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Thursday, March 31, 2011
The Case for Invading Earth in 2011 (Part 1?)
Aliens come to Earth, seeking to exploit its resources for their own (always nefarious) ends at the expense of the dominant species - humans. But humans fight back, offering armed resistance against the seemingly overwhelming odds, and, despite initial set backs, keep on with grim determination and the hope of victory over the enemy.
Now, to watch something that follows this story idea with intelligence and insight, intrigue and a few other nice words beginning with the letter "I", one has to turn to that fantastic 1980s miniseries (not so sure about the TV series - both of them) of V. Sure, the effects were sometimes unspecial and the Visitor uniforms were a bright and easily spotted red, but those reptiles had real menace in that they used humanity's own weaknesses and vanities against it, and probably would have got away with it too if it hadn't been for those meddling kids.
However, for something that just uses the above storyline as an excuse for big explosions, the destruction of major monuments and the slaughter of thousands of a very uncontroversial ethnic minority (i.e., a made up one without any possibility of moral ambiguity in that they are Evil, Cannot be Negotiated With and Must Be Stopped) then you could do worse than see World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles.
The action is very action-y and explosions are very explosive. I knew what I was in for when I signed up to go see this film, and for the most part I got it in spades. A few minutes of superfluous scene setting to try and give a few of the hero/cannon fodder humans some sense of character started the film, but these quickly gave way to the raison d'etre for the film: bangs for my bucks.
The film may be spoken in English, but every scene is also subtitled in two subliminal languages in which I happen to be quite familiar (though I can't always claim fluency): Cliché and Bollocks. There is more Cliché than Bollocks spoken in the start of the film, as the heroic Marines and the small band of civilians meet up, get separated, get slaughtered, meet up again, and generally run around the ruined city trying to avoid the evil aliens and also avoid getting caught in friendly fire as well. This is all loads of fun, with lots of tightly paced action, and a satisfying number of people and material exploded in different ways. Only the unsteadycam shots made me feel a bit nauseous, and the incessant soundtrack sapped any tension or menace from scenes evidently meant to have me on the edge of my seat.
After about 90 minutes of that kind of action and destruction, the script writers apparently realised they weren't quite sure where to take things. So they choose this time to try and reintroduce personality and storylines for the remaining Marines (I say "try" as Generation Kill this is not), and shift the objective from something beyond immediate survival to the ultimate destruction of the enemy. Yup, Cliché takes second place to Bollocks, though the former's influence is still very strong.
So, the civilians are removed from the formulaic equation in about 2 minutes flat (it really was easy after all!) and the soldiers go off on their new mission, and prove their honour, mettle, guts, manliness (or in one case, womanliness) and Embody the Spirit of Humanity that will Never Be Oppressed and Never Surrender. yaddayadda, with the capitals writ large.
It was odd to see Aaron Eckhart in a film of this calibre (not so surprising to see Michelle Rodriguez; I always enjoy her bolshie attitude), but then it didn't really matter which actors were in the lead roles - acting chops were never going to be able to save this film from being anything other than rubbish.
The aliens themselves have some of the most ridiculous strategies and tactics ever, but then I can't really criticise a psychology that has only been created to serve plot - and at least these xenomorphs were not afraid of water, and their computer software did not seem to be Mac compatible (though I don't think anyone tried to control one of the alien ships with an i-phone app, so perhaps they were).
Yup, World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles is big, dumb action that is better seen on the big screen and with big sound that will overwhelm the more cognitive areas of your brain and force it to shut down so you can enjoy the explosions and gun fights - though, like me, you might struggle to keep it turned off whenever the action slows down and people do things like try and talk.
Verdict: World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles met all my expectations and, as my expectations were pretty low, that meant I was not disappointed, though I can't claim to have been pleasantly surprised. It's mostly a lot of fun, but probably only on the big screen and probably only just the once too. 4 games based on the movie of 10.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Case for Taking Star Sides
I went to one film in this year's Edge Documentary Film Festival, and chose the most amusing sounding one above all the other (and there were several) tempting options. The People v George Lucas, with fanboys and the odd fangirl taking on the Phantom Menace that is the rather elusive auteur known as the Beard, was long but highly entertaining, with lots of internet rip offs interspersed amongst all the talking heads, and the odd few seconds from the widely known but rarely seen (and with good reason, from the sounds of it) Star Wars Christmas Special.
Like the Holy Trilogy itself (well, all 6 of them), the movie was broken up into sections each describing a different part of Star Wars history. I can't recall the different parts myself, so I will only use three: the hook, the line and the sinker.
The hook is the beginning, briefly chronicling Lucas' beginnings, the conception of Star Wars, and the cinematic and marketing phenomenon it became. All fairly straight forward stuff, really.
The line shows the difference between Lucas' idealistic youth and the reality of his actions today. Using quotes and clips of the man himself, the movie shows how what he originally wanted (to not be part of a corporate machine; that movie classics should be kept in their true form) runs contrary to what he currently is (Star Wars merchandise anyone?) and what he does (with the Star Wars movies as they were originally released in the 1970s and 1980s now deemed "destroyed" in favour of those versions containing his more recent revisions). Lucas comes through looking like a complete control freak, perfectionist, and not a little like someone milking what he created for all its worth.
Finally, the sinker is the reaction of the fanboys and fangirls raised on the original versions, looking to Lucas to hold them as holy as they do themselves, and finding the creator does not live up to their expectations. It's really a crisis of faith for these people, with Lucas unable to live up to all that his worshippers wanted.
This is of course the most interesting, amusing and occasionally sad part of the film. There are some angry people out there, some apologists (not sure if there was some intended irony or double meaning in the fact the apologists were, for the most part, French), and some people who really should be on medication (though there was noone interviewed who appeared to require the levels of therapy of some of the hardcore Star Trek fans who appeared in the film Trekkies. This may have been a conscious decision, as I am sure there are some almost unbalanced obsessed out there). There are people composing songs of hatred, others love ballads, and others Youtubing Misery-type videos of complaint to Lucas about how the latest movies have come out.
It's all a matter of perspective really: who owns Star Wars? Well, when it comes to the film and the merchandise, there is no disagreement that it is Lucas. Who owns the ideas and the spirit of the film? Well, there may be some copyright infringement problems, but, for those who love the Original Form movies, they all belong to the people.
As well as being the most entertaining, the sinker is also the more disappointing part of an otherwise really well put together film. The "then versus now" discussion boiled down to quick lines about a particular character or scene being dumb. By relying on fanboys and fangirls to explain the cultural phenomenon of Star Wars and not really allowing someone with a bigger perspective to try and analyse the new trilogy backlash, the film (to me anyway) comes across as something for fanboys and fangirls rather than a documentary actually trying to explain what is going on to the general public.
For example, do the toys of the new three films sell better than the classic ones? There is a bit of anecdotal evidence in the film that kids love the new three, but the anecdotes come from kids who have been surrounded by Star Wars their entire lives so may have inherited some of their interest from their parents, so do the films really appeal to kids? If Star Wars is aimed at kids, then why is the infamous 1970s Christmas Special so reviled by Lucas, appealing as it does to a very undemanding (and possibly vegetative) audience? And really, are the new three as bad as they say, or are they just as good (or bad) compared to the originals?
But I had to laugh when the discussion dipped into the follies of the "reimagined" original trilogy, with some pointing to things that I would never have noticed in a million years (quicker opening credits?) to the outrage (shared, I admit) about the changes to the Han meets Gredo in the cantina scene. And who could fail to admire the lovely Japanese woman who had obtained (and wore) a snow storm trooper outfit in camouflage pink (for hunting rebel scum hiding on planets composed of frozen candy floss, one presumes).
Overall, the film is lots of fun, showing the depth (and occasional shallow) of talent of those who love Star Wars through numerous video clips, songs and costume parades, and the international angle was welcome. But where was the interview with Star Wars nut Kevin Smith? Why was David Prowse the only Star Wars actor interviewed (or else screened)? These lacks made me feel this was a fanboy film for fanboys (and fangirls) rather than a documentary really seeking to enlighten, but overall, I can't really complain, as South Park again proved its
cultural relevance and I got to see what Wookies dream of...
Verdict: I was really glad I made it to the People Versus George Lucas. The occasional extreme reaction (the accusation of George Lucas having "r@ped my childhood" got me hooked) is tempered with the odd dose of reality, but the love of those who adore Star Wars (even if not the reincarnated versions) is what gives the film a strong beating heart. No one may be fond of the metachlorians (or whatever), but the force is strong with this one. Red 3 out of a Red 5.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Case for Morality Turns
Okay, an extra posting this week, inspired as I have been by some fond remembrances.
I mean, how could I really forget the Wheel of Morality?
Verdict: I really do love the Animaniacs, may they rest in peace. 3 Warner brothers and a sister out of 3.
I mean, how could I really forget the Wheel of Morality?
Verdict: I really do love the Animaniacs, may they rest in peace. 3 Warner brothers and a sister out of 3.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Case for Secrecy
A second New Zealand rom com in short succession - what is going on?
Well, Love Birds and My Wedding and Other Secrets are very different films. The former has the look and feel of a fairly mainstream movie, and everything that entails. The latter has a distinctly smaller budget ambience and feels a bit more intimate and honest because of it.
That's not to say there aren't painful moments in My Wedding and Other Secrets. The most earnest scenes - and there have to be some heart-to-hearts as traditional Chinese culture clashes with a New Zealand upbringing and the inter-racial love - had me occasionlly hiding my eyes behind my hands, as it's very obvious what is supposed to be going on, and to carry the story forward, they have to happen. It's just that occasionally... ow.
But that's getting the bad part out of the way. The rest is actually really charming, with the leads adorkably cute, though in a moviestar-good-looks-under-the-dorkish-cover way, of course. Their love blossoms incredibly quickly (doesn't it always?) after which the pace of the film slows remarkably, as the characters deal with the main theme of the story - keeping their relationship under wraps. And that's about it really, as James and Emily are really the only characters given any personality, but considering the other characters only fleetingly appear anyway, that's not really a problem.
It is all based on a true story, and so kind of has to have the odd awkward reference to the story making a good film. And it does, in an amateurish but heartfelt way. It also makes quite a few references to mid 90s University life which struck a chord, though I can't swear that all the props were based on that time. And it can't go wrong with a soundtrack mainly written and performed by Bic Runga. And I liked it.
Verdict: A feel good film showing a different side of modern day Kiwi life, My Wedding and Other Secrets is a lot of fun. It's not a revelation, not by a long shot, but it feels distinctly more a Kiwi story than some other romantic comedies out there. And the Chinese food throughout looks incredible, if occasionally intimidating. 7 live crabs out of 10.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Case for Uplifting in Down Times
It's a pretty depressing time at the moment.
Friday 18 March was a day of reflection in New Zealand, and once again the flag at the Beehive in Wellington was at half mast.
Considering the state of things, with natural disasters on the brink of causing unnatural ones, with uprisings causing some violent clampdowns, and with people distracting themselves from these super serious issues with worries about royal weddings and Charlie Sheen, I found it really hard to know what to put in my regular Weekend Edition blog posting.
Rather than dwell on all the sadness or ruminate on the inconsequential, I thought it was time for something... uplifting.
Verdict: It's a bit of a downer out there at the moment, and I don't really feel that I can write about things "out there" without appearing insensitive or just ignorant. Sometimes, the bigger things just overwhelm the little things, and this for me is one of those times. But I find some solace and joy in some of the little things, and I hope everyone else does too. A "getting back up" 3 out of a "back to normal" 10, but rising.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Case for Valentine's Day Blues
