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Vivyet Acrylic Print - The River of Love [Glass]
Vivyet Acrylic Print - The River of Love [Glass]
The picture on acrylic glass "The River of Love [Glass]" is a great idea to decor modern interiors. Perfectly complements other original solutions and is an interesting alternative to traditional wall decorations, such as glass panels or decorative kitchen glass. Printing on acrylic glass attracts the eyes thanks to the effect of depth and it looks beautiful in representative premises. Thanks to the use of modern printing technology and high quality dyes, it is characterized by a beautiful gloss. Acrylic glass pictures are light, easy to clean and resistant to moisture, so they work great in the living room, bedroom, bathroom and even on the terrace.
Acrylic glass with graphics thanks to its high level of light transmission gains an amazing 3d effect.
Acrylic prints keep all the advantages of classical glass printing, without its weaknesses - high weight and delicacy. They are manufactured from polymethyl methacrylate highly valued by interior designers. A polymer commonly called acrylic or plexiglass is (like glass) colorless and rigid. Just as glass does not discolour under the influence of UV radiation and has a very high (over 90%) light transmission. Unlike glass, it is half lighter and much stronger. It is more flexible and hard to crush. The print is applied under the acril glass surface on an adhesive foil.This technique ensures photographic accuracy and glowing colors. The plexiglass picture gives three-dimensional depth and gentle shine.
Acrylic printing is a great proposition for those who like practical solutions.
High resistance
Acrylic glass in contrast to ordinary glass is more resistant to damage and does not deform.
High light transmission
High transparency of acrylic guarentees a glossy surface and higher color intensity.
Safe for children
Made of non-shattering material.
Smooth surface
Surface of the acrylic glass remains smooth and is scratch-resistant.
Picture hanging
It is incredibly simple and takes only a few minutes thanks to the invisible hooks on the back of the picture. Hanging elements are part of the set. On the back of the picture you find also rubber bumpers that have a stabilizing and protective function.
Lighter than glass
Acrylic glass is 50% lighter than traditional glass.
Additional UV protection
Used ink is resistant to sunlight.
Part sizes:
15.5x7.8: 3.1x4.6 3.1x6.2 3.1x7.8 3.1x6.2 3.1x4.6


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1O Lord, you have always been our home.
2Before you created the hills
or brought the world into being,
you were eternally God,
and will be God for ever.
3You tell us to return to what we were;
you change us back to dust.
4A thousand years to you are like one day;
they are like yesterday, already gone,
like a short hour in the night.
5You carry us away like a flood;
we last no longer than a dream.
We are like weeds that sprout in the morning,
6that grow and burst into bloom,
then dry up and die in the evening.
7We are destroyed by your anger;
we are terrified by your fury.
8You place our sins before you,
our secret sins where you can see them.
9Our life is cut short by your anger;
it fades away like a whisper.
10Seventy years is all we have —
eighty years, if we are strong;
yet all they bring us is trouble and sorrow;
life is soon over, and we are gone.
11Who has felt the full power of your anger?
Who knows what fear your fury can bring?
12Teach us how short our life is,
so that we may become wise.
13How much longer will your anger last?
Have pity, O LORD, on your servants!
14Fill us each morning with your constant love,
so that we may sing and be glad all our life.
15Give us now as much happiness as the sadness you gave us
during all our years of misery.
16Let us, your servants, see your mighty deeds;
let our descendants see your glorious might.
17LORD our God, may your blessings be with us.
Give us success in all we do!
Your browser does not support HTML5 audio.

subset: commoncrawl


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The following series Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo Episode 5 English Subbed has been released at 9anime. Download and Watch your favorite Anime Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo Episode 5 Online For Free HD Video. if you like 9 Anime show us your love by sharing this episode, Thank you.
Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You, Hyakkano, 君のことが大大大大大好きな100人の彼女
Status: Upcoming Studio: Bibury Animation Studios Released: 2023 Season: Fall 2023 Type: TV Censor: Censored Director: Satou Hikaru Casts: Asai Ayaka, Chiba Shigeru, Hondo Kaede, Katou Wataru, Naganawa Maria, Seto Asami, Tomita Miyu
Upon graduating middle school, Rentarou Aijou manages to confess to the girl he loves. Unfortunately, he gets rejected, making it his 100th rejection in a row. Having experienced heartbreak after heartbreak, he goes to a matchmaking shrine and prays with the hope of finally getting a girlfriend in high school. Suddenly, the god of the shrine appears, promising Rentarou that he will meet one hundred soulmates in high school.
Although skeptical at first, Rentarou quickly acknowledges the truth behind the god's words when two of his soulmates—Hakari Hanazono and Karane Inda—confess to him the very same day that they meet him. However, there was one detail that the god forgot to tell Rentarou: if any of his soulmates fails to get into a relationship with him, they will die. Now trapped in a matter of life and death, Rentarou decides to date all of his soulmates.
With a heart so big that it can be shared among one hundred girlfriends, Rentarou makes the most out of his unanticipated high school life, with the Rentarou family growing ever larger!
[Written by MAL Rewrite]


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With Civil 3D 2013 also comes changes to the API. AutoCAD and Civil 3D are now being built with .NET Framework 4.0. One of the benefits of this change is the ability to use Linq to query information. Linq is short for Language Integrated Query and is created by Microsoft. With the .NET programming the API is getting away from storing information where it is easily accessed, but is located by getting ObjectIds and then having you get the objects from those ObjectIds. One example of this is the GetAlignmentIds() method of the CivilDocument.
Linq provides a fairly compact way to get the information out of those ObjectIds. If I was to try to try to see if an alignment name already exists I'd have to do a for each loop which takes quite a bit of code to perform. With Linq I can take that same process and turn it into a compact query.
bool nameExists = (from objId in civDoc.GetAlignmentIds().Cast<ObjectId>()
select (objId.GetObject(OpenMode.ForRead) as Alignment).Name).Contains(proposedAlignmentName);
I've gone from at least 5 lines of code down to two (if the code fit on this web page).
The Linq query is taking the ObjectIds from the list, converting the ObjectId to get the alignment, and then seeing if the name I'm trying to use exists. If it does then I get a true, if not I get a false value. Another benefit is that the query isn't always run when it is hit in the code. In most cases it waits until the information is needed. This may provide performance improvements when running your code and an error happens before you need the information.


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GLENDALE, Ariz. – Andrea Cornelius scored on a penalty kick in the 84th minute to give Denmark a 1-1 draw against Mexico on Wednesday night in an international soccer friendly at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Marco Fabian gave Mexico a 1-0 lead on a penalty in the 68th minute after midfielder Javier Aquino was pulled down just inside the 18-yard box. The lead lasted about 16 minutes, when Cornelius was fouled in the penalty area by Mexico's Jorge Torres Nilo.
It was the 2013 opener for Mexico, the highest-ranked team from North America in FIFA's world soccer rankings at No. 15. Mexico begins World Cup qualifying Feb. 6 in Mexico City against Jamaica.
The final result drew a few jeers from the Mexican partisan crowd of 43,345, which was believed to be the second-largest to see a soccer match in the state of Arizona. Denmark entered the match as FIFA's 23rd-ranked team.


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Last month, I blogged a review of the kids' instructional comic book Welcome to Your Awesome Robot:
Welcome to Your Awesome Robot is a fantastic book for maker-kids and their grownups. It consists of a charming series of instructional comics showing a little girl and her mom converting a cardboard box into an awesome robot — basically a robot suit that the kid can wear. It builds in complexity, adding dials, gears, internal chutes and storage, brightly colored warning labels and instructional sheets for attachment to the robot's chassis.
More than that, it encourages you to "think outside the box" (ahem), by adding everything from typewriter keys to vacuum hoses to shoulder-straps to your robot, giving the kinds of cues that will set your imagination reeling. For master robot builders, it includes a tear-out set of workshop rules for respectfully sharing robot-building space with other young makers, and certificates of robot achievement. I read this one to Poesy last night at bedtime, and today we're on the lookout for cardboard boxes to robotify. It's a fantastic, inspiring read!
You can get a great preview of the book at NoBrow.
As of today, it's available in the US!
Welcome to your Awesome Robot by Viviane Schwarz [NoBrow]
Welcome to your Awesome Robot [Amazon]


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This PG is located at one of the premium and convenient location, allowing access to the whole city. It offers all modern amenities. This is one of the best and safest location for living in Surat. Apart from your University / College or Office, you can find Banks / ATMs, Hospitals / Clinics, Shopping malls, Cinema Halls, numerous Cafes and Restaurants, Salons within the range of less than 1.5 KMs. Most of these places are of walking distance of less than 5 minutes. Facilities include : •Your room has your bed, bedding, side tables, personal wardrobe, Attached bathroom with Geyser.
Free Wifi
Late Night Coming And Going
Car Parking
24*7 Electricity
24*7 Water
Electricity Included in rent
Police Verification
Two Wheeler Parking
Additional Details
- Paying Guest For
- Boys
- Type Of Property
- Bunglow
- Size Of Property
- Type
- Paying Guest
- Laundary Fees
- -
- Water Timing
- -


