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Nick Cassavetes is tall, tattooed and commanding from the moment he enters the room. This is not what you would expect from the man who brought us the hit romantic drama “The Notebook,” based on the bestselling Nicholas Sparks novel and starring Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner and Gena Rowlands; and the upcoming tender family drama, “My Sisters Keeper.”
But Cassavetes’ facility for character-driven intimacy was first evident in his feature film directorial debut, the critically acclaimed “Unhook the Stars,” starring Marissa Tomei, Gerard Depardieu and Gena Rowlands, which he also wrote.
Over the years, Cassavetes has created personal films marked by narrative authenticity and universal resonance and has done so again with “My Sister’s Keeper,” based on the bestselling book from Jodi Picoult.
“My Sister’s Keeper” centers on Anna Fitzgerald who has coped all her life with her older sister’s Kate’s rare cancer, and has served as a donor for her for as long as she can remember. She has missed many opportunities to live a normal life in order to be there for her sister, but has never resented it. Finally, Anna says no. Seeking medical emancipation, she hires her own lawyer, initiating a court case that divides the family and that could leave Kate’s rapidly failing body in the hands of fate.
Cassavetes spoke about the personal perspectives he brought to this story as a parent of a sick child, the challenges of making adult dramas in today’s studio environment and the casting of Cameron Diaz in her first role as a mother. Melissa Algaze reports
Question: This is a very different ending than the book has. I was wondering why you chose to change the book?
Cassavetes: I would say this. When I read Jodi’s book, when I got to the ending that was one of my favorite parts of the book. I loved it, but that being said, I would say that movies are different than books and when you do a movie, you have to do a lot of research to do a movie because people are asking you questions and you don’t know what you’re talking about. So, what you do is you go and visit sick kids in hospitals. I’ve had a lot of experience going to pediatric hospitals, in my own experience, going to cancer hospitals and talking to kids and doctors and finding out what this and that and the other means. Really, when Jeremy [Leven, the screenwriter] explained to me that at the end of the day, “Stop thinking about the book. What would you do if you were her? Don’t think of it as a topical kind of story. Don’t think of it as a legal type of story. This thing is actually happening to a family. There’s a mother, there’s a father, and they have a sick kid and they’ve got problems.” So, when I thought about that, it seemed to simplify this story for me.
Question: Is this process cathartic for you, dealing with your daughter?
Cassavetes: I think that it’s great as a director, you get to play all the parts and you try to make them all real. I think it’s important, it’s what we do. You explore the material that’s in the movie or in your story. That’s why I get my kicks making movies, man. I get my kicks making movies so I never shy away from the work.
Question: With what you said about the research you did, I imagine audiences might find some of the ideas controversial – not just asking hard questions but suggesting hard answers like maybe the mother wanting to protect the child at all costs wasn’t the best thing for that baby or it was okay for Abigail (Anna) to be a little selfish. How do you propose those ideas without coming across as judgmental or conceited?
Cassavetes: Families aren’t logical. Families are emotional. There’s always some weird person in the family and, if you’re like my family, all of us are strange. When things happen, people are entitled to have opinions that aren’t politically correct. I don’t believe the mother is particularly sympathetic in this movie, but I understand her completely. I don’t think that the daughter wanting to stop being poked, prodded and cut upon is perfectly logical, but I don’t sympathize with her. If things were so politically correct and pat, then they’re not worth exploring. The fact that this family doesn’t come together and all the pieces don’t exactly fit is what makes the story worth telling and it’s also my experience with family. I’ll probably have a message on my machine right now with my family having some kind of a problem that they shouldn’t have, but that’s the beauty of it. What Jeremy’s done so well is to capture a family in all its imperfection. That’s really what the film sets out to be and hopefully becomes, is an examination of a family that’s going through something very hard.
Question: This film works because of the two young actresses. Can you talk about the process of finding the two young women who play the sisters?
Cassavetes: It’s strange because I don’t do a lot of auditioning. The auditioning of children is an empty experience because some kids are very well prepared for auditions and aren’t particularly good actors and some are really great actors that have certain problems with auditioning. That’s true with children and adults alike. So, what you do for an adult when you cast adults is that you go by their body of work and then you talk to them about the part and their points of connection to the character and all the kind of stuff that you do when you’re making a movie. With children, it’s harder, not because they can’t talk eloquently about their part, it’s that they don’t have the body of work to support your absolute belief in them. With Abigail, that wasn’t the case. I’d seen her work. She’s a 70-year-old woman in a 12-year-old’s body. She’s so soulful and so gets it. I find myself trying to catch up to her intellectually as opposed to dragging her along. There’s something very, very special and still and knowing and nurturing about Abigail Breslin. It’s astonishing when you think this child who’s so caring, and she just gives that off, that she’s not going to help her sister, which really helps our film. So, when she said she wanted to play the part, I was like, “Okay, we’ve got her. Good. That’s my girl.”
Sophia was something completely different. She was on a television show. I had never heard of her. My casting director walked back into the office — she and Mark had found this girl — and said, “You’ve got to see this.” I said “I’m busy right now.” She said, “No, you’ve got to see this.” So I came in and I read with her. With Sophia, the beauty, the thing that you want to capture, exploit, whatever the word is, is she leads with her heart. She feels so much sometimes, she almost feels too much. Her sensors are wide open to the world. When you watch her, like we talked about before, selling the fact the a girl is 16 but she knows so much about this world and the other world that she decides it’s better to go to the other world now and that’s okay. That’s a tough thing to sell and it’s a tough thing to sell for a girl who is not still water, who you don’t believe has an understanding of this world and the next. With Sophia, that responsibility fell upon her shoulders and it fit her like a suit. For some reason, I believed that she was the type of person that would make that sacrifice, not only for herself, but for her family. It was just as simple as that. Obviously, she’s going to be one of these brainiac kids that graduates summa cum laude from some Ivy League university. She certainly has got the intellect but it’s not what I was looking for. I was looking for her emotional intelligence. I was very lucky to have her.
Question: Can you talk about casting Cameron? What did you see in her that made her Sara for you?
Cassavetes: I’ve known Cameron for a number of years and did you ever know or get to meet somebody and they do something and you’re like, “That’s not them.” I see her in comedies and I’m like, the totality of Cameron, I have to think about it. This is a girl who’s probably made a lot of dough in her life. She can make people laugh. She’s pretty. But, that’s not her. She’s a woman who cares about the planet. She has a lot of thoughts about being responsible to this world and to her community. She’s just a great person and a very mature person. But the fact that she can make people laugh, that’s the first thing that people jump to. Remember when Tom Hanks was doing “Bachelor Party” and “Nothing in Common” and suddenly he decided to make serious films? People were so mad at him. They were like, “C’mon, dude. You can make me laugh. Woody Allen’s making “Stardust Memories”. Are you crazy?” It’s such a rare commodity for people to be able to make you laugh and take you out of whatever experience you are in at the moment that they not only expect you to do that but they want you to do that because it’s such a satisfying experience.
Question: Did you have to reassure Cameron she could do it?
Cassavetes: That’s a very good question. I had an idea for this character because I kind of lived it. You have to understand that some of the traps actors fall into are in life; we never want to show people why we’re doing stuff. I’m not really trying to show you why I’m answering the questions. Most of my life, from most people, it’s private and intentionally so. But actors sometimes feel the need; they want their character to be universal. They want the audience to relate to their characters or they want to show you. Usually what that translates into is they suck around for sympathy a lot.
With this character, it’s very strange because her character is one that has singleness of vision. She wants to take care of her daughter. She doesn’t give a sh*t, excuse my language, she doesn’t give a damn what anybody thinks about her. She’s just doing that and if anybody gets in her way, she’s going to bulldoze them. It’s not 100% sympathetic of a character but that was how I felt. That’s kind of the truthful nature of what my experience is and what I could give to the part. So when I explained to her that’s what I wanted, she said, “Really!” I said, “Really.” And to her credit, she said, “Okay.” So a lot of terrible things happen. It doesn’t all happen, it’s not a waterfall that one thing happens, it’s just one pin drops, another pin drops, another pin drops. In the hands of a lesser actor, they would, how can I say this? The character would go to the audience and say, “See, look how bad this is getting. Don’t you feel sorry for me?” But she’s a tough character. Sara Fitzgerald is exactly the mother that I would want if I were sick. That’s who I’d want. That character right there. Thank God I got one like that.
So really, our experience of working together was identifying what we wanted out of the character and being diligent about keeping that. Clearly something happens later on, she’s able to get some vision and the character changes but really just right at the end of the movie. So it’s a brave performance. It’s brave in concept and no doubt she could do this. This is a really wonderful actress and over the next few years you’re going to see, she’s going to be borne out to be one of the finest actors of our generation.
Question: Now in many ways this film bookends John Q.
Cassavetes: I think there are just a lot of experiences. I don’t know about John Q. I think each film is a separate thing and John Q was one thing and this is another and maybe I was better prepared to make this film than I was to make John Q a million years ago, although I like the film a lot. I think that people go to movies for all sorts of reasons. Am I going to go see Transformers? You bet I am. I like to see cars change over into robots. I think it’s awesome. No, I do. Escapism is great, but there’s room for all types of movies. Just because I don’t direct movies where helicopters explode, it doesn’t mean that those movies are bad or those movies have any less validity than the movies that I choose. I’m interested in stuff. I’m interested in people.
Question: Would a studio exec greenlight this movie today?
Cassavetes: Who cares what executives think? I mean, I don’t know. I really don’t know. To be quite honest with you, it’s hard to get any movie made these days. We’re in difficult economic times and movies cost money. People like to bet on sure things. They don’t like to bet on things that aren’t sure things. It always is an absurd process of trying to get a movie made. The ones that should get made never do and the ones that shouldn’t get made always do. It’s mind boggling. I don’t think you can take dramas out. You know why? Because girls go to the movies and girls like to see things that are interesting rather than exciting. Young guys like to see things that are exciting. Me, I like to see everything. Every single movie that’s out I like to go see because I love movies. But would this movie get made now? I don’t know. I think it would. I think that what happens is, strictly from a business level, that – – I know, I know, I’m putting my foot in it. But the book is a very successful book and it gives the people who put the money up confidence that a lot of people will go see the movie. Whether that’s true or not, who knows?
Question: The film is beautifully shot. Can you talk about your collaboration with Caleb Deschanel and how that worked in support of the story?
Cassavetes: Caleb is a salty old guy like me. He’s got great eyes. He suffers fools very little so he’s not only a great DP, he’s a great storyteller and a director in his own right. So when you have two guys that really are opinionated and kind of know their stuff to a certain degree, there’s a chance that it can all fall to pieces and there’s a chance that the combination of the two is greater than the sum of its parts or whatever, what have you. Caleb and I, and it’s really weird because shooting a movie is about taste. Young lady, you probably have a favorite color and you probably have a favorite way the film looks. Everybody has tastes about certain things and not only that, they don’t change. They’re pretty consistent. You don’t have a new favorite color next week. Sometimes it does that but most of the time it doesn’t. So Caleb and I sat down, like we do with a lot of your department heads, you talk about what you like. Basically, the stuff that I like is stuff that he’s been doing for years. We decided to do a certain number of technical things on the film and we had some challenges for us because we’re doing flashbacks and we wanted to represent certain – – we didn’t want to put the supers of “Now it’s 1989” because we flash back and forth so many times. It would’ve been annoying. But he said to me, “When beauty and accuracy collide, what wins?” I said, “Beauty.” He said, “Okay.” That was the way we approached the film and I wanted to not only show that then this happens, then this happens, then this happens. I wanted to show, as a director’s point of view, the world is beautiful, man. Even the most mundane things, hospitals are beautiful. Everything is beautiful. That’s the way he shot it and I’m very pleased with the look of the film.
Question: How important is pacing so the audience doesn’t collapse?
Cassavetes: It’s interesting when people describe your film as there’s points in the movie where they feel relief. I think pacing is always important. You never want to be self-indulgent. You never want to sit in something too long. I don’t know, but a lot of stuff happened in the movie. So that’s kind of a – – I guess it’s story dependent and this had a lot of story in it and a lot of things we wanted to get to so I think the film is helped by a quicker pace. Otherwise you’d sit around and have it be a cryfest.
Question: What’s the status of “Bombing Harvey”
Cassavetes: I don’t know. The script is written and they need to put the money up for the film. It’s a great story.
Question: What’s your next one?
Cassavetes: I don’t know what it is. I’m writing a script right now that is out of my own brain so it’ll probably take three and a half years to do, but no. I’m very excited about something I’m writing right now and I’m just choosing between a couple of things right now.
Question: Will it be lighter? Dramatic?
Cassavetes: I don’t think I’m going to do any cry baby stuff for a while.
Question: Where does The Dame Daphne Sheldrick stand?
Cassavetes: You know what? They just pulled the plug on that. I thought I was going off to Africa to do that but they didn’t want to do it.
Question: That’s a powerful story.
Cassavetes: I loved it. I was surprised that they didn’t.
Question: I’m sure it’s no surprise that men also love The Notebook.
Cassavetes: You know what? It’s okay for guys to be able to feel stuff, you know. We can be men and cry.
Question: I’ve been at junkets and talked about this and Ryan calls us all [male reporters] sissies.
Cassavetes: Ryan does? You know what, Ryan, he’s a young man and he doesn’t fully understand his place in the world. He’s far too cool for this movie. You know what? One day, he’ll look back on it and he’ll realize that he wasn’t. [kidding] I’m happy that you like it. It’s a strange film. It is a strange film but one thing that’s good about it is I believe in love so I believe in going all the way. Some of my films will say that and I think that’s what’s important about that movie. Men are portrayed like kind of unsure of commitment and women are portrayed as needy but I feel that if someone goes all the way with me, I’ll go all the way with them and I believe in that.