I had heard some pretty rave things about Blue Valentine, an indie-ish film starring the always awesome Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. Actually, not only did they star in this film, they were also credited as being producers, which possibly gave them even more reason to give some excellent performances. And there is no doubt that they most definitely did.
They play Cynthia and Dean, a couple at a critical time in their marriage, and the movie follows them struggling through this time, as well as providing flashbacks on how they got together. Describing the plot in any more detail would unfortunately be giving a lot away, as there is not really much to the story. But the story is so emotional and at times raw that it is never boring, not even at a two hour running time.
The film can be uncomfortable to watch. I was sitting near a man who I thought had brought his mother to see the film, and during the more graphic love scenes, I thought I detected a distinct air of discomfort from that quarter, though whether it was from her or from him, I couldn't rightly say.
The film for the most part follows Cynthia, and while the viewer definitely feels for her character, I have to say I felt like I was more on Dean's "side" of the relationship. But the fact it wasn't clear cut, that the characters were not just black and white goodie and baddie, made the whole thing feel grittily real. Unlike Black Swan or True Grit or even The Kings Speech, this is a film about a very specific time and a very specific place in the lives or (relatively) ordinary people. There are no artistic or historical backdrops against which the story unfolds. It's mainly about two people and focuses on their problems, which may seem small and insignificant in comparison with some other stories, but means the world to these people and others in similar situations. It is small, unspectacular, graphic, moving, and real - for fiction, that is.
The only thing that knocked me slightly about the film was the ending. Perhaps I was a bit naïve to expect the film to end with everything resolved (I am trying to be deliberately vague here), but that didn't stop me from wanting it nonetheless.
So, in a league completely separate to all those other Oscar contenders, I definitely liked this film. That said, it is not one I would necessarily recommend to everyone. It has some incredible performances, some heart wrenching scenes and others that are beautiful to behold, but it is an intense movie that doesn't let special effects or subplots or miscellaneous characters interrupt the tale it is trying to tell. And if that kind of film appeals to you, then by gum, this is definitely one to watch.
Verdict: Blue Valentine is an amazing film showcasing the powerful acting talents of Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. It's a "slice of life" film that rewards those who love good actors dealing with meaty roles, but the weight of what they undergo will probably not appeal to everyone. 8 valentines out of 10.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Case for Japanese Thoughts
Well, I was originally thinking of putting a fairly hotch potch posting up today, but I shall delay that considering the news from Japan.
Big thanks to Stratos for providing Al Jazeera coverage, superior to anything on TVNZ or TV3.
I am sure everyone's thoughts are with the Japanese and those other Pacific nations affected by the tsunami. It just doesn't seem fair, somehow.
Verdict: This is going down as a definite annus horribilis. 50 days out of 365.
Big thanks to Stratos for providing Al Jazeera coverage, superior to anything on TVNZ or TV3.
I am sure everyone's thoughts are with the Japanese and those other Pacific nations affected by the tsunami. It just doesn't seem fair, somehow.
Verdict: This is going down as a definite annus horribilis. 50 days out of 365.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Case for a Canterbury Quake Film
I would not normally go to a film like Love Birds as it looked like a pedestrian rom-com starring Sally Hawkins, whom I learned to loathe many years ago in the highly irritating film Happy-Go-Lucky. Combining these negative factors with a running time of nigh on 2 hours would be a further nail in my normal decision coffin. But, as this was for a good cause, I decided to bite the bullet, pay my money, and head along.
First off, let me say that the film was definitely appreciated: there were belly laughs, and surprised squeaks and Kiwi-culture-referencing knowing chuckles. There were smiles all around when the lights came up too - or at least there were from my companions, as I was struggling to recover from around 120 minutes of torture. So, it was not my thing, really.
No, about halfway through the film, I found myself curling up into a foetal position, thanks to the lovely 2 person couches that are a feature of the Lighthouse in Petone (I could not have done that at Readings, though I would have wanted to). Being in the front row meant that I was almost a part of the film, but after a while my eyes started narrowing as an automatic defence mechanism as my brain tried to protect itself, so the image got a bit less intense from then on.
And I am being a bit melodramatic to be sure. Rhys Darby as Doug is actually quite winning, and there are a couple of his trademark deadpan witticisms that actually did have me emit the odd chortle. But unfortunately he, and everyone else in the film, is outshone by Pierre – the Paradise Shelduck. I am sure there was more than one Paradise Shelduck involved in the shooting of the film, but if there had to be one award for this film for emerging talent, I think he would be the shoo-in victor.
Its not really because of the actors – I was surprised to find that even Sally Hawkins didn't really repel me. It's mainly because their parts aren't really characters as such, more lines written and read to support Doug's story. Not that there is anything wrong with that – it's what rom-coms tends to be all about really. But normally supporting characters provide comic relief from the main story, whereas here Darby is the funniest actor by miles so that leaves those around him with almost nothing to do. And the story, an almost random assortment of scenes collected from other movies over the years, holds no surprises, and only the scenes (I can't really call it a story) with the randy assistant zookeeper actually kept my interest.
However, what really tipped me over the edge was the incessant score, from the "now feel THIS" school of emotional prompting. Occasional musical accompaniment to generate emotions, fine – 127 Hours did this quite well; non stop, every scene, every emotion musical cues like in Love Birds are definitely not.
The final thing of note, and it is a big plus, is the use of many Queen songs throughout the movie. Played big and loud, it reminded me how awesomely enormous their music is, and how I am criminally negligent in not owning more of it than I do – something the film reminded me that I had to remedy. It's a great thing that the Queen music is so good, as it transcends some of the more painful scenes in which it is used. Even the end credit lip synching song, another unimaginative "standard" this kind of light comedy movie, was raised above the cringe worthy by the use of another Queen anthem, though I felt transported to a Highland realm rather than being reminded about the movie I had just (quasi) watched set in scenic Auckland.
Verdict: Well, going to see Love Birds was for charity. 2 Anybodies out of 5 Somebodies to Love.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Case for Phone Cameras Pt2
I have very little to actually say today, so rather than commit another faux pas about Hitler's ethnic origins, I thought I would add some occasionally blurry photos about life in and around Wellington in the past few weeks:
Verdict: I definitely do not have the steadiest of hands, but its nice to always have a camera on me - except when I forget my phone, of course. 6 shutters out of 10.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Case for Wagnerianism
For a change, it was off to see a documentary this week. I'm a fan of Stephen Fry, and he in turn is a fan of Richard Wagner, legendary composer. Unfortunately, part of that legend is that Wagner was wildly anti semitic, and another part of that legend is linked to one of his fellow Germans, Mr Adolph Hitler, who adored Wagner's work and, indeed, could be said to have been inspired by it. As a man of Jewish stock, Fry's documentary, Wagner and Me, poses the question: is it right for Fry to like Wagner?
And Fry is really passionate about the man's work. We get the potted biopic history, of course, but Fry spends more of his time waxing lyrical about the power of the man's musical creations and the innovations he introduced, like having a conductor with his back to the audience. We ge treated to performances of some of Wagner's works in the places in which they were first played or where they were meant to be, with Fry occasionally inviting other people to share their own views.
The most interesting come from a Russian conductor staging one of the Ring operas and from a survivor of the holocaust, a woman (then a girl) spared because she could play the cello. The first dismisses the link between the Nazis and Wagner, saying the work supercedes what it was used for; but while the second has the same kind of attitude to the music, she appears decidedly less impressed with Fry's determination to see Wagner performed at the composer's musical "home" in Bayreuth for performances that have waiting lists of seven years.
For me, this was where the documentary kind of let itself down. Sure, it was about Fry's journey, but there was a hugely missed opportunity for not pursuing this train of thought with the cellist. If the music itself transcends politics, can the places it is performed even if those places are, again, strongly linked with Hitler? Unfortunately, we don't get down to the nitty gritty of this, though it is lots of fun to see how much Fry enjoys himself, even if occasionally it did leave me a trifle bored.
Verdict: A great idea for a movie, Wagner and Me explores whether it is right to appreciate the same thing that inspired Hitler. The answer was, I suppose, almost always going to be "yes", but it's a shame that there is less discussion of the issues involved in favour of lots of shots of Fry enjoying himself and the music enormously. 6.5 Valkyries out of 10.
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Mitch Jacob Bio, Wiki
Mitch Jacob is an American News Reporter/ Director working with ABC 15 – KNXV in Phoenix, Arizona. He has been working with this station since July 2021.
Mitch Jacob Age
Jacob manages to keep information regarding his dates of birth away from the limelight. An update of this information will be out when available. However, judging from his appearance, he might be in his 50s.
Mitch Jacob's Height
He is of an average body stature and stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 7 inches.
Mitch Jacob's work experience
Jacob works at ABC 15 as a news reporter/ director. His television career began when he was still in Rapid City, South Dakota. When several of his classmates lost their lives in a drunk driving accident he served as a producer of a 30-minute documentary on teenage driving and drinking. And that's where his passion for a good story started. He worked in several cities heading up newsrooms, such as; Washington, D.C., Nashville, TN, and Columbus, OH for over four decades as a journalist. Jacob also worked as a news director for another local station in the Valley.
He was part of the coverage of several major stories when he was a news manager. Some of the stories include the Congressional softball game shooting; the D.C. inauguration riots; and recently the Nashville Christmas morning bombing which heavily destroyed several downtown blocks. He earned recognition due to many regional, local, and national awards for his coverage such as; a national Edward R. Murrow Award for the Baltimore commotion following the arrest of Freddie Gray who passed away while in police custody.
Jacob directed the ongoing coverage of Arizona's worst wildfire in history named Rodeo-Chediski Fire. More than 450,000 acres and hundreds of homes were tragically destroyed due to the fire in eastern Arizona. He still continues with his urge to cover local news with balanced journalism that demands the truth, even after more than four years in the news business. He feels like it's the duty of a journalist to ask tough questions and always be there to hold up the community.
So much has changed so fast since the viewers started receiving the news. He is aware that they must be there on every platform and social site educating, informing, and making sure their viewers know that they can be trusted to keep them informed and safe. While his not working, Jacob loves traveling, home renovation, and hanging out with his two rescue dogs Macy and Murphy. He also likes eating and is happy to experience all the new hotels in the Valley since he's been gone.
Pre-pandemic, a movie set for an on-demand CBS series called "Tell Me a Story.'In which his Nashville garage was transformed. He got through the Nashville tornado which almost gave a room for comfort when he took cover in the bathroom while the tornado heavily spoilt his neighborhood. Mitch is happy to relocate to the Valley of Sun and call Phoenix home! He says it is a dream come true to be working at ABC15 with such amazing award-winning journalists who share the same values.
Mitch Jacob's Net Worth
Jacob's career as a News Reporter/ Director, he has been able to accumulate a net worth ranging between $1 Million and $3 Million.
Mitch Jacob Salary
He receives annual earnings that range between $35,000 and $100,000.
Mitch Jacob's Parents and Siblings
Born and raised in the United States, Jacob prefers to keep the information regarding his parents and whether or not he has any siblings away from the limelight. An update of this information will be out when available to the public.
Mitch Jacob Wife/ Spouse
Jacob manages to keep information regarding whether or not he is in marriage. An update of this information will be out once information regarding whether or not he is in marriage is available to the public.
Mitch Jacob Kids
Jacob manages to keep information regarding whether or not he has any children away from the public. An update of this information will be out when available.