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NTWOC(4) NetBSD Kernel Interfaces Manual NTWOC(4)Powered by man-cgi (2024-03-20). Maintained for NetBSD by Kimmo Suominen. Based on man-cgi by Panagiotis Christias.
ntwoc -- Riscom/N2, N2pci, WANic 400 synchronous serial interfaces
ntwoc* at pci? dev ? function ? flags 0 ntwoc0 at isa? port 0x300 irq 5 iomem 0xc8000 flags 1
The ntwoc device driver supports bit-synchronous serial communication using Cisco HDLC framing. The cards are capable of being driven by the line clock or from an internal baud rate generator. The devices all use the Hitachi hd64570 serial chip. The hd64570 supports 2 asynchro- nous/byte-synchronous/bit-synchronous serial ports, and has a 4-channel DMA controller for loading the serial port FIFOs. The ISA Riscom/N2 card has a jumper block to set the IRQ and a DIP switch to set the port address the card will use. The values programmed into the card must be specified with the port and irq locators in the kernel configuration line. The iomem locator must be specified and must occur on a 16k boundary. The driver uses a 16k region of io memory. Bit 0 of the flags locator indicates if there is a second serial port available on the card. Currently clock source and speed information is specified with the flags locator in the kernel configuration file. The flags field has the fol- lowing format. 3 2 1 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 +-------------+ +-----+ +-----+ + +---+ +-+ + +---+ +-+ + tmc tdiv rdiv e1 rxs1 ts1 e0 rxs0 txs0 np(*) tmc Defines the timer constant. The base clock frequency is divided by tmc to generate the main clock for receiving and sending. Further division is possible with the tdiv and rdiv divisor options. A value of 0 is treated as 256. tdiv Defines the transmit divisor as 2^(tdiv). The internal trans- mit clock frequency is determined by dividing the base clock frequency by tmc and then dividing by 2^(tdiv). rdiv Defines the receive divisor as 2^(rdiv). The internal receive clock frequency is determined by dividing the base clock fre- quency by tmc and then dividing by 2^(rdiv). e0 e1 If true the internal clock source is used to drive the line clock for port 0 or port 1 respectively. rxs0 rxs1 Specifies which clock source to use for receiving data on port 0 and port 1 respectively. The following values are accepted: 0 Line clock. 1 Line clock with noise suppression. 2 Internal clock. txs0 txs1 Specifies which clock source to use for transmitting data on port 0 and port 1 respectively. The following values are accepted: 0 Line clock. 1 Internal clock. 2 Receive clock. np (For the ISA card only) A value of 1 indicates there is a sec- ond serial port present on the card. This is auto-detected on the PCI card and need not be specified.
Cards supported by the ntwoc driver include: SDL Communications Riscom/N2 SDL Communications N2pci SDL Communications WANic 400 (untested)
ntwoc0: TXDMA underrun - fifo depth maxed Indicates that the serial port's FIFO is being drained faster than DMA can fill it. The driver automatically increases the low-water mark at which to begin DMA trans- fers when underruns occur. This diagnostic is issued when the low-water mark is maximized (i.e., 1 less than the depth of the FIFO). ntwoc0: RXDMA buffer overflow Indicates that a frame is being received by the card, but there are no free receive buffers.
intro(4), isa(4), pci(4), ifconfig(8)
The PCI driver first appeared in NetBSD 1.4. Much of the ISA driver was adapted from the FreeBSD sr driver and first appeared in NetBSD 1.5.
Use of the flags locator for setting the clock sources and speeds should be replaced with ioctl's and a control program. NetBSD 9.3 October 2, 1998 NetBSD 9.3


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Two sides of the same fence?
In my daily reading these two articles came fairly close together, and I have a strong feeling they are describing exactly the same project. *
From one side of the fence: A total rewrite: costly, time-consuming, but worth it?
"Our CMS was developed using Active Server Pages, and consisted of around 80,000 lines of VBScript code."
"as we continued to develop the rest of the framework, we saw that it took a lot longer than anticipated"
From the other side: The Homegrown CMS
"If one were to create a list of adjectives to describe this monstrosity, "stable," "reliable," and "accurate" would be strikingly absent."
"…nearly 200 tables (mostly imported from Microsoft Access) and not a single stored procedure. Boolean-type values were represented as a CHAR(5) field, holding possible values of 'true', 'false', or NULL…
"There were also no indexes. Nor any primary key columns… For inserts, an ID was assigned via in-line SQL by requesting the Max(ID) field of any particular table and adding 1."
My point of view: this sounds like a good counter-example to the (very good, but general) advice offered by Joel Spolsky: don't rewrite from scratch.
* EDIT: Vidar Langberget has advised that these are not the same project, proving that I'm not such a great prognosticator 😐


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Bright Silver Paint Stick™
Bright Silver is a sharp aluminum-looking silver made from pure aluminum pigment.
Paint Sticks™ and Minis are very heavy concentration of fine artist grade pigment, held together with USP white beeswax. There are no fillers or oils, no synthetic or petroleum waxes in any Evans Encaustics products.
Break off a piece of the Paint Stick™ and melt it with at least double the quantity of medium. More medium will extend the color while maintaining the integrity of the paint.Paint Sticks™ and Minis are exceptional when used directly on a hot palette for monotypes and other works on paper.
We Also Recommend


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Introducing our cutting-edge Chevrolet spark plugs and glow plugs, engineered to transform your engine's performance. Our state-of-the-art Chevrolet spark plug components guarantee optimal combustion, resulting in improved power, fuel efficiency, and engine longevity.
Discover our premium selection of NGK spark plugs and NGK glow plugs tailored to your Chevrolet. Simply choose your car model, and we'll provide you with the perfect ignition solutions for seamless engine ignition.


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Experiment Window Graphics
VIEW GALLERYBuild excitement and intrigue for your newest and hottest merchandise and/or solutions with interesting custom window graphics!
When your business is advertising your latest product or service, you desire to deliver privacy for your consumers within your business, or simply hope to alert your possible consumers about what your business has to offer, attractive window signs and vinyl graphics get your company seen and considered.
Axe Signs is your trusted local Experiment vinyl window signs and graphics partner, manufacturing eye-catching window graphics, signs, clings, and displays that consistently improves your brand visibility.
Call Axe Signs today at (678) 433-9878 for your Free Consultation!
Window Signs For All Businesses
Axe Signs manufactures informative and promotional window signs, graphics, and lettering for improving business visibility. Our knowledgeable vinyl sign and graphic designers deliver long-lasting window graphics that complement your current branding, support your business marketing goals, and ultimately draw more clients in the door.
Our custom window signs and graphics comprise of:
- Large Format Clings
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- Cut Vinyl Lettering and Graphics
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Our window sign and graphics professionals develop the right signs and graphics you need to support your marketing goals. We learn about your company and brand and make logical suggestions for products that deliver for you. Our experienced staff is excited for the opportunity to support your marketing goals with attractive window graphics, wraps, lettering, banners, signs, and more.
Retail Window Graphics
Everyone knows that retailers have a lot of time, energy, and effort invested in their promotional window displays. A striking window display is fabricated to pull serious potential shoppers inside your business. If you're promoting a special event, promotion, sale, or want to improve sales connected to a high-ticket product, custom window displays are a fantastic way to accomplish this.
Primarily, promotional window displays are modified seasonally to accentuate the hottest items you have to offer. Axe Signs provides eye-catching window signs, graphics, and full displays to publicize your sales events and high-margin goods in a high-quality way that will generate more new shoppers.
Privacy Window Vinyl For Offices
Large office buildings, like real estate agents, law firms, insurance brokers, counselors and therapists, service professionals, and many other business categories, incorporate custom vinyl window film on their business exterior windows for promotion, privacy, or branding applications. Our experts develop privacy film that gives the same look and feel as a custom etched glass window panel, while avoiding the expense and hassle of replacing entire glass panels.
Quite a lot of professionals wish to have their logo and branding elements, company name, and other custom images or messaging added within their vinyl window privacy film for better business and brand visibility. Our custom signage experts can build an exclusive privacy film unique to your company, or supply examples of commonly selected vinyl film products that will support your corporate and business goals.
Window Signs For Service Providers
As a service provider, you can still attract more potential clients with a custom branded window display! Let your windows work for you with custom graphics, banners, posters, murals, or lettering displaying your most beneficial solutions, seasonal promotions, or even design an eye-catching and informative display that gets your business noticed. Our knowledgeable Experiment, GA graphics and signs project managers take your unique needs into consideration to produce the perfect display that your business needs. We handle production of all window display elements and pro installation of your vinyl graphics.
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When you require a professional window graphics company that can deliver the eye-catching, custom displays your business demands, the Experiment vinyl sign and graphic experts at Axe Signs offers the answers for you.
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All aboard for a relaxing cruising holiday
Get ship shape with cruising break
One of the great benefits of a UK cruise is that the ship departs from a British port.
With no airport queues, no long waits in departure lounges or luggage restrictions, it's just a case of getting to the port, unpacking and enjoying the holiday.
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdEnjoy on-board dining, leisure facilities - including gyms and swimming pools - and evening entertainment.All the major companies, including Cunard, Viking, Saga, Fred Olsen, Hurtigruten, Marella - operated by TUI - MSC Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Princess, P&O and Regent Seven Seas, have been operating UK cruises.
Most have already published brochures, including online, for 2022 and beyond.
Take to UK seas with the following ...
Princess Cruises
British Isles with Liverpool from Southampton, 10 nights.Departs: October 5, 2021.
Cruise departs from Southampton / Portland / Cork (Cobh) / Greenock / Belfast / Liverpool / Southampton.Scenic British Isles cruises 2021 and 2022.
Fred Olsen
Short Break - Southampton to Liverpool.
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSpend two memorable and rewarding nights on the new ship Borealis, sailing from Southampton to Liverpool, for a taste of what makes small ship cruising.
Includes sumptuous dining.
Depart May 26, 2022.
Ambassador Cruise Line
Round Britain and Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebration, 12 nights.
Visiting London Tilbury, Rosyth - for Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Kirkwall - Orkney Isles, Portree - Isle of Skye, Tobermory - Isle of Mull, Belfast, Holyhead - Isle of Anglesey, St. Mary's - Isles of Scilly, St. Peter Port - Guernsey - Channel Islands, Honfleur, London Tilbury.
Depart April 17, 2022.
Experience the UK coastline from a unique perspective with a scenic voyage on board a Cunard Queen. Encounter coastal. wildlife, rugged cliffsides and medieval castles on a British Isles cruise, departing Southampton this year and next year.
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBritish Isles, 12 nights, May 24, 2022. Includes Isles of Scilly and Ireland.
Music, theatre and fine dining each day and night of your voyage.
Springtime in British Isles, 14 nights.
From the Norfolk Broads and Scottish Highlands to the Giant's Causeway, discover a wealth of natural attractions on this two-week circumnavigation of Britain, also calling at Ireland. Visit a trio of historic capitals – Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin – to discover their distinct identities. Contrast this with the wild beauty of the Isle of Skye and maritime past of Portland on Dorset's Jurassic Coast.
Depart: May 12.
Check the schedule
It is best to check out their individual websites for destinations, full itineraries and departure dates.


