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Mayflower Inn and Spa
Cookies and Other Similar Technologies | Auberge Resorts Collection
Effective: January 1, 2020
This Cookie Policy explains how Auberge Resorts LLC ("AR") and properties that are a part of the Auberge Resorts Collection ("ARC Properties") use cookies and similar technologies when you visit the websites located at www.aubergeresorts.com, or any other websites, pages, features, or content owned or operated by AR or ARC Properties (collectively, the "Websites"). This Cookie Policy explains what these technologies are and why they are used, as well as your rights to control their use. Capitalized terms not defined herein will have the same meaning as ascribed to them in the Privacy Notice.
In some cases, AR and ARC Properties may use cookies and similar technologies to collect personal information or information that becomes personal information if combined with other information. In such cases, the Privacy Notice will apply in addition to this Cookie Policy.
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or other technologies, please provide an email to email@example.com.
Cookies are small files, typically of letters and numbers, downloaded onto your computer or mobile device when you visit certain websites. When you return to these websites or visit other websites that use the same cookies, the websites recognize these cookies and your browsing device. A cookie cannot read data off your hard drive or read cookie files created by other websites.
Cookies set by the website operator are called "first party cookies." Cookies set by parties other than the website operator are called "third party cookies." The parties that set third party cookies can recognize your computer both when it visits AR or ARC Properties' websites and when it visits certain other websites and/or mobile apps.
Information collected by cookies and other technologies is treated as non-personal information. However, to the extent that IP addresses or similar identifiers are considered personal information by local law, AR and ARC Properties also treat these identifiers as personal information. If non-personal information is combined with personal information, the combined information will be treated as personal information for as long as it remains combined.
More information on cookies and their use can be found at www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.
When you access the Services through Online Interactions, cookies may be placed on your computer or other devices. These technologies help in understanding user behavior and inform about the parts that you have visited on the website.
The following are some examples of non-personal information that is collected and used:
- How you use the Services through online interactions. Except in limited instances to ensure the quality of the Services over the Internet, such information will not be associated with your IP address.
- To better understand customer behavior and improve the services information such as your language, zip code, area code, unique device identifier, referrer URL, location, and the time zone may be collected.
- Information regarding your activities on a website, which is used to understand which parts of the website are of most interest. This data is aggregated and thus is considered non-personal information.
AR and ARC Properties use the following types of cookies:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
- These cookies are essential because they enable you to move around on the websites and use certain features on the websites. Without these cookies, some parts of the websites cannot be accessed.
Performance/Analytics Cookies
- These cookies collect information about how you use a website. For example, a performance/analytics cookie will collect information about which pages you go to most often, how much time you spend on that page, or if you get error messages from certain pages. These cookies do not gather the information that identifies you. The information these cookies collect is anonymous and is only used to improve how the websites work.
Functionality Cookies
- These cookies remember the choices you make and to tailor a website to provide relevant content to you. For example, a functionality cookie can remember your preferences (e.g., country or language selection), or your username.
Session Cookies
- Session cookies are used when you access a website or related content. Session cookies expire and no longer have any effect when you log out of your account or close your browser.
The length of time a cookie will stay on your browsing device depends on whether it is a "persistent" or "session" cookie. Session cookies will only stay on your device until you stop browsing. Persistent cookies stay on your browsing device until they expire or are deleted (i.e. after you have finished browsing).
WHAT OTHER SIMILAR Technologies are used?
In addition to cookies, other similar technologies, like web beacons, may be used on the Websites. Web beacons, or "clear gifs," are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies. They are used to track the online movements of web users.
The Websites may also have the so-called "Flash Cookies"(also known as "Local Shared Objects" or "LSOs") to collect and store information about your use of the Services, fraud prevention, and for other site operations.
You have the right to decide whether to accept cookies. You can exercise your preferences in relation to cookies served on AR and ARC Property Sites by taking the steps outlined below.
- You can use the browser with which you are viewing this website to enable, disable or delete cookies. To do this, follow the instructions provided by your browser (usually located within the "Help", "Tools" or "Edit" settings). Please note if you set your browser to disable cookies, you may not be able to access secure areas of the Sites. Also, if you disable cookies other parts of the Services may not work properly. You can find more information about how to change your browser cookie settings at http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
- Mobile Advertising. You can opt-out of having your mobile advertising identifiers used for certain types of advertising by accessing the settings in a mobile device and following the instructions. If you opt-out, all data will be deleted about you and no further data will be collected. The random ID previously assigned to you will be removed. Thus, if at a later stage, you decide to opt-in, it will not be possible to track you using the prior ID and you will for all practical purposes be a new user.
- Third-Party Cookies: To opt-out of third-party advertising networks and similar entities that use targeting/advertising cookies, go to http://www.aboutads.info/choices. Once you click the link, you may choose to opt-out of such advertising from all participating advertising companies or only advertising provided by specific advertising entities. For more information about third-party advertising networks and similar entities that use these technologies, please see http://www.aboutads.info/consumers.
- Do Not Track: Some Internet browsers – like Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari – include the ability to transmit "Do Not Track" or "DNT" signals. Since uniform standards for "DNT" signals have not been adopted, AR and ARC Properties' Sites do not currently process or respond to "DNT" signals.
- Flash Cookies: If you do not want Flash Cookies stored on your computer, you can adjust the settings of your Flash player to block Flash Cookies storage using the tools contained in the website storage settings panel. You can also control Flash Cookies by going to the global storage settings panel and following the instructions. Setting the Flash Player to restrict or limit acceptance of Flash Cookies may reduce or impede the functionality of some Flash applications, including, potentially, Flash applications used in connection with AR and ARC Properties' services or online content.
This Cookie Policy may be updated from time to time. If updated, you will be notified when you first visit the AR or an ARC Property website after the change. You can also revisit this page if you wish to keep yourself informed.


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In this irreverent comedy, awkward teenager Tobe (Dustin Ingram) sets off on a road trip to meet Monica Velour (Kim Cattrall), his favorite '80s porn star, at a rare live appearance hundreds of miles away. Instead of the glamorous sexpot portrayed on film, he finds a 49-year-old single mom living in a trailer in rural Indiana, performing at seedy strip clubs to make ends meet. A starry-eyed Tobe, still captivated by his crush, befriends Monica, further complicating her difficult life. Kim Cattrall gives a career-defining performance in this offbeat love story that appeals to the dreamer — and the nerd — in all of us. (Source)
Find more trailers and clips on our homepage.

subset: commoncrawl


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This is the best among all the eggless chocolate mousse I've tried !
Disclaimer: There has a been a misunderstanding about "eggless" vs "vegetarian". Nowhere in the post have I suggested that this dish is vegetarian.Marshmallows generally contain gelatin which is an animal product. But if you are looking for a vegan marshmallow, you can find it in the market.
Recipe adapted from : Nigella Lawson


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Personalised and Professional Education and Training (RTO Code 31424)
Personalised and Professional Education and Training (RTO Code 31424)
The Animal Industries Resource Centre is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO number: 31424) registered with The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) the national regulator for Australia's vocational education and training sector. This Code of Practice applies to all stakeholders involved with training within the AIRC's scope and addresses how the RTO ensures clients' rights as a consumer are protected and that they receive services as detailed in their agreement with the RTO.
The AIRC will meet all legislative requirements of State and Federal Government. In particular, Workplace Health & Safety, Workplace Relations and Vocational Placement Standards will be met at all times.
The AIRC ensures compliance with Standard 20 of the NVR standards and are prepared to fully inform staff and clients of the legislative and regulatory requirements that affect their duties or participation in vocational education and training.
SNR 20 Compliance with Legislation
20.1 The NVR registered training organisation must comply with relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation and regulatory requirements relevant to its operations and its scope of registration.
20.2 The NVR registered training organisation must ensure that its staff and clients are fully informed of legislative and regulatory requirements that affect their duties or participation in vocational education and training.
The AIRC markets our vocational education and training products with integrity, accuracy and professionalism, avoiding vague and ambiguous statements. In the provision of information, no false or misleading comparisons are drawn with any other training organisations or training product.
The AIRC informs all prospective students and clients of all the fees and charges they will incur throughout their studies prior to enrolment. The AIRC has a a fair and equitable Refund Policy refund policy that is documented within the Student Handbook which is provided to all clients prior to enrolment.
All students will be enrolled in an ethical and responsible manner and consistent with the requirements of the National Training Package. Our Access and Equity Policy ensures that student selection decisions comply with equal opportunity legislation. The AIRC ensures that services should be available to everyone who is entitled to them and should be free of any form of discrimination irrespective of a person's country of birth, language, culture, race or religion. Services should be developed and delivered on the basis of fair treatment of clients who are eligible to receive them.
The AIRC has a commitment to providing a quality service and a focus on continuous improvement. Our training programs are developed in consultation with industry representatives to ensure the relevancy to industry requirements. We value feedback from all students, employers, relevant industry representatives and staff for incorporation into future education programs.
The AIRC ensures that all students are treated fairly and they will receive reasonable assistance to successfully complete their course within the expected timeframes.
The AIRC has in place, and will continue to develop and improve policies and procedures focussed on meeting stakeholder needs. A copy of these can be obtained by contacting the AIRC on 07 3621 6005.
Refunds may be available under certain circumstances. Download a copy of the policy here.
The AIRC has policies and management strategies, which ensure sound financial and administrative practices. AIRC management guarantees the organisations sound financial position and safeguards student fees until used for training/assessment. Student records are managed securely and confidentially and available for students perusal on request. The AIRC has adequate insurance policies.
The AIRC has personnel with appropriate qualifications and experience to deliver the training and facilitate the assessment relevant to the training products offered. Assessment will meet the National Assessment Principals (including Recognition of Prior Learning). Adequate facilities, equipment and training materials will be utilised to ensure the learning environment is conducive to the success of students. Assessment procedures are tailored to suit each particular course. Assessment criteria are supplied prior to registration; details of the assessment procedure will be explained to the students by their trainer at the commencement of training. The AIRC adopt a quality policy of integrating workplace assessment to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for the student and the profession.
The AIRC implements standards and procedures to ensure the safeguard of any confidential information as outlined in the AQTF (Australian Quality Training Framework) standard 4.1. Details, records and assessments are not privy to third parties without the written consent of the student. Students may access their files at any stage. If required to do so, please contact us so that we can arrange an appropriate time.
The AIRC will honour all guarantees outlined in this Code of Practice. We understand that if we do not meet the obligations of this code or supporting regulatory requirements, we may have our registration as a Registered Training Organisation withdrawn.
The AIRC has agreed to participate in external monitoring and audit processes required by ASQA. This covers quality audits, audit following complaint, and audit for the purpose of re-registration.
In the unlikely event that the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) ceases operation the RTO is required to provide to ASQA a record of all qualifications and statements of attainment issued to students. The RTO will assist all students in transferring to another RTO to complete their studies and abide by the requirements set out by ASQA to any financial obligations.