subset: commoncrawl


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People from all over Russia marked the massacre in which 334 were killed. Picture: Khabarovsk.ru
A schoolboy in Vladivostok said: 'Everyone needs to know and remember it, so that it doesn't happen again.' A school girl added: 'Of course it is terrible to find out about such things, but on the other hand, we need to know about it. It's the modern world.'
It is 11 years since more than 1,200 students and adults were held hostage for three days in School Number One in Beslan. They were kept without food and water in the school's sports hall stuffed with explosives. The terrorist act killed 334 people, including more than 180 children.
In towns and cities all over Siberia and the Russian Far East, white balloons were released into the sky as a mark of respect for those slain in a horror which shocked the entire world.
People from all over Russia marked the massacre in which 334 were killed. Pictures here and below: news sources from Abakan, Omsk, Khabarovsk, Barnaul, Blagoveschensk, Birobidzhan and Surgut
In Abakan and Omsk, special lessons were held on the threats posed by terrorism.
Yevgeny Skripkarev, an organiser in Omsk, said: 'We need to be united to stand up to terrorism.'
At Blagoveshensk, candles were lit in the shape of the word 'Memory'.
In Surgut and surrounding villages there was a day of solidarity in the fight against terrorism.


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Through generous donations and giving, the Santa Rosa Police Foundation can fill funding gaps to meet the evolving training and technology needs of the Santa Rosa Police Department.
Although the city ensures standard police equipment and training are funded, it takes a more robust effort to combat crime and address quality of life issues.
The Foundation raises funds to invest in projects, programs, equipment and initiatives that are not covered in the City's annual budget including:


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A doctor working in the Mother Teresa clinic in Skopje is diagnosed with the coronavirus. Healthcare Minister Venko Filipce today confirmed that a doctor (Caca Biljanovska) failed to follow his recommendations, went shopping to Italy and has now contracted the virus.
The doctor continued to go to work for ten days after her return from Italy, which is now prompting safety checks in the clinic. She also attended a wedding of SDSM MP Ljupcho Nikolovski.
Officially, she is the fourth person to contract the virus in Macedonia. These include a woman who traveled to Italy and came to Skopje, and a couple from Debar who were also in Italy.


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Custom error message for a required field (See more user questions)
Hi , good to hear from you.
Locate this line in the script:
foreach($required_fields as $value){if((!isset($_REQUEST[$value]) ||
empty($_REQUEST[$value])) && (!isset($_FILES[$value]['name']) ||
empty($_FILES[$value]['name']))){$errors[] = "Please complete the $value
...change it to this:
foreach($required_fields as $value){if((!isset($_REQUEST[$value]) ||
empty($_REQUEST[$value])) && (!isset($_FILES[$value]['name']) ||
empty($_FILES[$value]['name']))){if($value == "request-for"){$errors[] =
"Please select a house";}else{$errors[] = "Please complete the $value
The above code checks for the field "request-for" to make the special error
Any questions, just let me know.
Best wishes.
Charles Sweeney
The world's easiest feedback script!
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 3:59 PM
Subject: FormToEmail script
> Comments: Hi, I wonder if we can insert a bit of script that warns
> applicant when he/she has omitted to click a radio button (in this case to
> select a house from a number of others, see
> http://www.example.com/aa2.html ) I have now included the field
> name in the required field array but I would like it if I could get a
> different message (like " please select a house" for this bit. Thank you
> very much,


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Graphics Designing is a process of crafting visual communications like logos, illustrations, advertisements, and other visual content. And if you want to learn this art form, then there's no better place to start than at a graphic design institute.
But with so many institutes to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you?
Well, if you're looking for the Best graphic designing institute in Pitampura, then you can't go wrong with Photoshop Training Institute.
Photoshop Training Institute is a leading provider of graphic design training in Pitampura. They offer a wide range of courses that cover all aspects of graphic design, from basic to advanced. And their experienced and knowledgeable instructors will ensure that you get the most out of your learning experience.
But it's not just about the quality of the training that makes Photoshop Training Institute the best choice for your graphic design needs. They also offer competitive pricing and convenient payment options, so you can get the training you need without breaking the bank.
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Our experienced and qualified instructors will guide you through each course and help you develop your skills. So, if you are passionate about graphic designing and want to take your career to the next level, then enroll in our courses today.
Graphic design is constantly evolving as technology and tools change. New software and hardware allow designers to create more innovative and effective visual solutions. With the advent of desktop publishing and advanced printing technologies, designers can now create three-dimensional (3D) images, illustrations and animations. The digital age has also brought new opportunities for designers to work with motion graphics, video and sound.
Choosing the best graphic designing Training institute can be a tough decision. There are many factors to consider, such as the quality of the program, the cost, and the location. However, one of the most important factors to consider is the type of software the institute uses.
Photoshop is the industry standard for digital image editing and manipulation. It is used by professional photographers and graphic designers worldwide. However, it can be expensive, and it can be difficult to learn if you are not already familiar with the basics of image editing.
CorelDraw is a vector-based graphic design program. It is used for creating logos, illustrations, and other artwork. It is less expensive than Photoshop, and it is easier to learn if you are new to graphic design. However, it is not as widely used as Photoshop, so you may not have as many opportunities to use it professionally.
When choosing the best graphic design institute for you, be sure to consider the type of software they use. Photoshop, CorelDraw, and Creative Post are all great choices, but
Choosing a Graphic Design institute in Pitampura can be a tough decision. There are many things to consider, such as the quality of the program, the cost, and the location.


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Add to Spiritual Diary
Aristotle contends that a sentence is a significant portion of speech, which has a meaning. "Yet every sentence is not a proposition; only such are propositions as have in them either truth or falsity"[1]. For the study of deductive arguments, he takes into consideration only propositions and dismisses all other types of sentences as belonging to the study of rhetoric or to that of poetry.
[1] Edghill, E. M.: De Interpretatione. In (eds.) R. McKeon, The Basic Works of Aristotle. Random House, New York, 42 (1941)


text: The 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) [20th SFG(A)] is one of two Army National Guard groups for the United States Army Special Forces. 20th Group—as it is sometime called—is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counter-insurgency, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, information operations, counterproliferation of weapon of mass destruction, and security force assistance. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama (and is thus part of the Alabama Army National Guard) and as part of the United States Southern Command has an area of responsibility covering 32 countries, including Latin America south of Mexico, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. The area is shared with the Eglin Air Force Base-based 7th Special Forces Group, which is the active Regular Army Special Forces group responsible for the same region.