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Date announcement only – PCGC is happy to host the third annual 4 States, 2 Man Team Championship 10-11 October. Program and registration information will be posted later this year, summer time frame.
It was a beautiful weekend with crispy beginnings and pleasant endings. The wind was a bit tricky for Sunday’s prone match so folks had the opportunity to hone their wind reading skills.
Saturday, Highpower Across the Cross: Results
Sunday, Fullbore Prone Match: Results
Due to time, no “fun” match was held after completion of the Fullbore awards ceremony. The next Fullbore match will be in 8 November. The 3x600yd mid-range prone format will resume at the next monthly match, 2 February.
PCGC is excited to announce its schedule of matches for 2020. We will be holding a Mid-Range Regional in which, as an NRA registered match, scores will be eligible for national records. Additionally, several classics such as a 1,000 point aggregate (across the course) as well Garand, Springfield, and Vintage rifle matches and pistol (along with rifle) Excellence-In-Competition (EIC aka LEG) matches.
Programs are available as follows:
Monthly Highpower Matches; Monthly Mid-Range Prone Matches; Mid-Range Prone Regional; Highpower Extravaganza Pre-registration is open for the Regional and Extravaganza so get your entries in before the range is at capacity!
Also scheduled is the Texas Service Rifle Championship 29-31 May; program will be posted when available.
Intersted in competing? Come out to a match, introduce yourself and we will set up a time/date to give you a detailed orientation.
Congratulations to Ken Foster! 600-50X on the mid-range course.

