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Africa's largest democracy is poised to elect a new president. The final results are not in yet, and the world is watching the slow trickle of returns. If present trends in continue, General Muhammadu Buhari will defeat president Goodluck Jonathan to become the first candidate to beat an incumbent in the Nigerian presidential election. That's a rarity in this region. It's a cliffhanger. A nailbiter. But what's remarkable so far is the restraint shown on all sides in this tense atmosphere, as the nation awaits the results of this historic election, despite some concerns expressed by the US and the UK that irregularities were taking place in the vote counting.
UPDATE 1:15pm ET: Historic day in Nigeria. Goodluck Jonathan has conceded the election to Muhammadu Buhari, who wins the election with a more than 2 million vote margin. Full results and data are available here, and excellent analysis by James Schneider here.
#UPDATE President Jonathan concedes defeat: Nigeria opposition http://t.co/6e4bb0TIGD #NigeriaDecides
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) March 31, 2015
Given the size and import of Nigeria to Africa and the world, this election was always going to be a defining global event in 2015. Here are five keys to decode the Nigerian presidential elections:
Who is Muhammadu Buhari?
72 year old General Muhammadu Buhari is no stranger to the function of Nigerian head of state, having occupied the post from 1983 to 1985, after overthrowing President Shehu Shagari, elected in 1979. Buhari's term as president ended when he was himself overthrown by a military coup. He has held various high profile posts, including Chairman of the Petroleum Fund, and has run – unsuccessfully – in every presidential election since 2000. Goodluck Jonathan has failed to win the trust of Nigerians, and Buhari seems to promise a powerful, steady hand. Buhari, a Muslim who hails from northern Nigeria, is a figure of the Nigerian establishment, and a known quantity for voters.
Boko Haram
The growth of the radical Islamic movement in the northern part of the country has been an enormous challenge for Nigeria. As Boko Haram's tactics became increasingly bold and widespread, the government's inability to effectively address the threat, over many years, has exposed some of the Nigerian military's weaknesses. In February, the government decided to postpone the elections for six weeks due to concerns about Boko Haram disrupting the process. The conflict in northern Nigeria has displaced 1.5 million Nigerians and cost thousands of lives, and threatens the stability and sovereignty of Nigeria – the public's discontent with Jonathan's handling of the situation is reflected in the election results.
Lack of violence
Despite the threat from Boko Haram, as well as from local groups, to destabilize the process, this presidential election has fortunately not been marred by the levels of violence reached in 2011, when 800 people were killed in violent flare-ups. Despite reports of localized violence, and technical glitches with some of the biometric equipment which extended the voting period by one day, the voting took place without major issues or intimidation – no small feat in a diverse, polarized country with nearly 57 million voters.
Turn out
The New African suggests that Jonathan's potential loss is in large part due to a miscalculation – his campaign counted on the support from 2011 voters in Southern states (Jonathan is a Christian Southerner.) However, it looks as though participation and turn out plummeted in areas which turned out not to be strongholds. The development of technologies and innovations to encourage voters to register, to learn about the issues and guides on how to vote, have also helped boost meaningful participation in the process.
As one of the world's leading oil producers, Nigeria's economy has also been deeply affected by the recent drop in oil prices. The country's continued dependence on oil and resulting vulnerability (in 2011, 70% of government revenues came from crude oil), and the chronic corruption issues in the sector, are key issues driving Nigerians to the polls.
Why it matters for Africa and the world
Nigeria is not only Africa's largest democracy and most populous nation, it is also its largest economy. So far, the consensus seems to be that the national election commission, INEC, has done a good job in ensuring a free and fair process, and overseeing Nigeria's first ever democratic transition. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon offered his congratulations to Nigeria on the "largely peaceful and orderly conduct" of the elections The bar was very high, and despite unfortunate issues and glitches – which must be resolved and addressed before the next election – INEC's process allows Nigeria to set the standard in the region. Governance issues in Africa, and in particular anti-democratic heads of state, have weakened Africa's potential, and the trends have not been positive in recent years. These elections allow Nigeria to buttress and further legitimize its role as regional and global leader.
Want more? Here's a 14 minute Global Dispatches Podcast episode about this very subject.


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The Best Time to Buy or Sell a House in Maryland
Are you wondering when is the best time to buy a house in Maryland? There are always great homes for sale, but you have a better chance of getting a good deal if you are able to understand seasonal fluctuations because these affect how much you pay for a house and how much you should sell your house for..
Here's what you need to know about the best time to buy in Maryland.
While most houses are being bought and sold during the spring and summer months, the best time to buy in Maryland could during the colder months. This is because you can expect almost no competition during the fall and winter months. While some people are not accustomed to the cold, people who are wanting to live in Maryland won't have a problem during this season.
Don't take this as a warning to never purchase or list a home in the spring or summer. Specifically, March to May has the highest number of homes being listed on the market. This might give you the chance to get the best deal on your home.

subset: commoncrawl


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What Are Non Conforming Loans
Non-Conforming Loan Programs – MortgageDepot.com – Everything you need to know about conforming and non-conforming loans from Mortgage Depot. The SBA works with lenders to provide loans to small businesses. Ask about our bank statement program which eliminates the use of tax returns and we just use the deposits in your bank account to calculate income.
Refi Jumbo Rates 7/1 Adjustable Rate Jumbo Mortgage | Home and Mortgage. – Jumbo Mortgages: For loan amounts above $ to $. For purchase and limited cash out refinance, the maximum loan-to-value (LTV) is 80% and the maximum combined loan-to-value (CLTV) is 90% for a one unit property. The LTV and CLTV limits may vary depending on.
Non-Conforming Mortgage Loans | NASB – Non-Conforming Loan Requirements: You may qualify for a NASB non-conforming home mortgage loan if you: Have at least 1 year of self-employment with the same line of business history; Recently change jobs from W-2 to 1099. You may be approved with as little as 6 months 1099 employment
Non-Conforming Loans for – bancofcal.com – Contact a Banc of California Relationship Manager to discuss our suite of Residential Lending products including Conventional and Non-Traditional products. By clicking this link, you will be redirected to our card partner, Elan Financial Services.
Conforming and Non-Conforming Loans – What's the Difference? – The differences between a conforming and non-conforming loan can be said in this way, Conforming loans meet Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines, whereas nonconforming loans do not. A conforming loan comes up with a lower interest rate and lowers fees.
Conforming loans are backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and are typically below $726,525. Nonconforming or "jumbo" loans have higher values and interest rates. We'll help you choose the right.
4 Tips for Choosing the Right Mortgage Lender – . in qualifying requirements and loan terms for different kinds of mortgages, so it's important to understand them. For example: While most major lenders offer both conforming and non-conforming loa.
Jumbo Construction To Permanent Loan Jumbo Loan Low Down Payment Manufactured, Modular & Mobile Home Loans. – Dealing with ManufacturedHome.loan has been the most pleasant experience of any prior loan closings. After going through land purchase, construction, and permanent to construction loans over the last 5 years, this refinance with ManufacturedHome.loan was the top of the list for best rates, ease of closing, and excellent customer support throughout the entire process.Georgia Power, DOE finalize .67 billion loan guarantee for new Vogtle units – Energy Secretary Rick Perry announces loan closure while visiting. currently onsite and more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operating, Vogtle 3 & 4 is currently the largest.
Often a loan is classified as non-conforming because the loan amount exceeds the conforming limit, which is $484,350 in most U.S counties. In addition to higher loan amounts, non-conforming loans from Axos Bank can offer expanded down-payment and credit qualification options.
Conforming Loans: An Overview. A conforming loan is one that meets the guidelines set by government-backed agencies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. There are a number of criteria that must be.
A Jumbo loan is a mortgage exceeding the conforming lending limit of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which in most areas is $417,000. Generally these loans will have higher interest rates and higher down-payments than Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loans, increasing with the size of the loan. However, don't worry if you need a Jumbo loan. Blue Water Mortgage can help you navigate the confusing waters of.


