text:
NFL responds to Oversight Committee’s claim that it “buried” Beth Wilkinson’s findings
The report published on Thursday by the House Oversight Committee made accusations against both the Commanders and the NFL. As to the latter, the Committee said the league “buried” the results of the Beth Wilkinson investigation.
The league has issued a response to the report.
“The NFL is committed to ensuring that all employees of the NFL and the 32 clubs work in a professional and supportive environment that is free from discrimination, harassment, or other forms of illegal or unprofessional conduct,” Chief NFL Spokesman Brian McCarthy said, via Ben Standig of TheAthletic.com. “The NFL and the 32 clubs have implemented substantial and effective programs to advance this commitment at all of our facilities.
“The investigation into the Commanders’ workplace that was conducted by Beth Wilkinson’s firm was independent and thorough. No individual who wished to speak to the Wilkinson firm was prevented from doing so by non-disclosure agreements. And many of the more than 150 witnesses who participated in the Wilkinson investigation did so on the condition that their identities would be kept confidential. Far from impeding the investigation, the common interest agreement enabled the NFL efficiently to assume oversight of the matter and avoided the potential for substantial delay and inconvenience to witnesses.
“Following the completion of Ms. Wilkinson’s investigation, the NFL issued a public release and imposed a record-setting fine on the club and its ownership. The club also implemented a series of recommendations by the Wilkinson firm and an independent firm has monitored the implementation of those recommendations through regular reviews of the Commanders’ workplace. All of these reviews, which were shared with the Committee, have concluded that the Commanders have made significant improvements in workplace culture and policies.
“Over the past 13 months, the NFL has cooperated extensively with the Committee’s investigation, producing nearly a half million pages of documents, responding to dozens of written inquiries, and voluntarily participating in a two-and-a-half hour public hearing during which Commissioner Goodell answered 128 questions.”
That’s all fine, but it doesn’t change the fact that the league did indeed bury, as a matter of fact not opinion, the outcome of the Wilkinson investigation. She was supposed to produce a written report. Ultimately, the league didn’t want one.
Her written report would have included a recommendation that Commanders owner Daniel Snyder be forced to sell. That was initially reported by 106.7 The Fan, which got its hands on a portion of her written but unpublished report in early 2021, and it was confirmed by PFT in February 2022.
The NFL continues to justify its decisions by pointing to the promise of anonymity given to some of the Commanders employees who cooperated with the Wilkinson investigation. The NFL continues to insist that anonymity could not have been preserved by simply changing names to something neutral, like John or Jane Doe.
The Oversight Committee’s report chides the NFL for this flaw of basic logic, pointing out that the NFL issued a lengthy report nine years ago after the bullying scandal in Miami, with certain names concealed. That easily could have been done here.
In July 2021, the NFL was protecting Snyder -- possibly to avoid creating a precedent that would apply to other owners now or in the future, or possibly to protect the league office from tough questions about what 345 Park Avenue knew and when it knew it as to years of toxicity within the Commanders’ front office. To the extent that the league should have been exercising the slightest amount of supervision as to the various franchises operating under the auspices The Shield, it had apparently failed to do so.
The league also possibly was treading lightly regarding Snyder to avoid retaliation by him.
Whatever the reason for the league’s actions, it wanted to brush the Wilkinsons findings, along with her big-picture recommendations, under the rug. The NFL has now been called out publicly for doing that which anyone who has been paying attention to the situation already knew it did.
Will that change anything at this point? Probably not. The league will continue to keep a stiff upper lip and claim it did nothing wrong. Others who know better will believe otherwise.
And the bright, shiny objects that are NFL games will continue to change the subject. Even though tonight’s offering (Raiders at Rams) isn’t very bright or shiny, it starts at 8:15 p.m. ET.
From the league’s perspective, kickoff can’t come soon enough.


Press Release Summary:
Utilizing TDR technology to display picture on LCD screen, model 6130 tests underground cables to discover impedance break points in HFC systems and then locate and reveal cable damages, tie-in dampness, and terminal impedance failure. Specifically, unit finds cable faults such as short circuits, open circuits, and high resistance joints and also shows exact distance of fault. Portable instrument tests 25, 50, 75, and 100 Ohm impedance cables at distances from 15-2,000 m.
Original Press Release:
Cable Fault Locator Provides an Intuitive Electronic Map
Toronto, Canada - GAO Tek Inc. (www.GAOTek.com) has released its CATV cable fault locator utilizing Time Domain Reflection (TDR) technology to display the TDR picture on its LCD screen. It is intended to find cable faults such as short circuits, open circuits and high resistance joints and to show the exact distance of the fault. This rugged fault locator is widely used to test underground cables to discover impedance break points in HFC systems then locate and reveal the cable damages, tie-in dampness, and terminal impedance failure.
The powerful cable fault locator, model 6130, analyzes the status of the cable with its advanced analysis software. It tests cables of 25, 50, 75ohm and 100Ohm impedance at a long measurement range from 15m to 2000m. This portable cable fault locator provides an intuitive electronic map relevant to time domain picture so that faults can be detected easily. In additional, it can be connected to a PC for file upload and data analysis.
For sales inquiries please contact:
1-877 585-9555 ext. 601 - Toll Free (USA & Canada)
1-416 292-0038 ext. 601 - All Other Areas
About GAO Tek Inc.
GAO Tek Inc. (www.GAOTek.com) is a global leader in research, development and manufacturing of high performance telecommunication testers, electronic measurement instruments, embedded development tools and other electronic products that serve the needs of electronic professionals internationally.


text:
The IPC Group is this week launching a new electronic brand,
unmissabletv.com, to underpin its TVTimes, What’s on TV and TV and
Satellite Week magazines.
The site will include listings, reviews of films and videos, and
television and entertainment news which will be updated throughout the
day, as well as celebrity and soap features and fact-sheets. The new
venture comes under the remit of Caroline Ward, who was named as
managing director of IPC tx last week (PR Week, 26 November).

domain: news


Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Angels have been one of the more erratic teams in baseball all season. At times they’ve looked like a legit threat to make a deep postseason run, and other times they resemble a team just incapable of playing good baseball. For example: Just a week ago, the Angels held first place in the AL West by 2 games over Houston…fast forward a week to now where they sit 2 games back of first place behind Houston.
Not as good as you think: Every team goes through stretches of poor play, but none have had to deal with it the way the Angels have this year. After falling to the Dodgers today 3-1, the Angels have now lost 8 of their last 10 games. And frankly haven’t even deserved to win any of those games with the way they’ve played. But beyond the wins/losses is the impact of the trade deadline. The Houston Astros added two premier players in Scott Kazmir and Carlos Gomez to help solidify their roster. What was the Angels big move? Shane Victorino, David Murphy, and David Dejesus…3 utility outfielders that peaked in 2010. So while the Angels did make moves and did upgrade the LF position, they still have a lineup that lacks impact players besides Trout & Pujols.
The Angels have been fortunate in beating the teams they should beat. But against teams with a record of .500 or better, the Halos are just 12-21. Usually a good judge of how talented you’re team is how they stack up against other playoff contenders. And the Angels record against those teams is an inside look at the true talent level on this team.
Jered Weaver will hopefully be returning from the DL soon and ideally regaining his old form that made him one of the best pitchers in the league. C.J. Wilson is another story, the Angels would have been better off moving him a month ago when they had the chance. Now he may need tommy john surgery. Two big question marks right off the bat in the rotation. Hector Santiago, Andrew Heaney, and Garrett Richards have been bright spots but going forward the Angels need Richards to pitch like a dominant ace for their playoff hopes.
The bullpen is another mystery that hasn’t been solved all year. They don’t have a reliable arm besides Huston Street and for the most part Joe Smith. At this point, if the bullpen is needed to pitch 3-4 innings there’s a good chance the game is going to get out of hand. The importance of the pen is a very real aspect of the game, and the Angels not having a stopper until potentially the 9th inning of every game is a problem.
Bottomline: Top to bottom this roster isn’t as good as almost all of the teams contending for a playoff spot, and their record against contenders is telling.
Not as bad as you think: The obvious reasons are all there..Mike Trout is playing like an MVP, yet again. Albert Pujols has had one of his best years in recent memory so far this season. Mike Scioscia has been here before, and has a world series title. Not to mention the Angels have dominated the AL West division since 2000 and that is something other division rivals don’t take lightly.
Photo by KEVIN SULLIVAN / Orange County Register — 4/2/15
This team was in first place just a week ago. Just a week ago they seemed like one of the best teams in baseball and a shoe in for a postseason run. The Angels have also added 3 proven upgrades for LF, which means less Matt Joyce, always a good thing. So the team has gotten better.
As a team, the Angels are batting .249, good for 24th out of 30 teams. Not ideal but that number has been skewed by the amount of platoon players trotted in and out of the lineup this season. More impressively is the Angels rank in the top 10 for HRs (#7), and top 15 for RBIs as a team. On to the pitching side, as whole they’ve done a nice job managing this year, ranking in at 11th for team ERA in the bigs with a 3.62 ERA. and top 10 in batting average against.
Bottom line: The Angels are a playoff team one way or another. Getting into the postseason is the first step, and getting hot at the right time is the second step. Luckily, the Angels have played good enough this season despite a great roster to still hold hope that this team could get hot and win the whole thing.
Here is the silver lining in all of it: through all of the ups and downs, the Josh Hamilton saga, Jerry Dipoto resigning, not making any big moves at the deadline, and this recent stretch of poor play..the Angels are still just 2 games back of first place. Hence you’re never as good or as bad as you think.