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The Air Force on Feb. 28 canceled a contract to purchase the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano for duty in Afghanistan, following litigation and protest from rival Hawker Beechcraft.
The Air Force announced on Feb. 28 an abrupt about-face following a well-publicized dogfight over a contract to build light air support aircraft for Afghanistan.
Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley, in a short statement that caught many by surprise, said the decision to award the contract to Brazilian manufacturer Embraer, by way of Sierra Nevada Corp., will be "set aside" pending an internal Air Force investigation.
Hawker Beechcraft, rumored to be on the verge of bankruptcy, launched federal court action seeking to block the contract, claiming the company's AT-6 was a better match for the mission of arming a fledgling Afghan air force. The company also marshaled allies in Congress, including Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo, who hailed the Air Force decision to cancel the contract in a conference call with the media. Pompeo said the Air Force process was "deeply flawed," though he cited the lack of transparency as one reason that the specific flaws remain unknown.
"They've now had to undo an award," Pompeo said. "That is evidence alone that the process was a failure."
Industry analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group said the deal, with a maximum possible value between $150 and $500 million over a period of years, is of relatively little consequence to either company, and may be best left undone given recent violence and deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan.
"If they're looking for a convenient way to get out of a perfectly ridiculous project, this would be it," Aboulafia said, adding that the "only possible relevance [is] for a military that we are currently disengaging from. Do you want to kill it now, or do you want to let it linger like a dead woodchuck under the porch?"
Pompeo agreed that the overall mission in Afghanistan merits careful consideration, but insisted the Air Force decision was not related to recent developments in the war-torn country. Pompeo agreed that a "major reassessment" of Afghanistan strategy could make the contract moot, but the procurement process needs to be reformed.
"While we pursue perfection, we sometimes fall short, and when we do we will take corrective action," Donley said in the statement. "Since the acquisition is still in litigation, I can only say that the Air Force Senior Acquisition Executive, David Van Buren, is not satisfied with the quality of the documentation supporting the award decision."
Hawker Beechcraft, which publicly protested the Air Force decision in December to exclude Hawker's AT-6 from a two-plane competition with the Super Tucano issued a statement Feb. 28 hailing the contract's cancellation.
"We commend the Air Force for this decision and we believe strongly it is the right thing for the Air Force, the taxpayers and the people of Hawker Beechcraft," said Bill Boisture, chairman of Hawker Beechcraft Corp. "We look forward to competing for this contract as this important initiative moves forward.
Sierra Nevada Corp. also issued a written statement, quoting Vice President of ISR Business Development (and retired Air Force general) Taco Gilbert: "We are disappointed by this decision. We offered the U.S. Air Force a fully proven and cost-effective Light Air Support solution--and one that would be made in America, create and support American jobs and result in economic investment in the U.S. We know that our submission fully met the requirements of the U.S Air Force Request for Proposal (RFP) and that Sierra Nevada Corporation fully complied with the RFP process as set out by the U.S. Air Force," Gilbert said.
Both companies claimed a winning bid would support American jobs, and analysts said there was realistically little difference in that respect.
Wayne Plucker, a senior industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan's aerospace and defense group, said the LAS contract may not survive post-election budget cuts, or further deterioration on the ground in Afghanistan. Plucker said it's too soon to say whether the Air Force decision will lead to a new round of bidding, which would delay deployment by at least a year.
"Kicking the can down the road always endangers a project. We've seen that with multiple Air Force and Navy projects over time," Plucker said. "The real key is how quickly this turns around."
Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz told news agency AFP the decision is an "embarrassment" to the Air Force, and vowed the Air Force would move quickly to reopen bidding.
"There's no way to put a happy face on this," Schwartz said, noting that funding for up to 20 aircraft expires in 2013. Schwartz said the aircraft is vital to Afghanistan's military. "We will work with all dispatch."


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Join us in Wonderopolis today for a visit to one of the most populous countries in the world!
Where in the World Is Kolkata?
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Who Was Lou Castro?
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Dec 31, 2016
My Wife Darlene, Claire and a new quilt
Interview starts at 12:28 and ends at44:58
"What's great about Audible is you still get to hear a story. You're not reading it, but you're still getting a story. And for me sometimes when I get stuck on stuff in my studio, it's just keeping me in the room long enough...
Dec 24, 2016
Author of The Untold Story of the Talking Book
Interview starts at 12:44 and ends at 32:05
"There's often a false division between audiobook listeners and print book readers, because in my experience the two are almost always the same. They're people like me who just love reading and want to do as much of it as...
Dec 16, 2016
Author of the Making Book blog
Interview starts at 14:03 and ends at 44:31
"The idea that Barnes & Noble can make it by sort of becoming a small specialist, cozy bookstore is kind of delusional. It's a big organization!"
Jeff Bezos's tweet announcing first Prime Air delivery - December 14,...
Dec 10, 2016
Senior Pastor of New Covenant Church, Indianapolis
Interview starts at 7:20 and ends at 33:36
I think it's a matter of accepting the change that God has provided with these tools, learning how to use the tools. For example, we could try to tell people, "Well, don't go to the movies." Well, they're going to...
Dec 3, 2016
Head of Cynthia Manson Literary Agency
Interview starts at 14:30 and ends at 41:06
"The trick is that if you have an author that is struggling to find that audience, to find that readership--Alan [Russell] is a perfect example, because he always got wonderful reviews, is a fantastic writer, still has a great...


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On This Day, November 1st, in 1765 – In the face of widespread opposition in the American colonies, Parliament enacts the Stamp Act, a taxation measure designed to raise revenue for British military operations in America.
Defense of the American colonies in the French and Indian War (1754-63) and Pontiac's Rebellion (1763-64) were costly affairs for Great Britain, and Prime Minister George Grenville hoped to recover some of these costs by taxing the colonists. In 1764, the Sugar Act was enacted, putting a high duty on refined sugar. Although resented, the Sugar Act tax was hidden in the cost of import duties, and most colonists accepted it. The Stamp Act, however, was a direct tax on the colonists and led to an uproar in America over an issue that was to be a major cause of the Revolution: taxation without representation.
Passed without debate by Parliament in March 1765, the Stamp Act was designed to force colonists to use special stamped paper in the printing of newspapers, pamphlets, almanacs, and playing cards, and to have a stamp embossed on all commercial and legal papers. The stamp itself displayed an image of a Tudor rose framed by the word "America" and the French phrase Honi soit qui mal y pense—"Shame to him who thinks evil of it."
Outrage was immediate. Massachusetts politician Samuel Adams organized the secret Sons of Liberty organization to plan protests against the measure, and the Virginia legislature and other colonial assemblies passed resolutions opposing the act. In October, nine colonies sent representatives to New York to attend a Stamp Act Congress, where resolutions of "rights and grievances" were framed and sent to Parliament and King George III. Despite this opposition, the Stamp Act was enacted on November 1, 1765.
The colonists greeted the arrival of the stamps with violence and economic retaliation. A general boycott of British goods began, and the Sons of Liberty staged attacks on the customhouses and homes of tax collectors in Boston. After months of protest and economic turmoil, and an appeal by Benjamin Franklin before the British House of Commons, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act in March 1766. However, the same day, Parliament passed the Declaratory Acts, asserting that the British government had free and total legislative power over the colonies.
Parliament would again attempt to force unpopular taxation measures on the American colonies in the late 1760s, leading to a steady deterioration in British-American relations that culminated in the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775.


