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"The dealership is holding a sales event over Memorial Day weekend."
"Yesterday's rain event in Oklahoma caused widespread flooding. However, tomorrow should bring only minimal shower activity."
"The defense attorney cited acts of an inflammatory nature."
"The drought condition has many farmers concerned."
"The police responded to an emergency situation at the rest stop."
Events, situations, conditions, and activities are almost always fillers used to make something sound more impressive (but not very effectively). Whenever you use one of those words, see if you can't reword your sentence more concisely:
That dealership is holding a sale. The report was about yesterday's rain in Oklahoma. The prospect for tomorrow is merely showers. Those farmers are worried about the drought, and the police officers responded to an emergency.


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Evolution has called for players to try DriveClub before criticising its 30fps cap, claiming that it's placed a significant effort on making sure the game doesn't drop frames or suffer noticeable input lag - something "even some of the games running at 60fps can't guarantee".
"I can see why players assume that a higher frame rate means better quality, because in pretty much every other technical statistic the higher numbers directly translate to better performance and more detail," game director Paul Rustchynsky told Red Bull. "With high frame rates though, you've got to sacrifice a lot of detail, and ultimately we're really satisfied that we've got a great balance of a racing game that looks stunning and plays beautifully.
"The real acid test for us was when we let thousands of gamers play our demo at E3 in Los Angeles this year, because everyone who cares about frame rate came away surprised and pleased with how fluid and responsive it feels when you're driving."
Some fans were disappointed by Evolution's decision to limit the game to 30fps, particularly after the developer said it was targeting 60fps last year.
But Rustchynsky says that he would "encourage any sceptics to give it a go, because we've spent a lot of time and effort making sure that the game never drops a frame and that your inputs have no noticeable input latency, which even some of the games running at 60fps can't guarantee."
DriveClub launches on PS4 this October.
Source: redbull.com

subset: commoncrawl


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TrafficMetrix® Current Year Estimates
Traffic count data impacts site selection, analysis, and other projects relying on geospatial data to complete. Until recently, businesses had to wait on city, state and federal organizations to fund, collect and publish traffic count data. By the time analysts and project managers could get their hands on published counts, the data was outdated (eight years, on average).
Realizing the need for up-to-date data, Kalibrate developed the TrafficMetrix Current Year Estimates forecasting model.
Get the traffic count data you need, when you need it.
TrafficMetrix Current Year Estimates projects annual daily traffic counts representing the current year. Up-to-date traffic count data is available in common GIS and database formats that can be delivered within a matter of days.
Who uses TrafficMetrix Current Year Estimates?
The most popular business uses for TrafficMetrix include:
- Retail site selection analysis
- Convenience Stores selection modeling
- Commercial Real Estate brokers marketing their property
- Restaurants for expansion planning
- Technology companies modeling consumer behavior
- Planned Residential Communities
- Government Planning
- Education institutions
Upgrading GIS Protocol
Clients upload data to existing GIS programs and include the points as part of their geospatial analysis.
Additional Benefits
- Make business decisions based on the most up-to-date traffic data for evaluating sites and incorporating into risk assessment models.
- Identify high-demand opportunities that may have been initially overlooked when using outdated published count data.
- GIS and database formats can be delivered within days after receiving receipt of an order.
- Available by state, region, county or any other are you choose.
TrafficMetrix Current Year Estimates for more than 1 million data points.
Current year traffic volume estimates are generated using published traffic count data, trend data and up-to-date demographic information including validation results.


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CFPB issues amendments to Ability-To-Repay Rule
On May 29, 2013 the Consumer Financial Protection CFPB (CFPB) issued a Final Rule to create specific exemptions and modifications to the CFPB's Ability-to-Repay rule for small creditors, community development lenders, and housing stabilization programs. The amendments also include revised rules on how to calculate loan origination compensation for certain purposes. This Final Rule amends the CFPB's Ability-to-Repay rule, which was finalized on Jan. 10, 2013. The amendments will take effect with the Ability-to-Repay rule on Jan. 10, 2014.
The Ability-to-Repay rule established that most new mortgages must comply with basic requirements to help ensure consumers have the financial means to pay back the loan. Lenders are presumed to have complied with the Ability-to-Repay rule if they issue Qualified Mortgages (QMs), which must meet certain requirements.
The amendments in the May 29, 2013 Final Rule include:
- Exemptions for Certain Creditors and Nonprofits as well as Certain Lending Programs - The final rule provides an exemption from the ability-to-repay requirements for:
- Extensions of credit made pursuant to programs administered by a housing finance agency and for an extension of credit made pursuant to an Emergency Economic Stabilization Act program, such as extensions of credit made pursuant to a State Hardest Hit Fund program.
- Certain nonprofit and community-based lenders that work to help low- and moderate-income consumers obtain affordable housing. Creditors designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as Community Development Financial Institutions and creditors designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as either a Community Housing Development Organization or a Down payment Assistance Provider of Secondary Financing are exempt from the ability-to-repay requirements, under certain conditions.
- Creditors designated as nonprofit organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)) that extend credit no more than 200 times annually, provide credit only to low-to moderate income consumers, and follow their own written procedures to determine that consumers have a reasonable ability to repay their loans.
- Small Creditor Portfolio and Balloon-Payment Qualified Mortgages - The final rule provides an exemption from the ability-to-repay requirements for small creditors, which are defined as creditors with no more than $2 billion in assets that (along with affiliates) originate no more than 500 first-lien mortgages covered under the ability-to-repay rules per year. The CFPB had previously exercised authority under the Dodd-Frank Act to allow certain balloon-payment mortgages to be designated as qualified mortgages if they were originated and held in portfolio by small creditors operating predominantly in rural or underserved areas. In this final rule, the CFPB is:
- "Creating a new, fourth category of qualified mortgages for certain loans originated and held in portfolio for at least three years (subject to certain limited exceptions) by small creditors, even if they do not operate predominantly in rural or underserved areas. The loans must meet the general restrictions on qualified mortgages with regard to loan features and points and fees, and creditors must evaluate consumers' debt-to-income ratio or residual income. However, the loans are not subject to a specific debt-to-income ratio as they would be under the general qualified mortgage definition.
- Raising the threshold defining which qualified mortgages receive a safe harbor under the ability-to-repay rules for loans that are made by small creditors under the balloon loan or small creditor portfolio categories of qualified mortgages." The final rule shifts the threshold separating qualified mortgages that receive a safe harbor from those that receive a rebuttable presumption of compliance with the ability-to-repay rules from 1.5 percentage points above the average prime offer rate (APOR) on first-lien loans to 3.5 percentage points above APOR. This change was made because small creditors often have higher cost of funds.
- Providing a two-year transition period during which small creditors that do not operate predominantly in rural or underserved areas can offer balloon-payment qualified mortgages if they hold the loans in portfolio.
- Loan Originator Compensation and the Points and Fees Calculation
- Under the Dodd-Frank Act, in general points and fees on a qualified mortgage may not exceed 3 percent of the loan balance and points and fees in excess of 5 percent will trigger the protections for high-cost mortgages under the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act or HOEPA. The Dodd-Frank Act includes a provision requiring that loan originator compensation be counted toward these thresholds, even if it is not paid up-front by the consumer directly to the loan originator. There was concern regarding how to apply the requirements in situations where payments pass from one party to another over the course of a mortgage transaction. In particular, there was concern regarding situations in which "the creditor pays compensation to a mortgage broker or its own loan originator employees because there is no simple way to determine whether the compensation is paid from money the creditor collected from up-front charges to the consumer (which would already be counted against the points and fees thresholds) or from the interest rate on the loan (which would not be counted toward the thresholds)."
The final rule excludes from points and fees any loan originator compensation paid by a consumer to a mortgage broker when that payment has already been counted toward the points and fees thresholds as part of the finance charge (i.e. no double counting required). "The final rule also excludes from points and fees compensation paid by a mortgage broker to an employee of the mortgage broker because that compensation is already included in points and fees as loan originator compensation paid by the consumer or the creditor to the mortgage broker.
The final rule excludes from points and fees compensation paid by a creditor to its loan officers, as the CFPB concluded that there were significant operational challenges to calculating individual employee compensation accurately early in the loan origination process, which may and that those challenges may lead to irregular results for consumers. The final rule retains an additive approach for calculating loan originator compensation paid by a creditor to a loan originator other than an employee of creditor. Under the additive approach, § 1026.32(b)(1)(ii) requires that a creditor include in points and fees compensation paid by the creditor to a mortgage broker, in addition to up-front charges paid by the consumer to the creditor that are included in points and fees under § 1026.32(b)(1)(i)."
To access the final rule amending the Ability-to-Repay rule, please see: http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201305_cfpb_final-rule_atr-concurrent-final-rule.pdf.


