In the US, we operate in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, San Jose, and in Europe, we operate in Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Lisbon, Prague, Athens, Helsinki, Sofia, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Luxembourg City.
Atlant Security’s Vulnerability Assessment services help clients succeed in a resource-constrained, extremely competitive world. We have helped clients globally – the list of our customers includes banks, government organizations, and software development companies. You can rely on the high-quality consulting of our team of experts in vulnerability assessment.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Vulnerability Assessment is not about the vulnerabilities identified or how vulnerable your infrastructure and processes are.
It is about the guidance you receive on becoming a Cyber Fortress.
It is about educating your team on the best ways to protect your company from the massive global threat landscape.
We serve as our clients’ partners in their mission to win in the market, defend from insider and outsider threats, and survive through security attacks.
For smaller companies, the vulnerability assessment lasts up to 5 business days. More substantial companies require up to 10 business days.
💡 You can then go to your potential clients and win new business by showing how well you can protect your clients’ data!
How are passwords and access management handled? Do people reuse simple passwords? Do you know who has access to what and why, at any time? Can hackers steal employee passwords easily?
We check for mitigation controls for 17 types of cyber attacks: account compromise, unauthorized access, ransomware, network intrusions, malware infections, sabotage, security policy violations, etc.
Has everyone in the organization gotten the appropriate security awareness training? If yes, then do they even remember what was it about? Has its effectiveness been tested?
Microsoft 365 has 280+ security settings. Amazon Web Services and Azure have hundreds of security configuration options, too - we will take care of ALL of them!
We help our customers transform their IT infrastructure security by implementing Server & Network Device Hardening, Desktop Hardening, Network & Web Service security, Data Security, Backups, etc.
How many vulnerable machines / apps can a company have in its network?
We help our customers establish and manage a Vulnerability management program which will gradually reduce the vulnerabilities in their network.
Getting access to a corporate account may grant a hacker access to all internal systems, too. We protect our customers by implementing secure authentication, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of your communications.
Breach simulation is an integral part of every Information Security Program. Our customers can rely on us to support them in the initiation, execution and conclusion of a Penetration Test.
Software development should be a rapid, efficient and secure process. We help our customers integrate security into the design, development, testing, integration and deployment of their code.
Policies and Procedures are the governing laws even in a small company's business. The ones we create are living and breathing documents bringing order and structure to our customers' security practices.
Secure Work From Home is one aspect of remote access, but we also take care of third party partners and outsourced employees, vendors and guests. Remote access to data is not limited to VPN.
This is exactly why we expand your defenses beyond VPN and add Zero-Trust as your main principle of defense. Are you curious how Zero Trust networking can be applied at your small business?
Antivirus is just one of 12 endpoint security controls we check in our security vulnerability assessments. These security controls prevent the exploitation via malicious documents, scripts, 0-day vulnerabilities and more.
Can you detect a policy violation or a security incident in your network today? If you get asked which computers executed unknown scripts or programs in the past 24 hours, can you answer this question?
Network Vulnerability Assessments usually include enumeration and vulnerability scans. We go deeper by discovering unauthorized access points, weak security configuration settings at your perimeter, and more.
Atlant Security has performed vulnerability assessment services in the USA, Europe, UAE, and Asia.
Throughout our assessments, we have found vulnerabilities using our tools as well as using industry-standard vulnerability assessment tools. The exact toolset we use is proprietary information which we keep as our know-how.
However, running a vulnerability assessment successfully means more than just running a bunch of tools and stitching their output together!
In many cases, vulnerability assessment tools miss combinations of configuration issues – but our team can see how a few configuration mistakes turn into a possible vulnerability that can be used by a hacker.
Our vulnerability assessment methodology is different from what you may have experience with – and that is why we keep growing with happy clients all over the world.
Our methodology for assessing vulnerabilities focuses on delivering as much value to our customers as possible.
These are the steps we follow in most of our vulnerability assessments. They may be modified to fit our customers better, depending on their goals and plans.
For our smaller customers, the time between assessment and full remediation of all findings can span just a couple of months. Larger customers tend to spend more than a year to fix everything we identify during the vulnerability assessment phase.
Many companies limit their security testing to regulation-mandated yearly penetration tests.
Do you know why this is wrong?
Testing your resiliency to cyber attacks should follow this cycle:
Penetration testing is just one security control that should be performed regularly, but it should not be your primary security control.
The crown jewel of our vulnerability assessment service is the vulnerability assessment report our customers receive.
Its executive section is not just a summary of the report but also an assessment of how executive leadership handles security in the company and management guidelines on improving every aspect of managing and leading data security and protection.
As an industry leader in the vulnerability assessment space, Atlant Security helps executives see their security posture by assessing them via the Baldrige Cybersecurity Excellence Builder, which serves as the input for the Executive Section of the Report.
The rest of the vulnerability assessment report serves as a guideline and a schedule for fixing the defense weaknesses and practice improvement opportunities identified.
We split the report into Urgent (High Priority Fixes), Medium Priority Fixes, and Low Priority Fixes with detailed technical guidance on fixing each of them.
As a bonus, you also receive Excel vulnerability management templates that serve as a project management tool to track the status of each vulnerability, blocking issues, and more.
During the Network Vulnerability Assessment phase of our review, our team goes from discovery to device security settings evaluation.
All these and more questions get answered during our network vulnerability assessments.
My name is Alexander Sverdlov – author of 2 cyber security books, speaker at many of the largest global cyber security conferences.
While working in Microsoft’s security consulting team, I performed security vulnerability assessments in Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Lebanon, for some of their largest banks and government organizations.
When I founded Atlant Security, I created and executed much better and extensive IT security assessments for my clients globally as I was not tied by the corporate limitations on which tools and methodologies could be used.
You have my guarantee: by working with me, you will get the ultimate quality in terms of what a vulnerability assessment could be.
Just as with buying any high-quality service, what you get in the end is a tailored, personalized, and effective solution that will help your company rise to the top in protecting customer data in your industry.


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Bed and Breakfast For Sale Nevada
Nevada has a lot to offer other than gaming. You will find the Sheldon National Antelope Refuge and the Black Rock Desert in the northern part of the state. In the south, you will find Red Rock Canyon National Park. So you can easily get out on the trail and see some fantastic nature in Nevada.
Nevada is few bed and breakfasts, but if you are ready to find a Nevada Bed and Breakfast for sale we can help. We highly success the cities of Carson City, Reno, and the Lake Tahoe area.
Whether you are wanting to buy or sell your Bed and Breakfast Inn please get in touch with me to get a market analysis quote. No one sells more B&B Inns than real estate broker Marilyn Bushnell!
Popular Destinations for Bed and Breakfasts in Nevada
- Carson City
- Virginia City
- Las Vegas

domain: geography


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Summary: For whatever reason, I had this game on my wishlist for some time. I finally broke down and purchased it and am thrilled that I did! My only regret? Having waited so long. I love hidden object games and am a bit picky on ones that really catch my attention and keep it. Murder in Venice definitely has caught and held my attention.
Summary: Murder in Venice pulled me in from the first scene. The story is easy to follow and the incorporation of the hidden object scenes often added to the story line. The characters are stereotypical, but the graphics are great. I liked the addition of minigames as a welcome change from looking for hidden objects. Getting a high score on the minigames was very challenging. I enjoyed the added challenge of finding chess pieces in all the scenes to earn an award.
Summary: This is an awesome game. There are typical hidden object screens with interesting and new minigames. My vision is not that great (20/40 with an uncorrected astigmatism) and I had little trouble finding the items eventually. It is not too difficult and not too easy. The story makes sense, but "talk" scenes are not ridiculously long. This is one of the most enjoyable HOG's I've ever played.
Summary: I like this game a lot so far, I have not played many "story" type games, this is my first, I am not far into it, but I am 37 years old and it is holding my attention when I do play it. It also saves your place, which a couple others I bought do not....but good graphics, I have been to Venice, so that was part of the attraction. I recommend it.
Summary: I REALLY ENJOYED THIS GAME. WHEN I FINISHED THE GAME I PLAYED IT OVER AGAIN. THE ONLY THING I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT IT WAS THAT YOU ONLY HAD ROOM FOR ONE PROFILE. I LIKE TO PLAY UNDER MORE THAN ONE PROFILE AND I ALSO LIKE TO SHARE THE GAME WITH FRIENDS. I HAVE TO DELETE MY PROFILE TO DO THIS.
Summary: This is a "best of both worlds" puzzle game, as far as I'm concerned. The plot actually makes sense, AND the game itself is fun and interesting. It's a really short play (I finished the main story version in a couple hours), but I've replayed it three or four times since then and still gotten a lot out of it. What really takes it over the top is the extra stuff: the minigames!
Summary: Hidden object games aren't my favorite genre (just once in a while), but this one was really good. I just finished playing this one through. If I had reviewed it when I first started, I probably would have given a lower rating, but the game gets better as you go along. After I finished this, my first thought was to try and find more games like this. The story line is interesting.
Summary: The graphics in this game are amazing. The game and storyline move along extremely well. I gave this five stars because: 1. Graphics 2. Doesn't freeze 3. Doesn't self save every other screen (really annoying in some games) 4. Was interesting and fun 5. Didn't feel like another me too search and find game I had no expectation levels of this game since it was new and fairly cheap but was impressed with the clarity and beautiful images.

