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Bitcoin ledger as a secret weapon in war against ransomware – Cointelegraph Magazine
Ransomware, malicious software that encrypts computers and keeps them “locked” until a ransom is paid, is the world’s fastest-growing cyber threat, according to Coinfirm. Recent attacks on critical national infrastructure, like the Colonial Pipeline incursion that crippled oil and gas deliveries for a week along the U.S. East Coast, have set off alarms. Ransom payments are almost always made in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
But while many were shaken by May’s Colonial Pipeline attack — the Biden administration issued new pipeline regulations in its aftermath — relatively few are aware of that drama’s final act: Using blockchain analysis, the FBI was was able to follow the ransom payments fund flow and recover about 85% of the Bitcoin paid to ransomware group DarkSide.
In fact, blockchain analysis, which can be further enhanced with machine learning algorithms, is a promising new technique in the battle against ransomware. It takes some of crypto’s core attributes — e.g., decentralization and transparency — and uses those properties against malware miscreants.
While crypto’s detractors tend to emphasize its pseudonymity — and attractiveness to criminal elements for that reason — they tend to overlook the relative visibility of BTC transactions. The Bitcoin ledger is updated and distributed to tens of thousands of computers globally in real time each day, and its transactions are there for all to see. By analyzing flows, forensic specialists can often identify suspicious activity. This could prove to be the Achilles’ heel of the ransomware racket.
An underused means
“The blockchain ledger on which Bitcoin transactions are recorded is an underutilized forensic tool that can be used by law enforcement agencies and others to identify and disrupt illicit activities,” Michael Morrell, former acting director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, declared in a recent blog, adding:
“Put simply, blockchain analysis is a highly effective crime fighting and intelligence gathering tool.[…] One expert on the cryptocurrency ecosystem called blockchain technology a ‘boon for surveillance.’”
Along these lines, three Columbia University researchers recently published a paper, “Identifying Ransomware Actors in the Bitcoin Network,” describing how they were able to use graph machine learning algorithms and blockchain analysis to identify ransomware attackers with “85% prediction accuracy on the test data set.”
Those on the frontlines of the ransomware struggle see promise in blockchain analysis. “While it may at first seem like cryptocurrency enables ransomware, cryptocurrency is actually instrumental in fighting it,” Gurvais Grigg, global public sector chief technology officer at Chainalysis, tells Magazine, adding:
“With the right tools, law enforcement can follow the money on the blockchain to better understand and disrupt the organization’s operations and supply chain. This is a proven successful approach as we saw in January’s ‘takedown’ of the NetWalker ransomware strain.”
Whether blockchain analysis alone is enough to thwart ransomware incursions or whether it needs to be joined with other tactics, like bringing political/economic pressure to bear on foreign countries that tolerate ransomware groups, is another question.
Clifford Neuman, associate professor of computer science practice at the University of Southern California, believes that blockchain analysis is an underutilized forensic tool. “Many people, including criminals, assume Bitcoin is anonymous. In fact, it is far from being so in that the flow of funds is more visible on the ‘public’ blockchain than it is in almost any other kinds of transactions.” He adds: “The trick is to tie the endpoints to individuals, and blockchain analysis tools can sometimes be used to do this linking.”
A valid means for unmasking ransomware attackers? “Yes, absolutely,” Dave Jevans, CEO of crypto intelligence firm CipherTrace, tells Magazine. “Using effective blockchain analytics, cryptocurrency intelligence software” — the sort his firm produces — “to track where ransomware actors are moving their funds can lead investigators to their true identities as they attempt to off-ramp their crypto to fiat.”
David Carlisle, director of policy and regulatory affairs at analytics firm Elliptic, tells Magazine: “Blockchain analysis is already a proven valuable technique for enabling law enforcement to disrupt the activities of these networks, as the Colonial Pipeline case made clear.”
Within days of the May 8 ransom payment by Colonial Pipeline, Elliptic was able to identify the Bitcoin wallet that received the payment. Further, “It [the wallet] had received Bitcoin payments since March totaling $17.5 million,” recounts law firm Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. Elliptic was helped by the fact that the malefactors had used no “mixers” to further obscure their trail. Carlisle adds:
“The underlying transparency of Bitcoin and other crypto assets means that law enforcement can often glean a level of insight into money laundering activity that would not be possible with fiat currencies.”
A boost from machine learning?
Machine learning (ML) is one of those emerging technologies, like blockchain, for which novel use cases seem to be discovered weekly. Can ML assist too in the war against ransomware?
“Absolutely,” Allan Liska, a senior intelligence analyst at Recorded Future, tells Magazine, adding further: “Given the large number of malicious transactions occurring at any given time and the increasing sophistication of some ransomware groups, money laundering capabilities manual analysis has become less effective — and machine learning is required to effectively track tell-tale signs of malicious transactions.”
“Machine Learning is very promising in fighting crimes,” Roman Bieda, head of fraud investigations at Coinfirm, informs Magazine, but it requires a huge amount of data to be effective. It is relatively easy to acquire Bitcoin addresses, which are available in the millions, but a dataset upon which a learning model can be trained and tested also requires a certain number of “fraudulent” Bitcoin addresses — i.e., confirmed ransomware actors. “Otherwise, the model will either mark a lot of false positives or will omit the fraudulent data as a minor percentage,” says Bieda.
Say you want to build a model that will pull out photos of dogs from a trove of cat photos, but you have a training dataset with 1,000 cat photos and only one dog photo. An ML model “would learn that it is okay to treat all photos as cat photos as the error margin is [only] 0.001,” notes Bieda. In other words., the algorithm would just guess “cat” all the time, which would render the model useless, of course, even as it scored high in overall accuracy.
In the Columbia University study, researchers made use of 400 million Bitcoin transactions and close to 40 million Bitcoin addresses, but only 143 of these were confirmed ransomware addresses.
“We show that very local subgraphs of the known such actors are sufficient to differentiate between ransomware, random and gambling actors with 85% prediction accuracy on the test data set,” reported the authors, adding that “Further improvement should be possible by improving clustering algorithms.”
They added, however, that “Getting more data which is more reliable would improve accuracy,” making the model more “sensitive” and avoiding the sort of problem described above by Bieda, presumably.
Along these lines, the United States Department of Homeland Security issued a directive in the wake of the Colonial Pipeline attack requiring pipeline companies to report cyberattacks. Reporting attacks had been optional before. Mandates like these will arguably help to build out a public dataset of “fraudulent” addresses needed for effective blockchain analysis. Adds Carlisle: “Public-private partnerships need to focus on sharing financial intelligence related to ransomware attacks.”
Much blockchain analysis is premised on the notion that attackers can be unmasked after an attack takes place. But law enforcement agencies, and especially ransomware victims, would prefer that assaults not happen in the first place. According to Jevans, blockchain analysis can also enable enforcement agencies to act preemptively. He tells Magazine:
“While blockchain clustering algorithms typically require someone to make a payment into an address in order to track the funds and identify the owner, advanced tools like CipherTrace can produce actionable intelligence on addresses that have yet to receive funds, as well, such as IP data that can assist investigators.”
Necessary but not sufficient?
Some ask, however, whether blockchain analysis by itself is sufficient to eliminate ransomware. “Blockchain analysis is an important tool in law enforcement’s toolkit, but there is no single silver bullet for solving the ransomware problem,” says Grigg.
Liska adds: “Even the best research and identification tools aren’t effective unless governments are willing to take access. Stopping ransomware transactions is going to require cooperation between private entities and governments.”
Many ransomware attacks originate on the borders of Russia, according to Coinfirm, so some ask if Vladimir Putin can be pressured to shut down those groups’ operations. “Past cases show not much can be done against the countries related to the cyberattacks, even if there are very strong indicators that the hackers are related to the secret services,” Bieda tells Magazine.
Others question whether blockchain analysis can make any dent at all in the malware problem. “It is way too soon to write off cryptocurrency as a vehicle for ransomware,” Edward Cartwright, professor of economics at De Montfort University, tells Magazine. “While there have been a few ‘good news’ stories of late, the reality is that ransomware criminals are still routinely using Bitcoin as the easiest and most anonymous way of extracting ransoms.”
Moreover, even if Bitcoin becomes too radioactive for malefactors because of its traceability — “a big if,” in Cartwright’s view — “criminals can simply move to currencies that are completely anonymous and untraceable,” like Monero and other privacy coins, he says.
“We really need to see increased collaboration between the private and public sector to build full profiles of these ransomware groups,” says Jevans. “Information sharing in these situations can be the silver bullet.”
“One of the challenges is that ransomware groups are turning to offline methods to move Bitcoin,” says Liska. “Literally, two people meeting in a parking lot or restaurant with their phones and briefcase full of cash.” These types of transactions are much harder to trace, he tells Magazine, “but still not impossible with more advanced tracking techniques.”
But will malefactors move to privacy coins?
What about Cartwright’s point that ransomware actors will simply move to privacy coins like Monero if Bitcoin proves too traceable? Elliptic is already seeing “a significant uptick” in attempts to obtain payments from ransomware victims in Monero, Carlisle tells Magazine. “This has really increased since the time of the Colonial Pipeline case, when the implications of Bitcoin’s traceability were on clear display for any other cybercriminals watching.”
But privacy coins can be traced too, though it’s more difficult to do because, unlike Bitcoin, privacy coins hide users’ addresses and transaction amounts. Some jurisdictions, too, have cracked down on privacy coins, or are thinking of doing so. Japan banned privacy coins in 2018, for instance. But there’s a practical problem too. Ransomware victims facing a payment deadline often have trouble finding exchanges that will convert their fiat currency into XMR within the required time period to pay their extortionists and unlock their computers, Bieda tells Magazine. Privacy coins aren’t nearly as well supported by crypto exchanges as Bitcoin. Jevans says “Bitcoin is simply the easiest cryptocurrency to acquire,” adding:
“It is unlikely that ransomware actors will ever completely stop using Bitcoin because of its liquidity and the accessibility of Bitcoin to fiat off-ramps in comparison to other privacy-enhanced cryptocurrencies.”
Most regulated exchanges do not offer Monero trading, adds Carlisle. “Victims may negotiate with the attackers and persuade them to accept payment in Bitcoin, but attackers will then typically demand a fee of 10%–15% for Bitcoin payments above what they would require for a Monero payment — which reflects their concern that Bitcoin’s traceability leaves them vulnerable.”
Is banning crypto a solution?
Recently, former Federal Reserve Bank of New York Supervisor Lee Reiners suggested in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that “There is a simpler and more effective way to stop the ransomware pandemic: Ban cryptocurrency.” After all, he added, “Ransomware can’t succeed without cryptocurrency.”
“This sounds like a solution that would be even worse than the problem,” comments Benjamin Sauter, a lawyer at Kobre & Kim LLP. “However, it does reflect a perception, particularly among many policy makers in the U.S., that cryptocurrency offers a haven for criminals that needs to be restricted,” he tells Magazine.
“The profitability for the threat actors that are carrying our ransomware attacks would certainly decrease if cryptocurrency did not exist, as laundering fiat is inherently more costly,” Bill Siegel, co-founder and CEO of ransomware recovery firm Coveware, tells Magazine. “These attacks would still happen though.”
“I do not think it makes sense to ban cryptocurrency,” Neuman adds. “The existing laws that are on the books in the U.S. require information to be collected on certain kinds of payment instruments for transactions over a certain threshold, and we can apply those rules to cryptocurrency as well. If we ban cryptocurrency, criminals will simply shift their payment demands to other instruments.”
A “cat and mouse game”
Moving forward, ransomware groups will have to live with the increasing risk of getting caught by using Bitcoin, says Liska, “or decide if they are willing to accept significantly lower ransom payments to better preserve their anonymity.”
This remains “a game of cat and mouse between the criminals and law enforcement,” adds Cartwright, “and recent successes of law enforcement are more because the criminals got sloppy or made mistakes [rather] than a fundamental flaw in the [criminals’] business model.”
A global effort may be required to turn the tide on ransomware. All countries need to regulate crypto exchange platforms, says Carlisle, “otherwise attackers will continue to have easy avenues for laundering their proceeds of crime,” while Bieda predicts that crypto will continue to be used for ransom payments “until stringent global and regional regulations such as harsh penalties for lackluster KYC are introduced.”
Tracing Colonial Pipeline #bitcoin #ransom to DarkSide to FBI seizure:▸5/8 Colonial Pipeline pays 75 BTC▸5/9 DarkSide affiliate withdraws 63.75 BTC▸5/27 63.75 BTC moved to another wallet, private key “was in the possession of the FBI”▸6/8 BTC in the wallet seized by FBI pic.twitter.com/RAebpn3P3H
— elliptic (@elliptic) June 10, 2021
It’s important to put ransomware in context, too. “Ransomware is simply the most recent method used by criminals to monetize their exploits,” says Neuman. “At some point it might cease to be called ransomware, but attacks on computer systems will take other forms.” Adds Sauter: “Everyone would win if there were an industry-based solution.”
In sum, people tend to overestimate Bitcoin’s anonymity and underestimate its transparency. “There will always be bad actors,” as Jevans notes, but ransomware groups will realize that crypto payments are traceable, leaving them vulnerable and perhaps even inciting them to find other means by which to pursue their perfidious trade.
Meanwhile, “Continued advancements in blockchain analytics will provide investigators with more and even better insights over time,” says Carlisle. And as law enforcement agencies become increasingly adept in their use of these analytic tools, “We can expect to see more, and bigger, [ransomware] seizures over time.”


