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Matthew Machuga
I'm a software developer from Erie, PA who specializes in architecting and developing web applications. I love creating products, teaching, and helping others achieve their goals. I primarily work with Ruby, JavaScript, and PHP. Offline I'm found spending time with my beautiful daughter and wife, riding BMX, or organizing our local Ruby users group, Erie.rb.


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Flowers Wallpaper
This high-quality wallpaper is perfect for a modern nursery feature wall, but wouldn't be out of place in another space either.
Our wallpapers are printed upon order, which means the delivery time is around 14-21 days.
Technical details:
- Wallpaper printed on non-woven paper. The nonwoven is a high-quality material, being something between paper and textile fabric.
- Solid and durable.
- Can be placed on not smooth surfaces.
- Glue not included
- Dimensions: 50 cm x 10m
- Made in France
- Euroclasse B, A+ certification
- Fire-resistant
Please define your needs and add 10% extra.
Your orders are printed on demand and have a batch number. This number ensures that all the rolls belong to the same series and have identical colors.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bangladesh tragedy spurs nationwide probe of garment factories
(CNN) -- Bangladesh's Cabinet decided to inspect the safety and security of all garment factories Monday after last week's deadly building collapse, state news reported
At least 398 people were killed when a factory collapsed at Rana Plaza in Savar, a Red Crescent official told CNN, and up to 2,773 people survived.
Under the inspection plan, a committee led by a state minister would visit the factories and submit a report to the government about the safety measures, Cabinet Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters.
The panel includes the ministries of home, labor, disaster management, textiles, defense, industries and environment.
M.S. Akbar, chairman of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, said the rescue operation might be completed by Tuesday or Wednesday. At least two bodies were pulled from the wreckage Monday, but no survivors were found.
Rescuers are now using heavy machinery to remove wreckage at the site of the collapsed building, suggesting the hunt for survivors of the disaster is coming to an end.
"It is hardest for those family members who do not know if their loved ones are dead or alive or trapped," Akbar said. The chances of finding more survivors were dim "unless there's a miracle."
Many workers hailed from the country's north
Most of the factory workers were between the ages of 18 and 22, said Morshed Ali Khan, editor of the local Daily Star newspaper. Most were impoverished residents from the country's northern region who went to the city to find work. Many were parents with children still waiting for them to come home.
Khan has seen several hundred families looking for loved ones each of the past five nights.
"A strong stench of rotting human flesh has taken over the scene. It is very hard to stand next to the site," he told CNN.
Yet children and their grandparents still waited at the scene Monday. They said they would camp out at the site until they get the body of their loved one, Khan said.
Some relatives have lost work while waiting at the site. Many sleep on the street or quietly clutch a photo. One man was talking to himself with a photo of his son in his hand.
Some have given up hope of finding their relatives alive.
"Yesterday a woman told me, 'I want the dead body of my daughter so I can take her dead body home to bury,' " Khan said.
Rescue efforts
Rescue teams have been combing through the debris since Wednesday morning, when the nine-story building collapsed and buried thousands of garment workers.
"We will proceed extremely cautiously," Brig. Gen. Ajmal Kabir told reporters at the scene Sunday.
Sunday evening's rescue efforts were disrupted by reports that a fire had broken out as workers tried to cut through mangled metal trapping a woman identified only as Shahana.
Shahinul Islam of Bangladesh's Inter Services Public Relations -- a department of the Ministry of Defense -- told reporters that the fire was put out shortly afterward, but it was not clear what happened to the woman. Local media reports said she died.
The commercial building, containing five garment factories, several shops and a bank, was in Savar, about 45 kilometers (27 miles) from the capital, Dhaka.
Cracks had appeared in the building structure a day before the collapse, but garment workers were told to come in despite their concerns that the building was unsafe.
Authorities have arrested seven people: three factory owners; two government engineers; the owner of the building, Sohel Rana, a local leader of the ruling Awami League who was caught as he tried to flee the country; and Rana's father.
John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, told CNN that while people should be held accountable, Bangladesh's government and the garment industry must also take steps to protect their workers.
He said research conducted by Human Rights Watch indicated that there were only 18 inspectors for the 100,000 factories operating in and around Dhaka.
"What this tragedy really needs to result in is stricter labor laws, stricter safety laws and the government coming to terms with the reality that it can't just supply all these workers without giving those workers their rights.
"There are only so many tragedies like this that can happen before Western retailers and Western buyers ... realize that they are going to go elsewhere, not because they necessarily can get lower prices but because the scandal is too much."