One by One Co. | Date: 2016-06-09
A lighting apparatus that enables a wide range to be irradiated and enables the light irradiation angle to be easily changed includes a fixation unit and a lighting unit attachable to and detachable from the fixation unit. The fixation unit includes: a first mounting portion having an arc surface having an arc-shaped cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction such that the arc shape is continuously formed along the longitudinal direction; and a fixation portion for fixing the first mounting portion. The lighting unit includes: a light source portion formed along the longitudinal direction; a holding portion holding the light source portion; and a second mounting portion provided along the longitudinal direction on the holding portion and having a mounting surface to be magnetically attached at any position in the circumferential direction on the arc surface of the first mounting portion. The second mounting portion is formed by a magnet.


Stagg Digital Temperature-controlled Electric Kettle for Tea, Coffee & water
✅This temperature-controlled pot has a slender nozzle design, which can precisely control the water flow, so that the coffee is evenly extracted, and the air outlet of household version is designed on the inner edge of the pot body, so when the lid is closed, there will be a gap with the pot body for diffusion water vapor to prevent you from getting burned when using it.
✅It uses the STRIX temperature control design, which can accurately disconnect when the water reaches the target temperature, and when a dry-heating situation occurs, it will automatically alarm and disconnect the boiling water, and it can also start the heat preservation function with one button, allowing you to set it as you like.
✅Made of high-quality 304 stainless steel, acrylic and ABS, it is anti-rust, corrosion-resistant, and durable.
✅The height of coffee pot is 163mm, the width is 111mm, the length is 277mm, and the length of the base is 160mm, the width is 145mm, and the height is 28mm.
Suitable for use in homes, coffee shops, and other places.
Item Name: Electric Kettle
Material: Acrylic,ABS,304 Stainless Steel
Plug Type: CN Plug
Power: Type A: 1000W, Type B: 1000W, Type C: 1500W
Capacity: Type A: 600ml(Household Version), Type B: 600mll(Household Version), Type C: 800ml(Commercial Version)
the Height of Coffee Pot: 163mm/6.42" (Approx.)
the Width of Coffee Pot: 111mm/4.37" (Approx.)
Total Length of Coffee Pot: 277mm/10.91" (Approx.)
the Length of Base: 160mm/6.29" (Approx.)
the Width of Base: 145mm/5.71" (Approx.)
the Height of Base: 28mm/1.1" (Approx.)
Due to the light and screen setting difference, the item's color may be slightly different from the pictures.
Please allow slight dimension difference due to different manual measurement.
1 X User Manual
1 X Plug
1 X Base
1 X Coffee Pot


text:
These veggie patties are some of our favorite things to always have on hand. I try to make up a double batch at a time so that I can freeze the extras, because they're so easy to just grab and reheat when you want a simple meal.
This recipe is also great for experimenting with. I have loads of recipes for different types of hamburgers (Italian, Greek, Blue Cheese, buffalo, you get the idea), but since we don't really eat meat at home, I try those ideas out with this recipe as a base.
Probably what I like best about this recipe is that the patties are baked! Not only does that make cooking them super-simple, but they're healthier, too.
You know I love it when I can be healthy and lazy at the same time!
What You Need (Makes 10 patties):
1/4 cup cheese (any type)
2 cups mushrooms (or zucchini, or a combination of the two)
2 medium-to-large carrots
6 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups wheat germ or bread crumbs
What You Do:
1. Put the grating blade on your food processor and shred the onion, mushrooms, carrots, and cheese.
2. Switch to the regular blade and process the grated mixture plus the garlic.
3. In a large bowl, combine everything from the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. I find it's easiest to use my (clean) hands to do this:
4. Form mixture into 10 flattened balls (about a cup of the mixture in each) and place on baking sheet.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for an hour, flipping patties over halfway through.
We like to eat these on homemade buns, as well as just plain. G likes to top his with some homemade mustard. How about you? I'd love to hear which way you enjoy them best - leave a comment or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
Linked up with Thrifty Thursdays at Living Well Spending Less,
Yes Works for Me at We are THAT Family,
Kitchen Fun & Crafty at Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons
I'm Lovin It at Tidy Mom
Creative Ways at Posed Perfection
Weekend Potluck at Frugal Family Favorites

domain: food


Last month Xiaomi President Bin Lin teased that the company will be launching a smartphone with a 48-megapixel camera in January. Now the company is all set to launch its new smartphone Redmi X with a 48-megapixel camera this month. Sung has posted a picture of the upcoming Redmi phone on Twitter. In the picture, the phone appears in black colour with two cameras sitting on the rear panel of the device. The design of the smartphone is also similar to the teaser images shared by a couple of Xiaomi executives and it is more than confirmed that this is indeed the first 48-megapixel camera smartphone from Xiaomi.
— Donovan Sung (@donovansung) January 8, 2019
The Redmi X from Xiaomi has been listed on JD.com with an asking price of CNY 9,999 (roughly Rs. 102,300) and while this pricing is not up to Xiaomi’s affordable standards, the Redmi X price on the online listing is said to be placeholder tag.
The Redmi smartphone bearing a 48 MP camera could be officially unveiled on the 10th of January 2019 in China. The teaser has a new Redmi logo, which will be unveiled along with the launch of the first Redmi smartphone with a 48 MP camera. According to some rumors, the Redmi phone will feature a 6.3-inch full HD+ display with a waterdrop style notch similar to the Mi Play and will be backed by a massive 4000mAh battery.


text:
After the San Francisco 49ers victory over the Chicago Bears, it seemed like the 49ers had turned the corner, especially defensively. The team forced Jay Cutler into five interceptions, but what was not stated about the defense was they did not sack Cutler once and the Bears threw 52 times.á The offense for the 49ers was non-existent throughout much of the game. Most of that is because Jimmy Raye, the offensive coordinator for the 49ers, is as incompetent as they come. Further proof of that came in the first half of the game against the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers were facing third and six inches, instead of giving the ball to Frank Gore to get a much-needed first down and drive the ball further down the field, Raye calls for Moran Norris who hardly ever touches the ball. This play clued ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NFL
Article written by Steven Resnick

domain: game


text:
BAMSE MAGNETIC LETTERS
You might also like
Warning! Not suitable for children under 36 months. Small parts. Choking hazard.
Come on an adventure with Bamse! He’s the world’s kindest teddy bear, and when he eats Grandma's unique thunder honey, he becomes the strongest one, too! With our fun Bamse toys, kids can bring classic Bamse stories home to keep playing, or create their very own adventures in his world. What villains will Bamse meet today? At Micki, you’ll find the full range of Bamse toys, including everything from figurines and matching play worlds to costumes and children's bags. They’re high quality toys that, inspired by kids’ favourite Bamse characters, provide endless fun and mischief.
How do you play with BAMSE?
Tag us on Instagram @mickiofsweden / #joyofplay

domain: entertainment


text:
A goblet on the leg made between 1760 and 1770 in Bohemia from colourless glass with a carving of a bird perched on a tree and the inscription "Einsam und b(v)ergnügt". With a gold line at the upper edge.
The glass is in excellent condition considering its age. The upper rim bears miniature chips and the gold line is almost worn off.
This is an antique product, the warranty period is 12 months.

