text:
President Barack Obama conducted an interview Friday with AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace that covered a wide range of topics — the government shutdown, the debt ceiling, health care, foreign affairs and the name of Washington's professional football team.
A text of the interview:
Question: Mr. President, thank you so much for sitting down with us today.
THE PRESIDENT: Great to be with you.
Q: There is a lot that I want to ask you about the government shutdown and foreign policy, but I wanted to start with health care. The signature element of your health care law went online this week, and the interest seems to have really exceeded expectations, but there were some serious glitches with the online systems. And our reporting shows that the number of people who actually managed to sign up for insurance in the states using the federal system was in the single digits. How many people have actually signed up for insurance this week?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I don't have the numbers yet. What we know is that, as you indicated, the interest way exceeded expectations and that's the good news. It shows that people really need and want affordable health care. And the product is a really good one. It turns out that choice and competition work. So what's happened is you've got private insurers who have bid to get into this system to offer affordable health care at significantly lower prices than anybody could buy in the individual market, because basically they're now part of a big group.
And it is true that what's happened is the website got overwhelmed by the volume. And folks are working around the clock and have been systematically reducing the wait times, but we are confident that over the course of the six months -- because it's important to remember people have six months to sign up -- that we are going to probably exceed what anybody expected in terms of the amount of interest that people have.
Q: Do you have a message for those Americans who tried to sign up this week and gave up in frustration?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, they definitely shouldn't give up. Typically, what happens is when people are shopping for insurance, they visit a site or make phone calls or look at brochures five, six, seven times before they make a final decision. And they're not going to have to pay premiums until December -- the insurance doesn't start until January. So they'll have plenty of time.
And my message to them would be, each day the wait times are reduced. Each day, more and more people are signing up, and the product will save you money. People will save hundreds of dollars -- in some cases, thousands of dollars -- as a consequence of being able to get health insurance that is priced for them and gives them the choices that they need.
So the best example we have is actually Massachusetts, where they have a similar program. And what happened there is that the actual sign-up rate started fairly slowly, partly because people didn't want to pay three or four months ahead of when they would get insurance. But the interest, their ability to window shop, identify what's going to work for them, what suits their pocketbook, what kinds of tax credits they can get -- that's already happening. And what we know is that for at least 60 percent of the people who visit that site, they're going to be able to get good-quality health insurance for less than their cellphone or cable bill. And that is something that is -- a lot of people, understandably, recognize is going to give them the kind of security they haven't had before.
Q: The health care law is obviously very central to the government shutdown that's underway right now. Are you prepared -- given that you're not going to make concessions on your health care law, as you've said repeatedly, are you prepared to have the government stay shutdown up until the nation hits its debt ceiling in mid-October?
THE PRESIDENT: There's no reason that that should happen, Julie. We can vote to open the government today. We know that there are enough members in the House of Representatives -- Democrats and Republicans -- who are prepared to vote to reopen the government today. The only thing that is keeping that from happening is Speaker Boehner has made a decision that he is going to hold out to see if he can get additional concessions from us.
And what I've said to him is we are happy to negotiate on anything. We are happy to talk about the health care law, we're happy to talk about the budget, we're happy to talk about deficit reduction, we're happy to talk about investments. But what we can't do is keep engaging in this sort of brinksmanship where a small faction of the Republican Party ends up forcing them into brinksmanship to see if they can somehow get more from negotiations by threatening to shut down the government or threatening America not paying its bills.
Q: But do you now see those two situations -- the government shutdown and the debt ceiling -- now merging together, given how close we are to the mid-October deadline, as Secretary Lew has said?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, keep in mind, America has never not paid its bills. And I've said repeatedly that that's not something anybody should be threatening -- the potential default of the United States, where we are essentially deadbeats. That's never happened.
Q: But does that mean that if we get to the point where we're right before October 17th, or whatever the day ends up being, that you would actually use some of these options that some of your allies say are available to you, like the 14th Amendment, to prevent a default?
THE PRESIDENT: Julie, I have said before, there is one way to make sure that America pays its bills, and that's for Congress to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, Jack Lew, to pay bills that they have already accrued.
Look, I think it's very important, because the name of this is the debt ceiling and so when people hear that, they automatically think, well, that must mean that somehow this is authorizing more spending and more debt for the United States. That's not what this is. What this is, is the ability for the United States government to pay for things that Congress has already committed us to paying for. And as a result, this has been a routine vote. It has happened more than 40 times since Ronald Reagan was President.
Never before has a party threatened to not pay our bills except for 2011 -- the last time that Speaker Boehner and some of the same people in the House of Representatives thought that it might give them more leverage in negotiations. And we can't establish a pattern where one faction of one party that controls one chamber in one branch of government can basically hold its breath and say, unless we get 100 percent of our way, then we're going to let the entire economy collapse, the entire economy shut down.
So what I've said to them is this: Make sure that the United States government pays its bills. That's not negotiable. That's what families all around the country do. If I buy a car and I decide not to pay my car note one month, I'm not saving money -- I'm just a deadbeat. Well, this is the exact same situation.
Q: But if they don't, if they get up to this deadline and they are not willing to pass this clean debt ceiling that you're asking them to do, would you be willing to take other action to prevent default?
THE PRESIDENT: I don't expect to get there. There were at least some quotes yesterday that Speaker Boehner is willing to make sure that we don't default. And just as is true with the government shutdown, there are enough votes in the House of Representatives to make sure that the government reopens today. And I'm pretty willing to bet that there are enough votes in the House of Representatives right now to make sure that the United States doesn't end up being a deadbeat. The only thing that's preventing that from happening is Speaker Boehner calling the vote.
And I think most Americans, when they think about how our government is supposed to work, they say to themselves, each member of Congress has their conscience, they're supposed to represent their constituents back home. And if, in fact, there's a majority of the members of the House of Representatives who are prepared to move forward so that families can get back to work, so that people who are -- whether it's veterans or children or small businesses who are getting services from the federal government can start getting those services again -- I think most people would say, if there are votes to do it, let's go ahead and do it.
And then we've got a whole bunch of things that we've got to have a serious conversation about. We should be having a conversation not just about debt and deficits; we should be also having a conversation about how are we making sure that young people are getting a great education; how do we rebuild our infrastructure and put people back to work; how are we going to make sure that we fix a broken immigration system; how are we going to do all the things that we need to grow the economy and make sure that we are building a strong middle class and providing ladders for opportunity for people to get into the middle class if they're willing to work hard.
Q: Well, the tea party has really stood in the way of a lot of those objectives that you're seeking. Do you think the tea party has been good or bad for America?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I don't want to paint anybody with a broad brush. And I think one of the great things about our democracy is, is that we've always had a whole bunch of different regional attitudes and philosophies about government and ideologies, and the tea party is just the latest expression of probably some very real fears and anxieties on the part of certain Americans. And I get that. So there's nothing objectionable to having strong principled positions on issues, even if I completely disagree with many of their positions.
But there are certain rules to make sure that everybody is participating, everybody is respected, the process moves forward in an orderly way, and we don't create chaos. So my concern has less to do with the tea party, per se, or the particular positions that they take on issues, but rather it's this idea that if they don't get 100 percent of their way, they'll shut down the government or they'll threaten economic chaos. That has to stop.
Q: Some of these tea party senators are in their first term, and you were a first-term senator who came in and had a lot of public attention around you, you didn't sort of take the traditional route, you weren't a backbencher. I'm wondering if you feel like you set a precedent for people like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul to come in, in their first term, and really take a high-profile role in the Senate?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, if you recall, when I came into the Senate, my attitude was I should just keep a pretty low profile in the Senate and just do the work.
Q: The media certainly didn't let you do that.
THE PRESIDENT: The media may not have, but I didn't go around courting the media, and I certainly didn't go around trying to shut down the government. And so I recognize that in today's media age, being controversial, taking controversial positions, rallying the most extreme parts of your base -- whether it's left or right -- is a lot of times the fastest way to get attention or raise money, but it's not good for government. It's not good for the people we're supposed to be serving.
And one thing I just have to remind members of Congress about is these are real folks that are being impacted. I've got staff here who may be expecting their first child, and right now they're not sure about whether or not they're going to be able to meet expenses. I've got young staff who, if they have a car accident, they may have a thousand dollar premium on their car insurance -- or deductible on their car insurance, and if they don't get a paycheck, they may be broke. They will not be able to pay the bills.
I'm getting letters every single day from farmers who have been waiting to buy some land and now they may not get a loan, and from small businesses. We give a billion dollars' worth of small business loans every single month -- those loans are not being processed.
So this is something that is concretely affecting real people. There is no reason government should be shut down. I think it's very important for the public to understand that a bill passed the Senate -- democratically controlled Senate -- that set budget levels at the levels that Republicans preferred -- not Democrats.
I mean, essentially what's happened here is Democrats are saying they are prepared to pass a Republican budget for two months while negotiations continue. We just can't have a whole bunch of other extraneous stuff in it, and the obsession with the Affordable Care Act, with Obamacare, has to stop; that that is not something that should be a price for keeping the government open.
Q: I want to switch to foreign policy. You've swapped letters with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, you've talked to him on the phone now, you've had an opportunity to listen to him give several speeches and interviews. I know you've said he needs to back up these words with actions, but I'm wondering if you just have a gut feeling at this point on whether he really represents a different type of Iranian leadership.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, here's what we know: He was not necessarily the preferred candidate of some of the ruling clerics when he initially threw his hat into the ring. He won pretty decisively.
So what we know is, is that in the Iranian population at least, there is a genuine interest in moving in a new direction. Their economy has been crippled by international sanctions that were put in place because Iran had not been following international guidelines, and had behaved in ways that made a lot of people feel they were pursuing a nuclear weapon.
I think Rouhani has staked his position on the idea that he can improve relations with the rest of the world. And so far, he's been saying a lot of the right things. And the question now is, can he follow through? The way the Iranian system works, he's not the only decision maker -- he's not even the ultimate decision maker.
But if in fact he is able to present a credible plan that says Iran is pursuing peaceful nuclear energy but we're not pursuing nuclear weapons, and we are willing to be part of a internationally verified structure so that all other countries in the world know they are not pursuing nuclear weapons, then, in fact, they can improve relations, improve their economy. And we should test that.
Q: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that Iran is about six months away from being able to produce a nuclear weapon (CORRECTION: Netanyahu said last year that Iran was about six months away from having most of the enriched uranium needed to produce a nuclear weapon). You said in March, before your trip to Israel, that you thought Iran was a year or more away. What's the U.S. intelligence assessment at this point on that timetable?
THE PRESIDENT: Our assessment continues to be a year or more away. And in fact, actually, our estimate is probably more conservative than the estimates of Israeli intelligence services.
So we share a lot of intelligence with Israelis. I think Prime Minister Netanyahu understandably is very skeptical about Iran, given the threats that they've made repeatedly against Israel, given the aid that they've given to organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas that have fired rockets into Israel. If I were the Prime Minister of Israel, I would be very wary as well of any kind of talk from the Iranians.
But what I've said to Prime Minister Netanyahu is that the entire point of us setting up sanctions and putting pressure on the Iranian economy was to bring them to the table in a serious way to see if we can resolve this issue diplomatically. And we've got to test that. We're not going to take a bad deal. We are going to make sure that we verify any agreement that we might strike.
But it is very much in not only the United States' interest but also Israel's interest to see if we can resolve this without some sort of military conflict. And so we now have the time to have those serious conversations, and we'll be able to measure how serious the Iranians are.
Q: You have a decision coming up on troop levels in Afghanistan. Have you made a decision yet on how many U.S. troops you'd like to see in Afghanistan after 2014? And are you comfortable with a scenario that would leave no American troops there after the end of next year?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I'm glad you brought this up, because given what's been happening in Syria and Egypt and Iran, I think sometimes we haven't seen enough reminders in the news that we still have tens of thousands of American troops on mission in Afghanistan, making enormous sacrifices. And there are still folks who are getting killed and getting hurt, and doing incredibly courageous work.
We are going to end combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of 2014. What I've said is that if, in fact, the Afghan government is interested and willing to work with us in a cooperative way that protects our troops and other coalition partners, we would consider a train-and-advise mission that would extend beyond 2014 -- greatly reduced from what we're doing now.
We have not yet signed what's called a bilateral security agreement that would make sure that, if in fact American troops were on Afghan soil, that they were fully protected. And we still have some time to discuss this -- we're in discussions with the Afghan government and President Karzai. But no matter what, by the end of next year, we'll be finished with combat operations.
Q: Are you comfortable, though, with this -- what has become known as the "zero option" at the end of 2014?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that it is in both the interest of the Afghans and the United States that we are in a position to continue to help their military consolidate security in their country. We have helped them ramp up so that they now have a fighting force that is increasingly effective, increasingly well-equipped. My preference would be that they can manage security on their own, and that we don't see a return of al-Qaida or any other terrorist organization operating on Afghan soil. And they're getting there; they're not quite there yet.
So if in fact we can get an agreement that makes sure that U.S. troops are protected, makes sure that we can operate in a way that is good for our national security, then I'll certainly consider that. If we can't, we will continue to make sure that all the gains we've made in going after al-Qaida we accomplish, even if we don't have any U.S. military on Afghan soil.
Q: If I could just ask you one last question on something that's not politically related, but is getting a lot of attention in Washington -- the name of the Washington Redskins football team. There is a lot of people who say it's time to change the name of that team, considering that it's insulting to many Native Americans. What's your position on that?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, Julie, obviously, people get pretty attached to team names, mascots. I don't think there are any Redskins fans that mean offense. I've got to say that if I were the owner of the team and I knew that there was a name of my team -- even if it had a storied history -- that was offending a sizeable group of people, I'd think about changing it.
But I don't want to detract from the wonderful Redskins fans that are here. They love their team, and rightly so -- even though they've been having a pretty tough time this year. But I think -- all these mascots and team names related to Native Americans, Native Americans feel pretty strongly about it. And I don't know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real, legitimate concerns that people have about these things.
But I don't have -- I don't have a stake in this in the sense that I'm not a part owner of any football team. Maybe after I leave this --
Q: Maybe after the presidency.
THE PRESIDENT: Maybe after I leave the presidency. (Laughter.) I think it would be a lot of fun. Although, I'd probably play -- I'd probably look at a basketball team before I looked at a football team. I know more about basketball than I do about football.
Q: Get the Bulls ready.
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. I think they're going to be good this year.
Q: Thank you very much for sitting down with us today. I appreciate it.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much. Great to talk to you, Julie.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Mincemeat Cookies
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From the kitchen of Lisa Roberts
This recipe has been on northpole.com from the beginning… since 1996! We hope you enjoy this classic North Pole recipe. Let us know your opinion by submitting a review!
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Recipe Details
Bake Time: |
minutes |
Tags: | Contains nuts |
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned mincemeat
1 cup walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs. Add dry ingredients then add mincemeat and nuts.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-15 minutes.
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RoseDiamond says:
My 94 year old Grandmother loved these cookies! They have more of a bread-like consistency. I will make them again, especially for my Grandmother, but the could use more pecans in them.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Quién debería asistir
Students in this course are interested in Azure development or in passing the Microsoft Azure Developer Associate certification exam.
Students should have 1-2 years professional development experience and experience with Microsoft Azure. They must be able to program in an Azure Supported Language.
Contenido del curso
This course teaches developers how to create end-to-end solutions in Microsoft Azure. Students will learn how to implement Azure compute solutions, create Azure Functions, implement and manage web apps, develop solutions utilizing Azure storage, implement authentication and authorization, and secure their solutions by using KeyVault and Managed Identities. Students will also learn how to connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services, and include event- and message-based models in their solutions. The course also covers monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing Azure solutions.


