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Why Julian Assange won't give himself up to the Americans
Is Julian Assange's long stint in the Ecuadorian embassy a martyr's travail or a narcissist's temper tantrum?
He's such a tease, that Julian Assange. First he tweets that, if President Obama grants clemency to Chelsea Manning, he will release himself from his Ecuadorian prison and accept extradition to the United States. Obama then commutes Manning's 35-year sentence back to a release date this coming May. But Assange, via his US lawyer, now says "Mr Assange had called for Chelsea Manning to receive clemency and be released immediately". Conditions not met, so Assange is staying put.
For starters, bullshit. Assange did not stipulate immediate release, and commuting a sentence is the very definition of clemency. Anyway, nobody asked Assange to get involved in Manning's case in the first place, so all his posturing has achieved is further confirmation that this really is going to be the International Year of the Narcissistic Tweetstorm.
What actually is Assange's martyrdom all about? On his narrative, he's been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 because the UK government wants to extradite him to Sweden on trumped-up sexual assault charges, from where he'll be sent on to the US, where they want to shoot him as a spy. The real story is a little less romantic.
Why does the United States hate Julian Assange?
In 2010, WikiLeaks published the 700,000 classified files Chelsea (then called Bradley) Manning stole from the US government while working in intelligence. The Americans were unamused and threw several books at Manning, who was ultimately convicted of espionage and numerous other crimes and got 35 years.
[WikiLeaks does good work. It's not Assange who's gone off the deep end, it's us]
There's no doubt that WikiLeaks and its attitude to open-sourcing the deep secrets of government has changed the game fundamentally. Assange is a figure of major importance. Vice-President Joe Biden called him a "cyber-terrorist".
Has the US charged Julian Assange with anything?
We don't know. The US Department of Justice has never announced any charges against Assange. WikiLeaks suspects the charges may be under seal and therefore secret. It's possible, but there's no evidence either way.
If Assange was ever charged, it'd be unprecedented in US history. The First Amendment offers the most powerful free speech protection in the world, and no news organisation or journalist has ever been prosecuted there for publishing classified material. If they had a crack at Assange, it'd be a reflection of how much they fear WikiLeaks. It would be legally risky and a significant political calculation.
Assange's period of greatest risk in terms of the US is now over anyway. Obama proved to be the most anti-whistleblower president ever, to everyone's surprise. Donald Trump, well, who knows what he's likely to do about anything, but I'm guessing it won't include addressing questions that look hard, and he has tweeted favourably about Assange (on which measure, Alec Baldwin may be facing lese-majeste charges soon).
What about Sweden?
There are two schools of thought. One says that he allegedly sexually assaulted two women in 2010. The other holds that his innocence is obvious and there's an inter-governmental conspiracy. Call me a lawyer, but I'm a fan of these things being resolved in court rather than by social media.
The facts are that Swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant for Assange in 2010, he was arrested in London, given bail and then in 2012 ordered to be extradited to Sweden. Instead, he entered the Ecuadorian embassy. Ecuador has granted him asylum, but he can't physically get there. (Actually, since the coppers ended their 24/7 vigil, it probably would be feasible to sneak him onto a boat and float to Quito, which makes me wonder again how badly Assange really wants to escape the limelight.)
[Rundle: Rorschach test of Julian Assange rape claims gets more distinct]
In 2015, two of the charges against Assange became time barred, but the allegation of rape remains and can still be turned into a criminal charge if the Swedes ever get their hands on him.
As to whether the UK would put Assange on a plane to JFK if he stepped out into the Knightsbridge night, there's no reason not to assume that they'd follow through with the more legally pressing imperative of extradition to Sweden. It is, if it needs repeating, an allegation of rape that he faces. Journalistic freedom and WikiLeaks' social mission are not part of that equation.
Assange and extradition to the US
Whether from the UK or Sweden, Assange's risk of extradition into American hands is anything but assured. There are a few legal hurdles and none of them small.
Apart from question marks over whether the US offences with which Assange might be charged fall within the relevant extradition treaties, those treaties expressly exclude extradition in the case of "political offences". Traditionally, espionage, along with treason and sedition, has been treated by the courts as a political offence.
There's also then the problem that Assange could, hypothetically if convicted of espionage offences (and his lawyers have assiduously argued this point), face the death penalty in the US. The European Convention prevents extradition where the defendant is exposed to that outcome, and there is precedent for the proposition that the US prosecutors would be unable to offer a binding assurance that it would not be sought against Assange even if they had no such plans.
All of this is untested and worthy of a very long textbook, but the point is that Assange is in reality far less likely to end up cuffed to a US marshal on a transatlantic flight than has been suggested, should he go out for a walk.
Stripping it back
A simple counterfactual may assist in working out what's really happening here. Say the Swedish rape allegation had never come up. The Manning disclosures on WikiLeaks had already happened, which means that Assange was as exposed to US prosecution before he knew he was facing Swedish charges as he was afterwards.
Assange was at risk of extradition to the US from the UK any time from the WikiLeaks publication in 2010 up until when he entered the embassy in 2012. That risk didn't go up or down. The only thing that changed was that he was ordered extradited to Sweden. His risk of extradition from Sweden to the US wasn't different to the already existing risk from the UK.
It's all a bit strange, and tempting to conclude that what's been playing out in the Ecuadorian embassy all these years (and it appears for more to come) isn't so much a freedom fighter's travail as a really long temper tantrum.
By the way, the remaining potential Swedish charge of rape will become time-barred in 2020.
Crikey columnist @marquelawyers
Michael Bradley is a freelance writer and managing partner at Sydney firm Marque Lawyers, which was created in 2008 with the singular ambition of completely changing the way law is practised.
Julian Assange Ecuador asylum
Julian Assange extradition
Julian Assange rape case
Rundle: Manning, Assange and our complicated relationship with transparency
Guy Rundle
Tips and rumours
Ten things we've learnt about the surveillance state
Bernard Keane
Peter Evans
Dear oh dear Crikey. Assange was never been charged with anything by Swedish authorities. Something numerous writers for Crikey have plainly stated in the past. Rather poor to let this piece's egregious errors slip through.
Jack Lindsay
Reply to Peter Evans
I don;t understand your comment. The author hasn't claimed Assange has been charged,
Reply to Jack Lindsay
Jack Lindsay … you must be a good mate of the author, or a particularly inattentive reader. On a quick scan here are three references to Assange being charged in Sweden.
Does that help you understand?
"On his narrative […] on trumped-up sexual assault charges" (note Assange's narrative by the way – he's never said he's been charged)
" before he knew he was facing Swedish charges as he was afterwards."
Here's one Bob must have missed " In 2015, two of the charges against Assange became time barred, " to go with the three you missed, Jack. All moot now, of course, since Sweden politician Borgstrom and prosecutor Nye finally dropped the farce.
kmart60
Easy for Michael Bradley to utter reassuring words about the unlikelihood of the USA charging Assange, Sweden extraditing him, or Britain catching him sneaking out of the embassy. It's not his head on the block, is it.
Alex Papke
Reply to kmart60
Except you should go look at the UK trial – Assange's own lawyer, Sven Eric Alhem, said – under oath – that it would be impossible for Sweden to send him to the US because of their constitution not allowing political crimes for extradition. You should ask him if his opinion, given under oath, has changed at all. @SvenErikAlhem
Shane Maloney
Twaddle.
zut alors
'Call me a lawyer, but I'm a fan of these things being resolved in court rather than by social media.'
Ok, I'll call you a lawyer, hence you're aware that justice is not always served by a court.
'…Alec Baldwin may be facing lese-majeste charges soon.' provided a good laugh.
Michele Cochrane
What a sickeningly smug little article. It's a pity Mr Bradley didn't read the piece by Guy Rundle listed in his article before embarrassing himself with this tosh. [Rundle: Rorschach test of Julian Assange rape claims gets more distinct]. Perhaps Bradley should send his little piece to Jennifer Robinson and Jeffrey Robertson both of whom it seems have wasted more than six years of their lives supporting a narcissist having a temper tantrum. They might like to hear from him. I found this piece nasty, flippant, cruel and repugnant.
Reply to Michele Cochrane
You mean you didn't agree with it. But, in keeping with the Trumpian zeitgeist, rather than address its arguments, you lambaste its style and make a sarcastic suggestion to the author to observe that some – very famous and prominent! – lawyers take a different view. Do you really think that these sorts of things should simply be a trial by witness? (If so, on balance I think I do agree with the view that Assange is an attention seeking narcissist who doesn't care who gets hurt (and here I'm thinking of Hillary Clinton) and, consequently, I rather enjoyed the chatty tone of this piece. But I'm not famous, so I guess you're well ahead.)
What would be useful from you is an attempt at rebuttal of some of the inferences the author draws – or, at the very least, some effort to address them.
P.S. I applaud Wikileaks in general while disliking Assange and I don't see any inconsistency in that. I also think Germaine Greer is an attention-seeking narcissist, for example,but recognise the value and contribution of The Female Eunuch.
Assange has apparently castigated Geoffrey Robertson and claimed his court appearances on behalf of Assange were too pompous. A must read is Andrew O'Hagan's account of spending months with Assange on a failed autobiography ghost-writing commission .
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/21/julian-assange-ghost-writer-autobiography-wikileaks
Jack you've obviously got some problem with Assange.
Perhaps at a personal level he is a right pain in the a**e – so what? What he's has, and is, doing at a global level is far more important than his personality. Why your obsession with focussing on that? Is it because you actually don't like the fact that he's shedding light on how power functions? Or is it feelings of inadequacy that you've done nothing similar with your own life?