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NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter just became the first vehicle to fly on Mars and the first powered vehicle to ever fly on another planet. The little vehicle rose 3 meters (10 feet) and hovered for about 30 seconds on the surface of the Red Planet. Ingenuity's success opens up a completely new dimension of robotic space exploration for the future.
As a poignant tribute, a piece of the Wright brothers' original plane – the first powered aircraft to successfully fly – was placed inside Ingenuity.
The mission team has received altimetry data confirming it flew this morning at 6:46 ET. More data, images, and videos will be transmitted back to Earth.
"We can say human beings have flown a rotorcraft on another planet," said MiMi Aung, Ingenuity project manager at JPL, after the success of the flight was announced.
"Over the next month, the flights get progressively a little bit more advanced. So the first flight is really our minimum success criteria to say that 'yes, we check that box. We can fly!'" Taryn Bailey, a mechanical engineer on the Ingenuity mission team, told IFLScience.
The mission team will attempt four more flights after today's success. The next flights will have Ingenuity do more than just take off, hover, and land – it will move laterally, and then go further afield. Ingenuity remains a technology demonstration, so it is there to just show what we are capable of doing from a technical point of view. But a future mission might have its own version of Ingenuity as an invaluable exploration companion.
April has certainly become the month of Ingenuity on Mars. First, the helicopter dropped to the ground from the belly of Perseverence where it was stored for their interplanetary journey, and it has undergone several tests in preparation for today's first flight. The tests were needed as the team discovered a software issue that required an update and delaying the flight until today.
Ingenuity's first flight is one for the history books, and we can't wait to see more flying vehicles exploring the planets and moons of the Solar System.


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Recovery-centered yoga can provide healing and focus to overcome addiction.
Some people exercise to get out of their heads. If I move more, I can think less, goes their thinking. But is that what you need for recovery?
There's one exercise that actually reconnects your mind to your body: recovery-focused yoga. Let's get into what that means, with the help of recovery teacher Kyczy Hawk.
First: Who is Kyczy Hawk?
She's a seasoned recovery-focused yoga teacher who leads the Sunday "Yoga Recovery" meeting at In The Rooms. Her life's work is to lead others through the same addiction recovery she lives each day. And that work is specifically yoga recovery.
After all, it was yoga that brought her into a higher level of personal recovery. "I was going to meetings, but I'd hit a new bottom with workaholism," she says. But a group yoga class brought her back to herself. "Something broke free inside of me, and I began crying. I'd gotten deadened to my own feelings and my own self-concern. But that night, I slept well for the first time in a long time."
Within five years, Kyczy had begun teaching that freeing yoga, called "Yoga of 12 Step Recovery" (Y12SR). That has since led her to write four books on what she's learned: Yoga and the Twelve-Step Path, Life in Bite-Sized Morsels, From Burnout to Balance, and Yogic Tools for Recovery: A Guide to Working the Steps. She's got a significant body of knowledge. And she was happy to help us explain why yoga can be a great recovery tool for just about anyone.
Why Yoga Strengthens Addiction Recovery
"First, yoga is a healing practice," Kyczy says. That could sum up the good that yoga can do for addiction recovery. But we'll go a little more in depth.
Yoga Gives Healing
You should know that yoga doesn't just have to be exercise. How Westerners practice yoga often means pushing physical limits and meeting goals. But its original eastern practitioners intended more than physical fitness. Kyczy calls her first experience with communal yoga "something magical." That's what opened her up and kept her coming back for more: "it released my fascia (the fingerprints of memory)."
You see, recovery-focused yoga unwinds the long-time pains embedded in our bodies. Kyczy explains that "what happens in our lives leaves fingerprints on our bodies." That might be loss, rage, anxiety, or other emotions and experiences. Many other exercises won't heal this deep-seated anguish, but careful yoga (its philosophy as well as its physicality) can help your body let go of its pains. "You learn to become more comfortable in your own body, just as you are," Kyczy explains.
"After all," she says, "yoga is a holistic solution for a holistic disease. Addiction holistically affects your body, mind and spirit. And yoga means union of your body, mind and spirit."
Yoga Gives Focus
That healing matches the self-restoration of the 12 Steps. Kyczy believes that, like the ancient yogis, the Steps bring us back to our true selves. "Holding the yoga stretches and poses helps you feel the present moment, to feel who you are. The recovery path works just like that." Yoga requires total focus. So does addiction recovery, which must continue one day at a time.
Addiction recovery grows from the perverse integrations of addiction, she explains. "When you're addicted, you're practicing integration. But you're integrating with self-destruction through this disruptive substance. It's a disintegration of who you really are."
This idea frames recovery as a return to full personal integration, which Kyczy sees in the foundations of 12 Step literature. For her, recovery invites us to be who we are all over again. "We move along our recovery path to closer integration with our spiritual self and our true values. Yoga gives you the physical feedback of that process." Its physical focus mirrors the emotional focus that every day in recovery requires.
So What Now?
Decide if yoga for recovery walks a path that you're interested in (for yourself or a loved one). Kyczy understands that its philosophies and practice won't draw everyone: "Yoga is for everyone, but not everyone enjoys yoga." She still hosts that Sunday meeting at 11 am EST. It happens in two parts: the first is a typical recovery meeting of speaking, sharing and listening; the second is the stretching and movement which Kyczy touts as crucial healing.
Come by, if you like. And whether you do or not, visit the rest of In The Rooms and its weekly peer recovery meetings. We can tell you a little more about exercise and nutrition in recovery, but that's only the start. Join today and learn how our community can serve you!


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Chancellor of Faryab University's message
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Mercifu
Acquiring knowledge and awareness throughout the vicissitudes of Afghanistan's history has been one of the most important and fundamental aspirations of fostering science and cultured people of this land. This land, in terms of honoring and valuing the status of knowledge, wisdom, intellectualizing, fostering knowledge and the importance of knowledge and thought among the science-lover and glorious people, had a high position and a proud history in the past; and the people of this country have played a vital role in the richness of human civilization and culture. Especially, in the post-Islamic period, an appropriate cultural and intellectual opportunity has emerged, the rich talent of the Afghan people has flourished, and Afghanistan along with other Islamic countries, became one the main centers of science and culture.
Today, the personality and value of human societies are evaluated as much as their scientific value, record of civilization, and cultural richness. And the field of education; Undoubtedly, is one of the most important and effective sectors in developing human resources, social and economic progress of any country and society, and therefore requires precise planning, strong leadership and management, strong and reliable budget and support.
Dear Precious Friends!
Producing knowledge with pure faith and commitment; is the main mission of Afghan University's scientific members, especially scientific members and the administrative and service departments of Faryab University. In order to achieve this transcendental ideal, to create civilization and to provide high-quality educational service the spirit of science-oriented, contraption and expectancy must be dominant to society. Your effort to spread these scientific horizons in the country and universities are highly needed.
Considering the responsibilities of the University as the most important and main pillar of development and progress, and the most valuable tool to achieve cultural, economic, political independence, etc., emphasize and define enormous responsibilities to all academic and administrative members of universities. It seems that in this regard, Faryab University, considering the existing capacity and facilities, needs a stable determination to find its important and fundamental role in promoting the scientific, cultural and social atmosphere of society, and all these will not be possible to achieve without co-operation and help of all scientific professors, administrative and service staffs and college students.
Therefore, we hope that each of us, as a member of this great family of science and knowledge, along with commitment, expertise, science and skills, can adorn ourselves with the ornament of culture and literature. With deep faith, lasting effort, firm and steadfast in the direction of learning science and knowledge we must adopt serious decision by equipping ourselves with the piety, commitment and responsibility, in the shine of educational policy and national politics, regional and international policies of the government, has taken great steps in achieving high development and progress through scientific and research activities.
One of the main aim of universities is to pay more attention to education and research field, God willing, we will try our best to effectively use from existing capacity, facilities, planning, Self-confidence and valuing time, and to provide suitable and worthy conditions for Faryab University.
I would like to pass my warm greetings to those students who have chosen this university to study, and I ask Almighty Allah to grant you the highest levels of knowledge along with health, success and happiness.
It is hoped that by the grace of Allah, you will redouble your efforts in refinement, self-improvement and gaining knowledge, and you will be a rare treasure of science and knowledge for the progress of the country in the future. In addition, I myself attempt and hope to spread and develop this scientific and educational university by stable co-operation and help of scientific professors and administrative members; and consultation and help of partners.
Senior Teaching Assistant (Pohanmal) Firoz Uzbek Karimi
Chancellor of Faryab University


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The innovative solution we propose for air and train catering is represented by the Trolley Bar, a service realised through the Trolley Drink, a dispenser which has been thought and designed for the distribution of carbonated soft drinks, juices and natural beverages, hot drinks and espresso coffee.
This solution is innovative due to its numerous logistic, commercial, qualitative and environmental advantages. It can be therefore of great interest in all the contexts in which it is necessary to distribute beverages on the move, for sale as well as for welcome drink services.
The Trolley Bar distributors are personalised and prepared in a specific way, with regard to the variety of products and the communication and graphic personalisation of trolleys. In the case of train catering, we propose the valorisation of drinks produced with raw materials from the areas in which the journey takes place.