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Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Hallmark created the character Rainbow Brite 30 years ago. And though my sisters and I watched it a bit, I don't remember it well. So today I've been lazing on the couch, researching the show, and sketching the character in preparation for an anniversary art show coming up this month at work. The tough thing is that the character design is so far away from my personal aesthetic. I'm challenging myself to make her as cute as possible, and to work a fun concept into my piece(s). Time to get painting!

domain: entertainment


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Countdown to The AppNexus Summit
The AppNexus Summit takes place in London next Wednesday (June 10th). Having announced our real-time integration with AppNexus earlier this year, we’re now proudly sponsoring The AppNexus Summit with over 500 industry influencers and executives attending.
As well as an anticipated AppNexus product announcement from Brian Kelly, the agenda includes talks on “How to Win as an Underdog”, “The Full Stack Imperative” and most notably, “Differentiation Through Creativity in Programmatic”.
The AppNexus Summit is one of the most paramount industry events. We’re thrilled to support our partners and are set for an inspiring day of discussions. These events are key to nurturing the ecosystem and who better to do that with than the industry’s best players and the world’s leading independent ad-tech company.
Check out last year’s highlights below for an idea of what’s in store this year.
Back to the blog
Copyright 2021 Adsquare

domain: news


Last weekend we went to London. Of course not just for the fun of it, but to take a closer look around at TOPMAN.
That’s because we went searching for three ambassadors in the past three months: the first three German Topmen. And those three (Stefan, Alex, and Micha) went with us, naturally.
Apart from extensive personal-shopping (this means nothing else than drinking beer in a V.I.P. lounge-like area while hard-working staff gather dozens of clothes for you) and entertaining evening activities (Topman Alex sang Kylie Minogue songs during the dinner at SOHO House), we had the opportunity to get some insights into the Design and Marketing routines at TOPMAN, of course. Details will follow.
For the above picture will have to do, which was taken on the first evening right before David and I lost the rest of the group – and with them all cards and cash – somewhere in East London. We had no choice but nicking half-empty bottles of beer from sleeping Englishmen and mosh to rough pop music.
The photo – this must be mentioned – is an homage to a) 1990’s Boybands (EAST 17) and b) drunk gangs from the suburbs. We think we pretty much nailed it.
Von: Carl Jakob Haupt


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iBet: Aston Villa were lucky not to be relegated last season
Back Aston Villa to finish in the bottom half at 8/13 with Ladbrokes
Lay Aston Villa for a top ten finish at 6/4 with Betfair
Aston Villa are one to seven on to finish in the top 15 of the Premier League, which is, frankly, ridiculous for a team who were lucky to avoid relegation last season and finished in 16th position. Admittedly they have a talented new manager in charge in Paul Lambert, a man with a reputation for getting the best out of a limited budget. And he has key striker Darren Bent back from injury. Lambert has bought in three talented but unproven players from Holland, plus Matt Lowton from Sheffield United. He has offloaded Emile Heskey, plus defenders Carlos Cuellar and James Collins. However, Lambert does not had a huge pool of quality to draw on and the losses pre-season of key forwards Marc Albrighton and Gaby Agbonlahor and defensive linchpin Richard Dunne to long term injuries are serious blows. Villa were relatively sound at the back last year but only Stoke scored fewer goals than the 37 they managed in 38 games. They now have a new back line, and finding the net could again be their Achilles heel.
There are lots of Capital One Cup games in England tonight but with team news hard to come by I won’t be getting involved in any of them. Manchester City are beset priced 13/2 to win the cup, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool at all 9/1.
Betfair gives you better value. To see how much more you can win go towww.betfair.com/betchecker
Recent Posts on Sport
- iBet: Look To The Lady In The Prince Of Wales
- iBet: Favourites have a good record in the Coventry stakes
- Newcastle don't need a football director - they need a new medical team after finishing bottom of the injury league
- iBet: Italy may be more focused on the Confederations Cup than Mexico
- Bayer Leverkusen are the real winners from Andre Schurrle's transfer to Chelsea
Latest from Independent journalists on Twitter

domain: sports


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70 Things – Fear
Teach your men about fear. All men struggle with the emotion of fear, though it is customary to conceal such feelings. Fear is “the feeling that something bad will happen, whether real or imagined.”
Does fear make a man a sissy? No, fear is a normal human emotion, and it can be healthy. Fear will trigger a healthy dose of adrenaline in the fight-or-flight syndrome. It’s good to be afraid when a car abruptly swerves into your lane.
What is not normal is a “spirit” of fear. Vast is the difference between fear and a spirit of fear. Second Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (NLT). What kind of spirit, then, did He give us? It is the spirit of adoption. “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship [adoption]” (Romans 8:15). Sons don’t doubt the good intentions of their fathers–especially when their father is perfect.
Even in times of extraordinary courage, men still feel fear. Fear does not preclude courage, nor is courage the absence of fear. Teach your men that faith leads to courage, and courage conquers fear.
Upon seeing Jesus walk on water, the disciples were afraid. Jesus said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid…. You of little faith… Why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:27, 31). The issue is not having more courage, but more faith. “Faith” is the confidence that everything will work out in the end–that God is sovereignly orchestrating our circumstances, and He is good. “Courage” is the state of mind created by faith that enables us to face bad things with confidence and resolution.
Who is afraid of what they already know? If you think about it, all fear is oriented toward the future. Yet Ecclesiastes 7:14 says, “A man cannot discover anything about his future.” Help your men put fear and worry in proper perspective.
Show your men how to find peace in troubles through prayer: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). In fact, this would be a good one for them to memorize if they are inclined to give Scripture memorization a try.
Yours for changed lives,
“The Journey to Biblical Manhood” -Coming Soon!
For More: Go to www.pastoringmen.com and click on “24. Fear” to (1) see or hear “Fear” in The Man in the Mirror Remix series or (2) read “Fear,” chapter 17 in The Man in the Mirror.
#401 © 2010. Patrick Morley. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced
for non-commercial ministry purposes with proper attribution.