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The Moral Statistician.
I don't want any of your statistics; I took your whole batch and lit my pipe with it.
I hate your kind of people. You are always ciphering out how much a man's health is injured, and how much his intellect is impaired, and how many pitiful dollars and cents he wastes in the course of ninety-two years' indulgence in the fatal practice of smoking; and in the equally fatal practice of drinking coffee; and in playing billiards occasionally; and in taking a glass of wine at dinner, etc. etc. And you are always figuring out how many women have been burned to death because of the dangerous fashion of wearing expansive hoops, etc. etc. You never see more than one side of the question.
You are blind to the fact that most old men in America smoke and drink coffee, although, according to your theory, they ought to have died young; and that hearty old Englishmen drink wine and survive it, and portly old Dutchmen both drink and smoke freely, and yet grow older and fatter all the time. And you never try to find out how much solid comfort, relaxation, and enjoyment a man derives from smoking in the course of a lifetime (which is worth ten times the money he would save by letting it alone), nor the appalling aggregate of happiness lost in a lifetime by your kind of people from not smoking. Of course you can save money by denying yourself all those little vicious enjoyments for fifty years; but then what can you do with it? What use can you put it to? Money can't save your infinitesimal soul. All the use that money can be put to is to purchase comfort and enjoyment in this life; therefore, as you are an enemy to comfort and enjoyment where is the use of accumulating cash?
It won't do for you to say that you can use it to better purpose in furnishing a good table, and in charities, and in supporting tract societies, because you know yourself that you people who have no petty vices are never known to give away a cent, and that you stint yourselves so in the matter of food that you are always feeble and hungry. And you never dare to laugh in the daytime for fear some poor wretch, seeing you in a good humor, will try to borrow a dollar of you; and in church you are always down on your knees, with your ears buried in the cushion, when the contribution-box comes around; and you never give the revenue officers a full statement of your income.
Now you know all these things yourself, don't you? Very well, then, what is the use of your stringing out your miserable lives to a lean and withered old age? What is the use of your saving money that is so utterly worthless to you? In a word, why don't you go off somewhere and die, and not be always trying to seduce people into becoming as ornery and unlovable as you are yourselves, by your villainous "moral statistics"?
Now, I don't approve of dissipation, and I don't indulge in it either; but I haven't a particle of confidence in a man who has no redeeming petty vices. And so I don't want to hear from you any more. I think you are the very same man who read me a long lecture last week about the degrading vice of smoking cigars, and then came back, in my absence, with your reprehensible fire-proof gloves on, and carried off my beautiful parlor stove.
Mark Twain on Nicotine Nannies (Originally published in Sketches, Old and New, 1893)
Still true today.


