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How a tightly paywalled, social-media-ignoring, anti-copy-paste, gossipy news site became a dominant force in Nova Scotia
AllNovaScotia charges $360 a year and seemingly breaks all the "rules" for online news. So why does it have the ear of the most powerful people in the province — and make a profit?
By Tim Currie @tscurrie Jan. 23, 2012, 10:30 a.m.
Every morning, the business and political elite in the biggest province on Canada's East Coast turns to an unlikely source of information about their own world.
Among all the online news organizations trying to find a way to profitability, consider AllNovaScotia.com, which has just celebrated 10 years online and now challenges its historic print rival for the attention of the province's leaders.
It's done that by not following the rules: It has a nearly impenetrable paywall, no social media presence, no multimedia, and only rare use of links. It doesn't cover crime and barely covers sports and entertainment.
However, it delivers up-to-the minute coverage of business, city hall, and the provincial legislature via the web and apps for iOS and BlackBerry. It scoops its news rivals almost daily and has won loyal readers through dogged combing of public records and often by prying into the personal lives of the province's movers and shakers.
The site is based in Halifax, the capital city of Nova Scotia, a province of just under a million people in Atlantic Canada. Ask 10 people on the street about AllNovaScotia and it's likely eight will say they've never heard of it.
"I think it might be nine people," says Parker Donham, a former journalist for the now-defunct Halifax Daily News, communications consultant, and blogger. "But the one who did would be an assistant deputy minister or a regional manager. Between people paying for it and a limited amount of advertising, they've got a business model that seems to work."
"On the whole, I think they are the paper of record now," adds Donham. "I don't think there are many serious business or political people who don't see that every morning."
AllNovaScotia has 5,950 subscribers, whose monthly dues generate 80 per cent of its revenue. The site doesn't come close to having the broad appeal of its 137-year-old print competitor, the Halifax Chronicle Herald, which has a Monday-to-Friday circulation of 108,389. Three people with different email addresses can share a $30 a month subscription, but they can't pass the stories on to anyone else without some effort. The publication — produced by a staff of 14, 11 of them reporters — is locked down in Flash, making sharing usually a cumbersome ordeal of cobbling together screenshots. No sharing buttons here.
A representative for 5,200 small- and medium-sized businesses in the region says AllNovaScotia's influence among her association's members is narrow but strong.
"I would suspect that most have never heard of AllNovaScotia," says Leanne Hachey, vice president of the Atlantic Canadian chapter of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. "However, among those with some influence over politics or public policy or government relations, everybody knows about AllNovaScotia and everybody, as far as I know, pays very close attention to it."
In many ways, AllNovaScotia is similar to Statehouse News Service, the Massachusetts online outfit that offers "gavel-to-gavel coverage" of state government for lobbyists, government officials and business people. However, AllNovaScotia's approach is both broader and spunkier.
The guts of each edition are development permits, court documents, and land transfers — and the stories of triumph and failure inside them. One January issue was a typical mixture of hard news and betcha-didn't-know information about the province's movers and shakers. The 25-story edition included:
a scoop that a local mall would host the region's first Apple Store
an alert that a buyer had been found for one of the province's struggling paper mills
an exposé in text and photos of the $7.6-million Florida mansion purchased by the owner of one of the region's largest companies
profiles of three new partners at one of the city's leading law firms
an obituary of a small business owner and minor-league hockey supporter
The news site appeals directly to the province's tight-knit and family-oriented business community, according to Kevin Cox, AllNovaScotia's former managing editor, who retired in June.
"The strange thing was they liked to read about other people within their circle. Not in a satirical way…but in a serious way," says Cox, a former Globe and Mail reporter who still writes commentaries for the site, but who is now studying to be a United Church minister. "How do the Fountains spend their money? How do they make their money? Who did they give it to?"
As it turns out, the Fountains, one of the province's leading philanthropist families, spent a chunk of their money on a surprise appearance by crooner Tony Bennett at their Dec. 10 Christmas party. The lead story in AllNovaScotia's next issue detailed the lavish event, Bennett's set list, and the who's-who-of-Nova-Scotia guest list.
This focus on people and their wealth makes AllNovaScotia a different beast from typical business coverage that focuses on companies. People's names are bolded in stories, frequently paired with their corporate compensation and the assessed value of their house. An almost-daily feature is Who's Suing Whom.
"We wrote about property. We wrote about local stocks. We wrote about the old families," says Cox, of his time managing the site beginning in 2004. "We wrote about the big business deals and the little business deals. We wrote about the breweries and the coffee shops. Some of it was micro-news that no one else was paying any attention to."
The character of the site can be attributed to its creator, David Bentley, who co-founded a gossip publication called Frank Magazine in the 1980s. Frank is an irreverent print and online journal that chronicles everything from local celebrity divorces, petty scandals and social faux pas. Many in this conservative province read it, though fewer would admit it. Bentley had started a separate newspaper a decade earlier that would become the Halifax Daily News. That paper, a scrappy tabloid that became the first Canadian newspaper with a website in 1994, folded in 2008, two decades after Bentley sold it.
Bentley, who no longer operates Frank, says AllNovaScotia's readers are business people, government officials, academics, and health-care administrators. They are people who need to know what's going on but who also read the publication "just to keep an eye on who's in the courts and owing people money."
Cox says AllNovaScotia writes about personal lives of the province's business elite if it affects the way that business is run.
"Just because you're Colin MacDonald of [seafood giant] Clearwater doesn't mean we're not going to pry a little bit to see what's underlying the value of that stock or the lack of value of that stock. And it's not to say that we won't pry into people's personal lives," says Cox.
That approach hasn't rankled MacDonald, chairman of the international shellfish company that does about $300 million in business annually. Clearwater received extensive coverage by AllNovaScotia in 2011, when it was the target of a hostile takeover.
One AllNovaScotia story in August, headlined "Colin Goes Fishing," asked whether "the most committed Clearwater founder was losing his passion" after MacDonald went salmon fishing in Newfoundland during the takeover challenge.
MacDonald stated in an email that AllNovaScotia "provides me and I suspect other business leaders with a real-time heads up on what is happening in the business community" — an advantage over other news media in the province, which he said are slower and "lacking the business focus and insight."
In reaction, the Chronicle-Herald played catch-up in 2011, launching a rival morning business newsletter and hiring additional business reporters.
But a major component of AllNovaScotia's success is style, not just substance.
"We speculate about an awful lot of stuff — this could happen; that might happen," says Cox. "We write about it with a certain amount of self-righteousness that a lot of business publications won't take to."
How much of this style can be attributed to Bentley's roots with the gossip magazine Frank?
"I think a substantial amount," adds Cox. "We're criticized harshly in the [local] journalism school for using anonymous sources, because we do. But we have people who talk to us who won't talk to anyone else. If they're going to give me the legitimate news and I can verify it somewhere else, I think that's my job to get it out there."
For Bentley — who co-owns AllNovaScotia with his daughter, the publisher — "getting it out there" simply wouldn't happen without the site's uncompromising paywall.
"We've got to do that, otherwise they won't buy the bloody thing," he says flatly. "Our competition is people who want to read it for nothing. That's the great big overarching thing that attempts to suck our blood every day. It sounds a bit paranoid. But that's the problem."
The result, says the consultant and blogger Donham, is a web site that would appear not to get the Internet at all, by today's online news norms.
But that's fine with Bentley. He knows what his content is worth to his audience — in contrast to many media excutives who "think what they've got is more valuable than it is." He acknowledges the value of social media in the Arab Spring uprisings, but insists, "You can't be in the content business and not get paid for it."
Even so, he cautions against viewing AllNovaScotia as a model. "This thing has been going on for 10 or 11 years. It's one little place," he says. "What sort of success is that? It's not as though it has taken off like wildfire and spread across the continent, has it?"
Note for transparency: Cox is a sessional instructor and colleague of mine at the University of King's College School of Journalism.
POSTED Jan. 23, 2012, 10:30 a.m.
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Currie, Tim. "How a tightly paywalled, social-media-ignoring, anti-copy-paste, gossipy news site became a dominant force in Nova Scotia." Nieman Journalism Lab. Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2020.
Currie, T. (2012, Jan. 23). How a tightly paywalled, social-media-ignoring, anti-copy-paste, gossipy news site became a dominant force in Nova Scotia. Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved January 22, 2020, from https://www.niemanlab.org/2012/01/how-a-tightly-paywalled-social-media-ignoring-anti-copy-paste-gossipy-news-site-became-a-dominant-force-in-nova-scotia/
Currie, Tim. "How a tightly paywalled, social-media-ignoring, anti-copy-paste, gossipy news site became a dominant force in Nova Scotia." Nieman Journalism Lab. Last modified January 23, 2012. Accessed January 22, 2020. https://www.niemanlab.org/2012/01/how-a-tightly-paywalled-social-media-ignoring-anti-copy-paste-gossipy-news-site-became-a-dominant-force-in-nova-scotia/.
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| title = How a tightly paywalled, social-media-ignoring, anti-copy-paste, gossipy news site became a dominant force in Nova Scotia
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| first = Tim
| ref = {{harvid|Currie|2012}}


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Son of Anna Netrebko singing
Little Thiago gave his first concert.
Fun on the trip ???. A ball in the way. The word SPOKEN was difficult ????all questions on the choice of repertoire to @uakotova
A video posted by @anna_netrebko_yusi_tiago on Aug 27, 2016 at 12:56am PDT
Son of Anna Netrebko is growing a worthy replacement of his world famous mother. Recently hosted the first concert of the 7-year-old Thiago, during which he demonstrated his singing abilities. However, the performance took place not in a concert hall, and, so far, only in the tour bus.
However, judging by the reaction of the audience, before the release of boy on the big stage remains very little time. The heir Netrebko sang a couple of verses from different songs, including "wormed" even "Murka". Anna, who was sitting next to a boy with a speech by the son was clearly pleased.
Anna Netrebko with her husband and son
Photo: @Instagram anna_netrebko_yusi_tiago Anna Netrebko
Now the diva is on a family vacation in Spain. Anna, along with Thiago and husband Yusif Eyvazov, has planned a rich program of excursions on vacation. At first, the singer dreamed of a calm and measured rest. But after a couple of days, spent in solitude, Netrebko, accustomed to the crazy pace of life, Packed up and went on a journey through the cities of Spain.
The groom Kylie Minogue said about sex with his fiancée
Bilan explained why she returned to "the Voice" show-5″

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Children born with severe brain-based developmental disabilities frequently experience persistent unexplained periods of pain and irritability, often compounded by a limited capacity to communicate their distress. Here, we have designed a systematic approach to address the management of the children's pain with the goals of reducing pain symptoms, improving the day-to-day lives of the child and family, and simplifying treatment options for clinicians.
The Pathway is a simple idea; but sometimes the simplest ideas require the most proof because they challenge previous ideas. We need to a thorough study to prove that a simple change in care delivery can make a big difference in pain management.
Our study investigators include Dr. Tammie Dewan at BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver; Dr. Vithiya Gnanakumar at Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary; Dr. Julia Orkin at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto; and Dr. Christina Vadeboncoeur at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.


