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Sifter Review on Free Jazz Collective blog by Martin Schray
Sifter Review The Freejazz Collective
By Martin Schray
After I had come across Mary Halvorson for the first time (I saw her with Anthony Braxton's Diamond Curtain Wall Trio) I looked for her on youtube and immediately found some absolutely excellent clips. That's why I was wondering all the more why some of the comments below the clips were harshly offensive: "Horrible garbage! Sounds like they have never met or rehearsed"; "I can't believe this crap is subsidized!", "Her command over the guitar is very amateur and weak" or "I don't know how any jazz fan can defend this utter shit" – and this is just the peak of the contributions.
Since then I have seen and heard Mary Halvorson quite often and it is obvious that these commentators have no idea what a great guitar player is. She is one because her approach to use the tremolo, with which she warps chords or melodies before they get too convenient, is absolutely unique and above all she has a tremendous, yet special technique.
These typical Halvorson elements run like a thread through this album. "Cramps", the first track, starts with an alienated, abstract country/rockabilly riff which is elegantly and sparsely accompanied by Matt Wilson (dr) and Kirk Knuffke (tr) can throw in a very light-handed melody in front of this background. Yet after two minutes Halvorson steps on the distortion module and puts the track through the mill before they all come back to the theme from the beginning. This is almost classic modern jazz songwriting.
Additionally, Halvorson has a great command of almost every style. In "Dainty Rubbish" she brings in flamenco pieces, country elements, and rock chords, all played in a very minimalist way, there is no note too much. In general there are a lot of typical (post) modern jazz tunes on the album, there is a lot of unison playing between Halvorson and Knuffke, as in "Don Knotts" with its eerie swinging theme, "Proper Motion" with its chopped post-rock beginning or the classic hard bop "Free Jazz Economics" which soon changes to classic harsh jazz chords, the other returning structural element of the album because Halvorson's chords and riffs prepare the ground for Knuffke's varied and virtuosic playing, the interplay between the three musicians is simply sensational.
Hidden between all these great tracks there are two gems: "Absent Across Skies" and "Forever Runs Slow in Cold Water", two angular ballads. Both show Halvorson in a Bill Frisell tradition at the beginning, before she executes what she can do best – using the tremolo to distract the way the nice melody is going, leading it to dissonant and unexpected grounds before bringing them back on the right track again.
You can say a lot about Mary Halvorson but you cannot vilify her claiming she cannot play. These negative comments only prove that these people have a preconceived opinion of what music should be like.


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The Exponential Factor To Business Success
posted in: Change, Future of Work, People, Purpose, Resilience & Transformation | 1
"Human stuff — the soft stuff — is rarely valued. We talk about it, sure. But we don't change it. We don't reinvent it. We give lip service to it but, when times are tough, we focus on the hard … Continued

subset: commoncrawl


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Combining our signature design lines with performance features, the Lady Stonegate Low Shoe delivers stylish comfort for everyday wear. The uppers use soft suede and breathable mesh with a tonal rubber overlay around the heel for added durability. The rubber outsole and EVA footbed keeps the style lightweight and flexible. Weighs 297 grams.
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Star Wars: Emilia Clarke Teases "Awesome" Han Solo Role
It's safe to say that the upcoming Han Solo anthology film has become a hot topic in recent weeks. After the departure of the film's initial directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the Star Wars project is now under the guidance of Ron Howard.
Nevertheless, fans seem to have plenty of reasons to look forward to the film - including its cast of characters, the details of which are largely under wraps. That includes Emilia Clarke's role, but that doesn't appear to have stopped the actress from hyping up the character.
While speaking to Rolling Stone, the Game of Thrones actress voiced her excitement about the Star Wars role, while also joking about the secrecy surrounding the cinematic universe.
"All I can say is that she's awesome," Clarke explained. "Like, legit, that's all I can actually get away with saying. There's a stormtrooper with a gun, and he's going to come walking in any second."
This isn't the first time the actress has joked about the matter, saying in April of this year that the project is more secretive than Game of Thrones.
In terms of characters fans already know, the still-untitled Han Solo film has several. Aside from the titular character and his furry sidekick Chewbacca, the film also includes a young Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), and is rumored to include Jabba the Hutt as well.
Han Solo releases in theaters on May 25, 2018.
Are you excited to see the next Star Wars spinoff movie? Let us know with your vote in the Anticipation Ranking below!
MORE HAN SOLO NEWS:Ron Howard Defended Jake Lloyd's 'Phantom Menace' Tenure In An Open Letter / Chris Miller Tweets First Comments After Leaving The Han Solo Spin-Off Film / Disney CEO Promises Han Solo Film Isn't Doomed / Lucasfilm Reportedly Unsatisfied With Han Solo Star Alden Ehrenreich
The Han Solo spinoff is filming now under director Ron Howard for a May 25,


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But did you know that he rode the Giant Dipper roller coaster at the Belmont Park amusement park for 70 straight days with four other people? It happened 16 years ago and Robert still has aches and pains as a result.
During his 10 straight weeks of riding on the historic wooden roller coaster, Robert marked his 30th birthday. He also celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary and signed the papers for his and wife Yvonne's first-ever home purchase. His sales agent at the time was current PSAR member Pat Russiano.
It was the summer of 1998, and radio station KFMB 100.7-FM organized its second roller coaster riding marathon contest. The year before the winner was declared after 11 days. So, Robert, working at the time as a manager at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point, took two weeks of vacation. The prize was $50,000 to whoever could endure riding the roller coaster the longest. Disc jockeys Jeff and Jer called the endurance event "Whirl 'til You Hurl."
"I wanted to open my own business. And, I thought I could outlast the 23 other contestants and be the last man standing," said Robert. "Besides, I've always been a bit of a risk taker."
Indeed. For example, growing up in Indianapolis, at age 9, Robert delivered newspapers using his older sister's name because he was too young to be given the job on his own. Also, on his last day as a senior in high school, Robert and a friend wore panty hose over their faces to hide their identity and walked into a crowded cafeteria during lunch hour. Then, they dumped two painting buckets full of canned vegetables on the floor and ran into the nearby woods ahead of the school track coach who was in hot pursuit. "Nope, we never got caught," Robert said.
Also, right after his introduction to Yvonne at a Christmas party, in order to impress her, Robert stole from a hotel lobby a three-foot high reindeer Christmas decoration. "Yvonne said that it looked cute and I wanted to quickly make some points," said Robert. "The reindeer later ended up in somebody's front yard."
So, in 1998, the idea of winning a contest riding a roller coaster the longest sounded easy to Robert. Starting on June 30 and not ending until Labor Day, the contestants were collectively cranked up to a 73-foot-high point and yanked over 12 twists and turns -- traveling as fast as 55 miles per hour -- for 14-and-a-half hours a day. They slept overnight in a roller coaster car, which counted for eight hours, and were allowed two half-hour breaks and three 10-minute breaks daily.
In the end, radio station management stopped the dizzying ride over health concerns, Robert said. "We were aware that the radio station could make us split the $50,000," he said. "However, they upped the ante a bit and each of us received $12,500, plus a trip to Hawaii. Fortunately, my employer was very understanding, and I kept my job. Financially, the roller coaster experience was not a smart move, but buying the house was."
Robert and Yvonne leveraged the equity in their first house to buy a second house, and then did the same to buy a third house, and so on. In 2002, they got their real estate sales license and Robert began working as a full-time sales agent and Yvonne worked as a loan officer. By the end of 2006, they had a portfolio of 17 homes in six states, including Texas, Utah, Florida, Indiana, Nevada and California. The same year, Robert opened his own real estate company staffed with 12 agents.
"Then the market crashed and we lost everything," said Robert. "We lost the business, we lost the homes. It was a tough three or four years until 2010," when both Robert and Yvonne joined McMillin Realty. "We've had several good years with McMillin. Business is much better right now and we are in the process of rebuilding."
Robert and Yvonne, who reside in Otay Ranch, are raising two girls, a 17-year-old who just graduated from Olympian High School and a 14-year-old who was recently promoted at Rancho del Rey Middle School. Both girls are involved in sports activities.
As chair of the South District Council, Robert is actively recruiting PSAR members to join a number of PSAR committees. "We have a terrific association that provides excellent service to the members," he said. "I'm living proof that good things happen when you get involved with PSAR. Besides, it can be just as much fun, plus safer, than riding on a roller coaster for two months."
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- Calories 229
- Fat 3.3g
- Satfat 2g
- Monofat 0.2g
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- Protein 4.7g
- Carbohydrate 47g
- Fiber 0.3g
- Cholesterol 8mg
- Iron 2.3mg
- Sodium 128mg
- Calcium 183mg
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Gwyneth Paltrow Wants Women in Hollywood to Make As Much As Robert Downey Jr. Does
"If men are being paid a lot more for doing the same thing, it feels shitty."
Gwyneth Paltrow recently spoke to Variety (via "Page Six") about the gender wage gap in Hollywood. Following in the footsteps of notable feminist Patricia Arquette's Golden Globes speech, Paltrow says that the wage gap is "painful": "Your salary is a way to quantify what you're worth. If men are being paid a lot more for doing the same thing, it feels shitty."
While she didn't go as far as to say that Iron Man franchise co-star Robert Downey Jr. shouldn't make what he does — Downey earned $80 million in 2015 to Paltrow's $9 million — she does say, "Look, nobody is worth the money that Robert Downey Jr. is worth. But if I told you the disparity, you would probably be surprised." Let's just say that salary makes Downey the only person in Hollywood who can afford to shop on Goop.


