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Help grow YEA's branches by becoming a strong root!
Youth Ensemble of Atlanta (YEA), the south's premiere African-American youth theatre company with a national and international reputation, empowers youth through the arts to become catalysts for change.
More importantly, YEA fosters the personal growth of hundreds of young people from childhood to adulthood. Along the way these talented and dedicated performers develop crucial communication and life skills that result in heightened cultural awareness, a commitment to excellence and community service, an appreciation for diversity, and self-confidence and self-esteem.
"I was fortunate enough to be a member of the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, they played a vital role in the artist that I am today. YEA taught me so many things for free! This program is outstanding! Whatever you can do to support, please do so..... so this program can stay around!"
Kamil McFadden of Disney's "K.C. Undercover "

subset: commoncrawl


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Google has one more trick up its sleeve this year, too.
It is working on a $99 Nexus tablet according to Asian supply chain sources, DigiTimes reports.
The $99 tablet is supposed to come out sometime this quarter. Here are the details on it:
The US$99 Nexus tablet is equipped with an ARM-architecture single-core processor 8950 developed by China-based WonderMedia Technologies, and a HUVA TN panel made by Taiwan-based HannStar Display, the sources said. The tablet will be produced by Taiwan-based Quanta Computer.
Google is trying to take the low end of the tablet computing market away from Amazon. (Apple and Microsoft, meanwhile, are fighting for the high-end.)
Apple is expected to announce a more affordable iPad Mini next week, but it won't be $99. It's likely to cost $200-$300.
If Google does launch a $99 tablet it could be part of its strategy to expand its "Nexus" line. It is reportedly going to release multiple Nexus phones, as well as Nexus tablets, and sell them all through its online Google Play store.


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Understanding the Various Terms in Online Slot Gambling – In playing online slot gambling games you as a player must know the various terms and conditions. Almost the same as other online gambling games, where in this game there are also several terms that we must know. Of course, the terms in online slot gambling games are quite different from those in online gambling games in general. Although the game itself has an easy system, we are obliged to know some of the terms in it.
But before we get into the main point of the discussion, there is one thing we would like to ask. Do you know what online slot gambling is? Maybe all this time you have often played this one gambling game, but do you know the definition of natural fiber itself? Online slots are one of the most popular types of casino machine gambling games, both then and now. This game is made with a very easy system, where we will play solo without having to think about techniques to beat our opponent while in the room. We just need a simple strategy in order to get the desired result, namely the appearance of the same symbols or numbers on the slot mpo machine reels.
The first term in slot gambling games that we need to know is bet. Actually, bets / bets are not only in slot games, but also in other online gambling games. Bet is the money you offer to participate in the game.
Then there is the term payline, which is the process of selecting a line or line that the player uses to guess the symbol or image that will later appear on the line. In this case, each layer must place a bet on a line that has been previously selected in the slot gambling game.
Progressive Jackpot
We're sure you've heard the term jackpot in slot games, but do you know what a progressive jackpot is? The progressive jackpot itself is an additional bonus or prize with a winning value that will continue to increase in each round of the game.
Then there is the term scatters, which is the term used in slot games as a determinant of the winning results which come out on the line or line that you bet at the beginning of the game.
And the last one is wild. Wild itself is one of the terms which has a fairly important function in online slot gambling games, where the function of the wild is the same as scatters. When you manage to get a wild when playing online slot gambling, then the player can get a winning combination which of course can provide big profits.


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Video Notes – Top Tips for Writing Better Selenium Tests
Top Tips for Writing Better Selenium Tests
Santiago Suarez Ordoñez
Sauce Ninja & Selenium Committer
51 min, 24 sec
My Notes:
- Video quality is not great. Essentially a display of a code editor with too small of a font.
- When build break due to flaky tests, developers stop trusting the build
- Selenium 1 Tips
- Implicit waits
- Part of Selenium 2
- Have to code yourself in Selenium 1. Hook into doCommand.
- Reasonable timeouts (over 90s)
- 30 seconds may be low when driving lots of browsers
- Generate application states with test handles
- Tendency is to write long test sequences
- Better to have short sets of user actions that can be plugged together.
- Even better if have some method to setup the application to meet the pre-requisites without having go through the steps a user must got through to get there.
- Make sure these short cuts are turned off in production.
- Wait for the right events (never ever use static pauses)
- Do not use sleep
- Implicit waits help
- Even better is understanding how the elements appear within the application and take that into account with custom wait functions.
- Don't use verifications
- Referring to the Selenium 1 "wait…" vs. "verify…" commands
- Use the "wait…" variants.
- Use asserts from your test frameworks instead.
- Ignore Open and WaitForPageToLoad Features
- Ignore the selenium failures for these commands
- Behavior is inconsistent across browsers
- Should behave like a user – of they see what they need to do, they do it vs waiting for the browser to say it is done. If the needed item is not there, the test will fail at that point.
- Implicit waits
- Selenium 2 Tips
- Selenium 2 is more robust than Selenium 1
- Implicit Waits
- Easier than Selenium 1
- Use driver.implicitlyWait
- Use findElement instead of a complex locator
- Selenium 1 xpath and css locators may confuse people reading the code
- Selenium 2 allows you to be explicit with how things are made, able to retrieve a list of items, interact with that list, etc. rather than using a complex selector
- Sauce Tips
- Report pass/fail status automatically
- Use Sauce Connect 2


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Last week saw the Parliamentary term come to a close. It has undoubtedly been one of the strangest times in our democratic history. Parliament, like all parts of our life, had to find a different way of operating in the wake of the pandemic. An organisation not known for its modernising instinct, brought in, at impressive speed, a host of changes including remote speeches via computer and remote voting from a mobile phone. But it has not been business as usual, far from it. And as it is in our democracy, so it is for our whole way of life – the pandemic changed Parliament and it has changed our land as a whole.
These are strange times as we work to rebuild our economy and also our way of life. The easy greeting of a relative, friend or neighbour has been replaced with distance and awkwardness. The everyday enjoyment of a casual visit to the shops or the Post Office has become a mask-encased chore. Job certainty has become job uncertainty for many. Some things may never be the same.
For the next period, we will have to continue to make changes and adapt. Some of those changes will be better for our way of life. For the last two decades, there has been the technology to have a better balance between home life and the office through the internet and remote working, but it was, in practice, frowned upon. Now home working has become the new normal. That means people can be closer to their families and their home communities, instead of being up early on a train or in the car, and out at work until late. If that change holds, then it will have a significant impact – on the economy, on housing and on our transport needs as a country. How we work directly affects how and where we live and travel.
Our shops and high streets have long been experiencing change. The pandemic has accelerated this change, meaning that there will need to be a re-think of the shape and make up of our central areas. In times past, our shops and offices were more integrated with our homes. The Government will introduce new planning laws to make it easier to change shops back into houses, making for a more rounded and balanced physical community. This is a move away from the 'zoning' approach to planning which physically separates our shopping, leisure, homes, office and industrial areas.
And our countrymen and women will begin to recognise that a hot sun is not the only aspect to a great holiday. We are so well placed in our corner of England to build back our jobs and economy with our beautiful natural features – from countryside to coast.
No-one knows quite what the future holds. But our community and country are well-placed to make the best of whatever lies ahead.


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It is now peak hurricane season in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, which this year features a meteorological first. Not one, but two tropical cyclones are barreling towards Hawaii at the same time, something that has never happened before. Simultaneously, another brews off the coast of Florida.
The two Pacific monsters, named Madeline and Lester, have – or at least, had – the potential to cause significant damage to the state of Hawaii.
Just before Madeline was about to hit Hawaii, Governor David Ige signed an emergency proclamation, while urging Big Island residents to take immediate steps to protect their families, employees, and property. According to ABC News, a dozen schools are to be used as emergency shelters, and public schools and universities will be closed until at least Friday. Ports and harbors will also be closed until the storms subside.
As of August 30, 11pm Hawaiian Standard Time (August 31, 10am BST), Madeline touched the side of Big Island. Earlier that day, it had sustained winds of about 193 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour), which would make it a category 3 hurricane, but quickly lost energy and dropped down to a category 2.
By the time it impacted Hawaii, it was a less frightening category 1, and it is projected to turn into a tropical storm within the next few hours. The extent of the damage is not yet clear.
Hurricane Lester, however, is further east, and careening westwards. As of the same time, 11pm Hawaiian Standard Time (10am BST), it has sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour), which currently makes it a category 4 hurricane. Fortunately, modeling predicts that it may just miss Big Island, and by Saturday local time, it will be a mere category 1.
Meanwhile, in the Atlantic, Hurricane Gaston is churning away, although it's still quite far from the eastern seaboard. According to the tracking maps, Hurricane Gaston is currently a category 3 hurricane. Fortunately, it is likely to die in the Atlantic Ocean – models show it is moving eastwards, and by Saturday morning it will be a lowly tropical storm.
Hurricane Gaston. NASA
Hurricanes making landfall are rare in Hawaii, as they historically tend to form further north or south. The fact that two are streaking towards the island state at the same time is truly unprecedented, although back-to-back hurricanes hitting other regions is actually not unusual as of late.
"Usually the waters [along this storm track] are on the edge of what's needed to support hurricanes," meteorologist Bob Heston told Gizmodo. "Now, they're just warm enough, and it's making a big difference." Although long-term oceanic warming is partly to blame, regionally stable atmospheric conditions, those that are just perfect for sustaining powerful hurricanes, are also culpable here.
Hurricanes are essentially heat engines, powered by the warmth of the sea surface. Thanks to human actions, sea-surface temperatures are reaching unprecedented highs, and as a result, many have expected hurricanes to become more powerful over time.
A recent study has explained why this effect hasn't yet been conclusively seen, while going on to add that in the near-to-immediate future, it will be. Ultimately, there will be less hurricanes in the future, but they will individually be more powerful than anything humanity has ever seen.
Regardless, hurricanes are already remarkable forces of nature. In fact, the average hurricane produces energy equivalent to 600 million lightning strikes per second, or 2.2 trillion strikes per hour, based on information given by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – most of which is invested in generating heavy rainfall, not the powerful winds hurricanes are normally associated with.
Hawaii has braced for impact. behindlens/Shutterstock