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A new branch of HMV opens in Birmingham today (October 11), and becomes the biggest entertainment store in Europe.
The new Birmingham store, to be known as the HMV Vault and standing on the site of an old Toys R Us, stocks 80,000 CDs and 25,000 vinyl, at a time when sales of physical media in the UK fell nearly 13% across the past year, as The Guardian report.
The store's opening today will be crowned by a lunchtime performance from former One Direction member Liam Payne.
Putman has expressed his enthusiasm at his HMV takeover though, saying: "The market is definitely down but we are way ahead of the market. I'm really happy.
And so it begins.. ow am yah?
Let's go, Brum! #hmvVault pic.twitter.com/A8yXrgJiHk
— hmv (@hmvtweets) October 11, 2019
Well looky here! B Town represent!
10 points to anyone local who can tell us where this is.Looking at you @hmvBirmingham #hmvVault opens tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/qTIZARYQjG
— hmv (@hmvtweets) October 10, 2019
"I believe we can grow the chain. A lot of high streets are challenged and struggling. The UK has got an amazing high street and we want to support that. There is something really special about it and when it's gone, it's gone."
He also referenced Amazon, praising HMV's presence in local communities in the process. He said: "We hire people in communities and work with charities and we pay our tax. We do care. Amazon gives huge convenience but every time you get something amazing you are sacrificing something for that.
"The world's a scary place if there is just Amazon and ultimately we are all starting to realise that."
The world's largest HMV opens in Birmingham today, with a live performance this lunchtime by former One Direction singer Liam Payne: https://t.co/Ra0BDa0aSf pic.twitter.com/7FRLUoQVpR
— BBC WM 95.6 (@bbcwm) October 11, 2019
Worlds biggest HMV opens in Birmingham today. It used to be a massive Toys R Us. @hmvtweets #hmvVault #Birmingham #worldslargest #bigone pic.twitter.com/nX1nhnzLpI
— Lady Lisa (@lisalaurasmith) October 11, 2019
Putman acquired over 100 HMV stores back in February, after HMV Retail filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators for the second time in six years in the previous month.
In 2017, HMV Canada closed all 102 of its stores in the country after the retailer went into receivership.


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Pakistan's dam fund has become a matter of heated debate among the country's intelligentsia. Irrespective of expertise, qualification and ideological inclination the opinions are generally divided on the basis of Pro-PTI and Anti-PTI factions.
While many people are generously contributing to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan's dam fund there is no lack of those who are opposing it. The critics argue that projects, like building huge water reservoirs that can also generate electricity are not like Shaukat Khanum hospital and hence shouldn't be financed with charities.
All that controversy on significance or insignificance of donating for the cause of dams apart. What is more interesting is all those stories which are emerging on social media. Soon after Imran Khan addressed the nation in general and overseas Pakistanis, in particular, and urged them to contribute to the noble cause of building dams and bringing the country out of water crisis, there began an upsurge in social media stories about notable Pakistanis donating millions for the cause.
Interesting Social Media Stories on Dam Fund
First of all, someone, allegedly from PTI social media team came up with a photoshopped image of Dawn Newspaper that showed a message from Pakistan's founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to overseas Pakistanis and urged them to donate for the newly found state. The forged newspaper clipping was immediately caught as being fake as it mentioned the wrong date on top of the paper. Further, the clipping also had wrong spellings of Quaid-e-Azam.
Look, even 'Quaid-a-Azam' asked for donations. Quaid-a-Azam was the half (adha) version of the great Quiad-e-Azam. Also, how many overseas Pakistanis were there just 16 days after partition? And as someone noted, 30 Aug in 1947 was a Saturday. Not Sunday, dimwits. pic.twitter.com/iXyDkfXaCf
— Nadeem Farooq Paracha (@NadeemfParacha) September 9, 2018
US Billionaire Shahid Khan Donating for the Dam Fund
Then came a fake news that US billionaire Shahid Khan who recently made news for buying Wembley stadium had also donated $1 billion for the dam fund. Well, it was just a fake news and no such contribution was made by the US billionaire of Pakistani origin.
🇵🇰 Pakistani-American Billionaire Businessman and philanthropist, owner of Jacksonville Jaguars & Fulham FC Shahid Khan has announced to donate $1 Billion for the #DamFund.
$1 Billion = PKR 123,220,000,000 #DamsforPakistan pic.twitter.com/W4OgwJ4bOR
— Dr#Jani (@MrjaniMBBs) September 9, 2018
After the rumors of Shahid Khan donating a whooping sum of money for Pakistan's dam fund, the social media trolls up their game- they came up with memes showing celebrities like Johnny Sins, Mia Khalifa and even Ronaldo making their contribution for the fund.
Cristiano Ronaldo has announced donation of £15 million to Pakistan's dam fund.
£15m = Rs 2,325,000,000
One of the classiest human beings. ❤ pic.twitter.com/vpwe0qJdi0
— ASG (@ahadfoooty) September 8, 2018
Well, these were all not even rumors but trolls to slam the fake news factories running on social media.
Truth About Indians Donating for Pakistan's Dam Fund
Amidst all those trolls, fake stories and propaganda games, there were many actual contributions to the cause. In fact, there were some Indian expats in Abu Dhabi who didn't hesitate to make some contribution from their personal earning irrespective of the traditional rivalry between India and Pakistan. A Twitter user @Wisalbcn shared a video where Indians can be seen donating for the cause.
Indians donating for #DamsFund Patwario Doob maro pic.twitter.com/2NDKGuQFNk
— Wisal Khan (@wisalptiii) September 9, 2018
This Generated Controversy Too
Donation into a Pakistani cause by these Indians was indeed applaudable. Apart from what they contributed, the imminent show of friendship and care for humanity beyond the border was praiseworthy.
People like these young men of wisdom will change this region and bring peace here.
— Hafsa Siddique (@Hafffsa) September 10, 2018
But, again some hate mongers who thought that patriotism can be only shown best by criticizing the traditional rivals, couldn't keep them from giving uncalled for opinions.
go to hill india this is our problem and we can salf this for our pakistan we dont need any saport from bloody india 😡😡😡
— Sher Khan (@sherkha64820737) September 10, 2018
Also Read:


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WARNING: FBI Director Tells Americans To Do This ONE Thing on ALL Laptops
Before writing this article, I took a quick minute to do one weird thing to my laptop – I covered my webcam with tape. FBI Director James Comey does it and he says you should, too, because you never know who might be watching.
According to The Hill:
Comey knows what he's talking about – the FBI has been tapping into people's webcams for years. There's also the risk that hackers could infiltrate your system, take photos of you in compromising positions, and attempt to blackmail you.The head of the FBI on Wednesday defended putting a piece of tape over his personal laptop's webcam, claiming the security step was a common sense one that most should take.
"There's some sensible things you should be doing, and that's one of them," Director James Comey said during a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"You go into any government office and we all have the little camera things that sit on top of the screen," he added. "They all have a little lid that closes down on them.
"You do that so that people who don't have authority don't look at you. I think that's a good thing."
Comey was pilloried online earlier this year, after he revealed that he puts a piece of tap over his laptop camera to keep away prying eyes. The precaution is a common one among security advocates, given the relative ease of hacking laptop cameras.
Luckily, there's a low-tech fix for this high-tech privacy invasion. Just grab a piece of tape or post-it and cover up your computer's camera. Voila, done!
And if you think only paranoid people would protect themselves this way, check this out:
Read more: http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/warning-fbi-director-webcam-warning-do-one-thing-yourself/#ixzz4KKt6oLp8
Thanks to: http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com


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Utulivu Women's Group
Utulivu Women's Group has been established for over 15 years and is based in Reading. It works to support women and girls from BAME communities, and also those seeking asylum in the UK and with refugee status. The Group aims to increase the health and wellbeing of community members, and enable them to engage and interact better with each other and also with service providers. More than 1,000 people benefit from its support over a year – taking part in social activities, outings, cultural programmes and sessions such as English language, and creative work, as well as events and workshops on issues including hate crime, racism and domestic abuse.
At the February 2021 meeting, the Foundation offered a grant of £6,080. This will contribute towards rent costs of establishing a new community hub and Safe Space Centre for the Group. The hub will provide a central venue where women and girls can meet for activities, and also bring together different members of the community – such as older people, migrants, and people with mental health concerns. It will also offer a safe space for other service providers to meet with people in crisis, and will provide volunteering, engagement and conversation opportunities to all.