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Yummy pantonejust nice thingsPosted by Pistache Moustache Wed, March 14, 2012 09:41:51
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Moustache society is a group for curious, disobedient people hungry to sigh out of joy, to be surprised and to recreate themselves with images and readings filled with imagination. It is a society for those who do not mind to stop in time, for those who want to notice their heartbeats and know that their reasoning could blush or horrify them. It is for people who want to swim in a sea of playful doubts they do not mind resolving.


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Recovery Audit Contractor Program
RAC beats CMS on payment lawsuit appealMarch 15, 2015
A federal appeals court last week ruled that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services violated federal contracting regulations when it stretched out payment terms for recovery audit contractors.
What's in a name?March 03, 2015
The new name of the American Coalition for Healthcare Claims Integrity is the Council for Medicare Integrity. Does that mean they'll change their focus? Not quite.
Congressional lawmakers grill top ALJ on appeals backlog, say too many providers are being put out of businessJuly 11, 2014
Efforts to root out Medicare fraud have put far too many above-board providers in auditors' crosshairs, leading to a staggering backlog of appeals that has no easy fix, Congressional lawmakers and a top government official said during a hearing Thursday.
RAC program needs better oversight, Inspector General report findsSeptember 05, 2013
Recovery audit contractors might be better at reviewing Medicare claims than critics allege, but the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could improve RAC performance evaluations, according to a new government report.
Obama administration looking at big healthcare cutsSeptember 15, 2011
President Obama, much to the dismay of fellow Democrats and healthcare providers, is expected to ask Congress and its super committee to find $300 billion to $500 billion of savings over a decade in entitlement programs.


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I have been working with Photoplan property marketing for the past four years, producing all their printed materials including stationary, business cards, flyers and brochures. Photoplan specialise in providing floor plans, photography, CGIs, 360 videos and VR for the property sector. We also often work in partnership on property development branding projects combining our services to provide a complete property marketing offer.
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Seriously Tinder, cleartext in 2018?
2 Comments · Posted by lance in Stupidity
When I think about security and privacy, I often focus on sophisticated attacks and exotic exploits, or on user error and social engineering. A recent report about the security design of Tinder reminds me that we need to also keep an eye out for someone just leaving the door unlocked and wide open. (more…)
The Looming End of Network Neutrality and How to Protect Yourself
3 Comments · Posted by lance in Uncategorized
Let's get this out right up front. I am a strong advocate for network neutrality.
ISPs like Comcast say that these regulations strangle innovation, and that all the concerns about how they might abuse their position are just paranoia. (more…)
Fighting cybercrime vs. protecting citizens
4 Comments · Posted by lance in Musings
David Shedd, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, recently published an OpEd on the damage that unrestricted focus on catching criminals can do to our general cyber security. It is great to see people with that kind of background speaking on on this critical issue.
"Americans want their cyber data to be safe from prying eyes. They also want the government to be able to catch criminals. Can they have both?
It's an especially pertinent question to ask at a time when concerns over Russian hacking are prevalent. Can we expose lawbreakers without also putting law-abiders at greater risk? After all, the same iPhone that makes life easier for ordinary Americans also makes life easier for criminals."
You can read the whole essay here.
No tags
Do you use any of the worst passwords of 2016?
11 Comments · Posted by lance in Passwords
It is time to talk about passwords again. They are like the seatbelts of the security world. There are many more exciting security tools but few are as important to keeping you safe from the risks you encounter day to day. (more…)
Your Android phone may be passing your texts to China
No comments · Posted by lance in Surveillance
Security firm Kryptowire discovered that at least hundreds of thousands of Android phones in the US are configured to automatically send all text messages, call logs, location information, contact lists and more to servers in China every 72 hours. This is all invisible to the end user. (more…)
android · backdoors · china · surveillance
How was the Internet of Things able to take down the Internet with a DDoS?
3 Comments · Posted by lance in hacking
On October 21st, a large number of websites, including some of the biggest names, were knocked off the Internet by a massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. A DDoS attack occurs when thousands to millions of devices send traffic to a target, completely overloading its servers or Internet connection.
So many reasons to never buy a D-Link router
No comments · Posted by lance in Stupidity, vulnerability
If you care at all about security and privacy, a recent security analysis of the D-Link DWR-932 B LTE router will make your head explode.
Researcher Pierre Kim found an amazing set of security vulnerabilities that should embarrass a first year developer. (more…)
d-link · router · secuity · stupidity · vulnerability
Macs are not safe from Bears
No comments · Posted by lance in malware
Mac users have long had an unwarranted level of confidence about their immunity to malware and hackers. Palo Alto Networks' recently discovered some Mac malware in the wild, which I hope will make us Mac users pay more attention to security. The malware, which targets mostly the aerospace industry, appears to be from an APT group they call "Fancy Bear".
Gary McGraw interviews me on The Silver Bullet Security Podcast
No comments · Posted by lance in Uncategorized
I had a great time talking with Gary about privacy, anonymity, security, Cypherpunks, WikiLeaks, and more. Check it out!
Show 124: Lance Cottrell Discusses Anonymity and Privacy | Cigital
Security lessons from Pokemon Go – Catch them all!
No comments · Posted by lance in Location, malware
When anything big happens on the Internet, the criminals and snoops are not far behind. This time the event is Pokemon Go and there are all kinds of different threats developing in its wake from malware to tracking to physical danger. I you are not familiar with this game yet just look around next time you step outside, it is everywhere.