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Serves: 16 servings
Total time: 2 hours
12 cups water
1 (27 oz) can crispy sauerkraut
⅔ cup barley
5 teaspoons caraway seeds
6 cups water
6 medium potatoes
Salt and pepper
- Place sausage in a large pot with 12 cups of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse sauerkraut. Place sauerkraut, barley, and caraway seeds in another large pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
- Peel and cube potatoes. To prevent your peeled, cubed potatoes from turning brown, place them in cold water until you're ready to use them; then, drain just before using.
- After 1 hour, remove sausage from water, set aside, and let cool. In that same water, boil the potatoes until tender.
- When cooled, slice cooked sausage into bite-sized chunks and add to sauerkraut. Continue simmering.
- When potatoes are tender, add to sausage and sauerkraut. Salt and pepper to taste.
Most times, I use mild Italian sausage instead of Polish kielbasa; and, yes, I boil it. I've been told that you should never ever boil Italian sausage. O well . . . for this dish, I do. It tastes great and has the same flavor and texture as my mom's traditional recipe.
Boil the sausage over a medium-high heat or less. Higher heat will cook it too quickly and cause the skin to burst before the inside meat is cooked thoroughly. Slower is better. Using a low heat, you can leave the sausage on to cook unattended while you prepare the sauerkraut and peel the potatoes. It will take an hour or so before the sausage is done; but slow cooking will produce a moist, more-flavorful meat.
Cooking the potatoes in the same "sausage" water will release some of the meat's flavors into the potatoes.
If the sausage I use has a skin or casing, I remove it after the sausage has been cooked, before I start slicing. It comes off easy enough if you score it first and then peel. But beware, there is hot juice under the skin, so proceed with caution.
Served with a small side salad and fresh bread with sweet butter, this dish makes a delicious meal!
Store covered in refrigerator.
Reheat leftovers by single servings in the microwave.
Serving size: 2 cupsCalories: 302
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Visit the Colosseum and the Roman Forum with a local expert guide. Skip the long entrance lines and explore the most famous ruins of Ancient Rome: the Arch of Costantine, the Senate House, the Temple of Julius Caesar, the Tryumphal Arches, the House of the Vestal Virgins, the Basilicas, the Golden Mile, the Temples of Saturn and Concord and of course the interior of the Colosseum.
The tour takes 2 hours. You will not waste time in visiting the undergounds and the 3rd tier of the Colosseum, but instead you will explore other areas of the Amphitheatre and the Roman Forum.


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British Summer Time has just seen the clocks "spring forward", the days are getting longer and it is only a matter of time before at least one tabloid begins to prophesize that a heat wave is coming!
Don't get caught out regarding your outdoor seating especially if you have tables and chairs on the pavement. For a new "pavement café" you are (in most local authority areas) going to need three permissions, planning, road's consent and licensing. These applications all need time to be processed and if you are planning a brand new outdoor pavement café get some specialist advice without delay.
For those who have had permission in previous years now is the time to check –
1. do you need occasional licences for the external area or is it covered as part of the premises licence?;and
2. do you need to renew your tables and chairs permit issued by the Road's Department?
So, before the mercury starts to rise, check your permissions and get your applications lodged ASAP or risk missing out.
The Scottish Licensed Trade Benevolent Society (The BEN) have launched a free confidential mental health helpline for licensed trade staff 0800 915 4610 The helpline is open 7 days per week 8am-8pm
In addition the BEN are running free interactive roadshows #Notalone across Scotland for licensed trade covering spotting and dealing with mental health issues in the work place. Details on the BEN's website http://www.bensoc.org.uk/
Drinkaware are offering free courses on 'Everything you need to know about alcohol'
The free sessions will run in Edinburgh on 30 April and Glasgow on 8 May 2019.
Following consultation, PPL, who collect copyright fees for music performers and recording right's holders, has announced that they are revamping their fees charged to pubs, clubs, bars, hotels and restaurants. The specially featured entertainment ('SFE') tariff will be applied events where recorded music forms a part of the entertainment provided where customers also are permitted to dance.
The new category replaces the current tariff that has been in place for around 30 years. PPL's stated view is that the fees that have been charged are too low to be an appropriate reflection of the value to businesses of using recorded music at 'SFE' events. As such, the new tariff will be based on the total number of admissions to any SFE event.
It is intended that the fee will increase in direct proportion to the size of the audience (measured in bands of 25 persons), although there will be two smaller tariff bands, for SFE events with attendances of 1-25 and 26-50 persons. PPL estimate that in many cases, this will help to ensure that licensees with small SFE events will initially pay less for such events than they are paying under the current SFE tariff.
PPL have announced a phased introduction of increased fees over a 5 year period from July 2019, based on an initial rate of 4 pence per person per hour (up slightly from the current average of 3.9 pence per person per hour). This will move to fees based on a rate of 9 pence per person per hour by 2023 (subject to annual indexation).
It is expected that the new tariffs will lead to a rise in payments to PPL for those affected of, on average, 130%. UK Hospitality has estimated that music venues could face a bill of £49m as a result of the changes once they fully come into force.
The Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 amended the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 to require licensing boards to publish an annual report outlining how it had regard to the licensing objectives and its own policy when exercising its own functions during that financial year. The Report requires that the licensing board summarise the decisions made by the licensing board as well as the details of the number of licences in the board's area.
The requirement for the licensing board to publish such a report was something that AFS had lobbied for owing to concerns about a lack of transparency in the licensing process. Accordingly, AFS carried out a review of all the licensing boards' Reports published so far to see whether they met the statutory requirements and addressed AFS's concerns. This Review can be found here. The Review found that "…that not only do the majority of the reports reviewed meet minimum statutory requirements, but that many boards have applied additional good practice to better enable the public to see how they conduct their business."
As of 1 April, maximum stakes on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT) in high-street bookmakers have been reduced from £100 to £2.
The Gambling Commission has written to bookmakers to remind them of their responsibilities in ensuring consumers are protected. Statements in the press to the effect that bookmakers should consider carefully whether new games or products have been designed simply to circumvent the stake cut, have served as a stark reminder that the Commission are looking to see operators comply with the spirit of the changes, as well as the letter of the law.
Richard Watson, Executive Director for Enforcement, said: 'We have been absolutely clear with operators about our expectations to act responsibly following the stake cut implementation this week. We have told operators to take down new products which undermine the changes, and we will investigate any other products that are not within the spirit and intention of the new rules.'
At the time of writing, at least 2 products have been removed from bookmakers following threats of investigation by the Gambling Commission.
Spring may have sprung but our solicitors have still had to battle wind, rain and the occasional flurry of hail/ snow to represent our clients
This month our solicitors have had successes at the following Licensing Boards – Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Glasgow, Perth, Edinburgh, South Lanarkshire (Ham) and Fife.
Finally, we were delighted to support the excellence on show at the Hotel Prestige Awards and the Best Bar None National Awards. Well done to all the nominees and winners!
This publication is intended for general guidance and represents our understanding of the relevant law and practice as at April 2019. Specific advice should be sought for specific cases. For more information see our terms & conditions.
Date published
26 April 2019
by Stephen McGowan
Partner, Head of Licensing Scotland Glasgow


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MCDONOUGH, Ga. — Rhiannon Barnes may be the luckiest 15-month-old ever. Or maybe her baby sitter is the fortunate one.
While playing with a thrift store book bought earlier in the day for 25 cents, Rhiannon uncovered $1,300 in cash stuck between the pages.
Her baby sitter Sheila Laughridge said she only bought the book at Rhiannon's insistence and was surprised when the toddler found a brown paper bag full of $100s, $50s, $20s and $10s.
Laughridge took the money, which dated as far back as the 1960s, to a local bank, where she received only $300 in exchange because most of the bills were in pieces. The rest of the tattered money was sent to the U.S. treasury department.
Lottery luck?
Rhiannon's mother, Shirley Barnes, joked that she's considering using her daughter's newfound talent more.
"What I want to do is put pieces of paper with numbers on them out on the table and have her pick them so that maybe we can win the lottery," she said.