text:
CatEye's Bluetooth Speed/Cadence Sensor transmits your speed and cadence through your Bluetooth-compatible Smartphone to your handlebar-mounted CatEye Strada Smart cyclo-computer (sold separately). Download the CatEye Cycling app for iPhone/Android and you'll get all your ride data and save your phone battery. Attack each ride and celebrate your successes on the bike!
Part Numbers
UPC | MPN | Store SKU |
725012026090 | 1603970 | 210000005246 |


text:
So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) …
From Cain to Nebuchadnezzar, everyone who tried to conquer the Jewish, the People of the Covenant, did it forcefully through land and military conquest. In his Jewish Antiquities, Flavius Josephus gives a detailed account of Alexander the Great's visit to Jerusalem and the transpiring events that caused him not to invade and destroy it. Even though Alexander the Great did not conduct a military campaign against Jerusalem, the Hellenic empire is responsible for the historically most successful conquest of the People of God, and that through cultural assimilation. The Western philosophical Greek is as opposite to the Eastern covenantal Jew as day is opposite from night, but is commonly said, 'opposites attract!'
When Israel had gotten truly addicted to Hellenism and even had a Greek appointed corrupt Jewish High-Priest, all Antiochus Epiphanes thought he had to do was to send his emissary with a list of reforms to put all of Judaism into his evil hands. He didn't expect the Maccabee revolt. From where I stand, the Maccabees may have won the war and rededicated the Temple, Antiochus Epiphanes may be dead, but the form of Anti-Semitism that he taught is still alive and vibrant.
In his great graciousness and compassion Hashem gave us His Messiah. This Jewish, Righteous, and Torah-observant Messiah was high-jacked by Greco-Roman believers who in less than two hundred years displayed Him as a Roman god dressed as a Greek Adonis teaching Greek philosophy. Under a twisted ignorant interpretation of Paul's epistles, this identity theft of our Messiah included the same set of religious reforms initiated by Antiochus Epiphanes which are to stop observing the Sabbath, practicing circumcision, eating according to biblical dietary laws, and studying theology as per the Torah.
As a Jewish believer, I find myself in awe that today, my non-Jewish brothers live by the same religious reforms as those pushed by Antiochus Epiphanes and even find myself shunned from their fellowship as one whose, to say the least, theology is overly influenced by Judaism. I wonder what Yeshua would think of the fact that if I want fellowship with non-Jewish believers, I have to live by Antiochus Epiphanes rules.
It may be OK for others, but Jewish believers need another Chanukah revolt where with Matthias Maccabee we say "NO" to Antiochus Epiphanes' rules and live our faith in Messiah according to the terms of the covenant Hashem gave to His people. Maybe that Day will be the Day of Messiah. May Hashem give us another Matthias Maccabee who will stand for us and lead us into the cultural battle to defeat Antiochus Epiphanes once and for all!
May it be soon Abba, even in our days.


text:
I met my muse at fifteen. I'd just gotten busted for smoking behind the school gymnasium. She inspired me with her laugh and nonjudgmental attitude and, before I knew it, we were inseparable. Then I left to pursue my rock star dreams—dreams she encouraged.
I got over Jaymes Grenier no problem. I never think about that little bow at the top of her pink lips, or the way her green eyes admired mine. Nope, I barely recall the way she fit so perfectly in my arms when I held her at night. The sweet way she would whisper she loved me has long faded from memory.
These are the lies I regularly tell myself in hopes of believing them one day. Yeah, I was told I'd get over my first love.
I didn't.
Derrick Masters marked me the moment we met back in ninth grade. He called me over—all bravado and bad boy mystery wrapped in a James Dean-esque package. Dark hair and blue eyes with a rebel without a cause charisma. He was everything I was warned about, but I couldn't resist. I was his from that moment on.
His career took off almost as soon as he did. I knew it would. I just thought I would be beside him as his partner in crime, best friend, and lover. That's what we had always been … before he left me behind to fend for myself.
Fend? Fight is more like it.
I've been fighting ever since.
Fighting for survival.
Fighting for a better life in a world determined to keep me down.
I don't have the luxury of letting my head live in the lure of La La Land. His dreams may have come true, but mine were extinguished. These days I fight for something bigger than me, bigger than we were ever meant to be.
When his dreams come crashing back into my reality, is this a second chance at that fairy tale ending or another heartbreak in the making?
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On the front porch, leaning against the wood column in all his newfound glory, stands the most breathtaking man I've ever seen. As a teenager, I thought he was the best-looking boy I'd ever seen, and based on how I'm struggling to breathe just from looking at him now, I think he still holds the title. But now he's a man.
Ace is talking about what some kid named Shiloh got in trouble for today at school, but I'm still staring at Derrick Masters.
Derrick Masters.
My very own Perseus, though right now I'm thinking he was more my Achilles heel in the grand scheme of things.
Derrick Masters is standing on my mother's front porch like he belongs there. A smile that shines like the star he's become appears and he waves. Not sure if it was the grin on his face or the wave that sends me tripping flat on my face into the grassy lawn, but I'm cursing the curb when I lift up and look right into the dark blue eyes I've tried to despise.
"Are you okay?" he asks, trying to help me up. His voice is deep, the timbre the same one that always made my heart beat a little faster. It's not that thought that runs through my mind. It's his hands on me, grappling to help me to my feet.
He's touching me.
Derrick Masters is touching me and I consider lying there longer just to savor the feel of his calloused fingers again. Ace tugs at my ankle like that will help me up. "Mommy, you fell."
Derrick knows I'm a mommy.
Oh my God. What does he think?
Does he hate me? Disappointed in me? Happy for me? Or not care at all?
I would care if I found out he has kids.
Maybe he already knew . . .
Maybe I'll just lie here as long as I can until he goes away.
Ace lies down next to me and rests his face on my hand. Looking at me with wide eyes, he asks, "Are we playing a game? This is fun."
"Yes, I quite like it here."
I hear Derrick chuckling just above me, enough to feel his warmth covering my body like sunshine as I lie in the cool grass. I might be mistaken but it sounds like he's behind me now. On the ground with me.
Ace's eyes look over my head. "My friend is here too." He giggles. "See? Right there."
Lying like a dead fish, I smile at my cute son not quite ready to face Derrick Masters. "What's your new friend's name?"
"Derrick. He plays a guitar like you, Mommy."
After a tap on the back, Ace's new friend speaks, "Hi."
I miss Derrick's hands on me, even if it was just helping me up. Ace is a ball of laughter and gets up. I watch until he runs behind me. "I'm here now. We're all here. This is fun. Oh look, the moon."
I can't avoid him forever and the grass is grounding, literally, and settles my anxiety over just this kind of thing happening. I've embarrassed myself and he's found out I'm a mother in the course of one sexy smile and a wave. I shake my head and close my eyes annoyed with myself for acting so foolishly in front of him. He was once my everything. When I roll onto my back, the top of our hands meet in an innocent touch that neither of us bothers to retreat. Finally building enough nerve, I turn my head and look straight into his eyes again. "Hi," I whisper.
That devastatingly charming smile reappears, and he says, "It's good to see you, Jaymes."
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text:
Taxicabs are fighting tooth and nail against Uber, the company that enables car owners to drive part time or full time for pay, like cabbies.
But behind this battle, there's another one brewing inside the world of ridesharing. Uber and its competitors in San Francisco are sparring over cash, over drivers, and over some basic values, too.
But a researcher says branding the startups Uber and Lyft as ridesharing services isn't quite accurate. Now, an emerging set of services promises to be more about sharing.
Chauffeur Vs. Your Friend With A Car
Uber has raised $1.5 billion from private investors, and it has used some of its money to try to lure drivers away from the No. 2 ridesharing startup, Lyft.
Lyft has raised $333 million (hardly chump change) and has paid to lure drivers back.
I wanted to know, from the workers' perspective, if there are important differences between the two startups, so I took a bunch of Lyft rides and asked a few dozen of my drivers for their take. Here are some typical responses:
While Uber is the luxury brand, Lyft is the hipster chic alternative: Passengers sit in the front seat and dive into conversations that feel like speed dating or bar counter confessional. Some say that's a key distinction in a city that is so fragmented between the tech haves and have-nots, people forget to fist bump.
Taxis By Another Name?
But others aren't so convinced.
"When you think about the difference between a taxi, a sedan and Uber and Lyft — they're all kind of doing the same thing," says Benjamin Edelman, a professor at the Harvard Business School who studies Internet companies. "The most striking change is that Uber and Lyft will do it for a lower price."
Edelman says he's not one to criticize a lower price, but he accuses Uber and Lyft of being "duplicitous" in how they brand their services as "sharing." For all their qualms with the legacy taxi industry, he says, the startups are in essence taxicabs that know how to use a smartphone for dispatch.
Ridesharing was supposed to be different. As described in an article in the journal Transport Reviews, the movement started as a way to conserve resources in the U.S. during World War II. It evolved over the decades into a green movement to get cars off the streets.
This new generation of startups could have used the awesome power of smartphones to help people going in the same direction find each other in real time. Instead, when you hop in an Uber or Lyft, Edelman says, "The driver is still a driver, driving in an unnecessary direction to get paid."
And that makes sense, when you think about the pressures on the companies. Silicon Valley investors want a return. And it can be easier to make an existing market more efficient than to experiment with sharing cars the way we might share a bus.
"I don't fault them for choosing the road that's more obvious and more straightforward. It's the natural play," Edelman says, "although it won't live up to the full technology's potential."
A New Product In Sharing
There is one experiment that could be a game changer.
The startup Sidecar started testing a new service in May, called Shared Rides, for people who need a ride in the same direction. During the nearly three-month test period, the company says it got 13,000 requests for shared rides. While that's just a small fraction of all rides, CEO Sunil Paul says it's a strong indicator of future interest.
He estimates that the U.S. taxi market is a $10-billion-a-year industry, and ridesharing could be 10 times that because it responds to the blue-collar commuter.
"What we want to prove is that everyday people can use their smartphone to get back and forth from work, and we can deliver that at a very low cost," Paul says. "That is the big opportunity our investors are looking for, that we're looking for."
The two giants in ridesharing recently announced they're trying out shared rides, too. Uber says UberPool is in test mode, and while it seems popular, it's too soon to tell if it'll be a core service. Lyft did not respond to NPR's request for details about Lyft Line.
Paul says, "We intend to do it better than the others."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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May 27, 2021
Two rounds of zazen with kinhin, followed by an occasional chanting service.
Go to the Windhorse Zen Facebook page and you will see the feed about 5 minutes before the sitting begins.
If you need a refresher on the bells and clappers, please reach out to us at email@example.com