domain: artistic


text:
South Korea will bring together the world’s 46 manufacturers of coins, medals and banknotes this week to discuss the future of the minting industry amid the emergence of new technologies across the globe.
The state-run coin and bank note manufacturer, Korea Minting and Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corp. (Komsco), will host the biannual Mint Directors Conference from Monday to Thursday, the organizers said Sunday. The upcoming event will mark the 30th of its kind and the second to be held in Seoul.
The Mint Directors Conference held in Seoul in 2008 (Komsco)
Some 300 dignitaries and officials from 46 mints in 42 member nations are expected to attend sessions for the event. The list includes chief executives of mints from Australia, Austria, the United States, Germany, France, China, Thailand and South Africa, according to Komsco.
Held every second year since 1962, the MDC has served as a communication platform to bring mints across the globe together.
From Monday through Thursday, the MDC is scheduled to hold 10 presentations on the advancement of related technologies and marketing strategies at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas.
On Tuesday morning, Komsco will showcase its newest bullion medals, including Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang medals and Silver Korean Tiger medals. A bullion medal refers to tradable means of investment, whose value defined by purity and mass, like a gold bar.
Discussion topics also include ways to enhance security in minting and a payment system in the future, organizers said.
Mints will also compete for their coin design and underlying technology of coin production, as well as the covers for the packaging the coins, they added.
Komsco will vie for the coin-making competition held from Monday to Tuesday with its commemorative coins for the PyeongChang Winter Games.
According to the Komsco, the Korean mint has submitted the following three -- a 30,000 won ($28) gold coin depicting Koreans playing a folk game “jwibulnori,” a 5,000 won silver coin portraying a female figure skater and a 1,000 won brass coin containing a picture of the Winter Games mascot Soohorang.
From left: A 30,000 won Olympic commemorative gold coin depicts a Korean folk game "jwibulnori," a 5,000 won Olympic commemorative silver coin depicts a figure skater, and a 1,000 won Olympic commemorative brass coin depicts a mascot Soohorang. (Komsco)
On Wednesday, the Komsco plans to take some 250 participants to its headquarters and production facilities located in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul.
Aside from the sessions, promotional booths will be installed from seven mints, including two Korean mints -- the state-run Komsco and Poongsan, a private company.
Upon the start of the conference, Korea will chair the Council of the MDC from 2018 to 2020. During the Council’s meeting on Monday and Tuesday, the hosting nation of the 2022 event will be determined.
Thailand hosted the conference two years ago, with South Africa is planning to host the event in 2020.
The Komsco is Korea‘s oldest state-run corporation, founded in 1951. The company mints or prints 1,000 won, 5,000 won 10,000 won and 50,000 won banknotes, 10 won, 50 won, 100 won and 500 won coins, as well as checks, stamps and passports. The company has been led by chief executive Cho Yong-man, formerly a career technocrat, since January 2018.
Komsco CEO Cho Yong-man (Komsco)


- Brass nut & tails are used with a flexible hose to provide a BSP threaded fittings so that the hose can be connected to a valve, a fitting or even a pump.
- Size Range: 15x15mm (1/2″ x 1/2″) – 100x100mm (4″)
- Brass material for long durability
- Easy installation
- Suitable for water application used in general, irrigation and rural services
|Size||Male Fitting End||Female Fitting End||Actual Barb|
|Imperial||Metric||Inner Diameter||Outer Diameter||Inner Diameter||Outer Diameter|
Size (Imperial): Size designated to match the ID of Fitting in inches
Size (Metric): Size designated to match the ID of Fitting in mm
Male Thread ID (mm): The actual Inside diameter of the Male Fitting in millimetres.
Male Thread OD (mm): The actual outside diameter of the Male Fitting in millimetres
Female Thread ID (mm): The actual Inside diameter of the Female Fitting in millimetres.
Actual Barb OD (mm): The actual outside diameter of the Barbed fitting in millimetres.


text:
I have frequently traveled to Cannes in the spring to attend an international convention. During the years, when attendance was very strong (before the economic crisis), it was never easy to get a room in Cannes; many participants had to stay in surrounding towns and villages. By default, the first year I attended, I was placed at the Victoria by... More
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Modern elegance combined with a world of calm, English style warm welcome; on the main street, 2 minute walk to the sea. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Hotels.com, Venere, Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline so you can book your Hotel Victoria reservations with confidence. We help millions of travellers each month to find the perfect hotel for both holiday and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.

domain: travel


Not all methods may be available for each option. Select an option to show the fulfilment methods available for that option.
Welcome to the world of gears! 7spd Shimano Rapidfire gears no less!
20 inch Wheels with 10 inch Frame, ideal for children 6 years and above
Shortened crank arms and stem to fit young children much better
Junior Specific V-Brakes
CNC braking surface on rims for added power and durability
Complete weight just 8.36kg


text:
This outstanding Necklace showcases a two-sided Turquoise, Sterling and Copper Pendant by Silversmith Jim Daggett. One side of the Pendant features a large, oval Turquoise Stone from the Easter Blue mine near Tonopah, NV. The Stone is set in a raised Sterling Bezel encircled by a twisted Sterling Rope. It sits on an 8-winged Copper Plate which is overlaid on Sterling Silver. The second side of the Pendant has a round Turquoise Stone from a mine near Old Hachita, NM. This Stone has a raised Bezel in polished Silver and is set on Copper plate overlaid in Sterling Silver with an flowing 4-sided design. The Pendant has been matched with three strands of eye-catching Turquoise Stick Ribbon in varied hues of blue and green. The Turquoise is interspersed with Topaz Czech Luster Glass and highlighted by 24 mmm long Stamped Sterling Silver long ovals and 8 mm Ornate Copper Bicones. At the top the strands transition to 10 mm blue Turquoise Ovals, esuring comfort. The Necklace is finished with Sterling Silver Cones and Toggle Clasp and adorned with a Southwest Designs Sterling Charm. The Necklace weighs 130 grams and is 22 inches long, plus the length of the Pendant. The Pendant is 2-1/4 inches tall by 1-3/8 inches wide.
Copyright © 2017 Southwest Designs. Powered by Shopify.


text:
Artist Quinton Veal
Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds
Cover art by Quinton Veal
Greetings fam:) I've finished the first edits of novels 4 & 5 and I'm planning to release both early May 2012. Stay tuned because I'm planning to giveaway some books and pdf files. I'll post some more excerpts too.
Thanks for your support!!


text: The Nashville Predators converted two power play goals on their way to a 5-3 defeat of the Winnipeg Jets last night (Monday, November 20, 2017) in Nashville. Kyle Turris and Mattias Eckholm each scored on the man advantage for Nashville in the second period, staking the Predators to a 4-1 lead headed into the third. Captain Roman Josi assisted on both goals giving him 9 for the season. Kevin Fiala gave Nashville a 1-0 just over three minutes into the game, but the Jets quickly evened things up at 1-1 on a goal by Mathieu Perreault on the power play. Ryan Johansen got the lead back less than one minute into the second period when he buried a shot from the slot on a beautiful pass from Filip Forsberg right on the tape of Johansen’s stick. It’s just the second goal of the season for Johansen. Nick Bonino added the Preds final goal of the evening in the third to make it 5-1. Tyler Myers and Perreault added late goals for Winnipeg to tighten up the final score. With the win, the Predators are 12-6-2 and just one point behind the Jets for second place in the Central Division.

domain: sports


text:
OT: Shape of the Earth (was Re: CHAT: Religions (was: Visible planets))
|From:||Jörg Rhiemeier <joerg_rhiemeier@...>|
|Date:||Friday, November 14, 2003, 20:47|
On Fri, 14 Nov 2003 10:16:49 +01,
Andreas Johansson <andjo@...> wrote:
> > > In the _Illuminatus_ trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Michael Shea,
> > > which is entirely parodies (and parodies of parodies, I suspect),
> > > we are given the idea that the earth is carrot-shaped, and we all
> > > live on the flat bottom of the carrot....
> > Nah, it's pumpkin shaped :-)
> No no no! As Belvedere pointed out, we know it to be banana-shaped.
Fiddlesticks! The world has the shape of a d20 (an icosahedron)!
This was the standard answer of a friend from a roleplaying group
which has fallen apart since; he was, BTW, in the process of designing
a world that was actually icosahedron-shaped (which unfortunately
never went anywhere); then there are of course the unforgettable
icosahedral world maps of the Traveller RPG (actually, the idea
dates back to R. Buckminster Fuller) and the icosahedron-shaped
Earth in the RPGA logo.

domain: geography


text:
Man hospitalized after stabbing in southeast Wichita
03/21/2013 2:02 PM
03/21/2013 5:04 PM
One man has been hospitalized with a stab wound and another taken downtown for questioning following an altercation in southeast Wichita early Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The stabbing was reported shortly after noon at 622 S. Barlow, which is southeast of Kellogg and Woodlawn, a Sedgwick County dispatch supervisor said. A 64-year-old man was taken to Wesley Medical Center with a potentially serious stab wound in the abdomen.
A potential suspect in the case has been taken into custody and transported to City Hall for questioning, the supervisor said.
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text:
Features: The set consists of 2 contemporary style accent pillows.Featuring elegantly embroidered stem with leaves detail and is filled with polyester fiber.Crafted completely from cotton with polyester filler cover and is accented in the hues of taupe brown and white.
Provide a contemporary touch to your home with the addition of this set of 2 pillows featuring elegantly embroidered stem with leaf pattern. Crafted completely from cotton with polyester filler cover and polyester fiber as filler and is accented in the hues of white and taupe brown. Complement this sofa with your bed and sofa to get warm and fuzzy experience and at the same time to embellish your existing home decor. California Residents:
For orders being shipped to California, please click here for Proposition 65 WARNING.
- Fast and Free Shipping In Mainland USA
- Easy Return Policy
- Excellent Customer Service Support
- Best prices
- Google Reviews

domain: design


For the first time in a long time, I leaned over and pressed play when this album finished so I could hear it all again.
It's just a beautiful record and like Feist's The Reminder, this is a follow-up which follows the template of previous works (namely 2005's Strange Geometry) while deepening and enriching the songwriting and musicianship.
There are great little textures here as well. Like on "I Hope I Know You" the vocals seem to come in on the up rather than down beat. On instrumental "The Dance of the Hours," guitars and piano chime over an insistent drum beat and the background whispers of the band.
I was concerned that "Bookshop Casanova" meant that the Clientele were trying to go for a new guitar pop sound, with Beatle guitars and Beatle lyric references ("you've got my name, look up the number"). But on God Save the Clientle, you find instead the same contemplative Simon&Garfunkely electric folk that places them somewhere in the vicinity of bands like the Kings of Convenience, the Kingsbury Manx, and early Belle & Sebastian while still maintaining their own light, gliding sense of the everyday and the bitter sweet.


