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Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Movie Review by Michael Clawson
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Director: J. J. Abrams
Cast: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew
By Michael Clawson of Terminal Volume
It's strange how a song, some yellow text and a movie logo just makes everything seem alright in the galaxy. It just feels like home, a warm hearth to lean against in the cold void of space.
J.J. Abrams' Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, is not the end-all, be-all, the alpha and omega, of cinema history the way the fanboys have been saying. But it is an utterly magnificent retooling of George Lucas' floundering mega-saga. When Lucas turned his nuts-and-bolts space opera into a toothless CGI-painted joke, the franchise marched toward its own doom, one Hayden Christensen line after another. But Abrams has imbued the first chapter of a new trilogy with a newfound sense of wonder with a convincing cast, a snappy and electric story, and minimal CGI. It's a coup for the franchise, a drastic course correction, a clean slate, a Mulligan in hyperspace.
The tone is set in the first seconds, in the first line of the famous scroll during John Williams' iconic score: "Luke Skywalker has disappeared," it says. The resistance, the side of our heroes, wants Luke to guide them forward. The First Order, the villains, wants to kill him and destroy the last links to The Force, a spiritual power that would likely die with Luke. The resistance has a map that leads to Luke's last location, but the First Order, the last remnants of the Galactic Empire, attempts to capture it, thus starting the conflict of the current film.
Our players here are Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a resistance fighter and ace pilot; Finn (John Boyega), a stormtrooper with an awakened conscience; Rey (Daisey Ridley), a metal scavenger with a connection to The Force; and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a practitioner of the Dark Side who has started a one-person death cult that worships the defeated Darth Vader. These characters frequently cross paths in Lawrence Kasden, Michael Arndt and Abrams' mostly competent, at times clunky, script that includes a crash course on Star Wars lore, complete with shout-outs to holographic chess, 12-parsec space runs and lightsaber genealogy. The film goes to great lengths to establish meta and spiritual connections to the original franchise.
Early sequences revolve mostly around BB-8, a ball-shaped droid that is carrying the secret map to Skywalker's location. The famous R2-D2 shows up later, but BB, with his cute hiccups and bloops, cements his place in the Star Wars canon long before then. Other franchise staples show up, including Princess Leia, now General Leia (Carrie Fisher); the still-dashing space smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford); Han's walking carpet sidekick Chewbacca; and gold-plated C-3PO, human cyborg relations. Solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon makes a triumphant return in a scene of pure exhilaration as Rey, Finn and BB-8 outrun TIE fighters in a desert wasteland filled with the relics of war from the original trilogy.
Abrams' world is populated by a huge variety of alien creatures, from snorting elephant-pigs and googly-eyed club owners to noodly space pirates and tin-headed bounty hunters. Many of the characters are made from physical special effects, silicone and moldable foam, and not computer animation. Even the sets are real, which was a big gripe about Lucas' last movies: they were clinical and lifeless, projections designed, executed and presented from within a matrix of computer programs. Here, though, the world feels real and livable, and it's populated by characters with souls.
I hate to beat up on Lucas, but Force Awakens improves on every aspect of the prequel trilogy: from the special effects and sets to the acting and dialogue. Those films lost their way very early on, but this one steps forward with sure footing and a nostalgia for the original films. Abrams' story could use some tweaking, particularly in some areas involving yet another Death Star, the dramatic reappearance of a "sleeping" character, and the state of the galaxy, which is never really explained how or why the First Order maintains so much power in a post-Return of the Jedi universe.
But these minor annoyances are made up for with great characters, lots of them, and all of them wonderfully constructed by the actors who play them. Boyega and Ridley are charmingly well equipped for this franchise, and bring to it a sense of adventure and heroism. And Driver's Kylo Ren is a terrifying misfit who wields incredible power. He frequently hides behind a Vader-ish mask that gives him a Bane-like chamber for his voice to bounce around in with an eerie bass-rattle. Ford, playing the Star Wars veteran in more ways than one, helps hold all this together with a keen sense of humor; in fact, there are many jokes here, some in very unlikely and warranted places.
The best part of this new chapter is how it contributes to the myth of the Star Wars universe, The Force, and characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and Luke Skywalker. "It's true, all of it … the force, the Jedi … all of it is true," Han Solo tells our reluctant heroes who only know of the events from episodes four through six as bedtime stories and forgotten lore that has been passed down two and three generations. The Force Awakens not only brings Star Wars back for the characters, but for the audience as well. And never before has this franchise felt so alive.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell
Hitchcock/Truffaut - Movie Review by Michael Clawson


Located close to Central Oxford, just off the Abingdon Road, St Ebbe's primary school offers a variety of facilities at competitive rates. These facilities include the main hall, library and various classrooms. The school also offers ample free parking on site.
St Ebbe's School boasts a well-lit main hall. This diverse space is suitable for a wide range of events from dance and drama groups to children's birthday parties. The hall has a large central square of wooden flooring with a carpeted surround. The space so far it has hosted a wide range of performers and bands. The size of the hall is 14.5m x 14.3m.
St Ebbe's has a small library which can be hired for meetings, training sessions or group work. It can be useful to hire alongside the hall or classrooms as a breakout area.
St Ebbe's has a number of classrooms available to hire. These spacious classrooms are colourfully decorated and have approximately 30 chairs and 11 tables which can be used as you wish.
St Ebbe's has a huge outdoor grass playing field, measuring in at approximately 50m x 75m. It can be used for sports matches or children's birthday parties, weather dependent of course!
If you are looking to book St Ebbe's Primary School, please plan in advance! We are unable to accept bookings or amendments less than 7 days in advance of your proposed start date.


