text:
Math and Arithmetic
The straight-line distance and direction between two points is called?
Displacement.
Asked in Geometry
What is the horizontal distance between called?
It is called the displacement in the horizontal direction.
Asked in Science, Geometry
The straight line distance and direction between two points are together called?
Distance is the scalar quantity which does not have any direction but the displacement is the both the distance and direction. Hence displacement is the vector quantity. So the answer for the above question is DISPLACEMENT
Asked in Physics
What is the direction distance berween between initial and final position of body?
That's called the body's " displacement ".
Asked in Physics, The Difference Between
What are the differences between distance and displacement?
displacement is the distance and direction from the starting point to wherever you stopped. distance is how much you traveled to get there. if you went back and forth 20 times that's your distance. that does not effect your displacement in the least. My Answer: Distance is the total length of the actual path between two points. Displacement is the length and direction of a straight line between starting and ending points. and other answer : distance the actual length or path between two position is a scalar called distance. it is represented by "s" or "D" its dimension is [L] displacement the shortest distance between two positions in a straight line is a vector called displacement. it is represented by "S" OR "D" its dimension is [L] and it includes a direction
What is the distance between from crest to trough in a wave called?
If you mean the distance along the direction of propagation, that's a half-wavelength. If you mean the distance perpendicular to propagation (i.e. the "height" of the wave), it's the amplitude.
Asked in Geology, Physics
What is the distance from trough to trough called?
The distance between a trough and a trough is the same as the distance between a crest and a crest. This distance is called the wavelength.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Distances and Travel Times, Units of Measure
What is a direction between the cardinal directions?
There are four cardinal directions -North -East -South -West The directions between the cardinal directions are called intermediate directions -The direction between North and East is called North-East -The direction between South and East is called South-East -The direction between South and West is called South-West -The direction between North and West is called North-West -RAD
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Units of Measure, Algebra, Geometry
What is the distance between two points called?
length The distance between two points is called the displacement.
Asked in Rules of the Road
What is the distance between vehicles called?
The following distance.
Asked in Science, Physics
What is a rate at which an object covers distance in a particular direction?
That is called velocity.
Asked in Planetary Science, The Moon, Stars
What is the minimum distance between the Sun and Earth called?
It's called minimum distance between the Sun and Earth.
Asked in Science
What is a changing distance between one object and another called?
When an object's distance or direction from another object is changing, it is called motion. there are a number of possibilities depending on the exact nature of the physics. relative velocity relative displacement relative acceleration
Asked in Math and Arithmetic
What is the shortest distance between two points called?
The shortest distance between any two points is called displacement.
What is The distance between two adjacent compressions in a wave called?
The distance between two adjacent compressions is called a wavelength
Asked in Units of Measure
The distance between two points?
The distance between two points is called the displacement.
Asked in Units of Measure, Physics
What is the distance between adjacent wave compressions called?
This distance is called the wave period.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Geometry
What is the distance between the endpoints of a semicircle?
This distance is called the diameter.
What is the rate an object covers distance in a paticular direction?
That is called the object's speed.
What is the distance between to point of the crest of a wave it is called what?
Distance between two adjacent crests or troughs of a wave is called wavelength.
What is the vertical distance between the trough and crest of a wave called?
The vertical distance between the trough and crest of a wave is called the peak-to-peak amplitude. Half of that distance is called the wave's peak amplitude.
Asked in Math and Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry
What is the name for the distance between two points?
That is simply called the "distance".
Asked in Distances and Travel Times
What is the distance between two different pitches called?
the distance is interval....
What is the distance between a circle called?
The longest distance in a circle is its diameter.
Asked in Electronics Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering
The distance between successive identical parts of a wave is called its?
The distance between successive identical parts of a wave is called the wave length.
What is a measure of motion as distance traveled per unit of time?
In physics, that is called:* Speed, when no direction is specified. * Velocity, when a direction IS specified.


