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|June 17th, 2005, 08:14 PM
Major Player
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Ft. Worth, Texas
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What is 1080 native HD?
I understand 1080i and 1080p. Is there such a thing as 1080n? If so what cameras are shooting it? Thanks.
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Tyge Floyd
|June 17th, 2005, 11:01 PM
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Stockton, UT
Posts: 5,648
I've never heard of a format called "Native HD." There is "Native HDV" which means that the application can edit m2t files properly, but that could be either 1080i or 720p, depending on the camera that generated the HDV.
where did you see/hear the phrase "1080n?"
Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot
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|June 18th, 2005, 12:37 AM
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Good question, I guess I should have went into more detail.
I'm working for a production company that is producing a show that airs on The Outdoor Channel starting Jan of 2006. The company that is paying for the production wanted us to shoot some HD footage this year so that we may begin building an HD library. They have told us that beginning in Jan of 2007 they want to be able to commit to HD programming on the new HD Outdoor Channel. The question as to what format the channel would be broadcast was brought up. I had mentioned that some channels were broadcasting at 720i and some at 1080i, and we wanted to know where we needed to be in that regard. We were told that the channel only excepts "1080 Native HD". That's directly from an engineer with the channel.
So, I'm confused. I'm thinking now that native must be the wrong term. I've never heard of it either.
At full draw,
Tyge Floyd
|June 18th, 2005, 02:58 AM
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Native 1080i means it originates in 1080i.
For instance Sony FX/Z1 is not native 1080p camera because 1080p is derived from 1080i. There were posts that mentioned if 1080p is written to 1080i, it isn't native 1080p. It is.
If want native 1080i, all HD camera companies except JVC make these. JVC's 1080i derived from 720p. It isn't native. I believe new Panasonic #200 will not be native either because no uncompressed 1080p available. People mentioned it would be written to 1080i, but that happens after compression so it not apply in this case.
|June 18th, 2005, 05:00 AM
Regular Crew
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Posts: 45
1) Perhaps the engineer meant that the capturing sensor of the camera should not do any upconversion. There should be a 1:1 relationship with respect to the sensor vs. its output.
2) Perhaps he was trying to say the HDV isn't acceptable due to its heavy compression. But being an engineer, you would think he would use standard terminology.
|June 18th, 2005, 03:11 PM
Inner Circle
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada
Posts: 3,053
I think Uncompressed Raw HD is native HD.
An example is fiber optic HD transmissions from studio HD cameras to master control or in the case of a HD News Helicopter, the fiber optics stream the video from a CINEFLEX Hi-Def to a fiber to HD-SDI adapter to the 2 half-rack HDCAM VTRs that would pass the HD-SDI signal through a switcher then to the H.264 transmitter. I really wish Vancouver's Chopper 9 has this HD setup. Imagine, HDTV breaking news from Chopper 9!
below is an image of the half rack HDCAM VTR:
a bigger image is below:
|June 18th, 2005, 07:31 PM
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Location: Katoomba NSW Australia
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So you're left with having to pose the question here, rather than have the engineer ante-up on his understanding of what's required, and as you can see there's not been one definitive response to your query...
Clever dude your technician!! He makes a general statement about "1080 HD" that has enough vagueness about it to throw everyone off, and he doesn't have to demonstrate whether he actually knows himself...
When is 1080 (whether i or p) recorded and captured from a camera not native? How many consumers sitting in their homes watching that video are going to be able to spot the difference, and even if they do; will they go screaming to the nearest complaints department if the content was gripping enough to keep their attention?
For my 2 cents worth: Native usually means the originating format, and not something converted from any different format. Saying "1080 HD Native" makes about as much sense in my book as saying "3CCD Native"...
|June 18th, 2005, 07:45 PM
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Stockton, UT
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It could easily, and likely does mean that the station only accepts footage that originated in 1080, and could be either 60i or 30p or even 60p. I've never heard that referred to as a "format" but depending on how it was used in a sentence, I can see how it might come across as a format rather than a qualifier.
Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot
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|June 20th, 2005, 01:46 PM
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There was a time that I "format" described pretty good how the signal was supposed to look like. Nowadays (digital) video signals can be manipulated in so many ways (compression, rescaling, channel coding, transcoding...) before ending up in a standarized format containing all basic properties of that format but not including a bunch of artefacts which can be "hidden" in the "format". The word "native"has been introduced since then. It means not manipulated. This includes CCD sensor descriptions and read-out architectures, signal transformations and display resolutions as well
|June 20th, 2005, 02:18 PM
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|June 20th, 2005, 02:46 PM
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Argh Radek! Your posts frustrate me to no end.
The interlace does NOT necessarily occur in the compressor. MPEG-2 has flags to determine whether its compressing a progressive frame or an interlaced frame. In the case of the FX1 and Z1U it is configured to compress every frame it sees as interlaced, regardless as to whether it is sourced as interlaced or progressive. The DV (and DVCPRO) codecs automatically look at the image, regardless as to whether its interlaced or not, and compress as interlaced or progressive depending on the the content of the frame.
|June 20th, 2005, 02:50 PM
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He's brought up his "revelation" about the HVX's capabilities many, many, many times and numerous professionals on this board have told him that he's incorrect and explained that it will work like every other 24p camera on the planet, and yet he still runs around saying that the HVX 200 can't possibly have 1080p on it.
Grr... Arg.
Kevin Dooley
Media Director, Pantego Bible Church
|June 20th, 2005, 03:31 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
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Yes, Panasonic 200 records 1080p, but not native 1080p, but made from 1080i or 720p, similar to FX/Z1.
Why claim about the camera something it not have?
Analogy to DVX does not hold. We are talking apples and oranges.
|June 20th, 2005, 04:08 PM
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The only place your "argument" is even relevant is at 1080p60 - which is something they have never claimed.
|June 20th, 2005, 04:13 PM
Barry Wan Kenobi
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 3,863
Radek, you are completely wrong.
The HVX supports 1080p and 1080i scanning from its CCD. Just as the DVX natively scans its CCD at 480p or 480i, the HVX scans its CCD at 1080p or 1080i.
That is how it works. That natively-scanned image gets carried within a 1080i data stream, yes. But the data coming off the CCD is 1080p or 1080i, depending on which mode the camera is set for.
Since your original supposition on this subject seems to stem from statements in the HVX preview article at http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/HVX200/, let me just say that I was the author of that article. If you're inferring that it's 1080i-only from something you read in that article, I can authoritatively state that you read it wrong. Nothing in that article should be taken to imply that the camera doesn't do 1080p, because it most certainly does. If there was confusing wording, then there was confusing wording and I apologize for that, but confusing wording cannot be extrapolated forward into making incorrect claims.
The HVX does 1080p. It does not "scale" or "de-interlace" or "up-rez" to get to 1080p. It is native 1080p. Its signal gets displayed within a 1080i data stream, but it is scanned at 1080/24p or 1080/30p.
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How To Keep Your Baby Occupied During Lockdown
Lockdown has been tough on us all, especially for parents. Whether it is homeschooling their children whilst juggling their job, having a newborn baby and are just getting used to parenthood, or parents who are simply running out of ideas for things to do with their child. This article will help to inspire parents with fun and engaging things to do at home with their children. It's time to put on some old clothes and put a coverall bib on the baby and have some fun.
Make Edible Play Dough
Babies put absolutely everything in their mouth and play dough is no exception. Making edible playdough is a great way to keep any child occupied for an hour or so. Yes, original playdough has that great smell but at least with homemade playdough, you know what is in it so you don't have to worry about rushing a child to the hospital if they swallow any. It's delicious, fun and hassle-free.
Bubble Wrap Painting
Bubble wrap painting is a great sensory way to get babies engaged. It's messy, and the first time may be a bit of a struggle, but it is definitely worth having a go. All this requires is some bubble wrap, paint and some thick tape to create bubble wrap parcels. We don't need to use a brush as they will be only using their hands.
Coloured Rice Art
Coloured rice art is a great way to get infants engaged with their inner artist. You can either use already adhesive paper or you can simply put glue on the paper for the rice to stick. Next, colouring the rice with food colouring, make sure not to cook the rice as this will not work, just add the colouring to dried rice. Once absorbed, separate your colours and let the child play.
Taste Safe Ice Painting
Taste safe ice painting is safe, fun and great for a baby's senses. With ice art there is so much going on, there's of course, the painting, the feel of the ice and also experiencing the ice melting. All you need is some small pots like yoghurt pots to put the water in, some food colouring, craft sticks and some card or paper to do the art on.
- Add water to the pots and add the colourings.
- Add the sticks and pop them in the freezer for a couple of hours so they are frozen through.
- Get some paper
- Let the children do their thing.
These are all fantastic ideas to get any baby occupied without worrying about anything going into their mouths as they are all safe with using edible ingredients. All of these ideas can also be fun for older children and can be modified to suit any baby, toddler or preschooler. Make sure to get the camera ready as all children react differently to things and it will be something to remember years to come in the baby book.

