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USC Cinematic Arts crosses the spectrum of media creation from film and television to games and interactive experiences, giving students the skills and vision to become tomorrow's creative leaders. Explore Programs
John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts USC...
Each SCA faculty member has worked, or is currently working,...
Cinematic Arts Complex Overview. View Related Pages....
Cinematic Arts Online. Visit Us/Attend an Admissions Event. SCA Overview. How to Apply. The USC School of Cinematic Arts provides a cross-divisional education experience where future leaders in the entertainment industry learn all of the disciplines of the modern content creator.
cinema .usc .edu. The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) houses seven academic divisions: Film & Television Production; Cinema & Media Studies; John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts; John Wells Division of Writing for Screen & Television; Interactive Media & Games; Media Arts + Practice ...
- 1929; 94 years ago
- Reality ends here
- Limes regiones rerum
La USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) è una scuola privata statunitense di cinema e televisione. Fondata a Los Angeles nel 1929 dalla Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in joint venture con la University of Southern California, si annovera tra le più antiche e prestigiose scuole di cinema degli Stati Uniti.  Note
The School of Cinematic Arts looks forward to receiving your application for admission. The Admissions Office is available to assist you during the application process and can be reached at 213-740-8358 or firstname.lastname@example.org any questions.


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Info dumping is a common problem for novice and seasoned writers alike and involves dropping a heap of information in the reader’s lap, resulting in a paragraph, scene, or even chapter of prose that halts the story.
It’s an understandable literary sin, given that there are instances where you need to convey to the reader valuable, necessary information, but it’s one that will be immediately recognised by the reader.
An onslaught of information will be an interruption to the flow of your story, pulling the reader from the current of your narrative, halting the tension and emotion it was invoking before the avalanche of information.
An example of info dumping:
“Anna ran down the porch steps, racing to see the damage to her truck. It was an old beast of a thing, but she felt tied to it. It had been a gift from her grandfather, with whom she’d been close. The rusted heap sat in its usual spot, the original green paint visible behind the new-ish red coat her grandfather had chosen for her.
She smiled as she remembered that hadn’t been her favourite colour since she was a child; he must have forgotten. He’d passed about six months ago, and she was finding it hard to cope with his loss; he’d been the only source of stability in her life. She thought about him, his sharp wit and lack of filter made him sort of unpopular but refreshingly honest.
Four dents in total were visible, the most costly to repair damage to the fender. A couple scratches here and there and a spiderweb of cracks in the windscreen. She totted up the damage and large bill she’d be facing, then doubled her estimates.
Every mechanic in her little town was a grifter, and it’s not like she could drive somewhere else with the truck so totalled. This reminded her that damage can go far beyond aesthetics and she remembered the feeble engine and winced. Anna lifted the hood and surveyed the engine, knowing full well that the only way she could recognise an engine issue is if it was on fire.
Still, she heaved it up, smearing oil on her hands, careful to avoid clumps of rust that waited to snatch at her skin. A five-second perfunctory look later and she decided to test the hunk of oiled metal. Careful not to do any further damage, Anna gingerly opened the door, wincing as the metal screeched in protest.
Oil. Oil will help, she thought. She hopped up onto the torn leather and inserted the key, thrilled and a little smug when it roared to life. Her truck was a monster, she should have had more faith.”
This passage won’t be winning me a Pulitzer any time soon, but it does convey a lot of information. We now know that: Anna loved her grandfather and relied on him, that the truck had been a gift from him, the extent of truck’s damage, the trustworthiness of her local mechanics, that she was worried about the cost of repairs, that she knew little about engine repair, etc.
But say you didn’t need to convey that much, that you wanted primarily to show the reader how much she loved her grandfather and her beaten-up old truck because it had been a gift from him.
“Anna took the porch steps two at a time in her race to see her truck’s injuries. It was an old beast of a thing, but the thought that the last gift her grandfather had given her could be lost to her brought pangs of too many emotions to name.
She pushed thoughts of him aside; she would deal with the truck, then she would address the gaping hole his loss had left. One thing at a time. Dents and scratches peppered her beloved truck, and she winced as she surveyed the damage, such that pointed to a possibility she couldn’t face.
She eased the door open, ignoring the metallic whine, and turned the key over, gripping the enormous wheel with shaking hands. A groan, a pause, and an ear-splitting roar told her the truck would live to fight another day. She’d been a fool to doubt it; her behemoth would outlive everyone.”
Though I offer more detail in the original passage, I think it’s more emotionally effective to suggest that even the thought of him was too much to bear at the moment, rather than a sudden and somewhat in-depth reflection on their relationship.
Here, there is no mention of the mechanic grifters in the amended passage because it wasn’t necessary, at least at this point in the story. It’s clear from the edited portion that Anna loved her grandfather, but it indicates that more will be revealed at an appropriate time, something for the reader to look forward to.
With the original, too much was revealed, and the reader’s curiosity likely hadn’t been piqued; they have no questions they want answered, nothing to drive them through the coming paragraphs (apart from, ‘what the hell happened to her truck?’)
There was still some ‘telling’ instead of showing which isn’t as taboo as some writers would have you believe. You can’t have a story without telling, but it has to be used sparingly; generally, info dumps aren’t exactly light.
If you think you might be guilty of info-dumping, review your manuscript for instances of over-sharing and address them by learning first the specific types of info dump to better recognise them in your writing.
1. Info dumps as backstory
This type is common and found more often in the introduction of a story; you as the author want your readers to know the characters, their traits, their history, etc.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of including a laundry list of events and ordeals your characters have been through, but you have to decide if those details really belong and have earned a place in that paragraph, scene, or chapter.
You might have spent time phrasing a description or memory and find it painful to cut, but including it would be the literary equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot.
Instead, select the most interesting and emotionally immersive details, then reflect on the best areas in which to insert that information to have the most effect in aiding character development, advancing the plot, and influencing the reader.
Then, if you decide to include it, you have to ask yourself how you’re going to do that: will it be via pure narrative or dialogue? Or through flashbacks?
2. Info dumps as worldbuilding
Creating a new world is a monumental task that requires a great deal of work, dedication, and detail. It’s understandable that you as a writer would be tempted to illustrate your literary prowess by explaining in detail the complexities of the world, magic system, alternate universe, etc.
But the reader didn’t pick up your book to be lectured at, they want to be entertained.
You need to balance this awareness with the knowledge that certain details do need to be included, that a simple fact can be portrayed without a full explanation into the history of a particular spell, laser-gun, potion, etc.
Though this type of info dump is most common with sci-fi and speculative fiction, it’s also found in a range of other genres — a story must have a setting, and every setting offers the opportunity to build a world.
The task at hand isn’t as difficult if your protagonist is new to a particular world because the reader is being exposed to it through their eyes. They’re unfamiliar, so it makes sense that secondary characters would explain things to them, and you learn right along with the protagonist.
If they are familiar, you’re facing a little more work — it would be ridiculous for a resident in this world to sit back and allow another character regale them with facts about the world in which they both live; they’d cut them off mid-sentence.
Example — Harry Potter (show, don’t tell):
Harry is brand new to the wizarding world, and we learn all about it right along with him. Hagrid doesn’t sit him down on the island he rescues him from and explain all about Diagon Alley, going into detail about the magical brick wall and the land that lays behind it. He brings Harry there and we see it as action.
This is a perfect example of ‘show, don’t tell’. How flat and dull the would have been coming from Hagrid instead of organically; it would have robbed the reader of what is a thrilling introduction to the world that’s become Harry’s new home.
Example — Harry Potter (tell, don’t show):
An example of ‘tell, don’t show’ is Hagrid telling Harry he’s a wizard. We’re reminded in the same passage the times Harry made things happen he couldn’t explain.
Rowling could have shown us this via a flashback if each instance of unintentional magic, or by having Harry pull off some magical feat like levitating Dudley, Hagrid in the background and his presence rendered semi-useless. But she didn’t.
That sharp line is the first confirmation the reader has of Harry’s unique gift, the foreshadowing of his new life.
This is an example of how info dumping isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The term info dump suggests an onslaught of information, but when used correctly as Rowling has done in this example, I prefer to think of it as info sprinkling.
We needed that confirmation of Harry’s magical abilities, what we didn’t need was an overwritten explanation, where the reader is exposed to too much ‘show, don’t tell’.
In the form of narrative, dialogue, or flashback, sandwich moments of ‘telling’ in between portions of ‘showing’ important information, and it should work.
If during your many re-reads and edits you find portions of info dumping, be aware that this often means the conflict has become so diluted that feelings of tension are non-existent, or that you’ve paused the conflict to interject some information.
You may have the best of intentions, but you can’t pick up and drop conflict when you feel it’s appropriate and expect the reader to adjust themselves to those rises and falls of the tension.
3. Info dumps as detail
I once edited a novel in which the author went into a three-page explanation of the workings of a car’s engine. I knew so much about internal combustion engines I could have donned some overalls and opened up shop.
Aside from the fact that this is too much detail for a book that isn’t even centred around cars, it was doing nothing to advance the plot.
Writing a novel requires a tonne of research, and specificity in the details you include lends your story legitimacy, illustrating your dedication to your profession. But as with all elements in writing, a balance must be found.
E.G. Your protagonist might be a seasoned surgeon, on the precipice of a major breakthrough that will cure cancer, and you feel you have to explain the intricacies of the clinical trials that brought this cure to light.
E.G. Or perhaps they are a musical savant, proficient in many instruments, their home filled with manuscripts overflowing with handwritten compositions. You don’t want to wait, you need the reader to know now that your character’s life revolves around music, and what better way to do that than with a four-page enlightenment that will inevitably halt your story.
It can be hard to determine exactly what a reader does and doesn’t need to know, but I always ask myself: does this information work to advance the plot?
In the case of our surgeon, the success of the trials can be woven into the plot, or the barest details offered in dialogue — perhaps the good doctor is at a conference and converses with colleagues about the breakthroughs, albeit briefly, with the scene serving a purpose outside of simply relaying that information.
Maybe our musician is giving a soon-to-be protégé a lesson, eager to share their knowledge, but intent on holding back to avoid overwhelming the beginner. You have an excuse as to why you’re not oversharing, and you’ve opened up an opportunity to illustrate that information through a compelling relationship, instead of a double-page spread on the history of classical music.
The restraint both characters show proves that the information they choose to share later share wasn’t important to the plot at that moment, or at least not in such detail.
Determine what is necessary for the time in your novel, and whittle it down to exactly what is warranted for that moment and no further.
Information can be shared through dialogue deftly as long as you don’t fall into the trap of stilted, ‘As you know, Bob…’ dialogue.
This type of dialogue is purely to convey information to the reader. It involves one character telling another character something they both already know.
“Linda, are you taking dad to the doctor?” Marie asked. “He has an appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon. She needs to look at his leg and see if there are improvements since his last appointment, after the time you ran over his foot backing down the driveway.
“It was a nasty break; his leg was in a cast for three months. The doctors think the damage is permanent.”
Linda rolled her eyes.
“You always make me feel guilty about that. I was driving your car and the brakes stopped working. It was a freak accident,” Linda replied.
Marie wouldn’t delve so deeply into the topic of their father’s injury because Linda, of course, is up to date on the topic, especially given she was behind the injury.
And while Linda’s reply is a little more believable because it’s said in frustration, it’s still ‘as you know, Bob…’ dialogue.
It’s stilted, unnatural, and unlike normal conversation between people, and it will be glaringly obvious to any reader. Sure, new information is being revealed about their father, his injury, and Linda’s guilt, but it's done in an unrealistic way, adds no conflict, and enhances no tension.
If this information is important, it would be best to find somewhere else to slot it in, where it really matters, and cut back the dialogue to include information that advances the plot, creates tension, illustrates character background and development, etc.
“Which one of us is taking dad to the doctor? He’s ready now, but he thinks he's going to be late,” Marie asked.
Linda glared at her sister sharply.
“I don’t think he wants to be in any kind of vehicle with me. You’d better take him.”
“You’re being paranoid. Anyway, I always have to drop him off. Bit unfair, considering…” She trailed off, chancing a not-so-innocent look in Linda's direction.
“You’re a monster. Fine, I’ll bring him.” Linda grabbed her keys, forcing her hand tightly around them to hide the slight tremble.
“Wish us luck,” she shouted as she left, the mock humour in her voice barely clouding her apprehension.
Again, my prose won’t be winning any awards, but at least the scene has a point now. What’s wrong with their father? Why does he need a doctor? It obviously has something to do with Linda and a car – did she run her dad over!?
Questions are being asked here, whereas none come to mind with the original, ‘Bob’ example above.
The moment a writer uses dialogue in this way to convey information to the reader is the moment it becomes “As you know, Bob…” dialogue, filtering the story through the reader’s eyes rather than the protagonist’s.
If you spot what you suspect could be an info dump in your manuscript, or you need to convey some information without unleashing an avalanche of detail on the reader, you can follow these guidelines –
• Anchor the Reader in Your Story —
Instead of rattling off a list of facts one after another, create a scene around this list and warrant the inclusion of the information. Anchor a scene by helping the reader visualise what your protagonist is doing, when they’re doing it, and why they’re doing it.
Offer a setting to enable the reader to better view the scene as a scene rather than a laundry list of facts, descriptions, events, etc. but always ensure the scene has earned its place in the story; that it drives the plot forward.
If it’s been manufactured purely to convey the information and could be pulled from your manuscript without affecting the plot or story flow, it hasn’t earned its place and doesn’t belong.
• Be Specific —
Info dumping means presenting a lot of unnecessary information, so look out for scenes that are excessively long, bogged down in extraneous detail that does nothing for the reader but drag them out of your story.
Be specific and particular with the detail you choose to share. Specificity is describing the clock on the wall as 'old, masquerading as an antique, its cheap paint chipped around the edges.'
Over description would be a detailed retelling of the type of clock, the history of that particular type, the mechanics of clockwork, the effect of viewing it had on the reader, etc.
• Give the Scene Purpose —
You want to let the reader know that Alice has been betrayed by friends and family so much that she rarely lets anyone get close to her.
Instead of a list of times Alice felt the sting of betrayal, each as painful as the next, create a scene around it. Anchor the scene, show the reader where Alice is and what she’s doing there.
Give the scene a purpose; maybe Alice is packing up after work, getting ready to head home and a colleague approaches to ask if she’d like to join them for weekend drinks.
Alice, in her vulnerable state, is immediately distrustful and snaps at the colleague, tired of being put on the spot, assuming an agenda is at play;
- this way, Alice’s reaction is shown through dialogue rather than a boring list, making the reader question the reason for Alice’s outburst.
Perhaps Alice, upon reflection, decides to let herself be a little more open and trustworthy, later apologises to the colleague and takes her up on the offer for drinks, advancing her character arc. This would give the scene purpose, proving it wasn’t just thrown in out of convenience.
As I said, keep the detail to a minimum; hint at the reason for Alice’s reaction, that betrayal is nothing new to her, mentioning one time in particular, but allow yourself the opportunity to delve further into her past at a more appropriate time, weaving her history into the narrative as you move through the story.
The information you want to give, that is necessary at this point, is shown to the reader through narrative, dialogue, and action. Less of an info dump, and more of an info sprinkling, as I’ve said.
If you find yourself at a loss when reviewing your novel for info dumps, simply ask yourself why you placed that information there, in that paragraph, scene, and chapter.
Ask why you thought it earned its place there, why you thought the reader needed that information at that specific point in your novel.
If you can’t find a solid answer - a reason to justify its presence - review each instance of suspected info dumping, working to weave the pertinent bits into the story and cutting what doesn’t belong.