text:
Mutual Funds Mutual Funds
BGF Dynamic High Income Fund BGF Dynamic High Income Fund
BSF Americas Diversified Equity Absolute Return Fund BSF Americas Diversified Equity Absolute Return Fund
iShares Edge S&P 500 Minimum Volatility UCITS ETF iShares Edge S&P 500 Minimum Volatility UCITS ETF
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BGF China Bond Fund
A2 (China OffShore Renminbi) (Accumulating) A2 (Swiss Franc) (Accumulating) A2 (U.S. Dollar) (Accumulating) A2 Hgd (U.S. Dollar) (Accumulating) A3 (China OffShore Renminbi) (Distributing) A3 (Hong Kong Dollar) (Distributing) A3 (U.S. Dollar) (Distributing) A6 (China OffShore Renminbi) (Distributing) A6 Hgd (Australian Dollar) (Distributing) A6 Hgd (British Pound) (Distributing) A6 Hgd (Canadian Dollar) (Distributing) A6 Hgd (Euro) (Distributing) A6 Hgd (Hong Kong Dollar) (Distributing) A6 Hgd (New Zealand Dollar) (Distributing) A6 Hgd (Singapore Dollar) (Distributing) A6 Hgd (U.S. Dollar) (Distributing) C2 (U.S. Dollar) (Accumulating) Class E5 Hedged (Euro) (Distributing) Class E8 Hedged (Euro) (Distributing) Class I6 (China OffShore Renminbi) (Distributing) D2 (China OffShore Renminbi) (Accumulating) D2 (U.S. Dollar) (Accumulating) D3 (U.S. Dollar) (Distributing) E2 (Euro) (Accumulating) E2 Hgd (Euro) (Accumulating) E5 (Euro) (Distributing) I2 (China OffShore Renminbi) (Accumulating) I2 (Euro) (Accumulating) I2 (U.S. Dollar) (Accumulating) I3 (U.S. Dollar) (Distributing) X2 (U.S. Dollar) (Accumulating)
NAV as of Jan 19, 2022 GBP 8.79
1 Day NAV Change as of Jan 19, 2022 0.03 (0.34%)
The Fund aims to maximize the return on your investment through a combination of capital growth and income on the Fund's assets. The Fund invests globally at least 70% of its total assets in fixed income (FI) securities issued or distributed either inside or outside of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and denominated in Renminbi or other non Chinese domestic currencies. These include bonds and money market instruments (i.e. debt securities with short term maturities) which may be issued by governments, government agencies, companies and supranationals (e.g. the Asian Development Bank). The Fund may invest in the full range of FI securities which may include investments with a relatively low credit rating or which are unrated.
BGF China Bond Fund (GBP)
Share Class and Benchmark performance displayed in GBP. Source: BlackRock. Performance is shown on a Net Asset Value (NAV) basis, with gross income reinvested. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
Annualized
- - - 5.28 -5.00
-5.00 - - - 0.09
-5.00 -0.56 -3.64 -5.00 - - - 0.20
The performance quoted represents past performance and does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted.
Size of Fund (Millions) as of Jan 19, 2022 RMB 50,650.677
12m Trailing Yield as of Dec 31, 2021 5.63
Base Currency China OffShore Renminbi
Fund Inception Date Nov 11, 2011
Share Class Inception Date Nov 27, 2019
Asset Class Fixed Income
Morningstar Category -
Ongoing Charge 0.98%
Bloomberg Ticker BGRA6GH
Annual Management Fee 0.75%
SEDOL BJN4X79
Minimum Initial Investment GBP 5000
Minimum Subsequent Investment GBP 1000
To be included in MSCI ESG Fund Ratings, 65% of the fund's gross weight must come from securities with ESG coverage by MSCI ESG Research (certain cash positions and other asset types deemed not relevant for ESG analysis by MSCI are removed prior to calculating a fund's gross weight; the absolute values of short positions are included but treated as uncovered), the fund's holdings date must be less than one year old, and the fund must have at least ten securities. For newly launched funds, Sustainability Characteristics are typically available 6 months after launch. MSCI Ratings are currently unavailable for this fund.
MSCI - Controversial Weapons as of Dec 31, 2021 0.00%
MSCI - UN Global Compact Violators as of Dec 31, 2021 0.00%
MSCI - Nuclear Weapons as of Dec 31, 2021 0.00%
MSCI - Thermal Coal as of Dec 31, 2021 0.50%
MSCI - Civilian Firearms as of Dec 31, 2021 0.00%
MSCI - Oil Sands as of Dec 31, 2021 0.00%
MSCI - Tobacco as of Dec 31, 2021 0.00%
Business Involvement Coverage as of Dec 31, 2021 53.88%
Percentage of Fund not covered as of Dec 31, 2021 45.89%
The Fund manager includes environmental, social and governance considerations across all steps of the investment process. In the initial idea generation and credit research process this includes an assessment of each company's positive ESG attributes or material risks and the use of internal sovereign or corporate ESG due diligence templates alongside third-party ESG data. Positive ESG attributes and material ESG risks and their potential financial impact are highlighted in credit research reports and may influence investment decisions and security selection by portfolio managers. From a top-down perspective, the Fund manager also reviews ESG aggregate portfolio metrics through BlackRock's Aladdin system. The Fund manager also considers environmental, social and governance criteria during portfolio monitoring and conducts regular portfolio risk reviews between the investment team and BlackRock's Risk and Quantitative Analysis group. These reviews include the analysis and discussion of portfolio exposure to material ESG risks.
Low Yield High Yield
CHINA CONSTRUCTION BANK CORP RegS 3.45 08/10/2031 2.94
CHINA NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORP MTN 2.99 03/23/2025 2.36
CHINA DEVELOPMENT BANK 3.65 05/21/2029 1.81
BANK OF CHINA LTD RegS 4.2 09/21/2030 1.27
INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL BANK OF 4.15 11/16/2030 1.17
BANK OF COMMUNICATIONS CO LTD RegS 3.65 09/27/2031 1.07
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT BANK OF C 3.74 07/12/2029 1.01
BANK OF CHINA LTD RegS 4.15 03/19/2031 0.99
Allocations subject to change.
A6 Hgd GBP Monthly 8.79 0.03 0.34 9.95 8.75 - LU2077746779 - -
D2 CNH Accumulating 101.84 0.35 0.34 107.47 101.42 - LU0827885731 - -
Class I6 CNH Monthly 96.64 0.34 0.35 105.73 96.23 - LU1940842344 - -
Class E8 Hedged EUR Monthly 9.13 0.03 0.33 10.07 9.09 - LU2252214130 - -
I3 USD Monthly 10.56 0.05 0.48 11.28 10.51 - LU1648248299 - -
A6 Hgd USD Monthly 9.05 0.03 0.33 10.24 9.02 - LU1847653141 - -
A2 Hgd USD Accumulating 10.03 0.03 0.30 10.76 9.99 - LU2070343392 - -
A3 CNH Monthly 69.13 0.24 0.35 74.75 68.85 - LU0679941160 - -
Class E5 Hedged EUR Quarterly 8.96 0.03 0.34 10.04 8.92 - LU2038736463 - -
E5 EUR Quarterly 10.76 0.07 0.65 11.16 10.53 - LU2038736380 - -
A6 Hgd SGD Monthly 9.02 0.03 0.33 10.19 8.98 - LU1847653497 - -
A2 USD Accumulating 15.95 0.08 0.50 16.64 15.82 - LU0679941327 - -
I2 EUR - 17.79 0.12 0.68 18.28 16.81 - LU2011139461 - -
I2 USD Accumulating 20.18 0.09 0.45 21.02 20.00 - LU1588882974 - -
E2 EUR Accumulating 17.32 0.12 0.70 17.82 16.51 - LU0764816798 - -
D3 USD Monthly 10.94 0.05 0.46 11.67 10.89 - LU0683067952 - -
A6 Hgd AUD Monthly 8.90 0.03 0.34 10.08 8.86 - LU1852331039 - -
A6 Hgd EUR Monthly 8.46 0.02 0.24 9.65 8.43 - LU1847653224 - -
A6 Hgd NZD Monthly 8.85 0.03 0.34 10.00 8.82 - LU2077746340 - -
A6 Hgd CAD Monthly 8.85 0.03 0.34 10.01 8.81 - LU2077746696 - -
A2 CHF Accumulating 14.61 0.08 0.55 15.31 14.39 - LU0969580058 - -
D2 USD Accumulating 16.04 0.08 0.50 16.72 15.89 - LU0719319435 - -
A2 CNH Accumulating 101.27 0.35 0.35 107.01 100.85 - LU0679940949 - -
C2 USD Accumulating 14.06 0.07 0.50 14.76 13.98 - LU0683062482 - -
A3 USD Monthly 10.88 0.05 0.46 11.62 10.83 - LU0679941673 - -
I2 CNH Accumulating 128.16 0.44 0.34 135.17 127.63 - LU1574463128 - -
A3 HKD Monthly 84.81 0.39 0.46 90.18 84.42 - LU0690034276 - -
A6 Hgd HKD Monthly 88.82 0.30 0.34 100.58 88.47 - LU1963769176 - -
E2 Hgd EUR Accumulating 10.18 0.04 0.39 11.06 10.14 - LU0803752129 - -
X2 USD - 12.70 0.06 0.47 13.21 12.57 - LU1733225855 - -
A6 CNH Monthly 96.50 0.33 0.34 106.15 96.10 - LU1852330734 - -
Artur Piasecki
Eric Liu, CFA, FRM
Portfolio Manager, BlackRock Asian Fixed Income and Credit
Eric Liu, Director, is the portfolio manager at Blackrock responsible for managing the China Bond Fund as well as leading the China onshore fixed income investment team.
Prior to joining BlackRock in 2016, Mr. Liu was a PM at Aberdeen Asset Management in Singapore, responsible for co-managing Asia Credit Funds and conducting investment analysis on Asia credits. Previously, he held a variety of positions covering public debt, private debt, private equity as well as structured finance product.
Mr. Liu holds an MBA from Insead in Finance and earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Nanyang Technological University. Mr. Liu is a CFA and FRM charterholder.
Suanjin Tan
Yii Hui Wong
Terms & Conditions Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Privacy Policy Business Continuity Business Continuity Contact Us Contact Us EMT Application Form EMT Application Form
Carefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risk factors, and charges and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Funds' prospectuses or, if available, the summary prospectuses which may be obtained by visiting the iShares ETF and BlackRock Mutual Fund prospectus pages. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.
The fund invests a large portion of assets which are denominated in other currencies; hence changes in the relevant exchange rate will affect the value of the investment. Compared to more established economies, the value of investments in developing Emerging Markets may be subject to greater volatility due to differences in generally accepted accounting principles or from economic or political instability. The fund invests in fixed interest securities issued by companies which, compared to bonds issued or guaranteed by governments, are exposed to greater risk of default in the repayment of the capital provided to the company or interest payments due to the fund. The fund investments may be subject to liquidity constraints, which means that shares may trade less frequently and in small volumes, for instance smaller companies. As a result, changes in the value of investments may be more unpredictable. In certain cases, it may not be possible to sell the security at the last market price quoted or at a value considered to be fairest. The fund invests in fixed interest securities such as corporate or government bonds which pay a fixed or variable rate of interest (also known as the 'coupon') and behave similarly to a loan. These securities are therefore exposed to changes in interest rates which will affect the value of any securities held.
Important Information This material is solely for educational purposes, and does not constitute investment advice, or an offer or solicitation to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any shares of any fund (nor shall any such shares be offered or sold to any person) in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of that jurisdiction. This material is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution would be unlawful under the securities laws of such. Performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment returns and principal values may fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than that shown. All returns assume reinvestment of all dividend and capital gain distributions. Index performance is shown for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly in an index. Certain funds mentioned here are registered for distribution in Spain. Additionally, certain funds are registered for distribution in Portugal. In Spain, BlackRock Global Funds (BGF) is registered with the number 140 in the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores de España (CNMV) and the Prospectus for each registered fund has been registered with the CNMV. In Portugal, certain share classes of certain BGF funds are registered with the Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários (CMVM) and the Prospectus for each registered fund has been registered with the CMVM. The funds mentioned in this material have not been registered with the securities regulators of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay or any other securities regulator in any Latin American country and thus, may not be publicly offered in any such countries, except for Chile where certain BGF sub-funds have been registered with the Superintendencia de Valores y Seguros for public offering. No securities regulator in any country within Latin America, Spain or Portugal has confirmed the accuracy of any information contained herein. All financial investments involve an element of risk. Therefore, the value of your investment and the income from it will vary and your initial investment amount cannot be guaranteed. BlackRock Global Funds (BGF) is an open-ended investment company established in Luxembourg which is available for sale in certain jurisdictions only. BGF is not available for sale in the U.S. or to U.S. persons. Product information concerning BGF should not be published in the U.S. Not all of the listed share classes are available in every jurisdiction. Investment in some share classes may be also limited to certain types of investors as set out in each fund's Prospectus. Please contact your financial advisor for more information. BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited is the UK distributor of BGF. Most of the protections provided by the UK regulatory system, and the compensation under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, will not be available. A limited range of BGF sub-funds have a reporting fund status A sterling share class that seeks to comply with UK Reporting Fund Status requirements. Unless indicated the fund information displayed only provides summary information. Subscriptions in BGF are valid only if made on the basis of the current Prospectus, the most recent financial reports and the Key Investor Information Document, which are available on BlackRock's website. Prospectuses, Key Investor Information Documents and application forms may not be available to investors in certain jurisdictions where the fund in question has not been authorised. Issued by BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited (authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority). Registered office: 12 Throgmorton Avenue, London, EC2N 2DL. Registered in England No. 2020394. Tel: 020 7743 3000. Tel: 020 7743 3000. For your protection, telephone calls are usually recorded. BlackRock is a trading name of BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited. © 2014 BlackRock, Inc. All Rights reserved. BLACKROCK, BLACKROCK SOLUTIONS, iSHARES, SO WHAT DO I DO WITH MY MONEY, INVESTING FOR A NEW WORLD, and BUILT FOR THESE TIMES are registered and unregistered trademarks of BlackRock, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and elsewhere. All other trademarks are those of their respective owners.
Index returns are for illustrative purposes only. Index performance returns do not reflect any management fees, transaction costs or expenses. Indexes are unmanaged and one cannot invest directly in an index. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Certain sectors and markets perform exceptionally well based on current market conditions and iShares Funds can benefit from that performance. Achieving such exceptional returns involves the risk of volatility and investors should not expect that such results will be repeated.
The iShares Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold or promoted by Bloomberg, BlackRock Index Services, LLC, Cohen & Steers, European Public Real Estate Association ("EPRA® "), FTSE International Limited ("FTSE"), ICE Data Indices, LLC, NSE Indices Ltd, JPMorgan, JPX Group, London Stock Exchange Group ("LSEG"), MSCI Inc., Markit Indices Limited, Morningstar, Inc., Nasdaq, Inc., National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT"), Nikkei, Inc., Russell or S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. None of these companies make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Funds. With the exception of BlackRock Index Services, LLC, who is an affiliate, BlackRock Investments, LLC is not affiliated with the companies listed above.
Neither FTSE nor NAREIT makes any warranty regarding the FTSE NAREIT Equity REITS Index, FTSE NAREIT All Residential Capped Index or FTSE NAREIT All Mortgage Capped Index; all rights vest in NAREIT. Neither FTSE nor NAREIT makes any warranty regarding the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Real Estate ex-U.S. Index, FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Europe Index or FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global REIT Index; all rights vest in FTSE, NAREIT and EPRA."FTSE®" is a trademark of London Stock Exchange Group companies and is used by FTSE under license.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


1 :: What is benchmarking?
A technique employed to help with deciding which software package to select.
2 :: What are the three main reasons why a GIS implementation might fail, according to Eason (1994)?
3 :: In a cost/benefit analysis, which of the following formula are correct?
4 :: Which of the following best described the CGIS?
5 :: Which of the following may be considered strategic applications of GIS?
6 :: Which of the following may be considered operational applications of GIS?
7 :: What is meant by corporate GIS?
8 :: Which of the following are recognized implementation methods?
9 :: In 1994, the most frequent users of GIS were in government and education.
10 :: Operational GIS applications are concerned with the distribution of resources to gain competitive advantage.