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March, 7, 2017
The first hearing of the case concerning former President of Şırnak Medical Association and HRFT Cizre Reference Center Representative MD.Serdar Küni, who is "detained" now for approximately 5 months, will be held at the Şırnak 2nd Heavy Penal Court on Monday, March 13th, 2017 at 1.45 pm.
Serdar Küni, who has been, despite immense difficulties, decisively practicing medicine in Cizre for years with a strong commitment to the fundamental values; was arrested on October 19, 2016 with groundless allegations concerning his professional practices.
During the next steps of this "trial", we will expose these groundless allegations and the value of good medical practices through MD.Serdar Küni, who practiced his profession especially within the region that is going through massive pain for years in the witness of everyone by the fundamental ethical and scientific references of medicine. We will be altogether in Şırnak on March 13th to remind everyone that the real target of this "trial" is national and international law and conventions, universal ethical principles and human conscience, and that good medical practice cannot be prosecuted!
We are honored to express that, herewith, the solidarity for good medical practice gets beyond the borders. Representatives of several international medical and human rights organizations from throughout the World, including Bjorn Oscar Hoftved from World Medical Association and Norwegian Medical Association, Susannah Sirkin from Physcians for Human Rights (PHR), Per Stadig from Red Cross Foundation Sweden, Lutz Oette from School of Oriental and African Studies Law Department and Rudi Friedrich from War Resisters' International (WRI) will be participating the Forum on Good Medical Practice in Diyarbakır on March 12th, at 11 am along with General Secretary of Turkish Medical Association MD. Sezai Berber, former presidents of TMA Prof.MD Gençay Gürsoy and Prof.MD. Özdemir Aktan and General Secretary of HRFT MD. Metin Bakkalcı and many more representatives of different cities in Turkey.
Right after the forum, we will be together for the Peace, Companionship and Democracy Award Ceremony which is granted by Diyarbakır Medical Chamber since 1996. The awardees of 2017 are MD.Serdar KÜNİ, who practiced medicine in Cizre with a strong commitment to the fundamental values of the profession and laid claim on ethics of medicine, human rights and right to health of people on any grounds and therefore got arrested, and writer Aslı ERDOĞAN, in the name of all intellectuals and writers due to her act and statements that strengthens human rights struggle during these difficult times.
Right after the forum, we will be off to Şırnak for the next day trial, including the attendance of Ernst Ludwig Iskenius from Physicians Group of Amnesty International-Germany and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).
We have trust in our solidarity and looking forward to share and strengthen our values all together on March 12th at the forum and award ceremony in Diyarbakır and on March 13th at the trial in Şırnak.
Turkish Medical Associations
Diyarbakır Medical Association
Human Rights Association
Please click here to download the call and the programme as pdf.


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As you have got enough knowledge to understand the XPath and are in a position to start practicing different kinds of XPath statements. So follow the below steps to practice XPath:
1. Open https://www.simple-talk.com/dotnet/.net-framework/xpath,-css,-dom-and-selenium-the-rosetta-stone/
2. Download the Locators_table.pdf document as shown below:
3. Read the legend in the downloaded pdf document as shown below and observe that the Author of the document has mentioned the x symbol besides the XPath statements that are not supported by Selenium:
4. Now practice all the XPath statements that are specified as supported in the pdf document that is downloaded in the step 2. You can also keep this document as a reference while writing the Selenium Automation code.
Please comment below to feedback or ask questions.
Easy and Regular way of finding XPath Statements for Elements will be explained in the next post.


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This article in The Washington Post analyzes the implications of losses in some of the most important states come the November elections. The subtitle of the article states that these losses are "spurring general-election fears." I don't believe this is the downside of Obama's strategy though. I think the downside is that the strategy attracts writers like the author of this article who casts doubt into the minds of millions by declaring to them, "You are afraid."
People rant and rail against the press all the time for shaping the minds of voters. They're like modern brain washers, only no one seems to realize the gravity of the impact they're making on the general public. People get almost all their knowledge of the events outside their homes from the news. Likewise, their own reality is shaped accordingly; they have no reason to believe most of that which is stated confidently to them might not be true.
To be fair, they've been casting unnecessary doubt on Hillary's campaign for months now. Both candidates have been in a near-tie since the beginning, and yet writers keep "unintentionally" insisting that people should or should not vote for someone based on possible outcomes of strategy. These journalists are pulling conclusions from their behinds, publishing to the masses, and resultantly causing the conclusions to be just one step closer to coming true.
And why complain about strategy anyway? We will see whether or not strategies is working or not based on which candidates are doing better than the others. If assuming certain strategies will work better in the future is only going to affect the way the strategy is working now, I'd say the whole process is better just left alone. Let the people just vote for once.