domain: sports


US 5792542 A
The fire retarding fluid mat is formed of two layers of material sealed around the edges. At least one layer intended for exposure to burning materials is a fire layer of semiporous material which is covered on the outer surface by a semiporous coating. The second or container layer is composed of a semiporous or nonporous material. The two layers are seamed together at joints intermediate the edges to prevent a ballooning effect when the mat is filled with a fluid such as water. When burning material contacts the semiporous coating fluid is released by capillary action. Once the fire is extinguished the semiporous coating reseals to retain the fluid.
1. A device for protection from protective and burning materials comprising:
a fire-retardart mat formed from a protective layer sealed at an edge to a container layer;
the protective layer composed of a semiporous material and on an outer surface having a semiporous coating wherein the semidorous material and the semiporous coating are not permeable for fluid under ambient environmental conditions and are permeable for fluid when the temperature of the environment is elevated to a determined temperature level; and
the mat having a fluid fill connector with the mat filled with fluid.
2. The device as in claim 1 wherein the container layer and the protective layer are joined intermediate the edges by means of stitching.
3. The device as in claim 1 wherein:
a third layer composed of a semiporous material is sealed to the edges of the mat;
the third layer is joined intermediate the edges at a plurality of discrete points to the protective layer;
the third layer on an outer surface having a semiporous coating; and
the third layer having an aperture defined therein to allow the fluid to fill a space between the protective layer and the third layer.
4. The device as in claim 1 wherein the mat is formed in the shape of a coat for wearing by a person.
5. The device as in claim 1 wherein the container layer and the protective layer are joined intermediate the edges at a plurality of seams which are spaced with approximately 11/2 inches separation.
6. The device as in claim 1 wherein the container layer is replaced by a second protective layer composed of a semiporous material and on an outer surface having a semiporous coating.
7. The device as in claim 6 wherein the protective layer and the second protective layer are joined intermediate the edges by means of stitching.
8. The device as in claim 6 wherein the semiporous coating is plastisol.
1. Field of the Invention. This invention relates to devices used to control or extinguish fires. The new device provides a simple means to cover or protect an object or person from burning embers and contains a fluid such as water which is released to extinguish burning materials. The device is normally constructed in the form of a mat which contains a fluid.
2. Description of Related Art. There are currently in use various mats, covers, blankets, etc. which have been chemically treated with a fire retardant chemical. Such covers are used where there would be danger from fire such as with small children. Even clothing and building materials and furniture may be treated with fire retardant chemicals for safety purposes. In general all of these articles are intended to retard the rapid burning of the article chemically treated.
Other articles such as a firefighter's coat or covers used by forest firefighters are intended for temporary protection from burning materials and to some extent the heat of a fire. However, such protective clothing and covers become hot themselves with prolonged exposure to fire and heat. In addition while they may be designed to retard their burning, the article does not act to extinguish burning material which may come into contact with the article.
The present invention provides a straight forward method to protect objects and persons from burning materials even in the event the burning materials are directly in contact with the mat. The fire retarding fluid mat uses multiple layers of material joined at the edges and sectioned internally to form a mat which may be filled with a fluid such as water. At least one layer of the mat is a semiporous material treated on its outside surface with a semiporous coating. The semiporous nature of the mat allows the internal fluid to escape by a capillary action when heat, such as, created by burning material against the mat, conditions occur. The escaping fluid acts to extinguish the fire. In addition, the evaporation process causes the layer opposite the semiporous layer to temporarily cool due to the temperature differential.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a mat composed of elements which retard the burning of materials which contact the mat. A further object is to provide a mat wherein a relatively cooler surface occurs on the side opposite the surface which is in contact with the burning materials. Another object is to provide the mat construction such that it may be formed in different configurations such as for protective clothing.
In accordance with the description presented herein, other objectives of this invention will become apparent when the description and drawings are reviewed.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of the elements of the mat.
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the mat.
FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section view of the mat with burning material on the semiporous surface.
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-section view of a three layer mat.
FIG. 5 illustrates the mat being placed on the roof of a structure for protection of the structure.
FIG. 6 illustrates the mat fashioned as a protective coat for a firefighter.
The fire retarding fluid mat consists of a fluid container shaped normally as a relatively flat mat form. However, it may be constructed in shapes such as clothing to be worn for protection from fire. The mat provides a shield or barrier for fire protection of flammable or nonflammable surfaces. The mat can be quickly deployed to protect buildings, equipment and people. Only relatively small amounts of fluid such as water are required to fill the mat and the capillary action to allow fluid to escape to retard any fire conserves water usage.
The mat has at least two layers of material with at least one layer of material being semiporous wherein the opposite layer may be nonporous or semiporous.
The mat will normally be sectioned by connecting the surfaces at discrete points to prevent a balloon effect when the mat is filled with a fluid. The mat has a fluid fill opening for putting a fluid such as water in the mat.
Referring to FIG. 1 through 3, the mat (1) may be formed from two layers of material. One layer is a protective layer (2) which is a fabric with semiporous qualities such as cotton, flax, hemp, polyester, acrylic, modified acrylic, combinations of such fabrics and the like. The outer surface (3) of the protective layer (2) is coated with a semiporous coating (4) which is fire and heat resistant such as thermoplastic polyvinyl chloride resin finely dispensed in a liquid plasticized base, commonly known as plastisol. Other types of sealing materials include rubber butyl solids and water wood seals and paints.
The semiporous coating (4) has the characteristics of sealing the protective layer (2) material under normal ambient conditions such that fluid (6) does not leak from the mat (1). When the temperature is elevated such as when burning material (5) contacts the semiporous coating (4), some fluid (6) escapes the mat (1) by capillary action through the semiporous materials.
The mat (1) in its basic form is assembled by sealing, sewing, weaving or similarly attaching at the edges (7) the protective layer (2) and a container layer (8). A fluid fill connector (9) is provide at an edge (7) or in the container layer (8) to provide a means to introduce fluid into the mat (1). The normally available fluid for firefighting is water. The porous properties of the protective layer (2) and semiporous coating (4) would be designed to work with water in such a circumstance.
Prior to applying the semiporous coating (4) to the protective layer (2), the protective layer (2) and container layer (8) are sectioned by attaching the layers at discrete points. This may be accomplished by stitching (10) or sealing intermediate the edges (7) as illustrated in FIG. 2. This creates joined sections which do not separate under pressure of fluid introduced into the mat (1). The sectioning does not completely seal areas of the mat (1). This allows fluid (6) to be introduced into all areas of the mat (1) from one fluid connector (9).
Once the sectioning is complete the semiporous coating (4) is applied which serves to also cover and protect any stitching (10) or similar attachment means. While two layers of material are illustrated in the preferred embodiment other configurations are also possible. As an example three layers of material may be used wherein the added layer attachment for sectioning would be staggered relative to the first two layers as illustrated in FIG. 4. Using this configuration the first stitched sections (11) are insulated from any burning material (5) by the second stitched sections (12) and the third layer (13) of material.
In an alternate embodiment for use of the mat (1) under conditions where attention as to which side of the mat (1) is exposed to the protective cannot be guaranteed, the container layer (8) may be replaced with a second protective layer (2) having a semiporous coating (4). In this configuration either side of the mat (1) when exposed to burning material (5) would act to retard a protective.
It has been found by experiment with a prototype mat (1) of dimensions approximately 3 feet by 4 feet, that water usage with burning coals on the mat (1) is minimized. The prototype mat (1) was filled with 14 cups of water. Burning coals were placed on the mat (1) and the coals were extinguished by the escaping water. The container layer (8) became cool during the capillary process which extinguished the coals. The semiporous coating (4) of plastisol resealed itself after the protective was extinguished. It was found that 6 cups of water were used during the experiment. The stitching (10) for the sectioning of the mat (1) was done longitudinally with approximately 11/2 inches separation between lines of stitch seams.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a mat (1) is illustrated for deployment on the roof (14) of a structure (15). A mat (1) constructed in the shape of a protective coat (16) for wear by a firefighter is illustrated in FIG. 6.


- Leadership in bakery solutions increases market and product opportunities
- ProMach’s Material Handling Group continues strong growth
- Benchmark management team joins ProMach
Cincinnati, OH - ProMach, Inc. announced today it has acquired Benchmark Automation, a leading manufacturer of specialty material handling solutions and packaging equipment. Benchmark complements ProMach’s existing material handling product line and strengthens capabilities in the food and bakery markets. ProMach’s Material Handling Group, which includes Shuttleworth and KLEENLine brands, serves a wide range of customers worldwide and enhances ProMach’s strength in providing turnkey integrated systems across the entire packaging and processing line.
Benchmark manufactures a wide range of high-quality conveyors, infeeds, loading, stacking, and packaging equipment tailored to the unique needs of food and bakery manufacturers. Founded in 2001 and based in Athens, Georgia, Benchmark built its reputation by delivering superior specialty solutions and responsive customer support focused on high-performance, ease of use, and low maintenance.
The Benchmark Automation team will join ProMach, including founders and partners Vince Tamborello and Mike Rupert. Mr. Tamborello will serve as Vice President and General Manager, reporting to ProMach’s Material Handling Group Senior Vice President Bret Ranc. Mr. Rupert will serve as Director of Operations.
“We’re pleased to welcome the outstanding Benchmark Automation team,” said Mark Anderson, ProMach President and CEO. “Benchmark fits well with our focus on being a single source provider for packaging and processing solutions and the leader in integrated packaging systems. Benchmark’s leadership in bakery provides opportunities to better serve that market and strengthen our complete solution set for existing customers.”
ProMach is one of North America’s largest packaging and processing machinery manufacturers and integrated system providers, with more than 20 equipment brands sold throughout the world. In addition to material handling, it manufactures and integrates solutions for primary and secondary packaging, bottling and capping, flexible packaging, end of line packaging, and identification and tracking. In recent years ProMach has increased its focus on markets outside North America, particularly Latin America and Europe.
To learn more about Benchmark Automation visit them at Pack Expo International, November 2-5, Booth S-1702 or visit them on the web at www.BenchmarkAutomation.net.
ProMach is a family of best-in-class packaging and processing solution brands serving manufacturers of all sizes and geographies in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, and household and industrial goods industries. ProMach brands operate across the entire production line: filling, bottling and capping, decorative labeling, flexibles and trays, pharma, handling and sterilizing, labeling and coding, and robotics and end of line. ProMach also provides systems and integration including turnkey solutions, design/build, engineering services, and productivity software to optimize production line design and deliver maximum uptime.
ProMach designs, manufactures, integrates, and supports the most sophisticated and advanced packaging and processing solutions in the global marketplace. Its diverse customer base, from Fortune 500 companies to smaller, privately-held businesses worldwide, depends on reliable, flexible, technologically advanced equipment and integrated solutions. ProMach is headquartered near Cincinnati, Ohio, with manufacturing facilities and offices throughout North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. For more information about ProMach, visit www.ProMachBuilt.com and for more information on ProMach Careers, visit www.ProMachCareers.com.