subset: commoncrawl


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David J. Whitcomb had purchased a building in December 2020 but had no idea what lay hidden above it. After he and a friend noticed an odd portion of the ceiling on the third floor, they discovered an attic full of photographic treasure.
Whitcomb had recently purchased the Geneva, New York building for his law firm, and after noticing that the ceiling looked a bit strange while replacing a light bulb, the two found an access panel and ventured into the alcove.
"The first thing I saw was a whole bunch of picture frames stacked together and these frames are gorgeous," Whitcomb said to CNN. "They're the turn-of-the-century, they're gold, gilded, and they shone really bright and I was like 'Oh my God.' "I lowered myself and said 'I think we just found the 'Goonies' treasure.'"
The duo spent 12 hours the following day going through the stacks of photographs, glass negatives, and equipment that is estimated to date back to the late 1800s to early 1900s.
The most notable image is a framed portrait of Susan B. Anthony that was taken by photographer James Hale in 1905. Hale had given the copyright of the photo to The Susan B. Anthony Memorial Association, which later selected the image as her official photograph and sold prints and postcards of it to raise funds.
Whitcomb says he has found mail and other documents linking Hale to the space, leading them to believe that it may have been his photo studio. He is currently searching for the original negative of the portrait but has not yet found it. They did, however, find a portion of a negative that appears to show the flag pin seen in the finished image but fears the rest of the negative may be lost for good.
Most of the subjects of other photos found have not yet been identified, though they believe they have found portraits of both Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Elisabeth Smith Miller, two other leaders of the women's rights movement.
CNN spoke to Dan Weinstock, a retired doctor and the President of the Geneva Historical Society who confirmed that Hale had moved to the area in 1892 and worked there until 1920. Weinstock was aware that Hale used the third story space of the building as a studio, but knew nothing of the attic. Similarly, the building's prior owners who had purchased the space in the 1960s were also "dumbfounded" by the discovery.
You can view more images of the space at The Democrat and Chronicle.
Whitcomb is working with a local auction company to empty the entire attic and catalog the findings.
(via CNN)
Image credits: Header images by David Whitcomb.


text: Christine von Bernstein, born in 1984 as Christine Beggel in Biberach an der Riß, studied Theatre Arts and was trained as a photographer. After finishing her studies her installations and photos were exhibited in galleries in Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Karlsruhe. Since 2009 she has been studying Media Arts at the Academy for Design in Karlsruhe. As a member of the performance and theatre collective "Die Happy Few" she designed the scenography for SCARLETT // meine diamanten sind von Cartier, du depp und Kult! as part of the 21st European Cultural Days. At the Graz Theatre she contributed to the performance of "Sex, Love and Crime" by Alexander Nowak. In Karlsruhe and Bonn she was an assistant stage designer. Among many others, she designed the stage for the German premiere of "My Secret Garden" by Falk Richter and the world premiere of Etel Adnan's "Irgendwann in der Nacht".


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In the summer of 1995 I was reading Doug Hofstadter's
Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies
and fell in love a bit with the reduced typographic domain of "grid fonts" he studied in there. I wrote a little C++ to let me edit them on the computer. Even though the source code to the editor has apparently, ambifortunately, been lost, I did manage to find a bunch of the fonts I'd made back then. Below they are rendered from the original data. (probably the majority are my own work, but it wouldn't surprise me if I'd transcribed some fonts from Hofstadter's book - if you happen to notice such a coincidence, I'd appreciate knowing)


text: This leather coaster set makes the perfect house warming gift or Father's Day gift. Some coasters are for decoration, these actually work. The leather absorbs moisture from your glass and protects your furniture. This set goes with any decor. Do you ever need a corporate gift? We can customize these for you as well. Adding a company logo is no problem. Due to the organic nature of leather, each coaster could have slight imperfections and/ color variations.


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(Chicago, IL) — June 20, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Illinois' tourism industry generated $29.3 billion in revenue in 2010, an increase of more than $2.2 billion.
"The gains we experienced in 2010 clearly show that the tourism industry continues to play a critical role in our state's ongoing economic recovery," said Quinn.
The economic impact of tourism in Illinois has grown by more than $3 billion during the past five years, and it generated 287,500 jobs in 2010, directly and indirectly supporting one in 10 jobs in the state.
On average, visitors spend nearly $80 million with Illinois businesses every day.
State and local tax revenues from tourism totaled more than $2 billion in 2010, an increase of $93.5 million. The total tourism tax revenue–federal, state and local–saves the average Illinois household more than $1,000 in taxes each year.
Illinois hosted nearly 84.7 million visitors in 2010, up 5 percent from 2009, according to D. K. Shifflet & Associates. Both business and leisure travel saw increases in visitor volume, with leisure travel up 6 percent and business travel up 2.5 percent. Overnight leisure travel to the state was up 13.8 percent, increasing market share by 11 percent in this category and ranking Illinois 10th in the U.S.
Chicago was relatively flat in visitor volume, down less than one percent, drawing 38.11 million visitors. Business travel was up 4.9 percent while leisure travel was down 2.9 percent. Both overnight business and leisure travel increased 8.9 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively.
"Chicago's economic vitality is driven by its visitor industry, which generates more than $11 billion in direct spending, $616 million in tax revenue, and sustains more than 124,000 jobs for our city's economy," said Don Welsh, President and CEO, Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau.
Dorothy Coyle, Executive Director of Chicago's Office of Tourism and Culture, said she is pleased with Chicago's tourism numbers.
"We are very encouraged that overnight leisure travel to Chicago has increased 7.4 percent, outpacing the U.S. average of 6.6 percent," Coyle said.
Visitor volume outside the City of Chicago was up 10.8%, with leisure travel leading the way with an increase of 13.3%. Overnight leisure travel outside of Chicago was up 22.3%
Illinois maintained its ranking as the 7th most popular state for overseas visitors to the U.S. in 2010, hosting 1,186,000 such visitors, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Tourism Industries.
Chicago, the 10th most popular U.S. city for overseas visitors, hosted 1,134,000 international visitors in 2010, a 2 percent increase over 2009 arrivals.


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Hotels with suites in Toronto
Find and book the perfect suite in Toronto
The only place to book connecting hotel rooms and suites. Here's how.
There are 7 hotels with suites in Toronto, the hotel with the most suites is Homewood Suites by Hilton Toronto Airport Corporate Centre. We have 586 pictures of hotels in Toronto. The average star rating in Toronto is 3.36


text:
Frank Johnson is suffering because of climate change. Long thought of as "The Guy Who Wears Shorts During The Winter" by all his friends and family, Frank is losing the reputation he's worked so hard to cultivate. As the number of temperate days continues to soar, Frank has been forced to try more unconventional methods to maintain his commitment to wearing shorts in cold weather. We spoke with Frank in the early morning hours before most people had even woken up for the day.
"Four in the morning seems to be the sweet spot. It's the only time I can guarantee it's going to be cold enough that wearing shorts is unusual," said Johnson. Where he once could have expected hundreds of stares during a snowy day, Frank now draws only a small handful of looks from the few people up scraping their cars for an early shift. "The number of people who look my way has dropped significantly. By noon of most days, the weather is warm enough that shorts don't stand out at all. Not that I do this for the attention," said Johnson.
Frank has found that many options for upholding his image have been changing as well. "I had been going to Alaska for many years. Literally no one wears shorts there. Then it started heating up so I switched to the North Pole. Now that the glaciers are starting to melt away, I'm running out of places to go," Johnson lamented. Frank also confided that lately he'd been wearing shorts in walk-in refrigerators at local ice cream shops. Sadly, this artificial substitute can't measure up to the real thing. "There just isn't enough employees that need access to a walk-in refrigerator, so very few people see that I'm wearing shorts when it's cold. Not that I do it for the attention," reiterated Johnson.
Frank's wife, Francine Johnson, has noticed the change in her husband's attitude. "Winter used to be his favorite time. He just loved how everyone looked his way when they saw him wearing shorts during a blizzard. But lately, he's been talking about wanting to move away. He's been trying to figure out which city has the highest population density and lowest temperature. He wants some of that attention he was getting back," she told us as Frank stood by, wishing she'd shut up.
In a positive twist, we caught up with Frank again as the summer was approaching and he seemed happier than ever. "I've decided I'm going to become 'The Guy Who Takes His Shirt Off On Warm Days.' People always notice a guy with no shirt on. Not that I'd be doing it for the attention," said Frank with a beaming smile on his face. With the number of sunny days sure to rise, Frank should have his new reputation in no time.


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Erin River mentions me in her blog
Erin River is the pseudonym of a blind girl, Diana. In this article he gives an overview of the webradio phenomenon among the blind, citing also me. Thanks Didi!
"Rights, other voices" on air on Rai News24
On 24/05/2012 I was quoted by Gerri Longo in a column on Rai News24 entitled "Rights, Other Voices" conducted by the journalist Luce Tommasi on the occasion of Gerri's return to radio.
Video Radiospeaker 2011
A video made during a course organized by radiospeaker.it , in which I participated in 2011.


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Half-Double Back Loop Only Ribbing As You Go
Have you ever wondered how to add a stretchy crocheted ribbing to the end of your project? In this video, crochet expert Brenda K.B. Anderson demonstrates how to work a back loop only ribbing that is joined as you go. It's the perfect technique to finish off crocheted hat patterns and crocheted baby blanket patterns.
Brenda begins by looking at an example of a swatch where half double crochet back loop only was added to the fabric. She notes that to make the ribbing, typically you'll want to go down a couple of hook sizes, but it may take a little experimentation. For her sample in the video, Brenda goes down two hook sizes to begin the ribbing. She chains seven stitches, skips the first chain, and then adds a half double crochet (hdc) stitch into the remaining chains.
To join the ribbing to the main fabric, she slip stitch into each of the next two stitches of the main fabric. This attaches the ribbing, and she is ready to begin working half double crochet back loop only (hdc blo) on the next row. When she gets to the end of the row, Brenda chains two stitches to turn and continues working hdc blo. She once again attaches the ribbing by working two slip stitches into the main fabric.
Once Brenda has established how to work this technique, she shares her tips for how to work this on different projects. When working this type of crocheted edging onto a blanket, it can be cumbersome to turn the whole blanket back and forth. She demonstrates how to turn the fabric so that you don't have to turn the entire piece around on every row. She also shares her tips on how to make the ribbing really pull in by working additional slip stitches and attaching the first hdc blo to the slipped stitches.