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The Secret Beyond Matter
Atlas of Creation_Vol.1
Chapter 1: To Be Freed From Prejudice
Most people accept everything they hear from scientists as strictly true. It does not even occur to them that scientists may also have various philosophical or ideological prejudices. The fact of the matter is that evolutionist scientists impose their own prejudices and philosophical views on the public under the guise of science. For instance, although they are aware that random events do not cause anything other than irregularity and confusion, they still claim that the marvellous order, plan, and structure seen both in the universe and in living organisms arose by chance.
For instance, such a biologist easily grasps that there is an awe-inspiring harmony in a protein molecule, the building block of life, and that there is no probability that this might have come about by chance. Nevertheless, he alleges that this protein came into existence under primitive earth conditions by chance billions of years ago. He does not stop there; he also claims, without hesitation, that not only one, but millions of proteins formed by chance and then amazingly came together to create the first living cell. Moreover, he defends his view with a blind stubbornness. This person is an "evolutionist" scientist.
If the same scientist were to find three bricks resting on top of one another while walking along a flat road, he would never suppose that these bricks had come together by chance and then climbed up on top of each other, again by chance. Indeed, anyone who did make such an assertion would be considered insane.
How then can it be possible that people who are able to assess ordinary events rationally can adopt such an irrational attitude when it comes to thinking about their own existence?
It is not possible to claim that this attitude is adopted in the name of science: scientific approach requires taking both alternatives into consideration wherever there are two alternatives equally possible concerning a certain case. And if the likelihood of one of the two alternatives is much lower, for example if it is only one percent, then the rational and scientific thing to do is to consider the other alternative, whose likelihood is 99 percent, to be the valid one.
Let us continue, keeping this scientific basis in mind. There are two views that are set forth regarding how living beings came into being on earth. The first is that Allah creates all living beings in their present complex structure. The second is that life was formed by unconscious, random coincidences. The latter is the claim of the theory of evolution.
When we look at the scientific data, that of molecular biology for instance, we can see that there is no chance whatsoever that a single living cell-or even one of the millions of proteins present in this cell-could have come into existence by chance as the evolutionists claim. As we will illustrate in the following chapters, probabilistic calculations also confirm this many times over. So the evolutionist view on the emergence of living beings has zero probability of being true.
This means that the first view has a "one hundred percent" probability of being true. That is, life has been instantly brought into being. To put it in another way, it was "created". All living beings have come into existence as the creation of Allah exalted in superior power, wisdom, and knowledge. This reality is not simply a matter of conviction; it is the normal conclusion that wisdom, logic and science take one to.
Under these circumstances, our "evolutionist" scientist ought to withdraw his claim and adhere to a fact that is both obvious and proven. To do otherwise is to demonstrate that he is actually someone who is exploiting science for his philosophy, ideology, and dogma rather than being a true scientist.
The anger, stubbornness, and prejudices of our "scientist" increase more and more every time he confronts reality. His attitude can be explained with a single word: "faith". Yet it is a blind superstitious faith, since there can be no other explanation for one's disregard of all the facts or for a lifelong devotion to the preposterous scenario that he has constructed in his imagination.
Blind Materialism
The false faith that we are talking about is the materialistic philosophy, which argues that matter has existed for all eternity and there is nothing other than matter. The theory of evolution is the so-called "scientific foundation" for this materialistic philosophy and that theory is blindly defended in order to uphold this philosophy. When science invalidates the claims of evolution-and that is the very point that has been reached at the end of the 20th century-it then is sought to be distorted and brought into a position where it supports evolution for the sake of keeping materialism alive.
A few lines written by one of the prominent evolutionist biologists of Turkey is a good example that enables us to see the disordered judgement and discretion that this blind devotion leads to. This scientist discusses the probability of the coincidental formation of Cytochrome-C, which is one of the most essential enzymes for life, as follows:
This scientist finds it "more scientific" to accept a possibility "as likely as zero" rather than creation. However according to the rules of science, if there are two alternative explanations concerning an event and if one of them has "as likely as zero" a possibility of realisation, then the other one is the correct alternative. However the dogmatic materialistic approach forbids the admittance of a superior Creator. This prohibition drives this scientist-and many others who believe in the same materialist dogma-to accept claims that are completely contrary to reason.
People who believe and trust these scientists also become enthralled and blinded by the same materialistic spell and they adopt the same indifference when reading their books and articles.
This dogmatic materialistic point of view is the reason why many prominent names in the scientific community are atheists. Those who free themselves from the thrall of this spell and think with an open mind do not hesitate to accept the existence of a Creator. American biochemist Dr Michael J. Behe, one of those prominent names who support the movement to defend the fact of creation that has lately become very accepted, describes the scientists who resist believing in the creation of living organisms thus:
This is the predicament of the atheist evolutionist scientists you see in magazines and on television and whose books you may be reading. All the scientific research carried out by these people demonstrates to them the existence of Allah. Yet they have become so insensitised and blinded by the dogmatic materialist education they have absorbed that they still persist in their denial.
People who steadily neglect the clear signs and evidences of the Creator become totally insensitive. Caught up in an ignorant self-confidence caused by their insensitivity, they may even end up supporting an absurdity as a virtue. A good case in point is the atheist evolutionist Richard Dawkins who calls upon Christians not to assume that they have witnessed a miracle even if they see a statue wave to them. According to Dawkins, "Perhaps all the atoms of the statue's arm just happened to move in the same direction at once-a low probability event to be sure, but possible." 5
The psychology of the unbeliever has existed throughout history. In the Qur'an it is described thus:
Even if We did send unto them angels, and the dead did speak unto them, and We gathered together all things before their very eyes, they are not the ones to believe, unless it is in Allah's plan. But most of them ignore [the truth]. (Surat al-An'am: 111)
As this verse makes clear, the dogmatic thinking of the evolutionists is not an original way of thinking, nor is it even peculiar to them. In fact, what the evolutionist scientist maintains is not a modern scientific thought but an ignorance that has persevered since the most uncivilised pagan communities.
The same psychology is defined in another verse of the Qur'an:
Even if We opened out to them a gate from heaven and they were to continue [(all day)] ascending therein, they would only say: "Our eyesight is befuddled! Or rather we have been put under a spell!" eyes have been intoxicated: Nay, we have been bewitched by sorcery." (Surat al-Hijr : 14-15)
Mass Evolutionist Indoctrination
As indicated in the verses cited above, one of the reasons why people cannot see the realities of their existence is a kind of "spell" impeding their reasoning. It is the same "spell" that underlies the world-wide acceptance of the theory of evolution. What we mean by spell is a conditioning acquired by indoctrination. People are exposed to such an intense indoctrination about the correctness of the theory of evolution that they often do not even realise the distortion that exists.
This indoctrination creates a negative effect on the brain and disables the faculty of judgement and comprehension. Eventually, the brain, being under a continuous indoctrination, starts to perceive the realities not as they are but as they have been indoctrinated. This phenomenon can be observed in other examples. For instance, if someone is hypnotised and indoctrinated that the bed he is lying on is a car, he perceives the bed as a car after the hypnosis session. He thinks that this is very logical and rational because he really sees it that way and has no doubt that he is right. Such examples as the one above, which show the efficiency and the power of the mechanism of indoctrination, are scientific realities that have been verified by countless experiments that have been reported in the scientific literature and are the everyday fare of psychology and psychiatry textbooks.
The theory of evolution and the materialistic world view that relies on it are imposed on the masses by such indoctrination methods. People who continuously encounter the indoctrination of evolution in the media, academic sources, and "scientific" platforms, fail to realise that accepting this theory is in fact contrary to the most basic principles of reason. The same indoctrination captures scientists as well. Young names stepping up in their scientific careers adopt the materialist world view more and more as time passes. Enchanted by this spell, many evolutionist scientists go on searching for scientific confirmation of 19th century's irrational and outdated evolutionist claims that have long since been refuted by scientific evidence.
There are also additional mechanisms that force scientists to be evolutionist and materialist. In Western countries, a scientist has to observe some standards in order to be promoted, to receive academic recognition, or to have his articles published in scientific journals. A straightforward acceptance of evolution is the number-one criterion. This system drives these scientists so far as to spend their whole lives and scientific careers for the sake of a dogmatic belief. American molecular biologist Jonathan Wells refers to these pressure mechanisms in his book Icons of Evolution published in 2000:
This is the reality that continues to lie behind the assertion "evolution is still accepted by the world of science". Evolution is kept alive not because it has a scientific worth but because it is an ideological obligation. Very few of the scientists who are aware of this fact can risk pointing out that the king isn't wearing any clothes.
In the rest of this book, we will be reviewing the findings of modern science against evolution which are either disregarded by evolutionists or "buried in specialized publications", and display of the clear evidence of Allah's existence. The reader will witness that evolution theory is in fact a deceit-a deceit that is belied by science at every step but is upheld to veil the fact of creation. What is to be hoped of the reader is that he will wake up from the spell that blinds people's minds and disrupts their ability to judge and he will reflect seriously on what is related in this book.
If he rids himself of this spell and thinks clearly, freely, and without any prejudice, he will soon discover the crystal-clear truth. This inevitable truth, also demonstrated by modern science in all its aspects, is that living organisms came into existence not by chance but as a result of creation. Man can easily see the fact of creation when he considers how he himself exists, how he has come into being from a drop of water, or the perfection of every other living thing.
2. Ali Demirsoy, Kalıtım ve Evrim, Ankara: Meteksan Yayınları, 1984, s. 61
3. Michael J. Behe, Darwin's Black Box, New York: Free Press, 1996, ss. 232-233
4. Richard Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker, London: W. W. Norton, 1986, s. 159
5. Jonathan Wells, Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution is Wrong, Regnery Publishing, 2000, s. 235-236


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Orange County Brochure Printing
Want to give your customers a portable way to get an idea about your offers even before they go to your store? If yes, you may want to consider getting a custom brochure that can achieve just that.
Many businesses rely on brochures to showcase their products, advocacies, company details, and other key information in a fun format. For organizations and events, it is a compact means to learn more about the organization or the event.
We are an Orange County brochure printing company preferred by many clients because of our attention to detail and capacity to make high-quality brochures and employ other printing services at affordable rates. We can assist you in every step of the printing process, from designing the brochure, printing them in your chosen material, to getting them sent to your intended recipients. We will make it stress-free because we want you to be satisfied with our work and consider us your trusted printing company.
Call Main Graphics at 949-788-6100 for your Free Consultation with an Orange County Brochure Printing expert!
Top-Notch Brochures and Services
Although brochures are now a standard template for many word-processing applications or programs in today's computers, making an effective brochure that makes your business stand out can be tricky. You need to have the know-how to design it correctly and get it printed in the best material to make the right impressions.
Main Graphics knows how crucial these brochures will be for your business, which is why we make it a point to get to know everything about your project, design the brochures and print them in the right format and material.
Here are other reasons why we are the best printing company you could want for your printing projects:
Open to All Establishments
At Main Graphics, we welcome any business and industry looking for high-quality printing services that can match their budget. Our team has the skills, experience, and training to utilize the latest printing equipment to deliver only the best brochures for your needs.
We can make any type of brochures you need, from sharing information to your readers about the facility to marketing your products and services. Main Graphics can produce them in no time and give your business a great boost as people check your new brochures.
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Brochures come in various styles and formats that can correspond to what your industry or business needs. We have a wide catalog of materials, style options, and materials available for you to check and choose from. We can also do custom brochures that are very different from the traditional designs.
Great Customization Control
When you reach out to us, we will show you all the options available for the brochures and the materials that can be used for them. Our designers will take note of all your design requirements and incorporate them into the existing or new design. Your ideas are always welcome, and we'll even edit the designs in case we miss anything so that you get the brochure according to your specifications.
Full-Service Printing Company
Our Orange County, CA printing company can create more than just brochures.
We believe that customers should have a printing partner with whom they can share their vision; one who can provide them with the right printing service every time necessary. We ensure that our work matches the customer's image; it is done on time and within budget and lasts for a long time. Any item you want us to design and print can become a reality.
Here are some of the services we offer at Main Graphics that you can avail of, and they can go splendidly with our Orange County brochure printing service:
1. Black and white/Full color printing
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We guarantee that every piece we print is high-quality because we understand that these materials will be vital to your marketing strategy. We are also very flexible if you are on a budget. Simply let us know what you need, and we'll guide you through the process.
Let's Talk – Free Consultation
Main Graphics is the best Orange County brochure printing company you can count on if you want people to peruse your custom brochures and effectively persuade them to check your products and services. Our brochure team will look into your business, your offerings, and your intended audience so we can create a design that is both eye-catching and effective.
We can create new brochure templates or use your existing ones, ensuring that your messaging is consistent. We make our custom brochures in-house, keeping our services within your budget and delivered on time. Whenever you need custom brochures, we are here for you, and we are ready to get started at any time.
Call Main Graphics at 949-788-6100 for your Free Consultation with an Orange County Brochure Printing expert!