domain: artistic


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• The all-new DxO Optics Pro version 4 brings a wealth of innovations to demandingphotographers worldwide, building on the superior foundation of DxO Optics Pro v3.5's breakthrough automatic corrections.
• The DxO Color Engine incorporated in this very latest version DxO Optics Pro software revolutionizes color possibilities with a palette of all-new color functions, from unique Color Rendition Profiles through Color Modes, to the innovative DxO Multi-Point Color Balance. Now DxO Optics Pro helps you achieve even better image quality with ever greater flexibility and control.
• At the very heart of DxO Optics Pro, the award-winning DxO Optics Engine uses unique hardware modeling to automatically eliminate optical defects. Based on sophisticated models of camera and lens performance, DxO Optics Engine automatically removes lens distortion, vignetting, lens softness and chromatic aberration, and with input from the user, can also apply perspective corrections (keystoning, horizons).
• To implement DxO's unique Optical corrections on a particular combination of camera and lens, thousands of scientifically set-up pictures are taken by our lab team, and then processed to produce a mathematical model of imaging performance. DxO Optics Engine then uses this model called a DxO Correction Module to reverse imaging defects and improve image quality.
• DxO Optics Engine, now in its third generation, is a core component of DxO Optics Pro that is responsible for solving geometrical and optical problems in digital images. The third generation, unveiled now in DxO Optics Pro version 4, builds upon this solid foundation to introduce revolutionary new features to widen your choice of lenses and provide unmatched control over image geometry.
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Saweetie fans and Netflix subscribers who just happen to stumble upon it will soon have access to a sex positivity-focused new special hosted by the Pretty Bitch Music artist and recent Complex cover star.
The streaming event, first reported by Vulture, is titled Sex: Unzipped and is billed as a comedy special featuring valuable insight from a range of sex experts. Per a press release shared Wednesday, the special will also feature talking heads “and a crew of sex-positive puppets who are representative of the broad spectrum of sex and sexualities that exist in real life.” These puppets will help Saweetie and company in the task of debunking a variety of myths and misconceptions.
Talking heads confirmed to appear in the Fulwell 73-produced special include Dominique Jackson (she/her), Ian Karmel (he/him), Joel Kim Booster (he/him), Katherine Ryan (she/her), London Hughes (she/her), Mae Martin (they/them), Michelle Buteau (she/her), Nikki Glaser (she/her), Romesh Ranganathan (he/him), Sam Jay (she/her), and Trixie Mattel (she/her).
The panel of experts for the special—which counts Man Down’s Spencer Millman as its showrunner—features Alexander Cheves (he/him/his), Emily Morse (she/her), Oloni (she/her), and Stella Anna Sonnenbaum (she/her). Dr. Ruth Westheimer will appear as a special guest.
Netflix is promising Sex: Unzipped will be its “funniest, filthiest, and furriest” new comedy special. The worldwide premiere is set for Oct. 26.
Last weekend, Saweetie performed at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, taking the stage in her airport outfit after her previously chosen performance outfit failed to arrive on location in time.
“A little bump in the road not gone stop us,” she told fans in a tweet ahead of the performance. “So if you see me in my airport clothes on stage today mine ya business.”
See more below.