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Bullock Announces New Website Reporting Form To Boost Enforcement of COVID Health Orders
Gov. Steve Bullock along with Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton, announced a new way to enforce state and county orders aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Bullock said the state has set up a new Online form that allows a person to anonymously report violations of health protocols, including ignoring the governor's face mask order inside businesses, place holding large gatherings without practicing social distancing, or places that stay open past the mandated closing hours.
In a news conference today (10/22/2020) Gov. Bullock stated that State Public Health Officials looked at many businesses across Flathead County. The teams did observational visits to gas stations, convenience stores, retail stores, and grocery stores. They found some businesses with no signage, some with customers with no mask. Some did not have health measures in place to prevent the spread.
He stated the goal is to make sure that businesses are following the measures to keep people safe. This website will allow citizens to report their concerns. The reports submitted to this website will be reviewed by the DPHHS then sent to the appropriate local authority reviews and investigations.
Gov. Bullock said while enforcement efforts this week were focused on Flathead County, they will be looking at other counties in the next week. Extending the offer he made last week to provide support to local county attorneys and health departments by making state resources available.


text:
Project description
The Birželio Namai complex consists of four apartment buildings and two commercial buildings located on Statybininkai Street in Vilnius. It was a joint project with the Cloud Architektai company, collaborating on the structural design and calculations of the buildings. The structures will be made of both assembled reinforced concrete and monolithic concrete. The project is distinctive in its blend of simple Scandinavian-style design and large scale architecture, and the subtle yet grand building complex livens up the Naujamiestis borough.
Technological challenges
The buildings required exceptionally strong foundations. Additionally, the substantial load on the structure and large number of components required long and meticulous work.
Benefits of our approach
- For the customer: Convenient way to collaborate with other parties; the ability to observe project development at all times.
- For the designers: Good communication with other well-known designers and project participants. Exact resource estimates will make it easier to design similar structural elements in the future.
- For the builders/manufacturers: Designers and manufacturers work together on the building model. The information in the model is easier to understand and the chance of mistakes at the construction stage is lower.


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Ren Zhengfei has a reputation for secrecy when it comes to the media. The billionaire founder of China's telecom titan Huawei prefers to let the company's smartphones do the talking.
But he broke with his protocol for privacy on Tuesday to discuss the controversies swirling around the giant technology group, which also specializes in digital infrastructure.
"[I have] never received any request from any government to provide improper information," Ren told the international press, including the Financial Times, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, in the coastal export hub of Shenzhen, China Daily reported.
"I still love my country, I support the Communist Party, but I will never do anything to harm any country in the world," he added.
Technology has become a key battleground in the rivalry between the world's two largest economies and Huawei has been caught in the crossfire.
Allegations that the conglomerate violated sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States led to the arrest in Vancouver last month of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer and Ren's daughter.
As the case drags on in Canada, she could face extradition to the US.
Then, on Friday, another executive was arrested. This time it involved espionage allegations in Poland. But unlike the Meng saga, authorities revealed that the investigation was limited to employee Wang Weijing, who has since been fired, and not the company.
To add to the spate of negative news for Huawei, there has been intense scrutiny about cybersecurity and perceived links to Beijing's central government, with countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom restricting market access.
These accusations have been denied by the group.
"Huawei has no connection to the cyber-security issues the US has encountered in the past, current, and future," Ren, now 74, told the Chinese media in a rare interview a few years ago.
He again reiterated that point earlier this week.
Yet the allegations persist because of Huawei's crucial role in the "Made in China 2025" plan.
Sheer scale
Part of the reason is the sheer scale of the program, which was singled out by US President Donald Trump during the opening salvos of the trade war when he highlighted state subsidies.
This, in turn, has triggered a technological arms race with President Xi Jinping's administration calling on the industry to become "self-sufficient" in semiconductor production.
China's reliance on US high-tech was exposed last year when another telecom mega-firm, ZTE, was denied access to crucial components for breaking a sanction-busting agreement related to Iran.
Left crippled, the company nearly folded before a deal was hammered out.
"We have been investing in R&D [research and development] heavily for many years … what has happened to ZTE will not happen to Huawei," Ren said.
Still, the ramifications were not lost on Beijing as it pushed ahead with the program, which encompasses the Internet of Things and interconnected smart technology linked through artificial intelligence, or AI, and delivered by super-fast 5G networks.
"The Made in China 2025 initiative, has caused deep resentment among American companies and their counterparts elsewhere," Cheng Li, the director of the John L. Thornton China Center, and Diana Liang, a research assistant at the center, wrote on the Brookings Institution website, in November.
"They have called these practices 'state capitalism,' in opposition to fair market competition," they added.
The rollout of 5G across countries involved in the US$1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative will be another golden opportunity for Huawei. It will also be a potential minefield.
These 'New Silk Road' superhighways will connect China with 68 nations and 4.4 billion people across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe in a maze of multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure projects, including a web of digital links.
"Do we have to be worried about Huawei and other Chinese companies? Yes, I think we have to be worried," Andrus Ansip, the European Union's vice-president for a digital single market, said when asked about cybersecurity.
Shrugged off
Ren has simply shrugged off concerns from the US and its allies by playing down the risks of his company being blocked from 5G networks overseas.
"It's always been the case, you can't work with everyone … we'll shift our focus to better serve countries that welcome Huawei," he said, adding that the group had 30 global contracts.
On a more personal note, he stressed that he missed his daughter "very much" before praising Trump as a "great president."
Last month, Trump made it clear he would intervene with the US Justice Department in the case against Meng if it would help him secure a trade deal with Beijing after agreeing to peace talks in December.
"The message to the US I want to communicate is, collaboration and shared success," he said. "In our world of high tech, it's increasingly impossible for any single company or country to sustain or to support the world's needs."
Known for being blunt, Ren is rumored to have used his former connections in the People's Liberation Army to get what is now a sprawling conglomerate off the ground.
Again, he denies these allegations.
But since Huawei was founded in 1987 with 21,000 yuan (then $4,400) of his own money, Ren has built a group which employs 180,000 staffand has become the world's largest manufacturer of telecom equipment.
Last year, the family-run business was reported to have generated estimated earnings of around $100 billion in sales. On the consumer side, it also sells more smartphones than Apple.
"I personally would never harm the interest of my customers and my company would not answer to such requests," he said during the briefing on Tuesday.
"[The] Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially clarified that no law in China requires any company to install mandatory backdoors. Huawei and [I] have never received [a] request from [the] government to provide improper information," he added, addressing fears that Huawei might allow the country's intelligence agencies to extract private data.
While his sentiments might be heartfelt, it is open to debate whether the media recluse has eased global anxieties.