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A recent randomised controlled trial found the BOOST programme significantly improved walking ability and reduced falls risk at 12 months in people with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). The programme consisted of an individual session and 12 group-based sessions of education and exercise. Before widespread implementation of the BOOST programme, we want to optimise it to achieve maximum effectiveness on clinical outcomes and uptake by healthcare providers. We have formed a community of practice with patients and health professionals to provide feedback on the original programme and to iteratively coproduce content for optimisation.
This protocol describes two sequential observational studies with imbedded interview studies. The first study aims to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the optimised BOOST programme. To do this, we will collect data from patients before they start the optimised BOOST programme and in six months time. We will measure pain-related disability, quality of life, walking capacity, and satisfaction. We will interview the health professionals delivering the optimised programme to understand their experiences. Data from the first study will inform the wider implementation in stage two.
In stage two, we will develop a digital resource to provide health professionals with knowledge, skills, and tools to implement the BOOST programme. We will evaluate learning and implementation outcomes to ensure the digital resource is effective. For a subset of health professionals delivering BOOST to patients, we will collect the same patient data (pain-related disability, quality of life, walking capacity, and satisfaction) at baseline and six months. Health professionals, or level four exercise therapists, treating people with LSS can take part in the digital resource evaluation. Patients taking part in the clinical evaluation will have been referred for NHS physiotherapy and have symptoms of LSS. The BOOST programme can be delivered in an NHS or community setting, in partnership with an NHS Trust.


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Latest News
BMW XM can catch fire
Because of this, a very unusual recall campaign has been announced.
BMW is recalling its XM supercrossover as it could catch fire. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that this may be due to a poor connection between the exhaust system and the catalytic converter during assembly. Accordingly, the fasteners can become loose, which will lead to a fire.
Fire is the worst-case scenario, but unlikely.
Interestingly, the problem affected only one copy of the crossover. And four X7 M60i.
"Driving" can be read in Viber
Source: NHTSA
Photo: BMW


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1215 N Winchell St is a $1,595,000, 4,571 square foot, 10 bedroom, 15.0 bath home located in Portland, OR.
Exquisite modern architecture + elevated designs are showcased in these impeccable 2 bed + coveted 2.1 bath units with a phenomenal 97bikescore + proximity to the ever vibrant Kenton neighborhood! Thoughtfully designed, enjoy designer touches throughout these light+bright homes including high-end features, lofty ceilings + neutral tones! With an open concept plan, quality can be seen with a custom kitchen boasting an expansive island with eat-bar, slab counters + SS appliances! Spacious living area with large windows grace the lower level with a door to the individually fenced patio/yard spaces. An outstanding opportunity to own vs renting with amazing quality + peace of mind plus a 1-year Builder Warranty + AC!
Basement | Crawl Space |
Cooling Types | Heat Pump |
Heating Types | Electricity Mini Split Hot Water Description - Electricity |
Exterior Features | Paved Cement Siding Lap Siding Level |
Views | TreesWoods |
Roof | Composition |
Construction Types | Concrete Perimeter |
Water Source | Public Water |
Sewer | Public Sewer |
Brokerage Name | Keller Williams Realty Portland Premiere |
Brokerage Contact | 503-597-2444 |
Property Type | Multi Family |
Style | New Construction None |
Year Built | 2023 |
HOA Fee | $0.00 |
Taxes | $0.00 |
County | multnomah |
Elementary School | peninsula |
Middle School | ockley green |
High School | jefferson |
Neighborhood | Kenton |
Financial Terms | Cash Conventional |
The content relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the IDX program of the RMLS™ of Portland, Oregon. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Windermere NW Living are marked with the RMLS™ logo, and detailed information about these properties includes the names of the listing brokers. Listing content is copyright © 2024 RMLS™, Portland, Oregon. This content last updated on 02/27/2024 at 02:37am MST. Some properties which appear for sale on this web site may subsequently have sold or may no longer be available. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified.


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Voice actor Nozomu Sasaki, who became a hot topic after graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo in March 2020, wrote about his experience of entering the University of Tokyo in his 3s by self-study, titled "Voice Actor Goes to the University of Tokyo, Self-Studying While Working." Two Years of Study Techniques That Passed" was published by KADOKAWA Co., Ltd.The entire story was written by Nozomu Sasaki himself.
Mr. Sasaki, who is known as a voice actor for Yusuke Urameshi in "Yu Yu Hakusho" and Tetsuo in "AKIRA", has a Level 1 English proficiency test and a National Licensed Guide Interpreter.He studied by himself while working, aiming for the University of Tokyo Literature Class 2013, and passed in 2020.In XNUMX, he graduated from the Faculty of Law, the University of Tokyo, balancing his voice acting and academics while taking a break from school.
In the newly published "Voice Actor Going to the University of Tokyo: Two Years of Study Techniques That Passed Through Self-Study While Working", he explains how he decided to take the entrance examination to the University of Tokyo, how he studied on his own while balancing work, and how he studied on his own as a member of society. He describes in detail what he learned while attending college.It can be read as a collection of know-how on how to make time and how to approach English, or as an essay about a single voice actor heading into a new environment with excitement.Also, at the end of the book, a special dialogue with Professor Emeritus Minoru Nakazato, a professor at the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law, is recorded.It talks about the significance of "learning" for adults and what kind of student Mr. Sasaki was when he was in school.
When publishing the book, Mr. Sasaki said, ``How did I, a voice actor, decide to go to the University of Tokyo? I wrote it while looking back on the many events that have happened in my life so far.Even now, I have a strange feeling that it will be a book, but I hope you will enjoy reading it." ing.
"Voice actor goes to the University of Tokyo Two years of self-study while working" will be released by KADOKAWA Co., Ltd. on March 2, 2023, 3 yen including tax.


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CERC Says Solar Developer Entitled to Compensation Under 'Change in Law'
MPPMCL and DMRC were directed to pay ACME Solar within 30 days
December 6, 2022
The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has ruled in favor of a solar developer and asked the Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company (MPPMCL) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to settle the safeguard duty claims along with the payment of the late payment surcharge within 30 days.
ACME Jaipur Solar Power had filed a petition seeking a direction to MPPMCL and DMRC to comply with the Commission's earlier order for the timely and complete tariff and late payment surcharge payments.
In March 2013, Rewa Ultra Mega Solar (RUMSL) invited bids to develop 750 MW of solar projects split into three units of 250 MW each.
ACME Solar Holdings was selected as the successful bidder to develop one of the units.
In 2017, ACME Solar incorporated a special purpose vehicle, ACME Jaipur Solar Power, to execute the project.
Later, ACME Solar entered into two separate power purchase agreements (PPAs) with MPPMCL and DMRC.
The government imposed the safeguard duty in July 2018 on the import of solar cells. The effective rate of duty then was 25%.
The developer had filed a petition in 2019 seeking compensation on the grounds of a 'Change in Law' event for the additional expense incurred due to the imposition of safeguard duty.
The Commission ruled that the imposition of safeguard duty came under the 'Change in Law' clause of the PPA.
The Commission had asked the developer to provide the respondents with all relevant documents exhibiting a clear correlation between the projects and the supply of imported goods.
In the hearing, DMRC clarified that it was already making regular payments to the petitioner, and the non-compliance with the order was only against MPPMCL.
ACME clarified that it had incurred additional expenditure on account of the 'Change in Law' amounting to ₹297.6 million (~$3.65 million) towards payment for Customs bonds through which the petitioner had imported goods.
The developer had claimed a total of ₹887.9 million (~$10.87 million), which included ₹297.6 million (~$3.65 million) against payment made for bills of entries and ₹471.04 million (~$5.77 million), which had already been reconciled and confirmed by the respondents.
The developer did not bring up the remaining amount of ₹119.2 million (~$1.46 million) in this petition.
MPPMCL clarified that the amount of ₹297.6 million (~$3.65 million) was not reconciled due to the absence of a correlation between the claim and supporting documents.
Thus, the petitioner had failed to comply with the direction of the Commission's earlier order, and it was because of the petitioner's inability to supply documents that it could not make the payments.
Commission's analysis
The Commission observed that the developer had submitted that it had paid the sum of ₹297.6 million (~$3.65 million) to the Customs authorities.
Since there was an actual cash outflow of ₹297.6 million (~$3.65 million), MPPMCL was duty-bound to reimburse such amounts to the developer in view of the earlier order passed by this Commission.
The Commission directed MPPMCL and DMRC to carry out reconcile the claims along with the late payment surcharge as per the PPA.
MPPMCL had submitted that the monthly annuity payment of ₹471.04 million (~$5.77 million) had been reconciled.
Further, all monthly invoices from June 2020 to August 2022 were passed for payment, and payment of invoices up to June 2022 had been made.
In August this year, CERC ruled that a solar developer was entitled to compensation for the additional expense incurred due to the imposition of safeguard duty. The Commission made it clear that the imposition of safeguard duty constituted a 'Change in Law' event.
Subscribe to Mercom's real-time Regulatory Updates to ensure you don't miss any critical updates from the renewable industry.