Clutch Cable Connector Cover-32875-04Fits '99-'06 Touring, '00-'06 Softail® and '99-'05 Dyna® models (except models equipped with hydraulic clutch). Does not fit with braided or Diamondback™ clutch cables.
Clutch Cable Connector Cover-38636-07Fits '06-'17 Dyna, '07-later Softail and '07-'16 Touring and Trike models equipped with cable operated clutch. Does not fit models with hydraulic clutch. Does not fit with braided or Diamondback clutch cables.


text:
Belews Creek, NC USA
Width: 8.5" Length: 11"
Materials/Techniques: Cotton plaid fabrics given to me by sister in law several years ago when I fell in love with quilts, just waiting for a special project. Machine pieced & quilted.
Artist Statement: I made this quilt to help raise money for this dreaded disease.
This quilt has Fast Finish Triangles.
This quilt earned $17.00 for the AAQI.


text:
An opening reflection captures the main highlights of a meeting. This includes the main purpose of the meeting and its overall importance to the realization of the organizational goals. The opening reflection paints a picture of the current status of the organization, including major triumphs and challenges over a particular period of time.
A speaker is able to capture the attention of his audience through the opening reflection. In the process of explaining the main purpose of the meeting, the speaker can delve into the history of the issues to be discussed during the meeting. Therefore, the audience is provided with a background that facilitates his understanding of the meeting’s agenda and can make relevant contribution to the discussion. A speaker also highlights some of the successes and milestones realized by the organization over a specified period of time. Similarly, the challenges faced by an organization are highlighted and later addressed under the meeting’s agenda. Moreover, an opening reflection provides an opportunity for individuals to provide input in addressing the existing challenges. In essence, it starts a conversation about the challenges that face the organization before moving on to the ways through which such challenges can be addressed by the organization. The opening reflection brings the entire audience on board by ensuring a shared purpose for the meeting.

domain: sociology


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Alex Iwobi’s career at Arsenal has come under threat after he was filmed partying hard on the day before the Gunners’ FA Cup defeat by Nottingham Forest.
A video, uploaded on Snapchat and captioned “Shouldn’t Iwobi be sleeping?” showed the 21-year-old Nigerian forward dancing and screaming with a large group of revellers at about 2.37am on Saturday in a Soho flat.
Hours later that day Iwobi who is on a reported £30,000-a-week at the Emirates, started in the number 10 role for the Gunners in FA Cup third round match and were crushed 4-2 by Championship side Nottingham Forest.
Angry Fans are now calling for his sack, saying he doesn’t deserve to be at the North London club.
Watch below the video…


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Lamps and Vases in 2022 and 2023
I've started making lamp bases and flower vases and am having a blast. I still use soft slabs, but I do not make impressions from my utility meter molds. I use random tools and objects to create patterns that are pleasing to me. My paisley pattern came from a car floor mat that a ceramic friend gave to me. I'm having a blast!


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THE author of the following Account of Jamaica has endeavoured to avoid, as much as possible, treading in the footsteps of those who have already written on the same subject. The mere repetition of a task anticipated by others, though offered in a new shape, would be quite superfluous. His object is rather to supply, by particular observations on various topics connected with such account (which those writers have either not touched on, or noticed but slightly) that information which may perhaps interest and amuse in a greater degree than the more systematic and general description of a country, Though such writers have either disdained or neglected to enter minutely into many of these subjects, it will yet be allowed that they are deserving of a little more attention. The minuter traits and more gradual shades of life and man
ners, doubtless convey a more accurate knowledge of a people, besides the entertainment afforded, than those general outlines and more obvious features which the formal historian would probably content himself with exhibiting. Into such miputiæ the author will occasionally enter, apd he will sometimes interweave with his descriptions such facts, anecdotes, and notices, as have come within his own knowledge, or have been derived from authentic sources. His principal view is to exhibit a picture of society and manners in this island (which will in some measure apply to the other West India islands); to describe the different ranks and classes of the whites, and of the free people of colour and blacks; to give an account of the slaves, their character, customs, condition, and treatment; and whatever else is dependent on, or may arise out of these subjects.
A residence of twenty-one years in Jamaica, and in a situation where he had opportunities of knowing and observing much on the topics he has discussed, will, the author trusts, enable him to perform this task with truth and accuracy. He will not be so confident as to say, that ne errors whatever will be found to have crept into his production ; but he will at least flatter himself, that none of any moment will be discovered; and he can boldly affirm, not one originating from partiality, prejudice, or misrepresentation.
In order to give consistency and connection to the whole, he will offer sketches of the history, topography, government, colonial laws, commerce, productions, &c. of this island. Elaborate or learned disquisitions on these subjects he does not aim at; nor are they at all wanted in such a work. They are to be found in the pages of more voluminous and scientific writers; to copy whom would be altogether unnecessary. At the same time, whatever opinions, sentiments, or observations of the author's own, may occasionally occur, he will of course not fail to offer. Perhaps owing to changes produced by time, or to his seeing things in different points of view from others, he may sometimes differ from them in his opinions and representations. This he cannot help: but he can. at least say, that the account he gives is in a great measure the result of his own personal experience and observation, unaided and unrestrained by the pages of any writer whatever, and unbiassed by any motives but those of a love of truth.
Geographical Situation of Jamaica.—Sketch of
its Discovery, and Settlement, and subses quent History.
THE island of Jamaica is one of that great cluster of islands that lie in the gulph of Florida, and go under the name of Caribbees; they are divided into windward and leeward. Jamaica belongs to the latter division, and is situated between 17. 44. N. L. and 75. 55. and 78. 48. W. L. it is 180 miles in length from east to west, and 60 miles in its greatest 'breadth. This island was discovered by the great Columbus, in 1494, after he had discovered Hispaniola and Cuba, in the neighbourhood of which islands it lies, at about thirty leagues distance from each. But it was not till fifteen years after, that the Spaniards made any settlement in Jamaica; and then, it is asserted, they behaved to the unfortunate inhabitants with all that barbarity and oppression with which they treated the natives of every country they conquered, and which have fixed a

domain: literature


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Natural Gas: A Versatile Tool To Address ‘Both Energy Security and Deep Decarbonization Goals’
Energy Futures Initiative report highlights opportunity for additional growth in U.S. LNG export industry
Global energy security and climate goals are parts of the same sentence—and American natural gas exports are the action verb.
Today, the Energy Futures Initiative, led by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, released a report in Washington, DC entitled The Role of U.S. Natural Gas Exports in a Low-Carbon World, highlighting the opportunity for additional growth in what is already a booming U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export industry.
“Two unprecedented events—the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—have severely disrupted global energy markets. Countries, mainly in Europe but also throughout the world, have struggled to deal with the ensuing shocks to their energy supplies,” reads the report. “At the same time, the threat of climate change remains, and demands that energy solutions address both energy security and deep decarbonization goals.”
Natural gas, a cleaner alternative than other conventional energy sources, “can help countries meet both energy security needs and decarbonization goals,” adds the report. “As the world’s biggest natural gas exporter, the United States plays a crucial role in helping countries address both goals on a global scale.”
At Enbridge, we also believe that natural gas is key to society’s transition to a cleaner energy future by:
- displacing coal in power generation.
- backstopping the intermittency of renewables.
- contributing to a lower-carbon footprint.
“Natural gas is essential to a clean, reliable and affordable energy future,” Enbridge President and CEO Greg Ebel said last month at our 2023 Enbridge Day event for the investment community. “LNG is the best way to enhance energy security and reduce emissions, and we're obligated to share our abundance in North America with the world.”
Enbridge’s vast, cross-continent natural gas pipeline network currently supplies 15% of LNG export capacity on the Gulf Coast, through our assets like the Texas Eastern Transmission, Valley Crossing and Brazoria Interconnector Gas (BIG) pipelines, and our recent acquisition of the Tres Palacios Gas Storage facility.
With some forecasts predicting Gulf Coast LNG exports to double in the next decade, Enbridge expects to be responsible for 30% of those exports by 2030, through projects such as the Gator Express Meter Project and the Venice Extension Project.
“In 2022, the U.S. had more LNG export capacity than any other country, and led the world in LNG export. Location matters,” noted Enbridge’s Cynthia Hansen, Executive Vice President and President of our Gas Transmission and Midstream business, at last month’s Enbridge Day event.
“We are fortunate to have an abundance of high-quality, low-cost natural gas reserves in North America,” she added. “We have an obligation to send energy to our allies around the world where it’s needed the most to help ensure safe, secure, stable supply; enable progress; and reduce global emissions.”
The Role of U.S. Natural Gas Exports in a Low-Carbon World report was sponsored in part by Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future, of which Enbridge is a member.


text: The Golf Louis Rouyer-Guillet is both an 18-hole course for the more athletic, (the cart is strongly recommended for the less adventurous, the golf offers very attractive prices), a second course of 9 holes but also a pitch and putt of 18 holes, playful and little time consuming that will delight golfers of any level. The golf course provides free equipment for those who want to try the 18-hole pitch and putt. The opportunity to make a stop on the road for your holidays, the Golf de Saintes being seven minutes from the exit of the A10 motorway. After your game, enjoy the restaurant "Le Play Off" open every day from 9:00 to 19:30. Menus at attractive prices are offered, as well as a dish of the day at 10 euros. What to refuel for an unbeatable value for money.