domain: entertainment


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Bac Giang, Vietnam accelerates its digital transformation plans – OpenGov Asia
To deepen China-Africa cooperation, China’s Ministry of Commerce said it will step up efforts to formulate specific work plans for nine programs in areas such as digital innovation.
Experts said that as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates digital transformation in many economies, a deeper China-Africa partnership in digital innovation is of greater importance. According to the digital innovation program, China will undertake 10 digital economy projects for Africa, establish Sino-African cooperation centers in satellite remote sensing applications, and support the development of Sino-African joint laboratories, partner institutes and scientific and technological innovation. bases of cooperation.
The nine programs, under the first three-year plan of the China-Africa Cooperation Vision 2035, will not only promote partnerships in poverty reduction, trade and investment, but will also be linked to areas emerging sectors such as the digital economy, development and vocational education.
– Shu Jueting, spokesperson, Ministry of Commerce
In addition, China will work with African countries to expand e-commerce cooperation, organize online shopping festivals showcasing quality African products and tourism e-commerce promotion activities, and launch a campaign to market 100 African stores and 1,000 African products on e-commerce platforms.
Zhou Mi, senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said the global economic recovery is very unbalanced between regions, and development gaps in digital economy and green technologies are among the factors that fuel such imbalances. The digital divide in Africa becomes even more difficult during the pandemic.
As the pandemic has severely disrupted traditional trade and investment activities while accelerating the development of the digital economy, it is very important for Africa to harness the potential of the digital economy to spur economic growth and strengthen global connections. At the same time, strengthening China-Africa cooperation in the digital economy will facilitate the formation of an international consensus to establish more effective, widely accepted and comprehensive rules in the sector, in order to create a more stable environment for the growth and global digital cooperation. economic, and it is also valuable because the digital economy is becoming a key area for global competition.
Currently, Chinese companies are actively investing in African countries to build digital infrastructure, offer vocational training to local people and provide internet services. For example, a Chinese telecommunications company launched a course to prepare local students studying information and communications technology for the future of work.
The course aims to inspire local talent, enhance knowledge sharing, promote better understanding and interest in the information and communications technology industry, and encourage participation in the digital community. The course focuses on the latest technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things.
As reported by OpenGov Asia, China’s leading industry regulator has unveiled a five-year plan to accelerate the integration of digital and real economies as part of a wider campaign to establish a policy framework for development. industrialist in the country until 2025.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that accelerating the deep integration of information technology in all industrial chains is of great importance to promote industrial digitization and industrialization digital in the new era. According to the five-year plan, the ministry will adopt five special initiatives, including promoting the digital transformation of manufacturing and industrial internet platforms, to advance industrial upgrading.
The five-year plan included both quantitative and qualitative objectives. For example, by 2025, the country aims to increase the penetration rate of industrial internet platforms to 45% and the popularization rate of digital research, development and design tools to 85%.
China will accelerate the construction of a digital government to improve administrative services. Accordingly, the country should create a national digital government network to improve regional and inter-institutional information sharing and ensure that its digital public services cover more sectors and become more accessible.

domain: news


The Amalfi outdoor cushion is essential to softening the overall look of your alfresco dining, lounging and entertaining areas.
- Double Sided
- Digital Print
- Cold gentle machine - wash separately without detergent
- line dry in shade
- warm iron on reverse
- Do not soak, bleach, wring, tumble dry, dry clean, or iron on print directly


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MÖTLEY CRÜE's 'Time For Change' Featured In Commercial For DELTA FaucetsMarch 8, 2021
MÖTLEY CRÜE's song "Time For Change" is featured in a new commercial for the Delta brand's faucets, shower heads and other kitchen and bathroom accessories. Check it out below.
"Time For Change" is taken from MÖTLEY CRÜE's fifth studio album, "Dr. Feelgood", which came out in 1989 via Elektra.
This is not the first time a MÖTLEY CRÜE song has found its way into a commercial. Two years ago, "Kickstart My Heart", also from "Dr. Feelgood", was featured in Planters's first-ever Super Bowl ad. In 2014, the same track could be heard in a commercial for the Dodge Charger.
MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.
A tour film about MÖTLEY CRÜE's "farewell" shows, "The End", came out in 2016, and a film adaptation of the band's 2001 autobiography "The Dirt" arrived in March 2019.
MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally scheduled to take place last summer but ended up being pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.
When it happens, "The Stadium Tour" will mark the CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017 — but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.
Photo credit: Dustin Jack
Comments Disclaimer And Information


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Appeal from Judgment of Sentence of the Court of Common Pleas of Huntingdon County at No. 175 Criminal Action, 1975. No. 1154 October Term, 1976.
Joseph W. Mullin, Public Defender, Huntingdon, for appellant.
Stewart L. Kurtz, II, Huntingdon, for appellee.
Watkins, President Judge, and Jacobs, Hoffman, Cercone, Price, Van der Voort and Spaeth, JJ. Spaeth, J., files a dissenting opinion in which Watkins, President Judge, joins.
[ 245 Pa. Super. Page 403]
Appellant seeks to challenge for the first time on appeal the adequacy of the colloquy prior to his plea of nolo contendere to the charges of aggravated assault*fn1 and resisting arrest.*fn2
On August 30, 1975, at approximately 1:30 a. m., appellant entered the Huntingdon Borough police station to report the theft of his automobile. Subsequent investigation by the police revealed that appellant's vehicle had been involved in a hit-and-run accident. The officer on duty informed appellant that he would probably be arrested and charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident.*fn3 A scuffle ensued, and appellant injured two officers before he was subdued. The testimony of the officers during appellant's plea colloquy on December 10, 1975, indicated that appellant might have been intoxicated on the night in question. Nevertheless, the court below accepted appellant's plea of nolo contendere; and, on February 5, 1976, it sentenced appellant to serve 2 to 4 years' imprisonment. Appellant did not petition the lower court for permission to withdraw his plea, but rather, appealed directly to this Court.
Appellant has made the common mistake of attacking the validity of his plea on direct appeal without first filing a petition to withdraw the plea with the lower court to which the plea was made. See Commonwealth v. Lee, 460 Pa. 324, 333 A.2d 749 (1975); Commonwealth v. Roberts, 237 Pa. Super. 336, 352 A.2d 140 (1975). In Commonwealth v. Roberts, supra, this Court mandated strict compliance with the requirement that the appellant file a petition to withdraw. For appeals filed prior to the filing date of Roberts, December 1, 1975, this Court
[ 245 Pa. Super. Page 404]
has generally remanded cases involving challenges to guilty pleas to permit appellants an opportunity to file a petition to withdraw.
This appeal was filed on March 5, 1976. Because appellant has not filed a petition to withdraw with the lower court and because this appeal was filed well beyond the effective date of the rule announced in Roberts, we must hold that appellant has waived his right to raise issues in this Court which have not been presented to the court below. Cf. Commonwealth v. Reid, 458 Pa. 357, 358, 326 A.2d 267 (1974).

domain: law


Finally bought a notebook from the PC Show 2005. I was the first customer to buy a Fujitsu notebook. The model is S6240, priced at $3488. Free gifts include additional 512MB DDR2 ram, bluetooth USB adapter, USB handphone charger, optical mouse and a MP3 player car adapter.
Here are the specifications:
» Intel Pentium M Processor 730 (1.60GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB)
» Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG/ 2200BG Network Connection
» Intel 915GM Express Chipset
» 13.3″ SuperFine XGA TFT, 1024 x 768 pixels
» Dual Layer DVD Super Multi Writer
» 1GB DDR2 533MHz
» 80GB Ultra ATA-100 HDD
» Up to 3.6hrs (6-cell Li-Ion 4800mAh) Battery Life
» Approx. 1.65kg (With Weight Saver Option)
» Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 with DVMT 3.0 (128MB)
» Realtec ALC260 HD audio codec with built-in dual Stereo Speakers
» 56K V.922 Global Modem MDC1.5, IrDA 1.1 4Mbps3
» 1000/100/10Mbps4 PCI Express x1 Gigabit Ethernet and Intel PRO/ Wireless 2915ABG/ 2200BG network connection with Dual Antenna. Separate ON/OFF switch for wireless network connection
» PC Card Type II, Smart Card support, Secured Digital, Memory Stick PRO
» USB 2.0 x 3, VGA (external display), RJ45 (LAN), RJ11 (modem), IEEE1394, Mini S-Video out, HD Audio-in, HD Audio-out, Power Adapter DC-in, Port Replicator Interface
» BIOS Lock, Hard Disk Lock, Anti-theft Lock Slot, Smart Card support5, Fingerprint Sensor
» Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition
Yesterday was my enlistment anniversary, exactly 1 year after I have enlisted. Just another 14 more months to ORD. 1 year ago this day I am having mixed feelings in Tekong.
My section came 2 juniors and a new regular specialist. Now I am officially batch 02. Will be promoting to corporal on 16th June 2005. $520 pay here I come.
Will be catching Mr and Mrs Smith later, heard it is quite good.


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In one of the last posts I discussed a cancel on a stamp which in turn proved to be fake. Another collector sent me a scan of the genuine cancel on a postcard from 1910. While exchanging mails some questions arose.
Generally we assume that when the first republic established and the Dashnaks took position the “old” cancel devices from Tsarists times were used. Since the reign of the Dashanks did not last very long – between the aggressive Turks and the Bolshevists they had at some point choose the lesser evil – we assume that no own cancel devices were produced. For once there are no cancels with Armenian script (or letters) used in this time and, the own stamps (Paris issue) did not reach Armenia in time to be used by the Dashnak government. On the other hand, devices for overprinting the monograms were produced. And what about after 1921 when the times were a bit less demanding and chaotic? Another finding is that some Tsarists cancels were used before 1919 and not after 1919 while other cancel were not used (or we could not find postal items so far) before 1919 but have seen extensive usage after.
Let us check what we can find about the Alexandropol cancels. I checked my collection and can find the following types.
This cancel is not reported seen on Armenian stamps.
Is this a “g” character? Also, this one is not reported on Armenian stamps.
Now to the types used on Armenian stamps. There are three different ones, “e”, “tse” and “sh”.
This is the most common cancel. Used on Dashnak overprints and on the later pictorial issues and finally also on the Transcaucasian issue. While I got plenty of imprints on the pictorial issues, the usage with Dashnak stamps seem to be quite rare.
Here an example on Dashnak stamps. The date reads 28.02.20.
Used on First Constantinople pictorial issue. Date 28.03.23.
And finally on the Transcaucasian issue. Date ?6.11.23.
This one is rather rare. It is not on the Ashford/Tchilinghirian list. I found it only on Dashnak stamps. The date is rather hard to decipher but the year is certainly 1920.
I got a handful of more examples – all look like CTO material.
This one is probably not as rare as the “e”, but still much rarer than the “sh”. Again I found this one only on Dashnak stamps. Date is ??.?3.20.
Who can provide examples of stamps or letters (postcards etc.) who show Alexandropol cancels not listed here?