domain: literature


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Bundaberg irrigation specialist Sunfam was one of the very first dealers in Australia to use a JCB DieselMax in an irrigation application. Source: AFDJ eNews In the 1950s the Loeskow family company was focused on drilling for water in the Bundaberg region. Since the incorporation of S
Grace does not usually come to mind when you think of heavy farm machinery but it was in evidence when the tractors danced at the Otago Taieri A&P Show in New Zealand. Source: Otago Daily Times Spectators were delighted as the tractors wove in and out dancing with precision, at ti
A fall in the latest tractor sales figures from the Agricultural Engineers Association reflect a tough 12 months for farmers and manufacturers alike in the UK. Source: Farmers Weekly (UK) Registrations of agricultural tractors bigger than 50hp reached 10,598 units in 2015, a drop of 1
Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association (FEMA) has reported that John Deere CEO Samuel Allen took a pay cut amid the company’s down financial cycle. Source: Agrimarketing Allen’s compensation package was reduced by 7.8% to $US18.7 million, according to a proxy statement f
Farm machinery and bus manufacturer Kühne, based in Mosonmagyaróvár, western Hungary, is to show two new in-house developed and manufactured farm machinery products at next weekʼs Agromash Expo in Budapest. Source: The Budapest Business Journal CEO Csaba Süli told Hungarian news age
According to the latest Acute Market Report the global agricultural machinery market valued at US$152 billion in 2014 is expected to reach US$267 billion by 2022 growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.3% between 2014 and 2022. Source: Acute Market Reports Factors such as rising
Just as we’re becoming used to the idea of driverless cars, driverless tractors and other agricultural robots will soon harvest the food we eat. Source: Enterprize Tech In fact, agricultural automation – in the form of driverless farm machinery, drone crop dusters, automated milking s
Canadian Buhler maker of Versatile tractors and Farm King equipment has reported a revenue for the year was CA $245.7 million, down CA$79.8 million from CA$325.5 million reported in 2014. Source: AFDJ eNews According to the company weak commodity prices and the unstable political envi
AGCO held its fifth annual AGCO Africa Summit in Berlin, Germany. The Summit is a joint initiative of AGCO, Bayer CropSci ence, Rabobank and De Lage Landen. Source: AFDC eNews The 2016 Summit focused on transforming agriculture in Africa through inclusive and sustainable growth. “Afri
Australasian Farmers' & Dealers' Journal (AFDJ) offers complete coverage of the Australian farm machinery and farm supplies retail market.
Any companies wanting to reach Australia’s most active dealers, farm supply resellers, large scale farming enterprises and farm contractors
that own and run ten or more models of farm machinery and vehicles in their daily work activity fit into our select group of readers.

domain: agronomy


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Hacienda Los Satos is our Rescued Satos' home until they find their forever home. Click to see lots of pictures of our amazing Satos.
Learn how to help us save more lives by volunteering, donating and fundraising for PR Animals.
Learn more about our programs: Humane Education, Rescue and Rehabilitation and much more...
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domain: pet


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How to protect yourself from toxoplasmosis and listeriosis? Which foods should you consume for your health and that of your baby? The video tips of Manon Brodeo, dietician-nutritionist.
- During pregnancy, care should be taken not to consume raw animal products (meat, fish, raw milk cheese) to avoid contamination with toxoplasmosis and listeriosis. In the same way, it is necessary to wash fruits and vegetables to avoid this contamination.
- During pregnancy, it is important not to start a dietary restriction, but rather maintain a balanced and diversified diet.
- First of all, folate needs are increased, so you have to eat fruits and vegetables. There is also a high need for iron, found in meat and pulses. It is also necessary to maintain a good nutritional status in omega 3 fatty acids, by consuming fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines) and omega 3 enriched oils.
- The consumption of alcohol must, of course, be suppressed during pregnancy.
- Dairy products ensure a good intake of vitamins D and calcium. Be especially careful not to consume skimmed milk products for their vitamin D deficiency.
What is Vitamin D for?
- Vitamin D is found in two ways: either it is made by our skin through the sun, or it is provided by the diet. It is found in fruits, vegetables and also dairy products. In dairy products, vitamin D is associated with fat. Since skim products do not contain fats, this vitamin D can not be combined and allow calcium to bind to our bones. So, during pregnancy, do not consume skim milk, that is, 0%.

domain: medical


Featuring boxy-fit with short sleeves and notch lapel collar, this lightweight 4-way stretch shirt is a perfect choice for a casual yet stylish uniform in warmer climates.
• 7.23 Oz. Fabric: 95% polyester, 5% spandex. • Features four-way stretch fabric and comfort fit. • Machine wash, tumble dry low.
Available Size: S,M,L,XL,XXL Note: There might be ±5% deviation in length for manual measurement and production processes.
SHIPPING & HANDLING:
Shipping method: Standard Shipping. Tracking and secure check out are provided for all orders. Processing Time: 3 – 7 days* in regular seasons.
Take 1-3 weeks to reach to US Take 3-4 weeks to reach to WW (*) might be delayed 2-4 days due to the peak season, but we will try our best to fulfill orders as fast as we can. Average transit times are typically received in 3-4 weeks.


The burgeoning adventure bike market in South Africa is set to gain some Italian flair with the arrival of the all-new Aprilia Caponord 1200 Travel Pack. This is the second new premier-class Italian adventure motorcycle to arrive on the South African scene, following the 2012 launch of the Moto Guzzi Stelvio.
The all-new Aprilia shares nothing but its name with the earlier 998cc Caponord 1000 that was discontinued some years back. The latest version’s 1197cc 900 V-twin engine, derived from that of the Aprilia Dorsoduro, has been retuned to deliver 125 horsepower (92kW) – that’s a 27,5% increase over the power of the previous Caponord – and 115Nm of torque from 6800 rpm.
The new bike comes with a package of electronic riding aids. These include a ride-by-wire throttle system that works with the engine control unit to offer three maps for Rain, Touring and Sports riding, two-channel ABS braking, and three-mode Traction Control. Both the ABS and ATC are capable of being deactivated.
The Travel Pack version of the Caponord to be sold in South Africa also boasts Aprilia Dynamic Damping (ADD), a semi-active suspension system that measures the energy transmitted by bumps on the road and continuously adjusts the front and rear damping to lessen the impact on handling and comfort. In addition, numerous sensors monitor rider input and recalibrate the suspension to take things like throttle position and braking forces into account, all in real time. Unlike other electromechanically adjustable suspension systems, the rider need not press any buttons to select the mode; the bike’s computers can do this automatically to suit the conditions and riding style.
Also standard on the Caponord Travel Pack is a piggyback rear shock absorber that is electronically adjustable over a range of four preload settings. These modes – for rider only, rider and passenger, rider with panniers, and rider with passenger and panniers – can be switched via a button on the handlebars or you can leave the system in automatic mode. This monitors the load on the machine and automatically fettles the spring preload accordingly. It even takes into account things like the continuously diminishing fuel load as the kilometres slip by.
The Travel Pack comes with Aprilia’s electronic cruise control (ACC) that maintains a pre-set speed up hill and down dale, but disengages when the rider uses the clutch or brake.
The frame of the Caponord consists of a robust trellis of steel tubes connected to a pair of die-cast aluminium plates. The rear sub-frame is a beefy structure allowing it to cope with bad roads and heavy loads, while the Sachs rear shock absorber is laterally positioned to keep it well away from the heat generated by the exhaust system, as well as keep the weight low down. Completely adjustable upside-down 43mm Sachs forks look after the front end, and Brembo monoblock four-piston calipers grip the 320mm floating front discs. A single-piston floating caliper does the job on the back wheel, and the ABS system can be deactivated for use on gravel.
It comes with a pair of colour-coded panniers, a centre stand and the full complement of electronic rider aids not available on the standard version sold in other countries.
The Aprilia Caponord Travel Pack will be available at your nearest dealer towards the end of May or early in June. The motorcycle comes with a two year / unlimited distance warranty. Pricing is not yet available but will be very competitive according to Aprilia South Africa.
More info from www.aprilia.co.za.


Earlier this month, NVIDIA pleasantly surprised the world with its flagship GTX 1000 series card, the GTX 1080Ti. It has been over 10 months since the last GTX 1080 Founders Edition stole the market from the last gen GTX 980Ti or the AMD R9 Fury X, and NVIDIA has just released the GTX 1080Ti in time for people to pair it with an AMD Ryzen or an Intel i7-7700K to run graphical tasks at the highest setting.
The GTX 1080Ti review here takes a look at its direct competitor, NVIDIA's in-house Titan X Pascal, or the Titan XP as it is lovingly called. For starters, the GTX 1080Ti is priced a lot lesser than the Titan X, at only $699. The GTX 1080Ti is also based on the Pascal architecture and has a massive 11GB DDR5X memory with a speed of 11GB/s. The boost clock is at a desperately high 1582 MHz with the memory clock being 5505 MHz.
In comparison, the Titan X Pascal has 12GB of memory, a 5000 MHz memory clock and a 384-bit bus width giving it a throughput of 480GB/s. The 1080Ti has a 352-bit bus width and manages a higher throughput at 484GB/s. The Titan X Pascal gets a boost clock of 1531 Mhz.
Both the cards have the same number of CUDA cores and have the same number of transistors, which means that other than gaming, scalable graphical tasks like editing and content creation would be equivalent. Aside from the technical jargon, what does all of this mean to the average gamer?
For starters, the GTX 1080Ti takes 4K gaming and makes it even better than the GTX 1080 or the Titan X Pascal. What this means is that 4K gaming is now done at acceptable framerates with some titles hitting as much as an average of more than 60 FPS with the exclusion being Crysis 3 which still maxes the card out at 54 FPS.
On most tests, the GTX 1080Ti was at least 22% faster on 4K than the GTX 1080. In fact, the card ran Metro: Last Light Redux benchmark at over 40 FPS, which is a massive improvement from the sub 30 FPS of the GTX 1080. Moreover, the card ran the Rise of Tomb Raider benchmark at an average of 62 FPS.
It is still unclear just how long will the GTX 1080Ti rule the 4K throne. Some experts believe that AMD Vega might dethrone it, however, AMD Vega seems to be a less powerful card than the GTX 1080Ti. As of now, gamers are enthralled with the card.