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Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee Brewers kept Bernie Brewer active and finished off a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 12-8 win on Sunday.
Ryan Braun, Jeff Bianchi, Rickie Weeks, Carlos Gomez and pitcher Yovani Gallardo all homered for the Brewers, who have won seven of their last eight games.
Gallardo was going for his seventh straight win, but was chased from the game after he allowed seven runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Kameron Loe (5-4), who gave up a run in an 1 1/3 of relief work, received the win.
"He was out of whack," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "He has thrown so well for so long. He had a game when he just wasn't on. He tried to fight through it and get five innings in."
"He had problems locating his breaking ball," Pirates second baseman Brock Holt said.
James McDonald (12-7) had another rough outing for Pittsburgh. He allowed eight runs -- seven earned -- on six hits, including four home runs, in 2 2/3 innings.
Since the All-Star break, McDonald is 3-4 with a 7.21 earned run average.
Michael McKenry, Gaby Sanchez and Garrett Jones homered, but the Pirates lost for the ninth time in their last 12 games.
Sanchez put the Pirates on top when he drove in Andrew McCutchen with a base hit in the first inning, but the Brewers quickly went ahead.
Norichika Aoki walked and Weeks reached base on Pedro Alvarez's error before Braun slammed his National League-leading 37th home run of the season.
McKenry laced an 0-2 curveball over the left field wall to bring the Pirates within a run in the second, but Bianchi got the run back in the bottom half of the frame with a homer to center.
Later in the second, Aoki singled and Weeks hammered a long home run to center field to give the Brewers a 6-2 lead after two innings.
McKenry knocked in a pair of runs with a base hit in the third, but once again the Brewers responded with the long ball. Corey Hart hit a one-out double in the bottom of the third and Gomez lined a fastball over the left field fence to put the Brewers up 8-4.
Gallardo whacked his 10th career home run and first of the season to start the fourth inning when he lined a 1-2 hanging slider out to left field. After Aoki walked and Weeks singled and stole second, Ramirez rolled a single up the middle to score two and open up a seven-run lead.
Jones led off the fifth with a base hit and Sanchez smacked a two-run shot. Alvarez then worked a walk and scored after back-to-back singles by Travis Snider and Holt.
Jones then pulled the Pirates within three with a solo shot in the sixth inning, but they were unable to get any closer.
Ramirez singled home Weeks in the bottom half of the sixth to cap the scoring.
After Manny Parra gave up a hit and a walk to start the ninth inning, John Axford came on and retired all three hitters he faced to record his 23rd save of the season.
Game Notes
Braun matched his career high in home runs ... Holt went 2-for-5 and picked up his first major league hit in the fourth inning and first RBI ... The Brewers have won six straight home games and 14 of their last 16 ... Pittsburgh went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left nine ... Milwaukee went 6- for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded five ... Jones went 3- for-3 with two walks ... Braun and Ramirez both knocked in three runs.


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<men's track and field team wrapped up a successful indoor season at the MIAC championships, taking second in the team competition for the first time since 1996. The Knights were led by their middle and long distance runners, taking all-conference honors in almost every event longer than 800-meters.
Simone Childs-Walker '12 capped an indoor career undefeated at the conference championships in an individual event by winning the 3000- and 5000-meter races. Alison Smyth '12 finished second in both events and Taylor ffitch '12 was fourth in both. There were a lot of yellow jerseys finishing ahead of others. Also notable was Carrie Harshbarger's '13 performance in the 3000-meter run, dipping under the 11-minute barrier and beating a number of athletes in the faster section.
While Childs-Walker won the two long races, those weren't the only events taken by the Knights. Ellie Wilson '15 reached the finish line first in the 400-meter dash, capturing the title by six one-hundredths of a second. Clare Franco '12 finished sixth in the same event. Wilson went on to take sixth in the 200-meter race.
Haley Johnson '13 proved that she is a serious runner by winning the 1000-meter run. Teammates Sarah Trautman '13, Kaitlin Randolph '12, and Colette Celichowski '15 also scored in the event, placing fifth, seventh, and eighth respectively. Randolph edged Johnson at the line in the 800-meter dash and the duo placed third and fourth in the race. Trautman and Celichowski represented the Knights in the mile, taking fourth and eighth.
Megan Erlandson '12 just missed scoring in the 1000-meter, taking ninth, but she placed second in her other two events. Erlandson turned in her best conference meet performance in the pole vault and ran a solid leg of the 800 in the DMR. She teamed up with Smyth, Anna Persmarck '15, and Childs-Walker, who were unfortunately just beaten by the Oles.
This all sets up very nicely for the outdoor season. The addition of the 10,000-meter run, discus, and javelin will help the Knights, as Kao Sutton '14 and Avery Johnson '15 will be able to chuck their favorite implements. Rachael Klehm '13 returns from a term off to give the Knights a VERY strong 4 x 10,000 team. But unfortunately, that is not a traditional event. The loss of the 600 and 1000 will force the team to concentrate its middle distance strength even further. "Pushing" is a term we usually use in cross-country for the sixth and seventh runners, but we're going to see it on the track this season.