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The Watershed Management Division is responsible for protecting, maintaining, enhancing and restoring the quality of Vermont's surface water resources. Inherent in this effort is the support of both healthy ecosystems and public uses in and on Vermont's 800 lakes and ponds, 23,000 miles of rivers and streams and 300,000 acres of wetlands.
The Division includes three media-specific programs, Wetlands, Rivers and Lakes, that provide for the comprehensive management of these resources through science-based management and permitting programs and activities. The Division also administers federally delegated Stormwater and Wastewater permitting programs that regulate discharges to surface waters. The Monitoring and Assessment program monitors and assesses surface water quality and supports the development of plans and reports that identify protection and restoration needs and actions. The Business and Operational Support Services program provides administrative, financial, and compliance services for the entire Division, with the goal of promoting efficiency, enhancing consistency, and better leveraging technology.


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Payment forms templates are a great way to start collecting online payments in the online world with less effort. Build your online payment forms with AbcSubmit and collect payments in minutes with payments gateways like PayPal, Stripe and so on.
Whether you're looking to collect clients information, orders quantity, our forms can be customized to fit your needs no matter the size or type of business you have. Our payment forms are highly customizable and mobile-friendly.
Choose one of our online payment templates and collect payments today!


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I just spotted this post in an online forum "Does anybody get those annoying Christmas letters EVERY YEAR EVERY DETAIL of the families history???...I dont even read them anymore I just trash them."
Trash them? As the writer unwittingly said they contain details of a family's history.They are precious resources for future generations Sure people brag about how clever their kids are but they also convey news of hatches, matches and dispatches and other family milestones. There is no way I would trash these epistles that give a potted (but often skewed towards the positive) history of a family's events during that year.
For those newsletters that come from family I record the details of births, deaths and marriages that I glean from them in my genealogy database. I then file them in my family history files in the author's file. I have over ten years of newsletters from one cousin's family that when read sequentially tell a beautiful story, warts and all. She is not into genealogy but one day her descendants may be; there may be nowhere else that this story is recorded for these youngsters. I am pleased that I can curate this collection for the future.
Do you send out a Christmas letter? Do you enjoy reading them? Are they trash or treasure?


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Claude Lorrain, Ascanius shooting the Stag of Sylvia, 1682
Source: Wikimedia Commons
I was curious to compare the two figures of Ascanius directly and so had a play on Photoshop, as you can see below. It would seem facile to say this shows Claude could have painted more naturalistic figures if he'd wanted to, but the point is worthwhile because contemporaries criticised this aspect of his painting and Claude himself reportedly joked that when he sold his landscapes he threw the figures in for nothing. Of course the figures in Ascanius shooting the Stag of Sylvia can't be seen in isolation (or cut out from their setting); the painting's harmonius colours and soaring forms combine to convey a legendary time and place, dreamed from the poetry of Virgil. Goethe summed up the nature of landscapes like this in 1829, when he said that Claude's paintings 'possess the highest truth, but no trace of reality.'


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I'm Elizabeth Warren, and this is my first Democratic Convention. I never thought I'd run for Senate. And I sure never dreamed that I'd get to be the warm-up act for President Bill Clinton. He's an amazing man, who had the good sense to marry one of the coolest women on the planet. I want to give a special shout out to the Massachusetts delegation. I'm counting on you to help me win and to help President Obama win.
I'm here tonight to talk about hard-working people: people who get up early, stay up late, cook dinner and help out with homework; people who can be counted on to help their kids, their parents, their neighbors, and the lady down the street whose car broke down; people who work their hearts out but are up against a hard truth—the game is rigged against them.
It wasn't always this way. Like a lot of you, I grew up in a family on the ragged edges of the middle class. My daddy sold carpeting and ended up as a maintenance man. After he had a heart attack, my mom worked the phones at Sears so we could hang on to our house. All three of my brothers all served in the military. One was career. The second worked a good union job in construction. The third started a small business.
Me, I was waiting tables at 13 and married at 19. I graduated from public schools and taught elementary school. I have a wonderful husband, two great children, and three beautiful grandchildren. And I'm grateful, down to my toes, for every opportunity that America gave me. This is a great country. I grew up in an America that invested in its kids and built a strong middle class; that allowed millions of children to rise from poverty and establish secure lives. An America that created Social Security and Medicare so that seniors could live with dignity; an America in which each generation built something solid so that the next generation could build something better.
But now, for many years, our middle class has been chipped, squeezed, and hammered. Talk to the construction worker I met from Malden, Massachusetts, who went nine months without finding work. Talk to the head of a manufacturing company in Franklin trying to protect jobs but worried about rising costs. Talk to the student in Worcester who worked hard to finish his degree, and now he's drowning in debt. Their fight is my fight, and it's Barack Obama's fight, too. That's right. Yes.
People feel like the system is rigged against them. And here's the painful part: they're right. The system is rigged. Look around. Oil companies guzzle down billions in profits. Billionaires pay lower tax rates than their secretaries. Wall Street CEOs—the same ones who wrecked our economy and destroyed millions of jobs—still strut around Congress, no shame, demanding favors, and acting like we should thank them.
Anyone here have a problem with that? Well I do. I talk to small business owners all across Massachusetts. Not one of them—not one—made big bucks from the risky Wall Street bets that brought down our economy. I talk to nurses and programmers, salespeople and firefighters—people who bust their tails every day. Not one of them—not one—stashes their money in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Does anyone here have a problem with that? I do, too.
I talked to small business owners all across Massachusetts, and not one of them—not one—made big bucks from the risky bets that brought down our economy. I talked to nurses and programmers, salespeople and firefighters—people who bust their tails every day and not one of them—not one—stashes their money in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
These folks don't resent that someone else made more money. We're Americans. We celebrate success. We just don't want the game to be rigged. We've fought to level the playing field before. About a century ago, when corrosive greed threatened our economy and our way of life, the American people came together under the leadership of Teddy Roosevelt and other progressives, to bring our nation back from the brink.
We started to take children out of factories and put them in schools. We began to give meaning to the words "consumer protection" by making our food and medicine safe. And we gave the little guys a better chance to compete by preventing the big guys from rigging the markets. We turned adversity into progress because that's what we do.
Americans are fighters. We're tough, resourceful and creative. If we have the chance to fight on a level playing field—where everyone pays a fair share and everyone has a real shot—then no one can stop us. President Obama gets it because he's spent his life fighting for the middle class. And now he's fighting to level that playing field—because we know the economy doesn't grow from the top down, but from the middle class out and the bottom up. That's how we create jobs and reduce the debt.
And Mitt Romney? He wants to give tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires. But for middle-class families who are hanging on by their fingernails? His plan will hammer them with a new tax hike of up to $2,000. Mitt Romney wants to give billions in breaks to big corporations—but he and Paul Ryan would pulverize financial reform, voucherize Medicare, and vaporize Obamacare.
The Republican vision is clear: "I've got mine, the rest of you are on your own." Republicans say they don't believe in government. Sure they do. They believe in government to help themselves and their powerful friends. After all, Mitt Romney's the guy who said corporations are people.
No, Governor Romney, corporations are not people. People have hearts, they have kids, they get jobs, they get sick, they cry, they dance. They live, they love, and they die. And that matters. That matters. That matters because we don't run this country for corporations, we run it for people. And that's why we need Barack Obama.
After the financial crisis, President Obama knew that we had to clean up Wall Street. For years, families had been tricked by credit cards, fooled by student loans and cheated on mortgages. I had an idea for a consumer financial protection agency to stop the rip-offs. The big banks sure didn't like it, and they marshaled one of the biggest lobbying forces on earth to destroy the agency before it ever saw the light of day. American families didn't have an army of lobbyists on our side. What we had was a president—President Obama leading the way. And when the lobbyists were closing in for the kill, Barack Obama squared his shoulders, planted his feet, and stood firm. And that's how we won.
By the way, just a few weeks ago, that little agency caught one of the biggest credit card companies cheating its customers and made it give people back every penny it took, plus millions of dollars in fines. That's what happens when you have a president on the side of the middle class.
President Obama believes in a level playing field. He believes in a country where nobody gets a free ride or a golden parachute. A country where anyone who has a great idea and rolls up their sleeves has a chance to build a business, and anyone who works hard can build some security and raise a family. President Obama believes in a country where billionaires pay their taxes just like their secretaries do, and—I can't believe I have to say this in 2012—a country where women get equal pay for equal work.
He believes in a country where everyone is held accountable. Where no one can steal your purse on Main Street or your pension on Wall Street. President Obama believes in a country where we invest in education, in roads and bridges, in science, and in the future, so we can create new opportunities, so the next kid can make it big, and the kid after that, and the kid after that. That's what President Obama believes. And that's how we build the economy of the future. An economy with more jobs and less debt. We root it in fairness. We grow it with opportunity. And we build it together.
I grew up in the Methodist Church and taught Sunday school. One of my favorite passages of scripture is: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40. The passage teaches about God in each of us, that we are bound to each other and we are called to act. Not to sit, not to wait, but to act—all of us together.
Senator Ted Kennedy understood that call. Four years ago, he addressed our convention for the last time. He said, "We have never lost our belief that we are all called to a better country and a newer world." Generation after generation, Americans have answered that call. And now we are called again. We are called to restore opportunity for every American. We are called to give America's working families a fighting chance. We are called to build something solid so the next generation can build something better.
So let me ask you—let me ask you, America: are you ready to answer this call? Are you ready to fight for good jobs and a strong middle class? Are you ready to work for a level playing field? Are you ready to prove to another generation of Americans that we can build a better country and a newer world?
Joe Biden is ready. Barack Obama is ready. I'm ready. You're ready. Thank you! God bless America!
Speech from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzspAfNkGz0.