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It was a night unlike any other the Vegas Strip has ever seen at the grand opening of Marquee Nightclub & Dayclub at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on New Year's Eve. Acclaimed global superstar DJ Erick Morillo kicked off the night with a set in the club's Main Room and led the countdown to 2011, while Interscope's Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre got the party started in the club's VIP room with DJ Ross One.
After the Jay-Z and Coldplay private concert in the event center at the Cosmopolitan, the celebrities descended en masse to the new mega club for a historic opening. Kellan Lutz, who showed up wearing a black eye mask to avoid the Twi-Hards lined up outside to see him, settled into a table in Marquee's Main Room next to Wilmer Valderamma, while 50 Cent arrived with friend Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was in anything but a fighting mood, and the two were seen dancing to music by DJ Erick Morillo before heading downstairs to the VIP room. Channing Tatum and wife Jenna Dewan, Haylie Duff and boyfriend Nick Zano, Christina Milian, Abigail Spencer Pruitt, James Marsden, Jamie Kennedy, Jessica Szohr, Deryck Whibley, Jeremy Piven and Mark Salling were also spotted dancing in the Main Room.
The club, which totals 60,000 square feet filled up to a capacity crowd of nearly 3,000 people quickly, and the VIP room, also known as The Boom Box, was taken over by the superstar rapper Jay-Z and rock band Coldplay and their famous friends. It was so packed with A-list celebrities that you couldn't take two steps without bumping into a Grammy winner.
Rihanna and Sean "Diddy" Combs came by to party with Jay-Z, Beyonce, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow, who all held court at a center table with views of the Las Vegas Strip. Kanye West and John Mayer, who surprised the crowd with performances earlier in the night at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas' grand opening concert, were also spotted at the exclusive after-party, as were Alex Rodriguez and girlfriend Cameron Diaz, Forest and Keisha Whitaker, Mark Wahlberg and wife Rhea Durham, Ellen Pompeo, Kirsten Dunst, Kings of Leon's Jared Followill, Kelly Slater, Olivia Munn, Whitney Port and Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Celebrities looking for a more relaxed scene flocked to the club's third floor called The Library Room. Ashley Olsen enjoyed cocktails with boyfriend Justin Bartha early on, while Jared Leto showed up later in the night, following his 30 Second To Mars performance at the Palms. Magician David Copperfield and Dylan Lauren also enjoyed the vibe in the Library Room. Meanwhile, Mark Anthony and his wife Jennifer Lopez took over a table with 25 of their friends and family members and danced up a storm with pal Leah Remini. At one point, Anthony stole the club photographer's camera and started taking photos of Lopez, who was playfully posing for him, while a few feet away Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine and Blake Lively were spotted dancing together on a banquette late into the night.
Bottles of Ace of Spades Champagne were flowing into the early hours and Jay-Z was spotted pouring glasses for friends including Gayle King. Solange Knowles did a special deejay set for her sister and brother-in-law and fellow deejay Samantha Ronson grabbed the mic to wish everyone a happy new year.
At approximately 2:30 a.m. Kanye West continued to surprise guests when he took over the mic in the deejay booth and treated them to an impromptu performance. Soon after, Diddy ordered a bottle of Ciroc for every table in the room as he requested his new hit "Ass on the Floor." Then Jay-Z joined Kanye in the booth and the crowd was going crazy. Jay-Z wished everyone a happy new year and the two started singing West's hit song, "Runaway" then their joint hit "Monster." West and Jay-Z were then joined by Rihanna in a sing-along to her hit song, "What's My Name" and the crowd was in a frenzy.
Following Jay-Z and West's second performance of the evening, Jay-Z asked comedian Aziz Ansari to join them in the deejay booth and entertain the crowd with a "New Year's Eve joke." Ansari said no, but he would not relent and eventually Ansari took the mic and got a few laughs but not before Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna were joined by Beyonce in the booth at which point Jay-Z stopped the music to wish happy new year to everyone in the room and to his wife "B."
The party wound down after 5 a.m. on New Year's Day, but not before Diddy and his girlfriend Cassie made a final stop to say hi to his friend Erick Morillo in the main room's deejay booth. Morillo proceeded to play Diddy's dance hit "Hello Good Morning" as the crowd and the cameras went crazy. It was a star-studded beginning to a new year and a historic grand opening for Marquee Las Vegas that has set the bar for the club business once again.
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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime - ISEKAI Memories Review: A Faithful Reproduction
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime makes its way to a new gacha game! Expectation is high for the newly released That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime – ISEKAI Memories, given the positive reception with both seasons of the anime. Good news is that the game is available for global players, and we don't have to wait years for localisation.
▍Faithful Story Stay True to the Original Plot
If you ever watched the anime on your streaming site of choice, you will be happy to know that ISEKAI Memories lets you experience the two seasons of the anime across its story chapters. It has been a while since its streaming, so it offers a good chance for fans to revisit the franchise's signature scenes.
That is not to say the story features ONLY elements from the anime, however. The game also features original stories specially crafted for the game, so there is something new for everyone to enjoy.
▍Get Your Favourite TenSura Characters in Bazaar
The game's Bazaar is where you'll get your favourite TenSura characters. The gacha rates aren't too bad, with 4% chance to get a 5-star character. Also if you recruit 100 times, you'll receive 100 Bazaar Points, which you use it to exchange an SSR of your choice. It's worth noting that Bazaar Points do not carry between banners, and will reset to zero once the related banner ends.
▍Customise Your Own Village to Get Benefits
In the anime, Rimuru becomes the saviour of a village. The game also offers a village system for you to construct different buildings like Restaurants and Houses. More game's features such as building a party of five, will be unlocked when you have enough residents in your village.
You are highly recommended to build different facilities to increase the population, as it decides the skills and benefits you'll obtain. Some facilities also create resources, for example the Restaurant will produce Gold, and the Training Grounds will produce Magicules, orbs needed to level up your characters.
▍Match the Colours & Unleash Powerful Attacks
The turn-based command battle system find similarity to Fate: Grand Order: each turn you can select between seven icons, each with varying colours. You can either select three blue icons or three Rimuru faces, ignoring the colours. The more colours/ faces you match, the more powerful your attack is.
Each colours brings different effects; the Green ones fill up the Skill gauge; while the blue ones fill up the Protector Gauge, which can unleash a powerful blow once filled. Finally, we got the orange ones. When the orange gauge is filled, the character can unleash their "Signature Move". What that move will do varies depending on the character.
You can also use characters' skills to change the colours and unleash powerful combo attacks. There are also an Auto Mode and Speed-Up Mode to make everything easier.
Players are advised to keep an eye on the elemental matchups. Aside from Light and Dark, which are weak and strong against each other, you also have Wind, Water, Fire, Ground and Space. If you have a full Fire party and go against a quest full of Water enemies for example, you'll struggle with reduced damage, and the enemies will wipe the floor with you with increased damage.
▍Bond With Your Allies
In That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime – ISEKAI Memories, you can bond with the characters by sending them gifts, or by interacting with them at Home. You can also complete special Quests to obtain Bond EXP.
Raising Bond Level not only grants you different rewards, including Metacrystals, you can also obtain stat bonuses to their HP, ATK, and DEF. By obtaining alternate costumes from Gacha or special Login Bonus, you can dress up your selected character however you like. Each costume also has its own set of unique dialogue and voices, but requires you to raise your Bond Level before proceeding.
▍Complete Missions And Earn Chancellor Skills
Chancellor Skills offer many benefits. To obtain them, you must clear Missions and increase your Great Sage rank. This includes the signature skill Accelerated Thinking, which further increases the speed of the Speed-Up mode.
There's also Parallel Processing, which allows you to dispatch parties on quests and obtain rewards even when you go offline. You can also set the amount for the quests and get double and even triple rewards as many times as your stamina allows! If you're like me and have tons of gacha games to tend to, this feature is one of the best you could have!
▍Don't Know What To Do? Ask The Great Sage!
If you're ever lost on what to do next, you can always tap the "Great Sage" button, located at the top left of your screen. This function brings up a series of choices, such as "What quest should I take on now?" or "How should I strengthen my troops?". This beginner-friendly function will guide you through every possible options from training your characters to selecting quests.
▍Final Thoughts
I had an amazing time with That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime -ISEKAI Memories and I give it a 4.5 out of 5. The gacha system is not bad after all, having a pretty generous sparking system, and fair 4% gacha rates. As a gacha game, ISEKAI Memories allows you to collect all your favourite characters from the franchise. Even if you are not a fan of the anime, you are still recommended to give it a try. The game offers stunning graphics and animation, and the story give players a taste into what the series have to offer.
Not everything in ISEKAI Memories is perfect. The game crashed all the time when it first launched, forcing you to reinstall the game. That's why you are strongly recommended to back up your data frequently, as you never know when the game will crash. FPS drops is also a problem. While I cannot speak for all phones, but if a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is struggling, I fear many other phones might have the same issues.


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Free reading of the 32 cards
Predicting the future: With the 32 cards
The most popular game throughout the world is the 32 card pack of playing cards, there is no need to understand any particular language to understand the cards meanings and it is this that has made them so popular worldwide. They have an enigmatic origin and several theories have been hypothesised. The first is through the Chinese route: An official of the Emperor Hei Song was the inventor of a game involving 32 ivory tablets. The second route is Indian: This game came to us through a nomadic people fleeing India and whose descendants are now the Tziganes, or Romany people. The third is the Arab route whereby the 32 cards were introduced by the Spanish Moors. Finally the European route: Although experts? opinions differ as to the exact country, Italy is the most probable originating European country.


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Beijing to Jiaxing Train
Additionally, 1 Beijing to Jiaxing normal speed train is running from Beijing Railway Station to Jiaxing Railway Station, taking about 16 hours. A soft sleeper costs CNY 580.5 and a hard sleeper costs CNY 343.5.
Beijing to Jiaxing Train Tickets Booking
Details of the Train G151:
15:49Beijing South
22:54Jiaxing South
Details of the Train D717:
Details of the Train Z281:
Details of the Train D711:
Where to Go in Jiaxing
Wuzhen Water Town is one of the six most famous ancient towns in China. The residential buildings and the shop are built beside the water. And it is quite common to see bridges and shops when one is on the boat. Moreover, the lanes and streets in Wuzhen are quite narrow. Only one person can go through the streets or lanes. The night scene in Wuzhen deserves to be seen by everyone who comes to the town. When the night comes, the lights and lanterns make the whole town shinning over the water. Quite a scene to appreciate. Besides, tourists can taste the local dishes such as lamb noodles sold in Shusheng Lamb Noodles Reastaurant, Sauce Duck and Braised Lamb.
Although Xitang is also famous for its untouched architecture and water just like Wuzhe, it has its own uniqueness which are the covered lanes and many scenic spots including Museum of Traditional Chinese Buttons, Ming and Qing Woodcarving Hall, Wufu Bridge and Long Corridors of Misty Rain. Tourists can walk through the lanes like the most famous one Shipi Lane to appreciate the unique architectural style of the residential buildings in both sides. If one go into the Museum of Traditional Chinese Buttons, they will learn a lot about buttons such as the process of making a button in the shape of a shell and different kinds of buttons in ancient and modern China.
Jiaxing South Lake is entitled as one of the three most famous lakes in China. The scenery in South Lake is quite beautiful. One can rent a boat to the Mid-Lake Island. There are lots of gardens and buildings in Chinese traditional architectural style including the well-known Building of Misty Rain. What's more, one can visit many gardens there like Four Season Garden, Hero Garden, Lanxiu Garden and so on. If they are lucky enough, they may see the misty and beautiful scenery over the South Lake when it rains. When come to this lake, remember to see the various gardens in the Mid-Lake Island and the beautiful scenery among the mist.
Jiaxing to Beijing Train
1 Jiaxing to Beijing high speed train is in service, taking 6.5 hours. 1 normal speed train is also running from Jiaxing to Beijing, taking 16.5 hours.
See detailed Beijing Train Schedule & Jiaxing Train Schedule
Major Rail Lines from Beijing to:
Major Rail Lines from Jiaxing to:


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As third award recipient was selected 2020 Onora O'Neill, philosopher, United Kingdom, Member of the House of Lords, born August 1941. Due to the Corona-pandemic the award ceremony could only be held in March 2021.
Onora O'Neill is one of the great figures of international contemporary philosophy. After her PhD with John Rawls, she became famous as an eminent Kant scholar. Constructions of Reason from 1989 is certainly one of the most important books for understanding practical philosophy from recent decades. The book aims to demonstrate the genuine political character of practical reason and to emphasize the importance of public use of reason. O'Neill locates questions of ethics within a broader anthropological and political frame; thus, in her influential book, Towards Justice and Virtue from 1996, she warns against procedural reductions of political philosophy (which is implicitly critical of her teacher John Rawls). In Autonomy and Trust in Bioethics from 2002, she emphasizes the importance of political trust, countering mere proceduralism. In recent years she primarily worked, academically and politically, on the dangers for democracy in the digital age.
The political character of philosophy is not only important for the academic work of Onora O'Neill, she is equally an eminent political person as member of the House of Lords and as former president of the Royal Academy. She served on various committees and has received numerous awards. In recent years, she has investigated concertedly the situation of politics in the digital age; for example, in her capacity as co-chair of the ALLEA working group, Truth, Trust and Expertise. There are few Anglo-Saxon philosophers of comparable prominence who are both internationally visible, as is O'Neill, and also steeped within the German philosophical tradition. As she is fluent in German, she has been very present in Germany.
With Onora O'Neill one of the most important contemporary philosophical voices is honoured. Even if she has not worked expressly on Plessner's views, her work has many links to the work of Helmuth Plessner, as well her Kant scholarship and her systematic oeuvre. O'Neill's view of ethics is characterised by deep awareness of the methodical challenges of ethical judgment. Thus, ethical considerations are never possible without abstraction and universalisation and yet they also require the concrete embodiment of the subject of ethical judgment; this conjunction is pre-eminently important to ethics. The tension between the unfathomability of human beings on the one hand and the necessity of justification and legislation on the other, which is so eminently important to Helmuth Plessner, is mirrored in the work of O'Neill. From this follows – among much else – the importance O'Neill emphasizes for trust in human interaction. She sees such trust endangered if one assumes that human interaction could only be ensured and enhanced by codification, supervision, and quality management. She rather emphasizes that joint action is always imperfect and aspects of unfathomability are always connected to human action. For future debates about philosophical anthropology in the tradition of Plessner, the work of Onora O'Neill offers many important, rich connections.
The Press Release of the City of Wiesbaden from March 2020
The Press Release of the City of Wiesbaden from March 2021
Informations of the City of Wiesbaden on the award and the award recipient
The ceremony of the City of Wiesbaden on the occasion of the awarding of the prize took place on 23 March 2021. Due to Corona, the laureate and laudator were connected, and the event was streamed live on Youtube and can be viewed there.
You can find the welcoming address of the Helmuth Plessner Society here
You can find the laudatio of Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Krüger here