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Three more sleeps.
On Monday, the packing company came and packed up eighty boxes of our stuff with minimal disaster. It is now half way to England. My main concern is that the new Christmas decorations I bought will be smashed in transit. But they, like most things in life, are replaceable. Noah took the packing up of his toys fairly well. He grasps the fact that his toys are too big to take on the plane and will be at our "little house" in England when he gets there. There was a minor issue that went like this:
9 a.m. Sunday Morning. I am piling up Noah's toys along one wall of his bedroom.
Me: Noah, do you want to keep Aylan here or do you want him to go in the big lorry with the rest of your toys?
Noah: In the big lorry.
Me: Are you absolutely sure?
Noah: Yes. In the big lorry with the rest of my toys.
Me: You won't see him until we get back to England.
Noah: That's okay. I want him to go in the big lorry.
Aylan, in case you were wondering, is a large teddy bear brought for Noah on our last trip home by my Mum and Dad. My Dad named him Aylan after the three year old Syrian refugee who drowned. He liked the idea of Noah looking after a refugee. Anyway, I put Aylan in the pile to be sent back to England with the rest of Noah's toys (a) because he would take up a lot of room my suitcase, (b) because it's stressful when Noah is carrying an enormous teddy around the airport, not least because we are always losing toys at airports and (c) because Noah seemed pretty adamant that Aylan should be packed with the rest of his toys…
4.30 p.m. on Monday, 10 minutes after we had waved the lorry off with all our stuff inside (including Aylan)
Noah: Where's Aylan?
Fifteen minutes of wailing ensued.
Moving abroad for two years is many people's idea of a dream. Usually, when it comes up in conversation that I live in Vienna, I'm met with responses such as "Wow! How exciting!" And I am the miserable cow who shakes her head and says, "Not really." For me, it was never going to be easy. My husband knew that when he applied for the job. I am a home bird if ever there was one. Back in May 2013, the job came up in Vienna and my husband presented me with a written proposal listing all of the benefits of going for it. It wasn't the first time he had broached the subject of doing a foreign posting. I phoned my Mum up and read her out the proposal. Because my Mum saw the £££ signs and (reluctantly) said go for it, because I had just gone back to work after maternity leave, because I wanted to work part-time and couldn't, because it was a good opportunity for us financially, because it was my husband's heart's desire, I agreed. We formed a pact: I would try living in Vienna as long as Noah and I could come home for one week every month and stay with my parents. Last year, every single time I waved goodbye to my Mum and Dad at the airport, every time I waved goodbye to them here, it was with tears in my eyes. I am not given to public displays of emotion but, quite honestly, I felt like my heart was breaking. My husband's posting shouldn't actually end until next October, but I knew with absolute certainty that I couldn't do another year here. Have I cried myself to sleep every night for two years? Of course I haven't. Have I been depressed? No. Although I've eaten a lot of chocolate and drunk a lot of Gruner Veltliner to see me through. Have I made my husband's life a living hell? Probably. Sometimes. Do I regret agreeing to come here? Actually, no.
Over the past six weeks, I have felt an over-whelming sense of relief every time I thought about how close I was to moving home. I felt as if I was crawling towards 19th December on my knees. I even planned what I would put as my last Vienese Facebook update at some point in August.
And yet…
I would be lying if I said that I don't feel a sense of loss. And actually, it's quite a strong sense of loss. How can this be? I'm flabbergasted by it. I should be excited. I should be deliriously happy.
It all comes down to change. I don't like change. I don't embrace it.
Last week, I was washing Noah's sand toys in the bidet (what else is it for, after all?), when I had a bit of a moment. I looked at his buckets and spades and diggers lined up to dry on a towel on the bathroom floor and I felt winded, I felt bereft. The sadness I felt surprised me. Where had it come from? I am not sad to be packing up our things and moving back to England. As I took a deep breath, I realised that I was sad about what those sand toys represent. They represent a part of Noah's childhood. The park that we live on represents a part of Noah's childhood – all those hours we have spent there being cooked by the sun or being frozen solid in the winter. I felt the same when I got his pram and his highchair out. These things are obsolete. My Noah is done with them. He is not my baby anymore: he is my clever, strong minded, curious little boy. When we moved here, Noah was 20 months old, he spoke in nouns, he beat up any child who came within a mile radius of him, he had a little white rabbit comforter called Booby that he took everywhere, he couldn't scoot or ride a bike. Now he is nearly 4, he loves Star Wars, he doesn't know who Booby is, he wants to have conversations about what happens when you die. The fact is, Noah has spent more of his life in Vienna than he has in England. It feels a little bit as if, when I get on that plane on Saturday, I will be leaving a part of Noah's childhood behind. Ridiculous, I know. But sometimes emotions are.
The other thing which makes me sad about leaving is that I am taking my Noah away from the life he knows. I am taking him away from the kindergarten he is happy at, from the friendships he has formed, from the enormous flat he can ride a bike around. Of course, even if we stayed until the end of my husband's contract, we would still have to take him away from these things. I think I am seeing this through my own eyes rather than a three year old's. I know what it feels like to leave your home and I am projecting those feelings on to Noah.
"How do you feel about moving back to England?" I ask him frequently.
"Alright," he says. "I can't wait to go to my new nursery! It's great!"
I realised just how often I must have spoken to him about this when he turned to me yesterday and said, "So, Mummy, how do you feel about moving back to our little house?"
Noah is 3 years old. His language is developing every day but it is by no means advanced. He isn't capable of telling me how he feels about moving back to England. He isn't capable of understanding it himself. He pooed in his pants every day last week which is something he never, ever did whilst he was potty training well over a year ago. Is that relevant? Is he channelling his uncertainty about moving back to England by pooing in his pants? Or is he just being a sod? He certainly isn't doing very much of what he is told at the moment. Even phone calls to Father Christmas and threats of him losing presents doesn't seem to hold any sway with him. He'll be okay. I know he'll be okay. I know this experience won't damage him in any way. But I still feel sad on his behalf, especially when I see him running home from kindergarten every day, hand in hand with his best friend.
A few weeks ago, one of my friends asked me, "What are the top five things you'll miss about Vienna?" "There aren't five. I will miss absolutely nothing about Vienna!" I exclaimed. But that's not true. I will miss living on the park, I will miss my husband being home in time to play with Noah, I will miss the wine, I will miss the Sachertorte, I will miss the public transport, I will miss that most things are within walking distance, I will miss the space we have in our flat. I will miss the lifestyle we have been able to afford. I will miss my friends.
I know I am doing the right thing going home; I couldn't bear to imagine the alternative. I have had a hard year in lots of ways. We all have them. Going home is faced with its own challenges: unpacking, cramming all of our stuff into a two up, two down cottage, finding myself a job. I am surprised to realise that I will have to adapt, to settle back in. But I am looking forward to starting up my life again in my beloved Essex. I have not liked living in Vienna but that doesn't mean I don't like it as a place. There is a grace and a grandeur about it. I respect it. But there's no place like Essex.
Auf Wiedersehen Vienna, from my Noah and from me. Over and out.


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Find your perfect hotel
23 March 2020
27 January 2020
15 January 2020
35 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh, Midlothian. EH3 7RN.
Tel: +44 1312 266 050
With a history of over 150 years, the Bonham is set within a lovely triangle of traditional town houses. Relatively inconspicuous from the outside, the hotel has a very great deal to offer on the inside.
With heir contemporary boutique design, the interiors provide a warm and open welcome. Featured throughout are art pieces which capture the imagination, and blend perfectly with the original features. For example, the main staircase which is beautifully highlighted by a long chandelier
All of the bedrooms are equally stylish and extremely comfortable, and some of them offer spectacular views over the Dean Village and Edinburgh's historic New Town centre. Comfy beds with crisp white sheets and fluffy pillows guarantee a good night's sleep after a busy day. For those having to catch up on some work, there are desks with plenty of power sockets. The bathrooms are well equipped with baths and showers, modern appliances, luxury toiletries, and soft, warm towels.
Dining at the Bonham is a wonderful experience. The stylish dining room provides the perfect setting for a memorable evening. Choosing between the A la Carte Menu and the Market Menu can be a hard decision as as all of the dishes look and taste wonderful. The head chef Maciej Szymik and his team definitely do their best to keep the choices interesting. By using Scottish ingredients and traditional dishes, and giving them a lift with international influences, such as Asian cuisine, the elegantly designed plates are an experience not to be missed. The afternoon teas are also to be commended.
The bar is stocked with Scotch Whiskies, with expert advice to ensure that you choose your personal best.
Located in Edinburgh's West End of Edinburgh, both the City Centre and Princess Street are only a five minute walk away and therefore shopping, museums, theatres and art galleries are all within walking distance. Moreover, the Bonham's staff are always more than happy to help you arrange whatever it is that you are looking for.


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TRNN Personal Data Security and Privacy Practices
Dear Members, Supporters and Viewers of The Real News Network,
We are sending out this message to update our current privacy policy in light of the new GDRP Privacy Rules initiated by The European Union that go into effect this month. Our supporters are extremely important to us and therefore, so is their data.
TRNN Privacy Policy
This policy applies to all information received by TRNN, both online and offline, across any platform, including electronic, written, or oral communications.
What Data does TRNN Collect?
TRNN collects and maintains the following data:
- Contact Information: name, address, telephone number, email address
- Giving History: gift amount, date, any gift restrictions requested by the donor
- Information on events attended, publications received, any special requests for program information
- Browser data including information about your operating system, hardware data, and browser version when submitting online forms.
TRNN does not store the following data:
- Payment information including credit card numbers or bank accounts.
Online Data Transmission – New Website
All data transmitted between you and the TRNN website is now SSL encrypted.
Data Storage
All data about our donors (see list above) is stored using Raiser's Edge NXT, a cloud-based software developed for nonprofit fundraising. For more information regarding the data policies of Raiser's Edge, you can visit https://www.blackbaud.com/general-data-protection-regulation.
All donation transaction data is processed and stored by Click & Pledge, an online fundraising platform for nonprofits. For more information regarding the data policies of Click & Pledge please visit https://clickandpledge.com/privacy/
Data Usage
Donor information collected by TRNN and stored using the above mentioned methods is also used to analyze giving patterns in order to make accurate budget projections.
Browser data is only used for website diagnostic purposes
TRNN will use confidential donor information for the following purposes:
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Use and Disclosure of your Personal Information:
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Your continued use of offline and online features of TRNN relating to your data will let us know that you've accepted these updates to our privacy policy.
The Right to be Forgotten
If you have questions about this TRNN Privacy Policy, or if you wish to be removed from our databases, please contact our Data Privacy Officer at [email protected]
Future Changes to TRNN Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to change this TRNN Privacy Policy in order to provide you with the best possible data security practices. When we do, we will note the last update at the bottom of the policy.


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photo by R. Pawluk
In response to the deep challenges to all we value and hold sacred as well as to our own well-being, the well-being and very life of our human communities, and of all life on this Earth, we are hosting a meditation circle that is open to all.
Our intention is to hold a safe, supportive and sacred space in which we can connect to the sources of our resilience and the wellspring of our vision and courage. From that invitation to healing reconnection, we will open a space to offer our prayers for the healing of all beings and of the living Earth whereby we are sustained.
Each evening meditation will be held, in alternation, by Rima Shah and Marya Bradley. We will offer a period of guided meditation that will open into a time of quiet meditation. We will close the meditation with the practice of non-sectarian/non-religious prayer for all beings and the Earth.
Bi-monthly Tuesday evenings: March 14, 28; April 11 & 25; May 9 & 23
Sliding scale fee $5/$10/$15 per evening.