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*This is an excerpt from the first draft of my EBook, "Everything Your Veterinarian Wants You to Know About Your New Puppy," coming in August 2018.*
This is where things can get a little complicated, as the standard varies even among veterinarians. The best source for what is best for your puppy is your veterinarian. The information in this post is condensed to an easy checklist that you can download for free Right here.
Basically, most puppies need four sets of shots, starting at six weeks of age and continuing every three weeks until finished. This means that your puppy will have two sets of shots after he or she is 12 weeks old, which is important as 12 weeks is around the time when the immunity they received from their mother disappears.
Core Vaccinations
"Core" vaccines are defined as vaccines that are recommended for all dogs and puppies, regardless of their lifestyle or habits. Core vaccines include DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza) and rabies. DHPP protects against four serious, often fatal, diseases that are transmissible between dogs, and the rabies vaccination is required by law in almost all states.
I recommend a bordatella vaccine for all my canine patients, as well. Bordatella was once called "kennel cough," but now people are starting to call it "canine cough," as it is highly contagious and your pet doesn't have to be in a kennel to get it. Canine cough can be transmitted by encountering any respiratory secretions- so dogs that leave their house for walks, have a fence line that shares a border with other pets, or that go to the groomer or dog park should be vaccinated for it.
Other Vaccinations- Lepto, Flu, and Lyme Disease
Vaccines that aren't considered core include leptospirosis, canine influenza, and Lyme disease. You should ask your veterinarian if, besides the standard vaccines series, if he recommends any additional vaccines for your puppy.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that is spread in the urine of wild animals and livestock. It is very significant as it can be spread to humans, too. If you live in the southeastern United States, live on a farm or other rural area, have a dog that likes to swim, have a hunting dog, or live in a household with immunocompromised people (the elderly, young children, pregnant women, transplant recipients, etc), I highly recommend vaccinating for this disease.
Canine Influenza is "the dog flu." It is becoming more and more common in areas of the united states. It is a respiratory disease, much like human influenza, and is spread easily via respiratory secretions. If your dog comes into contact with other dogs- at a boarding kennel, dog park, training class, groomer- I highly recommend vaccinating for this disease.
Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease, meaning that dogs contract it once they are bitten by an infected tick. Vaccination and tick control are two ways to prevent this disease. In the United States, at risk areas for Lyme disease include the northeast and the upper Midwest. If you live in these areas, I highly encourage you to vaccinate for Lyme disease and adopt a strong tick control program. If you live anywhere else, one or the other will likely prevent it.
What do I do?
Personally, my dogs are vaccinated for their core vaccines (including canine cough) plus leptospirosis and canine influenza. They often go with me to hike and ride horses, so they could potentially contact urine from infected animals or swim in an infected pond. They also come with me to work and enjoy going to the dog park. I do not vaccinate my pets for Lyme disease as we do not live in an area where the disease is very common, and I keep my dogs on tick prevention year-round
If you liked this post- please share, comment, or subscribe to my blog!
Question for Readers: Has your pet every contracted a preventable illness? Which vaccines does your vet recommend for your dog?
Resources for Pet Owners:


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The rapid increase of decentralized, variable renewable energy (RE) sources such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind in the electric power grid is offsetting the traditional, centralized electricity generation. Decentralized solar PV and wind are a few examples of distributed energy resources (DERs) that are mostly inverter-based and they influence power system operations and dynamics. Grid codes or interconnection standards around the world are getting updated to include grid-support functions and interoperability requirements for DER devices. These functions provide utility operators with new methods for voltage regulation, bulk system control, power system visibility, and other grid services. However, DER vendors, grid operators, certification laboratories, and academic smart grid test laboratories need the ability to verify these new functionalities to ensure effective communication and power characteristics. Validating device behaviors for a range of conditions and corner cases accelerates the deployment of these novel RE technologies by providing confidence the equipment will work to operate a safer and resilient grid as power systems evolve.
Research Context
The ultimate goals of this working group are to create consensus interoperability testing protocols and test platform software that will contribute to the implementation of harmonized, international certification standard for any DER on any electricity grid in the world, as well as the tools that will facilitate automation of the testing, thus reducing a major barrier to test implementation. In November 2013, Sandia published a set of test protocols in the report SAND2013-9880 Test Protocols for Advanced Inverter Interoperability Functions. These test protocols became the basis for the development of certification standards for advanced PV inverters and other DER devices for many national and international standard development organizations such as UL, IEC, IEEE, CSA, etc. This report also became a stepping-stone for the Smart Grid International Research Facility Network (SIRFN) in developing and evaluating testing protocols for advanced interoperability DER functions as well as scripts and other tools that allow the automation of testing procedures. The goals of this work are (a) to collaborate with standard development organizations to create consensus interoperability testing protocols and (b) write an open-source test platform software that will accelerate the certification process, and reduce time and human errors in test implementation.
The SIRFN collaboration work has created a versatile, open-source DER certification platform and associated test scripts for multiple certification standards. This platform allows test automation and is known as SunSpec System Validation Platform (SVP). The SIRFN laboratories are all contributing to an open-source repository of software tools that control laboratory equipment to orchestrate DER interconnection and interoperability certification standard testing. The generic testbed architecture as used by the SIRFN laboratories is shown below in the figure. Laboratories including CanmetENERGY (Canada), Sandia National Laboratories (USA), AIT (Austria), FREA (Japan), KERI (Korea), and CSIRO (Australia) are performing UL 1741 SA, IEEE 1547.1, and other test protocol tests using SIRFN-developed SVP scripts on residential inverters. The test labs are exchanging technical information on the design and operation of the advanced DER test beds and software for executing interoperability testing and comparing results for different DER sizes and designs on grids with different frequencies and voltages. This has enabled the SIRFN group to continuously assess the versatility and effectiveness of upcoming grid codes and associated test procedures from different jurisdictions and provide feedback to the standards development organizations for corrections and enhancements of the test procedures.
Automated testbed with open source system validation platform software (Sunspec SVP)
The SIRFN group is also currently working on enhancing the capability of the test platform for new features, e.g., report generation, real-time plotting, etc. Ultimately this package, which includes an open-source software tool, test cases and procedures, will target the full spectrum of the industry from DER vendors, universities, research institutions, certification laboratories and standards organizations to apply the same codified testing methods at each stage of development. This provides DER vendors with confidence that their equipment will pass certification tests and grid operators with confidence the equipment will function correctly on the power system. In addition, with public, software-driven, conformance test procedures, DER manufacturers can quickly and easily certify their products to different grid codes and gain access to multiple markets. These standardized DER capabilities will pave the way towards full integration of RE and battery systems into future smart grid control schemes. Eventually, this will permit utility and grid operators to manage thousands of DERs in a unified way and facilitate more renewable energy on the electric power system.
The SIRFN work will improve the test procedures and incorporate them in national and international standards by:
- Building test beds for advanced interoperability DER testing in SIRFN laboratories
- Coordinating the experimental testing of DER devices in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia to ensure the protocols are robust to a range of electric grids and test equipment
- Continuing execution of automated DER interoperability certification tests using a common open-source software tool, including development of recommendations to standards
- Revising the test protocols to prepare for adoption by code-making bodies
- Sharing, comparing and analyzing the test results of multiple labs with the different setups for verifying common test protocol
- Sharing knowledge through internal and external workshop/webinar and publications to build external awareness of group activities
Planned Deliverables
- Create DER certification testbeds
The SIRFN research laboratories are contributing to an open-source repository of software tools (OpenSVP) that control laboratory equipment to orchestrate DER interconnection and interoperability certification standards testing. As each lab contributes to the collection of equipment/device drivers, the collection of software tools becomes more comprehensive and there is a lower barrier to begin this type of work for the following/new laboratories.
- Create Certification Scripts
The group has developed test scripts for the Sandia test protocol, UL 1741 and IEEE 1547.1 standards. The SIRFN laboratories are currently contributing to create additional IEEE 1547.1 Python scripts for the SVP. In addition, the group has initiated development of scripts for the Australian standard, DR AS/NZS 4777.2, as the standard became available for public review. The group will also initiate development of test scripts for draft grid codes from Asia and Europe as they are completed.
- Conduct Certification Testing at SIRFN Laboratories
The SIRFN laboratories will conduct IEEE 1547.1 and AS/NZS 4777.2 tests using the open-source test platform and developed test scripts. The conducted tests and compiled test results will allow the laboratories to provide feedback to the respective standards development organization to improve further their standard before formal adoption. The group will also conduct testing for other upcoming grid codes from different jurisdictions and will provide feedback to the associated working groups.
Nayeem Ninad
CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)


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President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in Abuja signed Executive Order 5 to improve local content in public procurement with science, engineering and technology components.
Malam Garba Shehu, the President's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
He said the Executive Order is expected to promote the application of science, technology and innovation towards achieving the nation's development goals across all sectors of the economy.
"The President, pursuant to the authority vested in him by the Constitution, ordered that all procuring authorities shall give preference to Nigerian companies and firms in the award of contracts, in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007.
"The Executive Order also prohibits the Ministry of Interior from giving visas to foreign workers whose skills are readily available in Nigeria."
The order, however, notes that where expertise is lacking, procuring entities will give preference to foreign companies and firms with a demonstrable and verifiable plan for indigenous development, prior to the award of such contracts.
In the proclamation entitled "PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER 5 FOR PLANNING AND EXECUTION OF PROJECTS, PROMOTION OF NIGERIAN CONTENT IN CONTRACTS AND SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY," the President also directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design and execution of national security projects.
It adds that "consideration shall only be given to a foreign professional, where it is certified by the appropriate authority that such expertise is not available in Nigeria".
Source link


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Victoria Uni lecturer creates bot to investigate creativity
A researcher from Victoria University in Wellington is using an internet robot to investigate what it means to be creative in a computerised world.
Tom White, senior lecturer in Victoria's School of Design, has created 'Smilevector' - a bot that examines images of people, then adds or removes smiles to their faces.
"It has examined hundreds of thousands of faces to learn the difference between images, by finding relations and reapplying them," says White.
"When the computer finds an image it looks to identify if the person is smiling or not. If there isn't a smile, it adds one, but if there is a smile then it takes it away.
He explains that it represents these changes as an animation, which moves parts of the face around, including crinkling and widening the eyes.
"These systems are domain independent, meaning you can do it with anything - from manipulating images of faces to shoes to chairs. It's really fun and interesting to work in this space. There are lots of ideas to play around with.
The creation of the bot was sparked by White's research into creative intelligence.
"Machine learning and artificial intelligence are starting to have implications for people in creative industries. Some of these implications have to do with the computer's capabilities, like completing mundane tasks so that people can complete higher level tasks," says White.
"I'm interested in exploring what these systems are capable of doing but also how it changes what we think of as being creative is in the first place. Once you have a system that can automate processes, is that still a creative act? If you can make something a completely push of the button operation, does its meaning change?
Traditionally, White says that people have used creative tools by giving commands.
"However, I think we're moving toward more of a collaboration with computers - where there's an intelligent system that's making suggestions and helping steer the process," he explains.
"A lot will happen in this space in the next five to ten years, and now is the right time to progress. I also hope these techniques influence teaching over the long term as they become more mainstream. It is something that students could work with me on at Victoria University as part of our Master of Design Innovation or our new Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice).