The egg moves for Lumineon are listed below, alongside compatible parent Pokémon it can breed with.
You will need to breed a female Lumineon with a compatible male Pokémon, with either parent knowing the egg move in question. Alternatively, if you already have a Lumineon with the egg move it can breed with Ditto.


text:
Q: Tesseract doesn't recognize clean image I have two images from a game and would like to recognize the number on them.
I'm using the newest tesseract version (tesseract v5.2.0.20220708) for windows 10.
So the raw image looks like this:

After processing it with the code below I get this result, which looks pretty good:

Tesseract recognizes this pretty accurately, but when the number in the image is smaller like in this raw image:

or rather the cleaned version of this

For this image, it doesn't recognize anything and I'm not sure why.
This code I use for cleaning the image
def _prepare_image_for_ocr(img, lower_val, upper_val):
    # Create a mask so all non white pixels get "removed"
    hsv_image = cv2.cvtColor(img, cv2.COLOR_RGB2HSV)
    white_mask = cv2.inRange(hsv_image, lower_val, upper_val)

    # Use a little bit of morphology to clean the mask
    # Set kernel (structuring element) size
    kernel_size = 3
    # Set morph operation iterations
    op_iterations = 1
    # Get the structuring element
    morph_kernel = cv2.getStructuringElement(cv2.MORPH_RECT, (kernel_size, op_iterations))
    # Perform closing and return
    return cv2.morphologyEx(white_mask, cv2.MORPH_OPEN,morph_kernel, None, None, op_iterations, cv2.BORDER_REFLECT101)

# Lower and upper val for the first image
lower_val = np.array([30, 30, 30])
upper_val = np.array([255, 255, 255])

# upper val for the second image which needs a bit different values
# upper_val = np.array([230, 230, 230])

# cropped_image is the input RGB image

# Convert to the gray-scale
gry = cv2.cvtColor(cropped_image, cv2.COLOR_RGB2GRAY)

white_mask = _prepare_image_for_ocr(cropped_image, lower_val, upper_val)

# Invert the gray image so we can use it with the mask
inverted_gray = (255 - gry)

# Use the inverted gray image with the white mask to get the white pixels
color_mask = cv2.add(inverted_gray, white_mask)

# blur
blur = cv2.GaussianBlur(color_mask, (0, 0), sigmaX=33, sigmaY=33)

# divide
divide = cv2.divide(color_mask, blur, scale=255)

# Binarize the image
_, binarized_gray = cv2.threshold(divide, 0, 255, cv2.THRESH_OTSU)
cv2.imshow("blur", blur)
cv2.imshow("color_mask", color_mask)
cv2.imshow("divide", divide)
cv2.imshow("binarized_gray", binarized_gray)
cv2.waitKey(1)

# Define custom config for better or

# The digits is a config file that just defines the possible characters as 01233456789
custom_config = r"--psm 8 digits"

cv2.imshow("result image", binarized_gray)
cv2.waitKey(1)

# Do the ocr
result = pytesseract.image_to_string(binarized_gray, lang='eng', config=custom_config)

print(result)

I tried:

*

*different lower/upper values

*enlarging the image

*using different models, including one specifically for digits

*different psm modes

A: Better you can go with easyocr.I had tried OCR for the raw images that you given above without any preprocessing.
import easyocr
reader = easyocr.Reader(['en'], gpu=False)
result = reader.readtext('2.png')
for detection in result:
    print(detection)

the output for first image is,
([[169, 1], [286, 1], [286, 37], [169, 37]], '161441', 0.744929857940604)

the output for second image is,
([[106, 0], [141, 0], [141, 32], [106, 32]], '91', 0.7728322907607116)

You can install easyocr by pip install easyocr. I hope this will helpful for you.

A: You can go with keras-ocr then
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import keras_ocr

pipeline = keras_ocr.pipeline.Pipeline()

images = [
    keras_ocr.tools.read('/content/1.png')
]

prediction_groups = pipeline.recognize(images)
for i, data in enumerate(prediction_groups):
    print(data)

the output for first image is
[('161', array([[174.,   4.],
       [222.,   4.],
       [222.,  34.],
       [174.,  34.]], dtype=float32)), ('441', array([[231.,   5.],
       [285.,   5.],
       [285.,  34.],
       [231.,  34.]], dtype=float32))]

the output for second image is
[('91', array([[109.,   3.],
       [140.,   3.],
       [140.,  29.],
       [109.,  29.]], dtype=float32))]

This doesn't cause opencv-python conflicts.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Get Over It: Blake Shelton's Message To Snubbed Friends
Jul 30, 2021 @ 10:46am
Blake Shelton says he's been having "awkward" conversations with friends who feel snubbed after not being invited to his wedding earlier this month. Shelton spoke with Storme Warren on SiriusXM saying, "So I've had awkward conversations with so many of my friends since [the wedding]. He told friends, "You know, I was like, 'Listen, you know, we kept it small, get over it, you know, it's not about you." 40 guests attended Blake and Gwen's wedding and the newlyweds hope to get in some "quiet time" before jetting off for a honeymoon. Did some of your friends not make the wedding guest list? How did you handle the conversations with them that followed?
Blake Shelton Gwen Stefani


text:
Andrew Gray (augustus 1633 - 8 februari 1656) was een Schots presbyteriaans predikant. Door de leden van de bevindelijk gereformeerde kerken in Nederland worden de preken van Gray nog veel gelezen en staat hij bekend als zogenaamde Oudvader. Andrew Gray stierf al op zeer jonge leeftijd.

Levensloop
Gray werd geboren in Edinburgh in 1633. Hij was het elfde kind van een talrijk gezin. Aan de universiteiten van St Andrews en Edinburgh ontving hij zijn theologische opleiding. Toen hij nog maar even in de twintig was, werd hij op 3 november 1653 bevestigd als predikant van de gemeente van Glasgow, in de Outer High Church. Aanvankelijk maakten enkelen bezwaar tegen de leeftijd van de jonge predikant, maar dat bezwaar viel weg toen bleek dat hij zijn ambt zeer getrouw vervulde. Van alle kanten stroomde men toe naar de plaats waar Gray preekte.

Slechts drie jaren was hij predikant. Op zijn sterfbed schreef hij nog een brief aan Lord Warristoun: Ik ben zeer zwak, met zware koorts en heb gedurende zeven nachten zo goed als niets geslapen, onder zeer zware kwellingen van Zijn hand, met vele treurige bijzonderheden en omstandigheden. Ik zal niet meer zeggen dan, dat ik in bijzondere opzichten de uwe ben en naar ik hoop, mag ik zeggen, stervende in Christus. Na een korte ziekte stierf hij in 1656 op de leeftijd van 22 jaar en 6 maanden.

Preken
Na het overlijden van Gray verschenen zijn preken in diverse bundels. In de 19e eeuw werden al zijn preken in 2 bundels uitgegeven. The Works of the Rev. Andrew Gray (Aberdeen, 1839) bevat 48 preken. In het voorwoord maakt de uitgever melding van een bijzondere vondst: Een deel van Grays preken waren door zijn vrouw in steno opgenomen. Het manuscript was inmiddels gevonden en hiervan zijn een deel van de preken herdrukt. Deze 48 preken zijn getrouw vertaald en in het Nederlands verschenen tussen 1912-1926, met diverse herdrukken.

 De verborgenheid des geloofs ontsloten (9 preken)
 Grote en dierbare beloften (9 preken)
 Aansporing tot het gebed (9 preken)
 De geestelijke strijd en geestelijke vergenoeging (10 preken)
 Avondmaalspreken (11 preken)

Een andere bundel, Select Sermons of Mr. Andrew Gray (Edinburgh, 1765 en Falkirk, 1792), bevat 49 preken.

 De Christen in volle wapenrusting (6 preken)
 De Roos van Saron (6 preken)
 Wakende aan Zijn poorten (7 preken)
 De Overste Leidsman (6 preken)
 Uitnemende openbaringen (7 preken)
 Driemaal gebeden (8 preken)
 De biddende Hogepriester (9 preken)

Brits predikant
Schots schrijver
Schots geestelijke
Calvinistisch persoon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Dizmas je křesťanská rocková kapela, která vznikla v Lancasteru v Kalifornii.

Historie
Nick Aranda, Clayton Hunt a bratři Zach a Josh Zeganovi spolu začali hrát v roce 1998, když jako dospívající navštěvovali Desert Christian High School. Později se k nim přidal i Jon Howard, který pochází z Mechanicsburgu v Pensylvánii.

Společně nahráli album On a Search In America, které vyšlo 21. června 2005. Jonův mladší bratr Joey se k Dizmas přidal v roce 2006, ale na nic nehrál, pouze kapele pomáhal. Druhé album vyšlo v roce 2007 a nese název Tension, třetí album vyšlo v roce 2008. V roce 2008 poprvé spolupracovali na křesťanském pořadu Exit 316: Mise, kdy jezdili po České republice na EXIT Tour po různých městech a hráli své nové album. V roce 2009 se kapela kvůli sólovým dráhám rozpustila, a zpěvák Zach poskládal novou kapelu pro hraní na EXIT Tour 2009 v České republice. V roce 2011 (2. listopadu) hráli na EXIT Tour v Prešově, jediném vystoupení na Slovensku. V roce 2013 opět hráli na EXIT Tour v několika městech ČR, např. v Liberci a v Praze. V prosinci 2013 přerušili činnost kapely na neurčito, aby se věnovali jiným projektům.

Členové

Současní členové
 Zach Zegan – zpěv
 Jake Goff – kytara
 Jaime Hays – bicí
 Jéňa Pospíšil – baskytara
 Tomáš Samiec – kytara

Bývalí členové
 Jonathan Howard – kytara
 Clayton Hunt – bicí
 Nick Aranda – baskytara
 Josh Zegan – kytara, doplňující zpěv

Discography
Studiová alba
 On a Search in America (2005)
 Tension (2007)
 Dizmas (2008)

EP
 Redemption, Passion, Glory (2006)
 The Between EP (2000)

Kompilace
 Stereocilia Vol. 1 (2006)

Reference

Externí odkazy
 Oficiální stránky Dizmas
 Oficiální blog Dizmas
 MySpace Dizmas

Křesťanské hudební skupiny


I am writing to you on the latest on John Bish�s health.
I know one of my ex-co-workers was a friend of the Bish family and grew up in West Warren where she has family. This is a tough time, since we are heading up to the seventh anniversary of Molly Bish�s disappearance and just past the fourth anniversary of her remains being found.
I would like to keep Mrs. Bish and her children in my thoughts and prayers and for Mr. Bish to have a speedy recovery.


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NC5 Investigates
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Man Charged With Kidnapping, Sexual Assault Of Florida Girl
HARTFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- A 23-year-old man who told police he entered the United States illegally from Mexico has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 13-year-old Florida girl.
The Van Buren County sheriff's office in southwestern Michigan says Aurelio Hernandez-Gomez was arraigned Friday in South Haven.
The girl was last seen Tuesday and reported missing to the Polk County sheriff's office in Florida.
Police learned she was at a home in Hartford Township, southwest of Grand Rapids. Authorities in Michigan found the girl and Hernandez-Gomez in the home.
Hernandez-Gomez faces extradition and a hearing Wednesday in South Haven District Court.
The girl was placed in protective custody while arrangements were being made to return her to her family.


The weaving has one single weft against one warp creating soft fluttering fabric. This is very light weight, comfortable to wear, suitable for making shirt, blouse, loose looking skirt and light weight clothing design.
The weaving has double weft against one warp creating a firmer fabric, strong and a little more stiffs, suitable for formal wears, jackets, and dressy outfits.