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Link to the interview: http://www.spreaker.com/user/talkingmetal/1on1-mitch-lafon-237-jay-jay-french-twis
In the show's only interview, guitarist Jay Jay French discusses TWISTED SISTER's Metal Meltdown (A Tribute to A.J. Pero) DVD, the We Are Twisted F*****g Sister documentary, the current tour, is this really goodbye, Mike Portnoy, the band's history and so much more.
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After the federal government recently fined a prominent former superintendent for allegedly playing both sides in several school financial deals, a review by The Bee shows that many Valley school districts don't have safeguards to prevent possible conflicts of interest. And because these districts don't police these possible conflicts, well-connected contractors can reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission censured School Business Consulting, a company owned by former Clovis Unified Superintendent Terry Bradley, for allegedly helping Keygent LLC of El Segundo ace its interviews with five California school districts. Keygent is a financial advisory firm that has worked on many local education bonds.
Bradley, who currently works as an education adviser, was accused of sharing interview questions and information on competitors before Keygent's meetings with the districts, which also were employing him.
The SEC never identified the five districts. Attempts to reach the SEC for further comment were not successful.
The SEC said Bradley was paid $2,500 per month from September 2010 to presumably June 2016, when it barred him from working with financial advisers. He declined to be interviewed for this story.
$845,000Payments to Terry Bradley from Keygent and local school districts since 2006
Bradley agreed to a settlement that included $50,000 in fines and a sanction barring him from acting as a municipal adviser. It did not require him to admit any wrongdoing. Beyond the SEC findings, neither Bradley nor any local districts have been accused of breaking any laws with regard to their dealings with each other.
Section 18734 of the California Code of Regulations specifies that contractors who "make or participate in the making of decisions that may foreseeably have a material effect on any financial interest shall file interim disclosure under this category." Because Bradley was contracted only to advise, most of the districts he dealt with did not require him to disclose any potential conflicts.
Contracts with at least six districts in the central San Joaquin Valley did not include a conflict clause. Only Fresno Unified had Bradley sign anything regarding conflict disclosure. But a district leader signed off on Bradley's lack of conflict when Bradley actually was involved with at least two other contractors involved in million-dollar deals with Fresno Unified, according to records.
Since 2010, Bradley made $845,000 from his contract work with districts and his consulting work with companies awarded district projects. His pension with Clovis Unified also paid him $1,034,585 since 2011.
Bradley is a former chairman of the Coalition for Adequate School Housing, which advocates for the state's school bonds and contractors in the school construction industry. CASH also has defended school districts' use of "lease-leaseback" contracts amid recent scrutiny of the financing process.
Harris Construction has sponsored CASH events, including its annual conference and golf tournament.
Tom Duffy, legislative director for CASH, said Bradley still is affiliated with the organization, which represents 1,500 school districts, county offices and private businesses. Duffy called him a "credible, honorable man."
"We support Terry. He has a great deal of credibility because of his honesty and what he's done in California for a long, long time," Duffy said. "I'm sure that he'll work through this and so will the SEC. The work that school districts do is some of the most complex work in California because of laws and regulations, and also because of federal oversight when it comes to anything involving bonds. It's complex and it's ever-changing, and is a world that requires a great deal of expertise."
Fresno Unified had two contracts with Bradley between 2010-12. The first paid him $54,000 for what was outlined as approximately 12 to 16 hours of work per week in 2010-11. The next paid him $12,000 for approximately 10 to 12 hours per month in 2011-12.
Unlike Bradley's similar contracts with other districts, the Fresno Unified contracts had conflict-of-interest stipulations.
The documents, signed by Bradley and district Chief Financial Officer Ruth Quinto, read: "The contractor does not have, or anticipates having, any interest in real property, investments, business interests in or income from source which would provide contractor … with personal financial gain as a result of any recommendation, advice or any other action taken by contractor during the rendition of services under this agreement."
However, Bradley did have relationships with two companies chosen for major district projects during his advisory contracts.
Bradley and Harris Construction Co. Chairman Richard Spencer are known as two of the main proponents of using "lease-leaseback" deals in area schools. Bradley has spoken at several bond-related events hosted by Harris, and his office is in the Harris building. Bradley was also in a video for Harris' "Empowering Series" that has since been taken off Harris' website.
However, the video is still on YouTube.
Harris did not return a phone call from The Bee.
A federal grand jury is investigating the no-bid deal between Harris and Fresno Unified used to build Gaston Middle School. Harris agreed to consult with Fresno Unified for free if it won the nearly $42 million contract.
The 5th District Court of Appeal ruled in June 2015 that Fresno Unified's contract with Harris Construction was not a genuine leaseback agreement, even though it was labeled as such.
The court said that plaintiff Stephen Davis, a Fresno contractor, adequately alleged that because Fresno Unified's leaseback wasn't used the way the law intended, it should have been competitively bid out like normal contracts. The district had money available to pay for the project – and didn't pay it back to the contractor over a long period of time, as is typical for leaseback contracts.
The Gaston project was paid for with funds from the district's $280 million bond, Measure Q. Both Bradley and Keygent worked with Fresno Unified on the bond measure, which voters approved in 2010. Spencer and Keygent contributed $30,000 and $10,000, respectively, to the bond's campaign.
Bradley also is linked with TerraVerde Renewable Partners LLC, a consulting firm in Larkspur that advises school districts on green energy projects. According to its website, TerraVerde worked on projects in the following districts: Clovis Unified, Visalia Unified, Corcoran Unified, Golden Valley Unified, Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified and Fowler Unified.
Bradley is listed as one of two "strategic partners" on TerraVerde's website. The site lists his accomplishments and qualifications.
TerraVerde President Rick Brown said Bradley's "limited consulting role for us has been to primarily make introductions." He would not say whether Bradley was paid.
Clovis Unified's $25 million, 19-school solar project in 2012 was by far the largest TerraVerde worked on. According to district records, TerraVerde was paid nearly $2 million.
The solar project was paid for by Measure A, a bond measure spearheaded by Bradley. The district selected Keygent to be its financial adviser for the bond after interviewing several candidates. According to district records, Keygent received $55,000 to $75,000 for each bond transaction.
Spokeswoman Kelly Avants said the district first contacted TerraVerde in 2010. At that time, Bradley worked with the district through another company, the consulting firm School Innovations and Advocacy. He was its vice president for facilities before forming his own company in 2010.
On the solar project, TerraVerde's Brown offered to do all the planning for free if it won the contract.
Avants said the district reached out to other solar advisory companies, but none were willing to do the planning work for free. The district concluded TerraVerde was the only company willing to meet its terms, so it did not interview other candidates or send out requests for qualification forms.
Clovis Unified still plans to name its proposed southern educational center after Bradley, Avants said. Bradley retired from Clovis Unified in 2009 after 33 years with the district.
The district had three annual contracts with Bradley in 2011-14 that each paid $30,000 to his firm, School Business Consulting. A fourth contract paid the company $1,250 per month in 2011 but did not specify how long the contract would be in effect. All four lacked clauses concerning conflicts of interest.
Avants said that district policy does not require consultants to sign conflict-of-interest forms, because consultants don't have decision-making authority.
Sanger Unified has an agreement with School Business Consulting that began on July 1, 2015, and ends Thursday.
The district is paying Bradley's company for advice in a variety of areas, including assisting with construction deals.
In September, the Sanger Unified Board of Trustees entered into a $9 million leaseback deal with Harris Construction to build an addition to Sanger Academy Charter School. Superintendent Matt Navo said at the time that Sanger had used leaseback deals for years and that they were needed to stretch a thin budget.
Sanger's agreement with Bradley's company requires the services of a municipal adviser, which the SEC has forbidden him from doing.
The agreement requires the company to "work with district administration and their consultant to 'match' facility projects using local bond funds with modernization or other state facility program(s) for which the district is eligible."
The SEC did not elaborate on how its sanctions would affect contracts with Bradley and his company, and SEC officials did not return phone calls.
The SEC defines municipal adviser as "a person that provides advice to or on behalf of a municipal entity or obligated person with respect to municipal financial products or the issuance of municipal securities, including advice with respect to the structure, timing, terms, and other similar matters concerning such financial products or issues, or undertakes a solicitation of a municipal entity."
The SEC states that a municipal entity "includes, but is not limited to, public pension funds, local government investment pools and other state and local government entities or funds."
Part of Bradley's settlement with the SEC bans him from acting as a municipal adviser or associating with them, so it would seem he is now legally unable to fulfill part of this contract.
When asked if Bradley still was acting as a municipal adviser for the district or would be retained, assistant superintendent Eduardo Martinez said Bradley has consulted for the district for three years. He plans not to retain Bradley once his contract is up, saying the district always had planned to transfer his duties to in-house personnel beginning in July.
According to the district contracts, Sanger paid Bradley $40,000 per year from 2010 to 2014. He was paid $36,000 in 2015. In all, the district has paid him $236,000.
Fresno County
Fresno County Office of Education spokeswoman Lisa Birrell said Bradley was paid $1,500 in fiscal year 2015-16 to help with the office's Successful Project Workshop Series at schools throughout the Valley.
The county's contract with Bradley does not have any clauses on conflicts of interest.
Madera Unified School District Superintendent Ed Gonzalez said the district never contracted with Bradley or his company directly.
However, it did award a $24,500 contract to the Cosca Group on April 23, 2013, to lead its search for a new superintendent, Gonzalez said. The Cosca Group is a collection of education consultants. Bradley is listed on the Cosca Group's website as one of 28 partners. All of the partners have biographies except Bradley. Clicking his name leads to a screen that reads "access denied."
Madera Unified's contract with Cosca does not include any clauses covering conflicts of interest.
Officials with Cosca did not return phone calls.
Bradley has contracted with the Dinuba Unified School District every year since 2010. His first two deals in 2010 and 2011 paid him $40,000 each, and he received $30,000 per year in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The deals total $200,000.
Cindy Kaljumagi, administrative assistant to the superintendent, said the district plans to retain Bradley after his current deal expires on June 30. That contract would presumable pay him another $30,000.
Like the Sanger deals, Dinuba's most recent contract asks him to work on behalf of the district on a possible bond and soliciting state money for projects – which he may no longer be able to do after the SEC's ruling.
Dinuba Superintendent Joe Hernandez said Friday that Bradley is one of the few experts in both school finance and construction. He added that Dinuba's facilities have "improved dramatically" since the district hired Bradley as an adviser.
"(Bradley) is a man of great principle who has loyally and faithfully served the needs of school districts throughout his career," Hernandez said. "That his integrity would be questioned by anyone is irresponsible and highly offensive to those who know him."
Bradley has been under contract with Caruthers since 2010. He was paid $10,000 per year in 2010-12 and $15,000 annually in 2013-2015, for a total of $75,000. The district intends to renew his contract at the end of June.
The most recent contract asks Bradley to work on finalizing leaseback deals with Harris. It also involves Bradley in the bond and state financial advising he is apparently no longer legally allowed to do.
Kings Canyon
Both Bradley and Keygent worked with Kings Canyon Unified to create its 2012 facilities master plan. Attempts to reach the district for copies of Bradley's contracts were not successful.
Rory Appleton: 559-441-6015, @RoryDoesPhonics. Staff writer Mackenzie Mays contributed to the story.