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Review: NBA 2K9 (Microsoft Xbox 360)
Christopher Bowen | October 22, 2008 | Archive, Video Game Reviews, Xbox 360 | No Comments
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Sports
Genre: Sports Simulation
Another year, another battle of basketball giants. It's almost refreshing that, with EA's habit of buying up exclusive licenses for any sports federation they deem fit, that they still have to compete with 2K when it comes to NBA games, after it was reported a few years back that the NBA rebuked their efforts for exclusive license. It was a wise move, as NBA Live was regarded by critics and gamers alike as being decidedly inferior to the 2K series.It really hasn't been close for years. This year, Live came out with an improved effort that still had some issues, such as sluggishness and bugs. However, it's at least playable, which past versions of Live couldn't boast. Meanwhile, last year's version of 2K8, while good, was a bit too ambitious, with it's Isomotion controls getting in the way more often than not.
Did 2K9 answer the bell this year? Not only does it answer the bell, but it once again scores a TKO over it's beleagured opponent.
A note before I go any further: NBA 2K9 and NBA Live are pretty much tied at the hip. Therefore, it's important for me to point out these differences between the two games; I'll be doing the same exact thing if I were to review Live. Bear this in mind as I go through this, in case you're looking for which game does X, Y or Z better.
On the surface, not much has changed. One major difference, which you could say is ripped off from Live, is the ability to download "live" rosters. What this means, is that any roster changes, any injuries, any changes in form, are available to download daily. For instance, Devin Brown was signed by the New Orleans Hornets on Friday; in the next day's update, there's Devin Brown on the Hornets, with accurate ratings. The accuracy of the ratings during the season is something I'm unable to test, mainly because the season hasn't started yet; we'd have to be a month in for us to see any significant changes, and it doesn't start for another couple of weeks. What I can say is that the changes that are reflected aren't quite as deep as Live's; 2K9's changes are just for rosters and ratings, whereas Live has tendancy changes, the ability to recreate the previous night's games, etc. Overall, I think the option is a bit overrated; if you don't play a lot online, or in multiplayer, you're not going to notice this much. Most single-player games are in Franchise/The Association mode, and that mode is isolated – for good reason – from these changes, as the players in those modes are going to have their own isolated changes within the modes, as well as their own isolated roster moves, etc. Why bother forcing a trade for Kobe Bryant when your next roster update is going to invalidate it? The other difference I noticed is that 2K9 didn't require a code in order to activate it's live rosters. Why is this relevant? Because Live does; it comes with a code on the back of the instruction book that you have to put in before downloading rosters. This is nothing for those that bought the game new, but for anyone that either rents, uses Gamefly, or buys used, this is BAD. Once you put in the code on the back of the book, that code is used. So what happens when I trade in my copy of Live (and I WILL be trading it in), and some poor schmuck buys it? He can't use Live 365 out of the box… but he'll be able to buy a new code online! ONLY for 800 MS Points, or $10 in real-world money! That means, considering Gamestop charges $55 for their new releases when they're used, it literally costs more to buy the game used to get the most out of it, than it does to buy the game new. That's some dirty pool on EA's part, and I commend 2K for not nickel-and-diming their gamers.
Once you get past the live rosters, the modes in 2K9 are similar to what was around last year. Association mode? check. Blacktop mode? Check. The assorted single game and season modes? Check. Really, if you're looking for lots of different things to do outside of franchise mode, you're not going to find it here, but then again, really, the only game you're going to find that in is the All-Play version of Live, which sucks with a ferocious, almost professional quality fervor. I will say this off the bat: anyone that wants NBA 2K9 will want it for the gameplay; the actual, on-the-court game is the main draw of this game.
If you're going to be primarily a one-trick pony, make it a hell of a trick. Simply put, NBA 2K9 is the absolute best game of basketball I've ever played, and blows last year's game away, let alone Live. It's not even close.
The first thing I noticed on offence was that responsiveness to my controls was improved tenfold from the previous version of this game. Last year, Isomotion was so intricate that it literally got in the way. You'd cut left, and your player would decide to make a big to-do about doing a crossover. This got messy, and led to a lot of possessions that involved me telling my TV screen "OK, cut left… no, don't cross-over, I don't need some And 1 crap here, just go left, OK, there's the screen, cut ba– no, no damn crossover! There goes the screen! OK, I'll send it to the blocks to– GOD DAMNIT YOU'RE KENDRICK PERKINS DON'T CROSSOV– great, he got stripped, two on one going ba– awesome, they scored, and took the harm. Lovely. I need a drink". Thankfully, that's been fixed, and what it means is that your player does Isomotion only when you WANT him to (ie: when in conjunction with the sprint button), and the rest of the time, the player you have, depending on his skillset, is extremely responsive, or at least realistic; I expect Chris Paul to be able to dribble through four players, but if Michael Doleac were to try the same, I would expect to have enough comical mishaps to put to Weird Al music and put on Youtube, and 2K9 recreates that beautifully. Furthermore, players respond to my requests to send picks a lot better now; press the B button, and a big guy will set a pick for your ball handler; from there, you can react by either driving, getting space for a shot, or going Mailman + Stockton, and dishing to the rolling forward for a quick two. It sounds so simple for anyone that knows basketball, but it hasn't been done right since I can remember games being particular about actually setting picks. I feel like I'm obligated to mention the shot stick here – for those that haven't played a 2K game, you can shoot with the right analogue stick – but I don't personally use it, so your mileage may vary. Thankfully, unlike in games past, the game has a very good idea of what to do if you're one of those weirdos like me that insists on the classic, use-X-to-shoot style. Before, if you wanted to do one style of shot, the game had a habit of making you do something completely assinine, as if to say "yeah, if you'd used our Shot Stick™, you wouldn't have had your shot sent up into the ninth row!". This year, the game's very intuitive of what is the best move to do, or at least the one I want to do, making it so that you don't have to force yourself to use the bloody thing if you don't want to.
I do have some niggles offensively, but they're minor, and one of them, long-run, is a benefit of the game. Every player has their real-life shooting style in this game. That's a good thing, but a pain in the neck to get used to. For example, I managed to pick up Sacramento swingman Kevin Martin in one of my Franchise modes, a very good player who's just a bit underrated because he plays in one of the worst locations in the NBA. Unfortunately, I forgot that Martin has one of those weird, Shawn Marion-like shots which are a lot closer to 60s-era set shots than they are to actual, modern jumpers, and because of that, it REALLY threw my timing off to get a good shot. On the one hand, he's virtually unblockable as long as he has some room, but on the other, until I got used to it, I was off a lot because I was holding onto the button too long. Secondly, if there's one thing that Live does unequivocably better than 2K9 on offence, it's play calling. In Live, you press the RB button on the way up, and pick one of a few plays, which the players execute near-flawlessly. In 2K9, you can use the D-pad, but you can also end up calling up one of a few other screens, showing substitutions, pressure, gameplan, etc., and they're impossible to cancel out of, leaving you ten seconds of your twenty-four to cancel as you want for the bloody screen to go back to normal. You can do the quick play, which equals selecting a player and either making him post up, get open, set a screen or get to the outside, but it doesn't work nearly as well as Live's system. Personally, I just let my players do whatever they want, and act accordingly, unless I want to pick-and-roll.
Going to defence now, where there's been a resurgence of the "lock down" defence that Live made famous a few years back, but has just been perfected. Now, holding the left trigger while your player is near the ball handler initiates a lock-down mode, which puts nine squares next to his name; picture a perfectly shaped square with nine litle squares inside it, and then drag the outer corners towards you, so it resembles an arc, and you have what I'm talking about. You can use the right analogue stick to determine the depth of your coverage, from in-his-face to slagging back to allow the jumper, and also any side preference. To casuals, this doesn't seem like a big deal, but let me assure the hardcore crowd, this is IMMENSELY useful. Let's say you're guarding Kirk Hinrich of the Bulls. Hinrich likes to go from the left side of the court, come off a screen, dribble to his right and square up. A quick flick of the stick towards his right, and bang, you're shadowing him off, and making him either dish the ball off, or retreating back and eating some clock. In the post, this works even better, and for this, we'll use a fat piece of crap who's mother knows him as Eddy Curry. Curry likes to get the ball on the left block and spin to his right where he can use his somewhat soft touch to his advantage. If you can force him to his left – or even better, force him to the right block – then he's either going to either spin into a double team, or have to pass off; either way, it benefits you, because Curry's an abominal passer, and an exceptionally stupid player (Biased, jilted Knicks fan? Me? Naaaaaaah). Past that, defence in 2K9 is similar to what it was last year, in that it makes you focus on timing, intelligent usage of match-ups, and not being overaggressive. Any player that falls into the video game trap of abusing the steal button, and jumping early for blocks is going to get run off the court at every level but the lowest one, as players react to the early jump and go under, or even learn to pump-fake more to get you off your feet. Stay in front of your man, use double teams smartly, keep the other team out of the paint, and keep them off the line, and you'll win more often than not. You know… just like real life. I've never had a basketball game make me think this much. Again, my issues are small; sometimes, when defending in the post, my player backs up along with the offending player who's backing up, which leads to the player with the ball sometimes having an easy conversion, since he's more or less walked to the rim, but that's very rare. There's also the issue of players sometimes bunching up, and making player selection hard. Too often, I've had shooting guards covering power forwards in the low blocks, while the power forward on my team switches to the two-guard, causing major mismatches all the way around.
There's one thing this game has that should be familiar to anyone that's been playing sports games for a long time, and it's a bit frustrating, though considering the career of Kobe Bryant and other superstars, it could be considered realistic: the "No F***ing Way Game" (NFWG), as coined by ESPN's Bill Simmons. What is the NFWG? That's when the computer decides that there's no f***ing way you're winning this game, and decides to turn either it's entire team into the '86 Celtics, or any superstar into a modern day Wilt Chamberlain. It's infuriating to deal with, because you can throw two players at him, get a hand in his face on every shot, knock him on his butt, it doesn't matter; he's going to score, he's going to score often, and you can burn all the time-outs you want, because that's just going to make him angry. As I've stated, it's kinda realistic, considering what Kobe's done in the past, but anyone wondering why the balance rating isn't higher, there you go.
The real crux of the single player mode is what 2K likes to call The Association 2.0, signifying that it's a full upgrade over the last Association mode. For the most part, that's apropos. The main source of your information is going to come from the NBA.com portal, which has some headlines, which lead to box scores, or the transaction wire, or a player's profile, etc. I wish there were some boilerplate articles behind those links, but the headlines are often informative enough as it is; for example, I learned from that portal that David Lee wanted to re-sign for a long-term deal; since I have a virtual mancrush on Lee, I was quick to do that as soon as I saw the message. The interface is sloppy, though, as it is with the rest of the menu interface throughout the game; I really never have liked getting around the menus in any of 2K's games. That's minor compared to some of the other changes throughout the mode. For one, the ability to look up accurate, specific number ratings on every other player in the league is now gone; instead, you have to scout those players to get those ratings. Otherwise, you only get a standard letter rating; for example, instead of seeing that he has an 82, a player can have a B in outside shooting, and some of the letter ratings are conglomerates of similar ratings, like how athleticism, on the ball defence, and post defence all go in together. You have limited chances to scout, and they take time, so it helps to learn whatever you can about a player you're trying to acquire before you pull the trigger. It makes things a bit more realistic. Also, they added in the Larry Bird rules when dealing with contract negotiations; what that means, is that a player has to have three "Bird years" with a team before a team can go over it's salary cap to resign that player, named after how the Celtics were able to have the NBA bend it's rules so they could keep Larry Bird. There's also the fact of the player's own motivations, and how they affect roster changes. Players have three ratings, rated from not important to extremely important: playing for a winner, financial security, and their loyalty. Character players like Kevin Garnett don't give a crap about a big contract any longer; they want to win, and playing for a winner is extremely important for him; for some players, they won't waive their no-trade clause to go to a team that doesn't have as good a record. On the other side is perpetual malcontent Darius Miles, who could care less about winning or loyalty as long as he's getting paid. The differences don't stand out for most players until they get deep, but The Association works beautifully in practice. While Live has more things for the player to do, and unlock, it's not as realistic as 2K9, so it's a matter of personal preference which mode is better; my vote goes to 2K9.
Graphically, the game is absolutely stunning. The game looked good last year, but this year, facial mapping has been improved, detail is finer on the court, bodies look almost life-like, and the whole package comes together into a game that I would use images from to sell High-Definition TVs. Furthermore, the presentation has been improved dramatically; replays are better, celebrations are better, and between periods, there's a TV-like concoction of highlights and player-focused reactions that looks almost exactly like an NBA on TNT broadcast. This game is a visual masterpiece, and the only thing holding me back from a perfect score in this area is that the framerate takes a hit in some arenas, usually those with a lot of colour on the court, like in Washington. Audibly, the game sounds good, with on the court sounds being true-to-life, and even 2K Beats beating out EA Trax, though that's more Live's fault than 2K9's benefit, as Live's soundtrack is absolutely daffy. I expect to hear some hip-hop when I play my basketball games; what's with the punk? What's with the emo crap? 2K Beats in this game is better just because it's given us more of the same from years past, with a notable appearance from Gnarls Barkley. Kevin Harlan comes back for the play-by-play this year, but the rest of his team is different, with Clark Kellogg as his colour commentator and Cheryl Miller as the sideline reporter, which I'm sure must just be a dandy assignment for one of the pioneers of the women's game. Miller and Harlan are great, but Kellogg replaces the superior Kenny Smith, and almost all of his regular lines are the exact same as last year's game. Announcing isn't a big strength of this year's game, but it's better than Live's, if only because I got extremely sick and tired of hearing Steve Kerr tell me how often players were going left, even if he was completely and totally wrong.
Finally, online mode comes back, and comes back strong. 2K is actually doing a contest, where ten weekly winners have a chance to win a bunch of prizes, including the entire 2K10 lineup of games. One of the benefits of this year's game is the ability to play a full, 5 on 5 game with nine other humans. This is a great addition, and would be better if it wasn't for the fact that you have to play with nine other humans; once again, the worst part of an online experience is – surprise! – the other players. Most games I've been involved with in this mode have regarded this mode as their own personal Streetball mode; dribble, dribble, crossover, funky move, shot over four pairs of hands. As a player on these teams, I thought to myself "hey, this must be how it feels to play for the Knicks". There's also the ability to upload sliders and rosters for other people, but this is a virtual afterthought in the long run. OVerall, anyone that wants to play 2K9 online will find whatever they want to here, though I had more connection problems here than with Live.
The Scores:
Modes: Mediocre
Graphics: Amazing
Sound: Decent
Control and Gameplay: Good
Replayability: Classic
Balance: Mediocre
Originality: Poor
Addictiveness: Great
Appeal Factor: Great
Miscellaneous: Very Good
FINAL SCORE: GOOD GAME
Short Attention Span Summary
NBA 2K9 doesn't have the bells and whistles of NBA Live '09, but in the one place that truly matters – on the court – it's not close. NBA 2K9 is simply the best game of basketball I've ever played, and to top it off, The Association 2.0 is a good enough step up to warrant another mention. It's not for the gamer that just likes arcade games, but any basketball fan would do well to pick this game up; it's so much better than Live on the court that there's really no excuse for anyone not to give this game a try, especially with a PC version coming.
Tags: 2k sports, Basketball, nba, nba 2k9, take two
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1 Comment | Oct 5, 2009
The Angry Gamer 11.06.03: The History Of Mega Man (Part Two)
Christopher Bowen is the News Editor at Diehard GameFAN. He has also written for Talking About Games, Daily Games News and Not A True Ending in his six years of working as a journalist in the industry, and is a frequent guest on the Post Game Report podcast. He specializes in issues relating to industry business, politics and law. Prior to joining the games industry, Christopher worked in IT as a Network Security Engineer and spent four years in the United States Navy, fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom before separating in 2004. He is engaged to Associate Editor Aileen Coe.