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Man jailed for al Qaeda manual
metrowebukmetroTuesday 11 Mar 2008 12:58 pm
Jailed: Khalid Khaliq
A man who admitted possessing an al Qaeda training manual has been jailed for 16 months.
Khalid Khaliq, 34, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court after he confessed to owning the CD, which was found in a police raid at his home.
Khaliq, a close friend of two of the July 7 London bombers, was arrested following the raid by anti-terror police.
Khaliq featured on an infamous photograph which showed him white water rafting in North Wales with London bombers Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammad Sidique Khan.
The court heard that all three men were also trustees of the Iqra book shop, a centre for young Muslims in Beeston in Leeds, which formed a focus of police operations following the London bombings.
Judge James Stewart QC said of Khan and Tanweer: "They, among others, were responsible for the deaths of 52 innocent London folk going about their daily business."
Khaliq yesterday admitted one count of possessing a document or record containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Prosecuting, David Farrell QC told the court that the al Qaida training manual included a declaration of Jihad, an interview with Osama bin Laden and information about weapons and how to deal with being interviewed by police.
The judge said: "Our society, unlike many others, allows freedom of expression of religious and political views, but you overstepped the boundary, possessing material capable of training those bent on the destruction of the democracy and society whose benefits you have so readily accepted."
He said the manual had been downloaded from a website, where it had been placed as part of a transcript from a trial in America.
Khaliq's house was searched after he came forward as a friend or acquaintance of Khan and Tanweer.
The search revealed a library of extremist, though not illegal, material, together with the training manual.
"You obviously take a keen interest in terrorist activity and organisations. You also had a copy of the Terrorist Act, of which you have now fallen foul," the judge told the defendant.
He added: "In my judgment, the fact that you had this training manual and what it represents speaks volumes."
He described Khaliq as a "decent, hard-working and loving man".
He said: "You were born here, you have been brought up here and succeeded in this society which, some would say, you seem to hold in contempt."
The court heard Khaliq is the sole carer of three children, two girls aged 11 and eight and a five-year-old son, who has learning difficulties.
The judge said: "Some will say you should have thought of them before committing a serious criminal offence as you did."
He said the case was so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence was justified.
James StewartMohammad Sidique KhanShehzad Tanweer
British holidaymaker might never walk again after snapping neck on Spanish waterslide

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Pork Exports Soar As Beef Lags
Lester Aldrich Jan 09, 2020 AT 7:10AM
US pork exports posted the largest month on record in November, easily reaching new highs in volume and value, while the month's beef exports were below November 2018 totals, according to data released by the USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation.
PORK EXPORTS SURGE
Pork exports surged to 259,812 tonnes in November, up 52,960, or 25.6%, from 206,852 a year earlier and 11% above the previous high set in July 2019 of about 231,233 tonnes, the USMEF said. Export value was $712.735 million, up $173.994 million, or 32.3%, from $538.741 million a year ago and breaking the previous record, also from July 2019, of about $612.952 million by 14%.
Those results pushed January-November exports to 2.390 million tonnes, 162,532, or 7.30%, above the previous year's pace of 2.390 million and $327.0 million, or 5.58%, more in value to $6.192 billion from $5.865 billion, the USMEF said. Pork exports now are on pace to exceed previous annual records for volume of 2.45 million tonnes in 2017 and value of $6.65 billion in 2014.
Pork export value per head slaughtered was $62.90 in November, up 29% from a year ago and the highest in five years, the USMEF said. Through the first 11 months of 2019, per-head value averaged $52.24, up 2% year-over-year.
November exports accounted for 29.7% of total pork production and 26.8% for muscle cuts only, up substantially from a year ago, 24.5% and 22%, respectively, the USMEF said. For January through November, exports accounted for 26.4% of total pork production and 23% for muscle cuts, up from 22.4% and 25.7%, respectively, a year ago.
Demand from China/Hong Kong continued to drive US pork export growth in November, with volume climbing to 86,213 tonnes – up 284% from a year ago – valued at $204.9 million (up 240%), the USMEF said. For January through November, exports to the region were up 71% to 554,789 tonnes, valued at $1.18 billion (up 49%).
BEEF EXPORTS LAG
November beef exports totaled 108,662 tonnes, down 4,180, or 3.70%, from 112,842 a year ago and were valued at $658.116 million, down $51.103 million, or 7.20%, from $709.842 million a year ago, the USMEF said.
For January through November, beef exports of 1.208 billion tonnes, valued at $7.408 billion, trailed 2018's record pace of 1.244 million tonnes and $7.632 billion by about 3% in each category.
However, 2019 was already the second-highest year for beef export value, trailing only the 2018 record of $8.33 billion.
Beef export value per head of fed-cattle slaughter was $307.55 in November, down 15% from a year ago, the USMEF said. Through November, per-head export value averaged $308.74, down 4%.
November exports accounted for 13.7% of total beef production and 11% for muscle cuts only, down from 14.1% and 11.8%, respectively, a year ago, the USMEF said. For January through November, exports accounted for 14.1% of total beef production and 11.4% for muscle cuts, down from 14.5% and 12%, respectively.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
Cash cattle trading took place last week at $124 to $125 per cwt on a live basis, up $2 to $3 from the previous week. Dressed-basis trade happened at $198 to $200 per cwt, up $3 to $4.
The USDA choice cutout Wednesday was down $0.06 per cwt at $209.50, while select was off $0.29 at $206.53. The choice/select spread widened to $2.97 from $2.74 with 131 loads of fabricated product sold into the spot market.
The CME Feeder Cattle index for the seven days ended Tuesday was $145.91 per cwt, down $0.07 from the previous day. This compares with Wednesday's Jan contract settlement of $146.82, up $0.92.
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Incl. huge ROBERT BABICZ Remix. Powered by Sasha, Arnaud Rebotini (Black Strobe), Kurt, Chloé, Mike Monday, Oxia, Rainer Trüby, X-Press 2, Martin Landsky, Paolo Mojo, Kiki, Funk Dâ??Voidâ?¦â?¦. Labelboss Martin Eyerer on top form again this time teaming up with Cocoon DJ and german techno legend Toni Rios. Their hard hitting groove is combined perfectly with the big synthie-melody and that shows again the extraordinary talents of the two djs. Robert Babicz (aka Rob Acid) recently impressed with amazing tracks and remixes on Treibstoff, Audiomatique, Systematic, Out Of Orbit, K2â?¦. And we are very happy to have him on board on that Kling Klong 12â?�. His remix is just unbelievable.


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Our mission:Providing basis for decisions
The Great War of Africa – the deadliest in the continent's modern history
The geography of central Africa
Report Scenarios
Joseph Kabila Jose Eduardo dos Santos Paul Kagame Yoweri Museveni
Teresa Nogueira Pinto is an African Affairs expert. She is a PhD candidate in Global Studies at the Nova University of Lisbon, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences. Teresa has a masters degree (MA) in international relations from the Institute ...
The Great Lakes of Africa conjure up images of great scenic beauty and abundant wildlife, but in recent years the region, in particular eastern Congo, has been the fighting ground for rival rebel militia groups, many of whom have come over the border from Rwanda in the wake of the 1994 genocide. No solution is yet in sight, but countries in the region are pushing for an Africa solution.
THE AFRICAN Great Lakes region has been the stage for what has been dubbed 'Africa's World War' for the past 15 years.
It has not only claimed the lives of five million people, but has caused massive population migrations and is now threatening to cause even greater economic hardship and...
Rwandan rebels
Civilian victims
Mineral riches
President's denials
African solution
Uganda intervention
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Some of the rebels were formed from remnants of the Hutu extremists who committed genocide in Rwanda in 1994
read more about it in the report
Who will benefit?
Report is targeted to the decision makers in cross country manufacturing – suppliers, manufacturers, logistics.
Also considered useful for the administrative university facilities, to better understand the possibe effects of current decisions.