text:
The congressman at center of the FBI memo storm has rushed forward to bolster Trump’s criticism of the FBI and justice department
Alan Yuhas in New York
One night in Washington last March, Devin Nunes received a call to head to the White House to see secret intelligence reports. Over the next week, he briefed the president, failed to keep his clandestine meeting a secret, spoke expansively – if confusingly – about classified information, and earned the ire and mockery of his colleagues in Congress.
Now Nunes is back. Confusion has followed.
One year after his spirited and lonely defense of Donald Trump’s claim that he was put under surveillance by the Obama administration, tweeted without evidence, the Republican lawmaker has rushed forward on his own to bolster the president’s criticisms of the FBI and justice department. He appears unchastened by a fellow Republican who said Nunes was running his own “Inspector Clouseau investigation”, undeterred by a brush with an ethics investigation, and unbothered by the many pronunciations of his Portuguese surname.
But on Thursday, his actions had so angered Democrats that the party’s leaders in the Senate and the House both called for his removal from the House intelligence committee.
Although the panel is charged with investigating Russian interference, it has split in recent months along partisan lines, with Republicans turning their scrutiny on the original FBI investigation into Russian meddling, which began in 2016. Nunes’s office has produced a controversial memo that reportedly suggests that the FBI acquired a wiretap on a Trump associate without telling a judge enough about their sources.
The memo links the FBI investigation back to a former British spy, Christopher Steele, whose research was paid for by Democrats, and who wrote a dossier on Trump that contains a series of controversial, though unverified, claims. Republicans on the committee have also fixated on texts criticizing Trump by an FBI agent, Peter Strzok, who was temporarily in charge of the separate investigations into Hillary Clinton and Trump. Strzok also pushed for reopening an investigation into Clinton before the 2016 election, and was removed from the Trump investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.
What is the Nunes memo?
The FBI has urged against the memo’s release, suggesting its contents were misleading, in a rare unsigned statement: “We have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” The texts were revealed in the course of an internal justice department review into how the FBI handled an investigation of Clinton’s private email servers.
Both the memo and the texts dovetail with allegations of FBI bias propagated on rightwing media, such as Fox News, which the president watches frequently. Hosts such as Sean Hannity, who is close to Trump, have used them as a stick to batter the integrity of the FBI investigation into Russian meddling and potential obstruction of justice by the Trump White House.
Nunes, who has provided much of this fodder, was one of Trump’s first supporters in Congress and an adviser to his transition team after the election. Despite his stated outrage about a wiretap on one of Trump’s former campaign advisers, he has strongly supported government surveillance powers since he was elected in 2002 to Congress, aged 29, by a rural district of central California. He began his career in public service there six years earlier, as a board member of a community college.
Most recently, Nunes worked hard to extend the government’s surveillance powers for six years, in some cases without a warrant. Trump signed the bill into law last month, after writing a series of contradictory tweets. Nunes’s efforts have not gone entirely unnoticed. Asked whether he felt vindicated by the lawmaker’s sudden visit to the White House to give a briefing based on White House sources, Trump told reporters, “I somewhat do.”
“I very much appreciated the fact they found what they found,” he said.

domain: news


4th Quarter Covers - Week 1
September 3, 2013
By Joe Nelson
Editor's Note: Joe Nelson has started on fire in college football by posting a perfect 5-0 (+500) opening weekend. Purchase Joe's Week 2 winners here on VegasInsider.com.
Glancing at the scoreboard won't tell you the whole story in most games. Here are the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread in the fourth quarter last week in the opening weekend of college football. Each week there are several teams that cover despite not necessarily deserving it, as well as other teams that played much better than the final score shows, get the details in this weekly column.
Utah (-1) 30, Utah State 26: Utah State took a 23-14 early in the third quarter as a slight underdog, but Utah had the lead by the end of the third quarter, taking advantage of a successful onside kick to score 10 points in less than two minutes. After trading field goals in the fourth quarter, Utah forced a punt and then took the clock down to 19 seconds before kicking a field goal to get past the spread as a Hail Mary from the Aggies fell short.
Mississippi (-3½) 39, Vanderbilt 35: The SEC opener delivered an amazing finish as both teams squandered leads early in the game. Early in the fourth quarter, Mississippi took a 32-28 lead and it appeared that might hold as Vanderbilt faced a 4th-and-18 in its own territory with just two minutes to go. The Commodores amazingly converted and then took advantage of a blown coverage on the next play for the go-ahead touchdown. On the second play for Mississippi after getting the ball back, Jeff Scott broke one the great runs of the weekend for a 75-yard score. Vanderbilt took the ensuing kickoff to midfield but an interception ended the game.
USC (-24½) 30, Hawaii 13: After an ugly start to the game, USC managed to go up 30-5 late in the fourth quarter after completing an 80-yard drive, seemingly earning a late cover. With less than a minute to go, Hawaii connected for a 60-yard touchdown play that took the underdog cover back for the Warriors.
Miami, FL (-31½) 34, Florida Atlantic 6: The Hurricanes led by 28 in the fourth quarter sitting at 1st and goal at the Florida Atlantic 2-yard line. The Owls would hold as Miami failed to punch the ball in with four straight rushing attempts from Gus Edwards, preserving a narrow underdog cover for the Owls. Florida Atlantic put together a 16-play drive on the subsequent possession, but also wound up without points in the scoreless fourth quarter.
Texas Tech (-4½) 41, SMU 23: The Mustangs were a popular underdog and with a late third quarter rushing touchdown, SMU was within four. Texas Tech dominated in the fourth quarter, posting three touchdowns on three consecutive drives and putting the game out of reach before SMU scored again.
Wisconsin (-43) 45, Massachusetts 0: Covering a massive spread seemed unlikely for the Badgers with just a 17-0 lead at halftime. Wisconsin hit three big touchdown plays in the third quarter and got an interception on the only productive drive for the Minutemen in the second half. Wisconsin would add an early fourth quarter touchdown and it would be just enough.
Northern Illinois (+3) 30, Iowa 27: The Hawkeyes appeared poised to take a narrow win against the Huskies for the second year in a row, but this year, Northern Illinois delivered the comeback. Iowa led by four entering the fourth and by seven after a field goal with less than seven minutes to go. Northern Illinois had struggled to move the ball most of the second half, but took just six plays to deliver the tying score. After trading punts, Iowa gave Northern Illinois the ball in Iowa territory after an interception with just over a minute to go. The Huskies burned most of the clock and hit the go-ahead field goal for the upset win.
Virginia (+3) 19, BYU 16: The Cavaliers took a 12-7 lead into the fourth quarter in a defensive battle with BYU. The Cougars would get an elusive touchdown with just over six minutes to go to lead by one as they failed on the 2-point conversion. BYU was able to quickly add three more points after Virginia fumbled on the kickoff return, but settling for the field goal would prove costly. The BYU defense did its part as Virginia was held to a three-and-out and another punt. BYU had the ball with the lead, but on a key third down play with less than three minutes to go, an interception gave the Cavaliers great field position and it took just one play to punch in for a touchdown. The game continued with two more possessions for the Cougars, but Virginia held on.
Oklahoma State (-13) 21, Mississippi State 3: The Cowboys had an ugly start to the game on offense, scoreless until late in the second quarter. After punting on the first five possessions of the game, the offense was productive on five consecutive drives, resulting in three touchdowns, a missed field goal, and a turnover on downs in MSU territory. A touchdown early in the fourth quarter put Oklahoma State past the spread for the first time, but it appeared the Bulldogs would answer, getting inside the 15-yard line, but ultimately leaving empty handed after a missed field goal. Mississippi State went into Oklahoma State territory on its next possession as well, but an interception late in the game secured the cover for Oklahoma State despite just 21 points scored.
Texas (-44) 56, New Mexico State 7: With just over two minutes left in the first half, New Mexico State went up 7-0 on highly ranked Texas, making a cover for the favorite look impossible with the over six-touchdown spread. The Longhorns incredibly scored twice in 40 seconds of game clock to take the lead into the half. Texas took control from there with three touchdowns in each of the third and fourth quarters, getting the final touchdown with just over a minute to go to get past the spread.
Penn State (-9) 23, Syracuse 17: Penn State led just 13-10 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Lions managed to gain some distance, adding a long field goal and then connecting on a 54-yard touchdown pass to lead 23-10. Syracuse was given another chance as an interception was returned to the Penn State 1-yard line, setting up an easy score that flipped the cover with just seven minutes to go. Neither team seriously threatened to score the rest of the way.
LSU (-6) 37, TCU 27: In the big late game in Arlington, LSU led most of the way, taking a 30-17 lead into the fourth quarter. A fumble recovery deep in LSU territory gave TCU a second wind and the Frogs were within six a few plays later. TCU forced a punt and then put together a productive drive, but ultimately had to settle for a field goal to trail, 30-27 with less than eight minutes to go. A 75-yard kickoff return gave the momentum back to LSU and the Tigers converted with a touchdown on a big third down play. TCU had to punt on its next possession and never got the ball back.
UCLA (-21) 58, Nevada 20: While the Bruins had big numbers on offense, they created a bit of a deceptive final score with late touchdowns. UCLA led by just four at the half and by just 17 into the fourth quarter, but three Bruins touchdowns late in the game pushed the margin to 38 points and past the spread as Nevada had just 15 net yards on its final four possessions.
Northwestern (-6½) 44, California 30: Cal led 24-20 in this game before an interception return for a touchdown sparked the Wildcats to a 27-24 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Bears tied the game early in the fourth quarter, but another interception return touchdown allowed Northwestern to pull away for the win and cover in a game that was closer than it looked and featured a yardage edge for the Bears.
Colorado (+3) 41, Colorado State 27: The final score makes this look like a convincing win for the Buffaloes in the opening week rivalry game, but the Rams led 24-23 entering the fourth quarter. A long fumble return touchdown gave Colorado a bit of a margin and a 75-yard pass play to immediately answer a Colorado State field goal with less than four minutes to go put the game away. Colorado did dominate the statistics, but a punt return touchdown helped to keep the Rams in the game.
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domain: artistic