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How to Get Fingerslayer Blade in Elden Ring
If you're looking to get the Fingerslayer Blade in Elden Ring, there are some tips and tricks you should know. It's not hard to get one, but it may require some hard work. There are a few items you'll need to find in order to get it, including the Discarded Palace Key, Sacred Relic Sword, and Dark Moon Greatsword.
Discarded Palace Key
A Discarded Palace Key is an item in the Elden Ring that opens a treasure chest that has been passed down from the Carian Princesses. It can be found in various locations and given by relevant NPCs. Once you have one, you will be able to advance the game's story.
The Discarded Palace Key will be given to you if you talk to Ranni's miniaturized form. Talk to him several times and he will respond. If you do not get a response from him, he's probably bored and won't answer your questions. You can go to the red-foggy location to talk to Ranni, and you'll be rewarded with a Discarded Palace Key.
Once you get the Discarded Palace Key, use it to open a treasure chest in the Grand Library of Raya Lucaria. Inside, you will find the Dark Moon Ring.
Sacred Relic Sword
The Sacred Relic Sword is an Armament in Elden Ring, a game of Skyrim. The sword is acquired after you defeat the Elden Beast, a boss in the Elden Ring. If you kill him, you will receive an Elden Remembrance which can be exchanged for the Sacred Relic Sword. This weapon can be used in New Game+ runs and in other save files. It is a powerful weapon that can help you acquire levels and money very quickly.
The Sacred Relic Sword has a unique weapon skill that allows you to devastate anything in its path. When used properly, this ability is effective against enemies with low HP. Its damage also scales with Dexterity, so it is beneficial to level up this attribute.
Dark Moon Greatsword
The Dark Moon Greatsword and Fingerslayer blade are rare weapons that can be obtained in Elden Ring. In order to find these items, players need to travel to the Carian Study Hall, which is located on the eastern side of Liunia of the Lakes. There is an alter in this hall with a moon model on it, which will automatically use the Inverted Carian Statue. This will turn the entire hall upside-down. Once you've completed this area, you'll be able to reach an elevator, which will drop you to the next area.
The Dark Moon Greatsword and Fingerslayer blade in Elden Ring are both obtained through questlines. If you want to obtain them early in the game, you can go on a questline with Ranni. Once you've finished this questline, you'll get a few bonus items from the questline. You'll also be able to find the secret ending in Elden Ring by completing the questline.
Cursemark of Death
The Cursemark of Death is a vital item in Elden Ring, as it will allow you to unlock different endings. You can use this item to trigger one of the six different game endings. In addition, it will spawn the Lichdragon Fortissax, which is crucial for the main questline of the game.
The Cursemark of Death is a type of death mark that you can equip on your characters. It can also be a type of curse, so make sure to check out the descriptions for more information. In the game, you can also find out if your character has the Cursemark of Death by using a rune. Afterward, you can use a Rune from the Death-Prince to repair the Elden Ring and restore the principle of death.
The Cursemark of Death is a type of death mark that is found in the Divine Tower of Liurnia. The player must defeat the Godskin in this tower before gaining the Cursemark of Death. This item will give you the Cursemark of Death, a powerful weapon that can destroy enemies.
Find out how to Get Fingerslayer Blade in Elden Ring
The situation of Fingerslayer Blade in Elden Ring is at Nokron Everlasting Metropolis. The closest website of grace to it's Night time's Sacred Floor.
- Quick journey to Night time's Sacred Floor.
- Subsequent, go northeast in the direction of the large constructing. There are a number of mimic tears on the way in which, you may battle or ignore them.
- Enter the constructing and open the primary chest in entrance of you.
- You'll find the Fingerslayer blade and Nice Ghost Glovewort right here.
In case you don't have the Night time's Sacred Floor website unlocked observe the beneath steps.
- Quick Journey to Ancestral Woods website of grace.
- Leap on the roof-like balcony in entrance of you.
- Subsequent, leap on the ledge on the alternative constructing.
- Observe the ledge then leap on the Balcony of the subsequent constructing in your proper. You need to be at Night time's Sacred Floor.
- Maintain heading southwest.
- You need to see two statues on these stairs.
- Leap on the dome-like tower in entrance, then leap on the opposite facet. You may battle or run previous the Silver Tear enemy.
- Go south from right here then maintain going straight in the direction of the east.
- You need to attain a room with many white candles.
- Go down the steps and exit the church.
- Exterior the church, you will discover the Night time's Sacred Floor website of grace.
Find out how to Use the Fingerslayer Blade
You need to use the Fingerslayer Blade by giving it to Ranni. This may enable you to progress in her questline and she gives you the Carian Inverted Statue as a reward for it.
Getting the Fingerslayer Blade
One of the key items in Elden Ring is the Fingerslayer Blade. This blade is not actually a weapon, but it serves another purpose. You will be able to get it from Nokron Eternal City. This questline will show you where to find the Fingerslayer blade.
The Fingerslayer Blade can be obtained from several locations in the game. It is located below a giant finger reader. It's also obtainable by completing the Divine Tower of Liurnia. Once you've obtained this item, you can access Night's Sacred Ground and the Carian Study Hall.
The Fingerslayer Blade is an item that is required to further Ranni the Witch's quest. To get it, you must go north-east of the main road. Once you reach the site, loot the corpses and speak to Ranni. Ranni will thank you for your efforts and give you the Carian Inverted Statue, which is crucial for unlocking one of the game's endings.
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Attended a most unique event on May 25, 2022 showcasing classy Cognac instead of wine – paired with several courses over dinner. The wonderful hosts Drs. Jean & Alastair Carruthers are aficionados of the finest wines but also had collected some treasured old bottles of rare vintage dated Cognacs to share among friends. They astutely arranged for talented couple Sommelier Nessa van Bergen & Chef Dino Renaerts of Bon Vivant Catering to orchestrate this splendid evening to great success. Their pairing ideas with excellent hospitality really worked out well. The Chef cleverly incorporated cognac reduction with delicious lobster plus made a brandy cream jus to bring out the best of the spirit matched to the beef course with porcini risotto. Note there are 3 principal developments that occur during the maturation of Cognac: Chemical changes from the air & wood; it takes on colour from the Limousin oak casks; and the alcohol content & volume of liquid diminishes. Check out the biggest wholesaler Tesseron (of Ch. Pontet-Canet) Lot 29 pre-phylloxera and vintage 1825-1906 in 25 liter glass demi-johns plus oak casks of 1907 and following. These ten Cognacs were all quite different (see the colour variations) as well as a few Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Springbank Campbeltown 25 year, Aberlour 16, Glenmorangie Legends The Tayne) thrown in for comparison. A Tasting-Dinner unlike anything else! Marvelous.
- HUDSON'S BAY BRAND FINE CHAMPAGNE COGNAC SUPERIOR QUALITY BERRY BROTHERS AND RUDD (BBR): Sweeter & attractively styled.
- TIFFON GRANDE CHAMPAGNE AND FINS BOIS: A bit turpy at first but developed some interesting coffee notes.
- 80 YEAR OLD BORDERIES TIFFON GRANDE CHAMPAGNE COGNAC BBR: More wood more complex yet admire the floral delicate perfumes here.
- ROBERT CHEVILLON VIEILLE FINE MARC DE BOURGOGNE: More powerful tannic caramel notes
- ADAM & EVE BARBIER EAU DE VIE DE VIN BOTTLED BY VINCENT BARBIER: Wine spirit brandy but prefer them made out of fruit.
- 1948 ARMAGNAC NISMES-DELCLOU BBR: Distinctly different soils and not double distilled like Cognac with less alcohol.
- HENNESSY XO COGNAC: Benchmark reputed to be around 1200 cognacs some up to 100 years of age. Shows smooth as rich butterscotch & dried fruits with a long spicy finish.
- 1967 LIGNIERES & SONNEVILLE (single villages) GRANDE CHAMPAGNE BOTTLED BY DELAMAIN (From early 1600s-no vineyards) IN 1995 (AT 28 YEARS) BBR: Much lighter colour than Hennessy XO but exquisite.
- 1948 OLD LANDED PALE COGNAC SHIPPED BY THOMAS HINE (Firm since 1763-Married Delamain's daughter) LANDED 1949 BOTTLED 1980 (32 YEARS) BBR: Interesting in only 68 cl. bottle is also pale but subtle and so well-balanced.
- 1904 VERRIERES GRAND CHAMPAGNE COGNAC LANDED 1956 & BOTTLED 1965 (61 YEARS in wood) BBR in 24 fl. ozs. bottle: Hit of the Night! Dark looking with a fantastic bouquet so open and full of round flavours with finesse. So many complex perfume elements of fragrant flowers, marmalade of dry figgy plum fruits & orange peel to mocha cinnamon spiced acacia honey. A rare treat to experience.
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Baratti and Populonia Archaeological Park
Distance: 35 minutes
The Baratti and Populonia Archaeological Park is a veritable open-air museum of Etruscan civilisation overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. It extends from the slopes of the Piombino promontory to the Gulf of Baratti, and includes the area where the Etruscan and Roman city of Populonia once stood, the only city built by the Etruscans on the sea and known since ancient times for its intense metallurgical activity linked to the production of iron.
The park is divided into two visiting areas that allow visitors to appreciate the transformation of the landscape and the town over the centuries:
- In the lower part you can admire the two necropolises from the Etruscan period, the calcarenite quarries and the industrial quarters, where the hematite mineral, from the deposits on the Elba Isalnd, was worked to produce iron ingots.
- In the upper part of the site you can discover the acropolis of Populonia, with its temples, buildings, mosaics and streets from the Roman phase, and the remains of the huts from the first Etruscan settlement and the walls that encircled the town on the sea side.The Baratti and Populonia Archaeological Park is the ideal destination for a cultural holiday immersed in nature, which will amaze you with its unspoilt surroundings stretching from the woods to the sea and is perfect for lovers of trekking and outdoor life.
The various paths and trails run through woods and lush Mediterranean scrub, opening onto unexpected and spectacular views of the Gulf of Baratti.
How to get to Baratti and Populonia Archaeological Park:
Access is from the provincial road of the Principessa SP 23 which links San Vincenzo to Piombino, with ample signposting on site. Brown tourist signs can be found at the San Vincenzo nord exit of the SS Aurelia 1 bis, on the entrance road to Piombino (near the hamlet of Fiorentina), on the Aurelia 1 road one kilometre north of Venturina.
The road inside the Gulf leads, after 2 km, to the entrance to the Park, on the sea side, where the Park car park is located.