domain: hobby


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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told CBS News he does not see any immediate threat against any of the 28 nations that make up the largest peacetime alliance in the world, despite Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine and unannounced military exercises near member states’ airspace.
“We urge Russia not to…do these kinds of snap exercises. Every nation has the right to exercise its forces, also Russia, but they should do it in a more transparent and predictable way to avoid any misunderstandings,” Secretary-General Stoltenberg to CBS News Chief White House correspondent Major Garrett.
On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry ordered a “surprise combat readiness inspection” of its air forces. More than 12,000 servicemen and 250 aircraft are taking part in the exercises over Southern Russia. In recent months, the Kremlin has conducted several unannounced air defense exercises near NATO-member airspace in the Baltics.
https://endtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/china_3318026b1.jpg 387 620 alphatimes https://endtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/endtime-logo.png alphatimes2015-05-27 00:00:002018-03-28 15:55:43NATO chief reacts to Russian surprise military exercises

domain: politics


We are aware that these streets ain’t safe no more. We never know whether to blame the system in place or Kenyans as individuals for the peculiar acts we carry out day in, day out. The Kenyan Government, through the Central Bank of Kenya, issued the new currency on 1 June in pursuit of the constitutional requirement.
All Kenyans should comply with the CBK directive on the rollout of the new currency. There are a few pointers we can appreciate about the new currency. The new notes are evenly colour-coded with different shades of colour that has a unique security feature. The notes also show Kenya’s rich culture and natural habitations.
Taxi driver in trouble after being found with fake new currency https://t.co/Sf7vTMSwHl
— Crazy Kenyans (@KenyansCrazy) June 14, 2019
So to keep you safe from getting conned, here are key security facts you need to watch out when new currency comes in handy.
- The Sh.50 note embraces a green energy, Sh.100 symbolizes Agriculture, Sh.200 has Social Culture and Sh.500 tourism while Sh.1000 shows governance on the notes appearances.
- When you handle the notes, you should be able to feel the word written as ‘KENYA’
- Also, touching the notes, one should be able to feel the value of the notes (Such as sh.50, sh.100, sh.200, sh.500 and sh.1000). With this unique feature, the blind can easily handle the cash with ease as opposed to the old generation.
- Raising the note against source of light such as the sun, one should be able to spot a lion on the note. The watermark of the currency, head of a lion and word ‘CBK’ should be seen.
- Also, a keen look at the notes reveals that the security thread appears as a continuous line
- The notes have different bars on their edges such that Sh.50 has one bar, Sh.100- 2 bars. sh.200 – 3 bars , Sh.500 – 4 bars and Sh.1000 has 5 bars.
- All the bank notes will change from red to green on their security threads when the notes are titled at a certain angle. Besides additional rainbow colours have been added on the threads of sh.200, sh.500 and sh.1000
- At the back of the notes, the golden band shows the value of the notes.
- The notes can easily be differentiated from the fake ones by either feeling them, titling or turning them back and front to observe the key security features.
I’m so scared this new currency nitapeleka kwa mama mboga anirudishie change fake.
— Mwihaki 🌸 (@Mwihakiii) June 8, 2019
With the recent speculation of the fake currency making rounds, the incidences pose a great threat by adding more suspicions among people regarding the safety and genuineness of the new currency with many business owners in remote marginalized areas refusing to transact using the new currency notes.


Material: Solid brass
Lock case: SS 304
Cylinder: Solid brass
Keyway: Dual keyway
Door thickness: 35-45mm, 46-55mm, 56-65mm, 66-75mm
The offered FUYU is precisely designed using premium quality raw material and leading edge technology. Its deadbolt makes less accessibility to forced entry2.
Zhongshan Fuyu Hardware Products Co., Ltd. has the right for direct import and export. Its reinforced lock kits make the door extremely resistant to force attacks3.
The product features the desired safety. The current leakage problems have been eliminated during production, thus, it won't easily occur any electric shock. Its surface treated with plating enables its rust resistance4.
The product has the desired safety when operating. It has automatic break protection from any power leakage and short circuit. Made of high-density metal, it features high hardness5.
The product features wonderful leakage resistance. The seal faces are pushed together using a combination of hydraulic force from the sealed fluid and spring force which can enhance the airtightness. Its corrosion resistance makes it more durable in use
Supported by plenty of fund, Zhongshan Fuyu Hardware Products Co., Ltd. can be devoted to R&D and technology and keeps improving performance of brass entry door locksets . FUYU is a company that focuses on the quality of door lock brass
FUYU has strong production technology strength and can guarantee the quality of brass door knob with lock
Customers value our customized brass door lock because our products are of superior quality and performance. Zhongshan Fuyu Hardware Products Co., Ltd. will unswervingly promote the healthy and sustainable development of itself. Get price!


The Environment Ministry announced a number of special terms and building restrictions that will be enforced around the immediate suburbs that surround the Acropolis in an effort to protect the wider area from illegal construction.
According to the approved draft, construction in the wider Makrygianni-Koukaki area at the base of the Acropolis can only be approved and carried out within the parameters of three zones, with heights ranging from 17.5 metres to 24 metres maximum.
The ministry said the aim of these new terms and restrictions is to preserve the area around the Acropolis and showcase it through ‘transparent legal framework.’
There has been a public outcry for these restrictions or terms to come into place after a 10-story hotel almost was being built within the archaeological site of the Acropolis, if permitted to continue it would have completely blocked the view of the heritage listed site.
The issue prompted investigation from the environment and culture ministries to ensure that any gaps in zoning laws are corrected and provisions are put in place to allow intervention in order to preserve the integrity of the Acropolis site.
Deputy Environment Minister, Nikos Tagaras told the Athens News Agency, this draft opens up the way for investments that are greatly needed within the area and opens up development potential for the future.
“It was our responsibility to protect the Acropolis and at the same time to highlight and preserve the special urban, aesthetic, historical and architectural character of the area by clearly defining the building terms,” Tagaras said.
Source: Greek Travel Pages


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Extortionate roaming fees imposed by the UK's mobile operators could cost British holidaymakers a fortune when abroad, according to research by mobile Wi-Fi company Tep Wireless.
Those heading for some winter sun in the Canary Islands, Balearics and mainland Spain on a 10-day break could spend as much as £713 if they were using Three's mobile network. The same applies to those visiting popular skiing destinations in the EU such as France, Austria and Switzerland.
This means that watching HD video on the web will cost £3.57 per minute, while downloading an app for their smartphone will cost £2.80. Streaming music through Spotify for half an hour would set them back £10.50.
In the US, charges are equally as steep. Orange customers who holiday Florida could be charged £21.80 for downloading a music track from iTunes. And a 20-minute video call on Skype would cost a staggering £136.25.
However, due to an EU law passed on July 1 of this year, the government introduced a "price cap" on the amount mobile phone companies can charge, meaning travellers should have cheaper access to data on smartphones and tablets when in Europe.
The new rules mean calls currently cost a maximum of 29 cents a minute to make, and 8 cents a minute to receive. Internet access costs 70 cents per MB. What's more, the charges will continue to fall further, to 19 cents per minute for calls and 20 cents per MB for internet access, by 2014.
Tomas Mendoza, co-founder of Tep Wireless, said: "While holidaymakers may very well be looking for other ways of reducing costs on their winter trips, many simply accept the problem of sky-high roaming charges as a fact of life. Many will make sure they don't use their smartphone to its full extent, using it just for calls and texts, while ignoring their email and social network feeds for fear of incurring a massive bill when they get home.
"While most will take their smartphones, few will bother to take laptops and tablets unless they can guarantee Wi-Fi access – which in itself can be expensive. But what if there isn't enough snow, or too much snow, to get out on the slopes? What happens if the summer sunshine doesn't appear? Without the web to keep them entertained, travellers could be in for a very boring holiday.
"There are ways of accessing the web and everything that entails – email, social networks, music, video and so on – that won't cost the earth when abroad. Watching a two-minute YouTube video in the EU will cost British travellers more than £1 with most of the UK network operators, while with Tep Wireless the cost is just 10p."
Tep Wireless is a pocket Wi-Fi rental company which allows travellers to connect abroad, without roaming charges. For more information visit www.tepwireless.com.


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Publix announced this week it is furthering its collaboration with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative to identify issues impacting sustainability in the seafood industry.
The Lakeland, Florida-based retailer says the alliance allows Publix customers to make informed, responsible choices about seafood.
“Participation with SFP helps Publix better understand important issues surrounding seafood sustainability,” says Maria Brous, Publix's director of media and community relations. “This partnership allows us to identify where change is needed the most and empowers Publix to invest in fisheries to help them gain necessary resources to improve their sustainability practices.”
The company says consumers will now be able to easily identify which seafood purchases come from a sustainable source or are responsible raised or caught. Responsibly sourced and sustainably sourced icons will appear with the price tags at the full-service seafood department and on shelf tags in the frozen seafood case. Products labeled with these icons have met rigorous SFP and GSSI standards for responsible and sustainable seafood practices.

domain: economics


This magnet is designed to generate a powerful pulling force from 100 mm distance. First of all, it is possible to sort the tiny metal waste from the granular materials used in industry. It is used mainly in plastic processing and in the food industry, where it is necessary to remove small wastes of iron from conveyor belts.
These magnets are used to release axle braking, but may also work vice versa. Their operating voltages range from 24 V to 400 V AC and DC. Depends on what the customer wants to use. The magnets are supplied in full cast or as shown in the picture, as required by the user. The pulling force can vary from 10 kg to 200 kg. Performance ranges from 50 VA to 10 kVA.


