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text:
Home Secretary loses Abu Qatada deportation appeal
The Home Secretary has predictably lost her appeal against the the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) decision blocking Abu Qatada's (aka Omar Othman) deportation to Jordan. The Court of Appeal's ruling today, Othman v Secretary of State for the Home Department, [2013] EWCA Civ 277 is available online.
The key to understanding the decision is to separate the notion that Abu Qatada might be a really nasty bad guy who wishes us ill will and harm from the issue before the court i.e. did SIAC err in law in concluding there is a risk that Qatada will not get a fair trial in Jordan due to a "real risk" that evidence obtained by torture would be used in such a trial. SIAC said -
"78. The Secretary of State has not satisfied us that, on a retrial, there is no real risk that the impugned statements of Abu Hawsher and Al-Hamasher would be admitted probatively against the appellant."
They also stated -
"87. We remain convinced that the government of Jordan can and will fulfil its assurances about the treatment of the appellant on return...Like the Strasbourg Court, we remain satisfied that those assurances provide, in their practical application, a sufficient guarantee that the appellant will be protected against the risk of ill-treatment by or at the behest of Jordanian state agents."
SIAC, like the UK government and the European Court of Human Rights, did not believe Qatada would be tortured in Jordan. However, SIAC did decide that his trial in Jordan, should he be deported, may be tainted by evidence obtained by torture.
The Court of Appeal note right up front that Abu Qatada is considered dangerous but that the key question is the risk that evidence obtained by torture would be used in his trial in Jordan:
1. Omar Othman is regarded by the United Kingdom government as an exceptionally high risk terrorist. For a number of years, the Secretary of State for the Home Department has been seeking to deport him from the United Kingdom to Jordan under section 5(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 ("the 1971 Act") as a person whose deportation is deemed to be conducive to the public good. He has already been tried and convicted in his absence in Jordan for offences of the utmost seriousness. If returned to Jordan, he will face a retrial. The issue that lies at the heart of the present (and earlier) proceedings is the proper assessment of the risk that the evidence against him at the retrial would include statements that have been obtained by torture and, if so, what effect this has on the lawfulness of his deportation."
The burden on the Home Secretary's lawyers before the Appeal Court was to prove that SIAC had made errors in law in concluding that there is a real risk that a trial of Abu Qatada in Jordan would include evidence obtained by torture. Essentially they could not prove that SIAC made such errors, so the Court denied the appeal.
"Overall conclusion
56. Mr Othman is considered to be a dangerous and controversial person. That is why this case has attracted so much media attention. It is entirely understandable that there is a general feeling that his deportation to Jordan to face trial is long overdue. But the principles that we have to apply do not distinguish between extremely dangerous persons and others who may not constitute any danger in the United Kingdom and whom the Secretary of State wishes to deport to face trial in another country. The fact that Mr Othman is considered to be a dangerous terrorist is not relevant to the issues that are raised on this appeal. It would be equally irrelevant if we were deciding the question whether there was a real risk that he would be tortured if he were returned to Jordan.
57. Strasbourg recognises that it is only in a very rare case that a state should be prevented by the ECHR from deporting persons to face trial in the courts of another country. The fact that there is a risk that the deported person will not have a fair trial is not enough. There must be a real risk that he or she will suffer a flagrant denial of justice. Strasbourg has rightly set the bar very high. The unfairness must be of a very high order. What is required is a real risk of a breach of the principles of a fair trial guaranteed by article 6 which is "so fundamental as to amount to a nullification, or destruction of the very essence, of the right guaranteed by that article".
58. Torture is universally abhorred as an evil. A state cannot expel a person to another state where there is a real risk that he will be tried on the basis of evidence which there is a real possibility may have been obtained by torture. That principle is accepted by the Secretary of State and is not in doubt. That is the principle which SIAC had to apply in the present case in the light of all the evidence that it heard and read. This included evidence as to what had happened and what there was a real risk would happen if Mr Othman faced a retrial on the very serious charges that he faces. SIAC found that there was a real risk that evidence obtained by torture would be admitted at the retrial and that, as a consequence, there was a real risk that he would be subject to a flagrant denial of justice.
59. In order to succeed in this appeal, the Secretary of State has to show that SIAC erred in law. It is not sufficient to persuade us that we would have reached a different conclusion on the facts and Mr Eadie rightly recognised the difficulty of such an exercise. The Secretary of State accepts that SIAC directed itself properly as to the general legal test to apply. Her case that SIAC nevertheless erred in law is based on a detailed examination of a careful and comprehensive judgment. As we have stated at paras 5 and 6 above, criticisms of this kind of a decision by a specialist tribunal are particularly difficult to sustain. For the reasons that we have given, we are satisfied that SIAC did not commit any legal errors.
60. This appeal must therefore be dismissed."
I suspect the declaration that the "fact that Mr Othman is considered to be a dangerous terrorist is not relevant to the issues that are raised on this appeal" will have some people scratching their heads in wonder and the Home Secretary, the usual mass media suspects and the angry mob decrying 'out of touch' judges.
Yet the Secretary of State herself, if the submissions of her lawyers before the Court of Appeal are to be believed, accepts in law that a "state cannot expel a person to another state where there is a real risk that he will be tried on the basis of evidence which there is a real possibility may have been obtained by torture." That fundamental principle is blind to whether the person involved is considered dangerous or indeed any other idiosyncratic personality traits and for the time being at least it means that Abu Qatada will remain in the UK.
Cheat note for the occasional reader who enjoys legalese chomping - if you're short on time, try skimming paragraphs 1, 14, 17-18, 23-29, 33-34, 46 and 55-60 of the Court of Appeal's ruling to get a reasonably rounded understanding of the thinking of the Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson and his compatriots Lord Justices Richards and Elias.
Update: Conor Gearty, a professor of human rights at the London School of Economics, has an excellent piece in Thursday's Guardian on the case, Abu Qatada: the law won.
Home Secretary loses Abu Qatada deportation appeal...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How to return a JSON string representation of a data structure? (Python3) If you are given a data structure (Strings, Arrays, Integers, Dictionaries) how would you return a JSON string representation of that structure? I'm aware of how to return the representation for a single data structure, but how would you design a process that can do it for all of the above listed structures?
i.e.
array(1,"abc",2) would be [1,"abc",2"]
array('key1' => 'val1', 'key2' => 'val2') would be {"key1":"val1","key2":"val2"}. The key of an associative array will always be a string.
Integers arrays would be converted to int strings and so on...
Below is the direction of how I would code it, but the "JSON String Representation" portion of it kind of confuses me.
def convertJSON(dataStruc)

    return(list(dataStruc)) # Takes whatever struc dataStruc is and turns it into a Python list