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Fighting to Protect Consumers
Over the past several weeks, the President and I have had extensive conversations about the vital importance of consumer financial protection.
The president asked me, and I enthusiastically agreed, to serve as an Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He has also asked me to take on the job to get the new CFPB started—right now. The President and I are committed to the same vision on CFPB, and I am confident that I will have the tools I need to get the job done.
President Obama understands the importance of leveling the playing field again for families and creating protections that work not just for the wealthy or connected, but for every American. The new consumer bureau is based on a pretty simple idea: people ought to be able to read their credit card and mortgage contracts and know the deal. They shouldn't learn about an unfair rule or practice only when it bites them—way too late for them to do anything about it. The new law creates a chance to put a tough cop on the beat and provide real accountability and oversight of the consumer credit market. The time for hiding tricks and traps in the fine print is over. This new bureau is based on the simple idea that if the playing field is level and families can see what's going on, they will have better tools to make better choices.
If the CFPB can succeed at leveling the playing field, we can go a long way toward repairing a gaping hole in the budgets of millions of families. But nobody has ever thought or argued that the consumer bureau can fix everything. Lost jobs, stagnant incomes, rising costs for college, dwindling retirement savings—there's a lot of work to be done.
When she was 16, my grandmother, Hannie Reed, drove a wagon in the Oklahoma land rush. Her mother had died, so she was up front with her little brothers and sisters bouncing around in the back. When I was growing up, she talked about life on the prairie, about marrying my grandfather and making a living building one-room schoolhouses, about getting wiped out in the Great Depression. She was hit with hard challenges throughout her life, but the moral of her stories was always the same: she would solve her problems one at a time by pulling up her socks and getting to work.
It's time for all of us to pull up our socks and get to work.
This originally appeared as a blog post at WhiteHouse.gov under the title "Fighting to Protect Consumers ."


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A lighting starter slots in next to the fluorescent tube on the lamp frame. When the light switch is turned on, the starter sends a jolt of electricity to the gas inside the fluorescent tube, which provides the energy that makes the light fluoresce. If the lighting starter fails to work the fluorescent tube will not light up.
High-quality starters significantly increase lamp lifespan, because by adjusting the starting current they reduce the lamp's warm-up time. They improve lumen maintenance and reduce colour shift. The most popular application of lighting starter is in outdoor lighting, especially in large retail areas, parking lots, roads and tunnels, and in horticulture lighting.
Starters are suitable for all types of fluorescent tubes and fittings. There are three basic starters for which to choose:
The main differences between all the starters is, how much wattage they can support. So making sure that you know the total wattage, input voltage and application before selecting the starter is very important.


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Our favorite is the pre-washed baby spinach for our salad.
We can get a lot of Asian vegetbles here like bak choy, pea shoots, choy sum and even lemongrass.
Little Taro
Yellow Beets
Blood Oranges
I love Farmer's market too,Gert.Too bad S has to fly almost every other weekend, so no chance to go for quite awhile already.I hope this coming Sunday he might be able to bring me to stock up on my chillies and sausages..hehehe.
Love farmer markets. Alwys interesting to chat with the grower abt their produce n what's in season. Those orchids are beautiful. Strawberries look huge too
Everything look so nice and the markets there definitely look so much better than those found here.
Hi gert....bessss nyaaa...takpe u post entri macam ni pun i suka.. ^__^
I have never tasted blood oranges yet. I hope so one day.
BTW, those red stemmed vege, is it kale?
And the lemongrass... wah, the stalk so long hoh, ours here after 6 inches cucuk cucuk keluar the leaves oredi.
Farmer's Market or rather Pasar Tani as we called them over here...I aso love to go there on every saturday...lots of things to see and buy :) Hope you will get back your camera soon for we miss your cooking and baking :)
The strawberries look so attractive
I love to visit Farmer's market when I was in the States last time. Hopefully I can be there soon.
Shereen, Farmers market here open only on Saturday and each area with have one. This weekend I might go to another one. I too wanted to buy fresh red chillies.
Charmaine, yeap and they are all very friendly. Orchids are beatiful but very expensive :)
Jeannie, I like going to the one back home too :)
Mat, how are you. Lama tak ada kabar.
Wendy, blood oranges not much different from normal orange except the inside red/maroon color on the inside. The red steammed vege should be the leaves of beets and the yellow and white stems one should be the swiss chard. Yea the lemongrass here is huge and I too put a few on the pot to grow them.
Elin, still no news on my camera yet. Hopefully I hear from them this week. Yea I like pasar tani too.
Eileen, yea there are.
Ann, hope you can visit soon.
This definitely my favourite place to visit. I must not bring so much money when visiting this kind of places. haha.... Can not tahan all the stuffs I saw lol! hahaha....
Ohhh you're making me miss our Bay Area farmers markets!
So you guys are living in the East Bay?
I live in California, I am looking for a store where to find frozen Puff pastry for Egg tarts, Any one know where I can buy them please??
Thank you so much
Anon, every supermarket sell puff pastry. Check the freezer!


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Apple Releases Longer-lasting MacBook Air, Faster AirPort
While they lack the lush sexiness of the redesigned Mac Pro, Apple introduced new models of the MacBook Air and AirPort base stations at the Worldwide Developer Conference. The MacBook Air models get a significant increase in battery life, while the AirPort base stations have been overhauled with a new, taller design and a boost in Wi-Fi throughput with the addition of the 802.11ac protocol.
MacBook Air Bumps Up Battery Life, Processor Speeds — Taking an iterative approach, the refreshed 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models offer no cosmetic changes, focusing on under-the-hood hardware refinements with the addition of 802.11ac Wi-Fi, faster fourth-generation Intel dual-core processors (from the new Intel Haswell lineup), and improved Intel HD Graphics 5000 internal graphics. However, the biggest change is the battery life for each size of the MacBook Air, with Apple claiming a 9-hour battery life for the 11-inch (8 hours of iTunes movie playback) and a full 12-hour battery life for the 13-inch (10 hours of movie
playback). Previously, the 11-inch MacBook Air topped out at 5 hours of battery life, while the 13-inch model had a theoretical max of 7 hours.
The 11-inch MacBook Air is priced at $999 for 128 GB of flash storage and $1,199 for 256 GB of storage, while the 13-inch MacBook Air starts at $1099 for 128 GB and goes to $1,299 for 256 GB. All models feature a 1.3 GHz Intel Core i5 processor (which jumps to 2.6 GHz via Intel's Turbo Boost) and 4 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM. Both the 11- and 13-inch models can be configured with more storage (512 GB), a faster 1.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, and a maximum of 8 GB of RAM.
Faster Wi-Fi, Now with Beamforming — Shifting away from the squat, square look that has been its signature since 2007, the new AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule both feature a taller profile that's akin to the Mac Pro's design makeover, though both Wi-Fi base stations continue with the rounded square motif rather than going fully cylindrical. Each of the base stations stands 6.6 inches tall and 3.85 inches square (16.8 by 9.8 cm), which represents a 75-percent reduction in footprint for the Time Capsule and a 64-percent reduction for the AirPort
Extreme. (Comparatively, the Mac Pro stands 9.9 inches tall and 6.6 inches in diameter.) The ports remain the same as previous models — one WAN, three Gigabit Ethernet, one USB 2.0, and a power supply connection.
But the biggest change for Apple's AirPort line is the addition of the 802.11ac Wi-Fi networking protocol, which makes use of three streams of data to provide claimed maximum bandwidth speeds of 1.3 Gbps to 802.11ac-enabled devices (triple that of the 450 Mbps data rate for 802.11n). Each of the base stations has three 2.4 GHz antennas and three 5 GHz antennas, all placed at the top of the devices for improved Wi-Fi disbursement. This six-element "beamforming" antenna array can also be focused to direct its Wi-Fi
stream to an 802.11ac device on the network. Thus, rather than having your Wi-Fi signal emitting in all directions in a constant stream, the new base stations can detect those devices connecting via 802.11ac and target them with more bandwidth. Like the previous 802.11n base stations, the new AirPort models support simultaneous dual-band transmissions over the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
The AirPort Time Capsule comes in two sizes — 2 TB for $299 and 3 TB for $399 — while the AirPort Extreme sells for $199.


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Mike Posner On Resilience And Moving beyond Your Fears
As someone who has walked nearly 3,000 miles from New Jersey to California and is currently preparing to climb Mount Everest (the tallest mountain in the world), Mike Posner sees every challenge as an opportunity.
On this episode of the Spout Podcast, Mike spouts off with fellow Detroit native Joshua 'Bru' Brubaker about resilience, overcoming adversity, and moving beyond your fear.
The Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter has written hits for himself, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Nick Jonas, Blackbear, Big Sean, and many more. Now he's using his platform to help raise money for the Detroit Justice Center, an organization that partners with communities to transform the justice system and build thriving and inclusive cities. The philanthropy is in honor of his late father, who was a criminal defense attorney in Detroit for 40 years.
Posner shares with Brubaker the real story behind 'Operation Wake up,' his most recent project, which had some fans questioning his mental health. Posner explains, "I don't want to be an artist that plays it safe. I want to follow my creative heart."
To learn more about Mike's attempt to summit Mount Everest and how you can be a part of his journey, visit: https://gofund.me/5770ec98.
Listen to his episode on the Spout Podcast to hear more of Mike's inspirational story.
Want more Spout?


