text:
Neil Patrick Harris says he'd liked to appear on the long-running CBS reality show
Will Neil Patrick Harris soon be scheming his way to a Survivor victory?
It could happen. Host Jeff Probst has spoken to the How I Met Your Mother star about playing the game – and is currently looking for other celebrities who want to outwit, outplay and outlast the competition in hopes of being Sole Survivor on the long-running CBS reality show.
A celebrity season actually isn't that far fetched. Last season, The Facts of Life star Lisa Whelchel made the final three. And, in 2001, Kate Hudson and then husband Chris Robinson showed up for an open audition for Survivor: Australia, before being turned away by producers. (How awesome would that have been?)
But for now, there's Survivor: Caramoan, the show's 26th season, premiering Wednesday night (8 p.m. ET). Ten new players will compete against ten returning players – with early favorites that include Dawn Meehan, a surprisingly tough 42-year-old mother of six from Utah, and Andrea Boehlke, a pretty blonde schemer from Wisconsin.
Catching up with PEOPLE, Jeff Probst reveals what to expect this season – and how a celebrity version would work:
Lisa Whelchel got a lot of buzz last season. Are there any other celebrities you'd like to see play the game?
Mark Burnett and I really want to do a celebrity version. We were just talking about this at a Grammy party last week. Neil Patrick Harris was there, and he told me flat out he wants to play. I challenged him and said "Do you really want to do it, or is this just a fun fantasy that will never happen?" He said, "I want to do it."
So, on the heels of NPH having the guts to say, "I'm in" – I'm putting out the challenge! If you are a celebrity and truly believe you could hack it, it's time to put up. It would be a shortened shoot – maybe 10 days or so – so you can still get back to do your movies and TV shows, and you won't lose so much weight that your agents will panic. But rest assured it will still kick your ass. If we can get a truly great cast together I think CBS would go for it.
Sounds fantastic. But until that happens, there's Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites. What can we expect?
Even for Survivor, this is quite an unpredictable season. Evacuations, an impromptu tribal council, emotional breakdowns and a great finish. Of the 26 seasons we've done, I believe this will rank among the most memorable. I also think a couple of new favorites may be born this season.
You've chosen 10 returning contestants to play again – including some surprising choices. Why them?
When deciding on returning players we first look at their popularity. It doesn't mean they have to be well liked, but they must be memorable for something. Then we look at their "story." Is there an expectation surrounding their return – i.e., did Phillip learn anything from playing with Boston Rob? Will Cochran finally stand up and be heard? Will Brandon be able to control his emotions? Can Malcolm finish what he started? With this group we felt each has a story worth telling.
The fans seem awfully young. (Four of the five female fans are under 25.) Do they even stand a chance?
We have a fairly young group of fans, but they know the game well and many have been itching to play for a long time. The question is, will their adoration of the favorites make them vulnerable to a blindside? Or will their enthusiasm be the energy they need to keep up? Favorites have a major advantage going into day one.
Last season, contestant Sarah Dawson caught you by surprise when she kissed you – twice! Have you hired bodyguards to guard your personal space?
It's funny how many people have asked me if I was offended by the kisses. I wasn't at all. The kiss that happened at tribal council was probably due to the delirium brought on by not eating for so long. The kiss at the live reunion show was a funny button at the end of a great season of Survivor. The best part was looking out in the audience to see my wife Lisa laughing hysterically.


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Videos: Houston concert crowd panics at sound of gunshots
A music and cultural festival on Houston's south side turned violent early Saturday after shots were fired into the crowd of thousands, injuring four men and two women.
Friday's event was part of the monthlong Houston Caribbean Festival, which hosts parties across the city.
Police say that pproximately 5,000 to 10,000 people were attending the Jouvert Festival party, held at the San Miguel Arena at 1700 Almeda-Genoa. The party was set to end at 6 a.m., according to the event's website.
Youtube videos posted of the shooting, which occurred just before 2 a.m., show throngs of guests dancing in a crowded arena.
Several shots can be heard followed with screams of "get out!" and "move."
John DeWalt, with the Prairie View Volunteer Fire Department, was at the party enjoying himself when he was enlisted to help first responders tend to the injured. He kept one of the men who was shot in the head alert while EMS officials arrived. The man's injuries were critical, according to DeWalt, a recent graduate of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department cadet school.
Four men were injured by bullets - two were transported to Ben Taub Hospital and the other two were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
The most seriously injured was a male, age 16, according to Houston police, who say that he was taken to Ben Taub for treatment.
Two women were also transported to an area hospital after being trampled in the flood of people attempting to flee after the gunfire. Updates on their injuries were not immediately available Monday.
According to DeWalt, venue personnel were having a hard time getting everyone out safely.
The Houston Police Department is still investigating what lead to the shooting. So far, there are no suspects in custody, and the only description they have of the suspect is that he was a shirtless, muscular black male.
Spokesperson Jodi Silva says that there were at least 30 off-duty Harris County Precinct 7 deputy constables working security for the party, though they were stationed on the perimeter and not inside the arena where the shooting happened.
"We're asking anyone who might have seen something to share their information with our homicide unit as they also handle major assault cases like this," Silva said.
DeWalt said he can't stop thinking about the man he helped early Saturday.
"The mood was joyous and people were having a good time and then this all happened," DeWalt said Saturday. "We were all in good spirits."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Haza - Ribero del Duero
More posts
- Reds on the River
- Oaky full bodied wine. Yum
- Like this wine a lot. Originally $24.95. Sale at Morrell's at $19.96
- Rivera del duero Condado de Haza 2005 : deep rusty purple almost fully extracted. Blueberry stewed plums vanilla tobacco on the nose blackberry new leather herbaciousness plums cocoa power wildflowers rustic palate. Little tannin left that softens into smooth lush warmth. Medium to fullbody that keeps on giving , long linger. Leave u wanting more as it relaxes. I only have 1 left I don't think it will last much longer . Yummy!!! 1 of the first in my collection cellared 5 years.


text:
Weekly World News joins forces with "Men In Black" for a special edition with a surprise guest editor, Bugeyes from "Men In Black 3".
This special free edition contains out of the world stories about aliens, UFOs, an unusual tattoo parlor, the strange takeout of a Chinese restaurant and a new donut from Dunkin' Donuts.
The Spanish edition is also available – gratis!
Don't miss the 10 ways to tell if your neighbor is an extraterrestrial. Could come in handy when the mothership arrives or if you see a bright flash of light. Download now before some guy in a black suit erases your brain memory. It's free.


text:
FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- Nestle SA NESN, -0.37%, the world's largest food company, is the latest firm to be drawn into Europe's horsemeat scandal after tests found traces of horse DNA in two of its products. Nestle late Monday said it was removing two chilled pasta products, Buitoni Beef Ravioli and Beef Tortellini, from shelves in Italy and Spain immediately, and will also withdraw a frozen meat product for catering businesses. Nestle said it suspended deliveries of all finished products that use beef supplied by a German firm, H.J. Schypke, a subcontractor for JBS Toledo N.V., one of Nestle's suppliers. Nestle apologized to customers and said it would enhance its existing quality-assurance program. "There is no food safety issue, but the mislabeling of products means they fail to meet the very high standards consumers expect from us," Nestle said in a statement. Shares of Swiss-based Nestle were unfazed by the news, rising 0.9%.
Nestle drawn into Europe's horsemeat scandal
Quote References
-0.40 -0.37%