VOLVO L20 LOADER WIRING DIAGRAMS
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Last updated on 10/21/14 UTC
Coldwell Banker Helps You Learn More About Alexandria, South Dakota Real Estate
Alexandria, South Dakota is located in Hanson. Nearby cities and towns include Emery, Ethan, Farmer, Fulton and Spencer. Alexandria is a rural community with a population of 598. The median household income in Alexandria is $54,820. 66% of residents are married and families with children reside in 31% of Alexandria households. Half the population of Alexandria commutes 20 minutes or more to work, with 86% of residents holding white collar jobs and 14% residents holding blue collar jobs.
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domain: sociology


I have a pair of 2522's with serial modems connected to the ports, and remote sites that dial in. They are to be replaced by 2821's but I am seeing some strange behaviour.
When I plug the modems into the 2821s, the ports come up as (looped), and constantly see interface resets. This can be resolved by applying "no physical-layer async" to the port, which clears the configuration, and then upon repasting the configuration in, the port works. The other end can dial in fine. Without performing no phys async, the receiving modem hangs up near-instantly, or directly after hand-shaking.
Does anyone have any idea what may be causing this?


|Index Page||SITE MAP||Next Page - Software downloads|
This page was written in the days (not so long ago) when the normal method of connecting to the Internet was by a dialup modem. The advent of broadband means that the term Modem now means something very different. A Broadband modem is now normally supplied by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and they come in two main varieties - either for a BT land line type or one for a Cable system (e.g. Virgin Media). See Wikipedia Instead of being inside the computer the Modem is connected to a computer via an Ethernet port (or can be connected to a USB port).
All modern (PC) computers have this socket, which is slightly larger than the socket into which some of the older dialup modems were plugged.
These days the equipment supplied by your ISP will be a Router. The Router's job is to sort out connections to several computers that use the same connection to the 'net'. Routers have a wireless aerial and can be used to connect to from wireless equipment, including wireless printers. Modern Routers include the Modem. The set up of these pieces of equipment is normally taken care of by software issued to you on disk by your ISP. If there is a problem it is best to get in touch with them. The one popular technique tried if your broadband modem/router is not making a connection is to reset it by disconnecting the power cable from the back, waiting a few seconds, then replacing that cable. It will not harm it.
All modern laptops, netbooks and "Pads" or Tablets have internal wireless (Wi-Fi) hardware. Desktops MAY have this but can be made wireless by the addition of a cheap wireless USB 'dongle'. Equipment, such as phones and most tablets do not have a socket to connect by cable to a router (and are therefore dependent on wireless)
The rear of the router looks like this, showing the sockets to which a number of PCs can be attached with inexpensive Ethernet cables
If your computers are normally close together there is no need to
into the mysteries of wireless and, in fact, cable connections are less
to be 'hacked' (got into) from outside and are usually fater than by
wireless connection, especially if your device is a long way from the
router or there are thick walls, ceilings or metal objects in between.
WIRELESS. Setting up a wireless connection has always
my weakness. I have printed numerous instructions from the
site and from magazines but have often been frustrated when it comes to
connecting equipment such as a laptop, netbook or Kindle. I realise
there are security questions but it is a pity they couldn't make it as
as attaching a wireless mouse. I was always concerned that resetting in
router attached to my desktop I might lose my internet connection
NOT SO. The router remains connected regardless of whether the
is correctly set up.
An example of resetting a Netgear Router and Password :Hopefully you will find connecting easier than this !
Wireless connections ?
The usual practice is for your Internet provider (ISP) to provide you with a broadband router when you sign up for broadband services (see my page on this HERE) Although not very expensive for them they will probably want you to sign up for a year and may charge you if you leave during that contract.
In view of the relative cheapness and better speeds of broadband I have now deleted a detailed section which dealt with dialup modems. Dialup is simply not viable any more
|Index Page||Top of Page||Next Page - Software downloads|


CHOIR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITIES IN BIELSKO-BIAŁA
Type of choir
sacred and profane polyphony
The University of Bielsko-Biala’s choir started its activity in May 2003. It was formed by students and graduates of different fields of the University of Bielsko-Biala as well as people outside of the community. The repertoire of the group is greatly varied.
From the very beginning, the choir has been conducted by Jan Borowski.
The choir has recorded four albums including Missa de Maria a Magdala, which received a double nomination for the Fryderyk 2014 award. The French music magazine Classica honoured it with Choc de Classica prize, and it also won the prestigious Orphee d’Or prize, granted by the Académie du Disque Lyrique. Accordingly, the choir has won numerous awards in Poland and abroad.


AMD’s FidelityFX game super-resolution upgrade feature will be launched today, starting with 7 games and expanding to another 12 in the near future. Fidelity FX Super Resolution (FSR) is AMD’s alternative to Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) upgrade technology. The two work in different ways, but aim to improve game performance by allowing games to be rendered at lower than native resolutions, reducing GPU pressure, and then upgrading to the required native resolution without severely affecting visual quality. This is especially important when using hardware-intensive ray tracing visual effects.
According to AMD, its FSR method is based on open standards, and it will run on a variety of hardware, including multi-generation desktop and notebook GPUs, as well as GPUs integrated into the CPU. An interesting aspect of this technology is that it is vendor-agnostic and can even run on current and previous generation hardware from rival Nvidia. Although DLSS is limited to Nvidia’s advanced GeForce RTX layer GPUs, it is said that FSR can even run on older and lower-end GeForce GTX models. This helps to extend the life of old hardware.
There are four FSR presets-super high quality, quality, balance and performance. Each preset is for a different input resolution so that the target image can be scaled between 1.3X and 2X. AMD claims that the 4K frame rate in performance mode has increased by an average of 2.4 times. Game developers can adjust how FSR affects the sharpening of each game. AMD also stated that it will continue to update and improve its algorithms.
The seven games that will support FSR at launch are: Godfall, Anno 1800, Terminator: Resistance, Kingshunt, 22 Racing Series, The Riftbreaker and Evil Genius 2. Upcoming games and games that will be updated to support FSR include Far Cry 6, DOTA 2, Resident Evil Village, Mysterious Island, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Sim Farm 22. In addition, there are a large number of game developers and studios involved, including EA, Ubisoft, Capcom, Warner Bros. Games, Valve, Nixxes, and Crystal Dynamics.
AMD’s platform-independent open source drive is significant because AMD’s RDNA2 GPU architecture powers current and previous generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles. It was recently announced that Samsung’s next-generation flagship Exynos SoC will also integrate RDNA2 graphics components, and Tesla’s latest in-car entertainment system will include a gaming platform powered by RDNA2. It is unclear whether or how AMD’s hardware customers will implement this new feature.
FSR is available for Windows and Linux, and supports DirectX 11 and 12 and Vulkan API. Unlike DLSS, scaling is entirely spatial rather than temporal, which means it can detect and reconstruct edges and textures, but does not require inference of data from previously generated frames. It also does not require neural network training for every game. AMD touted its developer-friendly approach and stated that they can integrate FSR into games with very little effort.
Currently, Radeon RX 6000 and 6000M series support FSR; RX 5000 and 5000M series; Radeon VII; Radeon Vega series; RX 600, RX 500, and select RX 400 models; and all desktop and mobile Ryzen APUs. In terms of green, Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 and 20 series and GTX 16 series and GTX 10 series are supported.
AMD’s own performance data shows that Godfall runs at an average of 59fps in 4K on the Radeon RX 6800 XT GPU, increased to 87fps in super quality mode, and 145fps in performance mode. On a laptop equipped with Radeon RX 6800M GPU, the same 1440p game runs at an average speed of 66fps without FSR, and depending on the FSR mode, it jumps to between 84fps and 108fps. As for the still popular Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, Kingshunt runs at 1440p, scaling from an average 71fps without FSR to between 93fps and 131fps with this feature enabled.


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Ken Vonderberg is an artist, and a pyro of sorts, that is a pyrographer. He looks for new media and new ways to use old media in his work including the technique called “wood burning” or when elevated to an art form called pyrography. Ken also uses traditional media such as pastels, oil, acrylic paint and charcoal or graphite to produce his work, which he describes as representational.
“I find subjects in the natural as well as the built world. The human figure is a source of endless inspiration for me.” – Ken Vonderberg
Ken graduated from the Layton School of Art and Design. He practiced commercial interior designer for 25 years before spending 19 years sharing his knowledge and experience as an interior design instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). He has been loving life as a full-time artist since retiring in 2012. His work has been juried into a number of regional shows and several local galleries represent him.
Ruth Vonderberg’s artistic creations are inspired by color, texture and the desire to build complexity for visual interest. She feels abstract interpretations are the best way for her to express these elements. Her background as a graphic designer (she retired in 2009) informs her affinity for composition and pattern. Ruth has shared her work at a number of solo shows as well as in local juried exhibitions. She is also represented by several local galleries.
Olson House is proud to offer the work of this dynamic artistic duo.

domain: design


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First Signs of Life [Import][CD]
2007 two disc (CD + DVD) pressing of this reissue of former Spooky Tooth leader Gary 'Dream Weaver' Wright's 1995 album. First Signs of Life saw Gary blending his Pop smarts with World Music. Guests include Terry Bozzie (Zappa, Missing Persons) and George Harrison. The bonus DVD features footage of Gary and George performing together (their musical relationship goes back to when Wright played on Harrison's early solo albums). Acadia.
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domain: entertainment


text:
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domain: medical


text:
UK Today News: Thailand Violence Kills 36, U.N Chief Calls For Peace Talk To End Thai Protests
Thailand protests, Bangkok Violence: Clashes between protesters and security forces continued to take place on the streets of Bangkok in Thailand on Monday as thousands of anti-government demonstrators took no heed to the deadline set by the government.
More than 5,000 protesters continue to clash on the streets following days of violent unrest that has killed almost 36 people since Thursday.
This violence in Thailand has led to U.N’s top human rights official to look into the issues that both sides are facing, so as to to resume talks and make a plan towards a non-violent and amicable resolution of the issue.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Monday :
“I urge leaders to set aside pride and politics for the sake of the people of Thailand. As the latest government deadline passes, there is a high risk that the situation could spiral out of control, to prevent further loss of life, I appeal to the protesters to step back from the brink, and the security forces to exercise maximum restraint in line with the instructions given by the government. Ultimately, this situation can only be resolved by negotiation.”
The capital of Thailand, Bangkok, continued to see clashes between the Red Shirt protesters and security forces on Monday.