I'll admit it. I'm a bit of a Grinch this holiday season. And I fully embrace my Grinchy-ness. Sometimes, we need to separate ourselves from the joy and merriment that overwhelms the season. All that singing, noise-making, jingle-belling. E. Nuf. Bring on the seasonal schadenfreude.
So, I completely support where the grumpy green one is coming from. And in the musical version of the Dr. Seuss classic penned by Timothy Mason (book and lyrics) and Mel Marvin (music), we have the larger-than-life Stefan Karl as Mr. Grinch. Karl delivers the grand, menacing, campy performance we all expect – a mean one whom we love to hate, but eventually learn to love. He's scary but scarred. Angry but anguished.
In addition to Karl, we have angelic-voiced Jenna Iacono as Cindy-Lou Who, who, just like the Grinch, managed to melt my heart. I also found her bio a joy: she's working on her black belt in Tae Kwon Do and wishes to work with Robert Downey, Jr. In other words, she's my kind of Who.
Aside from Karl and Iacono, this musical adaptation, directed by Matt August, is as stiff and one-dimensional as its sets (by John Lee Beatty). Yes, we gain some additional insight into the Grinch's Machiavellian motivations, and the telling of the tale by the Grinch's trusty hound Max (the appealing Bob Lauder) as a sort of memory play are smart and welcome additions, but, for a 90-minute one-act, there's a lot of fluff (not unlike the stuff pumped from the Caddy Palace's ceilings in the final moments to remind us that Christmas=snow).
I mean, the Whos are merely an incessantly joyous device for the Grinch to react to. And, well, aside from Cindy-Lou, they're all kind of annoying. The only creature with any real passion — misguided or not — is the Grinch. So when the Grinch does become (spoiler!) a jolly fellow, you feel his heart has been sucked dry, rather than filled three times bigger.
While kids and families seemed to enjoy themselves, I say save your cash and revisit the book or beloved cartoon with a cup of (spiked) eggnog.


Net-neutrality is the principle that Internet Service Providers (ISPs, the companies that connect you to the Internet) must treat all data the same way. This means that any condition they impose on their service, such as price, speed, or other limits, cannot be based on the websites, apps, or online services you choose to use.
You may not be aware but the Internet is much more than just websites - all the apps and online services you use are possible thanks to the Internet. This includes: email, instant messaging, maps and directions, video & audio streaming, file transfer, video calls, etc.
You can think of your Internet connection as the road that connects your home to the highway - your ISP would be the owner of that road and you pay them for using it.
With net-neutrality you can use any website, app, and online service you choose, all at the same speed and price. Using the road analogy, what you pay for using it is always the same regardless of your final destination at the end of your trip.
Until now ISPs have offered packages at different prices based on criteria such as speed, data transfer caps, and number of devices. This is equivalent to paying different prices on a toll road based on the number of times you drive the road, and the size of your vehicle.
This level playing field is what enabled innovation and competition on the Internet. Anyone can create a new website, app, or online service, and they can be reached and used by anyone connected to the Internet.
Without net-neutrality ISPs will be allowed to create packages that may discriminate based on the websites, apps, and online services you use. ISPs may apply conditions to specific websites or online services such as blocking access, slowing down the speed, or charging extra fees to you or the website owner.
Comcast could create a package where Hulu (a company partially owned by Comcast) is the only video streaming service available. If you want to to access Netflix or YouTube (or any other video streaming service) you need a more expensive package.
Verizon could create a package where you need to pay an additional per minute fee for calls or video calls that you make using Facetime or Skype.
These kinds of Internet packages are not just the construct of imagination - they are starting to appear in parts of the world where there are no net-neutrality regulations, and here in the U.S. since the early 2000s there have been several legal battles around ISPs blocking or slowing down lawful websites or online services. Without net-neutrality, large and entrenched companies could pay ISPs to get preferential treatment, or ISPs could just give preferential treatment to their own websites and online services. Other websites, apps, and online services would be unable to compete in this new environment unless they have significant financial resources.
ISPs are the gatekeepers of the Internet and there are great incentives for them to start using their position in creative ways to extract more profit.
Most ISPs are integrated with other businesses or owned by large conglomerates that can greatly benefit by having preferential treatment over their competitors. They usually offer phone service (landline, cellular, and VoIP), television and movies (broadcast, cable, and streaming), e-mail, and home security - all businesses that have suffered competitive pressure from Internet startups.
In addition to that, the online economy has grown explosively - it is estimated that the Internet contributed 5.4% of the US economy in 2016 - about $1 trillion, a 46% growth from 2010. Over 80% of Americans use the Internet (close to 100% for ages 18 to 50) for all types of activities, from the trivial to the transcendental. We use the Internet to send jokes, search and apply for jobs, read the news, and manage our finances, while businesses cannot fathom operating or competing without access to the Internet.
ISPs argument against net-neutrality regulations is that these new types of packages will allow them to provide cheaper access to the Internet to consumers. It is true that ISP may be able to offer discounted packages, but users will not have access to the full Internet, only a watered-down, limited, and biased version of the Internet. This is particularly concerning given the already low level of competition among ISPs: one-third of Americans have only one ISP available in their area, and another third have only two ISPs to choose from.
The Internet has become a must-have in our lives, not unlike electricity or water... or roads. In our view, it is not difficult to see the importance of ensuring that anyone connected to the Internet has the freedom to unfettered access to all websites, apps, and online services.
In 2015, the FCC enacted net-neutrality regulations on ISPs. On November 21, 2017, the FCC announced plans to repeal net-neutrality regulations. A vote is scheduled for December 14, 2017 when the 5-member FCC panel will decide on the matter.
"I am asking you to contact FCC Chairman and demand he abandon the current plan to repeal net-neutrality regulations."


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Pack signs Branting
The Colorado State University-Pueblo women's basketball team, off to a 4-0 start this season, has signed one of the top prep basketball standouts in the state, Dakota Ridge High School's Jenelle Branting.
Branting, a 5-foot-8 guard out of Littleton, has been on Dakota Ridge teams which have reached the Sweet 16 of the Class 5A Colorado State Tournament each of her three years in school.
In the past two seasons at Dakota Ridge, Branting showed her ability to run the offense and be a monster in the transition game. She was among the team leaders in assists and steals both seasons, and is one of the better all-around players in the 5A Jefferson County Conference.
Branting will follow in the footsteps of fellow Dakota Ridge alums Lindsay Black and Jonnie Draper, current CSU-Pueblo players. Pack assistant coach Leslie Haywood is also a Dakota Ridge alum.
"Jennelle comes out of a very good program and we have had some good success recruiting players out of there," Pack coach Kip Drown said. "We are impressed with her athletic ability and we think she is a very aggressive player who will fit very well into our system."
Pack's Hayes honored
Colorado State University-Pueblo women's soccer player Robin Hayes, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year, has been named to the Daktronics Division II Women� s Soccer All-American team.
She was the only RMAC player to be recognized at the national level, as a third team All-American selection.
Hayes helped the ThunderWolves reach the RMAC championship game this fall, scoring a school record 25 goals and six assists for a program high 56 points. She also holds the career marks for CSU-Pueblo women�s soccer for most goals (50), points (111) and game-winning goals (16).
�It�s great for Robin and for our program to earn recognition at the national level like this, certainly Robin deserves to be recognized for a phenomenal senior season and a stellar career," CSU-Pueblo coach Dave Morris said. "She is the type of player who makes the team better because of what she can do on and off the field. Our entire team takes a lot of pride in what we accomplished as a group this year and what Robin accomplished as an individual.
CHSAA to add inductees
AURORA - The latest class of the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame, the 19th in the history of the organization, features a broad range of inductees from one of the state�s top active baseball coaches in Jim Danley (Eaton), to former Montezuma-Cortez star athlete and University of Colorado standout Larry Brunson to long-time music educator and administrator Frank Montera (Colorado Springs District 11/Wasson).
Also being inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame are former Denver Public Schools coach Gregg Browning, longtime Delta official and educator Dan Cholas, longtime administrator Kathy Francis-Nunnery (Gateway/Colorado Springs District 11) and standout Burlington High School student-athlete Daryl Monasmith.
"This class is a nice snapshot of our association. You have two exceptional athletes, two outstanding coaches, a pioneer female administrator, a noted music educator and a longtime official. Each of these persons has left a footprint in our organization in some positive manner and each is representative of the thousands of people who have crafted the CHSAA over the past 80-plus years,� CHSAA Commissioner Bill Reader said.
The Class of 2007 will be inducted during a banquet ceremony on Jan. 23, 2008, at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast (I-225 and Parker). Individual tickets may be purchased for $40 each by contacting the CHSAA. The festivities get underway at 6:30 p.m. The Foundation for Colorado High School Student Activities will hold its annual Silent Auction prior to the event as well.
Rockies keep Torrealba
DENVER (AP) - Yorvit Torrealba is staying in Colorado, agreeing Thursday to a two-year deal worth about $7 million with a mutual option for 2010.
Torrealba, who filed for free agency after helping the Rockies reach the World Series, was set to sign a three-year contract for about twice the money with the New York Mets this month. The Rockies got back into the mix when that deal fell apart and the Mets traded for Johnny Estrada instead.
��I sure thought he was gone to the Mets and now I�m very, very excited to have him back,�� Colorado general manager Dan O�Dowd told The Associated Press after Torrealba passed his physical Thursday evening. ��Yorvit brings an edge to this team, an emotional edge. I thought he took a big step over the second half of the season and the final month and in the playoffs. He�s 29 years old. We hope he can continue to make those strides.�� The Rockies loved the way Torrealba nurtured young pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales, who filled in when Colorado lost three-fifths of its rotation down the stretch.
��We wouldn�t have been able to pitch Ubaldo and Franklin in the playoffs had it not been for Yorvit�s handling on these two young pitchers,�� pitching coach Bob Apodaca said during the World Series. ��Yorvit is a big reason we�ve been able to withstand so many injuries to our staff.��
This is the first multiyear contract for Torrealba, who became the Rockies� regular catcher after rookie Chris Iannetta struggled at the plate in the spring.
The Rockies also are making a big push to re-sign reliever Matt Herges, another key contributor in a second-half surge that carried them to their first NL pennant, but they have conceded that another free agent, second baseman Kaz Matsui, won�t be back.
Matsui is being courted by the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros.
O�Dowd declined to comment on the negotiations with Herges, who went 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA in 35 games for the Rockies and held left-handed hitters to a .216 batting average and right-handers to a .184 mark.
Torrealba hit .255 with eight home runs and 47 RBIs in 113 games, all career highs. He had some clutch hits in the postseason, knocking in eight runs and hitting the go-ahead, three-run homer in Game 3 of the NL championship series against Arizona, his first postseason home run.
Yet Torrealba, who missed most of 2006 with an injured throwing shoulder, threw out just 13 of 74 base-stealers, including two of his last 32.
O�Dowd said the shoulder wasn�t a big issue with team doctors and that Torrealba will undergo a strengthening program for his right shoulder this offseason.
��Our doctors and medical team signed off on it. There�s no concerns on our part,�� O�Dowd said.
With Matsui expected to sign elsewhere, the Rockies will look for a veteran second baseman at the winter meetings that begin Monday in Nashville, Tenn., although they have several in-house candidates including Jamey Carroll, Clint Barmes, Omar Quintanilla, Jeff Baker and Ian Stewart.