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Home/ Electronics Article/Why India is Still Treading Behind China in Adopting IIoT?
Why India is Still Treading Behind China in Adopting IIoT?
Niloy Banerjee May 13, 2019
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is the next wave Indian businesses and industries are undergoing. But according to a recent report disseminated by Accenture, India is far away behind China in adopting IIoT.
While countries like Germany, France and China have made significant progress in terms of IIoT adoption, India has not yet moved much ahead in its IIoT journey, according to Saurabh Bhatnagar, Managing Director – Manufacturing, Accenture Strategy.
According to Accenture, IIoT refers to a universe of intelligent products, processes and services that communicate with each other and with people over the Internet and promises to be the most transformative industrial revolution yet for manufacturers.
"In terms of IIoT adoption, in a scale of 10, if China would score 7, India's would be about 3.5," Bhatnagar told IANS, adding that according to an estimate, IIoT could be adding $14.2 trillion to the global economy by 2030.
"Indian manufacturers have been struggling to achieve globally competitive scale and productivity. While the industrial sector in India grew at a rate of six per cent annually since 2011 to more than $700 billion in 2016, the value addition per employee continued to be one of the lowest in the world, at only $6,000," he added.
"A connected factory can yield a 5-12.5 per cent cost reduction in operations optimisation, 10-40 per cent cost savings in predictive maintenance and 20- 50 per cent cost reduction in inventory optimisation," Bhatnagar said.
At the same time, increased efficiency and productivity threaten reductions in the rate of job creation. However, Bhatnagar believes that widespread deployment of IIoT might make some jobs redundant, while the overall economic growth brought about by its adoption would also create new jobs.
"IIoT is a combination of various intelligent technologies, and its adoption will help improve employee productivity and outcomes. In some cases, machine will automate tasks that humans have been doing, but in most instances, they will augment human capabilities," he said.
"With machines taking over low value, repetitive tasks, some jobs will become redundant, but new jobs will also be created that leverage human skills. The overall economic growth will also create new jobs. It is crucial that people are skilled to realise these new opportunities," Bhatnagar said, adding that there needs to be a significant shift in the way engineering education is imparted in the country.
While China also has a "conflict of interest" in terms of IIoT adoption because of its large population, the country is focusing on driving economic growth to create more jobs, he said.
However, it is not just the manufacturing sector that IIoT could change.
"IoT could improve productivity and competitiveness of Indian businesses across sectors including manufacturing, finance, banking and media," Bhatnagar said.
To understand more about what value IIoT brings in to today's industries and why should one get upfront in choosing IIOT, Click Here
Accenture Automation China India industries IoT Machine Learning News Saurabh Bhatnagar
Niloy Banerjee
A generic movie-buff, passionate and professional with print journalism, serving editorial verticals on Technical and B2B segments, crude rover and writer on business happenings, spare time playing physical and digital forms of games; a love with philosophy is perennial as trying to archive pebbles from the ocean of literature. Lastly, a connoisseur in making and eating palatable cuisines.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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About Hachette Children's Group
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How to Train Your Dragon: How to Fight a Dragon's Fury
by Cressida Cowell
The final book in the series that inspired the How to Train Your Dragon films. In this twelfth adventure, can Hiccup save the dragons?
It is the Doomsday of Yule. At the end of this day, either the humans or the dragons will face extinction. Alvin the Treacherous is about to be crowned the King of the Wilderwest on the island of Tomorrow. His reign of terror will begin with the destruction of dragons everywhere.
The fate of the dragon world lies in the hands of one young boy as he stands on the nearby isle of Hero's End with nothing to show, but everything to fight for. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third's Quest is clear. First he must defeat the Dragon Guardians of Tomorrow and prove that he is in fact the rightful king, even though Hiccup has none of the King's Things and Alvin the Treacherous has all ten of them.
And then he faces his final battle: Hiccup must fight the Dragon Furious and end the Rebellion … ALONE. As Doomsday draws to an end can Hiccup be the Hero of the hour? Will the dragons survive?
How to Train Your Dragon is now a major DreamWorks franchise. How to Train Your Dragon 3 is scheduled for 2017 starring Cate Blanchett and Jonah Hill and the TV series, Defenders of Berk, can be seen on CBBC and Netflix.
Top stuff. – Daily Telegraph
Read all of Hiccup's exploits in the series: How to Train Your Dragon, How to Be a Pirate, How to Speak Dragonese, How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, How to Twist a Dragon's Tale, A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons, How to Ride a Dragon's Storm, How to Break a Dragon's Heart, How to Steal a Dragon's Sword, How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel and How to Betray a Dragon's Hero.
Check out the brilliant website at http://www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com It's the place to go for games, downloads, activities and sneak peeks!
Genre: Children's, Teenage & Educational / Children's / Teenage Fiction & True Stories / General Fiction (children's
On Sale: 8th September 2015
Hardcover Arrow Icon
Audiobook Downloadable
Wordery
This book is awesome; a truly fitting finale for such an amazing series
The guardian.com
Especially good... raises the series to classic status.
Top stuff.
This is my favourite book ever! It's about different types of dragons, how they behave and how to find them! ... I adore this book so much that I couldn't stop reading it!
As gripping and as rousing as ever... as with the best children's literature, these books are about much bigger things: endurance, loyalty, friendship and love. And Cowell's illustrations and visual storytelling enhance the action no end.
The story is full of excitement, danger, magic and triumph. This tremendous final adventure for Hiccup and his dragons is unmissable
Cressida Cowell won the Philosophy Now prize this year ... it turns out that the adventures of Hiccup, the Heroes and the dragons raise big questions about courage, parent-child relationships, friendship, bullying, what is means to be a boy and particularly, what is truly valuable. This opens with a sock-it-to-'em chapter and builds from there
The penultimate book in the popular series.
The Schools Advertiser
Cowell addresses some big issues in this magical and mysterious tale that is bound to become a modern classic
Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon books stand out not only for their humour, excitement, and startlingly vivid descriptive language, but also, more surprisingly, for their profound meditations on complex political, historical, emotional and moral themes. They incite children to reason and to question, and inspire their imagination and inquisitiveness.
Philosophy Now Magazine
I am really sad this series has ended because it's my absolute favourite series. I have enjoyed all of Hiccup's adventures and really wish dragons were real; I would love to go into my garden and discover a Riproarer or maybe a triple-headed Deadly Shadow
'Ahead of the film of the same title due to be released next March, this is a special edition of the first book in the uproarious series about Viking Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Highly original, and full of useful tips for dragon-owners everywhere.'
Woman's Weekly
'If light amusement is required, Cressida Cowell's How to Break a Dragon's Heart delivers all it promises. There are lots of illustrations and a playfulness with language that will draw in even the most reluctant reader.'
An epic finale
Noah Sanders, aged 10, Northern Scot Midweek Extra
With a story that soars and dips, twists and turns like a dragon's flight path, this is the brilliant final episode in a series that belongs on the bookshelves of every child who loves a turbulent thriller of a take
My children's book of the year... [How to Train Your Dragon] has kept a consistent flow of brilliant characters, jokes, stylish writing, illustrations and ideas - and the finale is tremendous. Her geeky, once-despised Viking hero, Hiccup, saves humanity (and dragons) from certain doom in an unpredictable, satisfying way. This series is one of the greatest ever written for those between eight and 12. Buy them all and your holidays will be blessed with perfect peace.
Amanda Craig, The New Statesman
[Toothless] is the world's most adorable dragon, and there are probably very few who would argue that
Praise for the series: Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon books fill every spread with scales and fangs and typographical jeux d'esprit
By turns hilarious and wise, it's never predictable, brilliantly illustrated and always delightful.
[Cressida Cowell] puts a contemporary spin on the old brains over brawn moral and brings the story to a climax with a thrilling dragon duel. Lots for lots of different readers to enjoy.
Books for Keeps
Now out in paperback is How to Fight a Dragon's Fury, the 12th and last in the series of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III's hilariously haphazard instruction manuals on how to be a hero the hard way
Evening Echo (Cork)
If you haven't discovered How To Train Your Dragon you are missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature.
Always thrilling, funny and brilliantly illustrated.
There is a deep humanity to the novel's resolution, which understands that endings are not really endings at all, and that life contains a mixture of the good, the evil and the just plain ordinary. The best children's books make the world magical. As every child looks for Narnia in the back of a wardrobe, so I hope that, for years to come, children will see dragons all around them. How to fight a dragon's fury is a resounding finale, full of fire and smoke, love, honour and old fashioned thrills. It's a triumph.
Philip Womack, The Daily Telegraph
'a hilarious and gripping adventure, beautifully paced and studded with great dramatic scenes.'
Amanda Craig, Times
... raucous and slapstick ... liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell's] riotous drawings, notes and maps.
The Financial Times
Ceaselessly inventive... young readers are lucky to have her. *****
Brilliantly written
Woman's Way
PRAISE FOR THE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON BOOKS: 'Fiercely exciting and laugh-aloud funny, it is as full of joy for children of 7+ who have given up reading as for those who love it.'
Amanda Craig, The Times
Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful.
CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK: This book is great fun and has a Blackadderish sense of humour ... full of the sort of jokes that will make schoolboys snigger.
Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times
Cowell still writes these with pep and inventiveness
Flaming good
Embellished with plenty of the clashing fonts, ink blots and scribbly pencil drawings that make this series of books so unique. How To Betray a Dragon's Hero takes the saga to a completely new level and is an enormously enjoyable read.
Bookbag
If your children haven't discovered these brilliant stories yet, they're missing a trick.
Exciting adventures, great characters and plenty of jokes and funny drawings make Hiccups adventures some of our favourite books.
tBk Mag
The future is in the hands of a popular hero, Hiccup, who'll make you laugh along the way. Superb illustrations, too.
'is not only funny, well written and thrilling, but also wise about what we owe those who love us.'
Very funny
There are some really touching moments alongside rip roaring adventure...I am going to really miss Hiccup's dragon Toothless
South Wales Evening Post
A smart, funny read that will keep children on the edges of their seats.
Cressida Cowell's 11th and penultimate volume in the phenomenal How to Train Your Dragon series.
Wihtout question, Cowell has crafted a modern classic. The world she has created, throwing readers back into a time when dragons and humans inhabited the same place, is every bit as consuming and deep as Harry's in Hogwarts ... And so the fight -- part Doctor Who, part biblical epic -- begins.gripping, a worthy end to something very special
If your child's already a fan they'll devour this in a few hours; if not, cancel all Christmas plans and prepare for some mammoth reading sessions
The School Run
© Hodder & Stoughton Limited and The Watts Publishing Group Limited


Brotherhood of Bikers is one of the most popular biker patches we carry. Measures 3.5x4 inches.
Genuine patch, artwork is copyrighted by Good Sports.
The patch is embroidered with die cut borders and plastic iron on backing. Sew or iron on this patch.


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Deze lijst geeft een (incompleet) overzicht van personen die geboren zijn in de Portugese hoofdstad Lissabon. De lijst is gerangschikt naar geboortejaar.

Geboren in Lissabon

Voor 1500
 Antonius van Padua (1195–1231), kerkleraar en heilige
 Paus Johannes XXI (c. 1215–1277), paus en aartsbisschop
 Dionysius van Portugal (1261–1325), koning
 Alfons IV van Portugal (1291-1357), koning
 Ferdinand I van Portugal (1345-1383), koning
 Johan I van Portugal (1357-1433), koning
 Peter van Portugal (1392-1449), hertog van Coimbra
 Jitschak Abarbanel (1437-1508), Spaans-Portugees rabbijn, filosoof, staatsman en econoom
 Francisco de Almeida (c. 1450-1510), militair, ontdekkingsreiziger en staatsman
 Johan II van Portugal (1455-1495), koning

1500-1599
 Johan III van Portugal (1502-1557), koning
 Isabella van Portugal (1503-1539), koningin van Spanje
 Beatrix van Portugal (1504-1538), prinses
 Gracia Mendes Nasi (1510-1569), Portugees-Joods onderneemster
 Hendrik van Portugal (1512-1580), koning
 Eduard van Guimarães (1515-1540), prins
 Francisco de Holanda (1517-1585), humanist, schilder, essayist, architect en historicus
 Luís de Camões (1524-1580), dichter
 Anton I van Portugal (1531-1595), prins
 Diogo de Couto (c. 1542-1616), historicus
 Antonio de Santo Estevão (1548-1608), bisschop
 Sebastiaan van Portugal (1554-1578), koning

1600-1699
 António Vieira (1608-1697), missionaris, theoloog, schrijver en historicus
 Alfons VI van Portugal (1643-1683), koning
 Johannes de Britto (1647-1693), missionaris, martelaar en heilige
 Peter II van Portugal (1648-1708), koning
 Johan V van Portugal (1689-1750), koning
 Frans Xavier van Portugal (1691-1742), prins
 Anton Frans van Portugal (1695-1757), prins
 Emmanuel Jozef van Portugal (1697-1766), prins
 Sebastião de Melo (1699-1782), staatsman

1700-1799
 Maria Barbara van Portugal (1711-1758), koningin van Spanje
 Jozef I van Portugal (1714-1777), koning
 João de Loureiro (1717-1792), missionaris, paleontoloog, arts en botanicus
 Peter III van Portugal (1717-1786), koning
 Maria I van Portugal (1734-1816), koningin
 Mariana Francisca van Portugal (1736-1813), prinses
 Maria Dorothea van Portugal (1739-1771), prinses
 Jan Gildemeester Jansz. (1744-1799), Nederlands kunstverzamelaar
 Benedicta van Portugal (1746-1829), prinses
 Marcos Portugal (1762-1830), operacomponist
 Johan VI van Portugal (1767-1826), koning
 Karl Robert von Nesselrode (1780-1862), Russisch diplomaat en staatsman
 José da Gama Carneiro e Sousa (1788-1849), militair en politicus
 José Jorge Loureiro (1791-1860), militair en politicus
 James Ellsworth De Kay (1792-1851), Amerikaans zoöloog
 António José Severim de Noronha (1792-1860), militair en politicus
 Maria Theresia van Portugal (1793-1874), prinses
 António Paulino Limpo de Abreu (1798-1883), premier van Brazilië