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Fabulous work this week Liz, I love the border you used!
Love this card! Love the colors and that great border punch! Have a great weekend!
Very pretty card Liz. Love the black with pink and red. Hope your hubby is recovering ok!
Great card Liz. LOVE that border.
Sweet card, Liz! Terrific job with the sketch & that frog is a riot! Have a great weekend!
I love this card. My DD will get a kick out it too. She collects frogs with Crowns. Wonderful use of color. Thank you for posting the sketch. have a wonderful V day with your best friend.
Wow I expected a layout and you rocked the sketch and card
Liz I love this card, all the bold colors just burst off the card with that black background and white border! Beth
I love how you used those great Nikki Sivils products! What a cute card.
beautiful card - love that you used Nikki's paper for it!
Pretty card! Love what you did with the Nikki Sivils papers ;) Great sketch too!
Cool card! The frog is cute and I love black and pink. Thanks for stopping by my blog and checking out my card.
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“For the ECJ, in the meaning of Article 5(3) of the Regulation 44/2001, a harmful event may arise from the possibility of obtaining a reproduction of a work from an internet site accessible within the jurisdiction of the court seised.”
In its judgement Pinckney v. KDG Mediatech AG of 3 October 2013 (case C-170/12), the European Court of Justice answered a request for a preliminary ruling from French Supreme Court, concerning the interpretation of Article 5(3) of the Regulation 44/2001 on jurisdiction and recognition, which provides that “A person domiciled in a Member State may, in another Member State, be sued (…) in matters relating to tort, delict or quasi-delict, in the courts fo [...]
In February this year, the Czech Supreme Court ruled that a mere posting of an embedded link that links to copyright-protected material, must be regarded as a communication to the public and therewith as a direct copyright infringement. The Court was either unaware of pending cases in Luxembourg, or too impatient to wait for the CJEU. Paradoxically, whatever the response of CJEU in BestWater C-348/13 will be, the Czech court cannot be said to be wrong with regard to the direct infringement issue.
A few weeks ago, the Czech Constitutional Court (III. ÚS 1768/13) rejected a constitutional complaint of a young man, who was found guilty of copyright infringement by all court instances, includin [...]
In a judgement of 3 July 2013, the French Supreme Court clarifies the time limit for taking action to obtain damages for copyright infringement. Oddly enough, the French Intellectual Property Code provides that civil proceedings for infringement for designs and models (article L.521-3), patents (article L.615-8) and trade marks (article L.716-5) shall be barred after 3 years, but is silent about copyright and neighbouring rights actions.
In 1979, the singer of the song Just Because Of You, recorded to be synchron [...]
“The occasional use of an unusual expression – such as “she has a black belt in shopping, so uh …” to describe the shopping behavior of Endstra’s wife – is not enough to make a copyrighted work of an otherwise banal or trivial designed conversation.”
The 2008 decision of the Dutch Supreme Court in the Endstra-tapes case was, in the words of Professor Hugenholtz , “the most controversial decision of the decade. The case concerned the question whether the so called ‘backseat conversations,’ a series of conversations between the resale estate investor Willem Endstra and the Dutch police on [...]
In a short but very important judgement of 25 June 2013, the Cour de cassation, the French Supreme Court, has ruled that the sale of a computerized customer file is null and void if the French personal data authority CNIL has not been notified of the file in compliance with article 22 of the French personal data Act.
In the present case, a natural person brought a case against a company, claiming that the sale of a computerized customer file containing personal data had to be annulled, because the CNIL had not been notified of the file. To dismiss th [...]
“In this ruling, the French Supreme Court states that the mere updating of a computer program processing personal data does not entail an obligation for the data controller to notify the data processing a second time”.
Under article 22 of the French personal data Act, automatic processing of personal data must be notified to the French personal data authority CNIL. Article 22 indeed provides that automatic processing of personal data must be notified to the CNIL except when the processing requires the prior authorisation of the CNIL because it falls under the provisions of articles 25 (political, philosophical data, medical, sexual life data; genetic data; offences; exclusion from a righ [...]
“In essence, the disputes relate to the collecting societies’ intent to have intermediary suppliers pay levies on computers, printers and or plotters marketed in Germany. The suppliers, for their part, argued that some of the devices in question (namely printers and plotters) are incapable of autonomous copying.”
On June 27, 2013, the CJEU delivered its judgement in Joined Cases C‑457/11 to C‑460/11, VG Wort v Kyocera and others (VG Wort v Kyocera; see also the press pelease). This judgement was preceded by an Opinion by A.G. Sharpston (delivered on January 24, 2013) and comes in a particularly busy period for private copying and reprography levies, which has seen not only the publ [...]
“Before finalising its decision however, it is seeking the CJEU’s input on whether end users, who view web-pages on their computers without downloading or printing them, are committing infringements of copyright if they lack a licence from the rightholder.”
On 29 June 2013 the UK Supreme Court referred a series of questions in Case C-360/13 Public Relations Consultants Association Limited v The Newspaper Licensing Agency Limited and others, otherwise known as the Meltwater case, to the Court of Justice of the EU. The case examines whether Meltwater News, an electronic media monitoring service, was implicating its subscribers in copyright infringement by distributing reports that include [...]
In an interesting case about the portrait rights of the legendary Dutch football (soccer) player Johan Cruijff, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands recently ruled that a portrait right is not an exclusive right and that a commercial interest can make a difference, unless a reasonable remuneration has already been offered.
Johan Cruijff argued that the publication by the defendant, a Dutch publisher, of a photo book about the years that Cruijff played for Ajax Amsterdam, infringed his ‘right of [...]
“The BGH thus insinuates that framing may be a yet “unnamed right of exploitation” within the scope of Art. 15(2) Copyright Act.”
On 16th May 2013 the first Senate of the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH), delivered its judgment in another case revolving around the issue of hyperlinking or framing. If one had hoped for a final decision to put the matter to rest, one could only be disappointed, since the BGH referred the case for a preliminary ruling to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The reference to the ECJ concerns the question whether a website operator who embeds copyright protected videos in his website that is publicly available via another website (“framing”) infring [...]