Maciej Soja has a position as a postdoctoral researcher in the Radar Remote Sensing Group. His main research topic is mapping of forest parameters such as biomass and height with synthetic aperture radar.
There might be more projects where Maciej Soja participates, but you have to be logged in as a Chalmers employee to see them.


Thank you Malia. I hope so too! I am ready.
Fantastic post Barbara! I love this statement: Daily I will ask God, "What are You inviting me to believe with certainty today that will compel me into action?" I believe You are who You say You are and You can do what You say You can do.
Beautiful, Barbara!! I agree with Kim...LOVE that question to God..."What are YOU inviting me to believe with certainity today that will compel me into action?" Another question I often ask/consider, "How is someone else's life better having walked across my path?" Barbara, my life is better having read this blog today. You have richly blessed me with hope, new life, freshness of everyday experiences and great love. Thank you for sharing.


The hotel is perfectly placed on the South East Coast of Vietnam, in the heart of Nha Trang. The hotel is 45 minutes from Cam Ranh Internationla airport. Close enough to get you to town in a minute trip, but just far enough away to ensure you leave the stress of the office behind at the end of the day.


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if (get_option('feed_media_player_options')) {
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?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


"I'm literally the sickest rapper you've ever heard," says Lewi with his mischievous grin.
The 23-year-old Wisconsin native has Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that affects about 70,000 people worldwide.
"I want to spread awareness about CF. But, I have CF it doesn't have me – so I see it as an opportunity through adversity. I'll just use it to OUR benefit [those affected by CF] to open doors to awareness, and use my music to bring all people together," Lewi said from a studio in Santa Barbara, California.
But, with his medical costs (Lewi spends 2 weeks every other month in the hospital) this year alone, he's hopeful to sell some records.
"And heck, if I get rich, we WILL find a cure," says Lewi.
Nevertheless, Lewi is a young businessman with a hustler's mentality.
For his first deal, Lewi joined forced with distribution and promotion legend Damion "Damizza" Young.
Lewi's new single "FWU" dropped December 14, via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and all digital platforms including on his website: http://www.itslewi.com.
"We wanted to call out the big guns and give Lewi the best shot as a label possible, so we tapped super-producer, Paul Cabbin (Chris Brown, Wiz Khalifa, and Ty $), who was a perfect fit to produce his new single," said Damizza.
Lewi is part of Damizza's new joint-venture label, Langley West along with partner Ramon "Lil' Bams" Cardanes.
"Lewi is with us, put simply, because he's great at what he does — he's a star. Cystic Fibrosis was only the gateway." – Damizza.
"If I didn't see his Instagram feed, and him recording in a hospital (with portable recording studio), this wouldn't normally catch my attention so fast, but…how creative is that?," Damizza explained.
"He was hooked up to an IV drip of antibiotics in a hospital while making songs and even an entire music video! It showed dedication to his craft — he takes it to a new level," Damizza said.
Damizza has been in the music business for over 30 years, and has worked with Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Puff Daddy, Eminem and EA Sports.
His music was featured in the Fast N' Furious movie franchise. Damizza has produced, promoted, or been featured on over a billion records with the likes of Mariah Carey, Migos, Bone Thugs n Harmony, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Korn.
Damizza & Bams didn't charge to be featured on the single, and will donate 100% of their proceeds to the cause from their personal sales.


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Love of Research
by admin | Sep 26, 2019 | Craft of Writing | 0 comments
As a reader, I love to learn new things when I read fiction. I enjoy experiencing danger vicariously and seeing the world from different perspectives. As an author, I strive to craft that same thrill for my readers. Research is how to nail the details that create that you-are-there insider's experience.
We've all read stories that fail at this. I am an instrument-rated private pilot with a little training in aerobatics. When I encounter blunders in a story about aviation, the magic of being in the story falls apart. I don't want to be that author who breaks the magic.
Why write what you know when you can write about exciting things you are learning? As a pilot, of course, I'm going to use that knowledge and experience in stories. But I can't become an expert in everything, so I find experts willing to share their knowledge and experience.
HEROS OF RESEARCH
Authors James A. Michener, Ridley Pearson, David Morrell, and Steve Berry exemplify the serious kind of research that elevates their stories to the bestseller category. Michener's tome Hawaii presents the geologic formation of the islands to establish the setting for readers. Pearson's research in his crime stories is revered by detectives for thoroughness. Morrell spent 35 days carrying a 60-lb. backpack through the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming with the National Outdoor Wilderness School to research is book Testament.
Here's my process.
Where does the story happen? For North of the Killing Hand, I drew on travel experience in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, and Columbia for the scenes in the Amazon. The photos taken in these remote places reminded me of the density and types of foliage. Journals reminded me of the smells, sounds, oppressive dampness, and dangers.
Beyond personal experience there comes online research and trips to the library for demographics. How many people live there and who are they? What languages do they speak? How do they travel? How do they communicate? What cultural differences stand out? Crime? Education? How do people make a living in the Amazon? What are their religious and ethical beliefs?
For West of Famous, which debuts February 17, 2019, I spent a week on a trawler because a huge portion of the story takes place on such a boat. All the library research in the world cannot capture the smell of diesel, the constant motion of the boat, the sounds of the engines, or how to find compartments large enough to stuff a body. The boat owners, Paul and Caryn Frink, went above and beyond in helping me.
Seeker Hosts Caryn and Paul Frink
They took me to the oh-so-remote site in the Everglades where part of the story takes place and dropped anchor. They let me ride in the engine compartment while the boat was underway. I had to test if screaming could be heard over the sound of the engine.
I took copious notes and photographed everything at various times of day and night to nail the details. Online research cannot compare. Paul, retired navy with a strong engineering background, taught me more about boats and boat engines in a week than I learned from months of other research. Hands-on research beats online research any day! Fun, too! The rocking sensation stopped two days after I returned home.
For each character, major and minor, I want to know who they are. What makes them behave the way they do? What does the character fear? What does the character want? For minor characters, the basic information reads like a police profile: height, weight, age, gender, race, education, and basic history. For major characters, deeper analysis works.
In South of Justice, the main character Dr. Terri Pinehurst-Clayton is a veterinarian. What does it take to become a veterinarian? The info uncovered during research appeared in the book, especially the items that grabbed my attention. Did you know it is tougher to enter veterinarian school than medical school? That tidbit of info led me to find out why. The answer found its way into the book because inquiring minds want to know. At one point in the story, Terri bolsters her courage by reminding herself that she graduated at the top of her class because of her intellectual tenacity. She then decides to begin her own investigation into her husband's past.
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the main characters empowers the author to leverage these traits in the story. I have interviewed experts to gain insight into the how and why of their work.
I suppose such research is similar to method acting. I want to learn so much that I can step inside a character to experience life from a new perspective in a new place under circumstances I pray I never have to experience in real life.
Which authors do you admire for creating stories that make you feel you are there?
This article first appeared on the Not Your Usual Suspects blog October 2, 2017. The president of Americas Great Cruise Loopers Association read my book and loved it. I was invited to their gathering in Norfolk, Virginia to sign books on a boat. I blogged about the Book Signing on a Boat.
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This feature is useful if you accidentally broadcast messages or want to use the mobile phone temporary for any other purposes, please note even after stopping queue if you send another message the queue will resume automatically. Stop, Receive & Delete options will work only if there are messages in queue in the phone.
The option to manage the queue will be shown below to the Message Queue and it will be shown only if the picky assist mobile app version is 3.7 or above.
WhatsApp Contact synching method also optimised in 3.7 app version which will result is processing bulk WhatsApp messages faster than earlier.


OverbiteWX is a successor to our previous addon OverbiteFF, allowing access to Gopher URLs and Gopher protocol links, but using WebExtensions-compatible APIs.
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Asheboro, North Carolina
H & R Block in Asheboro, North Carolina locations and hours
In Asheboro, North Carolina, there are 3 H & R Block branches, click on the desired office for detailed information, hours, location and phones.
3 locations in Asheboro, North Carolina
H & R Block branches in Asheboro, North Carolina locations and hours
H & R Block, Asheboro, North Carolina
191 Nc Highway 42 N
1224 E Dixie Dr
191 Nc Highway 42 N, #A
H & R Block services in Asheboro, North Carolina
H & R Block branches in Asheboro, North Carolina, online map
Other banks in Asheboro
The most popular banks in Asheboro, North Carolina:
BB & T
Carter Bank & Trust


