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What makes a good coffeehouse? It's more than just good coffee; with an hour's practice, you can prepare a world-class cup at home. And it's not free Wi-Fi or great baked goods or art on the walls. All those things are nice, but not essential. A truly fine cafe should, with its location, decor, clientele and general attitude, make everyone who enters its doors seem hipper and clearer of mind. It should do for the spirit what a double espresso does for the brain. It should make you sharp. It's an ineffable quality, one that cannot be measured by conventional metrics, so we're going with an unconventional one. We've rated these 14 new cafes on the same scale Aaron Mesh has devised for rating movies: 1 to 100, out of all the coffee shops, everywhere. It is subjective and a little irrational; it is also infallible.
64 Aliviar Coffeehouse
1737 NE 42nd Ave., 954-1091, aliviarcoffee.com. 6:45 am-5 pm Monday-Friday, 7:45 am-5 pm Saturday-Sunday.
As I squeezed into a window-side seat at Aliviar, I nearly landed in the lap of the white-haired fellow at the neighboring table. Aliviar is teensy-tiny, and tables and chairs are packed tightly together. This is not a place for clandestine conversation. But it is the kind of friendly and welcoming neighborhood haunt where, seconds after sitting down, you're learning Czech phrases and sauerkraut recipes from the patrons around you. Aliviar offers strong, single-origin coffee roasted by Olympia's Batdorf & Bronson and Oakland's Roast. The food selection is nothing special, but the eclectic (and slightly baffling) art collection—including a photograph of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, an ad soliciting donations for Afghan freedom fighters battling the Soviet Union, and a tapestry of Our Lady of Guadalupe—should keep you plenty occupied. REBECCA JACOBSON.
90 Barista Alberta
1725 NE Alberta St., 208-2568, baristapdx.com, 6 am-6 pm Monday-Friday, 7 am-6 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Unlike its flagship Pearl location, which is all industrial-chic brick walls and exposed beams and women in yoga pants, Barista's second location, which opened on Northeast Alberta Street in early 2010, feels like a 19th-century British hunting den. Dark wood paneling, mounted bucks' heads, apothecary jars, flocked wallpaper and leather booths—it'll either make you gag on your single-origin macchiato or swoon. The first cafe had a bit of a reputation for uninviting coffee snobbery, but although "flocked wallpaper" is probably setting off a few red lights, this location manages to be far warmer and every bit the community coffeehouse. Customers can still choose from an ever-changing lineup of specialty coffees from around Portland and the U.S. (even the odd international guest); the $9 vac-pots are absent, but espresso is served with the same anal attention to perfection as ever. Notably, this location also offers an equally well-curated lineup of local beers on tap—it's only open until 6 pm, but still a jolly nice spot for an afternoon tipple. RUTH BROWN.
74 Cafe Eleven
435 NE Rosa Parks Way, 954-1375. 7 am-3:30 pm Monday-Friday, 8 am-3:30 pm Saturday-Sunday.
The 5 miles between Northeast Alberta Street and St. Johns are marked by the occasional cafe, patiently grinding coffee beans and toasting bagels in the North Portland quietude. Cafe Eleven is a new addition to this archipelago of coffee outposts, along with Posies, GrindHouse Coffee, and Red E Cafe. Just off Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and a few blocks south of North Lombard Street, Cafe Eleven fills one half of a converted residential duplex—a nice alternative to the austerity of Portland's contemporary cafe culture. Until the start of 2011 the house was solely occupied by Florio Bakery, which still bakes in the left part of the building and stocks Cafe Eleven with tasty treats. The beans are supplied by Portland's Trailhead Coffee Roasters, and though the Altiplano French Roast I tried lacked complexity, it was brewed well and yielded an excellent cup of joe. RACHAEL DEWITT.
79 Cafe Velo
600 SW Pine St., 719-0287, cafe-velo.com. 7:30 am-5 pm Monday-Friday.
A longtime Portland Farmers Market vendor, Cafe Velo opened a comically tiny shop in the shadow of Big Pink just over a year ago. There's no indoor seating or even an espresso machine in the subway tile and chalkboard-appointed space—this is a strictly drip establishment—but there are Mediterranean-inspired flatbread sandwiches (falafel with roasted peppers, chicken za'atar with saffron yogurt sauce) and more complicated specials (tagines and paellas). Whatever's in the press pot will be good ($1.75 for a 10-ounce cup), but for another 50 cents you can take your pick of drip-to-order beans from a bewildering variety of local coffee roasters, including Stumptown, Heart, Trailhead and even tiny operations like Sterling and Greyhound. Unless you're willing to brave bus-mall fumes at Velo's sidewalk tables, you'll have to get your order to go, so give a hoot and bring your own cup. BEN WATERHOUSE.
75 Caffe Vita
2909 NE Alberta St., 954-2171, caffevita.com, 6 am-8 pm Monday-Friday, 7 am-8 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Despite years of speculation that Seattle roaster Caffe Vita would be opening its own outlet in Portland, and persistent rumors of bad blood with Stumptown, when it finally, quietly took over Concordia Coffee House on Alberta late last year, the local response was barely more than a shrug. Almost five months later, there's still not a lot happening there. The large, echoey space remains sparse, save for a few couches and tables and a cabinet of merchandise. If I hadn't known they moved in so long ago, I'd have guessed it was last week. On offer is espresso, press pot or cold brew, although an epic old siphon lurking in the background suggested this might expand. The roaster boasts a lengthy menu of take-home beans, but the cafe offers only one on any given day. The Sulawesi available during our visit was bold, clean and sweet, and served with a smile, but hopefully if and when the cafe starts offering manually brewed coffee, the menu will be opened up to showcase the full range the company has to offer. This is clearly still a work in progress; the cafe received a beer and wine license last year and word is that it's going to start roasting there, too. Until then, there's no great reason to visit this lonely little coffeehouse, unless you really can't be bothered walking three blocks to the more inviting surrounds of Extracto. RUTH BROWN.
90 Cloud Seven Cafe
901 NW 10 Ave., 336-1335, cloudsevencafe.com. 7 am-6 pm Monday-Friday, 8 am-6 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Don't let the extensive menu and posh decor fool you—Cloud 7 is first and foremost a coffee shop. They're damn good at it, too. The baristas do justice to the beans (from Chicago-based Intelligentsia, the Stumptown of the Midwest), and they're big on pour-over—you'll never get a stale brew. Tao of Tea, mimosas, wine, seasonal draft beer and smoothies are some of the other beverages available in addition to breakfast, lunch and tapas. The space is proportional to the menu—about three times the size of an average Portland cafe—but, almost one year in, the many tables are starting to fill. RACHAEL DEWITT.
73 Coffee Division
3551 SE Division St.,
coffeedivision.com, 7 am-5 pm daily.
Coffee Division, which opened in early February, has leapt onto the already crowded pour-over bandwagon—but this white-walled, airy cafe does it without pretension. Sure, there's ceremony to the act, as baristas use a delicate, long-necked Japanese kettle to pour hot water over a ceramic filter cone (also Japanese-made), but they're unhurried and unassuming about it. The method leads to a clean, bitterness-free brew, with no need for cream to cut the bite. Coffee Division's light-bathed space is spare but welcoming, with potted plants on recessed, ceiling-level ledges and understated art on the walls. Pair your java (made from Stumptown beans) with a zingy, flaky orange ginger scone (one of many toothsome baked goods from Crema on offer), take a seat at a wooden table and watch the Division Street traffic putter by. REBECCA JACOBSON.
84 Courier Coffee
923 SW Oak St., 545-6444, couriercoffeeroasters.com. 7 am-5 pm Monday-Friday.
This very small roaster, which began in a garage and still delivers exclusively by bike, wasted little time in taking over Half & Half's storefront when the beloved sandwich shop closed last year. The remodeled space resembles a one-fifth scale model of the 3rd Avenue Stumptown, without the slightly menacing air of hipness. Owner Joel Domreis serves espresso drinks and drip-to-order coffee (he uses gold filters, not the usual Melitta disposables), sometimes in Mason jars, from behind a lovely hardwood bar with a heavy coat of nautical varnish. There's vintage hip-hop on the turntable and friends' art on the walls, the vanilla syrup is made on-site and the beans are never more than three days from roasting. Don't miss house baker Leala Humbert's excellent cake—it's dreamy. BEN WATERHOUSE.
