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Voice, Acoustics, and Imagery Tech Upgraded to Mission Critical
May 21, 2020 | Leadership
For this special three-part series on Insights, Azafran Capital Partners shares insights on the future of the venture capital ecosystem, marketplace, and fund thesis.
This article will take about 4 minutes to read
Azafran Capital Partners is an early-stage venture fund. Their investments ($2 million to $8 million) focus on companies using deep and machine learning, emphasizing voice, acoustics, and imagery tech in the health, wellness, IoT / automation, and enterprise spaces.
Only a few months ago, managing partner and Opportunity Network member, James Kenefick, was travelling constantly. Meeting with companies and attending conferences around the world. Now, like everyone else, he's finding new ways of doing business from home.
In this three-part series, Kenefick and his colleagues at Azafran Capital Partners, Jock Percy and Martin Fisher, will share their global perspectives on the current state of the investment market, the potential for tech, and the power of the network.
Part Two (of Three) of this Special Report Series focuses on the technology, markets and research, taking into account new global realities being experienced personally and professionally.
Rather Listen?
This series is accompanied by a podcast discussing the main topics of each Issue.
Technology in Today's World
Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, business markets and technology were driving the adoption of these modalities. Now, they are fast becoming mission-critical.
The function, as well as intelligence, around voice, acoustics and imagery have been the focus of development for years. With the infinite spectrum these modalities offer, the traditional keyboard almost seems archaic.
Attending nearly 100 events, visiting tech hubs from Helsinki to Denver, Toronto to Pittsburgh, Tel Aviv to Berlin and dozens of points in between, our journey over the past 3.5 years has taken us around the globe. This "road less traveled" has enabled us to find unique companies focused on machine learning as well as deep science solutions.
The Tech Perspective
Over the past five years, progress has grown exponentially. Scaling the Internet, computing, programming, storage, using, and analyzing stores of data unimaginable even a decade ago. One of the key elements holding back progress for AI & machine learning has been access to the rich data tapestry that voice, acoustics, and imagery offer. In effect, turning the single dimension modality of text into a complex and intelligent multi-dimensional data landscape.
One watershed moment was Amazon's launch of Alexa in 2015. The voice interface spread like wildfire to over 100 million households in just a few years, Google, Apple, and others followed. This rapid consumer adoption of voice technology pushed developers and manufacturers to deploy voice as an integral component of their product development strategy. Alexa alone is forecasted to reach $18 – $19 billion in revenue next year. (Wu, 2018)
Imagery as a modality has had a similar flashpoint when compared to voice and acoustics. Imagery technology has rapidly come to the forefront of mainstream development. Take Apple's acquisition of Emotient for its facial recognition technology as well as Facebook's acquisition of Oculus with its AR/VR technologies as an example. These have been pivotal moments for imagery technology.
Conversely, other hot topic technologies such as robotics and drones have not yet been widely productized or accepted into home and work environments.
The COVID-19 crisis has further accelerated development in these areas. From physical access/entry to activating hardware, software, as well as sensors, all segments of the industry are prioritizing this transition.
Market Focus and Use Cases
Within our tech focus, we're looking for companies delivering solutions into the Health & Wellness, IoT, as well as Enterprise markets.
Below is a high-level update on three of our priority market areas:
AI in healthcare to grow in preparation for future public health risks (Pitchbook)
AI has been deployed in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19. We believe the virus demonstrates the need for improved AI in healthcare. Several AI models were able to detect the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan based on natural language processing of government healthcare reports and news releases, including those of VC-backed startups BlueDot, and Metabiota.
The accuracy of the models' predictions of COVID-19's spread weakened over time but proved to be valid alerts. Over the past three months, numerous AI-powered diagnostics have been developed based on CT scan data, including those from Huawei, Ping An, and Alibaba. These approaches claim to reduce the time to analyze CT scans for COVID-19 diagnosis to mere seconds.
Focusing on voice, acoustics, and imagery, we're looking at companies that will change our interactions with healthcare going forward.
Some important use cases that we are investing in are:
A solution that listens for vocal patterns such as pitch, tone, rhythm, and volume. These serve as powerful data points or "vocal biomarkers."
A hardware/software platform that "sees" and processes your breath patterns. Feeding the results into a machine learning platform, it seeks to diagnose respiratory diseases
The data from these applications help healthcare and clinical teams diagnose a variety of conditions. From chronic respiratory disease (COVID-19) to cognitive disorders, early cancer detection (esp. melanoma) as well as heart attacks.
A Massive Opportunity Exists To Build 'Picks And Shovels' For Machine Learning (Forbes)
'Many multi-billion-dollar companies have been built by providing tools to make software development easier and more productive. Venture capitalists like to refer to businesses like these as "pick and shovel" opportunities, a reference to Mark Twain's famous line: "When everyone is looking for gold, it's a good time to be in the pick and shovel business." AI is the most important "gold rush" of our era. To date, the picks and shovels required to support this field remain underdeveloped. This represents a massive opportunity for entrepreneurs.'
– Rob Toews in Forbes, March 2020
From software platforms making neural networks more efficient to devices/sensors providing self-contained functionality with low/no cloud use. The application, as well as the implication of this technology, are significant. A cost reduction is an additional benefit.
Azafran has already invested in this segment via ACP1 (Fund One) and here are some use cases that we are investing in ACP2:
AI-Driven optimizer to make Deep Neural Networks faster, smaller and energy-efficient. From cloud to edge computing.
A new and unique data type that encapsulates more information than traditional tensors, vectors as well as floating points. Learning more from 2D and 3D images.
A solution that reduces the power consumption of any wireless chip to a fraction of the original chip. Applicable to wireless sensors, data loggers, and consumer electronics.
AI Is Changing Work — and Leaders Need to Adapt (Excerpt from HBR)
As AI is increasingly incorporated into our workplaces and daily lives, it is poised to fundamentally upend the way we live and work. The stakes are high. AI is an entirely new kind of technology, one that has the ability to anticipate future needs and provide recommendations to its users.
For business leaders, that unique capability has the potential to increase employee productivity — by taking on administrative tasks, providing better pricing recommendations to sellers, and streamlining recruitment, to name a few examples. Whether it is workers who are asked to transform their skills and ways of working or leaders who must rethink everything from resource allocation to workforce training, fundamental economic shifts are never easy. But if AI is to fulfill its promise of improving our work lives and raising living standards, senior leaders must be ready to embrace the challenges ahead.
Source: Harvard Business Review, Martin Fleming, March 24, 2020
This is a broad category with lots of participants. Deploying solutions from HR and talent to customer care narrows the field to fewer, high-value opportunities.
Prior to COVID-19, we saw a great opportunity in the hospitality arena. This may return post-COVID, but until then our team is focused on solutions using imagery technology for security, as well as voice technology for automation and efficiency at point-of-sale and call centers.
How AI Factors into the Market
Taking a collaborative approach can determine which parts of a business decision are best suited for AI and which parts need human intervention.
As Richard Tibbetts, Principal Product Manager for AI at Tableau explains, "The emergence of AI does not mean that an algorithm will tell you how to run a business. The domain experts will help ensure that AI is adopted and trusted in an organization." Increasing collaboration between technology experts and domain experts encourages knowledge sharing on both sides.
In an article from McKinsey Quarterly, Cameron Davies, Head of Corporate Decision Sciences at NBCUniversal, shared a use case that involved annual forecasting. They decided to build and surface a set of machine-learning algorithms to help augment the process. In the early stages, they brought in a researcher to contribute to the project. He ended up becoming an evangelist in the business units and trained other people on how to interpret the recommendations. (Source: Tableau Data Trends 2020)
COVID-19 is also prompting companies to adopt AI solutions within call centers.
"Consumers prefer communicating on SMS, WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat, and other messaging channels. Brands see better business results compared to the old world of voice," said LivePerson.
"This shock to the system will accelerate brands' embrace of remote contact centers and work-from-home solutions for their agents. Brands that do this will be able to maintain a sense of normalcy throughout periods of crisis because they'll be communicating on the same channels consumers use to talk to family and friends. Without all the mess of routing voice calls to remote locations, where agents are dealing with kids or pets in the background." (Source: VentureBeat | AI)
The Role of Investment in Technology