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Buckinghamshire News
The 9 worst-rated episodes of Midsomer Murders from its 24-year history
There's been some rough moments!
buckinghamshirelive
Sophie DrewLife writer
In the 24 years of Midsomer Murders, there have been some low points! (Image: ITV)
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Midsomer murders has been on television for so many years that it's basically a British institution. As they air season 21, we've taken a look back at their worst episodes.
When you've been on the screen for 24 years, it can't all be high points. Most shows lose their viewership long before their 95th episode, unlike the gripping countryside thriller.
Although there have been so many great moments in Midsomer, there's been some episodes that left their dedicated fan base feeling disappointed.
People who watch the show have been rating the episodes on IMDb, and it appears things have slowly gone downhill as time has gone by. Although many of the recent episodes have received high scores, there seems to be an increase in middling ratings.
In fact, the latest season saw three of the lowest IMDb rating's in Midsomer's long and esteemed history.
Here are the 9 worst episodes of Midsomer Murders, according to IMDb:
1. Blood on the Saddle, Season 13, Episode 3 – 6.4/10
2. The Night of the Stag, Season 14, Episode 6 – 6.5/10
3. Breaking the Chain, Season 18, Episode 3 – 6.7/10
4. The Wolf Hunter of Little Worthy, Season 21, Episode 1 – 6.8/10
5. Send in the Clowns, Season 20, Episode 6 – 6.9/10
6. Second Sight, Season 8, Episode 5 – 7/10
6. Death by Persuasion, Season 19, Episode 5 – 7/10
7. The Point of Balance, Season 21, Episode 1 – 7.1/10
7. The Sting of Death, Season 21, Episode 3 – 7.1/10
What was your least favourite moment in Midsomer history? Let us know in the comments!
Midsomer Murders - The best-rated episodes of in its 24 year-history
Midsomer Murders trail takes you around some of the most known Bucks sets
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What's On News"We sent the unloved and unwanted Bounty bars from our Celebration tin back to Mars Wrigley HQ in Slough" We even wrote a handwritten letter apologising for the much-maligned coconut chocolates not being to our taste
When is Easter 2022? Dates for Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday and Bank Holidays
ReligionIncluding Easter Monday and Good Friday Bank Holiday dates, the date of Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) and other Bank Holidays in 2022
BuckinghamWhat people are saying about Buckingham McDonald's after a month of opening - according to online reviewsThe Buckingham restaurant opened on the Tesco Superstore car park in December
Milton Keynes' iconic landmark The Point that now "belongs in a zombie apocalypse movie" - Google reviews
Milton KeynesIt is one of the most iconic landmarks in Milton Keynes
KFC shares plans to open 500 new branches across the UK including in Buckingham, Amersham and Milton Keynes
Buckinghamshire NewsKFC has listed more than 500 locations it hopes to open in - including four across the county
New Ninja Warrior UK adventure park set to open in Milton Keynes next month
Things To DoThe activity centre has been inspired by the hit ITV show
When can you watch Marvel's blockbuster Eternals on Disney Plus?
Things To DoProduction for Eternals started in Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire
Tiny Jack Russell boldly herds large flock of sheep and alpacas in impressive video
UK & World NewsTiny Jack Russell Inca loves bossing the sheep and alpacas around and enjoys being bathed by the farm's cat at the four-year-old's home in County Kilkenny, Ireland
Tomato ketchup, salad cream, mayo, milk and vinegar items could face UK ban
Buckinghamshire NewsA whole new range of products are facing the axe in bid to cut use of plastic
East West Rail: Time 'running out' for Aylesbury spur line to Milton Keynes
East West RailThere are concerns the Aylesbury Spur line may not get the go ahead - with Buckinghamshire Council also having concerns about roadworks
The eight best places to live in Buckinghamshire according to Muddy Stilettos
Things To DoFrom idyllic villages in the Chilterns to towns half an hour on the train from London, why wouldn't you want to live in Bucks?
Buckinghamshire Fire & RescueLatimer fire sees dozens of firefighters called to blaze Firefighters remained at the scene overnight and an investigation into the cause of the fire has now been launched
High Wycombe's new Penn Road cemetery to offer concrete vaults after concerns raised by Muslim community
Buckinghamshire CouncilRepresentatives from the Muslim community said they did not want to use the proposed polypropylene vaults
The bijoux Buckingham apartment on the market for less than £200k
BuckinghamThe place is ideal for a single occupant or a couple
Marlow's derelict Halifax bank to get new lease of life
Buckinghamshire CouncilThe Grade II listed building once served as a bakery in the 1920s
Woburn Sands bar plans approved by Milton Keynes Council
Milton Keynes CouncilThe craft bar will provide a 'low-key drinking establishment' - with around 10-15 people at any one time
Dozens of firefighters called to Bucks house fire
Buckinghamshire Fire & RescueFirefighters remained at the scene overnight and an investigation into the cause of the fire has now been launched
Plans for new boutique hotel withdrawn
Buckinghamshire CouncilThe site hosted a nursery business for several decades
Bucks and MK railway stations with the most and least crime
CrimeBritish Transport Police data shows the number of offences committed at each railway station across the county
Police investigate homophobic remarks at Bucks football match
CrimeAn 18-year-old man has been arrested following the incident involving a 'small group of individuals'
New Milton Keynes school approved in Western Expansion Area
EducationThe scheme will also include a 39-place nursery - with Milton Keynes Council saying the new school is 'essential' for families living in the area
Missing Milton Keynes teenager sparks Thames Valley Police appeal
Thames Valley PoliceThe 17-year-old has been missing since Monday - and officers are urging anyone with information to get in touch
Dozens call for bollards to be removed from bridge
Traffic & TravelThe petition claims hundreds of motorists have had their vehicles damaged - and calls for the bollards to be taken away
Celebrations planned for Milton Keynes' 55th birthday
Milton KeynesWeek-long digital activities and events are taking place to celebrate over half a century of Milton Keynes memories
"We sent the unloved and unwanted Bounty bars from our Celebration tin back to Mars Wrigley HQ in Slough"
What's On NewsWe even wrote a handwritten letter apologising for the much-maligned coconut chocolates not being to our taste
New Milton Keynes developments 'risk eroding MK's identity'
Milton Keynes CouncilDevelopers have been accused of not fully considering the grid road system in MK, considered a 'unique' and 'central part' of the town
Brendan Cole's Strictly role, marriage and Love Island journey
EntertainmentThe dancing pro, who lives in Buckinghamshire, has also appeared on X Factor: Celebrity