83 Oui Presse
1740 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 384-2160, oui-presse.com. 7 am-6 pm Monday-Friday, 7 am-5 pm Saturday-Sunday.
A newsstand, ceramics gallery, bakery and coffee shop, Oui Presse holds a lot of allure for inner-Hawthorne cafe-goers. Since it opened in December, sparsely furnished and bare-walled, the cafe has evolved into a charming hideout from the rain, with good eats, drinks and reads. The beans are the same Stumptown blend you'll find everywhere, but Oui Presse delivers a French press and espresso pull of uncommon quality. Shelves bulging with magazines line two walls of the shop, and carry titles ranging from Harper's to Opera to Vogue in three languages. Owner Shawna McKeown (formerly WW's associate publisher) has been blogging her experiences as cafe owner and discusses additions to the shop. She bakes the chocolate-chip cookies and coffee cake, and Ken's Artisan Bakery supplies the toast and croissants, making Oui Presse one of the only spots on the east side to serve Ken's. RACHAEL DEWITT.
82 Public Domain
603 SW Broadway, 243-6374, publicdomaincoffee.com, 6 am-7 pm Monday-Friday, 7 am-7 pm Saturday-Sunday.
No, the name does not mean your Americano is open source—although the downtown location, which used to be the couch-filled late-night street-kid hangout Portland Coffee House, gets its share of freeloaders still. (You know that guy who paints his face bright blue? He knows when there's an excess pour to be had.) Newly immaculate, with white walls that may remind former customers of THX 1138 and first-time visitors of an Apple store, Public Domain is now the public face of longtime wholesale roaster Coffee Bean International, and a handsome face it is, if a little antiseptic. The coffee's excellent: The pour-over is a precisely choreographed floor show, and the direct-trade Peruvian blend my show produced was smooth, with a harvest-festival taste. There's a happy hour with $1 espresso shots twice a week, plus a pastry case where you'll find a $2.50 pumpkin-zucchini muffin that will, like the former owner's hippie tchotchkes, magically vanish. AARON MESH.
71 Spunky Monkey Coffee
35 NE 20th Ave., 234-1660, monkeyroasters.com. 7 am-4 pm Monday-Friday, 8 am-3 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Bring your own recorded music to this Kerns neighborhood shop. Not only will you hear yourself over the speakers during your regular morning coffee run, but you will get 10 free coffees for contributing to the "95 percent local" soundtrack. Gray Nieland of Monkey Roasters encourages über-local everything, from the music he plays at the shop to the coffee he roasts in Sellwood and the chickens he raises for sandwiches. The best part of this little hole-in-the-wall? The staff loathes refined sugar. Spunky uses sugar substitutes of the natural kind—stevia, agave and a bitter, housemade chocolate mix come standard in the shop's custom mochas and sweets, and it's offered up at the counter as well. Be sure to check out the plastic drum machine in the restroom—it's never too early to rock. NIKKI VOLPICELLI.
86 Water Avenue Coffee
1028 SE Water Ave., 808-7084, wateravenuecoffee.com. 7 am-5 pm Monday-Friday, 8 am-5 pm Saturday, 9 am-3 pm Sunday.
Half the third-wave houses in Portland are piggybacking on pour-over cups—hell, the other day a Starbucks barista asked me if I wouldn't mind waiting five extra minutes for this innovative new technology—but at inner-Eastside industrial outpost Water Avenue the glass cones and Chemex carafes are lined up gleaming three in a row, at the front of the gleaming wood counter, under the gleaming neon-blue coffee sign. It's as if the place were the soundstage for a mod '60s movie, with pour-over coffee as the starlet instead of Marilyn Monroe. The coffee will certainly blow your skirt up: Roasted on-site in a 1974 Samiac machine imported from the Swiss Alps, Water's nine blends are richly gobsmacking even if you don't succumb to the allure of the individually brewed mug. AARON MESH.
WWeek 2015


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Chess Wizards in Huge Online Sorcery Feud
They say bickering intensifies as stakes diminish; this helps explain the enmity engulfing the U.S. Chess Federation. A struggle over board seats turned into a flurry of lawsuits, all rooted in the following obscene and allegedly faked internet postings.
The federation last weekend voted to eject two board members, sometime women's chess champion Susan Polgar and her husband, Paul Truong, according to an overview of the fracas in the New York Times. Polgar's lawyer has promised to try and block the decision, via the same court hearings where his client stands accused by the federation of stealing board members' email messages.
Those messages, in turn, concerned another court case alleging computer fraud by Polgar, in which she and her husband allegedly impersonated former board member Samuel Sloan on internet chess newsgroups. The federation has also sued to remove Polgar and Truong from its board; the couple in turn has sued the federation for libel, slander and business disparagement.
Sloan has presented evidence in his New York suit that Polgar and Truong created messages in his name and in the names of others, designed to undermine his bid to get re-elected to the federation board. Their purported motive was to consolidate their power over the federation and its $3.3 million annual budget.
Low stakes indeed, but the online campaign was ruthless. Again, Sam Sloan has said he did not write these posts, drawn from his lawsuit in New York and the federation suit in Illinois:
Polgar and Truong are also accused of posting under the names of other federation members:

subset: commoncrawl


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The first professional tennis tournament I ever went to – or professional sporting event of any kind – was the 2002 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University in Palo Alto. My dad and I drove from my Grandma's house in nearby San Jose for an evening session featuring Lindsay Davenport and Anna Kournikova, and my giddy 16-year-old self mistook all the well dressed 20-something guys in the crowd to be Bay Area gays. It wasn't until later on in life that I realized they were all just metro straight guys there to watch Kournikova. A boy can dream.
The following night, I ventured to Stanford on my own, scoring a second-row ticket for the evening session that featured Monica Seles and Kim Clijsters on two separate courts. But before I went into the stadium, I took to the grounds, milling about and taking in the sights and the sounds of the tour that I had long dreamed of in my back alley as a kid.
While walking along the corridor of sponsor booths, I felt someone's hand press against my side gently, and as I turned to see who it was, a large man pushed his way past be. I turned back around to try to understand why he had put his hand on my side, and realized he was escorting a well-known tennis gal through the crowd: Kournikova.
In the time that I realized what had happened, the moment was gone, and Kournikova – cap pulled tightly over her face – made her way through the crowd with little notice, thanks to the shadow the large bodyguard was casting over her.
My run-in with Marat Safin this week reminded me of my first tennis bump-in eight years ago. It also got me wondering: Which tennis player would you like to bump into in a casual setting the most? The least? Let us know in the comments section.


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Christian Radio Host James Dobson Wins Health Care Injunction
DENVER (AP) — Christian radio broadcaster James Dobson has won a temporary injunction preventing the federal government from requiring his ministry to include the morning-after pill and other emergency contraception in its health insurance.
A federal judge in Denver issued the injunction Thursday.
Dobson sued in December, saying the Affordable Care Act mandate to provide the contraception violates the religious beliefs of his Colorado Springs-based ministry, called Family Talk.
The U.S. Supreme Court is considering similar challenges from Hobby Lobby and other employers.
Dobson is founder and president of Family Talk, which has a nationally syndicated radio show, newsletter and website. The lawsuit says the ministry has 28 full-time employees.
He's best known as founder of the conservative Focus on the Family ministry. He left that group and launched Family Talk in 2010.
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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Devart has recently announced the release of the new versions of dotConnect Data Providers, the database connectivity solutions built over ADO.NET architecture and development frameworks with a number of innovative technologies. Devart ADO.NET Data Providers product line includes high performance data providers for major databases and offer a complete solution for developing database-related applications and web sites. Devart dotConnect provides support for ADO.NET Entity Framework and LinqConnect. LinqConnect is the Devart ORM solution, closely compatible with the Microsoft LINQ to SQL, while extending its functionality with its own features.
With new versions of dotConnect ADO.NET Data providers - dotConnect for Oracle 6.00, dotConnect for MySQL 6.00, dotConnect for PostgreSQL 5.00, and dotConnect for SQLite 3.00 – Devart continues to introduce innovative approaches for ORM model designing and considerably improves the runtime of LinqConnect.
The functionality of LinqConnect ORM was extended by the following:
Now LinqConnect supports Batch Update for DML statements execution on SubmitChanges call, which improves performance of update operations.
New kind of inheritance hierarchy was supported. In addition to Table Per Hierarchy support Table per Type is supported now.
LinqConnect package now includes the new templates for ASP.NET Dynamic Data projects, that allows creation ASP.NET Dynamic Data applications using LinqConnect.