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Executives in Residence
Zak Parpia, Himalaya Homes
Zak founded Himalaya Homes, a homebuilding and development company, in 1979. The company focuses on building affordable homes for first time home buyers. In his career of more than 30 years as a builder, Zak has built over 3,000 homes in Washington State, both east and west of the Cascades.
A native of Mumbai, India, Zak earned a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from the University of Bombay and a Master's degree in Civil Engineering from Washington State University. He has received a number of awards over the years, including Builder of the Year for Washington State in 1986, Builder of the Year for King & Snohomish Counties in 1992, and most recently was inducted into the first class of the Master Builder's Hall of Fame.
Zak's long record of community involvement includes numerous offices held in State and National building organizations. He served as President of the Master Builders Association for King and Snohomish Counties in 1997 and as President of the Building Industry Association of Washington in 1987. He has been a Rotarian since 1982, and is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Everett. He is a founding member of People for Progress in India.


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The open road: Open and reproducible research
|Thursday, 22 November 2018 - Thursday, 22 November 2018
|Parktown Health Sciences Campus
Marie Curie Lecture Theatre, Medical School
|Start time:
email@example.com /011 717-1193
Professor Peter Kamerman from the School of Physiology in the Faculty of Health Sciences will present his inaugural lecture.
The past five years has seen a groundswell in the biomedical sciences for transparent analysis and open data. I will discuss some of the key forces that are driving this change in behaviour, and how technological advances are making it easier for 'old dogs' such as myself to learn (and teach my students) how to report data in an open and accessible way.Add event to calendar


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I totally forgot to share this recipe so finally, here's my Crabby Veg pizza recipe. It takes 6.5 min. to prepare, 25 min. to cook and somewhere in between to eat it.
Again, start with the Chebe All Purpose Mix and build your pizza from there.
I was really excited to get to use my new Breville Smart Toaster Oven.
Chebe All Purpose Mix (2 eggs, 2TB Oil, 5TB milk or water)
2 organic tomatoes sliced
1 large handful of fresh organic spinach, cleaned and chopped
2-5 TBS Tofutti cream cheese
1 large roasted sweet red pepper diced
2 TBS crab meat or more if you have it
1-2 tsp Pasta Sprinkle Penzeys (California basil, Turkish oregano, minced garlic and thyme)
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp toasted granulated onion
Make the dough according to the package directions. Roll out the dough using the cornmeal to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin or surface.
Place the dough onto the pizza pan. Spread with cream cheese. Sprinkle with garlic and onion all the way out to the very edge of the pizza. Place sliced tomatoes around and sprinkle with Pasta seasoning. Toss on the spinach, sweet red pepper and crab.
Bake according to package directions. 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.
If you want to keep it soy free, use the Daiya Mozzarella Cheese.


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Finally a real freestyle boat for people with long legs and big feet. At 6'1" this boat is big for me, with loads of knee room and a comfortable foot box. The slight bumps at the feet are effective and don't hamper performance in any way.
The Precision Adjustable thighbraces and seat makes fine tuning and overall balance easy. The boat comes with tons of foam and a clever Thigh Booster that can be easily contoured or built up to provide leg support. An Immersion Research ratcheting backband completes the outfitting to ensure a snug, yet adjustable fit.
The volume in the Super Ego is more evenly distributed than some of Dagger's other freestyle boats, which makes it more predictable while back surging or flatwater flailing. The super slicey nose ramps up quickly to knee volume creating comfort but also a big surface to vertical stall on. The stern, although shaped differently, offers the same slice and stall characteristics.
Stern squirting and flatwater cartwheels are easy, even with the relatively big volume. Very stable on end, especially the stern. On a wave this thing rocks. I found it easier to continue flat spinning rather than trying to stop it. Once the hull cuts loose it literally lifts off the water and skips through the spin. Beyond the original flick to get it going, it takes no effort to keep it spinning. Insane. Besides comfort, the hull is the second greatest selling point.
Being the shortest boat I've paddled, I found flat water/straight line speed slow. However, the Super Ego has no problem catching waves, as it accelerates to plane VERY quickly. Things seem t happen fast, as the short length allows change in direction so quickly. Paddling boily water the boat goes no where, and doesn't provide much charge across strong eddy lines. It seemed easier to boof across eddy lines, to keep the nose up and water off the minimal deck.
Overall – the most exciting new design on the market. Comfort, wicked spinning, super slicey.
Length: 7'6″
Width: 24.5″
Capacity: 140-220 lbs
Volume: 51 gal
Cockpit: 34″x19″
This article first appeared in the Early Summer 2001 issue of Rapid Magazine. For more great boat reviews, subscribe to Rapid's print and digital editions here.


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Louisiana's Jindal to Abused Women and the Dying: Drop Dead:
When you live in Louisiana, you get used to a certain amount of Neanderthal savagery and brute stupidity. Sure, the education system is getting fucked beyond fucked and the state legislature thinks it's just jim-fuckin' dandy to teach that everything was created when an invisible sky wizard puked it all out, but, hey, how about that food? Sure, sex education is pretty much non-existent in a state where they have the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, but, man, ain't that band playin' some hot zydeco? See? It's a trade-off. A state with a high sales tax, including taxes on food and clothing, lottery, and gambling, along with a state income tax, can't stay out of the red because tax cuts for rich people are so fucking important, so why not raise the sales tax even higher? It's what you get for wanting to laissez les bon temps rouler.
Other than teachers (who are really just terrorists with tenure, but, gosh, shouldn't they be armed?) protesting the shifting of public school funds to private ones run by churches and cults, there's been no real outcry against Governor Bobby Jindal and his merry band of GOP scum weasels in the legislature. But now, with the frightening possibility of having their sick people die without palliative or other care, Louisianians are genuinely shocked to finally discover that Jindal is a weak-chinned shitsack who has no business running a state, let along trying to squeeze himself onto the national stage like the last dingleberry in the Republican sphincter.
Yep, at the end of the month, next week, in fact, the state of Louisiana will stop offering hospice care to adult patients on Medicaid. Why? Because fuck you, brain aneurysm guy, that's why. Budget cuts, bitch. It'll save $3 million bucks this year, maybe even $8.3 million next year. The budget's short $900 million bucks. Gotta find change under the cushions if we have to. Well, it'll save that money barring dying people going in and out of emergency rooms in order to get some relief. Yeah, see, Arizona, always on the leading edge of fuckery in America, tried to do the same thing. That state learned that it cost more to be assholes than to give a damn.
Of course, Jindal already cut funding for charity hospitals, so, you know, he really, really wants poor people to just die already.
Hospices and hospice care providers are dumbfounded by the cuts. But they just want that Medicaid teat to suck on while they give your mother or sister aid and comfort while she fades away because of ovarian cancer. But even the mostly right-wing newspapers in the state are finding that there is a point where they can be appalled. "To balance the state's budget by eliminating end-of-life care is inhumane," says the Daily World of Opelousas. " Our most vulnerable citizens — regardless of means — should be afforded the most-basic palliative care by a society that has so much," says the Daily Comet of rural Lafourche Parish.
By the way, Jindal is also cutting funding for women's shelters because "the Jindal administration said the state was moving away from costly residential care for domestic violence victims in favor of short-term hotel stays and family care." You got that? Victims of domestic violence should stay with family where their abusers would never find them, obviously. The funding cut also hits sexual assault centers, too, because compassion costs too much.
Yeah, it's a cruel, cruel life in the Bayou State. But, hey, throw us some more beads, mister.


