future of the UK and encouraged the participants to continue to maintain relationships with their MPs, as the House of Commons and the House of Lords debated the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill.
All the presentations on display were excellent and it was encouraging to see so many Members of Parliament supporting early-career research in science.
SCI London Group
SCI Awards

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


7 Days Tanzania Wildlife Camping / Lodge Safari in Northern Circuit National Parks, This 7 Days Tanzania Camping Safari in Top Tanzania Northern Circuits National Parks.
Arusha National Park offers views of Mount Kilimanjaro and several massive craters and plentiful wildlife. Tarangire National Park, which features some of the greatest concentration of game in Tanzania.Tarangire boasts the largest group of elephants on the planet. It's also home to the magnificent baobab trees, which soar above the African plains with their iconic clustered tops and smooth bark.
You'll kick off your adventure in the morning heading off to the beguiling – and often overlooked – Arusha National Park. Arusha is a jewel of Tanzania, with a diversity of plant and animal life that will take your breath away. You'll explore the shores of tranquil Lake Momella which reflects the colours of the sky in her still waters, and you'll experience the vibrancy of the bronzed bush where the Ngurduto Crater buffalo, waterbuck, giraffe, warthogs, zebra and gazelle busy themselves. These are resident throughout the year so you're bound to see a different animal everywhere you turn.
The elusive leopards and elephants tend to be shy at Arusha but there is a good chance of spotting them, too. You'll also have the opportunity to set out on foot for fascinating stroll – it's a totally different sensation feeling Africa's vibrant pulse through the soles of your shoes. At a slower pace, you can really begin to understand Africa. You'll get up close and personal to the flora and fauna but you'll stay safe, accompanied by an armed ranger who will guide you through lush forest to the clear springs of a sparkling waterfall.
Arusha National Park's rangers are extremely knowledgeable, and as you walk you'll learn so much about the biodiversity of the park – and suddenly you'll spot a tribe of black and white colobus monkeys, famous in the park for their acrobatics. You'll spend overnight in a camp close to the park, where you'll relax and enjoy a delicious dinner under a sky ablaze with stars before a restful sleep.
After awakening to a still African dawn, you'll energise yourself with a hearty breakfast before heading off to the Tarangire National Park, named after the river which flows through the park and is the only source of water for the animals during the dry season. It's an undulating landscape, scattered with Baobab trees and high grasses and its mixture of vegetation is unique in the Northern safari lands.
Tarangire is famous for its birdlife: over 550 species make their homes here including the endearing yellow-collared lovebird. The Tarangire swamps have the most breeding species in one habitat in the world. If you're lucky, you'll spot Omo, the white giraffe who has a genetic condition called leucism: she's perfectly healthy, just almost perfectly white! Of course, if you don't see Omo you'll see a remarkable selection of wildlife including elephant, lions, warthogs, impala, cheetah, buffalo, and baboons.
After a fascinating day in this beautiful park, you'll head off to Mto wa Mbu and reach the campsite in the late afternoon. You'll have a chance to relax, absorb the sights and finish the evening with a tasty dinner before resting up, ready for tomorrow's adventure.
Each morning, you'll set out in a custom-designed 4x4WD safari vehicle, keeping you close to the elements with broad windows and rooftop hatches that open for photo opportunities and wildlife viewing. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the bush, or return to the lodge for an al fresco meal, depending on how the morning's sightseeing unfolds. After a chance to relax midday, return to your vehicle for another wildlife drive later this afternoon in search of the migrating herds on the move as well as abundant resident wildlife.
You'll start your day at the centre of the majestic Serengeti. After a nourishing breakfast, you'll continue your journey into the plains on a full-day game drive that will give you the opportunity to spot hundreds of the diverse animals that find their home within the Serengeti's endless plains.
If you're especially excited to see animals extremely close up, you won't forget today. You'll likely see all the animals that make this park famous only a few feet away from you. Lions, leopard, cheetah and water buffalo up close – there are no words to describe the feeling of closeness to animals so beautiful and so wild.
You'll also have the chance to gaze on some of the park's lesser-known but equally fascinating animals including the majestic eland, the clever hyena, graceful gazelle, stolid crocodiles, and of course giraffe, zebra, monkeys, baboons, hippos, rhinos and antelope. If you visit at the right time of the year you'll witness one of the modern natural wonders of the world – the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra. You'll spend the night at the campsite in Seronera, well known for animal sightings.
You'll be up with before dawn on an early morning game drive, the air crisp and keen and the sky brightening from indigo to golden pink and finally to hyacinth blue as we explore. The park is waking up and is alive with the calls of the animals.
This is a time for tracking – predators have left their tracks overnight, and we'll follow. As dawn breaks, the birds' melodies begin to harmonise, the early morning air starts to warm and you'll hear different calls as other animals start their day. You'll add to yesterday's collection of sightings: perhaps today you'll see more hippos; perhaps a troop of monkeys or family of mongoose will grab your attention. After such an early start you'll be looking forward to a delicious lunch, which will be served at the park.
In the afternoon, you'll start your Ngorongoro adventure by heading off to the Simba Campsite located at the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater itself. You'll spend the evening enjoying a tasty dinner and relaxing under the stars.
After an early but delicious breakfast you'll travel into the Crater, which is known as "Africa's Garden of Eden"; its unique geological formation is at the root of its diversity. Because the crater sides are a barrier to many species migrating in or out, the crater is packed full of wildlife, and there's an excellent chance of spotting Africa's Big Five today. You could also encounter vultures, zebra, hippo, wildebeest and hyenas.
The alkaline lake attracts geese, and storks and pink clouds of flamingo, too. Your experienced guide will ensure that you discover all the glorious wonders of nature in this unique place. You'll rest at Fanaka Camp overnight before your journey to the wonders of Lake Manyara National Park.
Your day starts with a healthy, filling breakfast and then you'll head off to the Lake Manyara National Park, which extends for miles along the emerald base of the gold-flecked Rift Valley escarpment. The park is a patchwork of forest, arid scrubland and soda lake and a paradise for bird lovers.
The forest is alive with the birdsong and flattering with the antics of monkeys in the forest canopy; giraffe roams the savannah and lions loll in trees, resting in the shade, while hippo families submerge themselves in the waters of the soda lake. You'll enjoy a delicious picnic lunch served in the park before our drive back to Arusha Town for dinner and overnight or to Kilimanjaro airport for departure.


text:
Q: VPN: openconnect how to indicate a form field for authentication purposes? I am trying to connect to a corporate vpn using openconnect (protocol Global Protect):
perret at perret-pc in ~
$ openconnect --protocol=gp [vpn-address]
POST [vpn-address]/ssl-vpn/prelogin.esp?tmp=tmp&clientVer=4100&clientos=Linux
Connected to 185.183.115.255:443
SSL negotiation with [vpn-address]
Connected to HTTPS on [vpn-address]
POST [vpn-address]/global-protect/prelogin.esp?tmp=tmp&clientVer=4100&clientos=Linux
SAML authentication via POST to <html>
<body>
<form id="myform" method="POST" action="[corporate-address]/auth/realms/vpgrp/protocol/saml">
<input type="hidden" name="SAMLRequest" value="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" />
<input type="hidden" name="RelayState" value="GCkAANn0plw4NzIwNDY4YmM4ZGE2ZjcwMzU3ZWQ5M2E0NjI5ZDE2Yw==" />
</form>
<script>
  document.getElementById('myform').submit();
</script>
</body>
</html>
 is required.
Must specify destination form field by appending :field_name to login URL.
Failed to parse server response
Failed to obtain WebVPN cookie

I am not too sure about this part:
Must specify destination form field by appending :field_name to login URL.

I thought it would be something like that:
openconnect --protocol=gp [vpn-address]:myform
POST https://vpn.veepee.tech:myform/ssl-vpn/prelogin.esp?tmp=tmp&clientVer=4100&clientos=Linux
getaddrinfo failed for host 'vpn.veepee.tech:myform': Name or service not known
Failed to open HTTPS connection to vpn.veepee.tech:myform
Failed to obtain WebVPN cookie

But as you can see, it does not work either.
Any idea?
It might be related to this piece of the source code: https://github.com/dlenski/openconnect/blob/master/auth-globalprotect.c#L91

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
aHUS REAL STORIES
Meet Julia
Diagnosed with aHUS at 15 years old
Julia's symptoms began in April of 2012 when she was 14 years old and about to finish eighth grade. At school one day, she became tired and nauseous and had trouble focusing. Over the next few days, she developed a piercing pain in her abdomen. Eventually, the pain was so intense that her parents brought her to the emergency room.
She was admitted and treated for a suspected bacterial infection with antibiotics and pain medicine and discharged once her symptoms subsided.
Over the next year and a half, Julia was admitted to the hospital several more times. She saw countless physicians and underwent many tests and medical procedures, including a bone marrow biopsy, renal biopsy, and multiple platelet and blood infusions. "I saw doctors in oncology, rheumatology, nephrology, infectious disease, hematology—all different specialties. It was hard to see that many specialties and hear them all say, 'I don't know,'" recalls Julia.
The summer before her sophomore year of high school, Julia's condition deteriorated. Besides unbearable pain and nausea, she was experiencing kidney failure. Her father rushed her to a specialist at a hospital more than 100 miles away, hoping they would finally find the root of her symptoms. "I was watching Julia in my passenger seat, all curled up in excruciating pain, trying to console her the best I could. I wish no parent would have to see their child go through that," remembers Julia's father, David.
Julia was ultimately diagnosed with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), a rare, genetic, chronic, and life-threatening disease that can either be caused by genetics or a trigger that can progressively damage vital organs that can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and death. Once confirming this diagnosis, Julia's doctors were able to begin to manage her aHUS.1,2
"I remember the day I was diagnosed. It was relieving because not only was there a diagnosis but there was an answer. That was the most relieving part about it," recalls Julia.
MORE aHUS STORIES
Benz K, Amann K. Thrombotic microangiopathy: new insights. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens. 2010;19(3):242-247.
Tsai HM. The molecular biology of thrombotic microangiopathy. Kidney Int. 2006;70(1):16-23.