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Kiev: Russia uses cold as a weapon. The EU buys Ukrainian wheat
Zelensky recalls the extermination by starvation of 1932 caused by Stalin's USSR. The EU intervenes to support the economy of Kiev. Russian attacks on Kherson continue. (HANDLE)
"Once they wanted to destroy us with hunger, now with darkness and cold": stated President Zelensky on the occasion of the commemoration of the Holodomor, the extermination by starvation caused by Stalin's USSR in Ukraine from 1932 to 1933, which caused several million deaths.
And Prime Minister Meloni also intervenes: "Thoughts go to the millions of Ukrainians, mostly elderly and children, deprived of electricity, water and heating in the middle of winter by Russian bombing which deliberately attacks civilian infrastructures".
Meanwhile, 130,000 people in Kiev are still without electricity.
The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola announced the sending "of generators from all over Europe to power the homes" of the Ukrainians "and light up the night. Together we will cross the
"The European Commission will pay to ship 40,000 tons of Ukrainian grain via two ships."
This was announced by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a video message at the 'Grain from Ukraine' summit organized by Kiev to launch the initiative of the same name aimed at unblocking grain loads from Ukrainian ports to countries at risk of famine .
"We are at Ukraine's side to guarantee global food security", highlighted von der Leyen, indicating that the EU executive will contribute from her pocket "at any cost".
Today's summit "falls on the day of remembrance of the Holodomor, when 90 years ago hunger was used as a weapon by the Soviet Union against the Ukrainian people. And today Russia is using food as a weapon again," said von der Leyen.
"In Bali, the G20 leaders called for global solidarity to fight hunger caused by Russia's war of aggression. We will not waver in our responsibilities and will continue to do everything possible on this front", underlined the president of the European Commission, recalling that the solidarity lanes set up by the EU have made it possible to export "over 17 million tons of Ukrainian cereals and food products" since May and "represent the only option for the
The lanes, he continued, "have become a lifeline for the Ukrainian economy, bringing more than 19 billion euros of much-needed income to Ukrainian farmers and businesses."
"It is very important - continued von der Leyen - to signal to the world today that we will not disappoint our most vulnerable partners. Ninety years after the Holodomor, we honor the memory of the Ukrainian victims, who died of hunger in silence. In that At the moment the world has not helped the Ukrainians. We will not let that happen again. We will be by your side as long as it takes."
In the meantime, new prisoner exchanges are taking place between Kiev and Moscow.
Twelve Ukrainians, nine military personnel and three civilians (one of whom was considered missing), were rescued by the Russian armed forces.
The news was given by the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak on Telegram, as reported by Ukrinform.
"Another exchange of prisoners of war. We managed to free 12 of our own. Among them are four servicemen from the Navy, two National Guardsmen, border guards and one from the Territorial Defense. There are also three civilians," Yermak said.
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Global Trade: The Asian Century
By Tax-News.com Editorial
Progress towards the completion of the Doha Round of world trade talks remains stalled, and the World Trade Organization has warned of a lurch towards protectionism. However, the world's major trading powers do not appear to have given up on expanding free trade, and while Doha lays dormant, the Asia-Pacific region – widely tipped to lead the next phase of global economic growth – is playing host to an emerging trend towards the conclusion of multilateral free trade groupings.
Back in July 2012, the World Trade Organization (WTO) warned of the emergence of a longer-term trend towards trade protectionism, with governments increasingly prepared to resort to protectionist measures in order to achieve national economic objectives. According to a report issued by the WTO at that time, 182 new measures that restrict or can potentially restrict or distort trade had been recorded since the previous October, impacting 0.9% of global imports. Nevertheless, it can also be concluded that the dire prophecies of a descent into "beggar thy neighbor" trade polices sounded at the height of the global financial and economic crisis have not come to pass – at least not yet.
Recent evidence suggests that in actual fact the contrary is taking place, at least as far as the major trading powers are concerned. In their eighth report to leaders of the G20 nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the WTO and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said that advanced nations have largely kept their promise to keep markets open by resisting trade protectionism amid high unemployment rates and the weak economic recovery.
We can also deduce this from an apparent switch in strategy by certain influential trading nations towards tying up regional trade deals rather than expanding national free trade treaty networks piecemeal with individual countries. This is a trend that is obvious in Asia and the Pacific Rim, and here we summarize some of the major free trade initiatives taking place, and progress made over the last few months.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
Rapid progress has been made towards the expanded Trans-Pacific Trade (TPP) agreement. When the TPP was originally concluded back in 2005, it consisted of just four, relatively small, countries, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore. By 2011, a number of other countries were negotiating to join the group, including the United States, and by the end of 2012, 11 countries were involved in the talks towards an expanded TPP, including Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam.
In November 2011, the leaders of the nine TPP countries then discussing an enhanced agreement agreed to a broad framework which committed participants to achieving five aims designed to make the TPP "a landmark, 21st-century trade agreement." These include: comprehensive market access through the elimination of tariffs and other barriers to goods and services trade; a fully regional agreement to facilitate the development of production and supply chains among TPP members; cross-cutting trade issues, to build on work being done in APEC and other fora in the areas of regulatory coherence, competitiveness and business facilitation, SMEs and development; trade promotion and investment in innovative products; and a "living agreement" that can be updated to address trade issues that may arise in the future.
While most observers remarked that progress towards the conclusion of the enhanced Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) remained slow during the 15th round of negotiations in New Zealand in December, which included Canada and Mexico for the first time, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said that participants were pleased to report further solid steps forward in closing the remaining gaps between them. During the 10-day round, it was reported that the 11 delegations "concentrated on finding pragmatic and mutually-beneficial outcomes to remaining issues under consideration, while isolating the outstanding challenges to be addressed in the months ahead." The delegations were said to have furthered their efforts to close the outstanding legal texts of the 29 chapters of the agreement covering all trade and investment-related issues between them, making progress across the agreement. Further steps forward were made on government procurement during this round, while the delegations continued to advance their work to develop the tariff packages on industrial goods, agriculture and textiles, as well as on rules of origin promoting the development of supply chains. In addition, they discussed their respective market-opening commitments on services and investment. However, the USTR confirmed that they have recognized that further work is needed to meet the goals for a high-standard result in market access negotiations, and were able to set timetables for inter-sessional work that should ensure additional progress at the next round.
Back in November 2011, it was announced by then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda that Japan intended to begin consultations to join the TPP. However, Japan has needed to receive the support of all nine TPP countries to do so, and, while Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam have said that they will support Japan's participation, discussions with the others – Australia, New Zealand and the US – have remained inconclusive. Above all, acceptance by the US of Japan's application to take part in the TPP talks, which would be crucial, has never been a foregone conclusion, due in large part to the fears of US manufacturers, particularly the auto industry, that a tariff reduction would only increase the already-large trade deficit with Japan, as, it is said, Japan's complex non-tariff trade barriers would remain.
Although the US's participation was far from certain after Barack Obama became President in 2009 and sent out mixed messages with regards his attitude to free trade, it is not difficult to understand why Obama's US eventually decided to throw its lot in with the TPP. According to the Office of the US Trade Representative's own figures, TPP countries comprise the fourth largest goods and services export market of the United States. US goods exports to the broader Asia-Pacific totaled USD775bn in 2010, a 25.5% increase over 2009 and equal to 61% of total US goods exports to the world. America's small- and medium-sized enterprises alone exported $171 billion to the Asia-Pacific in 2009, according to the latest available data. Obama also made clear early on in his presidency that the key to American's political and economic interests now lies over the Pacific, rather than over the Atlantic.
The ASEAN 6 Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (RECP)
Meanwhile, another momentous decision that could harness Asian trade growth took place last November when it was agreed that talks should begin on a new regional trade treaty between the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its six free trade agreement partners.
Currently, ASEAN consists of 10 member states - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – and its six FTA partners include Australia, New Zealand, China, India, South Korea and Japan. Thus, if achieved, a new trade treaty encompassing all 16 countries would link an integrated market comprising over 3bn people with a combined gross domestic product of some USD20 trillion. The link up was first mooted at the 19th ASEAN Summit in November 2011, when leaders of the ten ASEAN member states adopted the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) framework setting out the general principles for broadening and deepening ASEAN's engagement with its FTA Partners, and signaled ASEAN's commitment to play a central role in the emerging regional economic architecture. A year later, at the 21st ASEAN Summit in Cambodia, It was said that the significant progress made through ASEAN's FTAs with its six FTA partners has put the countries in a position to bring their economic partnership to a higher level by negotiating a comprehensive, high-quality agreement. If completed, the RCEP would be the largest regional trading arrangement to date.
"With the region accounting for more than half of the global market and about a third of the global economic output, there is no doubt that a successful RCEP would significantly contribute and boost global trade and investment," said Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN's Secretary-General.
RCEP negotiations are expected to commence in 2013, and the Summit also endorsed the 'Guiding Principles and Objectives for Negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership,' adopted by ASEAN's Economic Ministers in Siem Reap in August 2012.
Based on those Guiding Principles, the RCEP – although to be negotiated initially by ASEAN and its existing FTA partners – would allow the region's economic partners to eventually accede to the agreement. The RCEP is also expected to include provisions for economic and technical cooperation that would allow all parties, regardless of their level of development, to maximize the opportunities made available by deeper and broader economic engagements.
In the meantime, ASEAN is also going forward to set up its ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, and has urged all of its member countries to take the necessary internal measures to realize the AEC's objectives of regional integration.
Other Asian FTAs
Asia's trade negotiators it seems have hardly been able to pause to draw breath in recent months. In December, India and ASEAN concluded a free trade agreement to include trade in services and investments, to add to their existing FTA on trade in goods. The agreement was reached ahead of a two-day summit to mark 20 years of dialogue between India and the ASEAN trade bloc. It is anticipated that all the nations will have completed their necessary legislative procedures by the first quarter of 2013, allowing for the agreement to be formally signed in August 2013.
Talks to expand the scope of the existing agreement began in the second quarter of 2010, and it was initially hoped that the nations would conclude these negotiations by the end of that year. Notably, the agreement will liberalize conditions for individuals undertaking foreign contracts, and will be particularly beneficial for Indian and the Philippines given their sizable outsourcing industries. The new agreement builds upon the existing free trade pact, which under a phased approach will eliminate tariffs on 80% of goods by December 31, 2016.
Following the commencement of negotiations on a trade treaty with Indonesia, the South Korean government indicated in July 2012 that it was looking to negotiate additional treaties with other countries within ASEAN, starting with Vietnam. Total trade between South Korea and Indonesia has increased significantly as a consequence of the ASEAN FTA, reaching almost USD30bn in 2011. However, while Indonesia is now South Korea's tenth biggest trade partner and its second largest in ASEAN, the two countries believe that a further bilateral trade treaty could provide additional benefits. A target has been set to achieve total trade between the two countries of USD50bn by 2015, rising to USD100bn by 2020, and the first round of talks began on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK-CEPA) on July 12.
It is planned that the IK-CEPA talks will cover goods, services, investment, rules of origin, and customs and trade facilitation. It is expected, for example, to extend the range of products included, and reduce the tariffs more quickly on the sensitive items contained in the ASEAN FTA, while it should also improve the investment protection language within the latter to further encourage South Korean investment in Indonesia.
In addition, the comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement between Malaysia and Australia, a complement to the existing regional agreement between Australia and ASEAN, of which Malaysia was one of the original members, entered into force on January 1, 2013. Negotiations on the FTA commenced in May 2005 but paused in 2006 to enable both countries to focus on the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand agreement, and resumed only in August 2009. Negotiations were intensified following an undertaking in March last year by Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Najib Tun Razak, the Malaysian Prime Minister, to complete negotiations within a year. After 11 rounds of negotiations, the FTA was concluded on March 30, and signed on May 22 last year.
The agreement should open up opportunities for exporters and investors across most sectors, as it will guarantee tariff-free entry for 97.6% of current goods exported from Australia to Malaysia, rising to 99% by 2017. For Malaysia, the FTA will allow the same tariff-free entry to Australia as is currently enjoyed by Singapore. The FTA should also help to diversify the trading relationship by opening Malaysia's services sector to Australian companies. Malaysia has committed to allowing majority Australian ownership of service providers in a range of industries, including telecommunications, insurance, investment banking, education, tourism, research and development, accountancy and mining-related services. The agreement also provides a framework to further facilitate cross-border investments between Malaysia and Australia through commitments on non-discrimination as well as the protection of investors and investments. This enabling environment should encourage further two-way investments between the two countries.
Momentum has also increased towards the conclusion of another potential huge FTA, involving China, Japan and South Korea – three of the region's economic powerhouses. On September 27, a third preliminary working-level consultation was held in Seoul on the ways to move forward prospective negotiations on the proposed trilateral FTA, and with three rounds of such consultations already completed, it was disclosed that the three countries will start to undertake their respective domestic procedures to determine whether to launch negotiations for a trilateral FTA.
Trade between the three countries was said to have grown to some USD690bn last year. While China is the main trading partner for both Japan and South Korea, Japan and South Korea are China's fourth and sixth trading partners, respectively. However, it has also been recognized that the issue of sensitive goods and services could be challenging for all three countries and, while Japan and South Korea are competitors in the supply of many manufactured and technological goods to China, tariffs on the import of agricultural products from China would be also be a problem for both those countries.
EU Renews Interest in Asian Trade Deals
After abandoning its previous attempt to strike a free trade deal with the ASEAN bloc, the European Union (EU) has also upped the tempo of its trade negotiations in the region, having decided to conclude separate FTAs with ASEAN member states.
Negotiations on one such agreement were concluded with Singapore on December 16 last year by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and Singapore's Minister of Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang. The deal is designed to create new opportunities across a range of services sectors. In particular, the Commission says that the services chapter "is set to become a new benchmark in services negotiations." Both sides will now undertake a far-reaching liberalization of their services markets, and apply new disciplines on non-discrimination and transparency. The treaty will also offer better access to public tenders and reduce non-tariff barriers in key industries. A high level of intellectual property rights protection was agreed to, and the principles of sustainable development in trade will be enshrined in the FTA. Comprehensive rules will be introduced on competition and state aid, along with a new regime to tackle barriers to trade and investment in renewable energy generation.
Singapore is the EU's 13th largest goods trading partner and its largest trading partner in the ten-member Association of South-East Nations (ASEAN). This FTA is the EU's first with a member of ASEAN, although it is also negotiating deals with Malaysia and Vietnam, with a longer-term objective of a region-to-region agreement. In 2010, the existing stock of bilateral investment between the EU and Singapore reached EUR190bn (USD250bn).
Also in 2012, prospects for a European Union (EU)-Thailand partnership cooperation agreement (PCA) and free trade agreement (FTA) were central topics during European Commission President Jos Manuel Barroso's discussions with Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand; earlier in the month, President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy confirmed that the EU was looking for a rapid conclusion of a new FTA with Vietnam, following progress made in the first round of negotiations from October 8-12. The EU is one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam with investments worth around USD1.8bn, representing more than 12% of Vietnam's total committed foreign direct investment last year.
As the title to this article suggests, many predict the 21st century to be the 'Asian century,' a period when the region's major powers are expected to take the lead from the West in matters of politics and economics. The region's growing appetite for trade liberalization should help to facilitate its growing influence on the global economy. But it remains to be seen whether there is the political will on all sides to conclude ambitious regional FTAs like the TPP and the RECP, or whether the differences between such a diverse range of economies will be too wide to bridge.
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Q: Multiplying a log-concave function to a Gaussian probability density reduces its variance Let $X$ be a random Gaussian vector with probability density $p_X(x)$. Let $Y$ be the random variable with density proportional to $p_X(x)e^{-g(x)}$ for some convex function $g$. Does it hold that
$$
Cov(X)-Cov(Y)
$$
is always a (semi-)definite matrix?
Is the inverse also true? That is, suppose that