Upgraded LinqConnect ORM supports Parallel LINQ, which offers performance improvements for your applications, using LinqConnect.
Visual Studio Debugger Visualizer was added to LinqConnect to improve readability of SQL code, generated for your LINQ queries, while debugging your application.
Entity Developer, that is containing in dotConnect Data Providers, allows developing LINQ to SQL and Entity Framework models based on different database engines. Now it provides advanced Model First support and Update model from database functionality:
Model-First approach implementation in Entity Developer offers automatic synchronization of mapping and storage part with the conceptual part of the model and easy to use wizards for synchronizing database with the model.
Synchronizing Database with the Model
Entity Developer offers you two options for creating database based on your model. You may either generate a create script, that creates a new database, or use Update to Database Wizard that synchronizes an existing database with the model. This wizard makes only necessary changes to the database and retain the data if possible. Even changes inside entity are detected and resulted in ALTER statements, the table doesn't need to be dropped and created again. The wizard displays the tree of the changed objects and their changes, allowing you to choose which database objects need to be synchronized with the model, specify the renamed objects, etc.
Mapping Synchronization
When automatic mapping synchronization is enabled, changes to the conceptual model are automatically applied to its mapping and storage part. For example, when you add a class to the conceptual part, a corresponding table is created in the storage part, and the class is automatically mapped to this table. Even the most complex conceptual part changes are supported - complex types, many-to-many associations, complex hierarchies. All these changes can be automatically reflected in the storage part. However you may make manual changes to the storage part, and they will be preserved when editing conceptual part.
Update From Database Wizard allows synchronizing your model with the database for Entity Framework and LinqConnect in a fast and convenient way. Unlike standard Visual Studio Update Wizard, Entity Developer Update From Database Wizard tries to preserve manual changes to the model where possible. The wizard detects all the database changes that can affect the model, e.g. created and deleted tables and views, their columns and foreign keys, column datatype changes, created and deleted stored procedures and functions, changes to their parameters etc.
Pricing and Availability
We offer a free Express edition for each product from the dotConnect product line.
A Single license price starts from as little as $99.95, and you can always choose the edition that matches your needs best.
To learn more, download trial and free editions or order a license please visit Devart site:
About Devart
Devart is a software development company with 11 years of experience on the software market and over 20 thousands of devoted users.
We specialize in providing comprehensive development and management tools as well as native connectivity solutions for the most popular databases, including Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, InterBase, Firebird, and SQLite.
For additional information about Devart, visit www.devart.com/company/
This post has been migrated from a previous version of the PostgreSQL website. We apologise for any formatting issues caused by the migration.


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The King is Back!
Cocked, loaded and ready for action, Duke delivers epic ass-kicking, massive weapons, giant explosions and pure unadulterated fun!
Put on your shades and step into the boots of Duke Nukem. The alien hordes are invading and only Duke can save the world. Pig cops, alien shrink rays and enormous alien bosses can't stop this epic hero from accomplishing his goal: to save the world, save the babes and to be a bad-ass while doing it.
The King arrives with an arsenal of over-the-top weapons, non-stop action, and unprecedented levels of interactivity. With hours and hours of action, and a range of bodacious multiplayer modes, rest assured knowing the fun goes on and on.
Did the Alien bastards not learn their lesson the first time? Duke has been on hiatus for some time now, kicking back and franchising himself on the fame he gained from saving Earth from the first invasion. The Aliens have returned to Earth yet again, messing up Duke's sweet routine of dirty leisure habits.
The Alien invaders are stealing Earth's women, especially the hot ones! And they drank Duke's beer. This. Won't. Stand. As Duke battles his way through waves of aliens, the once beautiful gambling haven and Duke Nukem franchise chains are crumbling before his eyes. Time to bring the pain!
- Bust a Gut: Duke pulls no punches. Duke's constant stream of hilarious one-liners throughout the game make this an out loud good time.
- World Interactivity: Spend as much time as you want shooting hoops, lifting weights, playing pinball, pool, air hockey, and slots.
- Scale & Variety: Packed with explosive FPS action, outlandish settings, driving, and puzzle solving — gamers will never tire of the endless FUN.
- Multiplayer Like No Other: Classic modes are re-made with a Duke twist. Shrink, squash, freeze and shatter your opponents, or just frag them with a rocket.
Game Info
- Genre: Action
- Publisher: 2K
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Year: 2011
Duke Nukem Forever System Requirements
- OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.0 Ghz
- Memory: 1 Gb
- Hard Disk Space: 10 Gb free
- Video Memory: 256 MB
- Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
- OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4 Ghz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.6 Ghz
- Memory: 2GB
- Hard Disk Space: 10 Gb free
- Video Memory: 512 MB
- Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS / ATI Radeon HD 3850
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible


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|Protesters suround two police officers during demonstrations Sunday, Jan. 19, against new anti-protest laws in Kiev.
A group of young masked demonstrators attacked a cordon of police with sticks and tried to overturn a bus blocking their way to the parliament building after opposition politicians called on people to disregard the new legislation.
Despite appeals from opposition leaders not to resort to violence, and a personal intervention from boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko, protesters continued to throw smoke bombs and hurl fireworks and other objects at police.
The police appeared to show restraint during that fracas. The Interior Ministry said 30 police were hurt, including more than 10 admitted to hospital and four in serious condition.
A spokeswoman for Klitschko tweeted that President Viktor Yanukovich had agreed to meet Klitschko immediately at the presidential residence outside Kiev, although there was no confirmation from Yanukovich's side.
Klitschko later tweeted that the president had agreed to set up a committee on Monday to settle the political crisis.
As tensions continued into the night, police used water cannons against demonstrators gathered near the parliament building and the heavily protected government headquarters, eyewitnesses said.
Earlier, some distance away from the clashes, up to 100,000 Ukrainians massed on Kiev's Independence Square in defiance of the sweeping new laws, which ban rallies and which Washington and other Western capitals have denounced as undemocratic.
In Washington, the White House said it was "deeply concerned" about the violence on Sunday in Kiev and urged both sides to "de-escalate the situation."
"The increasing tension in Ukraine is a direct consequence of the government failing to acknowledge the legitimate grievances of its people," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement. "Instead, it has moved to weaken the foundations of Ukraine's democracy by criminalizing peaceful protest and stripping civil society and political opponents of key democratic protections under the law."
Urging the Ukraine government to repeal the "anti-democratic legislation," withdraw riot police from downtown Kiev and begin a dialogue with the opposition, Hayden added, "The U.S. will continue to consider additional steps — including sanctions — in response to the use of violence."
The rally, the biggest of the new year, was the latest in a cycle of public protests in the former Soviet republic since Yanukovich made a policy U-turn in November away from the European Union towards Russia, Ukraine's former Soviet overlord.
Several big protests in December attracted hundreds of thousands of people, while thousands maintained a vigil in a Kiev square demanding Yanukovich resign. Since the new year demonstrations have become smaller, but hundreds of people are still camping in the square and 50,000 turned out a week ago.
The court ban on protests published on Wednesday, and last Thursday's legislation aimed at prohibiting all form of public protests, have inflamed tensions again.
The laws ban any unauthorized installation of tents, stages or use of loudspeakers in public.
Heavy jail sentences were imposed for participation in "mass disorder" and the wearing of face-masks or protective helmets. Dissemination of "extremist" or libelous information about the country's leaders was outlawed.
In a gesture of scorn for the helmet ban, many protesters on Sunday wore saucepans and colanders on their heads.
The crisis has highlighted a divide in the country of 46 million people between those, particularly in Russian-speaking eastern areas, who identify more closely with a shared past with Russia, and those, especially in the Ukrainian-speaking parts of
western and central Ukraine, who look westwards.
Opposition leaders announced an action plan to gather people's signatures expressing no confidence in the leadership of Yanukovich and parliament.
Denouncing as unconstitutional last Thursday's hurried vote in parliament by Yanukovich loyalists, they called for moves to set up a parallel structure of power — including a people's assembly and a new constitution.
"Yanukovich and his henchmen want to steal our country. Ukraine is united as never before in its struggle against those in power today, in its determination not to allow a dictatorship," Klitschko, the strongest potential challenger for the presidency, told the crowds on Independence Square.
Opposition leaders were at pains to urge protesters not to resort to action that would provide a pretext for a crackdown.