WASHINGTON – President Bush used frequent-caller diplomacy – and public tightrope walking – to win the first concrete signs of progress in the Mideast in several weeks.
Experts say the grueling road to peace will take more of the new energy and diplomacy that Bush has exhibited in the past few days.
For the first time since taking office, the president appears to be more personally and directly engaged on several fronts in the troubled region.
* Vowed to help the Israelis by pressuring the United Nations to conduct a thorough, two-sided investigation into the battle at Jenin.
* Decided to send unarmed "security monitors" to join a British team overseeing the detention of five Palestinian militants accused of killing Israeli tourism chief Rehavam Zeevi.
* Made a flurry of behind-the-scenes weekend calls to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that helped win the imminent freedom of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
* Met with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to win good faith in an Arab world that was growing increasingly skeptical of the United States.
* Arranged to meet Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House this week and Sharon soon after.
"The developments are positive," said Mideast expert Tony Cordesman.
But he said there must be "a lot more active U.S. diplomacy" and pressure from Europe and the Arab world for a cease-fire and peace negotiations.
Among the remaining pitfalls Cordesman cited are the latest Israeli incursion into Hebron and the nagging question of whether Sharon and the Israelis will ever deal with Arafat, whom Bush still refuses to meet.


Michael Wilson: Why do I still use Gnome?
Why do I still use Gnome?
I do have a question about your preference for gnome. Why do you prefer that over xfce?
In short, I think Gnome is just an overall superior desktop environment. Gnome is the only Desktop Environment backed by a commercial body (Redhat), and this really shows in the development cycle. Bugs are fixed quickly (on Testing at least) and features are released on a fairly regular basis. Gnome 3.3 was just released a few days ago and there are some pretty cool additions, such as increased support for flatpacks. It keeps up with the demands of modern applications and out of the box comes with a strong suite of native applications. All the native applications (Podcasts, File Explorer, Music, Books, Notes) all follow a consistent theme and follow relatively strict design guidelines - which I find quite interesting from a human factors psychology point of view. Customising Gnome is pretty straightforward and well documented. Even Canonical, AKA Ubuntu, has moved away from their custom DE (Unity) and shifted it to a modified version of Gnome. This shift has substantially improved gnome relative to even a few years ago.
If you have hardware limitations, then yep, XFCE is the way to go (or LXDE). However, Gnome is much better on modern machines. For instance, DPI scaling in XFCE only works for fonts (while Gnome the whole GUI is scaled). I find Gnome substantially more visually appealing out of the box, and well optimised to supporting modern themes. I've never had to tweak much to get a beautiful theme in Gnome. Below is my desktop on my laptop. It could be a matter of preference, but I prefer the minimalist design and workflow of Gnome substantially more than the somewhat archaic nolstagia feel of XFCE.
I should flag that I can be quite vocal in my distaste and disdain for Gnome as well. The developers tend to "move things forward" and backwards break features regularly (in the name of progress) and I agree with the communities perceptions of the failings of Gnome developers - at times. However, the "performance hog" perceptions are completely inaccurate, with Gnome shell taking up ~300mb of RAM. In conclusion, I'd basically say that Gnome is the best of the worst. I've tried and tested them all, and always end up grovelling back to Gnome.


I've released mkvtoolnix v5.0.0. It's a release with a lot of small bug fixes, but it also features support for MPEG transport streams.
Change for package maintainers: Building against external versions of libEBML and libMatroska is possible again. libEBML 1.2.2 and libMatroska 1.3.0 are required. If they're not found or too old then the internal versions will be used and linked statically.
build system: libEBML 1.2.2 and libMatroska 1.3.0 are required for building. If external versions are not found or if they're too old then the included versions will be used as a fallback.
mkvmerge: bug fix: The "writing application" element will not be localized but always be written in English.
mkvmerge: new feature: MPEG TS: mkvmerge will extract the track languages from a corresponding clpi (clip info) file. That file is searched for in the same directory and in ../CLIPINF and must have the same base name but with the ".clpi" extension.
mkvmerge: enhancement: Added new stereo mode options to match the current specs. The new options are "anaglyph_green_magenta" (12), "both_eyes_laced_left_first" (13) and "both_eyes_laced_right_first" (14).
mkvmerge: The –stereo-mode named option "anaglyph" was renamed to "anaglyph_cyan_red" to match the specs. The numerical value (10) remains unchanged.
mkvextract: bug fix: Fixed attachment number displayed during extraction. Fix for bug 663.
mkvmerge: enhancement: MPEG TS: Added support for HDMV PGS subtitles.
mkvmerge: enhancement: MPEG TS: Added support for DTS HD Master Audio tracks.
mkvmerge: enhancement: MPEG TS: Streams that are mentioned in the PMT but do not actually contain data are neither reported during identification nor muxed.
mkvmerge: new feature: MPEG TS: Added support for reading the language code.
mmg: enhancement: Added MPEG transport streams to the "add file" dialog file selector.
mkvmerge: new feature: MPEG TS: Added support for normal DTS tracks.
mkvmerge: Tons of fixes and additions to the MPEG transport stream demuxer.
build system: configure will accept external versions of libEBML and libMatroska again. Minimum required versions are libEBML 1.2.1 and libMatroska 1.1.0.
All: Updated the French translation with a complete set by DenB (see AUTHORS).
mmg: mmg respects the XDG Base Directory Specification regarding its configuration files (environment variable $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mkvtoolnix if set, otherwise ~/.config/mkvtoolnix).
all: Added an Lithuanian translation by Mindaugas Baranauskas (see AUTHORS).
mkvmerge: new feature: Implemented a MPEG transport stream demuxer.
mkvmerge: enhancement: When looking for MPEG files with the same base name as a source file mkvmerge will be stricter what it accepts. The file name must consist of at least one char followed by "-" or "_" followed by a number. That will match VTS_01_1.VOB but not e.g. "some_series_s03e10.mpg".
mkvmerge: bug fix: Opening MPEG files with numbers in their name from folders with e.g. Cyrillic names failed on Windows.
mkvmerge: bug fix: Several elements are not written when creating WebM compliant files. In the segment headers: SegmentUID, SegmentFamily, ChapterTranslate, PreviousSegmentUID, NextSegmentUID. In the track headers: MinCache, MaxCache and MaxBlockAdditionID.
mkvmerge: enhancement: Sped up file identification by caching read operations.
mkvmerge: bug fix: Fixed identifying QuickTime/MP4 files that start with a 'skip' atom.
mkvmerge: bug fix: Fixed a crash when reading AVI files with DTS audio tracks that do not contain valid headers in the first couple of packets. Fix for bug 646.
This entry was posted in Matroska, Programming and tagged Matroska, MKVToolNix on September 26, 2011 by mosu.
There is any tutorial to show instalation of libEBML 1.2.2 and libMatroska 1.3.0 libs on windows 7? I'm dump on this :( when i downloaded in folder there are many files and where put or how to install?
Thank you so much for yout work!
I second that. The MPEG-TS support is brilliant! Finally a simple and straightforward way to convert my DVB-S recordings into matroska files. Thank you!
Your work is great and thank you!
I have a problem and it would be very nice if you tell me what to do..
Sounds like the file uses a different character set/encoding than your system does. You have to tell mkvmerge which charset it is in such a case with the "–subtitle-charset" option; in mmg this control is located on the "format specific options" tab (simply called "charset" there).
Thank you, you are amazing…!!!
One more problem… :-) After muxing, i play the .mkv through usb on the tv and i can't see the subtitles !
That's a bug that I've fixed in the meantime. There's a new pre-build for Windows including this fix available from http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/win32/pre/ (builds 368 and newer).
I have mac os x, so i'll wait!
i.e if my output filename was myvideo.mkv the file/segment title would be set to myvideo.