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What is the difference between the Ergohuman office chair and the Ergohuman Plus? Well, a good starting point will be to first look at what they have in common, then the unique little differences will be more appreciated:-
- Synchro-Tilt. Both the seat back and the seat pad can be tilted, to afford maximum comfort to its user. Once the back is at your desired position, it is also tension-adjustable.
- Tilt-Lock. By using the appropriate mechanism, you can unlock the back rest to recline and you can lock it for a fixed position.
- Tension Control. This allows you to rock a little in your chair and the tension can be adjusted to match a body weight of up to 250 pounds (17 stones 12 lbs.).
- Seat Depth Adjustment. Getting this position right means that your back is still in contact with the seat back and your thighs are fully supported, allowing your knees to fold comfortably without any seat abrasion.
- Seat Height Adjustment. It's important that your feet rest flat on the floor, so getting the seat pad height right for you will allow your feet to do just that.
- Arm Rests. They adjust up and down, forward and backwards and also left and right, meaning that they can be made very comfortable for you and help keep your lower arms horizontal, as they move towards the keyboard or office desk
These two ergonomic office chairs then have subtle differences and, as we are all different, the element of choice is available to us:-
- The Ergohuman has straight aluminium legs, whereas the Ergohuman Plus has a curved design.
- The arm rests are black, whereas those on the Ergohuman Plus sport an aluminium linkage under them. On the Plus, they are also further away from the chair.
- The latest model has a black cover over its under seat mechanisms but the Plus reveals its aluminium linkage.
- The head rest linkage is black on the and aluminium on the Plus.
- The aluminium frame on the chair back is narrower on the Ergohiman Plus design.
Though most of these differences may seem cosmetic, they add to the overall beauty of the chair, which encourages us to make choices. On top of these considerations, you need to decide between mesh and leather. Which one is right for you?
Find out more at Ergohuman.net


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WASHINGTON (AP) - Medicare's prescription coverage gap is getting noticeably smaller and easier to manage this year for millions of older and disabled people with high drug costs.
The "doughnut hole," an anxiety-inducing catch in an otherwise popular benefit, will shrink about 40 percent for those unlucky enough to land in it, according to new Medicare figures provided in response to a request from The Associated Press.
The average beneficiary who falls into the coverage gap would have spent $1,504 this year on prescriptions. But thanks to discounts and other provisions in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law, that cost fell to $901, according to Medicare's Office of the Actuary, which handles economic estimates.
A 50 percent discount that the law secured from pharmaceutical companies on brand name drugs yielded an average savings of $581. Medicare also picked up more of the cost of generic drugs, saving an additional $22.
The estimates are averages, so some Medicare recipients may do worse and others better. Also, it's still unclear if the discounts will start to overcome seniors' deep unease about the law.
Concern over cutting Medicare to expand coverage for the uninsured helped push older voters toward Republicans in the 2010 congressional elections. Obama and the Democrats have been trying to woo them back ever since.
"For people with high drug expenditures, the 50 percent discount offers real savings," said Tricia Neuman, director of Medicare policy for the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. "It's certainly more helpful than no coverage at all, which is what they had previously."
More than 2 million beneficiaries already have gotten some help, discounts that have gone largely to middle-class seniors, because the poor are covered in the gap at taxpayer expense.
For retired elementary school teacher Carolyn Friedman, it meant she didn't need a loan to pay for drugs that keep her epilepsy under control.
"What a change for the better," said Friedman, 71, of Sunrise, Fla. "This year it was easier to pay my bills, whereas last year I had to borrow money to pay for my medications when I was in the doughnut hole."
One of her brand-name anti-seizure drugs cost about $370 in the gap last year, and the other about $270. This year Friedman paid about $150 and $130, respectively, for a month's supply.
Medicare covers about 47 million older and disabled people, and about 9 in 10 have some kind of prescription plan. Most rely on the drug benefit, also known as Part D, which is delivered through private insurance plans.
Beneficiaries have until Dec. 7 to change their drug plans for 2012. Consumer advocates recommend that seniors check their coverage during open enrollment to see if their current choice remains the best for next year. Many families start the process around the Thanksgiving holiday.
The coverage gap, a money-saving idea from a previous Congress, never has been popular.
It starts after an individual beneficiary and his or her drug plan have spent a total of $2,840 on medications for the year. Seniors are then on their own for the next $3,600.
Once total spending reaches about $6,440, Medicare's catastrophic coverage kicks in and beneficiaries pay only a token amount. Most people do not spend enough in the doughnut hole to qualify for catastrophic coverage.
Although few private insurance plans still cap the amount they spend on medications, Medicare's hole-in-the-middle approach is highly unusual.
The Republican-led Congress that passed the drug benefit under President George W. Bush was trying to balance coverage and costs, as many conservatives fretted about creating a new unfunded entitlement.
Supporters wanted all beneficiaries to get some initial benefit from the program, and they wanted to protect those with overwhelmingly high costs. The resulting compromise led to the doughnut hole.
Under Obama's health care law, the gap will be gradually phased down by 2020.
This year, the law provides a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs and 7 percent break on generics. Next year the discount on generics rises to 14 percent. When the changes are fully phased in, beneficiaries will still be responsible for their annual deductible and 25 percent of the cost of their medications until they reach catastrophic coverage.
If Republicans succeed in repealing what they dismiss as "Obamacare," the discounts would be wiped out as well.
Joan Gibbs thought her pharmacy had made a mistake. Her total cost for a brand-name painkiller in the doughnut hole came out lower than her co-payment earlier in the year, at a time her plan was picking up most of the tab.
"I reluctantly called the insurance company," said Gibbs, 54, who lives near Cleveland. "If they had made a mistake, I knew they would catch it sooner or later. I was very surprised that it turned out to be such a good discount."
Gibbs is on Medicare because of an auto-immune disorder and other medical problems that left her unable to work.
Other beneficiaries say it's still a struggle, even with the discounts.
John Robinson of Bel Air, Md., has diabetes and heart problems. A retired director of patient accounts for a hospital, Robinson said he runs up his credit card balance to pay for insulin, other medications and diabetic supplies in the doughnut hole.
"Thank God for credit cards," said Robinson, 71. "I thought it was better this year, but it still cost me more money than I had."
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.


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A soon-to-be first-time voter is hoping to arm Canadians with a little more information come Oct. 21.
Laef Kucheran, who lives in Burnaby, will be voting in his first election in a couple of weeks, but the 18-year-old has been preparing for this day for a very long time.
Four years ago, he created Votemate.org, an app and website that gathers candidate lists and party platforms from across Canada all in one place.
One tool lets you compare platforms on a given issue and stances as you go. The app will tally up which party you agree with most.
"I was intrigued about democracy, about how people are informed or not informed," Kucheran told Black Press Media by phone Tuesday. "What you know, what you don't know and how that affects your willingness to do something."
What he found was that many people were interested in issues like housing, climate change or LGBTQ2+ rights, but not the finer details of electing people to public office.
"They were interested in what you accomplish using democracy, but they weren't interested in the actual running ballot," he said.
Kucheran said a lot of information is available in the media and on political parties' websites, but most people don't have the time, or desire, to go through all of that.
He said many of his peers are interested in politics as well and wish they could vote.
"I talk with a 16-year-old who'll say, 'I'm really interested in the government's position on climate change, or LGBTQ rights… but I still don't know all the parties.'"
When those teens get to voting age, the interest in politics remains – as does the lack of clarity.
"All of a sudden, they have a lot of other stuff to deal with. They have to look for jobs, look at post-secondary and they also no longer have the time."
Although he had younger people in mind when he created the app, he says many of his users are in their 40s, 50s and beyond.
"In the end, it's not something that's about the technology, it's about something that's easily accessible."
Kucheran, who has operated the website through two previous elections, said this is the first time he's working with riding candidates to add their information to the database.
"I think it's 90 per cent of people who vote on the party, not the candidate," he said. "Yet, it's the candidate in the end who's going to represent you as an MP in Ottawa."
READ MORE: Trudeau targeted in English leaders' debate
READ MORE: Trudeau campaigns up north as Scheer and Singh make for Toronto after debate
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Information on public views and behaviours during the coronavirus crisis for 12 to 15 June 2020.
This is not the latest release in the series: Survey of public views on the coronavirus (COVID-19)
Main findings
Perceptions of the threats posed by coronavirus are stable following some previous decline. It continues to be seen to pose a greater threat to the country than to individuals. Just under half believe that someone close to them will be infected.
A majority in Wales continue to follow social distancing guidance. The Welsh Government and the NHS are generally seen to be doing a good job.
The Welsh public continue to think the coronavirus pandemic will have a personal financial impact on them. Over a quarter are concerned they will not be able to pay their bills one month from now.
Summary of methods
These are selected results from a weekly survey tracking public views and behaviours on coronavirus. The study uses IPSOS Mori's Global Advisor online platform to collect information from adults aged 16 to 74. The Welsh Government has funded a boost in the sample size for Wales since 19 to 21 March 2020, and the sample size after boosting is in the region of 500 to 600. It is broadly representative at population level, and the data is weighted to reflect the demographic profile of the adult population (in terms of gender and age) according to mid year population estimates. While online panels can have some limitations they do provide rapid turnaround of data in situations such as this.
Likely credibility intervals around the indicators will be in the region of +/- 4% to 5% for the Welsh boosted sample. Given the credibility intervals differences between weeks should be interpreted with some caution.
Datasets and interactive tools
Survey of public views on the coronavirus (COVID-19): 12 to 15 June 2020 , file type: ODS, file size: 7 KB
Cath Roberts
Telephone: 0300 025 5033
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Rydym yn croesawu galwadau a gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg / We welcome calls and correspondence in Welsh.
Telephone: 0300 025 8099
Rydym yn croesawu galwadau yn Gymraeg / We welcome calls in Welsh.