But this wouldnt necessarily change the data type or work for dictionaries/hash tables.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness Giveaway!
Mystery Lovers Check out these titles!
Who else is excited that these books exist? I love books like this; the gothic, the romance, the mystery, the paranormal. It's completely up my alley. I was so thrilled to be a part of this promotion for the paperback release of the Book of Life, the third and final book in this series. I was even more thrilled when I received all three books.
The publisher is doing some amazing promotional giveaways with lots of added perks and I'm sure you will see them all out there in the blogosphere. I decided to share with you all a Q& A with the author, Deborah Harkness and also the giveaway.
To sign up for the giveaway, please leave your name and email. Winner will be chosen June 2.
Enjoy getting to know the author and a little bit more about these books!
present—is nothing more than a method for asking and answering questions about the world and our place in it.
scientific questions and we have been posing them for a very long time. Two of them are: who am I? why am I here?
them to fact important moral issues?
why supernatural creatures are so popular these days: witches and vampires are monsters to think with.
from the very first page of the series the truly traditional basis of family: unqualified love and mutual responsibility.
That is certainly the meaning of family that my parents taught me.
you gain inspiration for Diana's uniqueness?
intrigued by mathematical theories of mutability to go along with my alchemical theories of mutability and change.
mechanics of Diana's magic came into focus.
how taken fans were with Diana and Matthew's story?
Finland or Japan—to tell me how much they enjoyed being caught up in the world of the Bishops and de Clemonts.
Sometimes when I meet readers they ask me how their friends are doing—meaning Diana, or Matthew, or Miriam.
That's an extraordinary experience for a writer.
Tours. What inspired you to place your characters in these locations? Have you visited them yourself?
stories about past inhabitants—perfect fuel for any writer's creative fire.
BOOK OF LIFE? Did the direction change once you began the writing process?
story lines that would take me too far from the central story of Diana, Matthew, and the Book of Life.
Books, I located another copy in the British Library.
Society meetings that we presumed were lost forever.
missing in the fantasy genre?
adult market are writing original, compelling stories that can make even the most cynical grownups believe in magic.
My son and I started the Dragonbreath series by Ursula Vernon and took quite a liking to them. Seeing there was a new book by her and a stand alone, I was intrigued.
This one is on my son's nightstand to read for the summer. Sounds super fun!
Lately I haven't had too many chances to read but that doesn't stop the offers for review requests. To compromise, because I still love knowing what is new and hot, I have offered to do Features! to appeal to my A-Z Mystery Author Challenge folks.
So today I have many wonderful mystery/thrillers to let you know about that cover quite a few different sub genres within the mystery genre.
Sandford is a local boy for me. He is from Minnesota and is very well loved. His Prey series especially is always popular and the list is long, especially at the library I work at.
"They call them Travelers. They move from city to city, panhandling, committing no crimes—they just like to stay on the move. And now somebody is killing them.
Letty tells Lucas she's going to get her, and, though he suspects Letty's getting played, he volunteers to go with her. When he hears the woman's story, though, he begins to think there's something in it. Little does he know. In the days to come, he will embark upon an odyssey through a subculture unlike any he has ever seen, a trip that will not only put the two of them in danger—but just may change the course of his life."
What? A new series by Charlaine Harris. Sign me up. Obviously a huge fan of True Blood here. This is a little different but looks just as fun.
"Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. It's a pretty standard dried-up western town.
There's a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There's a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there's new resident Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he's found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own)."
"Longmire, the TV adaptation of Craig Johnson's New York Timesbestselling Walt Longmire Mystery series, has ratcheted up demand for the Wyoming sheriff's written adventures. Publishing on the heels of the Longmire boxed set, Dry Bones is certain to join Johnson's four most recent Longmire novels when it moseys on up the New York Timesbestseller list.
When the largest, most complete fossil of a Tyrannosaurus Rex is discovered in Absaroka County, it would appear to have nothing to do with Walt. That is, until the Cheyenne rancher who finds her is found face down in a turtle pond. As a number of parties vie for ownership of the priceless remains, including rancher Danny Lone Elk's family, the Cheyenne tribe, the Deputy Attorney General, and a cadre of FBI men, Walt must recruit undersheriff Victoria Moretti, Henry Standing Bear, and Dog to investigate a sixty-six million year-old cold case that's starting to heat up fast."
A few extra books to add to your mystery pile, right?
As I was driving home from picking up my son from school today, it hit me. MY reading has fallen by the wayside over the past year, as HIS reading and listening as flourished! And....I'm okay with that. But I had to get it all out in a post because, well, there is a bit of guilt for all the books that were sent to me having not produced reviews for most of them. Does this mean I didn't talk about them? Nope. Share them with others? Nope. It just means I didn't officially sit here at my blog and write a full page report. And....I have to be okay with that. I did what I could and all those books made their way to readers who ate them up.
So on to what I HAVE been doing. I have been watching and enjoying my son, now 7, become an amazing reader and lover of stories. We have been busy! We have always read every night but many times we read over breakfast AND we now listen to audiobooks!!!! In the car on the way to and from school or anytime we are in the car going anywhere. I'm so excited because he is at that stage of reading that I love! The early chapter book stage! Okay, who am I kidding? I love them all!
Here is what we have read over the past year together.
I know I am forgetting some but man, it's been so much fun. So, alas dear readers, publishers, I AM reading and I will share your books you send me with the world but right now, at this wonderful age, I am enjoying reading with my son the most!
It is Februrary 6 already and look at me, posting for a new year challenge! Go me. Obviously blogging hasn't been my top priority but here I am!. For those of you who wish to take on this challenge, please share your results in the comments below. I am not going to do a link this year. I hope to be a bit more successful in my mystery reading efforts this year than last. Overall, I was pretty slow in the reading process. Every year brings new hope, right?
-A-Z applies to the LAST name of the author in the mystery, thriller, crime, cozy , suspense, noir, etc. genre.
-Read as many or as little as you want.
-Post your links in the comments below.
Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping!


Key to the adidas Originals lineup this season is the Nite Jogger. Based on a retro classic, the renewed edition is stepping on a BOOST cushion. Just recently, the sneaker has been active with a size? exclusive drop, a London edition and a some general release drops.
The sneaker has also just dropped in a pair of colorways exclusive to JD Sports. The lineup includes a navy edition that is neon accented. The second colorway is set in bright orange with blue accents.
Nylon and mesh built with mesh overlays, the sneaker is made for the night with reflective detailing.
Check for both kicks now at JD Sports.


Our industry has created many products to fill many differing and unique needs. Ideas we didn't anticipate years ago are now the standard. That entire great innovation collection means nothing if your supplier hasn't invested in the inventory.
Because you have told us it is important to you we have put the pieces, products and requested types and sizes in our inventory to meet your needs.
The product offering goes well beyond that… our constant flow of materials allows those "special" needs to be met in a timely fashion as well.
HBS Henrietta Building Supplies pride ourselves in meeting those needs, let us reflect well on you.


description: Reminisce of Yesterday's Custom Sand and Finish Floors-Antique, Character Grades. Boards show a lot of natural character such as light and dark boards, small checks, pinholes and open knots are possible. Imperfections are filled using wood filler to smooth out any imperfection. This is the same process used to deal with imperfections on custom sand and finish floors.


Gotipua, an oriya etymon means a single boy. A dance which is performed by a single boy dancer in female costume is known as Gotipua dance. When the dance of the Maharis slowly disintegrated due to variouu reasons, the class of these boy dancers was started to carry out the tradition & it is largely from them that the present form of Odissi dance has been revived. It is acknowledged that most of the present Odissi gurus were Gotipua dancers in their early days.
Though it is not known how & when these boy dancers came in, it is certain that they did not appear till 17th century A.D. as we don't find any record or reference to this dance in form.The Gotipua dance appears to have originated in the reign of Prataprudradeva (A.D.1497-1540) and gained popularity in the subsequent muslim period on account of the rigidity of the purdah system which led to the seclusion of women and made their presence scarce on the festive occasions. But this contention does not seem sound as the reign of Prataprudradeva saw the reorientation of Devdassi-dancing in the temple of lord Jagannath. Some are of opinion that Ramananda Ray, the Vaishnavite minister of Prataprudradeva is the originator of this class of boy dancers. This contention also appears immemorable as there are elaborate description in religious texts about the activities of Ramananda in the field of dance, drama & music and that the devadassis of the temple of Jagannath alone remained his disciples. There is no evidence whatsoever of Ramananda having introduced boy dancers in the temple in place of women. The Gotipua dancers are never allowed to dance inside the temple. Only on some festive occasions they are specially allowed to perform in the temple precints.
A Gotipua party consists of four or five members and the guru always remains in charge of it. The guru also sings & plays on the harmonium. Other members are two accompanists i.e., a madala player & a ginni player, and one or two boy dancers. The dance of the Gotipuas is in Odissi style, but their technique, costum & all presentations differ from that of Maharis. The songs are generally compositions of Vaisnava poets of Orissa on the alliance of Radha & Krishna.
Gotipuas also perform a few dance numbers called the Bandha Nritya. These are acrobatic in nature and involve difficult physical exercises which can be mastered only at a very early age.
During the closing years of the last century, the dance of the Gotipuas came to be much influenced by the decadent Sakhi Nacha of the southern district of Orissa. The Sakhi Nacha which was also performed by boys in female costume was an imitation of the volptuous dance of the devadasis who belonged to the adjoining Telugu regions. The Sakhi Nacha had a lasting influence on the dance of the Gotipuas.


text:
"use strict";
var AppDispatcher = require('../dispatcher/AppDispatcher');
var AppConstants = require('../constants/AppConstants');
var {EventEmitter} = require('events');
var assign = require('object-assign');
var WebAPIUtils = require("../utils/WebAPIUtils");

var {ActionTypes} = AppConstants;
var CHANGE_EVENT = 'change';
var _current = null;
var _candidates = {
  '5': {
    id: 5,
    name: '馮光遠',
    avatar: '/assets/images/candidates/5.jpg', //require("../../client/images/candidates/5.jpg")
    avatar_square: '/assets/images/candidates_avatar/5.jpg',
    status: false
  },
  '6': {
    id: 6,
    name: '連勝文',
    avatar: '/assets/images/candidates/6.jpg', //require("../../client/images/candidates/6.jpg")
    avatar_square: '/assets/images/candidates_avatar/6.jpg',
    status: false
  },
  '7': {
    id: 7,
    name: '柯文哲',
    avatar: '/assets/images/candidates/7.jpg', //require("../../client/images/candidates/7.jpg")
    avatar_square: '/assets/images/candidates_avatar/7.jpg',
    status: false
  }
};

var CandidateStore = assign({}, EventEmitter.prototype, {

  emitChange () {
    this.emit(CHANGE_EVENT);
  },

  addChangeListener (callback) {
    this.on(CHANGE_EVENT, callback);
  },

  removeChangeListener (callback) {
    this.removeListener(CHANGE_EVENT, callback);
  },

  getStatus () {
    var result = {};
    Object.keys(_candidates).map(function (c) {
      return result[c] = _candidates[c].status;
    });
    return result;
  },

  getCurrentCandidate () {
    return _current;
  },

  get (id) {
    return _candidates[id];
  },

  getAll () {
    return Object.keys(_candidates).map((c) => {
      return _candidates[c];
    });
  }
});