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DETROIT (AP) -- The Detroit Lions' loss at Oakland was a microcosm of their season so far.
A huge missed opportunity.
On a day when the other three teams in their division all lost, the Lions couldn't take advantage, falling 31-24 to the Raiders. Matthew Stafford had another big day statistically, throwing for 406 yards and three touchdowns, but Oakland had the superior running game, and Detroit blew several chances in opposing territory.
Now the Lions (3-4-1) face an uphill climb to make the playoffs -- even after going unbeaten in their first three games.
"A lot of close games. That's the way this game goes. That's the way this league is," Stafford said. "We just got to find ways to win it. Make a couple plays here or there. It doesn't always have to be at the end of the game. It can be at the beginning of the game, too, to give us a little bit more of a cushion. I've got to do a better job of that too."
If the Lions miss the playoffs, they'll have plenty of games they can look back on with regret -- just from this first half of the season. They let a late lead slip away in a season-opening tie at Arizona. They came close to beating Kansas City at home but lost that game, and they blew another late lead at Green Bay amid some questionable calls from the officials.
The game at Oakland came down to the wire as well. Detroit had fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the final seconds, but Stafford threw incomplete.
Stafford's passer rating is at 106 -- he's never finished a season in triple digits in that category. He's thrown for 2,499 yards in half a season, with 19 touchdown passes and only five interceptions.
He has plenty of receiving threats. Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay are on pace for 1,000-yard seasons, and Marvin Hall has been an occasional deep threat. Danny Amendola is also playing his role nicely.
Detroit is allowing 424 yards per game, the second-worst mark in the NFL as of Monday afternoon. Defense was coach Matt Patricia's calling card when he took over -- he'd previously been a defensive coordinator with the Patriots -- but that side of the ball has been a disappointment.
"Certainly, I spend a lot of time on the defensive side of the ball, and I have the utmost confidence in (defensive coordinator Paul) Pasqualoni and the defensive staff to get the calls and the communication and get the game plan put together the way that we want to do," Patricia said. "I'm certainly involved in trying to help that and get that orchestrated."
The defensive line hasn't lived up to its potential after adding Trey Flowers and Mike Daniels, and the Darius Slay-led secondary hasn't been great either. Injuries to Daniels and Slay have been part of the problem, but Slay played Sunday and the Lions still gave up 31 points.
Tight end T.J. Hockenson caught three passes for 56 yards, his most yards receiving since he had 131 in the season opener. Detroit's first-round draft pick has had at least three catches in four of his last five games.
With Kerryon Johnson on injured reserve, the Lions' running game isn't much of a threat. Their leading rusher Sunday against the Raiders was J.D. McKissic with 32 yards.
When Detroit needed a yard on fourth down at the end of the game, the Lions called a pass play, and that wasn't a huge surprise.
Patricia said Hockenson took a hit to the back and was "pretty sore" -- but the Detroit coach did not indicate that the injury was particularly serious.
10 -- The number of points the Lions scored in three goal-to-go opportunities Sunday. Their one touchdown in that situation came on a fourth-down pass in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Detroit settled for a 23-yard field goal by Matt Prater, and on their final possession, the Lions failed to score at all.
The Lions play at Chicago this coming weekend, their first meeting of the season with the Bears.


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Tom Hanks Reacts To Some Of The Nicest Tweets, And It's What The World Needs Right Now
Need some stress relief even though it's only Monday? We know just the thing to help: this video of Tom Hanks reading nice tweets. Released by Twitter Movies as promotion for Hanks' role as legendary icon of kindness Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the video has the star narrating moments of goodwill posted by Twitter users. And as you would expect, he has nothing but nice things to say about all of them.
It can be fun to listen to Jimmy Kimmel's "mean tweets" series in which celebrities read insults directed at them, often humorously disarming the people who make them in the process. But there's no twist, sarcasm or clap back here. Hanks even gets emotional himself about some of the wholesome posts, and his earnestness is sure to give you the warm fuzzies too.
Some of the nicest posts on Twitter, as narrated and reviewed by Tom Hanks
Image credits: codybondarchuk
Image credits: chebaiman
Image credits: itsalexreiley
Image credits: mielebeep
Image credits: dog_rates
Image credits: sanaqadeerr
Last month, an interview with the New York Times focused on Hanks' real-life good deeds and philosophy of kindness. The article drew responses in which people shared their own stories of encounters with the actor, attesting to what a nice guy he is.
Searching his name on Twitter will bring up stories of his gratitude and respect towards the journalists and film staff he's worked with, as well as his willingness to help out complete strangers.
Maybe Hanks' next project should be recording an advent calendar in which every day is an audio clip of an uplifting and motivational message. Wouldn't it be easier to get out the door in the morning with him encouraging us to look in the mirror and tell ourselves that we can achieve whatever we set out to do today?
Here's what commenters thought about the wholesome video
We hope this video inspires you to pass along the good cheer you get from watching it! After all, if you do a good deed for someone else today, you can imagine what Tom Hanks would have to say about it.
Please make this a weekly section. Tom Hanks reading wholesome tweets to start the week.
Someone get on the phone to his people, we need this!
Please make this a weekly section. Tom Hanks reading wholesome tweets to start the week.
Someone get on the phone to his people, we need this!


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Sameer Karim
Sameer is a Product Innovation leader with Slalom's San Francisco office. He is a global business leader with over 15 years of business strategy, entrepreneurship, digital product development, finance, management consulting, and engineering team management experience gained in the US and China at organizations ranging in size from new ventures to Fortune 500 companies.
He thrives on identifying and evaluating exciting business opportunities, deeply understanding the needs of potential customers, iterating on products to address those needs, and building exceptional teams.
Business strategy • new venture assessment • international market entry strategy • digital product strategy • financial and capital planning • product management • project management • process improvement and operational excellence • data analysis and visualization • engineering team management • agile software development
Ecommerce • education • automotive • retail analytics • telecom • financial services • technology • mobile
Sameer is based in San Francisco but can also often be found in Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Beijing.


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Wednesday, July 05, 2017
Scribble Picnic (Woodland Watermelon Feast)
This illustration was painted with only Tombow Brushes. I love how they work and in the end, look like a real watercolor painting. For more fabulous picnic contributions, hope on over to Michael's blog for a peek and nibble.
15 comments
It's amazing how brilliant those brushes work and as it is, helps when one is starting from such a fabulous drawing. It's imaginative and adorable! I love too how you've captured that childlike heart of playtimes yet again. Perfect. Thank you so muc! Love it! I think you should make this as a print- so adorable in a kid's room or such. 🙂ReplyDelete
Lovely write up too. Thank you!ReplyDelete
This is really cute, I love the bunnies!ReplyDelete
What a lovely watermelon picnic! Nicely done Alexandra!ReplyDelete
Beautiful and very sweet illustration, Alexandra! It makes me want to go on a picnic. :)ReplyDelete
aww so cute and happy looking :)ReplyDelete
What a precious picnic. I use precious all the time with you work, but then....it is so precious. Love this and all the details.ReplyDelete
Hi Alexandra,ReplyDelete
I have to google Tombow brushes - what makes them so different. I loved your illustration. So many lovely details.
oh my! this is so adorable. I know I say that about almost all your pieces but they really are adorable. I like how everything's so tiny. I suppose there are places that grows tiny watermelons just for these lovely bunnies right? great take on the theme.ReplyDelete
have a lovely day.
That pastel lavendar is so pretty with all the greenery. Great choice. And such a cute scene.ReplyDelete
Adorable! Those bunnies will make most any food into an occasion for a picnic, won't they? :) We should all follow their lead!!ReplyDelete
PS. I may have to start calling you Miss Potter.ReplyDelete
How adorable!ReplyDelete
So much to look at here! love all the color and details. Looks like the bunnies have found a very nice place to picnic.ReplyDelete
Aww, what a pleasant picnic. Thanks for the invitation to join in on it!ReplyDelete