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Handling Systems
- How to build a cattle handling system? +
Cattle handling systems are unique on each operation. Start by identifying an area on your operation for the cattle handling system. It should be convenient to access with vehicles and trailers and close to cattle. Gates and panels are used to create holding pens. Alleys allow handlers to work cattle to a chute. Additional gates within the alley system allow handlers to control the flow of cattle or pause the process.
- How does a cattle sweep system work? +
Cattle sweep systems work by using natural cattle behavior and light to create cattle flow. The catle enter the sweep system and are moved around the circular tub and to the chute system or gates to another holding pen. The sweep system is designed using animal science research and low-stress handling principles.
- How to set up cattle yards? +
Setting up a cattle yard will depend on the size of the operation, type of cattle (cow-calf, feeders, etc.) and geographic and other features of the property. Cattle yards should all have a few main components. These include holding pens, a handling system that includes alleys and a chute, and a loading chute.
- How to build cattle yards? +
The goal of a cattle yard is to have handlers work cattle safely and efficiently. To build cattle yards, identify an area on the operation that is close to the cattle and easily accessible for trailers. Holding pens should be built and connected by gates and alleys to a chute system. A loading chute should also be connected to the cattle yard.
- How to make cattle yards? +
Making cattle yards should be one of the first goals of any operation. The cattle yard is the primary activity area on a ranch. Design a cattle yard that can be changed as the needs of the operation change. Extra gates and panels in alleys and holding pens will allow flexibility later on. Alleys connect the holding pens to the chute and loading chute systems. The chute then moves cattle out into another pen after they have been worked. This pen needs to connect to other parts of the cattle yard and the holding pens.
- How to set up a cattle yard? +
To set up a cattle yard, start by determining the number of cattle the operation will have. Use this as an estimate for the size of the cattle yard. Leave room for later expansion by adding extra panels and gates. The cattle yard connects the holding pen to the chute system with a series of alleys and gates - depending on the size of the operation - and then moves cattle out of the chute and into another pen, separate from those animals that still need to be worked.
- What is a cattle feed yard? +
A cattle feed yard is an area where cattle are fed and raised. Cattle feed yards can be set up in many different formats. There can be one or two large pens, or multiple pens where animals are grouped based on their age or the operation that they came from. Cattle feed yards include cattle handling systems with a chute for animal husbandry practices and a loading chute for animals that need to be transported elsewhere.
Still can't find what you're looking for? Feel free to contact us directly:


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Over the last few years, the legalization of cannabis across many US states has led to the birth of a new industry, and it's one that has been booming ever since. Nowadays, thousands of cannabis-related startups are being created every year, and each one brings new ideas and innovations to the industry.
One group of products derived from the cannabis plant that you may have heard of are cannabis concentrates. Since the legalization of recreational and medical marijuana, these processed extracts have become extremely popular, mainly due to their wide range of uses and high potency.
In this article, we will take a deeper dive into cannabis concentrates, looking at what is concentrate, how it's made, how it should be consumed, as well as some other interesting facts. Let's jump into it.
What Is Marijuana Concentrate?
Marijuana concentrates are a category of products that are extracted from the cannabis plant that are processed to isolate one particular compound. Why do they do this? The most common reason is so that you end up with a much more potent and pure product than the raw cannabis plant itself.
Cannabis is made up of 483 different compounds, and not all of them provide any real benefit when consumed. In addition to this, cannabis plants contain large amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This is the main psychoactive compound located in the flower.
However, people seeking the medicinal benefits of the other compounds in the plant, such as Cannabidiol (CBD), may not want to get high, so they look for products without THC, and that's where marijuana concentrates come in.
How To Make Marijuana Concentrate?
Before we get into the different types of marijuana concentrate, it's important you first understand how they are made and how the products get their concentrated definition.
The process for making marijuana concentrate is typically done via one of two methods: solvent-based extraction and solventless extraction. Each of them produces a different kind of product with varying benefits. Let's take a look at both methods below:
Solvent-Based Extraction
The solvent-based process uses strong chemical solvents to extract the compound from the cannabis plant. This is complicated and sometimes dangerous which is why the vast majority of these extractions are done in a lab setting by experts. The most popular solvents include ethanol, carbon dioxide, butane, and propane. These highly flammable extractors are used to separate the cannabis flower of its cannabinoids and terpenes.
Using flammable solvents is a popular method when mass producing extracts and is usually done directly at the growing center. The reason for this is because solvent-based extractions require a large amount of cannabis flower to make a small amount of extract. This makes it expensive and largely inefficient. However, the concentrates that are produced via this method are typically more potent, with high THC levels and longer-lasting effects.
Once the extraction process is complete, it's common for the extract to go through purging. This is another chemical process that removes the remaining solvent from the final product, as some of the solvents used are not safe for human consumption.
Solventless Extraction
A solventless extraction is a process of isolating the compounds from a cannabis plant without the use of a chemical solvent. The techniques for this method of extraction vary but generally involve either freezing the cannabis to detach the compounds from the plant, filtration, or through a process of intense heat and pressure.
This process does not require any chemical solvents and is considered a more natural and healthier way of extracting the compounds. Thus, solventless products are commonly used in medical settings, in craft shops, and sold to people who are more conscious about the products they buy.
How to Choose Your Cannabis Packaging
When looking for a cannabis concentrate, it's important to check the cannabis packaging to make sure the product contains the exact ingredients you're seeking, the desired potency, and that it's not been tampered with in any way.
Each state has rules and regulations that companies must comply with when it comes to packaging. If you have suspicions over the contents of the packaging, or if it's ambiguous in any way, it's better to look for a different product. After all, some of the processes require precise work in the laboratory to make them safe.
Can I Make My Own Cannabis Concentrates?
If you are wondering how to make concentrates from your home, you will be pleased to learn that it is entirely possible; however, proceed with caution as some of the processes can be dangerous. For the most part, a solvent-based extraction is out of the question for most people, as it is far too expensive and dangerous. Plus, it's important to purge the extract of all solvent before consuming, and this may be hard to achieve in a home setting.
While at home, consider using solventless extraction techniques, such as:
- Dry sifting
- Freezing
- Hand rolling
- Pressure and heat
- Heat and butter
Types Of Cannabis Concentrates
Here are some of the most common types of marijuana concentrate on each type of extraction:
Solvent-Based Marijuana Concentrates
- Wax
- Diamond
- Shatter
- Honeycomb
- Live resin
- Crumble
Solventless Marijuana Concentrates
- Kief
- Hash
- Budder
- Rosin
Weed Concentrates
What you call ' weed concentrates ' come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. From edibles to creams and lotions or even oil for your hair and face, the product you end up with largely depends on the extraction method.
The most common type of weed concentrates is kief. You can acquire this extract by simply shaking and disturbing the trichomes on the cannabis flower. You may also find it at the bottom of your grinder if you use one to prepare your weed before rolling a joint. It's the small crystal-like powder that rubs off from the trichomes of the cannabis plant, and they are very high in THC potency.
Vaping Concentrates
If you want to know how to smoke concentrate, then look no further than vaping. There are plenty of extracts and oils that are now produced specifically for vaping. These oils are placed into cartridges inside vaping pens and can be created with varying levels of potency. Each of these products has its own unique qualities and levels of potency.
Some of them are made to contain pure THC, others with pure CBD. Just be aware that extracted products are normally far higher in potency and effects than the raw cannabis flower is.
If you're not used to consuming extracts, start with a small dosage, and gradually increase it until you achieve the desired effects.
How to Use Cannabis Concentrates?
Wondering how to consume marijuana concentrates properly? Well, the method in which you ingest the extract depends on the type of product you have. Shatter, wax, crumble, and oil can all be smoked using a dab rig, an electric nail, or health stone. Oils are commonly used in vape pens, too, and are easy to find in most marijuana dispensaries.
The world is your oyster when it comes to choosing your cannabis concentrate. If you don't like smoking, you could opt for an edible instead. There are also creams, oils, lotions, and other topical applications, as well as capsule and droplet forms of extract that are more commonly used for medicinal benefits.