Rawhide Golf was established in 2017 with the vision of manufacturing and designing the highest quality leather goods for golfers. Being an avid golfer myself, I found the current stock headcovers to be poorly manufactured and a little boring.
Rawhide Golf is a Canadian company. We hand cut and sew all of our covers right here in Vancouver, BC. We source the highest quality leathers and try to work with distributors to utilize cuts and scraps of leather to reduce waste.


text:
package java.awt.dnd;

import java.io.OutputStream;
import java.io.ObjectOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.Serializable;

/**
 * Tests if an object can truly be serialized by serializing it to a null
 * OutputStream.
 *
 * @since 1.4
 */
final class SerializationTester {
    private static ObjectOutputStream stream;
    static {
        try {
            stream = new ObjectOutputStream(new OutputStream() {
                    public void write(int b) {}
                });
        } catch (IOException cannotHappen) {
        }
    }

    static boolean test(Object obj) {
        if (!(obj instanceof Serializable)) {
            return false;
        }

        try {
            stream.writeObject(obj);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            return false;
        } finally {
            // Fix for 4503661.
            // Reset the stream so that it doesn't keep a reference to the
            // written object.
            try {
                stream.reset();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                // Ignore the exception.
            }
        }
        return true;
    }

    private SerializationTester() {}
}


text:
DXB RETAINS STATUS AS WORLD'S BUSIEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Joe Bates 11th September 2019
Despite the enforced 45-day closure of one of its two runways for refurbishment work, Dubai International Airport (DXB) welcomed 41.3 million passengers in the first half of 2019 to maintain its status as the world's busiest international airport by traffic volumes.
The closure of its southern runway meant that passenger traffic at the airport was actually 5.6% down on the same period a year ago, but DXB's loss was Dubai World Central's gain as most flights were reallocated to DWC during the rehabilitation project and the switch resulted in its passenger volumes soaring by 14.1%.
In his mid-year report, Dubai Airports CEO, Paul Griffiths, described the first half of 2019 as "fast paced and action packed", noting that it began with the launch of the dynamic new DXB brand and included installing the Middle East's largest solar electricity system on the roof of Terminal 2.
The solar energy system comprises 15,000 photovoltaic panels and is expected to reduce DXB's CO2 emissions by 3,000 tonnes annually and reduce the airport's electricity costs by around $900,000 each year.
India remained DXB's top destination country by passenger numbers, with traffic for the first half reaching 5.7 million customers – propelled mainly by top city destinations Mumbai and Delhi.
Saudi Arabia was number two on the list with 3.1 million customers, followed closely by the United Kingdom with 2.8 million customers. The top three destinations by city were London, Mumbai and Jeddah.
FANTASTIC JOURNEY
SYDNEY AIRPORT UNVEILS NEW 'FAREWELL POINT' FOR DEPARTING PASSENGERS
Airport Health Accreditation programme to help combat COVID-19
ACI WORLD, Health & Safety, SAFETY & SECURITY, SUSTAINABILITY


On leaving Zweisimmen we begin our steady ascent to the resort of Saanenmöser and then continue to the summit of the line, the Saanenmöser Pass, at 4,183 feet (1,275m). From here we descend to the fashionable skiing and summer resort of Gstaad and travel through the pretty, chalet-filled villages of the Saanenland region.
As we leave the German-speaking Saanenland, you will notice that the village names become French. One of the first villages we come to is Châteaux d'Oex - a popular destination for hot air ballooning. We continue through the Pays d'Enhaut valley to the village of Montbovon before ascending through wild, Alpine scenery towards the Jaman Tunnel.


of us are musicians, artists, and one of us is even a doctor.
British agents, two mockingbirds, and... screw it, you get the picture.
Pitt flies off to the states and is taken in by Harrison Ford and family.
Hollywood; we Irish are a simple little people.
"Pardon me fella.  But did I just hear you say you were Irish?"
be right here when you get back.  Attaching a bomb to that bus."
figures have dared to replace the slaughtered masses in his absence.
alive' is supposed to figure out anything -- is quite frankly, beyond me.
"What, no more Ice? Oh well, off to America!"
Ireland, and as far as I know -- IRA people fit in them very nicely.
Mafia Don.  That would surely keep my little cubbies safe.
that zany character and his family!"
more complicated and ranging in scope than this one.  So I can't tell it.
Because I am but the one-celled by-product of a SIMPLE little people.


A Master Plan prepared in August 2010 to guide the ongoing integrated management of the open space in the Brooklands Lagoon/ Te Aika Kawa area.
This coastal landscape incorporates Spencer Park and the southern Seafield Parks, the coastal estuary of Brooklands Lagoon / Te Riu O Te Aika Kawa, the Lower Styx River / Puharakekenui corridor, and the Waimakariri River to the north.
There are many natural and recreational issues and values present as well as being an area of strong significance to Ngai Tahu.


text:
Q: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'apidjangowithjwt.emailservice' Folder Structure of my project where apidjangowithjwt is the project name & emailservice and user are the apps.
views.py in user app where I am importing emailservice app which is giving the error
Detailed error:
 File "F:\DjangoDemo\JWTAuthentication\apidjangowithjwt\user\views.py", line 17, in
    from apidjangowithjwt.emailservice.views import send_email
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'apidjangowithjwt.emailservice'
from apidjangowithjwt.emailservice.views import send_email **#giving error**

views.py in emailservice app where I defined a function send_mail.
from django.core import mail

def send_email(**kwargs):
    with mail.get_connection() as connection:
        email=mail.EmailMessage(kwargs['subject'],kwargs['body'],kwargs['from_email'],kwargs['to_email'],kwargs['bcc'],
                                connection,kwargs['attachments'],kwargs['header'],kwargs['bcc'],kwargs['reply_to'])
        email.send()

I have also registerd my both apps in settings.py as:
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'user',
    'rest_framework',
    'emailservice'
]

A: After trying lot of things,this worked for me.
from emailservice.views import send_email


Только US$15.3 + быстрая бесплатная доставка. Купить Einhell Replacement Wire Spool for Lawn Trimmer GC-ET 3023 по доступной цене в интернет магазине Tomtop с доставкой.
Use this Einhell replacement wire spool when your lawn trimmer runs out of cutting wire. Made of high-quality materials, it is designed to produce a cleaner, more even cut and will greatly diminish the time you spend trimming. This Einhell replacement wire spool is suitable for Einhell electric lawn trimmer GC-ET 3023, which you can find in our web shop (sku: 402005).


text:
Q: Writing an object-oriented MySQLdb connection I am trying to learn OOP, and I am using the database connection via MySQLdb as my first test. This is what I have so far:
class DBConnection:
    def __init__(self, DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_NAME):
        self.host = DB_HOST
        self.port = DB_PORT
        self.name = DB_NAME
        self.user = DB_USER
        self.password = DB_PASSWORD

    def get_conn(self):
        conn = MySQLdb.connect (host = self.DB_HOST, port = self.DB_PORT,
                                db = DB_NAME, user = DB_USER,
                                passwd = DB_PASSWORD)
        return conn

    def get_cursor(self):
        cursor = self.conn.cursor()
        return cursor

    def get_dict_cursor(self):
        dict_cursor = self.conn.cursor(MySQLdb.cursors.DictCursor)
        return dict_cursor

Is the above valid? Does self.conn refer to get_conn() or is this an invalid reference. How would I establish a connection to the database and then get a cursor, using the python shell?

A: You haven't defined self.conn anywhere.  You're only setting conn as a local inside of get_conn.  Define self.conn in your constructor, and then update get_conn to set self.conn.  Like this:
class DBConnection:
    def __init__(self, DB_HOST, DB_PORT, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_NAME):
        self.host = DB_HOST
        self.port = DB_PORT
        self.name = DB_NAME
        self.user = DB_USER
        self.password = DB_PASSWORD
        self.conn = None

    def get_conn(self):
        self.conn = MySQLdb.connect(host = self.host,
                                    port = self.port,
                                    db = self.name,
                                    user = self.user,
                                    passwd = self.password)

Also, check whether self.conn is set first as opposed to creating a new one each time in get_conn, like this:
def get_conn(self):
    if self.conn is None:
        self.conn = MySQLdb.connect(host = self.host,
                                    port = self.port,
                                    db = self.name,
                                    user = self.user,
                                    passwd = self.password)
    return self.conn

Finally, call the get_conn method like this:
mydbconnobj = DBConnection('localhost',3306,'foouser','foopass','foodbname')
mydbconn = mydbconnobj.get_conn()