Sure, you're tuning in to see what fabulous gowns are gracing the Oscars red carpet, but what you need to be paying attention to is the super strong brow game that's happening. Because, ladies and gents — I have three words for you: eyebrows on fleek. Everyone who's anyone knows that 2015 is all about the brows, so it should come as no surprise then that this was the big beauty trend of the evening. Colorful lips, lush lashes and gorgeous manis were all present, but they all took a backseat to the celebs' full and dramatic eyebrows. From America Ferrara to Nicole Kidman, here are the 11 best Oscars eyebrows that came to win.


Within the brief of the LML, the definition of audiovisual composition and multimedia communication is quite specific. Audiovisual composing is seen as paralleling, and complementary to, written composing. Authoring and communicating in multimedia integrates these distinctive composing processes.
What is special within the LML is that both audiovisual and multimedia composition are seen as universal modes of communication available to everyone: focussed on the notion that intelligent development and extension of multimedia communication will depend upon a society where all kinds of people (not just "media professionals", or "educators") are capable of generating multimedia texts and using the new electronic communication technologies for one-to-one communication as well as one to many.
The common focus, of the research and development activity, within these three sectors is the use of multimedia communication technologies for generating, as well as communicating, knowledge. Audiovisual composition, whatever the form – record, report, documentary, diary, drama, testimony, case-study - provides ways of explaining by enhancing telling with showing. Through the interplay of different modes of composing (textual and audiovisual) people become empowered. However, such activities require developing universal competencies in audiovisual and multimedia composition.
The intention of the research programme of the LML is to extend the power and application of audiovisual composition and multimedia communication in areas where the applications are immense.


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High-intensity running in English FA Premier League soccer matches
J Sports Sci. 2009 Jan 15;27(2):159-68. doi: 10.1080/02640410802512775.
Paul S Bradley 1 , William Sheldon, Blake Wooster, Peter Olsen, Paul Boanas, Peter Krustrup
1 Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK. paul.s.bradley@sunderland.ac.uk
DOI: 10.1080/02640410802512775
The aims of this study were to (1) determine the activity profiles of a large sample of English FA Premier League soccer players and (2) examine high-intensity running during elite-standard soccer matches for players in various playing positions. Twenty-eight English FA Premier League games were analysed during the 2005-2006 competitive season (n=370), using a multi-camera computerised tracking system. During a typical match, wide midfielders (3138 m, s=565) covered a greater distance in high-intensity running than central midfielders (2825 m, s= 73, P=0.04), full-backs (2605 m, s=387, P < 0.01), attackers (2341 m, s=575, P < 0.01), and central defenders (1834 m, s=256, P < 0.01). In the last 15 min of a game, high-intensity running distance was approximately 20% less than in the first 15-min period for wide midfielders (467 m, s=104 vs. 589 m, s=134, P < 0.01), central midfielders (429 m, s=106 vs. 534 m, s=99, P < 0.01), full-backs (389 m, s=95 vs. 481 m, s=114, P < 0.01), attackers (348 m, s=105 vs. 438 m, s=129, P < 0.01), and central defenders (276 m, s=93 vs. 344 m, s=80, P < 0.01). There was a similar distance deficit for high-intensity running with (148 m, s=78 vs. 193 m, s=96, P < 0.01) and without ball possession (229 m, s=85 vs. 278 m, s=97, P < 0.01) between the last 15-min and first 15-min period of the game. Mean recovery time between very high-intensity running bouts was 72 s (s=28), with a 28% longer recovery time during the last 15 min than the first 15 min of the game (83 s, s=26 vs. 65 s, s=20, P < 0.01). The decline in high-intensity running immediately after the most intense 5-min period was more evident in attackers (216 m, s=50 vs. 113 m, s=47, P < 0.01) and central defenders (182 m, s=26 vs. 96 m, s=39, P < 0.01). The results suggest that high-intensity running with and without ball possession is reduced during various phases of elite-standard soccer matches and the activity profiles and fatigue patterns vary among playing positions. The current findings provide valuable information about the high-intensity running patterns of a large sample of elite-standard soccer players, which could be useful in the development and prescription of specific training regimes.
Athletic Performance / physiology
Physical Endurance / physiology
Running / physiology*
Soccer / physiology*
Time and Motion Studies


When Books Aren't Books | Portraits of M.E.
While in Texas last week my Dad took me to the Antique Mall in Plano. The store is full of booths which are rented by different people who want to sell their items/goods and there's a wide variety of objects to see and buy. When I go to these types of stores I love to look at all the old books, magazines, and comic books people have to sell, just in case I find a hidden treasure.
On this trip I was "horrified" to see one booth had displayed books which were cut into the shape of letters! My poor heart skipped a beat when I saw them. Yeah, they were pretty cool…but I couldn't believe someone would cut up a book to make this. It would have been much better if they used cardboard to look like a book shaped like a letter…but I guess whomever did this wasn't a booklover like me because I would never put a blade to a book. I get upset when I accidently bend a page or crease a cover! So it just made me sad to see these books like this. I know not everyone thinks the way I do about books, but I was actually pretty upset to see what I proclaimed to my brother as "the murder of books".
When I saw them I thought I would share my discovery with all my wonderful book-loving blog followers so I took the below pictures to share with you all.
OMG, my first thought had to be these can't be real books and I would have to say, why? Why would you do that to a book can't you do your art out of something else. Well I was not happy to see that and I really don't care for this art. On a more personal note, it was good to see you on Saturday and glad all is well.


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Year-Round Employment
Double H Ranch Mission Statement
The mission of the Double H Ranch is to provide specialized programs and year-round support for children and their families dealing with life-threatening illnesses. Our purpose is to enrich their lives and provide camp experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, empowering, physically safe and medically sound. All programs are FREE of charge and capture the magic of the Adirondacks. The Double H Ranch is a 501 (c) (3) organization. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Co-Founded by Charles R. Wood and Paul Newman.
Camp Compass
Double H Ranch believes that everything we do is about kids and camp. This is why we call our guiding principles of safety and fun the Camp Compass.
Be a Kid
Double H Ranch operates with the intent of putting our campers and families first. We are proudly honest and transparent with every decision made. We can confidently assure that every step taken is to most effectively serve children with serious illness and their families so that they can Be a Kid.
Safe Fun
Safety is a major factor in childhood; it's no different at camp. Our staff and volunteers are trained with the tools required to provide the utmost quality of care for our campers and families. We provide the highest standards of excellence and quality assurance in all areas, so that the intricacies of medical illness do not diminish the excitement and wonder of having limitless fun.
Every set of hands make the work lighter and the applause louder. We place a high value on volunteerism and community partnerships. Our pursuit of the greatest, safest camper experience will always include recruitment and retention of caring and qualified volunteers.
Believe in Giving
Double H Ranch is in the business of giving kids and their families' unforgettable experiences. We strive to offer something similar with our donors, from camper sponsorships to planned giving, the legacy of each gift and the person or company who shares it, lives on in spoken, printed, and beloved recognition. The art of giving back is an essential key to our success.
Children are our greatest example of inclusivity, inviting friends to join them and creating more opportunities for shared accomplishments and experiences. We approach our work at Double H Ranch in the same way – diligently working to create ways for every member of a family to not only participate, but to find ways to achieve individual success and a new sense of empowerment.
The Disney World of skiing
Nicholas S., who turned six year's old in December, just made the age cut, and 2008 was his first year of skiing. His dad, Leo did not think that he would be able to do it – "he won't ride a bike, so why would I think he would ski?" But he loves it. He's had five opportunities to ski. Nick's parents make only 'tentative' plans on the weekends because, as they tell family and friends, they are on the cancellation list which means if someone cancels at the last minute, they may receive a call that morning that there is a spot for Nick, and they pack their bag and head for the slopes. Lisa and Leo call it the Disney World of skiing.
- Lisa, Leo & Nicholas S.