When clashes broke out about 500 yards from Independence Square, Klitschko went to the scene and sought to persuade protesters to refrain from attacking police.
"Stop your actions," he called to groups of young people — some of them masked. "We are a peaceful protest." Protesters sprayed a powder fire extinguisher at police, catching Klitschko whose face was covered in white.
As police later appeared to be readying to take a tougher line against protesters, he tweeted: "Viktor Yanukovich, do not go down the same road as (late Romanian dictator Nicolae) Ceausescu and (late Libyan leader Muammar) Gaddafi. Stop conducting war on the citizens of Ukraine."
Arseny Yatsenyuk, another opposition leader, told the crowds on Independence Square, "Our victory is not in using physical violence but in moral and spiritual strength."
Although setting up an alternative power structure may not be realistic, Sunday's turnout suggested it could also be difficult for the authorities to try to solve the crisis by use of force despite the court ban and the new laws.
Another opposition leader, far-right-nationalist Oleh Tyahnibok, dismissed the laws as unconstitutional as he spoke from the tribune on Kiev's main Independence Square.
"So we have a right not to carry them out and we will sabotage them," he said.
Yanukovich triggered the pro-Europe rallies when he did an about-turn last November and ditched a free trade deal with the European Union in favor of closer economic ties with Russia.
Russia has since thrown Ukraine a $15 billion lifeline in credits as well as a softer deal for purchases of strategic supplies of natural gas.


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Birmingham Campaign of 1963
events The climax of the modern civil rights movement occurred in Birmingham. The city's violent response to the spring 1963 demonstrations against white supremacy forced the federal government to intervene on behalf of race reform. City Commissioner T. Eugene "Bull" Connor's use of police dogs and fire hoses against nonviolent black activists, led by Fred L. Shuttlesworth, Ralph Abernathy, and Martin Luther King Jr., enraged the nation. The public outcry provoked Pres. John F. Kennedy to propose civil rights legislation that became the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act opened America's social, economic, and political system to African Americans and other minorities, including women, the disabled, and gays and lesbians. The legislation addressed the principal goal of the movement of gaining access to the system as consumers but also set in motion strategies to gain equality through affirmative action policies.
Shuttlesworth Home Bombed Having witnessed the organization of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Shuttlesworth organized his own group, the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR), in June 1956 after the state outlawed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In December 1956, when the federal courts ordered the desegregation of Montgomery's buses, Shuttlesworth asked the officials of Birmingham's transit system to end segregated seating, setting a December 26 deadline. He intended to challenge the laws on a bus on that day, but on the night of December 25, Klansmen bombed Bethel Baptist Church and parsonage, nearly assassinating Shuttlesworth. He emerged out of the rubble of his dynamited house and led a protest the next morning that resulted in a legal case against the city's segregation ordinance. Coinciding with school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, Shuttlesworth arranged a challenge to Birmingham's all-white Phillips High School in September 1957, nearly suffering death at the hands of an angry mob. Segregationist vigilantes again greeted Shuttlesworth when he desegregated the train station. In 1958, Shuttlesworth organized a boycott of Birmingham's buses in support of the ACMHR legal case against segregated seating. Shuttlesworth's aggressive strategy of direct action alienated him from Birmingham's established black leadership. Many people in the black middle class found as too extreme the intense religious belief held by ACMHR members that God was going to end segregation.
Freedom Riders Prompted by the national sit-in movement begun by four black college men in Greensboro, North Carolina, in February 1960, a group of black students in Birmingham from Miles College and Daniel Payne College held a prayer vigil. Shuttlesworth and the ACMHR supported their efforts. When a national group of black and white demonstrators undertook the Freedom Rides in May 1961, Shuttlesworth and the ACMHR provided assistance, rescuing the stranded protesters outside Anniston as well as those who suffered a Klan attack at the Birmingham Trailways Station. In spring 1962, Birmingham's black college students initiated the Selective Buying Campaign and, with support from Shuttlesworth and ACMHR, it became the catalyst for the spring 1963 demonstrations.
Chosen as secretary of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) when it organized in 1957, Shutttlesworth had been an active member of the region's leading civil rights group. But he was frustrated because he believed that the SCLC lacked clear direction under King's leadership. Shuttlesworth watched the SCLC intervene in Albany, Georgia, in 1961 and fail to successfully challenge segregation in a manner that forced reforms in local race relations. Aware that King's reputation had suffered from this defeat, Shuttlesworth invited the SCLC to assist him and the ACMHR in Birmingham. Believing that a success would restore his reputation as a national civil rights leader, King agreed. Shuttlesworth hoped King's prestige would attract the black masses and thus mobilize Birmingham's black community behind the joint ACMHR-SCLC campaign.
"Bull" Connor in 1963 Leaders from the ACMHR met with SCLC officials to plan strategy. Having learned from prior mistakes, King's lieutenant, the Reverend Wyatt Tee Walker, proposed a limited campaign of sit-ins and pickets designed to pressure merchants and local business leaders into demanding the city commission repeal the municipal segregation ordinances. Some scholars have argued that the strategy called for violent confrontations with Bull Connor leading to mass arrests that would force the Kennedy Administration to intervene on behalf of civil rights, but this was not the case. The tactic of filling the jail had failed to alter race relations in Albany, and the noncommittal Kennedy Administration had yet to offer support for the movement and in fact had aided the segregationists. Indeed, the best ACMHR-SCLC could hope to achieve was some modicum of change in local race relations that might point the way toward regional reform of the South's segregated social structure.
Police Dog Attack The joint ACMHR-SCLC Birmingham campaign began quietly with sit-ins on April 3, 1963, at several downtown "whites-only" lunch counters. From the outset, the campaign confronted an apathetic black community, an openly hostile established black leadership, and Bull Connor's "nonviolent resistance" in the form of polite arrests of the offenders of the city's segregation ordinances. With no sensational news, the national media found nothing to report, and the campaign floundered. But when Connor ordered out police dogs to disperse a crowd of black bystanders, journalists recorded the attack of a German shepherd on a nonviolent protester, thereby revealing the brutality that underpinned segregation. The episode convinced Walker and King to use direct-action tactics to generate creative tension for the sake of media coverage. The ease with which the campaign changed directions reflected the fluidity of the movement. Shuttlesworth led the first of many protest marches on City Hall to emphasize the refusal of the city commission to issue parade permits to the protestors. Good Friday March As the number of demonstrations increased, police arrested more ACMHR members, consequently draining the financial resources of the campaign. Black bystanders gave the campaign the appearance of mass support, but the vast majority of Birmingham's black residents remained uninvolved. A more serious threat came from established black leaders who opposed the civil rights campaign and actively worked to undermine Shuttlesworth by negotiating with the white power structure. Although King's decision to seek arrest marked a turning point in his life as a leader, it did little to increase support for the faltering ACMHR-SCLC campaign. From behind bars, he penned the "Letter From Birmingham Jail," which became the clearest statement on the righteousness of civil rights protest. But after a month of exhaustive demonstrations, the stalemate with white authorities suggested another Albany and the looming defeat of the Birmingham Campaign.
Birmingham Campaign Demonstrators In a desperate bid to generate media coverage and to keep the campaign alive, King's lieutenants launched the Children's Crusade on May 2, 1963, in which black youth from area schools served as demonstrators. Trying to avoid the use of force, Bull Connor arrested hundreds of school children and hauled them off to jail on school buses. When the jails were filled, he called out fire hoses and police dogs to contain large protests in the black business district along the city's Kelly Ingram Park. African American spectators responded with outrage, pelting police with bricks and bottles as firemen opened up the hoses on not just the nonviolent youngsters but also on enraged black bystanders who had nearly begun a riot. The media captured the negative images of Connor and his men suppressing the nonviolent protest of school children with brutal blasts from water cannons and attacks from police dogs. Front-page photographs in the nation's newspapers convinced Kennedy to send Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Burke Marshall to Birmingham to secure negotiations that would end the violent demonstrations. Previous federal policy regarding civil rights issues had left enforcement to local law and order officials without direct intervention by the national government. At first, Marshall succeeded in fashioning a similar resolution by convincing King to call off the protests without winning any real concessions from the local white power structure. Shuttlesworth held out for more concrete results, and his opposition led to a re-evaluation of the terms for an ultimate truce that announced limited local race reforms.