It is each student's responsibility to inform the university when graduation is expected. This information is entered through the individual's Student Center in My UW-Madison. Students may also call or visit the Degree Audit and Diploma Services office, Suite 11101, 333 East Campus Mall, (608) 262-3782 to declare their intent to graduate.
After each term begins, an email will be sent to all students with 100 or more credits who have not yet indicated their intent to graduate. This reminder also provides instructions on how to inform the university if the expected graduation and/or commencement will be at the end of the current term.
NOTE: Students who do NOT indicate their intention to graduate and/or attend commencement will not have their academic record checked for graduation purposes at the Registrar's Office and will not receive commencement information (schedule, attire, etc.).
Students who indicate their intention to graduate will not be able to enroll for subsequent semesters. Students who find that they still need additional UW-Madison courses to graduate and cannot enroll in these courses should contact the Degree Audit and Diploma Services office, (608) 262-3782, for assistance.
The School of Education routinely hosts a breakfast reception on the morning of commencement in December and in May. Students and their family and guests are invited to participate. Contact the School of Education External Relations Office (608-265-3047) for more information.
Degrees are granted in May, August and December. Commencement ceremonies are held in May and December. August graduates may attend the commencement ceremony of their choice. By campus policy, all work for the degree must be completed and all degree requirements satisfied before the degree can be granted. If an undergraduate student completes all degree requirements, does not apply for graduation, and this is discovered in an audit of records, the student will be graduated retroactively to the appropriate graduation date. This is necessary to maintain class priorities and to meet deadlines for financial aid and other state and federal benefits.
Students should check their degree completion status well before their final semester, but especially before registering for their last semester on campus. Students will be held to all degree requirements--including courses and grade-point averages--regardless of plans for graduate work, professional school, or employment. Students can check their degree status via DARS on their own or in consultation with an advisor. Students in programs for which a DARS report is not available will receive a summary of completed requirements from the Registrar's Office.
The Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) provides students with an automated summary of their academic progress toward a degree. DARS reports show which requirements have already been completed and which remain unsatisfied. The report can also offer suggestions about appropriate courses that may be taken to meet specific requirements.
The "what-if" function allows students to explore options in other schools/colleges or other majors within a school/college. What-if DARS reports show how completed or in-progress courses may be used in different degree programs.
Students may request a DARS report on the web through My UW-Madison—Student Center—My Academics. DARS reports for declared majors and "what-if" options can both be requested. Please report problems encountered in requesting a DARS report by calling 608/262-5926 or email dars@doit.wisc.edu.
Students should run a DARS report before enrolling in classes each semester to check remaining degree requirements, and then run a DARS report again after enrolling to ensure that the courses chosen will indeed fulfill the anticipated requirements. Questions about your DARS report can be directed to Barbara Gerloff, EAS Assistant Dean, gerloff@education.wisc.edu, 262-4544.
Students for whom DARS reports are not available should be in touch with their EAS advisor and, in some cases, with their faculty or program advisor. When planning their registration for their last semester on campus, these students should contact the Degree Audit and Diploma Services office at 262-3782 and request a degree summary (also referred to as a "degree audit"). A degree summary is a manually produced degree audit. Students should check their degree summary immediately upon receipt and contact their EAS advisor if it indicates any unexpected graduation deficiencies.
Why is this requirement not met?
Students will sometimes find that their DARS report or degree summary will indicate a requirement not fulfilled even though their advisor has agreed that the requirement has been met. This means that either a DARS exception or an academic action has not been taken to reflect the completed requirement. Since many exceptions and actions are taken during a student's last semester on campus, it would not be unusual for students to find requirements indicated as unmet on their DARS report or degree summary. In these cases, contact your EAS advisor immediately (by email is fine) and ask about the status of the requirement exception or action.
School of Education undergraduates are recognized as Graduating with Honors and are invited to wear an honors stole at graduation if they have indicated they expect to graduate at the conclusion of the current semester, have earned at least 60 credits in residence at UW-Madison, and have earned a cumulative GPA that places them in the top 20% of students expecting to graduate in the School of Education. (Credits in progress in the current semester count towards the 60 credit requirement.) Students may also qualify for a Graduating with Distinction designation on their transcript if they have received their degree, have earned at least 60 credits in residence at UW-Madison, and have earned a cumulative GPA that places them in the top 20% of degree recipients in the School. Because the Graduating with Distinction calculations include the last semester's grades, unlike the Graduating with Honors calculations, students may be recognized for one academic achievement but not the other. Historically the cut-off GPA for these awards has been 3.7-3.8 for the School of Education.


text:
Who's Laughing Now at Jessie J?
'Who's Laughing Now' has been announced as the next single to be taken from Jessie J's debut album Who You Are.
Set for release on September 5th, the single is certainly one of the most divisive on her debut, which has sold 500,000 copies and hasn't left the UK top ten since its release, but we welcome the bold choice. Make up your own mind by watching the video below:


When we rescue Labs, we don't always know what we are getting with regards to a Lab's behavioral, physical or medical background. We do our best to get all the information possible but we really do not know until we get them in to see our Vets. Typically this is when we identify the medical issues that a Rescue Lab might have and address them. From neutering to treatment, Labrador Friends of the South covers those expenses no matter what the cost.
Tucker and Sassy are two beautiful Rescues that are being given another chance at life, but they both need to big surgeries that would make their lives just a little bit sweeter.
The good news is that both Sassy & Tucker can both be living pain free, but we need your help. We have set a goal of $8,000. Yes, $8,000. This will cover both of their surgeries and recovery.
So here is the Fun part. You can Donate any amount you wish, but for every $5 increment Donation that you make, you will be entered in a Raffle to win some awesome and fun prizes. Donate $10 that is two entries, donate $20 that is 4 entries. We will than raffle off all the entries for the prizes at the end of the Fundraiser. So here is what you can win.
I see your $40 and raise it to $100!! All for a great cause.
Yay Sassy and Tucker! What sweet babies.
Just donated $50 to help out some of my LFS brothers and sisters. My sister Lucy (another adopted pup with a forever home) is about to match it!
Hi! What happened to Sassy and Tucker–are you still looking for donations?


text:
The Other Shore
CD MURDER BY
The Other Shore / Murder by Death
A solemn, gorgeous journey through space, told by a voice that sounds like a friend.
The Other Shore is the eighth album by indie rock band Murder By Death, and a triumphant installment to their notably vivid, voluminous sound. Like some of their other works, this is a concept album that tells a singular story that spans the first track to the last. In the last days of Earth, a few survivors of a catastrophic apocalypse flee into the dark void of space, hoping to reunite on the other side of the galaxy.
You've never heard anything like Murder By Death, and you'll be hard-pressed to find another band that combines such deep, velvety instrumentation with such strong, soulful vocals. This trip through space prompts reflection and awe, so be sure to set aside some time to listen to The Other Shore without interruption.
EB: 09/2022


any other service where a charge is incurred.
The recovery of these fees helps to fund essential services and infrastructure for the people of NSW.
These changes form part of the State Debt Recovery Act 2018 which commenced 28 August 2018.


A tornado struck Worcester, Mass. this morning. The extent of damage and injuries is unknown at this point. Worcester was struck by one of the trio of extreme tornadoes in 1953. It killed 94 and did an amazing $465 million in damage (2018 dollars).
Full coverage of today's tornado, which occurred in the Webster area, is here.


text:
Il distretto di Mariscal Gamarra è un distretto del Perù nella provincia di Grau (regione di Apurímac) con 3.965 abitanti al censimento 2007 dei quali 423 urbani e 3.542 rurali.

È stato istituito il 11 dicembre 1942.

Note

Collegamenti esterni


AI Jump-Start - Ironside - Business Analytics. Data Science. Information Management.
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ARE YOU STARTING YOUR ORGANIZATION'S JOURNEY TOWARDS AI?
Ironside's AI Jump-Start is designed to anticipate all of the challenges you'll face when starting your organization's journey towards AI/ML maturity.
It is a powerful data science accelerator that brings together strategy, execution, process and governance, mentorship and education, and best-in-class smart technology in a single managed platform.
Drawing upon over a decade of applying data science to business problems, we've combined our consulting expertise with class leading technology partners such as DataRobot, Alteryx and Amazon Web Services, to generate rapid business value, and onboard data science as an organizational capability.
Success in Data Science starts with an understanding of your business strategy and being able to identify the best candidate applications for ML and AI. It also means knowing what not to build, where you lack data & process maturity and what you need to do to make AI/ML possible in those areas in the future. We start by building you a 12-18 mo. roadmap.
We function as your data science team early on, executing on use cases from your roadmap and delivering business value quickly. We also establish, staff and mentor your very own data science team at the pace that makes sense for your organization.
Training for Executives, Analysts, Data Experts and Business Owners on how to exploit AI and data science.
We guide you to implement the process and organizational models to operate your new AI practice.
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Facial cosmetic procedures are designed to enhance your appearance with natural looking results. The facial area is obviously highly visible but is also susceptible to many common signs of aging. Our board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. David L. Durst, working at the Cosmetic Surgery Center of Huntsville, can devise a procedure for you to enhance your appearance and restore the youthful appearance of years past. These procedures can include face lift surgery, brow lift surgery, eyelid surgery and nose reshaping.
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He offers an extensive array of surgical and non-surgical procedures to help you. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Durst to discuss facial procedures, please contact our office today.