1800-1849
 Michaël I van Portugal (1802-1866), koning
 Nuno José Severo de Mendoça Rolim de Moura Barreto (1804-1875), politicus
 João Crisóstomo de Abreu e Sousa (1811-1895), militair en politicus
 Anselmo José Braamcamp (1819-1885), politicus
 António Maria de Fontes Pereira de Melo (1819-1887), militair en politicus
 Camilo Castelo Branco (1825-1890), schrijver
 Peter V van Portugal (1837-1861), koning
 Lodewijk I van Portugal  (1838-1889), koning
 Francisco da Veiga Beirão (1841-1916), politicus
 Johan Maria van Portugal (1842-1861), prins
 Francisco Joaquim Ferreira do Amaral (1843-1923), militair en politicus
 Maria Anna van Portugal (1843-1884), prinses
 Antonia Maria van Portugal (1845-1913), prinses
 Ferdinand Maria van Portugal (1846-1861), prins

1850-1899
 Maria das Neves van Portugal (1852-1941), prinses
 Francisco d'Andrade (1859-1921), operazanger
 João do Canto e Castro (1862-1934), militair en politicus
 Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa (1863-1929), militair en politicus
 Karel I van Portugal (1863-1908), koning
 Alfredo de Sá Cardoso (1864-1950), militair en politicus
 Augusto de Vasconcelos (1867-1951), arts, diplomaat en politicus
 António Óscar Carmona (1869-1951), militair en politicus
 Artur Ivens Ferraz (1870-1933), militair en politicus
 António Maria da Silva (1872-1950), politicus
 Domingos da Costa Oliveira (1873-1957), militair en staatsman
 Marie Brockmann-Jerosch (1877-1952), Zwitserse botaniste
 Liberato Pinto (1880-1949), militair en politicus
 Lodewijk Filips van Portugal (1887-1908), prins
 Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), dichter en schrijver
 Emanuel II van Portugal (1889-1932), koning
 Luís de Freitas Branco (1890-1955), componist
 Alfredo Duarte Marceneiro (1891-1982), fadozanger
 Francisco Craveiro Lopes (1894-1964), militair en politicus
 Américo Thomaz (1894-1987), admiraal en politicus

1900-1919
 Marcello Caetano (1906-1980), politicus
 Maria Pia van Saksen-Coburg-Gotha en Bragança (1907-1995), hertogin
 Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908-1992), Portugees-Frans kunstschilderes
 Manuel Marques (1912-1987), voetballer

1920-1929
 Amália Rodrigues (1920-1999), fadozangeres
 Vasco Gonçalves (1921-2005), militair en premier van Portugal (1974-1975)
 Matilde Rosa Lopes de Araújo (1921-2010), schrijfster
 Mário Soares (1924-2017), premier (1976-1978,1983-1985) en president van Portugal (1986-1996)
 Maria de Lourdes Martins (1926-2009), componiste, muziekpedagoge en pianiste
 David Mourão-Ferreira (1927-1996), schrijver en dichter
 Raul Solnado (1929-2009), acteur en komiek

1930-1939
 Duarte de Almeida (1935-2009), acteur en schrijver
 Paula Rego (1935-2022), Portugees-Brits kunstschilderes
 Francisco Pinto Balsemão (1937), journalist, bedrijfsleider en premier van Portugal (1981-1983)
 Simone de Oliveira (1938), zangeres
 Carlos do Carmo (1939-2021), zanger
 Madalena Iglésias (1939-2018), zangeres en actrice
 José Morais e Castro (1939-2009), acteur, regisseur en politicus
 Jorge Sampaio (1939-2021), politicus; president van Portugal (1996-2006)

1940-1949
 António Lobo Antunes (1942), schrijver
 Vítor Constâncio (1943), econoom en politicus
 Antonio Damasio (1944), neuroloog en schrijver
 Maria João Pires (1944), pianiste
 João de Deus Pinheiro (1945), politicus
 Paulo de Carvalho (1947), zanger
 Carlos Mendes (1947), zanger, componist en acteur
 Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (1948), president van Portugal (2016-heden)
 António Guterres (1949), premier van Portugal (1995-2002) en secretaris-generaal van de Verenigde Naties (2016-heden)
 Luís Filipe Vieira (1949), zakenman

1950-1959
 Pedro Caldeira Cabral (1950), componist en gitarist
 José Manuel Rodrigues (1951), Portugees-Nederlands beeldend kunstenaar en fotograaf
 Paleka (1954), jazzdrummer en percussionist
 Fernando Santos (1954), voetballer en voetbalcoach
 José Manuel Barroso (1956), premier van Portugal (2002-2004) en voorzitter van de Europese Commissie (2004-2014)
 Pedro Santana Lopes (1956), premier van Portugal (2004-2005)
 Jorge Fernando (1957), fadozanger en -gitarist
 António Vitorino (1957), politicus
 Paula Patricio (1958), Portugees-Nederlands presentatrice

1960-1969
 Rui Águas (1960), voetballer
 Maria de Fátima (1961), fadozangeres
 Pedro Romeiras (1961), balletdanser en choreograaf
 José Couceiro (1962), voetballer en voetbalcoach
 Joaquim Gomes (1965), wielrenner
 João Silva (1966), fotograaf en schrijver
 Tó Cruz (1967), zanger
 João Cunha e Silva (1967), tennisser
 Rita Guerra (1967), zangeres
 Paulo Bento (1969), voetballer en voetbalcoach
 Manuel Liberato (1969), wielrenner

1970-1979
 Dennis Ferrer (1970), dj en muziekproducent
 Vitor-Manuel Gamito (1970), wielrenner
 Patrick Mille (1970), Frans-Portugees acteur
 Pedro Proença (1970), voetbalscheidsrechter
 João Pedro Pais (1971), singer-songwriter
 Rui Costa (1972), voetballer
 Luís Figo (1972), voetballer
 Rui Tavares (1972), schrijver, geschiedkundige en politicus
 João Capela (1974), voetbalscheidsrechter
 Costinha (1974), voetballer
 José de Sousa (1974), darter
 Nuno Valente (1974), voetballer
 André Couto (1976), autocoureur
 Daniel da Cruz Carvalho (1976), voetballer
 Rui Sousa (1976), wielrenner
 Luís Boa Morte (1977), voetballer
 Arlindo Gomes Semedo (1977), voetballer
 Maniche (1977), voetballer
 Marco Silva (1977), voetballer en voetbalcoach
 Jorge Andrade (1978), voetballer
 Bruno Basto (1978), voetballer
 João Ferreir (1978), bioloog en politicus
 Nuno Lopes (1978), acteur
 Helder Rodrigues (1979), motorcrosser

1980-1989
 César Campaniço (1980), autocoureur
 Miguel (1980), voetballer
 Jorge Ribeiro (1981), voetballer
 Beto (1982), voetballer
 Manú (1982), voetballer
 Miguel Freitas (1984), autocoureur
 João Pedro da Silva Pereira (1984), voetballer
 Rúben Amorim (1985), voetballer
 Frederico Gil (1985), tennisser
 José Gonçalves (1985), Zwitsers-Portugees voetballer
 João Urbano (1985), autocoureur
 Manuel Fernandes (1986), voetballer
 Miguel Lopes (1986), voetballer
 Jorge Teixeira (1986), voetballer
 Ricardo Vaz Tê (1986), voetballer
 Sílvio (1987), voetballer
 Guilherme Rodrigues (1988), jazzcellist en -trompettist
 João Carlos Reis Graça (1989), voetballer
 Conan Osíris (1989), zanger
 Armando Parente (1989), autocoureur
 Salvador Sobral (1989), zanger en winnaar van het Eurovisiesongfestival 2017

1990-2000
 Elson do Rosario Almeida (1990), Nederlands-Kaapverdisch voetballer
 André Almeida (1990), voetballer
 Diogo Viana (1990), voetballer
 António Félix da Costa (1991), autocoureur
 Hernâni (1991), voetballer
 Miguel Herlein (1993), voetballer
 Michelle Larcher de Brito (1993), tennisster
 Ricardo Pereira (1993), voetballer
 Nélson Semedo (1993), voetballer
 Carlos Mané (1994), voetballer
 Bernardo Silva (1994), voetballer
 Bruno Varela (1994), voetballer
 João Palhinha (1995), voetballer
 Hildeberto Pereira (1996), voetballer
 Renato Sanches (1997), voetballer
 Pedro Pereira (1998), voetballer
 Leonardo Da Silva Lopes (1998), voetballer
 João Pedro Neves Filipe (1999), voetballer