CandidateStore.dispatchToken = AppDispatcher.register((payload) => {
  var {action} = payload;
  switch(action.type) {
    case ActionTypes.CHOOSE_CANDIDATE:
      _current=action.id;
      CandidateStore.emitChange();
      break;
    case ActionTypes.STATUS:
      WebAPIUtils.checkStatus(function (err, res) {
        if (err) {
          return console.log(err);
        }
        Object.keys(_candidates).map(function(c, i){
          var allStatus = res.body.data;
          if(allStatus)//this is a workaround
             _candidates[c]['status'] = allStatus[i];
        });
        CandidateStore.emitChange();
      });
      break;
    default:
  }

});

module.exports = CandidateStore;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


. Le Hair Virgin Brazilian Natural Straight Human Hair Weave Extension Unprocessed Grade AAAAAA(6A), Natural Color This is not double drawn hair.
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As the one-year anniversary of Stacy Peterson's disappearance nears, her friends, family and supporters are still waiting for answers.
As the one-year anniversary of Stacy Peterson's disappearance nears, a mountain of failing hope and fruitless efforts dwarf the hill of optimism that once surrounded her friends and family.
It's a milestone with no merit. A tacit cue that closure should begin, where no closure is in sight.
Now, as Oct. 28 looms, a year of waiting for answers has given rise to even more questions. Is the hope of finding Peterson fading to a dream? How much longer will they have to wait for resolution? And if a resolution never materializes, what can those who searched for her do with their newfound skills?
As Peterson's loved ones struggle with these thoughts, many who trudged through fields and sifted through waterways in search of clues to her whereabouts are trying to look forward in search of a way to preserve her memory by turning a tragedy into hope for others.
On the last Saturday of March, as the Midwest was beginning to awaken from a brutal winter, about 40 volunteers gathered at a forest preserve in southeastern Joliet to search for Peterson.
The temperature hovered just above freezing as they marched forward, wading through thick woodland, soggy marshes and patches of forest preserve that could have doubled as a landfill. They inspected every suspicious object, misplaced stone and uneven patch of dirt.
Five months after the disappearance, the grim reality of the searches already had set in for many. They were not looking for the vibrant, young mother who had brought them to this barren piece of land. They were looking for her body.
"There's hope, but I'm starting to live with the fact that my sister is not coming home alive," Peterson's sister, Cassandra Cales, said at the time.
Seven months later, some are now coming to terms with the possibility that she might never be found.
After more than 140 searches covering tens of thousands of acres and hundreds of miles of waterways, family spokeswoman Pam Bosco said they are halting searches until the investigation is complete in hopes that the information will provide some direction for searches.
On Wednesday, Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow released a statement assuring the family and the public of the continued progress in the investigation.
The statement was one of the few updates provided by the authorities who are investigating the cases of Savio and Peterson, the third and fourth wives of former Bolingbrook police Sgt. Drew Peterson, who is the sole suspect in Stacy Peterson's disappearance. Police have not named a suspect in Savio's murder, while police are treating Stacy Peterson's disappearance as a "potential homicide" and have said they do not believe the young woman left her home and family willingly.
As of press time Wednesday evening, Drew Peterson had not returned phone calls seeking comment.
His publicist, Glenn Selig, said Peterson was in Los Angeles to tape an interview for the "Dr. Phil" show.
From day one, Peterson has said he had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance or with the March 2004 drowning of his third wife, whose death investigation police reopened within days of Stacy Peterson's disappearance.
Drew Peterson said he still believes Savio's death was an accident, as a coroner's jury ruled in 2004, although two separate pathologists have since ruled it a homicide. He has not been charged with a crime in either case.
Glasgow said Wednesday that the special grand jury that convened in November to investigate both cases is still hearing testimony. Glasgow also noted that the cases prompted him to draft legislation that would allow hearsay testimony in trials where key witnesses have been murdered to prevent them from testifying about a defendant's other criminal activities.
The law easily won approval in the state legislature earlier this year, but Gov. Rod Blagojevich postponed signing it after it was discovered that the bill did not contain a date for when the law would go into effect. Without an effective date, it would not become law until June 2009.
Blagojevich sent the bill back to state lawmakers, who are expected to amend the law so it becomes effective immediately, and approve it when the legislative session reconvenes in November.
With few details of the investigation made public, Stacy Peterson's aunt, Candace Aikin, said her continued communication with police has helped her remain hopeful her family will find closure.
"It's been a hard year, that's for sure," Aikin said. "There's so many unanswered questions, there's still a lot of emotion. It's a hard time, but we're taking it one day at a time, just knowing that justice will come in time. We would've liked to see it sooner.
"It's hard to wait for that but we believe it will come, and I'm still believing that we will find Stacy," Aikin said.
Regardless of the outcome, Aikin said she wants her niece's memory to continue well past the 23 short years of her life.
With large-scale searches halted, lead search organizer Roy Taylor said the small group of dedicated volunteers who spent months looking for Peterson is hoping to carry on her memory by assisting in searches for other missing persons.
On the weekend of Oct. 10, the group assembled for the first time to help search for someone other than Stacy Peterson. Seven members of the group met in West Chicago to conduct a search for John Spira, a St. Charles resident who has been missing since Feb. 23, 2007.
Bolingbrook resident Dianna Noun, who aided in both the Peterson and Spira searches, said the willingness and kindness of other volunteers has been a source of inspiration.


text:
The 40 Craziest Pokemon Facts, Secrets and Rumors
Pokemon started off as one of the most popular gameboy games to ever exist. It was such a hit that it turned into a TV show and Movies were made. The Japanese games Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green were released in Japan in 1996, with Pokemon Blue … [Read more...] about The 40 Craziest Pokemon Facts, Secrets and Rumors
The Ultimate AKB48 Photo Guide Part 4 – The Sister Groups of AKB48 and Their Theater Photos
The sister groups of AKB48 are SKE48, HKT48 and NMB48 and they have their own theater photos which are worth talking about because of the modifications that were done. The distribution of HKT48 and some photos of SKE48, however, remains the same as … [Read more...] about The Ultimate AKB48 Photo Guide Part 4 – The Sister Groups of AKB48 and Their Theater Photos
The Ultimate AKB48 Photo Guide Part 3
The theater photos of the AKB48 are series of collectible photograph sets that are most likely to take over the B.L.T. regular series. They were launched in 2009 by the AKS and were originally considered as an alternative source of photographs to … [Read more...] about The Ultimate AKB48 Photo Guide Part 3
As part of the second portion of our AKB48 photo guide, we focus on the special photos done by B.L.T. These are limited edition photographs and hard to find. They are also difficult to price since they have become coveted collector's items for all … [Read more...] about The Ultimate AKB48 Photo Guide Part 2
The Ultimate AKB48 Photo Guide Part 1 ~B.L.T~
AKB48, the Japanese pop group whose 18 latest singles shot to top position in the Oricon Weekly Single Charts, has been photographed as a group and individually since 2005. These photos are now ready and available to AKB48 fans and are some of the … [Read more...] about The Ultimate AKB48 Photo Guide Part 1 ~B.L.T~
Attack on Titan – Show Us Your Best "Pretend Attack on Titan" Photo Meme!
Remember how we talked about how popular Attack on Titan (進撃の巨人)was in the last blog post? It was already pretty famous even when it was just a regular manga series, but when the anime came out this April, it became even more popular. So popular that … [Read more...] about Attack on Titan – Show Us Your Best "Pretend Attack on Titan" Photo Meme!