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As Halloween approaches, AAA East Central reminds parents, trick-or-treaters and motorists to observe some important safety tips when they are out in the evening during the next several days.
"Because excited trick-or-treaters often forget about safety, motorists and parents must be even more alert," said J.J. Miller, safety advisor, AAA East Central. "Drivers should to be especially vigilant between the hours of 4 p.m. and midnight, when pedestrians are most vulnerable," she added.
Here are some tips for parents and drivers to help keep children safe this Halloween:
AAA recommends that parents accompany young trick-or-treaters at least until the age of 12.
Since children are small and often hard to see even in well-lit situations, it is important to be sure a child's Halloween costume is flame-retardant and visible with retro-reflective material.
Choose disguises that don't obstruct vision and opt for non-toxic face paint instead of masks. Check and adjust the length of costumes to avoid tripping.
Review trick-or-treating precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.
Plan and discuss the route your trick-or-treaters will follow. Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never enter a stranger's home or garage.
Parents and trick-or-treaters should cross streets only at the corner, and never between parked cars or mid-block. Be sure that approaching cars come to a complete stop before stepping into the roadway.
Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Drive at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street.
Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs. In dark costumes, they'll be harder to see at night.
Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.
Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys.
Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.
Broaden your scanning by looking for children left and right into yards and front porches.
Keep your eyes on the road at all times. Remove any distractions that may you're your attention away from driving, such as cell phones or in-car entertainment and navigation systems.
AAA East Central is a not-for-profit organization with 82 local offices in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and New York, servicing 2.7 million members.


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The Technocracy and the Genetic Engineering of Humanity
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Posted in Eugenics | Tagged Eugenics
We already live in a world of 'haves and have-nots', but in the future could that gap widen into an immense chasm resulting in a technocracy with two-tiers of genetically engineered humans? Predictions have been made with regards to robotics and genetic evolution, and there is data to back each theory up. This article briefly investigates each claim. 2008 saw a panoply of advances in robotics, artificial intelligence and nano-technology. A recent study by Spanish scientists looked into the impacts of robots on future society. International experts working on inventing and adapting cutting edge robots for practical use were interviewed during the study in order to find out by when we will be regularly using the models they are currently designing. All agreed on 2020 as a "technological inflection point," because by then robots "will be able to see, act, speak, manage natural language and have intelligence, and our relationship with them will have become more constant and commonplace," said López Peláez.
One of the more disconcerting predictions is "the insertion of robots into our bodies, such as intelligent implants in the brain, which will improve our rational thought, and nanorobots to be released into the blood to clean our arteries. Another important role will be the replacement of people working in the areas of security, surveillance or defence. According to Professor López Peláez, it is predicted that 40% of armies will be automated with robot soldiers by 2020 'just as a car factory is today, which will result in less human deaths during violent conflicts.' "
Thanks to our friends at DARPA there have been many more recent advancements in robotics for the military that will make that prediction a reality. These include robots that can go into small places that are equipped with cameras, lethal and "non-lethal" weapons, autonomous shooting robots (forutnately that have backfired-no pun intended- miserably, but that won't stop their development), exoskeletons, flying spy-bugs, "big dog" that carries a 340-lb payload, a caterpillar-like robot that can climb vertical surfaces (including metal and glass), hovering robots to shoot down missiles, and autonomous full-sized vehicles. They've even created a "multi-robot pursuit system" to hunt down "non-cooperative human subjects." And these are all the better to kill people with, of course.
According to the above-mentioned study, the "most striking feature of this technological revolution are social robots, machines with artificial intelligence, and with which we will have emotional and even intimate interactions. 'A robot might be a more effective partner and a better person than the humans we actually have in our immediate lives: just as you can see dog owners talking to their pets today, soon we will be talking to robots,' says López Peláez - to such an extent that sexual robots are currently being designed to carry out pleasurable personal interactions. These will be equipped with the required sensorial abilities, such as touch."
There has already been a robot developed to be a companion for a lonely man - "her" name is Akiko. In June of 2005, research had begun at the NASA Goddard laboratory "to develop a high-tech covering that would enable robots to sense their environment and react to it, much like humans respond when something or someone touches their skin." And in lab at John's Jopkins, the "haptic artists" are working on "touch effects."
If this seems a little too sci-fi, consider the following mundane advances in 2008 alone: various robots that can not only vacuum a room (Roomba), but cook food, greet a person at the door, fetch things, or just listen if you are lonely; pets (hamsters, dogs, lions, tigers, and various bears - oh my!), plants, dolls that show emotion depending on how they are treated, fish, robots designed to help teach autistic persons and more.
Not only has robotics made massive leaps forward but artificial intelligence (AI) has as well. Research into neural-networks and complex data-processing programs have made great progress in the last few years, especially in the realm of surveillance. In fact, Google is working on an AI program to gobble up not only all the data from the Internet, but all the books that are being put online as well. They are actively working on this AI program gaining sentience. Perhaps they've never seen the predictive programming movies Lawnmower Man or Battlestar Galactica? Or perhaps they have.
And nano-technology has become a part of our lives whether we know it or not. Nano are used in products such as personal care items and even the plastics that contain food items inside cardboard boxes. There are growing concerns about how this technology is affecting humans and its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, yet there are no labeling requirements on food or personal care products so consumers can make an educated choice about their purchases.
Genetic engineering
In 2007 evolutionary theorist Oliver Curry from the London School of Economics put forth the theory that, "The human race will one day split into two separate species, an attractive, intelligent ruling elite and an underclass of dim-witted, ugly goblin-like creatures." Is this possible without genetic engineering or 'enhancement?' And who would genetically or technologically 'enhance' themselves anyway?
A Transhumanist, that's who. The term "transhumanism" refers to those who are not opposed to using technology, including genetic and/or bionic enhancements, to improve the human body. "We can also use technological means that will eventually enable us to move beyond what some would think of as 'human.' " Transhumansist are passionate about making advancements so they can have "better minds, better bodies and better lives" although they stress that one should be able to choose whether or not to be 'enhanced.' Lest one think they are a bunch of nutty geeks who will get nowhere with these silly notions, take a look at who's on their Board of Directors. They are no slackers, and it seems that the ability to 'enhance oneself' is quickly coming into the realm of the present. One article on their blog states that school children, "are the transhumans of the future. The schools are superb areas for the popularization of transhumanism." It goes on to give tips on how transhumanism (and posthumanism) can be incorporated into virtually every subject, but, it insists "it is all about communicating knowledge and arousing interest not indoctrinating!" It won't be a very tough sell to children who are raised on live-action Transformers, Batman, Iron Man and other characters, as well as Bluetooth, virtual reality and online networked video-gaming.
Some scientists are concerned about the possiblity of "genetic genocide" stating that genetic enhancements may lead to creation of superhuman people and "given the history of humankind, it is extremely unlikely that we will see the posthumans as equal in rights and dignity to us, or that they will see us as equals." He states his concerned that "the posthuman will come to see us (the garden variety human) as an inferior subspecies without human rights to be enslaved or slaughtered preemptively."
Besides transhumanists, mainstream science is now more public about genetic manipulation. The Human Genome Project successfully mapped the entire human genome in 2003, adding an unheard of level of knowledge about our species. There are serious questions about the ethics of genetic enhancement and manipulation (outside of "gene therapy" for the seriously ill) that are and will continue to be hotly debated. At the present, prospective parents are being wooed with idea of being able to not only choose their child's gender, but other qualities as well, as long as they have the money to pay of course. It has even been called "a sort of decentralized, do-it-yourself eugenics."
The larger question of whether this ability will lead to a society of "two very separate classes of people: those who can afford genetic enhancements and those who cannot" is not an empty one.
The elite already have a quality of life far beyond us mere mortals, but they have worked studiously on their multi-generational plan to create a neo-feudalist society. They are are obsessed with the scientific outlook, genetics, are very careful to keep their genetic lines "pure" from the rest of us rabble and fund much of the genetics research. Eating only whole organic foods, exercising and not taking vaccines that are offered to us, using natural medicine instead of Western medicine are some ways they keep themselves healthy. They even have organic heirloom seeds saved up in around the world (and see here). Transhumanism is appealing to them because it has the potential to not only make them smarter, healthier and live longer, but with genetic engineering to make them more beautiful, too. And historically, they have been heavily involved in the eugenics movement and give generously to foundations and causes that promote abortion, "family planning," sterility and population reduction. See Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement for the history and progress of their insidious plan.
Meanwhile, the rest of human race is being poisoned by the multiple toxins in genetically modified food, commercial drinks and water, and that are ubiquitous in the environment. Sodium fluoride has been shown to decrease intelligence and mercury, such as is found in vaccines and dental amalgam, actually kills human neurons (video). Other substances such as aspartame have been linked to neurodegenerative conditions and pthalates affect male fertility. We are barraged with barium, aluminium and other carcinogenic particulates from the aerial spraying that have been found to also contain Mycoplasma fermentens and an unknown biological organism that the Environmental Protection Agency refuses to investigate or identify. The net effect to our health is an explosion of preventable disases such as diabetes, Crohn's, chronic fatigue syndrome, fybromyalgia and others, not to mention chronic obesity.
It seems as if we are being genetically engineered, so to speak, without our knowledge or consent. An unhealthy and 'dim-witted' population is much easier to enslave and control, which is part of the elite's plan for their New World Order. We can choose to eat whole, organic foods, avoid processed foods and fluoridated water, exercise, use natural medicine and avoid overuse of antibiotics to guard our health against this onslaught upon our genetic health for our posterity. While we cannot affect the technological and robotic advancements we must choose not to let the "genetic evolution" prediction occur, but it will take a concerted effort and determination. Our freedom, health, and genetic integrity of our selves and our progeny are at stake.
Carolyn Harris
January 1, 2009
Suggested reading:
'Blacks Are Stupid' Comments Betray Dark Mindset Of Eugenics
Doomsday Seed Vault" in the Arctic: Bill Gates, Rockefeller and the GMO giants know something we don't
Singularity Insitiute for Artificial Intelligence- Artificial General Intelligence and the Singularity - Suggested Reading
No robot left behind? SPECIAL REPORT: DARPA throws down the challenge on cognitive computing
How to be Inhuman - What are the limits to biotech modification? Human Rights and Human Enhancement: Is genetic modification of people moral? Inst for Ethics and Emerging Technology (H+):Publications
Robots Created That Develop And Display Emotions And Become Attached To Certain People
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Posts Tagged '#Interview'
Angel Bumps, Hello from Heaven…
It's #MusicMonday featuring Codie Prevost…
All of my memories are filled with music. It's like the sound is woven through each of them, holding them together. Without warning a song will come on the radio and I am instantly tearing up thinking of a lost loved one or the night I met my husband. I married a music man who has a song for every one of his memories, a basement full of 45's, albums, cassettes and cd's. He is my own personal DJ.
My #MusicMonday posts will include interviews and music from new and veteran artists from all genres of music as well as the people that bring that music to us. I will also share music that has meant the most to me throughout my life.
This week I want to introduce you to Canadian country music sensation, Codie Prevost. Codie has been nominated for and has won dozens of awards including the Canadian Country Music Awards. He grew up on a 2000 acre farm in a small (300 people- very small.)