text:
Redact Elasticsearch Passwords from Microsoft Azu...
We use Microsoft Azure Application Insights in our web applications. It logs tons of useful data about our applications, including web re....NET
We use Microsoft Azure Application Insights in our web applications. It logs tons of useful data about our applications, including web re....NET
Here at RIMdev, we are unapologetic about our love for static websites. Folks, static sites are the future! That said, there are times we...asp.net core static
We use Microsoft Azure Application Insights in our web applications. It logs tons of useful data about our applications, including web re....NET
URLs are the bridges that connect our little island of a website to the bigger continent known as the Internet. Preserving URL integrity ...IIS Azure SEO
We are in the process of deprecating many smaller subdomain app services and serving the same content through our flagship site. This pos...Windows Azure
If you build .NET Core apps on your Mac and install https certificates to your keychain for development purposes, it's helpful to know th...Keychain MacOS Certificates
Static site hosting is straightforward, and from our experience, less likely to have errors compared to a more dynamic site. While dynami...Azure Static
Several months ago, Bill Boga and I, realized there was a performance enhancement we could make in our infrastructure. We were utilizing ....NET Performance
This post covers augmenting an authenticated User for use in middleware or when using the [Authorize]-attribute in an MVC-controller. The...ASP.NET Core IdentitySever Authentication
If you're like me, you aspire to write clean and consistent scss. We use the power of scss for everything from nesting our selectors, cre...SASS
Feature flags can be useful for changing the runtime behavior of an application with minimal impact. Having a UI to toggle the feature fl....NET asp.net core
What is a machine key? According to https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.web.security.machinekey?view=netframework-4.7.2 a....NET asp.net
We're in the process of upgrading our infrastructure to run our Azure Web Apps in multiple datacenter locations behind Azure Traffic Mana....NET asp.net asp.net core
It can be tricky to run integration tests targeting a web server using the command line. Essentially, we need to: Start the applicati...JavaScript npm
I was trying to get a global .NET Core tool working on my development machine, which just so happens to be running macOS. I also work wit....NET macOS
We've moved around CSS frameworks in the past few years, Semantic UI for our application layer, and Bootstrap for our static sites. As ou...SASS
New to the frontend at RIMdev, or looking for more about our Frontend team? Here's a quick overview of our team, tools, and culture! As ...Team RIMdev Frontend
Simple transitions Vue.js has an extremely helpful was to handle animations in web apps. In a simple example if we want to display somet...Vue.js JavaScript Animations
As web applications have gotten more complex, so has the technologies used to build them. Magic can be good when all works as intended, b...Webpack Javascript
This post originally appears on https://www.billboga.com/posts/namespace-changes-with-entity-framework-migrations.
Note: this is only applicable for EF versions less than or equal to six. Version seven (part of .NET Core) has a completely different migration strategy.
EF code-first migrations are an easy way to keep your domain models and database schemas synchronized. However, if you ever decide to refactor your migration namespace, then remember this piece of wisdom: the migration history table stores migration-file namespaces as a column-value. For a quick refresher, here is the schema and sample dataset:
For our sample, assume the pictured migration-file created a new table called
Cars. Further, let us assume I refactor the namespace in the migration-file to
Better.Namespace.Migrations. When I run the app., the following exception is thrown:
SqlException: There is already an object named 'Cars' in the database.
This is due, in part, to the migration runner looking in the history table and trying to match
MigrationId and
ContextKey with migration filenames and namespaces. It cannot find a match, so it thinks it needs to run our refactored file again. To fix this problem, we just need to update
ContextKey for the
MigrationId row matching our migration filename:
update [__MigrationHistory] set [ContextKey] = 'Better.Namespace.Migrations' where [MigrationId] = '201408121529377_initial_migration';
Restart the app. and we are back in business.


text:
|Larkspur, Calif.
|High School:
2012: Named to Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll for third time ... Named first-team All-Centennial Conference.
2011: Named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2011 Division III All-Academic Men's Cross Country Team ... Named to Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll for second time … First-team all-conference performer...Earned All-Mideast Region honors...Finished 179th at NCAA championship race...Placed 14th at the Main Line Invitational...Ran to 24th-place finish at Princeton Invite.
2010: Named to Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll … Finished in 14th-place as the fourth Ford across the line at the Haverford Invite … Placed 19th at the Centennial Conference championship meet and 21st at the Main Line Invite.
2009: Came in 27th at the Main Line Invitational (9/24) ... Took 42nd in the Open Race at the Brooks-Paul Short Run (10/2) ... Was the second Ford to cross the finish line, coming in fifth at the Haverford Invitational (10/23) ... Finished 18th at the Centennial Conference championship meet (10/31).


text:
Prepaid Maintenance
Scheduled maintenance, tailored for you.
Drive with confidence knowing that your scheduled maintenance is taken care of right from the start, as is your budget. Choose a maintenance plan that's right for you, with options designed for low- or high-mileage driving, whether you buy or lease.
Plus, pre-paying at your authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership offers significant savings compared to a pay-as-you-go approach.
Prepaid Maintenance is available for most Mercedes-Benz models* at the time of purchase, or any time before the first scheduled maintenance service.
Features of Prepaid Maintenance include:
- Plans as low as $15 per month on lease plans†
- Savings of up to 30% compared to pay-as-you-go
- Savings of an additional 20% on lease plans‡
- Lump sum or monthly payment optionsx
- Fully-transferable from person to person§
Prepaid Maintenance provides you with further peace of mind. Your vehicle's factory scheduled maintenance will be followed, its warranty maintained, and all work will be performed by factory-trained technicians at an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership in Canada, using the latest diagnostic tools and only Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts.ll
Q: Do I need to return to the same dealership where I purchased the plan to service my vehicle?
A: Purchase of a Mercedes-Benz Prepaid Maintenance plan does not confine you to only one dealership for your service needs. The plan follows you, so if you require service when you're on the road — or if you relocate — your plan will be honoured at any authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer in Canada.
Q: Why do I need a maintenance plan for my Mercedes-Benz?
A: The Mercedes-Benz Prepaid Maintenance plan is designed to maximize the service life of your vehicle's components and systems for optimum performance. The plan provides you with value; up to 30% savings versus purchasing maintenance as you go and a convenient way to service your vehicle without the worry of having to pay later on — so you can avoid unwanted surprises. Keeping up with factory scheduled maintenance also helps keep your warranty valid.
Q: Why would I choose to purchase a maintenance plan if I'm leasing my vehicle?
A: Even when you are leasing your vehicle, you are responsible for all needed maintenance and repairs as described by the terms of the lease agreement. Lease customers who purchase a Mercedes-Benz Prepaid Maintenance plan may receive a increase in the residual value of their vehicle. This can result in an additional savings of 20%, when Prepaid Maintenance is purchased as part of the lease contract, with matching terms.
* Prepaid Maintenance is available for 2014 and newer models, and is not currently available on G550 or SLS models.
† $15 Based on 45M/3 Services B, CLA and GLA.
‡ When Prepaid Maintenance is purchased as part of the lease contract, with matching terms; applies only to vehicles that are returned at end of lease term. Not applicable to Sprinter models.
x Monthly payment options only available at the time of vehicle purchase (lease or finance deals).
§ Certain terms and conditions apply.
ll Prepaid Maintenance coverage is available for work performed at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Canada dealership only.


text:
CN027 – Concept 027 – Jump Through Hoops
The jump-through-hoops concept is common enough as a spoken analogy/metaphor, but it is rarely if ever illustrated on screen in presentations … until now. The hoops are split to allow something to "jump through" from the right, left, top, bottom, or diagonally – your choice. Animation makes this concept come alive. Be sure to download the animation scheme to see it in action. The animation scheme and field layering require slightly advanced formatting techniques. The tutorial will help you sort through the issues so that you can process your hoop slide more easily.
These hoops cannot be created and formatted in PowerPoint 2007, so it is an important addition to the PowerFrameworks library. The beveled semitransparent hoops/hoop segments are backed by a field that can accept color, so the hoops can take on your template's colors easily – it's a matter of working with layered fields.
This series is also the chart of the month for October 2007.
Key search words: hoops, obstacles, requirements, performance, steps to completion
This image is provided to show one example of how you could use this framework in a presentation.
Sorry, these examples are not available for download.
Click the back button on your browser to return to the previous page.


text: A great family experience where you can pet, feed and enjoy friendly animals from all over the world.Get face to face with all types of animals for interaction; opportunities not available at other zoos. In many cases, feeding and contact with the animals is encouraged which even further enhances your animal experience. Leave your binoculars at home but don't forget your camera for those once in a lifetime photo opportunities.


text: June 13, 2014 at 11:35 AM What to do with dad this weekend Posted by Lynn Jacobson Looking for ways to spend some QT with dad (or your favorite elder gentleman) this weekend? Here are a few suggestions. Feel free to share your own ideas with other readers on the comments thread. More Comments | More in List, The week ahead | Topics: Brewers Festival, Father's Day 2014, Festival Sundiata


text:
Product 3/34
Color: BlackMaterial: SuedeEvoking West Village cool, the Annaliza features the High Clog 4-inch heel, now crafted from beautiful beech wood. Rich and romantic, this mid-height boot showcases sumptuous suede, a woven story, and UGG®-exclusive floral lining.* Classic clog silhouette meets a higher heel alternative featuring full grain leathers and suedes showcasing a woven story. Oversized nailheads and logo rivets set apart this stylish collection.* Insole: : 4mm latex covered footbed. Leather lined heel with heat embossed UGG® logo and sheepskin lined forefoot.* Outsole: New beech wood outsole with 4"" heel height, and molded rubber in the heel and forefoot for traction. Oversized dome shaped nailheads and new UGG® logo rivet.* Mid suede boot with 3/4"" medial zipper* Woven detail along topline with backing* UGG® floral lining with satin finish* 8"" Shaft height* This product contains real fur from Sheep or Lamb* Fur Origin: Australia, European Union or United States* This product is made in China