text:
news UK Benefits for carers Benefits for carers
16% say in-house childcare would make a difference in fulfilling caring responsibilities
By Katie Scott	 5th October 2017 9:34 am 5th October 2017 12:13 pm
Just under one-fifth (16%) of respondents cite in-house childcare or crèche facilities as the one family-friendly benefit not currently available to them that they feel would make a difference in allowing them to fulfil their caring responsibilities, according to research by Mumsnet.
Its The Mumsnet survey 2017, which surveyed 1,411 parents with at least one child under 18 residing in the UK or Republic of Ireland, also found that 11% of respondents believe openness from their line manager or HR department to discuss non-standard or flexible working patterns would be the benefit not currently available to them that would make the most difference to their caring responsibilities, and 10% cite paid emergency leave for illness of a dependent or family member or disruption of care arrangements as the benefit that would make the most difference in fulfilling their caring responsibilities if it was provided.
The research, whose respondents were 99% women, also found:
27% of respondents did not receive any specific support relating to returning to work after a gap, 24% did not receive any specific support relating to working while pregnant, and 14% did not receive an expected promotion or pay rise while pregnant in the workplace or after returning to work following maternity leave.
27% of respondents cite that a genuinely constructive and welcoming attitude towards requests for ad-hoc flexible working is the benefit offered by their employer that makes the most difference to them in terms of being able to fulfil their caring responsibilities. Other family-friendly benefits that make a difference to respondents include openness from line managers or the HR department to non-standard or flexible working patterns (19%), enhanced maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption or fostering leave or parental leave pay and conditions (12%), paid emergency leave (8%), childcare vouchers or a monetary contribution to childcare costs (7%), and remote working facilities (6%).
40% of respondents who work in the legal and professional services sector do not receive enhanced maternity, paternity or adoption pay, compared with 25% of respondents across the whole sample.
10% of respondents working in micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees would like to be offered childcare vouchers or contributions to childcare costs to help with caring responsibilities, compared to 4% of all respondents.
14% of respondents who work in small organisations with up to 50 employees are more likely to want to receive enhanced maternity, paternity or adoption leave and benefits from their employer to support their caring responsibilities, compared to 7% of all respondents.
10% of respondents working in big organisations with between 250 and 2,000 employees want to be provided with a great return-to-work programme to help make a difference to them fulfilling their caring responsibilities, compared to 6% of all respondents.
21% of respondents who work in large organisations with more than 2,000 employees want in-house crèches or emergency childcare to help them fulfil their caring responsibilities, compared to 16% of all respondents.
73% of respondents state that having children has made it harder to progress in their career, and 64% feel less employable since having children.
Justine Roberts (pictured), founder and chief executive officer at Mumsnet, said: "People think bosses can make their own rules, and to a certain extent they can; but heading up [an organisation] almost always means working harder than you've ever worked before, and the reality is that that tends to knock family-friendly working out of the picture. Aspiring leaders with caring responsibilities can be forgiven for wondering what hope there is for accommodating both of these aspects; hopefully they'll work out how to do things differently."
American Express to enhance parental leave and family-friendly benefits for US staff
13th December 2016 11:36 am 12th April 2017 11:44 am
Johnson and Johnson rolls out global parental benefits to 60 countries
23rd August 2017 10:57 am 23rd August 2017 10:57 am
Aurecon enhances family benefits for Australian and New Zealand staff
7th August 2017 12:11 pm 7th August 2017 12:11 pm


text:
Imam Hussein (a.s.) in Karbala'
:Al-Balagh Foundation
Imam Hussein's (a.s.) caravan set off on the eighth day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, (the day the pilgrims get ready to perform hajj), in the year of 60 A.H.
Many had questioned as to why he would leave without performing the hajj ceremonies. He replied: "By Allah, should I be killed a span's distance away from Mecca, that would be more desirable for me than being killed in it. And should I be killed two spans' distance away from it, that would be more desirable for me than being killed a span's distance from it." 55
On his way, at a place called al-Sifah, Imam Hussein (a.s.) came across al-Farazdaq, a poet known for his love for Ahlul-Bait (a.s.). Imam Hussein (a-s.) asked him about the public opinion and the political conditions in Iraq. "The hearts of the people are with you, but their swords are against you. The decision comes from Heaven and Allah does what He wishes."
"You have spoken truly of the affair belonging to Allah," replied Imam Hussein (a.s.). "Every moment He is in a state of glory. If fate sends down what we like, we praise Allah for His blessings. He is the One from Whom help should be sought. However although fate may frustrate our hopes, yet, It does not destroy the souls of those whose intention is the truth, and whose hearts are pious." 56
The Ummayyad authorities in Kufa were confused. Measures were taken to prevent Imam Hussein (a.s.) from going on with his uprising. The governor of Kufa and chief administrator, Ubaidullah bin Ziyad, ordered the way to Kufa blocked and the traffic into and out of the city closed so that no one could contact Imam Hussein (a.s.) or find the chance to join him. He sent the head of his police, al-Husayn bin Numair al-Tamimi, to carry out his orders. Al-Husayn encamped at al-Qadisiyyah and deployed his troops on the main road to Kufa. The troops were widely positioned in an area extending from al-Qadisyyah to Khaffan, and from al-Qadisiyyah to Qatanah and the mountain of La'la'.
The plan to prevent people from entering and leaving Kufa was a successful for the most part. Only a handful of brave ones managed to reach Imam Hussein (a.s.) during his journey. The messengers whom Imam Hussein (a.s.) had sent to Kufa had all been captured and martyred. Even the deaths of Muslim and Hani were not known to him until these few men had managed to escape from Kufa and inform him. At a place called Zubalah he heard of the martydom of both Muslim bin Aqeel and Hani bin Urwah. He gathered his companions and the members of his family and disclosed to them the news of the Kufans' failing of him.
"Our Shi'ah have deserted us," he told them. "Those of you who prefer to leave us, may do so freely and without guilt."
Some people had joined Imam Hussein (a.s.) in Mecca feeling sure that with the support of the Kufans he would be victorious and become the new caliph. When they heard this news they dispersed from him right and left until there were only left with him those close companions and his family members including the women. 57
Deep inside Iraq, Imam Hussein (a.s.) came face to face with a great army led by al-Hurr bin Yazid al-Riyahi. He chose a good, fortified place and encamped there. The Ummayyad commander encamped, in a military broad line, in front of the camp of Imam Hussein (a.s.). Imam Hussein's (a.s.) army Wag, by then, facing the hostile army, but they were protected, from the rear, by the mountain of Dhi-Hasm. Obviously the enemies could not lay siege to them or surround them.
Tension was already mounting between the two camps facing each other. When it was midday, and the time for midday prayer entered, Imam Hussein (a.s.) ordered one of his companions to recite the call to prayer. He began to address the two sides. He conveyed to them his viewpoints concerning the general situation in the Islamic homeland. He explained to his enemies the motives behind his move, and asked them to honor their promises and the covenants they had made with him, and the pledge of allegiance they had given him. They only listened and said nothing.
Having finished his speech, Imam Hussein (a.s.) led both sides in prayer. All of them offered their prayer behind him.
Once again, after the afternoon prayer, Imam Hussein (a.s.) delivered another speech. In front of them, he emptied two bags full of letters sent by the Kufans to him, calling him to come to Kufa and giving their pledge of allegiance to him. Hurr replied that he and his men were not the writers of those letters. When Imam Hussein (a.s.) had addressed them he told that if they did not like him he was prepared to turn back toward Hijaz, al-Hurr bin Yazid al-Riyahi said:
"We are commissioned to follow you until we take you to Ibn Ziyad."
Imam Hussein (a.s.) replied:
"You will find your death easier than that."
Imam Hussein (a.s.) and his followers left the place with Hurr travelling parallel but at a distance. When Imam Hussein (a.s.) attempted to return to Medina, Hurr blocked his path.
Hurr then said:
"I have not been ordered to fight with you. I have to follow you until you reach Kufa. If you do not want to go to Kufa then I suggest to you to go towards a station which is neither Kufa nor Medina."
Imam Hussein (a.s.) considered this a fair proposal and turned his caravan to the left of the road which ran between Qadsiyyah and Azib.
Hurr marched along parallel to Imam Hussein (a.s.) While marching, the two spoke. Hurr said:
"I appeal to you in the name of Allah to avoid battle because you are bound to be killed."
Imam Hussein (a.s.) retorted:
"Do you think you can frighten me with death? Could a worse disaster befall you than killing me? I can only say to you what the brother of al-Aws said to his cousin when he wanted to help the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.). His cousin feared for him and said: 'Where are you going, you will be killed.' But he replied: 'I will depart, for there is no shame for a young man whenever he intends to do what is right and fight like a Muslim. He who soothes righteous men through the sacrifice of his life, has partied with the cursed and opposed the criminal. If I live, I will not regret what I have done, and if I die, I will not be blamed. Let it be enough for you to live in humiliation and be reviled.'"
Al-Hurr gave up all hope of persuading Imam Hussein (a.s.) to go to Kufa, so he kept a good distance between the two armies. Imam Hussein (a.s.) continued his journey to the target he desired to reach. The Ummayyad army kept the other army under surveillance. The two armies reached a village called Nainawa. At it a messenger sent by Ubaidullah bin Ziyad, arrived and delivered a message to Hurr. The message read:
"When this letter of mine arrives and my messenger comes to you, force Hussein to a halt. But only let him stop in an open place, without vegetation or water. I have ordered my messenger to stay with you and not take his leave until he brings the news of your carrying out my instructions. Wassalam." 58
Having finished reading, al-Hurr conveyed its contents to Imam Hussein (a.s.). Imam Hussein (a.s.) said: "Then let us stop at Nainawa, al-Ghadhiriyah or Shufayyah." Al-Hurr turned down the suggestion, saying that he feared the authorities and the spies in his army.
Imam Hussein (a.s.) thereupon, addressed his followers:
"No doubt you are aware of the gravity of the situation which you are witnessing yourselves here and now. Life has certainly changed disguises, and good has gone forever. This has continued till the remaining good in it amounts to the thin sediment at the bottom of a drinking utensil. Life is a mean food, like a pasture covered with bad grass. Do you not see that the truth is not followed and falsehood not discouraged? The faithful must certainly desire to meet his Lord righteously. I do not deem death other than martyrdom and life among the unjust other than suffering and boredom." 59
Then Imam Hussein's (a.s.) army defiantly resumed its march deep into Iraq. It was not long before the Ummayyad army blocked his way and forced him to encamp at a place called Karbala'. That was the second day of the month of Muharram in the year 61 A.H.
When Imam Hussein (a.s.) learned of the name of the place he dismounted and ordered his camp to be set up. He had reached his destination. The plain of Karbala', the cradle of the uprising, the site of the massacre of the heroes, the beacon of glory, and the symbol of power. When he dismounted he stated that his father, Imam Ali (a.s.), on his way to Siffeen had passed by this desert plain when he himself had been in his company. Imam Ali (a.s) had informed him that he would be forced to camp here and his blood would be shed here.
55. Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh (The Complete Accounts of History), Ibn al Athir, p. 39.
57. Ibid., p.40.
58. Ibid., p. 43.
59. Al-Irshad, p.226.
Adapted from the book: "Imam Hussein Bin Ali" Published by: "Al-Balagh Foundation"
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Archive | Album Reviews RSS feed for this section
Dave Duke, "Be There to Love You"
Records by true music lovers, and I would include in this, for example, Bobby Gillespie, can often be a bit hit and miss. In other words, people who really know what they're talking about when it comes to music will not necessarily be able to make a great record themselves.
Dave Duke is someone I know to have a fine music pedigree, and yet here is a fine collection of songs of his own making. He has put some thought into the sound of the record, and mostly, there is a fair bit of reverb so that the music echoes around your speakers, giving it the feel of a proper studio album. Dave is stamping the word authentic onto the music himself.
Mostly these are country-style songs, but you don't have to be a country music fan to appreciate them. "Lonesome" would have even the most dyed in the wool Country & Western fan agreeing that here is a classic duet if ever there was one. Bobby Gillespie, that well known country aficionado, and writer of the classic "Sometimes I Feel So Lonely" would be jealous of this one. "You & I and the dusty sky" has the same been-around-forever feel that people say of "Mull of Kintyre." "Escape the Fear" drips with Love-inspired sixties saccharine.
One of my favourite bands is Mazzy Star, and that's about as far as my knowledge of Country & Western music goes. If "Be There To Love You" has one drawback, it is that, like every Mazzy Star album, it has some monumentous stand-out tracks (the three mentioned above), but also has a few weaker tracks that prevent it from being placed in the master class. Still, very good overall.
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After Demonstrating He Didn't Have To, Dan Och Gives Up Control of Och-Ziff
He's lost enough money to prove his point.
Jon Shazar
Enjoy cleaning this up, assholes.
Less than a year ago, Dan Och blew up his embattled-but-recovering firm's succession plan, mostly to stick it to the former waterskiing instructor he'd installed as his number two and who was getting a little big for his wetsuit. And also because he could, as he'd not yet acceded to the board and Jimmy Levin's demand that he give up his controlling stake in the company.
Having put Levin in his place—former Credit Suisse executive Robert Shafir succeeded Och as CEO in January, and Och plans to retire as chairman in March—Och is ready to do the thing Levin wanted him to do last year, and give up his controlling stake in the firm. Which Och is more than happy to do now that it's basically worthless and the shares require a 10-to-one reverse split to avoid becoming pink sheets.
Och-Ziff said Thursday that Och-Ziff's founder and several former managing directors would sell 35% of their shares to Och-Ziff's executive managing directors in the form of a new share class. Mr. Och also intends to withdraw a portion of his money from Och-Ziff funds….
Och-Ziff said it would ask current and former executive managing directors to temporarily forgo distributions on their common shares to help pay down its debt, though public shareholders will continue to receive distributions…. Och-Ziff also plans to change its tax classification to a corporation from a partnership by the end of December….
Daniel Och Takes Another Step Back From The Hedge Fund Empire He Built [WSJ]
Och-Ziff Shares Stumble Toward NYSE Delist Territory at $1 [Bloomberg]
Daniel OchJames Levinsee ya!Hedge FundsOch-Ziff Capital Management
Dan Och: Adrenaline Junkie
Saving his firm was such a rush that the Och-Ziff founder decided on a grievous self-inflicted wound to try again.
Dan Och Encouraged By Conversations He's Having With Clients Racing Out The Door
Oh, like EVERY fund isn't dealing with 11 figure withdrawals? Oh, they're not?
Things Looking Up At Och-Ziff
By which we mean they are looking less down.
Dan Och May Have Sold His Soul To The Devil
Something's got to account for Och-Ziff's escape from its downward spiral.
Och-Ziff So Messed Up Top Exec. Is Fleeing To The Comparative Calm Of Cryptocurrencies
A year-and-a-half under Dan Och is plenty for Alesia Haas, thank you.
Dan Och Temper-Tantrum Kept His Son's Former Waterskiing Instructor From Succeeding Him For All Of Three Years
We're sure he agrees it was well worth the trouble.
Who Is This 'Dan Och' You Speak Of?
The former Och-Ziff Capital Management no longer dares speak its founder's name.
Guys Who Allegedly Made So Little Money Bribing People Och-Ziff Didn't Notice Finally Noticed By SEC
The SEC could overlook bribing a few African government officials, but not -like- all of them.