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Every animal deserves a second chance, and Brooke's Legacy gives them just that.
Brooke's Legacy was found after the tragic death of Brooke Ashley Miller.
It happened on the day of her 18th birthday when Brooke was driving to her birthday party along with her puppy, Mia.
Sadly, she was involved in a car accident and never made it to her destination. The puppy lived, but Miller was rushed to the hospital where she died a few days later.
Miller was loved by everyone in her community and was known to be greatly fond of animals. Therefore, in order to keep her memory alive and to extend her passion for helping animals, Miller's mom created the Brooke's Legacy Animal Rescue.
To this day, Brooke's Legacy continues to rescue thousands of animals and helps them find their forever homes.
In 2015, they were able to find homes for 255 cats and dogs, and all of their adoptable pets are ones that were soon to be euthanized at kill shelters.
Brooke's Legacy is a nonprofit and does not have a shelter location. Instead, it is a volunteer and foster-home based organization, with some of their cats being located in cat condos at Petco in Naples.
Its next adoption event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Petco in Naples. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If interested in becoming a volunteer or foster home for these pets, check out its website at www.brookeslegacyanimalrescue.org.


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Last Updated on 10/01/2020 by Chris Gampat
Tom B Asks:
In May of this year, Hasselblad silently discontinued their leading Hasselblad Flextight scanners as future Mac updates will be incompatible with their color software.
I'm not sure they really had competitors for quality (other than ancient, cumbersome and fiddly drum scanners), and it makes me wonder where this leaves the high end scanning market in the next couple of years?
It's hard to tell what's going to happen with just about anything photo-related in the next couple of years. But let's talk about the scanning market. There's good news and bad news.
Let's Start With the Bad News About Film Scanning
A lot of people say film is growing, but I don't see evidence of a boom. Much was made of Ilford saying film sales were growing by 5% a year. But growing 5% after falling 90%+ isn't saying much. And yes, Kodak Alaris brought back Ektachrome. But Kodak also put its film business up for sale. Now let's talk about scanners. For the purposes of this discussion, I'm going to focus on dedicated film scanners — not multi-purpose scanners like Epson flatbeds.
It's hard to imagine a company putting significant resources behind a complex hardware device for a tiny market. I noticed something interesting. Every single model aside except one uses USB 2.0. The lone exception is the $29,995 Blackmagic Design Cintel Scanner 2, and that's not even designed for still photography film anyway.
The USB 3.0 specs were announced in November 2008! What does that tell you about the state of film scanner development? Don't expect much in the way of improvement in film scanners. They're probably at the end of the line in terms of technological development, which doesn't bode well for their future in the market place.
The Good News About Film Scanning
The good news is that the film scanner industry should be dead. But it's not. And if it's not dead by now, then it's got some life left in it. So film scanners should be readily available for years. The decline will be slow and gradual, not sudden.
And if you scan film yourself, you should be okay for many years, provided you make…
Contingency Plans for Your Scanning Needs
Some film shooters are extremely loyal to a particular scanner. If you're in that boat, and your scanner of choice gets discontinued, consider buying multiple units immediately. This way, you'll have a backup, and possibly an investment.
Some discontinued film scanners like the Nikon Coolscan 9000 and Imacon Flextights go for a pretty penny on eBay. Heck, you could also scan other people's film and make some nice money. I would also scoop up accessories like film holders ASAP. You'll want to keep computer compatibility in mind. As time goes on, a discontinued scanner may not work with newer computers. So you may need to hang on to an older computer just for scanning.
Give Flatbed Scanners a Try
It may make sense to look at multi-purpose scanners like the Epson flatbeds, which will probably outlive film scanners. Flatbeds may give slightly inferior results, but I'm sure you can narrow the gap by improving your scanning and post-processing skills. And if you're not making giant prints, you'd probably never notice that difference anyway.
Also, Consider a Club or Collective
I would also consider joining (or even forming) some kind of club or collective which provides access to film scanners. I suspect these organizations will become much more popular in the coming years as it becomes harder to find quality dedicated film scanners.
This post was originally published over at On Portraits.


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CIT Extends Section 301 Liquidation and Repository Deadlines for a Third Time
- August 18, 2021
On Monday, August 16, 2021, the Court of International Trade (CIT) announced plans to extend the preliminary injunction preventing the liquidation of unliquidated entries subject to Section 301 List 3 or 4A tariffs from September 2nd until October 4th.
In the same announcement, CIT judges also extended the August 20th deadline for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to create a repository for plaintiffs to submit applicable customs entries until September 3rd.
The decision to extend the deadlines for a third time is the result of a joint status report update, originally published on August 9th, that indicated both parties still needed additional time to reach an agreement.
Shapiro will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.
If you have any questions related to List 3 and 4A tariffs, please contact [email protected].


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As one can imagine, the law firms that work for the renewable energy industry are quite busy in helping their clients navigate the issues that surround the development of major projects, whether they're in solar, wind, biomass, etc. The large law firm Stoel Rives specializes in this space, and was good enough to speak with me at length at last month's
Department of Interior
New rule approved by Obama administration could speed up offshore wind projects by up to a year.
Identifying that it needs to speed up the regulatory process for permitting offshore wind farms, the U.S. Department of Interior announced last November that it would be streamlining the approval process for


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U.S. Army Col. Derek Harvey was the key figure when it came to the Middle East. He was against the Iran Deal and the funding of Palestinian Authority terror. He called out Islamic Jihad. He tried to force out the Obama holdovers running our foreign policy, Frontpage Magazine reported.
McMaster has purged all of General Flynn's appointees. Obama's holdovers are now running the National Security Council.
The Importance of Prayer: How a Christian Gold Company Stands Out by Defending Americans' Retirement
Harvey was close to Steve Bannon and very much like General Flynn.
Bob Woodward described Harvey in his 2008 book The War Within:
"In the late 1980s, Harvey traveled throughout Iraq by taxicab—500 miles, village to village—interviewing locals, sleeping on mud floors with a shower curtain for a door. He [was] full of questions, intensely curious and entirely nonthreatening. After the 1991 Gulf War, when the CIA was predicting the inevitable fall of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Harvey, then a major, insisted that Hussein would survive because members of the Sunni community knew their fortunes were tied to his. He was right. Months before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Harvey wrote an intelligence paper declaring that al Qaeda and the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan posed a strategic threat to the United States."
Harvey has been a voice against Islamic terrorism, something McMaster has been coy about.
He was also General Petraeus's "favorite intelligence officer". The Colonel was praised by Republicans and Democrats alike for his independent and brilliant thinking.
Right now, McMaster is running a Jeb Bush style foreign policy.


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Goodreads synopsis: It all begins with a father telling a story to his son on Christmas Eve. But this isn't your typical Christmas story. The father admits to his son that he's taken a life but he won't say whose—not yet.
One week earlier, in a hospital late at night, the man met a five-year-old girl with cancer. She's a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won't beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.
As the man tells his son about this plucky little girl, he slowly reveals more about himself: while he may be a successful businessman, idolized by the media and his peers, he knows he failed as a parent. Overwhelmed by the responsibility of fatherhood, he took the easy way out and left his wife and little boy twenty years ago to pursue professional success. Now he is left wondering if it's too late to forge a relationship with his son, who seems to be his opposite in every way—prizing happiness over money, surrounded by loving friends in a cozy town where he feels right at home.
Face to face with the idea that something is missing, the man is given the unexpected chance to do something selfless that could change the destiny of the little girl in the hospital bed. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he needs to find out what his own life has actually been worth in the eyes of his son. And so, he seeks him out and tells him this story…
My thoughts:
"Short story"
Sad story about the meaning of life, the choices we take and the people they affect. Filled with love, hate, happiness and sadness. All emotions crammed onto not even 100 pages. I'm glad it was as short as it was and my Fredrik Backman craving I have had the last days is finally saturated. And now I have officially read every book Backman has published so far and he is still one of my absolute favorite authors.