Vanaf 2000

 Tiago Tomás (2002), voetballer
 Rafael Bobeica (2002), Moldavisch zanger

Lissabon
Lissabonners
Lissabonners

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Tag Archives: closer
Jake Braun discusses the Voting Village at DEF CON
Election security continues to be a hot topic, as the 2018 midterm elections draw closer. So, the Voting Village at DEF CON 26 in Las Vegas wanted to re-create and test every aspect of an election.
Jake Braun, CEO of Cambridge Global Advisors, based in Arlington, Va., and one of the main organizers of the DEF CON Voting Village, discussed the pushback the event has received and how he hopes the event can expand in the future.
What were the major differences between what the Voting Village had this year compared to last year?
Jake Braun: The main difference is it's way bigger. And we've got, end to end, the voting infrastructure. We've got voter registration, a list of voters in the state of Ohio that are in a cyber range that's basically like a county clerk's network. Cook County, Illinois, their head guy advised us on how to make it realistic [and] make it like his network. We had that, but we didn't have the list of voters last year.
That's the back end of the voter process with the voter infrastructure process. And then we've got machines. We've got some new machines and accessories and all this stuff.
Then, on the other end, we've got the websites. This is the last piece of the election infrastructure that announces the results. And so, obviously, we've got the kids hacking the mock websites.
What prompted you to make hacking the mock websites an event for the kids in R00tz Asylum?
Braun: It was funny. I was at [RSA Conference], and we've been talking for a long time about, how do we represent this vulnerability in a way that's not a waste of time? Because the guys down in the [Voting Village], hacking websites is not interesting to them. They've been doing it for 20 years, or they've known how to do it for 20 years. But this is the most vulnerable part of the infrastructure, because it's [just] a website. You can cause real havoc.
I mean, the Russians — when they hacked the Ukrainian website and changed it to show their candidate won, and the Ukrainians took it down, fortunately, they took it down before anything happened. But then, Russian TV started announcing their candidate won. Can you imagine if, in November 2020, the Florida and Ohio websites are down, and Wolf Blitzer is sitting there on CNN saying, 'Well, you know, we don't really know who won, because the Florida and Ohio websites are down,' and then RT — Russian Television — starts announcing that their preferred candidate won? It would be chaos.
Anyway, I was talking through this with some people at [RSA Conference], and I was talking about how it would be so uninteresting to do it in the real village or in the main village. And the guy [I was talking to said], 'Oh, right. Yeah. It's like child's play for them.'
I was like, 'Exactly, it's child's play. Great idea. We'll give it to R00tz.' And so, I called up Nico [Sell], and she was like, 'I love it. I'm in.' And then, the guys who built it were the Capture the Packet guys, who are some of the best security people in the planet. I mean, Brian Markus does security for … Aerojet Rocketdyne, one of the top rocket manufacturers in the world. He sells to [Department of Defense], [Department of Homeland Security] and the Australian government. So, I mean, he is more competent than any election official we have.
The first person to get in was an 11-year-old girl, and she got in in 10 minutes. Totally took over the website, changed the results and everything else.
How did it go with the Ohio voter registration database?
Braun: The Secretaries of State Association criticized us, [saying], 'Oh, you're making it too easy. It's not realistic,' which is ridiculous. In fact, we're protecting the voter registration database with this Israeli military technology, and no one has been able to get in yet. So, it's actually probably the best protected list of voters in the country right now.
Have you been able to update the other machines being used in the Voting Village?
Braun: Well, a lot of it is old, but it's still in use. The only thing that's not in use is the WinVote, but everything else that we have in there is in use today. Unlike other stuff, they don't get automatic updates on their software. So, that's the same stuff that people are voting on today.
Have the vendors been helpful at all in providing more updated software or anything?
Braun: No. And, of course, the biggest one sent out a letter in advance to DEF CON again this year saying, 'It's not realistic and it's unfair, because they have full access to the machines.'
Do people think these machines are kept in Fort Knox? I mean, they are in a warehouse or, in some places, in small counties, they are in a closet somewhere — literally. And, by the way, Rob Joyce, the cyber czar for the Trump administration who's now back at NSA [National Security Agency], in his talk [this year at DEF CON, he basically said], if you don't think that our adversaries are doing exactly this all year so that they know how to get into these machines, your head is insane.
The thing is that we actually are playing by the rules. We don't steal machines. We only get them if people donate them to us, or if we can buy them legally somehow. The Russians don't play by the rules. They'll just go get them however they want. They'll steal them or bribe people or whatever.
They could also just as easily do what you do and just to get them secondhand.
Braun: Right. They're probably doing that, too.
Is there any way to test these machines in a way that would be acceptable to the manufacturers and U.S. government?
Braun: The unfortunate thing is that, to our knowledge, the Voting Village is still the only public third-party inspection — or whatever you want to call it — of voting infrastructure.
The unfortunate thing is that the only time this is done publicly by a third party is when it's done by us. And that's once a year for two and a half days. This should be going on all year.
Jake BraunCEO of Cambridge Global Advisors
The vendors and others will get pen testing done periodically for themselves, but that's not public. All these things are done, and they're under [nondisclosure agreement]. Their customers don't know what vulnerabilities they found and so on and so forth.
So, the unfortunate thing is that the only time this is done publicly by a third party is when it's done by us. And that's once a year for two and a half days. This should be going on all year with all the equipment, the most updated stuff and everything else. And, of course, it's not.
Have you been in contact with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, as they are in the process of writing new voting machine guidelines?
Braun: Yes. This is why DEF CON is so great, because everybody is here. I was just talking to them yesterday, and they were like, 'Hey, can you get us the report as soon as humanly possible? Because we want to take it into consideration as we are putting together our guidelines.' And they said they used our report last year, as well.
How have the election machines fared against the Voting Village hackers this year?
Braun: Right, of course, they were able to get into everything. Of course, they're finding all these new vulnerabilities and all this stuff.
The greatest thing that I think came out of last year was that the state of Virginia wound up decommissioning the machine that [the hackers] got into in two minutes remotely. They decommissioned that and got rid of the machine altogether. And it was the only state that still had it. And so, after DEF CON, they had this emergency thing to get rid of it before the elections in 2017.
What's the plan for the Voting Village moving forward?
Braun: We'll do the report like we did last year. Out of all the guidelines that have come out since 2016 on how to secure election infrastructure, none of them talk about how to better secure your reporting websites or, since they are kind of impossible to secure, what operating procedures you should have in place in case they get hacked.
So, we're going to include that in the report this year. And that will be a big addition to the overall guidelines that have come out since 2016.
And then, next year, I think, it's really just all about, what else can we get our hands on? Because that will be the last time that any of our findings will be able to be implemented before 2020, which is, I think, when the big threat is.
A DEF CON spokesperson said that most of the local officials that responded and are attending have been from Democratic majority counties. Why do you think that is?
Braun: That's true, although [Neal Kelley, chief of elections and registrar of voters for] Orange County, attended. Orange County is pretty Republican, and he is a Republican.
But I think it winds up being this functionally odd thing where urban areas are generally Democratic, but because they are big, they have a bigger tax base. So then, the people who run them have more money to do security and hire security people. So, they kind of necessarily know more about this stuff.
Whereas if you're in Allamakee County, Iowa, with 10,000 people, the county auditor who runs the elections there, that guy or gal — I don't know who it is — but they are both the IT and the election official and the security person and the whatever. You're just not going to get the specialized stuff, you know what I mean?
Do you have any plans to try to boost attendance from smaller counties that might not be able to afford sending somebody here or plans on how to get information to them?
Braun: Well, that's why we do the report. This year, we did a mailing of 6,600 pieces of mail to all 6,600 election officials in the country and two emails and 3,500 live phone calls. So, we're going to keep doing that.
And that's the other thing: We just got so much more engagement from local officials. We had a handful come last year. We had several dozen come this year. None of them were public last year. This year, we had a panel of them speaking, including DHS [Department of Homeland Security].
So, that's a big difference. Despite the stupid letter that the Secretary of State Association sent out, a lot of these state and local folks are embracing this.
And it's not like we think we have all the answers. But you would think if you were in their position and with how cash-strapped they are and everything, that they would say, 'Well, these guys might have some answers. And if somebody's got some answers, I would love to go find out about those answers.'
2018closercontinuesdrawelectionelectionsmidtermSecuritytopicvoting
Bloomberg: 'Microsoft edges closer to quantum computer based on elusive particle'
The post Bloomberg: 'Microsoft edges closer to quantum computer based on elusive particle' appeared first on Stories.
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Microsoft IoT Central broadens reach with simplicity of SaaS for enterprise-grade IoT – Internet of Things
IoT is fast becoming a key strategy for companies of all sizes, as they strive to get closer to their customers and offer great product experiences—all while reducing operational expenditures. Until now, however, it's been a major hurdle to gain the skills needed to build and manage connected solutions. This obstacle has been further compounded by concerns about security, scalability, and difficulties finding an IoT solution that has built-in best practices gained from years of experience in the sector.
This is why today we are pleased to launch the public preview of Microsoft IoT Central to address these barriers. Microsoft IoT Central is the first true highly scalable IoT software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that offers built-in support for IoT best practices and world-class security along with the reliability, regional availability, and global scale of the Microsoft Azure cloud. Microsoft IoT Central allows companies worldwide to build production-grade IoT applications in hours—without having to manage all the necessary back-end infrastructure or learn new skills. In short, Microsoft IoT Central enables everyone to benefit from IoT.
IoT Solutions without the hassle
Microsoft IoT Central takes the hassle out of creating an IoT solution by eliminating the complexities of initial setup as well as the management burden and operational overhead of a typical IoT project. That means you can bring your connected product vision to life faster while staying focused on your customers and products. The end-to-end IoT SaaS solution equips you to harness the "digital feedback loop" to draw better insights from your data and convert them into intelligent actions that result in better products and experiences for your customers.
By reducing the time, skills, and investment required to develop a robust enterprise-grade IoT solution, Microsoft IoT Central also sets you up to quickly reap the powerful business benefits of IoT. You can get started quickly, connecting devices in seconds and moving from concept to production in hours. The complete IoT solution lets you seamlessly scale from a few to millions of connected devices as your IoT needs grow. Moreover, it removes guesswork thanks to simple and comprehensive pricing that makes it easier for you to plan your IoT investments and achieve your IoT goals.
On the security front, Microsoft IoT Central leverages industry-leading privacy standards and technologies to help ensure your data is only accessible to the right people in your organization. With IoT privacy features such as role-based access and integration with Azure Active Directory permissions, you stay in control of your information.
From years of working in the commercial space, we understand organizations' need to take advantage of existing applications and data to glean richer insights, integrate business workflows, and take more effective actions. So, in the coming months, Microsoft IoT Central will also be able to integrate with customers' existing business systems—such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP, and Salesforce—to accelerate more proactive sales, service, and marketing.
Several customers have already started building solutions for their businesses with Microsoft IoT Central. Here's what they have to say:
"Small-scale IoT use cases are rare, even though they can have profound social impact. Why? Because each use case has unique needs that in turn require special sensor configurations and secure provisioning to the cloud before the solution can even be turned on. Arrow has simplified this process by bringing together Microsoft's IoT Central platform and Libelium's Plug & Sense IoT Toolkits, which help small, medium, and even large businesses get their IoT projects up and running sooner. Microsoft's IoT Central solution helped us pilot in weeks, at minimal cost, a public school environmental monitoring solution that would have taken a year to develop from scratch. School and government officials can now monitor and improve the safety of public spaces without the cost and duration of typical IoT projects." – Jeff Reed, PhD, VP Microsoft Global Alliance at Arrow Electronics
"Mesh Systems is passionate about the work Microsoft is doing with the release of Microsoft IoT Central. We recognize how Microsoft IoT Central accelerates projects that need entry-level simplicity while also be extendable to meet more complex requirements. We value this level of SaaS offering from Microsoft because it allows us to focus on identifying and iterating on the application business transformation, which is critical across the IoT market." – Uri Kluk, CTO, Mesh Systems
"With Microsoft IoT Central and partner VISEO, we created and deployed IoT solutions quickly, securely, and at scale—with the reach and resources of the global Azure cloud platform. The solution we implemented enables us to collect telemetry data on thousands of our devices. We are now able to do predictive maintenance and ensure our firmware is always up to date—critical advantages in the health field. With this data, we are better able to serve our market and adapt our service to the needs of our customers." – Philippe Angotta, Director of Customer Relations, LPG
"Patterson Companies believes there is an opportunity to realize significant improvement in dental device fix/repair service-level outcomes for its customers via an IoT Remote Monitoring & Diagnostics solution. The OEMs that manufacture dental devices are actively implementing and enhancing their IoT capabilities to provide ongoing performance data from devices connected at the dental office. Microsoft IoT Central provides a highly configurable and intuitive solution to define the criteria needed to monitor and diagnose any variety of connected devices. This in turn equips Patterson service technicians with current and past performance data, allowing them to transition from a reactive stance to one that is proactive and results in higher levels of customer satisfaction." – Nate Hill, Principal Architect, Patterson Dental
"The Umbra Group is excited to work with Microsoft IoT Central and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations to monitor performance and health of our systems in ways we never have been able to do before. These new tools enable us to integrate commercial, supply chain, production, and product data from the time an order is placed all the way through to serving up insights for how and when to service a device. Umbra expects to see tremendous benefits during product development and testing by being able to see and act on real-time performance data regardless of location. Our customers will be thrilled to be able to have maintenance activities performed during scheduled machine down time instead of experiencing interruptions in service, since machine conditions will now be predictable." – David Manzanares, Vice President of Engineering, Umbra Group
"Digital transformation will drive mass-scale growth of the IoT market. Scalable, secure, reliable, and pay-per-use solutions are needed to handle these volumes efficiently. ICT Group has a strong focus on the Industrial IoT market, and Microsoft IoT Central offers us the ability to create insights and add real business value. ICT Group has been involved in the development of Microsoft IoT Central from the start. Microsoft IoT Central has enabled us to gather more valuable insights to inform how we manage our products with this digital feedback loop." – Aart Wegink, Director Digital Transformation, ICT Group, The Netherlands
Microsoft is leading the way in IoT innovation, and we are committed to introducing new features at a rapid pace so customers can quickly and continually reap benefits and stay ahead of the game. As a true IoT SaaS solution, Microsoft IoT Central gives customers automatic access to new features as they're released. It also frees customers from updating the underlying hardware.
Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service now available
To further simplify IoT, we are also announcing the availability of Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service. Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service enables zero-touch device provisioning and configuration of millions of devices to Azure IoT Hub in a secure and scalable manner. Device Provisioning Service adds important capabilities that, together with Azure IoT Hub device management, help customers easily manage all stages of the IoT device lifecycle.
For a deeper look into the features of Microsoft IoT Central, check out the new Microsoft IoT Central website and demo, and start your free trial today. Also, for a deeper dive be sure to see our blog post, "Microsoft IoT Central delivers low-code way to build IoT solutions fast."
Tags: Azure IoT Hub, Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service, device management, Microsoft IoT Central
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CDC relaxes mask guidelines for fully vaccinated Americans
Apr 27, 2021 @ 4:31pm
▶ Watch Video: CDC director unveils new mask guidelines for fully vaccinated Americans
Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled updated guidelines on Tuesday detailing activities that vaccinated people can safely resume, including attending small outdoor gatherings without the need to wear a mask.
The new "interim public health recommendations" detail a variety of situations in which individuals who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can forgo wearing a mask, but urged the continued use of face coverings in most indoor settings and in crowded outdoor areas.
"Today is another day we can take a step back to the normalcy of before," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a briefing by Biden administration officials. "Over the past year, we have spent a lot of time telling Americans what they cannot do, what they should not do. Today, I'm going to tell you some of the things you can do if you are fully vaccinated."
The new recommendations say fully vaccinated individuals can engage in the following activities without wearing masks:
Walking, running, hiking or biking outdoors alone or with members of their household
Attending small outdoor gatherings with fully vaccinated family and friends
Attending small outdoor gatherings with a mixture of fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people
Dining at outdoor restaurants with friends from multiple households.
Fully vaccinated people can also attend "a crowded, outdoor event, like a live performance, parade, or sports event," as long as they remain masked, according to a CDC infographic of the new guidelines.
An infographic from the CDC released on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, showing various activities that fully vaccinated individuals can resume.
"I am optimistic that people will use this information to take personal responsibility to protect themselves and protect others," Walensky said.
She urged fully vaccinated people to continue wearing masks indoors, noting there are still roughly 50,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, but said it is "safe for those who are fully vaccinated to return to the activities they love doing inside while wearing a mask."
Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or two weeks after receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. President Biden will deliver remarks on the current state of the pandemic later Tuesday.
The new guidelines suggest that fully vaccinated individuals continue wearing masks when in public spaces, when gathering indoors with unvaccinated people from more than one household, when visiting unvaccinated high-risk individuals or in an outdoor setting or venue where masks are required. The updated CDC guidance recommends that fully vaccinated people continue to avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser, previewed the new guidance on Monday, telling a virtual event hosted by the Harvard Chan School of Public Health that "the risk of infection outside is really minimum. If you're vaccinated, and you're outside, it's even less."
Prior CDC guidance acknowledged that "masks may not be necessary when you are outside by yourself away from others, or with people who live in your household." It also advised individuals to abide by any mask mandates in their local area while out in public, as well as any relevant federal mask mandates.
In the months since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, researchers have repeatedly found that outdoor transmission likely makes up a small share of infections.
The CDC in March published research detailing a successful effort by one New Jersey school to curb COVID-19 outbreaks where, among other measures, meals and sporting events were held mostly outdoors.
The agency over the weekend also urged summer camps to plan for more activities outdoors "whenever possible" as one of a handful of "key prevention strategies" in updated guidance for camp counselors.
Early research also suggests fully vaccinated people carry substantially less virus in their body even in cases of rare "breakthrough" infections of COVID-19, which scientists suspect means the virus is less likely to spread to others.
One recent study published by the CDC found most fully vaccinated staff and residents in Chicago-area nursing homes who had "breakthrough" infections of COVID-19 had no symptoms, and none appeared to have spread the disease to others.
The U.S. reported having administered 230,768,454 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Monday. Thirty-seven percent of adults are fully vaccinated.