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domain: design


Cam-Shaft has introduced a fresh tuning package with styling and performance enhancements for the Cadillac CTS-V sports sedan. Cam Shaft’s tuning package pushes the Cadillac CTS-V beyond its 564 horsepower while providing exterior styling modification as well.
The tuning package includes some fiddling a larger air intake and an ECU optimization with minor modification to the compressor. The result is a power output of 630 horsepower.
In addition to the upgraded powerplant, Cam Shaft also began by masking the car’s bodywork in a matte white finish. A matte black tape then applied on all chrome accents found on the CTS-V including the grille and window surrounds. Even, the exterior mirrors and the alloy wheels also get the exact same matte black color procedure.
If you are interested in the Cam-Shaft’s tuning package, here is the break down: the white wrap is priced at €2,250 ($2,980), the black detailing on the body and the wheels is about €3,250 ($4,300), and the final engine upgrade is priced at €3,800 ($5,050).


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What a way for such a legend to go out.
The world was shocked on Sunday when it was reported that music icon David Bowie had passed away at the age of 69 after an 18-month long battle with cancer.
Almost immediately as the news came out, fans across the globe began downloading his famous songs and movies to honor their idol, and the response was pretty overwhelming.
As you may have heard, David's 27th studio album dropped January 8 — just two days ahead of his untimely death — and Blackstar is actually set to become his first-ever Billboard No. 1 album in the United States.
Related: David Bowie's Final Music Video Was About His Own Death
Ziggy Stardust even achieved the impossible by dethroning Adele's 25 for the first time since it dropped back in 2015; although we hate the circumstances that led to the news.
Similarly, David's Blackstar is also the No. 1 album on iTunes, while The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Best of Bowie, and Hunky Dory each managed to crack the Top 10, with a further nine other albums in the Top 30.
We think it's safe to say that David's loss is going to be felt by the music industry for years to come.
Rest in peace, Mr. Bowie.
[Image via Adele/Instagram/Time/Rolling Stone.]
Tags: 25, adele, billboard, blackstar, david bowie, itunes, music minute, r.i.p.


Featured Plant of the Month: Calendula!
This Sunny Flower Deserves a Prime Spot in Your Growing Dome
Calendula or Calendula officinalis is from the Asteraceae or Daisy family and is native to Southern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean area. Early American settlers brought calendula seeds to America so they could plant them in their kitchen gardens. These gardens were typically just outside the home and narrow so they could be tended from either side. Kitchen garden beds were full of plants used for medicine, food, and seasonings. As calendula can be used for all three purposes, it was a very important plant to have in the kitchen garden.
A small, bushy plant that can grow to almost two feet tall, it thrives in cool weather but is only short-lived in warmer climates. It has light green leaves that are lance-shaped and yellowish-orange flowers similar to daisies. The flowers tend to open in sunny, dry weather and close when the weather is cold or moist.
Calendula is an annual plant unless you live in hardiness zones 9-11, where it will grow as a perennial. Calendula has been in use as a medicinal plant since around the 12th Century. This plant is high in flavonoids, which are plant-based antioxidants that protect us from free radical molecules. It is thought to fight inflammation as well as bacteria and viruses. Calendula is also used topically and in many cosmetic products.
Growing Calendula in Your Garden
Calendula is a low-maintenance plant that is a wonderful addition to any garden as it attracts pollinators as well as being useful for cooking and medicinal products. It prefers full sun but does fine with partial sun and even some shade in hotter zones.
Calendula likes rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. The seeds can be direct sown in your greenhouse garden beds and will self-seed, so it will most likely appear in your garden every year. To have early blooms on outside garden plants, start your seeds 6-8 weeks before the last frost. Sow seeds ¼-½” deep, and they should germinate within 5-15 days.
Moderate watering is best for calendula. To promote a bushier plant, trim your plant back; trimming your plant and picking the flowers encourages growth which will also help your plant to bloom into the fall. Calendula is also a good trap crop to lure aphids away from the fruits and vegetables in your greenhouse.
- The name Calendula comes from the Latin word kalendae, which refers to the first day of the month. It’s thought this is because it was found blooming at the beginning of the month throughout most of the year.
- Did you know that calendula is used in many cosmetic products, even perfume? It is also an excellent dye used on natural fabrics.
- Calendula is also called Poet’s marigold for all the poems written about it. It is called Pot Marigold for its use in soups and stews. Another name is Mary’s Gold referring to the rays of light often painted around the Virgin Mary’s head. Despite these names calendula and marigold are two different flowers.
- Calendula isn’t mentioned specifically in any poems, but since it is in the Daisy family here’s a poem for you: “Tread Lightly, she is near Under the snow, Speak gently, she can hear The daisies grow.” – Oscar Wilde
- Did you know calendula is used as a substitute for saffron? This is why it is called “Poor man’s saffron”.
- Calendula is known as the “flower of rains” as they used to say that if the flower opened in the morning, it may rain.
- Calendula was the International Herb of the Year in 2008! 🏆
Calendula Companion Plants
As we’ve mentioned before, companion planting is using the knowledge of which plants are beneficial to each other. Whether that is because they add nutrients to the soil, invite beneficial insects to your garden, or act as trap crops, such as calendula, practicing companion planting is wise. An extra bonus is that calendula adds beauty to your dome garden like many other flowering companion plants!
Here are a few plants that you can interplant calendula with: basil, carrots, cucumbers, peas, peppers, potatoes, salad greens, squash, strawberries, and tomatoes. Visit the Farmers’ Almanac Companion Planting Guide to learn more.
How to Harvest Calendula
Calendula is best harvested in the morning before watering your greenhouse, as you want the flowers dry. Medicinally they are best harvested when half open, and the more you harvest calendula, the longer the plant and flowers will grow for you, even into the fall. Calendula flowers can be used as a salad garnish and in many recipes. It is also used as a substitute for saffron or dried and used to make teas, salves, tinctures, lotions, and other medicinal products.
There are many methods to dry calendula flowers, including using a dehydrator. You can also leave some flowers for harvesting seeds. Allow the petals to drop and the seed heads to turn brown, then store them in an airy bag to dry and then collect the seeds.
Check out our calendula lotion and bug-repellent recipes.
Do you have your own Calendula tips, tricks, or uses? Comment them below!


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Anxiety and a constant fear of death spawned the dark vibes on Sóley's latest album.
Pete the Rocker has unrivaled passion for Edmonton’s music scene.
It's nice to get out and see the world, but sometimes you never want to come back home.
Sage Francis seems to have a hard time taking it easy.
A streak of bad luck led to the creation of F&M’s latest album, At Sunset We Sing.
Lie back, relax and let Pigeon Breeders do the work.
No offence, but Tanya Tagaq doesn’t care what you think.
Long before Shannon Shaw was an exuberant band leader, she would lie to make herself sound interesting.
It’s a good thing Freak Heat Waves only had 16 tracks on their home studio tape machine, or they might have kept recording forever.
Melt-Banana seems almost oblivious to its own strangeness.
Voice Industrie has never penned a smash hit in its 26-year career, but the Edmonton band had a brush with Top 40 company.
Put down your phone and listen up.
Zerbin’s upbeat indie-rock songs often come from a darker place than one might expect.
Andreas Kisser is eternally grateful for the first-ever Rock in Rio festival that opened the doors for heavy metal in Brazil back in 1985.
Banshee’s music may be heavy, but its shows are no place for aggressive buffoonery.
Two days after Edmonton black-metal band Idolatry released its first music video, their close friend who shot it was killed in a tragic crash.
Shaving his head seemed like a good idea at the time.
Egyptrixx is taking club music to strange places.
Success south of the border came slowly, and then all at once, for Edmonton expat Michael Rault.
Diamond Mind is ready to rock.
St. Albert will get freaky on Halloween weekend with plant-people, goth-punks and an 800-square-foot haunted house.
Madonna shone a ray of light on an unsuspecting couple in the front row at her Sunday concert in Edmonton.
Two Edmonton doctors are going to space.
NAIT students cooked up a Thanksgiving meal for hundreds of less fortunate Edmontonians Sunday.
A north-side community has its fire station back after a year of renovations.
Alberta’s royalty review panel was welcomed with open arms in Edmonton Tuesday.
City police have shown correlation, but not causation, to support Chief Rod Knecht's claim that out-of-work oilsands workers are driving up crime in Edmonton.
The boyfriend of a woman slain at her Fort Saskatchewan home Friday says the death was a murder-suicide.
T-shirt season is over, but not everyone can afford a proper coat.
Serious vinyl collectors from across Western Canada will hawk their wares in Edmonton Sunday.
A 46-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man were the victims of a deadly shooting in Fort Saskatchewan Friday morning.
Claire Woodall was emotional as she laid a wreath to honour her slain husband Sunday.
Babies and boomers are together at last.
City police Chief Rod Knecht says low oil prices are driving up crime rates in Edmonton.
Bikers with teddy bears took over the Capilano shopping centre parking lot Sunday morning.
Doubts still linger over the guilt of the last man hanged to death in Alberta.
It seemed like Danny Schulz had kicked his addiction, until he relapsed and overdosed on fentanyl.
Edmontonians are uniting to find a solution to the city's deadly fentanyl problem.
Two Terwillegar families allege police were overzealous in arresting a trio of teenage boys playing with airsoft guns.
Festival season has drawn to a close but there's still a number of up and coming local indie acts from around the city that are worth a listen.