text:
A client is coming today.....I can hardly wait.
images of pve design art studio
Looks like it is all taking shape. Can't wait to see your finished project. Take Care. Happy Easter. Cheers SpecialK XoXo
Your studio is looking great, fabulous large windows. Have a wonderful Easter!
So happy for you! You create dreams come true for people.
Looking fantastic Patricia! Xx
What a pretty window you face while working in a very chic studio. You deserve to have a beautiful studio.
oh this is sheer perfection. i can just picture you in it - the ultimate accessory!
congrats on a dream come true.
It is a heavenly space. I know you will create wonderful art there. Congrats.
What a delight to see your studio take shape and think of all the wonderful work you'll create there! I'm so happy for your dream come true!! XO
What a wonderful, wonderful space Patricia!! I can see why you love it! Love the new table. Congratulation on your dream coming true!
how exciting, love the light and clean lines!
How exciting--looks like a great space! And so glad you are facing South ;)
What a special space. So excited for you and your dream coming true!
I waited fourteen years for my studio so I know how you're feeling. I used to sit up in our empty shell of a carriage barn and dream. Then one day the husband came home and said let's renovate....Your studio is coming together so nicely Patricia.
yay! love it
Oh how I wish I was there to celebrate this new space with you!!!! It looks awesome! Love it! Congrats! Think I will have a glass of champagne to celebrate you and your new studio!!!
Your space is looking magnificent! Congratulations! Have a wonderful holiday!
It looks more beautiful than the first time I saw it!! I'm so happy my friend and can't wait to see what you create ours of your new space. xo
congrats patricia, your space is so large & bright, love it
sweet dreams
So wonderful to watch dreams come true. Not surprising you crave the southern light.
SO HAPPY FOR YOU! Your very own studio. I'll bet you've worked hard for it. I'm an artist too, and where I paint is right in the middle of our dining area. (North light for me) I'm always setting up and taking down. Would love to someday have my own space! Way to go! And, have a great Easter too!
I love how this is coming together! I mentioned this in my blog today....go see! Have a great day Patricia!!! Thanks for sharing!
I love what you're doing with your studio! Those pendants are fantastic and I'm so with you regarding southern light. We rented a beach house once that faced south and I would just stand next to the window and let the sun warm me up!! It's so therapeutic!
Am an interior designer too. Looking at your pictures am left wondering what is going up on your wall space? You have such a wide, wonderful, empty canvas and creative imagination...what are your plans?
I can't wait to see it Patricia! It's going to be great. I love those big windows, the table, the floor...very exciting!
This site is one of the best I have found :
" Progressive Home Insurance "
" allstate home insurance "
" progressive home insurance "
Excellent information and facts. Only real difficulty I was basically receiving was viewing the pics. No idea exactly why.
1.Best Home Interior Interior Design Seattle
2.Best Minimalist Design Minimalist Interior Design
3.Best Interior Design best interior design schools
I agree, for the most part, but don't you feel as if the issue is more complex than that?
=> Specs Review : 2013 Acura RDX <=
=> Specs Wallpaper: Mercedes Benz C300 <=
=> Specs Review Modifications: 2013 Audi TT RS <=


text:
Remember when I said that that I didn't like kaak?
Well, my colleagues convinced me I should give it another go, and ordered me a "Kaak bi Knefeh" this morning…
Let's just say, I retract my previous statement.
Remember when I said that that I didn't like kaak?
Well, my colleagues convinced me I should give it another go, and ordered me a "Kaak bi Knefeh" this morning…
Let's just say, I retract my previous statement.
Filed under life in Lebanon
So, we made our way back up to The Old City in search of the Manchester United vs. Chelsea game..yes..its true..football fans never take a vacation, and I happened to be in Byblos with some..To their delight, we managed to find a pub where the game was playing..
It wasn't long before we realized that there were two Americans in the pub who had done the same..They were quite easily distinguishable from the crowd with their loud running commentary of the entire match..I had forgotten how obnoxious the American accent sounds! Did I sound like THAT? My friends didn't mind so much, and were quite impressed to find Americans who knew their ish.
Two Americans (well 3 with me included), in Byblos, watching a football match between two English teams..go figure.
Anyway, we were sitting behind them, when I got the idea to snap this photo..
After the match, we headed back to Hotel Canari de Byblos to watch the sunset from our balcony..but not before spotting this rather odd sight..
Where was this woman going with her bleach blond hair, silver pants, and high-heeled boots, at 5:00pm in the afternoon in BYBLOS!? Did she not get the memo that she was walking around in the oldest inhabited city in the world, during Easter weekend? Blasphemy I tell you!
Well, I didn't know where she was going, but I soon figured out from whence she came!
Who could think to put a SUPER NIGHT CLUB in Byblos! To which someone would say, "well.. it is the oldest profession in the world.."
To which I would reply, "But still!"
Anyhow..after watching the sun disappear under the Mediterranean sea, we headed to Locanda, a Lebanese fusion restaurant located in the heart of The Old Souk..
Lychee martinis. Minimal tech house. Fusion Lebanese food.
I was blown away..(the service wasn't all that good, but I attributed it to the garish costumes that the owner made the staff wear)..and immediately my friends and I started planning the logistics of throwing monthly events at this restaurant that reminded me so much of Miami..
When suddenly my friend turned to me and said, "Can you believe we are talking about minimal tech house, djs, and throwing parties when, in the distance, there are ancient ruins from 2,000 years ago? Insane."
To my weekend lover, Byblos..you were amazing!
Filed under life in Lebanon, Vacationing in Lebanon