Desegregation Settlement Reached The national media attention helped to spread the fervor of the ACMHR-SCLC Birmingham Campaign well beyond the city's borders, and national demonstrations, international pressure, and inner city riots followed in the wake of the agreement. These actions convinced a reluctant Kennedy administration to propose sweeping reforms that Congress ultimately passed as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. With this legislation, the civil rights movement achieved its goals of gaining access to public accommodations and equal employment opportunities, thereby ending acquiescence to white supremacy and opening the system to African Americans and other minorities. In hindsight the moderate success of inclusion only expanded access and did not alter or challenge the class structure, thus leaving movement members with a wistful sense for the need for economic justice. In the years that followed, white resistance exaggerated the significance of the limited racial inclusion.
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing White vigilantes attempted to scuttle the race reforms by bombing sites related to the civil rights struggle. When court-ordered school desegregation arrived in the city in September 1963, Klansmen bombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, killing four black girls. Only with the implementation of the Civil Rights Act, adopted the next year, did the city completely desegregate, and then only following the U. S. Supreme Court's ruling in the Heart of Atlanta Motel v. the United States case, which also involved Birmingham's Ollie's Barbecue. When Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965 many African Americans in Birmingham won the right to vote for the first time, foreshadowing a sea change in local politics. Although members of the black middle class and working class enjoyed access to the system, many African Americans remained shut out, having gained little from the reforms won in Birmingham. Nevertheless, the appointment of Arthur Shores to the city council in 1968 and the election of Richard Arrington as mayor in 1979 represented the strength of the growing black electorate and the success of black political empowerment that grew directly out of the Birmingham campaign.
Additional Resources
Bass, S. Jonathan. Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Martin Luther King, Jr., Eight White Religious Leaders, and the "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001.
Eskew, Glenn T. But For Birmingham: The Local and National Movements in the Civil Rights Struggle. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997.
Garrow, David J. Birmingham, Alabama, 1956-1963: The Black Struggle for Civil Rights. Brooklyn. N.Y.: Carlson Publishing, 1989.
Manis, Andrew M. A Fire You Can't Put Out: The Civil Rights Life of Birmingham's Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1999.
Thornton, J. Mills, III. Dividing Lines: Municipal Politics and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Montgomery, Birmingham, and Selma. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2002.


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About the Book
Title: From Frights to Flaws
Author: Sunayna Prasad
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Twelve-year-old Alyssa McCarthy is sick of her uncle's unfair rules and longs for a better life. After discovering the existence of magic, she finds out about a dark wizard hunting her down. An unforgettable storm occurs in Alyssa's ordinary New Jersey town before the sorcerer kidnaps her to the Fiji Islands.
On the enchanted island of Yanowic, Alyssa learns that she is unable to get out of the country due to a giant shield. She must defeat some dangerous creatures and the evil wizard in order to leave. But with sorcerers and magical technology getting in her way, can Alyssa succeed?
Author Bio
Sunayna Prasad has been writing stories for several years, starting at the age of six. Now twenty-one, she is a college student will study who studies art and design as well write for children. Aside from that, Sunayna also likes to cook, watch movies, and draw. She lives on Long Island, New York, with her family.
Buy on Amazon


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Ailing Health Status in West Bengal Critical Analysis
The State of West Bengal in India is at the crossroads in the field of health care delivery system. Nutrition, health and education are the three inputs accepted as significant for the development of human resources and the progress of the State of West Bengal in India during the last decade towards achieving these three inputs has been uneven. The main purpose of this article is to show the health facilities and challenges in West Bengal of India where the problem of providing effective health care services to the majority of its citizens has become an impossible task for the State of Government of West Bengal. Public Health expenditure under the State of West Bengal is so low that there has been hunger and starvation deaths in different districts of West Bengal. Different datas have been cited through different tables bringing into limelight of Infant Mortality Rate, Birth Rate, Death Rate and the facilities of Government of Hospitals of the State of West Bengal.This article has made a focus on the urgency of strengthening the implementation of all the rural and urban health care program and improve infant and child feeding practices among women. It is a challenge for the State of West Bengal in India to meet Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Keywords: Ailing health status in West Bengal , Analysis
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Internet of Things: The Next Big Opportunity for Media Companies
May 30, 2018 | 94 views
Content Aggregator for iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Vimeo and a growing list of other leading digital platforms.Encoding/transcoding/delivery expert on-boarded with 70+ retail, VOD, and OTT platforms.Giant Interactive is an award-winning digital studio that offers creative and technical production services for the entertainment, media and sports markets. From studios in NYC, Los Angeles and Denver, Giant Interactive provides digital/VOD prep, delivery and aggregation, mobile/web development, OTT and channel app development, and UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD authoring services to studios, distributors and indie filmmakers.
Article | July 7, 2022
Microsoft is expanding its Project xCloud service to the iPhone today. The software giant is launching a beta of xCloud through Apple's TestFlight service, allowing xCloud testers to try the service on an iPhone or iPad. It's the first time we've seen a cloud game streaming service appear on iOS since the days of OnLive — and OnLive's iOS app wound up in limbo when Apple didn't approve it. Google's Stadia and Nvidia's GeForce Now are still not available on Apple's devices, either, and neither company has been able to tell us when that might change.
Article | July 11, 2022
Apple is continuing to investigate headsets like its "AR Glasses," as part of its exploration of Augmented and Virtual Reality systems. One such headset in future may utilize sensors that can detect angular rotation, such as that experienced when the device is placed on a user's head or removed. "[It] may be beneficial for the VR headset to be able to detect when a head-worn device (e.g., headset, eyeglasses, headphones, etc.) is being removed from the user's head, is being placed on the user's head, or both," says Apple in US Patent No. 10,557,724, "Angle detection of a rotating system using a single magnet and multiple hall sensors."
Article | July 13, 2022
Some Chinese entertainment stocks listed in the U.S. got a boost last week after the People Bank of China (PBOC) said it would pump $173 billion into the economy. Since news of the report from Beijing hit the street, one of the biggest gainers was Chinese gaming giant NetEase Inc. (Nasdaq: NTES) NetEase, a partner of California-based Blizzard Entertainment in China, traded as low as $317.48 per American depositary share within the last couple of weeks, and soared as high as $347.95 apiece last week. NetEase rolled out its international presence in recent years in Japan and North America, lowering its China dependency.
Article | February 10, 2020
Consoles have come a very long way since the arrival of first-generation machines from Atari and Coleco in the seventies. Even the original PlayStation (1994) and Xbox (2001) look dated compared to the 4K/HDR-capable machines of today, and that divide will grow even larger once the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X arrive at the end of 2020. But what about the future? More than once console makers have tried to break new ground, by focusing on functionality beyond gaming, but for the most part those attempts have failed. Nintendo has found the most success with specialized hardware that still focuses on games first, while Sony and Microsoft have seemingly understood that building powerful general purpose machines that are akin to PCs is their best and safest bet.
Xsolla | September 21, 2023
Xsolla, a global video game commerce company, has announced a new online destination called Xsolla Mall. This platform allows video games to host multiple landing pages where players can access exclusive in-game items, game discounts, and premium experiences directly from developers and publishers or via campaigns with content creators and payment providers.
Developers can showcase and monetize content from their games on a specific branded landing page within the platform, even the entirety of a game. There is already a growing library of cloud games accessible through the Xsolla Mall, supported by the Xsolla Cloud Gaming solution. Xsolla Mall also merges video game content and the convenience of multiple local payment methods with the power of content creators and influencers into one cost-effective platform, providing a wide range of generating incremental revenue for games.
Xsolla Mall provides developers and publishers with a new distribution channel, reducing overall customer acquisition and retention costs, growing brand awareness, increasing player engagement, and generating more profit for their business.
"Xsolla Mall unlocks a new direct-to-consumer distribution channel for delivering games and in-game content on the web," said Chris Hewish, CEO of Xsolla. "We aim to help developers tackle current market challenges like the high cost of acquiring and retaining players, high distribution fees, and increasing the number of paying players so they can earn and keep more of the profits from the sale of their games and in-game content. Xsolla Mall perfectly aligns with our mission to bolster the gaming community by providing developers, influencers, and players with a safe, practical, and engaging platform."