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Brown Classic - Black
Ray-Ban Clubmaster Classic sunglasses are retro and timeless. Inspired by the 50’s, the unmistakable design of the Clubmaster Classic is worn by cultural intellectuals, those who lead the changed tomorrow.Choose the iconic Clubmaster Classic sunglasses design in black or brown frames with a crystal brown lens treatment. While wearing Ray-Ban RB3016 Clubmaster Classic design, you’ll always make a statement.
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please verify vendor’s website for product details before purchasing


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The Port of Corpus Christi remains closed after an oil drilling ship broke from its mooring Saturday, sank a tugboat and beached in the ship channel’s entrance to the Gulf of Mexico.
The port, which usually moves $100 million worth of goods a day, shut down midday Thursday before Harvey reached landfall as a Category 4 hurricane north of Corpus Christi Friday night. It can’t reopen until the Army Corps of Engineers inspects it and the beached ship is removed, and that’s not happening any time soon.

domain: geography


DC Voltage and Current Source
Wichit Sirichote, email@example.com
A reference volatge and current source for testing data converter and analog amplifier.
A simple circuit built with TI LinCMOS opamp, TLC254C provides multiple outputs: +2.5V, 0 to +2.5V and 0 to 250uA. The circuit is operated with 9V battery.
Figure 1: Circuit built with universal pcb.
The LM336 provides +2.5V reference voltage. U1A buffers the reference voltage for U1B and U1D. R2 is 25 turns precision resister. It is simple voltage divider providing adjustable 0 to +2.5V for U1B. U1C is voltage controlled current source. The output current will be V(noninverting)/R3. Since the input voltage to the U1C is adjustable from 0-2.5V, U1C will then drive RLoad with 0-250uA. The maximum load is approx. 14k when uses 9V battery. U1D buffers again the +2.5V.
Figure 2: Schematic of DC voltage and current source.
I got the sample chip from Texas Instrument. It was surface mount device. To solder the chip, I extended the tiny leg with wire cut from resister, quite difficult. The reference voltage LM336 is TO92 package shown in the left-hand.
The circuit draws approx. 5mA. If you find the low bias for DC applications, TLC254A, it would draw only 50uA!
Figure 3: The chip, TLC254C is surface mount!
28 Aug 2005
recovered 17 December 2015


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Emma Raducanu will be the only British woman playing in the Fourth round of Wimbledon when she takes on Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea on Saturday, 2 July.
Raducanu, 18, managed to beat the 2019 French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets on Thursday evening.
Now she is the last British woman left in the singles draw after the 18-year-old shocked world No 45 Sorana Cirstea; she only made her maiden WTA main draw appearance last month at the Nottingham Open and now she is into the fourth round of Wimbledon.
According to iNews, Raducanu thinks her mental strength is inherited from her parents, who have academic backgrounds. She was born in Toronto to a Romanian father and a Chinese mother, and the family moved to Kent when she was two years old.
But she told PA news agency that despite having lived in London, she has fond memories of visiting her grandmother in Romania: “My grandma, Mamiya, still lives in central Bucharest. I go back a couple times a year, stay with her, see her. It’s really nice.
“I love the food, to be honest. I mean, the food is unbelievable. And my grandma’s cooking is also something special. I do have ties to Bucharest.”
She admitted her parents raised were “tough on her as a kid”.
She said: “They have been pushy to an extent, not just in tennis but in everything. I think that I’ve developed that mentality since a young age.”
‘I just don’t let it go’
She added: “I would say the biggest thing is that I’m quite gritty. In a match I would say that’s my biggest strength. In those tight situations in a match I just don’t want to let it go.
“I like it in a match when I feel like it gets clutch, those situations when it really gets exciting. I quite like playing in those tight situations because it challenges me and tests how mentally strong I am.”
Raducanu takes after her parents academically as well, as she attended one of UK’s hardest grammar schools where she recently took her A levels. “I’m so competitive that I want to be at the top of my school, even though it’s a tough grammar school and we have some really bright kids there,” she said.
“My parents bring me back down to reality. They say: ‘You can’t be perfect at everything’.”
Raducanu has been taking inspiration from two women in tennis in particular, who reflect her parents’ background: Romania’s Simona Halep and China’s Li Na.
She said: “I’ve really appreciated Simona Halep because of her movement.
“I think that even as I have a big game and quite a lot of powerful shots I would really like to incorporate more of Halep’s physicality and her speed.”
Raducanu has been UK’s most promising female tennis player over the last few years, but the pandemic has affected her progress since March 2020. She is currently 338th in the world but could climb more than 100 places after Wimbledon.


I’m always grateful when one of the Detroit Movie Palaces shows a lesser known old movie. I know it doesn’t help their bottom line as much as more famous films, but it helps further their mission to create unique movie-going experiences for area film lovers.
Recent such screenings have included the moody and atmospheric 1938 French movie Port of Shadows at the Detroit Film Theatre on January 18, 2014, and the 1941 screwball comedy The Lady Eve at the Redford Theatre on March 14 and 15, 2014.
Another minor classic graced the screen of the Michigan Theater on April 27, 2014, with the latest entry in the theater’s four-month salute to director Alfred Hitchcock—the 1955 dark comedy The Trouble with Harry.
I had never seen this movie on the big screen before, and the Michigan’s ambitious lineup of 33 Hitchcock movies helped make this possible. In a smaller selection of Hitchcock movies, the 1950s probably would have been represented by better known works like Rear Window, Vertigo, and North By Northwest.
The spacious Michigan Theater main auditorium helped enhance the experience of watching The Trouble with Harry. It was the perfect way to appreciate the beautiful autumn colors of the VistaVision widescreen color photography.
And the surreal, off-center texture of the plot grabbed you more effectively in the company of audience members who were just as curious as you about where the movie was heading. You could almost feel something strange in the air, as you watched a movie that was completely different from any previous Hitchcock film.
After the movie ended, with applause, you could feel a communal release of mild tension in the form of chuckles and comments as people compared their observations of the film.
Outside the theater, people enjoyed the sunshine of a mild spring day. The main school year ends soon for many University of Michigan students, who will fill the streets of Ann Arbor for just another few days before taking a summer break.
Across the street from the Michigan Theater are several new tenants of the old Borders bookstore building, including a bank and some restaurants. That is good news for the Michigan Theater and other area businesses, who will now see more foot traffic and nighttime lighting in the area.
The Hitchcock series at the Michigan moves into its final month, with several more of the restored silent films that are the basis for the series. Also screening are such audience favorites as Psycho and series finale The Birds on May 27.
Copyright © 2014 by Robert Hollberg Smith, Jr.


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Posted by: Ben Granoff
08:22am / Feb 25, 2012
Off to a great start! Rich tones, strong pacing and wonderful drawing. Looking forward to more of this one.
Posted by: David G Klein
01:30pm / Feb 28, 2012
Looking forward to posting. Thanks1
Some ACT-I-VATE comics contain adult subject matter and may not be appropriate for children.
All ACT-I-VATE comics are © their respective creators.


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Paedophile Benjamin Ashman jailed in 'largest ever indecent image case'
A paedophile has been jailed in what Dorset Police has described as the "largest child indecent image case" it has ever investigated.
Benjamin Ashman, 37, of Bournemouth, was discovered distributing indecent images of children to fellow paedophiles around the world.
He pleaded guilty to 30 counts of possessing, distributing and taking indecent photographs of a child.
One of his victims included a four-year-old girl.
Ashman was jailed for 18 months at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday.
Dorset Police said he was identified after another force informed its paedophile online investigation team that it had recovered a conversation from a computer between Ashman and another convicted sex offender.
Officers spent "hours" analysing "extreme and horrific material of the worst classification of abuse" found on his computer.
In a statement, the force added: "This was the largest child indecent image case ever investigated by Dorset Police and required a dedicated team due to the sensitivity and specialised investigative methods used.
"Hundreds of explicit and shocking text messages were also recovered on Ashman's mobile phone between himself and another offender along with more images of the UK child."

domain: law


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Though we haven’t read Weiss’s book and don’t know the specifics of her argument, if she was broadly asserting that Muslims in Europe are, on average, significantly more antisemitic than non-Muslims in the continent, she’s certainly on solid empirical ground.
Once again, we see that a Guardian op-ed accusing Israel of systematic racism does not hold up to critical scrutiny.
If the Independent wants to be taken seriously as a respectable anti-racist publication, they need call out antisemitic tropes advanced by extremists, world leaders…and even their own correspondents.
it’s interesting that on the same day the Indy published Barghouti’s pro-BDS op-ed, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief published a report linking BDS to antisemitism, noting, for instance, the frequent use of antisemitic tropes by BDS activists – an unprecedented report contradicting Barghouti’s narrative that the Indy naturally failed to cover.
There’s a new player within the Western Arabic-language media universe: Independent Arabia – a joint venture of the UK based Independent and the Saudi media group SRMG, with ties to the Saudi state. Unfortunately, so far it’s shown little commitment to western journalistic standards, and often prefers following Arab newspapers’ preference for parroting anti-Israel propaganda.
The implicit argument that the religious background alone of David Friedman and Jared Kushner renders them biased, and may help explain US policy, is a toxic and racist charge that should have no place in mainstream British publications.
To their credit, shortly after notifying the Financial Times journalist of this error, the passage was revised, and no longer alleges that Oslo committed Israel to the creation of a Palestinian state.
The original article included the wild and completely unsubstantiated claim that, upon invading Lebanon in 1982, the IDF rounded up “all males” as young as 9 years old.
At 2:50 pm Israeli time, the Independent published an article about a proposed Israeli law that would have installed cameras at all polling stations. However, the article was outdated, as, hours before the Indy published their piece, the bill in question was defeated in committee.
Though the Telegraph is normally responsible when it comes to avoiding language that could be seen as antisemitic, this particular sentence clearly serves to legitimise the historically toxic dual loyalty trope, codified as antisemitic by the IHRA Working Definition.
The main point – one that we’ve made continuously at this blog when getting corrections from UK outlets suggesting that Tel Aviv was Israel’s capital – is that, regardless of the question over diplomatic recognition, Jerusalem has been Israel’s official capital since 1949. It is the seat of government, and the city where the Knesset, Supreme Court, Prime Minster’s office and most government ministries are located.
Sky News Arabia did not address the terror attack directly at all. However, after three days, in a report entitled “Israel avenges the ‘Dolev attack’ with 300 houses in the settlements”, it falsely described the innocent victim of the attack as “a settler”,
All of the British publications we surveyed ignored the UN report criticising the Palestinian Authority, despite the fact that most of the outlets routinely report on the UN’s egregiously disproportionate reports critical of Israel.
Though we contacted Daily Mail editors to ask for an editor’s note acknowledging the error, in light of the fact that the claim was made in an actual paper map that nearly one million Britons received (and not merely online), the damage can’t really be undone.
Our analysis showed that, based on our review of other news outlets that published a version of that same AP article, the Guardian was the only one that omitted AP’s paragraph noting the Palestinian violence which caused the clashes.
Other than the Guardian, every news outlet we surveyed that published a version of the same AP report included that original paragraph noting the Palestinian violence which caused the clashes on Sunday – providing another example of how the Guardian routinely omits important facts in order to obfuscate Palestinian culpability.
Those Labour activists who advocate for anti-Zionism (an opposition to the existence of a Jewish state) are doing just that by demanding that, for acceptance into their ‘progressive’ community, Jews renounce and abandon a key component of their Jewish identity.
We complained about the omission to ITV News, encouraged our followers to do the same, and directly tweeted their international editor – all of which eventually resulted in the addition of the following new sentence to the article.
Though we never heard back from Guardian editors, the journalist, to her credit, did eventually respond to apologise, and informed us that the sentence would be corrected.
In comparisons to other British media outlets, The Times is normally one of the more reasonable and thoughtful news outlets in their coverage of the Israel-Palestinian issue and antisemitism in the UK, a fact that makes their glorification of a pro-violence, antisemitic teen especially perplexing.