text:
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text:
Surely these people could get legitimately download a copy of Windows 7 by bittorrent? After all, they've got a license to the software.
Microsoft has been flooded with complaints from hundreds of disgruntled university bods who have struggled to download or successfully install Windows 7 files supplied by Digital River. As we reported last week, many UK-based university staff and students who stumped up £30 for Microsoft's Windows 7 academic offer were …
The unpack itself doesn't fail (though the error message implies that it does), all the files necessary for the installation get pulled out of the BOX files. Once you have these it is very easy to create a bootable ISO and burn it to a DVD.
Stop grumbling, my Windows 7 x64 laptop runs fine, it was previously Vista x86. While Digital River should obviously have seen this coming and I am not defending them, a quick google solved the problem.
I tried to buy some software from Digital River (their "Share-it" brand) but couldn't because their address fields don't work for UK credit cards. Then the bank details don't complete.
Sod all customer service from them, so my demo's expired and I've ended up going for some different software.
Hardly surprising to see this headline
I purchased the update for 64bit . Downloaded fast and it unpacked into a folder it was in no way a disk image . To get that you had to download the Win7 AIK (Another gb odd of data) which comes with no instructions . A quick google can get you the command line to turn the unusable folder into an iso . Then burn and install .
My laptop had Win7 RC1 32bit Ult on it , Custom install and format then the upgrade went straight in . No prompting for previous versions or anything . So unless it detected the Vista restore files in the hidden partition I have no idea why it worked at all .
Whole thing would of been a lot less painful with a straight up iso to begin with . Then again if they made it easy you wouldnt bother buying the backup disk now would you .....
"There is a widely accepted standard for passing images of discs in file form. This standard is cross-platform, supported by many pieces of software on many OSs and understood by just about everybody.
But as MS do not own this standard, it lacks MS-specific extension, gives tacit support for interoperability and cohesion in the IT world; MS cannot use it.
We therefore went for our own proprietary system that is totally MS centric and perfect for MS needs. It does not fit with customer needs, but those are not our concern.
Any customers with problems should go and buy a new PC from one of our partners.
This will let MS count the Win7 install for this user twice, stimulate the economy, drive down prices through increased consumption and save the world."
...you can understand why people just get ISO files from BitTorrent. Once again those who pay have the most aggro.
I'm starting to think we should have a Proprietary Technology tax and anything that doesn't use open standards has to pay it. Anything to get rid of the constant increase in crap standards, from Nespresso capsules to .BOX image formats. Companies who play the standards game properly can then benefit from being able to offer lower prices to consumers.
That's the high level - I've no idea how to make it work in real life though... :-s
Problems with Digital River? I'm shocked! Shocked!
This is a company that will basically give you the finger if you purchase something and then the download fails. They try to get customers to pay "protection money" on top of the price of the software "just in case" something bad happens. Dealing with them I've gotten the strong impression of a big guy in a bad suit saying "Youse wouldn't want nottin to happen to your download, would youse?" in a cheesy New-York accent.
Digital River and Microsoft together? A marriage made in heaven, no doubt.
I got Windows 7 on Friday night and after some confusion had it working by Saturday afternoon (and no I didn't work straight through the night). The instructions on My Digital Live (http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/10/23/how-to-create-and-make-bootable-windows-7-iso-from-exe-plus-setup1-box-and-setup2-box-files/) worked for me. I made one small change in that I didn't put a -1 before Win_en_DVD (as it didn't work if I did).
I'm writing this from my laptop in Windows 7 after reformatting and doing a clean install. Interestingly despite it being an upgrade license it didn't try and verify my previous license.
Despite the fact that I've found my first bug (screen brightness slider vanishes occasionally) I think this was £30 very well spent. A much better user experience than XP.
My upgrade from Vista x64 went according to plan until I searched back through my emails to find my product key. Turns out they haven't sent me one!
So i tried to get in touch with them. They're not answering the phone, which incidentally is an Irish number, so an international call from Blighty. I've resorted to leaving a message on the very generic "Contact Us" form, which told me that my order number doesn't exist.
Whether the unpackers and downloaders work or not this has to be the most cack-handed way of software delivery via intertube.
Look, Mr A. Punter was expecting to download a copy of Widnose 7 which, perfectly reasonably, he expected to 'run' and install. All us techies might find a way round the problems outlined here but it's grossly unfair on Mr Punter, you know, the average user who wants a simple upgrade.
WTF couldn't they have just made an iso copy of the install DVD?
100% agree.
Like nickrw, I have also unpacked the .box files and (after searching briefly via Google - try "Windows 7 upgrade bootable iso" or similar) managed to find a cmd command to make the files into a bootable .iso file.
Burned to blank media and was up and running with my install.
This DVD can then be used for as many installs as needed, providing you have purchased a key from Microsoft.
OK, so I think if people buy an upgrade without understanding the restrictions, that's the customers problem. I'm not going to gloat or anything, I don't know if x86 Ubuntu to x86-64 Ubuntu upgrades work either.
But BOX files? That's dumb. Really dumb. Just allow resumable downloads, with perhaps a torrent option, like everyone else distributing huge files.
[QUOTE]Stop grumbling, my Windows 7 x64 laptop runs fine, it was previously Vista x86. While Digital River should obviously have seen this coming and I am not defending them, a quick google solved the problem.[/QUOTE]
Well, you ARE defending them by telling people to stop grumbling. If anyone else's FREE updates fall over for more than maybe an hour, it's news. Charging for an upgrade and having it fail? Definitely worth grumbling over.
Gotta wonder if this wasn't something foisted upon them by various regulations.
They already have several perfectly decent ways of getting bits electronically to users (and MSDN uses .iso for everything) and they have payment systems so it wouldn't have been tough
You may be right about it working. According to the Microsoft site:
Error "We are unable to create or save new files in the folder in which this application was downloaded." This error occurs when you are in the unloading phase of the 64-bit Windows 7 download process and are running a 32-bit version of Windows such as Windows XP or Windows Vista 32-bit. This is by design as you cannot launch setup for the 64-bit version of Widows 7 while running a 32-bit operating system.
Ah well, I think I can afford to waste a DVD finding out if it burns properly.
I haven't seen anyone else mention this and thought it would be more widespread but apparently not. I ordered the Windows 7 Professional 64-bit version and backup DVD on 21st then got the e-mail saying it was ready to download just after midnight on 22nd. Downloaded and got confused by the non-ISO solution they'd chosen and burning the files to DVD didn't work. In the end I got it working but it was a pain.
A day or two later the backup DVD arrived but aside from that I received an e-mail about the problems encountered with downloading which also informed me that I was being refunded the £30 in full plus the cost of the backup DVD / extended download service if purchased while the software was mine to keep! Unexpected? Yes. Free copy of Windows 7 Professional? Yes. Happy customer? Definitely.
had the student download prob going from Vista x86 to win7 x64 but did the workround and burned .iso. everything now working and posting from win7 x64 pro for £30. Is anybody gonna be cheeky and try for a refund for all our troubles? no harm in it i guess. emailed digital river earlier so will wait and see. may get an early xmas present, you never know!
Nope. Could not get the ISO built or burt correctly - think my DVD burner is duff - resorted to putting it on a USB flash and installed that way. Formatted hgard drvie then realised my MBR was duff...do I destoryed it by installing ubuntu and then running the win 7 installer. Microsoft obviously don't like Linux because the installer worked a treat, erasing every scrap of Linux from my drive. Perfect install! And this was supposed to be upgrade only? No problem...
But, WHERE IS MY KEY? I bet you any money it'll take 30 days to get my damn key sent/put on the site. But will they respond to my emails?
I spent an entire morning battling with this god awful software, not least because it wqasn't even clear what file had downloaded. Three other people did the same as I did and went looking for the .iso and accidently deleted the completed download by relaunching the downloader expecting there to be a button on it.
Eventually it was sorted by putting it on a flash drive, burning it to a DVD might have worked if it then didn't ask for a driver for the DVD drive it was running from :S
Nickrw is indeed correct!
The 64-bit version appears to fail at the end of the unpack but has not. Once unpacked attempting to run the Setup program fails with an x86/64bit incompatibility error and initally this stumped by 16 year old son...
However a bit of googling reveals an M$ program called oscdimg.exe on Technet:
that's able to take the unpacked box files and make an ISO from them... run this process (takes about 15 mins) and burn the resultant ISO to a DVD (I used Infrarecorder - but Nero should do too) and you end up with a bootable DVD that works 100%
Ok, so a bumpy ride and an extra hour-and-a-halk but the 16 year old has his Windows-7 student edition installed and is back up and running... me... I us Ubuntu :-)
I am lacking my SERIAL KEY also! I printed out the page they asked you to do in order to get the serial number. I went back to check my innvoice online and there was no bloody serial for it so I am still wondering how on earth I managed to upgrade my Vista to Windows 7 by clicking "NEXT" button without putting any serial.
I do expect to get the serial within the next week or so but if that wont happen, I am going to ask my bank to stop the payment I made in order to purchase this Windows 7!
The reports of Digital river's fail here on El Regl, actually prompted me and most of my colleagues, the IT support dept of a sixth form college to take up the offer. Microsoft's incompetence keeps me in employment.
£30 quid for Pro is actually affordable - anyone who thinks £150 quid is a reasonable price can pay it the rest of us won't I will pay 30 though. Maybe the other £120 quid is for the CD?
I the download to our surprise did actually work. However it wouldn't expand its self on a network drive. Not being an ISO.Or having sufficient non networked space it was pretty useless. It did beat my attempts trying to make a bootable cd out of it. One of the others did manage, though he probably wasn't trying to use the version of nero cheapo addition that came with a craptop - by that time we'd got another copy of elsewhere that took our reasonably priced codes. So if your an IT tech in a college its a bloody good deal. If on the other hand your a punter god help you!
No normal (non pro IT) person I know could have safely (IE without destructions of data or other disaster) be expected to actually use this system. Your supposed to run set up from your XP drive (complete with restore partition and custom boot loader) and it will work properly. No Chance.
The only reason to go for it its for the License Key. And as the guy at the top says bittorrent (for all I know thats where the CD I used came from). In fact Microsoft please can you upload it to the pirate bay it would make it a lot easier!
"It would seem that despite the software requiring a clean install rather than a straightforward upgrade, many perplexed punters were still able to buy the software via Digital River, without being warned that their current OS was unable to perform the upgrade"
if you have an upgrade license you are only allowed to install windows over the top of an existing (licensed) copy. There's nothing to stop you performing a clean install, however.
The only roadbump is you _HAVE_ to start by booting up your old system and running the setup program on the disk. It then detects that you need to perform a clean install, and goes off and does it (noting that you previously had windows installed). When it comes time to acticate, it remembers that you had windows installed and lets you use an upgrade key.
I followed the advice about turning the dowloaded file into an iso and got Win 7 64 installed and then set about sticking all my other programmes in, I got nearly all the way when I stared to notice messages like," Hi you've just about got enough space to install Adobe reader 999.4 on this partition," what! a whole 85 GB. It had kept all three dowloads I had done, plus the iso and Old win at 35 gb, plus a whole bunch of other stuff, talk about a 'clean' install
Worked through the errors caused by unpacking a 64bit install on a 32bit system, built a usable ISO using 3rd party tools and instructions but still have no serial number! Nothing on the invoice, emails or online account.
Quite possibly the most cack handed software distribution I've ever seen.
I had the same issue as some others where I didn't get a serial number emailed to me. The second phone call (if you try and order a new copy once you have been given approval and login the I require help has a UK 0808 number) they eventually decided to read my serial number to me. Incidently even after getting the email through about retrieving my serial number, it didn't work.
Download ISO file, burn to disc using software included with prior version and boot from DVD.
Who are those idiots that claim Linux is too complicated?
Got two systems? Install twice. Got three? Install 3 times. Got ten. Install ten times.
Your problem is paying for too high a price for crap software distributed by a bunch of idiots trying to prevent you from using any software.
Not interested in anything Microsoft has to say.
Well after realising that my other half is still technically a student (even though she hasn't been on the course for over a year) I've stumped up £30 for the Home Premium version. It's downloading now but I'm paranoid about having any problems. Maybe we should have paid for the backup DVD or extended download.
Does anyone know by any chance if this version can be legally transferred to another PC (for instance if I upgrade my other half's PC)?
I was under the impression that it was an full version too, hey for 30 quid though you can't really argue. I was tempted to fork out for Office 2007 too, but nah, I'll stick with OpenOffice and save us £38.
Like others here, I've down loaded a set of files which will allegedly permit installation of Win7 - but no product key.
And since the Digital River site is screwed, you can't get in to their customer support site. A valic customer order is rejected.
You thus can't contact them!
MS are useless - they won;t provide a key (fair enough) but don;t know a Digital River telephone number (not fair enough - they are working with DR and I suspect are being deluged with complaints)
I just tried to use the bootable flash solution to install Windows 7 on a laptop and so plugged my memory stick into a Windows 7 PC to check the contents. It told me it was installing drivers to use the device and then told me I would have to restart the PC.
Are we going backwards here?
You can in fact get an ISO image from DigitalRiver - if you say you're upgrading from a 32bit system to a 64bit version of Win7. No problem there, I have the ISO image on DVD now. Go to install it though, and lo and behold - the key is invalid. It takes 2 days for DigRiver to reply to messages, and then they just refer you back to the 'how to enter a licence key' help page. If you (even politely) point out that you're a SysAdmin and can quite competently enter a licence key, you simply get ignored. I've contacted MS UK, but so far haven't heard back from them either.
If the Win7 launch was supposed to erase all the bad karma surrounding Vista, then IMHO MS have failed dismally. Again. I guess I'll be staying with XP 64bit a while longer... and will be demanding a refund which will no doubt, also be ignored. Pissed off? Me? Whatever gave you that idea...
Joke icon, cos thats what the Win7 for Students promo is. An absolute fucking joke.