If a man wants to open his own nightclub that only hires women who look like "Baywatch babes," nobody should protest... Freedom means voluntary association and peace. There is no other way around this: disagreeing with this point means believing that force ought to displace freedom and property rights.
Due to the most recent defamatory activities of my detractors (Computers NLA, aka KOBE), I've been forced to institute a policy whereby readers can determine whether an article published in my name is authentic.
Those who sexually prey on children will love this plank. They would probably be immune from prosecution unless it could be proven they forced the child in some sexual act.
"Patriot Act II" would gut freedoms of speech and assembly, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, the right to due process, and much much more. Like its predecessor, it would principally impact non-citizens. Sign the petition to stop PAII from becoming law, and tell all who care about basic civil liberties to do the same.
If the Amerikan government truly seeks to make this country safer it should stop bombing innocent people around the world in its push for greater wealth and world hegemony. This aggression only incurs greater wrath from the world's people. And no amount of spying, or fascist domestic control will create peace and safety.
George Bush II renamed MayDay as Loyalty Day, where loyal Americans reaffirm their stupid blind patriotism. This is NO JOKE. It's straight from the ACTUAL White House website, and is a presidential declaration. We need to expand our disloyalty day.
Immigrants and asylum seekers in Japan need your help.
Partnership for Civil Justice is investigating police misconduct and violence at the April 12, 2003 anti-war demonstrations. If you were assaulted by the police or witnessed police misconduct, please contact us. You can also read the Notice PCJ served on the government.


LANDLORDS WHO EVICT tenants because they want to sell or renovate their property or let it to a family member could face tougher sanctions under new Government plans.
The sanctions are part of a number of proposals aimed at increasing the rights of tenants in the rental market, announced by Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy this evening.
The plans include an extension of the time that Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) are in place until the end of 2021, provisions for the regulation of short-term letting, and the expansion of legislation to increase the rights of those living in student accommodation.
Murphy said the proposals were the most significant rental sector reforms in recent years, and would bring greater affordability and security for those in the renal market.
Email "Landlords who evict tenants because they want to sell or renovate a property could face tough sanctions".
Feedback on "Landlords who evict tenants because they want to sell or renovate a property could face tough sanctions".


What can I use hypnotherapy for?
Intuitive Archaeology - The man who sees beyond time.
In this the third in this series of classes filmed at Helena Civic Television (HCTV), Sundi West and Patrick Marsolek continue exploring more of the Argentine Tango. This volume includes examples of how to play with the connection in the dance, leading into off-axis steps, sacadas and circular movements. Two DVDs, 12 classes. Each class is approximately 20 minutes long with demonstrations.
Order all four volumes for only $90.00.
That's 48 classes, 8 disks - 16 hours of instruction!
Each class is approximately 19 minutes long - that's almost two hours per disk!
Communication Practice Group - EVERY other Wednesday!
Contact Patrick if you would like to hear about upcoming events.
Scan with smart phone for Patrick's contact info.


The classic and shapely Norman Counter Stool is one of the most iconic pieces of mid-century furniture. This molded plywood chair offers not only timeless appeal and sophistication, but also comfort and stability. Designed with tapered legs, a generous curved seat, and a concave backrest that is widest at the shoulders, the contoured form lets the body relax easily. The Norman Counter Stool's organic, streamlined shape allows it to feel at home in all environments.
One of the few counter stools I've found with a seat height of 25" -- it makes a difference for my situation.
Love this stool. I have recommended it to clients before and plan to order it again for another in the near future. Looks exactly like the image.
Great Design for a start, easy to order and fast confirmation!
Perfect stool for kitchen island. Stylish and comfortable!
Love these chairs even more in real life. They are super comfortable and look fabulous. I was worried about how tippy they would be with two young kids but they are super sturdy.


text:
Q: Рекурсивный cte Здравствуйте.
У меня имеется такая таблица в БД со списком департаментов:

Мною был написан следующий код:
WITH tree (Id, Name, Level)
AS
(
    SELECT t.Id, t.Name, 0 AS Level
    FROM DepartmentsT AS t WHERE t.ParentId IS NULL
    UNION ALL
    SELECT d.Id, d.Name, Level+1
    FROM DepartmentsT AS d INNER JOIN tree ON tree.Id = d.ParentId
)

SELECT * FROM tree

В итоге я получаю следующий вывод:

Собственно вопрос - Как сделать так, чтобы записи выводились "иерархично", т.е. "дети" выводились под своим родителем, а не так как сейчас, что оно отсортировано по уровням вложенности. Простой ORDER BY проблему естественно не решает.
Заранее спасибо.

A: Судя по всему у вас поле Id это символьная строка фиксированной длины. Если так, то можно сделать следующим образом:
WITH tree (Id, Name, Level, path)
AS
(
    SELECT t.Id, t.Name, 0 AS Level, cast(t.Id as varchar(max)) path
    FROM DepartmentsT AS t WHERE t.ParentId IS NULL
    UNION ALL
    SELECT d.Id, d.Name, Level+1, tree.path+'/'+d.Id
    FROM DepartmentsT AS d INNER JOIN tree ON tree.Id = d.ParentId
)

SELECT * FROM tree
 ORDER BY path

Тут мы собираем полный путь до конкретного элемента из всех промежуточных id и сортируем по нему. косая черта в пути введена для наглядности.
Если поле Id окажется переменной длины - то его надо будет явно привести к строке фиксированной длины с дополнением пробелами или нулями слева (rigth('        '+Id,8))


text:
Endowment funds are critical to the future of the school. The endowment is a permanent fund in which only the earned income is spent and the principle is invested under the guidance of the Board of Trustees. The endowment ensures the future education of our students. Endowment gifts can be made at any time.
For more information on the S.S.H. endowment, please contact the Director of the Advancement Office at (337) 662-7063.
Want to make a difference in the lives of children? Have you remembered Schools of the Sacred Heart in your will? Consider a planned gift to Schools of the Sacred Heart.
The Academy of the Sacred Heart has a long, faithful history of providing young girls spiritual and academic excellence since 1821 and Berchmans Academy of the Sacred Heart is carrying on that tradition of excellence in educating young men. Whether supported through an outright gift or planned gift, Schools of the Sacred Heart programs are made possible through the generosity and commitment of people like you.
A planned gift helps Sacred Heart ensure its future – enabling the school to expand existing programs and create new programs. While vital to the school, your gift can also help further your financial and charitable goal.
What are planned gifts?
Planned gifts include gifts through your will, charitable gift annuities, charitable trusts, gifts of life insurance, and gifts of retirement plans.
Please let us know if you have already included the Academy, Berchmans Academy, or Schools of the Sacred Heart in your estate plan or if you are considering doing this.
How do I include Schools of the Sacred Heart in my will?
A will is perhaps the easiest and most effective means to ensure that you fully provide for your family and that your assets are distributed as you wish. Bequests both large and small have been important to Sacred Heart since its founding. Many faithful friends have remembered Sacred Heart in their will while still providing for their family. A bequest through your will also provides continuing support of the ongoing work of the Academy and Berchmans Academy.
If you choose to make a bequest to Schools of the Sacred Heart, the following language will be helpful to you and your lawyer:
"I give, bequeath and devise _____________% of my estate [ or $_______] to Schools of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau."
There are three ways you can make a bequest:
Specific bequest – You designate a specific dollar amount, specific percentage or specific property to Sacred Heart.
Residual Bequest -Your estate will pay all debts, taxes, expenses and specific bequests. The remaining amount –the residue–will be transferred to Sacred Heart.
Contingent Bequest -You can have Sacred Heart receive all or a portion of your estate only under certain circumstances. For example, you can name Sacred Heart as a beneficiary of your estate only if there are no surviving close family members.
A gift to Sacred Heart through your will has several advantages:
Charitable gifts made through your will are 100% deductible for estate tax purposes.
A charitable bequest may place your estate in a lower tax bracket.
You may specify that your bequest be used for general purposes of Sacred Heart or for a particular program or ministry.
Once you notify Sacred Heart of your bequest intention, you qualify for membership in our St. Philippine Duchesne Society (described below). When making a gift to Sacred Heart through your will, please consult your legal and tax advisors.
A trust is a legal agreement that specifies how the assets placed under the trust will be managed. The Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is a wonderful way to achieve a variety of goals while providing income for life and knowing that after your lifetime, the property remaining in the trust will be used by Sacred Heart as you specified. Essentially, there are two types of CRT's – the unitrust and the annuity trust.
Unitrust income fluctuates annually with the fair market value of the trust.
Annuity Trust income payments are fixed and determined when the gift is made.
The advantages of a CRT are many. For example, you receive income for life, avoid capital gains tax if funded with appreciated securities, receive an immediate charitable income tax deduction, the possibility of reducing your estate tax, and the satisfaction of supporting the Academy.
As with all planned gifts, please be sure to consult with your legal and tax advisors.
Gifts of Retirement Plans
Many Sacred Heart friends today have large qualified retirement plans such as an IRA, 401(k), or Keough plan. These plans have been growing tax-free for several years, but once the owner begins to receive payments, the distributions are taxed. The plans are also included in the owner's taxable estate. Many friends of Sacred Heart are now looking at these assets as a wonderful source of funds to make a gift.
Perhaps the most convenient way to make a gift is by simply changing the beneficiary designation to include Schools of the Sacred Heart. The gift will benefit Sacred Heart free of probate.
Another option is to create a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) through your will. Your IRA assets will be transferred to a CRT, and there is no tax due because the CRT is a tax-exempt entity. The trust will provide life income to a beneficiary (for example, your children) with the trust eventually passing to Schools of the Sacred Heart. Your estate will receive an estate tax deduction for the value of Sacred Heart's right to eventually receive the trust assets.
There are many sponsorship opportunities available throughout the year at Schools of the Sacred Heart. Participating in this way not only benefits you but your company through advertising and reaching a community of friends and potential customers.
Events include:
Dancing with the Stars, Christmas at Coteau, and Conge.
You may contact, the Special Events Coordinator at 337.662.5275, to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.
St. Philippine Duchesne Society
Planned giving is an excellent way to ensure the future of the Schools of the Sacred Heart for the generations to come. Any donor who leaves a planned gift to Sacred Heart is included in the St. Philippine Duchesne Society.
Please contact the Director of Advancement for more information about membership in the St. Philippine Duchesne Society and the benefits of leaving a legacy to the Schools of the Sacred Heart.
Giving By Check
Please send all gifts made by check to Schools of the Sacred Heart, 1821 Academy Road, P.O. Box 310, Grand Coteau, Louisiana 70541. Please enclose with the gift, information regarding the designation for the gift, who to acknowledge if other than the immediate donor, and donor receipt mailing information.
Giving Stock
A stock gift offers a double advantage in that the donor can avoid paying capital gains tax and receive a deduction for the full market value of the stock on the date of sale.
To make a gift of stock to Schools of the Sacred Heart, please notify your broker with the following information.
The stock is a gift for the benefit of Schools of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.
Name and number of shares to be transferred. (stock symbol is helpful)
Tax ID number for S.S.H.
S.S.H. account number
DTC number
Please make mention of Schools of the Sacred Heart on all correspondence with your broker regarding this transfer. Please contact the Office of Advancement to obtain wiring information and answers to the above referenced list.
Donors may work for a company that provides matching gifts. Please contact the Director of Advancement or your company's personnel office to obtain info on your company. Send in your gift, along with the matching gift form, to the Office of Advancement.