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Home » Stories » Hunter injured from tree stand accident
Hunter injured from tree stand accident
Fallen tree stand in Sargent Ponds Wilderness Area
Recent NYS DEC Forest Ranger actions:
Town of Arietta
Wilderness Rescue: On Dec. 12 at 11:25 a.m., DEC's Ray Brook Dispatch was notified via radio by Forest Ranger Milano about a 60-year-old hunter from Long Lake who had fallen out of a tree stand. While on routine patrol in Sargent Ponds Wilderness Area, Ranger Milano noticed a truck parked at the end of North Point Road and saw an injured man crouched next to his vehicle waving frantically. The Forest Ranger had recently transferred into the Long Lake area and was in the right place at the right time — North Point Road is a dead-end road with no cell phone coverage and the hunter had not informed anyone he was going into the woods. Ranger Milano called dispatch to request an ambulance and administered medical care while waiting for the Long Lake Rescue Squad. Once the ambulance arrived, the hunter was transported to a local hospital for additional medical care. DEC's Environmental Conservation Police Officer (ECO) Buswell and Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigators (BECI) Unit were notified to investigate as a possible elevated hunting incident.
DEC reminds hunters that one of the basics of hunter safety is to let someone know where you will be hunting and when you will return. A map showing tree stand locations makes it easier for others to find hunters if they do not return on time. For more hunter safety information, go to DEC's website.
Town of Keene
Wilderness Rescue: On Dec. 13 at 2:45 p.m., DEC's Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a group of hikers on the Baxter Mountain trail, reporting a hiker with a lower leg injury. Forest Rangers van Laer and Lewis responded to assist. Once on scene, Ranger Lewis located the injured hiker and stabilized the injury. Forest Rangers Bode, Lewis, Burns, and van Laer proceeded to carry out the 48-year-old woman from New Russia to the Route 9 trailhead where she was transferred to the Keene Rescue Squad to be transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. The incident concluded at 5 p.m.
Town of Watson
Wilderness Rescue: On Dec. 13 at 4:40 p.m., Lewis County 911 requested Forest Ranger assistance to locate two lost teenage hikers from Felts Mills in the Independence River Wild Forest. Forest Rangers Hanno, McCartney, and Hoag responded, along with a Lewis County Sheriff's Deputy, two New York State Police Troopers, and five members of the Felts Mills Fire Department. At 8:47 p.m., a search crew located the lost hikers, cold but otherwise unharmed, 3.5 miles from the trailhead. The lost teens were escorted back to the trailhead and released to their parents at 11:23 p.m.
Rangers unable to save lost hunter
Rangers aid injured snowmobilers
State appeals ruling barring tree cutting for trails
Tags: Forest Rangers
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In Vermont, single-payer healthcare quietly disappears
Jazz ShawPosted at 8:01 am on December 18, 2014
If you're looking for a state with a reliable Leftward tilt, you'd be hard pressed to do better than Vermont. After all, this is the place which has repeatedly elected Bernie Sanders – a man who considers the Democrat Party too conservative for his tastes – to statewide office since 1991. So in terms of socialist experimental laboratories, this is the spot where you'd want to launch progressive initiatives and take them for a test spin. That was the plan for Governor Peter Shumlin, who had promised his constituents that they would soon be enjoying the first in the nation single payer healthcare plan. But faced with the cold, harsh light of reality, that plan is now history.
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin on Wednesday dropped his plan to enact a single-payer health care system in his state — a plan that had won praise from liberals but never really got much past the framework stage.
"This is not the right time" for enacting single payer, Shumlin said in a statement, citing the big tax increases that would be required to pay for it.
Shumlin faced deep skepticism that lawmakers could agree on a way to pay for his ambitious goal and that the feds would agree to everything he needed to create the first state-based single-payer system in 2017.
You can't attribute the entire mess to one cause, but it certainly didn't help Shumlin's case to have Jonathan Gruber involved in the project to the tune of roughly $400K. The voters probably weren't looking forward to being lectured on videotape about how stupid they are in 2015. But, again, that probably wouldn't have been enough to scrap the plan by itself.
Far more of a problem was the fact that the project couldn't be funded in a self-sustaining way without causing an all out revolt among the peasants. Individual taxpayers would have been subjected to a 9.5% "premium assessment" while businesses would have been paying an even larger tax hit. And all of the money wouldn't have resulted in an actual single payer system anyway. Shumlin was going to have to exempt large companies with their own healthcare plans and people would have still been eligible for Medicare. The competing plans would have gutted the system which would have needed essentially 100% buy-in and contributions from every citizen to even have a chance of working.
But perhaps the most telling feature of this staggering failure was the fact that the plan could not work without a massive influx of federal dollars. They were not able to secure a guarantee that the money would be available and the project went under. Now imagine scaling that up to a national single payer plan. Who would be available further upstream to help fund that? Nobody. The money would all have to be extracted from the taxpayers and every business in the country. And if we managed to pull it off you could soon be enjoying the benefits of waiting for years to get an appointment or some critical surgery.
Vermont is clearly a leader in socialist experimentation. In this case they may have actually provided us with a valuable lesson in what not to do.
Tags: health care Peter Shumlin single payer Vermont
More Guns, Less Crime In California's Concealed Carry Capitol
House to vote on resolution condemning Trump for "go back" tweets this afternoon; Update: Rules prevent calling POTUS a racist? Update: Pelosi out of order? Update: Dems bail Pelosi out; Update: Trump condemned, 240-187
House to vote on resolution condemning Trump for "go back" tweets this afternoon; Update: Rules prevent calling POTUS a racist? Update: Pelosi out of order? Update: Dems bail Pelosi out; Update: Trump condemned, 240-187
Morning Consult: Biden keeps on keepin' on
Really? In 2019?


An Angry, anrgy man . . .
Just look what you've done, Obama. It's all your fault. I'm an angry, angry man.
Thomas Merton. Love and Living. Naomi Burton Stone and Brother Patrick Hart, editors. New York, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1979: 176-177.
Flip Flop, flip flop. . .
McCain doesn't want to debate.
McCain will debate, if Bailout passes.
McCain still doesn't want to debate.
McCain wants to postpone the VPs debate.
And not only will he debate, he has already won a debate that hasn't yet taken place.
The debate is at 9:00 ET.
And this is leadership. Okay.
Question: Do you see racism in this poem? If so, explain briefly.
BTW, William Blake, an English pre-Romantic, is one of my favorite poets.
I just read a beautiful, healing poem on Autumnrose's blog.
Then I saw Karen's rainbow pictures.
"When God took on flesh in Jesus Christ, the uncreated and the created, the eternal and the temporal, the divine and the human became united. This unity meant that all that is mortal now points to the immortal, all that is finite now points to the infinite. In and through Jesus all creation has become like a splendid veil, through which the face of God is revealed to us.
"Do you want to know God? Then learn to understand the weaknesses and imperfections of [others]. But how can you understand the weaknesses of others unless you understand your own? And how can you see the meaning of your own limitations until you have received mercy from God, by which you know yourself and Him? It is not sufficient to forgive others: we must forgive them with humility and compassion. If we forgive them without humility, our forgiveness is a mockery: it presupposes that we are better than they.
Thomas Merton. No Man Is An Island. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1955: 163.
not ones of racial salvation.
It is a beautiful day, the day the Lord has made. Be glad today.
It's all about the ordinary, the unspectacular, isn't it? That's where you always find wonder. Melissa tagged me, so I will do it.
1. My middle name is Rae, after my Dad, whose middle name was Ray.
2. I love the soft texture of apricots.
3. I have never lived alone.
4. Eggs are about the only food I will not eat. Ever.
5. In the 39 years since Bill and I got married, I've had four cats but no dogs.
RG, Jana, Karen, Clare, Sherry, and Mike, you're It.