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David Weinberger has a concise summary of Thomas Mann's long article about the concept of reference and scholarship and how it fits into modern day librarianship, especially research libraries. This is the sort of thing Michael Gorman talks about in grouchy pundit ways, but Mann really digs deeper and seems to understand both sides of the equation. According to BBI's list of casino apps, Weinberger's posts sums up some of the high points with some strong pullquotes, but I'd really also suggest reading Mann's entire essay. Here are some quotes that I liked, but don't think that gets you off the hook from reading it. You hve to get to about page 35 before you hit the "what sholdl we do about this?" part.
I cannot claim to have a system that flattens all the lumps, but I am concerned that many of the more important problems facing scholars are being ignored because a "digital library†paradigm puts blinders on our very ability to notice the problems in the first place.
On different types of searching:
Note that as a reference librarian I could bring to bear on this question a whole variety of different search techniques, of which most researchers are only dimly aware of (or not aware at all): I used not just keyword searching, but subject category searching (via LC=s subject headings), shelf-browsing (via LC's classification system), related record searching, and citation searching. (I also did some rather sophisticated Boolean combination searching, with truncation symbols and parentheses, discussed below.) Further, as a librarian I thought in terms of types of literature–specialized encyclopedia articles, literature review articles, subject bibliographies–whose existence never even occurs to most non-librarians, who routinely think only in terms of subject searches rather than format searches. And, further, one of the reasons I sought out the Web database to begin with was that I knew it would also provide people contact information–i.e., the mail and e-mail addresses of scholars who have worked on the same topic. The point here needs emphasis: a research library can provide not only a vast amount of content that is not on the open Internet; it can also provide multiple different search techniques that are usually much more efficient than "relevance ranked†and "more like this†Web searching. And most of these search techniques themselves are not available to offsite users who confine their searches to the open Internet.
On folksonomies:
While folksonomies have severe limitations and cannot replace conventional cataloging, they also offer real advantages that can supplement cataloging. Perhaps financial arrangements with LibraryThing (or other such operations) might be worked out in such a way that LC/OCLC catalog records for books would provide clickable links to LibraryThing records for the same works. In this way researchers could take advantage of that supplemental network of connections without losing the primary network created by professional librarians.


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Projects |
About Simon Josefsson Datakonsult (SJD)SJD implement and standardize network security protocols. Our solutions are often used in the wireless and embedded markets. We are committed to producing the highest quality software packages and support them in the long-term. Our projects are community reviewed and we work with free software. We are based in Stockholm and work with international customers over the Internet. Also see Simon Josefsson's blog for some of our thoughts and ideas in a more informal manner. ExpertiseWe are primarily working with network security and internationalization technologies related to:
We support our in-house implementations of these technologies, and also provide leadership in the standardization process. Customers and partners |


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If you want to learn the basics of Positive Psychology directly from one of the most eminent researchers in the field, 2015 is your time. Barbara Fredrickson is offering a massive open online course (MOOC) via the platform Coursera for free. The course is scheduled from February 9 to March 27. You´ll have to put in roughly 2-4 hours of work. This is the course´s syllabus:
Week 1: Positive Emotions: The Tiny Engines of Positive Psychology. Look "under the hood" to discover the powerful drivers of growth, well-being, and health.
Week 2: The Mindscapes and Outcomes of Positivity. Discover the roots of flexibility, creativity, and resilience.
Week 3: The Delicate Art of Pursuing Happiness. Discover the ratios and priorities that best promote flourishing and learn common pitfalls to avoid.
Week 4: Positivity Resonance and Loving-Kindness. Unveil the force of co-experienced positive emotions and practice this lab-tested meditation honed over millennia.
Week 5: The Fruits of Positivity Resonance. Learn to spot the health benefits that loving-kindness uniquely nourishes.
Week 6: The Ripples of Positivity Resonance. Far beyond you and your happiness, positive psychology radiates out to benefit your relationships and community.
For further information and registration, please visit the corresponding page at Coursera.
Here is a great video on how positive emotions open our mind, if you want to get a taste of her style.
*Thanks to Nico Rose for bringing it to our attention.


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Off the east side of Prospect Park in Central Brooklyn lies the diverse and lively neighborhood of Crown Heights. Mostly residential, this neighborhood also boasts a vibrant nightlife and restaurant scene that makes the area popular with young adults.
Crown Heights began its life a bit later than most Brooklyn neighborhoods, becoming a residential area only after the revolutionary war. However, once it got going in the early 1800's, it quickly became a haven for secondary homes of the wealthy King's County elite. This popularity only increased when train lines were extended to the area in the late 1800's.
While many of those older Victorian homes are still around, brownstone row houses were built in the early 1900's to thrust the area into the modern day. Around the 1950's Crown Heights began to see an influx of diversity with large populations of black and immigrant communities moving into the neighborhood.
The 1970's were a turbulent time…
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Californians had just started to recover and dry out from wave upon wave of devastating rainstorms when mass killings north and south riveted and scared California residents. Two shootings by what police say was a single gunman took seven lives in Half Moon Bay. Less than 48 hours earlier, 11 people were killed in Monterey Park. That's where a vigil last night remembered the dead, as NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.
ERIC WESTERVELT, BYLINE: Several hundred people turned out last night on the lawn in front of Monterey Park City Hall to remember those 11 killed, all of them older Asians. They were out celebrating a Lunar New Year's Eve Saturday night, dancing happy at the Star Dance Studio when a gunman opened fire. The air at the vigil smelled of scented candles people carried from home as city leaders tried to offer words of comfort.
JOSE SANCHEZ: We are gathered here to honor the 11 beautiful souls who were taken from us.
WESTERVELT: But people didn't turn out for speeches. They came out for each other. Emotions were raw. Tears flowed as community members and friends of the dead gathered. Some who survived the shooting were there, too.
DANIEL HSIU: Beginning to end, I saw the whole thing, whole thing. Yeah.
WESTERVELT: Daniel Hsiu was at the dance studio. They had just started a line dance when gunfire broke out. Hsiu hid on the floor. He saw five of his friends killed. He's struggling to process it all, still reeling. Memories of people running and hiding, he says, keep coming back.
D HSIU: People crying. I also see the blood flowing from the body, the shoulder, falling on the ground. This much. Yeah.
WESTERVELT: His son, Michael Hsiu, came with him to the vigil. His dad had called him panicked while fleeing the shooting.
MICHAEL HSIU: I was in disbelief. And I couldn't believe what I heard. And in my mind, I was thinking, like, it was such a close call that it could have been him.
WESTERVELT: Michael Hsiu says the deadly shooting spree at two farms in Half Moon Bay less than 48 hours later is making it even harder for both he and his father to comprehend this week's violence. Governor Gavin Newsom had been meeting with survivors and community members in Monterey Park Monday when he got word of that other attack. Newsom traveled to Half Moon Bay Tuesday.
GAVIN NEWSOM: Only in America do we see this kind of carnage, this kind of destruction of communities and lives and confidence.
WESTERVELT: Gunman Chunli Zhao shot five people at Mountain Mushroom Farm, where he worked, killing four and then drove to a nearby farm where he once worked and fatally shot three more. The victims were Asian and Hispanic, and some were migrant farm workers. Newsom called out Republicans in Washington for staying mostly silent on the shootings and for obstructing gun control legislation. But he seemed to have more questions than answers to go with his horror and frustration.
NEWSOM: I got no ideological opposition to someone owning a gun responsibly. But what the hell is wrong with us that we allow these weapons of war, large capacity clips out on the streets and sidewalks? Why have we allowed this culture, this pattern, to continue?
WESTERVELT: Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay were not the only recent deadly shootings in the state. Just over a week ago, a gunman shot and killed six in the central California farming community of Goshen. Those murdered included a 16-year-old mother holding her 10-month-old baby son. They were shot in the forehead, execution style. Those killings remain unsolved.
Eric Westervelt, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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10 Most Anticipated Country Albums of 2020
A new year brings new country albums from the most dependable hitmakers and rising stars. These are the most anticipated country albums slated for 2020, with parentheses added as necessary should the project not have an official release date or title.
That's the case for artists including Kelsea Ballerini, Dan + Shay and Tim McGraw, especially McGraw. We're reading the tea leaves to a certain extent, understanding patterns and outside forces that influence when and how new music gets released in 2020. A few artists (we see you working, the Cadillac Three) are more likely to drop an album without radio support than others (Keith Urban, Dustin Lynch). Artists like Scotty McCreery and Morgan Wallen are preparing new music (and presumably so are superstars like Carrie Underwood) and while the potential is borderline titillating, we can't speak with any confidence about a 2020 release from either.
Alas, several fan-favorites don't make this list for similar reasons, but there's plenty to be excited about, including Sam Hunt's long-awaited follow-up to Montevallo, Ingrid Andress' debut and the return of the Dixie Chicks. Scroll down to see our staff picks for the 10 most anticipated albums of 2020, and let us know where we got it right or wrong on Twitter. We're happy to be a part of the conversation — use the #CountryMusic2020 hashtag.
Check Out the 10 Most Anticipated Albums of 2020:


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1962 Triumph TR3B
2dr Roadster
4-cyl. 1991cc/100hp 2x1bbl
Past sales
Protect your 1962 Triumph TR3B from the unexpected.
Model overview
Model description
The Triumph Motor Company launched the TR3 in October of 1955 as a successor to the TR2, and the new model was powered by the same 1991 cc, straight-4, overhead valve engine as its predecessor. The powerplant had larger carburetion, however, that pushed power to 95 hp, and the engine was mated to a four-speed transmission. New cylinder heads were fitted to the engine during the first 12 months of production, which translated to 5 more hp, and top speeds for the TR3 approached 110 mph.
The car utilized front independent suspension and a live rear axle, and initially had drum brakes on all four wheels. Within the first year, however, Triumph switched to front disc brakes, becoming the first production British car to do so.
Externally the car had low-cut doors and minimal weather protection, which underscored its purposeful, sporting nature. It had a small opening in the front with a deep-set grille that did not compare favorably to competitors like the MGA and Austin-Healey 100. Performance was on par, though, and the car was well received. More than 13,000 TR3s were manufactured between 1955 and 1957, with 90% of those landing on American shores.
Popular optional equipment for TR3s included overdrive, a hard top, and wire wheels. A handful of buyers opted for the occasional rear seat as well.
Triumph executed a visual freshening in 1957, and the cars are now referred to as the TR3A, though the company never officially named this evolutionary model as such. Most significantly, the car's grille grew wider and became less recessed. Also, headlight treatment was slightly altered, door handles (available on the earlier cars via a "GT Kit") became standard, a locking trunk handle appeared, and larger bumpers were installed. Mechanically, most of the TR3's original spec remained. The public responded favorably to the new appearance by purchasing more than 58,000 TR3As during the car's six-year run. Again, the vast majority of these vehicles were destined for the U.S. market.
By 1961, Triumph was preparing its radically new TR4, but American dealers were uncertain about how this new offering would be received commercially. To address these concerns, Triumph created the final iteration of the TR3 to safeguard against public disinterest. The TR3B (again, never referred to as such by the company) was produced during the 1962 model year, and was externally identical to the TR3A. Underneath, though, the car carried the B's optional 2138 cc inline-4 that produced 105 hp. The car also had a new synchromesh gearbox.
The TR4 indeed proved to be quite successful, so the TR3B was retired following 1962. The TR3 today is remembered as a model that helped establish Triumph as a leading producer of open two-seat sports cars – a reputation the company carried through the 1970s.


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1st Annual Ukulele Festival — July 10, 2011 — Reston, Virginia — on the shores of Lake Anne
Click here to get to the festival's website with all the info — what, where, cost.
Click here to get to the festival's website with all the info — what, where, cost.
"A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness"
~ Albert Einstein
"Time is a great invention — it's what keeps everything from happening all at once"
"We don't try to keep up with the Joneses — who are the Joneses anyway?"
"Glitz and glam — not worth the bother"
"We're giving a good name to a four-letter word — dull"
"The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer"
~ Edward R. Murrow
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there"
~ Will Rogers
"Slow motion gets you there faster"
~ Hoagy Carmichael
"While it takes courage to achieve greatness, it takes more courage to find fulfilment in being ordinary"
~ Marilyn Thomsen
Website established by the Dull Men's Club™ in 1997
If you have suitable content to suggest, please email to
The book can be ordered from Amazon UK and Amazon USA


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Name: Kim Ha Yul 김하율
Date of Birth: Oct 18, 1986
Height: 168 cm
Weight: 48 kg
Measurements: 33 25 34
Daum: http://cafe.daum.net/modelhayul
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/modelhayul
About: Kim Ha Yul 김하율 is one of the most popular race queen and model from South Korea. At the 2011 Asia Model Festival Awards, Kim Hal Yul won one of the most prestigious award of the night. She was crowned the "Racing Model of the Year".


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I have just time to inclose a letter, which I received this morng. from Reading concerning our friend Fiorillo, whom I wish to do all the service to in my power & hope that Mr Charnocks information will be satisfactory. We are all in the most anxious suspense relative to the conduct of the Enragées in France in consequence of the recapture of their unfortunate King – I sin[2]cerely hoped that he had found an asylum in Germany, till the news came of his being apprehended on the road. Mr Geo. Smith is just gone to join his Regt – I have received a letter from Mr Heyne this morng dated in April, which I cannot account for. Pray make my respectful compts to him, Professor Lichtenberg, and all my German friends. You will much oblige me by sending the inclosed [3] letter to Fredericks Mother & desire Gumprecht to give her three pounds sterling & draw upon me in London for the money. I suppose by this time Mr Lawrence's family are arrived if they are pray make my compts & recommend Fischer as their Physician
Leben sie wohl
Yours sincerely
Lincoln's Inn London
June 30th 1791
[4] Dear Schlegel


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The iPhone 5 Event Is Officially October 4th
Well, we pretty much knew it already, but now it's Super Apple Official: the next iPhone will show up on Tuesday, October 4th at Apple HQ.
It's a nice looking invitation, ain't it? The icons are perfect: the date is the date, of course, the Maps icon is where to show up (Apple's campus), the clock icon provides the time, we assume (10 AM PST), and the phone icon? That, paired with "Let's talk iPhone" might be a clue that Assistant—Apple's rumored talk-control iOS feature—is going to take a big chunk of the spotlight. We'll see! Gizmodo will be covering the announcement from the moment it starts until the bitter end. Start saving your pennies—it could be on shelves only a couple weeks later.