Whether it be assembly, joining, forming, measuring or testing – the Smart Function Kit is suitable for many pressing and joining applications with forces up to 70 kN. The modular servo press combines mechanical and electrical Rexroth components with software and is the perfect basis for system integrators or end users with process know-how.
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Tamil Nadu doesn't need water from Cauvery River as it is already receiving excess water from Karnataka due to heavy north-east rains. This is what the Karnataka government is set to argue when it responds to the Tamil Nadu government's contempt plea filed over the Cauvery River water sharing issue in the Supreme Court.
Karnataka's response to TN's contempt petition states that there is no need to release Cauvery water when the neighbouring state is already receiving enough water from excessive rainfall.
As per the order of the Cauvery River Water Authority, Karnataka had to release 9,000 cusecs of water every day. This had led to large-scale protests across the state and the government was under tremendous pressure from the farming community to stop the release of water.
The Karnataka government felt that it was better to face contempt proceedings than the wrath of its own farmers and hence made the submission. However, it was saved by the timely rainfall and now hopes that this factor will help bolster its argument in court.
Incidentally, while farmers from Mandya and Mysore belts had earlier complained about lack of water, recently 300 acres of paddy crops have been destroyed in the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir area due to heavy rains.
The damage was extensive in Virija and Chikkadevaraya canals, near Palahalli and Hosur villages, nearly 10 km from the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir.
These factors can help the legal team of the Karnataka government argue its case in court.
A member of the team explained that while Tamil Nadu had demanded 9,000 cusecs of water, the state had received an excess flow of 18,000 cusecs of water.
"Technically, we have not released water as per the order, but then excess water is already flowing into Tamil Nadu. The north-east rains have been heavy. We have also assured Tamil Nadu that between October and January 38, we will raise the quantity of water to be released to them. If the rainfall continues to be this heavy, then there will be absolutely no problem," said a member of the legal team.


Neil Aspin admits that he was relieved to grab all three points from the 2-1 win against Chesterfield yesterday.
Ben Whitfield scored the winning goal in a crunch game between the two League Two candidates after Danny Pugh opened up the scoring in the first half.
The three points have point The Valiants eight points adrift of the drop zone as Aspin expresses his delight over the win.
He said: “It’s been a long time coming.
“It’s been frustrating and very difficult. We all lose confidence when we’re not winning games, you always think when your next win will come. If you could choose which game I would want to win to would have been today – it was a massive game.
“The players deserve a lot of praise because they have shown a lot of character and have battled for the cause earning all three points.”
The gaffer was also quick to pay credit for Whitfield who made an excellent impact after coming off the bench to end up scoring the winner infront of the delighted Valiant faithful.
“I’m really pleased for Ben,” said Aspin.
“People look from the outside when players are not playing and think that there might be a fall out with the manager but that isn’t the case. Ben’s been frustrated because he wants to play.
“But when he came on, I thought he was excellent.”
It’s derby-day next for Vale as we travel to Crewe Alexandra on Monday. The gaffer says he is expecting a tough encounter away from home.
He said: “I’ve seen Crewe play a number of times this season.
“They play good football, they’ve got some good players and they will pass the ball, so it’s a tough game and we have to give the crowd something to shout about.”


South Africa set to ban online casinos later in 2018
The South African Government is relentlessly pursuing its plan to crack down on unauthorised internationally licensed online gambling operators.
The South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 2016 published a new draft of a National Gambling Policy document, which detailed plans by the government to end the penetration of any new form of gambling in the country.
The DTI has served a notice of intention to parliament to present the National Gambling Amendment Act 2018 during the legislature’s second session of 2018.
The bill restricts South African punters from accessing online gambling products, not provided by locally licensed operators, who are only allowed to offer sports betting.
The new bill warns financial institutions not to “process payment transactions for any gambling activities that are not licensed” under the country’s gambling rules.
In addition, punters who wager with unauthorised international sites, will forfeit all their winnings to the National Gambling Regulator (NGR), which currently oversees gambling in South African following a proposed ‘repositioning’ of the National Gambling Board.
To enforce the regulations, the NGR is to keep a “register of unlawful gambling operators,” and any firm found culpable would be barred for the next five years from seeking a South African license.
The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) will have the power to regulate all lotteries and sports pools and would “prescribe a maximum limit of licenses” for sports pools and bettings on lottery results.
The new proposal will also place a ban on dog racing and bets on dog races and allow the horse racing industry to create a regulatory body to be supervised by the NGR.
For “the development of the horse racing industry and usage of products belonging to totalizator operators” operators in the industry will pay a set amount of their revenue to the authority.
Other aspects covered in the new bill are electronic bingo, and the need for gambling venues in public establishments to have a separate and hidden entrance and a ban on the installation of ATMs around gambling venues.
In the past South Africa has been somewhat of a haven for online casino operators with Fortune Affiliates and Star Partners, two brands which have disappeared in recent years, being based out of Cape Town.


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BACKSTORY: From The Westin St. Francis website: At the turn of the century, the guardians of the Charles Crocker family announced plans to build The Westin St. Francis. Their vision was to make San Francisco the "Paris of the West," and their stunning Union Square historic hotel would be their flagship. After studying all of Europe's grand hotels - from those in Berlin, Vienna, and Monaco to Claridge's in London and The Ritz in Paris - construction on the original St. Francis began. Two years and $2.5 million later, on March 21, 1904, the doors of The St. Francis opened. By seven o'clock that evening, a line of carriages and automobiles stretching three blocks waited to approach her brightly lit towers. The hotel became so popular that within six months, the owners announced plans to add a third wing, two floors of apartments, and a ballroom. In the years since, our San Francisco historic hotel has become the center of the city's social, literary, and artistic life.
After the Great Earthquake of 1906, the square was dubbed "Little St. Francis" because of the temporary shelter erected for residents of The St. Francis.
Documented records of the opening were lost in the fire that destroyed the interior of the hotel's original 250 rooms following the earthquake.
Within 40 days of the inferno, a temporary hotel of 110 rooms was erected in a court around the Dewey Monument in Union Square, and The St. Francis continued as a focal point of the city. The hotel refurbished its interior and re-opened late in 1907, with 450 guest rooms.
A third wing opened in 1908, and further additions followed on Post Street - making The St. Francis the largest hotel on the Pacific Coast.
Construction of the 32-story Pacific Tower began early in 1969 - opened in 1971 - adding a vast new complex of guest rooms, suites, and venues and banquet facilities.

domain: history


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In all the rush, I have totally forgot to tell everyone I have the great pleasure of being hired as the producer of this years Pit Party at the Barbican, run by the amazing people at CRIPtic Arts. The line up is amazing and it’s been even more amazing to work with the artistic director Jamie Hale and their team. Supporting new and up and coming D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent creative talent to perform new pieces at such a prestigious venue has been a career highlight for me, and I can’t wait for the the show.
It is being held at the Barbican Pit Theatre on November 19th and 20th, tickets available here, and a filmed version will be on the Barbican website from the Saturday night for a week.
I have also interviewed all the creatives involved for a podcast. Each week new interviews will be uploaded so keep popping back. More news as the event gets nearer!