The developed world is now a connected one. This will only continue to grow as new algorithms, machine learning, and embedded AI make networks more effective as well as more efficient. At the same time, a new generation of analog & digital low-power sensors is moving computing to the edge.
In the next five years, billions of handsfree, always-on, sensing devices will assist us in our daily lives at home and work. Controlling our home's temperature and lights, alerting us to danger, even continuously monitoring our health.
How we utilize this data, optimize this technology, and invest in these companies will play a determinant role in the social and business structure of the future.
James F. Kenefick
Managing Partner at Azafran Capital Partners
An early-stage investor and entrepreneur for over 20 years, James F Kenefick is a pioneer in commercializing technologies across IoT / Enterprise / Health / Wellness markets with an emphasis on machine learning / AI, voice / acoustics / sensors / imagery – (AR / VR / photogenics).
Jock Percy
Partner at Azafran Capital Partners
Finance & Technology professional. Deep expertise in Finance, Technology, Network Technology, Trading & Market Connectivity. Publicly (CNBC) Crypto focussed since Feb 2014.
Martin Fisher is widely recognized as a technology leader and Internet pioneer. As a strategic visionary, entrepreneur, and investor, he has founded many highly successful startups in healthcare, interactive media, e-commerce, and Internet marketing, developing multiple new product opportunities and application methodologies. He has helped steer 127 M&A transactions worth billions in value.
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Home » Puzzle » Where's My Water MOD APK V1.18.7 [Premium Unlocked | Unlimited Keys]
Where's My Water MOD APK V1.18.7 [Premium Unlocked | Unlimited Keys]
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How to find out about job listings — before they're posted
IMDiversity	2 years ago Comments Off on How to find out about job listings — before they're posted	757
By Jean Chatzky
NBC News, August 15, 2018 —
Wouldn't it be great to uncover info about jobs before they're publicly listed and the feeding frenzy begins? Here's how to do just that.
When Addie Swartz was first starting her career, the market was rough. "There just weren't any jobs. No one was hiring," she says. With her search in high gear, Swartz left no stone unturned and would often check the newspaper for job listings. Occasionally she'd get distracted by the wedding announcements, and that's where she found it — no, not her happily-ever-after — her job. "I saw the bride was working at a company in my area, but the announcement said they were moving to New York. I just assumed that her position would be opening up, so I called, met the right people, and got the job."
Welcome to the hidden job market — the jobs swirling right below the surface. Some don't exactly exist yet, but they will soon. Others, like the one Swartz was hired for at reachHIRE, a company that works with organizations to promote a gender-diverse workforce, simply have yet to be vacated. Experts say that today it's increasingly possible to access job listings before they're made public, and meet hiring managers before they have a position to fill — and you don't have to scour marriage announcements to do it. You just have to take these steps.
WHAT — AND WHERE — IS THE HIDDEN JOB MARKET?
In September or October of every year, managers at companies with more than 100 employees usually have a pretty good idea of how many people they want to hire for the following 12 months. They aren't going to hire everyone at once, however. Instead, they're going to roll out their new hires slowly over the course of the year, explains Dave Denaro, Vice President of career consulting firm Keystone Partners. All of those openings represent the hidden market. The jobs exist, they just aren't being advertised or promoted yet. "All those new hires will have to be trained and paid, so companies aren't going to go through the strain of having them all start at the same time," Denaro says.
Put together a list of 30 to 40 companies you would like to work for . . .
Understanding that this market exists allows you to focus your efforts to get on the radar of company decision-makers ahead of the pack. Even if they don't have a job available today, they'll be the ones managing the hiring process throughout the year. Hiring managers are also the ones who'll have to handle other vacancies that may pop up, due to people who may be promoted, terminated or quit. You want to be top of mind when they do. Think about it this way: It's much easier for them to simply pick up the phone and call someone they've already met and like than it is for them to contact HR, draft a job listing, post the job listing, process through hundreds of applicants, and bring multiple people in for an interview. So, how do you make yourself the person they call first?
Experts say that today it's increasingly possible to meet hiring managers and get on their radar before they officially have a position to fill. (Dan Dalton / Caiaimage/Getty Images)
HOW TO TAP INTO POTENTIAL JOBS BEFORE THEY GO PUBLIC
Put together a list of 30 to 40 companies you would like to work for, regardless of whether or not they have open positions. In this market (with more than 6 million jobs available, and unemployment at an all-time low) you have the ability to go after the absolute best company for you, Denaro says.
Once you've got your list, search the companies on LinkedIn. You're looking for people you either know or are "connected" with (via friends, previous colleagues or alumni connections) and start reaching out. "The probability they would meet you for a cup of coffee is much greater if you have a connection, so start there," Denaro says.
Don't disregard social media. In addition to Linkedin, Twitter is another place where recruiters are actively looking to fill positions. Twitter provides the easiest way to follow a recruiter who will likely reciprocate the follow, explains Mark Anthony Dyson, career coach, and founder of Voice of Job Seekers. "If you're savvy enough over time to display value through interactions, the recruiter may be compelled to offer you an opportunity to apply," Dyson says. Just make sure your profiles on all channels are robust and professional.
Look for other ways to meet in person. Larger companies that frequently look for talent often hold info sessions, hiring fairs or networking meetings, explains Swartz. "They might not openly call them 'recruiting sessions,' but that's exactly what they are," she says. Look for these events directly on the company websites and on Eventbrite. "Eventbrite is a great way to see activities happening with companies, in any city, on any day," Swartz says.
Keep your eyes and ears open. You never know who is sitting right next to you, or where you may see a job listing pop up. Keep an eye out for news of companies opening new offices or securing additional funding, which can both be signals that job listings will soon follow.
AND WHEN YOU GET THE MEETING?
So, you do it all right and — no surprise — you get the meeting. Here's what not to do: "The worst thing you can do is walk in and say, 'Hey, I brought my resume. Can you tell me if there are any jobs?'" Denaro explains. Instead, try to turn the manager into a strong advocate who says, "I like this person. What can I do for them?" Once you've established a relationship, then you can inquire about possible opportunities.
The most important thing is to make an impression solid enough that they remember you when openings arise. "It's hard to find 20 programmers or accountants or marketing professionals in a year," he says. "They aren't going to let someone good slip through their fingers now, only to have to start looking for someone else two months from now. You just have to make sure you're the person they're zeroed in on next."
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Dr Who: Controversy over episode when Time Lord "saves" Hitler
DOCTOR Who fans are in for a Nazi surprise when the hero Time Lord "saves" Adolf Hitler in the show's most controversial episode.
Karen Gillan and Matt Smith (pic: DM Grab)
The good Doctor is known for taking on evil. But a trailer for an episode titled Let's Kill Hitler, when the show returns in autumn, hints that this time he comes to the aid of the reviled dictator.
The Tardis will land in 1930s Berlin and, says the press release, "bring the Doctor face to face with the greatest war criminal in the universe. And Hitler".
Shockingly, one clip in the trailer has Hitler, played by Albert Welling, telling the Doctor: "Thank you, I think you have just saved my life."
It caused a Reich storm among fans of the hit BBC1 sci-fi show when it was first screened at the Comic Con convention in California, on Sunday.
One viewer said: "The thought of Doctor Who helping Hitler in any positive way is terrible and unthinkable."
Others pointed out that later in the trailer Rory, the husband of the Doctor's sidekick Amy Pond, appears to punch Hitler, so "saving" him could be part of an elaborate plan in his downfall.
Hitler aimed to create "the master race" and it's rumoured this episode could herald the return of the Doctor's arch enemy, The Master, played most recently by John Simm.
A BBC source said: "The Doctor meets Hitler in 1938 before he commits war crimes. Viewers should wait and watch – and all will become clear."
Fuelling the controversy, Doctor Who star Matt Smith said he expected his character to reveal a darker side.
Matt, 28, said: "There's a lot of blood on his hands. I think that's why he's so bubbly and cheery, and has to keep going.
"If he didn't, if he stopped, he'd have to contemplate losing all these people. I think there'll be a lot more."
Speaking after the trailer was screened, Matt also joked that he was given a book on how to fly the Tardis so he would know which button to press.
He said: "On the first day, they gave me a manual. If you look at the takes of taking off and landing, it's always the same thing. But the Tardis never gets boring, ever."
The accident-prone actor added: "I tend to break a sonic screwdriver a day, because I'm all clumsy. And bits of the Tardis are always falling off."
Karen Gillan who plays the Doctor's glamorous assistant Amy, also revealed that she will be along for the ride at least until series seven in 2012.
She said: "I am going to come back. That's the first time I've said that today!"
Albert Welling
Tardis Inc.