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Medical Historians Agree Lourdes Cures are Inexplainable
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Someone misinterpreted my thing on SN to think I was against miracles, I used to argue for them on carm all the time, I have several pages defending Lurdes miracles on Doxa This article is a review of a journalism Clarice medical historians examining the evidence for Lourdes miracles, they do express the expectation that some day science will explain but they admit that at present it can;t.
In an article entitled "The Lourdes Medical Cures Revisited" Bernard Francis, Ester M. Sternberg and Elizabeth Fee provide something closer to a scientific appraisal.[1] They studied 411 patents cured in 1909-14 and thoroughly reviewed 25 cures acknowledged between 1927 and 1976. By "acknowledged" they mean cures that were officially declared "Miracles" by the church. "the Lourdes Phenomena extraordinary in many respects still awaits scientific explanation."[2] They took the 411 cures from the era known as "the golden age or Lourdes." This is the period from 1909-14 which was the time when the popularity was at its height, the medical committee was functioning smoothly with new rules, and crowds were pouring in. In the early days right after the visions began there were many claims of miracles that went unrecorded, or that were not help up to a scrutiny of criteria or that weren't recorded in a systematic fashion. This state of affairs evolved through the late ninetieth century with the imposition of rules and the evolution of the medical board. Since the 70's the official miracles have stopped and the crowds are way down and these is less of sense of miracles going on. This is largely because of the great proficiency of medical diagnosis and treatment as well as the strident nature of the rules. The situation vastly improved as a fine tuned medical miracle documenting machine evolved out of the end of the ninetieth century.
Data on the early period is found in the archives of the sanctuary of Notre Dame of Lourdes (April 1868-June 1944). Those archives provide mainly unsubstantiated and anecdotal evidence. They also used Ruth Harris's scholarly work Lourdes, Body and Spirit in the Secular Age. For the period 1885-1914 they also used Annales of Notre Dame de Lourdes vol 17-47, George Bertirins Historie Critique Des Evenments de Lourdes, and a host of other materials.[3] The Authors set out to determine if Lourdes cures really were cures. Their working methodology for this task was to evaluate the nature of the disease and then to assess the nature of the diagnostic criteria and evidence used for deciding that cure had occurred. The criteria improved over the years as diagnostic ability improved. They studied 411 patents cured between 1911-1914 and thoroughly reviewed 25 cures between 1947 and present. Their conclusion "the Lourdes phenomena still extraordinary in many respects still awaits scientific explanation."[4] The nature of the cures has changed over time. The medical committee was not in place in the beginning and it had different periods of improvement. Speaking of the "golden age" around 1914, Francis and his colleagues write, "led by talented position Boissarie, and his assistant Dr. Cox, the medical Bureau is said to have improved its method and gained a reputation for excellence, but it faced a daunting task…150,000 pilgrims a year."[5] Yet some of the cures of that era were deemed "remarkable." Marie Lebranchu and Marie Lemarchand cured of Pulmonary Tuberculosis. That cure was attended by the famous atheist writer Emile Zola; Grabiel Gargam cured of post traumatic paraplegia in 1901 and several others.[6] Prior to the cure patents were described as being in decline or in an "alarming state of health." After "patients confined to bed for years would stand and walk regain their weight resume their prior activity. 96 cured patients were evaluated again one year latter...they were found healthy and as far as we now the recoveries stood he test of time."[7] Modern researchers reading the accounts of many female patents form this period can sense the neurotic nature of some symptoms. There were obvious cases hysteria. There are also cases of anatomical abnormalities. "Scores of visiting physicians witnessed the disappearance of macroscopic lesions, easy to identify such as external tumors, urine fibromass, and open wounds and suppurative fecal fistulae."[8]
The cures were said to be instantaneous is 59 percent of 382 cases for which they had adequate records; this is all within the gold age period.[9] During the golden age there were strange spontaneous healings in the town in such places as breakfast table, during a procession, in the hospital ward in town.[10] Apparently it was WWI that put the Kybosh on the golden age. The committee changed leadership many times and doctors were scarce due to the war.[11] 1947-2006 was marked by improved diagnostics, new young physicians more careful attitudes. The created an international committee designed to review the work of the Bureau.[12] There are 25 patients cured and their cures analyzed form this period. The Francis article is extremely though with sound medical and scholarly caution. They take a critical view of the subject mater and the data. The data is very thorough. They use a huge number of sources. They tally the kinds of diagnosis and which diseases were the most cured and the most reported. TB was always the leading disease and GI tract problems were very common. The authors describe a development over time from an early phase of inadequate reporting and uncritical acceptance of cure, to a modern set up which is well regarded and scientific.[13] Those standards of excellence are now outdated, the rules have been upgraded. Modern controversy stems form the declining reports due to better diagnostics and the difficulty in finding someone who hasn't sought medical cures. There is a controversy over relaxing the rules. Thus all of this leads Francis et al to speak of "cures" rather than Miracles.
The Critical assessment of the authors:
If skeptics seek absolute scientific proof so strong that they can't argue and if they seek to be completely won over such that they can no longer struggle with doubt, they are no going to find that kind of absolute proof in this article, and I suspect not at Lourdes or anywhere else. On the other hand there is more than enough here to totally do away with the knee jerk bigotry that says Lourdes miracles are nonsense, just laudable stupidity and a thing of derision to be classed with UFO abductions. That sort of view is totally disproved by the article. If one takes the article as evidence of supernatural reality its not without its problems. If one allows the article shed light on the question of supernatural effects, there's more than enough evidence to see that one can reasonably place confidence in such notions. In their critical assessment the authors find that the word "cure" is misunderstood. It is not taken as a euphemism for "miracle." Nor does it imply absolute knowledge of a permanent state of removal of disease. They are improvements in the state of health. "By cross checking avaible data we arrived at a rough estimate of medical events acknowledged as 'cures' as 4,516, in the period 1858-1976."[14] Now most of these cures occurred before WWII and were most of them were based upon what is described as "flimsy evidence." There was an expectation of miracles and no follow up. For that reason the authors find that it is impossible to access the number of valid cures before 1947. that's not to say that there aren't cases that can't be validated individually. There has been a decline in the number of cures for the last one hundred years, and the authors list several factors as the reason for this: increasing efficiency of modern medicine (diagnostic equipment and better definitions for the nature of a condition), moreover Lambertini's canons that had to be acknowledged to qualify a miracle have actually stood in the way of being able to declare many cases as miracles.
The requirements for these canons are as follows: (a) must be sever, incurable, or difficult to treat, (b) not to be in a final stage (c) no curative treatment given (d) the cure must be instantaneous (d) cure must be complete without relapse. One can see this is so strict that's one of the major reasons there are so few official miracles. There are examples from certain periods where Lambertini canons have just been violated, but in do doing they found remarkable cures. In their series of study of twenty five cured patients six were cured of terminally ill diseases, eight were cured in a matter of days or months, or some even years, this is a sharp departure. The canons "seem to have been rescinded" in 2006. They just made it too difficult to find anyone who fills the bill." It was obvious they no longer applied to what was observed."[15] That's one thing that makes for the category I've spoken of before of the "remarkable case." There are only 67 official miracles but 7000 remarkable cases. Those are based upon modern study of the committee not part of this study. Miracles are not for the Catholic Church on the same level as the sacraments or the creeds so belief in them is not obligatory.[16] A parallel is drawn by the author between their work and that of Jacquelyn Douffin. The Pathetical conditions are the same the proportion of tuberculosis neurological disorders and GI diseases were distributed in similar fashion and the manner of the cures were the same.
The authors find that the history of Lourdes unfolds like the history of medicine itself. The diseases were diverse the accuracy of diagnosis and follow up badly done in the beginning and growing in sharpness and accuracy over time. That is no disproof of miracles. One of the findings of the authors is that "the Lourdes cures have been "beyond the natural course of nature, " not "contrary to nature" or "breaking natural law." To give an example they use the distinction between a case of pulmonary tuberculosis considered incurable, vs. growing back an amputated limb, which is contrary to nature, breaking the law of nature.[17] That's a problematic statement as we will find in the next chapter. If physical laws are nothing more then descriptions of our observations about how the universe behaves than nothing we find can be contrary to that law because that's what we find happening. On the other to make such a distinction between "the course" of nature, which is based upon our observations, and "laws" assumes form the outset the understanding of a higher law. For skeptic to make use of the distinction is acknowledge the need for a higher sense of order ("law") as opposed to just they way we observe the universe.
Mangiapan did the only retrospective study from 1947-76. "Thirteen patients out of twenty-five (tables 3 and 4) died nineteen to fifty-seven years after the cure and without relapse of the disease. For nine subjects living in 2008, the time elapsed since the cure was ten to fifty-four years."[18] They find that four cases of multiple sclerosis had remissions of four year duration that is equivalent to assumed cure. Four cases of tb were actually cured. The speed of the curse is without known equivalent and makes for remarkable cases. Two were taken out of the study key requirements weren't met. Of twenty-five they have misgivings about eight. The reasons for this are: (a) all the criteria were not met, (b) lack diagnostic evidence, (c) inadequate follow-up (d) possible influence of possible treatments (e) possible diagnostic error (f) possible diagnostic error (g) relapse (h) outcome in doubt.[19] This means that while eight can be doubted and two discarded seventeen are solidly documented cures. Further findings looking back over the entire history of the phenomena the researchers suggest that about 1/3 of the cases involve cures that were not spontaneous but required days or weeks. The researchers find that there are significant mental factors present and an atmosphere conducive to healing but they don't make any conclusion about the influence of psychosomatic cures and they don't try to make such an excuse to "explain" it all. It might also be worth pointing out even though they can't be studied there's an "underside" of Lourdes cures of people who are healed in connection prayers involving Lourdes or use of the water away form the shrine who never report in but send information so that a plaque can be put up. This number has been increasing was about ninety-four in 2008. While they cant' really be claimed as cures they can't be studied they suggest the possibly of healing outside the domain of Lourdes.[20]
The conclusion of the authors:
Their conclusion is basically: "We don't really know if God is working miracles at Lourdes or not, the situation is not clear enough to affirm or deny such a cliam. " Yet they make the frank admission that the way people see it will be determined by their view on religion and belief. While that may seem like a refutation to some, it's all we need to undermine the closed realm of discourse on the subject. This will be seen in the next chapter.
…the least that can be stated is that the exposures to Lourdes and its representations (Lourdes water, mental images…) in a context of prayer have induced an exceptional usually instantaneous, symptomatic, and at best physical cures of widely different diseases. Although what follows is regarded by some as a hackneyed concept, any and all scholars of Lourdes have come to agree with one of two equally acceptable—but seemingly conflicting and irreconcilable—points of view on the core issue, are the Lourdes cures a matter of divine intervention or not? Faith is set against science…uncanny and wired, the cures are currently beyond our ken but still impressive, incredibly effective and awaiting scientific explanation. Creating a theoretical explanatory framework could be within reach of neurophysiologists in the next decade…We reached the same conclusion as Carrel some 80 to one hundred years ago "instead of being a simple place of miracles of interest only to the pious Lourdes presents a considerable scientific interest….although uncommon the miraculous cures are evidence of somatic and mental processes we do not know."[21]
While the findings of Francis et al do not provide conclusive proof of miracles do not allow us state that miracles are scientifically proved, the also reject and disprove the mocking assertions of skeptics that Lourdes miracles are just laughable nonsense to be dismissed with UFO abductions and Bigfoot.
There are those who will argue that unless the causes are all uniform and proven and pile up a huge number they can't be miracles because surely if there was a loving God working miracles he would have to succeed every time and have to work them every time he's asked. We can't subject God's will to numbers. We can't assume we control the process or that God is obligated to heal every time. That's we should take it case by case and not attaches numbers. Lourdes does represent "extraordinary proof" in the sense that this concept if meaningful in connection with Bayes's theorem. That concept does not refer to bizarre way out things such as UFO abductions but to whatever stands out form the statistical norm; seventeen out of twenty-five is not bad.
[1] Bernard Francis et al, "The Lourdes Medical Cures Re-visited," Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Oxford: Oxford University Press. (10.1093/jhmas/jrs041) 2012 pdf downloaded SMU page 1-28 all the page numbers given are from pdf
Bernard Francis is former professor Emeritus of medicine, Unversite Claude Bernard Lyon. Elisabeth Sternberg taught at National Institute of Mental Health and The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Elisabeth Fee was at National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
on line copy
on line copy
[2] ibid
[3] ibid
[4] ibid, abstract.
[5] Ibid, pdf page 8
[6] ibid
[7] ibid 9
[8] ibid 10
[9] ibid, 12
[10] ibid
[11] ibid
[12] ibid, 13
[13] ibid 21
[14] ibid 19
[15] ibid 20
[16] ibid they sight Catechism of the Catholic Chruch part 3 section 1 chapter 3 article 2, grace 2003.The Catholic believer may reject all ecclesiastical miracles as pious fables and he may reject modern miracles as imagination.
[17] Ibid 21
[18i] ibid 23 Mangiapan was president of the medical bureau
[19] ibid 24
[20] ibid, 25-27
[21] ibid 27
Bernard Francis
Ester M. Sternberg and Elizabeth Fee
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Dawning Tie-Up Dress
Dawning Tie-Up Dress
100% Organic Cotton • Ambar Charkha Spun • Hand Woven • Undyed • Unbleached • Versatility of Use • Embroidery Detail
The Model is 5'3" tall and is wearing an M/L.
About the fabric
About the fabric
Please note that this fabric is Ambar Charkha spun, hand woven using traditional weaving techniques, and undyed, so may vary in colour and texture.
Product Journey
Product Journey
Ethically made in India from seed to stitch and are 100% biodegradable. No plastics. No metals.
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Wash Care
Please hand wash separately in cold water.
Kindly do not bleach.
Dry in Shade.
Note: Naturally dyed products tend to bleed during the first couple of washes before the colour finally stabilizes.
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Please note that we don't have a return policy and we do not accept returns as each piece is Made-to-Order but we have a 14 days exchange policy.
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Quality Garage Door Service - Garage Door Parts Rancho Cucamonga, CA - 909-686-0874
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Over the past few weeks, we've been running a series of articles, polls and feedback reports on the subject of software development in general, and agile development in particular. A number of major themes have evolved, notably that agility is not some kind of panacea for all software ills – indeed, in many cases it is as much a symptom of good software development practice as it is a cause.
In this final article in the initial series (though rest assured, there's still plenty more meat to be boiled off the bones of your responses, comments and feedback), we thought it worth covering off the closely linked issues of communication, particularly between management and developers, and the level of formalisation that exists on development projects.
Sifting through the hundreds of responses to our most recent poll, we found there was a pretty broad range of management styles in practice (Figure 1). Indeed, and quite positively, only 14 per cent of respondents felt there was a 'command and control' approach to software project management.
Figure 1
Meanwhile, when we asked about the level of structure in software development projects, we were quite surprised to find that over half of respondents felt that there was no particularly formalised structure in place. Now we know that these polls are self-selecting in that people are more likely to respond to an area that interests them, but this doesn't explain why there should be such a high proportion of less structured dev organisations out there.
Figure 2
Rather than drawing any rash conclusions about how absolute these figures are, what's perhaps more worthwhile is considering whether such things make any difference. We did ask a number of perceptional questions around the state of ongoing projects (Figure 3). While the results are of passing interest in themselves – the amount of confidence about project metrics is rather low, for example – it is when we compare these results against such criteria as structure and organisation that we start to see the real nuggets.
Figure 3
Considering development structure first, there is a pronounced difference between level of formality and increased communications/awareness. Questions around the latter can be asked in a number of ways (Figures 4 and 5), what is most notable is how those organisations that don't have a particularly formalised structure (that's our 57 per cent, remember) are also the laggards when it comes to communications within the team, and awareness of project timescales.
Figure 4
Figure 5
There's also a clear tick in the box for agile methodologies. As we have seen from prior feedback, it can be difficult to separate how much agile ways promote good communications, and how much they depend on them. When it comes to project timescales, however, we can see a pretty strong correlation between those adopting agile and the awareness of deadlines.
Turning to management, we can also see the importance of certain approaches when it comes to awareness (Figure 6). While there are differences, it could be argued that any of the first three approaches in the figure – centralised management, peer relationships or developer autonomy – would be better than either proscriptive management or leaving developers to get on with it.
Figure 6
This point comes across even more strongly when we consider a more fundamental question – that of software quality. All of the things discussed so far – communications, collaboration, awareness of timescales and so on – are project-level questions. It wouldn't matter a jot to end-users if such things were good or bad, if the resulting software were unaffected (though of course developers might be a bit miffed). However, there is a clear correlation between such factors and the resulting quality of software (Figure 7).
Figure 7
Given its clear lead in the chart, it's worth asking what is meant by 'peer to peer basis'. We could either provide a long, rambling piece of psychobabble at this point, or alternatively refer the reader to the bottom line of the chart: when it comes to software quality, command and control structures just do not work. We've all worked in environments like this – and several books have been written about the alternative (we'd recommend the excellent Peopleware by Tom de Marco and Timothy Lister, which refuses to date).
So, what of agility? We can see agile methodologies as very much a means, rather than an end (Figure 8). There are clearly benefits to be had from adopting some level of formalisation in software projects, but the question of whether that formalisation comes from structured or agile methodologies would appear to be a red herring – far more important is whether the underlying criteria of communications and awareness are in place.
Figure 8
Indeed, it could no doubt be argued that a total lack of structure would be acceptable as long as everybody knew what they were working on, and when they had to deliver by… but to be fair, what else is the structure doing if not these things?
Ultimately, if there is a lesson to be learned, it is for the managers to learn it and not the developers. If you want to deliver high quality software, on time and to budget, then micro-management will not be the answer. The best managers are those who understand just how powerful is their resource pool, if only they learn how to harness it – the answer lies in stirrups, not shackles.
Through our research and insights, we help bridge the gap between technology buyers and sellers.