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Top 25 Heavyweights (As of October 1, 2005)
JE Grant
This is our fifth installment of the Grant Top 25 Heavyweights. This month saw a tremendous show by top heavyweights Wladimir Klitschko and Sam Peter. Given the number of alphabet belts in existence, it's a shocker that no world belt was on the line. No matter, though, it was a thriller. Both remain viable contenders and both remain dangerous against anyone in the division.
Speaking of dangerous, Lamon Brewster demonstrated the heat that has given fire to his career against a vastly overrated Luan Krasniqi in defense of his WBO strap. The fight itself demonstrated the utter meaninglessness of the WBO ratings. The defense, however, gives him license to go after some big money.
October looks to be another month that may require some big changes: Chris Byrd defends his IBF belt against DaVarryl Williamson; Nicolay Valuev tussles with Larry Donald for the right to face John Ruiz; and some of the other top names in the division such as Calvin Brock and Jameel McCline stay busy with lesser competition.
1. Vitali Klitschko, Ukraine – WBC Champion (Last Month #1) The boxing world awaits his showdown in November with Hasim Rahman. Rock is sporting his WBC "interim" belt, making appearances as if he's already the champ. He may be getting ahead of himself. Just wonder, if he loses to Klitschko, does he remain the "interim" titlist? These alphabets sure create a lot of puzzles, huh?
2. Hasim Rahman, USA (Last Month #2) No one ever said Rahman was consistent and he showed why his last time out. He can shoot a jab as sweet as Sonny Liston, but he can also appear almost lethargic. Although his win against Monte Barrett wasn't awe-inspiring, it did give him twelve rounds of work. Maybe he just needed a tune-up. Fortunately we'll find out soon.
3. Lamon Brewster, USA – WBO Champion (Last month #3) Okay now that he has the WBO "mandatory" nonsense over with by stopping Germany's Luan Krasniqi – who, according to the WBO was the second best heavyweight in the world – he can get on to meaningful fights for big $$$. Perhaps he can persuade Don King to let him unify with WBA titlist John Ruiz. We know the WBC belt is tied up until at least after V. Klitschko and Rahman go at it. We also know that the IBF winner between Chris Byrd and DaVarryl Williamson will likely go against W. Klitschko. Of course now the younger Klitschko is again the top WBO contender, so possibilities abound.
4. Wladimir Klitschko, Ukraine (Last month #4) No one can accuse Klitschko of taking the easy route to redemption. In beating a very able and willing Samuel Peter, Klitschko overcame at least some of his demons. He was on the deck and came back (though the first two knockdowns were very questionable). He was tired but fought on. His skill level, always his strongest suit, put him a full class above a young man that very few of the other names on this list will likely want to do face any time soon. He deserves a shot at either Byrd or Brewster. We will see watch closely to see if the alphabet sanctioning bodies that listed this fight as a title eliminator are true to their word. Of course since he beat Peter, the IBF might select Peter as the next mandatory. Hey, it worked for DaVarryl Williamson didn't it?
5. Chris Byrd, USA – IBF Champion (Last month #5) DaVarryl Williamson goes by the nickname "Touch of Sleep." I just hope this fight does not put us to sleep. They will mix it up as an undercard bout on contender James Toney's return to Showtime October 1st. What does that say about the drawing power of the titlist? n truth, Byrd is a solid, respectable fighter who consistently finds ways to win – or at least make judges think he is a winner. If Byrd wins as predicted – and this is no gimme because Williamson can fight a bit – and can't get a big money fight with the Klitschko-Rahman winner, he simply must throw away his IBF belt and challenge the WBC winner directly as a ranked contender. Time is running out.
6. James Toney, USA (Last month #6) The real question as Toney prepares for his October 1st showdown with Dominick Guinn is how gargantuan he will be. In recent television appearances, Toney has looked huge. Of course Guinn can bang with his left hook and if he can overcome the sluggishness he's shown in recent fights, he has a real chance. I suspect Toney wouldn't want an easy fight – though in his eyes all fights are easy. This fight should prove interesting.
7. Calvin Brock, USA (Last month #7) The Boxing Banker is scheduled to take on David Bostice November 19th. This will be his second fight since beating highly rated Jameel McCline. He's biding his time en route to a meaningful match. Don't be surprised if he faces Vitali Klitschko should the Ukrainian get past Rahman. Otherwise, he'll have to keep plugging away until he achieves a top rating and becomes a "mandatory" contender for one of the alphabet titlists. If Luan Krasniqi was considered the top fighter in contention for the WBO title, Calvin Brock should be king of the world. Unfortunately just being light years better that most of the competition is not enough. He'll need a few balls to bounce his direction. Until then these minor fights will have to suffice.
8. Audley Harrison, England (Last month #9) I took a lot of grief in promoting Harrison to the top ten last month. Fans have been disappointed with the slow pace of Harrison's career progression. Folks are wondering when he going to make his move. Given his age, they have a point. Don't test me Audley; you better do something big very soon.
9. Samuel Peter, Nigeria (Last month #8) As I predicted, Peter was taken to school a bit by Klitschko. Of course Klitschko brought a wealth of experience and physical advantages and he was able to pull it all together in a way that made him hard to beat for anyone. Peter proved he's tough, his punches are for real, he won't quit, and he believed in his strength to the very last moment. He will come away from the Klitschko bout a much better fighter. Although he took some hard shots, no one could say he took a beating. A few adjustments here and there and you'll see this guy put some people on this top 25 list on their backs. He could likely take on an alphabet champion or two right now – but given the fact that his promoter isn't named Don King, he'll have to go back to the drawing board and get himself another title eliminator. He's got the time and the ability.
10. Monte Barrett, USA(Last month #10) Nothing on the boards for Barrett since his loss against Rahman. He'll need to regroup and come back against a fellow top fighter.
11. John Ruiz, USA – WBA Champion (Last month #11) A constant flow of rumors of an impending defense against Kevin McBride are the only rumors swirling around the titlist. f the bout takes place it will undoubtedly be the most obscure title match since Monte Masters defeated Tony Fulilangi for the short-lived WAA heavyweight title in 1983. You remember that match don't you?
12. Jameel McCline, USA (Last month #12) He faces someone named Zuri Lawrence in what can charitably be called another stay-busy fight. He's apparently hoping that by staying busy he'll be ready for a big fight when it comes along. What a concept.
13. Nicolay Valuev, Russia (Last month #15) When he meets Larry Donald October 1st in a WBA title eliminator, the 7'0, 320-plus fighter will be able to capture a mandatory shot at John Ruiz. Of course Ruiz may face Kevin McBride in the interim – can you imagine a McBride-Valuev match? I can't. I won't. He'll likely take Donald and face Ruiz early next year.
14. DaVarryl Williamson, USA (Last month #16) His upcoming October 1st title tiff with Byrd represents a chance for the big time that likely won't come again. He better make the most of it.
15. Danny Williams, England (Last month #13) No one knows what's next for the embattled Williams. He's clearly in the proverbial doghouse in England after pulling out of a fight with Matt Skelton.
16. Corrie Sanders, South Africa (Last month #14) What's it going to be Corrie? You won't be able to emerge from this hibernation and capture a big win. en nearing their 40's rarely make big comebacks.
17. Oleg Maskaev, Uzbekistan (Last month #17) Set to take on Sinan Samil Sam in a WBC title elimination match November 12th in Germany. Let's face some facts, neither of these guys rate a title shot as the "mandatory." This "mandatory" stuff is quickly getting out of hand.
18. David Tua, New Zealand (Last month #18) He'll square off with Cisse Salif October 21st in Florida.
19. Shannon Briggs, USA (Last month #19) Still living off his recent win over old-timer Ray Mercer. Expect him to be in action in October or November.
20. Serguei Lyakhovich, Belarus (Last month #20) An injury kept him out of a bout with Owen Beck. He's not capitalizing on his win over the very able Dominick Guinn last December.
21. Dominick Guinn, USA (Last month #22) His big shot comes October 1st against the hefty James Toney. A win means a title fight.
22. Fres Oquendo, USA (Puerto Rico) (Last month #21) It's been well over a year since he was toppled by John Ruiz. Haven't heard a peep from him since it was announced he signed with Lou Dibella.
23. Matt Skelton, England (Last month #24) The British champion, despite being 38-years-old, does not appear to be rushing into anything since his last win in July. He's undefeated, but outside Britain he's unknown. If he wants the big cash he needs to travel across the pond.
24. Ray Austin, USA (Last month #25) Still mulling his option after his August win over Owen Beck. My guess is that he'll get a shot a name fighter soon.
25. Luan Krasniqi, Germany (via Kosovo) (Last month #23) Krasniqi is a fairly good journeyman who became a contender only in the imagination of the WBO's rating committee. Some of the big European heavyweights actually have skills and power but they're growth is stunted by an endless stream of meaningless fights meant only to create eye-popping win-loss records. I submit that had Krasniqi been guided through progressively tougher competition instead of finding himself at age 34 in his first big fight, he may have had some experience to draw on. His loss to Brewster was likely a shock to his system. Brewster is a far cry from Timo Hoffman.
Others on the fringes in no particular order:
Kali Meehan, New Zealand – He finally returned to the ring and stopped little-known, oft-beaten Tommy Connelly on the Brewster-Krasniqi undercard. He'll have to do quite a bit more to move himself back into real contention.
Owen Beck, USA – We don't know what's on the drawing board for "What the Heck?" He needs some wins quickly.
Oliver McCall, USA – His recent demolition of Poland's Przemyslaw Saleta will undoubtedly get him another chance at a name fighter. He has to make the most of whatever comes his way. Forty-year-old fighters don't have a long shelf life.
Lance Whitaker, USA – Set to take on Gabe Brown on October 1st. He's attempting to reconstruct a career following a loss to Krasniqi. Louis Monaco, a fighter with a decidedly losing record was first up. Brown at least has a winning slate. Whitaker knows he'll need to stay busy and score a significant win soon in order to get back into the mix.
Alexander Dimitrenko, Ukraine – A close but unanimous win over Vaughn Bean on the Brewster-Krasniqi undercard represents a step up for the 6'7", 249-pound, 23-year-old. He's moving in the right direction. At 20-0 he needs more and better competition each month.
Ruslan Chagaev, Uzbekistan – I finally had a chance to see one of his past fights and it appears the southpaw has some ability. If his level of competition does not rise soon, however, he's at risk of finding himself in a situation similar to that experienced by Luan Krasniqi. He'll run up an impressive record only to be stunned by a top fighter. You better get with it Ruslan or you'll be left in the dust.
Can Roy Jones Find His Rhythm?
DaVarryl Williamson – It's All in the Family
In Boxing News: Floyd Mayweather An All-Time Great, Valuev & More
Chris Gielty
A Shot of Boxing on the Last Day of the Year
The Guardian reports that talks have already taken place between Nicolay Valuev's co-promoters – Don King and Wilfried Sauerland – and Danny Williams' promoter Frank Warren for Nicolay Valuev to face Danny Williams. I'd suggest Danny Williams needs to worry about Matt Skelton (who Williams is reportedly scheduled to fight in February) before he entertains notions of facing the Beast From The East.
The Mirror in the UK looks forward to a big year in boxing for 2006. The Mirror considers what the future might bring for Joe Calzaghe, Amir Khan and Ricky Hatton, among others.
The Parksville Qualicum News has an interesting column on the travails of former Canadian Super Middleweight title holder Mark Woolnough. Woolnough's career turned controversial – as widely reported in the Canadian press – at the beginning of this year when Woolnough and four other men were charged with manslaughter and assault after a fight outside a Parksville nightclub. The case returns to court next month. It's an interesting read, as Woolnough is still looking to the future with hope.
Our own Marc Lichtenfeld provides plenty of food for thought with his Top Ten Wish List for boxing in the New Year. There's plenty of good stuff here, but what really jumped out for me is Lichtenfeld's opinion that a win over Zab Judah could have Floyd Mayweather knocking on the door of all-time great status. Seems to me this might be jumping the gun a little. Or is Marc right? Will it soon be time to call Floyd Mayweather Jr. an all-time great?
(More Boxing News Links at TheSweetScience.com)
ShoBox Friday Night Fights
Hot bantamweight prospect Raul "The Cobra" Martinez heads back to Chicago next Friday night as he is featured in the co-main event of SHOBOX "THE NEW GENERATION," an action packed evening of professional boxing presented by Dominic Pesoli's 8 Count Productions,' HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING, Kathy Duva's Main Events Inc., along with Miller Lite and TCF Bank.
The two-time national amateur champion sporting a perfect 12-0 record with 9 knockouts, six of which have come in the first round, will take on Colombian Andres "Andy Boy" Ledesma, 13-1 (8 KOs) in a scheduled eight round bout.
Speaking after a training session at his home gym in Georgetown, Texas, Martinez said, "I'm truly looking forward to returning to Chicago. The fans were terrific in September, they were very supportive from the start of the fight," an internationally televised first round knockout of Miguel Martinez on September 16th at the Aragon Ballroom.
Regarding his upcoming fight with Ledesma, "The Cobra" said, "I haven't seen him fight, although I understand he's fought at higher weights and will be naturally bigger than me. I've had great training for this fight and feel very confident. I really haven't left the gym in months, just taking off Sunday's and even then I get my running in. My thinking is that fights are won in the gym and complete preparation is the key."
When asked about his being mentioned by Dan Rafael, ESPN's boxing writer as one of the top prospect's in the boxing world the 23-year-old San Antonio native said, 'It's a great compliment, but I still have much work to do. I want to be a champion for Main Events like Fernando Vargas and Arturo Gatti. But like Fernando said while he was in town, 'be patient, work hard and your time will come.'"
Finishing the conversation, Martinez said, "I'm looking forward to starting out this year with a bang. I might have a couple less fights than the seven I had in 2005, but I'm looking to stepping up the competition, move up to ten-rounders and climb in the rankings."
Headlining the evening is a ten-round welterweight showdown between boxing's hottest prospect, unbeaten Joel Julio of Monteria, Columbia, and Ugandan native Roberto "The Doctor" Kamya. Julio, turning 21 years old the day before the fight, is 25-0 with 22 knockouts, twelve of which have come in the first two rounds. Kamya, now fighting out of West Palm Beach, Florida is 15-5 with four knockouts.
Tickets, starting at $30, are on sale in advance by calling 312-226-5800. Cicero Stadium is located at 1909 S. Laramie, at the corner of 19th and Laramie, just ten minutes south of the Eisenhower Expressway and ten minutes north of the Stevenson Expressway. Doors for this evening will open at 6pm with the first bell at 7pm.
The full bout lineup for the evening is:
Joel Julio vs. Roberto Kamya, ten rounds, welterweights
Raul Martinez vs. Andres Ledesma, eight rounds, bantamweights
Miguel Hernandez vs. Butch Hajicek, eight rounds, middleweights
David Pareja vs. Derek Andrews, eight rounds, light heavyweights
Mike Gonzales vs. Tony Kinney, four rounds, lightweights
Omar Reyes vs. Luis Navarro, five rounds, featherweights
Reynaldo Reyes vs. Ricardo Swift, four rounds, middleweights
Pick 'Em: Plenty of Big Upcoming Fights in '06
Phil Woolever
Here's the early call on many top matches scheduled for the first half of 2006: Happy New Year!
As the new calendar dawns, there are already a considerable amount of premium bouts on the horizon. Things don't look to be bogged down by undetermined championships next year. In many cases the scheduled face-offs involve the best fighters in the division, or at least close enough for general bragging rights. If anybody else with proper qualifications signs up to force the issue, all the better.
It can be argued that some pairings could have taken place within a more optimal timeframe, or that some headliners carry distracting baggage, but there are certainly enough heavy hitters on deck. That nobody can deny.
It doesn't matter whether one considers the proverbial glass half empty or half full; there's still the same amount of juice in the vessel. It's nice to know that even with a high number of cancellations, there will still be plenty of important contenders on tap.
With elite fighters in weight divisions from top to bottom on the agenda, it's an equivalent to what fans in more mainstream sports expect in a consistent championship format.
Baseball fans can almost always count on a World Series. Some hoops fanatics say too much attention to playoffs distracts unmotivated NBA teams during their regular season. In college, they project Sweet Sixteens. Football fans know there's always a Super Bowl ahead to raise advertising dollars and test the USA's halftime morals.
So too, there is method in boxing's current madness.
The midnight crystal ball hasn't even been unveiled in Times Square and there are already a number of potential thrillers scheduled. Most feature contrasting personalities that almost guarantee going along for the ride will be worthwhile. Any subsequent drops will probably be cheered.
Don King jumps right out of the auld lang gate with a January 7th Showtime card featuring Zab Judah against Carlos Baldomir and Jean-Marc Mormeck in a cruiserweight unification against O'Neil Bell.
It will be the upset of the year, bar none, if Baldomir can tip the applecart before Judah gets to his scheduled super-showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Meanwhile, Mormeck is emerging and should keep on rolling against Bell, who can expose him if he's not for real.
The proverbial Big Bang starts with a January 21st rematch of one of the finest fights of '05, when Erik Morales goes against Manny Pacquaio for the second time on HBO pay per view. The fact that Morales was upset by Zahir Raheem after beating Pacquaio was no real loss in box-office luster. Artful Raheem will get a spot on the undercard and hope his patience is rewarded.
Everyone figures Morales and Pacquaio will pick up where they left off. Like the first time, the rematch is a pick'em contest. Management distractions and glove restrictions cited as Pacquaio's previous problems won't matter this time. The two are very evenly matched and their styles will make for another whapathon. It could come down to corners, where Freddie Roach gets the edge since Morales will have a new trainer for the first time since replacing his father after the Raheem lesson.
February features four of the game's most enduring attractions, in a pair of crucial matchups.
First up, Showtime presents the Jose Luis Castillo – Diego Corrales tiebreaker from El Paso on Feb 4th. This is another pick 'em pair, barring any sideshow. In boxing that disclaimer may be a stretch, since the sideshow is part of the act and the charm.
As far as action inside the strands goes, every round these guys have fought has been great. There's no reason to think that pattern won't continue. Regarding the result, Castillo keeps the pressure on as he did in the second fight, but he'll walk into trouble from a more reserved Corrales. We still don't know which coin to flip.
February also holds a better late than never affair between two perennial favorites as Shane Mosley collides with Fernando Vargas on the 25th. This fight could lead to a winning ticket in the Golden Boy sweepstakes for a fall bonanza against Oscar De La Hoya.
Vargas has been in tougher recently, based on comparable strength of opposition stats, but he's seen little action. What weight they enter the ring at may have a lot to do with the result. If Vargas has to struggle at the scale, Mosley might have the battle in the bag after round nine.
It's hard to imagine Mosley getting stopped early, but Vargas doesn't have to hurt him, he just has to knock him down three times. With natural size, he may be able to do just that, but Mosley would have to box uncharacteristically flat.
Unless Mosley decides to heed the crowd, the most likely scenario is that Shane plays it safe, picks a few shots, and stays away enough to capture a comfortable, dull decision. An unbowed Vargas maintains his fan base but not his bettors.
March both comes in and goes out as a lion.
On March 4th Joe Calzaghe welcomes Jeff Lacy to Manchester UK for what may be the biggest blowout of the headlining bunch. Calzaghe gets the chance to prove his considerable home-based reputation once and for all, but if Lacy creams him as we expect, that glossy record will be severely tarnished.
All Calzaghe has to do is make a respectable stand, but that's no small task against the rising Lacy. A motivated Calzaghe, songs of England ringing in his ears, could pull a big surprise if he can exploit Lacy's relatively limited technical development, but that's a longshot indeed.
It looks like Lacy can get by on power alone. He could soon emerge as a pound-for-pound leader. Old Joe's hometown advantage will last about two left hooks.
March 11th has the Ides of history to beware for at least one old lion, with farewell (we'll see) fireworks featuring Roy Jones Jr. against Bernard Hopkins. Less than two years ago they were considered untouchable all time greats. Now between them they've lost five in a row.
This goodbye fight is contracted at light heavyweight, for what seems like an oldies night. Hopkins is the senior at age 41 to Jones's 37, but Roy seems more the grandpa figure, last seen hanging on against Antonio Tarver. Youth, as it were here, will prevail.
This bout was signed quickly as each principal, usually sticklers for favorable contract clauses, agreed to parity in a demonstration of businessman first and fighter second. They may both expect easy marks. How much the boys have left by the time they get down to business remains to be seen. The history books will show this as a climactic career bout between Hall of Famers.
At 175 pounds, Hopkins may be in for rude awakening. Jones may have been more thoroughly outfought recently, but he was rumbling with bigger, tougher men than Jermain Taylor or Howard Eastman. Respectable as he is, Taylor still falls short of the level of Tarver, at least for now. The difference is still fifteen pounds less pop.
It will be quite a feat if Hopkins can stay in the fight, even at Jones's advanced age. Our stars point to Jones winning in overwhelming fashion.
On March 18th, James Toney meets Hasim Rahman in another pairing of seasoned war-horses.
Toney and Rahman already had their introductions, when they brawled in Mexico during a WBC gathering to bestow Rahman's new belt. Between formalities, Toney got married, which could bring up the old questions about carnal training.
Let's hope when they meet in the ring, they restore some of the fire missing from the heavyweights in '05. Toney might have an edge in recent form, but Rahman shows fine tuning he previously lacked. The winner might get newly "crowned' Nicolai Valuev, an easy payday outside Germany.
Rahman could be the heavyweight that finally makes Toney look like a blown up middleweight. But anything less than a top effort will probably lead to embarrassing night for the Rock and give Toney solid claim to being the true heavyweight champ.
This might not be the most artful fight of the new season, but it could well be the most grueling, and the closest. He who's faced the better big boys gets the nod. Advantage Rahman.
March 25 features Marco Antonio Barrera, probably the strongest overall claimant to 130 pound honors. The likely opponent is said to be always tough Jesus Chavez.
Chavez seemed rejuvenated when he met Leavander Johnson, but Johnson's tragic death may have taken some of the steam out of thoughtful Chavez, said to have received Johnson's family blessing to continue in Leavander's name. That could mean a lot of inspiration. Either way, if he does meet Chavez, who hung tough with one arm against Erik Morales, Barrera won't get any slack. The Fates say Chavez, whose wife recently served in Iraq, is a live, live underdog.
Another clash to be King of the Hill finds Floyd Mayweather Jr, arguably the game's finest practitioner, bumping heads with Zab Judah, one of very few boxers who rivals Mayweather in speed, skills, and brashness.
Their hoedown, scheduled for April 8th, is one of the top pound-for-pound pairings in recent years. Judah will need a career best performance to have a chance of victory. That's not to say he can't pull it off, but currently Mayweather is in a different galaxy in terms of punching power. Slow-motion replays may be the only way to follow the flying fists once these two whirlwinds unload.
Mayweather should be around a 4-1 favorite. Judah is good enough to make taking the odds an attractive proposition, since that's probably as good of odds as one is likely to see on Floyd for a while. Mayweather will stop Judah in his tracks.
The first half of next year is set to conclude with the star power of Oscar De La Hoya, probably against noteworthy foil Ricardo Mayorga on May 6. There could be some snags before a contract is finalized, but if it comes off count on Mayorga for promotional sound bite nastiness. One of the questions is whether or not he'll be able to get under Oscar's skin, and it might actually be entertaining to see the classy, model perfect De La Hoya show he's human and freak out against the Nicaraguan maniac.
Mayorga may have burnt his best bridges already. De La Hoya has not only the boxing skill to negate Mayorga's offense, but enough power to end it early. If Mayorga rushes in and causes a cut, De La Hoya might get ruffled enough to duck into defense and Mayorga could get a decision that goes to the cards after six rounds or so. It will be wild for as long as it lasts.
Pro boxing, like many sports, had its share of problems during 2005, but there were also many positives. Most notably, as usual, was superior and inspiring action inside the strands. Unless there's a mass freeze-up at the top, early 2006 figures to see decisive interaction among many well-known fighters.
If even fifty per cent of the aforementioned pairings come to fruition, it's a strong likelihood the upcoming year has at least one very positive half. Arturo Gatti, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Brian Viloria, and Shannon Briggs, to name a few, are also on deck. No matter how you chose to look at or measure mass qualities, there's still just as much good to be seen.