About Xsolla
Xsolla is a global video game commerce company with a robust and powerful set of tools and services designed specifically for the video game industry. Since its founding in 2005, Xsolla has helped thousands of game developers and publishers of all sizes fund, market, launch and monetize their games globally and across multiple platforms. As an innovative leader in game commerce, Xsolla's mission is to solve the inherent complexities of global distribution, marketing, and monetization to help our partners reach more geographies, generate more revenue and create relationships with gamers worldwide. Headquartered and incorporated in Los Angeles, California, with offices in Berlin, Seoul, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and cities around the world, Xsolla supports major gaming titles like Valve, Twitch, Roblox, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Take-Two, KRAFTON, Nexters, NetEase, Playstudios, Playrix, miHoYo, and more.
Read More
Media and Entertainment | September 14, 2023
Entertainment technology industry leader IMAX Corporation® (NYSE: IMAX) and PFT, the creator of AI-powered technology solutions for the Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry, today announced plans to expand their strategic relationship beyond theatrical and into the streaming ecosystem.
Under the arrangement, IMAX will expand access to its Stream Smart™ technology to PFT customers across Europe, Asia, and Australia. The expanded partnership will dramatically increase the global availability of Stream Smart™, which helps streaming platforms deliver maximum picture quality while significantly reducing distribution and storage costs.
"We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with IMAX, an industry trailblazer with a remarkable legacy of revolutionizing the global entertainment industry," said Ramki Sankaranarayanan, Global CEO of PFT. "For over a decade, CLEAR®, our flagship product, has spearheaded digital packaging and delivery services for prominent streaming platforms worldwide. CLEAR® & Stream Smart will help optimize our customers' encoding pipeline, so they deliver better streaming quality while optimizing CDN & storage costs."
"Many of Hollywood's biggest streaming platforms use Stream Smart™ to ensure quality and reduce costs, and we're excited to work with our partners at PFT to extend the reach of our technologies throughout key markets in Europe, Asia, and Australia," said Vikram Arumilli, General Manager of Streaming and Consumer Technology at IMAX. "Our suite of streaming technology products, including Stream Smart™, provides a best-in-class service for direct-to-consumer broadcast and streaming companies, and PFT's' ability to leverage this for their customers is a win-win for both organizations."
PFT and its parent company, DNEG, are industry leaders providing a full suite of technology and creative solutions, including IMAX post-production and 3D mastering.
IMAX and DNEG joined forces in 2022 for post-production, which included Indian films like Jawan, Pathaan, and RRR. This extended partnership will build upon the established theatrical relationship between IMAX and DNEG to develop a comprehensive video optimization solution. Stream Smart™ is an enterprise software product designed to deliver the best image quality and optimize delivery to unlock cost savings. This product was built from cutting-edge scientific advancements, state-of-the-art engineering, trusted studio relationships, and rooted in a real-world at-scale Emmy®-winning collaboration with Disney Streaming Services and SSIMWAVE.
Stream Smart™ will be the centerpiece of the IMAX showcase at IBC 2023. Sign up to meet with PFT and IMAX Streaming & Consumer Technology group at IBC:
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture, and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX systems to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, making IMAX's network among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles, with additional offices in London, Dublin, Tokyo, and Shanghai. As of June 30, 2023, there were 1,718 IMAX systems (1,638 commercial multiplexes, 12 commercial destinations, 68 institutional) operating in 87 countries and territories. Shares of IMAX China Holding, Inc., a subsidiary of IMAX Corporation, trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "1970."
About Prime Focus Technologies
Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) is the creator of CLEAR® and CLEAR® AI. It offers streaming platforms, studios, and broadcasters transformational AI-led technology and media services powered by the cloud that help them lower their Total Cost of Operations (TCOP) by automating their content supply chain. PFT works with major companies like Walt Disney-owned Star TV, Channel 4, ITV, Sinclair Broadcast Group, A&E Networks, Warner Media, PBS, CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox Television Studios, Lionsgate, Showtime, HBO, NBCU, TERN International, Disney+ Hotstar, BCCI, Indian Premier League and more.
About DNEG
DNEG (www.dneg.com) is a world-leading visual entertainment services company for the creation of feature film, television, and multiplatform content, with worldwide offices and studios across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
DNEG's critically acclaimed work has earned the company seven Academy Awards® for Best Visual Effects and numerous BAFTA and Primetime EMMY® Awards for its high-quality VFX work. Current and upcoming DNEG projects on behalf of its Hollywood and global studio and production company partners include Spy Kids Armageddon (September 2023), No One Will Save You (September 2023), The Gilded Age S2 (October 2023), Nyad (November 2023), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 2023), Lift (January 2024), Dune: Part Two (March 2024), Mickey 17 (March 2024), Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (April 2024), Garfield (May 2024), Borderlands (August 2024), Furiosa (2024), That Christmas, Coyote vs. Acme, The Gorge, and Animal Friends.
Kaltura | September 12, 2023
Kaltura, the Video Experience Cloud, announced today that leading French multiservice provider Bouygues Telecom, with over 4.8 million subscribers, has unveiled its selection of Kaltura's technology to power its next-generation IPTV and OTT digital TV service.
Bouygues Telecom chose Kaltura's proven Cloud TV technology as the foundation for its TV service. The next-generation TV service will be powered by Kaltura's cloud-based TV Platform providing content, service, subscriber, household, and offer management. Bouygues Telecom is set to migrate its existing TV service from an on-prem deployment to a cloud-based operation. This move will enable the next-generation TV service to leverage the agility and interactivity of the cloud alongside broadcast-grade scalability and resilience, while also reducing service complexity and costs.
"We are thrilled to have been selected as the vendor of choice by Bouygues Telecom, a truly premium service provider," said Shuki Eytan, General Manager Media & Telecom at Kaltura. "By embracing today's Cloud TV, which combines the best of IPTV and OTT, telcos can embark on the digital transformation that enables them to provide leading-edge offerings. We very much look forward to finish implementing and launching an advanced, next-generation TV platform to Bouygues Telecom that enables the operator to successfully pursue its TV content strategy, and to deliver a next-level entertainment offering to France's consumers and partners."
Bouygues Telecom relies on CommScope's telecommunications expertise to integrate and roll out the project to Bouygues Telecom. "We're delighted to be working together with Kaltura to deliver a leading-edge technology platform that will help Bouygues Telecom provide an advanced next-gen video entertainment service to subscribers," said Ray Bontempi, VP, Product Management ANS at CommScope.
Kaltura's TV platform will support Bouygues Telecom in its TV content and services strategy. The operator will be able to offer its subscribers an advanced service that brings together popular multimedia content from its partners, seamlessly combining the operator's own content with multiple third-party services to create a customer-centric offering that is both compelling and personalised.
Jean Paul ARZEL, Chief Technical Officer at Bouygues Telecom said: "We are developing our next-generation TV service to offer an attractive and best-in-class experience, providing agility and efficiency to integrate new services, with systems and functionalities that are always up-to-date."
Moving traditional on-premise functions and infrastructure to the cloud enables the operator to be more flexible, to adapt, and to embrace media evolution, while optimizing network and other resource management. Bouygues Telecom joins operators around the globe that have turned to Kaltura, with its extensive Cloud TV know-how and array of state-of-the-art solutions, to help with their super-aggregation journey.
About Kaltura
Kaltura's mission is to power any video experience for any organization. Our Video Experience Cloud offers live, real-time, and on-demand video products for enterprises of all industries, as well as specialized industry solutions, currently for educational institutions and for media and telecom companies. Underlying our products and solutions is a broad set of Media Services that are also used by other cloud platforms and companies to power video experiences and workflows for their own products. Kaltura's Video Experience Cloud is used by leading brands reaching millions of users, at home, at school and at work, for events, communication, collaboration, training, marketing, sales, customer care, teaching, learning, and entertainment experiences.
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Flashback: Paris Whirlwind
Without further ado, lets get to the photos.
We stayed at the Four Seasons which is an absolute dream hotel. I've been lucky enough to stay in 2 other Four Season hotels but nothing compares to this particular one. We got there early in the day before regular check in time. Instead of making us wait in the lobby like most hotels do, this place whisks you off to a "relaxation room" that has soft feathery beds and candles burning for you to chill out in. Impressive.
The murals on the walls alone made me swoon! As soon as the bellhop left us alone, we were oohing and ahhing over everything - acting like a couple of kids in a candy store. Not long afterward there was a knock on the door. We quickly composed ourselves to act like we were used to all of this luxury everyday and let them show us to our room. It was huge!! These photos don't do this room justice b/c it looks a little bit grandma here but it really was lovely. Perfectly french, at least from a tourist perspective.