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A Northampton father, widowed after doctors' at Northampton General Hospital repeatedly failed to diagnose his wife with breast cancer over two and a half years, says he fears it could happen to another family.
Mohammed Chaudhry says his wife Samina was referred to the hospital by her GP numerous times as a lump on her breast became larger.
But on each occasion she was told it could not be cancer and even advised to use Evening Primrose Oil to reduce the swelling.
More top news
Seven large, black pigs are chomping their way through Holt Country Park in Norfolk doing their bit for conservation.
A surgeon at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage has turned his steady hands to a different talent - cooking!
Winds will ease tonight but most places will stay cloudy and damp


Athens, Ga. – A technology developed on the University of Georgia campus in Tifton that helps farmers improve yields and conserve water just got easier for farmers to use, says a UGA irrigation specialist.
Crops need water from rain or irrigation to grow properly. In Georgia the center pivot is commonly used for irrigation. The system of nozzles and pipes moves over fields in a 360-degree pattern. In southwest Georgia, the hub of irrigation use in the state, more than 6,000 center pivots are used to water crops such as peanuts, cotton and corn.
But farmers don’t have much control over how much water the irrigation nozzles spray as they pass over fields. Even small fields can vary widely in topography and soil types, with some places wetter or drier than other places in the same field.
Variable-rate irrigation takes all of this into consideration, says Calvin Perry, an agricultural engineer with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences who helped develop VRI. Researchers with the UGA National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory in Tifton introduced VRI to farmers in 2001. It became commercially available in 2004.
The concept is simple: Apply water when and where crops need it. Don’t apply it where they don’t. VRI technology uses computer maps, global positioning systems, soil sensors and software to control where and how much water the nozzles on a center pivot spray on crops.
This year, UGA worked with the VRI vendor to make the system easier for farmers to use. Instead of having to create computer maps of fields, the new VRI has a simple push-button feature. A farmer can start the center pivot over a field. When it gets to a location he doesn’t want to apply water, such as a wooded or wet area or a pond, the farmer pushes a button to train the system not to water that area. Once the system passes this area, he pushes the button again to resume watering only the crop. This can be done in as many as eight locations in the same field.
“A lot of growers want to irrigate more precisely but don’t have the time or comfort level with higher-tech gadgets,” Perry said. “We thought it’d be good to back up and simplify it a bit, eliminating some of the more time-consuming technology steps.”
UGA scientists have tested the water efficiency of VRI on farms in Georgia. It can reduce the water use in a field by as much as 15 percent annually without sacrificing crop yield.
The VRI equipment is expensive-about $5,000 for a modular, limited system and up to $30,000 for a large, full system, Perry said.
A partnership with The Nature Conservancy, UGA and the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District is working to bring down the cost for Flint River farmers in southwest Georgia by supplementing their contributions with a variety of grants and federal funding sources, including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The hope is that future economies of scale will put the VRI system within reach of other farmers, Perry said.


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A recent judgment by the Kerala High Court has settled a contentious land dispute involving the Kootholikavu Sree Bhagavathy Temple. The court’s Division Bench, composed of Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice P.G. Ajithkumar, delivered a verdict that underscores the authoritative role of the Travancore Devaswom Board in managing temple properties. The crux of the
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domain: law


Facebook Messages received some new and improved features and a new look.
"The new side-by-side layout lets you click your most recent message on the left to see the whole conversation on the right. You can also bring conversations to life with multiple photos and emoticons," facebook said.
Now you can search by a sender's name or keyword from the main messages view. And for easier navigation, facebook also added keyboard commands.
You can see the full list of available shortcuts, type Alt Q on a PC or Control Q on a Mac here.
Also, behind the scenes, Facebook improving the reliability of messages across the site. "To address issues with disconnection, incorrect message counts, and missed and duplicated messages, we recently undertook an effort we called the "mercury project," facebook engineering team said.
You can learn more about Facebook messages, in the Help Center article.
Also, released today, an update to Facebook for iOS app that makes keeping up with friends faster and easier.
Facebook 5.0 for iPhone and iPad "is now twice as fast as the previous version when launching the app, scrolling through news feed and opening photos in feed."
"We've rebuilt the app from the ground up, so now the app opens much faster and your news feed and notifications load right when you open Facebook," the comapny said.
As you scroll down your news feed, all your friends' stories appear faster than ever. A banner lets you know when new stories come in, and you can tap once to immediately see the latest updates.
Tap on any photo and it opens right away. Pull down to close it with a single swipe.
What's New in Version 5.0?
- Scrolling through news feed is faster than ever
- New banner lets you tap to quickly see more stories - no need to refresh
- Photos open fast and close with one downward swipe
- Instant access to your notifications
Also, an update to Facebook SDK for iOS now avilable improve stability as well as other minor improvements to the SDK.
This is a released version of the SDK and is ready for use in your apps, and can be downloaded here.
Sponsored Results is a great way for you to drive more awareness of your app, page or place. To this end, Facebook today made available Sponsored Results API for developers to sponsor search results.
You can refer to this documentation for more details.
Profile Pictures in Alternate Sizes
When displaying Facebook profile pictures, the image needs to fit into a specifically allotted space within the UI. Resizing and scaling the image can be a cumbersome process, often resulting in sub-optimal image quality.
To solve this issue, the company now allow you to retrieve user's profile pictures in varying sizes. Alternate profile picture sizes can be queried via the Graph API and FQL.
To retrieve a profile picture in an alternate size via the Graph API, add the optional width and height fields as URL parameters: https://graph.facebook.com/1207059/picture?width=121&height=100.
"This will return a HTTP 302 redirect to a profile picture with a minimum size of 121x100 while trying to preserve the aspect ratio. You can add the URL parameter redirect=false to retrieve just the URL to the pciture. If width=height then a square picture will always be returned," facebook explains.
You can also query for profile pictures of varying size using FQL.


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September 12, 2012 Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, or “Ikhwan” published an Arabic statement (translated the next day in English here) expressing its views unabashedly on the so-called “blasphemous” Muhammad film and Cairo US embassy attack. The statement melds Holocaust negationism with transparent threats of violence.
One and a half billion Muslims are subjected to humiliation and abuse in the person of their leader, Mohammed, the Messenger of God, the Prophet of Islam, of mercy and good tidings for the whole world….The repeated abuse of the Messenger of God indicate the presence of hatred and bigotry in those who stand behind it, with ignorance, connivance and indulgence in those who permit such persistent abuse.
Thus hurting the feelings of one and a half billion Muslims cannot be tolerated, and the people’s anger and fury for their Faith is invariably predictable, often unstoppable. We denounce abuse of all Messengers of God, Prophets and Apostles, and condemn this heinous crime. We further call for criminalization of assaults on the sanctities of all heavenly religions.
Otherwise, such acts will continue to cause devout Muslims across the world to suspect and even loathe the West, especially the USA, for allowing their citizens to violate the sanctity of what they hold dear and holy. Hence, we demand that all those involved in such crimes be urgently brought to trial. Certainly, such attacks against sanctities do not fall under the freedom of opinion or thought. They are crimes and assaults against Muslim sanctities, and must not be tolerated by the countries where they are produced or launched, since they are also detrimental to the interests of those countries in dealings with the peoples of the Muslim world.
The West has passed and imposed laws that punish those who deny or express dissident views on the Holocaust or question the number of Jews killed by Hitler, a topic which is purely historical, not a sacred doctrine.
…[W]e cannot ignore the fact that these countries never made a move regarding the abuse until after the strong reaction seen across the Muslim world. We believe those countries should take appropriate actions and lay out clear and proper procedures to deal with such crimes, especially since preparations for this abuse took place plainly, right under the noses of authorities in those countries – over several months. Prevention is always better than cure.
Predictably the New York Times ignored this forthright pronouncement and published with glee on September 13, 2012 a taqiyya-laden letter by Khairat el-Shater, Deputy President, of the Muslim Brotherhood, expressing “relief” that US embassy staff in Cairo were unharmed.
However, by Thursday morning (9/13/12) Al Ahram reported that even the US embassy staff in Cairo responded with sobriety to the Muslim Brotherhood’s official English-language Twitter account @Ikwanweb, which reposted a message from the group’s deputy head, Khairat El-Shater, (reiterating what he had published in the New York Times, formatted for Twitter) that he was “relieved none of @USembassycairo staff was hurt” and expressing his hope that US-Egypt relations could weather the events.
The embassy noted that this reconciliatory tweet was posted while the Brotherhood’s Arabic-language Twitter account and its official website were both simultaneously lauding the protests and calling for a million man march on Friday (9/14/12) . An Arabic language article on the Brotherhood’s website was entitled “Egyptians rise to defend the Prophet’.” Highlighting the contradiction, the US Embassy in Cairo responded acidly from its own Twitter account:
Thanks. By the way, have you checked out your own Arabic feeds? I hope you know we read those too.