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The African region reinforces preparedness for novel coronavirus – WHO Africa
HomeCovid-19 UpdatesThe African region reinforces preparedness for novel coronavirus – WHO Africa
By, eacdigital
While there are no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus reported in the African region, the World Health Organization (WHO) is strengthening its support to countries in the detection and management of suspect cases and in ensuring a robust response, should a first case be detected.
The continent has close ties with China, which lies at the epicentre of the outbreak and WHO assesses 2019-nCoV a high risk for the African region. Since the 22 January 2020, WHO has received dozens of alerts regarding possible novel coronavirus infections from 20 countries. Once countries investigate these alerts to determine if they meet the definition of a 2019-nCoV suspect case, samples are taken and sent to laboratories.
As this is a new virus, up until early this week there were only two laboratories – one in Senegal and the other in South Africa – which had the reagents needed to test samples and they have been working as referral laboratories for countries around the region. Four more countries (Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria and Sierra Leone) have now reported they can conduct tests as well. WHO is sending kits to 29 laboratories in the region which will ensure they have a diagnostic capacity for novel coronavirus and can support testing samples from the neighbouring countries as well.
"A new virus is always a challenge and most laboratories in Africa lack the key material they need to perform tests on a novel pathogen," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. "WHO is working with countries to rapidly scale-up diagnostic capacity for 2019-nCoV. It is crucial that countries in the region can detect and treat severe cases early, preventing a widespread outbreak, which could overwhelm fragile health systems."
WHO has identified 13 top priority countries in the region (Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Algeria, Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia), which due to their direct links or high volume of travel to China need to be particularly vigilant for the novel coronavirus. WHO plays an active role in supporting countries to coordinate preparation efforts and surge staff have arrived in seven of the 13 countries and by the end of the week, teams are expected to be in place in all. WHO is dispatching protective equipment for health workers, as well as thermometers and other essential supplies for screening and handling suspect cases at airports and other points of entry. While the top priority countries are WHO's first areas of focus, the organization will support all countries in the region in preparing for novel coronavirus.
WHO is engaging with partners to support preparedness in key areas, including community awareness-raising and increasing treatment capacity should the need arise.
Many countries are building on the expertise they have gained in preparing for an influenza pandemic as coronaviruses cause illnesses similar to influenza. In addition, since the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo started in 2018, WHO and partners have helped countries at high risk to prepare for possible Ebola cases. These efforts which have led to increased capacity in surveillance and the handling of infectious cases can also support the response to the novel coronavirus.
WHO recommends that to protect against the novel virus, people should practice good hand and respiratory hygiene and safe food preparation practices. These include washing hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub, covering the mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing, avoiding close contact with anyone with flu-like symptoms, cooking food and especially meat.
As reported to WHO by 4 February 2020, there were 20 471 confirmed cases in China, with 425 deaths. Outside of China, there were 159 confirmed cases in 23 countries with one death.


I was searching for a Property and found this listing (MLS® #218008715). Please send me more information regarding 8-h Sleeth, Commerce Twp, MI, 48382. Thank you!
I'd like to request a showing of 8-h Sleeth, Commerce Twp, MI, 48382 (MLS® #218008715). Thank you!