text:
Coming Out As A Republican To My Democrat Family Went Worse Than Coming Out Gay
By: Adam Levine
I am not a sex offender. But a number of my friends no longer have time to see me. Lifelong acquaintances now regard me with fear and distrust. I have been unfriended en masse on social media and excoriated by friends who deign to remain. And I have been singly excluded from social gatherings when the rest of my family was invited.
No, I am not a sex offender. I am something even worse than that. I am a Donald Trump supporter.
I was raised in a liberal Jewish family in Washington DC, where my dad served as a Democratic congressman for Los Angeles. Accordingly, I was indoctrinated with all of the correct values and views.
When I was seven, my dad took me on a celebrity-packed camping trip to Death Valley as part of a campaign to protect California's deserts. Israel took center stage in family discussions. I attended a Quaker elementary school, where I learned the black national anthem before I knew the "Star Spangled Banner." In high school art class, I even chose to focus on man's destruction of the environment. I came out to my family as gay at the ripe age of 20, and they were duly overjoyed.
It was always a given that Republicans are bad people, representative of that shameful sliver of our flawed society that values money above the planet and think the world would be better off if everyone were a straight, white male. At a minimum they are racist, misogynistic and homophobic. Left to their own devices, they would exclude ethnic minorities from everything, kick sinful gay offspring onto the streets, and pave our parks over with oil derricks.
Of course, there are the less malicious Republicans, the ones who have fallen victim to their gun-toting, Bible-thumping families and sadly do not know any better than what they have been told. This type is not entirely to blame for their ignorance; they just deserve our pity. These truths are held by my family and our extended social and political networks to be self-evident.
These Ideas Didn't Work Out Long-Term
When, in my adulthood, the liberal policy agenda became problematic for me, I found myself at a loss. I began to raise questions with my family and friends, and met resistance. It was not because my concerns were particularly inappropriate; I was just not supposed to be questioning at all.
One could disagree with nuances, but not the judgment of the (then) president, or the party. Period. The irony of this apparent intolerance for diversity of thought by the party claiming to champion the rights of groups underserved by the status quo was not lost on me.
For the first time in my progressive life, standing up for the values that I most strongly espouse—truth, morality, self-reliance, boundaries, tolerance, and a healthy dose of Jewish skepticism—was damaging my reputation and character. When I publicly opposed my dad's support of the Iran deal, I was admonished. I had few friends with whom I could have a civil political conversation: one stopped all communication with me for two weeks because Trump won the presidency.
If Republicans are bad, Trump is nothing less than Satan embodied. Post-election family gatherings devolved into group Trump-bashing, which intensified as more rumors of my dubious views wafted across town. I did not even bother going to gay pride because it was fused with a Resist march. If you do not want to impeach our president, you have no place in gay life.
I was labeled a white supremacist by a friend I've known my entire life, and completely dropped with no explanation by another dear friend and self-anointed giant of the gay civil rights movement to whom my father had introduced me 15 years ago.
Your Platitudes Don't Work Out In Real Life
Yes, I was in despair, but I was also outraged at not being understood for views that felt so plainly obvious to me logically and experientially. These were not pie-in-the-sky views I was advocating in order to provoke. The Affordable Care Act has made medical treatment of my bipolar disorder more expensive than ever. Under the nuclear agreement, Iran flagrantly continues to enrich uranium and fund terrorist activities.
As a small business owner, I am regularly assaulted with financially crushing, nonsensical red tape and bureaucracy, much implemented as lip service to environmental protection. With few exceptions, every one of my good friends feels more economically hopeless after the "recovery" than before, and abject homelessness on the streets of my beloved city has swelled to egregious levels.
In desperation, like a closeted teenager sneaking into a porn theater, I surreptitiously began to explore the forbidden territories of Fox News and other conservative outlets. Incredibly, I found myself agreeing more often than not.
Fine, I thought, but that is where I had to draw the line. A couple of conservative encounters does not a conservative make, right? Until more liberals began to recognize the disingenuousness and destructiveness of my party's stances, I just resolved to stick it out. I did everything in my power to avoid that one last unspeakable, fatal option: turning Republican.
Harvey Weinstein Was the Last Straw
Then Harvey Weinstein provided me the impetus I lacked: the media outlets that had enabled and covered up his indiscretions for years were the same major public voices for the Democratic Party, the self-proclaimed party of worker's and women's rights. The game was up; two and two could no longer be five. I reached my threshold where no amount of hypothetical Republican bigotry or greed could approach the magnitude of hypocrisy, corruption, or criminality I saw rotting the Democrats to the core. I jumped ship.
I found out almost immediately that the Republican Party is not only not evil, but populated with nice, intelligent, humble people. Days after I added myself to the Log Cabin Republican mailing list, I saw an invite to attend a gathering with Chadwick Moore, an independent journalist and one of two lapsed gay Democrats I had heard of.
When Chadwick spoke, I was stunned: every sentence, every nuance and anecdote of his beautifully articulate, moving talk resonated almost identically with my own experience. From Chadwick and the dozens of other Log Cabin attendees that night, I learned I am not the only gay person to question Democrats or to be ostracized for doing so—by a longshot. The political climate has made it prohibitive for most of us to have a voice and find each other.
Seeing virtue (or perhaps just a lack of evil) in my compatriots finally allowed me to see it in myself. I am now certain that I can be a gay, Jewish Republican and still be a good person and a useful citizen.
I Can Help People Rather than Making Someone Else Do It
I can oppose spending on government programs with no accountability and still volunteer my time at the mental health center to serve underprivileged members of society. I can value work and responsibility but also want a safety net for the sick and unemployed. I can fight for a strong Israel and vastly diverge from the Obama doctrine (or the Trump doctrine). I can be actively engaged in the LGBT community and not be forever outraged at a baker.
It took 36 years for me to see through the Democratic mystique of what the Republican Party is. Having done so has enabled me to affirm a deep part of who I am, which runs deeper than religion or sexual orientation, because it is part of what forms me. Sadly, it was a part that I should not ever have had to question in the first place.
If the struggles of the LGBT and Jewish peoples have taught me one thing, it is that I count, I matter, no more or less than any other man—precisely not because of my sexual preferences, or the God I worship, but because I am a citizen of planet Earth. The knowledge there is a major political party that extends this creed to its members has restored a deep-seated hope inside of me for my country's future.
My next hope is that one or two readers of this will not struggle as hard to realize the same.
Adam Paul Levine holds a BA in painting from Pomona College and a masters in economics from the London School of Economics. He is founder and CEO of the home restoration business Marc Sid Limited, and resides in Los Angeles, California with the most important cat in the world, Jean Valcat. You can follow him on Twitter @adampaullevine.
anti-Trump
Log Cabin Republicans
Trump Derangement Syndrome
Congress Is Never Going To Fix Ticketmaster If All We Get From Them Are Cringe Taylor Swift Quotes
Stefanik: Rooting Out Deep State Corruption Is A Top Priority For House Republicans
The Real Scandal In The Classified Documents Debacle Is Washington's Overclassification Problem
Our Classified System Is A Joke
David Harsanyi January 25, 2023