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Look, Dawgpound-er, I get it. The offseason is a long and arduous road to travel. We all soldier on bravely but, let's face it, there is nothing easy about waiting for Saturdays to mean something more than mowing the lawn, entertaining your wife's request for "family game night" and drinking Coors Light while lounging around in a lawn chair in hopes that you can get one friggin' moment of peace and quiet.
I get it, brother. The offseason sucks and you are reaching the end of your patience. I know for a fact that before you clicked on this link you screwed your face up tighter than an Oregon cheerleader's neon yellow skirt, stuck a finger in your eyeball and proclaimed loud enough to compel the neighbors to consider calling CPS "I can't take another one of Landon's G__D___ed Offseason Lists."
But the offseason is a temperamental beast. It toys with your emotions and leaves you precious few choices. You are here now. Reading the words that were as painful to write as they are for you to read.
Congratulations, my friend, you are nearing the end of the journey and the end of the Offseason Lists series. We've come this far and we've made it together. Just a ... few... more ... weeks.
Unfortunately, we don't yet have the exact dates for the opening of fall camp, but we expect the second week of August to be about the time that the latest incarnation of your Washington Huskies take to the practice field. The coaching staff is just now coming off their own R&R and starting to make their own preparations for the opening of camp.
This particular time of year is all about the coaches. The summer recruiting / camp circuit has come to a close. The incoming frosh are enrolled. The veterans are moving back to campus. It's time for our coaching staff to give up their duties as "Logistics Officers" and return to their roles as "Football Coaches".
We haven't paid these coaches much attention as we've progressed in our Offseason Lists series this year. Given all that they sacrifice for UW and all that they give to their players, it seems that the sum total of the attention that we do give to them in this forum amounts to debates on the warmth of Jonathan Smith's chair and wisdom of Chris Petersen's recruiting techniques.
That's not nearly enough. Today we rectify a problem that has gone unattended to for far too long. Today we count down the Top 5 coaches on the UW staff as determined by me with absolutely no objective criteria to utilize in the evaluation. Enjoy.
5. Jeff Choate, Defensive Line and Special Teams Coach
Pros: He's so good, he's got two jobs
Cons: Technically, he's a Coug
Choate cracks into the top 5 in our totally arbitrary rankings of UW coaches barely edging out RB coach Keith Bonopha and DC Pete Kwiatkowski. For those of you expecting to see Brent Pease, Jonathan Smith, or Steve Sarkisian in this slot, just keep on reading. I'm sure you'll see plenty of references to them in the comments section.
Seriously, I jest.
Choate has quickly made his mark at UW both on the field and in the media room. His 2014 D-Line was one of the more nasty ones that UW has seen in the modern era. Not only did they finish second in the nation in sacks, but they put three guys into the NFL including the first defensive tackle drafted in Danny Shelton. In the media room, he quickly became "must see TV" because of how open and demonstrative he was in his beat reporter interviews. In short, any man that lets his star DT do a barrel roll in a game against his former team absolutely makes our top 5 list. Now, if he can just teach his special teams how to NOT block in the back.
New Orleans Saints OTAs with @paiea8ball A great day to be at a 1st class organization! #DawgsintheNFL #Woof pic.twitter.com/6T5OhLA4JH
— Jeff Choate (@coachjc_uw) May 28, 2015
4. Tim Socha, Strength and Conditioning Coach
Pros: He can bench press Travis Feeney, John Ross and Jaydon Mickens ... at the same time
Cons: He wasn't smart enough to sell all of Ivan's workout machines on Craig's List and pocket the profits
Have you seen Tim Socha? He's a bear of a man whose definition of "physical fitness" is less Fabio and more Paul Bunyan. He's such a bad-ass that Chuck Norris tells Tim Socha jokes. On that point alone, he'd make our top 5 lists. Layer in the fact that his refurbishment of the weight training facilities involved junking all of the machines and replacing them with free weights and racks, and you just get gravy. Then you look at the eye-popping numbers that his athletes put up at the Husky Combine and the physiques of being sculpted by a group of players who now ... FINALLY ... are starting to pass the "eyeball test" and it is easy to justify Socha's place in our top 5.
Always great coming down to @coachtimsocha's weight room for a little morning motivation. #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/WrD7UYWPUz
— Coach Petersen (@CoachPeteUW) March 4, 2015
3. Jordan Paopao, Tight Ends Coach
Pros: His last name is also a Bruce Lee sound effect; He stayed
Cons: Still waiting for his TEs to break out
Who doesn't love Jordan Paopao? Serious? Anybody? He will forever be known as the coach that stayed. If that gesture of program loyalty were the only thing on his resume, he'd still be in my top 5. But that's not all there is to Jordan Paopao.
By all accounts, JP is quickly becoming one of the hot young recruiters out on the West Coast. Players love his passion, his youthful vibe and his honest approach. He's a hard working guy who has is taking a leadership role in recruiting the Poly pipelines. He wakes up every morning thankful to be a football coach and it shows. I can't help but to root for this guy and I love that he's getting a chance to learn the game from Chris Petersen. He's my #3.
2. Chris Petersen, Head Coach
Pros: He once beat Oregon ... and then did it again; He doesn't ever tip his hand
Cons: He doesn't ever tip his hand; He once coached at Oregon
I figured that I would have to make room for Coach Pete somewhere on this list. Why not #2?
Let's face it, being a 2-time Bear Bryant award winner makes you a lock to show up on any kind of ranked list of coaches. His 100 career wins and his ridiculous .847 win percentage are all the statistical proof that you need to prove that Chris Petersen is an elite level performer in his profession.
But the numbers don't impress Chris Petersen and, as such, they shouldn't impress you. Instead, focus on who Chris Petersen is and how he leads. Everything about it is true, unique and authentic.
In the copycat world of college football coaching, how rare is it to have a coach that everyone can agree is an authentic leader?
In his short time in Seattle, Petersen has changed everything about program. Playing style, recruiting processes, relationship management, the emphasis on grades, the valuation of character, the restoration of predictability to Signing Day ... Everything is new and everything is authentic.
So what if he doesn't open practices? So what if he says "Awesome" and "I really do" to often? So what if he doesn't know how to use Twitter? So what if he still wears pleats in his khakis? Chris Petersen is the man and he's #2 on our top 5 list.
1. Jimmy Lake, Defensive Backs Coach
Pros: Knows how to drive a speed boat and a Big Bertha; Looks like a younger version of Lou Gossett Jr.
Cons: Doesn't care how he hurts the offense by "borrowing" their players; Isn't related to Lou Gossett Jr.
Jimmy Lake tops our first annual list of top 5 Husky coaches because he's just so ... damn ... cool. If you see him on the street, your first thought is "hey, that guy might be a UFC fighter". Then you talk to him and think "hey, that guy might be a Rhodes scholar". Then you see go out on the boat with him and you think "hey, that guy is a hell of a wake boarder". And then he takes you to his house for a little backyard grillin' and you think "hey, that guy is the next Emeril". Then you see what magic he worked in the UW secondary with a bunch of true freshman, a converted WR and a walk-on and you think "hey, that guy can coach".
Jimmy Lake gives new meaning to the famous Stewart Scott catch-phrase "as cool as the other side of the pillow". My wife specifically asked if they've made a "Jimmy Lake Calendar" yet. He's a great coach, a great mentor, a great interview and a great role model. Apparently, chicks dig him. I also hear that he might be a pretty decent duffer. That's good enough to top our 2015 list of top UW coaches.
#UW DB #bbq2015 Good eats and Good times - We Found out who has a jumpshot and video game skills . #Dawglife pic.twitter.com/SdHc2s0CzB
— Jimmy Lake (@coachlakeudub) July 9, 2015
Had a great time with my Unity group going to Ivaars for dinner! These offensive and defensive lineman eat a ton! pic.twitter.com/OqpM2SEu2j
— Jimmy Lake (@coachlakeudub) August 11, 2014
ICYMI, for @coachlakeudub progress is a process for @UW_Football's young secondary #UDUB http://t.co/NQzv0xub9H pic.twitter.com/lVLbNNjb8M
— Mason Kelley (@masonkelley12) September 18, 2014


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Nails of the Day
This year's SXSW may have come and gone, but we're still wowed by Kim B's stellar design! She drew inspiration from SXSW flyers and even the jackalope! Really awesome job! Follow Kim B on Instagram.
For more Nail Art inspiration, or to chat with us about your favorites, check out our Nail Art space on MightyBell.com!
HelloGiggles loves seeing your creative nail designs. From glitter and lace to cartoon and holiday homages, we appreciate a bomb manicure when we see it. Please send a photo of your fancy fingertips to [email protected] with the subject line "Nails of the Day," and we may feature you here!