domain: entertainment


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Not long after my wife and I were married, we moved to Cornwall and the house we rented had a great open fire. I soon realised there was an art to building a fire that lasts with the right materials. It is important to put the coal, kindling, scrunched paper, and logs in good order so that it will burn well beyond the initial blaze. It is very satisfying to enjoy the sustained heat of the burning logs and glowing coals underneath.
At times in our Christian lives we ask ourselves, am I still growing spiritually? Am I still burning brightly for the Saviour? If we are believers, we can remember the time when our souls were first sparked to life in Christ by sovereign grace. There was that initial blaze when all was new, compelling, and we were so eager for the things of God. But as time passes, the initial flames begin to drop and we can feel as though the flames of devotion are not reaching the heights they once did. As William Cowper asked, ‘Where is the blessedness I knew when first I sought the Lord?’
However, the dramatic, initial flames were just the beginning. A strong, lasting fire is effective when it burns consistently well. For that to happen, the fire needs to be tended. It needs feeding with fuel and enough draft to give a steady flow of oxygen to keep it burning. It is the same in our spiritual lives. We cannot expect to burn well for the Saviour if we do not tend to our hearts. We live in an age of immediacy. We want everything now and with minimal effort.
However, that is not the way in our walk with God. As R.C. Sproul explains, ‘There are no quick and easy paths to spiritual maturity. The soul that seeks a deeper level of maturity must be prepared for a long, arduous task. If we are to seek the kingdom of God, we must abandon any formulae that promise instant spiritual gratification.’
It seems that the practice of spiritual disciplines and pursuit of piety have fallen out of favour among some. Maybe such things are regarded as too demanding, too formal, or too heavy. But they are vital for the true believer who longs to know more of their Saviour, longs to be more like Jesus, to be pleasing to him, and to live in genuine loving communion with their Lord. It is then the spiritual disciplines are used by the Lord to stir up the hearts of his people.
The spiritual disciplines are specific God-ordained means where we are brought to encounter him — biblical means that awaken, strengthen, or deepen a person’s relationship with the triune God. They are found clearly in his Word and are both individual and corporate in their nature. They include private reading and meditating on Scripture, private prayer, and writing down God’s dealings with us regularly.
They also include means that are to be exercised in a local church, such as corporate worship, corporate prayer, the Lord’s table, and other elements of fellowship with brothers and sisters. God has given us these things and others in the Scriptures which are vital to spiritual growth. To neglect these is to see our souls shrivel and spiritual heat drop.
Sadly, too often we are like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, rebuked by the Lord Jesus in Luke 24:25: ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe…’ It was only as the Word of God was opened to them that their hearts began to be warmed again as they saw more of the glory and sweetness of Christ. How is your spiritual temperature? Is your heart warm toward God? Or does the Holy Spirit need to break through those cold, hard, stony barriers to bring warmth to your heart? On which spiritual discipline could you focus to stoke the spiritual fire in your heart?
Jonathan Stobbs is pastor at Penzance Baptist Church, Cornwall, and director of Evangelical Times.

domain: literature


Cannes Lions has today announced it is working with Tencent Social Ads to deliver a dedicated local-language WeChat official account, so that Chinese attendees can understand how to get involved in the Festival more easily. Following 2013’s highly successful China Day, and in response to demand from China’s creative community, the WeChat launch coincides with the second Cannes Lions China Day, dedicated to Chinese creativity and innovation.
A dedicated Chinese customer-service team will support customers to buy delegate passes via the new Cannes Lions WeChat account, which will also provide interaction with Terry Savage, the Chairman of Cannes Lions, as well as publishing Festival news and information in Chinese, including high-profile speaker announcements. Tencent, a leading provider of internet value added services in China, will produce exclusive content for the channel. WeChat was identified as a convenient and super-fast platform to achieve widespread reach across China’s vast creative communications industry.
“China is a vibrant and dynamic creative economy and a highly valued market for Cannes Lions. This felt like the right time to provide this new WeChat service dedicated to the country. We’re delighted to work with Tencent Social Ads to ensure we can engage and support our Chinese attendees like never before,” said Terry Savage, Chairman of Cannes Lions.
“We hope that through the official account, the Chinese creative community will be able to take a closer look into this world-class creative festival, and interact with Cannes Lions community directly. And for the outstanding creative work done by Chinese agencies, Tencent Social Ads will empower them to shine on platforms like WeChat and QQ,” said Davis Lin, Corporate Vice President of Tencent.
Cannes Lions has seen Chinese award entries and attendee numbers grow rapidly in recent years and China is an important part of the creative conversation at the Festival. Cannes Lions is running its second dedicated China Day on Tuesday 20 June 2017, in co-operation with The Chinese Advertising Association, who is the official representative for Cannes Lions in China. China Day 2017 will enable the global industry to look to China for ideas and inspiration.
Tencent Social Ads is also the official sponsor of The ClubHouse this year, the business lounge in the heart of the Palais des Festivals, where VIP delegates meet to network and relax.
Cannes Lions’ future-focused strategy is aimed at working with creative pioneers like Tencent, who is a highly valued friend of the Festival and one who can spread the Cannes Lions message about the power of creativity for business, for change and for good.
To find further information about WeChat see: https://web.wechat.com/
For further information about Cannes Lions China Day 2017, see: https://www.canneslions.com/festival/whats-on/china-day


Damn right! Virginia-based thrash metal maniacs Municipal Waste have just released an EP called The Last Rager on October 11th via Nuclear Blast. The EP contains 4 songs: „Wave of Death“, „Car-Nivore (Street Meat)“, „Rum For Your Life“, and „The Last Rager“. The band streamed the entire The Last Rager EP via the official Municipal Waste YouTube Channel. You can check out the EP down below:
The band also did a video for the song Wave of Death a couple of months ago. The video was directed by Mark Reategu.
VISIT THE BAND:
If you like what we are doing, like our Facebook page, follow us on Instagram & Twitter and subscribe to our Youtube channel to help us grow! Big shout out to our patron Season of Mist. Make sure to follow our photographer Artnokmas on instagram! You can also support us by donations via Paypal and by becoming our patron! Don’t forget to like & share this article!