text:
Inspired by "Faded Rose" from designer Cherie Ralston
Quiltmaker: Laura Boehnke
1/2 yard multicolor stripe (block borders)
4—18x22" pieces (fat quarters) large florals (blocks)
1-3/4 yards blue tone-on-tone (sashing, binding)
1/2 yard blue-and-white diagonal check (sashing squares)
3-1/2 yards backing fabric
61" square batting
Finished quilt: 54-1/2" square
Finished block: 16" square
Quantities are for 44/45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.


text:
July 11, 2013
After months of development, ReTake Artist and Music Listing and Promotion Service just unveiled its new website — a dedicated listing service for bands, singers, songwriters and musicians. While announcing the company's commitment to signing former television talent show contestants of shows like American Idol and The Voice, president Kenneth Schwartz emphasized that the company also handles established talent — as evidenced by the endorsement of Michael Jackson's beautiful niece, Tanay Jackson!
ReTake provides innovative marketing solutions to help artists promote and grow their business. "The website offers far more exposure than other popular platforms that typically handle millions of participants and whose artists tend to get lost in the confusion," says Schwartz. "Instead, ReTake understands it is fans that drive popularity and success, so fans are free on our platform. As the fans discover new music or find out more about favorite artists, this will increase the popularity of the artist's profile." The company has made it easier for fans to follow their favorite artist and have likewise simplified the process for artists to keep fans informed about new music, releases, promotions, concerts and shows.
ReTake will be bringing in talent from all corners of the world. They offer unique features and their packages will be customized to the individual artist to have the maximum affect on their marketing and promotional success.
Tanesha Jonelle 'Tanay' Rodney-Jackson is the only daughter of Tito Jackson. The new up and coming Pop R&B artist and niece of world famous Michael Jackson started off as a Theatrical Dancer and accredited Songwriter and is now the new delight springing out on her own. Her sound is fun, emotional, and sexy.


text:
I run a Daily Newspaper, called the Daily Felstaph. It runs every day, and is currently on its seventeenth Issue, having celebrated its four month birthday last Tuesday. You can read the Daily Felstaph here. However it is in an unmoderated forum that you need to apply for The Truly Free ). You can read all the way up to issue #20 there, whereas here it's intentionally a few issues behind (Currently #17). (Also free bonus supplement: The Felsport!)
Felsport #1
Felsport #2
Issue #1
I need to search where the sun don't shine.
It's me, drowning_in_tears. Remember? You wrote a comment on my livejournal entry about how I was planning to kill my mom for making me tidy my room.
Wait, today is March 16th, 2000, right?
Proved by Shientishts
Jesus, I thought that was a mop. That explains its aversion to detergent...
Ah, but which author penned the alternative title text? WE JUST DO NOT KNOW.
Yeah, I scared the shit out of him by replacing the Windows default beep sound to "hal.wav"
I think you'll find it's a boomerang. And, hey, don't you ever knock?
PPS: This thing doesn't even have driversplanet.com USB 1.0 support
At least the beret is still attached. I also "fixed" your ceiling cat problem.
'Why are you protesting?' 'He just discovered a cure for cancer'
Dammit, what the hell did I just say?
It was all fun and games until grandma picked out PRNSTAR
I immediately regretted the decision to ask my family how to use flow charts
The sad thing is, I just wanted to tell you I've bought you motorcycling lessons. ...Why the hell do you have that thing in the house, anyway?


text:
WEYBURN, Saskatchewan, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- United Food and Commercial Workers lost its toehold in Canadian Walmart stores when workers in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, voted to decertify the union.
The vote to end their union affiliation came on a 51-5 vote this week, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.
The union had been the Walmart workers' bargaining agent since 2008 but never negotiated a contract with the U.S. discount retailer, the CBC said.
Union officials contended the decertification process was unfair but Canada's Supreme Court dismissed the union's request that it take up the matter, clearing the way for the vote.
Workers at two other Canadian Walmarts had voted to unionize in the past, but Walmart closed one of them, in Jonquiere, Quebec, and employees at the St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, store later voted to decertify, the CBC said.


text:
Stone -- innovative, art-directed stock images
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text:
A growing number of application developers are using Web technologies to build client-side software. With the help of sophisticated frameworks and library standardization efforts, JavaScript has evolved beyond its humble roots as a tool for form validation and is seeing adoption in a wide range of environments.
A strong sign that this trend is gaining momentum is this week's news that Appcelerator has acquired Aptana. The acquisition is a compelling move that makes sense on several different levels. Appcelerator's flagship product is the open source Titanium development framework, which allows developers to build desktop and mobile applications with Web technologies. Aptana is a tooling company that offers a popular Eclipse-based Web development IDE. By bringing their products together, Appcelerator can offer a complete platform.
On the desktop, Titanium offers a Web runtime that operates similarly to Adobe AIR. Titanium's real strength, however, is its solution for mobile development. Titanium provides a framework and compiler stack for building native mobile applications with JavaScript. The Titanium mobile APIs include a widget library and an assortment of other useful features. Developers use these APIs in JavaScript to build a complete program, which can then be compiled for either Android or iOS. The resulting mobile application will use the target platform's own native user interface widgets—it doesn't just ape the look and feel, it literally uses the native widgets.
Titanium brings together the advantages of a cross-platform code base, a high-level dynamic programming language, and conformance with mobile platform user interface conventions. It seems like a pretty sweet deal on paper, but it has some frustrating weaknesses in practice. Because it has a compilation step, but does no sanity checking on your code, you are essentially getting the worst aspects of both the compiled and interpreted worlds. The compilation step impedes rapid, iterative development and the lack of type and syntax checking makes it difficult to spot bugs and identify the cause of issues when the program misbehaves.
Titanium is still useful despite those limitations, but it could be a lot stronger. Better tools could help unlock Titanium's potential and iron out the wrinkles that diminish developer productivity. That's why Aptana and Appcelerator are a really good match. In a blog entry about the acquisition, Appcelerator CEO Jeff Haynie wrote about some of the potential advantages of the acquisition.
"As we look towards building out a complete app development solution, one thing we've heard loud and clear from our developer community is the need for better tools that tie into the platform and bring enterprise-grade features like debugging, code completion, integrated document, and editing tools," he wrote. "Aptana has made great strides in all of these areas, and they'll be a great addition to Appcelerator Titanium."
We briefly discussed the acquisition with Haynie following the announcement. He says that the first priority is to deliver a debugging tool, and he estimates it will take only six weeks to get something up and running. In the future, he imagines that Aptana will supply a powerful Titanium IDE with all of the trimmings, and possibly even an integrated store from which developers will be able to obtain additional components and libraries for their applications.
Although supporting Titanium is going to be a big priority for Aptana's tools, Haynie also expressed enthusiasm for continuing to advance the Aptana IDE's features to support conventional Web development. During our conversation, he pointed out that many mobile applications consume data from Web services. He envisions the Aptana and Titanium technology stacks being used together to build Web applications and cloud-connected mobile clients.
I also asked Haynie about potential plans for extending Titanium's platform support. The mobile version currently works with Android and iOS. He says that Blackberry support is currently in beta and the company has also been kept busy with its effort to strengthen support for tablet form factors. They are investigating Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 operating system, but haven't decided whether they want to add it to the lineup yet.
Titanium is a really impressive technical feat and has the potential to be a great solution for rapid mobile development. The infusion of great tools and tooling expertise from Aptana will fill in some of the gaps and could help make Titanium a more practical choice for developers.