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Nottingham Forest Manager Steve Cooper's Rapid Rise To The Top
Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper was the one to make the club's long-awaited return to the top tier of English football happen. The famous old club battled their way through to an unexpected promotion after winning the Championship play-offs in 2022.
Cooper, who took over when the club was in dire straits in the early stages of their 2021/22 league campaign, faces yet another huge challenge in keeping them up there.
Cooper's crowning Glory
With Nottingham Forest sitting at rock bottom of the Championship in September 2021, the club knew that they needed to make a change. Chris Hughton who had been in charge since October of the previous year, saw Forest get off to a terrible start in their campaign.
In mid-September 2021 Forest reacted to their troubles by sacking Hughton. It was a move that was taken early enough in the season for there to be a positive reaction. A change of manager never guarantees success. However, Forest appeared to find the right man for the right job at the right time.
That man was Steve Cooper.
Swansea's near misses, Forest's Fortune
In their search for a new Notts Forest manager the club turned their attention to fellow Championship Club Swansea. It was at the Liberty Stadium where Steve Cooper had already made himself known as a promising manager.
Cooper had taken over at the Liberty Stadium in 2019 and guided the Swans to a tremendous start to their Championship campaign. Swansea picked up 16 of a possible 18 points in a big undefeated streak at the beginning of the season.
That was Cooper's first experience as a club manager, having spent five years with England's Youth international set-up. He guided Swansea to the play-offs with a victory on the final day of the 2019/20 season.
That ironically was at the expense of Nottingham Forest. Swansea's victory over Reading by a 4-1 scoreline, saw them snatch the final play-off spot ahead of Forest on goal difference. But a return to the top flight evaded Steve Cooper's Swansea as they fell in the play-off semi-finals to Brentford.
But that run to the Championship play-offs proved not to be a one-hit wonder by Cooper. He backed it up the following season by taking the Swans back to the play-offs. Again they failed to get back to the top flight. Again it was Brentford who stood in their way, the Bees beating them in the play-off final.
Cooper Steps Away
Cooper's tenure as Swansea manager came to an end after failing to earn promotion. It was harsh, but he left the Liberty Stadium on good terms with the club in the summer of 2021. It wasn't long before he was back in the managerial hot seat with another Championship club.
In September of that same year, Steve Cooper became Nottingham Forest manager, being given a two-year contract with them. This at the time may not have been the most appealing of appointments for Cooper.
Nottingham Forest were sitting at the bottom of the Championship table when he took over. Forest had earned only one point from their first seven matches of the 2021/22 Championship season. They were a staggeringly long way from any thoughts of promotion.
Forest Trusts Cooper's Track Record
Despite only having two seasons of club managerial experience with Swansea under his belt, Cooper was a hot ticket to be the next Nottingham Forest manager. Part of the issue that Forest were having at the time was that they had turned to youth. An operational focus had seen them purposely lower the age of their squad.
So Cooper was trusted to give the younger Forest squad guidance and support. That fit with his previous coaching experience with the England U16 and England U17 squads. With the proven track record that he had with Swansea on top of that, the Nottingham Forest managerial change was quickly initiated.
Unexpected promotion
Cooper's arrival at the City Ground had an immediate effect on Forest's fortunes. In his first six Championship matches in charge, Forest posted a W5 D1 record in a run of positive form. That was in stark contrast to what had come before at the start of the season.
After losing six of their first seven matches of the campaign, following Cooper's arrival, Nottingham Forest lost only six more games in total during the rest of the season.
The big change at the City Ground was the more disciplined set-up that the new Nottingham Forest manager installed into the young squad. Structure and organisation are at the core of his coaching, and immediately Forest started holding onto more possession, but being positive with it.
Cooper also installed aggression. That was the other big feature of the massive shake-up that he gave the club when walking in the door. He wanted his side to have a go at opponents and give it all they had to win the ball back when they could. It worked.
Forest's Play Off campaign
After back-to-back failures in the Championship play-offs with Swansea, Cooper led Forest into their bid. In the play-off semi-finals, they faced Sheffield United and picked up a 2-1 win at Bramall Lane in the first leg.
Back at the City Ground, Forest opened the scoring, but then came under huge pressure. Sheffield United fought back and with two second-half goals, levelling the tie. It eventually went to a penalty shoot-out, with Forest winning it 3-2.
In the play-off final, The Reds met Huddersfield. It was to be Forest's day at Wembley, as an own goal by Huddersfield's Levi Colwill handed a place in the top flight to Cooper's Forest.
Costly Premier League Return
After more than two decades away from the elite of the English game, Forest were back in the big time. But the model of signing and developing cheaper young talent to sell on for profit was thrown out of the window. Life in the Premier League meant that Forest had to open the cheque book.
Notts Forest lost a lot of players in the summer of 2022 after winning promotion. Players were sold, loanee's returned to parent clubs and suddenly the Premier League newsboy's squad was looking a bit thin on the ground.
The solution by Nottingham Forest's board was to throw money at building a brand-new squad. A remarkable 21 signings were made by the club ahead of the first of their 2022/23 Premier League fixtures.
Time and time again during the spending spree, the club transfer record was broken. Among the pricey arrivals were Liverpool defender Neco Williams, and forward Taiwo Awoniyi from the German Bundesliga club Union Berlin. Topping the bill for them was midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White who Forest shelled out an initial £25 million for to sign from Wolves.
Spending Spree Breaks Forest's Mould
The summer spending spree was largely targeted toward purchasing young talent. Forest avoided going down the route of bringing ageing experienced Premier League players into the fold. That's often the path that newly promoted teams take, trying to bring experience in for what is usually a long, tough season at the top level.
Consolidation of Premier League status is generally the first thing on the mind of newly promoted clubs. A plan to steadily get established in the top flight is the most common approach as seen most recently by the likes of Brighton, Aston Villa and Leeds.
The fact that the core of Forest's promotion-winning squad was ripped up, made things more complicated for the Nottingham Forest manager. It immediately broke the mould that Cooper had so successfully installed. There was nothing subtle about the wholesale changes.
While it was still a focus on young talent that Cooper's reputation was built on, he needed to pull together a bunch of new faces into a cohesive unit in a short amount of time. Many teams before have tried throwing money at transfers after winning a promotion to the Premier League. It doesn't always work.
Can Copper Repeat Championship Heroics
What Steve Cooper achieved with Nottingham Forest in the Championship was nothing short of remarkable. With only one point from their first seven matches of the season and directionless, Cooper had them 7th by Christmas 2021.
Come to the end of the 2021/22 Championship season, the Tricky Trees were in red-hot form, landing a fourth-place finish. It's one of the great turnarounds in a single season of English football.
But for Forest to retain that Premier League status, Cooper is going to have to go deep into his well of ability once again. The Welshman saw his bold, brave tactics shattered at the start of the new Premier League season.
Forest lost four of their first six matches, conceding a massive tally of 14 goals in that spell. Six of those were in a rout against Manchester City. That match at the Etihad in September 2022, was a stark reminder that life in the Premier League can be brutal for newly promoted teams.
Can Cooper Stand Among Former Forest Manager Greats?
Founded in 1865 there have been some iconic Nottingham Forest managers in charge at the club. Former England international Stuart Pearce and David Platt had their time at the helm. As did Ron Atkinson and Steve McLaren.
But no Nottingham Forest manager was bigger than the late, great Brian Clough. He was appointed manager in January 1975. As outspoken and abrasive as he was, Clough was a winner.
He landed Forest the 1997/78 First Division title, four League Cup titles and back-to-back European Cup titles. The late seventies were the golden years of the club under Clough who is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.
There will probably never be another "Cloughie" but in Cooper, Forest have a manager who has the club buzzing once again.
Famous Brian Clough quotes:
- "We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right"
- "Good managers make good sides. There's no such thing as a side making a manager"
- "I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one"
- "The River Trent is lovely, I know because I have walked on it for 18 years"


text: The New Deal resettlement communities appear in the literature as efforts to ameliorate the wretched condition of southern sharecroppers and tenants.However, those evicted to make way for the new settlers are virtually invisible in the historic record. The resettlement projects were part of larger efforts to modernize rural America. "Modernization" is a complex process whereby a relatively specific set of assumptions and behaviors make other assumptions and behaviors "wrong, "both morally and pragmatically. The removal of former tenants and their replacement by FSA clients in the lower Mississippi alluvial plain — the Delta — reveals core elements of New Deal modernizing policies, exposing key concepts that guided the FSA's tenant removals: the definition of rural poverty as rooted in the problem of tenancy; the belief that economic success entailed particular cultural practices and social forms; and the commitment by those with political power to gain local support. These assumptions undergirded acceptance of racial segregation and the criteria used to select new settlers. Alternatives could only become visible through political or legal action — capacities sharecroppers seldom had. However, in succeeding decades, these modernizing assumptions created conditions for Delta African Americans on resettlement projects to challenge white supremacy.