These articles have been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication in IJLTM, but are pending final changes, are not yet published and may not appear here in their final order of publication until they are assigned to issues. Therefore, the content conforms to our standards but the presentation (e.g. typesetting and proof-reading) is not necessarily up to the Inderscience standard. Additionally, titles, authors, abstracts and keywords may change before publication. Articles will not be published until the final proofs are validated by their authors.
Register for our alerting service, which notifies you by email when new issues of IJLTM are published online.
Keywords: Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory; Service Quality Framework; Overall Satisfaction; Cox's Bazar Beach; Loyalty Intention.
Abstract: The leisure and tourism literature has suggested that seeking new experiences and/or escaping the routine are among the top motivations for vacations. Hence, Activities or Thingsto-Do becomes a relevant attribute to position and differentiate destination brands. Using nonstructured in-depth interviews and elicitation techniques, this investigation examines the relevance of the attribute Activities or Things-to-Do in developing place branding strategies, particularly for destinations marketed based on a one-dimensional attribute also adopted by numerous competitive offerings, such as sun and beaches. The results suggest that to enhance the equity of destination brands and entice and please a larger group of potential visitors, tourist authorities must: (i) identify the segments to whom the brand appeals; (ii) understand the Activities and Things-to-Do that they value; and (ii) stress this attribute when building the brand.
Keywords: leisure and tourism; destination branding; place branding; destination images; destination brand dimensions; tourist motivations; push and pull factors.
Abstract: Shift in popular perception about the connection between food and aspects of regional and cultural identity has given rise to the idea of slow food. The growing trend of nutrition-conscious eating practices combined with the growing concern over sustainability and preservation of local cultures has given boost to slow food movement. Lately, the practice of slow food has been adopted by tourism sector, in recognition of foods ability to reflect regional culture and heritage. Slow food tourism thus serves to promote local culture and tourism, while helping the nations economy and sustainability. The present study employs use of empirical studies across four major South- Asian countries namely; India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal, as well as theoretical research, to recognise and list five factors that impact the status of slow food tourism in a country.
Keywords: Slow Food; Tourism; Culinary Tourism; Slow Food Movement; South Asia; India; Sri Lanka; Nepal; Maldives.
GENDER DIFFERENCE AND THE CONSUMPTION OF LUXURY CARS IN THE CITY OF DOUALA-CAMEROON.
Abstract: The purposive sampling method was used in collecting data in which we directly contacted the consumers of conspicuous cars and handed them the questionnaire. Results indicate that men dominate women in the possession of luxury cars. Although a significant number of female consumers possess more expensive and status revealing cars than men; and men possess more luxury cars than women, there is statistically no correlation between gender and the cost of cars, the number of them possessed and their brands. More women consider the purchase of a luxury car as a dream that has been realized. Dominance and defence as motives for buying a luxury car for men are totally rejected by women. Gender difference in term of income inequality does not significantly affect womens participation in the consumption of luxury cars.
Keywords: Conspicuous consumption; luxury cars; gender; motives.


UAE, Canada to boost cooperation in clean energy field .
ABU DHABI: Khalifa University of Science and Technology, the Abu Dhabi Transmission and Dispatch company (TRANSCO) and the Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) of Canada, today signed a collaboration agreement for building an industrial-level software to monitor, predict, and interact with network operators in real time and enable renewable energy integration with the UAE power system.
The agreement signing ceremony was attended by Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Dr. Bruce Stedall, Acting Managing Director, TRANSCO, Leo St. Hilaire, Senior Manager, and Jamal Al Dharif, Senior Executive from MHI's UAE Office, officials, faculty members and students.
The industrial level software - 'Stability Assessment, Visualisation and Enhancement' (SAVE) tool - will utilise real-time measurements to evaluate the transmission network stability through the development of state-of-the-art mathematical methods combined with a data analytics based classification engine to precisely estimate the domain of stability and to predict the transient margins.
Furthermore, a visualisation system will be developed by a team of scientific researchers to support human-in-the-loop classification, diagnosis of the transmission system events, and the visualisation of system stability. The integrating modules of SAVE tool that current researchers have already been investigating, have accumulated comprehensive expertise, enabling them to reach industrial level platforms.
Dr. Al Hammadi, said, "This industry-academia collaboration led by Khalifa University with TRANSCO and Manitoba Hydro International reflects the partners' commitment to develop innovative technologies that can integrate renewable energy with the existing systems. Power system stability is particularly relevant given the objective of Abu Dhabi and the UAE to significantly increase the penetration of renewable energy. The recent completion of GCC power interconnections between the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia has significantly highlighted the need for inter-area oscillations (IAOs) for greater stability. We believe this collaboration that lays emphasis on innovations such as the SAVE tool, will tackle the complexity of the challenges in integrating renewable energy with the existing power system."
Dr. Stedall said, "We are very pleased and excited to be working with Khalifa University and Manitoba Hydro International on this project. The generation portfolio is going to change considerably in the coming years to include substantial volumes of renewable energy sources as Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE migrate to a low carbon economy. The project will support TRANSCO by ensuring that certain technical challenges resulting from the changes in the generation portfolio associated with security and stability of the system can be managed. As part of the project, we will also be developing the knowledge and capability of our future engineers to cope with systems employing large penetration of renewable technology."
Dr. Dharshana Muthumuni, Managing Director, Power Systems Technology Centre at MHI, said, "MHI is proud to partner with Khalifa University and TRANSCO on this significant initiative that will undoubtedly help the integration and reliable operation of power systems with large scale renewable energy sources. We are particularly pleased to collaborate with Khalifa University's highly-skilled team, with whom we have had a long and thriving association."