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411-12, of Madame Guyon's LETTRES CHRETIENNES ET SPIRITUELLES sur divers Sujets qui regardent La Vie Interieure, ou L'esprit du vrai Christianisme--enrichie de la Correspondance secrette de MR.
"I've only seen undergardeners and Ben Weatherstaff."
There were the walls with their broken plaster, showing the laths underneath, with here and there, over them, sketches with burnt coal, showing that her predecessor had been an artist in his way,--his name, P. Teagarden, emblazoned on the ceiling with the smoke of a candle; heaps of hanks of yarn in the dusty corners; a half-used broom; other heaps of yarn on the old toppling desk covered with dust; a raisin-box, with P. Teagarden done on the lid in bas-relief, half full of ends of cigars, a pack of cards, and a rotten apple.
To the Stockholm born they speak of their daily life and surroundings, of the green isles and shady banks of the Malar, the flowery woods of Haga, the smiling park of Dijurgarden.
We know that it stands ungardened on the cliff and has a great view.
Into these holes the slugs will retreat during the day, and they may be killed there by dropping in a little salt, quicklime in powder, or by strong lime and water.--Gardener's Mag.
Evlin Bloomgarden Dworkin (C of S. Bloomgarden); 17Sep54; R136085.
A low wall and a few feet of barren garden divide the Parsonage from the graveyard, a few feet between the door of the house and the door in the wall where its dead were carried through.
He procured from the king a rocky plateau on the edge of a royal park known as Djurgarden, covered with crippled pines and resembling the wild, uncultivated, neglected landscape in Dalecaria or Norrland, the two most interesting portions of Sweden.
He's walking in the garden- thus, and spurns The rush that lies before him; cries 'Fool Lepidus!'
I shouldn't be on my way home; I'd be down in this garden--."
Proserpine "forgets the earth her mother" and goes to her "bloomless" garden:-- "And spring and seed and swallow Take wing for her and follow Where summer song rings hollow And flowers are put to scorn."
XV Twin horns from his forehead shot up to the moon, Like a branching stag in Arden; Dusk wings through his shoulders with eagle's strength Push'd out; and his train lay floundering in length An acre beyond the garden.-- XVI To tender hearts I have framed my lay-- Judge ye, all love-sick Maidens, When the virgin saw in the soft moonlight, In his proper proportions, her own true knight, If she needed long persuadings.
As an example of Mrs. Hemans' treatment of sacred subjects, we may quote the concluding verses of "Christ's Agony in the Garden":-- "He knew them all--the doubt, the strife, The faint perplexing dread, The mists that hang o'er parting life, All darkened round His head; And the Deliverer knelt to pray, Yet passed it not, that cup, away.
He seemed to see her graceful figure gazed at by a brutal crowd, while the auctioneer assured them that she was warranted to be an entirely new and perfectly sound article,--a moss rosebud from a private royal garden,--a diamond fit for a king's crown.
It is bad enough in England; but any one who wishes to enjoy it to perfection had better take a drive from Stirling, crossing the Forth, when, if he select his road happily, he may have the satisfaction of paying half-a-dozen tolls in nearly as many minutes, on the plea that this piece of ground, the size of a cocked-hat-box,--and that piece, the size of a cabbage-garden,--and so on, belong to different counties; and his amusement may derive additional zest if he be fortunate enough to find the same tollman there whom I met some years ago.
As it is, like exotic plants, their mixture with the natives ones, I hope, adds beauty to my Botanic Garden:--and such as it is, Mr. Bookseller, I now leave it to you to desire the Ladies and Gentlemen to walk in; but please to apprize them, that, like the spectators at an unskilful exhibition in some village-barn, I hope they will make Good-humour one of their party; and thus theirselves supply the defects of the representation.
As they were going into the laundry, Father Richmond came out of the house, and stopped to point out to the Colonel a snow-covered enclosure--"the Sisters' garden"--and he told how marvellously, in the brief summer, some of the hardier vegetables flourished there.
The knotted thread which breaks if pulled too impatiently; the dropped stitches that make rough, uneven places in the pattern; the sail which was wrongly placed and will not propel the boat; the pile of withered leaves which was not removed, and which the wind scattered over the garden,--are not all these concrete moral lessons in patience, accuracy, and carefulness?
But"--he finished whimsically, looking from the window into the garden--"but what the devil do you suppose the spirit who lives out there will think about it all."
On the banks of the Seine and the Loire, near the great forests, in all the departments near Paris there are quantities of chateaux--some just on the border of the highroad, separated from it by high iron gates, through which one sees long winding alleys with stone benches and vases with red geraniums planted in them, a sun-dial and stiff formal rows of trees--some less pretentious with merely an ordinary wooden gate, generally open, and always flowers of the simplest kind, geraniums, sunflowers, pinks, dahlias, and chrysanthemums--what we call a jardin de cure, (curate's garden)--but in great abundance.
I think I have said enough to cause my lady readers to wish that the time may not be far distant when they may, like ourselves,--for we did all sorts of "odd jobs" in our garden,--cut their own asparagus, and assist in gathering their own peas.
Paris, upspringing white and gold: Flamboyant arch and high-enscrolled War-sculpture, big, Napoleonic -- Fierce chargers, angels histrionic; The royal sweep of gardened spaces, The pomp and whirl of columned Places; The Rive Gauche, age-old, gay and gray; The impasse and the loved cafe; The tempting tidy little shops; The convent walls, the glimpsed tree-tops; Book-stalls, old men like dwarfs in plays; Talk, work, and Latin Quarter ways.
There is in "Mr. Gilfil's Story" a gardener of the name of Bates, who is described as a Yorkshireman, and in "Adam Bede" there is another gardener, Mr. Craig, whose name would naturally indicate a Scotchman.
This was not the gardener;--and there was neither man, woman, nor child in sight, during the swift run;--no freeman; but a prisoner in an upper room of the prison.
I think the fruit-gardeners there are now don't succeed as well as the Carthusians used to do.
Erick's eyes grew larger and larger with astonishment and expectation, for he only now comprehended, what he was going to meet: all that had stood before his mental eyes as the highest and most splendid, ever since he could think, and that his mother had painted for him in the bright coloring of her childhood's remembrances, again and again, the distant, beautiful estate, the handsome horses, the pond with the barge, the large house with the winter-garden,--everything he was now to see, and live there with this grandfather, for whom his mother had planted such a love and reverence in her boy's heart, that he saw in him the highest of what could be found on this earth,--all this over-powered Erick so much that he was not able to comprehend his good fortune, and with a deep breath he asked: "Are you sure, Grandfather?"
So we went the rounds of the garden,--frightening a mocking-bird off her nest in an orange-tree,--till my hands were full.
He saw the great folk bowing like a gardenful of flowers in a storm, and in its midst Elizabeth erect, speaking to those about her in a lively and good-humored way, and addressing all the foreigners according to their tongue--in French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch; but hers was funny Dutch, and while she spoke she smiled and made a joke upon it in Latin, at which they all laughed heartily, whether they understood what it meant or not.
I could hardly avoid the impression that he must know what I had done, and would accuse me of it; and when he met me in the yard at his door; patted my cheek with a half-laughing, half-reproving look; asked why I had stayed away from him so long; and said, that, to punish me, he should go and get me some very nice apples from the garden;--I could bear it no longer.
She took the artificial gardenia and put it away in a safe place, after she had kissed it; and she wondered when she remembered how she had blushed last night when Bosio kissed her that once--that only once that ever was to be.
Patricia looked in vain for her grandiose plush-covered chairs, her immaculate "tidies," and the proud yellow lambrequin, embroidered in high relief with white gardenias, which had formerly adorned the mantelpiece.
Why should it not, as far as practicable, be a botanic garden as well as a zoological garden?--Ibid.
"Why, I thought tha' didn't know nothin' about gardenin'," he exclaimed.
and at such a price he purchased his sunshine, the fresh air, and a near vision of this flower-garden!--in chains!
ETHEL MORTON'S ENTERPRISE By MABELL S.C. SMITH CONTENTS I HOW IT STARTED II A SNOW MAN AND SEED CATALOGUES III DOROTHY TELLS HER SECRET IV GARDENING ON PAPER V A DEFECT IN THE TITLE VI WILD FLOWERS FOR HELEN'S GARDEN VII COLOR SCHEMES VIII CAVE LIFE IX "NOTHING BUT LEAVES" X THE U.S.C. AND THE COMMUNITY XI THE FLOWER FESTIVAL XII ENOUGH TO GIVE AWAY XIII IN BUSINESS XIV UNCLE DAN'S RESEARCHES XV FUR AND FOSSILS XVI FAIRYLAND XVII THE MISSING HEIRESS CHAPTER I HOW IT STARTED Ethel Morton, called from the color of her eyes Ethel "Blue" to distinguish her from her cousin, also Ethel Morton, whose brown eyes gave her the nickname of Ethel "Brown," was looking out of the window at the big, damp flakes of snow that whirled down as if in a hurry to cover the dull January earth with a gay white carpet.
I heard of you from Mr. Pulham this morning, and that gave a fillip to my laziness, which has been intolerable; but I am so taken up with pruning and gardening,--quite a new sort of occupation to me.
"Yes, just as a cutting planted in the earth will grow, although it seems a very odd style of gardening.--The sacred fig tree of India--Ficus religiosa--is a near relative of the banyan, and very much like it in general appearance; but the leaves are on such slender stalks that they tremble like those of the aspen.
Gardening.--'Tis a winning thing, a garden!
The Commoners of England.--Horace's Regret for the Death of his Mother.-- Little Horace in Arlington Street.--Introduced to George I.-- Characteristic Anecdote of George I.--Walpole's Education.--Schoolboy Days.-- Boyish Friendships.--Companionship of Gray.--A Dreary Doom.-- Walpole's Description of Youthful Delights.--Anecdote of Pope and Frederic of Wales.--The Pomfrets.--Sir Thomas Robinson's Ball.--An Admirable Scene.--Political Squibs.--Sir Robert's Retirement from Office.--The Splendid Mansion of Houghton.--Sir Robert's Love of Gardening.--What we owe to the 'Grandes Tours.
Mrs. Wintergreen's name led, of course, but Mrs. Scraggs' name was there too, sandwiched in between those of Mrs. Van Cortlandtuyvel and Mrs. Gardenior, of Gardenior's Island, representing two families which would carry social weight either in Boston or the "other side of Market Street."
When she meditated on the conversion of Saint Augustine,--how he heard the voice in the garden,--it seemed to her that the Lord equally spoke to her, and thus she was filled with gratitude and joy.
The Sultan's palace, a large modern building on the familiar Arab lines, lies in a treeless and gardenless waste enclosed by high walls and close above the blue Atlantic.
Before Euclid, Plato is said to have written over the entrance to his garden,--"Let no one enter, who is unacquainted with geometry,"--and had himself unveiled the geometrical analysis, exhibiting the whole strength and weakness of the instrument, and applying it successfully in the discussion of the properties of the Conic Sections.
The American, speeding up to London from his landing either at Liverpool or Southampton, always exclaims on the gardenlike aspect, the deep, rich greenness of the landscape.
I will not vouch for the accuracy of the story, but our coachman asserts that he saw this deerhound at play with a fox in our kitchen garden,--not a tame fox, but a wild one.
When we see it waving its long branches neatly over some private inclosure, overshadowing the gravelled walk and the flower-garden,--or watching pensively over the graves of the dead, where the light hues of its foliage help to soften the glowing fancies which are apt to arise from our meditations among the tombs,--or on some wide common, giving solace to the passing traveller, and inviting the playful children to its shade,--or trailing its sweeping spray, like the tresses of a Naiad, over some silvery pond or gently flowing stream,--it is in all cases a delightful object, always picturesque, always soothing, inspiring, and sacred to memory, and serving, by its alliance with what is hallowed in literature, to bind us more closely to Nature.


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GALLERY: Social Justice Talent Show
Tyler Korponai – Photo Editor
On Nov. 11, the ballroom of the Adanti Student Center when the Multicultural Center hosted its annual Social Justice Talent Show.
Students had the chance to get on stage and perform a range of acts, from poetry to drumming.
Each participant was given a moment to dedicate their performance to any theme of social justice.
Photo Credit: Tyler Korponai – Photo Editor
HEADER PHOTO: Students of the African Student Association during their performance dressed in dashikis, a traditional western African shirt. Juven Wright (left), Katarah Lincoln (center), and Isha Simmons.

domain: artistic


text:
Jefferson Papers Indexes | Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Retirement Series (all volumes) | P | Poems Written and Published during the American Revolutionary War (Freneau)
– P. Freneau sends to TJ [1 reference]
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domain: library