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Any chance for opera version of the extension?
We have planned to document the API of the IDE in order to facilitate the creation of extensions. However, we have not planned to do an opera version in the short term.
New version available to work with the new IDE. Please update .
Intellij idea sync with package path and when code play in codingame ide have error "Error: Could not find or load main class Player" ! How fix that Or resolve?
This plugin was not developed by CodinGame, hence we didn't updated it to work with the new IDE. If the author wants to reach us, I'll be happy to provide some support.
In Clash of Code, when i use this extension it works perfectly for the first puzzle, but on the second I get a bunch of errors (An error occurred (#413): "Clash is completed and cannot be restarted.". Please contact email@example.com) pop up when saving while save on submit is on. I am using Chromium on Linux.
Many thanks!
Just my 5¢: on Windows you (I mean a user) might want to have a look at Text Editor Anywhere.On Firefox (regardless of OS) — it's all text (the browser extension).These tools work on all sites (and TAE even in all applications such as Excel code editor) and may give you (the extension developer) some inspiration.
Nevertheless, thank you for the plugin
Works quite well with Visual Studio Code!Thanks for the extension
Didn't test extensively (in fact, I just installed it) but seems to work perfectly with Visual SlickEdit 2015 (v220.127.116.11 64-bit) in a Windows 10 environment.
Thank you very much for [CG] Sync tool. It's so nice !
Is there any plan to use Sync with Firefox ?
Thank you for your wonderful job !
Is there a mozzilla app too??
CG Sync is not available for Firefox, but you can use this tool https://www.codingame.com/forum/t/greasemonkey-simple-file-to-ide-sync/862
Has anyone explored porting the Chrome extension to Firefox WebExtensions? I haven't played with the API yet, but it's supposed to be largely compatible with Chrome extension APIs. If there's no effort going into this right now, maybe I'll take an evening to explore this possibility. I have a decent amount of experience developing extensions for both Chrome and Firefox.
Guys, do you plan to provide same functionality via REST API or CLI? That would be more convenient for dev integration.
Honestly REST API sounds like a great idea, the extension is nice but it's really clumsy
Works with Atom Editor (by Github)
Why not have a python/bash script that runs as a git post commit hook? There are a few reasons for this.1 - Random junk is not posted to the site, it could have a syntax validation check, which is usually available in a local compiler2 - Git commits are cheap and fast locally.3 - Git diffs are cheaper over the wire in bandwidth terms than sending the whole file.4 - A git clone for offline play might also be fun You could just as easily use registered key based auth (only for us editor types) and something behind native git tooling.
When I click "use an external code editor", the "on" button doesn't get highlighted, only "off" gets highlighted.. and the sync plug-in icon is just gray out all the time in chrome... I have tried rebooting chrome.; any idea?
I really like this extension. The only issue I have, is with the autoplay feature. For multiplayer bot programming it would make much more sense to automatically "replay in same conditions" instead of automatically playing in new game conditions.As it is, I either have to turn off autoplay, or switch back to the online ide for debugging my code.
I think this little addition or change would improve it a lot for me


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(El Gran Amor del Conde Dracula)
Count Dracula's Great Love has been intended as a copy of the Hammer Dracula films that began with Dracula/The Horror of Dracula (1958) starring Christopher Lee. These were at a peak of popularity from the point around 1968-72. This film does make some effort to tie its Dracula in with Bram Stoker, namedropping characters and locations from the book like the Seward Asylum and Borgo Pass, and is (as far as I am aware) the first film to merge Count Dracula with the historical Vlad the Impaler. Paul Naschy has an undeniable dashing handsomeness as Dracula. The problem with the film is that director Javier Aguirre builds no mystique up around the character Naschys Dracula is simply a man in a tuxedo and cape who bites necks, rarely a supernatural figure. The film does have the novelty of being the first time that Count Dracula is seen committing suicide, overcome with heartbreak and pushing the stake into his own heart at the end.
If anything, Count Dracula's Great Love resembles one of the softcore vampire films of Naschys countryman Jesus Franco that were being made around this period see Count Dracula (1970) with Christopher Lee and Vampyros Lesbos (1970). The unedited version of the film runs to 85 minutes (although is cut of thirteen minutes of the sex footage in some US prints) and is filled with copious nudity as Dracula seduces the various women. In this sense the long softcore erotica scenes, the elegant chateau location the film can easily be mistaken for a work by Franco (and has been), although what is lacking are Francos arty pretentions.
The main complaint one has is that the film seems to have no particular plot it is just scenes of people wandering around the sanatorium and lots of nudity. The story is never given the dramatic push it would in say a Hammer film, while director Javier Aguirre has a flat and prosaic approach (something endemic to almost all Naschy films). The other main problem is the title all four girls look identical and have no distinction as characters beyond that, meaning that they are often difficult to tell apart. All whip their tops off regularly, thus Draculas supposed great love with Haydee Politoff never amounts to anything more than just one in a series of interchangeable softcore tumblings that take place at regular intervals.
Director Javier Aguirre made several other genre films including:- the Space Mission comedy The Astronaut (1970); Paul Naschys The Hunchback of the Morgue (1972); the psycho-thriller The Killer is One of Thirteen (1973); and The Unusual Pregnancy of Martinez (1974), a comedy about a pregnant man. Most of Aguirres work is in documentaries, while during the 1970s he discovered himself in domestic Spanish comedies, musicals and later the sex film.
Full film available online here:-