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Facts About Beyonce And Jay Z
Famous for her music and acting skills, Beyonce is a boundary-pushing artist who has become a popular famous figure. She earned the nickname Queen Bey, and is currently one of the most well-known and successful artists of all time.
Beyonce began to develop an interest in music and dance in her early years. She enrolled in a dance class at St. Mary's Montesorri School in Houston, Texas. She took part in numerous competitions. She started singing at age seven. She was placed in a group called Gyrl's Time. Beyonce was a part of an all-girls entertainment group when she was just eight.
In the beginning, Beyonce was shy and avoided a stage. Her parents were shocked when they saw their daughter perform on stage. She impressed them. Beyonce was a popular singer and actress. She also worked as a producer. She has released several solo albums. Beyonce is a Grammy Award winner and has sold more than 300 million records. She is also the highest selling female artist of all time.
Beyonce's maternal grandparents were French and African. On the side of her mother, she has distant Breton roots. She has an uncle who is a Xerox sales manager, and an mother who is hairdresser. She is the mother of three children. She was born on the 4th of September 1981 in Houston, Texas.
Throughout her music career, Beyonce has remained true to her African American roots. She has incorporated a wide spectrum of influences ranging from blues to electronic pop to new wave. She has also steered clear of the commercial concerns of the mainstream. She is among the most highly acclaimed artists of the 21st century.
In her early years, Beyonce won several local singing contests. Beyonce teamed up with two of her classmates, LeToya Lucikett and LaTavia Robertson and formed Destiny's Child, an adolescent singing group. In 1997 they signed with Columbia. After the group was eliminated from the Star Search talent show, they were dropped from their recording contract.
In 2003, Beyonce debuted her first solo album, Dangerously in Love. The album debuted at #1 on the album charts and was sold for more than four million copies in the U.S. It featured the hits singles "Crazy in Love", and "Formation". It was also nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the Grammy Awards.
Beyonce starred in The Fighting Temptations, a 2003 film directed by Cuba Gooding Jr. Beyonce was Etta James in Cadillac Records in 2008. Beyonce was also in the film's photorealistic remake.
Time with Destiny's Children
Despite the split of Destiny's Child, Beyonce and Michelle Williams have remained friends. They have performed together at least three more times since their split. They also performed together at an appearance at the Super Bowl XLVII Halftime performance.
Beyonce has had a very successful solo career. Her debut album, Dangerously in Love, debuted to rave reviews. She also starred as Carmen: A Hip Hopera, a made-for-television movie. She also appeared in The Pink Panther and Goldmember. She is also a mother to three children and is a wife.
Beyonce and Destiny's Child have won many awards including an Grammy Award and two MTV Video Music Awards. They also have been awarded an honorary star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were ranked as the ninth most successful artist of the 2000s. They won the award for the best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals. They've also been nominated for fourteen Grammy Awards.
The group was also nominated for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance by an ensemble or duo with Vocals. Destiny's Child has sold over 60 million records around the world. They have been awarded platinum certification by the RIAA.
Known for her powerful voice, Beyonce Knowles is one of the most popular artists of all time. She is widely acknowledged as the top 21st century pop music performer, having won more than 430 awards. She also has one of the highest salaries for an artist.
Beyonce was born on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas, USA. Her father is a businessman and talent manager. She has three siblings and a younger sibling Solange Knowles.
Beyonce began her music career at a very young age. She was the winner of numerous local talent competitions and took part in numerous singing shows. She also studied performing arts. She graduated from Elsik High School in Houston, Texas.
Beyonce was the lead singer of Destiny's Child and had a successful career. She was nominated for numerous awards which included Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. She was also featured in several films and appeared on TV shows. She was also nominated to the Golden Globes.
Perhaps the most well-known celebrity on the globe, Beyonce has an estimated net worth of over $160 million. Beyonce's wealth is derived from endorsement deals, properties she owns, as well as other side hustles.
Beyonce has received nine Grammy nominations, including an Album of the Year nomination for Renaissance. Her record of nine nominations is tied for the most in Grammy history, along with her husband Jay-Z.
Beyonce is also nominated in the category Dance/Electronic. This is her first nomination. Her hit song "Break My Soul" is up for Song of the Year.
Beyonce's husband Jay-Z also has five Grammy nominations this year. He is followed by Kendrick Lamar with eight. The Weeknd decided not to submit work that was eligible for submission. The other artists who did submit work that is eligible are Brandi Carlile, Future, Harry Styles and Omar Apollo.
Beyonce received the Album of the year nomination and was nominated for the R&B category for her song "Be Alive" by King Richard. The song is also up for the best song written for visual media.
Beyonce is aiming to break Sir George Solti's record of 31 Grammys next year. She will also surpass Frank Sinatra's record of the total number of year-end nominations.
Be it an actress, recording artist, producer, or businesswoman, Beyonce is a savvy money-maker. She's a major star in the music industry and her endorsement contracts and concerts are helping her to increase her net worth.
Since releasing her self-titled debut in 2001, Beyonce has earned millions of dollars through her solo career. Beyonce has sold over 118 million records, earning the title of the most successful female singer of all time.
Beyonce has made millions from films such as Austin Powers: Goldmember and A Star Is Born since she was a professional actress. She also co-founded Chime for Change, which is a nonprofit organization which raises funds to fight for girls' rights around the globe.
She also appeared as model in a Giorgio Armani ad, which earned her $250k. Beyonce also launched Heat her own line of fragrances that has sold over $400 million worldwide.
In 2013, Beyonce signed a major endorsement deal with H&M. She also launched her own clothing line, Ivy Park. The line did well, earning Beyonce the title of the collection with the highest sales at Nordstrom.
Properties owned by the owner
Beyonce Knowles is a singer and songwriter. She also owns a number of properties across the US. The biggest is the Bel Air, California mansion she and Jay-Z have. The home is approximately 3000 square feet, and it has eight bedrooms, eleven bathrooms, and recording studio.
Jay-Z and Beyonce also have a mansion in the Hamptons and a home in New Orleans. They also own a house in Miami Beach. They also have a Calabasas mansion that is currently up being offered for sale.
Jay-Z and Beyonce have the most expensive property The Beyonce's House. The mansion is located in Bel Air, CA and is made up of six buildings. The mansion is constructed of steel and marbled limestone, glass and other materials. It also houses recording studios and bulletproof windows. It was purchased for $88 million.
Beyonce and Jay-Z's other properties include a house in the Hamptons, a former church in New Orleans, and a property in the Pacific Palisades.
Beyonce and Jay-Z are both fond of spending money, despite their lucrative careers. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Beyonce earns $2 million per show, while Jay-Z earns $1.5 million per concert. Both are Hollywood royalty and trendsetters. They are also healthy parents. Their average annual salary is $100 million. These two have been in the spotlight since the early 2000s. They both have had plenty of challenges in the past, yet they are both extremely talented musicians.
Topshop has also collaborated with them to develop a line of athletic streetwear. The line will launch in the autumn of 2015. It is expected that the company will eventually become part of the Arcadia Group.
They also launched three scents. Beyonce is among the highest-earning female singers of all time. She has earned over $50 million in the last three years. Despite their success, they have had issues in the past including divorce and marriage.
Beyonce has had a few unexpected and controversial albums throughout her career. Lemonade was her debut album. She mixed electronic music with contemporary R&B. In 2013 she released her self-titled fifth studio album, which was recorded in New York City. Her music was criticized for its inexperience and lyrical naivete. RENAISSANCE is her new album. She takes on a brand new style, but with a different message. Beyonce's new album is a celebration of queer culture and dance music, with songs that pay tribute to Black and queer music icons.
Beyonce has been a musician for over two decades. She has been influenced by Black artists who popularized dance music in the 70s, including Donna Summers. Her new album she composed songs about her personal freedom and the pleasure of escapism. She also wrote about her desire to release an album free of judgment and perfection.
Beyonce's Renaissance album is an affectionate tribute to Black queer pioneers of dance music. It's a sexy, fun and joyful album. It's among her most explicit albums. It includes Black and queer musical icons, and blends post-1970s Black dance music styles. There are also some drag soundbites from Moi Renee.
Beyonce's first single from the album, "Break My Soul" was a huge hit at the club. It's also the Queen B's sole single from the album. It's a dancehall-influenced track that features Beyonce in a neo-dancehall-like form that is commanding. It also has an incredibly slinky wood-block groove and Beyonce moves into the drums of marching in a very cool move. The album is available on both Tidal and Spotify. You can also purchase it on limited-edition vinyl.
Beyonce's Renaissance album also includes a song dedicated to her gay uncle. Uncle Johnny passed away due to complications with AIDS. Beyonce claims that her uncle influenced her music making. She also dedicated the album to her "fallen angels" of the club culture. It also features Honey Dijon, a New Orleans DJ, and Kevin JZ Prodigy, electronic DJ. The album also has an ode to Beyonce's passion for West African music. It ends with "Summer Renaissance" an upbeat track that pays homage to Black and queer icons of music.
The Renaissance album is a celebration and celebration of dance music but it also has a strong emotional connection to Beyonce. Her uncle was a gay man who cared for her as a young girl. The album is dedicated to him.
The Renaissance album has also received a lot criticism. Fans were skeptical that Beyonce would release an official music video for a single track. However, she decided to release a music video for the album's title track, "Freedom," which is actually the album's most popular song.
The Renaissance album is Beyonce's love note to dance music, queer culture, and it also has a strong emotional connection to her personal life. Although she was influenced by her uncle's music, she also dreamed about adventures. She wanted to make an album that wasn't influenced by judgment and that reflected Black and queer music icons.
Beyonce Diva New Song
Beyonce Coreografia