Waiting for us on the coffee table was a little surprise from the conceirge. Let me tell you this was the most out of this world pastry I've ever had. We practically ate the plate. I have no idea what you'd call this but it's a good thing its thousands of miles from me or you'd have to wheel me around in a handtruck.
On a weird note, I'm not quite sure why but there was a photograph of Audrey Hepburn on the nighstand.
Hey, I like Ms. Audrey as much as the next person but I don't need her to be staring at me while I sleep. Is this some strange misconception that the French have about people from other countries? Not that I'm complaining - at least I wasn't in the Jerry Lewis suite.
Ok, I know you're thinking 'Enough about the hotel already!! Go outside!" Righto! So off we went to see the sights.
I don't remember the exact order of how we saw everything but we did a city tour to get the lay of the land.
We went to the sprawling Clingacourt flea market at the city's edge and found the sconces for our dining room
Had lots of good coffee
We lucked out and stumbled upon a food festival in Montmarte.
Had a weird redition of me done by a street artist
Took the metro all around
Did a lot of walking and window shopping. Also got yelled at a lot for taking photos where I'm not supposed to
On my birthday proper, we got dressed up and had an extremely overhyped meal.
On our final night, took a late night stroll over to see the lights of the tower. I know its cheesy but I have a soft spot for sparkly!
Our last stop before heading to the airport was Versailles. The crowds were much larger than I imagined but it certainly lives up to its reputation.
And then poof, our fabulous trip was over. We had to say goodbye to our lovely room as well as my 20s. Sniff, sniff.
Like my photos? You can buy select prints starting at just $6! Click here to browse.
60 comments:
I love Paris...ReplyDelete
What beautiful pictures! It looks like it was an AMAZING birthday!
I know that you were recently in London. How do the two compare...or which do you prefer?ReplyDelete
You are so lucky to have had celebrated your 30th b-day in Paris. That dessert looks super yummy! What an amazing trip.ReplyDelete
Wow, now THAT'S a 30th birthday done up right! I'm really embarrassed to say I went to Vegas for mine to ride the Big Shot ;) Now you have me planning much grander things for my impending 40th!ReplyDelete
K - They are really very different. Paris is a little bit more of an adventure because the language and cultural differences are more obvious. So depending upon your mood, one is better than the other. Both are beautiful cities with all you could ever ask for in terms of variety, architecture, history, etc.. In terms of cost, I found Paris to be much more expensive so that is definitely a con. But I've heard people say the opposite. The weather is usually better in Paris.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous3:51 PM
Beautiful pics! And sounds like a fabulous vacation!ReplyDelete
I was wondering if you could tell us how you got the effects in the first few photos of the hotel rooms. I can't even think of the word for it, but I'm sure you'll know what I mean. Thanks for any tips!
WOW!! Looks like that was a wonderful trip! I've always wanted to take a trip to Paris and hopefully it will happen within the next two years! LOL!! Thanks for this flashback.ReplyDelete
- Lisa4:00 PM
The coffee table in your room in the Four Seasons looks very similar to those you've been looking at (and the one you ended up selecting) for your living roomReplyDelete
- Anonymous4:05 PM
Mrs. L - what amazing pics of what looks to have been a fantastic trip! You did Paris right. We spent 3 weeks in France last summer - a week in Paris, a week in Provence, and a week in the Loire Valley - and definitely did it on the cheap, slumming it in some not so nice "hotels". Although I cherished every minute there, I think you had the right idea of hitting the highlights, staying in a posh hotel, and eating well. My one regret was not making it to the flea market! Makes we want to go back!!!! Thanks SO much sharing.ReplyDelete
Do you plan to go back? Or do you prefer to hit a plethora of places instead of re-visiting?
I love the pics- did you take them all yourself? You're quite good! Thanks for taking me to Paris this afternoon- I needed the mental break.ReplyDelete
And you gave me an idea of what to do for my 30th birthday in 5 1/2 years.
Amazing photos! I was just going to say that you were so lucky not to get a Jerry Lewis portrait! HeHe! :)ReplyDelete
I SOOOOOOOOOOO want to go to Paris! Your vacation does look like a DREAM! My fiance and I want to go to Europe after a fews years of marriage. But it is totally on the list. Except I HATE flying!ReplyDelete
What a fun trip for you! My 30's were the best, so don't mourn the 20! Now I am 52 and what I would do to be 30 again! Congratulations on the anniversary and the b'day!ReplyDelete
Anon - For the photos that have rounded/distorted edges, I'm using a fisheye lens. Its not done on the computer after the fact.ReplyDelete
inthetweeds - I totally plan on going back although I don't know when. Its close enough that we could do a weekend there which is nice.
Monica - Yes, the photos are all mine - warts and all. But thanks for the compliment.
I have never been to France because I don't speak the language but some day. I think a fast weekend would be the best way to go. By the way love the houndstooth jacket/shirt you have on in the one picture. MBReplyDelete
paris has never really been on my list of places to visit but this post (along with other peeps into paris by various things i've read) is really making me reconsider. the architecture is fab! and your photos are great :)ReplyDelete
Your photographic style makes me swoon. Just in case I never make it to France, thanks for the little mini vacation in the middle of a very hot afternoon.ReplyDelete
Hey! So glad you decided to post some more travel pics!! I looove Paris! We do short quick trips all over the place too - but its better than never getting there at all:)ReplyDelete
Lol at the weird portrait in Montmartre. I had one done there too - everyone else's that I was with was spot on, and then the guy that did mine sucked. It looked nothing like me:(
Gorgeous photos, thanks for sharing with us! What an awesome birthday!
So gorgeous.ReplyDelete
great pictures. look like you had a great time. Hope to visiting Paris soonReplyDelete
What a perfect way to spend your 30th birthday & 5th wedding anniversary! That flea market looks amazing.ReplyDelete
I've been to Paris a million and twelve times and it never ceases to make my heart skip a beat when I see a particularly Parisian picture. What is it about that city? Though I went to Versailles when I was 17 and decided that was plenty. When we were there last summer I sent K on his own.ReplyDelete
You are such a gifted photographer. I love your work. Especially the fish-eye lense photos (I've wanted one for a while now) and the "Quiet Please" door sign.ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing these with us!
now i'm going to have to go to paris just to find that shop with the green glass bottles hanging from the ceiling! love those! pamReplyDelete
Great pictures! I love your travel pics.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous1:14 AM
Yes! I needed that! I can't wait to live vicari... uh, I mean see some more of your vacation photos.ReplyDelete
Gorgeous pics as always! I love the fisheye ones. Has me dreaming of a fisheye lens for my new camera :)ReplyDelete
French food, French fleamarkets and that certain je ne sais quoi. Not to mention French healthcare... I think I'd better move on before I crackReplyDelete
Ah, the Georges V! It really is lovely. We're huge Four Seasons fans. The first time my (now-) husband came to Paris with me was for New Year's way back when we were 22 and 24, and we stayed there thanks to a sweet corporate discount. Due to a misunderstanding they moved us the second night (we were there a week)...to one of the 2000+/euro/night Presidential Suites. I've never seen anything like it; the suites was on two levels, with an entry/study/half-bath/living/dining/kitchenette, then a spiral staircase to the enormous bedroom suite upstairs. All the windows had little balconies from which we could see the Eiffel tower. It was ridiculous, and ever since I've just rented apartments in Paris because why bother even trying hotels once you've had that experience? (There was something in the air on that trip--we got bumped to business class both ways. ???!!?)ReplyDelete
I went to Paris on my honeymoon last year & now I am so sick for the City of Lights. I need to go back. I find myself logging onto Travelocity, Delta, etc.all the time just to see how much flights are. Lovely pics :)ReplyDelete
It has always been a dream of mine to visit Paris and put my 5 yrs of French class to use. This post of yours just made me go, what the hell am I waiting for, just do it!ReplyDelete
My favorite is the one of the storefront with petals strewn all over. And you my dear, look absolutely gorge. =]
Lovely photos- looks like you both had a great time! I am making a mental note to make sure I mention that hotel to my DH. Might not have happened for our 5 year, but just might for our 10 year anniversary. ;-)ReplyDelete
Just look at you sparkle! I love Audrey for her ageless, timeless appeal...and look at you! You are tres chic,in Paris and at home!ReplyDelete
Wow! Thanks for taking us along on your trip. I love the image of the pastry at the four seasons! I need to stay there just for that.ReplyDelete
What an amazing trip and a wonderful way to spend your 30th birthday AND your 5th anniversary!ReplyDelete
The hotel looks divine- and I hope to stay there one day too, you just convinced me :)
Wow! I love your photos and your blog... found you on blogrankings. My husband's company is based in Paris, so I'm hoping to go over one day with him... your pictures give me ideas of where to go!ReplyDelete
OH.MY.GOSH/D. I can't stand it. I haven't been to Paris in over five years, and you just transported me. I love love love your pics. Tres jolie.ReplyDelete
That looks like such a fabulous time. Happy 30th Birthday !