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Traditional vacuum cleaners, despite their excellent work, are heavy and unhandy. The problem with cords is literally following them. While cordless vacuum cleaners are an entirely different matter. A battery makes them free and independent. We have chosen three new models for testing.
Buying home appliances is a delicate issue. Even if you had enough money to buy all the existing assortment in a store, there would be a different problem: where to keep all these items and then what to do with them? It so often happens that toasters, food processors, blenders and coffee makers are actively used only for the first couple of months, and then are left forgotten in a closet. We decided to correct this issue and launched a series of articles "Testing Appliances/Utensils." We are not going to tell you about the variety of devices (with the same intent of sales consultants), we will then try and explain how useful they are, how to apply them and which miracles they are capable of . You will have to decide for yourself if you can live without these wonders.
We have chosen three new models of cordless vertical vacuum cleaners for testing: Philips PowerPro Duo FC6162 with a Nickel–Metal Hydride (NiMH) accumulator battery, LG CordZero 2 in 1 and Dyson DC62 with Li-ion accumulator batteries. We have checked if they are truly as easy to use as the manufactures suggest. The we try to answer the main question: do they have as much power as the usual stationary vacuum cleaners.
Appliance to Be Tested: Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Philips PowerPro Duo FC6162
- Air intake power: 100 Watt
- Dust container: cyclone filter with capacity for 0.5 L
- Power mode regulator: on a handle
- Maximal noize level: 84.5 dB
- Weight: 2.9 kg
- Number of nozzles: 2
This vacuum cleaner resembles a good friend: it's easy to communicate with, does not require special attention and is ready to help out in any difficult moment. To begin with, it does not take up much space: it can modestly stand in the closet or in a corner in a vertical "alert" position, which means that it is easy on the rise in the direct and figurative sense of the word. It's handy to use in any part of your house.
Charger. I usually turn on the charger in the evening to do the cleaning in the morning. As it turns out, the vacuum cleaner accumulator charge is good for about twenty minutes. It can make do without recharging for two-three days, if you give it just moderate daily load (in a "Flylady" style) instead of the full one.
Weight. Philips PowerPro Duo FC6162 weights approximately 3 kg/6.6lbs, however you do not feel its weight as you work. It feels heavy only if you hold it at arm's length.
Noise. The vacuum cleaner is quiet and unobtrusive. It does not frighten your house pets and before my cats ran hysterically as soon as the cleaning started, they now continue lying quietly stretched out, so I have to move them away. When you use this vacuum cleaner while listening to music it just "sings along" quietly.
Brush. A handy nozzle helped to get rid of the dust in the corner of the sofa and in central heater. As it turns out, there are no inaccessible places for this little wonder.
Among its special features I would like to note the special turbo brush, which solves the problem of pet hair. With its help the carpet pile rises and hairs literally fly into the dust container. During the testing time I have successfully cleaned not only the floor and upholstery but also the ceiling. I liked working with the manual vacuum cleaner. It is easily attached and equally easily removed from the main body. With it's help I could quickly vacuum a massive rack for books.
Power. If necessary it is possible to ensure the highest possible suction power by using a special Power Cyclone technology. With this the vacuum cleaner takes the dust from the air instead of sending it back into your room.
Cleaning the dust container. After the cleaning it is better to immediately remove the container, dispose of its contents and then wipe it and brushes with damp cloth. Then assemble it and recharge if necessary. This procedure, despite the long description, takes a couple of minutes, but next time it will allow to immediately proceed to cleaning.
Appliance to Be Tested: LG CordZero 2 in 1, Gleaming Red (VSF7301SCWR)
- Dust container: cyclone filter with capacity for 0.35 L
- Maximal noise level: 68 dB
- Weight: 2.8 kg
- Brush that easily turns 180* + inbuilt brush.
For me the advantage of a cordless vertical vacuum cleaner was primarily in the fact that it is not necessary to disassemble it and hide in a corner. It is almost imperceptible and compact, it perfectly fits into the corridor, and its whole appearance shows its readiness to clean.
Charger. 2 accumulator batteries are included with the package. At first I thought one of them was a spare, which will go into play when the other fails. In fact, they were created to extend the cleaning time:if one charge comes to an end, you can safely continue working by simply inserting a new battery. Together 2 lithium-ion accumulator batteries of the Dual PowerPack ™ allow making your apartment nice and clean for 70 minutes in standard mode or 50 minutes in maximum power mode. I have a small apartment, so one battery is enough to clean it.
Weight. Manufacturers call LG CordZero 2 in 1 a light vacuum cleaner, but for me the weight of 2.8 kg/6.17lbs seemed impressive (though I've always considered myself a strong woman :-)). At first I almost dropped the vacuum cleaner in surprise. I somehow did notice the help of the ergonomic Easy Grip handle, which was promised to reduce the burden on the wrist. However, when I got used to it and after a few cleanings I no longer felt the weight of the device.
Noise. The vacuum cleaner did not seem too loud or too quite to me. The noize level was medium, usual.
Power. I have tried this vacuum cleaner both on even surface (linoleum) and on carpets with low and high pile. I do have complaints on the quality of cleaning.
Brush. The brush has several advantages. First, the angle of rotation is 180 degrees, so I was able to easily vacuum the space under the kitchen cabinet, which previously was unreachable to mops and brushes. Second, the brush has a light (basically like a flashlight), which lights-up dark corners. Third, the brush prevents hair and wool from winding up on it, so that it does not have to be cleaned after each use.
Handheld vacuum cleaner. I have truly appreciated this model thanks to its built-in hand-held vacuum cleaner, resembling the one for cars. How many times, having spilled sugar or flour in the kitchen, I thought about how great it would be to have on hand a mini-vacuum cleaner to quickly clean everything to not spread it all over. However, I have found another application for it: thanks to the built-in vacuum cleaner brush it's very convenient to collect dust on the shelves and to work with the "point" problems.
Cleaning the dust container. Since the container for dust collection is slightly transparent, it is easy to determine whether it's time to empty it. Particular people can wash the plastic part to return it its initial pristine transparency if they choose.
Appliance to Be Tested: Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Dyson DC 62
- Air suction power: 100 Watt
- Dust container: cyclone filter with capacity for 0.4 L
- Power mode regulator: on a handle
- Noise level: 87 dB
- Weight — 2,1 кг
- Three nozzles
The main advantage of this device is that it is cordless: you no longer need to unplug the cord when you go into the other room, or get tangled in a long cord. For me it was a real finding: I was always too lazy to get a vacuum cleaner (my old one was quite heavy), unwind the cord, attach the hose pipe … Now the compact vacuum cleaner just stands in the corner, always ready to work. It is absolutely indispensable in the kitchen – if something spills it can be quickly removed without using a broom and a dustpan. By the way, I have tried to intentionally spill sugar and millet groats: cleaning took only a few seconds.
Charger. The battery is designed just for 20-25 minutes of cleaning (the vacuum cleaner charges for 3 hours). Such a short working time can be considered a disadvantage, but for me personally one charging of the vacuum cleaner is enough to completely clean the entire appartment.
Weight. I liked the Vacuum Cleaner Dyson DC62 even before I opened the box – it is very light! Once assembled, this vacuum cleaner weighs only 2 kg/4.4 lbs., which certainly will be appreciated by many women. At home, I dealt with it in just 10 minutes: the device can be easily assembled into something resembling an electric sweeper. However, Dyson DC 62 differs from the usual electric sweeper by the suction power which is the same as in the full-fledged vacuum cleaner, the presence of the cyclone filter and the dust collecting cup, which is easily washed.
Noise. This vacuum cleaner, despite its modest size and harmless appearance, seemed quite noisy to me. Its noise level: 85 dB For comparison, for most conventional vacuum cleaners it's something around 80 dB.
Power. I have no carpet at home, so I could estimate how a vacuum cleaner works on piled surfaces by cleaning a couch and a mat by the front door. Dyson DC 62 has easily handled sand, which usually clogs such mats. As for the cleaning of parquet and tiles, here it is simply irreplaceable: using a narrow nozzle I "walked" along the corners and baseboards, and collected all dust from the floor by using the turbo nozzle with a brush.
Handheld vacuum cleaner. And finally, together with my new home assistant we went to the car – to clean the interior. Another "secret" of this vacuum cleaner is a long tube that can be easily removed. Instead you can put on a special nozzle and turn it into a small portable device for cleaning cars. Well, now the crumbs left over after eating cookies in a traffic jam, can easily be removed without going to a car wash.
Cleaning the dust container. The vacuum cleaner is easy to make proper again: unscrew the plastic cup, throw the dust into a plastic bag, rinse the bowl and attach it back if needed. It is recommended to rinse the filter once a month by running it under water.
The essential point: the size of the dust container seemed to me to be rather small, but for a small apartment without carpets it is quite enough.
Conclusion. Our testing confirmed: cordless vacuum cleaners are convenient. They are easy to handle, maneuverable and compact. Some of its characteristics allow to not only compete, but also to replace a full-fledged stationary cleaner with a cord. However, "shelf life" of the cordless vacuum cleaners is shorter – because of the accumulator battery (remember that even the phone battery eventually keeps less and less charge). In a sense it is the "price" for convenience and comfort. But everyone decides for themselves in the end.


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Diagnostic Exam for Auto Injuries
Car Accident Medical Evaluation in Nashville, TN
If you have been victim of a car accident in Nashville, TN the first action is to get a chiropractic medical evaluation. During an auto injury diagnostic exam, licensed chiropractor Dr. Bearden and the professional team at Nashville Accident and Injury Center will perform a thorough auto injury assessment starting with X-rays of the head and neck. Our chiropractic team also conducts a hands-on examination and takes a personal health history record that not only helps our chiropractor to determine the extent of whiplash injuries but that is also a great legal resource for your auto injury lawyer.