*

*$X$ is a random vector with probability measure $P$,

*For all convex functions $g$ that $Ee^{-g(X)}=1$, the random vector $Y$ with probability measure $e^{-g(x)}\mathrm dP(x)$ has that $Cov(X)-Cov(Y)$ is (semi-)definite,

then $X$ is Gaussian.

A: The answer to the first question is positive. You may reduce to the case where $Cov(X)$ is the identity matrix, and then use a famous result by Caffarelli: under your hypothesis, there is contraction $T$ such that $p_Y$ is obtained as the image measure of the standard Gaussian measure under $T$. Since contractions decrease covariance, the result follows.
If you allow for discrete distributions, a uniform distribution on a $2$-element set is a counterexample for the second question.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


RE/MAX One is pleased to announce that eight of their real estate agents recently completed the Peak Producers training program, a comprehensive, 12-week educational training course. Offering Peak Producers is Re/Max Ones' latest endeavor to fulfill our commitment to developing the most highly skilled team of professionals who deliver the best possible service to the community we support.
Congrats to the agents that successfully completed this program.
This program taught our agents how to work by referral, which means giving personalized care and attention to their clients' individual needs. Because their primary source of new business is referrals, our agents are dedicated to building long-term relationships based on trust and providing exceptional service before, during and after every transaction.
When you work with a RE/MAX One agent, you can be assured that you're working with a knowledgeable industry expert and true professional who cares about you and has a vested interest in helping you achieve your real estate goals.
If you're interested in learning more, please contact our Broker, Mark J. Davis, Esq.
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During the last few decades, many regions have experienced major land use transformations, often driven by human activities. Assessing and evaluating these changes requires consistent data over time at appropriate scales as provided by remote sensing imagery. Given the availability of small and large-scale observation systems that provide the required long-term records, it is important to understand the specific characteristics associated with both observation scales. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potentials and limits of remote sensing time series for change analysis of drylands. We focussed on the assessment and monitoring of land change processes using two scales of remote sensing data. Special interest was given to the influence of the spatial and temporal resolution of different sensors on the derivation of enhanced vegetation related variables, such as trends in time and the shift of phenological cycles. Time series of Landsat TM/ETM+ and NOAA AVHRR covering the overlapping time period from 1990 to 2000 were compared for a study area in the Mediterranean. The test site is located in Central Macedonia (Greece) and represents a typical heterogeneous Mediterranean landscape. It is undergoing extensification and intensification processes such as long-term, gradual processes driven by changing rangeland management and the extension of irrigated arable land. Time series analysis of NOAA AVHRRR and Landsat TM/ETM+ data showed that both sensors are able to detect this kind of land cover change in complementary ways. Thereby, the high temporal resolution of NOAA AVHRR data can partially compensate for the coarse spatial resolution because it allows enhanced time series methods like frequency analysis that provide complementary information. In contrast, the analysis of Landsat data was able to reveal changes at a fine spatial scale, which are associated with shifts in land management practice.