Azaleas might be bold and pretty, but they can cause your pup a lot of problems.
With a palette of colors that looks to be stolen straight out of a rainbow, the flowers of azaleas are bright, big and beautiful. And your dog thinks so too. He probably eats the flowers and leaves alike, disfiguring your gorgeous plant in the process. Even worse, azalea leaves are poisonous to canines. Stopping your pup's madness calls for a few strategies, from simple relocation to a little dousing of hot sauce.
Relocate potted azaleas. If you keep your colorful acid-loving plants in pots, you're in luck. It's much simpler to snuff out your pup's azalea-eating plans if you can simply move the plants. Since azaleas enjoy filtered sun, anywhere near a window that receives indirect sunlight will work out best. If you have your azaleas down low, move them up high, either by hanging them from a hook, putting them on a stand or situating them on a shelf. If your pup has a difficult time seeing and smelling the plant, he's probably going to forget it ever existed.
Booby trap the area. If your azaleas are happy and lively outside, moving them probably isn't a viable option. But that doesn't mean they need to suffer from your pup's curiosity. Surround the azaleas with wooden stakes and stretch one line of fishing line across the stakes, at around the height of your pup's head. Tie aluminum cans to the line, and voila! You now have a frugal tripwire of sorts that will scare the fur right off your pup should he decide to cross the line. If you'd like, you can run multiple rows of fishing line across the stakes, but one line is often enough to keep honest dogs honest.
Turn the tasty azaleas into nasty azaleas. Your pup probably thinks a few things go well with azaleas, such as grass, hoyas and whatever other plants you care for. But hot sauce, cayenne pepper and bitter spray are not your dog's idea of lip-smacking sides. For potted azaleas, sprinkle a bit of the deterrent -- undiluted -- onto the azalea's leaves. Don't worry, none of these deterrents will harm your plants. For outside azaleas, avoid this method. The deterrent will get washed away too often to prove effective.
Relocate the tie-out if applicable. If you keep your little rascal on a tie-out when he goes on his outdoor adventures, yank the tie-out stake from its current location and move it to another area, where your pup won't be able to dive into your azaleas.
Fill your yard with canine toys. With treat dispensers, tennis balls, squeakers and hardy bones, your pup will forget all about your azaleas. Give him a big variety of toys to choose from and switch them out for new toys occasionally so he doesn't get bored.
Muzzle him. If you can't get your plant-eating canine to stop munching down on your azaleas, then it's time for an unfashionable basket muzzle. Although unsightly, the muzzle will keep your pup from eating plants and still allow him to run around like normal. Always use a basket muzzle, never a nylon one. Basket muzzles allow your pup to pant and drink water, which nylon muzzles can inhibit.
Give your pup lots of exercise and he'll probably be less inclined to eat your plants. Daily walks, free runs and fetch make for a great knock-out punch that will tire out your little guy.
Always keep a watchful eye on your pup. It doesn't take a lot of azalea leaves to cause poisoning. If one method doesn't work, opt for another strategy right away.
Symptoms of azalea poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, extreme lethargy, muscle weakness and coma. In most cases, a combination of symptoms will appear. Poisoning calls for immediate veterinary intervention.
Do not yell at or smack your pup if you catch him eating your azaleas. Doing so will not fix anything. Instead, distract him by calling his name or saying "ah" sharply.


Cerulean Arts is pleased to present An Exemplar Model, featuring work by Kristin Balmer, Colleen O'Donnell and Leo Robinson. All three artists focus acutely on their subjects, creating intensely present, self-contained visions, with minimal contextual cues. Balmer seeks to possess the beauty of her isolated birds, animals and objects through painting. For her, the material qualities of a painting and its identity as an object is as important as the image, and if anything, is where the real meaning lies. O'Donnell's bronze and terra cotta sculptures are focused on the human form, blending reality and imagination with an expressionist touch. A limitless inspiration for her, the human figure is a vehicle to present political, spiritual and personal themes. Robinson's oil on canvas and panel paintings of solitary plants, mainly orchids he has grown himself, are presented in a shallow space bathed in natural light. Working slowly and meticulously from life, Robinson crafts a meditative experience for the viewer, allowing one to slow down and enjoy just looking.


Early 2009, Sonia Aplin was facing a challenge. As the Internal Communications Manager for Ericsson Australia and New Zealand Sonia was tasked with advising the senior leadership team on how best to communicate the new corporate strategy.
The challenge for Sonia and Ericsson was two-fold. She knew that for the strategy to be successful, employees needed more than to be able to just recite the new strategy – they needed to really believe in it and understand how their work contributed to the organisation's success.
The other challenge was that the latest Employee Engagement Survey showed two concerning facts. The Leadership Communication index was at 57 points (compared with the Ericsson Group total of 73) while Strategy Awareness was at a moderate 66 points. A critical success factor for the Ericsson strategy depended on improvement in both these areas. Sonia and her HR colleagues had a goal to increase both those measures by 3 points….and anyone who works closely with employee opinion surveys will know that this is easier said than done.
During this time, Barack Obama was the hot topic. Being a communications specialist, Sonia was more interested in the way he communicated as opposed to his politics. What she noticed, as well as other commentators, was Obama's effective use of story. So that triggered Sonia's research into storytelling. What started with a Google search, ended with a tender process and working relationship with us to deliver organisational storytelling workshops to their top 80 leaders.
Sonia along with the Leadership & Culture Manager went to the executive team with their recommendation. To take the leaders through a 2-day program. The first day was designed to ensure understanding of the new strategy and the desired behaviours associated with that.
The second day was our organisational storytelling workshops, which would give them the practical business skills of storytelling to engage their employees and clients in the strategy.
They were tentative at first…..we are talking about taking storytelling into a male-dominated, engineering firm, but their courage was rewarded. The executive team supported the approach and every single member of the team, including the CEO, attended the training and continue to encourage and role model the use of organisational storytelling throughout Ericsson. 97% of the participants agreed it was relevant to their role with 91% saying it improved their effectiveness as an influencer and leader.
Leadership Communication Capability, increased by a staggering 18 points.
But what about the tangibles…the key measures of success? Increasing both Leadership Communication and Strategy Awareness by 3 points. The subsequent Employee Opinion Survey showed that Strategy Awareness increased by 11 points and Leadership Communication Capability, increased by a staggering 18 points. That is what we call a success story.
Leadership lessons from Seal and 'The Voice'…really!
I have a confession to make. I am loving 'The Voice', Channel 9's new reality TV show. Feels good, got that off my chest. I could pin the blame on my 13-year-old daughter, but have to take full responsibility for this one. I thought I would watch a few minutes and was instantly hooked! Just when you thought that whole category was done and dusted (really Australian idol, Australia's Got talent, X factor etc.) along comes 'The Voice' and changes the whole format, winning new audiences.
If you haven't watched it already, 4 judges, Seal, Joel Madden, Delta Goodrem and Keith Urban sit in chairs with their back to the stage. It's a blind audition with singers being judged purely on their voice and if a judge / coach likes what they hear, they hit a red button that turns their chair around. But what makes it compelling viewing is (apart from the quality of the singers) if more than one judge turns around, they have to persuade the contestant to join their team. There is a shift in the power balance and you see both leadership and the art of influence in operation. In one of the first episodes, Seal and Delta Godrem both went head to head to try and secure one of the contestants, Chris Sebastian.
Seal told Chris, 'If you come on my team, I'm interested in one thing and one thing only, making you great'. Delta in response said 'I understand your spirit and I understand this country. This is my country. I love Australia. We can make this happen together, and that will be a very easy ride for us".
To which Seal retorted "That is a very good pitch she's making, but there's one thing that doesn't sit with me, she keeps using the word easy. It's not going to be easy brother".
Chris thought about it for a moment and went with Seal and later he explained why saying 'When she said it will be easy with me – she lost me – the last thing I wanted people to think was I had taken the easy way out'.
There are classic communications lessons we could all draw from this. Seal made his pitch all about the singer. Who can resist the opportunity to have someone coach you to greatness? It's irrestible and that's why artists come on to shows like this, to be discovered. Delta promised an easy ride thinking that would appeal. Compare the promise of an easy ride versus the promise of greatness? Which would you pick? Seal also understood where this particular contestant was coming from, he wanted to carve out his own identity and not ride on the coat tails of his famous older brother Guy Sebastian. So Seal immediately picked up on the word easy ride, understanding that this would be the last thing Chris would want. Also when Seal said it won't be an easy ride, he knew this would not turn Chris off as he was also speaking to a universal truth. Everyone knows it's hard to make it in the music business.
To persuade as a communicator, it has to be all about your audience, what they want not what you think they want. As Seal and Delta's responses indicate there is a world of difference between what we might think someone wants versus what they actually want. You have to understand your audience, and walk in their shoes to succeed, to influence and persuade.
I am loving watching and learning from Seal (and the other coaches), and now have a legitimate (cough, cough) academic reason to continue to couch surf and watch The Voice weekly. And you have been warned, its highly addictive.
Just last week I received an email that made me laugh out loud and go YES! And no it wasn't a joke from a friend. It was from Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) announcing that they are banning the traditional use of PowerPoint-style presentations including such proven yawn inducers like bullet points, clip art, reading from the screen (that old chestnut) at their major conference to be held in Sydney. Hats off to MEA!
So whether you are presenting with or without PowerPoint here are 3 top tips to make your next presentation shine. This can be summarized in just one-word connections. People need to connect to you the person (not the presenter, not yet anyway); they need to feel you connect with them and they need to connect to your messages.
Getting your audience to connect with you first as a person, is the presentation equivalent of shaking hands when you meet someone. Just as you would never launch into business stuff before shaking hands, you would never launch into your presentation without getting the audience to connect with you first. So can you begin with something personal, humble, even funny, that segues into your presentation? Keep it short, and never launch into your CV – that is boring.
How can you connect with your audience? One CEO coming into the company's strategy session handled this one by saying 'Even this morning when I was driving here I thought what not another strategy session, feels like we just had one a few weeks ago!'. He was echoing what a lot of people in the room where thinking and feeling – so even before you have started your formal presentation people connect to you, as a person and they feel you understand them …that you connect with them.
The next tip for all presenters is to get people to connect with your messages.
Just yesterday in my daughter's school I was listening to a parenting expert who said you should have 3 non negotiables as a parent, because your kids can only remember 3 and any more will be hell for you as a parent! The same rule applies to your presentation have only 3 key messages. 3 is all your audience can remember and anymore and it's hell maybe not for you but definitely for them! Some tough love here, no one is going to walk away from any presentation remembering what your 8 key messages were.
For each key message think of an anecdote, a story that would make it memorable. People remember the story and through that they remember the point you were making.
So there you have it – to be a successful presenter with or without PowerPoint you need to get people to connect to you as a person first, you need to connect to the audience and you need the audience to connect to your messages, by having a maximum of 3 and using stories, anecdotes and humor to make your messages memorable.