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As gamers, we know when a game lacks balance, but how do we come to know and recognize this?
Not all gamers have the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to evaluate whether a game is balanced mathematically, yet nowadays, they will quickly label games as "well-balanced" or "broken" upon release.
Balance in Game Design Explained
It is critical first to address what we mean when we say "balance," especially since literature suggests that actual mathematical balance is often disconnected from perceived balance.
In board game terms, balance is often interchanged with "fairness" in many contexts, but game design requires a higher standard of the term for a game to be considered balanced.
Balance is a property of each game that involves the relative value of the game's choices. When a game is balanced, players begin with the perspective of their starting goals; each decision holds value, and the outcome of the game tends to be revealed during final scoring.
This also means raising the stakes over the course of gameplay and providing interesting paths and strategies across the entire playthrough.
Three Categories of Balance: Internal, External, and Positional
1. Internal Balance
Ensuring each option holds comparable value.
Internal balance involves all the actions a gamer has control over. When players need to carefully weigh their options in a worker placement game or decide which role to select, an assumption is made that a game has a strong internal balance.
A lack of internal balance often generates criticism of a game item or mechanic being "broken" or "overpowered," as these terms imply that specific actions cannot always be performed without exception and significantly impact the outcome.
Key questions a game designer needs to ask themselves when checking for internal balance are the following:
- Are there items or actions in a game that should always be selected when possible?
- Is there ever a reason not to take object A/ to perform action A over object/ action B?
2. External Balance
External balance encompasses the designer's intent at the beginning of the game. This kind of balance mainly focuses on fair gameplay and perceived balance. These concepts help enforce the idea that a game is a challenge worth pursuing.
Lack of external balance often prevents a game from being played entirely.
Key questions for External Balance:
- Do any starting positions or special powers confer a strong advantage?
- Does going first generate a significant advantage?
For example, chess is known to give an advantage to White because the player controlling White starts first. Magic: the Gathering also recognizes it but alleviates this edge by denying the first player's draw. Oceans drives things to the other edge, as it is better to be the last player. The first players have bonus endgame points.
3. Positional Balance
Positional balance is all about ensuring every turn counts. This game design concept is relatively recent and focuses on maintaining player involvement. An emphasis is placed on controlling feedback loops (a mechanical gameplay loop that results in a positive or negative outcome) that cause games to become highly predictable long before final scoring. The core concepts of positional balance are runaway leader issues and catch-up mechanics.
Key Questions for Positional Balance:
- Can a player with an early lead accelerate toward victory without interference?
- Do players that face an initial setback have an opportunity to return to contention?
Hidden objectives or endgame objectives can be used to add uncertainty to the outcome of the game. Catch-up mechanics, such as the rat tails in the Quacks of Quedlinburg, can help catch up to the runaway leaders.
Balance is not an end in itself
While perfect balance would appear to be the ultimate goal, it cannot be achieved in most cases. In some ways, it could even act as a detriment to a game design:
In Rock-Paper-Scissors, players reveal selections simultaneously, and each action has an equal chance of winning, dependent only on an opponent's action. The game is wholly balanced, yet the optimal strategy is to select randomly to prevent opponents from picking up on frequency or trends. The best decision for players to make in RPS is for players not to decide at all. This makes for unappealing gameplay but can be enriched to an extent.
Memoir 44
In a skirmish game like Memoir '44, a lack of balance can allow for historical accuracy. By providing scenarios with an exact underdog role, a player can attempt to overcome a great challenge and have the thrill of a difficult victory. On the other side, an opponent gets to feel powerful and use their significant starting advantage. This dichotomy can be a very successful tool to create great tension and memorable experiences in games. Many military and war games have used this idea to a significant effect.
- EXPOSED: The Game Behind the Scenes
- 29/07/2021
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Press Releases
Feinstein Blasts WellPoint Corporation Greed
Apr 22 2010
Reuters reports that WellPoint Inc. used a special computer program to target breast cancer patients for termination of insurance; WellPoint plans to hike premium rates on 800,000 Californians by up to 39 percent on May 1st
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) went to the floor of the United States Senate today to express outrage after Reuters published a story detailing how WellPoint Inc. used a special computer program to target breast cancer patients and terminate their health coverage. (Read the story here: http://tinyurl.com/2ar66dw)
WellPoint is the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross of California, which plans to hike premium rates by up to 39 percent on 800,000 California policyholders on May 1. Senator Feinstein pointed to the latest revelations about WellPoint, along with its plan for massive rate hikes, as further evidence that Congress must act to curb corporate greed by for-profit, publically-traded health insurance companies that are devastating American families.
"We have a duty to protect the American people from the corporate greed of these for-profit, publically traded health insurance companies," said Senator Feinstein. "If a CEO thinks it is okay to deprive women of their health coverage when they become seriously ill with breast cancer, we can't trust them to do the right thing, period. Left to their own devices, companies like WellPoint will throw paying customers to the sharks for the sake of profit."
Senator Feinstein has introduced the Health Insurance Rate Authority Act of 2010, which would empower the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to review and reject unfair premium rate increases. The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernard Sanders (I-VT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) has introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives. In today's remarks, Senator Feinstein announced that she may soon offer the legislation as an amendment to a must-pass bill.
According to an investigation by the House Committee on Commerce and Energy, WellPoint raked in $128 million in profits by terminating the health insurance policies of sick Americans, a practice known as "rescission."
The health insurance reform bill recently passed by Congress and signed by President Obama prohibits the practice of rescission. Senator Feinstein called for strong enforcement of the new law so that companies won't find creative ways to continue this unconscionable practice.
"We must clearly be vigilant in order to assure that the law has teeth and is heavily enforced," she said. "We can't turn our backs for one minute."
Senator Feinstein ended by calling for Congress to take urgent action to close the Rate Hike Loophole that will allow health insurance corporations to dramatically hike premium rates between now and 2014, when health insurance exchanges go online.
"If there was any doubt about whether corporate greed has anything to do with WellPoint's plans to jack up premium rates on its customers, I think today's Reuters story answers the question definitively," said Senator Feinstein. "It's time for Congress to step in and fix the rate hike loophole in the health insurance reform law. We must put patients before profits, and protect the American people from this kind of unchecked greed."
Below is a statement by Senator Feinstein:
"Madam President, earlier today my staff brought to my attention an article that had just come out on Reuters. I read it and felt an outrage and dismay and decided I was going to come to the floor and speak about it.
Today, an investigative story published by Reuters details how WellPoint, a medical insurance company -- as a matter of fact, the Nation's largest insurance company, with 33.7 million policyholders -- used a special computer program to systematically identify women with breast cancer and target their health policies for termination -- in other words, an effort to specifically target women with breast cancer and then drop their health insurance. I would like to ask every American to read this jaw-dropping story.
Instead of providing the health care for which these seriously ill women have paid, WellPoint subjected these paying customers to investigations that ended with WellPoint's administrative bureaucrats canceling their insurance policies at their time of greatest need.
Under attack by both cancer and WellPoint, these women were left ailing, disabled, and broke. Let me give you a few examples.
Yenny Hsu, a woman from Los Angeles, was kicked off of her insurance policy after a breast cancer diagnosis because WellPoint said she failed to disclose that she had been exposed to hepatitis B as a child. Now, that has nothing to do with breast cancer, but it did not stop WellPoint from terminating her coverage.
Another loyal, paying WellPoint customer who faced this situation was Patricia Reilling of Louisville, Kentucky. Ms. Reilling was an interior designer and art gallery owner who never missed a payment. But that did not stop WellPoint from canceling her insurance in the middle of her fight with breast cancer. WellPoint abandoned her at her weakest moment, forcing her to pay enormous medical bills on her own. This woman, who was once a highly successful business owner, is now subsisting on Social Security and food stamps.
Meanwhile, WellPoint made a profit of $128 million by stripping seriously ill Americans of their insurance coverage in this manner, according to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This is likely a low estimate because WellPoint refuses to provide a total number for rescissions across the company's subsidiaries.
WellPoint earned a $4.7 billion profit in 2009 -- a $4.7 billion profit in 1 year. Angela Braly, the CEO of WellPoint, received $13.1 million in total compensation in 2009. This was a 51-percent increase in her salary over the prior year.
WellPoint is not alone in doing this to people, but they are an egregious offender. According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee:
WellPoint and two of the nation's other largest insurance companies -- UnitedHealth Group Inc and Assurant Health, part of Assurant Inc -- made at least $300 million by improperly rescinding more than 19,000 policyholders over one five-year period.
According to Health Care for America Now, these large companies -- the big, for-profit American medical insurance companies -- have seen their profits jump 428 percent from 2000 to 2007. All during this period, they have doubled premium costs. So they have made huge profits in seven years, and they doubled premium costs.
Time and time again, our for-profit insurance corporations have demonstrated that their hunger for profit trumps any moral obligation to their customers. This new story is just the latest example of the kind of outrageous behavior we have come to expect from certain medical health insurance companies.
The health insurance reform law passed by Congress and signed by President Obama will end the practice of unfair rescission and discrimination because of preexisting conditions. But we must clearly be vigilant in order to ensure that the law has teeth and is heavily enforced.
We cannot turn our backs for one minute because, left to their own devices, I truly believe these companies will look for ways to throw paying customers to the sharks for the sake of profit. These are strong words, and I am not known for such strong words. But the more I look into the large, for-profit medical insurance industry of the United States, the more I am embarrassed by it.
A situation unfolding in my own State now is further proof of this. On May 1 -- that is nine days from now; it is one week from Saturday -- more than 800,000 Californians who hold insurance policies issued by WellPoint's Anthem Blue Cross subsidiary will face rate hikes of up to 39 percent.
I have received deeply personal letters from literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Californians whose lives are going to be devastated by these rate increases. We have 12.7 percent unemployment. We have over 2.3 million people unemployed.
We have a very high number of house foreclosures, people can't find jobs, and at the same time, the insurance premiums are being jacked up. This is terrible because many of these people had a premium increase almost as large as the 39 percent that is going to happen on May 1, last year, and then they know they face it again the next year.
I cannot say that all of this is responsible for these premium increases, but in my State alone, two million people in the last two years have gone off of health insurance. That is one million people a year who find they can't afford health insurance. So they have gone off of it, more are on Medicaid, and many have no coverage whatsoever. This is at a time when this same company is reaping billions of dollars of profit. So what do I conclude? There is no moral compass. There is no ethical conduct.
These are families with children. They are students and the elderly. One woman had been a client of Anthem for 30 years. She had never been sick, and she got sick. Cancer survivors, small business owners, they are about to be crushed.
WellPoint will tell us that these premium rate hikes cannot be avoided. They will tell us that others are to blame: hospital charges, prescription drug prices, the rising cost of medical care. They blame the government. They blame the economy. But the fact is that they are making money, and billions of dollars of money.
If there was any doubt about whether corporate greed has anything to do with WellPoint's plan to jack up rates on customers, I think today's story by Reuters answers the question definitively.
In order to prevent these kinds of unfair premium rate hikes on Americans, I have introduced a bill that would establish a health insurance rate authority. It would give the Secretary of Health the mandate to see that rates are reasonable.
Two days ago, the HELP Committee held a hearing on this bill. The chairman of the committee, Senator Harkin, made some very strong statements in favor of it, as did other Democrats. The Republicans who spoke, of course, opposed it because they are in a mode where they oppose virtually everything right now, but they opposed it.
So here is what my bill would do. It would give the Secretary of Health the authority to block premiums or other rate increases that are unreasonable. In many States, insurance commissioners, as the Presiding Officer knows, already have this authority. They would not be affected. Commissioners have the authority in some States -- in some insurance markets they have it -- and in others they do not. In about 20 States, including my own, California, companies are not required to receive approval for rate increases before they take effect.
So my legislation would create a Federal fallback, a fail-safe, allowing the Secretary to conduct reviews of potentially unreasonable rates in States where the insurance commissioner does not already have the authority or the capability to do so. The Secretary would review potentially unreasonable premium increases and take corrective action. This could include blocking an increase or providing rebates to consumers.
Under this proposal, the Secretary would work with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to implement this rate review process and identify States that have the authority and capability to review rates now. States doing this work obviously should continue. This legislation would not interrupt or affect them. However, consumers in States such as California and Illinois and others -- about 20 some-odd States -- would get protection from unfair rate hikes.
The proposal would create a rate authority, a seven-member advisory board to assist the Secretary. A wide range of interests would be represented: consumers, the insurance industry, medical practitioners, and other experts.
I think the proposal strikes the right balance. As the Presiding Officer knows, we have worked with the administration in drafting it. We worked with the Finance Committee. We worked with the Secretary of Health. We tried to get it into the Finance Committee's health reform bill. We were not able to do so. The President took this bill and put it in the reconciliation bill. Unfortunately, the Parliamentarian found that its policy implications overcame its budgetary savings, and therefore a point of order would rest against it. So it was dropped at that time. So we are trying again. It is necessary.
Nine days from now, 800,000 Californians will get up to a 39-percent increase in their premium rate. It is greed, pure and simple.
So the legislation I have introduced provides Federal protection for consumers who are currently at the mercy of these large, for-profit medical insurance companies whose top priority is their bottom line. The bottom line for is we have a duty to protect the American people from this kind of greed and this kind of lack of any moral compass.
If these companies were having a hard time, I would say: Look, it can't be helped. But they are not. They have enjoyed something no other American business has, and that is an antitrust exemption. Only Major League Baseball has an antitrust exemption. So they are able to go all over the country and merge and acquire insurance companies in order to control market share. Once they control market share, they then begin to boost rates. Therefore, over the past 7 years of doing this, they have developed a 428 percent increase in their bottom line, which is their profits.
If a CEO thinks it is OK to deprive women of their health coverage when they become seriously ill with breast cancer, we can't trust them to do the right thing, period. This ought to be convincing to every Member of this body, whether it is this side of the aisle or the other side of the aisle, that we need to move to see that there is a reasonable, prudent system where people don't have to endure when they have breast cancer and they go in, that they are going to lose their medical insurance. This Reuters story points it out chapter and verse today, and I have indicated several stories.
So, in my view, it is time for Congress to step in and fix this rate hike loophole in the health insurance reform law. We have to put patients before profits. We have to protect the American people from this kind of a lack of moral compass and candidly unchecked greed. I hate to say that, but that is the way I see it.
I will likely attempt to put this as an amendment to the regulatory reform bill. As I say, the matter has had a committee hearing, and in view of the fact that 800,000 people face these rate increases a week from Saturday, I think we need to take some action.
I would implore WellPoint and Anthem to understand, and to not raise these rates. They have postponed this rate increase once before; they certainly can do it again.
I thank the Chair. I yield the floor."