text:
New tuberculosis treatment: ‘This disease eats people alive’
Every year, more than a million people die from tuberculosis. Because of its resistance to anti-biotics, a big part of its patients heal very slowly or not at all. Radboudumc has now started a new international study into the so-called bacteriophages as an alternative treatment for tuberculosis.
Viruses that infect tuberculosis bacteria with the intent to kill; doctor and microbiologist Jakko van Ingen hopes that these bacteriophages may soon contribute to successful tuberculosis treatments. Researchers at Radboudumc are part of a major, international study into combating the infectious disease.
Tuberculosis (TB) used to be known as ‘consumption’, as stated by Van Ingen, who leads the study in Nijmegen. ‘TB symptoms vary depending on which part of your body is infected, but this disease eats people alive.’ The researcher looks serious whenever he talks about the destructive nature of the disease.
‘There are large groups of TB patients for whom there are no effective antibiotic treatments anymore’
‘Patients can feel worn out and incredibly tired. If the lungs are affected, they may cough up a lot of mucus, sometimes even blood.’ Another classic TB symptom that Van Ingen mentions is the immune system getting so worked up that the patient is excessively sweating during the night. ‘And not just, “oh, I am sweating a little bit,” but the bed is completely soaked, multiple times a night. Patients also keep losing weight; there is no way of eating against it.’
Resistant to antibiotics
Van Ingen sees a lot of TB patients at the Radboudumc Expertise Centre for Tuberculosis. People come from all over the country to be treated there. ‘If their TB bacteria are resistant to conventional antibiotics, or if a patient cannot handle those antibiotics, they come to Nijmegen,’ as stated by Van Ingen.
The researcher explains that tuberculosis is usually treated with a combination of four different types of antibiotics over the course of six months. Antibiotics attack bacteria and are thus very effective against infectious diseases like TB.
Jakko van Ingen. Photo: Johannes FiebigHowever, various parts of the world started experiencing issues with antibiotic resistance in the nineties. ‘We have found new antibiotics for the more resistant TB strains, but the bacteria are becoming resistant to those as well. Because of that, there are now large groups of TB patients, for example in South Africa, for whom there are no effective antibiotic treatments anymore.’
Thanks to a million-euro grant by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, money has become available for a study on a potential solution to the resistance problem: bacteriophages. Van Ingen is in charge of the Nijmegen branch of the study, which is led by research institute TASK (South Africa). The other participants are the University of Pittsburgh and the Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
You mentioned that there are large groups of people for whom antibiotics are now ineffective. How many people are we talking about?
‘There are roughly ten million people worldwide who suffer from tuberculosis. About 200,000 of them have a very resistant strain of TB. That means there is no more effective treatment available to them. Next to that, there is also a group of people whose TB can still be treated with certain kinds of antibiotics, but the patients themselves cannot handle them due to allergies or side effects.’
And what does that mean, concretely?
‘It means those people will not be cured of the disease; a lot of them will pass away from it. And not being cured also means they run the risk of infecting other people.’
What exactly are bacteriophages?
‘Those are viruses that infect bacteria. Once a phage has settled inside a bacterium, it will multiply throughout the bacterium until it pops, like a water balloon. This then releases more bacteriophages which will hunt for the next bacterium.’
That sounds frightening. Couldn’t those viruses create a new, weird disease?
‘No, such a phage can really only take care of one specific sort of bacteria. It is a kind of matchmaking; a specific phage matches with one specific type of bacteria that it can infect and kill. It cannot do anything to other types.’
What gives bacteriophages the potential to be such potent TB treatments?
‘A downside to phage therapy is that, for many infections, you need to find the right phage to handle a specific type of bacteria. Some bacterium types have uncountable variants, or ‘strains’. But there is little variation amongst TB bacteria; all strains strongly resemble each other. That means one phage can attack a lot of different strains.’
‘We will administer doses of that phage cocktail for one week, and then we will keep daily track of the amount of bacteria still alive’
‘Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh developed a phage combination that responded to the most important strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We think we now have a phage combination which we can use to treat most tuberculosis patients with. We are going to continue testing those findings.’
What will the research in Nijmegen look like for the foreseeable future?
‘The goal is to create a phage cocktail and use it to treat real patients. But before we get to that point, there are several things to check off, for example: how do the bacteriophages respond to the different conditions that TB bacteria can be encountered in? That is something we will test very meticulously in the lab.’
Can you give an example of such a condition?
‘For example, a TB infection can destroy someone’s lung tissue. The dead tissue becomes weak and acidic. We know that TB bacteria act differently in such an acidic environment. We will simulate those conditions in the lab and see if the phage therapy remains effective; will the bacteria still die if we set a specific bacteriophage on it?’
And what happens once you’ve checked all the boxes?
The next step will be a study on mice in Seattle. I am not a supporter of animal testing myself, but it is important in order to obtain approval to test it on TB patients. The first clinical trials involving humans will take place in Cape Town. At that point, the phage therapy will be a supplement to existing antibiotics treatments, not a replacement.’
‘We are not going to tell someone: “you do not need those antibiotics; we will just give you this little virus and it will all work out.” We will administer doses of that phage cocktail for one week, and then we will keep daily track of the amount of tuberculosis bacteria still alive in the mucus that patients cough up. If we can see a sharp decline, we know that the phages are effective and we can do further research.’
What scenario are you hoping for?
‘That the phage cocktail really works in human testing, thus creating a very cheap but effective treatment. They are just viruses; you can grow and make them available worldwide for little money.’
‘We can then say to those patients where it is really difficult to find three effective antibiotics for them, “well, for your tuberculosis, we only really need two good antibiotics, and we can use the phage cocktail as a third.” We can use those treatments combined to successfully treat TB.’
How many people would benefit from that?
‘That would probably be a hundred thousand people per year.’
Tuberculosis in the Netherlands: Wealth is the best medicine
Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infections in the world, but at 700 cases per year, it is a rare sight in the Netherlands. Van Ingen: ‘most patients are migrants; often they are people we came to the Netherlands fairly recently from areas where the disease is more prolific.’
People with better housing and healthier diets are more physically fit, and thus more resistant to these infections. ‘In low- and middle-income countries, people are a lot more susceptible, and often also live much closer together. So, if one person gets a contagious form of TB, they are more likely to infect others.’
The quest for affordable and effective treatments is very important according to Van Ingen, but he feels that alleviating poverty should be the main goal. ‘In the end, wealth is the best medicine against TB.’
Translated by Jasper Pesch

domain: news


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With the recent passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, there are a few things individual taxpayers should consider doing now before the end of 2017. The tax reform which goes into effect on January 1, 2018, will make the following individual tax deductions more difficult to realize on a 2018 tax return.
1. Fewer taxpayers will itemize their tax returns for the tax year 2018 because the standard deduction will be higher. The higher standard deduction will cause many taxpayers not to realize a deduction for their charity donations. Make charity donations both in cash (check or charge card) and well documented non-cash contributions to qualified charitable organizations.
Documentation needed to take a non-cash qualified charitable contribution are a receipt from the receiving organization, an itemized categorical detail of what and quantity of items donated, and the stated fair market value for each of the items. See attached handout for fair market values.Charitable_Noncash_FMV_Guide_2017
2. Taxpayers who have received a property tax bill for the first or second quarter of 2018 should pay that amount before January 1 in order to take the deduction on the 2017 tax return. There is no limit on how much taxes can be claimed on a 2017 return whereas for 2018 the amount is capped. Beginning in 2018 taxpayers can claim a deduction for a combination of state and local income tax, sales tax, or real property tax in the aggregate amount up to $10,000.
3. Taxpayers should consider making their last fourth quarter estimated tax payments to Ohio and City before December 31 rather than waiting until the due date of January 15. For the tax year 2017, there is no limit to the amount of taxes claimed as a deduction. In addition, the standard deduction is lower in the tax year 2017, making it easier for taxpayers to itemize their deductions.
This written advice is not intended or written to be used, and it cannot be used by any taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer for following the advice. Other factors may need consideration that would change the opinion presented.

domain: law


Downtown Macy's closure could affect Minneapolis skyways
Macy’s is one of downtown’s biggest skyway hubs, providing a crossing over Nicollet Mall and connections to the IDS Center, US Bancorp Center, Highland Bank Court and City Center.
Peter Bruce, a consultant who tracks pedestrian traffic, said Macy’s is one of the busiest spots in the skyway with an estimated 15,000 trips a day.
Pedestrians rely on the skyways most between October and April, Bruce said. With the store scheduled to close in March, he said, it’ll be important to have signs in place to help pedestrians find their way around any closures.
“If the building is closed or the skyway route is made less attractive than normal … people will need to be reminded of what’s a block or two away,” Bruce said, “because they won’t have the natural inclination to just walk through Macy’s and just see what they find.”
Comment: The blue-shaded area in the red box above. See Skyway map . Update: Developer committed to keep skyways open


Friday, Dec. 26, 2008 | 11:42 p.m.
- Dec. 22 -- Wranglers clinch playoff spot by default
- Dec. 19 -- Wranglers drop second straight at home
- Dec. 17 -- Wranglers feel right at home in desert snowstorm
- Dec. 16 -- Ontario provides rude awakening in midnight game
- Dec. 13 -- Wranglers conclude road trip with comeback victory
- Dec. 11 -- Fresno shuts out Las Vegas
- Dec. 10 -- A little jail house fun
- Dec. 9 -- Wranglers freeze Fresno with scoring flurry
- Dec. 3 -- Wranglers squander early lead
- Dec. 2 -- Fresno blanks worn out Wranglers
- Dec. 1 -- Wranglers shut out first-place Fresno
Matt Beaudoin should buy a Lexus, because he is having one sweet December to remember.
The 24-year-old center scored two goals, including the game-winner Friday night, to flatten the Phoenix Roadrunners 3-1 in front of 3,965 fans at the Orleans Arena.
In just seven games this month, Beaudoin has posted eight goals and two assists.
"We need him to score and he's doing that," said Wranglers' coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan. "He scored a big goal tonight. He's worked really hard and he's in great shape. He's doing really well for us."
After the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League sent Beaudoin to the Wranglers, the former Ohio State star suffered a concussion in Phoenix on Nov. 29 that knocked him out of commission for five games.
But Beaudoin cashed in his payback Friday by breaking a 1-1 tie in the third period with a power play goal set up by Chris Neiszner and Mike Madill.
"(Phoenix) blocked the shot and the defender was looking for the puck," Beaudoin said. ."I think the goalie thought I was going to go to our player backdoor and that's what I was actually thinking about doing, but the puck got caught so I put it on net and I think the goalie got confused."
That power play goal not only proved to be the eventual game-winner, but it also provided a sign of life to the Wranglers' flat-lining power play.
The Wranglers are a paltry 18-for-155 on the power play. That 11.6 percent success rate is the worst in the ECHL.
"We have so much skill on our team, it's unbelievable all the chances we miss and all the goals we don't get on the power play," Beaudoin said. "Once we get a normal power play – we don't even need the best in the league – just a normal one we will be in pretty good shape. I think it's a matter of keeping with it and not getting frustrated. Just keep putting it on net and good things will happen eventually because there is too much skill in that locker room right now to not be better on the power play."
Although Las Vegas could not cash in on more than one power play opportunity Friday, the Wranglers did kill off seven of their eight penalties. The Wranglers are second in the ECHL with an 89.2 percent penalty-killing unit.
A large part of that special teams success is due to the play of goalie John DeCaro, who made 22 saves Friday to improve to 8-3 with a 1.96 goals against average.
"(DeCaro) was steady when we needed him to be and he made the saves we needed him to make and that was key," Gulutzan said. "I thought he was good tonight and you need good goaltending. I don't think he was outstanding, but he made the saves we needed him to make and that is the key."
Beaudoin added his second goal of the night on an empty net with 1:06 remaining in the game. He should thank Shawn Limpright for setting that one up.
"You actually get a little nervous on those because you don't want to miss it," Beaudoin admitted. "But I made sure I went for the middle of the net and kept it nice and easy."
Hot starts: Neiszner's opening goal less than five minutes into the second period proved vital in leading the Wranglers to victory. Las Vegas is 9-2-0-1 when scoring first this season.
Stars of the game: 1. Beaudoin (2 goals); 2. Neiszner (1 G, 1A); 3. DeCaro (22 saves)
Heavy hitter: Late in the first period Wranglers' rookie Mick Lawrence tattooed Phoenix defenseman Dane Crowley as Crowley crossed the blue line with his head down. The hit knocked Crowley off his skates and out of the Las Vegas city limits.
Was that Charlie Conway?: Neiszner streaked down the ice on a wide open breakaway less than two minutes into the second period, but the veteran forward lost his footing and ended up wiping out. Neiszner slid into Phoenix's goalie while the puck headed to the corner. As they said in the Mighty Ducks, "nice move Spaz-way."
Neiszner did make up for his miscue, however, with one goal and one assist Friday to bring his season total to 17 points (9G, 8A) in 25 games.
Next up: The Wranglers kick off a two-game home stand against the Alaska Aces (16-11-0-1) Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Orleans Arena. The Wranglers and Aces will then meet in a Sunday afternoon duel at 2:05 p.m.
Final word: "Everyone is trying to string wins together, but I think we play well enough that we could do it," Gulutzan said about the Wranglers' chances of winning back-to-back games. "We just have to keep getting better at the little things."
Steve Silver can be reached at 948-7822 or [email protected].