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namespace Heartsentwined\CronExprParser;

interface ExceptionInterface
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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The Green Joins Cali Roots Monterey August 28th
Article Contributed by Press Junkie PR | Published on Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Cali Roots is excited to add The Green to the welcome back to Monterey concert line-up taking place August 28th. This is the first event from the organizers set to take place at the iconic venue Monterey County fair and Event center since California's re-opening announcement. The concert is a celebration of both the festival and bringing live music back to the fairgrounds, the festival's home since the inception of the event over 11 years ago. Nestled in the picturesque coastal town of Monterey, California with ocean views and sprawling lawn space, concert goers will enjoy a solid line up including stellar performances from J Boog, The Green, Josh Heinrichs, and Saritah. Unfortunately, Stephen Marley will not be performing as previously announced. Tickets are on sale and available here.
Dan Sheehan, Co-Producer comments, "As concerts return we are thrilled to kick off a series of events leading up to our 2022 festival. Our team is excited to get back into production mode and connect with our music family with good music, local food and drinks, all at a beautiful venue. We missed our Cali Roots family and look forward to starting our festival session off in our home town location the Monterey County Fair and Event Center!"
Cali Roots 2022 is due to officially kick off on Thursday, May 26, 2022 at the Monterey County Fair and Event Center. The ever evolving premier reggae, roots, and hip hop festival, Cali Roots has expanded to four full days of live music and art. The 2022 exceptional line-up includes Stephen Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Protoje Feat Lila Iké and Sevana, Brother Ali, Sa-Roc, Slightly Stoopid, to name a few. They will share the stage with Cali Roots mainstays Rebelution, Atmosphere, Chronixx, and Damian Marley and 2022 sees debut performances from the renown Sean Paul, Ice Cube and Sublime With Rome. Tickets are on sale and available here. And catch the current line-up here.
Cali Roots Welcome Back: Monterey, CA
Dates: Saturday, August 28th
Time: Gates Open 4 PM, Show @ 5 PM
Venue: Monterey County Fair and Event Center
Address: 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey, CA 93940
Admission: Varies
Age restrictions: All Ages
Tickets: Tickets are on sale and available here.
Josh Heinrichs
Saritah


Start in Sigiriya and end in Katunayake! With the adventure tour 6 Days and 5 Nights trip in Sri Lanka, you have a 6 day tour package taking you through Sigiriya, Sri Lanka and 9 other destinations in Sri Lanka. 6 Days and 5 Nights trip in Sri Lanka is a small group tour that includes accommodation in a hotel as well as an expert guide, meals, transport and more.
Sigiriya is the starting point and Katunayake is the endpoint.
TourRadar only requires a deposit of $99 to confirm this Beauty Lanka Travels booking. The remaining balance is then payable 60 days prior to the departure date. For any tour departing before 25 June 2019 the full payment of $369 is necessary.
No additional cancellation fees! You can cancel the tour up to 60 days prior to the departure date and you will not need to pay the full amount of $369 for 6 Days and 5 Nights trip in Sri Lanka, but the deposit of $99 is non-refundable. If you cancel via TourRadar the standard cancellation policy applies.
Some departure dates and prices may vary and Beauty Lanka Travels will contact you with any discrepancies before your booking is confirmed.
Covering a total distance of approx 657 km.
TourRadar does not charge any additional cancellation fees. You can cancel the tour up to 60 days prior to the departure date. If you cancel your booking for 6 Days and 5 Nights trip in Sri Lanka via TourRadar the standard cancellation policy applies.


Absolute Sheriff's Land Auction — Harritt Group, Inc.
10% Non-refundable down payment due day of auction with balance due in 40 days. Selling as is with no contingencies. Taxes prorated to day of closing. Possession immediate upon closing.
Prime 25.73 acres in beautiful Starlight, Indiana adorned with black board fencing, 3 pole barns & 3 ponds located just off Chapel Hill Road near Navilleton Road in Floyd County selling in one tract to the highest bidder with no minimum.
Beautiful 25.73 acre tract with black board fenced entrance, ample road frontage, lush green pastures, 3 ponds and 3 barns in quaint community of Starlight located in Floyd County, Indiana. Property includes a 30'x60' pole barn equipped with two 12' overhead doors, office, storage rooms, LP gas furnace and central air, a 28'x40' open pole barn with concrete floor and a 19'x48' implement barn. This property offers pristine rural living while being centrally located to several regional attractions and just mere minutes away from Hwy 150 and I-64.
Property offered in one parcel as a whole 25.73 Acres and will sell absolute to the highest bidder with no minimum.
Selling per Floyd Circuit Court – Case No. 22C01-1609-PL-001362 directed by Frank Loop, Sheriff of Floyd County.
I-64 to Hwy. 150 Greenville Exit #119. West 4 miles to right on Navilleton Road. 3.3 miles to right on Chapel Hill Road to left on Louis Smith Road. 3/10 mile to auction on left.


High-k dielectric materials such as BST play an important role in the constant shrinking of microelectronic components. WDXRF spectrometry is ideal for measuring the composition and film thickness, due to its high accuracy and reproducibility. Also underlying Pt films can be analyzed, as demostrated in this report.


Ending today - Best Buy is offering Black Friday Deals and Doorbusters. Why wait for the crowds or stock to be gone?
Check out this Apple iPad with Wi-Fi 128GB $329.99 (Retail $429.99).
Browse around for more deals.


Kalye DC at EatsPlace, 3607 Georgia Avenue NW, every Thursday, Friday, Saturday. After a super popular pop-up at the Washington DC food incubator EatsPlace, Kalye DC is back! To complete his visionary team and develop the original concept, Chef Red Garcia has brought Chef Paolo Eleazar to the kitchen. "Kalye" means street, and Garcia and Eleazar are bringing street food from the Philippines to Washington DC. Enjoy authentic Filipino food like pork belly barbeque, sisig (grilled and charred pork meat), crispy pata (braised and then deep fried pork), bokhoy and fried tofu (vegetarian), and chicken inasal (spice marinated crispy grilled wings).
Dinner will be served from 5:30 – 10:00 PM, and The Drinkubator will be open later than that, serving, among other drinks, Red Horse and San Miguel. Walk-ins are welcome, and no reservations. Catering is available because who doesn't need sisig at their shindig? EatsPlace is located at 3607 Georgia Avenue NW, a block south of the Petworth metro.


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Kataržina Sosna (née le  à Vilnius) est une coureuse cycliste lituanienne. Elle pratique le cyclisme sur route et le VTT.

Palmarès sur route

Par années
2010
 GP Cham-Hagendorn
  Championne de Lituanie du contre-la-montre
  Médaillée de bronze du championnat d'Europe du contre-la-montre espoirs
2011
  du championnat de Lituanie du contre-la-montre
  Médaillée de bronze du championnat d'Europe du contre-la-montre espoirs
2012
  du championnat de Lituanie du contre-la-montre
  du championnat de Lituanie sur route
  du championnat d'Europe du contre-la-montre espoirs
2013
  du championnat de Lituanie du contre-la-montre
2014
  du championnat de Lituanie sur route
  du championnat de Lituanie du contre-la-montre
2019
  Championne de Lituanie du contre-la-montre
  du championnat de Lituanie sur route

Grands tours

Tour d'Italie
5 participations
 2010 :
 2011 :
 2012 :
 2013 :
 2014 :

Palmarès en VTT

Championnats du monde
Singen 2017
  du cross-country marathon
Auronzo 2018
  du cross-country marathon

Championnats d'Europe
2015
  du cross-country marathon
2016
  Médaillée de bronze du cross-country marathon
2017
  du cross-country marathon
2019
  du cross-country marathon

Championnats de Lituanie
  Championne de Lituanie de cross-country : 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 et 2021
  Championne de Lituanie de cross-country marathon : 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 et 2020

Notes et références

Liens externes

Coureuse cycliste lituanienne
Coureuse de VTT
Naissance en novembre 1990
Naissance à Vilnius

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Missouri Lawyers Weekly Features Mediation Article by Frank Neuner
Francis X. Neuner, Jr.
May 2, 2016 News
Spencer Fane Partner Frank Neuner was recently published by Missouri Lawyers Weekly in an article discussing the use of opening statements in mediation.
Opening remarks, Neuner maintains, can be impactful when approached in a tactful way. "Parties settle cases because they conclude that the proposed deal is better than the likely (or possible) alternatives. What better way to help the other side reach that conclusion than to preview what those alternatives look like?" In making opening remarks in mediation, parties should avoid making personal attacks or trying to persuade the other side that it is wrong, but instead focus on issues and risks.
Neuner serves as a mediator for workplace conflicts, civil rights controversies, tort claims and business-related disputes. He has a wealth of experience mediating single-plaintiff disputes, as well as class and collective actions, including wage and hour cases. In addition to his private mediation practice, Frank serves as a mediator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Missouri Commission on Human Rights.


Hard-Wired Motion Sensor Specifically designed for use with D'MAND KONTROL System®. Activates instantly upon contact with 360 beam projected from ceiling mount location. Subsequent 4 minute time delay. CAT 5/6 wire. Limit ten sensors per system. 12 Volt. Compatible with ACT D'MAND Kontrols System from 2002 to present, up to 10 motion sensors per pump.
• Round Beam 20' range.
Will not operate in conjunction with models WT, WRT-KIT.


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Q: *ngFor next element I am using Angular Cli. So, my html is:
<div *ngFor="let Item of Items" (click)="add("*next Item should be here*")"></div>

I need to send to function add() not Item but the next element. How I can call;it?
And I should stop when the arrow is end in order not to go out of the array

A: If Items is an array or indexed collection you can use the special index variable and pass that to your function:
<div *ngFor="let item of items; let i = index" (click)="add( i )">

Then inside your add function you would check the index:
add(index: number): void {

    let nextIndex = index + 1;
    if( nextIndex < this.items.length ) {
        // do stuff
    }
    else {
        // error: there is no next-item
    }
}

This is documented here: https://angular.io/api/common/NgForOf

*

*index: number - The index of the current item in the iterable.