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Monday, 20 September 2010
AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced results from a randomized, double blind Phase 3 clinical study, which demonstrated that the addition of the investigational drug dapagliflozin to existing glimepiride (sulphonylurea) therapy produced significant reductions in glycosylated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c) in adult patients with type 2 diabetes compared to glimepiride alone. The study also demonstrated that dapagliflozin plus glimepiride achieved reductions in the secondary efficacy endpoints of change in total body weight, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels from baseline at week 24 compared to placebo plus glimepiride. More people taking dapagliflozin and glimepiride were able to achieve a target HbA1c of less than 7% compared to patients taking glimepiride alone. Results from the study were presented at the 46th European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting.
Overall, the frequency of drug-related adverse events was reported at a similar rate between treatment groups, although signs, symptoms and other reports suggestive of genital tract infections, but not urinary tract infections, were more frequently reported in dapagliflozin treated subjects.
Dapagliflozin, an investigational compound, is a first-in-class sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor and is currently in Phase 3 trials under joint development by AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb as a once-daily oral therapy for the treatment of adult patients with type 2 diabetes. SGLT2 inhibitors, which act independently of insulin mechanisms, facilitate the excretion of glucose and associated calories in the urine, thereby lowering blood glucose levels.
“With type 2 diabetes, we often see a progressive deterioration of glycemic control in patients, which may require treatment intensification with additional drug therapy,” said Krzysztof Strojek, Professor, Department of Internal Diseases Diabetology & Nephrology Silesian Medical University, Zabrze (Poland), principal investigator of the study. “This study, which adds to the Phase 3 data available for this investigational compound, demonstrated that dapagliflozin improved glycemic control, as measured by HbA1c, FPG and PPG, in adult patients with type 2 diabetes when added to the commonly used oral diabetic agent – glimepiride.”
About The Study
The study was a 24-week, multicenter, international, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study, which was designed to assess the efficacy of dapagliflozin (2.5 mg, 5 mg or 10 mg per day) compared to placebo as add-on therapy to glimepiride (4 mg/day) in improving glycemic control in adult patients with type 2 diabetes, as determined by the change in HbA1c levels from baseline at week 24, and includes a 24-week double-blind extension. The study included 597 type 2 diabetes patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with inadequate glycemic control (HbA1c greater or equal to 7.0% and less than or equal to 10% at baseline) on at least half maximal recommended dose of glimepiride alone. Individuals were equally randomized to one of four treatment groups: dapagliflozin 2.5 mg plus glimepiride, dapagliflozin 5 mg plus glimepiride, dapagliflozin 10 mg plus glimepiride or placebo plus glimepiride.
The primary endpoint of the study was to assess the change from baseline in HbA1c at 24 weeks. Key secondary endpoints included the change from baseline in body weight, change in oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), proportion of patients achieving an HbA1c of less than 7% and reduction in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels at week 24.
Individuals taking dapagliflozin plus glimepiride achieved significant dose-dependent reductions from baseline in HbA1c of -0.58%, -0.63% and -0.82% for dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg, respectively compared to -0.13% for placebo plus glimepiride (p-value of less than 0.0001 for all three treatment arms).
Patients treated with dapagliflozin plus glimepiride achieved greater weight loss compared to those treated with placebo plus glimepiride: -1.18 kg, -1.56 kg, -2.26 kg for dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg, respectively compared to -0.72 kg for glimepiride plus placebo at week 24 (p-value less than 0.01 and less than 0.0001 for dapagliflozin 5 mg and 10 mg, respectively; p-value of dapagliflozin 2.5 mg was not statistically significant).
Individuals treated with dapagliflozin plus glimepiride achieved significant reductions from baseline in the OGTT of -32.0 mg/dL and -34.9 mg/dL for dapagliflozin 5 mg and 10 mg, respectively compared to -6.0 mg/dL for placebo plus glimepiride (p-value less than 0.01 and less than 0.0001 for dapagliflozin 5 mg and 10 mg, respectively). Dapagliflozin 2.5 mg reduced OGTT by 37.5 mg/dL.
The study demonstrated that more patients taking dapagliflozin plus glimepiride achieved an HbA1c level of less than 7% compared to placebo plus glimepiride at week 24: 30.3% and 31.7% for dapagliflozin 5 mg and 10 mg, respectively compared to 13.0% for glimepiride plus placebo (p-value less than 0.01 and less than 0.0001 for dapagliflozin 5 mg and 10 mg, respectively). For patients treated with dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 26.8% achieved HbA1c <7%.
Individuals treated with dapagliflozin 5 mg and 10 mg plus glimepiride demonstrated significant improvements in FPG from baseline at week 24: -21.2 mg/dL for dapagliflozin 5 mg and -28.5 mg/dL for dapagliflozin 10 mg, compared to -2.0 mg/dL for placebo plus glimepiride (p-value less than 0.0001 for both treatment arms). Dapagliflozin 2.5 mg reduced FPG by -16.8 mg/dL.
The number of individuals experiencing adverse events after 24 weeks was 51.9%, 48.3% and 50.3% for dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg plus glimepiride, respectively compared to 47.3% for glimepiride plus placebo. The percentage of patients experiencing the most common adverse events for dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg and placebo when added to glimepiride, respectively was as follows: back pain (1.9%, 2.1%, 4.6% vs. 2.7%), upper respiratory tract infection (3.2%, 4.1%, 4.6% vs. 2.7%) and bronchitis (1.3%, 2.1%, 3.3% vs. 0.7%). Most cases of adverse events were mild to moderate. Discontinuations due to adverse events were 3.2%, 3.4%, 2.6% for dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg plus glimepiride vs. 2.1% for glimepiride plus placebo.
Adverse events suggestive of urinary tract infection and genital infection were analyzed based on predefined groupings of preferred terms for each of these two categories. The percentage of patients with signs, symptoms and other reports suggestive of urinary tract infection was similar across treatment groups: 3.9%, 6.9% and 5.3% for dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg, respectively compared to 6.2% for glimepiride plus placebo. One patient discontinued due to a urinary tract infection. Signs, symptoms and other reports suggestive of genital infection were higher for the dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg plus glimepiride treatment groups compared to the glimepiride plus placebo group: 3.9%, 6.2% and 6.6% vs. 0.7%, respectively.
Serious adverse events were 7.1%, 6.9% and 6.0% for dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg plus glimepiride, respectively compared to 4.8% for glimepiride plus placebo.
The percentage of individuals with any hypoglycemic event at week 24 for patients treated with dapagliflozin 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg plus glimepiride was 7.1%, 6.9% and 7.9%, respectively compared to 4.8% for those treated with placebo plus glimepiride.
Effects upon blood pressure were examined as exploratory endpoints. Changes in seated systolic blood pressure were -4.7 mmHg, -4.0 mmHg and -5.0 mmHg and in seated diastolic blood pressure were -1.1mmHg, -1.7mmHg and -2.8mmHg in the dapagliflozin 2.5, 5 and 10 mg treatment groups respectively compared to changes in seated systolic blood pressure of -1.2mmHg and seated diastolic blood pressure -1.4mmHg for those treated with placebo plus glimepiride.
About Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes (diabetes mellitus) is a chronic, progressive disease that is characterized by dysfunction of beta cells in the pancreas, which decreases insulin secretion and leads to elevated glucose levels. Over time, this sustained hyperglycemia contributes to worsening insulin resistance and further beta cell dysfunction.
Many patients with type 2 diabetes have co-morbidities such as obesity and hypertension. Significant unmet needs exist as nearly half of treated patients remain uncontrolled on their current glucose-lowering regimen and even fewer are controlled across multiple parameters. In the past, treatments for type 2 diabetes have focused primarily on insulin-dependent mechanisms. An approach that acts independently of insulin may provide an option for adults with type 2 diabetes in helping manage their glucose levels.
About SGLT2 Inhibition
The renal SGLT system plays a major role in overall glucose balance in the body. Normally, the kidney filters ~180g of glucose each day, and virtually all is reabsorbed back into circulation. Glucose reabsorbtion occurs in the proximal tubule of the kidney via the SGLT system. Selective inhibition of SGLT2 by an insulin independent mechanism of action facilitates the excretion of glucose and associated calories in the urine, thereby lowering blood glucose levels.
AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb Collaboration
AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb entered into a collaboration in January 2007 to enable the companies to research, develop and commercialise select investigational drugs for type 2 diabetes. The AstraZeneca/Bristol-Myers Squibb Diabetes collaboration is dedicated to global patient care, improving patient outcomes and creating a new vision for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit www.bms.com or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bmsnews.
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a primary focus on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines. As a leader in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology and infectious disease medicines, AstraZeneca generated global revenues of US $32.8 billion in 2009. For more information please visit: www.astrazeneca.com.
Neil McCrae +44 20 7604 8236 (24 hours)
Chris Sampson +44 20 7604 8031 (24 hours)
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Investor Enquiries UK:
Jonathan Hunt +44 20 7604 8122 mob: +44 7775 704032
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Investor Enquiries US:
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Jorgen Winroth +1 212 579 0506 mob: +1 917 612 4043

domain: health


New York, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Elevators and Escalators Market Overview: According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), “Elevators and Escalators Market Research Report, Type, Service, Elevator Technology End User and Region – Forecast till 2027” the market is expected to achieve USD 120.43 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 6.3%.
The global elevators and escalators market growth is bound to rise over the forecast period owing to increased construction of high-rise buildings in developing economies. Efforts taken by governments for beautification of public places and modernization of infrastructure can drive market growth. Rapid urbanization in Asia, North America, and the Middle East coupled with increased budget of governments can bode well for the market.
The increase in the geriatric population can trigger a demand from modern cities aiming to assist their citizens. Accessibility to hospitals, supermarkets, airports, shopping centers, and assisted living facilities has become a priority of governments.
Increasing maintenance of old elevators and escalators may another factor driving market growth. Concerns of growing costs of construction can drive modernization drives in North America and Europe. Changes in regulations, service costs, and equipment can influence the market as well.
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Dominant Key Players on Elevators and Escalators Market covered are:
- KONE Corporation (Finland)
- Sigma Elevator Company (Korea)
- Otis Elevator Company (U.S.)
- United Technologies (U.S.)
- Schindler (Switzerland)
- Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan)
- ThyssenKrupp AG (Germany)
- FUJITEC (Japan)
- Hitachi Ltd. (Japan)
- Hyundai Elevator Co., Ltd. (South Korea)
- Toshiba Elevator And Building Systems Corporation (Japan)
- Stein Ltd (Russia)
- PAPPAS Elevators (Russia)
- Gulf Elevator & Escalator Co. Ltd. (Saudi Arabia) and
- Electra Ltd. (Israel)., among other.
Browse In-depth Market Research Report (100 pages) on Elevators and Escalators
By type, elevators are set to dominate the market till the end of the forecast period. This is attributed to rising number of high-rise infrastructural projects. Soaring number of skyscraper projects in the U.S., U.K., and UAE coupled with increasing budgets for modern facilities can drive the segment growth. On the other hand, escalators can witness tremendous growth owing to modernization of railway stations, airports, and other unloading outlets.
By service, the new installation segment is likely to take off owing to construction of modern buildings and need for easier mode of commute. On the flip side, maintenance and repair services can capture an equal share of the elevators and escalators market owing to contracts with servicing companies and routine check-ups required for its functioning.
By end-user, the non-residential segment is estimated to be lucrative for the market due to construction of commercial complexes and shopping malls. Increasing migration rates from rural to urban settings can drive the segment growth. Building and construction projects are likely to soar in Asia Pacific and influence the demand for elevators and escalators. Increased construction budget in China coupled with rising income levels of the middle-class can augur favorably for the market.
By machine technology, the machine room-less traction (MRLS) segment can display the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This is attributed to its efficiency and smooth performance. They are preferred over their mechanical counterparts due to being conservative while expending energy.
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Asia-Pacific can dominate the market owing to construction of new projects in the residential application. Large number of projects undertaken by governments for modernizing cities and beautification of zones can drive the elevators and escalators market. This is evident by construction of escalators for senior citizens at railway stations and airports. Change in construction norms and amendment to various rules can drive regional market growth. Japan, India, Singapore, and China are touted to contribute the most to the region.
Europe has assumed the second position in the market. It can continue to generate revenues for the market owing to modernization of elevators and timely checkups for maintenance of existing escalators and elevators.
Segmentation of Market covered in the research:
Information by Type (Elevators, Escalators, Moving Walkways), Service (New Installation, Maintenance & Repair), Elevator Technology (Traction, Machine room-Less, Hydraulic), End User and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
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[VEG] Peshawari Paneer (Peshawari paneer, cubes of paneer cooked in a lip-smacking cashew-onion gravy and finished with cream, the highlight of this recipe is the distinct flavour of freshly-pounded coriander seeds and red chillies.
The Lebanese Garlic Sauce is not for the soft-hearted. As it is blended smoothly with the rest of the ingredients, the garlic imparts a very strong flavor to this sauce, which also has a pleasant tang thanks to lemon juice.
This dish actually makes a complete meal and one that takes very little cooking, especially if you have planned ahead and soaked the peas a day before. You can use a filling of your choice for the patties like peas, french beans, paneer, corn etc.
Apple Crumble is a scrumptious recipe of stewed apple baked with a topping of muesli makes a great dessert. Make your own healthy version of muesli from ingredients like oats, wheat bran, almonds and walnuts, - all of which help lower cholesterol.
Appe or paddu is another traditional element of South Indian cooking – to be specific, it is a popular breakfast dish from the konkan regions in the west coast. Here is the recipe to make authentic appes.
Blueberry Cheesecake - If you want to please a special person on a special occasion, this is the right dessert to pick! a firm cheesecake finished with a sweet blueberry topping, this is a truly satisfying experience. Hedrick found your bday cheesecake!
Coffee and chocolate is a fabulous and sophisticated combination that adults seem to love by instinct. The coffee mousse on coconut crust highlights this wonderful combination. A soft coffee-chocolate mousse flavoured with honey, and set on a crunchy coconut crust… doesn’t that sound heavenly! a pleasing garnishing of castor sugar and cocoa powder makes the dessert look very appealing too.
Pyaz ki Kachori, these kachoris probably originated in Jodhpur but are today popular throughout Rajasthan. Very few households actually prepare these crisp, flaky deep fried kachoris stuffed with a onion filling.
An innovative snack of cooked rice, luscious sweet corn kernels and healthy spinach bound together by cheese and thick sauce, coated with batter and bread crumbs, and deep-fried till crisp. The Corn, (Cooked Rice Recipes)