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Our economic commitment
We are part of several clusters.
What are clusters?
The cluster concept was developed in the 1990s as a new approach to strengthening industrial competitiveness. This concept provided the economic and innovation development a spatial component.
The cluster policy aims at fostering the creation of growth structures through interconnected enterprises and other establishments that draw suppliers and specialized service providers and thereby enhance productivity, innovation and the competitive performance of all parties involved.
Membership in the Qualified Partner Program of B&R
Longstanding experience in the use of B&R Technology
The main areas where enders has used B&R products are – production facilities, mobile machinery and test stations.
enders is an active member of the B&R Qualified Partner Program. This means that through regular employee training, we are able to achieve the high technical standard required for the implementation of end customer projects.
We cooperate closely with B&R and have direct access to their technical support. Thus, we can ensure that your application development will be carried out with the utmost care and professionalism.
Our social commitment
The company culture of enders places a very high priority on corporate social responsibility. Their commitment focuses on supporting social projects (regional and international) and promoting young talent in the technical field. enders works closely with the Landshut university to find and promote young talent.


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Stillwater bridge project clears House of Representatives committee
October 6, 2011
In The News
Hudson Star Observer
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate now have the same language in their bills for exempting the St. Croix River Crossing from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill authorizing construction of a new St. Croix River bridge near Stillwater, according to a news release from U.S. Rep Ron Kind's office.
The La Crosse Democrat's office said the vote allows the bill (H.R. 850) to go to the House floor for a vote. The committee approved it with bipartisan support.
Kind has been a member of the Natural Resources Committee for 14 years.
"I am pleased that the committee was able to pass the legislation to authorize the St. Croix River Crossing project. This is an important step in the right direction, but there is still more work to be done," Kind is quoted as saying in the news release.
He said he would continue working closely with senators Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, all Democrats, and his colleagues in the House to move the project forward.
"I am optimistic that with the strong support we have back home, from both Gov. Walker and Gov. Dayton, as well as the support of a bipartisan congressional delegation and a great group of local leaders in the area, we can get this project across the finish line," Kind is quoted as saying.
The Coalition for the St. Croix River Crossing, a lobbying group pressing for approval of the proposed bridge, also said in a news release that it was pleased with the committee's action.
The coalition thanked Kind, U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Ashland, and Minnesota representatives Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater, and Chip Cravaak, R-Lindstrom, for their support of the bill.
The coalition said the House and Senate now have the same language in their bills for exempting the St. Croix River Crossing from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
"This is another important step forward for our region. The St. Croix River Crossing has strong and unified support from both Minnesota and Wisconsin federal lawmakers, as well as support from other members of Congress who are taking our region's request for a new bridge seriously," the coalition's news release said.
It was issued by Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki and retired banker John Soderberg of New Richmond, co-chairs of the coalition.
Marycki and Soderberg said recent developments with the Stillwater Lift Bridge show a need to work quickly to secure approval for the project.


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Viola Davis and Julius Tennon's JuVee Productions have announced they are developing "Wild Seed" for Amazon Prime Video
"Wild Seed" is a drama series based on the first book in Octavia E. Butler's acclaimed Patternist sci-fi series.
The series will be co-written and directed by Kenyan film director Wanuri Kahiu and Nigeria's author Nnedi Okorafor.
"We love Octavia Butler and her work and have for decades. But Wild Seed is our favorite. It's expansive, disturbing, and unique," says Kahiu and Okafor.
They add: "Wild Seed stays with you. It's a love/hate story of African immortals that connects people on the African continent to the Diaspora. It merges the mystical and the scientific seamlessly. You're going to see shape-shifting, body jumping, telepaths, people born with the ability to defy the laws of physics, all in the context of our past, present, and future world."
Wanuri directed Rafiki, a lesbian-themed film that became the first Kenyan movie to screen at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
Juvee Production has secured the book's rights after a chase of more than two years.
"JuVee had pursued the rights to the book for over two years, but it wasn't until they identified rising talent Kahiu, who was tapped to direct as well as write the pilot with her friend and colleague Okorafor, that the vision became clear on how to turn the beloved book into a TV show." Deadline reports.
"We couldn't think of more perfect partners to bring Octavia's feminist century-spanning epic to life than Viola Davis, JuVee Productions and the brilliant creative team of Wanuri Kahiu and Nnedi Okorafor."
Wild Seed is a story about two African immortals whose lives span ages.
One of the immortals is Doro, who kills and uses his powers to breed people as livestock, while the other is Anyanwu, a healer who demands that Doro come to terms with his cruelty.
The project had multiple bidders but is set to air on Amazon Prime Video.
This is great, I love Viola Davis and now that she has a production company , this is the way forward. Black folks awoke. Look at the Jordan Peele success with "Get out" and "US". It is about time we invest in our people. Our own movie franchises. This is how you change power dynamics, not marching on the streets singing black lives matters, there is a different way to do this and $$$ is the outlet. I hope all the athletes, Black celebrities etc will awake and invest in black communities and countries. If only our own govt (s) in Africa would invest in its own people instead of stealing from them , protect our resources etc......
This is a very exciting time. To me if a movie doesn't have black in it, ain't worth my $$. We are finally seeing plenty of black talent from all over the world. I agree, the power is in the $$$ and may I also add education and voting. I am excited for the young black generation coming up, there is hope.
So she cannot make money creating stories but some can show their nakedness on stage( private parts) to make same money . Actually, what is in a name if you are insinuating what I think you are , it is "wanui" ...
Hehe - Wanui. I see you get the drift. Kana ni Wanuri, the profession of kwanura...kana kwanuruo....
Mashoga ushoga ushetani stinking behaviours,ushelati company coming together to make money using immiroality.Hell will continue to open for many of us to jump iin.


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Can tints of a color be used when engraving?
Since engraving is created with copper plates and is not offset there is no way to tint or gradate a color within the same plate. Effects such as cross hatching and patterns can be used to visually make colors look lighter.
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FEWA and Honeywell agree Northern Emirates energy management deal
FEWA wants energy savings of up to 30% at public buildings
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Federal Electricity & Water Authority (FEWA) and Honeywell, which will drive sustainable development and green economy initiatives in the UAE's northern emirates.
The agreement outlines FEWA's drive towards achieving energy savings of between 10 and 30% across public sector buildings with the implementation of energy efficient systems. FEWA also aims to improve standards of living and achieve sustainable growth by 2021, the statement said.
As per the terms of the agreement, both companies will work to determine a PoV (proof of value), focusing on Honeywell solutions that enable significant energy savings and adhere to sustainable environmental guidelines. The technologies include building management systems, energy management dashboards and energy performance contracting (EPC).
"One of our core objectives is conservation, which is in line with our country's vision to achieve a sustainable future for the next generation. We are working with leading global technology companies like Honeywell to collectively reduce the UAE's energy consumption through technology that provides more energy efficient solutions and reduces operational costs," said Salim Bin Rabee'a, executive director of electricity directorate at FEWA.
Speaking about the partnership, FEWA said the collaboration is in line with the goals of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to increase clean energy usage from 25% to 50% by 2050, and reduce the carbon footprint of power generation by 70%. It also seeks to increase consumption efficiency of individuals and corporates by 40%.
Honeywell and FEWA will enter into an energy performance contract based on guaranteed savings focusing on HVAC, cost reductions, and operational efficiencies through cloud-based analytics, in addition to ensuring carbon emissions reduction.
The EPC will be managed through performance dashboards and reports that provide visibility of building performance. The initiative also includes the deployment of Honeywell's cloud analytics platform and Outcome Based Service (OBS), which are said to enable increased operational performance, optimal efficiency, increased comfort levels of building occupants, and maximise uptime.
"With nearly 50% of our portfolio linked to cutting-edge energy efficiency and energy management technologies, Honeywell is well positioned to support FEWA in reducing energy consumption. In line with the UAE and FEWA Vision 2021 and the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, we remain committed to reducing energy consumption to help achieve a sustainable future," said Susanna Minoia, chief financial officer, Honeywell Building Solutions, High Growth Regions.
The collaboration is said to demonstrate both organisations' commitment to supporting the UAE Sustainable Development Plan in line with meeting the sustainability goals of the UAE and FEWA Vision 2021.