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Conversion tracking is an online marketing technique that allows advertisers to measure the return on investment of Facebook Ads. This is done by using the conversion tracking pixel that Facebook provides. (example of conversion tracking – number of Sales, leads, number of visitors to a page.
The use of conversion tracking is recommended for all sites who sell a product whether it is physical or digital, as it allows you to know your return on investment and optimize campaigns based on results.
4. Choose a Website Event from the drop-down menu and create a rule for that event. To create another event as part of this custom conversion, click Add another rule.
5. Add a name so that you can identify it later in your reports. You can also add a optional description.
7. Choose a conversion value. This can be the price of a item if they are purchasing a product or you can just add 1 if it is a lead.
That is it. You have created your first Facebook custom conversion tracking. All you have to do now is create a conversion ad then choose the conversion you just created. If you have any questions concerning Custom Conversions or Facebook ads please check out some of my other Facebook ads articles or leave a comment below.


I just learned of the passing of my dear Godbrother Madhu-dvisa Prabhu, one of the greatest Hari-nama sankirtana leaders in the history of ISKCON.
When I joined ISKCON in Berkeley, in September 1969, Madhu-dvisa Prabhu was president of ISKCON San Francisco, on the other side of the Bay Bridge. I first met him in the fall of 1969. The following is a true account of that meeting.
One evening, the Berkeley devotees were on the third floor of our center, chanting in the temple room. Suddenly the house began to shake as if there was an earthquake. Our president asked me to go downstairs and see what was happening. I found the cause: Madhu-dvisa Prabhu and the all-brahmacari San Francisco temple had come to visit us and they were doing kirtana downstairs. Among these devotees was the famous Jayananda. The kirtana, led by Madhu-dvisa, was literally shaking a three-story house.
Madhu-dvisa had crossed the bridge to invite us to organize with the San Francisco temple the first great Gaura Purnima festival in ISKCON, to be held in Berkeley near the university. The festival took place and received much praise from city leaders and Prabhupada.
Madhu-dvisa created a unique sankirtana party in San Francisco. In those days, the devotees would chant all day on the streets of major cities. Madhu-dvisa would personally lead the Hari-nama sankitana, singing and playing the drum, for at least 10 hours daily. And he would always use the exact same drumbeat, as taught by Prabhupada. To me, a young brahmacari, Madhu-dvisa was a great general- a fearless, powerful leader, who was steady as a rock, inspiring great achievements in those around him. In my mind, I clearly see him on the streets of San Francisco, tough and blissful, leading his famous sankirtana party.
After I left Berkeley, Prabhupada called Madhu-dvisa Prabhu to join him in India, and there Prabhupada crowned him as the "Emperor of Sankirtana." Later he became GBC of Australia, which at the time was not a very productive Yatra. Madhu-dvisa turned that country into a world leader in sankirtana, book distribution, and devotee-making. Prabhupada himself often visited Australia and was always received with amazing enthusiasm and festivity, all under the charismastic leadership of Madhu-dvisa Prabhu.
During my first several years in ISKCON, Madhu-dvisa Prabhu was certainly one of the most inspiring figures in my life, so much so that he will always remain in my heart as an emblem of powerful Krishna consciousness.
No one can doubt his glorious destination at the feet of Prabhupada, to whom he devoted his heart and soul.


Welcome to my second posting for today ... if you want to check out my Winter Wonderland card, please scroll down.
This weeks 'Recipe Friday' challenge over at PaperWorksCo is a photo inspiration - pop over to the blog and check the photo out! I hope it inspires you to create a card and join in with the challenge fun.
I used one of the sweet 'Tinheart Family' robot images and went with a soft colour scheme (I seem to recall I used this colour combo on my last card - I guess it is a favourite of mine)!! I coloured with copic sketch markers (RV000, 00, 10 and BG10,11) The papers are a mix of Echo Park and Doodlebug. The flowers are a mini punch and the pearls are from stash. I created squares with the paper and did a patchwork quilt effect and zigzag sewed it all together - I love the finished effect - and it looks so much nicer in real life too! The sentiment is Studio G ($1.50 from Michaels).
Well, that's all for today folks. Again, many thanks for stopping in for a visit and leaving a comment - I really hope I find time in my schedule to do some blog hopping and leave some much needed love with you all!
How super cute! Love the patches and teh small flowers are adorable!


text:
package org.jclouds.ohai.functions;

import static org.testng.Assert.assertEquals;

import java.io.IOException;

import org.jclouds.chef.ChefApi;
import org.jclouds.chef.config.ChefParserModule;
import org.jclouds.domain.JsonBall;
import org.jclouds.json.Json;
import org.jclouds.json.config.GsonModule;
import org.jclouds.rest.annotations.ApiVersion;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeTest;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;

import com.google.common.base.Supplier;
import com.google.common.base.Suppliers;
import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMultimap;
import com.google.inject.AbstractModule;
import com.google.inject.Guice;
import com.google.inject.Injector;

/**
 * Tests behavior of {@code NestSlashKeys}
 *
 * @author Adrian Cole
 */
@Test(groups = { "unit" }, sequential = true)
public class NestSlashKeysTest {

   private NestSlashKeys converter;
   private Json json;

   @BeforeTest
   protected void setUpInjector() throws IOException {
      Injector injector = Guice.createInjector(new AbstractModule() {
         @Override
         protected void configure() {
            bind(String.class).annotatedWith(ApiVersion.class).toInstance(ChefApi.VERSION);
         }
      }, new ChefParserModule(), new GsonModule());
      converter = injector.getInstance(NestSlashKeys.class);
      json = injector.getInstance(Json.class);
   }

   @Test
   public void testBase() {
      assertEquals(
            json.toJson(converter.apply(ImmutableMultimap.<String, Supplier<JsonBall>> of("java",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("java"))))), "{\"java\":\"java\"}");
   }

   @Test(expectedExceptions = IllegalArgumentException.class)
   public void testIllegal() {
      json.toJson(converter.apply(ImmutableMultimap.<String, Supplier<JsonBall>> of("java",
            Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("java")), "java/system", Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("system")))));
   }

   @Test
   public void testOne() {
      assertEquals(
            json.toJson(converter.apply(ImmutableMultimap.<String, Supplier<JsonBall>> of("java",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("{\"time\":\"time\"}")), "java/system",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("system"))))),
            "{\"java\":{\"system\":\"system\",\"time\":\"time\"}}");
   }

   @Test
   public void testOneDuplicate() {
      assertEquals(
            json.toJson(converter.apply(ImmutableMultimap.<String, Supplier<JsonBall>> of("java",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("{\"time\":\"time\"}")), "java",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("{\"system\":\"system\"}"))))),
            "{\"java\":{\"system\":\"system\",\"time\":\"time\"}}");
   }

   @Test
   public void testMerge() {
      assertEquals(
            json.toJson(converter.apply(ImmutableMultimap.<String, Supplier<JsonBall>> of("java",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("{\"time\":{\"1\":\"hello\"}}")), "java/time",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("{\"2\":\"goodbye\"}"))))),
            "{\"java\":{\"time\":{\"2\":\"goodbye\",\"1\":\"hello\"}}}");
   }

   @Test
   public void testMergeNestedTwice() {
      assertEquals(
            json.toJson(converter.apply(ImmutableMultimap.<String, Supplier<JsonBall>> of("java",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("{\"time\":{\"1\":\"hello\"}}")), "java",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("{\"time\":{\"2\":\"goodbye\"}}"))))),
            "{\"java\":{\"time\":{\"2\":\"goodbye\",\"1\":\"hello\"}}}");
   }