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Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes.
-- Dr. Warren Jackson, Director, UTCS
Many moons ago, on the original AmigaOne beta testers mail list, one of the mailers referred to their gigabit sneaker net. An external hard drive which they would walk home from the office with.
In networking terms, bandwidth is the capacity of the network to transfer data. If you ignore the underlying medium (which really doesn't matter), you can see that sneakernets often have very high bandwidth. Take a 3TB external drive. Over 10 mins (600s) the unidirectional bandwidth is 50 gigabit/s (assuming 10bits/byte). Of course, if you also need to transfer the data from a system to the 3TB drive, and then to another system, bandwidth is greatly reduced.
But back to the quote. Let's assume some 1.5TB LTO-5 tapes. Let's assume a rather conservative capacity of the station wagon of 5000 tapes. That's 7.5 petabytes. Over an hour, that would be about 16terabit/s, or Sydney to Melbourne about 1.5tbps. Which doesn't compare too badly to a fibre optic link.
Of course, sneakernets or stationwagon-nets may have high bandwidth, but there are two big issues to consider. One is that these nets are half duplex. If you require a network technology that allows you to communicate back and forth a lot, something involving time critical dynamic data processing (like gaming), it's not so great. The other thing to consider is transferring to transport medium from the system. Maybe with a hard drive, this is not such a problem. You could keep your home folder on an external hard drive or, maybe the whole system on a removable bay. But for tape, which is necessarily an offline medium, you lose a lot of time in the transfer.
However, if what you need to do a one transfer of a large amount of data, sneakernet or car net, will usually outperform ADSL, SHDSL or even 10mbit fibre.
So, this weekend I did the usual housework, eating, sleeping, watching TV etc, that people the world over do of a weekend. The other thing I did was install Debian on a mini-ITX system, and Mac OS X Leopard on a PowerMac G4 Cube.
The Cube is a little upgraded, having an 80GB hard drive, 1.5GB RAM (a Friday night upgrade after ordering 2x 512MB sticks from OWC), Airport, nVidia 6200, and a Sonnet 1.2GHz G4. Since the CPU is upgraded, Leopard will install without issues (it has a 867MHz G4 minimum requirement, although trivial to get around). I did the install using Netboot from a virtualized 10.5 server (another weekend project). I created the boot image from a 10.5.4 ISO image, which was mounted to the VM (Fusion) using the virtual optical drive device.
Boot over the network from the image, and then upgrade the installed 10.4.11 Server (this Cube was set up briefly as a server). There were, needless to say, a couple of hitches. I could not remember the original password for the admin account (I had to reset it last time, as well), so I needed to reset the password using the install disk, which did not work. So, retry to make sure I had clicked all the right buttons etc, and still no go, so a boot to single user mode to edit the local directory using dscl.
Dscl showed that the user accounts had not been imported. The home folders were there, but no account entries in the local node. So, reset the root password, reboot, login and then re-created the account. dsenableroot is a nice trick,
The other, small, issue was that the Airport card could not connect to my draft N WiFi (airport express). Not a big deal since 10/100 Ethernet is working, and I can always plugin in an older basestation (WAP) if needed.
Next trick is to get an SSD drive to saturate that slow 66mbyte ATA bus
Open Directory is one of the harder components of Mac OS X server to recover.
I recently had two opportunities to fix bad OD services on two Macs running 10.6 server.
The first server was in a bad way. The OD was not accessible from Workgroup manager, and was not running in Server Admin. Users could not authenticate against the OD.
The usual poking around showed that LDAP was dead. Google lead me to:
sudo db_recover -h /var/db/openldap/openldap-data
Which failed. However, using man db_recover, I came across the option
Perform catastrophic recovery instead of normal recovery.
Which did the trick, nicely.
What caused this failure? Well, a fsck and then permission repair both showed issues. But since it was fixed, I did not spend too much time indulging in 'why'. I am guessing that hiccup caused some file corruption.
The second issue is a more commonplace one. It was a new Snow Leopard server install, and authentication against the OD was taking forever and accessing the OD via WorkGroup Manager was slow and painful.
This was an issue I remember from our early experiences with Leopard Server. Basically, if DNS is not up and running nicely, you get big delays accessing Server Admin, WorkGroup Manager and in authenticating.
This user had set up the server using a FQDN ending in .local. This seemed not to be working nicely. However, they had registered a domain to use with this server (the server will be doing some Web hosting), so a good FQDN was available.
Since there were only 10 users set up, and all the passwords were available, I exported the users and groups using Workgroup Manger and then demoted the server to standalone. I then set up DNS correctly using the registered domain name, and re-promoted the server to OD Master. I then imported the accounts and groups, and reset the passwords. I have found that it is quicker to do this than use the changeip command (and the rest) to change the Kerberos realm, and LDAP, because experience has shown that it is rarely a matter of issuing changeip.
I have on my hands a large number of unused PCs, including dual 1GHz P3 and 2.4GHz+ Xeon machines. What I am hoping to do is get at least one box set up with a nice flavour of linux, and set it up as a network services box. On the list of services to try to get running are DHCP, DNS, VPN, possibly NAT/firewall (although, I'd probably like that running on a different box to my DNS), LDAP, RADIUS, and Kerberos.
I'd like something rock solid and easily administerable to run the core of the internal network. DNS, DHCP and a Kerberos realm are central to that. LDAP is handy because Macs hook into it well, and RADIUS is handy for the wireless access control.
It is really a long term project, because I will basically be building it from the ground up. I have a couple of machines in mind to run it on, but they all need hardware sorted (install RAM, hard drives, cases, fans etc). And then I will need to install the OS. Ubuntu is top choice at the moment, but CentOS, Debian or even something like FreeBSD or OpenSolaris is an outside chance.
OS choice is dependant on finding the right software tools and what they run on best. Probably, have it up and running sometime in June 2010, lol
Okay, since the last post I have done a little more. The problem with my microATX AthlonXP board was down to the board, not the CPU.
I have built another AthlonXP box, an Athlon64 (939) box, got a Quicksilver which has been upgraded a bit, fixed up the AT box with a 733, and got half way through a IBM PC 300GL upgrade (450MHz P3, 128Mb RAM, 40Gb HDD, WinXP). I've also got remote desktop running between a winXP box and a mac. I've killed the cable on the 21" screen, bought a 19" CRT, sold the Pismo and sold the Athlon64 box. I've also rediscovered strangedogs and flashed a few PC cards to Mac cards.
I think an entry on each of the major things would be appropriate.
:: Next Page >>
This is all about my on going fumblings with hardware. Regular entries should provide an indication of the depths of my obsession.
| Next >
|<< <
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Sample Wrench download for Amiga OS


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Tag Archives: tribe
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The University Health Clinic supplies health services for WWU college students, faculty, and employees on the college campus in School Place. Sufferers with out an Appointment but in need of medical care will probably be triaged by a nurse and either seen instantly, if urgent, or labored into the appointment schedule, or treated in accordance with established accepted protocols, or advised on scheduling date for a future appointment.
Enrolled college students do not need health insurance coverage to utilize the health clinic companies. Hope Health Clinic values the support of people and organizations to assist meet the wants of patients. The Hurricane Health Clinic adheres to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects the privacy and security of affected person data.
The clinic is staffed by nurse practitioners and a physician who offer a large spectrum of primary healthcare services to patients of all ages, together with: … Read more


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Gwen and Wade Hall are joined on Nite Line this evening by two very special guests: Randall Franks and Ryan Anthony Stinson! Randall Franks is best known for portraying Officer Randy Goode from the television adaptation...More
Nite Line – Thursday, April 19, 2018 – Strength Healing / Healthy Living
Join Mary Sloan and Toni Suchka on Nite Line for a Strength Healing Healthy Living Show with Vanessa Rose Valero, an Arizonan guest via Skype! While Vanessa Rose Valero is Skyping in from Arizona, she is a California native by birth and the proud daughter of a Chilean immigrant father and an Ital...More
Nite Line – Wednesday, April 18, 2018 Anderson University
Tonight on Nite Line Pastor Benny Littlejohn welcomes guests from Anderson University, including President Dr. Evans Whitaker, Vice President of Church Relations Dr. Bob Cline, and Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Chris Hansen. Anderson University is a liberal arts university and Christ-centered community tha...More
Nite Line – Tuesday, April 17, 2018 – Lisa Dalton, Chris Dillard
Pastor Nathan Bland is joined by Lisa Dalton tonig...More
Nite Line – Monday, April 16, 2018 – Holmes Bible College
Join Pastor Sean Hamilton as he welcomes Rev. Chris Thompson, the president of Holmes Bible College, to Nite Line. In 1898, Holmes Bible College was built on a Biblical foundation atop Paris Mountain and is the oldest kn...More
Nite Line – Friday, April 6, 2018 – Meghan Woods, Jada Redmond, Crossfire Ministries
Gwen and Wade Hall are joined by Nite Line favorites Randy Shepherd and Jamie Johnson of Crossfire Ministries in Asheville, North Carolina. Both Jada Redmond of Greenville, South Carolina, and Meghan Woods of Hendersonville, North Carolina, sing for the Lord throughout the program. Randy Shep...More
Nite Line – Thursday, April 5, 2018 – Kipra Anderson, Susan Wells, Eliane Alves
This Ladies' Night, Mary Sloan and Toni Suchka host special guests Kipra Anderson, Susan Wells, and Eliane Alves for an evening dedicated to a vision in every woman. Kipra Anderson www.lettherebemom.org
Nite Line – Wednesday, April 4, 2018 – From Under A Bridge, Enlighten
Tonight on Nite Line, Annie T. Broughton welcomes Blossom Rogers, the author of From Under A Bridge, to share her tremendous testimony. Michelle Roberson then discusses the organization she founded – Enlighten – and shares what its mission is. Sherry Anne returns to the program...More
Nite Line – Tuesday, April 3, 2018 – Anthony K Pearson, Derrell Dean, Music by APPOINTED
On Nite Line this evening, Wally and Rhonda Odom are joined by Apostle Anthony K. Pearson, who shares his incredible testimony from his first encounter with God, to straying away, to living a life of homosexuality and trans-genderism, to his return to the cross, and finally to ongoing life for Chri...More
Nite Line – Monday, April 2, 2018 – Johnson Bakashaba, Awake America
Tune in tonight to join Dante Thompson as he interviews Pastor Asa Dockery of World Harvest Church North, Pastor Johnson Bakashaba of Revival Outreach, and Lydia Dockery Long of Awake America about their missions! Pastor Johnson Bakashaba More


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Visit our Libraries - Young, Hillyer & Josten. Request books online - fast delivery. Learn more
Visit Smith.edu
Popular Searches:
Call 413-585-2910
Monday to Friday
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
News & Highlights
Beginning in Spring 2016, anyone interested in the psychology of women's activism will be able to take part in a free massive open online course (or MOOC) offered by Smith.
The Sophia Smith Collection is proud to be a partner in this project which draws extensively on the Voices of Feminism Oral History Project and personal papers of nine leading activists: Gloria Steinem, Loretta Ross, Virginia Apuzzo, Katsi Cook, Byllye Avery, Joan Biren, Luz Alvarez Martinez, Nkenge Touré and Carmen Vázquez.
The course will be taught by Lauren Duncan, professor of psychology. It will launch in March 2016 and run for seven weeks through the end of April. To learn more, or to enroll, go to http://bit.ly/1imBjup.
The Sophia Smith Collection has been awarded a grant of $250,000 from the Council on Library and Information Resources for a two-year project to digitize, create metadata, and make available online 379 reels of microfilmed records, serials, and photographs in the YWCA of the USA Records. This popular and rich content represents transnational history, as well as the intersections of race, gender, geography, immigration, socio-cultural politics, and U.S. national policy. Follow the progress of the grant project here.
CLIR's Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Enabling New Scholarship through Increasing Access to Unique Materials is a national competition for digitizing collections of rare and unique content in cultural memory institutions. Thank you CLIR for your support!