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The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 5/5 stars
Passion. Destiny. Politics. War
Who shall be named Queen?
The Queen’s Rising was an unexpected delight with its royal ties, political wars and slow burn romance. The story follows orphaned Brienna, one of the girls at Magnalia House in Valenia studying one of the five passions: wit, knowledge, music, art and acting. She comes to the school as a favour of her grandfather’s and eventually chooses knowledge as her passion with Master Cartier as her teacher. Failing to find a patron on her seventeen summer solstice to take her on, Brienna is horrified at what will come next but all changes when she starts having visions from her ancestors about the infamous Stone of Eventide. The stone vanished centuries ago and with its recovery, the rightful heir to the Maevana (rival kingdom to Valenia) empire will come to power. With all hell breaking loose with its current King, and Valenia ties strained, Brienna has become the source of knowledge the people have been waiting for.
She is accepted from a disgraced patron who has plans to use her visions to locate the stone and after meeting the rightful heir to the throne through him, she is set to work using her visions. But all is not what it seems, as Brienna’s past comes into play and she is torn between following her new family or her old one…
I loved this book. I put it off for awhile as it seemed daunting and I find lots of fantasy books are too similar. This one had me captivated. The characters were likeable, the political warfare between Valenia and Maevana was so interesting, and the slow burn romance between Brienna and Cartier was really great. Everyone had secret identities so the twists just kept on coming.
My favourite points:
– The slow burn romance between Brienna and Cartier was so lovely to read. You didn’t know if they were going to get together as he’s technically her teacher and there’s at least a ten year age gap, but it felt suitable. Not creepy. He was so respectable and sweet to her and when I say it was a slow burn romance, it really was, which made it all the much sweeter.
– The politics were so interesting to read about. It wasn’t too technical and the rivalry between Valenia and Maevana was well explored. The magic element also added an extra layer to the story and I liked how this book set it all up for the sequel.
– The twists weren’t major but there were enough that caught me off guard and surprised me. Everyone had alter egos and I was hooked reading it all unfold. I definitely had moments where I was like, “What!” and I’m looking forward to seeing where the characters go next.
– The pacing of the book was done well. I was interested throughout the novel as there were enough plot points to keep my focus. I just wanted to know what was going to happen next.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. It’s intriguing, passionate and magical and has a strong storyline to keep you interested. The set of characters were likeable and I’m excited for the sequel next year to come out.

domain: library


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The Jungle Junction animated series follows a group of fun-loving animals on wheels as they explore a magical jungle. Part animal and part vehicle, the characters get involved in action-packed adventures. Re-create those adventures or create your own by wheeling Ellyvan, Zooter and Bungo around in this fantastic set. Pop the road signs on the play mat to encourage interactive play.
3 versions available, but the purchase refers to a single product. If not required customization within an hour from the order you will be sent a random product.


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Enchanting Outdoor Metal Plant Stands Inspirations With Shelves Paint Colors Tier Stand Wrought Iron Garden Corner Shelf Folding Images
: 736 x 736
Sculpture wooden boxes planter stand metal colors indoor ideas wood paint tiered. of enchanting outdoor metal plant stands inspirations with shelves paint colors tier stand wrought iron garden corner shelf folding images.
Fabulous outdoor metal plant stands ideas also sculpture paint tier decorative black stand shelves hangers and collection pictures.

domain: artistic


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You have requested access to download the full text of the source (SourceID: 197322): Morrow, C.; Cárdenas, P. (2015). Proposal for a revised classification of the Demospongiae (Porifera). Frontiers in Zoology. 12: 7.
Website and databases developed and hosted by VLIZ · Page generated 2023-09-22 · contact: Nicole de Voogd


Hybrid Cars at the Forefront of More Sustainable TransportationPublished on 01.14.2015
2 min read
Hybrid cars get going on an electric motor and then gradually switch over to a conventional internal combustion engine once they reach a steady cruising speed. Various methods are used to charge the battery. Although hybrids are now an essential component of any future lower-carbon fleet, the batteries still need to be improved.


Dale Bros. general manager Karen McMillen said the event showcases mostly Inland Empire craft brewers with more than 50 beers.
“We’re trying to shed light on the Inland Empire craft beer scene,” said McMillen, adding that while they’ll have popular brewers like San Diego-based Stone Brewing Co. and Noble Ale Works from Orange County, the goal is to highlight more local breweries.
“In the I.E., in the last year or two, it’s exploded and we have a lot of great breweries starting up in this area. We want to show everybody what we got.”
“It’s a really fun location,” she said. “You have a beautiful view of the mountains, a great view of small planes taking off and landing, that kind of visual entertainment.”
People paying extra for VIP will get in an hour early, receive a special glass and will be able to take part in a “Meet the Brewer” event that includes a home brewing demonstration, McMillen said.
Final pour for the event is 4 p.m.
Dale Bros. beers at the event will include its flagship beer Pomona Queen, California Black Bear and Runway IPA (India pale ale). Its two specialty beers expected to be showcased are Bl’oak, the California Black Bear beer aged in an oak bourbon barrel, and a Kriek beer, a Belgium sour aged with cherries.
Even more beers will be available at the brewery, at 2120 Porterfield Way in Upland, which will remain open while the anniversary event is going on, McMillen said.
Andy Dale, who owns and operates the brewery with brother Curt, said his brew team is always looking to create beers that are new and different.
“They come up with an idea for a new beer and they haven’t come up with any bad ideas yet,” Dale said. “We’re just trying to find beers that are obviously popular, but also trying to make them in a style that fits our brand.”
Dale Bros. tends to focus on sessionable beers, which contain no higher than 5 percent alcohol by volume.
“Rather than making, say, a huge imperial stout, what we did was make something more traditional, a stout that comes in at 4 percent — so you can enjoy one and still walk home,” he said. “Beers that are basically lower in alcohol means you can enjoy more than one pint.”
The net proceeds from the event will go to the Claremont Educational Foundation.
Richard Chute, president of the foundation, said Dale Bros. has previously used its tasting room for nonprofit organizations and shared percentages of the bar tabs with the groups.
“They are very community minded,” Chute said. “We’re raising private money to support public schools in Claremont. Education foundations in many communities do the same work. It’s our effort to augment these opportunities in the face of declining state funding. We focus on helping to fund art and music in elementary schools and technology in all levels up to the senior high level.”
Last year, the foundation contributed $210,000 to the district, Chute added.
“It’s a big experiment and assuming it all works we would love to repeat it,” Chute said.
“We have craft sodas, a kids game area, vintage trailers … so it will have interest for kids and families,” Chute said.
Additionally, organizers are trying to recruit up to 60 people to pour beers as part of a tipping contest among pourers. Those who enter can choose to have their tips go to Claremont Educational Foundation or another charity of their choice.
“It’s the idea of brotherhood and people being together in the community and going out with your friends to enjoy beer and enjoy friendship,” Chute said.


The (Oluwa Sheyi) crooner, “KezReel” is Back to the music scene, bigger & better. And this time teaming up with label mate “Sean Dickson SD” to drop this tune strictly for the ladies titled: “SADE” produced by KayzBeatz, Magic touch from CrisAce Mix. After much anticipation!!!
It’s Finally Here…. Listen and Enjoy!


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Tableau Visual Analytics training will teach you the best practices for sharing insights and information with others. This Visual Analytics training helps you create a visualization that others can easily use and understand.
You must be an experienced Tableau user who wants to learn about the best practices for conveying insights and information. This Visual Analytics training course will help users create a visualization that viewers can easily use and understand. This training utilizes Tableau to discuss and develop visualizations, but it doesn't include the instruction on how to use Tableau products - we assume that you know how to use and navigate Tableau.
For many years, Microtek Learning has been helping organizations, leaders, and professionals to reach their maximum performance by addressing the challenges they are facing.


Hi there! Reading the Watermark sensor is no easy task indeed. Took us a while to get accurate and reliable data out of these sensors.
First of all, take a look at the official documentation provided by Irrometer: https://www.irrometer.com/200ss.html
Especially the pseudo-AC excitation is very important and make sure you calibrate the readings using the soil temperature.
There's quite some off-the-shelf hardware on the market already. Look for a device that has a low power consumption so you can measure throughout the year, for example:
Let me know if you have any more questions!