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• Wow, Shotsmag Confidential blogger Ayo Onatade was really not impressed with this weekend's Nordicana event in London, celebrating Scandinavian crime fiction and drama. "Would I go again?" she muses in this post. "I don't think so unless the event has a radical overhaul. It was the worst event I have ever been to in years and it is disappointing that one has to say so. I couldn't even be bothered to turf myself out of bed to attend the second day, even though there were a couple of films that I wanted to see, as I had been unable to do so on the first day."
• UK critic-author Mike Ripley is up with the February number of his "Getting Away with Murder" column for Shots. His comments--both instructive and droll--cover material ranging from publisher Hodder's recent party for its authors and the 1967 guide book Deighton's London Dossier, to "detectives solving crimes from their sickbeds" and upcoming works by John Harvey, Helen Giltrow, and Mason Cross. You will find the entirety of Ripley's column here.
• I'm extremely sorry to hear that 65-year-old Swedish writer Henning Mankell, author of the Kurt Wallander detective novels and other works, has been diagnosed with cancer.
• It's been a long time since I last heard of Thrilling Stories of the Railway, a peculiarly collectible volume by Reverend Victor L. Whitechurch, published in 1912. But now that I understand it contains what Ellery Queen called "the first of the specialty detectives"--Thorpe Hazell, a health nut and expert on railroad doings--I'll have to keep my eyes open for reprints of that collection. Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock fame read adaptations of
the Hazell tales for BBC Radio 7 in late 2012, but those shows can no longer be accessed.
• Facebook friend Paul Bishop points me toward this video interview with Gary Phillips, the creator of Ivan Monk, Luke Warfield, and many other crime-fiction characters. During the course of it, Phillips identifies one of his favorite crime-fiction lines, admits that he would love a crack someday at penning a novel starring Robert B. Parker's Hawk, and talks about a couple of forthcoming e-books, including The Anti-Gravity Steal. Again, you can watch the full video
• January Magazine picked up "an epic infographic" purporting to show the best books of the 21st century--well, I guess the best so far. Or the best, according to the people who constructed that chart. The rest of us might not agree with all of the choices; I, for instance, would have nixed both Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, just to begin. Yet there remain enough decent selections--several of them found in the non-fiction section (The Devil in the White City and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks--yay!)--to make perusing this graphic worthwhile.
• R.I.P., actors Maximilian
Schell and Christopher Jones.
• Let us bid adieu also to Philip Seymour Hoffman. The 46-year-old performer--who first entered my personal radar with his role in the 2009 film Pirate Radio--was found dead in his New York apartment earlier today, the victim of what was likely a drug overdose. You'll find tributes to Hoffman here, here, here, and here. And click here to read The New York Times' obituary.
• Chilean writer Isabelle Allende is receiving more than a bit of grief for dissing crime fiction ("I'm not a fan
of mysteries," she
told National Public Radio last week) at the same time as she's promoting a new San Francisco-set crime novel of her own, Ripper (Harper). Read Erin Mitchell's response to her remarks here,
and Mystery Scene contributor Oline Cogdill's here.
• With the notable exception of Salma Hayek's super-seductive snake dance, I was not a fan of Quentin Tarantino's 1996 crime/vampire flick, From Dusk Till Dawn. So I'm surprised to see that it has spawned a soon-to-premiere (on March 11) American horror television series. If you don't believe me, watch the trailer here.
• Frank Bill, author of the 2013 novel Donnybrook, has a new short story in Beat to a Pulp titled "Life of Salvage."
• Was Breaking Bad really the best TV show ever made?
• What does our continuing obsession with fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes tell us about
ourselves? That we are, as Esquire columnist Stephen Marche puts it, "branding whores, rampantly violent, and trapped in a technologically enabled loneliness." Uh ... OK.
• Finally, if you can tear yourself away from today's Super Bowl game between the Seattle
Seahawks and the Denver Broncos, consider the inspiration for the Seahawks team logo. Go Hawks!
Sunday, February 02, 2014
Bullet Points: Super Bowl Sunday Edition
Posted by J. Kingston Pierce at 3:30 PM
Labels: Obits 2014
2 comments:
- Naomi Johnson said...
I had heard about Schell and Hoffman, but not about Christopher Jones. When I read about him dying I could feel my youth passing before my eyes. "FOURTEEN OR FIGHT!"
- J F Norris said...
Thanks for the link to my post on Whitechurch, Jeff.
I was really shocked by Hoffman's death. I used to work with his brother Gordon, a playwright, who lived in Chicago back in the 1990s. He had the same energy and raw talent as his brother Philip. Gone way too soon. Yet another gifted performer lost to the ravages of drugs.
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Dreams of a wedding dresses v neckline
Most girls dream that their wedding is held in accordance with all traditions. But, unfortunately, the traditions of Russian weddings are almost not preserved, which is why modern brides have a lot of questions that remain unclear for them. So, wedding dresses v neckline!
Who should buy a wedding dresses v neckline
And if a girl asks a question who should get a wedding dress, wedding dresses v neckline, the answers will be very different.
As for the purchase of a wedding dress, there are many opinions: some believe that the girls parents should buy the wedding dress, others think the groom should take care of choosing a dress for the future wife, others say that it is the duty of the grooms family to buy the dress, .wedding dresses v neckline.
wedding dresses v neckline Traditions
Currently, the tradition of who should buy a wedding dress, wedding dresses v neckline, has not been preserved. In most cases, the bride, together with her parents, gets an outfit for the celebration, considering the purchase of a dress, as the main part in preparing for the wedding. Sometimes the groom takes the initiative, offering the woman to buy a wedding dress, wedding dresses v neckline, but not every girl agrees. Modern girls, wishing independence, choose wedding dress for themselves.
The question of who will buy the wedding dress, wedding dresses v neckline, is not a matter of the first importance. The main thing that the bride liked the dress was comfortable, the only one for the bride!


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Bo Innovation Hong Kong
According to the new edition of the Michelin Guide Hong Kong & Macau, it seems that the culinary scene has shifted. Out with the French, and in with the modern Chinese. Two major examples of restaurants affected were Bo Innovation by "Devil chef" Alvin Leung, said to be 'experimental Chinese', and winning its third star; while … Continue reading


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ST 212: Basic Combat
|CoD Basic Combat
Given the emphasis of role-playing games in general on social interactions, why do we even concentrate on having any combat mechanics for live action gaming? Combat serves multiple purposes within any gaming system; It is an avenue for providing action, drama, and even heroics within a context of most games. Yet combat often seems either forced or out-of-place within a role-playing game such as White Wolf's World of Darkness setting. How do we make it a valid and viable process within our games?
Please look at the following documents for venue specific guidelines:
CoD Primer
BNS Masquerade Primer
WoD Apocalypse Primer
Describing Combat/Wargaming
Combat within most RPGs mirrors the process very similar to war gaming. War gaming is simply acting out a scenario. A war game contains four distinct elements; the scenario itself, the participants, the referee, and victory condition/final result. So how does this tie into our running combat within the MES games? Let us look at each component in a generalized overview of what must be present for successful resolution of the scene or scenario. Something to remember as the storyteller not every player desires to be a participant in a combat scene or scenario. See what players desire combat and if it doesn't hurt the story allow them to remove themselves from the scene.
Setting the Scenario/Preparing for Combat
First we begin with the scenario itself, for example you are fighting to capture or destroy a key enemy building or fortification. As the storyteller or referee it is your responsibility to paint this scenario clearly for your players. Do not gloss over important elements especially those that will come into play during the scene itself. Simply put tell them what it looks like, what can be visibly seen, and where they are in relation to their target.
Examine who is involved and determine how to proceed
Next we look at the participants themselves, who's involved in the scenario/scene? What is the correlation of forces or in layman's terms, who has what present with them at the scene prior to start of combat? This is very important so you can properly adjudicate the combat that will occur. It also helps prevent potential mistakes and accusations of cheating during or afterwards. Write down or make clear mental notes of all elements, characters, and assets involved in the scene.
Now once the scene is set comes the complexity of running the war game or combat scene itself. The rhythm is quite simple actually; action, counter-action, and reaction. This applies to primarily wargaming but is quite functional for running combat. In a MES game combat should look like this;
- Initiative
- Action
- Pulls
- Resolution of each action in the initiative order
Simply stated just keep things focused as players will often be confused or hesitant about options, actions, or how to act.
Prepare players prior to combat by familiarizing them with the mechanics of combat. This leads us to you and how you should prepare for your "war-game" or combat scene. First make sure you have refreshed your memory on how combat should flow and its appropriate mechanics. If you are running NPCs make sure that you know what gear, powers, and support you have given them. Item cards help regarding running NPCs. If it is PvP combat then be prepared to look up powers if a question arises. It is strongly recommended to have a copy of the most current addendum available so you may consult it if needed.
Once you have ran your war-game or combat scene what comes next? First of all, help the players find final resolution. Simply put, take a quick moment to summarize what happened, looking internally for any missteps or mistakes made. If you find them correct them on the spot. Have an assistant move the game forward while you do a quick review with the parties involved in the scenario. War-gaming or running combat isn't difficult as long as you are prepared and focused on the mission at hand.
A final item of note, remember to have plot and activity for those not participating in the combat, it will keep your overall game healthy for all play types and role-play styles.