domain: food


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Funko has announced that seasonal costume shop Spirit Halloween will be offering exclusive Hocus Pocus Pop! vinyl collectibles this Fall! Today marks the 25th anniversary of the 1993 live-action Disney film about three witch sisters who return to haunt Salem, MA on Halloween night. The new Pop! vinyls include all three witches: “Winifred Sanderson”, played by Bette Midler, “Sarah Sanderson” played by Sarah Jessica Parker, and “Mary Sanderson”, played by Kathy Najimy. While the new figures won’t ship until Sunday, September 30th, they’re now available on preorder for just $12.99 each:
Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus is #433 in Funko’s Disney line of Pop! vinyl collectables:
No one is safe when Winifred Sanderson and her sisters come together. This officially licensed Pop! is authentically designed to look exactly like Winnie herself. With her signature buckteeth, and her high-volume hair style, this figure is a mirror image of the famous Salem witch! Holding a beaker of potion, you never know what spell she’ll cast!
Sarah Sanderson from Hocus Pocus is #434 in Funko’s Disney line of Pop! vinyl collectables:
Sarah Sanderson is always ready to cause a little trouble. Collect your favorite witches starting with Sarah Sanderson, and you’ll be casting spells in no time. This officially licensed Pop! shows off Sarah’s long blonde hair, her beloved broom and her signature birth mark. Any die-hard Hocus Pocus fan needs this figure in their life!
Mary Sanderson from Hocus Pocus is #434 in Funko’s Disney line of Pop! vinyl collectables:
Your favorite Salem witch has been turned into a collectible Pop! Collect them all, starting with Mary Sanderson. This officially licensed Pop! will show everyone that you love Hocus Pocus. The authentically designed figure features Mary’s detailed black and purple hair, and of course, her signature birth mark! Put her on display as she holds her beloved vacuum in her tight grips!


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You can download the leaflet HERE
We are often asked about walking routes to the castle, so here's a selection that have been uploaded to the Mapometer website:
To find them:
1) In the left-hand column of the page link above, click to remove the tick from the (green) running figure, then click to place a tick in the box next to the (red) walking figure
2) Adjust the two-part slider at the bottom of the column to 0 miles on the left and to 8 miles on the right
3) Click the magnifying glass in the top left corner of the map and type in 'Codnor Castle Derbyshire'. Make sure you click on this when it appears below the search bar.
4) Click 'Search'
5) The number of routes found should then appear in the top-left corner of the map. Use the left and right navigation arrows to scroll through the routes, and click the link to open the route (see screenshot for this step).
You can adjust the scale of the map using the + and - icons, and its position on the screen by clicking and dragging.
Alternatively, if you can't wait to get your walking boots on, here's a list of links to the walks. Just click them, and you'll practically be on your way!
Oh, and if you have any favourite routes to the castle, why not share them through Mapometer (it's free to register!) and then let us know about them?
Parking and access:
For those of you with mobility issues, there's parking available in the farmyard, though the road is rough for much of its length.
For other visitors, we recommend parking and walking:
There's free parking in Codnor Market Place (opposite the Poet & Castle: postcode DE5 9QY), and a signposted footpath off Alfreton Road: cross the road outside Wright's butchers, walk a little further down the road and you'll see it. This route takes around 20 minutes to half an hour, depending on the conditions, though it can be boggy in wet weather.
Above there's a link to printable walking directions for part of this route (they start on page 2), though you'll need to depart from them after step 2. Once you're on Castle Lane, look for the stile onto the public footpath towards the north court, then head south-east towards the farmhouse for refreshments:
Alternatively, you can park free of charge in Codnor Park Reservoir car park (off Coach Road, near Ironville: postcode NG16 5PB), and walk up Monument Lane, then down Castle Lane. This route is firmer going, as much of it is on tarmac, and also takes around half an hour. Please note, however, that this car park is owned by Codnor Park Reservoir Angling Club, who hold their matches on Sundays, and whose members should be given priority.
There is also a free car park at Jacksdale Community Center, Main road Jacksdale NG16 5JU,
Our information board inside the Alfreton road FREE Car Park Codnor
For those of you heading from Selston, Underwood or Jacksdale, parking is available in the Community Car Park off Main Road (behind Pauline's Pantry: postcode NG16 5JW). From here, follow the canal towpath, then pick up public footpaths through Kennels Farm woods and up the hill towards Codnor Castle.
N.B. Please do not use the postcode for the castle in your satnav, as the roads around the castle are extremely rough, and are restricted byways and public bridleways. If you do get lost on foot, however, the postcode for Castle Farm is NG16 5PQ.

domain: geography


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NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY
Three huge floors filled with a variety of fascinating objects make up this pae-
an to American culture. The first floor focuses on science and technology, in-
cluding hands-on experiments and exhibitions on transport, electricity, and
machinery. The second floor is home to the famous Star-Spangled Banner,
while the third floor features a stirring tribute to the American presidency
and military history. The museum is undergoing major renovation work,
which is ongoing in phases. Call ahead or check the website for information
on the latest exhibitions. 14th St and Constitution Ave, NW • 202 633 1000
• www.americanhistory.si.edu/ • Open 10am-5:30pm daily; extended
hours in summer (for further details see website for details); closed Dec 25 •
Dis. access • Free
1. THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER
The flag that inspired the national anthem is strikingly large - originally 30 by 42 ft
(9 by 13 m) - although timeworn. Created by Baltimore flagmaker Mary Pickersgill
in 1813, it is on display in the gallery, which recreates the Battle of Baltimore and the
burning of the White House.
2. WITHIN THESE WALLS...
A two-story colonial house from Massachusetts has been rebuilt within the museum,
to explore the 200-year history of the families who lived there.
3. THE PRICE OF FREEDOM: AMERICANS AT WAR
This gallery explores the nation's military history, from the French and Indian War
in the 1750s to recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The exhibition features a
Vietnam-era Huey helicopter, and a World War II jeep.
4. THE FIRST LADIES AT THE SMITHSONIAN
The First Ladies' gallery is a firm favorite and includes inaugural gowns worn by Jack-
ie Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nancy Reagan, and Michelle Obama.

domain: history


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On Monday, December 20, 2021, it was announced that the submission of applications for the 50th Scholarship Program for postgraduate and doctoral studies for the academic year 2022-2023 was announced. This Program marks the completion of 50 years of continuous support of young people in the realization of the studies of their dreams.
See the full scholarship announcement here.
-Greek citizenship and nationality
-Limited financial possibility
-Average score as defined by the announcement
-Age not older than 26 years, especially doctors, not older than 28 years
Επισκεφθείτε την ιστοσελίδα του φορέα.