   @Test
   public void testReplaceList() {
      assertEquals(
            json.toJson(converter.apply(ImmutableMultimap.<String, Supplier<JsonBall>> of("java",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("{\"time\":{\"1\":[\"hello\"]}}")), "java/time",
                  Suppliers.ofInstance(new JsonBall("{\"1\":[\"goodbye\"]}"))))),
            "{\"java\":{\"time\":{\"1\":[\"goodbye\"]}}}");
   }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Thomas Green ist der Name folgender Personen:

* Thomas Green (Märtyrer) († 1537) englischer Märtyrer der Kartäuser
 Thomas Green (Kartograf) (1770–1830), deutscher Kartograf
 Thomas Green (Kanute) (* 1999), australischer Kanute
 Thomas H. Green (Jesuit) (1932–2009), US-amerikanischer Jesuit, Seelsorger und Hochschullehrer
 Thomas Hill Green (1836–1882), englischer Philosoph
 Thomas M. Green junior (1758–1813), US-amerikanischer Politiker

Siehe auch:
 Tom Green (* 1971), kanadischer Komödiant und Fernsehmoderator
 Tommy Green (1894–1975), britischer Geher
 Thomas Greene (Begriffsklärung)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Shutting down remote server gets stuck I have several servers running on Ubuntu 16.04. To shut them down I usually use the terminal of my laptop to connect to them through SSH and then run sudo poweroff on them. While this always does the job, it sometimes hangs up the local terminal. I cannot ctrl + c out of it. I have to force the terminal to close. I guess my local terminal thinks that it is still connected. This doesn't happen with all my servers though and I can't quite figure out why.
Is this a known problem? Is there a way to not have it hang up the local terminal?

A: As explained by Gilles's answer on related question this tends to occur of the last command doesn't return an exit status, and therefore you may want to run it as compound command:
{ sleep 1; poweroff ;}

or as subshell
( sleep 1; poweroff ;)

Consider using alternative solutions also provided on the linked post.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
About The Masonry of Denver
The Masonry of Denver
Chronicling the Masonry of the Mile High City and Its Environs
The Masonry of Veterans Day
Veterans Day has been celebrated in the United States since 1954, but it was known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day since Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th a Federal holiday in 1919. On this Veterans Day 2014, the Masonry of Denver would like to celebrate the men and women who served the United States in times of war and peace. I am especially grateful for the service of my grandfathers, uncles, and cousins; my father-in-law; and many friends. Thank you all for your service.
So how does masonry play into the lives of American veterans? A walk through any military cemetery will give you a hint. Every man and woman who serves in the United States military is eligible to receive a free military grave marker from the Department of Veterans Affairs, regardless of where they are buried. The VA issues both flat cemetery markers and upright head stones. The flat markers, which are installed nearly flush to the ground, are available in marble, granite and bronze. Upright headstones are available in marble and granite.
Marble is by far the most common military headstone marker, and the military only uses Danby marble quarried from Vermont. It is an exceptionally pure, white stone, and is readily available due to a large vein of marble of varying quality that runs up the east side of the Hudson River from Manhattan to the Canadian border. Vermont marble is typically a very high quality, white or whitish gray marble, while the marble historically quarried in upper Manhattan and southern Westchester County is a granular, lesser quality pinkish tan stone. The quality of the stone improves the farther north one travels up the Hudson River.
VA-issued upright grave markers are 42 inches long, 13 inches wide and 4 inches deep, though the depth of their installation varies. The veterans markers in the photo above appear to have been set several feet into the ground. Inscriptions typically carved into headstones by the VA include the veteran's name, rank, location of service, the war or wars in which he or she fought, the branch of the military in which he or she served, and the veteran's birth and death dates. Families may purchase additional inscriptions if there is room on the grave marker. Finally, each veteran may have a symbol of their faith carved into the top portion of the grave stone. Very few religious symbols were available, such as the Christian or Catholic crosses in the photo above, but over the years the VA has extended their recognized emblems to include 61 religious symbols.
Cemeteries all over Colorado have markers noting the grave of United States veterans. I came upon three large areas for military memorials in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver several weeks ago when I visited. The one closest to the cemetery entrance marks the graves of the Colorado Volunteers. The monument itself is made of a gray granite with a bronze statue, but the grave markers arrayed in a circle around the monument are all white marble. You will notice that their inscriptions are raised letters in a recessed shield. This indicates the graves of veterans who served during the Civil War or the Spanish-American War, or during peace time before World War I. Most of these grave markers represent veterans of the Spanish-American War.
A second military memorial, called the Garden of Honor, sits just northeast of the Colorado Volunteers memorial. The Garden of Honor is simple and elegant, with upright marble headstones arranged in a circle around the United States flag. All of the headstones face inward toward the flag, as opposed to the Colorado Volunteers memorial, whose headstones face outward.
The third military memorial at Fairmount Cemetery commemorates Lieutenant Frances Brown Lowry, who served in World War I and died when his plane was shot down over France in 1918. The Lowry memorial marks the graves of members who served in Lowry's battalion, as well as other veterans of World War I. The memorial, created in 1921, is made of a light granite with a bronze dough-boy statue.
Once again, we would like to thank all of the men and women who have served the United States military.
Tagged on: cemetery Danby marble Denver Fairmount Cemetery granite marble military veterans
Jennifer November 11, 2014 stone No Comments
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text:
\documentclass[10pt,a4paper]{article}

\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage[italian]{babel}
\usepackage{color}
\usepackage{colortbl}

\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amsthm}
\usepackage{amsfonts}

%lollo packages
\usepackage[font=footnotesize, labelfont=bf]{caption}
\usepackage[hidelinks]{hyperref}
% italian accentuated letters
\usepackage[applemac]{inputenc}

% standard color graphics
\usepackage{array}

%Latin Modern font
\usepackage{lmodern}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{textcomp}

% headers customization
%\usepackage{fancyheadings}
%\usepackage{fancybox}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}
\pagestyle{fancy}

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% NEW COMMANDS %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\newcommand{\eigen}{\emph{Eigenmike\textsuperscript{\texttrademark}}\;}
\newcommand{\audacity}{\emph{Audacity\textsuperscript{\textregistered}}\;}

%MARGIN SETTINGS
%
\addtolength{\topmargin}{-2.5cm}
\addtolength{\textheight}{4.5cm}
\addtolength{\textwidth}{2cm}
\addtolength{\hoffset}{-1cm}
%
%PDFLatex SETTING
\pdfpagewidth=\paperwidth
\pdfpageheight=\paperheight
%
\title{\textsc{Elaborazione di mappe acustiche tramite array microfonici}}
\author{Lorenzo Rotteglia}
\date{9 Ottobre 2013}

\begin{document}
%
\pagestyle{empty}
%
%TITLE
\begin{center}
  \LARGE UNIVERSIT\`A DEGLI STUDI DI PARMA\\
\vspace{0.2cm}
\Large
\vspace{0.3cm}
\normalsize CORSO DI LAUREA MAGISTRALE\\ IN INGEGNERIA INFORMATICA\\
\vspace{0.3cm}
\normalsize ANNO ACCADEMICO 2012 / 2013\\
\vspace{0.3cm}
\rule{4cm}{.1pt}\\
\vspace{0.3cm}
\Large \textsc{Elaborazione di mappe acustiche tramite array microfonici}
\end{center}
%
%\vspace{0.3cm}
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{ll}
\parbox[c]{10cm}{\hspace*{0.8cm}\emph{Relatore :}} & \\
\parbox[c]{10cm}{\hspace*{0.8cm}Chiar.mo Prof. Angelo Farina} & \\
\parbox[c]{10cm}{} & \\
\parbox[c]{10cm}{\hspace*{0.8cm}\emph{Correlatore :}}    & \\
\parbox[c]{10cm}{\hspace*{0.8cm}Dott. Ing. Simone Campanini} & \parbox[c]{10cm}{\emph{Tesi di laurea di:}}\\
\parbox[c]{10cm}{\hspace*{0.8cm} }   & \parbox[c]{10cm}{Lorenzo Rotteglia}\\
\end{tabular}
%\vspace{0.4cm}
%\rule{4cm}{.1pt}\\
\end{center}
\vspace{0.8cm}

	%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% RIASSUNTO %%%%%%%%%%%%%%
	%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Il presente progetto di tesi si pone l'obiettivo di ottenere una rappresentazione del campo acustico dinamico di un ambiente (interno o esterno) tramite le registrazioni di una sonda, nella fattispecie un \emph{array microfonico}.
		Il risultato cercato quindi  quello di ottenere una mappa acustica dinamica, cio un filmato composto dalla sovrapposizione di:

	\begin{description}
	  \item[un videoclip di sfondo] ottenuto da una apposita videocamera corredata agli array microfonici utilizzati, che fornisce un riferimento visuale dell'ambiente circostante;
	  \item[la mappa acustica dinamica] che rappresenta i livelli sonori \emph{istantanei} nel campo acustico attraverso bande cromatiche;
	  \item[eventuali \emph{metadata}] come, ad esempio, le posizioni delle singole capsule microfoniche dell'array, o i valori dei livelli sonori in determinate posizioni di interesse.
	\end{description}

	Si  lavorato allo sviluppo di un software che fosse in grado di elaborare registrazioni multicanale prefiltrate, provenienti da un array microfonico generico, congiuntamente a una registrazione video dello stesso evento, in modo da generare in output una mappa sonora dinamica che fornisse una indicazione qualitativa dell'evoluzione del campo acustico. Si tratta di un \emph{plug-in} scritto per l'ambiente di editing audio \audacity.