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Resources and links
Resources and links are available for the following groups of insects studied within CAEP:
Other useful Internet links:
This is the primary professional society for parasitologists, organising two annual meetings and many member benefits. Several Keele parasitologists are closely involved in the society: Prof Paul Horrocks and Dr Catherine Merrick are on the BSP Council, with Dr Merrick taking the role of Honarary Communications Secretary. Emeritus Prof Hilary Hurd was a previous president of the BSP.
Emeritus Prof Hilary Hurd is the coordinating editor of this high-profile blog, which features weekly posts on topical literature and issues in the parasitology world. Bugbitten is the blog of the journal Parasites and Vectors, which was set up by another Keele Professor, Chris Arme. It has quickly become a strong and respected journal within Parasitology and Entomology.


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Following a renovation that left no space untouched, this 1945 Venetian Hills home is more like a 2019 residence than anything carrying over from the 1940s.
Inside the 1,880-square-foot abode, four bedrooms and three bathrooms accompany an open floorplan with a living room, dining area, and kitchen.
According to the listing, the home was professionally remodeled, which could explain why this property is a model home for current design trends. Think barn doors, shiplap, subway tile, and built-ins.
An in-law suite is included, complete with its own laundry room and kitchenette, making it ideal for rental income.
Behind the house, a brand-new deck is large enough for outdoor entertaining, although it doesn't look like the party could expand to the yard below.
First, the deck is lacking stairs to the ground, and, second, the small backyard appears to be nothing more than a downward slope. It definitely would require some grading and landscaping to make it usable.
Just listed by Solid Source Realty for $300,000, the property certainly carries a high price tag for the area. However, it seems the owner is banking on the home's proximity to the Beltline and the nearby Lee+White Development to help justify that price.
Of course, unless you really like to walk, a car is required to reach those destinations.