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Ramky Infrastructure Ltd are using Compactors built by Dynapac in India for it's first African project, the Gabon Special Economic Zone in Libreville, Gabon
Dynapac has supplied a fleet of road construction equipment to Indian civil engineering contractor Ramky Infrastructure Ltd for use on the company's first project in Africa, the Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ), which is being built in the capital city of Libreville, Gabon, West Africa.
Supplied through Dynapac's Indian division at Pune, the equipment includes two CA250 soil compactors and two CC384 tandem rollers that were built at the company's plant in Nasik, India, and two F181 asphalt sensor pavers with 9.7m paving width, manufactured in Germany. A pneumatic tyred CP274 roller used for asphalt finishing was also included in the order and was shipped from the Indian port of Nhavaseva recently.
Heavy equipment pedigree
"We are used to handling heavy equipment for our various construction projects but there is something special about the equipment supplied by Dynapac. Much more than their sturdiness to withstand any rugged operations, the timely and regular service provided by the local dealer makes the equipment one of the best in the market," says YR Nagaraja, Managing Director, RIL.
The GSEZ is a joint venture between the government of Gabon and Singapore-based Olam International, one of the world's leading commodities trading companies.
Turnkey contract
The work of developing the GSEZ, worth $84mn, has been awarded to Ramky Engineering and Consulting Services (FZC) of Sharjah, a fully-owned subsidiary of Ramky Infrastructure Ltd.
The project is a turnkey contract for the design, engineering, procurement and construction of the 1,000 acre GSEZ, with Ramky constructing the internal infrastructure including the boundary wall, entrance plaza, fencing, landscaping, roads, drainage system, water supply system, water treatment plants, road lighting and the telecommunication system, in addition to a guest house, club, hospital and an R&D block.
Alain Charles Publishing, University House, 11-13 Lower Grosvenor Place, London, SW1W 0EX, UK
T: +44 20 7834 7676, F: +44 20 7973 0076, W: www.alaincharles.com


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Our morning started, after breakfast, with a visit to Yad Vashem – the holocaust memorial museum. It is impossible (for me, at any rate) to visit here and not feel, in some way, ashamed and somehow culpable when I revisit the horrors that were actioned against Jews and others by a supposedly civilised nation – and how little notice, at times, other nations, and the leadership of the Churches, took. I am constantly struck by the bravery of the Resistance fighters, and given hope by the way Denmark stood, four square, behind their Jewish citizens and ensured their escape and freedom. "I do not know what a Jew is, we only know what human brings are" Pastor Andre Trocme, August 1942 – Denmark.
As a youth and children's worker I am all too conscious of the perceived wisdom that many abusers where themselves abused in childhood. Israel seems to fit this pattern perfectly. Having seen how the 'separation wall' has affected Palestinian Christians and Muslims alike, and having heard eye-witness testimony of how Palestinians in West Jerusalem were forced to leave their homes and possessions and have their property confiscated by Israelis it is impossible not to be struck by the irony of these words from the information boards in Yad Vashem relating to the way the Nazis responded to the 'Jewish problem":
"The Nazis in Poland took special measures against the Jews intended to isolate them from their surroundings, stealing their property…they forced the Jews to live in severely overcrowded ghettos, behind fences and walls. They cut the Jews off from their surroundings and their sources of livelihood and condemned them to a life of humiliation and poverty".
It was a quiet group that got back on the coach and headed to the Israel museum.
Having found, eventually, the correct entrance (and asked the potentially embarrassing question of if anybody would own up to being a pensioner in order to get a discount) we headed straight for the Shrine of the Book which, dedicated to the display and study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Essene community who wrote them, linked back to our visit to Qumran. The full length facsimile of the Isaiah scroll forms the centrepiece of the exhibition housed in a contemporary building the roof of which is designed to look like the lid of the pot jars in which many of the scrolls had been stored 2000 years before. The scale model (1:50) of Jerusalem at the time of the second temple helped us to orientate ourselves with much of what we would be seeing tomorrow afternoon when we walk the Via Dolorosa through the old city.
We bought some lunch at the museum to take with us to the Augusta Victoria hospital where we had arranged to meet Margot, the director of the international kindergarten which is based at this hospital compound and is run by the Lutheran World Federation. Margot had also arranged for us to gain access to the church tower so that we could take in the spectacular views of the countryside around Jerusalem. Despite the lift not working all but 2 of the group climbed the steps up the tower. I was one of the 'sensible 2' as I knew what was coming next and decided to conserve my energy….
Picking us up at 2, the bus dropped us off again at the Church of the Pater Noster – site of one of the 4 churches in the Holy Land constructed on the orders of the Roman Emperor Constantine at the behest of his mother, Queen Helena, who was instrumental in ensuring the conversion of the Roman empire to Christianity. The church commemorates Jesus teaching the Apostles how to pray giving the example of the words in the Lord's Prayer. Only the ruins of the crypt remain of the original church and, indeed, the magnificent basilica which was planned to be built on the site in the 1920s has never been completed as money ran out…
Passing the tomb of the prophets we then began the steep walk down the Mount of Olives stopping at Dominus Flevit with its 1st century ossuary store, chalice window, Byzantine and Crusader mosaics and the 'hen and chicks' (from Luke's gospel) altar mosaic.
Carrying on down the mount, passing the Jewish cemetery on our left and the Russian Orthodox Convent of Mary Magdalene on our right we reached Gethsemane and The Church of the Agony – also known as the Church of All Nations – our second Barluzzi church of the day (Dominus Flevit bring our first).
Crossing over the Mt Olive road we went down the steps to the Franciscan Cave of the Olive Press with its altar featuring 2 sleeping disciples) before going through the Crusader doorway and down the 44 steps to the Eastern Orthodox church of Mary's tomb.
Walking along, down and then back up the Kidron Valley, past Absalom's tomb (and the tombs of the 2 other people we couldn't remember!) we entered the Old City by the Dung Gate and made our way to near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a well earned rest, and refreshment, on the rooftop terrace of Papa Andrea's restaurant.
We forewent visiting the Church of Peter In Gallicantu, and Dormition Abbey, as the group were clearly drained. So, instead, we chose to take the short walk up to Jaffa Gate and, following the walls of the Old City, back to our hotel at Notre Dame centre for dinner and, we hope, a relaxing evening!


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"An entire race no one has seen in hundreds of years."
Born to a people reduced to legend and superstition, Ankenar was ready to live out his life as the overlooked middle child, but when his family and race are threatened he must reach out to a world that has forgotten him.
Warning: read this book at your own peril. This short will draw you in hook, line and sinker and leave you frustrated at the end with the words "To be continued"
At only 90 pages long, this short sets the groundwork for some extremely believable characters that will have you fully connecting to them by the time those dreaded words above appear on the page. This was the perfect start to a series; not too long that the reader would wonder whether they would be able to carry on the journey with the characters, but also not too short to have them thinking I really don't care what happens to them. The only way I can accurately write my opinions on the main protagonist is to liken them to someone you meet at either a dinner or conference, do not get to spend too much time getting to know them, but learn just enough to make you want more.
The Author manages, with great skill and use of words to pack a dynamic storyline into a very small amount of pages; and it's this plot that will have the reader fully exercising their imagination and creativity as they read about the world the Author has created. There were many things that brought to mind for me the possibility that this short was the stepping off point into an epic not dissimilar to The Lord of the Rings, which not a bad thing at all, as the plot line is not similar and, therefore, leaves lot of room for expansion into a new and equally enveloping realm.
The reason I gave this book 4 thumbs was its length; it left me wanting more, and this means I will definitely be reading the remainder of books in this series as fast as the Author can publish. I would, therefore, highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy epics, but would strongly advise them to have book 2 in the series on hand for when they reach the end of this one.