	La mappa acustica generata, di cui si riporta un esempio in figura~\ref{fig:acousticmap}, scaturisce da un'elaborazione a monte, la quale consiste nella sintesi di un array di \emph{microfoni virtuali}\footnote{si tratta di un artificio matematico derivato dalla teoria \emph{Ambisonics} che permette di isolare parte del campo acustico come se fosse stato registrato con un microfono dalla risposta polare arbitraria, direzionato a piacere e posto in posizione coincidente con l'array.} tramite la convoluzione dei segnali \emph{raw} delle capsule con opportuni filtri, calcolati mediante un innovativo approccio numerico.\\

	Questo tipo di \emph{tool} pu˜ avere numerose applicazioni tecnologiche in quanto  in grado di rendere visibile i campi sonori i quali contengono invece una informazione di tipo uditivo.
	La potenza di questa operazione sinestetica di traduzione di un'informazione uditiva in una visiva risiede principalmente nella maggior apprezzabilitˆ delle grandi qualitˆ di definizione spaziale degli array microfonici. Dal punto di vista applicativo, il sistema sviluppato pu˜ essere di estrema utilitˆ nella precisa individuazione di sorgenti sonore, nonch nella misura delle loro emissioni.

	Basti pensare per esempio ad ambienti di tipo industriale, nei quali spesso il campo acustico  complesso e generato da molteplici e diverse sorgenti la cui individuazione precisa pu˜ risultare difficoltosa.
	Un altro esempio calzante riguarda gli ambienti molto ristretti come gli abitacoli di automobili o aereoplani il cui confort  una specifica di progetto che attualmente ricopre un notevole interesse.\\
	In particolare, la principale espansione svolta in questa tesi  stata quella di rendere il software in grado di generare una mappa \emph{dinamica}, riflettendo i cambiamenti del campo acustico attorno alla sonda istante per istante e sovrapponendo questo risultato a un video di sfondo, posto in trasparenza e acquisito mediante telecamere installate appositamente sulle sonde utilizzate e raffigurante l'ambiente stesso di misura.\\

	%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% FIGURA MAPPA ACUSTICA %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
	\begin{figure}
	  \centering
	  \includegraphics[width =14cm]{../img/acousticmap.png}
	  \caption{Esempio di mappa acustica generata dal plug-in \emph{Microphone Array Analyzer}.\\}
	  \label{fig:acousticmap}
	\end{figure}
	Come scelta di progetto  stata mantenuta la linea guida di implementare il software in forma di plug-in \audacity, in quanto si tratta di una piattaforma open-source che permette ai suoi \emph{moduli} di accedere a moltissime proprietˆ dell'host nonchŽ ai dati del workspace, a differenza di quanto accade con altri standard diffusi come per esempio \emph{VST} e \emph{Audiounits}.

	Il plug-in progettato  funzionante ed altamente interattivo:  possibile infatti realizzare analisi diverse, grazie alla possibilitˆ di configurare numerose opzioni della mappa, quali la scelta della banda frequenziale a cui limitare l'analisi, l'abilitazione dell'\emph{autoscale}, indicazione delle posizioni dei microfoni virtuali sulla mappa, la scala di colore, la percentuale di trasparenza della mappa sovrapposta al video di background, l'unitˆ di misura dei livelli mostrati, i valori di livello limite entro i quali calcolare la mappa acustica, la lunghezza del frame audio, la percentuale di \emph{overlap} tra i singoli frame.

\end{document}


text:
Planning for Student Success
Regina Public Schools has a well-coordinated planning process, which enables alignment of the strategic plan and all school division planning activities with those of the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP). The Regina Public Schools Strategic Plan provides overall direction for everything the division does and serves as a guide to ensure that all RPS planning processes are in alignment with each other.
The Regina Public Schools Strategic Plan (2014-17) was updated in 2018 by the School Division for an additional three-year period to align to the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP). The Regina Public Schools Strategic Plan (2017-20) continues its commitment to student success through a Leadership for Learning framework and six core strategies:
The six core strategies are to:
Improve Indigenous student retention and achievement
Engage students, families, staff and community in education
Increase the number of Kindergarten students who enter Grade 1 ready to learn
Increase the number of students who achieve grade-level performance in literacy and numeracy
Increase graduation rates
Demonstrate effective governance, leadership and accountability
All six strategies will be the focus of school division planning and implementation activities through 2020. The division's expenditures will continue to be aligned to support the achievement of these targets, and the effectiveness of the strategies will be monitored and adjusted annually.
The diversity of Regina's neighbourhoods, student learning needs, and levels of community support for schools across the division dictate that a differentiated and incremental approach to target setting and goal attainment is necessary at the local school level. Therefore, School Strategic Plans (formally Learning Improvement Plans) at the school level are designed to achieve realistic, contextualized and incremental improvement in student results.
The Strategic Plan was developed following a number Continuous Improvement Plans from recent years. See a list of those plans below.
Regina Public Schools Strategic Plan 2017-2020
Continuous Improvement Plan 2013-14


A decade after Theatre in the Park produced The Rocker, Adrienne Earle Pender's strong debut as a regional playwright, her new work, SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN, arrives as a hard-foughtif, in places, somewhat underwrittendeclaration of independence.
Central character McKenna Hahn (a solid Page Purgar) is still reeling from the death of her husband Marcus when further blows arrive from all corners. Her intimidating sister-in-law Denise (compelling Hazel Edmond) is no longer hiding her contempt for McKenna and wants her out of the house. Her best friend, Stacey (Brenda Lo), and her domineering brother, Jack (a striking Chris Milner), both think she should leave as well. Then the enigmatic Andrew (Byron Jennings II) shows up with a revelation that shakes McKenna's understanding of her marriage.
Under Maggie Rasnick's direction, this talented cast pressurizes the domestic drama. There are key character flaws McKenna has to face to come into her own. But when some of those difficulties are referenced in dialogue rather than exemplified on stage, it's clear that the promising script still needs work.