text:
Rolling up to school with her hair tied in braids and the wind in her face, senior Paige Wehrmeister rides her Lance Havana 125 cc engine scooter.
"I drive [my scooter] sometimes, depending on the day. I can't drive it when it's wet or when I'm driving lots of people because it's harder to drive that way, but I drive it whenever I get the opportunity," Wehrmeister said. "It's always fun to get out and ride my scooter on a nice day where the breeze feels good."
Wehrmiester bought the $2,000 scooter in June 2020 after saving money from cleaning her dad's office.
"I had a family friend who got a motorcycle and would take me on rides. I loved the feeling of it but I didn't want to get a motorcycle because it seemed kinda complicated to learn how to ride," Wehrmeister said. "So I looked into a moped to get the same feeling without the complicated parts of riding a motorcycle."
Wehrmeister's family is supportive of her new wheels and helped her to study for her driving test and taking her to buy the scooter.
"I had been talking with my mom about looking for a place to buy a scooter from when one day we were in line at McDonalds and saw a guy on a scooter in line in front of us and on the back of his scooter it said 'Rocky Road Scooter Company' and I was like, 'that's cool, let's check it out,'" Wehrmiester said," My mom took me to go look at and get my scooter, and through the whole process, she has helped me think all of my options through."
To be able to drive the scooter, Wehrmeister was required to take a separate driver's test at a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and pass with an 80 percent or above. Wehmeister used the pandemic to study for the test.
"To ride a scooter, you need to take a test to get your motorcycle permit. To have full riding abilities [such as] riding at night or riding with a passenger, you need to go through a motorcycle safety course to get your motorcycle license," Wehrmeister said. "I was really nervous for the permit test because it was about motorcycles and I was getting a scooter, so I couldn't relate to some of the questions."
Although the test helped Wehrmeister learn the basics of riding a scooter, driving one regularly has helped her pick up some tips and tricks.
"[When riding a scooter] sometimes loose pieces of gravel or dirt [fly into my face], but I just shake it off. [Sometimes] I feel like [I am about to fall off] with super tight turns, but with wider turns, it feels more second nature," Wehrmeister said.
Not having to drive a car to school every day comes with some benefits for Wehrmeister, like her scooter getting 90 miles per gallon.
"I feel like riding the scooter has taught me a lot to not stress about the small things because when I ride I have to remind myself that everything's gonna be okay and it's given me a much better mindset," Wehrmeister said. "I love the exhilaration of going fast and feeling the wind in my face. It makes me feel free."


text:
By John Turney
Marcus Peters got traded from the Rams to the Ravens last week and today he returned an interception for a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks.
NFL Replay |
NFL Replay |
So let's call it a "known" first in NFL history.
Peters, a 'cluer' has always been a player who could make a big play (and also give up one) added to his career totals in interceptions returns for scores—
Since 2015, most pick 6s
Marcus Peters 5
Aqib Talib 4
Since 2012, most pick 6s
Janoris Jenkins7
Aqib Talib 7
Marcus Peters 5
William Gay 5
Malcolm Jenkins 5


text:
Fetal growth restriction during pregnancy is a complex problem, which can lead to unexpected perinatal mortality. Traditionally, we define the growth of a fetus as abnormal when the fetus has an estimated weight below the 10th percentile. In that case, a baby belongs to the 10% smallest children for that gestational age. The child is small but it is not clear whether it's 'too' small or just healthy and small in predisposition. In addition, within the 90% of the "normal" weight children, there are also children who do not reach their intrinsic growth potential. Precisely this group of children is nowadays missed and therefore at risk for perinatal morbidity. The cause of fetal growth restriction often lies in the reduced functioning of the placenta, which results in a sub-optimal blood and oxygen flow via the umbilical cord to the baby. To detect this 'missed' group of growth-restricted children placental biomarkers in maternal blood were used and growth velocities during pregnancy ultrasound calculated. It was shown that the combination of biomarkers and growth velocities provides a better prediction of growth restriction and thus more children with growth restriction can be detected. By early stage detection, better care for both mother and child can be offered.
Original language | English |
Awarding Institution |
Supervisors/Advisors |
Award date | 24 Sept 2021 |
Place of Publication | Maastricht |
Publisher | |
Print ISBNs | 9789463615761 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
- fetal growth restriction (FGR)
- growth speed
- placenta
- biomarker
- echography
- catch-up growth


text:
Perhaps some of you may enjoy seeing photos of a fine diamondback that I almost stepped on yesterday. Apologies to those who have seen this already.
The sighting provoked a comment from Paul Moler, herper extraordinaire, who somewhat jokingly suggested that being venomous was the one shared characteristic among the few reptile species not in catastrophic decline here in north Florida. I answered that it was prey choice, and thus exposure to ranavirus. See below:
AKA: Bruce J. Morgan
Environmental Designs
Archer, FL 32618 USA
352 495 9748
So there I was being super surreptitious as I scouted a way through the palmettos when I looked down by my foot and saw this.
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That's about a four and a half foot Diamondback rattler. My foot was about six inches from it's nose when I went airborne. Worse still, I had been standing there fidgeting around for several minutes trying to find my way past a Lyonia thicket so the nipper had lots of reasons to get riled up but didn't.
Notice the "please don't step on me" posture with the head drawn back in a hook. Totally passive defense. That is because it knew that I hadn't seen it, I was just another clumsy klutz to be avoided, no need to waste valuable venom.
So I retreated about thirty feet away and watched. As soon as I appeared to be gone Mr. Nipper started to rapidly crawl in the opposite direction. When I approached again it was obvious that I wasn't an innocent bystander so pretense was put aside and it was time to coil and rattle.
[log in to unmask]" style="WIDTH: 480px; HEIGHT: 380px" vspace=5 width=480 height=380 comp_state="speed" DATASIZE="87203" ID="MA2.1354289482" >
Such forbearance! If rattlesnakes were even one hundredth as mean as people imagine them to be then I wouldn't be sitting here drinking a beer and writing this story.
This incident occurred while I was scouting and chopping Weazel Way South just south of the Gainesville Hawthorn trail and not far west of Prairie creek. This is the forth rattler I have found while chopping Weazel Way so step lively out there!
But you said there weren't any more snakes out there. I took you at your word and started going barefoot. That was, until Thanksgiving day when I saw a deadly coral snake in woods along the Santa Fe. And a couple of weeks ago a red-shouldered hawk flew over my drive carrying a ground rattler. Maybe it's just the non-venomous serpents that have disappeared.
Paul Moler
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
1105 SW Williston Road
Gainesville FL 32601
(352) 334-4217
It is not a matter of being venomous, it is a matter of what you eat. Rattlesnakes eat warm blooded prey that don't carry ranavirus. Coral snakes eat tiny reptiles such as ground skinks that never eat frogs. They might well eat a young natricine but it is entirely possible that said young natricine has not yet had a chance to become infected by ranavirus; whereas if you were a kingsnake that routinely eats adult natricines it is inevitable that you will get infected and die.
Green snakes, which eat bugs but not frogs, are still out there. Redbellies, which specialize on slugs and worms, are still out there too. Ringnecks which eat salamanders have gotten relatively scarce.
Ratsnakes are a curious case. I have had great difficulty getting neonates to accept pinky mice. They seem to want something else, perhaps frogs and lizards, though a small percentage readily accept pinkies. As adults they exclusively eat warm blooded prey and thus have no contact with ranavirus. That would explain the disparity in the ratio of adults to young that I have observed. In the bad old days I often found baby ratsnakes, now it is mostly adults. Cornsnakes are a different story. Once common everywhere, they now seem to persist mostly in urban areas. Is it possible that young cornsnakes are more likely to eat frogs than young ratsnakes? I don't know. Do you?
As for the frogs, you will notice that hylids have made a fair comeback this year. That isn't just because it rained this year, it is because they breed in temporary ponds that have been dried up for several years, thus killing the pathogens. Frogs that breed in permanent or semipermanent wetlands aren't doing so well, perhaps because bullfrogs, which appear to be partially immune, serve as reservoirs for the disease.
As for moccasins, damn if I know. They seem to be immune to everything, even rednecks!
I don't know how long ranavirus can persist in a moist environment, or how long infected animals remain infectious, but an unintended experiment is underway. As you may remember, my turtle pen is in a warm moist environment with trees, dense vegetation, deep humus, and a fairly large pond with deep sediment and Gambusia. The conditions are very natural though perhaps a bit too shaded, good for box turtles but not baskers.
About ten years ago all but two of my turtles died during what I presume was a ranavirus epidemic, the most notable symptom being that their feet rotted off. An adult Terrapene carolina major and a Cuora amboinensis were both infected but recovered and are alive today. The pond was never cleaned in any way, and bullfrogs come and go at will. The bullfrogs never died out even during the height of the epidemic, though they have declined since in regard to both size and number.
As an experiment, about three years after the epidemic I introduced a box turtle from northern Alabama. It was dead within a month.
This spring someone placed two adult redbellies (Pseudemys nelsoni) in the pond without my permission. They were obviously someone's pets as they were quite tame. They have thrived thus far, though with the onset of cold weather their behavior is more difficult to observe. If they make it through till spring I will tentatively conclude that the epidemic has finally run its course and that the two previously infected turtles may still be carriers but are no longer actively infectious.
We need to know how ranavirus persists in the environment. Does it persist in moist or wet sediment? Or does it persist in previously infected animals? I think we need to look more closely at bullfrogs and fish. Gambusia are omnipresent and do not seem to be affected, could they be carriers?