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Press Release
Strange New Star Appears in the Southern Sky
17 January 1991
Acting on information received from Danish scientists working with an X-ray telescope on a Soviet satellite, astronomers at the ESO La SiIla observatory in Chile have discovered a strange new star in the southern constellation of Musca (the Fly). Preliminary observations with the ESO 3.5-m New Technology Telescope indicate that the object is a nova, most probably a small, very dense star in a binary system whose brightness in a dramatic event has suddenly increased about 1000 times. The available optical and X-ray observations point to a quite unusual object.
The "international" story of Nova Muscae 1991
The new star [1], which is now referred to as Nova Muscae 1991, was first detected by the WATCH all-sky X-ray camera, an instrument built by the Danish Space Research Institute (Lyngby, Denmark) in collaboration with the Space Research Institute (Moscow) and installed on the Soviet GRANAT satellite which was launched in December 1989. Monitoring the stream of WATCH data on January 10, Søren Brandt, a Danish scientist at the GRANAT ground station in Crimea (USSR) noted the sudden emergence on the previous day of a new source of X-ray emission in the southern sky. This new X-ray source was unusually strong, in fact the second strongest in the sky at that moment and about twice as intense as the famous X-ray emitting Crab Nebula (the remnant of a star that exploded in the year 1054).
Brandt immediately transmitted the detailed data to Niels Lund at the Danish Space Research Institute in Denmark, Principal Investigator of the WATCH project. Noting that the new source was situated far down in the southern sky and therefore not observable from Europe, Niels Lund the same evening contacted scientists at the European Southern Observatory, suggesting that a search should be made for the visible image of the X-ray emitting object. A preliminary position of the X-ray source placed it in the direction of the constellation Musca within a circle with a one degree diameter. This position is within the bright, star-rich Milky Way band, about 20° from the south celestial pole. At the La Silla Observatory, a photographic plate was exposed during 10 min with the GPO telescope in the early morning hours of January 11. However, there was apparently no new object in the sky area of the WATCH X-ray source. The next night another plate with 45 min exposure and therefore showing much fainter objects was taken with the ESO Schmidt telescope by night assistant Guido Pizarro. Again, a first inspection revealed no new object in the field, brighter than magnitude 16 [2] Persisting, the astronomers then obtained a 90 min Schmidt plate in the morning of January 13. In the meantime, it had become known that also the Japanese Ginga satellite had observed X-ray emission from the Musca region and a somewhat more accurate position was now available. Still, thousands of stars were seen on the Schmidt plate within the X-ray "error box" (the area of uncertainty of the X-ray position).
The "new" star
The break-through and the discovery of the optical image of the X-ray emitting object was finally made in the afternoon of January 14 by ESO astronomers Massimo Della Valle and Brian Jarvis. By a careful comparison of the new Schmidt plates with earlier ones available in the La Silla archive, they detected a rather faint "new" star of magnitude 16 -17 near the border of the X-ray error box. That same night CCD images and spectra were obtained with the ESO New Technology Telescope and, to some surprise, it was seen that the star had brightened considerably during the preceding days; now the magnitude was almost 13. Moreover, the star was found to be rather blue, indicative of a hot, energy-rich object. These observations showed that the new X-ray source in Musca was most probably an exploding star (a "nova") whose (optical) light was still brightening.
One of the digital CCD images was transmitted in the morning of January 15 to the ESO Headquarters where ESO astronomer Richard West measured the celestial position of the "new" star to an accuracy of 0.2 arcseconds. It turned out that a very faint star (magnitude 21) of blue colour could be seen at exactly the same position on Schmidt plates obtained in 1976 and 1984; it is therefore most certainly the so-called progenitor, that is, the star that exploded. Official information about the identification of the Musca X-ray source was submitted by ESO to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on January 15 and published the same day on IAU Circular No. 5165 with the suggestion that other ground-and space-based observatories join the observational campaign of this unusual object.
At this time, and according to astronomical custom, the star was given the designation "Nova Muscae 1991".
The nature of Nova Muscae 1991
About two "novae" are observed in the Milky Way Galaxy each year and some others are seen in other galaxies from time to time. A typical nova brightens in the course of a few days to a maximum and then its light slowly decreases over a period of several weeks or months. However, the present object is unusual as it began to emit X-rays, before it brightened optically. It now seems almost certain that it belongs to the small, select class of so-called "X-ray novae"; objects of this type have been detected in 1975, 1977, 1980 and 1989 [3] They are different from the "classical novae" in that they emit vastly more X-ray emission; in X-ray novae the ratio between the energy emitted at X-ray and optical wavelengths is about 1000, whereas for classical novae it is only 0.000l.
Nova events are believed to occur in binary stars and to be caused by transfer of matter from one component star to the other which is a very compact object, either a white dwarf star or a neutron star (or perhaps even a "black hole "). In all cases the matter collects in a disk around the compact star and from the inside of this disk it spirals closer and closer to the surface of the star.
In a "classical nova", the compact star is a white dwarf star that weighs about as much as the Sun, but is no larger than the Earth. At a certain moment, a thermonuclear explosion may take place in the hydrogen-rich material on the surface of the star which will blow much stellar material out into the surrounding space. The dramatic increase in the brightness during the nova outburst is caused by the light emitted from the hot, expanding envelope around the binary star. Contrary to a supernova explosion, the white dwarf star survives the violent event; some of these objects may actually experience repeated explosions and are known as "recurrent novae". Contrarily, in X-ray novae as Nova Muscae 1991, the compact object is thought to be an extremely dense neutron star, as heavy as the Sun, but with a diameter of only 10 -15 kilometres. The nova event is caused by an instability in the matter falling inwards from the disk towards the star and a sudden release of gravitational energy near the surface of the neutron star (there may perhaps also be a thermonuclear explosion involved), but in this case there is not enough matter to create an expanding envelope. In X-ray novae the increase in brightness is caused by the heating of the disk which then radiates strongly in X-ray as well as in optical light.
More observations to be made
Some neutron stars are detected as rapidly fluctuating pulsars in supernova remnants. No X-ray fluctuations have been observed from Nova Muscae 1991 so far, but satellite observations are continuing. It is expected that ultraviolet spectra will be obtained with the IUE satellite.
Optical spectra have been obtained on January 16 and 17 by German astronomer Manfred Pakull, working with the ESO 1.5-m spectrographic telescope at La Silla. They show a number of broad emission lines from hydrogen, helium and nitrogen atoms and ions in the disk, reflecting its present, highly energetic state and also that it rotates rapidly. A preliminary analysis indicates velocities of several hundred km/sec.
Nova Muscae 1991 is obviously a most interesting object which will now be studied with all available means. Thanks to an excellent international collaboration it was discovered when it was in a critical phase of transition.
[1] This Press Release is accompanied by a B/W photo of Nova Muscae 1991.
[2] In the astronomical magnitude scale) smaller numbers signify brighter stars. A difference of 1 magnitude means an intensity difference of a factor 2.5. The brightest stars have magnitudes near O. The star Polans near the celestial North Pole has magnitude 2. The faintest objects which can be perceived with the unaided eye have magnitude 6. A star of magnitude 16 is 2.514 =400,000 limes fainter than Polaris.
[3] The objects are: VGIG MOll (Mon X-I) in 1975, V2107 Oph (HI705-25) in 1977, V822 Cyg (Cen X-4) in 1980 and V404 Cyg in 1989.
Richard West
ESO EPR Dept
Garching, Germany
Email: email@example.com
About the Release
Release No.: | eso9101 |
Legacy ID: | ESO 01/91 |
Name: | Nova Muscae 1991 |
Type: | Milky Way : Star : Type : Variable : Nova |
Facility: | ESO 1-metre Schmidt telescope, New Technology Telescope |


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The rest… is silence.
Tag: humor
"Blurtso fulfills his potential"
The ability to fulfill your potential,
depends entirely on your definition of fulfillment.
"Ditto finds kindness"
"Blurtso recuperates"
"Happy New Year"
"We are better together"
"Blurtso looks at the snow" (XVIII)
"Blurtso has a suggetion for the NFL"
"Blurtso longs for Lizzy" (III)
I haven't seen Lizzy since she was limping across the lawn. And that was two months ago. I wonder what happened to her? I wonder if she quit school, or graduated, or if she was only a tourist who was on campus for a week, and then went home? I suppose she's out there somewhere. I wonder what she's doing right now? I wonder if her hoof has healed? It's hard enough to limp around when the weather is nice, but it's worse in the snow. I wonder if she's alone, or with someone special? Wherever she is, I hope she's happy… and her hoof has healed.
"Blurtso forgets his mittens"
Off I go! said Blurtso, streaking out the door. Places to go, things to do, I'd better pick up the pace, I'm late, late, late!
Hey, why are my hoofs so cold? Oh no, I forgot my mittens! I guess it's back I go. Up the walk, through the door, grab my mittens, go, go, go. Ahhhh, that's better, said Blurtso. That's more like it. Snug and soft, happy on the hoof. Now, what was I doing? Where was I rushing to?