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Whatever floats your boat, pick the activities you fancy and get in touch today. Our expert party planners will ensure your Prague stag weekend will be one to remember.


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I could not have asked for a better position on my move to the UK. I would also like to mention that I have heard excellent recommendations about you and the work that you are involved in. On more than a few occasions, explaining to other engineers and management about how quickly I was able to gain my position through CarmichaelUK – people have responded with, "Did you deal with Katie Peachey – she is one of the best there is." They specifically mentioned your name. I thought you deserved to hear some positive feedback! Hope you have a nice weekend and thank you again. I will definitely be recommending you to fellow engineers in the future".
Looking for your next role in Construction and Engineering? We're recruiting nationwide on major projects! View all… https://t.co/qrB04TXV2a
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"Travel ball dad"by Steve Gaiser (parent)
Pros: This bat has a great feel. My daughter is continuously hitting the ball over the fence now. This bat has a way larger sweet zone than her previous. The heavier barrel is great for her power swing. We all just love this bat.
Cons: It is a bit pricey. But it is worth it if your daughter is a power swinger. If you are used to a more eaven weighted bat it will take some getting used to.


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I'm just worn out.
Get up this morning, the weather computer isn't on. Again. It isn't on. There's no reason for this. I turn it on. Lights flicker, it goes off. I turn on my computer. Same thing. Brian's computer won't stay on. The stereo on the file cabinets keeps restarting.
When we were having problems the other day, I thought maybe it was the outlet on Brian's side of the office. Because that's the one that was giving us problems with the battery backup. I got the outlet tester and there was no power to the bottom outlet. Okay, that needs to be changed out. I told Brian and he changed it out, looked the old outlet over, couldn't see any reason why it no longer worked. But, we're back in business. Right?
Wrong. Weird kept happening. Brian ended up shutting off the electrical to the entire house so he could pinpoint exactly which circuit breaker fed the office (the set up is a mess, whoever did this originally wasn't paying any attention to what went where). He found it and he told me "listen to it". I could hear a faint clicking. The breaker needed replacing.
He went to Home Depot. He got home and didn't even come in the house, he started to change out the breaker. And the new one was a little too big for the breaker box. He had to leave again. He finally found one that would work at Lowe's and got it changed out and yay! Four hours later, we have consistent power to the office.
Then we tried to find out why the electrical in the living room wasn't working right. There's the outside patio light, an outlet in the office, and two in the living room. The tester shows an open neutral. He checked all of the outlets again, changed the switch for the light and it's still not working. I think maybe it's different breaker, but a breaker with only five things on it doesn't even make sense. Brian finally gave up and took his shower. I made breakfast.
At 11:30, he was ready to go to work.
My foot was a little better and I'd planned on staying off of it today, but walking in and out of the house, climbing around to outlets, really took its toll on my legs. Since I was hobbling, my leg muscles weren't use to it and they are so tired right now.
The weather is great at this point, nice and cool, to be cooler tomorrow. Perfect for sleeping. I hope nothing else sucky happens. I did tell him that it was great that the office was up and running again, that it could have been worse. He agreed. he said it could have been a lot worse.
So, we just plod along....
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You wouldn't leave a candle burning while you slept, and you wouldn't leave frayed cords unattended. But there are some fire dangers that aren't so common, but can be just as deadly.
1. Light refraction
A Reddit user recently posted about a fire that began in his home… because of a glass doorknob. Yep, a glass doorknob. Essentially, light came through the window of his home, hit the doorknob and eventually heated the doorknob to the extent that it caught on fire. Yikes! (You can see pics here.) When you leave your home, make sure your blinds are down, and remove glass objects (like jars and glasses) from your surfaces.
2. Clutter in the kitchen
Think about all the things that are on your kitchen bench tops. Paper towel? Tea towels? Recipe books? Wooden spoons? All necessary in a kitchen, and all fire hazards. Make sure you keep anything flammable at least a metre from your stovetop.
3. Your clothes dryer
Lint that accumulates in your dryer (and not just in the lint catcher, but all through the dryer itself), can cause a fire the next time you use it. Make sure clean the lint catcher as often as possible.
4. Loose power outlets
Notice that your cords pop out of outlets a lot more easily these days? That's not good. Loose outlets can generate intense amounts of heat, that can lead to fires. Have them replaced immediately.
Related: 4 toxic product that could be hiding in your house