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Have you downloaded the recent update in PUBG game ? How to get Winner winner Chicken Dinner in PUBG ? These are two of the questions which our young generation is asking nowadays. PUBG gaming is seen both as passion and addiction, and this article will let you know all about PUBG and the reason why people are addicted to this game.
What is PUBG ?
Player Unknown’s Battleground or PUBG is online multiplayer game in which players have to search for weapons and armour and eliminate all other competitors to win. It was released in December 2017 in Microsoft Windows and in March 2018 in Android and iOS. Since then it has become a sensation in the virtual world. It is inspired by a Japanese film “Battle Royale” and has been created by Brendan Greene,an Irish-Brazilian.
Total Players PUBG game has reached over 400 million or 40 crore total players worldwide.Though it is played by 22.7 crore people on monthly basis which is still stupendous.75% of users play it for free on their android and iOS.
Why is it so addictive? What’s different about it?
In our childhood almost everyone of us would have played GTA games as it took us to some virtual world and made us feel free. We would go hours and hours to complete a specific mission.In the last ten years, the video games have gone through a revolution and PUBG is one of the leading games in that sphere. There are many reasons why it is so addictive, some of them are:
Online Game Internet is a new concept in gaming world and one tends to complete the whole game at a time and doesn’t likes to exit in between the play time.
Social media Craze Youngsters tend to post screenshots of their winnings which creates a competitive atmosphere among them. And create a social vibe and no one likes to be isolated.
Regular Updates PUBG games keeps on updating regularly, new maps and warzones and keeps the players hooked. Whereas, the other games don’t update regularly as such and player gets bored in some days. Brendan Greene has said that he wanted to create a game in which the map is harder to memorize. So, the game is always unpredictable in nature.
Recently Gujarat government has asked it’s district authorities to ensure a ban on PUBG game. According to them it’s addictive and adversely affecting the academics of students. Another government organisation NCPCR has recommended to ban the game throughout the country.
PUBG is a virtual game and must be played for fun but we shouldn’t give it importance larger than life.

domain: game


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Learn how to design photo layouts that not only tell a story, but also make your website pop, help to create a brand image, and most importantly push you as a photographer to think beyond the individual photograph. In this class we will explore how to utilize text with images, blog with style, put your work on the wall, push mobile photography to its limits, create a photo book, a look book, brochure, flyer, and optimize social media.
Hours: 12 / 1.2 CEUs
Where: UGA's Athens Campus
When: New dates coming soon!
This class is perfect for the promising photographer, the budding business owner, the crafter, the blogger and people who just love making pictures and are ready to take the next creative step.
The course will cover some basic digital photography techniques, photo editing and Adobe Illustrator.
Class will meet once a week for 2 hours for 6 weeks. Class time will consist of lecture, demonstrations, discussion, critique and assisted lab (computer) time. Most of the photo shooting will be done outside of the classroom.
Who Should Attend?
Individuals and business owners who want to create their own brochures, flyers, add photos to websites and blogs, create a brand, create scrapbooks, look books, and photo books, or who just love to take pictures and are ready to take the next creative step.
12 hours/1.2 CEUs

domain: hobby


Posted at 9:48 am on April 4, 2017 by Bob Owens
In 2015, grandstanding California Attorney General Kamala Harris used a raid on a gun collector to her political advantage in her successful Senate run. It now turns out that the raid was entirely unnecessary, at least partially due to incompetence in Harris’s Department of Justice, and that the family is getting all the guns back.
After a lengthy court fight, a Clovis family forced the return of 500 firearms seized by the California Department of Justice in 2015.
The weapons were confiscated by state DOJ agents acting on information that Albert Sheakalee was barred from owning guns because he was in the state’s Armed Prohibited Persons (APPS) database.
However, his attorney, Mark Coleman of Fresno, argued that Sheakalee did not know that he was in the database. Coleman said the justice department broke a promise to Sheakalee to keep the raid confidential until a court hearing determined whether he was mentally fit to own guns.
The arrest of Sheakalee and the gun seizure were highly publicized by the DOJ in a 2015 press release that received widespread media coverage. At the time of the arrest, the DOJ stated that Sheakalee was barred from firearms ownership “as a result of being taken into custody under Welfare and Institutions Code 5150,” under which officers can take someone in for evaluation if they are deemed a danger to themselves or others.
A Partial Exhumation of the American Dream


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- Chris Brown is going to guest star on an episode of black-ish - TMZ
- Josh Gad pays tribute to police officer killed in London terror attack - Gossip Cop
- Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron don't talk anymore - Just Jared Jr
- Is Kate Walsh shading former boss Shonda Rhimes? - Wetpaint
- Michael Shannon is reportedly joining Deadpool 2 - Lainey Gossip
- Tom Brady's stolen jersey has been returned to the Patriots - The Hollywood Reporter
Armie Hammer & Ruth Wilson: 'Lone Ranger' Premiere!
About Photo #2896519: Armie Hammer hits the red carpet at the premiere of his new movie The Lone Ranger held at the Disney California Adventure Park on Saturday afternoon (June 22) in… Read More Here


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The BEST Salsa – Free Recipe
The BEST Salsa Recipe
Hola amigos y amigas! How is everyone doing this week? The weather is warming up, schools are wrapping up for the year, it’s summertime! And Cinco de Mayo was just this past week, so I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for some simple tacos. Grilling some chicken or fish. Pick up some tortillas and some fresh veggies and herbs. Add some salsa and throw together a fresh meal for yourself or your family!
I believe that no taco night is complete without that staple of all Mexican restaurants and dishes…SALSA! I don’t know about you guys, but jarred salsa from the store just does not do it for me. It works in a pinch, but ever since I discovered the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for homemade salsa, nothing else will do. It’s easy to make, the freshest taste, and loaded with cilantro. I’m a cilantro junkie, so this recipe is right up my alley.
Plus, it’s 100% healthy! There’s nothing bad in this recipe, it’s literally just veggies and spices, and you can make it as hot as you like with the amount of jalapeno! And it’s sooo easy, minimal slicing and dicing, and throw it all in the food processor and pulse until it’s the right consistency. This salsa is the perfect topper for an egg scramble at breakfast, a southwest salad for lunch or dinner, or any other Mexican inspired dish that you can dream up. It keeps beautifully in the refrigerator, so we pretty much always have some on hand now.\
So tell me, do you love salsa as much as Kent and I do? Give this recipe a whirl and let me know what you decide to use it on!
Restaurant Style Salsa
PREP TIME: 10 Minutes
SERVINGS: 12 Servings
- 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
- 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
- 1/4 cup Chopped Onion
- 1 clove Garlic, Minced
- 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
- 1/4 teaspoon Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/2 cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)
- 1/2 whole Lime Juice
Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.
Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

domain: food


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During the eviction drive at Chandranagar-Papu Nallah, building owners alleged that they did not receive any notice.
Where the Capital Complex District Administration carried eviction drive for 2nd day in Chandranagar on the same time building owner continue to protest and business establishment shut down their shutters.
Two structure was demolished on the Thursday, while the demolition of two more structures was underway.
During the eviction drive here at Chandranagar, building owners alleged that they did not receive any notice on the eviction for beyond Right of Way (RoW), and neither were they compensated for the same.
” We did not have any issue with the eviction drive, within the RoW, but before that administration should issue a new notice to building ownerfor eviction beyond the .
The magistrates on duty explained to the owners that notices were already served to all the building owners and they were adequately compensated for the same, we will continue to demolish all structure in the ROW except few of those who were exempted by the court.
Meanwhiel the Businesses establishment in the capital city under the banner of Itanagar Market Welfare Association (IMWA), except a few medical stores, also kept their shops closed in protest of the eviction drive and opened late evening.
In a message to the media IMWA President Yumlam Achung said that we are not against the development but there should be a proper policy for rehabilitation and resettlement for the shopkeeper.
There was no intimation to the traders who are running their business since along time are badly affected.

domain: sociology


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Veterinary Care Charitable Fund
The Veterinary Care Charitable Fund is a unique partnership between the animal loving public and members of the veterinary profession. Working together we can insure medical care for pets is available to families and individuals facing personal hardships. The VCCF helps veterinary practices raise and manage the funds that provide critical medical care to patients when a client is unable to pay for services.
Click on the button below to make your tax deductible donation to help our local pets.

domain: medical


PROVIDENCE, R.I. — February 28, 2014 — The University of Rhode Island’s Feinstein Providence Urban Initiative has announced its Spring 2014 UrbanScape community forums. The forums are designed to bring together academic and public sectors to examine the social and economic issues affecting citizens of cities locally, nationally and globally. 399 more words
Tags » Forums
I’ve been doing some on-and-off research into the nature of the gaming community, pulling my thoughts on various issues together, occasionally posting some of the results on this blog. 1,199 more words
Post your topic of discussion and let’s reason out together. We will be glad to help..