Tim Wu, the professor at Columbia Law School who coined the term "net neutrality," is the author of an important and extraordinarily well-researched and well-written new book titled The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads. In it, Wu traces the entire history of the technology-enabled work of merchants—those who wish to sell us something—to dominate our attention and, in so doing, to create demand for their products and services.
From the snake-oil salesmen of old to the more pervasive, less noticeable, and more effective methods that define today's Web experience, this book takes us on a comprehensive and insightful journey through the entire history of advertising and explains how the efforts of attention merchants have not only created demands that artificially dominate our lives, but have also gotten into our heads in ways that have fundamentally changed who we are. Even though Wu's concerned that attention-grabbing technologies have had ill effects, this book is not a screed. It exudes the even-handed tone of a scholar. Wu lays out the facts without preaching, but his concern is nonetheless evident and pressing.
A good life and the sensible decisions that enable it are hindered by the onslaught of distractions that dominate most of our attention today. The constant tug of social media, ubiquitously accompanied by increasingly targeted advertising content, leaves little room for reflection. It exercises its influence largely at an unconscious level.
As the world fills to overflowing with unremitting noise, our lives are impoverished. We have traded our attention for hollow promises of useful content and experiences: a Faustian bargain. The dominant attention merchants of our day, Web-based services such as Facebook and Google, have a self-serving agenda that is much different from ours, but that isn't obvious without finding a moment of stillness in the eye of the storm. Several authors have written about the battle for our attention that is being waged against us today, including several whose books I've reviewed in this blog. Tim Wu has added significantly to this lexicon by telling the chilling story of attention merchants.
We can choose to opt-out of this Faustian bargain that we've inadvertently made, but it isn't easy. By reading The Attention Merchants, you will learn about the main forces that have created this problem—all familiar names—and this knowledge will equip you for battle.
Hello Steve, Thanks for this recommendation and I love reading your book reviews. You are a good writer and are able to convey your thoughts in a clear concise manner. I will read this book, but may I recommend a book to you? It is called "Trees on Mars: Our Obsession With the Future" written by Hal Niedzviecki. This book essentially talks about companies trying to innovate for what may happen in the "future". Mostly this is seen in startups trying to better mankind with a new smartphone app, funded by Venture Capitalists, and "inspiring" every company and institution to believe they have to act like a startup in order to innovate and be successful. The result being the massive disruption in systems, employment and noise we have today.
Keep up the great work and this blog, as I have learned a lot from it.
Thanks for the kind words and for the book recommendation. I just now ordered a copy.
We pay extra for seats on flights that provide a little extra legroom. On a long flight, especially, it's often worth it. Similarly, we're sometimes willing to pay extra for software services to eliminate the annoying advertising that degrades the experience of the free version. Think of the omission of ads as attentional legroom; it eliminates unwanted distraction. This model is built on the assumption that advertising is ubiquitous and we should be willing to pay to eliminate it. Advertising has indeed become ubiquitous, but this need no longer be the case. We can turn this on its head, and perhaps we should.
Marketing, in some form or another, has always been with us. The only valid argument that has ever been made for marketing's existence, other than by those who profit from it, is that without it we might not be aware of useful products and services. This argument, in light of the waste of time and attention that marketing imposes on us today, is razor thin. Now that we live in a world that gives anyone with a web-capable device the means to easily find whatever products and services they desire in an instant, the thin justification for marketing's existence has vanished. Whether or not proactive marketing has ever been justified, it isn't any longer. It robs our valuable attention, it creates demand for things we don't need, and it is often deceitful. Marketing remains because those who do it are working hard to impose it on us for their exclusive benefit.
I would prefer to live in a world that prevents all proactive marketing, limiting information about products and services to resources (e.g., websites) that provide that information and nothing more in a way that can be easily searched. In other words, I would like to see all "push" marketing eliminated in favor of "pull" marketing alone. Sources of marketing content could be prevented from hosting other content or services that might be used to lure us there and only allowed to deliver information upon request. Would we be impoverished in the least by this arrangement? I don't think so. The benefits in freed attention and protection from harmful lies would be enormous.
Must products and services engage in proactive marketing to survive and flourish? Not if they're good. A world without proactive marketing would be simpler. With more attention at our disposal, we would see the world more clearly and make better decisions. I'd like to live in that world.
I agree with your sentiments and, I believe, share your feelings and concerns about marketing. But I cannot agree with your recommendation – assuming you are actually advocating for a ban, or other regulatory action, against proactive marketing. The dangers of having any government take such action are just too serious. In the wrong hands (a situation that is sure to occur at some time), the power to decide what people should or should not be exposed to strikes at the heart of the constitutional rights that are critical for us to live as free human beings with dignity.
I don't disagree that our "freedom" is interfered with by proactive marketing. Consumers are often acting out (often unconsciously) what marketers have steered us towards. But who is to decide what is our free choice and what is not? If, as you say, we'd be better off to live in a world without proactive marketing, then people can choose to do so (admittedly with more difficulty than it should take – I often cringe at how difficult it is to rid myself of unwanted marketing). In fact, the difficulties are large enough to make me sympathetic to the idea that our government should protect us against such evils. But surely you cannot be advocating government action to do this? If you are not calling for regulatory action, then who is your appeal to – the public or the businesses that choose to do this? Both? I wholeheartedly agree with that appeal, but I am not optimistic. Whenever I tell a business that I do not like their business practices (take any cable or television provider as one example), I know my refusal to continue to do business with them is a message they do not hear or care about.
You want to live in a world that prevents proactive marketing – so do I. But the question is what type of world would prevent this – one where the government prevents it (not a world I want) or one where consumers prevent it through their collective actions (a world I would like but is not going to happen)?
I'm not suggesting that the government should restrict access to anything. Rather, I'm suggesting that proactive marketing be banned. Anyone who wishes to access marketing content would have that right, without restriction. I work hard to shield myself from marketing, but I shouldn't have to. Despite my vigilance, I'm confronted with marketing everywhere that I turn. Should a ban on proactive marketing be legislated? I consider this well within the scope of useful government. I also believe that legislation is the only way this can be done. If it were, would that give the government an opportunity for mischief? I fail to see how it would.
You are assuming that there will not be legislation prohibiting Dale Lehman from raising issues in class that might hypothetically upset a student. I am not so sanguine.
I'm assuming nothing of the sort. How does a student raising issues about you in class relate to this matter?
Legislation, based on a somewhat compelling moral argument (that proactive marketing is bad; that some speech hurts people, etc.), is hard to contain to only restricting behavior that you and I may find unethical and destructive. I can easily agree with you regarding the destructiveness of proactive marketing and legislation to ban it would indeed make my life simpler. But I fear that using legislation in that way could also be used to restrict my free speech – which may, in fact, be destructive and bad for others. I am not claiming a desire to engage in such speech, nor am I trying to assert it is right for me to engage in it – but there may be times that what I feel I want to say will conflict with someone's feelings and hurt them. I strive to not have that happen – but what worries me is the idea that it would somehow be ok for legislation to restrict my free speech in that way.
If you don't see the connection, perhaps I am missing something. But I believe proactive marketing is protected by free speech just as is mine.
As I suggested previously, I'm not advocating the restriction of free speech. Rather, I'm proposing that no organization should have the right to force their marketing content on me if I don't want it. I should not have to waste my time and attention working as hard as I must to avoid it. A restriction on proactive marketing would have no bearing on your right to teach your classes unless you're using class time to market products and services to students without their consent. I can't imagine that you're using class time in this manner. Let's keep this discussion focused on the topic at hand.
I agree with you that proactive marketing should be banned or controlled in some manner. They did ban subliminal messaging in advertising, bait and switch and false claims about a product. Also here in Ontario we also have a constant battle of minimizing or preventing roadside billboards. I believe in the US some States allow them while some prohibit them, without restricting anyone's freedom. Don Draper (Mad Men) and his ilk are crafty and have negatively contributed to our society. Unfortunately we as individuals have to be more vigilant than ever, not be taken in by the hype and do what we can to ignore it.
I'll stay on topic here. Bans on bait and switch and false claims? I call bait and switch the new American business model (just look at any cable company, satellite television, streaming TV service, etc. for easy examples: low price, small print says for 1 year, then annual increases thereafter – and the increases are not small: the end result is that you end up paying twice as much within a very short time frame).
So, if these practices are "banned," then bans are clearly ineffective. If they are not really banned, then I guess the sentiment is that they should be. I still don't agree. As reprehensible as I find these practices, I don't see "banning" them as good policy or effective. Legislating morality is not the same thing as morality.
We establish and enforce laws, not to make people moral, but to motivate them to behave as if they were. I doubt that you oppose legislation in general and would prefer live in a world without laws. If your primary objection is rooted in concern that a ban on proactive marketing would be difficult to enforce, that's worth considering. Unfortunately, I can't contribute much to this particular discussion because I'm not a legislator, judge, attorney, law professor, so I lack relevant expertise. Unless you possess this expertise, it would probably be best to leave this discussion to others who do, such as Tim Wu.
Well I do have expertise in some of these areas. As a regulatory economist I have studies how many regulatory and legislative actions work in practice. Let's take one specific practice you have singled out – and one that I would agree is evil and bad. I particularly dislike bait and switch and it is now the way that all television services are sold – virtually all of them. It is done because it works and is profitable. Consumers love the "deal" of the low initial price and many of them (include me here) don't or can't read the small print enough to realize what they will end up paying. But the question is: would it be good to ban such practice? I think not, as so many consumer protections just lead to ever more subtle ways to taking advantage of consumers.
The larger issue is one you raise: using laws to motivate people to behave "as if" they were moral, not to make people moral. I have long been a student of environmental policy and I do favor legislative acts, such as the Endangered Species Act. However, I have never found the argument satisfying that we can use environmental law to make people act as if they valued the environment (for its own sake rather than in utilitarian terms). I lament the fact that many people do not have these values and don't believe that legislation can make up for that. What legislation can do is call for an open discussion of the issues and values involved, and if action is warranted, it is then a collective statement of those values.
So, I'll backtrack a bit (hey, if the POTUS can do it, I certainly can) – I would welcome a Congressional discussion of whether or not proactive marketing should be banned. If the values involved were really discussed, and legislation resulted, I guess I would think that was a good thing. But I've seen very little discussion of this nature in the past 50 years. Almost all of the discussion is now utilitarian – would I be better off if we passed this legislation or not? In this atmosphere, I don't see a ban on proactive marketing as a good thing – it would simply represent one group asserting its power over another. And, even the banned practices would likely show up on more subtle, but equally nefarious, forms.
If there is an area of agreement between us, I believe it is that discussion of the ethics of practices such as proactive marketing are important and a worthy enterprise for political discourse. If there is an area of disagreement, it may be that I am even more skeptical than you – and in view of that skepticism, I don't see legislative action as an improvement.
I really appreciated your review of Tim Wu's book titled The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads.
One of my "hobbies" is teaching and I have been blessed with the opportunity to build and teach a class from scratch for the MBA program at Pepperdine University in Southern California. I have adapted two of your books (Information Dashboard Design and Show Me The Numbers) along with the Storytelling with Data text by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic. Since my class is focused on communication with data I am integrating a number of suggested readings that will help guide the students get perspective on data-related communications. Based on your review I am inclined to make some specific references to Wu's book after I read it (which I hope to do soon).
Thank you Steve for the well-written review on Wu's book and for the previous work on your books which I've been able to draw from in building lectures and assignments for my classes.