text:
Look who was lounging about in my bedroom
The Art of Book Design: Her Own Sort and Others
Questionable Beauty of a Snowless Winter – Part 3
Quotation Challenge: Cuttlefish's Dance
The Quotation: "Since the music plays so briefly, can you blame me if I dance?" From Cuttlefish's most beautiful poem, My Place (In The Dance Of The Universe). Not the best shot, but snow and ice were hampering my efforts. Click for full size.
© C. Ford.
Yep, definitely April.
© C. Ford. Click for full size.
Gov. Phil Bryant Strikes Again
The stupid. The bigotry. The Pretend Persecution. It never ends. I think this story can be safely tucked into The Persecution Files.
A gun and a Bible (Shutterstock)
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed a gun rights bill on Friday allowing churches to create security programs designating members to carry firearms to defend worshipers against violence.
The legislation, called the "Mississippi Church Protection Act," also makes it easier for residents in other settings to carry concealed weapons, drawing criticism from national gun control advocates.
Full Story Here.
Idiots, Law, Religion
Women of the Navajo Calendar Reject Trans Woman
Transphobia strikes everywhere. In long ago tradition, most Indigenous nations recognized that gender was much more than binary, however, it seems that much has been lost in the colonial zeal to rip people from their roots.
Sharnell Paul.
Lake Powell Life covered this story, and Terese Mailhot at ICTMN has a column about this story.
From ICTMN:
Had Women of the Navajo calendar founders included Paul, they would have been working against historical erasure, reclaiming the stories within their own inclusive cultural roots. Their discriminatory acts speak of lateral violence within our own communities. Oppression works laterally and vertically. Their acts against Paul are acts against cultural reclamation and Indigenous sovereignty. It's time to give our people voice. Our bodies and our stories have the right to acceptance and recognition. Women of the Navajo had the opportunity to empower culture, identity, and acts of reclamation. Granted, it would have been late to the game, but it's better to be late than never arrive at a political occasion that is inevitable. All Indigenous bodies are sovereign, deserving of protection, respect, and recognition. What are they scared of? Whatever phobia they invite, it is no doubt the product of boarding schools, assimilation, and other genocidal acts put upon us.
The stories where I'm from are gone. There is no pre-contact narrative of people who identified as anything beyond the gender binary. There are only a few stories of sexuality and gender, let alone any that speak of gender roles. Our ceremonies and stories were forbidden. Only within the past few generations have people been able to stand and bear witness. There is something from the past that still resonates: that our stories can be erased, and our bodies forbidden. If we do not claim our people, and their identities, and their stories, and their struggles, they will be erased from the continuum, just like everything that has been stripped from us. Their beautiful faces and struggles will not thrive if we don't lift them up now, to praise their clarity and power.
gender and sexuality, Indigenous
Stan & Olli & Juan & Carlos
Image via Wikimedia Commons
Penguins get more recognition and acceptance than people. Why am I not surprised?
Two male king penguins, Stan and Olli didn't quite reach the expectations of zookeepers in Berlin. Both penguins were placed under the European Conservation Program (EEP) to reproduce with a female in order to ensure a strong future for the existence of the species. It turns out the penguins weren't interested in the females, but rather, each other.
"They're gay, as far as we know," said Berlin Zoo spokeswoman Christiane Reiss. "They never bred. And when it came to courtship, they only mated with one another."
According to The Local, both penguins have been transferred to a zoo in Hamburg where they will be a part of an exclusive male community that's also home to another gay penguin couple, Juan and Carlos.
In a country where same-sex marriage is not legal and gay couples have limited adoption rights, it's nice to see penguins at the forefront of LGBT rights in Germany.
Animals, gender and sexuality
Birch Bark Biting
Birch Bark Biting poem by Denise Lajimodiere from her book of poems "Dragonfly Dance." (Mary Annette Pember)
"I see the design through my eye teeth," said Denise Lajimodiere, Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe.
"I keep my eyes closed when I work because I see the design in the darkness," said Lajimodiere of her work in birch bark biting or mazinibakajige, which means "marks upon the bark." […]
Birch bark biting was a pre-contact method of creating designs for beading or quillwork according to Lajimodiere. "Mazinibakajige died out in my tribe until I began doing it about eight years ago," she said. […]
Lajimodiere was recently selected for a six-month Minnesota Historical Society Native Artist-in-Residence. With the award funds she plans on visiting the National Museum of the American Indian NMAI's Archive Center in Suitland, Maryland to see the ancient mazinibakajige held there.
Art, Culture, Indigenous
Fleur du jour and Bonus Butterfly
From Giliell. I don't know what the flower is, besides beautiful. The Butterfly, ohhhh.
© Giliell.
Algae-Based Water Bottle Biodegrades When It's Empty.
Very cool, this. More people need to work on the plastic problem. It seems as much as I try to eliminate plastic products from my life, I end up surrounded anyway.
Photo credit: Ari Jónsson
Plastic bottles can lay around in landfill sites or the ocean for centuries. While our planet struggles to cope with our ever-increasing appetite for plastic, an Icelandic product design student was inspired to create a little something to address the issue.
Ari Jónsson, from the Iceland Academy of the Arts, has harnessed the properties of red algae to create a biodegradable bottle for drinking water. He unveiled his invention at Reykjavik design festival DesignMarch last month. The bottles are made out of agar powder, which derives from the supporting structure in the cell walls of certain species of algae. If this is added to water and allowed to cool, it will eventually set and mould into a jelly-like substance.
The bottle retains its shape when it's full of fluid but will start to decompose as soon as it's empty it.
Full Story at IFLSCIENCE!
Art, Environment, Science
Bullet go smash
Bulletproof technology has certainly come a long way since Marty McFly bluffed his way through that Wild West shootout, as evidenced by this incredible video of a bullet getting a taste of its own medicine courtesy of the next big thing in body armor.
Designed by Afsaneh Rabiei of North Carolina State University, the projectile-smashing material on show consists primarily of a super-strong yet ultra-light composite metal foam (CMF), made of hollow steel spheres – each measuring 2 millimeters in diameter – embedded in a stainless steel matrix. While you'd probably expect a bullet to make mincemeat of such a squishy substance, the foam actually absorbs the kinetic energy of the moving ammunition.
Raturday: Paaaint!
I had an almost empty tube of black acrylic, so I gave it to Grace and crew. Oh, and for obsessive asses at certain corners of the 'net, why yes, that is a Hobby Lobby label! That paint was purchased years ago, prior to imposing a self-ban on buying there. Have fun insisting I'm lying!
Photos © C. Ford.
Just received an update from The Gay Agenda Kickstarter, and Terry has done my suggestion of George Takei. I might swoon.
© Terry Furry.
Art, Culture, gender and sexuality
Do I look sufficiently self-righteous?
John Kasich gives a Bible lesson to Jewish voters in Brooklyn (YouTube/screen grab)
I'm getting tired of feeling like I should just go pound my head into the wall. Or maybe pound someone else's head into a wall. It's a toss up. Kasich decides to Jesussplain to Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn.
Uriel Heilman of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency recommended on Thursday that Kasich abstain from giving Christian Bible lessons to Jewish voters.
"Talking about Christ's blood during a visit to Borough Park? Oy vey," Heilman wrote. "Please, somebody, prep this guy Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn want to hear about food stamps, affordable housing, Medicaid. Ix-nay on the Jesus-nay."
Idiots, Politics, Religion
Liberty Counsel Behind Anti-LGBT Bills in 20 States
Mike Huckabee, Kim Davis and Mat Staver (Fox News)
The lawyer who represented Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis after she refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses told CBS News that his group was also behind anti-LGBT legislation being pushed in at least 20 states.
After governors in North Carolina and Mississippi recently signed laws limiting the rights of LGBT people, CBS News began investigating why so many anti-LGBT bills were cropping up in state legislatures around the country.
The network found that the conservative group Liberty Counsel had placed lawyers in all 50 states to draft legislation and advise lawmakers on how to rein in the rights of LGBT people in response to a Supreme Court ruling which legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.
CBS determined that bills tied to Liberty Counsel have been filed in at least 20 states so far.
"Well I certainly want to push back against that [same-sex marriage] ruling," Liberty Counsel founder Matt Staver told CBS News. "It was a wrong ruling. It has no basis in the constitution."
gender and sexuality, Law, Politics