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Week 2 Menus
Monday: lasagna; whole grain French bread; romaine salad with blueberries, feta, almonds, craisins, and vinaigrette dressing. Greta went to her boyfriend’s house for dinner and was asked to bring salad and bread.
Tuesday: Thai Beef and Rice; romaine salad with tomatoes; sautéed mixed garden veggies
Wednesday: lunch-Persian Pilaf; dinner-marinated grilled chicken breasts; rice; spinach salad with hb egg and diced ham. Greta ate dinner at a friend’s house.
Thursday: French meat and potatoes; broccoli; peach cobbler
Friday: Curried chicken salad with remaining fresh spinach, mini croissants, blueberry cheesecake for dessert when Jared’s friends came over in the evening
Saturday: lunch-leftover curried chicken salad, leftover whole grain French bread; dinner-grilled hot dogs on buns with fresh salsa or chili and cheese, fresh fruit bowl of 7 fruits.
Sunday: noon meal-marinated London Broil; carrots; mashed potatoes; Caprese salad (sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella with herbs and vinaigrette). Greta was at boyfriend’s house. Evening meal-hoagies on homemade wheat rolls; raw veggie sticks
Week 2 Notes
The Mystery Q item (one penny item) at Publix this week was frosted flakes. I almost didn’t put it in my cart, but then I decided I could donate it to charity if nobody in the house wanted to eat it. As it turns out, our son-in-law was thrilled to have that kind of junk food for breakfast.
I decided to make lasagna again this week because I wanted to use up the rest of the big carton of ricotta cheese. As I was making it, I saw a container of leftover spinach so I added a spinach layer to the lasagna. It went over very well with the family. There were leftovers for lunches the next day.
When I made the tossed salad on Monday, I threw in fresh blueberries instead of the fresh strawberries called for. I laughed when I realized that I usually substitute most of the ingredients in this particular salad: almonds for the walnuts we never have, feta for the fresh Parmesan cheese we rarely have, and romaine for the called-for baby spinach. I do always use the dried cranberries and the vinaigrette dressing called for.
My neighbor brought over a few extra veggies from his garden last week. I used up the last of them in a mixed veggie sauté side dish. I also tossed in a small container of leftover veggies from the refrigerator. (Sometimes I take our neighbors some homemade bread or cookies in exchange for their produce.)
I had several onions and green peppers that needed to be used up. I diced them, spread them on parchment-lined cookie sheets, and quick-froze them. Then I poured the little cubes into zipper bags. They are very handy when making casseroles.
On Thursday I was late getting home. Heather and I threw together a casserole of sliced potatoes, seasoned meat, and diced bacon. I used two lb of the ground turkey I bought on sale yesterday, and the rest of a large bag of aging potatoes that needed to be used up. I thawed a partial package of bacon in the freezer from some time ago. Then we noticed that the peaches I bought on Monday were ripening unevenly; they weren’t fully ripe, but some already had spoiled spots. When Luke jabbed thumb holes in three of them, that settled it. We would have peach cobbler for dessert even though we rarely have dessert on week nights. I used a recipe for a cakey topping and it was delicious.
For our chicken salad on Friday, I deboned the leftover chicken pieces from Sunday. There was a mix of white and dark meat. Even though the recipe calls for diced cooked chicken breast, it doesn’t really matter if you use a less expensive mix of white and dark meat in most recipes.
I garnished the chicken salad with the remaining handfuls of fresh bagged spinach I got on manager’s special on Wednesday.
I had a CVS coupon for $2 off 2 Gold Emblem nuts. I bought two packages of chocolate covered peanuts for 99 cents each. With the $2 coupon they were free. I shared them with the family after dinner.
Heather got two boxes of baby cereal free at Publix as part of a new mom packet.
I got a free bagel at Einstein’s on Friday because I clipped a coupon they had in the paper several weeks ago. The coupon is good until 11 am over and over on Fridays during July and August. Sadly, I forgot to go Friday of week #1. But the coupon is stuck to the front door now so I will see it as I walk out the door.
On Saturday Jared came home from working at CVS with a bag of FREE food that the boss let him take because it wasn’t selling from the clearance cart. He had: 2 cans evaporated milk, mandarin oranges, 2 bottles seasoning salt, a Kraft easy mac, Town House Flipsides crackers, and 2 lb pistachios. I guess you could say this is like clean dumpster diving(!) because the stuff was headed to the dumpster.
David had free lunch at work on Saturday because the boss ordered in pizza for everyone.
A friend gave us a small watermelon and six ears of corn on Sunday, extras that had been given to them.
Week 2 Purchases
I spent $40.77 at Publix on milk (on sale ($1.99), cheese (sale), yogurt, tuna (BOGO), tomato paste (9 cents after coupons), powdered sugar, 2 lb boneless skinless frozen chicken breasts (on sale $4.99), and in-season fresh produce.
I returned the watermelon I bought at Kroger last week because it had a rotten area. I got store credit of $4.47.
I spent $33.83 at Kroger for a whole pork loin (on sale $1.99 lb), 12 chubs ground white turkey (on sale 99 cents lb), 1-quart yogurt (on sale $1.88), fresh in-season produce, powdered sugar (coupons), brown sugar (sale and coupon), and manager’s special markdowns: rye bread 49 cents, sourdough loaf $1.79, bag spinach $1.39. Besides the senior discount, I also got $4.47 off because I had store credit from the rotten watermelon.
I went back to Kroger on Saturday to buy 12 more chubs of ground turkey before the sale ends; also got more grapes on sale, spending $14.45. I am having a hard time keeping fresh fruit stocked!
Greta was invited to her boyfriend’s house for dinner and was asked to bring bread and salad. She bought the groceries, as well as grapefruit juice, spending $7.22. She didn’t know I was doing the Grocery Challenge, so I’m sure she could have done better on her purchases if she had really tried.
Our total spending for week #2 was $96.27, a little over half my weekly allotment.

domain: food


Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to have a version with curved display, and a regular version for mass markets39
It’s said that the Note 4 with curved display is made for “niche markets”, while a Galaxy Note 4 with a regular, flat screen will be widely available around the world. Both should be officially unveiled at IFA 2014 in Berlin, between September 5 and September 10. Earlier this week, we heard that the new Galaxy Note would sport a Quad HD (1,440 x 2,560) display, and we expect both the curved and the regular version to offer this pixel resolution. Other features that the new flagship device will allegedly offer include a 16MP rear camera with optical image stabilization, and a Snapdragon 805, or Exynos 5433 processor (the latter hasn’t been announced yet).
source: Korea Times


Etihad Engineering is the winner of the MRO Service of the Year category.
Etihad Engineering registered record growth in its client base, which was reflected in its revenue as well as man-hours delivered to customers from all over the world.
The growth in revenue despite challenging market condition and a highly competitive landscape in the MRO industry and the expansion of the client base was achieved through a multi-pronged strategy.
Etihad Engineering became the world’s first MRO to carry out a 12-year check on an A380, the year also saw addition of the A350 and B787-10 capability, as well as a range of new approvals and certifications
The business’s growth, capability building, efficiency and productivity maximisation and expansion of the client base globally resulted in 2018 becoming the company’s best year for profit.
Etihad Engineering is currently on track to better its own record in 2019.
The project that stands out most this year for the firm is the world’s first 12-year heavy maintenance check on an A380.
In its 500,000 sqm facility based in Abu Dhabi, which employs professionals from over 60 nations, the 12-year A380 check took 90,000 man-hours to complete.
More than 100 engineers and technicians worked on the project day and night and more than 1,000,000 parts were removed and replaced during the sophisticated project.
The full check took 98 days and the aircraft was delivered to the customer on time.
It also became the first MRO in the Middle East to carry out A350 heavy maintenance on-site.
In total, Etihad Engineering delivered more than 260 aircraft inputs to its customers worldwide between the August 2018 and August 2019.


The listing is expired. You can't contact the publisher.
Berry's .40 180 grain round shoulder bullets. $125 per 1,000 or $240.00 for 2,000.
Berry's Superior Plated Bullets are swaged and plated to final weight and re-struck
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Can withstand velocities up to 1250 fps.
THIS IS NOT LOADED AMMUNITION


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Published on October 31st, 2014 | by admin
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD – New trailer
SYDNEY (30th October 2014) – A new type of FINAL FANTASY game for the latest and most-powerful generation of game consoles, is almost upon us. With the launch of FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 TM HD just a few months away, Square Enix Ltd., today premiered a brand new trailer to celebrate the opening day of Paris Games Week.
In FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD – step into the fray as Class Zero, an elite group from a military academy whose country is attacked by an aggressive neighbouring Empire. In the brutal and harrowing struggle that follows, you must engage a range of powerful magical and combat abilities using a new and exciting battle system, to defeat the Empire and uncover the secrets behind the war.
FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD will be available on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One across Australia & New Zealand on the 19th March 2015, and will include a downloadable playable demo of the highly anticipated FINAL FANTASY XV as a special bonus – titled ‘FINAL FANTASY XV -EPISODE DUSCAE‘.


text: This abstract designed brooch is in excellent condition. The stones are solid colors of red,white and blue and the finish is a bright gold tone. All stones are prong set. The closure is a roll over safety clasp. Heavier well constructed piece. Vintage 1960's to the 1970's. Size is 1 3/4 inches in diameter.


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IMPHAL, Jan 10 : Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday visited his Constituency Heingang and interacted with the people there.
The Chief Minister visited his Constituency after a long gap due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
During the interaction, he took stock of the problems being faced by locals and assured them of addressing their grievances at the earliest.
He also took suggestions from the people regarding various issues concerning the Constituency and the State.
The Chief Minister also visited his residence in Luwangsangbam.
“After a long gap, due to the #COVID19 pandemic, finally have a chance to meet the people of my Heingang Constituency at my residence in Luwangsangbam,” N Biren Singh tweeted on Sunday.
“Attending to hundreds of grievances and also suggestions from my people and well-wishers,” he tweeted


Elise Emerald Jumpsuit
The Elise Emerald Jumpsuit features a halter neckline, pleated texture, keyhole opening in back, pockets, and soft, luxurious, stretchy material.
- Relaxed fit with a good stretch.
- Model is 5'4" and wearing a size M.
- Self: 100% Polyester
- Lining: 95% Polyester, 5% Spandex
- Hand wash cold. Do not tumble dry. Hang dry.


The Germany international says that he and his fellow Bayern Munich team-mates are "delighted" by the arrival of the talented 22-year-old midfielder from Barcelona
Many pundits have been left perplexed by the Bavarians' acquisition of the versatile attacking midfielder, particularly in light of the earlier signing of Mario Gotze from Borussia Dortmund.
|3/1||Bayern Munich are 3/1 with William Hill to win the Champions League
“He's a very, very gifted footballer, who has everything you need to become one of the greats," the Germany international told FCB.tv. “We’re delighted we've acquired a player of his quality.
“We still have to help him settle but I think it'll happen really quickly."
Meanwhile, on a personal level, Schweinsteiger was just happy to be back training after recovering from a heel injury.
“It was great to be playing with the team again and do a few of the exercises," the 28-year-old midfielder enthused. "I'm feeling very good. I need to feel more secure, but I've made a start."
Bayern paid a reported €20 (£17m) million to sign Thiago from Barcelona, though that figure could rise to €25m (£21.5m).