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Before we close the books on 2019, we want to look back at some of the business stories that made headlines this year. While some were in the news for weeks — like the trade war or the strike at General Motors, which idled tens of thousands of workers — other stories came and went quickly, but not before leaving a mark on the nation's economy.
Mississippi immigration raids
On a hot day last August, immigration officials raided more than half a dozen chicken processing plants in Mississippi, in what was billed as " the largest single-state worksite enforcement action" in U.S. history. Approximately 680 people were arrested on suspicion of working in the country illegally.
"While we are a nation of immigrants, more than that, we are first and foremost a nation of laws," U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst declared.
The raids are emblematic of the Trump administration's get-tough policy toward illegal immigration. In addition to the crackdown along the U.S. border with Mexico, there has also been a significant increase since 2017 in worksite investigations.
As disruptive as the raids were for Mississippi's immigrant community, however, they had little impact on the targeted processing plants. They quickly re-opened, and the state hosted a job fair for replacement workers who could provide two forms of identification.
The rise of meat alternatives
Plant-based foods that mimic beef were everywhere in 2019, including your local fast food chain. Companies like Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat have been making a big splash with consumers who like the taste of meat but worry about the environmental costs or animal welfare. Food giant Kellogg late this year introduced a plant-based burger named "Incogmeato" sold in refrigerated grocery store meat cases.
So far, the companies have taken only a small bite of the $1.4 trillion global meat market. But investors have taken notice. And so has the traditional beef industry, which is pushing back hard against what it calls "fake meat."
WeWork's aborted IPO
Adam Neumann generated a lot of buzz and money for himself with his charismatic vision of shared office space that doubles as a shared community. What he didn't generate was any profit. And once investors got a closer look at the company's books this year, they got cold feet.
"It took a leap of faith greater than the Grand Canyon to see how that business could be profitable any time soon," said Lise Buyer of the advisory firm Class V Group.
Neumann was ousted as CEO and the stock sale was shelved. Even at a time of Wall Street exuberance, rational investors figured out that WeWork was an office space company that only thought it should be priced like a tech firm.
Big tech's big target
Actual tech companies had their own headaches this year. State Attorneys General are investigating Facebook and Google for possible anti-trust violations. Apple and Amazon are under scrutiny as well.
Republicans have complained for years about what they call left-leaning bias in Silicon Valley. Now Democrats are also taking aim at tech giants.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., challenged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in October over his company's policy on political ads.
"Do you see a potential problem here with a complete lack of fact-checking?" Ocasio-Cortez asked.
"Well, congresswoman, I think lying is bad," Zuckerberg answered. But he insists it's not Facebook's job to police that.
As Americans have become more reliant on tech giants, they've also become more concerned about the companies' impact on competition, privacy, and the information we all get on our phones. Look for that scrutiny to intensify as we head into 2020, an election year.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Ya'lls know I'm big goof right? Recently, I've been having a good time making these fantasy magazine covers with my favorite bloggers as the cover girls. It got my mind a thinkin' (dangerous) and my heart a pumpin'. I am so tired of seeing just the same ol', same ol' and CRAVE seeing a bit of real, and delicious diversity on some real magazine covers! Well, while I patiently wait for an Advanced Style maven/model to make the pages of Vogue, I'll keep playing with the Pic Monkey and make my own fun fashion layouts. Here's me, as flab-uous cover girl for a make-believe magazine called CATWALK.
And, would you wear a fancy pair of sunglasses like the ones offered up in this GIVE-AWAY?
- Ralph Lauren chunky hand-knit cardigan, Goodwill
- the Marissa dress in leopard, c/o Karina Dresses
- vintage brass bangles, various, thrifted
- vintage red net ankle socks, $1 clearance at Fringe
- Leather sandals, Target (last summer)
Don't forget that coupon code ROSC30 gets you $30 off your Karina Dresses purchase! |