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Initial results of a new study were released today that suggest biofuels may be worse for the environment than petroleum.
"Using good cropland to expand biofuels will probably exacerbate global warming," concludes the study published in Science magazine.
Sounds like a real definitive conclusion. But wait it gets better.
The researchers said that farmers under economic pressure to produce biofuels will increasingly "plow up more forest or grasslands," releasing much of the carbon formerly stored in plants and soils through decomposition or fires. Globally, more grasslands and forests will be converted to growing the crops to replace the loss of grains when U.S. farmers convert land to biofuels, the study said.
They claim that our diversion of croplands to produce energy crops will cause deforestation that will result in higher greenhouse gas emissions than if we had just burned gasoline.
Of course to make this plausible you have to totally forget that most deforestation of the Amazon takes place for cattle farming and not crop production.
DEFORESTATION IN BRAZIL: 60-70 percent of deforestation in the Amazon results from cattle ranches while the rest mostly results from small-scale subsistence agriculture. Despite the widespread press attention, large-scale farming (i.e. soybeans) currently contributes relatively little to total deforestation in the Amazon. Most soybean cultivation takes place outside the rainforest in the neighboring cerrado grassland ecosystem and in areas that have already been cleared. Logging results in forest degradation but rarely direct deforestation. However, studies have showed a close correlation between logging and future clearing for settlement and farming.
A keen observer will also note in that article there is a graphic that shows the amount of deforestation that has taken place each year since 1998 and 2007 had the least amount of deforestation at a time when ethanol production was at it's highest.
On top of that you have to forget that the future of petroleum lies in projects like the tar sands of Cananda.
The tar sands are found beneath boreal forest, a complex ecosystem that comprises a unique mosaic of forest, wetlands and lakes. Canada's boreal forest is globally significant, representing one-quarter of the world's remaining intact forests. Beyond the ecosystem services it provides (cleansing water, producing oxygen and storing carbon), it is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including bears, wolves, lynx and some of the largest populations of woodland caribou left in the world. Its wetlands and lakes provide critical habitat for 30 per cent of North America's songbirds and 40 per cent of its waterfowl.
If currently planned tar sands development projects unfold as expected, approximately 3,000 square kilometres of boreal forest could be cleared, drained and strip-mined to access tar sands deposits close to the surface, while the remaining 137,000 square kilometres could be fragmented into a spider's web of seismic lines, roads, pipelines and well pads from in situ drilling projects. Studies suggest that this scale of industrial development could push the boreal ecosystem over its ecological tipping point, leading to irreversible ecological damage and loss of biodiversity.
So the results of this study are perfectly plausible as long as we first agree to totally ignore facts and blame all deforestion on ethanol and believe that petroleum production will be no worse for the environment in the future.


Tom Sandoval Apology Ariana Madix
The alleged affair lasted six months, according to People. “This has been going on for over 6 months – Tom has been sleeping next to Ariana in bed the whole time. He’s completely blindsided by the situation – devastated doesn’t even scratch the surface of how he feels,” a source said. People. Ariana reportedly found out about this affair when she was at Tom’s concert. A sexual video message from Raquel allegedly appeared on his phone.


Today, Acer Malaysia released a plethora of gaming devices for Malaysian gamers. Besides the well-known Predator and Nitro gaming laptops, the company also introduced the Predator Orion 3000 and Acer Nitro 50 gaming desktops. These new 2022 gaming desktops are now available for viewing in its roadshow at Sunway Pyramid.
Starting with the Predator Orion 3000, it is powered by up to 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics, up to 16 GB of DDR4 memory and 1 TB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. For the PC master race, they can also add more memory since the desktop has an additional M.2 PCIe SSD slot and two SATA3 slots, whereas its four DDR5 compatible RAM slots allow upgrades of up to 64 GB.
To keep the desktop cool, Acer equipped the Orion 3000 with 2x92mm Predator FrostBlade 2.0 fans and its speed can be controlled from the PredatorSense function. Likewise, the platform also allows you to customise the RGB LED colours on the front and rear fans. Retailing from RM6,499, the Predator Orion 3000 is available immediately at Acer eStore, Acer's official store on Shopee and Lazada as well as authorized Predator partners. Customers who purchase it before 14 July 2022 will be entitled to a RM150 cash discount and redeem up to RM600 worth of gifts.
Moving on, the Acer Nitro 50 is refreshed with the latest 12th Gen Intel Core processor, up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER GPU, 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of fast SSD. This gaming desktop is retailing for RM3,599 and is available immediately at Acer eStore, Acer's official store on Shopee and Lazada as well as authorized Acer partners. Customers who purchase an Acer Nitro 50 before 14 July 2022 will be entitled to a RM100 cash discount and redeem more than RM400 worth of gifts.
In addition, Acer Malaysia is selling some extra gaming peripherals as well. There are two new Predator gaming mice which are the Predator Cestus 335 and Cestus 315, as well as the Nitro gaming keyboard and mouse for entry-level and casual gamers. There will be up to RM150 additional discount for the purchase of these desktops and peripherals during the ‘It Lies Within’ roadshow.
For more information, you can visit the roadshow in Sunway Pyramid. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.


Pittsford programming September 17 - September 24 on TV-12 Spectrum Digital Channel 1303 features the sixth and seventh summer concerts of the 2021 season with the Beatles Sounds of Mr. Mustard, and classic Billy Joel music from The Billy Joel Experience, featuring members of the Swooners. Also, this week see a "Pittsford Personalities" interview by Town Historian Audrey Johnson with Bob and Mercedes Lehman - as well as Pittsford announcements and information.
Pittsford programming on Channel 12 for 9/17 – 9/24:
- 12:00am/pm: Pittsford Summer Concert Series: Mr. Mustard
- 3:45am/pm: Pittsford Town Board Meeting 9/8/2021
- 8:15am/pm: Pittsford Summer Concert Series: The Billy Joel Experience
- 11:00am/pm: Pittsford Personalities with Audrey Johnson: Bob and Mercedes Lehman
Our local cable TV-12 Channel 1303 broadcast format provides you with Pittsford programming at various times throughout the day! A weekly program schedule and a continuous live feed of TV-12 programming on Spectrum Channel 1303 are now available on the Pittsford Town website’s Cable TV-12 page. Current Pittsford community announcements can be found there as well.
The TV-12 Channel 1303 schedule repeats each day for one week, Thursday through Wednesday; a new schedule is updated every week. To provide multiple opportunities for viewing, programming is “mirrored” each day – a show that runs at 10AM will also run at 10PM. As time permits, programs may be shown again the following week. The live scheduling/broadcast format combines Pittsford, East Rochester and Fairport programs and announcements.


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Portland West Running Club
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Running club for boys and girls, grades K‑5th grade
TEAM PRACTICE @ Mill Pond Park (Forest Heights), NW Mill Pond Rd.
September 7- November 2, 2017
Tuesday and Thursday, from 5:30-6:30 pm
- Progressive training for athletes of all abilities (great for first time runners!)
- Establish and build athleticism
- Safe, supportive environment
- Certified, experienced running coaches
- Promote healthy living and overall fitness
- Athletes receive free performance tee (while supplies last)

domain: sports


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|Mom-to-be Shaina Horka
Polycom Executive Experience Centers (EEC) are spread across nine locations around the globe. The team who runs these immersive centers are just as spread out, with some of them not even living in the same city as the center. But just because they aren’t in the same city doesn’t mean they haven’t built strong and meaningful relationships.
Recently, the team hosted a surprise baby shower for one of their own, Virginia-based Shaina Horka.
But this baby shower wasn't like any that you've ever attended.
With a team dispersed across the globe, they came together—in spite of time differences and distance—all thanks to the power of video. Shaina, the mom-to-be, is based out of Herndon, Virginia, while many of her colleagues are either traveling across the country to meet with customers, traveling abroad for summer vacation, or work from home in remote locations.
One colleague was on vacation in Israel, while another is working abroad as part of Remote Year and dialed in from Serbia. Teams were gathered in San Jose, Austin and New York City at their local EECs while others joined from their remote offices.
“With the power of video, we were able to bring together so many people from around the world for this special occasion,” said EEC Events and Customer Engagement Manager Annie Habermann.
The power of video affects more than just collaboration. Without video, moments like this wouldn’t be possible. This type of bond between colleagues near and far rely on that ‘face-to-face’ interaction that only video can provide. Video allows teams across the globe to connect with each other on a professional and personal level so that they can get together and make great things and celebrate life’s special moments.
“As a remote worker, I feel like I miss out on celebrations that happen in the office,” said Annie. “Being a manager, it’s important to me to build meaningful relationships with my direct reports—being able to plan a shower and ‘attend’ from 3,000 miles away builds camaraderie within my team, and brings other departments together to commemorate big life moments.”
In what ways has video helped you connect and create special moments with colleagues?