*first: boolean - True when the item is the first item in the iterable.

*last: boolean - True when the item is the last item in the iterable.

*even: boolean - True when the item has an even index in the iterable.

*odd: boolean - True when the item has an odd index in the iterable.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


NOVEMBER marked the 100th anniversary since the completion of unrestored GWR '28XX' 2-8-0 No. 2874 at Swindon.
To mark the anniversary – and also the centenary of the end of the First World War – the 2874 Trust has dedicated the heavy freight loco to the GWR employees who lost their lives during the two world wars.
Two specially cast oval brass plaques will be carried on the cabsides of the locomotive once its restoration has been completed at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.
The inscription reads: 1914-1918, Dedicated to the Men & Women of the Great Western Railway who gave their lives in defence of our Country during the two World Wars, 1939-1945.
No. 2874 was built at the end of the First World War, but still played an active role during the second conflict, hauling coal trains while allocated to the likes of Reading and Banbury.
The centenaries of its construction and the Armistice therefore provided the perfect platform to commemorate the GWR's fallen workers.


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Provider of high quality Christian Science Nursing Care supportive of quick and effective healing located in Davie, Florida.
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Ramadaan is the time of peace and tranquillity and should be cherished greatly. Not only are the doors of Jannah open during this time, but the doors of Jahanam are closed. In other words, we have the opportunity be and practice who we truly are- regardless of past or future sins. This is the period in which Taqwah (a piety and fear of Allah ) and Imaan ( belief in the Deen ) are most easily attained.
It is said in an authentic Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that fasting in the month of Ramadaan sincerely out of faith and in hope of reward, will forgive all previously committed sins.
This year, I was blessed enough to experience yet another month of Ramadaan. This is an opportunity that only few receive and I am grateful that I, along with my friends and family, could practice in this beneficial time.
This Ramadaan I was able to interact with the community a lot more, with charity events, mass iftaars and orphan iftaars, hosted by our very own mosque. I tried to make the most of every event as possible, as more opportunities like these are never guaranteed.
Participating in these activities provided me with a sense of gratitude and prosperity. Not only did I realise how privileged I am, but was also disappointed at the state of care of those in need, specifically the orphans. This inspired me to take initiative for the future and ensure that they are cared for during all months – not just Ramadaan.
Although I remained focused on the piety and blessings of Ramadaan, I couldn't help but feel slightly tempted and pressurised by my school peers. Not only were they inconsiderate with their eating habits, but also slightly disrespectful in their manners. Brushing it all aside, they were all-in-all supportive and understanding and their faults or disrespectful manners could be seen as unintentional.
Accommodating Ramadaan into an already full school time table is surprisingly difficult. This was an experience new to us, as Ramadaan usually fell in the period of the June-July holidays. This year round, it came during our mid-year examinations. I found this challenging, as focused studying and application was slightly affected.
I had many spiritual goals that I set out for myself that was slightly compromised due to the timing of Ramadaan. I intended to attend Taraweeh every night and wanted to make the most out of Quranic recitals, but unfortunately, my actions did not go according to plan. Examinations were physically draining and demanding and as a result, attending Taraweeh every single night was unsuccessful. Recitations were replaced with school books and it was a very disappointing experience.
What I have learnt though, is that no matter the circumstances, Ramadaan will come and go, regardless of time, place or personal preferences. I now understand that we must accommodate our lives accordingly and that it is our responsibility to make the most of this blessed month.
One huge challenge was fasting itself. The act alone started off being extremely slow and draining. After the first few days, I felt a severe lack of energy and an intense fatigue. Thereafter, my body soon regulated and became more accustomed to it. It still has its moments of difficulty, specifically regarding surrounding temptations, but fortunately we push through it all. This reminded me of how minute my problems are and that there are actual people enduring this hunger every single day. That realisation was actually heart-breaking and is only recognised once we too, have felt their pain.
Fortunately, I had many positive experiences that by far surpassed the negatives. Not only were we granted with one of the most precious months of the year, but we were able to openly practice it. I had the opportunity to help and simultaneously socialise with other teenagers my age during the events at the mosque. It was a truly rare and wonderful gathering.
Despite my constant hunger pains and fatigue, I endured few of the many challenges that the less fortunate suffer from. I once again realised how blessed I am and that my problems are truly insignificant compared to theirs. I have learnt so much this Ramadaan and have changed many of my wrong ways. I hope that this stays constant and that Allah guides us all in our endeavours, and that we have all taken note of the valuable lessons Ramadaan teaches us, Inshallah Ameen.


A driver who ran a red light right in front of a Moonachie police officer provided a bogus name – as did two women who were with him – and was found carrying drugs and a crack pipe, authorities said.
Officer Daniel Leoncini was on patrol Wednesday afternoon when the driver of the silver Infiniti – identified as Stephon C. Womack, 35, of Newark – made a left from eastbound Route 46 onto Huyler Street through the light, Police Chief Richard Behrens said.
Womack, who gave the officer another person's name, was wanted on an outstanding warrant, Behrens said.
He agreed to a search of his car, which turned amphetamines that Womack didn't have a prescription for, along with a crack pipe and apparent cocaine, the chief said.
Backup Officers Andrew Finch and Sean Mulligan interviewed two female passengers who didn't have identification and, like Womack, provided names that weren't theirs, Behrens said.
They were also carrying crack pipes, empty wax paper folds used to package heroin and anti-psychotic prescription medication that neither woman had a prescription for, the chief said.
Kasey Matthews, 22, from West Milford and Josephine Buckley, 22, from Plainfield were arrested along with Womack.
All were charged with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia and hindering apprehension, among other counts. Womack also received several traffic summonses.
Womack remained held in the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing. Buckley and Matthews both were eventually released.


text:
demo_BMM_Gaussian1DGaussian1D.jl

Demo for Bayesian Finite Mixture Model with Gaussian1DGaussian1D conjugates.

08/07/2015
Adham Beyki, odinay@gmail.com
=#

using BNP
srand(123)

## --- synthesizing the data --- ##
true_KK = 5                             # number of components
NN      = 500                           # number of data points

vv = 0.01                               # fixed variance
ss = 2
true_atoms = [Gaussian1D(ss*kk, vv) for kk = 1:true_KK]

mix = ones(Float64, true_KK)/true_KK
xx  = ones(Float64, NN)
true_zz = ones(Int, NN)
true_nn = zeros(Int, true_KK)

for n=1:NN
    kk = sample(mix)
    true_zz[n] = kk
    xx[n] = sample(true_atoms[kk])
    true_nn[kk] += 1
end

## ------- inference -------- ##
# constructing the Gaussian1DGaussian1D conjugate
m0 = mean(xx)
v0 = 2.0
q0 = Gaussian1DGaussian1D(m0, v0, vv)

# constructing the Bayesian Mixture Model
KK = true_KK
bmm_aa = 1.0
bmm = BMM(q0, KK, bmm_aa)

# initializing the cluster labels
zz = zeros(Int, length(xx))
zz = rand(1:bmm.KK, NN)

# sampling
n_burnins    = 100
n_lags       = 2
n_samples    = 200
store_every  = 10000
results_path = ""
filename     = "demo_BMM_Gaussian1DGaussian1D"

collapsed_gibbs_sampler(bmm, xx, zz, n_burnins, n_lags, n_samples, store_every, results_path, filename)