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The new device Spectre from the tech giant HP is not only the thinner laptop in the world today, as well as it is also one of the most beautiful laptop ever created.
HP Unveils World's Thinnest Laptop
The PC makers have been trying to replicate the MacBook Air for years with little success. Hence, the tech giant HP kept its promise and launched the new Spectre 13.3, the thinner notebook that the last MacBook released by Apple. In fact, it is the world's finest laptop with only 10.4 mm thickness and a design with aluminum and carbon fiber, and copper paint.
As we mentioned earlier that the tech giant HP gave a coppery finish to its new laptop Spectre to attract those who love the golden or jewel-like devices.
The intention is that the guts of the new Spectre is just to attract the people and users who are interested in power: As the new device Spectre from the tech giant HP boasts an Intel Core i7 processor with 8GB of RAM, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of internal memory variant and a battery with life of about 12.5 hours.
For the music lovers, the tech giant HP entrusted the credibility of audio on your laptop by Bang & Olufsen. As leaders in the field of high-quality audio equipment, Bang and Olufsen know what it takes to make every note of music ring true. So after the extensive testing by the tech giant HP's own engineers, HP ship the product samples to Denmark, where Bang and Olufsen's Tonmeister helps ensure their work is consistent with their sound philosophy and standards.
With these killer specifications, the trend is that the new device Spectre from the tech giant HP offers much more performance than the 2015 MacBook, which comes equipped with the same amount of RAM and storage, but suffers in processing due to the Intel Core M.
Basically, the Apple computer is made to the basic use of web browsing and light programs. But, the new device Spectre from the tech giant HP should support up to advanced editing and other heavy tasks images. Moreover, the new device Spectre 13.3 from the tech giant HP also gets connectivity with three USB Type-C ports on the back as well.
The tech giant HP needs a catalyst for its decadent desktop division. In the last quarter of 2015, HP reported that 11% of the reduction in sales of laptops and a reduction of 14% in sales of desktop computers. Hence, the new device Spectre from the tech giant is expected to trigger a change.


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I Do Not Own Econet - Strive Masiyiwa
Zimbabwe's first Billionaire Strive Masiyiwa has come out to say he doesn't own Econet. Strive explained Econet is a public trading company with tens of thousands of shareholders.
Strive explained he is just the largest single shareholder. Strive also said many people struggled to separate institutions and corporate structures and only saw a person and he called that a "BigMan" idea.
Writing on his Facebook Strive said:
I have never personally held more than 50%, since (Econet) was listed. So I actually don't own the company. I'm simply the largest single shareholder But) you will still find even media people saying of a public listed entity 'the Strive Masiyiwa-owned business'.
And some will even ask me to intervene on things I have no idea about, and should not be expected to know. They never shook away the BigMan idea developed when they were young. Many of us simply struggle to see institutions and corporate structures, and only see a person
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Spring is here, at least according to GOG, which is hosting a sale with more than 600 deals and discounts going up to 90 percent. It's already started and will run until March 28, 11 pm UTC.
Along with the regular sale, which includes Pillars of Eternity 2 (34 percent off), The Witcher 3 GOTY (70 percent off) and Battletech (40 percent off), every day will see new flash deals appear.
Flash deals are, of course, the most stressful kind of sale, but maybe that's appropriate for spring. Life erupting out the ground, the trauma of birth, the fear that you'll never be able to shed all of that Easter egg weight—it's a trying time.
Today's flash deal includes Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (60 percent off), Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (75 percent off), Mages of Mystralia (70 percent off), Wizard of Legend (40 percent off), Iconoclasts (35 percent off) and Caesar 3 (35 percent off). They'll change on Friday, 2 pm UTC.
There's a lot worth recommending, but if you can only pick on one game in the flash deal, make it Dragon's Dogma. Great monster-climbing, a huge amount of character customisation, crap story. Don't let the last bit bother you, though, because the brilliant fights and weird companions more than make up for it. Check out our Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen review if you need more convincing.
Source From:https://www.pcgamer.com/gog-spring-sale-2019/


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Supremely livable colonial with 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, newer 14 x 14 screened porch, inviting family room with full brick raised hearth fireplace, newer kitchen with hickory cabinets, hardwood floor in kitchen, rear hall & half bath, completely replaced master bath & oversized 32 x 20 attached garage. Cradled among 40-year-old maple shade trees. Fastidiously maintained!
Please contact Carrie 734-788-2398, firstname.lastname@example.com or Patrick 734-272-8375, firstname.lastname@example.com if you would like a private showing of this home.
If you would like to see a virtual tour of this home, please visit our homepage at www.bobbake.com where you'll find our complete collection of homes and commercial properties for sale in Northville and Plymouth.


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I adore raspberries. As a kid my hands were always stained red during the summer from picking wild raspberry bushes. So, I can't pass up a raspberry infusion with a mate as a pick me up in the morning.
Dry it smells of fresh lemongrass and raspberry. But Wowee! is it ever tart! The tartness hides any evidence of the mate, but I do feel the caffinee in the morning. I can't drink this tea by itself, but I mix it with a variety of fruity herbals or oolong, and fill my morning tumbler for the trip to work. I'm not sure if I would purchase it again, but it is growing on me and it does get me going in the morning.


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Color: Black & Blue
The Warrior 6 pockets textile motorcycle jacket in black and fluorescent is made from a highly durable fabric with a waterproof membrane along with a removable thermal liner making this ideal for all seasons. Matching Warrior Gears trousers are available, and this has a short connecting zip. This has CE approved armour at the elbows and shoulders along with adjustable Velcro waist and arms for a personalised fit and two pockets. Reflective piping gives added night visibility along with the fluorescent detailing. This is also available in other colours and other lengths. This is the three-quarter length version.
Outer shell: Polyester 600D Cordura Jacket Fabric.
100% Waterproof, 4 season Textile Motorcycle Jacket.
Reissa waterproof and breathable membrane. Fully Taped Seams
Detachable insulated thermal Quilted liner for winter riding.
CE armored jacket shoulders, elbows with high density foam back protector.
Double-Safety stitching men motorcycle jacket.
Hi-Vis Reflective on front and back of motorcycle jackets men.
Bar-Tack stitching on major stress points touring.
Neoprene & Foam Padded neck for Extra Comfort
Arm and waist adjusters for a tailored fit of the motorcycle riding jacket.
6 external pockets plus inner mobile pocket and storage pocket dirt bike jacket for men.
Fully Reflective for night time visibility cruiser jacket.
Top Quality Original YKK Zippers.
Our philosophy is to provide: - Value for money - Durability of the goods - Easy returns and refunds policy - Customer satisfaction guaranteed - Availability of latest trends and designs - Excellent customer service standards and quality products - Competitive prices for best quality products - Expedited deliveries to any part of the globe - 100% satisfaction guaranteed.


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Spiritual leader, Yogi Bhajan, discusses the effects of yoga and meditation on the mind, his beginnings with such practices, and his own philosophy about the human condition. This was originally broadcast on WFCR's Five College Forum on December 9th, 1972.
Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, more commonly known as Yogi Bhajan, was born on August 26, 1929 in the Punjab province of India (now part of Pakistan). He was known for being a spiritual leader, yogi, and entrepreneur. During the partition of India in 1947, his family was forced to flee to New Delhi. Bhajan eventually joined the Indian Civil Service as a Customs Inspector, a job which took him all around the country.
He maintained his pursuit of yoga throughout this whole period, before emigrating to Canada in 1968. That same year, after visiting a friend in Los Angeles, Bhajan decided to stay in the American southwest to teach Kundalini yoga. The yogi emphasized that his students should focus on training their minds to experience god, rather than worship god. He is also known for encouraging his students to engage in society, rather than renounce it. Bhajan is most famous for founding 3HO (Healthy Happy Holy Organization), a foundation that now has over 300 facilities in 35 countries. Yogi Bhajan passed away on October 6, 2004 from heart failure.


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The present church of St. Thomas with St. Andrew and St. Philip Kensal Town (London, W10, UK) replaces an earlier building and was opened in 1967; built to the design of Romilly E. Craze (1892-1974).
The former church here was opened in 1889, built to the designs of Demaine and Brierley of York, J. Demaine being described as 'Diocesan Surveyor'. The building was demolished following aerial bombing during the Second World War. It has not been possible to locate any pre-war images of the interior of this building.
The pipe organ
The pipe organ in the 1889 building was lost to war damage; details of that instrument are given in the National Pipe Organ Register. The present west-gallery instrument is a second-hand 1-manual organ by Bevington and Sons of Rose Street, Soho, London. This address. and the builder's plate would give the organ a date between 1867 and 1896.
While the previous location of this instrument is unknown, its recent history can be traced in the PCC minute books as follows:
- PCC Minutes 21.9.1965. "Organ & Choir. It would be possible and most Desirable. to site Both of choir & organ at West End When type of organ has been decided upon and the Organ Builder so that they can consult with Mr Craze" [Romilly E. Craze was the new building's architect].
- PCC Minutes 20.10.1965. "Makers of Compton Organ inform us that if we PURCHASE our organ now they will Guarantee to maintain present day price."
- PCC Minutes. 5.4.1967 "Organ. Letter from Diocesan House re organ Stating that they cannot see their way clear to supply cash for organ. Mr Craze is going to see Secondhand Organ which is for sale at £675. For the remodernising and installation of the organ final cost would be approx. £1000."
- PCC minutes 16.4 1972 "The 16 stop American reed organ has been given to the Cecil Club." [The Cecil Club, 1-5 Wedlake Street, was a nearby local authority facility for senior ciizens]
- 'Cecil Residential Club for old people, Wedlake Street, Kensal Road, London', Royal Institute of british Architects. Online resource, accessed 7 September 2019
- 'Middlesex Kensal Town, St. Thomas, 231 Kensal Road [N17501]', National Pipe Organ Register. Online resource, accessed 9 September 2019.
- Records of the parish of Saint Thomas, Kensal Road, North Kensington: PCC/Vestry/Annual church meeting minute books, April 1960-December 1978. London Metropolitan Archive: P84/TMS/025; P84/TMS/026..
- 'Romilly E. Craze'. Wikipedia, accessed 7 September 2019
- 'St. Thomas with St. Andrew and St. Philip Kensal Town', The Church of England: A Church Near You. Online resource, accessed 7 October 2019.
'The Church of St. Thomas, Kensal Road', British History Online, accessed 7 October 2019