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Grand Forks man who allegedly threatened a mass shooting set to remain in custody
A Fargo judge ordered a Grand Forks man accused of threatening to commit a mass shooting to remain in custody before his trial later this summer.
Alice Senechal, a federal magistrate judge, decided on Friday that Steven Lindblad, 59, should not be allowed to stay at his home before he stands trial for allegedly telling a cell phone carrier’s customer service representative last year that he had explosive materials and was going to commit a mass shooting.
A grand jury indicted Lindblad on June 17 for “interstate communication of a threat to injure persons” and “false information and hoax,” and he was arrested on June 24. Publicly available court records for the case reveal little beyond that.
Jacob Rodenbiker, an assistant United States attorney, rattled off a series of threats Lindblad allegedly made to others over the past 20-plus years. Lindblad’s criminal history in North Dakota extends back to 1999 and is mostly comprised of misdemeanors. He was sentenced to probation and a year of electronic home monitoring after a 2006 conviction for terrorizing.
That pattern, Rodenbiker argued, “tips the scales” in favor of detention.
“I can’t help but notice the charges for the indictment weren’t referenced,” Ward Johnson, Lindblad’s attorney, said ruefully. “I think if Steve had guns and explosives we would know about that.”
Johnson, who said he’s known Lindblad for years and represented him before, said his client wouldn’t win a “man of the year” award, but that he’s been in similar circumstances before and did not violate the conditions of previous pretrial releases.
“He never went anywhere,” Johnson said, noting that Lindblad has a dog that will either be adopted away or put to sleep if Lindblad stays in jail.
No recording apparently exists of Lindblad making the alleged threats that got him indicted, but Rodenbiker said Lindblad has admitted he made them.
Lindblad’s trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 11. After Senechal ruled Lindblad should stay in custody at least until then, Johnson said a third party who’d been paying for his services in Lindblad’s case had stopped doing so and that he’d no longer represent the man.


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Reconditioned and tested 12 month guarantee. We use the best components available to rebuild our gearboxes. New bearings and bulk rings are fitted and all worn and damaged components are replaced with new or first class original ones. Our reconditioned gearboxes that we send to customers to fit have been tested by being fitted to a vehicle and road tested to confirm that it is good order before dispatch.
UK sale only. Parts guarantee only.


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lay both hands on the live goat's head, and confess all the iniquities of the People of Israel, all their acts of rebellion, all their sins. He will put all the sins on the goat's head and send it off into the wilderness, led out by a man standing by and ready.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
(The Message Bible Online)


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The Ploughshares Monitor Spring 200 Volume 25 Issue 1
In 2005, representatives of organizations from around the world will gather at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss civil society roles in conflict prevention. The international conference will be the culmination of a multi-year process of transnational and regional networking to address the challenge of more effective civil society involvement in preventing conflict. The overall objective of the initiative, called the Global Partnership to Prevent Armed Conflict (GPPAC), is to develop a common platform for effective action in conflict prevention, from the community to the global levels.
The idea grew out of the 2001 UN Secretary-General’s Report, Prevention of armed conflict, in which Kofi Annan urged non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to organize a conference on this theme (Recommendation #27). Since that time, the European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP), based in the Netherlands, has been spearheading and coordinating the global process, with the involvement and assistance of other organizations from around the world. According to the ECCP, the objectives of the GPPAC are to
- Explore the varied roles of civil society in conflict prevention;
- Establish and/or strengthen regional networks of civil society practitioners and academics, and weave them together into a global conflict prevention network;
- Improve interaction between civil society and government, regional, and UN actors;
- Promote the development of research and theory that will help the conflict prevention community play a more effective role in international deliberations;
- Develop a plan of action focused on conflict prevention, possibly embodied in a UN Security Council Resolution, to guide the international community as it seeks to prevent armed conflict in the coming decades.1
To accomplish these goals, a series of regional meetings will be held during 2004 and early 2005 to discuss the unique themes, challenges, and opportunities of conflict prevention. In each region, a “regional initiator” organization will coordinate the conference and engage other NGOs in the process. These regional meetings will take place in South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western and Northern Europe, Central and East Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa, North America, the Pacific, Southeast and Northeast Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa, and the Balkans. One of the first meetings took place in Dublin, Ireland at the end of February 2004.
What’s happening in Canada?
In January 2003, a team of seven people representing different sectors of Canadian civil society organizations received a mandate to organize and facilitate this initiative in Canada, and to coordinate with other organizations in North America. The organizing team includes representatives of the conflict resolution practitioner, academic, research/think tanks, and international NGO communities, as well as from the Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee (CPCC) and the Conflict Prevention Working Group of the CPCC. Since that time, the Canadian Conflict Prevention Initiative (CCPI) has grown to include other interested individuals and organizations working on conflict prevention broadly defined. Project Ploughshares has been involved with the CCPI from its beginnings. Other members of the CCPI Task Force include colleagues from the Conflict Prevention Working Group, North-South Institute, Carleton University, Canadian International Institute for Applied Negotiation (CIIAN), and the World Federalist Movement.
Over the past year, the CCPI has initiated a variety of activities. In a document outlining a strategy to engage Canadian organizations, the CCPI identified five different spheres of activity:
- Network building through strategic meetings of civil society organizations involved in conflict prevention in Canada, North America, and globally;
- Policy dialogue on mainstreaming conflict prevention with the Canadian Government, as well as with the UN and other member states through the Global Partnership on the Prevention of Armed Conflict;
- Collaboration to develop field-based conflict prevention partnerships with civil society organizations (CSOs) and other bodies in selected southern countries;
- Focused, applied research, including a baseline survey of the conflict prevention activity of Canadian civil society organizations;
- Wider outreach and awareness-raising via Canadian schools and colleges, the media, and the World-Wide Web.
The CCPI has made progress in a number of these areas. It has produced a concept paper outlining potential activities; received some initial funding from the Canadian government to support these activities; initiated and produced a baseline survey of organizations in Canada involved in conflict prevention; and engaged in discussions with partner organizations in the United States, Mexico, Latin America, and Europe regarding the plan of action and the proposed North American and global conferences. For example, in October 2003, the CCPI organized a panel on conflict prevention at the Annual Peacebuilding Consultations of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and the CPCC, bringing together government, NGO, and academic representatives from Canada, Europe, and Latin America. Following this meeting, CCPI hosted two meetings: one for Canadian organizations, to strengthen the network of Canadian NGOs involved in conflict prevention; and the second to begin the process of planning a regional North American conference. These discussions continue and will lead to a conference sometime in late 2004 or early 2005.
The state of conflict prevention in Canada
The baseline survey of Canadian civil society organizations engaged in conflict prevention identified several interesting trends and themes.2 It found that concepts of conflict prevention may be specific and include such things as mediation and diplomacy, but the definition can also be expanded to include a range of activities designed to alleviate some of the problems that can lead to conflict. These include resource allocation, corruption, ethnic or territorial disputes, and economic inequality, to name just a few. While there are still those who view conflict prevention programming in more traditional terms, Canadian organizations have tended to use a broader definition in recent years. For example, few organizations in Canada engage in activities related to early warning or risk assessment, both central components of a narrow definition of conflict prevention. In contrast, more organizations are involved in peace education and/or policy development, both of which fall within a broader definition of conflict prevention.
Another trend is the breadth of activities in which Canadians are involved. Programming by Canadian organizations reaches every corner of the globe and encompasses both direct conflict prevention and management activities and involvement in initiatives that address structural or ‘root’ issues that increasingly have been seen to contribute to conflict. Canada and Canadians continue to be involved in the global community, and there is sustained interest in remaining involved.
A third theme that emerged from the survey is the optimism with which the majority of organizations and individuals view the possible role of Canada and Canadians in conflict prevention. Many respondents suggested that Canada has been heading in the right direction, opting for a comprehensive and holistic approach that includes developmental as well as diplomatic, operational, and both military and peacekeeping work. While the overwhelming majority of comments seemed to be positive, there were a few negative criticisms of current levels of Canadian foreign aid and the structure of Canada’s military forces. Basically, however, those who responded expressed the view that the greatest need was to interact and share information, and for Canada to offer and receive support for its conflict prevention efforts within the rules-based international order defined by the UN and international law.
Despite the advances of the past year, much remains to be done in Canada and abroad. In an exciting and groundbreaking move, the UN General Assembly adopted a consensus resolution on preventing armed conflict in July 2003, a step toward moving from a “culture of reaction to a culture of prevention” within the UN system. The impact of this resolution on the UN system will become clear over the coming years. At present, the CCPI is working to develop a multi-year proposal that would fund several organizations and partners in the South to work directly on grassroots conflict prevention activities. Organizations that are part of the GPPAC continue to engage the UN and governments in discussing ways of improving and strengthening conflict prevention policy and activities.
A version of this article is appearing in Interaction, the journal of Conflict Resolution Network Canada (www.crnetwork.ca).
Adapted from ECCP 2002, p. 16.
The following was taken from Marriott and Carment 2003.
European Cemtre fpr Conflict Prevention 2002, Conflict Prevention Newsletter, V:2 (December).
Marriott, Koren and Carment, David 2003, “Conflict Prevention in Canada: A Survey of Canadian Conflict Prevention Professionals,” CPCC, Ottawa.
United Nations 2001, Report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council on Prevention of armed conflict, UN Doc S/2001/574, 7 June.