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WASHINGTON – The Justice Department has lost track of 775 weapons and 400 laptop computers, more than half of which may have contained national security or sensitive law enforcement information, an internal investigation found.
Some of the weapons were recovered after they were used in armed robberies, the department's inspector general, Glenn A. Fine, said in a report released Monday.
Most of the 775 weapons reported missing belonged to the FBI and Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Before last year, the FBI had not taken a complete inventory of laptops and weapons in almost a decade, despite an agency policy requiring one every two years, the investigation found. Last year's inventory was prompted when other agencies, including the INS, reported large numbers of missing weapons.
"The FBI showed serious deficiencies in management in keeping track of weapons and laptops," Fine said Monday.
Fine reported in March 2001 that an audit of the INS found the service had lost about 500 weapons. The audit prompted criticism from Congress and a request by Attorney General John Ashcroft to review the Justice Department's other component agencies.
The new report, which includes the INS figures revealed in the March 2001 audit, prompted more criticism Monday.
"This problem has sparked consequences, in criminal acts and danger to national security," said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee. "According to the reports, the problem of missing guns at the FBI, in particular, is a mess, and it's been that way for years.
"It stems from weak discipline, lax standards, tardy reporting and few, if any, consequences."
Some Justice Department officials attributed much of the problem to faulty paperwork and tracking, suggesting some of the equipment may have been loaned to other government agencies or may still be in the possession of government employees.
The FBI said Monday it is creating new programs to address the problems.
"The institutional response to the loss of any sensitive property, like a gun or laptop, will be prompt and robust, both from a security standpoint and from an accountability standpoint," the FBI said in a statement.
Regarding weapons, the inspector general's report found the INS and the FBI reported losses of 539 and 212 weapons, respectively, during the time frame of the audit, October 1999 to January 2002. The FBI reported an additional 211 missing weapons outside that period.
The other three Justice Department components -- the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service -- reported a combined total of 24 missing weapons during their audit period, October 1999 to August 2001.
With respect to laptop computers, the FBI reported 317 of its more than 15,000 laptop computers as missing, the Marshals Service reported 56 of its 1,450 laptops missing, the DEA could not provide the number of losses due to unreliable data. The Bureau of Prisons reported 27 laptops missing.
Some of the weapons were believed used in crimes.
The report says local police found one gun in a murder victim's pocket; it had been stolen from an FBI agent's home in New Orleans. Police in Atlanta recovered a stolen DEA weapon during a narcotics search at a suspect's residence; and police in Philadelphia and Tampa, Fla., recovered INS weapons that were used to commit armed robberies.
Fine suggested in the report that the Justice Department impose deadlines for reporting missing.


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Fabulous Fur – Famed photographer Peter Lindbergh shoots Edita Vilkeviciute clad in Louis Vuitton for the November 2011 issue of Vogue China. Edita looks amazing [Read more…] about Edita Vilkeviciute Covers Vogue China
Edita Vilkeviciute
Giorgio Armani Fall/Winter 10.11 Campaign
Everything is perfect, very Armani, always elegant and sophisticated, I love the clothes, the model, the colors .. . Lensed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott featuring model Edita Vilkeviciute and Janice Fronimakis [Read more…] about Giorgio Armani Fall/Winter 10.11 Campaign


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Polished is committed to providing the highest services and treatments. We are proud to have a skilled, experienced, friendly and professional staff. All our products have been carefully researched and selected and are of the highest quality available and are environmentally friendly. Your services should be perfect every time. If not, please let us know and we'll do it right.
Please call ahead of appointment time if you want to cancel due to emergency
Like the bamboo plant, we continue to grow in ecologically friendly and diverse directions, continuously thinking of ways to offer you the best and the most natural beauty treatments available. Visit Polished, stay with us a while, and leave feeling at peace with yourself and with the natural world. The strong and supply bamboo plant has long been a symbol of nature's versatility and purity. At Polished, we embrace natural products and services as the best way to look and feel truly beautiful.
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Her own temerity is on view in her newest book, Time or Too Late: Chasing the Dream of a Progressive Christian Faith. A collection of articles and addresses, it's "a record," she explains, "of the shift of my understandings as they evolved" since her 2004 launch of the now shuttered Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity.
The 200-page book—which Sherwood Park United's book discussion gang, The Spong Group, found engrossing this summer—touches on everything from the "non-education" of laity to "the Noble Lie". Vosper is unstinting: God is "that divine being we spun out of nothing"; churches will give way to communities "where values are named and shared, relationships are built, and well-being is fostered".
As for the question posed in the book's title [spoiler alert!], the effort to induce Christianity "to shift its focus so that it might share its benefits with those beyond belief is virtually over. It's too late."


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Vivien Mugs, Set of 4
Vivien Mugs, Set of 4
Some of the cutest mugs we've ever seen! These blue and white floral Vivien mugs spark joy.
Dimensions: 5" W x 4" H x 3" W
Vintage Disclaimer
Vintage Disclaimer
Born from a love of treasure hunting, Bessette sells vintage, pre-loved and curated home goods.
Please keep in mind that when buying vintage items you are purchasing something that is pre-loved. Most vintage items show signs of wear (i.e. fading, crazing, patina) but that is also what makes them so unique. We do our best to photograph and describe the condition of each item as best we can and we only sell items that we would purchase ourselves. If you have any questions about a particular item please contact us. firstname.lastname@example.com
Care Instructions
Care Instructions
For best results hand wash or cold wash only. Wash with like colors.
Do not tumble dry. Do not bleach.
For best results please hand wash. Do not microwave unless otherwise
stated on dish.


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March 31, 2022
The ever increasing coverage in terms of number of documents, the support of more and more different languages for search and the growing popularity of the PATENTSCOPE system have been impacting gradually the system's response times.
In order to maintain a high level of service with good consistent response times and ensure system stability, targeted limitations related to wildcards and to a few resource-hungry search fields were put in place:
For users who performed searches in those fields, the queries will have to be replaced by specifying the language such as EN_ALL, EN_ALLTXT, EN_AB, FR_ALL, ES_CL etc. yielding to far better response times and better precision. If you need help, don't hesitate to send your questions.
WIPO will also invest in last generation hardware to improve PATENTSCOPE's response times globally in the near future.


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Celebration of the Arts
- Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2016
- Time: 7:00PM
- Where: Moran Theatre at the Times-Union Center
Duval County Public Schools presents the first-ever Celebration of the Arts in the Moran Theatre at the Times-Union Center on May 18, 2016 at 7pm. The work of student performing ensembles and visual artists from elementary, middle and high schools throughout Duval County will be highlighted. Don't miss this event! Tickets are only $15 (with Ticketmaster fees) and are available by clicking on the link above. For further information contact the DCPS Arts Department at 855-3349 ext. 2 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Click here for more information.


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Ced Thomas
Ced Thomas
MBA | Broker Associate | Realtor®
Ced has always had an entrepreneurial state of mind. From selling cool cups and candy in his younger years, to breeding and selling dogs in his teenage years, to doing videography work in college, and owning a few Houston bars. He searched for a career that would reward his tireless work ethic and found real estate, an industry that essentially allows you to reap what you sow. With unbridled ambition driving him onward, Ced quickly established a professional presence in real estate
One meeting with Ced and the difference in his leadership style and dedication to providing successful client experiences becomes evident. His approach is genuine and unwavering, with a clear focus on
helping others achieve their life goals.
With a B.A. in communications from Abilene Christian, and MBA from Texas Southern, Ced's commitment to education and innovation have brought value to his entire client database. A former college football athlete, Ced learned at a young age that there are no short cuts, only strong conviction and determination. These qualities were the driving force behind his success.
He is now one of the top agents in the Houston area. In 2021 he was recognized as a top agent via HBREA, 2020 Voted #1 Agent on Social Media in Pearland via Property Spark, 2019 Jesse H Jones School of Business 40 under 40, 2018 received the Ruby Masters Award, 2017 he was voted #2 Top Agent on Social Media in Texas via Property Spark, 2017 & 2016 Quality Service Pinnacle Producer, 2016 Houston's 40 under 40, 2015 Quality Service Award, 2014 Gold Jacket recipient and has been featured throughout Houston at several speaking engagements.
Serving the Greater Houston region, Ced works under the prestigious Legacy Homes & Properties umbrella, one of the fastest growing offices in the city. There, Ced provides a full service of real estate transactions.
As a former educator, Ced enjoys giving back to the community in which he grew up. He mentors students through Soaring with Eagles and after-school programming, coaches various little league sports, mentors graduate athletes through Space City Heat 501(c)(3) football program and does charitable work throughout the city..
If you're ready to raise your expectations for what your real estate company can offer, you have come to the right place. As we are here to help you with all your property needs. We also specialize in commercial real estate and apartment locating. No matter what type of property you are seeking in the Houston area, I can provide professional and intelligent real estate service.
Whether you're looking for a conventional home, condo, townhouse, loft, rental property, apartment, land, or a commercial deal. I have the answers and experience you need to get the task done with precision. I help turn dreams into reality.
I'm a committed agent and I pride myself on delivering admiral services to my clients'. Being a REALTOR means more than just getting a deal done. I am committed to providing outstanding service, efficient and positive results while building long lasting relationships.
My successful career in real estate comes from dedication, integrity and the utilization of clear and open communication with my clients. We have access to advanced marketing tools to assist in all real estate transactions. I always strive for the highest customer satisfaction. We look forward to earning your business! Offering professional real estate services in Greater Houston and Surrounding areas. Feel free to contact us today with any questions or queries
Our CLient
We just completed a purchase transaction with Ced and his Team . They were pro active by letting us know exactly what to expect and helped make this a seamless process. Thank You!Edward Foy-Mortgage
Ced Thomas is a fantastic real estate agent and made the home buying experience a breeze for my husband and me. We appreciated his patience and expertise when answering all of our questions. I know he went to bat for us when negotiating the offer on our home, as he saved us a lot of money on the closing. If/when we have to do this home buying process again, it's nice to know we have Ced to call on. Highly recommend his services. 5/5 stars!Selena Dow
Back in November we started looking for another home. After 5.5 years of living in our old home, we knew deep down inside we wanted more, we wanted better, and most importantly we wanted something with a much nicer neighborhood. We started making plans with our realtor Ced who quickly got things moving for us. Within three days, our home was on the market with pictures, videos, and an awesome introduction to our community. Ced was able to get us top dollar for our old home, while also assisting us with the purchase of our new home; which we closed on 5/24/21. Ced, thanks for the awesome smart gifts! You've gotten us right Sir! We ask that God blesses you the same way you've blessed us. I'm looking forward to our future business moves!!Russell A.
I am quite critical, and remember when I first met Ced and checked him out on Yelp, I believed the reviews but assumed the reviewers were probably easy to please. Fast forward to 4 months later working with Ced, I am blown away. Ced Thomas is hands-down the best realtor I've ever met. He is excellent in all aspects of our business relationship - very professional, extremely responsive (literarilly available round the clock), knowlegable, reliable, very patient and always works in his client's best interest. His business acumen and work-ethic cannot really be described unless you have a direct experience with him. I am truly pleased with his services and beyond impressed. Thank you Ced.Alia Afolabi
Ced Thomas is the best in the business! My husband and I were first time home buyers and this process was very overwhelming for us (especially in the middle of COVID 19 Pandemic). But Ced defintely helped us along the way. We looked at so many properties trying to find the perfect fit, and Ced was very patient with us through this. He has great communication skills and fast response times. I would highly recommend choosing Ced if you are in the process of purchasing a home, or any property for that matter. Thanks Ced!Ale Thomas