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Silas Allen
Police are investigating the death of Chynal Lindsey, a 26-year-old transgender woman who was found dead Saturday at White Rock Lake. Lindsey is the second black transgender woman to be killed in Dallas in less than a month.
Brian Sevald
Second Trans Woman Killed in Dallas in Less Than a Month
Silas Allen | June 4, 2019 | 4:00am
A woman whose body was found Saturday evening at White Rock Lake is the second black transgender woman to be killed in Dallas in less than a month, police said.
Officers found Chynal Lindsey, 26, at 5:32 p.m. Saturday at 4100 W. Lawther Drive, Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall said. Lindsey's body showed "obvious signs of homicidal violence," Hall said during a Monday afternoon press conference.
Lindsey was the third black transgender woman to be killed in Dallas since October. No arrests have been made in any of those killings.
"We are concerned," Hall said. "We are actively and aggressively investigating this case."
Chynal Lindsey
Hall said the department has contacted the FBI, which will investigate whether Lindsey's killing constitutes a hate crime. Although she said investigators don't have evidence to suggest a serial killer is targeting transgender women, she warned people to stay vigilant.
Lindsey's death comes two weeks after the slaying of another black transgender woman in Dallas. Police found the body of Muhlaysia Booker, 23, lying face-down on Valley Glen Drive near Ferguson Road just before 7 a.m. May 18.
Booker's death came shortly after she was beaten in an altercation in an apartment complex parking lot in East Oak Cliff. In April, video surfaced on Facebook of a group of men beating Booker in the parking lot of Royal Crest Apartments. Police later arrested Edward Thomas, 29, in connection with the beating and said investigators were still seeking more suspects. Police haven't arrested anyone in connection with Booker's death.
Last October, Brittany White, 29, was shot to death in a parked car at the 7100 block of Gayglen Drive in southeast Dallas.
In April, another transgender woman was stabbed and left for dead, but survived, police said. Police have not released that woman's name.
Although police haven't said they think the cases are related, there are common threads, DPD Maj. Vincent Weddington said during a May 21 news conference. Two of the women were in the area of Spring Avenue and Lagow Street at the times they were attacked. Investigators also learned that two of the victims had gotten into a car with someone just before being attacked, while the third woman let someone into her car just before she was attacked.
"These cases, although not directly related at this time, do have similarities the public needs to be made aware of," Weddington said.