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SHIVAMOGGA: A youth suffered knife wounds Monday as two groups clashed over the display of portraits of Hindu Mahasabha spearhead Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan in Karnataka’s Shivamogga city, 300km northwest of Bengaluru.
Authorities issued prohibitory orders till August 18 while schools will be closed on Tuesday in Shivamogga and its industrial twin town, Bhadravati, 20km away. Thirty platoons of armed police along with a posse of rapid action force were deployed in the city.
Police detained several youths after the clash at Ameer Ahmad Circle in Shivamogga. A few youths protested the installation of Savarkar’s photograph at the business hub, which abuts a mosque. Later, they brought a poster of Tipu to be displayed there, leading to protests and an altercation that turned violent. Cops lathicharged the fighting mob to bring the situation under control.
Read AlsoRow over removal of Savarkar’s photograph: Section 144 imposed in Karnataka's Shivamogga; one youth stabbed
According to reports, the banner was being removed to install Tipu Sultan's banners in the Ameer Ahmad circle of the city. The authorities have clamped prohibitory orders under section 144 of the IPC in Shivamogga and have increased patrolling in the sensitive areas.


New Partner Director appointed for strategic partnership with the City of Stockholm
Since 2011, KTH has worked to establish strategic partnerships with companies and organizations at the highest management level. Jenny Paulsson, Departments for Real Estate and Construction Management, is the new Partner Director for the strategic partnership with the City of Stockholm, which was established in 2014.
Jenny Paulsson looks forward to commencing the work in her new role. - "It feels great to have the role of Partner Director for such an important collaboration partner as the city of Stockholm. One purpose of this collaboration is to help increase understanding in both organizations of future needs and challenges, and find ways to address them together. The way to get there is through an open and active dialogue and close cooperation. I hope that we will be able to create more joint projects, co-publications and educational collaborations around areas that are strategically important for both the City of Stockholm and for KTH."
Examples of ongoing collaborations with the City of Stockholm at the ABE school
Senseable Stockholm Lab is a collaboration between KTH, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the City of Stockholm with support from the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce and Newsec. The universities join forces with the City of Stockholm to explore new dimensions of a smart city, including multimodal mobility, energy production and efficiency, environmental monitoring, water and waste management, public health and governance and more. The lab was launched on April 12, 2019.
WaterCentre@KTH (KTH Vattencentrum) is a platform for innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration across scientific and organisational boundaries. The centre started in February 2017 with funding from KTH in collaboration with the City of Stockholm, IVL Swedish Environmental Institute and Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). The centre's mission is to bring about water innovations for a sustainable future of the Earth. It connects scientists who never would have met and offer an arena for joint knowledge creation with industry, government and civil society.


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A wave of protests has broken out in Topshop stores around the country as the young realise there's more to rebel spirit than the latest leather miniskirt.
Over the past month, in an audacious reversal of cultural norms, Topshop's target market has made the market its target. The shop has become the focus of activist group, UK Uncut, which has staged a series of high profile sit-ins at stores around the country. Last weekend, the biggest shopping Saturday of the year, Topshop's flagship store in Oxford Circus was closed for the third time by a flashmob of "citizen volunteers" who had mobilised via networks developed on Facebook and Twitter.
I first heard about the protests via an email sent anonymously to my account, and determined to go down and report on this new movement. So on Saturday I shuffled through the double doors into the largest clothes shop on the planet.
It was impossible to tell, amid the blaring pop music and glittering displays, who were the protesters and who were the purchasing public. Like me, many would normally shop in Topshop.
But the store that once represented the edgy individualist cool of the past decade is fast becoming known for corporate greed. The mob was there to demonstrate against the £285 million in corporate tax that the store's controlling company, Arcadia, owned by Sir Philip Green, has avoided paying to the Exchequer by exploiting a legal loophole.
I spoke to strikingly beautiful model Eleanor Haskins-Griffiths. "It's hard to maintain the fun and beauty of fashion when it comes from corporations that deplete the beauty of society by avoiding taxes," she says. Like other young protesters, Eleanor is sick of being treated like a customer first and a citizen second. "Fashion might be disposable but our futures aren't," she says.
Over the decade in which Topshop has conquered the globe with its affordable fashions, the spirit of youth has come to be understood simply as something to be exploited for gain. Almost a hundred thousand young people were expected through the doors of Topshop last Saturday, and stopping the tills ringing for even an hour will have cost thousands. Far more damaging, however, will be the tarnishing of Topshop's "cool" reputation.
According to Naomi Klein, author of bestseller No Logo: "It was a stroke of genius to make tax avoiding mega-brands the focus of the anti-cuts protests — it is such a powerful rebuttal of the Thatcherite claim that there is no alternative to cuts. By following the money, these protests are showing that the reason governments are broke is that multinational corporations have hoarded far more than their share of the wealth. I don't think I've ever seen such an effective use of brand-based activism."
The protests demonstrate the impact of people power, says Julia Wild, managing director of Iconic Brand Agency Ltd. "This highlights the power a handful of protesters can have on a brand these days, thanks to the incredible influence of social networking sites. With lightning speed, a few passionate individuals who feel incensed about an issue can motivate an army of like-minded people to join their cause."
The protesters argue that Topshop is not the only target. "It's not just about the tax avoidance," says Neil, 26, a spokesman for UK Uncut. "Topshop is representative of a kind of consumer culture that this generation is increasingly rebelling against. We're sick of it and we can see through it."
Whatever the rights and wrongs of these protests, they have been wonderful to watch. They are infused by a visceral energy all the more exciting because it comes from a generation which was supposed to be so listless, dutifully shopping and studying and never questioning our elders.
Throughout the flash mob, I typed frantically into my phone, getting the word out, but security demanded that I stop or be removed from the building. When I refused, I was dragged towards the back of the store, past rows of police, protesting.
I was told that, as of this point, I was barred from Topshop for three months. My heart sank. Where will I go for cut-price leather-effect harem pants now?
They might have banned me but there are more protests planned, so I'll be back — shopping for social justice, not skinny jeans.Reuse content