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By Victoria Nikiforova – Dec 5, 2022
The essay voices the wholesale loss of positive expectations of the Russian Federation people for the Western imperialist countries as the latter escalate their drive to isolate and weaken their country and its government. Many other such writings are appearing in Russian media. Altogether, they reflect a deepening understanding in Russian society that world imperialism—headed by the United States and including the major powers of Europe and Japan–is very much alive, dangerous, and, quite literally, out to get them. There is a profound upheaval taking place in the political thinking and the aspirations of the many peoples of the Russian Federation.
December 2022 marks 100 years since the founding of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. There are no nationwide celebrations of this event in the Russia Federation. And yet, this is the anniversary of a fantastic victory for its people.
One hundred years ago, our country became the most free, democratic and progressive state on the planet. The rights and opportunities that were won for the ordinary citizen of the USSR were simply unthinkable for the people of that time.
For the first time in Russian history, millions of people, both men and women, won the opportunity to vote and to be elected to office once they reached the age of 18. In Western countries during those years, such rights were strictly limited, subject to all kinds of conditions such as ownership of property, age and other qualifications.
Women in our country received the right to higher education and equal wages with men. In Great Britain, the stronghold of democracy, so to speak, it was half a century later before women were allowed to study at Oxford and Cambridge universities.
Citizens of the USSR won the right to work and decent pay. These were not just words: for 70 years, Soviet people did not know what unemployment was, except what they viewed in international news reports.
Let's not forget how much the unbelievably generous social package of the USSR supplemented the salaries of its citizens: paid holidays, free medical care, free housing, plus transport and other communal expenses that were minimized by state subsidies. Add to that all sorts of benefits freely available to citizens—travel vouchers, tickets to the theater, gifts from trade union committees and many other pleasant trifles. Today, not even every top manager of an enterprise can boast of such a package.
Education became absolutely free, and everything for children was arranged with special style. Luxurious palaces of the wealthy classes were used to house youth 'pioneer' brigades.
All this and more were symbols of Soviet power. Nothing of the kind, not even a hint of it, existed at that time in the world's most advanced countries.
Moreover, nowhere else was there such a powerful grassroots democracy as existed in the USSR. The Soviets of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies [the central governmental power of the USSR] ensured the widest possible representation not of economic elites and business clans but of real working-class people.
Western countries, out of fright, broke off diplomatic relations with the young Soviet state. 'God forbid,' their elites thought, 'that our people might want the same for themselves.' But gradually, the social achievements of the USSR came perforce to be adopted more widely. For decades, the social policies of the USSR became the gold standard for the entire civilized world.
Under the pressure of protesting workers and under the threat of revolutions, voting rights and paid holidays 'somehow' began to appear in other countries. Gradually, but not earlier than the 1970s and not in every respect, Europe pulled itself up to our level of social security and observance of the rights of citizens. Throughout these years, the powers in western Europe never ceased to nag us about "human rights".
In the United States, our achievement many decades ago of paid maternity leave has yet to be equalled. [Railroad workers in the United States to this day do not have paid sick days. A threatened strike to achieve this was refused and declared illegal by the U.S. Senate on December 1.] And what about free healthcare or turning the palaces of the wealthy into social centers for young people? Or the guaranteed right to vote? 'Sorry, we're not quite there yet.'
All of this, as Marx would say, describes the social superstructure of human society. What about society's social base? In the late 1980s, a meme about the inefficiency of socialist management began to be actively introduced into our public consciousness. But to put it mildly, this was entirely untrue.
Dry statistics tell us that the Soviet economy grew at a rate exceeding ten percent per year for 30 years in a row. There is not a single country in the modern world that even comes close to this achievement. Moreover, the Soviet Union did all this while under extremely heavy sanctions and while enduring repeated armed conflicts and devoting enormous resources to winning the Second World War.
Many will say that the rapid achievements of the Soviet Union were due to its low starting point, compared to the wealthier countries of the day. But prior to 1917, the tsarist government made various stumbling attempts to improve social conditions and proved unable to do so. The Soviet government succeeded in double-quick time.
Alexander Galushka, the author of the remarkable book The Crystal of Growth: Toward a Russian Economic Miracle (co-authored with Artur Niyazmetov and Maxim Okulov), was recently nominated for Russia's Knowledge Society Prize. His book describes in detail how the idea of a planned economy arose and became the foundation of the Soviet economic miracle.
The book describes how German social scientists made the first calculations demonstrating that the planning of economic processes on a national scale greatly increases the efficiency of an economy. But in the late 19th century there was no one to put this idea into practice. The rusted-out mechanisms of the European monarchies could not be repurposed to this end, while in the countries of savage capitalism such as Britain and the United States, it not just the economy but all of life that was held hostage in the eternal class war of all-against-all. People in these countries simply could not conceive of trying to build a modern state on foundations of social justice.
The Bolsheviks in 1917 set out to do so, and they succeeded. Hundreds of new cities were built on our land. These consisted not of unremarkable residential areas but of houses of culture, libraries, drama theaters, health care clinics, and kindergartens and schools. Public transport was highly developed. In a word, what was created were progressive metropolises with comprehensive social infrastructure.
This description is typically followed by critics with a ritual lament: 'Yes, but at what cost? There were repressions, the GULAG… the corpses piled up….' But no matter how many noughts are added to the numbers of those who died in the labor camps, this lie is refuted by simple demography. Even despite the terrible war that took millions of lives, from 1929 to 1955, the population of the USSR increased by 46 million. Average life expectancy increased by 26 years.
The sad truth is that as soon as the USSR collapsed, the upshot was the beginning of the demographic troubles with which our country is still dealing. The social and demographic conditions of the 'unspeakable 1990s' killed far more humans than the notorious GULAGs.
By the early 1920s, we had survived the horrible Civil War. The second act of this tragedy was the political purges of the 1930s by the Soviet leadership of the day. But hardships have proven to be the price for any social revolution. Other peoples have paid a much worse price than the Soviet people, but this does not prevent them from being proud of their revolutions and drawing inspiration from them centuries later.
The Great French Revolution of 1789 saw many bloody massacres, but it infused the country with creative energy for generations to come. The revolutionary slogan 'Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité' still adorns all administrative buildings in France. The national anthem of the country, La Marseillaise still sounds: 'To arms, citizens! Form your battalions!'.
In the same way, the pragmatic Chinese managed to draw inspiration from Comrade Mao. "Seventy percent achievement, thirty percent mistakes," is how they sum up his achievements, and discussion closes with that. Monuments to Comrade Mao adorn the thoroughly capitalist landscapes of Chinese cities today and by no means do they prevent the cities from flourishing and getting rich.
The example of the USSR looks especially inspiring today. Despite the harsh economic sanctions wielded against it (yes, they were wielded against us even then) and despite the rabid anti-Soviet propaganda of the day- arguably as intense as today's Russophobia – the USSR created new industries, modernized agriculture, built the military-industrial complex, traded with the world, and prospered.
From the beginning of the 1930s, the Soviet government regularly reduced prices for various categories of goods – and did so generously, sometimes by tens of percent. The famous Stalinist price cuts in 1947-1953 were the high point. Salaries grew and the ruble strengthened, while its dependence on foreign currencies grew weaker.
When we look in amazement at the feat of our ancestors in the Great Patriotic War, we should not forget that they fought not just for their land. They also fought for their rights, for their freedoms, for their well-being. All this was far too precious to hand over to the enemy.
The rapid growth of the Soviet economy did not proceed by itself. In an atmosphere of social experimentation, people became liberated, believed in themselves and achieved the impossible. Moscow became an artistic mecca. Films by Eisenstein, Pudovkin and Dovzhenko are still shown in all film schools in the world. Mayakovsky and Pasternak created modern poetry. Prokofiev and Shostakovich created contemporary music. The theatre of the entire world was shaped by the scripts drawn from the pockets of Vsevolod Meyerhold 's overcoat.
Our grandparents did not know the expression 'social advancement', but for decades a powerful social elevator operated. Any peasant could board it from a young age and in the natural course of events grow up to be a philosopher, an army general, a professor, a lead physician or a government minister. They could grow up and become a head of state. The Soviet Union was governed by people from the bottom of the social order. They knew poverty, hunger and war firsthand. And they thought anxiously about how to secure the future for us, the future generations.
It is a striking fact that today on the fields of the special military operation in Ukraine, our army still uses equipment and shells produced during the time of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. They are simple, cheap and indestructible weapons, and there are supplies for years to come. It was customary to laugh at Leonid Ilyich over the production of tens of thousands of tanks which he oversaw. Why bother with that? The Secretary General lived through the Great Patriotic War from start to finish, taking care of his descendants. How will we cope with the NATO aggressor? We are coping well, Leonid Ilyich. Thank you.
This year's centenary of the USSR is our family holiday, so to speak. Our grandparents built an absolutely amazing and unique country for us. They built it with their bare hands in the truest sense of this expression. They gave us a rich inheritance. We live in the cities built by them, and in the civilization that they built for future centuries.
For those who like to sneer at Soviet officialdom, I would advise you to turn off the electricity and see how you like it. Electricity was brought to you by those damned Bolsheviks. Decrees on this topic were signed personally by Lenin and by – fearful though it is to say it – Stalin. It is also worth turning off the water in the bathroom and then reflect, because it was the Bolsheviks who came up with the idea of building apartment blocks for working people with modern amenities that earlier had been only for the privileged. They provided dwellings inside them free of charge. Meanwhile, don't forget to turn off the central heating: the "accursed Soviet officials" also messed that up… by creating it. This is not to mention the subway, public transport, the education system, healthcare and sports. This legacy saved us during the 1990s and has been a powerful springboard for our growth in recent years.
On the spiritual level, Soviet civilization revealed the best that existed in the Russian world: its primordial kindness, modesty and love for people. The Soviet people did not need to learn from elsewhere about tolerance – there was a genuine friendship of peoples among us. In the 1990s, this fundamental humanism allowed us to avoid a slide into civil war such as occurred in the long-suffering Yugoslavia. It also ensured the emergence in today's Russia of a completely unprecedented democracy and diversity of thinking. Unlike in other countries, our freedom of speech has not yet been trampled down by censorship.
The USSR also provided us with a proverbial "soft power" for the century that lies ahead. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is still a world-class superstar. The ideals of socialism remain an inspiration for billions of people in many countries. This intangible legacy of the USSR is now providing us with enormous help on the world stage. This is something we can now counterpose to rabid Russophobia.
One year ago, President Putin noted that the capitalist model of development had exhausted itself. Today this idea is even more relevant, because the outmoded capitalism has grabbed us by the throat and is trying to drag us down into its grave. We are all awaiting the economic crisis, the global "perfect storm" that is about to break upon us in the near future. We have to prepare for that.
It turns out we are the heirs to a unique experiment in building socialism. The centenary of the USSR is a good occasion to ponder this.
- Orinoco Tribune 2https://orinocotribune.com/author/yullma/February 26, 2024
- Orinoco Tribune 2https://orinocotribune.com/author/yullma/February 24, 2024
- Orinoco Tribune 2https://orinocotribune.com/author/yullma/
- Orinoco Tribune 2https://orinocotribune.com/author/yullma/February 23, 2024
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Annie Idibia has reacted to the rumours that her husband, Tuface Idibia, impregnated another woman said to be a banker.
The singer had in a statement issued by his manager, Efe Omorogbe, debunked the reports describing it as false and malicious.
Annie reposted the statement released on her Instagram story and wrote, "As in na 2014 this supposed "Banker" dey carry belle o lol, Just can't with malicious humans."


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On Monday, "The Daily Show" took a special look at the holiday honoring Christopher Columbus, and suggested replacing it with one celebrating an Italian-American who is nothing like the man who began the Native American genocide: Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Columbus Day, celebrated every Oct. 12 since 1934, was established to honor the contributions of Italian-Americans. But the holiday has become increasingly controversial due to raised awareness of Columbus' role in the Native American genocide as well as the numerous horrific crimes against humanity he not only committed but admitted to. For instance, Columbus handed Carib women over to members of his crew to be raped; openly boasted about how easy it would be to enslave the Carib people; personally enslaved more than a thousand people; forced natives to mine gold or face execution; and perhaps most horrific of all, he literally sold children as young as 9 years old into sexual slavery. In other words, a horrible person.
But of course, as Noah noted Monday, the Italian American experience definitely deserves to be celebrated in America, noting that "there was a time when Italian-Americans were badly oppressed in America, and they held up Christopher Columbus as a role model because he put them at the center of America's story."
"But times have changed," Noah continued, "and more and more people are finding it hard to celebrate Columbus knowing all the bad things that he did."
But the good news, Noah said, is "Italian-Americans have gone from being persecuted to being some of the country's most powerful politicians, entertainers, and med school cadavers," that last one being a dig at former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Which brings us to Fauci. "So, you could replace Columbus with any number of deserving Italians. I mean, just off the top of my head, what if we replaced Columbus with Dr. Anthony Fauci?" Noah said. "He's an Italian-American hero, he's beloved and respected by everyone, or at least almost everyone" — at which point a photo of Trump appeared on screen — "and he's trying to fight disease, instead of spreading it all over the continent."
But the best part, according to Noah? "Dr. Fauci's a short guy, so you save on the marble costs."
Watch the whole clip about Columbus Day above.


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Avoid Winter Weight Gain with Tips to Feel Full Faster
It is easy to gain weight in the winter months. When it is cold out many people subconsciously eat bigger servings of a meal or snack more often. That is because calories are heat units. In wintertime we are sometimes over-eating to be sort-of "re-heating" ourselves. There is also a tendency for some people this time of year to eat more and be much less active. Some patients report "sitting under the covers to hibernate".