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Alisha Boe (13 Reasons Why) Boyfriend, Ethnicity, Height, Wiki
Home » Alisha Boe (13 Reasons Why) Boyfriend, Ethnicity, Height, Wiki
1 Who is Alisha Boe?
2 Alisha's Formative Years
3 Alisha's First Roles
4 Alisha's Notable Roles
5 Alisha's Personal Life
6 Alisha's Net Worth
Who is Alisha Boe?
Alisha Boe is an actress of Somali heritage who was born on 6th March, 1997, in Oslo, Norway. Best known for playing Jessica Davis in hit Netflix series "13 Reasons Why", the young thespian is 5ft 4in (1.63m) tall, with a weight of about 112lbs (51kgs), and vital statistics of 35-27-34. She's also known for becoming the first Somali actress since supermodel Iman to play a leading role in an American production.
Alisha's Formative Years
The divorce of Alisha's parents led to the star moving to Los Angeles at just seven years old when her mother, a Norwegian native, remarried. As a youngster, the thespian studied at George Ellery Hale Charter Academy and Ivy Academia. Following her middle school, Alisha furthered her studies at El Camino Real High School and participated in various school plays.
A post shared by alisha ilhaan bø (@alishaboe)
Alisha's mother fully supported her daughter's dreams, and enrolled her into acting classes to maximize her potential. The then-teenager dropped out of high school after landing her big break in the entertainment industry.
Alisha's First Roles
Way before "13 Reasons Why" gained Alisha a cult following, the young woman scored her first acting role at 11-years-old in the rated-R 2008 gruesome horror movie "Amusement", in which Katheryn Winnick and Laura Breckenridge starred.
The next year, Alisha accepted an interesting role in "Plastic Makes Perfect", a short film written and directed by Ann Finnegan to highlight the maturity of young people and their knowledge in cosmetic enhancements and sex.
The youngster's second role in 2009 was in the romcom "He's On My Mind" – industry newbies such as Shamari Berkley and Ayo Sorrells made their acting debut in the poorly-received production.
Following a short hiatus, in 2012 Alisha made a brief appearance in an episode of "Parenthood", and a role in blockbuster "Paranormal Activity 4" as Tara. Although the fourth installment of the horror saga received poor reviews, it did tremendously well commercially with box office figures of $143 million.
Alisha's Notable Roles
Alisha's first recurring role came in 2014, when she played Daphne in 14 episodes of the long-running drama "Days of Our Lives".
Almost as soon as she left the series, the adolescent plumped up her acting portfolio and scored another recurring role in six episodes of "Casual".
In 2017, the sultry-eyed brunette finally made it big when the first season of "13 Reasons Why" took the internet by storm. Despite being plagued by controversies, such as a lack of trigger warnings and the main character's graphic suicide scene, all the cast members defended the show, and said they were trying to "promote conversation between adults and teens".
Jessica Davis, Alisha's character, is one of the show's protagonists and appeared in seasons one to four.
In one harrowing scene of season one, Jessica is raped, which leads to her founding an association for sexual assault survivors at Liberty High School. Jessica is arrogant and cruel at times, and is listed as one of the reasons why the main character of the show, Hannah Baker, commits suicide.
Of the show, Alisha has said nothing but good things, such as: "When I started the first season of 13, I learned so much about women's rights – and feminism in general – through Jessica". The actress has also developed an incredibly close relationship with her castmates, and remains in contact with them to this day.
As for new projects, Alisha is slated to appear in the short "The Naked Man", drama "Who Am I?", comedy movie "When You Finish Saving The World", and dark comedy "Strangers", meaning that 2022 will be a fruitful year for the star. All projects are currently in post-production stages, and the plots have yet to be revealed.
Alisha's Personal Life
It's no surprise that Alisha is a staunch feminist and racial equality activist, topics that were touched in "13 Reasons Why". She has previously denounced Trump for branding Black Lives Matter protesters terrorists, and her Instagram feed also references the causes she champions.
In 2018, the actress made it a New Year's Resolution to read more books by black authors, and provided her steady fanbase with a diverse list of suggestions. Following the widely publicized death of George Floyd in May 2020, which caused a global outcry, the starlet posted a tribute to him, Ahmaud Arbery, and Kenneth Ross Jr; all three men's lives were cut short as a consequence of alleged police brutality.
As for her love life, Alisha is pretty lowkey when it comes to discussing her possible boyfriends. A 2019 article confirmed the actress's singledom, and mentioned her ex, Scott O'Brien, who she was dating sometime in 2017. We have no information on Scott, as Alisha has wiped her Instagram of all his photos.
The star was previously linked to "13 Reasons Why" co-star Brandon Flynn, who played Justin Foley in the series. Neither party confirmed nor denied the rumors that their close friendship could possibly be something more; Brandon's only known relationship to date has been with pop singer Sam Smith. The handsome couple parted ways sometime in 2018 and have since spoken fondly about each other, with Sam saying: "Brandon was wonderful. I'm still trying to figure out what I took from that relationship and what it meant to me". Brandon has been linked to other male actors since, but prefers to keep his private life out of the public eye.
Alisha's Net Worth
Reliable sources confirm that Alisha's net worth is close to $5 million, despite her relatively short time in Hollywood, thanks largely to the success of "13 Reasons Why".
The show's cast successfully renegotiated their salaries in 2019 before season three's release. Dylan Minnette, the lead actor, wrangled a hefty raise from $80,000 to $200,000 per episode, with Alisha and the rest of the cast earning $135,000. The Hollywood Reporter added that if the show was renewed for a fourth season, the supporting cast members would earn $150,000 per episode.
Alisha's net worth is likely to increase in 2022 due to the release of new projects. For now, acting is her only source of income.
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TV Review: "The Walking Dead:" Season 3; Pt 1
"The Walking Dead" Season 3
Any number of things kept me from my Monday night re-caps of "The Walking Dead" but it started with Sandy and continued through the election and onto any number of other things and there you have a it. So having finally seen the mid-season finale (hole-lee cow!), I thought I'd just review the entire first half of Season 3. As with most of my TWD posts, here there be spoilers. If you are not caught up yet, wait to read this post until you are.
First (and I honestly hate to say it, because I do admire his work), I think Frank Darabont's departure ignited something in the rest of the team, who were determined to do much less slower-moving character work and much more action and now intrigue. The theme for Season 3 is "Fight the dead; Fear the living" and the cast and writers are hitting them out of the ballpark, so far. The additions of Michonne and the Governor and the dark secrets of Woodbury have been handled beautifully (though I do hope we get to see some of how Michonne and Andrea spent their time on the run) and were just what the show needed to keep the story moving forward while providing for plenty of action and weirdness (wall-o-aquariums-filled-with-Walker-heads; a chained-up Walker child). The prison may have some relatively safe areas, we know it is far from impenetrable. And while many cried out in protest when T-Dog became a Walker T-bone, there weren't too many complaints when Lori sacrificed her own life for "L'il Kick Ass" (aka Judith). We may have hated her, but we cried when Rick lost it. Meanwhile, Hershel is proving to be the toughest post-apocalyptic son-of-a-bitch on one leg, bopping around on those crutches like he wasn't even wearing a blue stocking on the lower half of one leg.
Over in Stepford... er, ah... Woodbury, Andrea is so horny for the hot daddy in charge, that she can no longer make a single good decision. Michonne kept you alive for nine months, idiot! Through the winter, moron! Are all the batteries dead, too? I get it. I'd do that man in a heartbeat, unless the sword-wielding badass who has kept me alive for nine months didn't trust him! Speaking of bad-assery, Glenn may well be giving Michonne a run for her own bad-assery. Not only did he take out a Walker while duct-taped to a chair after he'd been severely beaten, he then used the Walker's ulnae to fashion bone shivs for Maggie and himself. Damn! Then there's Merle, who has become the Governor's top man, reveling in his authority and the sadism he gets to practice, under it. Merle isn't half as badass as his younger brother, fan favorite Daryl, who has developed a sense of family and belonging with Rick and company. Here's hoping Daryl now lives by this code: Families are Chosen; Relatives are Not. On the other hand, Michonne and her hard-on for the Governor led to her discovery (and eventual destruction) of what was hiding in his closet. The ensuing hand-to-hand fight between the two was great, ending in a very painful-to-watch cyclopian outcome.
Back at the prison, a new group led by Tyreese (a character introduced in the comics much earlier than in the series' timeline) is under attack and make their way into the prison through the crumbling back wall. Their screams draw out the badass in annoying Carl, who helps, but doesn't trust the strangers and who seemed just a little too eager to pop the young woman who'd been bitten for my liking. Yeah, we know, Carl - you popped your own mom. That doesn't mean you get to pop every Walker-in-Waiting.
Finally, Glen and Maggie are rescued, but not safe; a vengeful cyclops blames a conspiracy and riles up his followers in a scene reminiscent of a certain 1930's German painter; insane experiments; sex and violence; guilt-inspired hallucinations; heart-hardening pain... what more could one want from a Horror series? How about some amazing performances and terrific writing, too? Well, you got 'em!
I know a lot of fans complained that Season 2 seemed to get bogged down at the farm, but I think we all needed that sense of complacency to prepare us for the roller-coaster Season 3 has proven to be. I am loving every episode this season and am so glad they listened to the fans and got back to some exciting story-telling. December and January are going to be difficult for the die-hards. This is one drama that just continues to get better. **** (Four out of Four Stars).
And to just follow-up on yesterday's weirdness, BoingBoing posted the below video in response to the "Buffalo Bill" dance video. It's even weirder and creepier, though the guy has a much better body. Again, you don't need to see the whole thing to get how truly weird it is but hey - whatever floats your boat (though I truly hope it's not this):
When my beloved "Fringe" leaves the air, "The Walking Dead" will move into my #2 Best Show on TV slot.
Labels: Nonsense, Reviews, The Walking Dead, The Weirdest Thing, TV, Zombies
Great recap!
That midseason finale was excellent and what you say is true - the series has really found it pacing.
Have you been watching The Talking Dead? It goes to an hour next season. They always do a In Memoriam all the characters and walker killed but this week they missed a few which I thought might be plot clues.
Did you know the Science Channel has picked up Fringe and airs them on Tuesday nights from 8-10 or 11? They also have Fire Fly.
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Share this Story: Group uses art to fight racism
Group uses art to fight racism
Carl Hnatyshyn
Mar 26, 2019 • March 26, 2019 • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Handout/Sarnia This Week Sarnia-Lambton Local Immigration Partnership's Aruba Mahmud, who is also an artist, was one of the architects of the Antiracism Arts Project.
A recently wrapped-up program that linked artists with community members in starting meaningful conversations about racism was a huge success, organizers say.
The Antiracism Arts Project, an initiative spearheaded by the Sarnia-Lambton Local Immigration Partnership and funded by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, received highly positive reviews at a post-mortem event held at Point Edward's Best Western Guildwood Inn on March 18.
Group uses art to fight racism Back to video
Started up late 2017, the objective was to pair local and area artists, including First Nation and newcomer artists, with community members to have conversations about racism through the medium of art.
With several art workshops that engaged over 200 local youth, as well as events that attracted adults and a newcomer women's group from the YMCA, the program allowed people to talk candidly about addressing racism, said SLLIP social researcher Dane Hansen.
"We wanted to engage with community members and give them a platform to express themselves about racism without lecturing to them, because most people don't like to feel that they're being spoken at," he said. "It's a good way to start the conversation and a good way to learn.
"We're especially proud of our workshops because our goal was to get 50 to 60 people to participate but we engaged 207 people," Hansen continued. "So we surpassed our goal and 90 percent gave positive feedback of their experience in speaking about such a touchy subject."
Participants generally indicated they wanted to tackle racism head-on in the community, Hansen said, but weren't aware of how to do so effectively.
"As a whole, people want to help, they want Sarnia to be a more inclusive community, but they're not really sure how and they're not sure what can be done," he said. "So we wanted to facilitate conversation and provide a little bit of education from the artists themselves, who were both local artists and from places like Windsor."
With funding for the project finished, organizers used the March 18 event to introduce a new diversity and inclusion committee, designed to build on the antiracism work of the arts project.
"The committee will identify what needs to be done and provide some new ideas," said SLLIP social planner Aruba Mahmud. "We got a lot of good feedback from the project, the numbers were good and people are genuinely interested in what's coming next.
"The funding might be done, but we want to continue to host events, hold workshops and continue these conversations," Hansen added. "We want it to be self-sustaining and continue to raise awareness in the community."
Speaking at the wrap-up event was London-based Leroy Hibbert, an educator and consultant who was a recipient of a 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.
Highlighting examples of more insidious messages of bigotry in the media, Hibbert spoke at length about how to root out racism through building cultural bridges and about what to do when one encounters racist attitudes ("You need to recognize it, challenge it, then remove it," he said).
Following his talk, Hibbert said that he and his wife Helen – a Juno-nominated singer-songwriter who concluded the event with a song entitled Fly – were pleased with the direction of the event and encouraged by the attitude of the attendees.
"We tried to talk about the whole area of race and culture, what culture is and how it affects every area of our lives," he said. "And we talked about what we can do to build bridges to come together rather than being separated."
While racism is still prevalent in our society, it is being forced out of the shadows through means such as social media, Hibbert said.
"This is a problem that has been going on for years, it's just becoming more visible now, largely because of social media," he said. "People can't get away with saying inappropriate things without others noticing. And I think that's one great thing that's taken place – that we can all have this conversation that people of colour have been having for years."
With increased awareness and more people's stories being told, the fight against racism is only getting stronger, Hibbert said.
"I think people from marginalized communities are getting support from people who are not from those communities. But the greatest things is that people are hearing our stories. It's important that people know that these things still happen, but with the young people coming up we're in good hands."
For more information about the Sarnia-Lambton Local Immigration Partnership diversity and inclusion committee or to volunteer, visit the organization's Facebook page or contact Dane Hansen at Dane.Hansen@county-lambton.on.ca.
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Agewell is a known and respected voice for older people. We champion older people's views and aspirations. We challenge the way services are commissioned and delivered and we make change happen.
Our members know what it's like to grow older. Their first-hand experiences are invaluable to organisations involved in the commissioning and delivery of local, regional and national services, and initiatives for older people.
So, if you want to know what people aged 50 and over think, feel and need, talk to us.
We are experts at consulting and engaging with older people. We undertake face-to-face, on-line, postal and telephone surveys, as well as mystery shopping activities.
We also run focus groups and offer direct access to our members through our network of monthly Local Forums.
A new Good Practice Guide, containing top tips for managing the crisis of older people's emergency admissions to hospital, has now been sent to every hospital trust in the country.
As part of our work with Sandwell & West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group, we have recently completed a project with national organisation, iMPOWER, which required the thoughts and views of older people.
Hundreds of people across Sandwell and West Birmingham were encouraged to take up their free flu jab last winter thanks to Agewell.
Community or hospital? This was one of the questions Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group asked Agewell to gauge opinion about recently to ensure local clinics meet local needs.
As part of Sandwell's modernisation of older people's services, it was proposed that four of the five council-run residential homes should close.
In response to the discussion launched by the Department of Health entitled 'Caring for our Future: shared ambitions for care and support', Agewell staged a major consultation event.
Agewell is actively involved with the Action Research Centre for Healthy Ageing (ARCHA) which enables older people to air their views by taking part in a host of research.