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In 1956, with a town of less than 400 people, an idea was born. That town was Sedona, and the idea was to make Sedona a place of artistic learning and creative expression. With an eye on Sedona's potential, an Egyptian sculptor named Nassan Gobran (and other civic leaders) founded the Sedona Arts Center - with the hope of sharing their vision. The local ranchers, orchard workers and merchants that occupied Sedona joined in and a space was acquired in uptown Sedona. The space transformed a former apple orchard warehouse into an Art Barn.
Earning the interest of famous surrealist Max Ernst helped kick Sedona off as an artistic community. Max and his wife Dorthea lived in Sedona during the 40s and 50s where they created art. Pulling a small trailer, the couple would drive to New York with their pieces in the trailer that were destined for galleries. Both created numerous and important paintings while in Sedona including: Vox Angelica and Painting for Young People. Max also started his monumental sculpture Capricorn while in Sedona, which Nassan Gobran helped create molds from on their behalf. Many of Max's pieces of art were first featured in the newly formed Sedona Arts Center, established by Gobran.
Today, the Sedona Arts Center continues its tradition of artistic learning and creative expression. A variety of courses are offered every year through its School of Arts. Classes encompass Art Workshops, Field Expeditions and Weekly Classes.
Weekly Classes are currently distributed to handful of categories that include: Ceramics & Sculpture, Painting and Drawing, Crash Courses, Summer Kids Camps, Art & Wine, Life Drawing and Private Classes which can range from creative journaling to iPhoneography.
To see finished pieces, the Sedona Art Center offers a gallery that represents over 110 local artists. This gallery can be visited Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If that's not enough, the Sedona Art Center also has a number of annual events. This year will be the Community Plein Art Event on June 13 and Sedona Summer Colony, an individual residency for participants, that will occur between July 21 and August 11, 2018.
"The main objective for the summer colony continues to be to support the inspiration and creation of new artistic work and cultural content by providing undisturbed time, temporary living space, regular meals, and appropriate studio or work space. Due to the collective nature of a group residency with a shared campus and meals there is ample opportunity to foster new connections and dialogue creating opportunities for cross-disciplinary interaction and thinking."
For more information about the Sedona Art Center, visit their website at http://sedonaartscenter.org
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Sedona Gallery Association
January 2020


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Mead Art Museum: Supporting Informal Learning For Families
Dig into Art at the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College This Summer
Art museums can seem daunting for families with children—untouchable artworks, quiet galleries, and security guards at every turn. But don't rule them out, because art museums are the perfect destination for children this summer.
The Mead Art Museum now provides free activity totes for families to borrow while at the museum. A new theme will roll out every six months. The Museum's debut theme, available now, is Dig into Art. Kids can dress up like Indiana Jones, with explorer vest and pith helmet, as they hunt for artifacts in the museum. Families can curl up on one of the Mead's cozy armchairs and read a picture book of Greek mythology. Budding archaeologists will each receive a take-home gallery notebook to record their discoveries, inspired by real-life scientific field journals.
Dig into Art complements the Massachusetts Libraries summer reading program Dig into Reading. Libraries and museums are natural partners for helping kids and families prevent "summer slide"—the loss of school skills over the break…
The Institute for Library and Museum Services—a federal organization—recently published a report on how important libraries and museums are in preparing children for success in school and life. Why? Young brains are hardwired to learn informally. The more opportunities young children have to learn in an informal, non-school setting, the more successful they will be in school…
When preschoolers spy a rabbit in a landscape painting, they are doing more than playing I Spy. They are building their brains' architecture, acquiring the ability to make connections, and developing the kind of focused attention that will lead to success five, ten, even 30 years in the future.
In sum, informal learning creates the skills kids need to do formal learning in school.
Museums of all disciplines are a vital resource for informal learning. And they are fun. Real-life objects inspire imaginative play and critical thinking—all you have to do is look at them. Don't feel comfortable talking with your kids about art? Then let them tell you what they see. The biggest secret museum educators want to share is that you don't actually have to know everything about art to learn from it. Your children may not leave the museum knowing who Monet was, but they will leave having exercised their brains' ability to observe detail, control their impulses, and make connections to the larger world.
The Mead's Family Fun Totes are one way to learn informally as a family. They are recommended for families with children ages 5 and up. The youngest children may need help reading the questions on the included gallery guide. Totes are free to borrow on a first-come basis. Admission to the Mead is always free. www.amherst.edu/mead
Here are some details for families utilizing the Dig into Art Family Fun Tote:
- Request a tote from the Mead Lobby Desk.
- The tote includes a museum gallery "hunt," picture books, and role-play props.
- The tote allows children to exercise school-readiness skills: looking, reading, and role-playing.
Children look carefully for details in the art museum.
Hunting for detail helps kids practice early science skills such as classifying and observing.
Children—with adult help—read the gallery hunt questions. Kids hear and see words in relation to pictures. This helps them recognize new words and builds vocabulary. Families can also read the picture books together—find a cozy chair and enjoy!
Playing dress-up is serious business. Studies show that dress-up helps kids develop empathy.
They literally practice what it's like to "walk in someone else's shoes."
And, pretend play allows kids to practice real-life skills like problem solving and teamwork.
Visits to places like libraries and museums teach kids to enjoy the learning process.
Young children who have fun educational experiences will transition more easily into school.
Adults also teach that learning is fun by reading to children and engaging in educational activities as a family.
Remind children of museum rules. This will ensure you all have a good experience.
Museum objects are special, sometimes very old, and one of a kind. They are irreplaceable.
- Please, no touching or bumping into the art.
- Stay at least one foot away from the art.
- Do not point at the art—you might poke it accidentally.
- Sometimes furniture is art! If it's on a raised platform or behind a rope, do not touch it.
- Ask a security guard if you have questions.
- Take a snack break—the Mead Café offers affordable baked goods and coffee for grown-ups.
Web resources for families on how and why to "build" your children's brains at museums:
- MA Dept of Early Education and Care "Brain Building" Website
- IMLS Growing Young Minds Report
- How Visual Thinking Strategies Transform Learning
– Submitted by Wendy Somes
Wendy Somes is Coordinator of Community Programs at the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College. She lives in Goshen with her husband, young son, and two spoiled felines.


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|Illustration for Wolfville (1897), Frederic Remington
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Early western novels: a top 10 list
14 comments:
- AnonymousJuly 22, 2012 at 7:38 AM
Great list. I'm going to attempt to hunt some of these down. Thanks.ReplyDeleteReplies
I believe all of them are available at google books.Delete
Wonderful list. Got a couple of 'em here, but really want to check out THE CONQUEST. Looks like a treat.ReplyDeleteReplies
A reader familiar with northern Nebraska would find some regional history for sure.Delete
Thank you Ron, I'm going to read several of these. Also, the library here in Marshall has expressed interest in keeping a list of these novels and especially the word lists. I'm going to put it together for them tomorrow.ReplyDelete
I think you need to do something a little more formal with these lists. Not sure what. Historical societies? If you do enough, maybe a short book, with some explanations???Replies
Eventually, I hope to assemble these lists into a book.Delete
Good List- Read one and saw a movie attempt of anotherReplyDeleteReplies
WHISPERING SMITH for sure.Delete
With your knowledge of the literature of the American West, this is a valuable list.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks for the encouragement.Delete
Thanks for the list. The Oscar Micheaux novel sounds interesting.ReplyDeleteReplies
I found the book very informative.Delete
Ron, thanks very much for the recommendations. I'm making a note of all the ten authors though I have downloaded a few ebooks by Charles King, Owen Wister and Frank H. Spearman. I'll start with the ones you mentioned.ReplyDeleteReplies
I also liked DUNRAVEN RANCH (1890) by Charles King.Delete


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Wednesday, June 3, 2009
"Israel is the most important/intractable problem in the Muslim world"
Certainly, much of the Arab world, as well as Israel's opponents in Europe and the US, like to promote this worldview.
It makes sense for the Arab world to do this; what better way to get what you want, than to say, 'If you just give me this, I'll be happy and stop killing you?'
But it's nonsense – utter and complete nonsense. Off-hand, I can list ten problems in the Muslim world that are more important, or more intractable, or both:
• The Sunni-Shiite clashes, which kill far more Muslims each year than anything going on in Israel
• The murder of Muslims in Darfur
• The rights of women in Muslim countries
• Poverty in Indonesia
• Muslim-Hindu conflicts in India and Pakistan
• The rights of homosexuals and Christians (how's that for a combination?) in Muslim countries
• Kashmir, and the India-Pakistan wars in general
• The stranglehold of Arab emirates on the economies of their countries
• The reliance of Arab governments and economies on oil profits
• The hostility between Iran and its allies on one side, and Egypt and its allies on the other
And, yes, there are more; we haven't even touched Iran's nuclear ambitions, or the whole cultural crisis of Islam and Westernization, or Chechnya, or the Balkans, for example.
So "Israel is the most important and most intractable issue in the Muslim world?" Who are you trying to kid, CNN?
When Osama bin Laden attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, the Palestinian issue was not even part of his agenda; his agenda was explicitly stated as ridding the Middle East of US presence and influence. It was only after he was criticized in the Arab world for ignoring the Palestinian/Israeli issue, that he added it to the mix.
Let's be honest here, folks. The Israeli/Palestinian issue is not even in the Top 10, and never has been.
Why don't we call it for what it is? It's a distraction from the real problems facing the Muslim world, a way to deflect attention from major issues and keep the powerful and oil-rich on their thrones.
[Update, 1 PM EDT: They have now updated the sentence to reflect a marginally more nuanced view. Now, it reads: Arabs and Muslims wait to hear his words on their most important, most intractable problem: the Arab-Israeli conflict. By adding "Arabs" they hope to remove issues like Chechnya and Pakistan from the calculus. But it's still phony, as seen in the list of items above.]
8 comments:
Well said! Blaming everything on Israel is a red herring that allows the Muslim world the fiction that it's all someone else's fault.ReplyDelete
I would add to your list the exceedingly problematic education system in many Muslim countries and the PA, that perpetuate attitudes of helplessness and violence.ReplyDelete
Aren't you missing the point?ReplyDelete
What good is a scape-goat if you can't blame everything on it?
Your homework is to figure out how each of the items on that list are caused by Israel's existence.
Echoing ProfK- very well said.ReplyDelete
Thanks, all.ReplyDelete
Care to start it off?
I'm still trying to understand how Queen Esther got in the Starbucks logo...ReplyDelete
Very much brings on the nausea, the reporting this past two weeks. Thanks for the reality check. It would be eternal nausea if I didn't thing that G-d,not America, will help Israel.ReplyDelete
Still, I'm hoping the Pres is reading your blog.
and that's without even mentioning Iraq...ReplyDelete