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Digital technology is changing every industry and economy. If you're not modernizing your workplace, you could be falling behind. One of the easiest changes you can make to facilitate digital transformation is adopting a modern workplace solution like Microsoft Teams. At Intrious Technology Sdn Bhd, we have helped dozens of companies like yours to implement modern digital solutions. Contact us today to learn more on how we can help.
View: The future of work: Empowering people and organizations to achieve more


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Click to enlarge
How your baby's growing:
Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.
He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.
If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.
In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.


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About WindSong Cohousing
WindSong incorporates the best of urban and rural lifestyles. Our property is rich with indoor and outdoor beauty.
Our 34 townhomes are in two long rows facing each other across a pedestrian street. The common house is located midway between the north and south ends. Community streets are covered by a greenhouse-style glass roof enabling us to walk, talk, and play outdoors without getting wet, a significant factor in our west coast rainforest climate! Our building design encourages neighbourly interaction.
Our 5,000 sq. ft. common house includes an industrial kitchen, dining room, fireside lounge, playroom with loft and outdoor play structure, an arts & crafts room, workshop, laundry room, community office and board room, multi-purpose (exercise) room, media room, guest room, three washrooms, wheelchair ramps and an underground parking lot.
Community Design
WindSong has a balance of public and private spaces. The dwellings are privately owned and each unit is self-contained with its own entrance and private kitchen. There is ample soundproofing between units.
Our design incorporates energy-saving elements such as clustered homes and the glass-covered pedestrian street. Other features include low-flush toilets and environmentally friendly building materials.
Outdoor Areas
WindSong has preserved 4 acres in its natural state. Yorkson Creek runs through our forest and wetland areas providing habitat for birds, beavers and fish. Our site features many native plant species. We have organic vegetable gardens, lawns, fruit trees, and play spaces for children.
Waste and Recycling
Composting bins are located in the north and south gardens. Recycling bins are located near the main garbage collection area to recycle paper, glass, cans, and some plastic. Beverage containers and batteries are collected inside for drop-off at the nearby depot.
Home Ownership & Community Governance
WindSong's ownership structure is Strata. Homes are individually owned and most homes are owner-occupied, much like any other strata townhouse development. WindSong is NOT cooperative housing. In cooperative housing the building is owned by a corporation and the stockholders occupy individual suites that are owner in common.
While the terms "cooperative" and "strata" are ownership models, "cohousing" is a model of governance. In cohousing, residents are more active in their community and there are usually more common facilities. Key to cohousing is that in governance, community decisions are made through a specifically developed consensus process which has proven to be extremely affective in WindSong's 20 year history.


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Free shipping on orders over $35, always.
Greeting Card, Mighty
This greeting card was created using Taylor's original illustration of Mighty from the Buffalo Alphabet. Simply trim the front of the card, and it doubles as a mini print (for yourself or your giftee!)
- Measures 4.5" x 6.25" when folded
- 100% pure cotton envelope included
- Blank inside
- Packaged in a protective, clear cello sleeve
Also available as a Matted Art Print
All of our prints are produced on premium, ultra thick eggshell paper. Our signature paper stock is carbon neutral, and both FSC and Green-E certified. Professional inks guarantee vibrant colors and long-lasting prints.
All orders are shipped within 2 business days, excluding weekends and holidays. Though we are unable to process refunds, quality is of the utmost importance to us. If your item(s) arrive damaged, please reach out and we'll work with you to replace the item as soon as possible.


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Legal marijuana sales are set to begin in Washington state as early as Tuesday after authorities began issuing retail licenses to stores.
The state's Liquor Control Board issued Monday the first 24 marijuana retailer licenses, the board said in a statement. The stores can now stock up on marijuana products and begin sales on Tuesday after the mandated 24-hour "quarantine" period.
Here's more from the panel:
"Businesses receiving their licenses today represent the first of 334 licenses allotted by the WSLCB for retail sales who have successfully completed the licensing process. Locations receiving licenses were selected by taking into account population, geographic dispersion and the individual applicant's readiness to be licensed."
The Associated Press reports that the board licensed 14 stores in western Washington and 10 in the eastern part of the state. It adds: "Spokane has three stores. Vancouver, Tacoma and Bellingham each have two. Seattle and the other cities on the list have one each."
What time the stores will open is likely to vary.
An investor in Top Shelf Cannabis in Bellingham said the store would be open at 8 a.m., but he told the AP work remained to be done.
At Seattle's Cannabis City, owner James Lathrop said he'd wait until noon.
"Know your audience: We're talking stoners here," he told the AP. "I'd be mean to say they need to get up at 5 a.m. to get in line."
The state is the second to legalize recreational marijuana. Colorado began sales Jan. 1. The pent-up demand is expected to cause shortages. USA Today reports:
"All that demand is expected to cause significant pot shortages and prices to temporarily skyrocket in the short term as growers match supply and buyers adjust to a system where marijuana is legally bought and sold from state-regulated stores. ...
"Like Colorado, Washington state expects to see tight supplies in the initial days of legalization. In Colorado, for instance, prices for an ounce of high-grade marijuana rose past $300 in the first few days of January as lines snaked around the block at some stores and retailers blocked large purchases. Over the July 4 weekend, however, one large chain of Colorado marijuana stores was selling ounces for $85, plus tax."
Although possession of marijuana is illegal under federal law, the Justice Department has instructed prosecutors not to focus on marijuana users but instead on cartels, criminal enterprises and those who sell the drug to children.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Intermediate Python Tutorials
Once you're past the basics you can start digging into our intermediate-level tutorials that will teach you new Python concepts. This category is for intermediate Python developers who already know the basics of Python development and want to expand their knowledge.
If you are new to Python, we suggest you start with our Python Basics category, which takes you on a comprehensive tour through the Python language and related concepts, even if you are a complete beginner.
Becoming a Python expert takes time, but over time you'll master this beautiful programming language. It's worth it! When you're ready to move on to more difficult topics, check out our Advanced Python Tutorials section.
Free Bonus: 5 Thoughts On Python Mastery, a free course for Python developers that shows you the roadmap and the mindset you'll need to take your Python skills to the next level.
Rounding Numbers in Python
Sep 16, 2018 intermediate best-practices python


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Found 5 results
Author Title [ Type] Year Filters: Keyword is Zebrafish and Author is Michael T. Simonich [Clear All Filters]
"AHR-dependent misregulation of Wnt signaling disrupts tissue regeneration.", Biochem Pharmacol, vol. 77, no. 4, pp. 498-507, 2009.
, "Arsenic (III, V), indium (III), and gallium (III) toxicity to zebrafish embryos using a high-throughput multi-endpoint in vivo developmental and behavioral assay.", Chemosphere, vol. 148, pp. 361-8, 2016.
, "Assessment of the developmental and neurotoxicity of the mosquito control larvicide, pyriproxyfen, using embryonic zebrafish.", Environ Pollut, vol. 218, pp. 1089-1093, 2016.
, "Chronic perfluorooctanesulphonic acid (PFOS) exposure produces estrogenic effects in zebrafish.", Environ Pollut, vol. 218, pp. 702-708, 2016.
, "Zebrafish embryo toxicity of 15 chlorinated, brominated, and iodinated disinfection by-products", Journal of Environmental Sciences, vol. 58, 2017.