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Slackware-13.0 ChangeLog (2018-06-19)
Tue Jun 19 22:35:25 UTC 2018
- patches/packages/gnupg-1.4.23-i486-1_slack13.0.txz
Sanitize the diagnostic output of the original file name in verbose mode.
By using a made up file name in the message it was possible to fake status
messages. Using this technique it was for example possible to fake the
verification status of a signed mail.
For more information, see:
(* Security fix *)


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When the spectacular supermoon emerged on Saturday (July 12), so did shutterbugs around the world.
July's full moon peaked just after the "perigee," or the point when the moon is closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit. To the delight of night sky photographers, the result was an amazing "supermoon" that appeared much brighter and closer than a typical full moon.
One skywatcher, Greg Hogan, dragged his camera (and his entire family) to Flat Creek Park in Perry, Georgia, so that he could snap photos of the extra large moon and its light reflecting off the water. [See More Photos of the July Supermoon]
"My whole family joined me on my supermoon chase," Hogan told Space.com in an email, adding that his three young sons stayed up well past their bedtime to see the lunar display. "Such a beautiful sight, and even more awesome to witness it with family. The kids loved it, we all loved it."
Hogan wasn't alone in his wonder. The big and bright-shining supermoon — the first of three this summer — amazed skywatchers from Maine, Manhattan, Macedonia, Australia, Puerto Rico and Los Angeles, who sent in photos to Space.com.
Even NASA photographers took time to take in the amazing lunar view from Wallops Island, Virginia, while covering the weekend launch of a commercial Antares rocket built by the aerospace company Orbital Sciences Corporation. Photographers Bill Ingalls and Aubrey Gemignani snapped photos of the supermoon shining big and bright over the Antares rocket, which stood ready for its July 13 launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. That Sunday launch of the Antares rocket went off without a hitch.
For example, in Entiat, a town in central Washington, night sky photographer Tim McCord watched the full moon bulging over a hillside and captured the silhouette of a charred tree.
"We are having major fires over here so it was real smoky," McCord told Space.com in an email.
The distance between the Earth and moon is, on average, about 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers). But at perigee, the moon creeps about 31,000 miles (50,000 km) closer to Earth than at the highest point of its orbit, called "apogee."
Thanks to an orbital coincidence, skywatchers will be treated to two more supermoons this summer, during both the full moons on Aug. 10 and Sept. 9.
Editor's note: If you snap an amazing lunar photo of the "supermoon" full moon in August and September and would like to share it with Space.com for a gallery or story, you can send images and comment in to managing editor Tariq Malik at: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Follow Megan Gannon on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @SPACEdotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.


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It was in the early hours of October 2 that a ground sensor alarm went off near Naco, Arizona, in an area suspected to be a drug-smuggling corridor. U.S. Border Patrol agents responded, shots were fired, and Agent Nicholas Ivie, 30, was soon dead.
A little more than a week later, late on the night of October 10, Border Patrol agents responded to a report of two alleged narcotics smugglers near the boundary wall that divides Nogales, Arizona from Nogales, Sonora. As in the Naco incident, shots were fired, and someone was killed. In this case, the victim was José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, a 16-year old youth.
In both cases, the killers were Border Patrol agents (unidentified as of this writing). Where they differ is that the first case was a mistake, one involving "friendly fire"; the second incident was not. According to the Border Patrol's one, brief official statement on the Nogales incident (see below), an agent shot the young man after being assaulted by rocks thrown from the Mexican side of the boundary.
Although the investigation into José Antonio Elena Rodríguez's death is ongoing on both sides of the international divide, what seems very clear is that the shooting was easily avoidable. That it happened also highlights the urgent need to de-escalate the multifaceted "war" in the borderlands and to demilitarize the region.
Whether or not José Antonio Elena Rodríguez's was the intended target of the Border Patrol's hail of bullets—with several hitting him (according to one report, seven struck him in the back) and upwards of 12 striking the building he was beside—is not known. The lawyer representing the Rodriguez family in this case surmises that José Antonio might have simply at the wrong place at the wrong time, that he was on his way to the nearby convenience store where his older brother worked to help him close his shift.
Regardless, it stretches credulity that the young man could have posed a threat to Border Patrol agents. José Antonio Elena Rodríguez was on a street in downtown Nogales that runs along Mexico's northern boundary when he was shot, at least 50 feet away (in terms of on-the-ground distance) from the agents. Moreover, the agents were 15-20 feet or so above the street, standing on a cliff behind a 20-25-foot-high wall.
Because the wall is porous—it is composed of vertical steel bars with gaps of 5-6 inches between them—rocks could have passed through in theory if thrown from a position directly across from the agents. Nonetheless, a combination of desert brush along the lower reaches of the barrier (see the photo), the distance, and the narrowness of the gaps would have made it extremely difficult to succeed at striking the agents. But even if rocks were passing through, the agents, if they felt threatened, could have moved laterally and taken advantage of the protection afforded by the steel bars and the changed angle.
The agent (or agents) who fired upon José Antonio Elena Rodríguez would have had to have been standing right along the wall to shoot between the steel bars. As such, the Border Patrol would not have been threatened by rocks flying over it. Had they been, the agents could have simply retreated as the suspected drug smugglers were long gone, having already scaled the barrier and back in Mexican territory.
That the agents did not evade the alleged threats and, instead, responded with deadly force is indicative of what has become an institutional way of life for the U.S. Border Patrol—and the "homeland security" apparatus in the borderlands more broadly. It is also illustrative of a pervasive worldview among federal authorities that casts the U.S.-Mexico border region as dangerous, and inherently so—as if the alleged dangers had nothing to do with the militarized infrastructure and practices of exclusion implemented by Washington.
José Antonio Elena Rodríguez is the second Mexican teenager shot by the U.S. Border Patrol in Nogales, Arizona, in less than two years. In January 2011, an agent fired into Mexico, killing Ramses Barron, 17, also allegedly for throwing rocks. According to the Los Angeles Times, at least 15 individuals—including unarmed and non-resisting migrants in federal custody—have died at the hands of U.S. border authorities since 2010.
Such levels of state violence—and impunity for such—are what typically characterize war zones and territories under occupation. In this regard, it is hardly a coincidence that occupied Palestine is also a place where alleged rock throwers are sometimes fired upon—in this case by the Israeli military—and killed.
Both Nicholas Ivie and José Antonio Elena Rodríguez died in the effort to stymie drug smuggling, as part of the "war on drugs," one component of the multifaceted conflict waged by Washington in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Their deaths and the shootings that caused them are tragic reminders that the "war" is actually not against narcotics, so much as it is against people—those actually involved in the illicit drug trade, those imagined to be, and those who just happen to be in the way of those charged with waging the war. And in the case of the borderlands—effectively defined by U.S. authorities as one of the epicenters of the militarized battle against drug trafficking—it is a war of sorts against the region and the communities within.
There is only one way out of the dead end that is multifaceted war (on drugs, crime, unauthorized migrants, and "terror") in the borderlands: put an end to the hostilities, beginning with a program of gradual de-escalation and demilitarization.
Just this week, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government of the Philippines signed a peace deal, ending decades of war. Meanwhile, in Oslo, Norway, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government are set to begin peace talks today in relation to their more than 50-year conflict. That the parties to such seemingly intractable wars have shown a willingness to negotiate with the goal of achieving just and peaceful coexistence provides hope that things can and will be far different someday in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
Special thanks to Murphy Woodhouse for generously sharing his analysis and on-the-ground research.
Statement from the Tucson Sector Communications Division, United States Border Patrol (emailed to the author on Oct. 15, 2012):
On October 10, 2012, U.S. Border Patrol agents in Nogales, Ariz., responded to reports of two suspected narcotics smugglers near West International Street and Hereford Drive at approx. 11:30 PM MT. Preliminary reports indicate that the agents observed the smugglers drop narcotics load on the U.S. side of the international boundary and flee back to Mexico. Subjects at the scene then began assaulting the agents with rocks. After verbal commands from agents to cease were ignored, one agent then discharged his service firearm. One of the subjects appeared to have been hit. Agents notified the Government of Mexico (GOM) and secured the scene. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is fully cooperating with the FBI-led investigation.
Update (Oct. 17, 2012): The Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) has learned that the U.S. government's Office of the Inspector General will conduct an investigation of various cases of brutality or use of excessive force by agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the parent agency of the Border Patrol. The SBCC press release revealing the probe is available here.
Also available on the SBCC website is an annotated list of individuals killed or brutalized by CBP agents since the beginning of 2010.
Finally, Pedro Rios of the American Friends Service Committee, a member organization of the SBCC, has written a very helpful analysis of the growing number of cases involving excessive and deadly use-of-force by CBP agents, with a focus on the most recent cases, including that of José Antonio Elena Rodríguez. His analysis is available here.
Joseph Nevins teaches geography at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Among his books are Dying to Live: A Story of U.S. Immigration in an Age of Global Apartheid (City Lights/Open Media, 2008) and Operation Gatekeeper and Beyond: The War on "Illegals" and the Remaking of the U.S.-Mexico Boundary (Routledge, 2010). For more from the Border Wars blog, visit nacla.org/blog/border-wars. Now you can follow it on Twitter @NACLABorderWars.