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Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.
This phrase was coined by Emile Coué, a psychologist and pharmacist, who introduced a method of healing based on autosuggestion, which is the suggestions you give yourself or the thoughts you hold in your mind. Coué noticed that he could improve the effects of a medicine simply by praising its effectiveness to a patient. He saw that those patients to whom he praised the medicine had a marked improvement over patients to whom he said nothing. This began his exploration into the power of the imagination and autosuggestion.
Patients with all sorts of ailments would visit him. These included kidney problems, diabetes, memory loss, stammering, weakness, atrophy, and all sorts of physical illnesses. He also found that while his patients were being cured of specific ailments through positive autosuggestions of health replacing previous negative suggestions of sickness, other ailments, illnesses, aches, and pains disappeared. This is because of the words ‘in every way’ in his healthy, powerful phrase.
Patients flocked to him for a cure. Before coming to see him, they had heard about his “magical” cures and most patients came with open and receptive minds. Many patients would achieve immediate success. Coué would clearly explain to his patients that he possessed no power; the power lies within themselves. In short, one is what one thinks. This “magic” is within ourselves. We all have this “magic” ability to heal ourselves through the power of our imagination and the thoughts and feelings we hold in our mind and believe in our heart.
I first heard this phrase when I took a Mind Dynamics course in the early 70s. We were taught how to enter our subconscious mind to open up the innate powers we all have within us. We were given what was called a beneficial phrase to repeat every time we entered our subconscious mind. The phrase was Coué’s phrase: Every day, and in every way, I am getting better and better. This beneficial phrase is a positive affirmation; the more you repeat it to yourself, the more your mind will act on it. This is a very basic premise in metaphysical thought: You create your own reality. What you hold in your mind turns into what you actually experience.
I changed Coué’s phrase to be in tune with my belief that I was already better—in my mind. I didn’t want the ‘getting better’ part; I wanted to be completely better right away so I changed it to: Every day, and in every way, I am better, better, and better. I added the extra ‘better’ because your subconscious mind likes repetition; it acts more quickly on the suggestion and heals you faster. These are very powerful words; simple little words that played a big part in turning my diabetes around. They can turn your diabetes around, too.
You can use any positive affirmation that you feel good about, one that you believe will work for you. My favorite affirmation that I repeat to myself many times a day is, “I’m perfectly healthy.”

domain: psychology


Here's what I could find in Answers:
Nothing jumps out at me, so, Twitter to the rescue again
Within minutes...I had an answer from Mr. Christian Berg. What was that answer? The Narrative View.
Here's the screen for the Narrative View:
According to Mr. Berg, you reference the columns using the @1 (@2, @3, etc) syntax, the number representing the column number. So I tried that
That's not what I want...
OK, so let's see if I can add some HTML to it. First I check the Contains HTML Markup box and then I enter in the following in the Narrative Text Area:
@1<br>Here's what it looks like:
Better, but not exactly what I want. Now that I know I can use HTML though, it should be very easy.


Boko Haram militants on Monday evening displaced security operatives and took control of the ancient town of Dikwa in Borno, northeast Nigeria.
Dikwa town is about 90km from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital and has experienced several attacks from the insurgents since the liberation of the town in 2016.
The town also hosts the military Super Camp 9 where the Army Chief visited last week and gave order for the retaking of Matte, which is about 20km away.
The attack on Dikwa came barely days after the military battle the insurgents to retake Marte Local Government Area from the militants.
According to sources who spoke with our correspondent, the insurgents have also taken control of the United Nations hub.
Security information sent to DAILY POST reads: “Information indicates Dikwa has been overrun by the NSAG and attempting to gain access into the UNHUB Confirmed…, the AOG penetrated into Dikwa Hub. Urgent response team is needed at the hub Please…The hub has been broken by the ISWAP-BHT. They are currently inside the premises of the hub.”
Effort to get the military’s response to the report from Dikwa proved abortive as at the time of this report. However, sources within the security operatives said effort is being made to reinforce and engage the militants.
In another development, Boko Haram militants are also attacking Bukarti, Yunusari Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Yobe State is about 120km from Maiduguri in the northeast Nigeria.
The attack on Burkarti in Yunusari Local Government area about 200km from Damaturu, the state capital is coming barely 24 hours after residents reported strange movement and gathering of suspected militants in the area.


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Devout Christian Pamela Ricard is suing Geary County School District board members, as well as other officials for what she says is a violation of her First Amendment rights. The furore began last year when the teacher called a biologically female student “miss”. According to reports, following the class, another student emailed Ms Ricard to inform her the student now used he/him pronouns and identified as a boy.
The teacher was then labelled “transphobic” the following day when she used the student’s surname, avoiding the use of any pronoun.
Adding to the confusion, the student writing to the teacher to explain the situation ended the email by saying: “My pronouns are he/they by the way.”
In the lawsuit, Ms Ricard says she was uncomfortable with referring to the students by names and pronouns that were different from what was listed in the district’s enrolment system.
After some disagreement with school officials on how to handle the situation, Ms Ricard was suspended and later issued a written reprimand for her refusal to comply with the district’s policies on diversity and inclusion.
Ms Ricard argues that the process violated her right to free speech by forcing her to use language and implementing policies that breached her personal and religious beliefs.
The claim says Ms Ricard believes God assigns gender at birth and any policy requiring her to use language different from the student’s biological sex “actively violates her religious beliefs”.
Neither the school nor the district had a formal policy on gender pronouns at the time.
Ms Ricard was suspended under the district’s bullying and diversity and inclusion policies.
Six-year-old warned about being ‘transphobic’
Following the incident, the school principal sent staff new training and protocol materials requiring them to use students’ preferred names and pronouns.
Lawyer Mark Edwards said the district would have no comment on the lawsuit.
Ms Ricard’s lawyer, Josh Ney said: “Our suit contends schools cannot force teachers to promote novel views about gender fluidity and ever-expanding pronoun categories without regard to the First Amendment or due process.
“Throughout her career, Ms Ricard has consistently treated every student in her classroom with respect and dignity; unfortunately, the school district has not treated Ms Ricard with similar good faith or basic fairness.”
Chilling reason Putin has not assassinated Ukraine’s Zelenski [REVEAL]
Macron humiliated as France could run out of ammo within DAYS [INSIGHT]
Nancy Pelosi MOCKED over press conference flop [COMMENT]
The school is located in Fort Riley, a US Army base 130 miles west of Kansas City.
Speaking to CNN, Ms Ricard said: “I continue to enjoy teaching my students day in and day out, but the stigma of being officially labelled a “bully” simply for using a student’s enrolled last name has been disheartening.
“I love all my students, but I shouldn’t be forced to contradict my core beliefs in order to teach math in a public school.”
Was Ms Ricard right to refuse to call the child by a different pronoun? Has cancel culture gone too far? Have you witnessed similar incidents in schools attended by your children? Let us know what you think by CLICKING HERE and joining the debate in our comments section below – Every Voice Matters!
The UK saw a similar situation earlier this year in Brighton.
Students at multiple schools in the region were informed they were to use “grownups” instead of the more traditional mum and dad.

domain: sociology


text:
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Livent Inc., an entertainment company backed in part by entertainment mogul Michael Ovitz, disclosed Monday that its new management has uncovered "serious" accounting irregularities that could represent "millions of dollars" of fake revenue.
The developments came just weeks after Roy Furman, previously with investment bank Furman Selz, assumed control of the theatrical production company that was responsible for such Tony Award-winning shows as "Show Boat," "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "Phantom of the Opera."
"As shocked as we all are by this discovery, we believe Livent remains a viable company financially and is operationally and creatively very strong," Furman said in a statement.
Some industry officials indicated Furman's presence at Livent has vastly helped the concern's credibility.
"I would say Roy Furman is a very substantial, very intelligent financial partner in this enterprise," said Charles Millard, president of the New York City Economic Development Corp., which has worked with Toronto-based Livent to restore the Times Square-42nd Street area.
"His presence is going to create stability," Millard said.
Furman's arrival came in conjunction with a $20 million investment for 12 percent of Livent by Ovitz, an ex-Hollywood agent to superstars and the former vice chairman of Walt Disney Co.
At the time, the investment represented a ringing endorsement for Livent, which previously had been beset by the financial difficulties associated with putting on Broadway shows. Because of the risks of sagging attendance or even one bad review, live theatrical productions generally don't turn a profit.
But Livent's former chairman Garth Drabinsky -- who was suspended Monday along with former president Myron Gottlieb pending the outcome of a full investigation -- is known for his survival instincts, as evidenced by his obvious limp suffered from a childhood bout with polio.
Drabinsky developed innovative ways to finance his shows, taking profits from long-running road companies to help fund new works.
Yet Drabinsky, who was ousted from the executive suite at Cineplex Odeon Corp., also has been criticized in the past as a "brash impresario" and a flamboyant spender with an oversized ego.
In a brief statement issued Monday afternoon, Drabinsky and Gottlieb said they were "surprised and dismayed" by the concerns raised by the new management.
"The accounting practices of Livent were addressed at the 1997 year-end and during the first quarter of 1998 as part of the due diligence conducted by the new management team prior to the infusion of equity in June 1998," the two executives said.
Livent said the irregularities involved improper recognition of revenue and failure to record certain expenses. While it is too early to determine the specific impact of the aberration, it "seems virtually certain" that financial results dating back to 1996 will need to be restated.
Livent, though, added the irregularities are not expected to have a significant adverse effect on its current cash flow or its operations. However, the restatement could cause the company to stand in default of its outstanding debt obligations.
The company plans to hire an investment adviser to resolve the issues. Accounting firm KPMG/Peat Marwick already has been retained to conduct a comprehensive review. Livent will request an extension from Canadian regulators to file its second-quarter results.
-- by staff writer Robert Liu