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ProClim Flash
The Swiss journal focuses on Climate and Global Change and provides fact-based, authentic and up-to-date information.
ProClim Flash is a Swiss Journal which focuses on Climate and Global Change. The journal addresses experts from science, specialist associations, he Federal Government, cantons and municipalities as well as interested public.
The journal provides fact-based, authentic and up-to-date information from the network. It was re-launched in 2017. Reports, interviews and portraits show different viewpoints in the complex issue of climate and global change. Every issue is being developed together with scientists, specialists from practice and administration, journalists and a cartoonist.
The Journal is published annually in German. It is printed with the «cradle-to-cradle» principle.
You can subscribe to the print or PDF-version of the journal. Please send an e-mail with your full address to .
Currently published issues


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My husband, Joe, returned to his job at the RV factory after being on vacation for a little over a week. Daughters Elizabeth, 20, and Susan, 18, are home a few more days before they will return to their jobs at the RV factory where they work.
We had an enjoyable vacation, but it went way too fast. A lot of fishing was done, but we also accomplished a lot of work. Joe and sons Benjamin, 14, and Joseph, 11, put a new metal roof on the back of our barn. The roof had been leaking. It's where we keep the chickens and calves, so it will sure be a lot better to not have a leak in the roof.
We put up almost 800 bales of hay in our barn over this past week. Hay is still expensive, and farmers are having a hard time getting their hay in between the rains. The rains are helping things grow and gardens are doing well.
One evening we went camping with my sister Emma and her husband, Jacob, and their family and my sisters Verena and Susan. We cooked supper out on the open fire with Joe's new tripod and kettle. We deep-fried fish and had lot of food, with everyone bringing something. The children loved sleeping in tents. We cooked breakfast outside on the fire. Our menu was sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, sliced Swiss and Colby cheese, hot peppers, sliced tomatoes, watermelon, muskmelon, caramel cake, pudding, coffee, milk and orange juice.
Today we are washing laundry, and it turned out to be a beautiful day for drying clothes. We had a thunderstorm during the night and some more rain.
Son Benjamin is helping Susan's friend Mose at his sawmill for a couple days. It seems quiet without Benjamin home. He does so many jobs for me when Joe is working.
Joseph, Lovina and Kevin are cleaning out the chicken coop, which is always a stinky job. But it has to be done. They are also cleaning out another area for our four new pigs, which will come today. We will raise them for meat this winter.
If it's the Lord's will we will have beef, pork and chicken to fill our canning jars and freezers for another year once it turns cold again. How thankful we are for having plenty to eat. It isn't like that everywhere, and we pray that God will provide for the ones less fortunate as well. We need to thank God for our many blessings daily!
How thankful we are for having plenty to eat. We pray that God will provide for the ones less fortunate as well.
The rest of our week will be spent sewing for niece Irene's wedding next week. I will help prepare for the wedding on Monday and be a cook at the wedding on Wednesday. Daughter Elizabeth and her friend Timothy will be tablewaiters at the wedding. Tablewaiters are friends and cousins who are chosen by the bride and the groom to serve food to wedding guests seated at the tables.
I'll share the recipe for batter that I use to deep-fry fish. We also use this for onion rings, zucchini, and other vegetables.
Batter for Deep-Fat Frying
½ cup milk
1 egg
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt (or seasoning of your choice)
Mix together all ingredients and stir until lumps are smooth. Dip fish filets or sliced vegetables in the batter. Drop in hot oil in a deep frying pan or Dutch oven and fry until golden brown.


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These are dangerous times. The Doomsday Clock sits at just two and a half minutes before midnight, which represents global catastrophe.
The Doomsday Clock has been maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1947, and has only ever been closer to midnight back in 1953, when the United States and Soviet Union tested their first hydrogen bombs, and the world was locked in a very dangerous nuclear arms race.
A single hydrogen bomb, thousands of times more powerful than the devices used on Hiroshima or Nagasaki, would be capable of obliterating a whole city.
An all out war, detonating even a fraction of the roughly 14,000 nuclear weapons in existence today, might trigger a mini ice age. Winter would last year-round, agriculture would be destroyed, and civilisation would likely collapse.
The then US president Ronald Reagan put it simply and clearly: "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."
Today we face these fears once more. Russia and China are again flexing their military might. The United States is led by President Donald Trump, who has a more hawkish take on international affairs than his predecessors. He has also said that if any country is to have nuclear weapons, then he wants the United States to be at the "top of the pack".
There are many potential flashpoints around the world – including Syria, the Korean peninsular, the South China Sea, Iraq, and Ukraine – and many despots and terrorists looking to cause problems.
There is, however, reason for hope. This week's talks at the United Nations aim to negotiate a total ban on nuclear weapons. These talks are the first of their kind ever to take place at the UN.
The aim is to stigmatise nuclear weapons, as with biological and chemical weapons. The ultimate goal is a world free of these weapons of mass destruction.
In support of these discussions, thousands of scientists from around the world have today released an open letter urging our national governments to achieve this goal of banning nuclear weapons.
The letter is signed by 23 Nobel Laureates, a past US Secretary of Defense, and many well-known scientists such as Stephen Hawking, Steven Pinker, Martin Rees and Daniel Dennett. I, too, have signed the letter.
As scientists, we bear a special responsibility for having invented these weapons of mass destruction. And as scientists, we are also very aware of the disastrous effects that they could have on our planet.
Nuclear weapons threaten not merely those who have them, but all people who walk the Earth.
We urge the diplomats meeting in the United Nations today to find a way to rid the world of this evil.


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This material has 2 associated documents. Select a document title to view a document's information.
written by
Jose Ignacio Fernández Palop
The Single-Slit Diffraction model simulates the diffraction pattern of light as it travels through a slit to a screen. The diffraction pattern is due to the difference in path length of the light from different parts of the slit as the light from the slit travels to the screen. The intensity of the light that reaches the screen is related to the wavelength of light, the slit width, and the angle away from the center of the screen. In the simulation one can change the wavelength, the slit separation, and whether the pattern is shown on a screen or on a photographic plate.
Single-Slit Diffraction model was created using the Easy Java Simulations (EJS) modeling tool. It is distributed as a ready-to-run (compiled) Java archive. Double clicking the ejs_diffraction.jar file will run the program if Java is installed.
Last Modified June 12, 2014
This file has previous versions.
The source code zip archive contains an XML representation of the Single-Slit Diffraction Model. Unzip this archive in your EJS workspace to compile and run this model using EJS.
Published December 12, 2010
Last Modified June 12, 2014
This file has previous versions.


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We enabled Platform Notification System Feedback a while back to improve monitoring and debugging, where all channel error feedback from Platform Notification Systems associated with your hub is put in a storage blob for you to peruse. If you haven't yet, I recommend checking out the feature and the simple sample we prepared. Many customers found this very useful, but wished for a way to see these feedback per message request to Notification Hubs.
We thought about it and it was a wonderful idea!
With our latest updates, we've added a new field PnsErrorDetailsUri into Per Message Telemetry – if you haven't worked with Per Message Telemetry, you can read about it here. This means that, as part of Per Message Telemetry, we process per message feedback from Platform Notification Systems as we push notifications out, extract the errors, and put them in a blob whose uri is then presented. This makes these feedback much more targeted and useful, helping you detect any errors in your pushes.
Here is an overview of the differences between Platform Notification System Feedback and the PNS Error Details we added to Per Message Telemetry:
Platform Notification System Feedback | Per Message Telemetry's PNS Error Details | |
Scope | Notification hub | Notification ID |
Content | Expired channel and bad channel errors from PNS | Any errors from PNS |
Both PNS Feedback and PNS Error Details are available for Standard Tier namespaces.
If you are using REST, the return of Per Message Telemetry will have an additional PnsErrorDetailsUri when you work with Api-Version 2016-07 or above. The errors can be any of the following:
- Invalid PNS credentials
- PNS unreachable
- Bad channel
- Expired channel
- Wrong channel
- PNS throttled
- Invalid token
- Wrong token
- Dropped
Note that the error details are only fully available after the associated notification send operation is complete, and that you will get NULL for PnsErrorDetailsUri if there is no error.
If you are using our NuGet, simply add a few lines of code to extract the PnsErrorDetailUri from notification outcome details and its blob content.
// Get Notification ID from any send request var outcome = await client.SendWindowsNativeNotificationAsync(winPayload.ToString(), tag); // Get pns error detail uri once notification processing is complete var feedbackUri = string.Empty; var retryCount = 0; while (retryCount++ < 6) { var result = client.GetNotificationOutcomeDetailsAsync(outcome.NotificationId).Result; if (result.State != NotificationOutcomeState.Completed) { await Task.Delay(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10)); } else { feedbackUri = result.PnsErrorDetailsUri; break; } } if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(feedbackUri)) { Console.WriteLine("feedbackBlobUri: {0}", feedbackUri); var feedbackFromBlob = ReadFeedbackFromBlob(new Uri(feedbackUri)); Console.WriteLine("Feedback from blob: {0}", feedbackFromBlob); }
You can easily read the blob with the following call with the Azure Storage NuGet.
private static string ReadFeedbackFromBlob(Uri uri) { var currentBlock = new CloudAppendBlob(uri); var stringbuilder = new StringBuilder(); using (var streamReader = new StreamReader(currentBlock.OpenRead())) { while (!streamReader.EndOfStream) { string currentFeedbackString = streamReader.ReadLine(); if (currentFeedbackString != null) { stringbuilder.AppendLine(currentFeedbackString); } } } return stringbuilder.ToString(); }
We will be updating the Node.js SDK soon to enable this feature as well. Meanwhile, give it a try with our NuGet or REST APIs and let us know what you think!