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The U.S. government is officially suing the state of North Carolina over its controversial, discriminatory "bathroom bill," which bars transgender residents from using public restrooms appropriate to their gender identity.
In announcing the lawsuit, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch gave a powerful speech invoking the state's segregationist past. "It was not so very long ago that states, including North Carolina, had signs above restrooms, water fountains, and on public accommodations keeping people out based upon a distinction without a difference," she said of the South's Jim Crow laws. "We have moved beyond those dark days, but not without pain and suffering and an ongoing fight to keep moving forward. Let us write a different story this time."
Then, in a surprising tag-team move, the Department of Education announced an additional decree calling on public schools across the United States to allow transgender students to access restrooms and locker rooms that are consistent with their gender identities. The guidelines also advocate other ways to ensure civil rights for transgender students, such as using their chosen name and preferred pronoun and allowing them on the sports teams that match their self-identified gender. Together, these moves put public school administrators nationwide on notice: Discrimination against transgender students violates federal civil rights law.
Denying transgender students equal treatment isn't simply discriminatory. It's also just plain ignorant of human biology.
Those who oppose equal rights for transgender people, for instance, often insist on enforcing a linkage between gender and "biological sex." Biology, it turns out, does indeed shape gender — just not in the way they think.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there's no convincing evidence that gender identity is either formed independently of hormonal influences or influenced by social environment after birth. On the contrary, there's overwhelming evidence that the behavioral expressions we identify as "gender" are formed inside the brain, in utero, as a result of the presence or lack of androgens.
This process occurs quite separately, and later in pregnancy, than the development of genitalia. Genitalia develop in the first half of pregnancy and begin producing sex hormones. In the second half of pregnancy, the brain is influenced by the varying types and amounts of hormones produced and absorbed. Thus gender variation occurs along a spectrum, to greater and lesser degrees matching the sexual organs.
It's also distinct from sexual orientation. Someone who identifies as transgender has the same likelihood of being straight, gay or bisexual as any other person.
In short, reproductive organs themselves don't define gender. The hormonal influence on brain structure does.
Further, Science magazine reports, more recent studies show us that most brains are "a mosaic of male and female structures." Indeed, very few brains — researchers estimate between 0 and 8 percent — are what we'd call "all female" or "all male." In other words, virtually none of us has a fully male or fully female brain.
Instead, we all have brains that have some degree of mismatch with the social and behavioral expectations we assign to our reproductive organs. Mismatch is the norm, not the exception.
For many of us who don't identify as transgender, the "mismatch" may be small. For other people, it may be sufficient to warrant a change in their gender markers. Still others may feel comfortable in many gender expressions, or none at all. Many people in this category call themselves genderqueer, or trans* with an asterisk, and may include intersex people. Some may need or desire medical intervention. All need affirmative legal policies to ensure their civil and human rights.
Ultimately what's between people's legs tells us little about their gender. Instead, we can only know gender according to how people self-identify.
Gender, like sexuality, doesn't exist as a binary — it exists as an arc. It's that simple, that beautiful, and that natural. And while society catches up with science, we need legal protections to stop discrimination and violence against people who identify or present as transgender, trans*, and genderqueer. Much of this violence is perpetrated most brutally against black, as well as poor, transgender girls and women.
Bathroom bills like North Carolina's, or laws requiring a transgender girl to be a boy in school, aren't just ignorant of biology — they're in opposition to what it means to be human. So rather than tell an old story of exclusion and oppression based on fictional understandings of biology — a "distinction without a difference," as the attorney general put it — let's stand up and tell the truth: Our gender identities belong inextricably to us.
And we all have the right to self-determination, the right to pee in peace, and the right to live free from discrimination and violence.


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10 Times K-Pop Idols' Actions Got So Out Of Control, Their Agency Had To Take Action
We all love it when our idols are being complete goofballs and showing their unique personalities, but sometimes their goofiness can get a little out of hand. In these cases, their agencies have had to step in and set things straight to keep their charges out of trouble. Whether or not it works is another story!
1. BIGBANG T.O.P's Instagram posts
If you've ever visited T.O.P's Instagram page you know that he can post some really weird things.
We mean really weird things!
Or pretty normal things with… interesting captions.
They've been so weird that YG Entertainment has had to step in on a couple of occasions and let everyone know that, no, his account wasn't hacked, and yes, he can be a pretty weird guy.
2. MONSTA X's livestream problem
A lot can go wrong during a livestream or something could be taken in a bad way. Like this livestream of MONSTA X.
It had many, many people wondering what was going on.
And Starship Entertainment decided to edit the video for any future viewers.
3. JYJ Jaejoong's speeches
Jaejoong had some major problems when he made his first debut with TVXQ. He would go off on long tangents and his thought process often had people scratching their heads.
So Jaejoong was pretty much told not to talk on television his first couple of years as an idol.
When that kind of backfired because people either thought he was creepy for not talking or he talked anyway, his company once again stepped in and allowed him to talk once more!
4. TWICE's never ending spoilers
Companies don't generally like it when idols give out spoilers for their comebacks unless they specifically want to release spoilers.
ดูความขี้สปอยด์ 55555 #TWICE #트와이스 #KNOCKKNOCK pic.twitter.com/Wwffo1iRJX
— PRIMWDF (@PC_VizaRD) February 1, 2017
So TWICE have gotten scolded on multiple occasions by their managers for giving hints about their next comebacks.
5. BTOB's porn talk
One time BTOB were scolded by their managers for talking about porn. Did that stop them? Nope! Instead, they talked about getting scolded even at the risk of further scoldings in the future.
6. BIGBANG Daesung's foolish looks
Daesung really let his wild side shine on Family Outing.
So much so that Yang Hyun Suk totally called him out for it and jabbed a little fun at Yoo Jae Suk while he was at it!
7. Girls' Generation being too hyper
Girls' Generation has always been brimming with the girls' hyper and wild personalities.
SM Entertainment once tried to tell them to tone it down. We're just not sure it really worked!
8. BTS Jin's condom controversy
Who doesn't remember when BTS's Jin was having a simple livestream…
When netizens noticed the king-sized condoms hiding in the background.
The whole incident gained so much attention that Big Hit Entertainment had to make an official statement that it was, in fact, a condom and that the group got it in their fan gifts!
9. BEAST's public actions
When BEAST debuted most of the boys had certain restrictions placed on them in public. Doojoon wasn't allowed to wear shorts.
Junhyung wasn't allowed to take off his sunglasses.
Hyunseung wasn't allowed to talk.
And Gikwang wasn't allowed to take off his clothes!
10. 4MINUTE Jiyoon's sunglasses snafu
BEAST wasn't the only group to have certain restrictions placed on them. 4MINUTE's Jiyoon was also told to keep her sunglasses on at all times!