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(Phoenix, Ariz - Dec. 28, 2010) Attorney General Terry Goddard, along with the attorneys general of 48 other states and the District of Columbia, has settled an investigation involving DIRECTV that will pay refunds to consumers who have unresolved complaints. The states alleged that the satellite TV provider engaged in deceptive and unfair sales practices. DIRECTV agreed to alter its business practices in the future.
The settlement also calls for DIRECTV to pay $185,000 into Arizona's consumer fraud resolving fund, which supports consumer education, fraud investigations and litigation. Other participating states will receive similar payments.
DIRECTV customers who have unresolved complaints sent to DIRECTV or the Attorney General that involve conduct addressed in the settlement and which occurred after Jan.1, 2007, are eligible for refunds. Customers can file a complaint with DIRECTV or the Attorney General by May 31, 2011 to be considered for the refund program as long as the complaint is about activity that occurred after Jan.1, 2007. DIRECTV will attempt to resolve the complaints with consumers. If the complaint cannot be resolved, DIRECTV shall inform the consumer that the complaint can be resolved by a claims administrator and mail a claim form to the consumer. The Claims Administrator will then resolve the dispute between the consumer and DIRECTV.
Consumers can contact the Attorney General's Office to file a complaint or re-open an unresolved complaint, if it involves an issue covered by the settlement. To contact the Attorney General's Office in Phoenix call 602.542.5763; in Tucson at 520.628.6504; or outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas at 1.800.352.8431. To file a complaint in person, the Attorney General's Office has satellite offices throughout the state with volunteers available to help. Locations and hours of operation are posted on the Attorney General's Web site,www.azag.gov
Arizona received complaints that DIRECTV:
- Did not clearly disclose to consumers the price the consumer would be charged and the commitment term the consumer would be required to keep DIRECTV services.
- Did not clearly disclose to consumers limitations on getting a certain price for DIRECTV.
- Enrolled consumers in additional contracts or contract terms without clearly disclosing the terms to the consumer.
- Enrolled consumers in additional contracts when replacing defective equipment.
- Did not clearly disclose to consumers that they would automatically renew a seasonal sports package.
- Offered cash back to consumers when the consumer would actually receive bill credits.
The settlement requires DIRECTV to:
- Clearly disclose all material terms to consumers.
- Replace leased equipment that is defective at no cost except shipping costs.
- Not require the consumer to enter into an additional contract when simply replacing defective equipment.
- Clearly disclose when a consumer is entering into a contract.
- Clearly notify consumers before a consumer is obligated to pay for a seasonal sports package.
- Clearly disclose all limitations on the availability of local channels.
- Not misrepresent the availability of sports programming.
- Not represent that a consumer would get cash back if the consumer would actually get a bill credit.
- Clearly notify consumers that they will be charged a cancellation or equipment fee at least 10 days before charging the fee.
A copy of the lawsuit filed December 16 and the settlement, which is awaiting court approval, are attached. For more information please contact Janey Pearl at (602) 542-8019.


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The show began with Daniel Bryan, saying that his Intercontinental Championship would mean even more if he were to defend it. Bad News Barrett and Sheamus then threatened Bryan. The crowd chanted, "You look stupid" towards Sheamus. Dolph Ziggler then emerged to save the day. But Big Show then came out and said that his victory in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal meant that he had "eclipsed" Andre the Giant in history, and proves that he had surpassed anything that Andre the Giant had ever been. This set up for a six man Tag Team match at the Main Event.
Continue reading THE SMACK ON SMACKDOWN – April 9, 2015 (Dallas, TX)


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Inspired by the needs of our youngest learners in Pre-K and Kindergarten, the Mini Makers Pack still efficiently scales to older students and higher skill levels. Use the Mini Makers Pack to help students practice basic computational thinking skills, engineering processes, design thinking, and more. Designed to support six groups of learners, this pack includes 52 Cubelets
Foster vital thinking skills in your classroom, makerspace, library, or museum. Fascinating and fun, Cubelets nurture your student's imagination, creativity, and inventive spirit. Cubelets are the building blocks of better thinkers.
Every Cubelets set and pack includes access to free standards-aligned lesson plans, printable activity cards, online professional development, and more. Be sure to check out the Cubelets Education Resources to learn more.
Get everything you need to start with teaching Cubelets in a handy printed reference book. Each bundle includes:
Cubelets check all the "boxes" – from lesson plans to professional development we've assembled this handy administrator checklist to share with anyone involved in making an educational investment.
Cubelets are a great introduction to computational thinking. Computational thinking is a fancy term for the way computer scientists solve problems. It helps break down complex problems, and find repeatable solutions. Computational Thinking is just one of the many skills that educators love to teach with Cubelets.
Just like building blocks only smarter.
Cubelets make the principles of programming easy to learn and practice. Inside of each block is a part of a program – as you build your robot you build the code that controls its behavior. It's hands-on coding!
Each Cubelet has a special function and belongs to one of three categories: SENSE Cubelets take in information from the robot's environment. THINK Cubelets compute and change that information, and ACT Cubelets turn that information into physical action.
Connect at least one SENSE, THINK, and ACT Cubelet to create a robot construction.
Cubelets' magnetic faces make them simple to snap together and pull apart. Each Cubelet has a special function. What you connect, and how you connect them changes the behavior of your robot constructions. Every combination is a new creation.
The yellow Brick Adapters connect to LEGO® and other brick building- block toys. Discovery Set includes one "studs" and one "sockets" adapter so you can build in any direction.
*LEGO does not support nor endorse this product.
The Bluetooth® Hat pairs robot constructions with free Cubelets apps. The simple, proximity-based pairing makes connecting easy. Cap your creations with the Bluetooth Hat to add new abilities, read robot data values, and code new behaviors in Blockly or C.
Most educators find groups between 3–5 students work best.
Cubelets Mini Makers Pack also includes four Knob Cubelets and two Bluetooth Hats to share and experiment with.
Enable a construction to detect and respond to light.
Enable a construction to detect and respond to nearby objects.
Build robot constructions with precise data value control.
Provide the energy needed to power robot constructions.
Flip data values, making low values high and vice versa.
Build bigger robots, without modifying data values.
Create constructions that shine a dimmable LED light.
Build robot constructions that navigate their world.
Create constructions that whirl and twirl.
Enable a construction to detect and respond to nearby objects.
Add style and expand building capabilities with LEGO® or other brick building toys. Includes 12 "studs" and 12 "sockets" adapters.
A durable padded place to store and transport your Cubelets.
Charge up to five Battery Cubelets at a single time. It's great for classroom management.
Recharge your Battery Cubelet to power your robot constructions for hours on end.
Cubelets are recommended for builders ages 4 and up. Cubelets are intuitive enough for preschoolers to start building robots, but they scale in complexity, teaching new skills as kids grow. Cubelets are even loved and used in university computer science programs!
The key to every Cubelets construction is the Battery Cubelet. A fully charged Battery Cubelet can power up to 6 hours of robot activity. Recharge the Battery using the included Micro-USB cable. When fully charged, the amber light on the Battery Cubelet will turn off.
Got questions about Cubelets? We're here to help. Send us a message to get started.
Send us a note and we'll be in touch about one business day.
If you would like to place a purchase order, please contact us directly to get on the waitlist! If you need something quickly, select items are available to borrow under the Cubelets Cycle program.
Cubelets FAQs is your place to find answers to common questions about Cubelets robot blocks, orders, and Modular Robotics.
Need help, can't find an answer? Contact the Modular Robotics support team and we'll help you!
Get the details on Modular Robotics shipping policies and sales tax collection for orders in the United States and around the world.
Cubelets are backed by a one year warranty. Need to make a claim, get a replacement, or have questions? Click to get started.
Explore a huge collection of K-12 lessons, activities, guides, training, and more.
Learn everything you need to know to start creating more with Cubelets robot blocks in this handy Getting Started Guide.
Go beyond the building blocks and play with the code inside. Cubelets apps make it easy to create even more with your Cubelets.
There are millions of robots you can create with Cubelets. Check out these robots to help inspire your inventions.
Cubelets robot blocks are used by educators all around the world to help students explore computational thinking, coding, and STEM.
Bring home the educational teaching tool loved by teachers everywhere. Explore sets designed for learning through play.