text:
Oracle VP Product Marketing, Oracle Cloud Platform Dain Hansen and MIT Professor Thomas Malone discuss how artificial intelligence and machine learning power the new workforce. What should forward-thinking businesses do to maximize success?
Forward-looking organizations are embedding AI and machine learning technologies into their infrastructure and fundamental business processes. In this new research from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, discover why they are making these critical investments.
Oracle makes it easy for enterprises to realize value from artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML). Through Oracle's ready-to-go, AI-powered cloud applications, business teams can drive better business outcomes through intelligent features such as next-best offers in our CX suite or smart candidate lists in our HCM suite. Oracle's ready-to-build AI platform gives data scientists and application developers a range of cloud services to easily build, train, deploy, and manage AI-powered solutions. With ready-to-work Oracle Autonomous Database platforms, machine learning is working behind the scenes to automate security patching and backups and optimize database query performance. Discover how a modern cloud architecture—powered by AI— can be just what your business needs.
Oracle's suite of SaaS applications with embedded AI capabilities transforms your business with smarter outcomes such as recommended sales actions, intelligent supplier categorization, smart candidate lists, and personalized product recommendations. These applications span the entire enterprise—from ERP to customer experience—to enable digital transformation.
Oracle Adds AI-Sourced and Managed Data to Cloud Applications
Oracle's AI Platform isn't a single tool, but a collection of products, services, and capabilities for building AI-powered solutions. The platform consists of tools for every step in the modern machine learning lifecycle—from developing machine-learning models to building intelligent applications to integrating machine learning outputs into business intelligence and visualization tools—so it's accessible by business teams. The platform features a portfolio of data management solutions which offer unmatched ability to store and process data at any scale—and data integration tools to ensure data in any format can be accessed for machine learning model building. The platform runs on top of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, which is optimized for running AI workloads, offering high-speed network fabric and a wide range of GPU and CPU compute options for small- to large-scale model building, training, and production deployments.
Oracle redefines data management with the world's first self-driving, self-securing, and self-repairing autonomous database. Offered in two versions, Autonomous Database is optimized for transactional and mixed workloads and for analytics and reporting workloads. Through embedded machine-learning and automation, Autonomous Database eliminates complexity, human error, and manual management, helping ensure greater reliability and security as well as improved operational efficiency.
Autonomous Database for Dummies
Realizing your AI ambitions takes finding the right partner to execute on your vision. Build your AI strategy using Oracle's extensive ecosystem of trained partners, consultants, educational resources, and machine learning research labs.
Oracle offers a complete portfolio of products, services, and differentiated capabilities to power your enterprise with artificial intelligence. For business users, Oracle offers ready-to-go AI- powered cloud applications with intelligent features that drive better business outcomes. With Oracle's ready-to-build AI Platform, data scientists and application developers have a full suite of cloud services to build, deploy, and manage AI-powered solutions. With Oracle's ready-to-work Autonomous Database, machine learning is working behind the scenes to automate security patching, backups, and optimize database query performance, which helps to eliminate human error and repetitive manual tasks so organizations can focus on higher-value activities.
Oracle offers a comprehensive portfolio of data management solutions consisting of the world's first autonomous database and large-scale NoSQL, big data, and streaming data platforms. Oracle delivers unmatched scale for storing and processing virtually any data format—structured or unstructured—giving data scientists the ability to access the data they need to prepare high-quality input data and build more accurate machine learning models.
Oracle's infrastructure is optimized for faster, concurrent, and distributed training of machine learning models that require high quality input data and large amounts of compute capacity. Oracle's infrastructure offers high-throughput data pipelines that feed input data at high speeds to massively parallel GPU and CPU compute clusters over a high-bandwidth networking layer.
Oracle offers an integrated, end-to-end platform to build AI-driven applications—from data source to data science to intelligent application. Leverage the data you need to build machine learning models using the latest open source frameworks like Tensorflow, Keras, H2O.ai, and Caffe2. Deploy models as REST APIs from the Oracle Data Science Platform and build intelligent applications around those APIs with Oracle's broad range of application development platforms.
Oracle's suite of SaaS applications with embedded AI capabilities transforms your business with smarter outcomes such as recommended sales actions, intelligent supplier categorization, smart candidate lists, and personalized product recommendations. These applications span the entire enterprise from ERP to customer experience—to enable digital transformation.
Whether you're building AI, supporting AI development, or using AI-driven applications, Oracle offers solutions for every role.View AI solutions by role
See how Oracle's products and services can help your business overcome the core challenges to getting value with AI.View AI solutions by business challenge
See why Oracle is the right partner to help guide your journey with AI. Watch the on-demand webcast.
Explore considerations on ethics and data in the age of artificial intelligence. Watch the on-demand webcast.
Discover how to unleash the power of your data. Join us for a webcast series that explores the benefits of Oracle Autonomous Database. Register today.
Accenture Managing Director Pat Sullivan discusses the tremendous business potential of AI and how his company is leveraging Oracle's AI technology to deliver innovation to its clients.
Exelon IT Principal Architect Kumar Thakur discusses how this Fortune 100 utilities company plans to reach millions of its customers using Oracle's AI-driven chatbots.
Find out how EBTH uses Oracle Data Science Cloud to power its business with machine learning.
The University of Adelaide uses Oracle intelligent bots to reduce the burden on its contact center and improve the student experience.


text:
GOP Senate may run purple
Republicans on the campaign trail say they're going to take control of the Senate in November.
But what they don't say is that they'll still need Democrats to get anything done.
Story Continued Below
Much like the last four years of Majority Leader Harry Reid's tenure, when the Nevada Democrat relied on picking off swing Republicans, a GOP-led Senate would almost certainly be closely divided. A Senate led by Mitch McConnell and a narrow Republican majority would empower a small band of moderates like Joe Manchin, a conservative West Virginia Democrat, who GOP leaders would be forced to woo to pass anything at all.
( PHOTOS: 10 tough Senate races for Democrats)
A GOP majority would still have to depend on Democrats to break 60-vote filibusters — which means that conservatives' biggest priorities would be unlikely to succeed. Still, Republicans would have free rein to block and stymie President Barack Obama's nominations to key Cabinet and judicial positions other than the Supreme Court.
"It's very hard to get 60 votes if you don't compromise," said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). "And so this notion that they're going to be able to exact this right-wing agenda? That's fantasyland."
If Republicans win the Senate, McConnell (R-Ky.) — the prospective majority leader if he wins reelection — would be in a bind: stuck between demands of the tea party and moderates in both parties who are willing to strike a deal. Enter Manchin, who exemplifies the type of Democrat that McConnell would have to work with.
"I am who I am. I don't fit anywhere," Manchin said of his politics, too conservative for most Democrats but too liberal for most Republicans. Even so, he's considering donating to GOP incumbents who share his centrist tendencies.
( Also on POLITICO: 10 questions for Election 2014)
The next two years in Congress will also determine whether a new wave of younger senators decide to become institutionalists or cut short their Senate service and leave the chamber. If more gridlock ensues, deal-making pols like Manchin could head for the exits sooner than expected. In an interview, Manchin said he was "absolutely" considering another run for West Virginia governor in 2016; his Senate term doesn't end until 2018.
The West Virginia Democrat is a key voice among pragmatic lawmakers who can control whether the next majority's agenda will sink or swim in the final two years of Obama's presidency — no matter who is in charge. In this Congress, these centrist Democrats and Republicans up for reelection in 2016 from blue and purple states have already exerted themselves on jobless benefits, gun control and employment discrimination and are bound to play an even more central role in 2015.
( PHOTOS: Senators up for election in 2014)
Moderate Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as well as Rob Portman of Ohio, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Mark Kirk of Illinois, helped pass the recent extension of jobless benefits against their party's will. They will likely hold trump cards in the next Congress, too, and all but Collins face voters in two years in purple and blue states.
They will be joined in the Senate's centrist core by Democrats who won red states in 2012, like Manchin, McCaskill and Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, as well as members of the class of 2014 who survive tough races in Arkansas, North Carolina, Louisiana and Alaska.
With their ability to single-handedly stall legislation, all senators have enormous power to upset even the most carefully orchestrated leadership plans. But as the recent battle over extending jobless benefits made clear, a handful of Republicans and moderate Democrats can be pivotal in striking bipartisan deals that can actually clear the Senate.
Even conservatives up for reelection in 2016 like Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania voted with Democrats to open debate on the jobless bill in March, surprising members in both parties. While they both ended up voting against the bill to help the long-term unemployed, Republicans from blue states say their forays into aisle-crossing should surprise no one.
"Your political opponents have an incentive to draw a caricature that's inaccurate," said tea party favorite Toomey, who last year cut a deal with Manchin on gun legislation and voted for a bill to broaden workplace protections to gays and lesbians. "There were inaccurate characterizations of who I am and what I'm about. And time and actual history fleshes out the truth and reality."
( WATCH: POLITICO's Driving the Day)
In this fall's elections, there are numerous paths to a Senate Republican majority by winning a net of at least six seats to retake power in the chamber for the first time since 2006. Republicans say the problems that come with holding a Senate majority are something they're eager to have, even if being in the minority has occasionally empowered individual Republicans by forcing Democratic leaders to work with GOP lawmakers willing to cut a deal.
"Setting hearings on issues is really the vital aspect of a majority," said John McCain of Arizona, one of 43 senators who have served under a Republican Senate majority leader.