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So I did get one response from my invitation to send in eclipse images, and I have to say, not bad — not bad at all.
Brian Birge sent in this picture taken by his wife Kwan, using an iPhone held up to the eyepiece of their Meade ETX-125 telescope. It was taken at Challenger Park in Webster. He used Baader AstroSolar Film to filter the image.
Very good, and it demonstrates what can be done with modest equipment.
Brian also passed along the picture of his "astronomer-in-residence Rachel, 5 years old".
Brian says that Rachel is explaining here "why we need a spectograph". Good point, Rachel!
Many thanks to Brian, Kwan, and Rachel for sharing their pictures with us.


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It's sammy night! Okay, maybe it doesn't warrant an exclamation point for some people, but I love sandwiches. And this one is super quick. I came across two versions last week, so I pulled from both to create my own.
Here's my version:
1 loaf of yummy crusty bread - I used a flat ciabatta
Garbanzo bean spread (see below)
Feta, about 5 oz
Sliced cucumber
Sliced tomato
Sliced red onion
Sliced bell pepper (I had a red one)
Fresh spinach (neither recipe called for this, but I threw it in anyway)
Fresh basil leaves (ditto)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Garbonzo Bean Spread:
Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp olive oil, fresh basil and 1 C of rinsed and drained canned garbanzo beans to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
Split your loaf of bread lengthwise. Spread garbanzo bean mixture on one half of bread. Drizzle with olive oil.
Mix feta with about 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Spread on other half of bread. Layer cucumber, tomato, spinach, bell pepper, basil and onion on one side of bread. Season with salt and pepper.
Put a lid on it, cut into sammy-sized pieces and eat.
Things I will change next time: I'd skip the spread and use some store-bought hummus. Faster and easier. If you feel like making the spread, I would add some more flavor to it. More lemon juice, maybe some fresh or roasted garlic, salt and pepper, etc. I would put the feta on top of the hummus and drizzle the plain side of the bread with olive oil and red wine vinegar. We ended up drizzling our sandwiches with my fancy 25-year old balsamic that The Dad got me for Christmas, but I think the red wine vinegar would make it taste more like a Greek Salad. The way I make it anyway.
So there ya go - my version with things I'll do next time around. Either way, it was REALLY good. We had ours with potato chips. You could do fries or soup instead.
Here it is on my plate:


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For the first time since 1999, the Rugby World Cup will return to the United Kingdom, with England and Wales sharing the hosting duties.
Canterbury are the official team wear suppliers of the England Rugby team, they're also one of our most popular brands, our rugby playing customers love the Canterbury clothing line just as much as England do and they don't leave their kits plain either, customisation is important for making the kit unique and specific to the team and its players, we embroider and print to the highest of standards for our customers.
If you're an England rugby fan, then clear your weekend schedules for the last 2 weeks in September and the first 2 weeks in October, as that is when England's matches will take place. I've put together the fixtures for England's Rugby World Cup 2015 games:
Match 1: England v Fiji – Friday 18th September @ 8pm
The Fiji rugby team will travel from their beautiful picturesque country in the South Pacific, all the way to Twickenham in London to play the first match to kick off the Rugby World Cup 2015. 3 out of 4 of England's matches will take place in Twickenham. BLK are the official kit supplier for Fiji's Rugby World Cup team wear 2015, BLK are a very well known brand, they're also one of our most popular suppliers.
Match 16: England v Wales – Saturday 26th September @ 8pm
Neighbouring countries will go head to head as England play their second match of The Rugby World Cup.
Match 26: England v Australia – Saturday 3rd October @ 8pm
From far across on the other side of the world in the Southern Hemisphere, England take on Australia, home to Canterbury and BLK sportswear.
Match 36: England v Uruguay – Saturday 10th Octobers @ 8pm
This match will take place at Manchester City Stadium. Kooga are the official team wear supplier for the Uruguay rugby team and guess what? We supply that too!
Looking as good as the pros isn't a must, but wouldn't it be great? Knowing you're wearing the same brand and your favourite rugby team; Canterbury, BLK and Kooga. These brands are so popular at ADM Leisurewear – order and customise your kit from us today! Look and feel professional!
Call us: 01942 498120
Email us: firstname.lastname@example.com
Visit our website: www.admdirect.co.uk and www.admclubshop.co.uk


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Yeah, so this was a thing tonight. (Via The AP.)
A tweet from The Onion about the 9-year-old star of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is drawing criticism for being tasteless, even amid the constant social media satire of the Oscars.
The satirical newspaper called Quvenzhane (kwuh-VEHN'-juh-nay) Wallis an expletive intended to denigrate women. The joke was meant to parody how beloved Quvenzhane is, but many thought the language inappropriate for discussing a child.
The Onion deleted the tweet about an hour after it was posted. Still, that was enough time to create a firestorm online with many saying the remark crossed a line.
Salon.com has preserved the now deleted Tweet here. But in order to discuss the joke and why it didn't work, I'm going to have to write it out here.
Please don't get angry. I'm just the messenger.
Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quenzhane Wallis is kind of a cunt, right? #Oscars2013
Oh! My! God! That's so awful! Why would anyone say that about a nine-year old girl? What the hell were you thinking Onion?
And that slides us into part one of my little thesis.
Part One: Just What The Hell was The Onion Thinking?
Let's be perfectly honest. We, as a society, hate celebrities.
Don't give me that look, it's true.
We hate them because they're better looking, successful, etc. Mostly we hate them because we are not them.
Mostly, this is undeserved because most celebrities are famous due to years of hard work at their craft. (For the moment, I'm choosing to slide past the celebrities who are famous for appearing on reality shows and turning their lives into performance art. I'm talking about Actors and Writers and Directors who actually work for a living.) But that doesn't stop people from ripping on them all the time. (Seriously, go to any internet discussion board where a young actress is being discussed and invariably, someone with start calling said actress an "Ugly Cow". The subtext of said name calling being "Why won't she have sex with me?".) It's not a particularly attractive side of human nature. But it exists.
Knowing this, I'll bet you anything that what was going through the head of whoever was manning The Onion's Twitter feed at that moment was "Gee. Wouldn't it be funny if we said something mean about a celebrity who absolutely did not deserve it?" A strong enough premise for a joke.
Part Two: What went wrong?
Clearly, the problem lies in the word "Cunt". There is no way to morally defend the use of that word on a nine-year old girl.
I can however, kind of defend the word on a technical level.
I saw someone on Twitter, (I forgot your handle, sorry.) say that the joke would have worked better if The Onion had called the child a Diva.
And when I read that, my first thought was "No, it's too soft of a word phonetically".
Let me explain.
When I was but a wee baron of a boy, I remember seeing Mel Brooks being interviewed by Tom Synder. And he was talking about a sketch he had written for the old "Your Show of Shows" in the fifties about a caveman living in Central Park. And Brooks quoted the following except from it. (Warning, I couldn't find the clip on YouTube so I'm doing this from memory from about 35 years ago so bear with me.)
How do you live?
I hunt.
What is there to hunt in the park?
Brooks went on to explain how the joke only worked with Buick because of the hard K sound at the end of the work. This is, of course known as the Comedy K.
Now "Cunt" while admitting that it's a very vulgar word, also has a hard C and T sounds which while not being the actual Comedy K is in that neighborhood.
Also, the fact that it's such a terrible and vulgar word and that the presumed target is so undeserving, should in theory, give the line an extra transgressive kick. (Accent on the words, "In Theory")
(Quick sidebar, if you believe that you shouldn't use vulgar language in comedy, may I respectfully refer you to the careers of Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and Mel Brooks. Also, more germane to our present conversation, the Prudence/Bob scene in Christopher Durang's "Beyond Therapy".)
Except no one notices the context of the joke because, Holy Crap! You just called a nine-year old girl a horrible name!
The thing that makes the joke work technically is the same thing that kills it.
If this had been the premise of a video piece, then The Onion could have shown all these ridiculous reasons why someone could call her that name. And make the joke not about her but the stupid and vapid people who called her the name in the first place.
But without that extra material, you are left with one sentence that verbally abuses a nine-year old.
Welcome to the wonderful world of comedy writing.
If it were easy, your uncle who tells those bad knock-knock jokes at Thanksgiving would be working on staff at "The Big Bang Theory".
The sad fact is that writing comedy is like juggling dynamite. Occasionally, you're going to drop a stick and it's going to blow up in your face.
The Onion works at the bleeding edge of comedy and goes more often into places, other comic websites dare not step. (For Pete's sakes, they did a video piece tonight on Kathryn Bigelow wearing to the Oscars the Blood soaked rags Osama Bin Laden were killed in!) But they are fallible and occasionally fuck up. They have deleted the tweet in question and I am certain that an apology is forthcoming.
And I get why a solid chunk of the internet is in an uproar, the last couple of years have been soaked with rampant misogyny. Hell, we have a GOP right-wing that acts like it's been bitten by a radioactive August Strindberg. The jackass antics of Rush Limbaugh alone should have been enough to make The Onion nervous about breaking out the C word. And unlike Limbaugh, they know how comedy works.
I am saying that if The Onion does apologize, we shouldn't hold a grudge. Comedy, as Steve Martin once said, is not pretty. And it's not like they have a history of being he-man woman haters. (As opposed to the aforementioned Rush.)
But seriously, Onion? You guys do need to apologize.
For pete's sakes, you called a nine year old girl a cunt!
T'ain't funny, McGee!
UPDATE: 2-25-13 The Onion apologized.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Crossposted at the Daily Kos.
YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Corrected the spelling of Ms. Wallis first name in the title. H/T to mumtaznepal at the Kos for pointing it out.