text:
z/Scope Terminal Emulator
Open Host Interface Objects (OHIO)
OHIO addresses the need for a standardized advanced programming interface that can access host data. OHIO does not modify the TN3270/TN5250 protocol or datastream but instead provides a common access method to host data once it arrives at the client. It uses an Object Oriented approach to divide the data into logical objects, and provides methods on those objects to allow standard access to the host data.
HLLAPI, WinHLLAPI, EHLLAPI
HLLAPI is a standard programming interface that provides access to a host emulator session. Functions are provided for reading host screen data (such as the characters and attributes), for sending keystrokes, and for performing other emulator-related functions. The EHLLAPI interface is a single call-point interface. There is a single callable API through which all EHLLAPI functions are requested. On each call to the interface the application provides a function number which identifies the function requested, a pointer to a data buffer, a pointer to the length of the data buffer, and a pointer to a return code. WinHLLAPI is based on the familiar EHLLAPI.API. It encompasses all of its existing functionality and adds extensions that take advantage of the Windows message-driven environment.
Contact us if you wish to get more information about z/Scope's Scripting Capabilities.


text:
Breakup Was More Costly Than She Bargained For
How Do I Date Again – Top 3 Ways in 2016
15 Signs Of Passive Aggressive Behavior In The Workplace
Breaking up
Jane Greer, Ph.D.
Shrink Wrap With Dr. Jane Greer
The career cost of a breakup
At one time superstar music producer Calvin Harris and British singer Rita Ora were a harmonious pair in love and in their professional lives. But last month Calvin used Twitter to announce they were no longer an item. The news came just as a song they had recorded together called "I Will Never Let You Down" was topping charts, and other collaborations were set to be released. According to the British newspaper The Sun, Calvin doesn't want those new songs to appear on Rita's second record. "Rita's album has hit a bit of a road block after Calvin pulled all the songs he had worked on for the project before they split. He'd made a lot of songs for her but they're now likely to go to other artists," an insider told the newspaper. It was said that Rita was "a little mortified" that Calvin announced their breakup on Twitter since she didn't know he was going to make the news public. More than that, though, it is hard not to wonder what will happen to their joint endeavors and her career in light of their breakup.
It is not unusual for people to mix romance with business. Countless couples, married or not, work together every day. They invest their emotional well-being and their professional well-being in the same person. They think they will always be able to trust each other, and that they will have each other's best interests in mind. But that is not always the case. So when something goes wrong with the personal side, everything can be at stake. These are relationships where the blurred boundaries can create heart-rending emotional and financial chaos. You know how people say it's just business when something goes wrong or people make selfish choices? Well, when the love is gone from the equation it really can become just business. So how can people guard themselves against losing everything?
The most important thing you can do is put a plan in place before things head south. In other words, know exactly who will do what and who would get what if your relationship were ever to go array. Maybe you would split the business fifty fifty, no questions asked, or the one who walks away would still be committed to paying rent for a month or two as the other partner is in the process of finding a replacement. As set in stone as these parameters can be, even if that means drafting legal documents, the better off you might be. As often happens with a prenuptial agreement, people are sometimes reluctant to put it in writing because they think if you are in love you shouldn't have to. In this case, however, when you are working with someone, it really is your livelihood.
Whether or not you can continue to work together would probably depend on the nature of your breakup. If you have outgrown each other and there is no longer a spark, but the trust and friendship can be maintained, then maybe you actually could continue on as professional partners. That would be much more difficult if there has been a betrayal. In other words, if one or both of you is faced not only with heartbreak, but also broken trust, then working together might prove to be impossible.
For some it is easier or necessary to cut professional ties at the same time the romantic ties are broken, as Calvin and Rita are doing. If they had had a plan in place there might not be so many questions around what is in store for their careers as they move forward. By setting clear directives, everyone knows who is getting what and who is doing what, should it come to that.
Please tune in to "Let's Talk Sex" which streams live on HealthyLife.netevery last Tuesday of the month at 2 PM EST, 11 AM Pacific. We look forward to listener call-in questions, dealing with relationships, intimacy, family, and friendships, at 1.800.555.5453.
Photo:Rita Ora Celebrates Boyfriend Calvin Harris' Novello Awards Win! Step from MyStockPhoto.com
Authors' Books and Kindle – Click for Amazon Reviews
Related Topics:breakup, business, love, relationships, trust
Dr. Jane Greer is a nationally renowned relationship expert, marriage and family therapist, author, blogger, and radio host. She is creator of "Shrink Wrap with Dr. Jane Greer," a media commentary on what we can learn from the trials and triumphs of celebrity relationships as seen on on Huffington Post, Psychology Today, Metro, Galtime, and Cupid's Pulse. Dr. Greer has appeared on many popular television shows offering relationship advice, including Oprah, The Today Show, The Early Show, CNN News, Anderson Cooper 360, Dateline NBC, 20/20, Good Day New York, and The View. Dr. Greer's live weekly radio hour Doctor on Call features conversations on health, life and love with actors, authors, bloggers, scientists, doctors, relationship experts and more and airs every Tuesday from 2-3 p.m. ET (11 a.m.-12 p.m. PT) at HealthyLife.net. The second Tuesday of each month is devoted to HuffPost on Call, a new monthly show including fascinating conversations with Huffington Post lifestyle editors and bloggers. The last Tuesday of the month, Dr. Greer invites other sex experts to Doctor on Call for Let's Talk Sex, a popular call-in show focused on cutting-edge conversations about sex and intimacy. Dr. Greer's newest book, What About Me? Stop Selfishness From Ruining Your Relationship, is available nationwide. Connect with Dr. Jane Greer on Facebook, and follow @DrJaneGreer on Twitter for her latest insights on love, relationships, sex, and intimacy.
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Confession: I never make fried chicken the same way twice. It's a work in progress that's been going on for over ten years. This recipe is an amalgamation of the ideas that resulted in the most delicious chicken–so far.
The primary challenge in frying chicken is that the various pieces cook at different rates. This is why, I suspect, the Colonel used to cut his chicken differently than the standard breast-wing-thigh-drumstick configuration. I like that idea, if you're up to cutting your own chickens. What you do is pull the breastbone of the chicken out with the two tenders still attached. This removes about a third of the meat from each breast, making it more the size of the other pieces.
The problem is not entirely solved. Breast meat cooks faster than leg meat of the same size. Consider that as you cook. One more thing. There is no question that the flavor of the chicken gets better after you've fried one chicken. Or that it starts deteriorating after you've fried about five chickens. So refresh the oil–strain it and add fresh–along the way.
1. Combine the marinade ingredients, mixing until the salt is dissolved. Divide the chicken among gallon food storage bags. Add enough marinade to complete soak the chicken. Place the bags in the refrigerator eight hours to overnight.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off excess. Place the chicken pieces on a rack over a pan (the racks you use to cool cakes are perfect). Place the chicken out of the way but in the open air, and allow to warm up for about a half hour.
3. When ready to begin cooking, combine the coating ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a large, clean paper bag.
4. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 375 degrees.
6. Using tongs, put four or five pieces of chicken into the hot oil and fry, without turning, for eight to ten minutes. Turn it over and fry on the other side, again for eight to ten minutes. The color you're looking for is a bit darker than the usual golden brown.
7. As you remove the chicken from the pot, drain it in a large sieve over a bowl. Shake it a couple of times and let it remain there for at least one minutes. If nobody grabs it immediately (the recommended way of eating fried chicken), keep it warm in a 150-degree oven until serving.
I'm going to have to try your chicken breading recipe. Yesterday I used Shore Lunch brand chicken breading and was VERY impressed with the results. It's been years since I've deep fat fried anything.
I've been enjoying some of your Saturday radio show up here in Wisconsin on my Stitcher Radio podcast app. Great show!