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March 13, 2019
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"Following the Constitution back to one nation under God; indivisible; with liberty and justice for all."
Founders Quotes
The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy.
~Benjamin Franklin, Emblematical Representations, 1774
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text:
Rachida Dati "can't stand" Brussels anymore?
Date created : Latest update :
INTERNATIONAL PRESS REVIEW: The Guardian leads with the latest controversy surrouding Rachida Dati, a former French Justice Minister and Sarkozy protégé who is now an MEP. She was recorded saying she "could not stand it anymore" during a sitting of the European Parliament
The Guardian
Frustrated French MEP caught out by TV microphone
The Guardian
Italian student tells of arrest while filming for fun
The Guardian
These cities within cities are eating up Britain's streets
The Moscow Times
U.S., Russia may sign a new treaty
Washington Post
Gay Marriage approved in Washington D.C.
Berlusconi set for release from hospital after attack


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Available languages: Chinese, English, French & Spanish
With the appropriate and effective use of cost and risk management tools and processes, you will increase the chances of meeting your project objectives even in uncertain environments.
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Tag: Maldives National Defence Force
How long does it take Maldivian police service to answer a email ? / Efficiency of Maldivian Police Service
by Nashath Rafeeq on May.21, 2014, under Uncategorized
TL;DR: Maldives Police service has a non functioning email address listed as there contact service.IT takes 55 days to reply a email with a non answer answer once it is sent to "proper" email address. They are incompetent or lazy or plain just do not care of serving the public in any manner.
I sent this email to Maldives Police service after my grandmother had to spend 45 minutes in a ambulance unable to get into the house after some asshole parked in front of my house blocking the door. The police took 30 minutes to respond and only thing after they arrived was place a sticker (summon) on the vehicle and stood around. Once i got to know about this i sent the letter to Police asking them some questions. on 18th of February 2014. The email address I sent this email to was on there contact us page http://www.police.gov.mv/#contact. Here is a screen shot in case they change it take on 5/21/2014
Mr Commissionaire of Police;What is your services KPI for responding to calls ? Is your service classified as a emergency / first responder service? If so is 30 minutes acceptable time arrive any place in Male ? Why did we have to find the owner of the vehicle and contact the offending driver ourselves ?. I managed to contact your duty officer in charge today from what he told me the average response time is 10 minutes for male. So why did it take 30 minutes for the officers to arrive at my house. They were clearly informed that a elderly sick patient was on a stretcher that could not be brought into the house. On top of that when I asked him why did the officers not move the van and put a sticker on it and look on. I was told that this was due to not having tow vehicle in police. If they did not have tow vehicles why did they not break the glass to disengage the parking break to move it ? And are you seriously telling me Police service has such a lack of resources it is easier for a citizen to find the owner of a vehicle than police ?. I inquired from your duty officer what if my grandmother was stuck inside the house and we had to rush her out to hospital will Police take responsibility for any thing that happens to her cause of your services dillydally lack luster response ? or will your service throw your hands up in the air and say that there is nothing that could be done about it ?


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Online counselling and psychotherapy: Advantages, disadvantages, and effectiveness. Telephone counselling.
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CHEROKEE � A Cherokee man is among three people arrested in the shooting death of a woman during an armed robbery in a motel parking lot across from Harrah's Cherokee Casino.
Chief Ben Reed of the Cherokee Indian Police Department said 36-year-old George Nobles is charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Reed said 76-year-old Barbara Preidt of Shelbyville, Ind., was shot and killed on Sept. 30. The couple had just returned to the motel and was getting out of their car when a masked gunman approached them and grabbed the woman's purse. The chief said Preidt struggled to hang onto the purse before the robber fired a handgun at close range.
Reed said federal charges are pending against the three.


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Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
Reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers were able to fix "misfolded" proteins and restore their function in mice. Lead researcher Michael Conn discusses how to mend an incorrectly folded protein and what this may mean for developing future therapies for a variety of diseases.


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I guess you must have been too blown away by IKWIG (who wouldn't?) to notice that this disc clearly isn't 'one of the finest dvds out there'. Dirt and speckles aside, a lot of chroma noise and other artefacting. I really wish they'd re-do this one, as the extras blow away any other edition of the film. But the image, sadly, doesn't.HerrSchreck wrote:Red Shoes, Blimp, IKWIG, Canterbury Tale... some of the finest DVDs out there. I'm sure Stairway won't disappoint.
The prospect of "A matter of life and death" on CC is great, of course. One of their most charming and immediately accessible films. A film for all ages and tastes, I'd say (whereas I could imagine that there are viewers who don't get excited over "Canterbury Tale" because of the 'lack of action'). I found the courtroom scene a little contrived and too didactic, too, but for me, the mise-en-scene manages to save it. There are precedents for this, of course, Lang's "Liliom" being the most obvious, but it's all handled with a typical ingenuity and inventiveness that clearly shows that Powell had done parts of "Thief of Bagdad" before.


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- Natural areas
- Contact information
- For information on State Natural Areas, contact:
- Thomas Meyer
Natural areas conservation biologist
Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program Day Lake (No. 189)
Within the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, Vilas County. T41N-R6E, Sections 1, 2. 209 acres.
Extremely scenic and undeveloped, Day Lake is a 117-acre seepage lake with very sterile, exceptionally clear water. The lake's sandy bed is visible in 28 feet of water and supports an excellent example of "sterile rosette flora" - small, stiff-leaved plants that hug the bottom. These small plants are indicative of the very soft water conditions. The specialized flora includes water lobelia and quillwort. Other aquatic plants include dwarf water milfoil, seven-angle pipewort, small waterwort, and narrow-leaved bur-reed. Emergent vegetation consisting of sweet gale, leather-leaf, alder, and three-way sedge forms a zone along the lakeshore. The lake has a watershed of only 510 acres and 3.5 miles of gravelly upland shoreline. Bass and panfish comprise the fishery. Two primitive campsites on the lakeshore may be reserved. Day Lake is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1983.
Driving directions
From the intersection of Highways 51 and 47 in Woodruff, go north on Highway 51 10 miles, then north and west on Day Lake Road 3.5 miles, then south on Day Lake Landing Road 0.2 mile to a boat landing at the north end of Day Lake. The lake and shoreline is best explored by canoe or kayak. It has more than 3.5 miles of undeveloped shoreline, making for an enjoyable paddle. Electric motors only are permitted on the lake.
Day Lake is owned by:
The DNR's state natural areas program is comprised of lands owned by the state, private conservation organizations, municipalities, other governmental agencies, educational institutions and private individuals. While the majority of SNAs are open to the public, access may vary according to individual ownership policies. Public use restrictions may apply due to public safety, or to protect endangered or threatened species or unique natural features. Lands may be temporarily closed due to specific management activities. Users are encouraged to contact the landowner for more specific details.
The data shown on these maps have been obtained from various sources, and are of varying age, reliability, and resolution. The data may contain errors or omissions and should not be interpreted as a legal representation of legal ownership boundaries.
Very few State Natural Areas have public facilities, but nearly all are open for a variety of recreational activities as indicated below. Generally, there are no picnic areas, restrooms, or other developments. Parking lots or designated parking areas are noted on individual SNA pages and maps. Trails, if present, are typically undesignated footpaths. If a developed trail is present, it will normally be noted on the SNA map and/or under the "Access" tab. A compass and topographic map or a GPS unit are useful tools for exploring larger, isolated SNAs.
Allowable activities
In general, the activities listed below are allowed on all DNR-owned SNA lands. Exceptions to this list of public uses, such as SNAs closed to hunting, are noted under the "Access" tab above and posted with signs on site.
- Hiking
- Fishing
- Cross country skiing
- Hunting
- Trapping
- Scientific research (permit required)
- Outdoor education
- Wild edibles (What is this?)
- Pets (Rules)
- Wildlife viewing
Prohibited activities
- Camping and campfires
- Collecting of animals (other than legally harvested species), non-edible fungi, rocks, minerals, fossils, archaeological artifacts, soil, downed wood, or any other natural material, alive or dead. Collecting for scientific research requires a permit issued by the DNR
- Collecting of plants including seeds, roots or other non-edible parts of herbaceous plants such as wildflowers or grasses
- Geocaching
- Horseback riding
- Rock climbing
- Vehicles, including bicycles, ATVs, aircraft, and snowmobiles except on trails and roadways designated for their use
For rules governing state-owned SNAs and other state lands, please consult Chapter NR 45 Wis. Admin. Code [exit DNR]


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Life history may affect mutation rates in males more than in females
Scientists at Penn State have used large-scale DNA sequencing data to investigate, for the first time, a longstanding evolutionary assumption: that DNA mutation rates are influenced by life-history traits, including metabolic rate and the length of time between generations. The research team found, for example, a higher rate of DNA mutations in the male sperm versus the female egg. One of the many implications of this research is that life-history traits of extinct species now could be discoverable.