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This site has been recommended to you by
Katarzyna Hryciuk
Do you have any questions? Call me: 507806303
Items in package: 60 szt.
ColamiD — natural complex of amino acids, minerals and vitamins.
The resource with certifications of microbiological cleanliness and European Union standards is to be found in our supplement. The only substances added to the formulation are vitamins D and K.
Vitamin D
Vitamin K
Ingredients: Fish powder, Calcium, Fish gelatin – capsule, Anti-caking agent (Magnesium Salts of Fatty Acids), Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol), Vitamin K (Menachinone 7).
Składniki | Zawartość w 2 kapsułkach | % RWS (referencyjna wartość spożycia) |
Proszek z ryb, w tym: ► białko ► wapń |
1100 mg 726 mg 82,06 mg |
- - 10,26% |
wapń | 117,94 mg | 14,74% |
witamina D | 50 µg | 1000% |
witamina K | 75 µg | 100% |
Recommended Daily Intake: It is recommended to take 2 capsules per day. Take 1 capsule twice daily, during a meal, with water.
Warning: For adult use only. Do not exceed the recommended daily dosage. Do not use if you are allergic to any of the ingredients. Do not use after the best before date. The best before date is printed on the side of the package.
Vitamin D: Before use, it is advisable to perform a 25-(OH)D blood test and consult the doctor or pharmacist.
Vitamin K: 'The product should not be consumed by people taking anticoagulants containing vitamin K antagonists (e.g. warfarin and acenocoumarol).
Dietary supplements cannot be used as a substitute for a balanced diet.
A balanced diet and healthy lifestyle is recommended.
Storage: Store in a dry place, at room temperature, out of sunlight. Keep product sealed in its original container. Keep out of reach of small children.


text:
Strawberry Delight
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From the kitchen of Dora Grimm
This recipe has been on northpole.com from the beginning… since 1996! We hope you enjoy this classic North Pole recipe. Let us know your opinion by submitting a review!
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Recipe Details
Total Time: |
not specified |
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10 - 12 servings Good for parties/potlucks, Kid friendly |
1 cup plain flour
1 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup chopped nut
1 quart fresh strawberries (or equivalent frozen)
1 cup sugar
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 ounces all natural strawberry yogurt
1 package (4 3/4 ounce) instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sifted powdered confections sugar
1/2 pint heavy cream, whipped
1 tablespoon sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, butter and 1 T sugar until it resemble crumbs.
Press into a 13x9 inch cake pan, bottom only.
Bake until slightly brown, about 5-8 minutes.
Puree berries in blender with 1 cup sugar.
Soften gelatin in cold water. Stir in boiling water until dissolved.
Add with lemon juice to strawberry puree, mix well.
Chill until mixture mounds when dropped from spoon. Fold in yogurt.
Spoon onto crust, refrigerate.
Mix pudding according to package directions using 2 cups milk.
Whip 1/2 cup cream with 1 T sugar. Fold whipped cream into cold pudding.
Spread on top of strawberry layer, place back in refrigerator.
Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.
Whip 1/2 pint heavy cream with 1T sugar, fold into cream cheese mixture and spread over all.
If desired also decorate with fresh strawberries.
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Friday, December 19, 2008
Paris mysteries
Who is the woman in the red coat? What's in the bundle? Where is she taking it? Does the woman in red know the man in the brown coat? What has he got in his pocket? Why is the man in the distance looking back and what has he seen? Who is the man in the red jacket? Did he read the notice on the post? Who put that there? Why does the street sign have a cross? Who is the woman at the window? Questions with no answers.....
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Victory of the Trivial edition
My Victory of the Trivial series consists of twenty photographs of unremarkable $2 shop objects. The work was first produced as a gallery show and installation and now this edition of ten, published by FAQEDITIONS. Pigment printed on archival matt paper, the images are each initialed, numbered and assembled in a translucent plastic box. The edition is available in Paris from SPREE galerie and librarie Florence Loewy, and in Cologne from Schaden.com. There will be a gallery showing of the series at SPREE, Paris, in 2009.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Paris - Librarie Florence Loewy
Along with Printed Matter in New York the Librarie Florence Loewy in Paris has no equal when it comes to artists' books. In business since February 1989 and from October 2001 located in the heart of the Marais at 9 rue de Thorigny almost next to the Picasso Museum. The shop with its amazing bookshelves (alone worth a visit to see) was designed by the architects Dominique Jakob and New Zealander Brendan McFarlane. The bookstore offers a wide choice of artists' books, multiples, records and other editioned works ranging from the 60's until now. Florence has always (rather haphazadly) had a vase of flowers or something growing in the window. I made this image of her anenomes in 2002 and then this last November her cactus. Florence writes that I got the last shot of the cactus before it ended in the dustbin....
Paris - signs
From Wikipedia- In semiotics, a sign is "something that stands for something else, to someone in some capacity". It may be understood as a discrete unit of meaning, and includes words, images, gestures, scents, tastes, textures, sounds – essentially all of the ways in which information can be communicated as a message by any sentient, reasoning mind to another.
The nature of signs has long been discussed in philosophy. Initially, within linguistics and later semiotics, there were two general schools of thought: those who proposed that signs are 'dyadic' (i.e. having two parts), and those who proposed that signs are interpreted in a recursive pattern of triadic (i.e. three-part) relationships.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Paris bicycle - coincidence or conspiracy
I've just had this amazing email from a photographer in Seattle Washington which reads:
Dear Mr. Benge,
Reference this picture that you recently posted on your blog. Looked eerily familiar. I rummaged through my digital archives and, lo and behold, I photographed the self-same bicycle on 25 October 2007. It appears to be parked at the same location (in the fifth; Rue Monge, perhaps). Hard to tell precisely by the scratches whether your picture predates mine, but it certainly is the same lovely chain-guard (and the same Metro entrance)!
Despite my best efforts, I never could pull all the elements of this image together, so it was relegated to the virtual dustbin. The ones that did survive are on my Paris blog (http://www.originalrefrigeratorart.blogspot.com).
Someday I may get around to gathering together all the images from my times in Paris; I do love that city!
Tyler M
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
My reply:
Hi Tyler
have just opened your email....well the world certainly is a small and getting smaller place... I've just returned from Paris where I went for Paris Photo in November and it was then that I photographed the wonderful bicycle with the beautiful flowers on the chain guard. And yes it is the same bike in both pictures... how extraordinary. I'm wondering if it's been sitting there since you made your picture....I can't remember tho the exact location for my picture....
if the world in general is small the photo world even smaller...how strange that one lonely bicycle in Paris could be the catalyst for you in Seattle and me in Auckland talking to each other....I wonder what the world might be like if we all talked about bicycles and coincidences, rather than guns, wars and confrontation.. I'm sure a much better place...
and yes, Paris is a wonderful city....
I've yet to look at your blog and will do so now... I just wanted to get this off to you straight away.... while I'm still stunned and smiling in amazement...
very best from me
Marks of Honour at FOAM Amsterdam - May 2009
MoH/08, a homage to the photo-book will be shown at FOAM photography museum Amsterdam in May 2009. The show consists of the library itself, multimedia-reproductions of the work and large format "inspiration-sketches". Visitors will see the original works, a multimedia presentation, photographs, drawings and reproductions. Text will be a linking element between the different artworks and will carry the visitor through the exhibition-room.
A documentation of the inspiration source of every invited artist and a complete reproduction of the original photobook with it's complementary homage will be accessible on computer screens. A catalogue will be published by Schaden.com.
The photographers:
Harvey Benge honours William Eggleston
Artist book of 16 pages, hand written text and four tipped in photographs, one inserted loose. Both books contained in a slipcase.
Chris Coekin honours Hendrick Duncker & Yrjo Tuunanen
Book in hay and eco/farmer bag, four pictures of me hitchhiking plus one of the original signs "Hay on the Highway".
Peter Granser honours Robert Frank
Box from linnen with book and a map with four pigment prints on Fine Art Pearl Paper.
Pieter Hugo honours Roland Barthes
Tiina Itkonen honours Pentti Sammallahti
Box with five pictures.
Onaka Koji honours Daido Moriyama
Book, contactsheet and five pictures in handmade wooden box.
Jens Liebchen honours Anthony Hernandez
A sequence of 3 images presented as a Leporello, with text and separate book, in a cardboard box.
Michael Light honours Ansel Adams
Box, Adams book jigsawed along landscape lines; M. Light pigment prints atached to certain Adams images.
Mark Power honours Stephen Shore
Custom made box with book and four large format c-prints.
Matthew Sleeth honours Lars Tunbjörk
A fold out book with "Office" bound to the middle and then two selfmade inkjet books ("Fire extinguishers" and "Houseplants") each side folding over the top.
Alec Soth honours Andrea Modica
The edition includes a box with two photographs in a small portfolio responding to Andrea Modica's Treadwell.
Jules Spinatsch honours Block 2008
8 booklets made out of the calender Block 2008; one for each artist in a box with the title: Deblocked.
Raimond Wouda honours Paul Shambroom
3 pictures as inkjets in the book; they continue the book as leporello.
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Azure invoices emailed directly to your inbox
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To opt in, select your subscription from the Subscriptions blade. You have to opt in for each subscription you own. Select Send my invoice (you might not see this if you're not the account admin), and then select Opt In.
Learn more about this feature on the Azure blog.