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Many groups exist at ALUUC, serving various needs and interests. Please see the list of groups below, our list of Group Events, list of ALUUC events and our online calendar for specific dates and times.
Book Discussion Group
This group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm to discuss a chosen book. They meet at group members houses. Check the ALUUC newsletter for meeting place. Please contact Barbara Moore at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information.
Members have expressed interest in getting an ALUUC choir started again. At this time we're considering rehearsals to be before Sunday services and once during the week. If you are interested in joining in this adventure please notify Kathy Schultz at email@example.com with your name, e-mail address, and which part (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) you prefer singing. Please contact Bonnie Ettinger for more information.
Covenant Groups
Covenant Groups meet regularly to discuss specific topics within a spiritual context. They provide opportunities for deeper community and for service to the congregation and to the broader community. Participation in covenant groups is a way to help individuals build relationships, experience a greater sense of belonging, and feel supported in their spiritual journeys. These groups have the power to deepen congregants' commitments to UU values and to help build sustained relationships between members/friends and the congregation. Read more about Covenant Groups at ALUUC…
Dream Group
This group meets at the ALUUC on the first Monday of each month at 7 pm. In a relaxed atmosphere, each person in the group will share a recent dream of his or her own choosing. Then two dreams will be selected for further discussion. It is an opportunity to exchange insights without engaging in group therapy as such. Please contact Phil Gregg for more information.
Drum Circle
The ALUUC Drum Circle meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm at Diana DeWeese's studio. Everybody is welcome, including first-time drummers. For the location of the studio, parking information, or any other questions, please contact email@example.com.
Humanist Discussion Group
This group meets at the ALUUC on the fourth Monday of each month at 7 pm. The group's general coverage is both religious and secular humanism. The group focus will be: the common philosophical base for all that come together under the big UU umbrella. Humanism rejects the supernatural while stressing core values such as dignity of the individual, equality, and social justice. Some special topics may include evolution, separation of church and state, and ethical values. Please contact the group at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information.
Labyrinth Walks
Our monthly meditative walks meets on the third Friday of the month. This is a unique, ancient pathway to greater spirituality that incorporates body and consciousness. Each walk starts at 7 pm. There will also be an opportunity to receive a Oneness Blessing before and after you walk; those who wish to stay after the walk may join in a UU Communion held in Rev. Woulfe's office.
Men's Group
The Mens Group meets on the first & third Wednes-days at 6:30 pm. We vary our meeting locations between church and nearby restaurants. Join us for insightful discussion, dinner, drinks and merriment. Feel free to bring thought provoking books, articles or poems for examination and reflection. Contact Jim Curran to get on the mailing list for meeting locations and details (email@example.com).
Movie Night
One Sunday evening per month the ALUUC hosts a movie night. Please check the newsletter or the online calendar for dates, times, and the film(s) for the month.
News Covenant Group
This group meets on the first Thursday of each month to discuss current events. This group meets at the members homes or at the ALUUC. Please contact Frank Kopecky at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information.
Pagan Group
"Pagan", literally means "country dweller", and over the years has come to mean different things to different people. Generally speaking, now, it's thought of as an umbrella term for someone who practices an Earth-based spirituality. The ALUUC's Pagan Group holds eight planned rituals a year honoring the Celtic Wheel of the Year. We also hold a planning meeting on the first Sunday of every month in order to finalize plans for our rituals, and to determine plans for volunteering as an outreach group at ALUUC. Anyone who is an ALUUC member, friend, or guest is welcome to join the ALUUC Pagan Group for fellowship, ritual, planning, and learning. For more information and connection, please contact Tracy Zieber at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Sangamon Zen Meditation Group
This group practices Zen in the lineage of the Ordinary Mind Zen School founded by Charlotte Joko Beck of the San Diego Zen Center. The group is fortunate to receive guidance and instruction from a Dharma heir of Joko Beck, Elihu Genmyo Smith who is a resident teacher at the Prairie Zen Center in Champaign, Illinois and is able to visit the group on a regular basis. The group occasionally travels to Champaign individually and in groups for service and sesshin. The group meets at 9:30am most Saturdays at the ALUUC. All are welcome. Newcomers can arrive at 9:00am for a brief orientation. Please contact Ed Russell or visit their website at www.sangamonzen.org for more information.
Thursday Evening Meditation
This group will teach you how to quiet your mind and focus on your spirituality. The group meets every Thursday evening at 7:00pm at the ALUUC. Please contact Debby Hagan or Ed Russell for more information.
Red Tent
The ALUUC Red Tent is open to any individual who identifies as a woman and who is looking for a sacred space with other women. What is a Red Tent? A Red Tent is a red textile space where women gather to rest, renew, and often share deep and powerful stories about their lives. A Red Tent offers women a state of beingness rather than our continual doing mode. Young girls are welcome to join us in the red tent and become part of our sacred space for women — we leave it to each Mom to decide this, because she knows her girl the best. Activities/topics will be posted well in advance of our gatherings. Nursing babies are always welcome! Interested in learning more about our Red Tent? Come join us! For more information, or if you would like to join our Facebook group, email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The catalyst for a major career decision in the life of Dr. Ola Orekunrin Brown came about almost 10 years ago with the loss of her 12-year-old sister.
Struggling to locate an air ambulance in West Africa, the family arranged for a South African service to airlift her to a hospital but before the logistics could be arranged, Ola's sister succumbed to her condition.
Motivated by this tragedy, Ola shifted her focus to establishing West Africa's first national Air Ambulance Service. Today, Flying Doctors Nigeria transports patients from Abuja to Port Harcourt and operate 20 charter aircrafts with 24-hour critical care doctors on board, every day of the year.
Lots of people die, not because the help they need isn't anywhere, it's just that they're unable to get to the right medical facility within the right timeframe.— Dr. Ola Orekunrin Brown, Founder & MD of Flying Doctors Nigeria
Dedicated to bringing trauma care to the most remote parts of West Africa, the Lagos-based ambulance service specializes in providing air ambulance services, training and consultancy to governments and private organisations across Africa.
With her focus set on expanding the life-saving operation within Nigeria first, Ola is determined to secure global funding in order to venture out into other African regions. She has also become a prominent member of the Lionesses of Africa - a community passionate about women's entrepreneurship in Africa.
But, whilst there are still various challenges that come with securing investment, Ola is optimistic that African growth figures have begun to make a positive impact.
Click here to access the Africa Connected portal or click below to watch Nikiwe's full chat with Dr Brown...


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Passenger aircraft crash lands in Russia's KaliningradOctober 2nd, 2008 - 6:55 pm ICT by IANS
Moscow, Oct 2 (RIA Novosti) A Boeing 737-300 crash landed at the airport in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, after its landing gear malfunctioned, but people on board were unharmed, a transportation ministry spokesman said Thursday."According to Rostransnadzor, a Boeing 737-300 owned by the KD Avia airline crash-landed at the Kaliningrad airport Wednesday on a flight from Barcelona. None of the 108 passengers on board was injured," the spokesman said, referring to the country's transportation regulator.
According to preliminary reports, there was a problem with the plane's landing gear.
The Kaliningrad airport is temporarily closed over the accident.
A similar Boeing jet, owned by Aeroflot Nord, a subsidiary of Russia's flagship carrier Aeroflot, crashed Sep 14 on a rail track linking Yekaterinburg and Perm in the Urals during its final approach to Perm airport killing all 88 people onboard.
Tags: aircraft crash, airline crash, boeing 737 300, crash lands, exclave, kaliningrad airport, ministry spokesman, passenger aircraft, ria novosti, transportation ministry