I had the heads rebuilt on my LTD with 335/400 engine. I put them on following (what I thought) was the correct procedures) and when I started it up, white billowing smoke out the exh. I also have visible hole/port above the intake deck on both sides about half way down. It appears to be a water port but with nothing leaking. Did I put the heads on wrong? Plugs on the left are slanting back and on the right slanting forwrd. HELP>>>>
A local reputable machine shop rebuilt the heads. My qn is this: Could I have put the left hand head on the right and Vice Versa??? Why do I have two (what appears to be) water ports visible (one on the left center head and one above the right center head) above the intake deck??
OK, first off I have not worked on a 335 series for...decades. Hopefully Colo79Ford will chime in, he races one.
Second, a generality: Ford does not cast a left and right head. One casting works on either side. I'm sure there are exceptions, I just don't know enough to name any.
Third: I had to skim a couple FAQ threads to find out, but the 335 series has a dry intake. The ports you see sticking up are most likely for the exhaust crossover under the intake. Here is a link to one FAQ thread, maybe you'll get more help in that forum as well: http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/50...es-motors.html
The fact that the inake does not line up and there is a coolant leak makes me think the heads are not properly seated. There should be "dowels" in the the block or the head that surround at least two bolt holes. These steel tubes align the head to the block, the bolts pull the head down to seal.
That's my wild *** guess. If the dowels are there, the head is not properly seated on them.
NO PRIDE-NO SHAME
'74 F-100 4x4: It's ugly, loud and smelly. Those are it's good points!
Well, they fit down over the dowels....snugly and nice...torgued properly.... I still think (because of the two port holes mid way on the top of the inner heads is an issue insisting on the heads being improperly set...R vs. L. When I put the head gaskets on I called the machine shop as they were both the same #. They said blue side up on one side and the other side as long as the front was facing front just flip it...it appeared right.
The 400 does have a dry intake manifold, there is not a drop of coolant that flows between the heads, and the intake manifold, so do not worry about anything there.
why did you have the heads rebuilt?
is the coolant that is being burned off coolant that might have been in the exhaust from when the heads went bad before? Coolant that was in the cylinders from when you did the head swap? Pull your spark plugs to see any differences in coloration from one to the next..
How long have you had it running total since putting the heads back on?
Did it smoke right off the bat after firing it up? Was it running normally, then the coolant temp spiked, then it started burning coolant?
Did you use new head gaskets? torque the heads in 3 steps until you got to the full torque spec?
As far as putting heads on the "wrong" side... not gonna happen. Think about the spark plugs.. the pass. side is angling back, the driver side is angling forward. If you were to move the pass. side head to the driver side, the spark plugs would be facing forward, and vice versa.
IM not sure about the 400 heads in specific, but i know with some heads if the valve guides werent installed properly, or if the wrong size valves (stems) were used tons of coolant can pass them and enter the cylinder and burn off.
If its not left over coolant that is in the exhaust from when and if the heads went bad, or swapping the heads it may be a problem with either the valve guides, a cracked head...or a head gasket / warpage issue. Only other possibility i could think of would be cracked cylinder wall with coolant seeping from water jacket into the cylinder.
It doesn't smoke right away but after running about a minute. Machine shop is top notch. New guides, valves are stock 1 1/2 and 2 inches as mfg states. Plugs are all clean. I am going to do a compression check this am to see what the readings with the new heads are. Are both head gaskets the same part #? When I went to put them on the left side was blue side up with front marking front. I called the shop because if I put the gasket on the right side it was marked front but I had to put the blue side down, shop said OK on this and that was what to do. All ports were alligned is that OK to put blue side down?? Thank you very much for your info.
Well, the end of the 400 Head saga. I checked Cyl compression - all checked in at 120... all plugs still clean and pretty. I sat back and asked myself what can it be. The bulb went off......I had not checked the transmission modulator for leakage... That would explain the weird smell (tranny fluid is dirty). I ran it up on ramps crawled under and took the vacuum line off...fluid ran out of the vacuum line freely. Walla!!! $13.00 later problem solved. I do want to thank everyone for the valuable info about the 335 series engines. Thanks again from Colorado.
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Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
Vaccines for children under five are expected to be approved early next year, but officials and pediatricians say the slow uptake among hesitant parents for the 5-11 age group could extend to the youngest children too.
Dr. Francis Collins is director of the National Institutes of Health and spoke with NPR’s All Things Considered about the timeline for emergency use authorization of the vaccine for kids under 5, and the ongoing efforts to immunize those aged 5 to 11.
As with older Americans, before the vaccine makers can submit for FDA emergency use authorization, they must first conduct trials to ensure the vaccine is safe and effective.
For children under five, these trials are split into two different groups: those aged 2-5, and those aged six months to two years.
“Both of those have had data generated in a carefully controlled trial, and those are going to be submitted and [the] FDA will review them,” Collins said.
“But I think it will be by the first of the year before we have approval for those younger ages.”
How vaccinations are going for the 5-11 age group
But Collins also noted that vaccination rates for kids aged 5-11 haven’t been what public officials had hoped for so far.
“Parents, I think for the most part, have been a little reluctant to decide to get their kids immunized,” Collins said.
“A lot of work has been done to make it easy to do that by getting vaccinations to pediatricians offices and even to schools. But I think we are still even short of half of the kids in that age group getting immunized.”
Despite the reluctance, Collins says he thinks the uptake will increase as parents talk to their pediatricians and become more comfortable with the vaccines.
How pediatricians are approaching conversations with parents
The conversations with parents do seem to have an impact, according to those on the frontline.
Dr. Jacob Kilgore is a pediatric infectious disease specialist with Marshall Health in Huntington, West Virginia. Only 41.5% of the eligible population of the state is fully vaccinated.
While there are a number of reasons for the low rate, Kilgore says one of the barriers is simply a lack of easy access to healthcare in some areas outside large cities.
Another reason is hesitation among parents – something Kilgore says pediatricians are combatting by having more conversations. And when talking with parents about their child and vaccines, Kilgore says it’s important to meet the parents halfway.
“It’s answering questions and concerns or inquiries they may have about the vaccine,” Kilgore says. “What we’ve seen, once we have an opportunity for those that are a little more hesitant to sit and have a conversation … [is] an increasing proportion of parents being very supportive.”
Misinformation about the vaccines has also been an issue public health officials have faced with the rollouts, Collins says.
“I have a lot of sighs about where we are as a country and a lot of heartbreak about hundreds of thousands of people whose lives have been lost,” he said. “And many of those didn’t need to die if they’d had accurate information that they could have responded to, instead of being brought into a place where they gave up on an opportunity that could have saved their lives.”
Kilgore says sharing a few facts associated with the 5-11 age group usually helps reassure parents about the safety of the vaccines.
“Number one, the vaccine technology has been readily studied,” Kilgore says. “Of the participants who were studied, and including those with potential adverse side effects, the side effect profile was quite minimal.”
Kilgore says he also focuses on the fact the dose for…


I recently received a new 3-foot table from the April preorder, and it is a much more impressive experience than the end table! That said, I discovered that the Sisbot moved during shipping, an issue I did not discover until I tried running the table and found that the Sisbot arm was striking the gear on the off-axis motor because there was not enough clearance.
More precisely, when I ran the Erase pattern, I found that the table worked fine for about two-thirds of the radius, but when it reached a particular angle and distance away from the origin, suddenly the arm appeared to catch on something, and the ball would stop, move inward about a quarter to half inch, then continue on. This kept happening at the same spot, and then when the track finished, the table had lost position. When I tried running the track in reverse, I found that it was getting stuck in nearly the same spot. So I looked under the table and that's when I realized that the arm was getting caught on the motor, and that was because the Sisbot was too close to the underside of the table. But it was not evident by looking at the red flexible joints as described by the support documents, since they weren't bent. What I realized is that the metal supports welded to the circumference of the table had actually bent out of position during shipping.
As gently as I could, I adjusted these back and now the table works flawlessly. I measured the separation between the underside of the table and the ends of these support beams to make sure that the Sisbot was level, and found that it was off (tilted) by about 5 mm. I would estimate that the minimum separation to avoid the arm hitting the motor is about 35 mm as measured vertically from the underside of the table to the center of the screw that fastens the rubber joint to the metal support. At this distance, the clear plastic Sisbot arm looks like it is flexing slightly, like a leaf spring, pushing the magnet against the underside. I assume this is intentional, but am not sure. I would like to know if the separation should be larger than this.
Due to what I can only imagine was the rough handling of the table during shipment (the single FedEx delivery person simply carted it up to the doorstep despite the prominent label on the box saying that two people are required for lifting it), I would like to suggest that other people who receive their table, prior to operation, be instructed to check the underside for the proper separation distance as the Sisbot can become misaligned during transit. All it takes is a few millimeters. I realize that my experience may very well be exceptional, but I hope my findings will spare others from unnecessary worry.
Thanks so much for thoroughly investigating and documenting your problem (and fixing it!). You are spot on in all your assumptions. The coffee tables are far more massive, and also far more likely to be mishandled during shipping. We will indeed follow your suggestions, and add this pre-run check to our instructions!