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New York Times-bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout continues the life of her beloved Olive Kitteridge, who struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine.
Prickly, wry, resistant to change yet ruthlessly honest and deeply empathetic, Olive Kitteridge is "a compelling life force" (San Francisco Chronicle). The New Yorker has said that Elizabeth Strout "animates the ordinary with an astonishing force," and she has never done so more clearly than in these pages, where the iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspire us–in Strout's words–"to bear the burden of the mystery with as much grace as we can."
Death of a Salesman
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead


Attention aviators! The #FLYROGUE website just become even more useful! We added an all-new page for pilot resources, perfect for the flight student or the advanced pilot in need of a refresher. This awesome page will connect you with manuals, handbooks and more, all in one location for a safer, smoother, and more organized flying experience.
Stay connected with your FAA MedXPress by clicking the link. You'll be able to log-in directly to the FAA's site to view your medical registration.
Since we fly Robinson helicopters, you'll also find operating handbooks and maintenance manuals for the R22, R44 and R66 helicopters. Available for purchase or download, these documents review helicopter specs, safety instructions and more.
When you need to plan your next flight, visit the "Flight Planning Resources" for recommended apps and charts, including the ForeFlight app and the Aviation Weather Center provided by the National Weather Service.
For our flight students, we have a ton of test prep materials and handbooks direct from the FAA. If you're preparing for your private, commercial or CFI test, or just want to review flight training, we have links to the most up-to-date study resources available to purchase as well as downloadable versions of the FAA's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and Helicopter Flying Handbook.
You'll also find links to all the must-have pilot gear, including our Rogue store, and a pilot logbook and headsets from Sporty's.
Bookmark this site for easy access and stay connected to our blog and Instagram at @rogueaviation for more helpful tools and updates!


How thick is the bath and how long is it guaranteed for?
Great question, Jack. It's made of a 4mm sheet of acrylic and is guaranteed for 5 years.
Does this bath have a slope opposite the plug?
Hi Sally, the end opposite the plug does indeed have a slight slope.


MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – People are pumped for the NCAA Final Four to come to Minneapolis for its fourth time.
This year, the city will be transformed for the big weekend with a familiar tailgate area, Ferris wheel and first-rate musical performances by The Chainsmokers, The Jonas Brothers and Katy Perry.
But the weekend could not go smoothly without the help of 2,000 volunteers.
About 1,000 of them came to the Williams Arena on Sunday to get their bearings.
"The real recipe for the success of this NCAA Final Four is all about you," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told the audience.
During the gaming weekend, volunteers will be dispersed throughout the city on the main streets, the airport and on the road to help visitors find their way.
While some volunteers arrive from Omaha Nebraska, others are closer to the Twin Cities.
"I'm from Rushford, Minnesota," said Sonja Cook.
"I'm from Eyota, Minnesota," Su Spafford said.
For both of them, signing up was child's play as this is not their first round.
"I did the Super Bowl and I had so much fun, I decided again a great experience to show Minnesota," said Spafford.
"I volunteered for the Super Bowl and had a great experience. Funny to see everything and meet all the people and be part of the action," said Cook.
With a quick demonstration of the hands, it seemed that the vast majority of the volunteer crowd volunteered for the big soccer game last year.
For many, hosting sporting events is not just fun and games, it's a chance for Minnesota to be the protagonist.
"It shows people that Minnesota is not just flying over the land. We have so much to offer," said Cook.
"It really shows Minnesota and what we have. Not only in our area of the Twin Cities, but it reflects the entire state," said Spafford.
The Final Four weekend will be from Saturday 6 April to Monday 8 April.
For more information on the weekend and how to participate, click here.


This is a SAE Standard nut driver wrench set from MIP. For more than 30 years, MIP tools have ruled RC pit tables. Chosen by World Champions and hobbyists alike for their superior build quality, tool longevity, and all-American construction. With a new year comes a new era for MIP's tool line that, frankly put, just makes sense. MIP's all new nut drivers feature an all-steel construction that is nickel plated to perfection, the nickel plate process boosts the steel hardness level to that of your automotive grade tools; a whopping 70+ on the Rockwell scale! On the surface, you will notice these nut drivers are stubbier than traditional drivers, this characteristic allows for a better overall weight balance and reduces tool box space. At a glance you will be able to know exactly what size nut driver you are grabbing as each one has a special color-coded ring and etched sizing on the shank. The drivers also feature a slim hex wall and deep bore to ensure that you are able to get into the tightest of places and not worry about bottoming out on anything in the process!


Here are some facts about Canada for the traveler aspiring to conquer the great north.
Canada is the world's second-largest nation, not to mention one of the richest and most open-minded. However, the tolerance and hospitality of Canadians - which has become nearly as stereotypical as their association with maple syrup, hockey, and Molson - does not extend to miscreants. Those with a criminal history are almost always denied entry, and visitors caught engaging in illicit activities, from drug trafficking to hate-speak, are imprisoned and/or deported.
That being said, Canada is an exceptionally diverse and travel-friendly country, and runs the gamut from major metropolitan cities to snowy, uninhabited timber country.
Canada has a variety of fascinating cities to choose from; Quebec is known as much for its museums as for its contingent of French Separatist; Toronto, Canada's most populated city, is home to Rogers Center sports arena and the Hockey Hall of Fame; mild-weathered Vancouver hosts the major international film festival of its namesake and has a lively Chinatown sector; Among residents, Winnipeg is known as a particularly liberal-minded city and is known in and out of Canada for its thriving music scene; Montreal sports some world-class architecture; and Ottowa is the capital and political epicenter. Those seeking more wilderness would do well to travel North, towards national parks, wildlife-watching, and even ice-fishing.
Culinarily, outsiders often associate Canada with dishes like poutine, beaver tails, and tourtière. But Canada is so multicultural that its defining characteristics, food or otherwise, are difficult to nail down. Even many Canadians don't readily accept the idea of a "national identity", but rather identify themselves by the city or region they live in. Luckily, they're more than happy to accept curious and respectful tourists.