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Note: Do not read on if you have not yet seen Season 6, Episode 11 of AMC's "Mad Men," titled "Favors."
I tip my cap to "Mad Men" for fooling me again, and I mean that in the best possible way. One thing the show has been consistently good at is lulling me into thinking that an episode is heading in one direction or is going to focus on one collection of ideas or themes, but then veering off in an entirely new direction. When "Mad Men" is working at the top of its game, it pulls this off with ease. When everything aligns just so, it's capable of pulling off a sucker punch that still feels earned and tonally united with what came before the shift or shocking moment.
The more I think about it, what happened in the last quarter of "Favors" may be one of the most important moments in the history of the series. Minutes after he was born, Dick Whitman/Don Draper lost the most important woman in his life -- his mother -- and that loss has informed his entire life. Everything has been about finding something that would make that ache go away. Women, work, booze -- these things can occasionally dull the pain, but all his life, he's wanted to feel known and understood by a woman whom he could trust unequivocally.
He's found ways to sabotage every romantic relationship that has partly filled that gap (and quite a few professional relationships as well), but he never questioned his relationship with his daughter, Sally. Even though he's nobody's idea of a devoted dad and mainly defers all childcare to the women in his orbit, they always had a special bond. But now he's messed that up in the worst possible way. Sally's discovery was devastating to witness. Don knows better than anyone that once a child loses respect for an adult, that adult can never win it back again.
The horrible irony is that Don didn't wrangle the Mitchell situation in order to sleep with Sylvia; for once, he had done something a little bit noble. Of course, his actions were driven in part by guilt over his betrayal of Arnold Rosen (whom he does truly like) and by the self-hatred that still flows from his decision, years ago, to assume the identity of Donald Draper. But I don't think Don's motivations revolved entirely around shame and regret. Don's not great at reading what other people want or need -- hence his problems with Ted Chaough and just about everyone else -- but Don would have to be a complete sociopath not to sense Arnold's despair or to imagine Sylvia's despondence. Don's not that insensitive, of course, and he's more than able to imagine the foolhardy mindset of a naive young man who doesn't think things through.
Don's much older now, and he knows a lot about the unexpected ramifications of rash decisions, so he goes out on a limb for the Rosens, even to the point of putting clients ill at ease at a dinner that is meant to cement the firm's professional relationship with Chevy. For once, Don is willing to do the right thing, at least in part for the right reasons. He puts himself out there for someone else, and it works. But because he's weak and can't resist the thank-you sex that Sylvia offered, it's all for naught, because he's lost the respect of the person who is arguably closest to him.
Jon Hamm is good at a lot of things -- this we know well -- but he especially excels at wordlessly depicting a hollowed-out, devastated Don. Think about the Season 3 scene in which Betty discovered Don's secret and confronted him in their kitchen in Ossining: I can clearly recall how Don's shoulders slumped in a way that connoted terror, defeat and relief all at once. Think of Don's body and face in "The Suitcase" when he found out that Anna had died; his heavily lidded eyes and his slumped posture quietly radiated profound despair.
Don told Peggy that Anna was the only person who ever really knew him, but Peggy gave him some comfort by reminding him that she also knew him very well. But that relationship with Peggy is always going to be complicated by the protegee-mentor issues between them. There's never going to be the kind of purity between Don and Peggy that a father can have with his daughter, if the man has been a good dad. Now Don has betrayed the trust he and Sally shared, and things will never be the same between them.
In the lobby after that awful moment in Sylvia's apartment, Don literally didn't know which way to go; the man for whom savior faire is a way of life looked every bit the mess he felt. In the elevator going down, Hamm once again conveyed Don's devastation with small but significant gestures. Don covered his face, probably wishing to unsee the look on Sally's face when she caught him with Sylvia, and he braced himself against the wall as he swayed ever so slightly. You could practically feel the waves of nausea, fear and humiliation coming off the man.
A few moments later, Sally mirrored her father's posture -- she shielded her eyes, and leaned on her locked bedroom door as she half-accepted Don's line of bullshit. Kudos to Kiernan Shipka for knocking her scenes out of the park. She's got the sassy teen thing down, but after Sally's awful discovery, she instantly became a mortified, horrified young girl who still wanted to think well of her father but never could again.
What's awful about Sally's disillusionment is that it came out of left field. Don has come to realize that he's terrible at relationships, and this episode actually saw him make some progress on that front. He stopped his equipment-measuring contest with Ted long enough to make an honest, vulnerable admission to the man about his worries regarding Mitchell's future. And it worked! Ted was much more willing to put up with Don's behavior at the dinner once he knew that intense feelings drove him to mention the war and Mitchell's 1A status.
On the phone with Sylvia, we didn't necessarily see Don press her to meet; he actually called to speak with Arnold and when speaking to his former mistress, Don didn't behave like a heartbroken, moony teenager. Of course Don is still a self-serving liar and narcissist a lot of the time, and of course we've seen the show frequently undo, forget or disregard a lot of the alleged "progress" he's made over the years, but we can't deny that he'd taken a few baby steps forward in this hour. He certainly took a few steps back when he agreed to meet Sylvia in the spare bedroom, but then he wouldn't be Don Draper if he could resist make-up sex or if women could resist the urge to have it with him.
It's hard to watch this show and not want Don to get his comeuppance at times; it's hard not to want to see a character who skates out of many of the consequences of his actions taken down a peg or two. Even so, the scene at the Draper's dinner table was exquisite torture; he had to endure Mitchell thanking him, Arnold saying he owed Don, and Megan glowing with gratitude toward her husband, who'd seemed callous in their previous discussion of Mitchell's status. Even for a man who knows he's a fraud, having so much praise heaped upon him when he knows he's been especially idiotic had to be exceptionally awful. What should have been his crowning moment turned to ashes when he saw Sally's face; she could barely look at him. Even if he smoothed things over with her on the surface, there's no chance of truly undoing or justifying what he'd done.
There was no snappy musical cue to take us out of that moment, just a moment of silence at the end of the episode, perhaps to mark the death of Sally's respect for her father; that was followed by a mournful piece of music that underlined how heartbreakingly effective the final sequence had been. In an episode I thought would be a routine set-up for the season's endgame, "Mad Men" unleashed a kick right to the gut, just when I thought there weren't any more people Don could let down. (Next season: Don somehow destroys baby Gene's will to live).
The rest of the episode was a bit of a potpourri, and that mixture included a big revelation about Bob Benson -- maybe. The upside of making Bob so mysterious is that we've all been able to speculate on who and what he is. (My favorite new theory, which I came up with during a recent dinner with friends: Bob is Sal's secret, hot-stuff boyfriend!) Having a character be so mysterious, however, can lead to unsatisfying moments, like the one in Pete's office, which didn't really track with the little we know about Bob.
The main thing we know about Bob is that he wants everyone to like him, and he works hard to study others and figure out what they want. Given that those are among the few scraps of information we have about him, why would he hit on Pete, especially after Pete had just made a comment about gay men being "degenerates"? Whether or not Bob is actually good at reading people, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to pick up on the fact that Pete is a starchy, preppy New England blue blood -- the kind that looks down on anyone not cut from that particular cloth.
I can't imagine Bob didn't see that before, and after Pete's disgusted crack about Manolo's orientation, he had to know what Pete's feelings on the topic were. Why hit on him with the knee gesture? How does that help either Manolo or Bob? Perhaps Bob made an error in judgment, perhaps his desire to please blinded him to Pete's obvious prejudice. Perhaps he thought Pete protested too much. Ultimately, however, I can't figure out what Bob hoped to gain from that move. Again, this is the downside of knowing next to nothing about the man. Perhaps if we knew that he was a hopeless romantic, a naive optimist or socially mistake-prone, I'd accept the error in judgment, but I don't really know who he is, what he really wants and what motivates him, so that aspect of the scene didn't quite work for me.
I suppose there's a reading of the scene in which Bob, via his knee, tells Pete that everything is on the menu, if Pete is inclined to sample something new (and I'd bet Bob has noticed how lonely the newly separated Pete is). What was interesting about the scene is Bob's speech about true love and what that said about Bob's past. Was he taken care of in a similar way? Did he think that kind of offer of both love and sex would get through to Pete, because it had worked on him? The speech is certainly open to multiple interpretations. Is Bob actually gay, or is he simply an opportunist who has seen how much success Manolo has had by offering his wares to both genders? Was Bob taken care of by Manolo at some point, and did they have an affair? Is Bob bisexual or simply into sour, preppy men with impressive sideburns?
In a way, the encounter inspired as many questions as it answered, and even if I am not quite sure the Bob-Pete scene completely worked, some of these mysteries are enjoyable to ponder. It was certainly intriguing to watch Bob switch into alpha-dog mode and tell Pete where to sit and what to drink; he's clearly capable of being more than self-effacing or genially inoffensive. James Wolk has done a fine job of playing all of Bob's possibilities: Maybe he is as nice as he appears to be, and simply wants to please others. Maybe he's a lying sociopath whose bland suits mask a complex darkness within.
Right now, I'm of two minds about Bob Benson: Either we need to learn a lot more about him soon, or maybe we should learn nothing at all. I think it might be a tremendous practical joke if, having introduced the mysterious stranger who launched a thousand conspiracy theories, the show just let him wander away at the end of the season. Who was that man in the plain suit -- the smiling, non-descript man holding two beverages? Maybe we'll never know.
Hail of bullets:
- Peggy solved her rat problem by getting a cat, but I'd much that prefer Stan Rizzo come over and solve all her problems by becoming her awesome, bear-like, pot-smoking boyfriend. These smart, perceptive advertising people cannot figure out that they are PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER. I love their phone calls more than almost anything in life, I tell you.
- As much as I love the Hamm's acting, how great was Elisabeth Moss in Peggy's scenes? In her awkward encounter with Pete's mom, she switched instantly from forced politeness to shocked pain when Mrs. Campbell brought up "their" child. The look of horror washed over her face quickly, but her voice dropped an octave and in a few seconds, Moss made it very clear that the child Peggy gave up for adoption still haunts the deepest parts of her.
- I also loved the hangout scene in which we got to see Pete, Ted and Peggy just kicking back and having drinks. It was interesting to see Ted's interest in Peggy re-ignite once he realized Pete and Peggy have a vibe and a history between them. As his wife pointed out, Ted lives for difficult challenges. And it was also nice to see Pete and Peggy just acknowledge their history as friends and lovers. Of the three men in her orbit -- Ted, Pete and Stan -- I really want her to end up with Stan, so of course that means she won't. Pegs doesn't have the greatest track record when picking guys, and I expect her to continue that sigh-inducing streak.
- Speaking of Ted, is it just me or is he kind of a child? It's kind of amusing, actually, to see Ted petulantly react to Don's selfishness as if it's an act of aggression toward Ted personally. Someone needs to take Ted aside and tell him that Don treats everyone the same way: He pays attention to them only insofar as he can use them; otherwise, he pretty much ignores other humans. It's nothing personal, it's just how he operates. But Ted has to be such a diva about it all -- he really does think everything is all about him. And what's with Ted asking for essentially whatever he wants? How is that a sane way to run an agency with several opinionated partners? Ted needs to grow up a little too -- and Don may force him to. We know how much Don respects "binding contracts." Ha.
- Sally's "friend" Julie is quite the little Queen Bee operator. With friends like that, who needs friends?
- Both Pete and Sally were forced to confront their parents' sex lives in this episode, and who among us cannot relate to Pete's cry: "I don't even want to think about her brushing her teeth!"
- So are Bob and Manolo a two-man team of grifters taking Upper East Side matrons and Midtown ad agencies for all they're worth? I plan to have a dozen more Bob theories by Tuesday.
- Nice touch on the silhouette above Sally's bed. I think those hung in every kid's bedroom in America during the '60s and '70s.
- Critic Alan Sepinwall discussed "Mad Men," "Game of Thrones," "Orphan Black" and "Arrested Development" with me in the latest edition of the Talking TV podcast, which is here, on iTunes and embedded below.
"Mad Men" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.


text: Hey, I installed moonshell via they're auto updater thing and now my DSX shows up as a removeable disk but has 0 bytes of 0 bytes available. I tried updating it with the firmwareupdater from DSx's website and it says it is now got the latest firmware but still doesnt work properly. Please help omg. Thanks, Louis.