# posterior distributions
posterior_components, nn = posterior(bmm, xx, zz)


text:
Current Affairs Quiz – January 11 2023
In Current Affairs Quiz
Current Affairs Quiz – January 11 2023. Read and Download daily, monthly Current Affairs Quiz 2023 for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, IBPS, SBI etc,. Download month wise Current affairs 2023 PDF and Current affairs quiz PDF .
1. Who has become Israel PM for 6th time?
a) Benjamin Netanyahu
b) Tair Lapid
c) Sara Ben-Gvir
d) Naftali Bennet
Click here to View Answer
Answer a) Benjamin Netanyahu. PM Narendra Modi spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and congratulated him for becoming PM for a record sixth time.
2. Who has been appointed as nutrition sponsor of Herbalife Nutrition India?
a) Deepika Padukone
b) Mithali Raj
c) Smrithi Mandana
d) Sania Mirza
Answer c) Smrithi Mandana. Nutrition company Herbalife Nutrition India Private Limited is partnering with international women's cricketer, Smriti Mandhana as a 'nutrition sponsor'. She has had an incredible journey, taking the cricket world by storm with her batting performances.
3. Among the following, which film has been shortlisted for Oscars 2023?
a) Pushpa
b) KGF
c) Vikram
d) The Kashmir Files
Answer d) The Kashmir Files. The story of Kashmir Files revolves around the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the year 1990 following systematic killings of people from the community by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
4. Who is the current External Affairs Minister of India?
a) Dr. Subramanyam Jaishankar
b) Janaina Tewaney
c) Arjun Munda
d) Haminder Singh lal
Answer a) Dr. Subramanyam Jaishankar. India and Panama have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to encourage cooperation in the training of diplomats. The MoU between India and Panama was signed by the External Affairs Minister of India Dr. Subramanyam Jaishankar and the Foreign Minister of Panama Janaina Tewaney Mencomon.
5. According to Henley Passport Index 2023, which country's passport topped as the most favourible passport in the world?
a) USA
b) Japan
c) Singapore
d) China
Answer b) Japan. According to the latest Henley Passport Index, Japan has retained its position as the most favourible passport in the world, allowing visa-free entry to 193 global destinations. which the country tops for the fifth consecutive year.
6. According to Henley Passport Index 2023, What is the rank of Indian passport?
a) 34th
b) 26th
c) 69th
d) 85th
Answer d) 85th. The Indian passport was ranked 85th.
7. Who has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL)?
a) Anurag Kumar
b) Vidhyasagar M
c) Sandeep Chandhan
d) Nithin Krishnan
Answer a) Anurag Kumar. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Kumar's appointment to the post till the date of his superannuation i.e 31.01.2026.
8. According to report, which city was the most polluted city in India in 2022?
a) New Delhi
b) Ghaziabad
c) Faridabad
d) Lucknow
Answer a) New Delhi. Delhi was the most polluted city in India in 2022 with PM 2.5 levels more than double the safe limit and the third highest average PM10 concentration, according to an analysis of Central Pollution Control Board data.
9. National Human Trafficking Awareness Day 2023 is observed on _____________.
a) Jan 11th
b) Jan 12th
c) Jan 13th
d) Jan 14th
Answer a) Jan 11th. The National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is observed every year in the United States on 11th January. The day is dedicated to raising awareness about human trafficking.
10. Which state government's 'Year of Enterprises' project has been selected as a best practices model in the thrust on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)?
a) Uttar Pradesh
b) Assam
c) kerala
d) Odisha
Answer c) Kerala. The project, which began in the current fiscal, aimed at creating one lakh enterprises in one year. However, the state government achieved this goal in just eight months, setting a new benchmark for promoting small and medium-sized enterprises in India.
11. Road Safety Week is observed on_____________.
a) 11th to 17th Jan
b) 12th to 18th Jan
c) 13th to 19th Jan
d) 14th to 20th Jan
Answer a) 11th to 17th Jan. The week-long observance aims to propagate the cause of safer roads for all and create awareness among the general public about the importance of road safety.
12. Which state has emerged as Top Investment Destinations in India?
a) Uttarakhand
b) Tamil Nadu
c) Rajasthan
d) Gujarat
Answer d) Gujarat. Fresh investments worth Rs 3.98 trillion were announced for Gujarat during the financial year (FY) 2022, representing a 273 percent increase over the FY 2021 figure of Rs 2.91 trillion.
13. Which city has topped the startup funding chart with a whopping 3.9 billion?
a) Gurugram
b) Pune
c) Chandigarh
d) Bengaluru
Answer a) Bengaluru. In 2022, Bengaluru, the technology capital of India, has topped the startup funding chart with a whopping 3.9 billion, while Gurugram took the third spot with 1.2 billion in funding, and Pune had $1 billion in funding.
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CHECK OUT OUR GALLERY
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We have been preparing the raised beds in the Nursery garden for the children so they can plant out the seeds they have been nurturing indoors. This has been an opportunity to explore mindfulness, practising being in the moment throughout the Early Years, as well as using gardening as a great way to get outside and learn beyond the classroom. The anticipation and patience involved, waiting for the seedlings to appear through the earth and change into recognisable vegetables, fruits or flowers provides so many learning opportunities.
Together we have been sharing our gardening knowledge and learning about what helps seeds grow – sun, water and soil with a little bit of love too! We are looking forward to the moment when we can taste what we have been growing with the children and see our sunflowers growing tall.
We have also been learning about mini beasts. Whilst digging the raised beds and caring for the plants, we have encountered all sorts of exciting creatures including snails, worms and centipedes. Our setting at Sherfield is a wonderful environment in which to explore and share these experiences.


The Career Quest Learning Centers were buzzing with activity last month, each campus adding its unique spin to School Spirit Week.
Jackson campus President Amber Deel says that Spirit Week allows students and faculty to step a bit out of their comfort zones, have some fun and get to know each other.
Each day of the week had its own focus with themes like "Crazy Scrub Day," and "Dress Like a Nerd Day." On "Crazy Sock and Shoe Day," popular instructor Gary Minix showed up with gigantic camel feet slippers and had the attention of students and faculty alike. Other activities included a pizza party and a "Trunk or Treat" event that drew more than 1200 people to the campus. There was also a hallway decorating contest and a pumpkin carving contest. And, as a grand finale to the week, a flash mob danced to Thriller on Halloween.
At the Lansing campus, students were able to counter Monday's "Professional Dress Day" with Wednesday's "Casual for a Cause Day," where for a small contribution they were allowed to forgo the school's usual dress code and wear jeans. Participating faculty contributed $5 and students gave $2 each for the privilege of dressing down. The funds will be distributed to Career Quest students in need.
Students really enjoyed the "Decades Day" where they dressed in styles from the decade of their choice, but the highlight of the week may have been "Pride Day" where students and faculty clad in Michigan State garb faced off against those sporting University of Michigan colors. There were Spartans and Wolverines all over campus!
There was also a potluck employee dinner and a Trunk or Treat event where students, faculty, family and friends came with trunks packed with decorations to adorn their vehicles and treats to share.
Lansing campus President Melissa Soderberg says that students and faculty both look forward to and enjoy Spirt Week.
Career Quest Learning Centers has career training programs in business, healthcare and information technology and you can attend classes on campus or choose a blended-learning format. Give us a call today to learn more at 877-385-6781.


text:
Home/Entertainment/How to get Elton John tickets because the stars have added new UK dates to his new tour
How to get Elton John tickets because the stars have added new UK dates to his new tour
malaysia November 9, 2018 Entertainment, malaysia
It's time to officially announce Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, because Elton John is currently touring around the world. The tour, called the Farewell Yellow Brick Road, had a huge red card going through five continents, three years, 300 shows and TBH, and was finally ready to retire. If you are Elton Stan or want to see legends at work, he is famous for his amazing live performances and is worth seeing him. I do not think the trip will be any of the extra. I hope you do not mind. I would like you to write down the words to get Elton John tickets. Because they will be going pretty fast and it's best to prepare.
If you want to set an alarm on November 16 at 10:00 AM, you can release your ticket. It is available through Ticketmaster and Gigantic, but only Ticketmaster appears to offer pre-sale tickets. If you are a hardworking Elton John enthusiast and have joined the Rocket Club fan club before November 8th, you can enter the dormitory with a ticket sold at 10am on November 12th.
Michael Korbak / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Customers with American Express cards will have pre-sales tickets available from 10am on November 13th and customers registered for Ticketmaster's Verified Fan pre-sale will be available at 10am on November 15th. (Quick Tip: You can register for a pre-sold fan that has not been proven yet.)
John will strike 14 UK cities from 2019 to 2020, starting at Hove on June 9, 2019 and packing at Leeds's First Direct Arena on December 7, 2020. Even if you miss your ticket, it may sound good to see what is happening near the city. In 2019, he will visit Hove (June 9) and Cardiff (June 15) – but that date has already been sold and sold out completely.
The date of 2020 is announced and begins on November 6-7 in London's O2. From there, John will move to Birmingham on November 9 and 11 and will play in Liverpool on 13 November and Manchester on 13 November and Manchester on November 28 again on November 17.
Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
After that, he leaves England and spends 24-25 days in Glasgow via Aberdeen from 20th to 21st November. The Irish fans will be able to see him on November 30th in Belfast, and John will then say goodbye to the UK officially through his last performance on December 7, 2020.
It has recently appeared on his website that the star seems to be walking around a pretty intense UK road and the British show is "incredibly special". "Britain is at home and my heart will always be there, and it's great to celebrate the amazing moments that we have shared with our fans over the years, and this reunion will be very emotional and a lot of fun."
According to Sky News, 500,000 people this weekend have already seen Elton John say goodbye throughout the United States. It sounds like Elton John is ready to cut off his colorful and glittering towels, and he must keep his remarkable reputation.
"After the tour, I'm looking forward to closing my life by saying goodbye to life on the road. I have to spend more time raising children," he said.
It is a good reason to get rid of piano music. Fingers crossed, but sometimes you can see your head popping out on a TV show or a memorial concert. I hope to be able to repeat my role next time. Kings Man film. Eventually, Taron Egerton was out of the lead role. What I want is TBH is a British super spy who plays sequined outfits and his theme song is gay. Who is better than Elton John?


text:
Oedipina uniformis é uma espécie de salamandra da família Plethodontidae.

Pode ser encontrada nos seguintes países: Costa Rica e possivelmente em Panamá.

Os seus habitats naturais são: florestas subtropicais ou tropicais húmidas de baixa altitude, regiões subtropicais ou tropicais húmidas de alta altitude, plantações , jardins rurais e florestas secundárias altamente degradadas.

Está ameaçada por perda de habitat.