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A lot of young and healthy people think there's no need to get a flu shot because they're young and healthy. But one of the best reasons to get a flu vaccine is not to protect yourself, but to protect the elderly.
Check out this chart of flu deaths by age:
The trend here is huge. Depending on the year, the flu kills between 3,000 and 50,000 US residents. (It's a lot of deaths proportionally, too. Depending on the year, influenza and pneumonia are together about the ninth leading cause of death in the US.)
And the vast majority of flu deaths are in people who are 64 years of age or older. So if you're on the younger side, that could be your grandma or grandpa or your own parents. Or someone else's.
People can come down with a lethal case of the flu even if they get the shot themselves. Flu shots don't provide perfect protection. And so some people can still get the flu, even if they get vaccinated.
But the more people who get vaccinated, the harder time the flu virus will have finding someone to jump to next. That makes big outbreaks less likely. And so people at higher risk end up being somewhat protected from the actions of other people in the community. Being able to protect people like this is called community immunity (or herd immunity).
And if you don't get your flu shot, you're upping the chances of becoming a living host of contagion and spreading the virus to other people, including maybe your very own grandparents.
The elderly aren't the only ones you can help protect. Other groups also at high risk are children, pregnant women, and people with cancer, HIV, diabetes, and heart disease.
And all babies less than six months old can't get the flu shot at all. Same with some people who have the immune system disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome or egg allergies (sometimes the flu viruses that make up the shot are grown in chicken eggs and some egg proteins end up in the vaccine). Or people who are currently feeling ill.
While many people use their health as an excuse to not get the vaccine, you can also see it as one of the best reasons to get it. You can use your relatively good health to help others. And yes, you'll also protect yourself from the flu, as well.
To find the nearest location to get a flu shot (probably a local drugstore like a CVS or Walgreens), check out HealthMap's vaccine finder. It also gives prices. If you don't have insurance, it might be roughly 15 or 20 bucks.
And for those who are needle-shy, there are currently two needle-free ways to get vaccinated: the nasal-spray version (FluMist) and this year's new one — the Afluria PharmaJet.
Still have some excuses about why you don't want a flu shot? Let Sarah Kliff change your mind.


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Today's Readings
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Bible Trivia Questions for September 20th
The daily Bible trivia/quiz questions are drawn from the scheduled daily Bible readings for today. If you haven't already, we invite you to read through the daily passages (see the side bar at left) and then test your Bible memory with the following questions. The answer to each question can be found directly in the referenced Bible verse; click the verse itself to see the text. Use the links beneath the questions to go to the previous/next day's questions, or select any day from the provided drop down list and jump directly to that day's question set. Enjoy!
1152) When king Hezekiah ordered the people to provide for the priests and Levites, what portion of their firstfruits did they offer?
2 Chronicles 31:4-5 NIV
1153) How long did it take the men to provide their tithes according to Hezekiah's order?
a) 1 month
b) 5 months
c) 1 1/2 years
2 Chronicles 31:6-7 NIV
1154) When king Hezekiah saw the contributions from the men of Israel and Judah, what did he do?
2 Chronicles 31:8 NIV
1155) Who did Hezekiah put in charge of the surplus tithes from the people given to the priests?
a) Azariah
b) Conaniah
c) Shimei
2 Chronicles 31:11-12 NIV
1156) During Hezekiah's reign, which Levite was in charge of the freewill offerings?
a) Kore
b) Mahath
c) Benaiah
2 Chronicles 31:14 NIV
1157) According to Psalm 87, of what will it be said: "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her?"
Psalm 87:5 NIV
1158) Though he arrived at the tomb after the other disciple, which disciple went into Jesus' tomb first?
John 20:3-7 NIV
1159) When Mary first saw Jesus at the tomb, who did she think He was?
John 20:14-15 NIV
1160) What is the Aramaic word for "teacher?"
a) Talitha
b) Rabboni
c) Abba
John 20:16 NIV


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We want to enable Marketo Sales Insight (MSI) emailing capability for our sales team so they can batch trigger marketing approved emails. We haven't been able to do this because it counts towards our communication limits and gets in the way of scheduled marketing sends getting to leads. It would be great if we could decide whether MSI emails count towards the communication limits.
I didn't know sales insight emails also counted towards communication limits!
According to this document, MSI Emails do NOT count towards communication limits sent from MSI or the Outlook/Gmail plugin: How Does Marketo Decide Whether a Person Receives Email or Not?
Note: Communication Limits do not ever apply to emails sent from MSI or from the Outlook/Gmail plugin.
There seem to be conflicting information about it. Do communication limits apply to MSI emails sent via SFDC for example?
Axel - If you look at the article I referenced above, communication limits are ignored for MSI emails sent from SFDC as well.
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Celebrate we did! With the exceptional planning of the Sisters, staff, and many volunteers, our Home pulled off a wonderful celebration honoring our Mother Foundress, Saint Jeanne Jugan on her feast day. This day is very special to the Little Sisters and they treated it as such and allowed all of us to enjoy the festivities.
The day started off with a giant waffle breakfast for the Residents, Staff, and Volunteers. Everyone came together bright and early in the auditorium to enjoy one another's company while noshing delicious made-to-order waffles with all the trimmings. With such a hearty start to the day, the Residents had full bellies to carry them through the extra special Mass with Bishop Sullivan.
The Residents didn't have long before it was on to the next celebration. Chef Paul Elbling and our own Chef Alain worked tirelessly for the past week preparing a gourmet French bistro lunch. With the help of our dedicated Volunteers, the Residents' dining rooms were transformed into French bistros just in time for the crowds to arrive. The Residents lined up eagerly while Chefs Paul and Alain served up mini quiche, shrimp cocktail, lamb chop Provençale, salmon coulibiac, and French pastries. And they didn't forget the wine and piano music!
Well the festivities didn't end then. The Residents attended a special interactive drumming session together. A music therapist came to teach various drumming rhythms and told stories to go along with the various beats. Each Resident and volunteer was given a drum. The whole auditorium was filled with the sounds of rhythmic drumming. It was very soothing to hear and loads of fun.
To round out the feast day celebrations, the ice cream truck came out to satisfy everyone's afternoon sweet tooth. One of our generous benefactors donated all of the ice cream! Residents, Employees, Volunteers, and Sisters alike savored the delectable ice cream treats in the summer sunshine that will soon come to an end – just like we were kids! But we are all young at heart, right? Here's to a great feast day, St. Jeanne Jugan!
Click here to view a photo slideshow from our celebration.


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Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has introduced a new compliance requirement for all individuals who have been allotted Director Identification Number (DIN/DPIN) on or before March 31, 2018 and are continuing to hold the same. MCA would be conducting KYC of all directors annually through a new eform viz. DIR-3 KYC.
1 Day
1. Every Director who has been allotted DIN/DPIN on or before March 31, 2018 and whose DIN is in 'approved' status would be required to file form DIR-3 KYC on or before April 30 of the subsequent financial year. (in case of 2018, the date has been specified as August 31, 2018) 2. The form should be filed by every director using his own digital signature (DSC) and should be duly certified by a practicing professional (CA/CS/CMA). Filing of DIR-3 KYC is mandatory for disqualified directors as well. 3. After the due date of filing, filing of DIR-3 KYC in respect of such deactivated DINs shall be allowed upon payment of a fee of INR 5,000.
1. A valid DIN number and a valid digital signature. Digital signature should be based on PAN name and PAN. 2. Self-attested copy of PAN Card which will be attested by the professional who is certifying form DIR-3 KYC. 3. If the person has a valid passport, then self-attested copy of passport is required which will be attested by the professional who is certifying form DIR-3 KYC. 4. If the person has an aadhaar card, a self attested copy of the aadhaar card is required which will be attested by the professional who is certifying form DIR-3 KYC. 5. Personal Mobile Number for receipt of OTP. (Please give your own mobile number - one mobile number can be used only for one DIN) 6. Personal e-mail ID for receipt of OTP. (Please note one e-mail ID can be used only for one DIN) 7. Address proofs like passport, election (voter identity) card, ration card, driving license, electricity bill, telephone bill or aadhaar shall be self attested and should be in the name of applicant. (Note: if permanent and present address are different then address proof required for both the addresses)