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ROCK HILL, S.C. --- South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Annie McCullough won a three-set marathon for the clinching point as Tusculum University outlasted Lenoir-Rhyne University 4-2 in the semifinals of the SAC Women's Tennis Championship tournament Thursday afternoon at the Rock Hill Tennis Center.
McCullough defeated Gemma Southwick 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) at flight one in the clinching match as the top-seeded Pioneers (17-2) defeated the fourth-seeded Bears (18-5) to advance to the championship match against Wingate on Saturday at noon. The second-seeded Bulldogs defeated Queens 4-2 in the other semifinal match on Friday.
McCullough, ranked 37th in Division II in singles by the ITA, was first on the court for singles for the 17th-ranked Pioneers against Southwick, and appeared to be in control after winning the first set. Southwick, who was the only SAC player to win a set against McCullough all season in the regular-season meeting on March 29, took the second set to force a third and deciding set.
Southwick took a 5-4 lead and had two match points against McCullough, who saved them both to even the set at 5-5. After McCullough went up 6-5, Southwick came back to win her game and force a tiebreaker. However, McCullough closed the door in the breaker by winning the final two points to send the Pioneers into the championship match for the fourth time in the last six years and extend Tusculum's winning streak to 14 matches.
In doubles, the Pioneers won the final two matches after dropping the first completed contest at flight three. The Bears' Sanne Janssen and Lucy Whelan beat Emilie Hansen and Brittani Brooks 6-2, but 31st-ranked Annie and Caitlin McCullough defeated Marta Escanero Funes and Emily Murchland 6-3 at flight one and 37th-ranked Julia Lopez and Africa Mota teamed for a 6-4 win at flight two over Southwick and Diana Babinets.
In singles, Caitlin McCullough gave the Pioneers a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Iulia Ponomareva at flight two, and Hansen pushed the Pioneers ahead 3-0 as she beat Babinets 6-2, 6-2 at flight three. However, Ally Garofoli started the Lenoir-Rhyne comeback as she defeated Martina Marras 6-2, 7-6 at flight three, and Funes cut the Tusculum lead to 3-2 as she held on for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Lopez at flight four.
The only match not played to completion was at flight six, where Lenoir-Rhyne's Murchland beat Mota 6-4 in the first set but trailed in the second set when the match was stopped.
Tusculum defeated Wingate 4-3 in Greeneville on April 6 as the Pioneers snapped the Bulldogs' 76-match winning streak in conference regular-season matches. Wingate is the top-ranked team in the Southeast Region in the first NCAA Division II regional rankings of the season, while Tusculum is ranked fourth.
Wingate is making its fifth consecutive appearance in the SAC Championship finals, but is looking for its first title since beating the Pioneers 5-1 in the 2015 championship match. The Bulldogs lost 5-4 to the Pioneers in the 2017 and fell to Queens in both the 2016 and 2018 final. Both Wingate and Tusculum have won four SAC Championship tournament titles, the most among active conference schools.


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On the first day of our journey, we walked, guided by the force of an omnipresent 30+ mph wind out of the West, from the border of North Dakota with Montana, to the very top of Sentinel Butte. After 10 miles of walking, we arrived in the town of Sentinel Butte, which sits in the shadow of its neighboring promontory and shares its name. Ambling into the village, we gingerly approached a small service station, where we had hoped to replenish our water supplies.
I wasn't certain that this would be possible as I had heard this place was famous for being un-staffed, dispensing gasoline on a sort of honors system, a testament to the trusting nature of its owners and the upright conduct of the area's residents. As we collapsed on a couple of picnic tables out back, grateful for a place to sit that wasn't the ground, a man walked out of the back of the station and immediately addressed us, "How about you guys come inside and eat some lunch?" This was Rick, the very first person we spoke with on our journey.
I guess it was the cynicism ingrained in me by city life, but I was concerned at first that he was upset we were using the picnic tables without permission, but no. He was genuine. FREE LUNCH: the leftovers of the weekly Friday lunch potluck, held that day at Olson's Service Station. Rick and other area residents sat inside chatting, eating burgers, hotdogs and casseroles. We quickly yielded to the persistent pressure to eat some of these goodies. We sat and had nice conversations with several of these folks, including Wendy, a recent transplant from Montana. I asked her what makes ND special, and she responded that she felt North Dakotans have a unique way of looking at things: a very logical and smart approach to solving problems, but one ever so slightly quirky. I was so pleased at the serendipity of these moments and proud to come from a state where a high priority is placed on community and hospitality, that I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the trip.


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BEIJING - China's food and drug watchdog on Tuesday announced that it will reward people for reporting food and drug issues to authorities.
Whistleblowers could get up to 300,000 yuan ($48,244) per case as a reward, according to a circular publicized by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).
The move aims to "encourage the public to report illegal activities so as to determine, control and eliminate potential safety risks concerning food and medicine," the SFDA said in the circular.
Depending on the accuracy of information provided and intensity of a whistleblower's engagement in the investigation of relevant cases, the organization or individual behind a tip-off could receive 1 to 6 percent of the value of the food or medicine involved as a reward, according to the circular.
Though a 300,000 yuan ceiling was set, the SFDA said exceptions could be made by national and provincial food and drug authorities in cases with nationwide influence.
The new reward rule will replace one released on Nov 27, 2003, which only set down conditions for rewarding those who report illegalities concerning medicine and fixed the award ceiling at 50,000 yuan.


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Image via Wikipedia
So right now I'm working my way through the first half of Samantha Power's excellent book Sergio. It's a biography of Sergio Vieira de Mello (pictured), who the back cover describes as "a charismatic peacemaker and troubleshooter with the United Nations." Oh, and also, "a 'cross between James Bond and Bobby Kennedy.'"
Vieira de Mello himself is a fascinating tour guide, but what makes his story relevant — and not merely compelling — is that his career took him through the slow, painful birth of our current world order. From 1969 to his death in 2003, he watched the bipolar world disappear, Westphalian sovereignty begin to mutate and erode, humanitarianism's role in foreign affairs change, and terrorism rear its ugly head.
One thing that I think makes Vieira de Mello a particularly good guide to these issues is his philosophical background. He actually juggled his UN duties with earning a doctorate at the Sorbonne, and it's clear that he made an effort to integrate what he learned about academic philosophy into his thinking on the UN's mission. It seems that he didn't have a choice: Power quotes a letter he wrote while taking undergraduate courses at the Sorbonne in which he says he would "never abandon philosophy," and that, "to do philosophy is to have it in your blood and to do what very few will do — to both be a man and to think everywhere and always."
Unfortunately, we only get little snippets of his philosophical writing on problems related to foreign policy. Early on, there's a passing reference to intersubjectivity (in phenomenology, the perception of another as a subject rather than an object) as the basis for dealing with foreign powers. And a little later, we learn that his doctoral dissertation, called "Philosophical History and Real History: The Relevance of Kant's Political Thought in Current Times," he argued for a global Kantian "federation of states" that would not breach the sovereignty of other states unless their internal political instability proved to be an international threat.
I mostly picked up this book due to my deepening interest in international relations, but the philosophical angle is an intriguing one. I'm used to thinking about ethics in terms of how individual actors interact with one another, but states are not individual actors in the same way people are. Creating a just society is one thing; imagining just arbitration between societies that are just to varying degrees is another. But when I try to think of philosophers who have addressed this head-on, it's hard to name any. I know Kant talked about international relations, but I haven't read the source material itself. I think Kymlicka talked a little about it too.
Who else? Help me out, fellow philosophy nerds.