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New overtime rule in minor league hockey generating buzz
Pat Graham The Associated Press
Dec 25, 2014 at 7:51 PM Dec 25, 2014 at 7:51 PM
DENVER — This rookie just may be called up from the American Hockey League after catching everyone's attention in an impressive debut.
Sorry, though, it's not the next Sidney Crosby, but a new overtime rule that should allow players like Crosby to showcase their skills even more with the game on the line.
The minor-league organization has long been the place to experiment with new directives, just to see how well they work — or don't work — before the NHL takes a look. Some (oversized blue lines) weren't popular. Others (not being able to change players after an icing call) have been promoted.
The new OT rule possibly could be coming soon to an NHL rink near you.
"It's certainly entertaining for fans and a lot of fun to watch," said David Andrews, the president and CEO of the AHL for the last 21 years.
Currently, the NHL uses a 4-on-4 OT model for five minutes. If no one scores, then it goes to a shootout.
But here's how the extra period works on the AHL level: It's seven minutes long — or until someone scores, of course — with the opening three minutes 4-on-4. Then, after the next whistle, it switches to 3-on-3 for the last four, leading to lots of room for creativity and scoring chances. If that doesn't decide things, it goes to a shootout, a concept that drives many a coach bonkers since it's almost like a skills competition.
That's the thing, though. This new overtime system has cut down significantly on shootouts.
Last year, the AHL had 65 percent of its OT games decided in a shootout, Andrews said. This season, it's shrunk to 25 percent.
Even more, of the 99 overtime games so far, 35 of them have been decided in 3-on-3 action.
Initially hesitant over the newfangled OT ordinance, Roy Sommer, the coach of the AHL Worcester Sharks, has warmed up to the idea. He thinks it would be a big hit with fans and players on the next level.
"If you put your three best NHL players against each other with all that ice and creativity, man, it would be something to watch," said Sommer, one of the all-time winningest AHL coaches. "I know I wouldn't leave."
As for when — or even if — this version of overtime arrives at the NHL level, that's hard to predict. In a statement, the NHL's hockey operations branch said the league follows "the American Hockey League and other leagues closely. ... We're always interested in ways to make an already great game better."
Colorado and Toronto had a 3-on-3 situation in overtime earlier this season after both teams drew penalties. It was riveting as players raced from end-to-end, unable to risk heading to the bench for fear of an odd-man rush going the other way.
"If we did this, there's no way games would go to a shootout," Colorado forward Matt Duchene said. "As much as shootouts are fun to watch, I'm not a big fan of them, because it stinks to finish a game on a non-hockey play.
"But I'd love to see overtime 4-on-4 and then 3-on-3, because it would be amazing."
Chris Wideman can attest to that. The defenseman for the Binghamton Senators has scored two of his 12 goals in overtime this season — one in 3-on-3 and the other on a 4-on-3 power play.
"Lots of odd-man rushes, breakaways," explained Wideman, who's in his third season with the minor-league affiliate of Ottawa. "From the pure entertainment side, you can't beat it. As far as for the players, it's a lot of fun for us. It gives you a chance to show off a little skill."
One possible downside? More ice time for players, which could take its toll over an already grueling regular season.
NBC hockey analyst Eddie Olczyk wouldn't mind seeing something similar to college football's overtime rules. His suggestion is this: One team receives a 4-on-3 power play for two minutes and if it scores, then the opponent gets its chance. The one that stops the other wins.
"If we're trying to get away from the shootout, there are ways of trying to do that," said Olczyk, a former NHL player and coach.
Hey, maybe another test idea for the AHL. But the minor-league outfit isn't just a petri dish for the NHL. A lot of times, it's the AHL that institutes a rule that causes the NHL to take notice and later implement, like the delay penalty for flipping a puck over the glass in the defensive end. Or the trapezoid area behind the goal.
Or, maybe soon, this new OT rule.
"The fans love the shootout," Avs defenseman Erik Johnson said. "But they'd LOVE 3-on-3 in overtime."


Let's get to the bottom of this straight up – food is king when it comes to being a human being. But supplements are a fantastic way to add to your overall nutrition profile; keeping you healthy, full of energy and ready to tackle every day head on!
So, next time you're looking for a new supplement to take ask yourself these few questions and remember that you are unique and the supplements that you need to achieve your desired results may be completely different to that of someone else's.


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Ampleforth Abbey awarded £2.9 million lottery grant
Ampleforth Abbey in 2016
Ampleforth Abbey, home to the largest Benedictine monastic community in Britain, has been awarded a grant of £2.9 million by Heritage Lottery Fund.
The grant will be released in its entirety once Ampleforth Abbey processes plans to make urgent repairs to the Grade II listed Monk's Bridge and the Grade I listed Abbey Church.
After the necessary repairs are made, it is hoped that more tourists will be attracted to the abbey and grounds. The 2,200 acre estate in North Yorkshire has been home to the Benedictine community since 1802.
Sue Fisher, director of Development at Ampleforth Abbey, said: "Receiving Heritage Lottery Funding's support is a testament to the historical significance of Ampleforth Abbey. This National Lottery money will enable us to encourage more visitors to come to see and experience the Benedictine way of life in the 21st century."
Funds will extend the visitor experience and provide a better understanding of monastic life and heritage with the 59 monks engaging with visitors through organised retreats, acts of worship, the visitor centre, tearoom, orchard, shop and landscape.
Sir Peter Luff, Chair of Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "Ampleforth Abbey is a place of inspiration and beauty. It has entranced past generations and will continue to do so in the future thanks to National Lottery players. Visitors will see more clearly than ever the wonderful heritage of buildings, of nature and of faith as they marvel at the Abbey's breath-taking architecture and enjoy the surrounding landscape."
Ampleforth Abbey
Benedictine Community
Ampleforth Abbey's oldest monk dies aged 98
Abbot Patrick Barry had been a monk at the abbey for just over 80 years
Prince Charles samples Ampleforth Abbey's cider
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall visited the Great North Yorkshire Show earlier this month
Ampleforth Abbey cider proves the pick of the bunch
Monks delighted by International Cider Challenge awards