To confirm 2018 Summer Pool Hours call (334) 240-4594.
One of the largest properties that includes a Community Center, Sheridan Heights, located in north Montgomery, has multiple indoor and outdoor features. The building houses a large gym, game room, arts and crafts room, offices, kitchen, and a large meeting space that can be divided. Outdoor facilities include a swimming pool, two fully developed and lit softball fields, a backstop with large open play space, and a paved walking path around a field large enough for soccer or football. Additional play spaces include a blacktop for basketball, tennis courts and a large playground. There is also a picnic pavilion and tables, and the center is available for community meetings and rentals.


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A successful criminal lawyer with a great job and a loving husband, suddenly discovers that her husband's a wanted war criminal and everything lands up in the military courts. Another one of those, you groan? Not really. This one has quite a few twists to keep it interesting.
Claire Kubik (Judd) is a ambitious, media-savvy criminal lawyer who's work life is zooming off into the stratosphere. Her husband Tom (Caviezel) is the dream man - sensitive, quiet, loving. But one day he's arrested by the FBI and Claire learns the truth. Turns out Tom is actually Ronald Chapman, a U.S. Marine who's wanted for massacring nine innocents during a covert operation in Ecuador.
The charges against him seem stacked, since every member of his company swore against him. But Tom insists that his immediate superiors framed him, one of whom happens to be the most decorated and influential officer in the army. So now, Claire can either believe the word of her secretive husband or all the others. She decides to fight.
The only problem is the fact that the trial will be held in military court, which is a whole new ballgame. She is assigned an army lawyer, who just happens to be young and very inexperienced. Enter her last hope - Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman). Once a brilliant military lawyer, he's now taken to drinking and running a law firm with a dog as his associate. Nevertheless, Claire believes in him enough to hire him on. And that's where the fun begins.
Grimes lives up to his reputation as a major pain, by pushing the army guys. Meanwhile, Claire dumps her job and moves base to the army area, where she's joined by her sister. Things soon start getting ugly, though. The army starts pressurising her and threats start emerging from all sources. It all comes to a head when she's attacked in her own home. Frustrated with the wall of secrecy and indifference of the military, Claire and Charlie resort to desperate measures. They try direct confrontation and underhanded tricks, but to no avail. The junior lawyer is suspected of falling in with the enemy and the truth becomes more and more convoluted. The last half and hour is so full of twists and turns that it would be a sin to put them down here and make you miss the fun.
The story is quite simplistic, for a military/spy kind of plot. Nevertheless, Franklin does a great job in presenting it to us, drawing the tension out and spacing out the actual sequence of events well enough to keep our attention riveted. The scenes where Grimes goes at the opposition are brilliant. Unfortunately, though, there aren't enough of them. There are so many sub-plots - the mysterious stranger stalking Claire, the army guys, Claire's testing of her own faith in Tom, Grimes` attempts to find witnesses - that the court scenes are dealt with an (ironically) military efficiency. You also end up wishing that there'd be more detailing of the actual procedure related to military courts. But these points end up being skipped through, to keep the rest of the story interesting enough...which does happen. The suspense is slightly overdone at times and the scenarios do get a bit cliched, but they're tastefully handled.
The main reason for watching this film would be to see the teaming up of Freeman and Judd, after their highly successful "Kiss The Girls". And they don't disappoint at all. The two come across as old friends or, at least, as distant cousins (improbable though that sounds). Judd is excellent in this role, as the strong-willed woman who will not back down even though she's thoroughly stymied by the situation she's stuck in. Freeman is just too classy, with that smooth and easy effort he brings to his roles. He fits right in as the playful, yet innovative lawyer who loves being a pain in the army's backside. Caviezel also turns in quite a decent performance, as the perfect guy who's being set up and is trying very hard to convince his friends to believe in him. The rest also chip in with decent cameos.
The film is a decent mystery thriller that definitely is worth at least two looks. The cast is good, the story is built up to keep you interested and the overall film will definitely get you hooked.
This article was first published on 12 Jul 2002.


Hudson Valley Native Mike Antonelli has had his share of experiences playing with and along side of some of the best artists in the jazz community. From Berklee to BU he has rubbed elbows with artists as diverse as Joe Viola, Frank Tiberi, and Joe Lovano. His passion in music is centered on the premise that the greatest attribute of a musician is the ability to find one's own individual voice and share that with others. He expresses this passion by the mantra 'It's not what you play, it's how you play it."


Check engine light on? Let us diagnose and fix warning lights and their causes right the first time. So there's something not quite right about the way your vehicle is driving, or you've got a warning light on your dashboard that was blinking at you yesterday and now it is on steady. What do you do? Hint: the answer is not to put a piece of electrical tape over the warning light and ignore it.
Today's vehicles are manufactured with complex inter-related systems. On-board computers continuously monitor and store information concerning the performance of these systems. A warning light comes on because the computer has sensed a signal from one of the systems or components that has gone outside of its normal operating range. The computer then sends a signal to turn on the light to let you know something is wrong! Some of the potential causes for a check warning light are not properly tightening your gas cap to engine, transmission or braking system performance issues. While warning lights can go on and the car still appears to be driving "fine", ignoring some lights can lead to serious issues, such as engine damage or other component failure. In some instances, this can be a safety hazard. That's why it is recommended to be safe (give yourself peace of mind) and have your car looked at by Automotive Services Unlimited as soon as possible.