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BERLIN — Germany will pay utility companies billions of euros to speed up the shutdown of their coal-fired power plants as part of the country's efforts to fight climate change, the government said Thursday.
The agreement reached after late-night deliberations between federal ministers and representatives of four coal-mining states removes a key hurdle in Germany's plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decades.
Some regions, particularly in the less prosperous east, are heavily dependent on mining lignite, or brown coal. Together with imported bituminous — or black — coal it provides about a third of Germany's electricity needs but is also responsible for a big share of the country's carbon emissions.
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said that operators of heavily polluting coal-fired power plants in western Germany will receive 2.6 billion euros ($2.9 billion) in compensation for switching them off early, while 1.75 billion euros will go to those with plants in the east. The compensation is separate from up to 40 billion euros that the government has already promised to coal-mining regions to soften the blow of abandoning the fossil fuel.
The government said reviews will be carried out in 2026 and 2029 to determine whether Germany can exit coal-fired electricity generation in 2035, three years before the final deadline.
"What we have here is a good agreement for climate protection because it makes clear that we mean it seriously," Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said. He added that the government plans to bring legislation to parliament at the end of this month.
Environmental campaigners criticized the decision though, noting that the agreement will see a new coal-fired plant — Datteln 4 — go on-line this year and allow for the expansion of the Garzweiler open-cast mine in western Germany, though a nearby forest that has been the target of long-running protests will be spared.
"Australia's forests are burning, millions of people are demonstrating for climate protection and the German government is clearing the way for a new coal power plant," lamented Martin Kaiser, the managing director of Greenpeace Germany. "Nothing shows more clearly than Datteln 4 that this government can't find an answer to the climate crisis."
"Chancellor (Angela) Merkel has missed a chance today to provide companies with long-term planning safety and to send a signal that Germany is reacting appropriately to the climate crisis," said Kaiser.
The response from businesses to the agreement was mixed.
Shares in German utility companies E.ON and RWE, which both stand to receive significant compensation for shutting down their coal plants, were up over 2% on the Frankfurt exchange Thursday.
But Eric Schweitzer, who heads the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said a key question is how the electricity coming from coal-fired power plants will be replaced in future. The government has set a target of generating 65% of Germany's electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Environment Minister Svenja Schulze acknowledged that Germany will need a "massive expansion of wind and solar energy" as the country is also in the process of exiting atomic power, with the last nuclear reactor set to go offline at the end of 2022.
"We are the first country that is exiting nuclear and coal power on a binding basis, and this is an important international signal that we are sending," she said of Thursday's agreement.
The head of Germany's main industrial lobby group, BDI, urged the government not to wait until 2026 — three years after the shutdown of the last nuclear plant — to review the measures.
But Altmaier, the economy minister, said that while there would less "excess production" in Germany in the future, "we are very sure that we can ensure sufficient electricity supply for business but also for private consumers."
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The following is a list of the insults, negative potrayals, and generally offensive rhetoric found in this NYT article by liberal Steve Almond calling for… more civility from liberals.
Sean Hannity represented the bane of American civic life: a blow-dried blowhard paid to vilify his enemies and incite his imbecilic fans… his bullying…an escalating right-wing fanaticism…conservative folly…all the mean, manipulative things those people say…He's just a businessman who is paid to reduce complex cultural issues to ad hominem assaults…liberals, both on an institutional and a personal level, have chosen to treat for-profit propaganda as news…the most vile and nihilistic voices on the right…The demagogues of the world, after all, derive power solely from their ability to provoke reaction…the fulminations of Fox News and the rest of the right-wing hysterics…conservative scoundrels…some part of me truly enjoys resenting conservatives…the same helplessness and rage that animates the extreme right wing of this country…blame those figures who, in my view, embody the decadent ignorance of the age…conservative demagogues…The Tea Party — inflamed and partly financed by well-funded lobbying groups…moral atrocities of the Bush era…right-wing misanthropy…I've come to regard all conservatives as extremists, a mob of useful idiots plied by profiteers…sadists…the very real pathologies of the modern conservative movement. The rich and powerful have clearly found in the Republican Party a willing collaborator. They've spent billions peddling Americans a failed theology of deregulation and lower taxes that is designed to foster and protect obscene wealth, not to serve the vast majority of our citizens. Thanks to the Supreme Court, the coming election will mark an unprecedented infusion of corporate propaganda into the political bloodstream…the childish arguments of paid provocateurs…demagogues…manipulate their legions into endorsing cruel and self-defeating policies…echo chamber of extremism…catering to a few million angry commuters…Fox News would be a popular fringe network, not the reliable conduit by which paranoid hogwash infects our mainstream media…conservative wack jobs…the cynicism of the Republican Party…what those special interests want: a nation too distracted by wrath to follow the money…conservative wing nuts…
But was the most offensive sentence at all? "We have to seek out those on the right willing to engage in genuine dialogue and ignore the rest."
Why in God's name would I want to talk to you, Steve Almond? You are a bad person.
Moe Lane (crosspost)


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Carry-On Allowance: 1 Bag + 1 Personal Item
Each passenger is allowed to carry on one bag and one personal item such as a purse or briefcase. Assistive devices and outer garments do not count as personal items. All carry-on luggage must fit in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you and adhere to the following requirements:
- Maximum Weight of Carry-on Luggage: 10kg/22lb
REMINDER: Bulkhead seats do not have underseat storage during take-off and landing.
Read Bulkheads Explained
Checked Baggage Allowance: 2 Pieces
Each passenger is allowed 2 checked bag as long as each bag adheres to the below requirements:
- Maximum Dimensions (Business): 203 linear cm/79.9 linear in (length + width + height)
- Maximum Weight (Business): 32kg/70lbs per bag
- Maximum Dimensions (Economy): 158 linear cm/62.2 linear in (length + width + height)
- Maximum Weight (Economy): 23kg/50lbs per bag
Overweight, Oversized, and Excess Baggage Fees
Overweight baggage fees vary depending on flight route. Visit the Aeroflot Russian Airlines overweight baggage page for more information.
Special Baggage
Some checked items, such as ski equipment, golf equipment, and musical instruments will be charged a fixed handling fee because of size, fragility, or other handling requirements. Visit the Aeroflot Russian Airlines special baggage page for more information.
CPAP Devices:
Please contact the airline for information.