text:
Celebrate freedom
Juneteenth celebration
Reno is an amazing place in so many ways. On the one hand, Reno has the reputation as a very secular town. According to internet sources, Reno qualifies as one of the least "churched" cities in the country, with only 3-4 percent attending services on any given Sunday. On the other, it feels as though I can find a spiritual event at a moment's notice whenever I look around.
My sister, my brother and his significant other, and my dad and his wife were in town for a few days. We'd made some plans to attend a Catholic church in either Carson City or South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, but our ideas went astray when we took a side trip to Fallen Leaf Lake.
Sunday morning came and as my family took to the road and to the skies to return to their respective homes, I was a bit stuck for a new plan. My girlfriend, Joy, and I went down to the river to enjoy the beautiful day. As we sat at the Sierra Tap House enjoying a Bloody Mary in the warm sun and cool breeze, the sounds of speaking followed by some rocking gospel music wafted over the river from Wingfield Park.
It was Reno's Juneteenth celebration. According to Juneteenth.com, Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865, the day "that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official Jan. 1, 1863."
The Church at the Park program was a beautiful and inspiring celebration, put on by the Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society, with vendors, prayer, speakers, raffles, dancers and singers, and a decent enough attendance. But what I most enjoyed was that some people who are very unlikely to ever attend a church service in an African-American church got to see why I'm always so happy when my travels drop me in one.
I've occasionally complained in this column that church is the most racially segregated place in modern society. I've spoken to various ministers on this topic, and while they recognize the segregation as a problem, most agree that the dilemma is pretty insurmountable. The reasons for this are many, but the bottom line is that churches are family and culturally based, and families tend to have similar shades of skin. I'm not just talking about African-American churches. Attend any religious service, and you're likely to see a similar looking and sounding congregation.
But it's de facto segregation. I say that because I've never been made more welcome than when Hunter and I are the only Caucasians in a congregation. Again, the reason for this is simple: It's obvious we are visitors, so people go out of their way to be friendly, find out our story, and encourage us to come back.
But things were a little different at Wingfield Park on Sunday morning. While everyone was friendly, talking, eating, enjoying the music, nobody went out of their way to notice me and Joy—even though I was scribbling notes while Joy was snapping pictures with her iPhone. And I know this is going to sound weird, but it's because the crowd was made up of people of just about every shade you can name that we were in no way notable. Am I making myself clear? It was the very fact the crowd was so diverse that made us all the same. All equal. The same.
And in addition to celebrating the end of slavery in America, I think the Juneteenth party did a great job showing that while our cultural differences are glorious, they are almost irrelevant next to our similarities.


text:
💡 Try It Yourself: Run this app on Streamlit cloud and predict the GLD price for tomorrow!
Gold, as we all know, is one of the most valued precious metals. Everybody wants to lay their hands on it. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most scarce resources on earth. Thanks to the financial market, traders can invest directly in gold without needing to own it.
As GLD is traded in the financial market, predicting where the Gold price is headed is in high demand, especially if the predictions are good. 🥇
In this tutorial, we will create a Streamlit app that uses a Machine Learning model to make such predictions. The model will predict the next day's Gold price using the past Gold ETF (GLD) prices.
Creating practical coding projects like this is one of the best ways we can improve our Python skills. Do not take this as financial advice. Trading is risky and should be done with full financial market knowledge.
The Model
Let's first download the data using the Yahoo Finance Python module.
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import pandas as pd import yfinance as yf data = yf.download('GLD', '2008-01-01', '2023-01-01', auto_adjust=True)
We fetch GLD ETF price data for the past 15 years and store it in the data
variable. Next, we will take only the column we need and store it in a separate variable.
df = data[['Close']] plt.style.use('classic') data.Close.plot(figsize=(10,7), color='r') plt.ylabel("Gold ETF Prices") plt.title("Gold ETF Price Series") plt.show()
Let's add some valuable features using the Close data to help in improving the performance of the model. We will add in some rolling means.
df['weekly_mean'] = df.Close.rolling(window=7).mean() df['monthly_mean'] = df.Close.rolling(window=30).mean() df['quarterly_mean'] = df.Close.rolling(window=90).mean() df['yearly_mean'] = df.Close.rolling(window-365).mean()
With the above, the model can evaluate current prices against recent ones.
Next, we will shift the Close data using the DataFrame.shift()
method to move all rows forward one day. Remember, we are predicting the next day's Gold price. So, we shift the data to avoid using the same day to make predictions. Then, we drop all null values.
df['next_day_price'] = data.Close.shift(-1) df = df.dropna()
Next, we divide the dataset into dependent and independent variables. The dependent variable is the Gold ETF price we want to predict and the independent variable is used to predict the dependent variable.
X = df[['weekly_mean', 'monthly_mean', 'quarterly_mean', 'yearly_mean']] target = df['next_day_price']
We will normalize the data for stable and fast training of the model. Then, we split the data into train and test data using 80% for training and the remaining one for testing.
scaler = StandardScaler() features = scaler.fit_transform(X) X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(features, target, test_size=.2, random_state=0)
We don't know which model will perform well for this dataset
Hence, we will evaluate them using different models, then, select the one with the lowest Mean Absolute Error (MAE) score.
from sklearn.linear_model import LinearRegression from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestRegressor from sklearn.neighbors import KNeighborsRegressor from sklearn.tree import DecisionTreeRegressor from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestRegressor from sklearn.metrics import mean_absolute_error model = [ LinearRegression(), KNeighborsRegressor(), RandomForestRegressor(), DecisionTreeRegressor(), ] for i in range(5): model[i].fit(X_train, y_train) preds = model[i].predict(X_test) print(mean_absolute_error(y_test, preds))
It's quite obvious that the Random Forest model has the lowest MAE score. We will select the model. Create a model.py
file and add the following to it.
import yfinance as yf import pandas as pd from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split from sklearn.preprocessing import StandardScaler from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestRegressor import joblib import warnings warnings.filterwarnings('ignore') data = pd.read_csv('gold.csv') # select the Close data df = data[['Close']] # add extra features df['weekly_mean'] = data.Close.rolling(window=7).mean() df['monthly_mean'] = data.Close.rolling(window=30).mean() df['quarterly_mean'] = data.Close.rolling(window=90).mean() df['yearly_mean'] = data.Close.rolling(window=365).mean() # add the target variable df['next_day_price'] = data.Close.shift(-1) df = df.dropna() # define independent variable X = df[['weeekly_mean', 'monthly_mean', 'quarterly_mean', 'yearly_mean']] # define dependent variable target = df['next_day_price'] # normalize the data scaler = StandardScaler() features = scaler.fit_transform(X) # split data into train and test X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(features, target, test_size=.2, random_state=0) # define xgboost model model = RandomForestRegressor() model.fit(X_train, y_train) joblib.dump(model, 'model.pkl')
We save the data fetched using Yahoo Finance so that we can easily import it. Check my GitHub page for the full code. We also save the pickled model to model.pkl
to be used in making predictions.
💡 Recommended: How to Save and Load Machine Learning Models in Python
Predicting the Gold ETF Price 🔮
To predict the next day's Gold ETF price, we simply repeat the previous steps. Then, use the pickled model to make the prediction. Create another file in the folder and name it app.py
. This is for the Streamlit application.
import streamlit as st import pandas as pd import numpy as np import joblib import datetime from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestRegressor import yfinance as yf from sklearn.preprocessing import StandardScaler import warnings warnings.filterwarnings('ignore') def main(): option = st.sidebar.selectbox('Make a choice', ['Visualize','Recent Data', 'Predict']) data = download_data() if option == 'Visualize': visualize_data(data) elif option == 'Recent Data': dataframe(data) else: predict(data) @st.cache_resource def download_data(): df = yf.download('GLD', start='2008-01-01', end=datetime.now(), progress=False) return df
I made this app to be easy. The user is not required to input any value other than to select and view the options. Everything is done behind the scene. We first call the download_data()
function to fetch, and return the Gold price data.
We then send the result as a parameter to the other three callback functions.
The decorator @st.cache_resource
caches the result gotten, thus saving us from making repeated calls to the Yahoo Finance API. We fetch the data from 2008 to the current date to be used to predict next day's price.
scaler = StandardScaler() model = joblib.load('model.pkl')
We then load the pickled model. Remember that we normalized the trained model. So, we have to do the same for this data.
The next two functions are quite simple. We use a line chart to visualize the Close price.
def visualize_data(data): st.header('The Close Price') st.line_chart(data.Close)
To see recent data, we call the next function which displays the last 10 rows.
def dataframe(data): st.header('Recent Data') st.dataframe(data.tail(10))
The predict()
function is where we repeated the previous steps to train the model.
def predict(data): df = data[['Close']] df['weekly_mean'] = df.Close.rolling(window=7).mean() df['monthly_mean'] = df.Close.rolling(window=30).mean() df['quarterly_mean'] = df.Close.rolling(window=90).mean() df['yearly_mean'] = df.Close.rolling(window=365).mean() df = df.dropna() # forecast the price features = df[['weekly_mean', 'monthly_mean', 'quarterly_mean', 'yearly_mean']].values scaler = StandardScaler() features = scaler.fit_transform(features) df['predicted_gold_price'] = model.predict(features) df['signal'] = np.where(df.predicted_gold_price.shift(1) < df.predicted_gold_price,"Buy","No Position") prediction = df.tail(1)[['signal','predicted_gold_price']].T st.header('Gold Price Prediction') st.write("Today's Price") st.dataframe(data.Close.tail(1)) st.write('Next Day Predicted Price') st.dataframe(prediction)
We add a signal column that compares the predicted results to determine whether we should buy or not.
The above screenshot is taken from the app running on Streamlit Cloud. It's telling us that Gold price is falling. It also displays the predicted price. This may not be the case in real life. But at least, we have an idea that the price is falling.
That's how I created the Gold price prediction app and have it running on Streamlit Cloud. The full code is available on my GitHub page. No doubt, you have benefited from this project tutorial. We have seen how we used the trained model to make predictions.
Use this knowledge to create your app, and improve your Python skills.
💡 Recommended: How I Built a Readability and Grammar Checker App Using Streamlit
Jonathan Okah is a professional freelance Python developer whose primary goal is to solve a perceived problem with the use of technology, thus making life easy for you.
He has basic knowledge of Python, C, JavaScript, HTML, CSS and R, but has taken his knowledge of Python to the next level at Upwork, where he performs services for clients.
Jonathan has a flair for writing and has written several blog articles for clients. He is constantly learning to improve his skills. Currently, he is studying software engineering, hoping to become a full-stack web developer.
In his leisure time, Jonathan enjoys playing games and watching the English Premier League. You can contact him for your freelance projects at Upwork.