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I couldn't resist sharing another powerful way to use a tilt/shift lens. To create this image of Split Bow Arch at Big South Fork National Recreation area I used a 24mm tilt/shift lens.
I used the shift function to take three images one each, shifted right center and left, respectively. Once back on the computer I stitched them together with the panorama tool in photoshop.
If you are interested in learning more about composition, using lenses creatively, and making prints please consider joining us for the Big South Fork Fall Photography Workshop, October 26-29th, 2017 that I will be leading with Ron Rice.
We would love for you to join us, just click on the link below to sign up or get more information: http://www.jorjorianpublishing.com/bigsouthforkfall2017.html


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The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) today updated the baseline projections for federal spending and revenue that it put out in January, saying that the "fundamental story" about the federal budget had not changed.
CBO said its current estimate of the budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2012 is $1.2 trillion, which is $93 billion larger than projected in January. But the new baseline projection of the cumulative deficit for the coming decade is $186 billion smaller than two months ago.
"Although the deficit is starting to shrink," CBO said today, "it remains very large by historical standards. How much and how quickly it declines will depend in part on how well the economy performs over the next few years. Probably more critical, though, will be the fiscal policy choices made by lawmakers as they face the substantial changes to tax and spending policies that are slated to take effect within the next year under current law."
The update was in conjunction with CBO's analysis – to be released in a few days — of President Obama's proposed 2013 budget. The budget office has not revised its economic outlook since January, but the new baseline projections reflect recently enacted legislation and updated technical assumptions.
External links:
Updated Budget Projections: Fiscal Years 2012 to 2022 (CBO)
The President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2013
Concord Coalition Gives Mixed Reviews of the President's Budget


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Rose of Versailles Second Impression
About halfway through (just getting warmed up with the Revolution), and a few more thoughts:
The heavily embellished art is interesting. Some of it is classic shoujo extreme—swirls of roses, closeups of conflicting character faces superimposed on each other, flashy stills. Others are more symbolic—little reveries with characters symbolically getting stabbed artistically, laughing maniacally, or running away in tears right in the middle of a scene that doesn't break continuity, making it clear that it's in their head. And still more are somewhat 70s-ish raw artistry—shots that are covered by a torrent of blood, multi-panel repeated images (it goes absolutely berserk with Marie Antoinette's big give-in to her court rival), and some just plain abstract backgrounds of swirling colors on occasion. Some are so overblown or old-fashioned it's funny, some are actually surprisingly effective.
The use of light and color in a more literal sense (for example, gold-washed scenes at sunset) is memorable—definitely some good artistic design going on, and makes the overall somewhat garish old-school coloring much less noticeable on average, since it's balanced out with artistically extreme coloring. Use of shadow is also pretty good for the era.
The court drama is growing on me. Still very petty, but then it repeatedly contrasts that with the miserable peasantry really giving a pretty good idea why the revolution ended up happening. It's still somewhat sympathetic to the nobility without giving much reason for it other than a general "they're people, too," but the contrast is interesting, and seems to be going somewhere with Oscar's increasing distaste for the rich and titled despite being one of them.
It finally got to some outright same-gender potential romance after 15 episodes, which is amusingly restrained given that in actual history Marie Antoinette was plagued by rumors of being a lesbian for most of her public life. Even more ironic that those public accusations aren't mentioned at all until another half-dozen episodes later (though they do actually use the word "lesbian" which is more than can be said of a lot of yuri-themed stuff, plus an "in the manner of Lesbos" comment for some added historical flavor). As for Oscar (the only one being more than just accused), she's got one girl (and a few nameless courtiers) infatuated with her, but doesn't even seem to register—I'd say straight as an arrow except for one scene where she's (I assume unwittingly) totally putting the moves on. She's a bit of a cipher, however—maybe more going on upstairs than obvious.
Oscar remains an interesting character; likably manly, pretty restrained though occasionally loses it in particularly injust situations, and has a very, very low-key thing going with Andre—mostly "just friends" despite some obvious interest. The "I'm a woman living as a man's man out of duty" angle is toned way down after the first few episodes, also—she's pretty straightforward just a soldier doing her job with very little personal life after that, at least thus far. Totally a wimp, too—the French Revolution isn't her fault, but her inability to point out the obvious because she's just too nice isn't helping.
On that cipher note, the one big flaw in the characterization is that the series has a tendency to have people (particularly Oscar) be very observant with subtle goings-on when it's important to the plot, and then completely oblivious the rest of the time. I'm left wondering if Oscar is dense with flashes of brilliance of if the writing is just uneven.
Speaking of the cipher thing, that's my biggest complaint with the art, actually—the character expressions often just plain don't match up with what they're saying and how they're saying it. Particularly Oscar and even Andre, rather than having exaggerated emotional responses, frequently have sort of smug half-smiles even when they're saying something serious. At first it made me think of them as kind of weird, but after a while I realized it's just some serious disconnect in the artwork—the voice acting matches the plot fine, and is surprisingly good all around (Oscar in particular sounds powerful but still somewhat feminine—reminds me of Aya Hisakawa's spectacular performance as Youko in 12 Kingdoms three decades later). The character animation is otherwise not particularly bad for the era—somewhat stiff, but there are a few above-average bits as well. The music is similarly out of synch with the plot; some scenes that are, so far as I can tell, intended to be taken as showing the nobility as out of touch are paired with overblown pretty music that makes it seem like the soundtrack is idealizing the wealthy lifestyle and the people living it much more than the series actually does.
A better soundtrack and character animators actually paying attention to what the characters are doing would really have helped a lot.
On the plus side, the rest of the character animation seems to have improved somewhat after maybe 20 episodes.
Historically, at least as far as Wikipedia can be trusted, it's relatively accurate when it comes to general goings on. Obviously some villainous plots have been added, and Oscar of course didn't exist and so a lot of what she's involved in is fiction, but the most major villains and significant characters are proving to be ones with at least some historical accuracy.
Final thought: It's not a big deal, but there are a few blatant continuity flubs that are kind of amusing if you notice. Oscar gets stabbed, very clearly, in the back… then in the next episode it's discussed at length how her arm is injured. Earlier, they go into a one-room flat at street level, then jump out of the back window… which is a 3-story drop into a river. Theoretically that could be possible, but I doubt it.
Overall, though, enjoying it more than I expected to. It will be very interesting to see where it goes once the Revolution gets in full swing.


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Barcelona Joins UNWTO's Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories
UNWTO has welcomed the Barcelona Tourism Observatory into its growing International Network of Sustainable Observatories (INSTO).
Tourism is one of the leading economic sectors for the city of Barcelona and the surrounding region, responsible for more than 10% of local GDP. The Barcelona Tourism Observatory (BTO) will work to help guide the sector towards greater sustainability. As with other members of the INSTO initiative, the observatory will provide data and analysis to be used to guide evidence-based decision-making. This will help Destination Barcelona better deal with the recovery of tourism and in the long run with the large tourist numbers and ensure the sector is managed in a sustainable and responsible manner.
Commenting, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "We warmly welcome Barcelona into our growing global network of observatories. As one of the world's leading destinations, the Observatory can help Barcelona better manage its tourism sector, recovering and growing back more sustainably for the benefit of visitors and residents alike."
For Turisme de Barcelona, the President of the Executive Committee, Eduard Torres, said the development "reinforces the importance of Barcelona's international role in the field of tourism knowledge as well as positioning us to make even more progress towards sustainability across our sector". According to Mr. Xavier Marcé, Councillor for Tourism and Creative Industries of the City Hall of Barcelona, being part of the network "will help the Barcelona City Council in making data-based decisions to achieve the goals of managing the visitor economy within the parameters of sustainability of local economy, as well as increasing the return and benefits to citizens." Núria Marín, the President of the
Barcelona Provincial Council, similarly noted the "the need to link the city of Barcelona with the rest of the province of Barcelona under the concept of Destination Barcelona to analyze the wider reality of tourism activity."
The Barcelona Tourism Observatory is supported by Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council, Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and Turisme de Barcelona. This is the fourth Observatory in Spain, after Canary Islands, Navarra and Mallorca, and brings the worldwide total to 31.
About INSTO
The UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) was created in 2004 with the main objectives to support the continuous improvement of sustainability and resilience in the tourism sector through systematic, timely and regular monitoring of tourism performance and to connect dedicated destinations, helping them to exchange and improve knowledge and understanding about destination-wide resource use and the responsible management of tourism.