Referências

Oedipina
Anfíbios descritos em 1868


text:
PUBLISHED: 2012 / PAGES: 248
ILLUSTRATIONS: 11 illustrations, 4 charts
PUBLISHER: Duke University Press
"This immensely ambitious and unclassifiable theoretical work begins by projecting a new kind of temporality—the chronic—out of medical practice, in order to range across the political, the cultural, the national, the autobiographical, and the economic, touching in passing on film and globalization, and in the process unearthing new life forms: the already dead, the undead, and the always already dead. It is an exciting journey."
—Fredric Jameson, Duke University
In The Already Dead, Eric Cazdyn examines the intersection among contemporary medicine, globalization, and present-day political and cultural practices—producing a condition and concept he names "the new chronic." Cazdyn argues that as in contemporary medicine, which uses targeted drug therapies and biotechnology to manage rather than cure diseases, global capitalism does not aim for resolution but rather a continual state of crisis management that perpetrates the iniquities of the status quo. Engaging critical theory, philosophy, and psychoanalysis, Cazdyn explores the complexities of crisis, paying particular attention to how it affects perceptions of time and denies alternate ways of being and forms of thinking.
To resist this exploitative crisis state, which he terms "the global abyss," Cazdyn posits the concept of "the already dead," a condition in which the subject (medical, political, psychological) has been killed but has yet to die. Embracing this condition, he argues, allows for a revolutionary consciousness open to a utopian future. Woven into Cazdyn's analysis are personal anecdotes about battling leukemia and struggling to obtain Canadian citizenship during his illness. These narratives help to illustrate his systemic critique, one that innovatively reconfigures the relationship between politics, capitalism, revolution, and the body.
"In The Already Dead, Eric Cazdyn establishes what he calls a nonmoralizing critique of capitalism, starting from the premise that crisis does not symptomize the failure of the system but rather its proper functioning. He is committed to a systemic, radical critique that keeps open the possibilities of revolution. This is a bracing and provocative book, both ideationally and stylistically."—Rei Terada, University of California, Irvine
"Cazdyn's treatise is provocative, creative, and intelligent, calling for no less than a global revolution in action and ideology. Anchored in American events and history, it also has much to offer at the international level, and it will be a welcome companion to a wide range of curricula in the humanities, medical, and social sciences." — Lawrence C. Rubin, Journal of American Culture
"While it is not the only reason to read the book, it is the performance itself, the manner in which Cazdyn artfully combines three areas of study and speaks of them in parallel with one another, that is most valuable, no matter the discipline to which the reader belongs. Cazdyn invokes a system that is both utopian (in its impossible future – the American Dream is always just a step away) and pre-apocalyptic." — Valérie Savard, Science Fiction Film and Television
"Cazdyn covers a dizzying array of examples of the way this shift has become normalized–drawn from popular culture, cinema, and literature. One must pause to marvel at the facility with which he melds such analysis with moving personal essays." — Kurt Newman, U.S. Intellectual History Blog
"This book is a roller-coaster ride through a broad swath of cultural studies, psychoanalysis and the social sciences—from the relationship of the chronic subject to phenomena in capitalism, biopolitics and global formations, and from trends in medicine to descriptions of how death and life are brought together in the literary and psychoanalytic imagination." — Sharon R. Kaufman, Culture, Health, and Sexuality
"The Already Dead comes at a critical moment in which the vulgarities of the global capitalist system have become increasingly difficult to conceal. The book's approach, at once theoretical and personal, historical and cultural, seeks new modes of revolutionary consciousness that can destabilize both within and without the capitalist system so as to reconfigure everything." — Adam Broinowski, Reviews in Cultural Theory
"Unlike some of his contemporaries, who couch the future in uncomfortable messianic terms, this is a work whose engagement with the thought of alterity defes the threat of transcendence in favor of a radical historical premise: the end, the cure—it's already here." — Andrea Gyegne, Cultural Critique
"The Already Dead ends on that most perilous but enigmatic of notes, a deep breath suspended in the time and place of letting go while still holding on, bargaining between terrors and desires, tarrying with the fear of dying for long enough that, just maybe, it becomessomething else." — Angela Mitropolous,Cultural Critique
"Cazdyn constructs a meticulous, historically specific account of contemporary capitalism that, though bleak, maintains a sense of stoic optimism by promising that even if we cannot imagine life beyond the chronic present, we may still reclaim our right to live terminally and in doing so have faith that there is in us a future beyond the inevitable death of capitalism….The Already Dead is to be admired for its relentless and far-reaching critique. Cazdyn's text implacably insists on hope for something more and better than capitalism's constant meantime. It is not a book that prescribes a future like one would prescribe an illness-managing drug: Cazdyn cannot give us a pat answer in an argument that reminds us that as long as capitalism lives, we cannot know what lies beyond its death. In reclaiming their deaths, the already dead take control of finding new ways to live beyond capitalism, reminding us that this text is one about the hope and utopia inherent in knowing that capitalism will not last forever." — Josh Morrison, Discourse


text:
Margot Robbie: The Siren
Lynn Hirschberg
Margot Robbie wears Donna Karan New York dress, $10,000, donnakaran.com.
Photographer: Bill Viola
Stylist: Patrick Mackie
"I've been practicing in my bathtub," Margot Robbie said as she arrived at the Long Beach, California, studio of the artist Bill Viola. Viola, who was the subject of a major retrospective this past summer at the Grand Palais in Paris, is known for his thematically epic videos—he is concerned with nothing less than life and death—and, heightening the biblical overtones, he often uses water and fire in his work. On a cool, early-fall day, Robbie, an actress on the brink of major stardom, would serve as his muse: She would slowly be submerged in water. "I am so excited," Robbie continued. "I've been holding my breath to see how long I can go without turning blue."
Last year, Robbie burst onto the screen in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street as Naomi, the self-invented sex-bomb spouse of the corrupt stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. She epitomized a key element of the American dream—the trophy wife. Her character could have been a walking cliché, but Robbie gave Naomi sharp edges beneath the smooth, lacquered exterior; she was not only fantastic-looking, but also canny and self-protective.
Nearly every actress in her 20s tried out for the part of Naomi and, like the others, Robbie, who is Australian, submitted a tape of herself performing three scenes. Scorsese has a history of casting interesting, unknown actresses in his films—among others, Vera Farmiga in The Departed and Juliette Lewis in Cape Fear—but Robbie was not optimistic about her chances. She was in London, about to start work on another film, About Time, when she got the call saying Scorsese had liked her tape. She flew to New York and arrived for her audition wearing an outfit that she thought seemed perfect for Naomi: jeans and boots. "The casting director took one look at me and said, 'Go down the street and buy the tightest dress and highest heels you can find,'" Robbie recalled. "'That is Naomi.' I came back dressed like that and read for Marty and Leo. Those heels were killing me, which is what I remembered most."
Her performance in Wolf changed everything for the 24-year-old actress: During Oscar season, she became a red-carpet darling ("I try to channel old-school Grace Kelly," she told me) and soon after was cast in Focus, which opens in February, as an aspiring thief who is groomed by a more experienced hustler, played by Will Smith. A tale of con artists in love and at war, Focus is a highly entertaining popcorn movie, but, again, Robbie added layers of insecurity, ambition, and desire to what could have been a mere stereotype. "I now know how to steal a watch when someone's wearing it," Robbie admitted proudly. "It's an excellent talent to have."
Viola, 63, was dressed in a short-sleeve shirt and loose khaki pants. He greeted Robbie warmly. As she usually does when preparing for a role, Robbie had done her homework and studied up on Viola's art: his nude portraits of an elderly man and woman inspecting their bodies for disease and decay with a flashlight; Everyman types caught in a deluge of water; men and women trapped in what might be a funeral pyre. For "The Dreamers," his underwater series, Viola has filmed men and women of all ages submerged in a tank. The subjects can look content, anxious, determined, lost. "The work is very emotional," Viola said enthusiastically. "It brings out surprising waves of feeling."
Robbie was taken into the adjoining room, where a bathtub-like tank was positioned on a platform. She looked happy at the sight of water. Growing up on Australia's Gold Coast, she said, she lived in the pool: "It's not about being rich, but everyone back home has a pool. And I was a total water baby. My mom couldn't get me out—she'd put my dinner plate at the end of the pool, and I'd eat my meals in the water."
At 16, Robbie was cast in her first professional role in an independent film, and as soon as she graduated from high school, she left home for Melbourne. Her rise was rapid: Within two years, she had a part on Neighbours, the popular national soap opera that has been something of a rite of passage for every Australian actor, from Russell Crowe to Chris Hemsworth. "I was on the show for three years," Robbie told me. "And I spent the entire last year saving my money and practicing an American accent." When her contract ended, she moved to Los Angeles, where she was cast in Pan Am, a Mad Men–inspired show set in the '60s about the adventures of four stewardesses. Although Pan Am was canceled after one season, Robbie did not go unnoticed.
"I learned a lot about pain and suffering during Pan Am," she joked as she changed out of her shorts and cropped shirt into a pale green gown created for the Viola project by Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy. "We had to wear very constricting period-correct girdles and bras. After that, I learned to read a script with an eye toward the undergarments." She smoothed out the embroidered lace gown, which was strewn with crystals, pearls, and sequins. It looked as if it had been living in the ocean and had, perhaps, once been worn by a mermaid.
"You look wonderful," Viola said as they walked over to the tank. Slowly, Robbie lay back in the water. "I am trying to project serenity," she said after she came up for air. "I am pretending that I'm lying at the bottom of a stream in a peaceful state." Viola studied the results on a large screen. "Margot looks like a Siren out of Greek mythology," he said. "I see her as an alluring goddess who might delight or destroy." Robbie smiled. "I'm glad it works for you," she said. "And if it ends up meaning something to someone, all the better."
Emerging Star Margot Robbie by Bill Viola
Margot Robbie on W's December 2014/January 2015 cover.
Fashion: Donna Karan New York dress. Beauty: Diorskin Airflash CC Primer Radiance Boosting Colour Correcting Primer
in Universal Beige, Cheek & Lip Glow, Diorshow Liner Waterproof in Carbon, and Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Waterproof Mascara in Over Black.
Hair by Renato Campora for Wella Professionals at the Wall Group; makeup by Tyron Machhausen for Chanel at Bridge Artists. Executive producer/assistant director: Kira Perov. Producer: Genevieve Anderson. Director of photography: Harry Dawson. Key grip: John Brunold. Gaffer: Vincent Wrenn. Special effects supervisor: Giuliano Fiumani. Technical director: Alex MacInnis. Set decorator: Blake Viola. Editor: Brian Pete. Fashion assistants: Hester Hodde, Rebecca Brandy.
ActressesBill ViolaMargot RobbiePhotographyRodarte


text:
'PN taking independent maritime security initiatives'
ISLAMABAD: The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi, has said the Pakistan Navy is ensuring safety and security of international waters through collaborative and independent maritime security initiatives.
While addressing the participants of the Sixth National Security Workshop, held by the Southern Command (Balochistan) through a video link, Admiral Amjad Niazi discussed the prevailing security dynamics at the Indian Ocean, especially focusing on maritime security challenges. He further highlighted the navy's contributions toward creating maritime awareness and efforts to spur growth of maritime sector for economic prosperity of the country and coastal region as well.
Replying to the questions, the chief underlined major initiatives undertaken by the Pakistan Navy to enhance coastal security, promote education, provision of medical facilities and creation of new employment opportunities for locals, particularly the coastal community. The participants appreciated PN's efforts and suggested expansion of social welfare projects across Balochistan.