The secrets to success are Passion, Knowledge, Deep Practice and Balanced Feedback. A combination of training, mentoring and coaching can give you the knowledge; guidance and balanced feedback that will aid you develop effective Communication Skills. Effective communication coaching helps build interpersonal skills; helps us develop great customer relationships and stronger businesses. Communication skills training helps you create clear and powerful communication.
Training could be described as an organised activity aimed at sharing information, ideas or instructions to improve the learner's performance or to help them attain a specific or required level of knowledge or skill. e.g. Training on the use of PowerPoint – show us what the programme can do.
Coaching could be defined as helping another to improve awareness, set goals in order to improve specific behaviour. A coach follows a set agenda to develop, reinforce or change skills and behaviours. The coach sets an objective/goal for each discussion. e.g. Coaching on PowerPoint helps us understand how the programme works and how to do specific tasks to achieve specific goals.
Mentoring could be described as an expert helping another sharpen or shape their beliefs and values in a positive way. Mentors should demonstrate best practice, passion and be actively engaged in their own personal development, owning the personal benefit of the two-way relationship. Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship in which both parties are able to grow and develop in an individually chosen direction. The four words most often chosen to describe a mentor's style are: questioner, direct, clear and friend/confidant. Mentoring is the why, the thought process behind the decisions.
Knowledge is the necessary understanding required to perform an activity or develop a skill.
Deep practice is the focused awareness and correction of actions in order to achieve mastery. The specific conscious application of knowledge making it experience.
Balanced feedback acknowledges what the person has done right and suggests possible areas for improvement as well as demonstrates these suggestions.
This principle is used in teaching hospitals to train surgeons. Watch one, do one, teach one. By watching an operation, trying the procedure (under supervision) and then teaching the process the learning becomes integrated experience and part of the new skill set. Another principle important in mentoring and coaching is the concept of Kaizen, small steps, to create meaningful change. Some change is too daunting to many people so they procrastinate and it never happens. Through deep practice and Kaizen the mentee is able to create lasting change. Breaking an activity down into smaller steps, bite size chunks, makes it easier to begin. Once a task is begun it is often easier to keep going. Think of getting off the couch to do one hour of exercise… vs getting up to do 5 minutes of exercise. The smaller chunk is easier to digest. Once exercising, it it easier to continue. Even 5 minutes of exercise done regularly is better than no exercise. It builds new habits over time.
The power of stories in Coaching and training is that we are able to put ourselves in the "shoes" of another and understand differing views and experiences and incorporate these attitudes, skills and experiences in with our own. This enables us to change our personal and business culture through these stories and share our message more effectively.


Do you want to make your event hilarious and memorable? Contact David directly or ask your event planner to do so. For more information about keynote and emcee packages, download David's pdf (suitable for printing).


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CANADA: Loblaw puts turnaround strategy back two years
Loblaw, Canada's largest food retailer, has put its turnaround strategy back two years as a result of being too "defensive" in its early stages, Allan Leighton, company president, admitted to shareholders yesterday (30 April).
Loblaw, Canada's largest food retailer, has put its turnaround strategy back two years as a result of being too "defensive" in its early stages, Allan Leighton, company president, admitted to shareholders yesterday (30 April).
The strategy, which is currently lagging six to nine months behind, is now estimated to take closer to five years than the original target of three.
The strategy was announced in February 2007, after the retailer posted its first annual loss in 19 years.
"Sometimes we actually forget we are the biggest retailer in Canada. Sometimes you feel under siege," Leighton said. "We are back on the front foot, as opposed to the back, aggressive, attacking, but in a very controlled way."
Loblaw shares dropped 7% following president Mark Foote's sudden departure last week, but closed up 8% yesterday after it reported first-quarter earnings in line with analyst estimates.
As part of the turnaround strategy, Loblaw executive chair Galen Weston announced plans to upgrade 20 of its GTA stores, as profit grows 14.8% to CAD$62m (US$60.8m).
The retailer said it plans to invest in the 20 best food stores in the Greater Toronto Area by enhancing the food offering, stocking more local produce and hiring 1,000 extra service staff under a program it called "Back to Best."
"We are now in a business where our costs are growing faster than our sales. We talk a lot about how to turn this around," said Weston.
The company can offset some of the increase in diesel costs through its hedging program, and has also cut head office costs and negotiated better deals with some suppliers, he added. "But the pressure on margins will continue. Driving sales is how we will improve this business."
The company, which has been cutting prices to compete with lower-cost rivals like Wal-Mart Canada, said it will continue to do so.
Solid Fats (Oils and Fats) Market in Canada - Outlook to 2025; Market Size, Growth and Forecast Analytics
Pates (Savory and Deli Foods) Market in Canada - Outlook to 2025; Market Size, Growth and Forecast Analytics
Cooking Oils (Oils and Fats) Market in Canada - Outlook to 2025; Market Size, Growth and Forecast Analytics
Canada Over-the-Counter (OTC) Healthcare Market Size by Categories, Distribution Channel, Market Share and Forecast, 2021-2026
Canada Prepared Meals Market Size by Categories, Distribution Channel, Market Share and Forecast, 2021-2026
Wal-Mart Canada Corp


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Rodeo Stampede Sky Zoo Safari is a very popular fun game for Android. Get ready to wrestle with the wildest animals in this corner of the savannah. Lions, tigers, and bears are no match for this rodeo star. Armed with a lasso and a cowboy hat, jump on the back of animals in full rout, including buffaloes, elephants, ostriches. Hold on to those beasts that are rushing and you may win their hearts. Once the cavalcade is over, the zoo begins! And here is the latest MOD edition of Rodeo Stampede Sky Zoo Safari game comes with unlimited unlock and more. So, Download Rodeo Stampede Sky Zoo Safari 1.19.0 MOD APK now and enjoy the gameplay.
This Rodeo Stampede MOD Game is offered by Yodo1 Games on Google PlayStore with 4.5/5 average users rating and millions of downloads. It works with 4.4 or the latest version.


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Scholars Program Eligibility
Scholars Program How to Apply
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UoG/QUEEN'S COLLABORATION
Occupational Therapy MSc Scholarship Queen's of Gondar Faculty
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UoG/Queen's Team
Applications have opened for the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship.
The Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship is for African students and recent graduates, especially women, who have a desire to solve pressing problems and bring their entrepreneurial ideas to life.
Participants will gain the confidence, resources, knowledge, network, and financial support to build a startup with lasting impact. The Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre (DDQIC) at Queen's University, Canada will accept 1000 participants to undertake best-in-class entrepreneurship courses and receive a certificate of completion.
Applications are open until November 30th 2020. To learn more about the program and start an application, please visit:
https://www.queensu.ca/…/jim-leech…/jim-leech-fellowship.
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Kim Roberts-Gudema, Omaha World-Herald staff writer, has a delightful article about Tomie dePaola and his new book, Guess Who's Coming to Santa's for Dinner?
In his newest book, "Guess Who's Coming to Santa's for Dinner?," dePaola imagines a gathering of Santa Claus' closest relatives at his home. Like any reunion, the Claus family has its eccentric members, including an opera-singing sister, an uncle with a pet polar bear, a kleptomaniac aunt and a flaming plum pudding.
DePaola said he got the idea from a Christmas card he received one year from his travel agent. The card had a vintage photo of an opera soprano wearing a Viking helmet. The greeting read something to the effect of: "Christmas greetings from Ulga Claus, Santa's less popular sister."
"I got hysterical," dePaola said. "I thought, 'Of course, Santa has a family. Of course, they're a weird family like mine is.'"
dePaola is a Caldecott and Newbery award winner who has an optimistic outlook on life.
These days, the author receives more than 100,000 pieces of fan mail each year. Children tell him how much they love the book. Teachers and parents write to thank him for the impact he has on their students and children.
He says he delights in writing for young children.
"Books and art meant so much to me growing up," he said. "I want to be a part of that legacy."