Two more financial firms agreed Thursday to pay a total of $17.9 million to settle lawsuits over Orange County's 1994 bankruptcy, bringing the county's recoveries to more than $800 million and hastening a showdown over its remaining claims.
Dain Rauscher Inc., which advised the county and four school agencies on municipal bonds they issued in 1994, agreed to pay $10 million. The county accused the firm of failing to sound alarms about the risks the county treasury was running.
Fuji Securities Inc., a onetime county broker, will pay $7.9 million now and up to $8.6 million later if it loses some key legal rulings on appeal. It was accused of providing illegal investments to the county and cheating the county when the firm sold securities it had held as collateral.
Both firms denied any wrongdoing or contribution to the county treasury's loss of $1.64 billion but said they settled to avoid further litigation expense.
The agreements leave Standard & Poor's, a bond-rating service owned by McGraw Hill Cos., as the only major defendant in the case. Fuji and Dain Rauscher had been set for trial before S&P, which the county now hopes to schedule for trial next March.
"We have always believed that Standard & Poor's is one of the major lawsuits, and the settlement today puts the case on a fast track," said James W. Mercer Jr., one of the county's lawyers.
The suit contends S&P had a duty under its contract with the county to warn of the investment risks being taken by former Treasurer Robert L. Citron.
S&P pronounced the treasury sound and rated the county's bonds highly in spring 1994, despite well-publicized warnings of impending financial calamity from John M.W. Moorlach, who was in the middle of an unsuccessful run for county treasurer.
S&P "didn't do their homework," said Moorlach, who became the treasurer after the bankruptcy. "They testified that everything was fine--and that gave a lot of public officials comfort that everything was fine."
S&P contends it was misled by Citron, who later pleaded guilty to financial felonies, and his assistant, Matthew Raabe, who was convicted of fraud.
McGraw Hill spokeswoman Leah Johnson said her firm will soon file the latest in a series of motions asking the judge to dismiss the suit and will "fight it vigorously" at trial if those attempts fail.
On another legal front, Thursday's settlements will hasten an appeal of an important court ruling against Orange County. At issue are Citron's investment techniques.
To multiply his bets on low-interest rates, Citron borrowed billions of dollars from his brokers through financial arrangements known as reverse repurchase agreements. He reinvested the proceeds in hopes of making an extra profit.
When rates rose sharply in 1994, the strategy compounded the county's losses. The county suits contend it was so risky it was illegal.
But on a motion by Fuji, U.S. District Judge Gary L. Taylor ruled in October that state law permits treasurers to use reverse repurchase agreements, even to the extremes employed by Citron.
Fuji's settlement allows the county to appeal that ruling immediately.
The settlement includes $6.5 million to cover a claim that Fuji withheld proceeds from selling county securities it held as collateral for loans.
On the claim that Taylor invalidated--providing illegal reverse repurchase agreements--Fuji agreed to pay $1.4 million now. Should appeals judges decide that the reverse repurchases were illegal, it agreed to pay up to $8.6 million more, capping a liability that otherwise could be much higher.
A final decision on the issue will determine whether the county proceeds with pending lawsuits against 11 Wall Street firms.
The brokers include such well-known names as PaineWebber, Smith Barney, Prudential Securities and Kidder, Peabody. While they were minor players in the Orange County debacle, they could be forced to pay large damages if the county prevails in arguments that they furthered Citron's illegal strategies.
The four Wall Street firms involved most deeply with Citron already have settled for $590 million, including a $420-million civil settlement by Citron's chief investment house, Merrill Lynch & Co.
Settlements with the county total $799 million. When interest is included from settlement funds being held in escrow accounts, the amount exceeds $800 million.
This week, Taylor week ruled that the first $703 million of those settlements were financially fair and had been made in good faith.
But distribution of the funds has been held up by wrangling over how the amounts recovered so far will be used to offset any additional damages against Standard & Poor's and the 11 brokers.


text: SCIUTTO: "That's right. They say based on what they know, this is not out of bounds from their experience. Let me give you the reasons why. One to be clear, unmasking is not leaking. When a U.S. person's identity is unmasked at the request of senior national security official, it is not put out or tweeted out. That information is shared among those people with clearances. I am told that the NSA has to give approval to do that. The nasa security could not request. It is the NSA is making the decision."


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Watford boss Claudio Ranieri is reportedly facing the sack after overseeing a horrendous run of form at Vicarage Road.
The Italian was only appointed as Xisco Munoz’s successor in Hertfordshire in October, with the hope that the former Premier League winner would potentially lead a charge up the table following an underwhelming start to the season.
He has not managed to achieve that though, with the Hornets having lost 11 of the 14 fixtures he has taken charge of.
Watford ’s season sunk to new levels on Friday evening as they fell to a shocking 3-0 defeat to relegation rivals Norwich City, Josh Sargent scoring twice for the visitors.
It was a result that saw the Hornets slump into the relegation zone for the first time this season and should that current form continue, it is hard to see them retaining their status in the top-flight having only earned promotion last term.
That run of form has seen Ranieri’s position called into question, with The Telegraph reporting that he is on the verge of an exit.
The former Chelsea and Leicester City tactician was originally handed a two-year deal by the club’s Pozzo family owners but it now looks likely that the 70-year-old will see out just three months of that deal, as he will likely become the latest in a long line of managers to have been sacked over recent seasons.
Following the loss to Norwich, Ranieri was defiant over his role, having been in regular conversation with the owners, and rejected the prospect of resigning.
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Alternatively you can also follow our dedicated Watford Twitter account as well.
The Italian said: “I speak every day with all the board and we work with passion. We are in the right way and we have to react.
“No, no I don't go away,” Ranieri continued. “I want to continue because I am a fighter. I never give up in my career.
"This is a good team but they must change the mentality. Some players have to follow, Sissoko and Cleverley, the two captains. This is my work.”


We are constantly bombarded by advertising images – from our computers, televisions, magazines and billboards as we go about our daily lives. But how about using your body, your car or your house to make money from displaying company advertisements?
There are a number of companies which offer those services, including www.signrider.com.au which offers drivers around $40 per week for having their vehicles plastered with banner advertising.
Over in the US, marketing firm Brainiacs From Mars, are saying homeowner’s mortgages each month in return for letting the company paint their houses in bright colours with the firm’s logo.
The company says it will paint the entire outside of the house, minus the roof, windows and any awnings, and only applies to people who own their homes and the house must stay painted for at least a month, but the offer could last for up to a year. If the agreement is cancelled, the company paints the house back to its original colours.
David Le from Brainiacs From Mars told news.com.au the company has received several applications from Australia.
“We’d love to make it out there but don’t have a time projection yet,” Mr Le said.
Also from the US, marketing company www.leaseyourbody.com offers up to $5000 for wearing an advertiser’s brand tattoo on your forehead – either permanently or in the form of a fake tattoo.
Would you surrender your body, car or house as a billboard? If so, how much money would you want for it?


Listen to Michael Jackson's Album Teaser
Thu, 10 Apr 2014 12:50:24
Michael Jackson Photos
Michael Jackson Videos
Michael Jackson's estate supports the release of Xscape, a posthumous Jackson release out May 13 via Epic that features recordings that Jackson had worked on. Check the album teaser below. It's funky!
And it's awesome.
The album includes eight unreleased recordings that have been redone and refreshed and contemporized by Timbaland and other A-list knob twiddlers like Rodney Jerkins. They are Jackson sourced tracks. The original sources will be featured on the deluxe version, as well.
Go ahead, moonwalk to the track!
Did you escape with Xscape's album teaser?