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Salesforce Do.com Shows Task App PotentialSalesforce Do.com Shows Task App Potential
As social project and task management apps proliferate, Do.com wants to prove itself as a platform for building work-centric apps, starting with Do Deals and Do Contacts.
August 2, 2012
10 Social Acquisitions Signify Bigger Trends
10 Social Acquisitions Signify Bigger Trends (click image for larger view and for slideshow)
The first focused business application from Do.com turns out to be a CRM app--just nothing like parent company Salesforce.com's vision of customer relationship management.
Do.com is a personal and business productivity application based on Salesforce's acquisition of Manymoon in February 2011. Since then, Do has been quietly building a user base on a free version of the service, which organizes projects, tasks, and related notes and documents. The software has changed, but Do is still pursuing Manymoon's original vision, said Sean Whiteley, senior VP and general manager of Do.com. "They want to be the Facebook of productivity." Do's first apps built on that foundation, Do Deals and Do Contacts, are entering a private beta test--see the priority signup link for readers of InformationWeek and The BrainYard. [ Are these on your to-do list? The Enterprise 2.0 Backlog: 100 Ideas.] Do Deals is "our first focused app," Whiteley said. "Up until now, we've tried to keep Do generic so you can use it for anything you want to work on." The Deals app arose from the observation that one of the more common uses people found for Do was to organize CRM-like processes, such as tracking deals or tasks like following up with contacts and preparing proposals. Do Deals is unlikely to compete with Salesforce.com CRM, he said. "It's super simple to use, but it's not going to work for really large organizations. This is more like the one- to four-person company. That's a new market for Salesforce, which has been designed to solve the most complicated sales problems on the planet." In other words, if yours is a company where the people selling the product are the same people making the product, packing the product, and taking it to the post office, Do Deals could be a perfect solution. Do Contacts is a contact organizer that works with your business contacts as well as your social media contacts, through integrations with those services (initially Google and Facebook contacts). Deals, Contacts, and some other add-ons Do is starting to introduce to meet larger organizations' administrative needs will probably the first products Do charges for. The details have not been worked out, but, for example, Do will probably put a limit on the number of Deals you can manage before graduating to a paid version of the tool, Whiteley said. Operating like a startup in its own offices apart from the Salesforce.com mothership, the Do team completely rebuilt Manymoon's software following the acquisition, rewriting it in Ruby on Rails hosted on Heroku, Salesforce.com's application-hosting service. That put Do in the Salesforce cloud but also set it distinctly apart from the Force.com architecture Salesforce promotes as the foundation for business applications. Instead, Do has been built on a more consumer-application model, where the needs of the individual user come first and the needs of the organization follow. Do is meant to be a productivity tool just as suited to planning a house renovation or a dinner party as to planning a software project or a product launch. That required a different software and database architecture, which is user-based, whereas Salesforce.com is organization-based, Whiteley said. In contrast with collaboration applications designed around an organization or an email domain, Do lets you mix and match coworkers with Facebook or email contacts as you make assignments or post follow-up notes. Do is also mobile-friendly, with an HTML5 user interface, an iPhone app, and an Android app on the way. Integration with the Salesforce platform is (so far) limited to single sign-on. The initial release of Do Contacts integrates with Facebook and Google but puts Salesforce.com contact integration on the "coming soon" list, along with Twitter. An integration with Chatter is also in the works. Although Do makes few pretentions to be considered an enterprise system at this stage, Whiteley said there are scenarios where a big organization can manage distinct tasks in Do. For example, Salesforce.com CRM users might pull out specific tasks like organizing a customer briefing. Do includes the concept of project templates (also seen in competing products like Sparqlite), making it possible to start with a predefined series of tasks and translate them into specific assignments. Although Do fits a trend of social software applications for organizing work, also including startups like Asana, Whiteley insists it's more than "just another task app." Do has also been carefully architected to be a platform, not just a standalone task management system. That means developing REST-based application programming interfaces (APIs) for every function first (although those APIs are not yet public) and software that uses those functions later, Whiteley said. Do also favors doing businesses with social networks and other Web services built around standards such as REST and OAuth, he said. One reason LinkedIn isn't on Do's list of social software integration partners is that its APIs are more complex, providing limited access to the social graph, Whiteley said. Users can export their contacts from LinkedIn and import them into Do, but that's not as slick as the API integrations that pull in live contact data from another service, eliminating the need for synchronization, he said. Early customers include Shea Homes of Portland, Ore., which has been using Do to coordinate the tasks related to building and selling homes at its 3,000 home Trilogy at Rio Vista community in Northern California, and School of Rock, which used Do to create project templates for opening a new school.
The new Do Deals app organizes tasks related to winning, closing, and pricing a sales deal.
The basic Do.com Task list Follow David F. Carr on Twitter @davidfcarr. The BrainYard is @thebyard and facebook.com/thebyard Every company needs a social networking policy, but don't stifle creativity and productivity with too much formality. Also in the debut, all-digital Social Media For Grownups issue of The BrainYard: The proper tools help in setting social networking policy for your company and ensure that you'll be able to follow through. (Free with registration.)
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Red Tree Gallery and Coffee Shop, just around the corner from the new studio. Yeah, he's pretty good.
And lastly, my friend Kara just informed me that one of the monsters was included in an Etsy Finds collection on their blog and daily email. WHAT? The crazy thing is, my other friend Olivia from Palette Theory has an item in the same collection! I think she is the only other person I know with an etsy shop. There are only like a gazillion different items on etsy- what are the odds of that?? See it here. (Scroll down to the bottom.)


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Wall Street's 9 Worst Bets Ever: From Nick Leeson to JPMorgan
1. Nick Leeson, Barings Bank
Bad bets by Nick Leeson, the original rogue trader, led to $1.4 billion in losses for Barings Bank, helping to sink the 233-year-old firm in 1995. Leeson's unauthorized trades initially earned handsome profits, but once the tide began to turn Leeson found himself trying in vain to cover his losses through a web of increasingly risky bets. His spectacular failures ultimately netted him 6.5 years in a gang-infested Singapore prison, and led to the demise of a firm so old that it funded the Napoleanic wars, and even helped facilitate the Louisiana Purchase.
[Exclusive Interview With Nick Leeson: An Inside Look at Rogue Trading]
As the Senior Editor of Advanced Trading, Justin Grant plays a key role in steering the magazine's coverage of the latest issues affecting the buy-side trading community. Since joining Advanced Trading in 2010, Grant's news analysis has touched on everything from the latest ... View Full Bio