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Thorn Lighting’s Altis and Mundial floodlights were installed at Leicester City FC to elevate the facility to Premier League standards prior to their title win that was described as the greatest sporting upset ever, or the best football fairy-tale of history.
9th January 2017
Zumtobel Group proves ‘where there’s a Wilko, there’s a way’ and receives its largest single order worth over £22 million
By delivering massive reductions in energy and maintenance costs, Zumtobel Group has confirmed its single largest turnkey lighting solution, for homewares and household goods retail giant Wilko.
24th November 2016
TRILUX award winning lighting was chosen to add a design feature to CentrEd’s hospitality areas
23rd November 2016
Zumtobel Lighting has supplied its slim-line, linear CHIARO II LED fittings to the newly refurbished Loch Street car parking area at Bon Accord Shopping Centre in Aberdeen.
17th November 2016
Two days before Harmony Of The Seas, the world’s largest ever cruise ship, left the STX shipyard in St.Nazaire where she was built, the Chelsom team were part of the two thousand contractors still on board putting the finishing touches to the magnificent interiors which woul
17th November 2016
Thorn Lighting has provided a ‘one stop shop’ for Papa John's at the company’s new headquarters in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire in an upgrade to energy efficient, low maintenance LED lighting.
2nd November 2016
Outdoor lighting manufacturer C U Phosco is reaping the multiple benefits of an energy efficient lighting upgrade from Lumilow Lighting at its Yorkshire manufacturing facility
27th October 2016
The upgrading of Newcastle United Football Club’s home ground with high-efficiency Tamlite LED lighting products has yielded a remarkable two-thirds reduction in energy consumption.
26th October 2016


Amazon vans line up at a distribution center to pick up packages and deliver them on July 16, 2019, on Amazon Prime Day in Orlando, Florida.
Paul Hennessy | NurPhoto | fake images
Last week, Amazon raised privacy concerns when it confirmed that it is rolling out AI-enabled cameras on vans used by some of its contracted delivery partners. But the company has been using software for years to monitor and track the behavior of delivery drivers on the road.
Amazon requires contracted delivery drivers to continuously download and run a smartphone app, called a “Mentor,” that monitors their driving behavior while on the job. The app, which Amazon sees as a tool to improve driver safety, generates a score each day that measures employees’ driving performance.
The Delivery Services Partner Program (DSP), launched in 2018, is comprised of contracted delivery companies handling a growing share of the online retail giant’s last-mile deliveries. In just a few years, the program has grown to include more than 1,300 delivery companies in five countries, threatening to change an industry that has traditionally been dominated by shipping partners such as UPS and FedEx.
Like the AI-equipped cameras that are deployed at contract delivery companies, Mentor is framed as a “digital driver safety app” to help employees avoid accidents and other unsafe driving habits while on the road. to his destiny. But multiple delivery hosts who spoke to CNBC described the app as invasive and expressed concern that errors within the app can, at times, lead to unfair disciplinary action by their manager.
Amazon spokeswoman Deborah Bass told CNBC in a statement: “Safety is Amazon’s highest priority. Whether it’s cutting edge telemetry and advanced last-mile truck safety technology, safety training programs drivers or continuous improvements within our maps and routes technology, we have invested tens of millions of dollars in safety mechanisms throughout our network and regularly communicate safety best practices to drivers. “
But Bass did not respond to any of the specific allegations DSP drivers made to CNBC about the Mentor app detailed in this story, as well as questions about how the app uses certain behaviors to rate drivers.
Amazon drivers must log in to the Mentor app at the beginning of their shift each day.
The scores generated by the Mentor app are used in more ways than simply evaluating a person’s job performance, the drivers say. Amazon also looks at the scores, in part, by ranking the status of a delivery partner, according to the drivers, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from Amazon.
The DSP rating system ranges from “Poor” to “Good” to “Fantastic” and to the higher level, called “Fantastic +”. A surplus of low Mentor scores among a delivery partner’s workforce can lower DSP’s ranking, potentially jeopardizing their access to benefits provided by Amazon, such as optimal delivery routes, the drivers said.
The app also includes a dashboard for drivers to “see how they stack up to the rest of their team.” Mentor’s score-based system raises concerns that the app is intensifying work pressure, pitting drivers and DSPs out of competition with each other to an unhealthy degree.
DSPs are already under intense pressure due to the ease with which Amazon can cut contracts with delivery partners.
“The knowledge that you are under this level of constant vigilance, that even if you are doing a good job at your job, an app or algorithm could make a determination that affects your life or your ability to put food on the table for your children is I think deeply unfair, “said Evan Greer, deputy director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future. “It’s incredibly dystopian.”
How Mentor works
The Mentor app was created by eDriving, a New Jersey-based technology company that develops road safety tools for the automotive and logistics industries. Representatives for eDriving did not respond to requests for comment.
Amazon drivers must log in to the Mentor app at the beginning of their shift each day. The app calculates a score for each driver, called a “FICO score,” based on their driving performance, and should not be confused with the credit score of the same name.
The Mentor app calculates a score for each driver, called a “FICO score,” based on their driving performance.
The app tracks and measures driving behaviors such as hard braking, accelerating, making cell phone calls or sending text messages, according to a DSP Driver Mentor Guide. The app also tracks seatbelt use and reverse driving, but those behaviors are not accounted for in the driver’s FICO score.
Mentor has a tiered system for scoring, with a maximum score of 800 to 850 considered “Excellent”, while a score of 100 to 499 is considered the lowest level, or the application of the label as “Risk”. It’s unclear how many points each violation is worth, but drivers say that some violations can hurt your FICO score more than others.
‘I had no control over it’
Safety violations do not have to be serious to lower a driver’s score in the Mentor app.
“I got a ding because someone called me and I didn’t respond,” said Devin Gonzales, a former driver who was fired by his Colorado-based DSP last month. The Mentor app had falsely marked the incoming call as a violation because it thought the phone was in use while driving.
“He had no control over that,” Gonzales added.
In other US DSPs, delivery drivers said they experienced issues with the Mentor app. Adrienne Williams, who drove for Amazon until last July, ran the Mentor app on an e-packet scanner, internally referred to as a “rabbit.” Drivers use the rabbit to indicate when they arrive at each delivery stop on their route, among other uses.
Williams said she was frustrated as she took the rabbit’s device to mark her stop while her truck was idle, but the Mentor app was recording the action as distracted driving. As a result, Williams would see his mentor score drop each time he reached a delivery destination.
“Every time I said I was at the stop, they beat me,” Williams said in an interview. “And that’s 150 stops in one day, so I was jabbed at least 150 times a day.”
After this pushed his score from the “700 and 800 highs” to around the 400 level,[the Mentor app] I said driving was risky, “Williams said.” I was pushed aside and told that his FICO score was too low. “
Williams’ DSP then gave him another rabbit device, just to run the Mentor app. He said he would keep the device locked in the glove compartment of his truck to avoid errors with the app and preserve his FICO score.
DSPs may use the data collected by the Mentor app to make employment decisions, including disciplinary actions such as redactions. Drivers say that if their score falls below a certain threshold, they can be removed from work hours for a few days or a week, lose access to bonuses and not receive certain benefits. For example, some DSPs will pay drivers for a full day shift if they finish their work early, but if a driver’s FICO score is too low, they will only be paid for the hours they complete, the drivers said.
On Reddit forums and Facebook groups, DSP drivers will share tips on how to play with the Mentor app and increase your score. Some of the tips can be particularly tricky.
In a YouTube video, a DSP driver instructs employees to wrap the Mentor-installed phone in a sweater and place it in the glove compartment of the truck so it doesn’t move while the car is in motion, which the app can be confused with the driver. using your device.
“If your device moves, it will count against you,” says the driver, Juan Ramos, in the video. “You have a better chance of making your score go down.”
While the Mentor app is meant to get drivers to adopt safer driving habits, some DSP employees said it pushes them to take risks, as they worry the extra steps could slow them down and lead to a reprimand from waiting managers. fast deliveries.
The Mentor app is capable of tracking whether a driver is wearing their seatbelt if they are driving an Amazon-brand van. Some drivers buckle up, but place the strap that normally rests on their chest behind them, so they can move more easily while driving, preventing a Mentor app violation.
“Most drivers buckle up, buckle up behind them, and drive without a seatbelt on, which is unsafe,” said an Ohio DSP driver.
If a driver feels that the Mentor app has flagged it incorrectly, they can dispute it in the app. But that doesn’t always lead to a resolution.
“After you challenge it, they’ll email you and say, ‘We’re sorry,’ and that’s it,” said the Ohio DSP driver. “It’s not a very solid system. I don’t think [eDriving] understands how important a driver’s score is. “
Follow up at home
The Mentor app is a central focus of DSP drivers’ daily lives at work as they work to maintain their safety score. But the app can also follow drivers outside of their delivery van and into their homes.
Some DSPs provide drivers with a company-issued phone where they can download and run Mentor, but several drivers told CNBC that their company did not provide them with a separate device, so they had to download the app on their personal device.
The Mentor app tracks a user’s location using GPS. The privacy features in Apple’s iOS operating system for iPhones ask users via a pop-up message on the screen to select whether they want an application to run location services in the background only once, only while they are using the application. or every hour. Drivers are told to allow the Mentor app to collect location data at all times.
“When this message appears, you are presented with two options, ‘Switch to Only During Use’ or ‘Always Allow’,” states the Mentor guide issued for DSP controllers. “This setting must remain ‘Always allow’ to accurately record trips.”
Williams said its Richmond, California-based DSP did not provide drivers with a phone, so they were expected to download Mentor onto their own device. Williams said he refused and the DSP gave him a different phone number, but most of his coworkers were too apprehensive to voice their concerns, so they agreed to let Mentor track his location without any restrictions.
“Many of my colleagues said it discouraged them, but they didn’t know what to do,” Williams said. “So you’re stuck saying, ‘I’m going to allow my employer to follow me at all times on my personal phone.’