The Monaco Collection by Industry West is a selection of outdoor furniture with bistro functionality and a decidedly euro-chic vibe.
Consisting of complementary pieces like the Monet Wicker Chair and Marseilles Bench, the Monaco Collection will have you picturing Paris; dreaming of Dusseldorf; sipping Sambuca in Sorrento.
Although all the pieces feel continental, the emphasis is on France, and each of them evokes the street-side café scene prevalent all across the country.
Recent updates to The Monaco Collection include a version of the Renoir Swing in Aluminum, the Monet Lounge Chair and Foot Stool, and the new Monaco Side Chair.
See Industry West to find out more. And check out more chic wicker furniture at Designer Pages Media.


Tell 3000: The Voice of the Customer « Customers Rock!
This entry was posted on July 9, 2008 at 10:04 am	and is filed under Customer experience, Customer loyalty, Voice of the customer. Tagged: customer feedback, Pete Blackshaw, Voice of the customer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
In addition to the usual listening posts (surveys, feedback from the frontlines, etc.), I encourage my clients to host customer roundtables to solicit customer input. This type of session is part focus-group, part relationship-building where the message is "we care about you and want to know what you're thinking. " And to spread the "voice of the customer" throughout the organization, key non-contact staff can be invited to observe (as long they won't become defensive about anything negative that's said), or a written transcript or audio recording of the session (made with the group's permission) can be shared with ALL employees, not just those with customer contact.
Thanks for sharing Pete's idea in this post, Becky!
Sybil, I have also used customer roundtables in the past, often part of a "customer advisory board" program. Building relationships is just as important as getting their un-edited feedback! I also like the idea of sharing the customers' words with others in the organization in a recording or transcript. Too often, I see customer feedback from these sessions "summarized" into key takeaways, and that is what is shared with others. When one does this, one loses the customer's passion and intention. Thanks, Sybil!
Glenn, thank you for the link back! I like what you pulled out from Pete's discussion. Thanks for continuing the conversation.