Ahh- I love Paris.. each visit is different and perfect! I have never been to the place where they have all of the demijon bottles hanging from the ceiling. Do you mind sharing that? I am jealous that it is so close to you it is an 11 hour flight min. from Ca.ReplyDelete
Love the pics!
What incredible pictures. I want to go NOW!!ReplyDelete
love this post! My hubby and I are planning on spending our 5 year anniversary in Paris ... and after reading your post I realized that it will be around my 30th birthday as well. More reason to celebrate in paris :-)ReplyDelete
Gorgeous photos and a very nostalgic tour - I am craving another trip and just spent 2 weeks there last Sept. You made me almost weep at the luxury of your hotel. Definitely worth every penny, i bet.ReplyDelete
Gorgeous pics!!
my favorite pic is the blown glass bottles hanging from the ceiling. was this an antique shop. i love it.ReplyDelete
I'm going to Paris in just 6 short weeks for the first time with my friend Heather (habitually chic) and we plan on doing a lot of these same things! crazy! Thanks for sharing - love your photos!ReplyDelete
Your pictures are fabulous! They bring back so many memories for me. I am glad you had such a wonderful trip!ReplyDelete
I'd buy your guidebook in a heartbeat if all the pics were so magnifique! J'aime Paris; lived there for a year in college. Your pictures captured the city's magic.ReplyDelete
That must have been real heaven... I've nerver been to Paris, but it was nice to visit a little bit with you. :)ReplyDelete
Really wonderful photos :) I wanna go!!!ReplyDelete
Your pictures really make me want my camera right now. I cant wait to get it...buy me a dummies handbook, enroll in class, and get at it!ReplyDelete
Mrs. L-ReplyDelete
This is probably the 3rd time I've read this post! You did a beautiful job of telling a story about your time in this beautiful city! I'm so glad you take pics of all the little details...that's what makes a place like Paris so amazing! Great houndstooth dress/jacket/top, by the way. I'm a houndstooth junkie, myself!
Awesome photos Mrs. L. Looks like you had a GREAT time.ReplyDelete
What a great treat to yourself! You take such gorgeous photos...
I'll be 30 in December. This October, I'm flying to visit some friends in Toronto, then ducking down to New York for a couple of days.
I'll get to Paris one day :D
What is the advantage of a writer writing a novel in flashback form?ReplyDelete
LOVE your trip details! We're hoping to go back to Europe next year and Paris is on my list of places to go first!ReplyDelete
- Amalia7:13 PM
Marybeth, before visiting France, you can learn the basics the French use daily (goodmorning, madam/mssr; thank you, please, goodbye), then apologise you don't speak French and they will listen to you; if you show respect for their culture and language they will respect you. The young people in beautiful France learn English and other languages, besides there are young people from all the corners of this world.ReplyDelete
so would you say lugging the dslr is worth it? I bought mine for our Alaska adventure this past summer, and it was absolutely worth it for the animals. but I'm not sure about taking it to paris...what do you think?ReplyDeleteReplies
Oh definitely. Personally I found Paris to be even more photogenic than Alaska (not that Alaska isn't gorgeous but there are only so many photos of ice, trees and water I can take). Here is another post on Paris: http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/2012/10/bonjour-paris.htmlDelete


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COLUMBUS, Ohio – COLUMBUS, OH May 28, 2008 – Surly Girl Saloon has joined forces with local beer blogger, The Columbus Beer Wench, to create a completely unique beer tasting experience.
Known for consistently listening and responding to the wants and needs of its community, owners Liz and Tim Lessner jump at any opportunity to support its local beer loving population. The Wench recently co-hosted a successful beer tasting at one of the other Lessner local establishments, Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails, this past April.
This time around, The Beer Wench has partnered up with Surly Girl Saloon co-owner and General Manager, Carmen Owens as well as Andy Wuelfing , a local beer representative from Premium Beverage Supply, to co-host a beer tasting in the back room of Surly Girl Saloon.
The Surly Girl Saloon proudly handles 24 beers on draught – everything from ridiculously hop-heavy IPAs to ridiculously malt-heavy Belgians. Infamous for its originality, Surly Girl Saloon offers one flavor of cupcake every day, including Chocolate Cayenne, Fresh Banana with Peanut Butter Buttercreme, and Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Mmmm. Beer. Cupcakes. Beer. Cupcakes. Can anyone guess the premise of the tasting yet?
Surly Girl Saloon, in conjunction with The Columbus Beer Wench, invites the citizens of Columbus to explore the uncharted territory of a beer, cheese and cupcake pairing on Sunday, June 8th. The theme of the actual beer tasting will be a battle of India Pale Ales versus Belgian Ales. Tasters will learn the different nuances of each of the two styles, all while enjoying delicious fresh baked cupcakes and select styles of beers and cheeses.
The official tasting will take place on Sunday, June 8th from 5pm until 8pm in the back room of the restaurant. The event will cost $20 dollars a head and includes the beer, cheese and cupcakes. Lara Yazvac, bartender and catering consultant for Surly Girl Saloon, developed the pairings, including all of the cupcake flavors, and will be preparing the cupcakes for the tasting. The IPAs will be paired with the cheeses while the Belgians will be paired with cupcakes. The current cupcake pairings include:
Piraat Triple IPA with an orange and cardamom cupcake
Brasserie des Rocs Grand Cru with a Tommy Knocker Nut Brown Ale and cheddar cheese cupcake with bacon cream cheese frosting
Lindeman's Framboise with a lemon rosemary cupcake
Lindeman's Pomme with a goat cheese cupcake
About Surly Girl Saloon
Co-owners Elizabeth Lessner, Marcy Mays and Carmen Owens envisioned Surly Girl Saloon in 2004 as a pirate ship-meets-rock&roll bordello with an inspired draught beer selection and Southwestern-influenced menu. Opened in late 2005, this restaurant/bar features sassy comfort food served 11am-2am every day as well as plenty of clever adult beverages and beers with the bonus of a small venue for free entertainment many nights of the week. Surly Girl Saloon has been recognized both locally and nationally for some of its unique weekly entertainment like Punk Rock Aerobics and Open Mic Comedy, was voted Best Bar Food in Columbus by a local publication this year, and has been featured in the likes of Spin, Bust, Esquire (as a "Best Bar in America"), Budget Travel and many other publications as a worthwhile destination in Columbus.
About Carmen Owens
A former manager of Betty's Fine Food and Spirits and a veteran of the industry, Surly Girl Saloon managing partner Carmen Owens has helped develop the current food and drink menu. Her current fascination with all things cupcake led to their presence as a dessert at SGS and now to an event which will hopefully bring together 3 of her favorite things for the public: beer, cupcakes, and learning about new ways to enjoy beer and cupcakes.
About Premium Beverage Supply
Premium Beverage Supply is based out of Hilliard, Ohio and distribute the world's finest craft and specialty ales, lagers, and spontaneously fermented beer.
About The Columbus Beer Wench
The Columbus Beer Wench is a local Columbus based beer blog written by Ashley Routson. With the goal of becoming more educated on the world of beer, The Columbus Beer Wench invites blog readers to join in her venture towards becoming a beer connoisseur. As of this February, The Wench has been hosting informal beer tastings with local citizens at a various local establishments. The "Drink With The Wench" events have been successfully bridging the interactive realms of social media with the real world Columbus community.


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After three years in prison, Enrique (Esai Morales) returns home to the Bronx to find the world he knew has changed. His wife, Angela (Judy Reyes), struggles to hide an emotional affair, and his teenage son, Michael (Harmony Santana), explores a sexual transformation well beyond Enrique's grasp and understanding.
Unable to accept his child, Enrique clings to his masculine ideals while Angela attempts to hold the family together by protecting Michael. Still under the watchful eye of his parole officer (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), Enrique must become the father he needs to be or, once again, risk losing his family and freedom.
Can a father's fierce love for his family overcome his street-hardened ideas about manhood and end the vicious cycle controlling his life?
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