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Decra Metal Roofing Systems
Installed Starting at $4.75 per SF!
As the original stone coated steel roofing system, the DECRA product line represents a perfect blending of over 40 years of research and practical experience.
Decra Roofing Systems: The Ultimate in Performance and Engineering Design
Decra organic roofing is manufactured using the finest lightweight zinc/aluminum alloy coated steel, covered with 3M ceramic coated stone granules and sealed with our exclusive polymer coating, Decra Roofing Systems are the most beautiful, durable and trouble-free roofs available today.
Decra Roofing Benefits
- Transferable 50-Year Limited Warranty
- Warranted against 120 mph winds and hail penetration
- Won't crack, break, burn, curl, split or rot
- Class 4 Impact Resistance to UL 2218 by Underwriters Laboratories (Highest Rating)
- Lightweight – Only 125 lbs to 150 lbs per square installed
- Non-combustible Class A rated material
- Walkable, low maintenance
- Long life, non-porous, freeze/thaw resistant
- Interlocking panels provide weather-tight barrier
Decra ShakeDecra Shake is the ideal roof. Offering the beauty and richness of cedar shake and the protection of stone coated steel. With a color pallet ranging from traditional brown and grey to green and black, Decra Shake will complement any color scheme. And a Decra Shake roof will last a lifetime. Official colors include: Charcoal, Coffee Brown, Shadowood, Granite, Teak, Sea Green and Weathered Timber. Ask your representative for samples and pricing when you request your quote today. |
Decra TileOffering the beauty and style of Mediterranean Tile and the lightweight of stone coated steel, a Decra Tile roof will add a distinctive elegance to any home. There are a few colors that are only available with Decra Tile and these include: Garnet, Terracotta and Arctic Blue. Take a look at the pictures below to see a newly-installed Decra Tile roof. |
Decra ShingleIf you are looking for the upscale design of a dimensional shingle, Decra Shingle is the choice for you. For the first time, you can have the beauty of this distinctive style, reinforced by the strength and longevity of steel. Colors available include: Canyon Brown, Midnight Eclipse, Fawn Grey, Woodland Green and Vintage Slate. Ask your representative to bring samples when you request your quote today. |
Decra Shingle PlusDecra Shingle Plus has the rich bold appearance of a heavy weight Architectural Shingle at a fraction of the weight. With its deep distinctive shadow lines and the dimension of wood or slate, Decra Shingle Plus will complement any style. Colors include: Canyon Brown, Fawn Grey, Midnight Eclipse, Vintage Slate and Woodland Green. |
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Zone 7
Zone 7
- Introduction
- Zone meetings
Recent Forum Posts [All]
September 29, 2006,
Dave posted
Zone Information
Contact Information
DJ Wagner
(email@example.com), Zone Councilor and Ashley Cetnar
(email@example.com), Associate Zone Councilor.
Zone Contacts
- Ashley Cetnar
- Dr. DJ Wagner
Zone 7 of the Society of Physics Students includes 72 chapters in Michigan, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Even though the chapters are spread out geographically, the chapters are quite active. Register your chapter of SPS at the nucleus and create a chapter website so that you can show the rest of the zone what your chapter is doing! A quick way to get started is to link to your chapter report. (Didn't turn one in last year? Get started on this year's!)
We're on Facebook!
Network with fellow zone members on Facebook! Our group is "SPS Zone 7." A link is found below.
Chapter Websites
If your chapter would like to create a website,
simply sign up as a registered user at the nucleus and then complete the feedback form and request a chapter page. You can either link the nucleus site to your campus webpage or use the nucleus chapter site as your main chapter site! We have the largest number of chapters of any Zone. Let's try to get all 72 chapters registered on the Nucleus!
Zone Meeting
The next Zone 7 meeting will be a joint meeting of Zones 2, 3 and 7. It will be on February 19th and 20th at Grove City College in western PA. The event will begin late Friday afternoon and continue through most of Saturday. We have lots of activities being planned and will provide more details as they get set. Watch this space, or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Chapter Profile
Thanks to the fine folk at Ohio University for letting us know what they're up to! They'll be hosting the second annual Ohio University Undergraduate Research Conference in Physics and planning to vist JLab. Keep up the good work, OU!
Tip of the week/month/finite-time-period
Do you find that filling out the Chapter Report for SPS National is tough to fit in at the end of the school year? Post it somewhere on the network or the club webpage, and update it after each event. You can designate an "officer-in-charge" for each event, or just have one officer responsible for the report. After an event is over, the responsible officer edits the Word file, adding details of the event and photos. Then, when the school year end, you just have to submit it!
Supplemental Links
Facebook group
Join the "SPS Zone 7" group on facebook now!


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Friday, May 28, 2010
A Letter to Nelson McCausland
If you haven't been following, Culture Minister Nelson McCausland is pushing for museums in his country to promote creationism along side displays illustrating scientific theories of origins. One of his constituents shared a letter to McCausland with me, and also granted permission to use it at the AE blog. So, without further introduction, here is a reprint of that correspondence:
Mr McCausland
I am writing this letter out of concern, not out of religious intolerance or to force my own agenda. The concern is due to your letter to the National Museum trustees about the possibility of inclusion of alternative views of creation. I hope that you will take the time to read this to understand exactly why this is a mistake and hopefully to shed a little light on a few things you seem to be mistaken about.
Firstly I would like to highlight the fundamental flaws of creationism and the so called 'scientific proof' of it. I am not sure if you are aware of the Kitzmiller/Dover Trial in America 2005 when concerned parents took out a lawsuit against a public school district that required the presentation of intelligent design/creationism as an alternative to evolution as an explanation of the origin of life. Creationist 'scientists' were invited to the trial to show their evidence and prove that it was scientific, and they faced off against accepted science and scientists. It is worth mentioning that the scientist charged with defeating the creationist/intelligent design camp was a devout Christian (Kenneth Miller) and that the judge was also a devout Christian (Judge John E. Jones III) and a right hand man of George Bush.
It is not mere hyperbole to state that this was the most important moment in the defense of science. It was to much relief and satisfaction that the court ruled emphatically against the creationist/intelligent design position. In his 139-page decision Judge Jones took the creationist case to task and I find this point most relevant:
"ID's backers have sought to avoid the scientific scrutiny which we have now determined that it cannot withstand by advocating that the controversy, but not ID itself, should be taught in science class. This tactic is at best disingenuous, and at worst a canard. The goal of the IDM is not to encourage critical thought, but to foment a revolution which would supplant evolutionary theory with ID." (Page 89)
It is clear that when asked to come forward and put their case and all their evidence on the table they didn't just fall short, they had nothing. It would be hoped that this would have put this situation to rest but it is still thriving in the United States and apparently in our home country. I recently visited a creationist seminar in a local church, and it disturbed me at what was being taught to the congregation as 'fact', I feel that people in the position of talking and administering to the congregation/public have a responsibility of being honest with what is fact and not bending evidence to fit the worldview they have.
To say that the world is 4,000-10,000 years old is nothing short of irresponsible, you have in a single statement infused doubt in people's mind of the accuracy of geology, paleontology, chemistry, physics, biology, morphology, genetics, molecular biology, cosmology, biogeography and so on, all of which help each other positively in the proof of age of the earth. There is no mere speculation here, we can put the evidence on the table and show you how these things work and how they prove what accepted science is. I would hope that you have at least researched behind the claims of creationist science before publicly claiming them as a viable alternative but I feel you haven't as you would have quickly seen that the so called proofs are nothing short of pseudo-scientific speculation.
Christianity is not negated by accepting the big bang or evolution; the scientific evidence can be seen as the method and not the reason. In fact there is a wide acceptance of these matters throughout the Christian community and I would urge you to read some of the American Scientific Affiliation's work who are a fellowship of Christians in science. Science is not out to disprove god, and I would dare say it can't, so there is really no need to want to put a faith-based position alongside science in a museum.
We have a responsibility in this world to operate within what we know, what we can observe in our shared reality. What we cannot do is subvert overwhelming evidence for the sake of a faith position, which is a dangerous path to put a society on. If we do this where would we stop? Would we also delve into pagan creation stories? If you want to open a display talking about religious creation mythology which covers the scope of all religions in our community I would be absolutely behind it but only if it was all inclusive and not running alongside scientific displays.
You made the point that the majority of this country is Christian and that this is somehow a justification for including creationist myth and I just want to say that it is a completely logical fallacy to assume that 'might makes right.' Science is in no way a democracy; it's constantly scrutinized, re-evaluated and goes where the data takes us not where we want to take it. It is worrying to hear an elected minister talk in such a way and I'd hoped that our country would be able to be more religiously progressive given the past we have had, but this is in fact a severe step back whether you can see it or not.
If you feel strongly about this, as I am sure you do, then perhaps you could push for a public forum where we can get creationist science and accepted science to debate their cases. I assure you that it is not intellectual elitism or over-confidence when I say that it would become apparent very, very quickly that there is no case or evidence for creationist science and it would leave a lot believers confused as to why the people in power have been misleading them.
If religion is to survive in any meaningful context in this society it is necessary that it accepts reality, this in no way takes away people's beliefs but will hopefully enrich their view of the world around them.
I look forward to your reply,
5 comments:
Boy, as North Ireland is part of the UK, I am very worried. If creationism spreads there, and let's face it it's the worst place in the country to spread, well it can reach the rest and then we are in deep trouble. I don't have a good feeling about it.
But the open letter is a great, intelligent reply. But I have little hope McCausland will understand reason.Wow, what a fantastic letter. The writer adopted the perfect, in my mind, balance of clarity/honesty and respect, without delving into either placation or insults.
Unfortunately, however, I must say I have a sneaking suspicion that this will go nowehere. I've seen, in my 28 years here on this planet, far, far too many examples of reason and truth being subverted by biased and ignorant people, however well intentioned they may (or may not) be, to expect a positive outcome here.
If there does end up being a response letter, I reall,y really hope it gets published again, and posted here for us to read. And if miracles do happen (hehe) and this person's attempt to reason with this fellow is successful, well, it'd be a win for Ireland, reason, and my fragile view of the world, because too many negative outcomes have conspired to make me a jaded and pessimistic (at times) 28 year old.Good letter.
As a UKer myself, Guillaume, we already have this: http://www.genesisexpo.co.uk/ (which irritates me greatly as it's just up the road from my home town). Plus the Vardy academy stuff in the North East (http://newhumanist.org.uk/1477/schools-for-scoundrels).
Admittedly #2 above is far worse then #1 as the government's been complicit... which is why idiots that have been voted in to govt should leave museums AND schools alone.
Hey ho. Stupid rolls on.
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NOTES Any jeans, shoes or accessories pictured are NOT included.
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5 Tips For Your Home Decor Journey
While styling your home, it's important to think of ways to effectively utilize your new space. Keep on reading for pro tips on how to make the most out of every room in your home.
1 – Find What You Love
Use design trends as guides and not rules. Just because it is the "in" look right now does not mean that look is what you want in your home.
2 – Keep It Simple
Go with a natural or clean look over flash patterns.
3 – Make Big Changes to Small Detail
Panting a wall or changing accent pillows can go a long way.
4 – Go Minimalist
Removing clutter and blending colors makes a big impact.