▷ True Botanicals Reviews 2019 [OMG] Does It Really Work?
WARNING: DO NOT BUY True Botanicals Until You Read This Review!
True Botanicals is a skincare brand offering natural and effective products that are safe to use. These are claimed to be nontoxic products that are backed by clinical results; however, the official website of the brand does not provide any evidence to back up this claim. According to the site, the brand differs from the popular green beauty brands because it focuses on your skin first intending to make it healthy and radiant through the use of nourishing ingredients that promise to transform the appearance of your skin. These include botanical extracts and essential oils which work together to improve the appearance of your skin and to heal common skin concerns like blemishes, aging signs, and hyperpigmentation. True Botanicals products are claimed to be free from any synthetic fragrances or dyes that can cause skin irritation. To enjoy the benefits of the brand's treatments you need to know which products belong to the full nighttime regimen.
Pure Radiance Oil is a vibrant red oil that is claimed to balance dry and oily areas on your skin without causing breakouts. It can be combined with the Cellular Repair Serum, an orange-red serum responsible for reversing skin damage from aging and sun exposure, while reducing wrinkles. Vitamin C Booster can be mixed into the Cellular Repair Serum. Vitamin C brightens and firms the skin. The main drawback of Vitamin C is that it is unstable in the light and air. This is the reason why True Botanicals recommends to mix this vitamin with the serum. This mixture is claimed to improve your hyperpigmentation issues. Resurfacing Moisture Mask may not be suitable for sensitive skin. Topical Marine Treatment is the most expensive brand's product ($375). There is also Antioxidant Booster that fights the damage caused by free radicals. Will this anti-aging and repair regimen meet your expectations? Let's try to find out by taking a look at the ingredients found in its product.
True Botanicals ingredient lists can be found on the official website of the company but there is no description of any of them. So we decided to do our own research of the topic and this is what we have learnt. All of the anti-aging products are claimed to be effective, safe, and free of fillers. It is unknown, though, whether these products can be used by pregnant and breastfeeding women. At the heart of the brand is an opinion that natural ingredients are able to transform the user's skin. It can be used by owners of normal skin and those who have more troublesome skin. Inside all True Botanicals skincare products, you will find vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants.
Probably one of the most common ingredient is Kiwi Seed Oil which is widely used due to the abundance of fatty acids. The latter work by boosting skin hydration and elasticity levels. Seed oil is also known for its rich content of fatty acids as well as minerals and vitamins E and C that possess antioxidant properties and work to protect the skin from free radicals and other stressors in the environment. Another major ingredient in True Botanicals products is Algae Extract that boasts the chlorophyll content. the latter is rich in nutrients that boost the skin health. Algae extract can nourish the skin and protecting it from free radicals and pollutants present in the environment. This helps to prevent premature aging of the skin.
True Botanicals also uses Beta Glucans, polysaccharides that are able to get deep into the skin. They derive from mushrooms and oats and are used to moisturize all skin layers making the skin look young and radiant. Prickly Pear Oil is the ingredient that is infused inside nontoxic formulas due to the high content of omega acids including omega-6 and omega-9 as well as Vitamin K. This ingredient is also full of amino acids important for anti-aging skin care. They boost collagen production, smooth the texture of the skin and improve its elasticity. Hemp Seed Oil is the ingredient filled with different fatty acids, as well as omega-3 and omega-6. It possesses antibacterial properties and nourish the skin. The ingredients we have discussed higher are all natural but this does not mean that they are safe to use. Allergic reactions and side effects are still possible. Besides, the manufacturer does not provide any dosage information.
Since there is no dosage information of the ingredients in True Botanicals products, there is high risk of side effects and allergic reactions including skin redness, irritation, itching, burning, peeling, swelling and some other symptoms. To reduce the risk of these reactions you are recommended to use this or that product following all the manufacturer's directions carefully. There are quite many customer reviews about the items offered by True Botanicals but not all of them are as positive as the company's promising claims. Many users are not satisfied with the effectiveness of the items, their high price and risk of side effects. The customer service leaves much to be desired too. One woman reports that she had an opportunity to test True Botanicals anti-aging products for 30 days. What happened to her skin surprised her a lot. Even though these products are claimed to be suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, the woman faced allergic reactions on her face including redness and irritation. Let us take a look at the actual customers' testimonials.
"TrueBotanicals products were quite nice but they didn't work for me. On the contrary, they were too drying for my skin. I have never had such dry skin before in my life. When I called the customer service to request a refund, I was refused. However, the thirty-day term had not finished at that time yet. I was not pleased with such customer service at all."
"I have used a combination of the True botanicals products both morning and night. The smell is amazing, but some of the items are not gentle for my sensitive skin. First of all, they don't work. Second, they have caused skin irritation on my face. I don't know why this happened since the products contain natural ingredients."
"True Botanicals products are not only very expensive but also ineffective for improving skin health and look. I returned my items and they were delivered August 13. However, I was not informed about it. So, I emailed the company requesting an update August 26. I received a response saying that they had no record of a return. So, I gave them the tracking number; however, I did not hear anything."
True Botanicals products are not offered anywhere except for the True Botanicals official website. It sells products and offers some useful information. however, these products are very expensive. Here are some of the prices. Pure Radiance Oil is priced at $110. Cellular Repair Serum costs $140. Vitamin C Booster can be bought for $90. You can order Resurfacing Moisture Mask for $90. Antioxidant Booster also costs $90. Topical Marine Treatment is the most expensive product. It costs $375.
Based on what we have learnt about True Botanicals, this brand does not appear to produce really effective skincare products. Many users report that these items are able to make the skin smoother and more even, but they are unable to reduce aging signs such as fine lines and wrinkles, discoloration, uneven pigmentation, uneven texture, enlarged pores, some residual blemishes, etc. Some of the ingredients may lead to side effects and allergic reactions (mainly irritation), especially on sensitive skin. If you are looking for improvement in your skin, you are advised to look for a more effective and checked brand. With this in mind, I cannot recommend True Botanicals.


text:
Research & Analysis / FairVote Blog / Gov. Kulongoski OK's Voter Pre-Registration Bill
Gov. Kulongoski OK's Voter Pre-Registration Bill
by Andrew Smith // Published July 5, 2007
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed HB 2910, sponsored by Rep. Peter Buckley, which will allow 17-year-olds to advance-register to vote in order to encourage more civic engagement among the next generation of voters. The mandate expands a previous measure that allowed 17-year-olds who would turn 18 by an election date to register to vote after the 60th day prior to Election Day. The bill will remove the 60-day window period and allow all 17-year-olds to pre-register and automatically be eligable to vote once they turn 18. The bill, lobbied heavily by the Oregon Bus Project, sailed through the Oregon Assembly with only one opponent.
Although the legislation encourages the next generation of voters to play a greater role in the electoral process, it does not ensure a system of universal voter registration among youth"s that will soon join the voting eligible population. The next step would be to extend the existing motor voter program to give 16-year-olds the opportunity to register to vote when they obtain a learner"s permit. This would encourage even greater numbers of youth to play a more active role in the political process. Similar legislation is pending in Maryland, Rhode Island and South Carolina. Although the legislation does not permit pre-registration at 16, it is a crucial stepping-stone in the right direction. Oregon will join two other states, Florida and Hawaii, which allow minors to pre-register to vote. For more information, see FairVote's 100% Voter Registration project page.