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Since 1989, Bedloft.com has been providing easy-to-use, affordable solutions for residence hall space issues. Today, we continue to provide custom solutions that are affordable and convenient, while helping improve the quality of life and comfort of students at nearly 50 colleges and universities nationwide.
Our experienced, professional team is second to none and is 100% committed to ensuring that each student and parent is valued and treated with a high level of respect and courtesy.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your order, please contact our Customer Experience Department.
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If you were in VB6 HelpContextID will be familiar for you (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa267690(v=vs.60).aspx). In those sweet VB6 days all you had to do was:
Private Sub Form_Load () App.HelpFile = "VB.HLP" Frame1.HelpContextID = 21004 Text1.HelpContextID = 21001 Form1.HelpContextID = 21005 End Sub
And each time you pressed the F1 button your application will have opened the .hlp file and show you the Help Topic corresponding to that ID. After migration from VB6 to WinForms Help you now have the HelpProvider.SetHelpKeyword http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.windows.forms.helpprovider.sethelpkeyword.aspx And you had to do something like:
internal System.Windows.Forms.HelpProvider HelpProvider1; ... HelpProvider1.HelpNamespace = "sample.chm"; HelpProvider1.SetHelpKeyword(TextBox1, "1007.html"); HelpProvider1.SetHelpNavigator(TextBox1, HelpNavigator.Topic); HelpProvider1.SetHelpKeyword(ListBox1, "1006.html"); HelpProvider1.SetHelpNavigator(ListBox1, HelpNavigator.Topic);
And all that seems nice. But, what can you do when you cross over to SilverlightjQuery15205164761650376022_1357918518660? Well, in general there are several systems that allow you to author your help files in html or convert your .hlp or .chm files to html, but how do you link your components to that help system in order to provide context-sensitive help???? Ok. So one of the possible solutions is very very simple. In general, the solution that I will show in this post is this: 1) First implement an attached property for adding a HelpKeyword to Silverlight components 2) Set the helpkeyword in the desired components 3) Provide logic that will open the appropiate help file. Ok. So let's implement a Silverlight Attached property. An attached propery is like adding a new property to your controls. This new attached property will be called Helpkeyword
using System; using System.Windows.Shapes; namespace System.Windows.Controls { public class HelpProvider { public static readonly DependencyProperty HelpKeyword = DependencyProperty.RegisterAttached("HelpKeyword", typeof(string), typeof(HelpProvider), new PropertyMetadata(null)); public static void SetHelpKeyword(UIElement element, string keyword) { element.SetValue(HelpKeyword, keyword); } public static string GetHelpKeyword(UIElement element) { return (string)element.GetValue(HelpKeyword); } } }
Ok. So once we have the attached property we have to use it, and set it on the code: To set it on the code we must add a namespace:
<UserControl x:Class="SilverlightApplication.MainPage" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" ... xmlns:help="clr-namespace:System.Windows.Controls" mc:Ignorable="d" ....>
And apply the attribute to components
<Button help:HelpProvider.HelpKeyword="helpforbutton1" Content="Button" ... /> <TextBox help:HelpProvider.HelpKeyword="helpfortext1" Height="47" ... />
So that almost everything, now we just need to trigger the appropiate logic, to do that we will add a KeyUp handler to the top most element, in this example a grid. NOTE: if Silverlight is running on the browser F1 is not an option. I just used F2 here as an example.
<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot" Background="White" Height="205" KeyUp="LayoutRoot_KeyUp"> <Button help:HelpProvider.HelpKeyword="helpforbutton1" ... /> <TextBox help:HelpProvider.HelpKeyword="helpfortext1" ... /> </Grid>
using System; using System.Windows; using System.Windows.Controls; using System.Windows.Input; using System.Windows.Browser; namespace SilverlightApplication { public partial class MainPage : UserControl { public MainPage() { InitializeComponent(); } private void LayoutRoot_KeyUp(object sender, KeyEventArgs e) { //check for the specific key. For now use F2 as the Help Shortcut if (e.Key==Key.F2) { var uielement = FocusManager.GetFocusedElement() as UIElement; if (uielement!=null) { var keyword = HelpProvider.GetHelpKeyword(uielement); var host = HtmlPage.Document.DocumentUri.Host; var port = HtmlPage.Document.DocumentUri.Port; var url = string.Format("http://{0}:{1}/help/{2}.html", host,port,keyword); HtmlPage.Window.Navigate(new Uri(url),"_blank"); } } // else ignore the keystroke } } }
This property can be used on the IDE:
On code
var uielement = FocusManager.GetFocusedElement() as UIElement;
if (uielement!=null) {
var keyword = HelpProvider.GetHelpKeyword(uielement);
This is an image of the application running.
And you can download the code from: CODE
If you have any questions or would like more info on Silverlight migration check www.silverlightmigration.com
Some time ago Artinsoft participated in the development of a book called "Upgrading Visual Basic 6.0 Applications".
I quote from that book:
"The upgrade wizard is designed to upgrade Visual Basic 6.0 applications. For projects written in Visual Basic versions 1.0 through 5.0, it is necessary that you first upgrade them to Visual Basic 6.0 before upgrading to Visual Basic .NET. To upgrade a project that was developed in a version earlier than Visual Basic 6.0, simply open the project in the Visual Basic 6.0 IDE and save it. If Visual Basic 6.0 prompts you to upgrade controls to Visual Basic 6.0, choose Yes. If the project contains Visual Basic 5.0 ActiveX controls, it is often best to replace these controls with Visual Basic 6.0 versions. This is because these controls use a different threading model than models used by Visual Basic 6.0 controls. The earlier threading model is not supported in Windows Forms. For 16-bit projects written in Visual Basic versions 1.0 through 4.0, you may need to make extra modifications to the application to convert it to Visual Basic 6.0. VBX controls will not be automatically converted. You will also have to replace Win16 Windows APIs with their Win32® counterparts. Visual Basic versions 2.0 and 3.0 often require an extra step. Visual Basic 6.0 can only open files in text format, whereas Visual Basic versions 2.0 and 3.0 support two file formats: binary and text. Before upgrading these projects, ensure the entire applica- tion is saved in text format by using the following procedure.
To convert Visual Basic 1.0 and 2.0 files to text format 1. On the File menu, click Save As. 2. In the Save dialog box, select the Save As Text check box. Because Visual Basic 1.0 can only save files in binary format, all of these projects will first need to be opened in Visual Basic 2.0 or 3.0 and then saved as text before they can be converted to Visual Basic 6.0. After converting the project to Visual Basic 6.0, you can begin the process of upgrading it to Visual Basic .NET."
This book is available for free from the MSDN


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Pest Control in Missouri
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We are proud to highlight an exceptional advocate for Vascular Birthmarks awareness in our VBF Awareness Spotlight.
Frank and Barbara Catalanotto are VBF's Honorary Co-Chairs, and the largest individual event fund raisers in our history.
Through their fundraising efforts, Frank, Barbara and the Frank Catalanotto Foundation have sponsored numerous transformative surgeries and enabled thousands of families to attend our annual VBF conference for FREE over the last decade. Simply put, VBF's non-profit work would not be possible without their support.


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Basic Guidelines
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Respect the forum staff. We're not here to make life harder to anyone. Any decision taken by the administrators and moderators is final and must be respected.
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Any member who occupies a majority of admin or moderator time unnecessarily will be shown the door. Any messages you post in these discussion forums will remain available to the public for as long as this discussion board is online. Once you have posted your message, it will stay online. Please post carefully and with due consideration to the content of your post. Any private communications will remain private at all times, sharing PM's is not allowed unless all members involved are in agreement. Communications between Moderation or Administrative Staff and the members are always private and no permission will ever be granted to share these messages in a public manner. Private Communications from other sites are also included in this proscription. In short, no communication where there was an expectation of privacy, regardless of source are to be posted on our forums. Usergroups are subject to the same guidelines as the main forums, and if these groups become a problem for the Administrators and Moderation staff, appropriate action, ranging from changes in the group founder to an outright disbanding of the offending group may be taken.
The Point System
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We expect that all members of BikeForums will behave in a way that�s conducive to the diversity, intelligence and respectfulness of the community. Each of these three general principles is fundamental to the quality of our site.
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We expect our member to show respect for others. Respecting their person, their views, their time and their opinions, and their belief systems ... even if you disagree with them.
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