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We at Skopemag.com get hundreds of exclusive tracks via various vendors on a daily basis. The goal for us is to share with our readers as many tracks that come in. Please note that some of these links expire so you got to get it while it's hot!
Paul Wall "I'm On Patron":


text:
Does an ESG tilt improve corporate bond portfolio outcomes?
A systematic back-test of MSCI ESG ratings
Large institutional and individual retail investors are increasingly demanding that the stewards of their savings take environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into account—aiming to make poor performance on ESG fronts impose a higher cost of capital on bad actors.1 Today third- party firms provide ESG ratings for fund managers to help make this possible.2 We set out to test how these ratings work in practice, through a study that uses a quantitative approach overlaying MSCI ESG scores on investment grade (IG), high yield (HY) and emerging market (EM) bonds.3
Our study asks: How different are ESG scores from traditional agency credit ratings? Are E, S and G scores correlated to one another? Most importantly, can ESG scores enhance the investment process? Can an active, ESG-tilted bond portfolio strategy generate superior performance vs. a relevant benchmark that does not explicitly take ESG scores into account?
After controlling for sector, rating and duration, we find that the gross returns of ESG-tilt strategies are either comparable to, or higher than, those of their relevant ESG sector benchmarks. In the IG space, this holds true net of typical transaction costs. However, after we applied a turnover-slowdown methodology4 and trading costs to the HY and EM categories, the active ESG-tilt strategy net returns were lower than those of their respective ESG benchmarks.5
We conclude that ESG scores can be utilized to enhance portfolio outcomes via lower drawdowns, reduced portfolio volatility and, in some cases, marginally increased risk-adjusted returns. Our back-testing suggests that MSCI scores are additive to traditional credit ratings; the contingent liabilities related to ESG issues are not necessarily factored into rating agencies' assigned ratings.
How do ESG ratings differ from traditional agency ratings?
We assessed the correlations among each of the E, S and G scores—for investment grade, high yield and emerging market bond issuers—with their associated agency ratings (testing historical monthly, cross-sectional correlations). Our results show low levels of correlation, indicating that these information sets are relatively distinct. It seems that credit agencies do not necessarily fully factor into their assigned ratings the liabilities related to ESG.
The governance score, in particular, has a persistently low correlation with agency ratings, especially in the IG space, where it has been persistently negative since March 2015. Correlations between credit ratings and environmental scores, on the other hand, have generally been the most positive over the past five years. This could imply that companies with stronger balance sheets, which tend to be highly rated, are better positioned to address their environmental obligations.
Are ESG scores correlated to one another?
ESG scores are derived from three distinct pillars of information: environmental, social and governance. To what extent do these pillars differ in informational content? Truly distinct information sets would have low levels of correlation with one another. We assessed the historical monthly, cross-sectional correlations among the E, S and G scores of IG, HY and EM bond issuers.
Summary of findings (gross): Back-testing a systematic ESG tilt in corporate bond investing
Broadly speaking, the correlations among the scores were significantly positive until early 2010, after which they began to decline to around zero. Although there was high commonality in the data before 2010, more recently the E, S and G scores have very much complemented one another—that is, an issuer with a high environmental score, for example, is no longer likely to also have high governance and social scores.
Incorporating active ESG-tilt strategies into portfolios
We aimed to build active ESG-tilted portfolios immunized to the influences of market sector, rating and duration—the three main systematic market factors that influence corporate credit instruments' price and volatility. We wanted to ensure that any active outperformance was driven purely by our ESG-based ticker selection methodology. The results of our back-testing are presented in EXHIBIT 1 and EXHIBIT 2 in two forms: gross, assessing only the information content of the ESG drivers, and net, after typical transaction costs.
Conclusion: an ESG overlay likely results in alpha opportunities
This study asked whether the ESG scores developed by firms like MSCI enhance the process of investing in corporate bonds, whether this information is additive to credit agencies' bond ratings and whether an ESG overlay in portfolio construction is likely to result in alpha opportunities. Our findings indicate a positive answer to all three questions.
We find that an ESG overlay can be used to enhance portfolio returns. The gross returns of all of our market sector, rating and duration-controlled ESG-tilt strategies are either comparable to, or higher than, those of their relevant ESG benchmarks. In the IG space, this result holds true net of transaction costs. However, in the HY and EM universes, after costs are applied the active ESG-tilt strategy net returns are lower than those of their respective ESG benchmarks. So real-world transaction costs do matter for returns.
We conclude that ESG scores can be utilized to enhance portfolio outcomes, via lower drawdowns, reduced portfolio volatility and, in some cases, marginally increased risk-adjusted returns. Further, our overall findings suggest that MSCI scores are additive to traditional credit ratings; the contingent liabilities related to E, S and G are not necessarily factored into conventional credit rating agency bond ratings.
1Several studies verify that companies rated poorly on sustainability have a higher cost of capital. For a detailed consideration, see the full paper.
2MSCI provides our fixed income investment management team with an ESG data feed covering 6,000 global companies (13,000 issuers including subsidiaries) mapping to more than 590,000 equity and fixed income securities; ESG scores range from 0 (worst) to 10 (best).
3For a longer paper that includes the study methodology and analytics, please contact your Client Advisor.
4This turnover-slowdown methodology is described in the full version of this paper.
5Up until 2012, only 30% of HY and EM bonds were ESG-rated. While our study's IG bond back-testing starts in 2007, due to this constraint the HY and EM testing begins post-2012, when ESG coverage rose above 50%.
PI-ESG-BONDS-EXEC | 0903c02a82604350


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The Hollow Hills
It has an interior, perhaps even underground corridors linking to other, nearby hills.
It is not the surface of the earth, in other words, but a piece of architecture. Your backyard, to this way of thinking, might actually be a roof; you simply have to discover a way inside the building deep below.
[Image: The artificial hill at Cuween, an Orkney burial cairn, perhaps anticipating by thousands of years the architecture of Vicente Guallart; photos by Sigurd Towrie of Orkney Jar].
In this case, we read, a farmer in the Orkney Islands of northwest Scotland, while plowing a relatively untouched field on his family land, uncovered a Neolithic chambered tomb just sitting there beneath the soil.
It was a room – and suddenly he had access to it.
"The structure itself is neat drystone construction," a local archaeologist explains, and "the wall curves round tightly and is beehived in by corbelling at the top. On the opposite side to the wall is a space topped by lintels, and indeed it was breaking one lintel that caused the site to be found. It's early days yet, but it may be a Neolithic chambered cairn, some five or six thousand years old."
Of course, readers of The BLDGBLOG Book, finally published this week in the United States, will recognize this same idea from the beginning of that book's "Underground" chapter (where the discovery of a tomb now known as Crantit Cairn is described in slightly fictionalized form). The bare bones of that story, however, are worth repeating here: one day, back in 1998, we read, a farmer "decided to plough [his] field in a different direction to normal – a seemingly insignificant decision that led to the discovery of what was hailed as one of 'the greatest archaeological finds of recent years.'"
Specifically, "While ploughing, the tractor disturbed the roof of the tomb, dislodging a roofing slab. The slab fell to reveal a hole and daylight streamed into the underground chamber for the first time in millennia."
With today's penchant for green roofs and other forms of "vegitecture," one wonders if similar such experiences might become exponentially more common in the distant future; two kids, playing around in the garden, pull a stone up from the flowerbed only to discover that they are standing atop the main gallery of a science museum constructed back in 2009 A.D.
Zork Begins.
In fact, as I mentioned in my lecture at the School of Visual Arts in New York back in April, a similar sort of idea made a cameo appearance in The Day After Tomorrow. There, we watch as Dennis Quaid and his two colleagues are hiking across a rapidly forming glacier – only for one of them to crash through a skylight into the snow-buried mall below.
It was not a glacier at all, in other words, but an unrecognized architectural form.
In any case, perhaps the great human adventure of the year 45,000 A.D. will not be in outer space at all, but a terrifying Dantean super-tour through the deeply buried cities of our present age. People stumble through this seemingly endless underground labyrinth, spanning nearly the whole surface of the globe, utterly unaware of who created these buildings and why.
In this context, old Celtic/Britannic myths of the Hollow Hills take on an especially interesting architectural resonance. I'm yet further reminded of many bunkers in the hills around San Francisco; seen from one side, these buildings appear to be mere mounds covered with gravel and weedy vegetation, like a gently rolling, even bucolic American landscape – but, from the other side, you find that they have heavily rusted metal doors...
The implication here, that you could open a door and walk inside a manmade earth, where the hills around you are actually the roofs of old buildings, will never cease to amaze me.