HOT TOYS MARVEL DOCTOR STRANGE STEPHEN STRANGE. MMS387 MARVEL DOCTOR STRANGE STEPHEN STRANGE. This fall, embark on a mind-blowing adventure across dimensions with Doctor Strange!
The Marvel Comics superhero makes his highly anticipated big-screen debut in the upcoming movie of the same title, which is set to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe in unprecedented ways with the introduction of the Mystic Arts. Acclaimed actor Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Dr. Stephen Strange, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon whose career is destroyed in a near-fatal car crash, but finds a new perspective on life when he meets the Ancient One and discovers the hidden world of magical powers. In anticipation of the opening of the movie, Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale collectible figure of this charismatic and powerful superhero!
The movie-accurate collectible figure is specially crafted based on the image of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in the movie, featuring a newly developed head sculpt, sophisticatedly tailored and highly detailed outfit, two styles of costume display options with a magnetically attachable Cloak of Levitation with intricate embroidery, a variety of mystical artifacts including the Eye of Agamotto, and a Doctor Strange-themed figure stand with character backdrop. Take your Hot Toys collection to a brand new dimension with this Doctor Strange collectible figure now! Product Name / Doctor Strange.
Height / Approximately 31cm tall. Points of Articulations / 30. Special Features / newly developed head sculpt, sophisticatedly tailored outfit, a magnetically attachable Cloak of Levitation, a variety of mystical artifacts, and movie-themed figure stand with character backdrop.
Artists / Head Sculpted by Viva Lai & Koh hyeong, Seok Head Painted by JC. Hong Head Art Directed by Kojun. The 1/6th scale Doctor Strange Collectible Figure's special features: - Newly developed head sculpt with authentic and detailed likeness of Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange in the eponymous movie - Movie-accurate facial features, wrinkles, and skin texture - Newly developed body with over 30 points of articulation - Approximately 31cm tall - Nine (9) pieces of interchangeable hands including: - One (1) pair of fists - One (1) pair of open hands - One (1) pair of clenching hands - One (1) pair of mystic power-using hands - One (1) finger pointing right hand - Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted.
Costume: - One (1) delicately woven red cape (The Cloak of Levitation) adorned with intricate embroidery with special magnetic clip-on design - One (1) multi-layered blue and navy tunic - One (1) brown colored cummerbund - One (1) pair of black and blue colored boots. Accessories: - One (1) miniature Book of Cagliostro - Two (2) amulets (The Eye of Agamotto) with an open and closed Eye, respectively - Two (2) orange colored mandalas of light - Three (3) green colored mandalas of light in three different sizes - Specially designed Doctor Strange-themed figure stand with movie logo, golden nameplate and character backdrop. Artists: - Head Sculpted by Viva Lai & Koh hyeong, Seok - Head Painted by JC. Hong - Head Art Directed by Kojun.
Prototype shown is not final, pending licensor approval Product details are subject to change without further notice. All products are original 100% authentic and never been used unless otherwise stated Packages may be opened to inspect the contents inside. Terms are subject to change in a reasonable fashion without prior notice.
International Buyers - Please Note. But it may delay due to Custom / Weather. All our product have been checked and packaged in good condition before sending out. Customer's satisfaction is our goal.
If, for any reason, you are not fully satisfied with the products and/or no receiving from us, please let us know and we will take every step possible to ensure your total satisfaction. For replace item, please return the item with its original package to us. We try to respond to messages within 48 hours, please bear with us as we are getting a lot of messages everyday. The item "(US) HOT TOYS 1/6 MARVEL DOCTOR STRANGE MMS387 STEPHEN STRANGE ACTION FIGURE" is in sale since Monday, September 25, 2017.
This item is in the category "Toys & Hobbies\Action Figures\TV, Movie & Video Games". The seller is "superbbtoysus" and is located in New Jersey. This item can be shipped to United States.


What a buzz to find my work alongside pieces by the likes of Garner and Flanagan in this collection, published by BlackInc and out today. Editor Geordie Williamson says some lovely things about the very grim piece chosen for this anthology, "Grave Barrier Reef", describing it as "balanced, finely-grained reportage … a monument of rational resistance to an insane world". Something for me to cherish as the insanity continues.


This is a placeholder page for Luther Barnhardt, which means this person is not currently on this site. We do suggest using the tools below to find Luther Barnhardt.
You are visiting the placeholder page for Luther Barnhardt. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Luther Barnhardt. We created this page automatically in hopes Luther Barnhardt would find it. If you are not Luther Barnhardt, but are an alumni of Central Cabarrus High School, register on this site for free now.


Workwear manufacturer U Group is introducing a touch of typical Italian style to its latest U-Power range, with an experienced fashion designer getting involved.
The firm, which is based in the Italian region of Piedmont, is moving into the UK in a big way through 2014. Already renowned for its industrial shoes, the introduction of designer PPE promises to give a sleeker look to construction sites across the country.
"The range is bang on trend and the height of fashion in its cutting-edge design, but does not sacrifice its ability to offer complete protection for a huge range of workplace tasks.
The designs have been put together with the help of Maria Teresa Castelli, who has previously worked for design houses such as Fendi and Prada. However, according to the company, it is not about style over substance.
The new range by the company includes hats, polo shirts, bodywarmers, trousers, gloves and socks.


text:
// Copyright 2016 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.
// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
// found in the LICENSE file.

package org.chromium.chrome.browser.physicalweb;

import android.Manifest;
import android.bluetooth.BluetoothAdapter;
import android.content.Context;
import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
import android.location.LocationManager;
import android.net.ConnectivityManager;
import android.os.Build;
import android.support.v4.content.PermissionChecker;

/**
 * This class provides basic static utilities for the Physical Web.
 */
class Utils {
    public static final int RESULT_FAILURE = 0;
    public static final int RESULT_SUCCESS = 1;
    public static final int RESULT_INDETERMINATE = 2;

    public static boolean isDataConnectionActive(Context context) {
        ConnectivityManager cm =
                (ConnectivityManager) context.getSystemService(Context.CONNECTIVITY_SERVICE);
        return (cm.getActiveNetworkInfo() != null
                && cm.getActiveNetworkInfo().isConnectedOrConnecting());
    }

    public static boolean isBluetoothPermissionGranted(Context context) {
        return PermissionChecker.checkSelfPermission(context, Manifest.permission.BLUETOOTH)
                == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED;
    }

    public static int getBluetoothEnabledStatus(Context context) {
        int statusResult = RESULT_INDETERMINATE;
        if (isBluetoothPermissionGranted(context)) {
            BluetoothAdapter bt = BluetoothAdapter.getDefaultAdapter();
            statusResult = (bt != null && bt.isEnabled()) ? RESULT_SUCCESS : RESULT_FAILURE;
        }
        return statusResult;
    }

    public static boolean isLocationServicesEnabled(Context context) {
        LocationManager lm = (LocationManager) context.getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
        boolean isGpsProviderEnabled = lm.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER);
        boolean isNetworkProviderEnabled = lm.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER);
        return isGpsProviderEnabled || isNetworkProviderEnabled;
    }

    public static boolean isLocationPermissionGranted(Context context) {
        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < Build.VERSION_CODES.M) {
            return true;
        }
        return PermissionChecker.checkSelfPermission(context,
                Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED;
    }

}


text:
GP workforce disaster could see 500 practice closures this year
Selina McKee
GP leaders are warning that more than 500 practices could be forced to close within the next year in England alone as an increasing number of doctors are jumping ship.
Addressing the Royal College of General Practitioners annual conference this week, chair Maureen Baker said within these practices more than 90% of GPs are now aged over 60, when the average retirement age in the profession is 59.
"The crisis in the GP workforce is now so severe that the number of people entering the profession is falling drastically short of the number of GPs who are leaving in their droves to take early retirement, work abroad or pursue entirely different careers," she said.
Unless drastic action is taken to make sure that there are enough doctors to take their place, thousands of patients could be forced to travel miles to their nearest GP practice or be left stranded with no family doctor at all. Quite how Prime Minister David Cameron's plan for seven-days-a-week GP access fits with this remains to be seen.
According to the College, more than 1,000 GPs will be leaving the profession on an annual basis by 2022, the number of unfilled GP posts has nearly quadrupled in the last three years, and applications to undertake GP training have dropped by 15%.
Rescue package
To help address the situation, Dr Baker has called for a rescue package that includes slashing the bureaucracy that currently prevents qualified GPs from returning to work after a career break, and specific incentives to encourage more doctors into deprived areas, as well as boost the share of the NHS budget for general practice to 11% by 2017.
England needs nearly 40,100 full-time equivalent GPs in order to meet increasing patient demand, but there are in fact just 32,075. "With a growing, ageing population, not to mention a baby boom, we need to increase capacity in general practice, not take it away," she stressed.
GP magazine Pulse has also recently launched its Stop Practice Closures campaign, spurred by practices closures across the UK because of funding cuts and a recruitment troubles.
Labour shadow health secretary Andy Burnham told the media that the RCGP data "completely undermines David Cameron's party conference rhetoric", noting "'the truth is that this prime minister has presided over a crisis in general practice and collapse in GP morale".
Internal inks
UPDATED: PM guarantees seven-days-a-week GP access
Extra hours, Skype check-ups for 7m patients


STUNNING UPDATED HOME W SPARKLING POOL & SPA IN STONEBRIDGE RANCH ON CUL DE SAC STREET! Huge .36 ACRE lot. Soaring ceiling in entry opens to formal dining and living (or study). Awesome family room w gorgeous stone fireplace opens to the kitchen and nook. Cooks dream kitchen recently updated with granite, ss double ovens, hooded vent, gas cook top, lower cabinet microwave, farmhouse sink, and butlers pantry. Huge master suite w 2 closets, plus updated bath with an awesome tub and huge shower. Updated powder bath. Wood flooring downstairs except for kitchen and baths with carpet upstairs. Neutral paint and Plantation shutters through out! Tankless water heater and updated HVAC. 3 car garage. This one is a 10!