text:
INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS & RELATED ARTICLES
All About Jazz OCTOBER 18, 2014 - by Nenad Georgievski
DAVID BOWIE: EXCERPTS FROM 1. OUTSIDE AND EARTHLING
The '80s were very good to singer David Bowie, and maybe too good for his own good. After producing Let's Dance (EMI, 1983), his best selling one, which was followed by a very successful world tour, he went on to reproduce his successes in a very grand and hefty way, mostly by reproducing the same pop formula endlessly. That resulted in a string of below average pop records that only served to increase his popularity and income rather than breaking new music ground for others to follow like he always did. By the end of the '80s, the taken course of his career has led him in dire straits creatively. While he scored some of the biggest hits during this time period, mostly he was creatively drifting, and in danger of losing his relevance. But, much of his career, Bowie proved to be a survivor, one of those people that can ride the ever shifting tides of ideals, fashion, ideology or the shibboleth that constitute the zeitgeist of the times. And as Bowie saw, the survivors don't necessarily always ride the these tides unscathed as he was heavily hammered by the press during that time. Salvation came first with his much underrated group Tin Machine (the debut album was very good) which was inspired by the booming alternative rock music culture and the favorite band from that era - The Pixies. While the band Tin Machine is seen now as a failed experiment, it was there that he forged an alliance and creative relationship with guitarist Reeves Gabrels, which marked all of the records that David Bowie went on to make in the '90s. The '90s were a comeback for him, first with Black Tie White Noise (Savage, 1993) and from then on the creative tide continued with 1. Outside and Earthling.
Generally, the '90s was a period of major changes in the music when the alternative and the underground became mainstream. The unpredictable and the uncertainty stood shoulder to shoulder with the feeling of pushing the boundaries of music and introducing new musics. That was the main feeling that characterised the '90s. For Bowie, this period was to prove whether if he can still match his creative high-water marks. While Black Tie White Noise signaled a return to form for Bowie, it was the soundtrack for the BBC produced television serial, The Buddha Of Suburbia, (EMI, 1993) that showed he was willing to ride the wave of changes, risk and uncertainty. These two records featured musicians and comrades old and new that would accompany him on the next several tours and records. The most important ingredient was the reconnection with his former collaborator, producer Brian Eno with whom he created the famed Berlin Trilogy records in the '70s.
1. Outside is a concept record and at the time it was envisioned to be the first installment, with a follow-up record, the now aborted Inside. The concept of this record was the narrative of episodes taken from a diary of art detective Nathan Adler. As can be read from the liner notes or the story written by Bowie, Outside is a story set in the not so distant future of 1999, inspired by the artistic interests and endeavors both by Bowie and Eno, and chiefly by visual artist Damien Hirst, where commitment of murder and death were seen as an act of art.
The ideas and the making of it are equally interesting as the final outcome. Eno and Bowie recuperated at Mountain studios in Switzerland, where they greeted the band members by painting the studio walls with paintings. That done, each member was given a character part as in a scenario. Pianist Mike Garson was told "You are a pianist in a South African band. Play all the notes you weren't allowed to." At times they would draw cards from a Tarot deck, apart from Eno's Oblique Strategies' cards, attempting to translate the symbols into music. On the other hand, Bowie set himself to shuffling his lyrics electronically with the help of a software program that would make the cut up writing technique for him.
The result of those sessions was a record that had very little to do with what was happening on the charts at the time like grunge or Britpop, but more with techno ambient and industrial music. What was signaled on Black Tie White Noise, the rekindled interest in experimentation with sound textures, was in full evidence on the soundtrack, but blossomed full on 1. Outside. For a start it evoked the Berlin Trilogy experiments, but at the time it had more in common with Scott Walker's masterpiece and dark work of art Tilt (Fontana, 1995) or the industrial leanings of band Nine Inch Nails. The narrative of the story (or a non-linear Gothic Drama Hyper-cycle) showcased the full range of Bowie's vocal abilities as he took on different roles when he gave the voices of Nathan Adler, the private detective, the victim Baby Grace, suspect Algeria Touchshriek, Ramona A. Stone and the criminal Leon Blank.
The first single from the record was The Heart's Filthy Lesson, a dissonant, atonal song propelled by a hypnotic groove and Gabrels' heavy riffs. The song's industrial leaning signaled the darkish paths that the music on 1. Outside would take but it only provided a glimpse of the rich diversity of what was to come on the record. Throughout his career, there were periods where Bowie's music was marked by coldness, a sense of detachment or isolation, and for the most part this feel is in full evidence here but in a more artsy way. Not everything is doom and gloom here. Eno's touch lends every moment of 1. Outside a certain glow of invention.
The record's original length of seventy-six minutes showed that Bowie opted to grasp the full opportunity that a format such as CD could provide. It is certainly a record with the longest duration he has ever released. But this is a vinyl reissue of the original edited vinyl released along with the original CD release, probably as an attempt to fit in on one LP. Lacking some crucial and really some of the finest songs Bowie has ever written (like Strangers When We Meet, Through These Architect Eyes), kind of hinders the concept of this intriguing sound novella. Sound-wise the vinyl lacks the sharpness and the punchiness present on the CD release while the CD lacks the fullness of the vinyl and its magnificent cathedral-like sound.
With its dark, layered, brooding and often beautiful soundscapes 1. Outside feels like an art gallery where Eno and Bowie had splashed their sound ideas and colors onto its big canvases. Just like the original Berlin trilogy was detached from the mundane happenings in its time, so was Outside detached from the modern times it was made in and yet it was inspired and borrowed heavily from it. That is typical for many of Bowie's finest records. Excerpts of Outside is what it is, a fine chunk of the songs on the record and it means Too bad it isn't the whole record. On the other hand, the complete 1. Outside remains a dynamic and layered work that offers more at every listen.
The concept of Outside/Inside proved to be too much for record companies. In later interviews, now former guitarist and right hand man to Bowie, Gabriels, mentioned that the original concept was even bolder, but Bowie at the time had to re-do the record in order to be published. Consequently, the sequel Inside was scrapped although many bootlegs of the Inside material circulate on the Internet. Outside was supported by a successful tour where he even shared the bill with NIN. Very quickly when the tour ended did he go into the studio with the touring band and recorded Earthling, his crowning achievement of the '90s era.
What can be said immediately is that Earthling sounds absolutely magnificent. This record, by his own words, was a "sonic photograph" of his band. Musically, it is a powerful and potent cocktail of raw and aggressive rock music and drum and bass or jungle music which, when pieced together makes a thrilling roller-coaster ride. At the time, these sorts of hybrids between the music of the electronic/dance underground scenes with rock music were either unsuccessful in their attempts or non-existent. Probably one of the rare success stories would be U2's Pop which as well was pumped to the maximum with techniques drawn from this area without being succumbed to becoming dance music in itself. Characteristically for Bowie, he has always kept his ears towards what has been happening off the charts, down to the club and slum scenes and culture. The result to that is rock music, though not as we know it, mostly in its spirit if not its form. The songs on 1. Outside, except for We Prick You and I'm Deranged suggested little about Bowie's interest in this kind of music or that he would embrace it in full extent.
Little Wonder kicks off this set with a celebration of trash art in its delightful, delirious and intoxicated way. It is Bowie's most exciting and upbeat single since Blue Jean and Let's Dance. In the second half of the song there is a nod to Underworld's Born Slippy. Looking For Satellites starts with Bowie's reciting over a cut-up writing: "Nowhere, shampoo, TV, Boyzone" while Gabrels shreds the guitar over the pulsating rhythms and background keyboards. From there, he ups the voltage towards more warped musical landscapes in Battle For Britain and Seven Years In Tibet. Battle For Britain is fueled by rocket-charged guitars, delicate jungle rhythm patterns and bass grooves with an atonal jazzy piano playing in the middle, provided by pianist Mike Garson. Seven Years In Tibet is a politically charged song sang over a steady beat and intriguing sound palette in the background as Gabrels makes an introduction in the manner of guitarist Peter Green's Albatros guitar sounds and then he charges the guitar so much that he takes noise into new extremes thus creating visceral guitar mayhem.
The incredible dynamic and energy which are permeating throughout the whole record is due to the fact that not only did the band go into the studio five days when the tour supporting Outside ended, but during the recording of it, Bowie and the band went to play small clubs on weekends which is how they sustained the level of energy and intensity high all throughout. Then he ups the voltage even more with Dead Man Walking, Telling Lies and I'm Afraid Of Americans. Dead Man Walking is using a riff which was given to him by Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page during his session days and was first used on Superman from Hunky Dory (EMI, 1971). The band is firing up on all cylinders on this one and with its stomping rhythm and the surges of grungy guitar, it sounds like a rock and roll band on steroids.
Telling Lies was one of the first songs that was presented on the Internet, ages before it became the norm of the industry in the days of file sharing. I'm Afraid Of Americans is a track co-written with Eno and it first appeared in its embryonic state for the soundtrack of Showgirls movie. Crafting discord and filth into beauty, and vice versa, has always been Bowie's talent. It's a delicately arranged piece with boiling electronic sounds and a flood of noisy and enraged guitars. This song is a rant about the invasiveness of American culture (and the video had NIN's singer Trent Reznor following Bowie). The record ends on a high note with the nightmarish, but playful Law (Earthlings On Fire) as Bowie chants "I don't want knowledge, I want certainty" over intricate synth squeals and interlocking drum-machine and shards of guitars. Earthlings on fire, indeed.
There is too much going on in these tracks to permit any easy pigeonholing. The band has pieced together a record which textures, rhythm and visceral guitar mayhem, Beneath all the noise and beats, however, are some excellently crafted rock tunes. Reeves Gabrels certainly went to seek new jobs for the electric guitar in rock-and-roll, but Earthling's sonic explorations are reined back in by drummer Zachari Alford's boisterous beats and loops.
And it is always great to hear Bowie so excited, especially when threading into territories he is not supposed to. But then again, he has made a career on things he wasn't supposed to do. This record presented the energized Bowie, the boundary pusher, the risk-all, dangerous and the fun seeking. Nothing fires up those people like him or U2 as they attempt to stay relevant in any given era. What is easily forgotten in this barrage of beats and guitars is that he is really pushing the boundaries, he was creating new sounds that would not fit into previously seen associations. The follow up to this exciting and dynamic period of the '90s was the contemplative and melodic but nevertheless beautiful '...Hours', (EMI, 1999) but that is another chapter of his diverse and storied career.
TRACKS AND PERSONNEL
1. Outside - Leon Takes Us Outside (edit) / Outside / The Hearts Filthy Lesson / A Small Plot Of Land / Segue - Baby Grace Blue (A Horrid Cassette); Hallo Spaceboy / The Motel (edit) / I Have Not Been to Oxford Town / The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty) / Segue - Ramona A. Stone / I Am With Name / We Prick You / Segue - Nathan Adler / I'm Deranged
David Bowie: vocals, saxophone, guitar, keyboards / Brian Eno: synthesizers, treatments, strategies / Reeves Gabrels: guitar / Erdal Kizilcay: bass, keyboards / Mike Garson: grand piano / Sterling Campbell: drums / Carlos Alomar: rhythm guitar / Joey Baron: drums / Yossi Fine: bass / Tom Frish: additional guitar on Strangers When We Meet / Kevin Armstrong: additional guitar on Thru' These Architect's Eyes / Bryony, Lola, Josey and Ruby Edwards: background vocals on The Hearts Filthy Lesson and I Am With Name
Earthling - Little Wonder / Looking For Satellites / Battle For Britain (The Letter) / Seven Years In Tibet / Dead Man Walking / Telling Lies / The Last Thing You Should Do / I'm Afraid Of Americans / Law (Earthlings On Fire)
David Bowie: vocals, guitar, alto saxophone, samples, keyboards; Reeves Gabrels: programming, synthesisers, real and sampled guitars, vocals; Mark Plati: programming, loops, samples, keyboards; Gail Ann Dorsey: bass, vocals; Zachary Alford: drum loops, acoustic drums, electronic percussion; Mike Garson: keyboards, piano