A new feature of the city of Santa Clara: a neighborhood park, complete with a much anticipated community garden. Yes, believe it or not this is the very first Santa Clara community garden, which is to say the first officially sanctioned garden within the city of Santa Clara.
Designed specifically with resident gardeners in mind, the garden area encompasses a wedge shaped half acre portion of the almost two and a half acre parcel of land located on the San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail, at the southwest corner of San Tomas Expressway and Monroe Avenue (what area residents had gotten used to thinking of as the Halloween pumpkin / Christmas tree lot). Needless to say, this garden has been a long time in the making and the local gardening community is admittedly excited about its arrival.
Formally known as the Montague Park Rehabilitation Project (or the even more descriptive San Tomas and Monroe Neighborhood Park and Community Garden), the new facility opened right on schedule, as it was slated to open sometime around labor day 2018. The new park has a number of great features, including a playground, barbecue and picnic areas, and an off-leash dog run. But for those of us who enjoy digging in the dirt, the most important feature of the project are those raised growing beds (the heart of any community garden), the outdoor classroom, and the pollinator garden. As Mayor Lisa Gillmor stated during the 2017 groundbreaking ceremony, “It’s particularly exciting to have the first city owned and operated one-half acre community garden to offer our residents. It’s been a long time coming, and I have no doubt it will quickly become a favorite place to visit when it opens next year.”
James Teixeira, Director of Santa Clara’s Parks and Recreation Department, offered a few comments about the educational and community benefits of what’s been created, saying “The goals of the outdoor classroom and community garden are to educate the community about the natural world and their place in it, from nature, plant and animal habitats, to food sources and the links of farm and environment to kitchen table. Community gardening is a recreational program in and of itself. This garden is for people who like or want to learn about gardening but don’t have the space to garden. For example, the neighborhood to the northeast of this location is high density apartments and the community garden will give those living nearby a space and chance to learn the art and science of gardening. They’ll learn about the microbes and nutrients in the soil. They’ll grow their food organically, and cook and eat or share it. They’ll also learn about sustainability, how to live in a changing climate and world, how to keep our environment as clean and green as it can be. Classes offered here will include composting and seed germination. We’ll also have bee hives and a diversity of flowering plants to learn about pollinators and to increase the yield of the fruiting plants.”
A brief recap of some of the milestones and highlights which took place during the creation of the Santa Clara community garden.
- Early 2000, the Open Space Authority allocates $55,000 to the City of Santa Clara for phase one of the San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail, by way of its 20% Funding Program. The 7.6 mile trail will provide hiking, jogging and cycling opportunities to area residents.
- Mid 2004, the City of Santa Clara acquires property at the corner of San Tomas Expressway and Monroe. The deed restricts use to either public open space or parks and recreation (trail, parking, restrooms, environmental education, domestic & wildlife activities, picnic area, F&B concessions).
- September 2013, the City Council announces a goal to obtain monies for enhanced community sports and recreational facilities.
- Mid 2014, the City Council adopts a parkland dedication ordinance.
- November 2014, voters approve Measure Q, a funding measure that generates approximately $7.9 million per year for “open space” protection in the cities of Campbell, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, San Jose, and Santa Clara.
- Late 2014, three general conceptual layouts are put forward for consideration, known as concept options A, B, and C.
- February 2015, the City Council selects “Concept C” for ongoing development.
- November 2015, planning engineering and design efforts are approved. Gates and Associates is retained to prepare design plans.
- April 2016, formation of Park and Recreation Commission and beginning of initial environmental study (MND).
- October 2016, the City Council allocates project funds in the amount of $3.19 million (City CIP Budget #3184), revenues taken from the Mitigation Fee Act.
- Early 2017, pathway safety lighting is installed.
- April 2017, Request for Proposal is issued.
- May 2017, closing of proposal acceptance.
- June 2017, announcement of choice of winning proposal and consideration of final contract writeup.
- September 21, 2017, the official groundbreaking event for park construction.
- Late 2017, community review meetings and discussions are held as excitement grows.
- July 2018, final touches are put in place as construction wraps up.
- Late 2018, the new Santa Clara community garden opens to gardeners and general public enjoyment.
With the garden now fully up and running, gardeners are invited to apply for a garden bed. Beds come in two general flavors: individual and group. Note that Santa Clara residents living within a half mile of the garden are given priority for a plot, as do those who receive CalFresh benefits, those who are Senior Citizens, and those who have young children. Also be aware that with a wait list containing over sixty names, plots will be assigned to a gardener for a maximum of three years; after each three year stint, new gardeners will be invited to take over individual plots.
Students interested in learning about gardening are encouraged to become involved. Youngsters are invited to call the Youth Activity Center at 408.615.3760 and ask to join the Garden Club.


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Trump vs. Biden
Many Americans head to the polls today to cast ballots for the 2020 general election, bringing an end to more than a year and a half of campaigning.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden has steadily maintained a wide lead nationally, but polling suggests President Trump has a realistic — albeit fairly narrow — path to an Electoral College victory. Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes) and Florida (29) are effectively must-win states for Trump, with the likeliest path then involving wins in North Carolina (15) and Georgia (16). Biden enters with around a three-point lead in Pennsylvania (see data); the other three states are statistical toss-ups, as is Arizona. Candidates need 270 votes to win; calculate your own Electoral College map here.
Trump beat state-level polling in battleground states by about three points in 2016 — a normal margin of error — and some argue current polls likewise undercount the rural white vote and miss hidden Trump voters. Others point out differences between 2016 and 2020, notably that just 3% of voters are undecided now, compared to more than 10% at this point four years ago.
Similarly, the two biggest third-party candidates — Jo Jorgensen (Libertarian) and Howie Hawkins (Green Party) — are expected to have a smaller impact than in 2016. Last cycle more than 4% of voters backed third-party candidates, roughly 6 million votes. Overall, analysts say a Trump win would likely require greater polling errors than seen during the last presidential cycle.
Voter turnout is on track to be historically large. More than 136 million people voted in 2016 and more than 99 million have already voted this year. The 2020 cycle is by far the most expensive in history, nearing $14B across all races.
There’s a good chance we won’t know who won by tonight, or even tomorrow. Almost half of US states accept mail-in ballots that arrive late (deadlines vary), while many states — notably Pennsylvania — won’t start counting the tremendous number of early ballots until polls close tonight (see breakdown).
The president, who has argued the result should be known the night of Nov. 3, denied reports he plans to declare premature victory if early returns come in his favor. Such an attempt would preempt the dayslong process of counting mail ballots, which are expected to tilt heavily toward Democrats in states like Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
Expect early results to start rolling in when the first polls close, around 7pm ET.
Senate Majority Up for Grabs
Republicans enter the day looking to defend their control of the Senate, which they’ve enjoyed since the 2014 election. Republicans hold 53 seats; majority control of the chamber would flip if Democrats pick up three seats and Joe Biden wins, or four seats if President Trump wins (the vice president acts a tiebreaker).
On paper, Democrats have a numbers advantage. There are 35 seats up for grabs — Republicans must defend 23, while Democrats have just 12 to protect. Of the 23 Republican seats, nine are listed as either leaning Democrat or toss-ups. The most vulnerable Republicans are Martha McSally (R-AZ), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Just one Democratic-held seat is listed as leaning Republican — Doug Jones (D) of Alabama — with no toss-ups. Michigan’s Gary Peters (D), generally viewed as the next most vulnerable Democrat, enters with a five-point lead.
See a full breakdown here. FiveThirtyEight’s modeling projects a 75% chance of control changing hands. Finally, both of Georgia’s races appear likely to head to a Jan. 5 runoff, meaning — just like the top of the ticket — who wins control of the chamber may not be known by the end of the night.
Over in the House, Democrats are forecast to retain their 232–199 majority, while possibly picking up a few additional seats. See the most competitive races here.
State Races and Ballot Measures
Beyond federal elections, a number of state races and ballot initiatives with potentially wide-ranging impact will be decided today. At the gubernatorial level — typically decided during midterm elections — 11 races will be decided, with the only competitive seat being Montana, where term-limited Gov. Steve Bullock (D) is running for Senate; Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte, the state’s lone congressman, enters the day with a slight edge over Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney (D).
More notably, each party is defending eight vulnerable trifectas — states where one party holds the governorship and both legislative chambers (see map). Across the country, 36 of 50 states enjoy such control; among criticisms, some argue trifectas give one party too much power over gerrymandering, which further cements their control.
Beyond elected office, voters in California will decide the high-profile battle over Prop 22, determining whether gig economy giants like Uber and Lyft must treat workers as employees instead of contractors. Separately, Massachusetts and Alaska both have proposals that would implement some form of ranked-choice voting — an approach some believe may help depolarize the political environment and loosen the grip of the traditional two-party power structure. See a list of other top ballot measures here.
President Trump, www.triviscompany.com, Election Day, Mitch McConnell, Robert Massimi, Mike Pence, Supreme Court, google.books.com, Apple, Twitter, Washington DC, New York City, Prop 22, Uber, Lyft, Microsoft, Elon Musk.


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|| Checking for direct PDF access through Ovid
Glaucoma is a chronic, slowly progressing, and asymptomatic optic neuropathic disorder with a great variety of causes that involve gradual retinal ganglion cell axon loss. The disease is the second most common cause of blindness in the industrialized world. Once vision loss develops it is irreversible—although in many cases further loss can be slowed if adequate treatment is provided. If not treated, glaucoma can lead to complete vision loss in the affected eye. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most prevalent form of the disease in the industrialized countries, representing 94% of all glaucomas. In a Spanish study of 569 individuals, the prevalence of POAG was 2.1% (99% confidence interval 1.9%-2.3%) in the age range between 40 and 79 years. Assessing glaucomatous damage progression remains one of the most important and challenging aspects in glaucoma management. In addition, a better understanding of clinical risk factors for glaucoma worsening may help us to develop new strategies to improve glaucoma care. Over the past 2 decades, many studies have addressed the issue of risk factors associated with or predicting for glaucoma progression. Although many studies have attempted to identify the prognostic factors capable of predicting the course of POAG, the results have been varied and in some cases contradictory, and are thus of scant practical utility. This study was designed to evaluate the methodologic quality of the studies published in the literature on the prognostic factors for POAG progression measured by visual field deterioration.