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Spellers represent face of America
We have blended enough, though, to make this a great nation, despite our flaws.
Spellers represent face of America We have blended enough, though, to make this a great nation, despite our flaws. Check out this story on commercialappeal.com: http://memne.ws/2lwc8Lt
Columnist Published 6:03 a.m. CT Feb. 19, 2017 | Updated 3:14 p.m. CT Feb. 19, 2017
Jerome Wright(Photo: Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal)Buy Photo
Kudos to Greater Memphis Spelling Bee champ Samuel Paul
I was one four judges for The Greater Memphis Spelling Bee last weekend.
It is a great, enriching experience to see all the spellers, their parents, siblings, other relatives and teachers pack into the Al Chymia Shrine Center of Shelby Oaks Drive.
And, watching the kids' expressions, strategies and gyrations as they spell the words is a lot of fun.
As I watched the 130-plus children sitting on the stage waiting for the bee to start, the journalist in me kicked in. I started thinking about President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban, which was knocked down by a federal appeals court.
I thought about the xenophobic phone calls, voice mails and emails that occasionally come my way.
I looked at all the kids:
The Moores, Jones, Millers and Harrises.
The Zhangs, Agrawals and Rodases and Noriegas.
The Thomases, Cateses, Stevensons and Williamses.
The Morales, Tounkaras, Akangbes and Duongs.
The Turners, Buchanans, Andersons and Coxes.
The Doucettes, Allis, Sashikumars and Noors.
The Franklins, Heards, Ellises and Stamms.
The Phams, Vigneshwarans, Fernandezes, Abdelnabis and the dozens of others, whose surnames that represent the ethnic diversity in our community and the United States. I thought about the American melting pot, the metaphor for a society where many different types of people blend together as one.
Samuel Paul, 14, the Memphis University School student, who won the Greater Memphis Bee, is of East Indian heritage. He will represent Greater Memphis at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the nation's capital this spring.
Melting Pot is kind of a cliché now and one that, as a society, we have not fully achieved. Given human nature, we probably never fully will.
What I saw on that stage was the face of America 30-35 years from now.
As longtime spelling bee director Mary Lou Brown told me last week, children who qualify for the bee represent kids who want to learn and like to read.
They have strong parental and family support, which researchers, educators and children's advocates say is so important in determining a child's success in school and life.
By 2050, they will be in their early or mid-40s, likely succeeding in a host of careers that enhance our well-being and quality of life.
Some will be movers and shakers in the communities where they make their homes.
By 2050, they will be established adults in a United States, where minorities will be the majority, according to projections by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The browning of America will be further aided by a growing number of mixed-race marriages. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of census data, in 2013, for example, a record-high 12 percent of newlyweds married someone of a different race.
At my age, it is doubtful I'll be around in 2050, and if am, I probably won't know I'm here.
It is likely that a lot of the folks who now harbor prejudices or racial hatred against people of color will have passed on, replaced by a generation or two of populace, because of America's changing demographics regarding people of color, will pretty much have to look beyond color to get along in the world.
I know some people, black and white, reading this think I'm full of it or that I'm being too much of a Pollyanna.
Maybe, I am.
But, as I watched the kids on that stage, all as American as apple pie, getting settled in before the spelling bee began, I thought "This is what America looks like, and will look more like in coming years."
And, that will be a good thing for all of us, including my three daughters.
Jerome Wright is editorial page editor for The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at jerome.wright@commercialappeal.com.
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Costa del Sol Named Best European Golf Destination
The Costa del Sol has been named as the best European golf destination by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO). The association involves 2,716 golf tour operators who control more than 87 per cent of golf holiday packages sold around the world and who invoice more than €2,100 million euros a year… golf resorts, hotels, golf courses, source market operators, airlines, tourism offices and business partners in a total of 105 countries.
The president of Costa del Sol Tourist Board, Elías Bendodo, has expressed his gratitude for the award, granted by the most important companies in the international tourist industry, declaring it "an honour for us to receive an award of such magnitude from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators".
The recognition of the Costa del Sol as the best European golf destination of the year "reaffirms our leadership, both nationally and internationally, endorsed by a range of more than 70 courses, almost 70% of those that exist in Andalusia", said Bendodo. "As a segment which has a direct and indirect economic impact of 1.400 million euros, Costa del Sol Tourist Board has considered golf a priority for several years, given our strategic approach to the management of seasonality. And now, thanks to this award, both the organisation, and the destination, have received a huge incentive to continue along these lines. At Costa del Sol Tourist Board we will continue to work, alongside our valued partners and industry members, to maximise the golfers' experience, thanks to the quality and quantity of our golf courses and resorts, together with excellent air connectivity, transport and hotel infrastructure and, of course, the multitude of leisure and entertainment services offered by the destination", added the president of the Tourist Board.
This recognition carries important weight within the tourism panorama, bearing in mind that those charged with bestowing it are the tour operators themselves, those with long-standing professional backgrounds and a vital knowledge of the sector and of the Costa del Sol's rival destinations.
The award was announced during the a gala dinner ceremony attended by more than 600 delegates and organised by the IAGTO within the framework of the International Golf Travel Market (IGTM), an exhibition founded by the association which this year was held from 15 to 18 October in Slovenia and where the Costa del Sol was present exhibiting its golf segment amenities and attractions.
Each year during the ceremony the association rewards the outstanding achievements of many emerging golf destinations and individual golf resorts, thus promoting the fulfilment of its primary objective: to raise industry-wide standards in the segment and help destinations position themselves better, not only to attract more business but also to ensure the best possible experiences for visiting golf travellers.
According to the founder and executive director of the association, Peter Walton, the IAGTO strives to provide information and create opportunities that help its members develop their business faster, with less effort and lower costs.
For the Costa del Sol, the award was the icing on the cake of its participation at the IGTM, one of the most highly recognised events in the golf sector, bringing together a total of 1,300 professionals in the golf travel industry from more than 65 countries each year. including 500 tourism providers in the sector, more than 400 golf tour operators collectively controlling 80 per cent of the world market in this tourism segment - plus around 100 international journalists.
During the fair, Tourism Costa del Sol promoted the destination in international markets through various activities and networking days, developing face-to-face meetings with key international tour operators attending the fair.
The organisation also organised "A Night with Costa del Sol Friends" on 14 October, a cocktail reception dinner at the Hotel Intercontinental in Ljubljana that brought together representatives of the Costa del Sol golf tourism sector attending the fair as well as major international operators.
This included a presentation of the participating companies, with a space provided for networking and developing future business and a flamenco music and dance show. The Costa del Sol intensified its promotion at the fair thanks to different branding actions at various stands and through the IAGTO.


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Nicolas Cotoner y de Oleza (Mallorca, 1608 – Málta, 1680. április 29.) spanyol nemes, a Jeruzsálemi Szent János Ispotályos Lovagrend 61. nagymestere, elődének testvére.

Élete
1608-ban született Mallorca szigetén Marc Antoni Cotoner i de Santmartí fiaként. 1625-ben lépett a rend tagjai közé, novíciátusát Máltán töltötte. Testvére halála után 1663-ban választották a rend nagymesterévé. Legnevezetesebb tette a Három Város körüli erődítések megépíttetése volt, amelyet róla azóta is Cottonera Lines néven ismernek. Ezután adta Bormla városának a Città Cottonera nevet. Ő bízta meg Mattia Preti festőt a Szent János-társkatedrális barokk díszítésének elkészítésével. 1674-ben anatómiai iskolát alapított a Sacra Infermeria (a rend kórháza Vallettában) keretei között, valamint ő fogalmazta meg olaszul a rend szabályzatát.

Források

További információk

Málta johannita nagymesterei
Spanyolok
Máltai lovagok
1608-ban született személyek
1680-ban elhunyt személyek

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A monthly newsletter from Work Rights Press – publisher of the most popular union-side labor law handbooks in the United States.
In recent years, many NLRB decisions have focused on coercive work rules. In both union and non-union workplaces standards, which may appear innocuous on their face, have been deemed to have a "chilling effect" on the willingness of employees to engage in concerted activities such as union organizing, job protests, and campaigns for better working conditions.
Under the NLRA unions, employees must file ULP charges within six months of employer misconduct. In the case of illegal work rules, employers often argue that the limitations period begins when the rule was originally promulgated or distributed. But the NLRB says coercive work rules are "continuing violations," allowing the union to file years thereafter – even if the rule has never been enforced.
An employer may be able to save a coercive work rule by clearly specifying that the standard does not apply to Section 7 activities. For example, the employer might add a sentence stating that "Nothing in this rule is intended to bar or deter employees from engaging in any activity protected by the NLRA." Few employers take up this option, perhaps because they are afraid to officially acknowledge that workers have rights to act in concert.
A union meeting on a new contract can leverage employer work rule violations by including a bargaining demand that the employer expunge its illegal standards. The union can then assert that any work stoppage it may engage in will be a ULP strike, barring the employer from hiring permanent replacements.
For more on this topic, read The Legal Rights of Union Stewards and No Contract, No Peace, both by labor lawyer Robert M. Schwartz. Available for $20 on the Work Rights Press website.


Liberum Capital reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Restore (LON:RST) in a research note published on Monday.
Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on RST. Peel Hunt restated a buy rating on shares of Restore in a research note on Tuesday, February 26th. Berenberg Bank reduced their price objective on Restore from GBX 620 ($8.10) to GBX 515 ($6.73) and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 14th.
Shares of RST opened at GBX 293 ($3.83) on Monday. Restore has a 12-month low of GBX 213 ($2.78) and a 12-month high of GBX 576.40 ($7.53). The firm has a market cap of $363.15 million and a P/E ratio of 23.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.90.
The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 6th will be given a GBX 4 ($0.05) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 6th. This is a positive change from Restore's previous dividend of $2.00. This represents a yield of 1.36%. Restore's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 0.31%.
In related news, insider Sharon Baylay bought 1,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 289 ($3.78) per share, with a total value of £5,057.50 ($6,608.52). Also, insider Charles Skinner bought 54,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 337 ($4.40) per share, for a total transaction of £183,665 ($239,990.85).


Armstrong and Mindermann write about a no free lunch theorem for inverse reinforcement learning (IRL): the same action can reflect many different combinations of values and (irrational) planning algorithms.
I think even assuming humans were fully rational expected utility maximizers, there would be an important underdetermination problem with IRL and with all other approaches that infer human preferences from their actual behavior. This is probably obvious if and only if it's correct, and I don't know if any non-straw people disagree, but I'll expand on it anyway.
Consider two rational expected utility maximizing humans, Alice and Bob.
Alice is, herself, a value learner. She wants to maximize her true utility function, but she doesn't know what it is, so in practice she uses a probability distribution over several possible utility functions to decide how to act.
If Alice received further information (from a moral philosopher, maybe), she'd start maximizing a specific one of those utility functions instead. But we'll assume that her information stays the same while her utility function is being inferred, and she's not doing anything to get more; perhaps she's not in a position to.
Bob, on the other hand, isn't a value learner. He knows what his utility function is: it's a weighted sum of the same several utility functions. The relative weights in this mix happen to be identical to Alice's relative probabilities.
Alice and Bob will act the same. They'll maximize the same linear combination of utility functions, for different reasons. But if you could find out more than Alice knows about her true utility function, then you'd act differently if you wanted to truly help Alice than if you wanted to truly help Bob.
So in some cases, it's not enough to look at how humans behave. Humans are Alice on some points and Bob on some points. Figuring out details will require explicitly addressing human moral uncertainty.