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MIAMI—Tropical Storm Erin is making its way across the Atlantic and could weaken slightly in the next day or two.
The National Hurricane Center said Saturday that Erin was centered over the Atlantic Ocean, about 815 miles (1,310 kilometers) west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. It was moving northwest at about 12 mph (19 kph).
It does not pose a threat to land.
The storm's maximum sustained winds were around 40 mph (64 kph), though it could begin losing some strength on Sunday.


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No one was popping Champagne corks on Tuesday, but there was quiet satisfaction and trading of some joyful e-mails after the Bloomington City Council agreed to renovate the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge.
For years, preservationists, bikers, walkers and nature lovers joined forces to lobby for a crossing over Long Meadow Lake, holding rallies, attending meetings and fuming at Bloomington's inaction as the bridge in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge slowly rusted away.
On Monday night, the council voted 5-2 to fix the 1920 bridge, one of the few remaining remnants of old Bloomington. If all goes as planned, it will reopen in 2015 to foot and bike traffic, linking trails in Hennepin and Dakota counties.
Bloomington Historical Society stalwart Larry Granger, who sat through dozens of bridge meetings over the years, was in the front row at Bloomington Civic Plaza for the council vote.
"Here we go, finally," he said Tuesday. "This is a very big deal ... so much more than a bike connection.
"The river valley is where Bloomington started, both with Native Americans and early farmers. What it is, is a turning back to the river."
Bloomington state DFL Rep. Ann Lenczewski, who fashioned legislation this year that forced the Bloomington council to take action on the bridge before it could access $250 million for the expansion of the Mall of America, said she watched the pivotal council meeting on TV.
After the vote, she was deluged with e-mails.
"I'm just thrilled," she said. "It is so important that they did this. … It is easy to be a leader on things that are black and white and simple. This doesn't have that perfect set of variables, but they got it done."
The bridge, which closed to vehicle traffic in 1993 and totally closed in 2002, was dumped on the reluctant city by the state in 1981. Even though bridge enthusiasts and historians see something rare and beautiful in the bridge's five spidery black steel camelback spans, for Bloomington it has been an albatross.
Federal officials have long maintained that the bridge, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, had to be rehabbed, not replaced. They reinforced that opinion in a letter last month. City officials were willing to build a new bridge, but they balked at spending millions more to renovate an antique that no one wants and that city officials believe will be costly to maintain even if it is rehabbed.
Lenczewski's bill pushed the council to take action, with an added carrot of $9 million in new money for the bridge project. Bloomington now has $14.3 million available for the bridge rehab, with the job costing an estimated $12.7 million.
"The state stuck it to the city of Bloomington, and in the end the state is paying the tab," said Lenczewski, who was once a Bloomington council member.
Bicyclists delighted
The bridge vote didn't come soon enough for bike advocate David Gepner of Richfield. He pedals long distances in groups. By the time the bridge reopens, he said, he will have spent almost 14 years taking miles-long detours to cross the Minnesota River. When the Old Cedar Bridge is rehabbed, it will provide a link to a pedestrian-bike bridge that hangs from the Hwy. 77 bridge.
"Why did it have to take so long?" Gepner said. "This is a major route across the river between Bloomington and Eagan. One of my regrets is that we never counted the bikers that used the [Old Cedar] bridge. The numbers will be impressive."
Joining those bikers on the rehabbed bridge will be hikers and birders, who before the bridge closed used it to observe migrating waterfowl and birds on Long Meadow Lake. Charlie Blair, who managed the Minnesota Valley Refuge until he became Midwest refuge manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this year, said it was great to "finally have a decision."
He expects a reopened bridge to bring more people to the refuge. Lori Nelson, executive director of the Friends of the Minnesota Valley, agreed and credited Lenczewski for forging a solution to the bridge dilemma.
The nonprofit Friends of the Minnesota Valley works to protect the area near the river from pollution and overdevelopment. Most people get to know that area not be being on the river, but by hiking and biking nearby, Nelson said.
"Anybody who works with environmental issues knows that the more you get people out to use the resource, the more people will advocate for it," she said. "I really like it that we will get people down to the flood plain.
"This is a major step forward."


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Why Coach Has Been a Fashionable Buy
If you follow luxury retail companies, a search for commentary that bashes Coach and praises Michael Kors Holdings Ltd takes just a few seconds. The industry space is extremely competitive, and other names such as Kate Spade & Co and Tory Burch look to take market share, but consumers continue to prove that the space has room for many successful brands. While Michael Kors' and Kate Spade's runs have been exciting, Coach is preparing to get back in the race for luxury love.
Flying coach under the radar
Short-term investors will gripe about Coach's stock being down over 10% for 2014, but long-term investors will focus on metrics such as the company's 24% growth in free cash over the past three years. Buybacks over the same three years have aided earnings per share to bring the stock to a P/E that that stands 35% lower than the industry average as classified by Morningstar.
Despite its stock's struggles in the US, Coach opened 24 new factory stores that helped its North American sales rise 4.9%. Although this growth pales in comparison with the 138 total store openings Michael Kors has achieved as of its fiscal year that ended just over one year ago, Coach's growth is significant considering that the company is in a rebranding phase.
The rebranding mentioned above is led by Coach's executive creative director Stuart Vevers. The designer often receives credit for giving English luxury brand Mulberry a high-profile image and he received the award of Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Design awards during his tenure at the company. This is no guarantee of success, but appointing a designer who has worked with Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton is a move in the right direction.
A crowded catwalk
Hearing people say "Coach is a dead brand" confuses me. Struggles aside, Coach raked in over $5 billion in revenue in 2013 and increased its sales in China by 25%. The underlying problem when it comes to the stock is that rebuilding phases are rarely favorable for share prices, and it doesn't help that Coach's main competitors are breaking company records every quarter.
Fashion is a cyclical business because people are temperamental by nature. Beyond human psychology, markets are becoming healthy enough to support multiple big names in the same sector in the world of luxury retail and beyond. A stroll through a local mall will reveal customers at AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile; rarely is one store packed while the other two are empty because phones are always in demand. Luxury retail goods aren't going anywhere either.
Department stores feature luxury handbags with custom displays, but when consumer habits change some brands will get more space than others do. At the moment, Michael Kors is the handbag of choice and the brand is extremely popular across generations. However, Coach is still growing ahead of the September fashion lineup, which will bring the first collection from Vevers. If his proclamation that "this brand resonates with everyone in America" is anywhere near true, things are looking bright after the summer.
Lifestyle competition
Michael Kors gets the most attention among the Coach competitors, but Kate Spade could be even more formidable in the future. Much like Coach, Kate Spade is after more than being the handbag of choice. On a mission to hit $4 billion in sales, Spade's chief executive officer Craig Leavitt is focusing on categories such as fragrances, jewelry, watches, and sunglasses. Just as with the smartphone war for brand supremacy, Kate Spade is trying to become the brand of choice in luxury retail. Leavitt comes from Ralph Lauren Corp and looks to follow in that company's footsteps in gaining a presence in the home as well; the company will offer table linens this year.
Coach is becoming known for more than handbags as well, which shows in its successful men's business. In its fiscal 2013, Coach's men's division increased its portion of company net sales by 3%. It may not sound like much, but this steady growth could result in the division hitting $1 billion in sales by fiscal 2016. The only other division that grew along with the men's division is categorized as "all other products," which includes smaller goods, sunglasses, and fragrances.
Wake up before September
The new collection from Vevers will hit stores in September, but the stock may not remain as attractive for too long. Although it hasn't exploded in growth like Kate Spade or Michael Kors, Coach sports a forward P/E which is a quarter of the value of Kate Spade and half of the value of Michael Kors, as reported by Morningstar. At just 13.8, this stands below the average of the entire S&P 500, and the stock yields a healthy 2.72%. If Coach's growth plan pans out anywhere near its projected success and the company can maintain its 31.4% median operating margin, it's simply a steal.
Your credit card may soon be completely worthless
The plastic in your wallet is about to go the way of the typewriter, the VCR, and the 8-track tape player. When it does, a handful of investors could stand to get very rich. You can join them -- but you must act now. An eye-opening new presentation reveals the full story on why your credit card is about to be worthless -- and highlights one little-known company sitting at the epicenter of an earth-shaking movement that could hand early investors the kind of profits we haven't seen since the dot-com days. Click here to watch this stunning video.
The article Why Coach Has Been a Fashionable Buy originally appeared on Fool.com.Kyle Vaughan has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Coach, Michael Kors Holdings, and Morningstar. The Motley Fool owns shares of Coach and Michael Kors Holdings. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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