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The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today released the highest life expectancy estimates ever recorded in Australia.
Director of ABS Demography, Bjorn Jarvis, said that today's Deaths, Australia, 2011 publication showed that life expectancy figures continued to increase over the ten year period ending 2011.
"Under current estimates, a boy born today could expect to live 79.7 years while a girl could expect to live 84.2. A male currently aged 65 could expect to live a further 19 years and female a further 22 years," Mr Jarvis said.
"Comparatively Australia is doing really well, our male and female combined life expectancy figure of 81.4 years is higher than the rate in the UK, Canada, New Zealand and the USA according to United Nations estimates.
"Of the states and territories, life expectancy is highest in the Australian Capital Territory with 81 for males and 84.8 for females and lowest in the Northern Territory with 74.9 for males and 80.5 for females," he said.
The standardised death rate is the lowest ever recorded, falling to 5.6 deaths per 1,000 people in 2011 from 6.6 in 2001.
"We have seen death rates fall by around 1 person per 1,000 over the last ten years with falls recorded for both males and females," Mr Jarvis said.
There were 146,900 deaths registered in Australia in 2011, a record high number.
Further details are in Deaths, Australia, 2011 (cat. no. 3302.0). State, territory and sub-state information is also available for download from the ABS website (www.abs.gov.au)
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Summer 2023 Lock Haven Wrestling Camp
Latest NewsAll News
Start with Hello Week
September 15 Social Media Posting
Dear Solanco Families, On Friday, September 15th, we were made aware of a social media threat about a school shooting. The threat did not name a specific school district or […]
Solanco Named a 2023 "Best Communities for Music Education"
For the second consecutive year, the Solanco School District has been named one of the Best Communities for Music Education. This award, sponsored by the National Association of Music Merchants […]


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Last week I was invited to Hengshui Hu in Hebei Province by officials from the German government-owned development bank, KfW. In partnership with the Hengshui Hu nature reserve and Hengshui University, KfW is beginning a project to support the sustainable management of this impressive wetland which, as well as supporting breeding populations of Reed Parrotbill, Blunt-winged Warbler and Schrenck's Bittern, happens to be the most important known site for the 'Critically Endangered' BAER'S POCHARD (BP).
I arrived at Hengshui Hu on the afternoon of 7 March and spent the last two hours of daylight checking the southern part of the lake. I recorded a minimum of 42 BPs as well as 21 Ferruginous Duck, at least 2,300 Coot, a handful of Smew and 2 Common Mergansers. However, as the light faded, I could see distant rafts of birds on the water in the more northerly part of the lake and I wondered what the morning would bring. On the short drive back to the hotel I was pleasantly surprised to see a banner with a large photograph of Baer's Pochard draped over the road on the western side of the lake – public awareness!
I'd arranged to meet Guido and Matthias from KfW and Dr Wu Dayong of Hengshui University the following morning at 0630 for a survey. As we began our walk along the causeway, we were treated to a wonderful morning with little wind, a temperature hovering around freezing and beautiful clear blue skies. Perfect conditions. It wasn't long before we were encountering small groups of BP and, in the ideal conditions, we enjoyed some superb views of males and females.
As we walked further we began to see some larger groups and, before we had even walked half of the causeway, our count was well over 200. Soon after a stunning encounter with some of the local Reed Parrotbills, Guido and Matthias reluctantly had to leave to attend a meeting as I continued my walk.
About an hour and a half later I met Dr Wu at the southern end of the causeway having counted 308 BPs, a new record for the site, eclipsing the 293 recorded by Paul Holt and Dr Li Qingxin on 9 December 2016. An additional 5 birds were presumed BP x Ferruginous Duck hybrids (some video of females and presumed hybrids can be seen here).
After lunch with KfW and the nature reserve staff I held a short identification workshop with the nature reserve staff focusing on how to distinguish BP from the superficially similar, at least in female, immature and eclipse plumages, Ferruginous Duck. I hope to be able to provide some more support over the next few weeks to help the staff begin regular monitoring of the birds at this important site.
On the 4-hour journey home I began to think about the future of BP. With two groups of Beijing-based scientists and conservationists, led by Dr Wu Lan and Dr Li Qingxin, already researching BP's ecology and population dynamics, the creation of an international Baer's Pochard Task Force, a new project at Hengshui Hu involving both local and international experts that will help take into account biodiversity in the management of the reserve, a clear understanding by the nature reserve staff and local academics of the importance of Hengshui Hu to BP, their willingness to begin regular bird monitoring, signs of public engagement and a record site count of BPs, I began to smile. Of course there is a long way to go to slow, halt and reverse the decline in the population of Baer's Pochard but it appears some of the key building blocks are beginning to be put in place.


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4 Things to Get Right in Fast Growth Markets
As chief executives in the US scour the world for growth, they find the largest opportunities in some of the youngest markets. The fastest growing continent in the world is Africa, a two trillion dollar market where a third of the countries are growing at an annual rate of six percent or more. Here's how to get one's investment in fast-growing markets right.


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Monday morning and all I can do is daydream of medieval cities, stone alleys and old palazzos. Domus Civita is most certainly to blame for that! For I've spent a little too many moments browsing through its pages, drooling over the images of this divine place and projecting myself into its spaces.
Domus Civita is an old house in the medieval city of Civita di Bagnoregio, recently undergone a great restoration and transformed into a luxurious, modern home, capable of hosting up to 8 guests into its comfortable and relaxing rooms. More to it, there is a traditional Italian garden with an old fountain, an underground pool in a cave and a wine cellar in an old roman water cistern.
Please tell me, are you not tempted yet?
P.s. Another impressive hotel in Italy.
Images via Domus Civita.


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One Avenue de Lafayette
Boston, MA 02111
Discover the city's downtown destination, Hyatt Regency Boston, where luxury and convenience collide. Steps from Boston's most desirable area-attractions such as the Boston Common, Faneuil Hall, and Boston's famous shopping destination, Newbury Street, the hotel sits at the edge of the city's excitement. Tour the Freedom Trail, visit the Museum of Fine Arts, or catch a game at historic Fenway Park, all just minutes from Hyatt Regency Boston.
Experience Boston's exhilarating 24-hour neighborhood and burgeoning restaurant scene that includes our casually chic restaurant, Avenue One. Stay energized in the StayFit Gym . Convenient to the Theater District, the Financial District and attached to Macy's for convenient shopping, our downtown Hyatt hotel is also a 10 to 15 minute walk to the South End, Back Bay, the Charles River Esplandade, and is connected to the "T," Boston's mass transit system.
Bring your most important business functions to Hyatt Regency Boston. Perfect for your downtown meeting or event, our luxury Boston hotel features 30,000 square feet of elegant and flexible function space with innovative audiovisual equipment, hotel-wide Wi-Fi access and creative catering menus. With a combination of award-winning service and custom amenities, Hyatt Regency Boston is the premier hotel for business and leisure travelers. Expect the best at Hyatt Regency Boston, where we make for easy, productive and stylish travels.


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The APC Women's Rights Programme will be present at the fifty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10-21 March 2014. Representatives of member states, UN entities and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organisations from all regions of the world will attend the session.
This year's priority is "Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls." The review theme is "Access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women's equal access to full employment and decent work, from the 54th session of the CSW."
The active participation of non-governmental organisations is a critical element in the work of the CSW due to its influence in shaping the current global policy framework on women's empowerment and gender equality. Notable outputs include the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and it continues to play an important role in holding international and national leaders accountable for the commitments they made in the Beijing agreement.
More information about the event:
Draft agreed conclusions – Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls
2014 agenda for the 58th session
You can follow the webcasts live or on demand via the CSW webpage or the United Nations Webcast at http://webtv.un.org/
You can also follow @UN_CSW on Twitter and to join the Twitter conversation using #CSW58 to share information about your own events.
More about WRP at previous sessions of the CSW:
- APC Statement to the CSW 57th Session: Violence against women and information and communications technology
- Technology and violence against women @ CSW57th: 'Both NGOs and states raised this as an issue of concern'
- VAW that is committed, abetted or aggravated through the use of ICTs and in online spaces are part of the continuum of violence .
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Debian Security Advisory
DSA-2729-1 openafs -- several vulnerabilities
- Date Reported:
- 28 Jul 2013
- Affected Packages:
- openafs
- Vulnerable:
- Yes
- Security database references:
- In Mitre's CVE dictionary: CVE-2013-4134, CVE-2013-4135.
- More information:
OpenAFS, the implementation of the distributed filesystem AFS, has been updated to no longer use DES for the encryption of tickets. Additional migration steps are needed to fully set the update into effect. For more information please see the upstream advisory: OPENAFS-SA-2013-003
In addition the
encryptoption to the
vostool was fixed.
For the oldstable distribution (squeeze), these problems have been fixed in version 18.104.22.168+dfsg-4+squeeze2.
For the stable distribution (wheezy), these problems have been fixed in version 1.6.1-3+deb7u1.
For the unstable distribution (sid), these problems have been fixed in version 1.6.5-1.
We recommend that you upgrade your openafs packages.