With each and every new novel, Dean Koontz raises the stakes—and the pulse rate—higher than any other author. Now, in what may be his most suspenseful and heartfelt novel ever, he brings us the story of an ordinary man whose extraordinary commitment to his wife will take him on a harrowing journey of adventure, sacrifice, and redemption to the mystery of love itself—and to a showdown with the darkness that would destroy it forever.
From its tense opening to its shattering climax, THE HUSBAND is a thriller that will hold you in its relentless grip for every twist, every shock, every revelation…until it lets you go, unmistakably changed. This is a Dean Koontz novel, after all. And there's no other experience quite like it.


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Artvoice
3 Ways New College Grads And Employers Can Achieve The Right Fit
By Kerry Alison Wekelo
As college seniors put the finishing touches on their academic careers, they're looking forward to finally entering the workforce with those hard-earned degrees in hand.
But for many of them, the first weeks and months at a new job could prove stressful and at times frustrating as they struggle to fit into their new company's culture.
"It's exciting to be fresh out of college and launching the career you dreamed about for four years," says Kerry Alison Wekelo, author of Culture Infusion: 9 Principles to Create and Maintain a Thriving Organizational Culture (www.kerryalison.com).
"Unfortunately, class work, internships and work studies may not have completely prepared these students for the pressures and expectations of fulltime employment. If they fail to adapt to the company culture, you can end up with low morale on the part of the employee, and disappointment from the employer that the new hire they were so excited about didn't work out."
Luckily, both the employee and employer can take steps to improve the odds that this first job out of college is a shining success, Wekelo says. Those steps include:
Make sure this is the right fit. The path to a smooth transition for an employee fresh out of college begins with the hiring process, Wekelo says. Both the employer and the prospective employee need to feel that this will be a good fit. Otherwise, one or both parties may soon experience regret. "Taking the time to find the exact match is well worth the time and energy," she says. "If you have any doubt, the answer is no."
Understand the importance of benefits. A new college graduate might be tempted to grab the first opportunity and not pay much attention to the benefits the company offers. But to avoid a form of new-employee buyer's remorse, they need to determine what benefits they consider a must and what's not a priority for them. At the same time, Wekelo says, a business can more successfully attract and keep the best people by offering a generous benefits package. Beyond retirement benefits, health benefits and paid time off, she says, other benefits could include educational opportunities and rewards programs.
Put a priority on wellness. It's important that employees know that their company doesn't only care about their work, but also cares about their health and happiness, Wekelo says. Meanwhile, those young employees accustomed to all-night parties and ramen-noodle diets need to understand that maintaining good mental and physical health translates into a more satisfying life at work. "If they take care of themselves – getting proper sleep, eating right, participating in hobbies that make them happy – they will perform better," Wekelo says. Employers can do their part by promoting wellness, perhaps by offering nutritional snacks instead of donuts during meetings, and encouraging exercise.
"The great thing from an employer's standpoint is that these steps will not only help with any recent college students," Wekelo says, "but also with all employees no matter how experienced they are."
About Kerry Alison Wekelo
Kerry Alison Wekelo (www.kerryalison.com) is managing director of human resources and operations for Actualize Consulting. She also is author of Culture Infusion: 9 Principles to Create and Maintain a Thriving Organizational Culture. Among her other accomplishments, Wekelo is a yoga teacher, life coach, award-winning author of children's books, and the founder of Zendoway, a company that encourages holistic wellness.
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These 9 creepy Iowa ghost stories will give you goosebumps
Katelyn Cheek
Special to the Register
Editor's note: This story was originally published in October 2016.
The October chill is here, bringing with it tales of spirits past.
From murders and tragic loss to evil and vengeful souls, Iowa has a darker side this time of year. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these stories will send shivers down your spine.
The Black Angel of Fairview Cemetery
Location: Council Bluffs
The skinny: The black winged statue stands with her right hand extended, as if she's inviting you closer. She is tall, overlooking the Fairview Cemetery in Council Bluffs. On a clear night, the fall breeze shakes the leaves from surrounding trees and squirrels dash across the graves. The statue is a memorial of Ruth Anne Dodge, who died in 1916. Just days before her unexpected passing, Mrs. Dodge told her daughters of an angel who kept appearing in her dreams. To honor their mother's memory, an angel statue was sculpted in bronze in 1920. Since then, the figure has turned a dark, lusterless black. Legend has it that the angel is cursed. If you look into her eyes at midnight, they say, prepare for death to soon follow.
Source:Omaha World Herald
The ghost of Stony Hollow Road
Location: North of Burlington
The skinny: A tale of a heartbroken woman named Lucinda is said to haunt Stony Hollow Road. According to legend, she was planning to meet the love of her life just outside of town to elope. The man, however, never showed. Heartbroken Lucinda committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. There are many reports of people seeing the ghost. Local urban legend also says that if you say her name three times she will appear, and if she drops a rose for you, you will die the following day.
Source: hauntedplaces.org
More:When is Beggars' Night 2021 in central Iowa?
The ghost of Lover's Leap
Location: Columbus Junction
The skinny: Myth has it that a young Native American girl threw herself from the original 1880 bridge into the ravine below, ending her life after learning that her lover died in battle. The woman is said to be buried below in the gorge, haunting the bridge. If you visit the bridge at night, you might hear the heartbroken woman crying.
Source: onlyinyourstate.com
Location: Cedar Rapids
The skinny: Coe College is said to be haunted by the ghost of a girl named Helen Roberts, who died Oct. 19, 1918. She was once a resident of Voorhees Hall and died during the influenza epidemic. Her spirit has now taken up residence inside of an old grandfather clock in the building where she once lived. It had been donated to the school by Helen's parents after her death. During the night, the spirit is said to appear beside student's beds, slam doors and pull the covers off the beds.
Source:Coe College
The children of Iron Hill
Location: Charles City
The skinny: Legend has it that a fiery 1920s train accident killed many of its passengers. One of the train cars was filled with orphan children, all of whom burned and perished in the crash. It is rumored that the ghostly children can still be heard crying and sometimes the smell of burning is reported. People have reported seeing the spirit of a little girl in a white dress wandering through the woods.
Source:iowahauntedhouses.com
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The ghost of George
Location: Clarion
The skinny: There is a legend about this old house in Clarion. They say if you go into the house, walk upstairs and take one of the old family photos home and sleep with it, that when you wake up, the photo will be gone. When you go back into the house, the photo will be back on the floor where you found it and there will be a dark figure in the picture. The figure's name is George and he will haunt you after you touch the photograph. They say that if you let him touch you, he will take a part of your soul.
Source:hauntedplaces.org
Location: Monticello
The skinny: Monticello is home to the 150-year-old Edinburgh Manor. The home is rumored to be haunted by a ghost named The Joker. The Joker is a violent spirit known to choke visitors. The manor was once a mental institution where at least 80 people are said to have died and buried there. Visitors have reported seeing ghostly figures and feeling strange presences.
Source: travelchannel.com
Independence State Hospital
The skinny: Built in 1873, the Independence State Hospital was used to hold alcoholics, geriatrics, drug addicts, the mentally ill and the criminally insane. On site, you can see the graveyard, hydrotherapy tubs and lobotomy equipment from the asylum's gruesome and dim past. The old part of the building is neglected due to the large amount of paranormal activity. Ghosts of former staff and patients are seen in the buildings and on the grounds. People have reported being touched and pushed by unseen forces along with voices, whispers and laughter. Doors open and close on their own and phantom footsteps are heard. Lights have also been known to flicker or simply turn on and off.
Source: hauntednorthamerica.org
Villisca Ax Murder House
Location: Villisca
The skinny: On the night of June 9, 1912, eight members of the Moore and Stillinger family were brutally murdered. The unknown assailant murdered them in their sleep with an ax. The killer was never found, though George Kelly, a traveling preacher, was tried and acquitted of the crime. In 2016, the house is empty, but the current owner opened it up for tours and paranormal investigations. Visitors have reported strange encounters including vanishing blood stains, feelings of evil presences, unknown green lights, chills, unseen touches, and ghostly voices.
Source: villiscaiowa.com
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