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Arizona was only two games out with six games to play. The defending division champions bowed out quietly in a 12-3 rout by the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
"It was just disgusting," Conor Jackson said. "It was embarrassing. You can't pitch, you can't hit, you can't win games."
Arizona (79-80) led the division by 4½ games before play on Aug. 29, then lost 11 of 14 as the Dodgers took control of the division. The Diamondbacks had rebounded by winning seven of eight to put the heat on the Dodgers, but began to fade Tuesday when the Cardinals scored four runs in the first inning off Randy Johnson in a 7-4 final.
"They hit a hot stretch, and we hit a cold stretch. Put that together and you get the Dodgers jumping around right now," Chris Snyder said.
In Los Angeles, Manny Ramirez found out the team officially qualified for the playoffs from a reporter after he entered an elevator to the team's clubhouse with teammate Pablo Ozuna about an hour after the Diamondbacks lost.
"It's good, but it's just the first step," said Ramirez, who has played so well since joining the Dodgers less than two months ago that there's been MVP talk. "We're happy, but we're not going to go crazy about it. The goal is to go to the big dance, the World Series. This is not a championship yet."
Dodgers manager Joe Torre guided the New York Yankees to four World Series titles and 12 playoff appearances in as many years before leaving the team last fall. He was then hired by the Dodgers, signing a three-year $13 million contract.
Torre said he received a text message of congratulations from Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin.
"He's a class act," Torre said, adding that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman called as well to offer his best wishes.
Torre gave credit to his players for winning the division.
"Anytime a manager thinks that he's responsible for something that players do, he's a little deluded," the 68-year-old skipper said. "I just try to get everybody thinking and going in the same direction and being on the same page. That's my job, trying to put out fires here and there. My job is to keep people focused.
"I never envisioned myself at 67, 68 years old going somewhere new to start over -- and I'm glad I did it. I'm very proud of this team. Going to the playoffs never gets old."
Torre said he watched the final inning of the Diamondbacks' loss in his office with his wife, general manager Ned Colletti and Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt.
"I'm relieved and ecstatic at the same time," Colletti said. "I'm proud of the team, proud of what they've gone through this year and how they came together the last four or five weeks. They fought through a lot of adversity."
Casey Blake and Nomar Garciaparra were among several players in the clubhouse when the Diamondbacks' game ended, more than 4½ hours before the Dodgers' suddenly meaningless game against the Padres began.
"It feels outstanding," said Blake, another midseason acquisition. "You get brought over to do a job. It looked pretty bleak there for a while. We turned it around."
About clinching the title without playing, Blake said: "However it happened, we'll take it."
Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs to back Joel Pineiro (7-7), who allowed three runs and three hits over seven innings on his 30th birthday. St. Louis had been eliminated from postseason contention on Tuesday.
"You had an obligation to play like we've been playing all year," manager Tony La Russa said. "It's not enjoyable at all, but you have to compete."
Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds set a major league record with two more strikeouts, raising his season total to 201. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard set the previous mark of 199 last year -- and Howard began the day with 196 this season.
"It's obviously something I have to work on for next year," said Reynolds, finishing his first full year in the majors. "Of course, it's not the greatest of records to have, but you move on. A lot of young guys struggle."
Reynolds has 34 errors and could become the first player to lead the majors in errors and strikeouts since Minnesota Twins shortstop Zoilo Versalles (122 strikeouts, 39 errors) during his 1965 AL MVP season. He's having a nice year even with the strikeouts with 28 homers and 96 RBIs, although he's batting .240.
The Diamondbacks led by as many as 6½ games in April while going 20-8. The rest of the season, they've struggled for consistency.
"Obviously, it hasn't been the type of year we expected," Melvin said. "After the first month we couldn't put together any kind of an extended period that resembled the team that played in the first month.
"The expectations get raised and you don't follow through."
Pujols (35) and Ryan Ludwick (36) hit consecutive homers in a five-run seventh that opened an 11-3 lead. Troy Glaus walked four times to match his career high, and Felipe Lopez had three hits and two RBIs.
La Russa endorsed Pujols for the NL MVP earlier this week, adding he didn't think anyone else was close.
"Whatever he ends up with, he's had a monster season," La Russa said.
Pineiro matched his season best with seven strikeouts after going 0-2 with an 8.40 ERA in three previous September starts.
"It's a nice way to go out," Pineiro said. "You kind of wish you had more starts like that early in the year to try to help the team out a lot better."
St. Louis had 17 hits and nine walks against Doug Davis (6-9) and five relievers. The three-game winning streak follows a slide of 10 losses in 12 games that knocked them out of the Central race.
Pineiro struck out twice and sacrificed, leaving him 5-for-51 (.098) at the plate with 35 strikeouts. He had three doubles and four RBIs. ... Glaus' four-walk game was the second of his career, the first since June 9, 2001, against the Dodgers. ... The Cardinals have hit back-to-back homers six times this year, the last two times off Yusmeiro Petit. Yadier Molina and Lopez connected off the right-hander on Sept. 2 in Arizona. ... SS Cesar Izturis was 9-for-13 in the series and finished 13-for-25 (.520) against the Diamondbacks, and Lopez was 16-for-31 (.516). ... Melvin said Chad Qualls, the Diamondbacks' closer the last few weeks, would begin spring training in that role.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


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I have already commented extensively on Daniel Gros’ argument that the US balance of payments data seems to suggest that US firms reinvest a lot of their overseas earnings, while foreign firms reinvest next-to-nothing in their US operations. Like Dr. Gros, I suspect that in reality the US data just isn’t picking up the reinvested earnings of foreign firms operating in the US.
Indeed, a while back I argued that if you assume that foreign firms in the US reinvest as much as US firms invest abroad – and if you take away the gains from low US interest rates, the gap between what the US pays on its net debt and what Hausmann and Sturzenegger think the US should pay on its net debt disappears. In other words, the dark matter disappears.
Gros doesn’t just think that the US data understates the amount foreigners earn (and the US the pays out) on their investments in the US. He also thinks the US data understates the United States real external indebtedness. Debt that shows up in the balance of payments data consistently disappears from the net international investment position data.
The data are calculated in different ways:
The discrepancy arises for a simple reason: the current account data are based on actual flows of payments recorded in the balance of payments. By contrast, the data on the US international investment position are based on surveys of depository institutions, which year after year tend to lose sight of US assets held by foreigners, especially portfolio investment and real estate.
The fact that US debt keeps getting revised down year after year isn’t all that controversial. John Kitchen thinks this is the real “dark matter” that is helping the US.
Gros just thinks it is an error, and as result, the US has more (more) external debt than the formal data suggests. A lot more.
If the current account figures constitute a more reliable source … , it is likely that the true US net external debtor position is around $4,000bn (about 40 per cent of GDP) rather than the $2,500bn reported officially for end-2004. Taking into account the current account deficit of about $800bn for 2005 would bring the net current US debtor position to more than $4,500bn.
A trillion here, a trillion there and pretty soon you are talking about real money.
I haven’t delved carefully into these numbers. I am waiting until the latest US net international investment position data comes out. But I have been looking at some data on Russia, and it sure seems like some Russian investment that appears in the flow data is dropping out of the survey data. Conversely, though, some Chinese investment that doesn’t appear in the flow data recently showed up in the survey data. I suspect that is because the survey data – despite its flows – corrected some of the custodial bias (everything is held in London, no matter who really owns it) in the flow data.
But it is a very important issue. Perceptions matter. And the perception that the US has been running big deficits for a long time without running up its debt as fast as one would expect is one reason why more people aren’t worried about the huge future deficits that the US is facing.
Of course, comparing external debt to domestic assets like housing can also make the deficit go away as well. But I don’t think there is much analytical justification for comparing external debt to assets that don’t generate external revenues. Argentina tried to make the argument that external debt to export revenues was an outdated concept back in the 1990s ...
The fact that central banks have been willing to help the US finance its deficits at low rates helps lower the angst level as well.
We may get a better sense of how much help the US has been getting from its central bank friends tomorrow, when the TIC for April comes out, and again on Friday, when the current and capital account data for the first quarter comes out.
I am actually more interested to see if the statisticians revised up their estimate for central bank financing of the US in 2005 based on the survey data (which seemed to show more inflows from China) than in the q1 data itself. We sort of know that the q1 deficit will be roughly the size of the q4 deficit.
The trade deficit actually should be a bit smaller.But I would expect the income deficit to be a bit bigger. Indeed, I am quite interested in exactly more much bigger it turns out to be. Afterall, it sure looks like the Fed is going to keep increasing shor-term rates for a bit longer – and that, alas, will push up the interest bill on the United States external debt.


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Welcome to the Exhibitions Blog on our new website. On this blog, I hope to provide information on exhibitions in progress, make new friends, share some recipes, and perhaps learn a little bit about humanity.
In-house and traveling exhibitions are a large part of the Warhol Museum’s inner workings. Every person on staff plays a role in the exhibition process, but there are a number of people working behind the scenes who are directly responsible for preparing exhibition installations and loans:
• Heather Kowalski, Registrar - Intelligent… young… beautiful… these are words I use to describe myself, but could very well apply to Heather. Heather is in charge of shipping artwork, arranging for insurance, writing condition reports, and many other important things. She is also my wife.
• Amber Morgan, Associate Registrar - Should you find yourself surrounded by a band of deadly ninja assassins, Amber is the person you want covering your back. Amber is in charge of cataloguing and maintaining the Warhol's collection.
• Caitlin Gongas, Assistant Registrar - Caitlin is like the first crocus rising from a long winter’s snow. She is in charge of packing artwork, writing condition reports, and making sure the right stuff gets to the right people.
• Tony Valvano, Art Handler - Tony is by far the oldest, and, he’ll tell you, the wisest of the exhibitions staff. Tony got his start as a carnie’s assistant, but is now in charge of building all of our crates and frames, and has a special talent with gallery lighting.
• Mike Vincent, Art Handler - Mike has been with the Warhol for 8 years. Some say Mike is the glue that keeps everything together. I say “Mike, can I see you in my office?” Mike’s skill lies in knowing how to do everything, and doing it well.
• Erin Beveridge, Art Handler - Erin is a strong woman who makes me believe anything she tells me - and she’s usually right. She’s smart, creative, and isn’t put off by Tony and Mike.
• Alissa Osial, Exhibition Assistant - Much like the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, thus allowing caveman to run free, Alissa is a force to be reckoned with. Alissa is the newest member of the exhibition staff, and is a perfect fit.


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2019 – The 2nd Annual KLZ Veterans Assistance Program Donation Drive. Drop off sites in Wheat Ridge, Fort Collins, AND Colorado Springs.
The Veterans Assistance Program supports homeless Veterans in their quest back into society by providing shelter, basic needs and resources.
Requested items*: Kitchen, laundry and bathroom items.
Requested Items: Kitchen, Laundry and Bathroom items
*Kitchen – paper goods, coffee/related, cleaning products (dish soap, trash bags, Clorox wipes, etc)
*Bathroom – body wash, shampoo/conditioner, tooth brush/paste, deodorant, razors/shaving cream, shampoo, toilet bowl cleaner
*Laundry – laundry soap, odor remover, bleach, dryer sheets
(A local school did a can food collection drive, so that has been taken care of)
The ACTS Resource Center, Inc, is a non-profit, “501c3” charity with an all-volunteer staff.
This resource center began feeding the homeless in 2003, opened a food bank in 2004 and in 2009 began the shelter/housing for homeless veterans. www.denveracts.org/veterans

domain: sociology


Jazz point guard Dante Exum‘s knee injury is unfortunate, but just because he was playing for the Australian national team when he sustained it doesn’t mean the NBA should keep its players from international competition, argues Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. National teams usually employ trainers and medical staff that could mitigate the damage that might otherwise happen if players were engaging in pickup games or other less organized offseason play, Kyler points out.
Here’s more out of the Western Conference:
- Roy Hibbert‘s mental approach seems key to his performance, so the new Lakers center has hired a sports psychologist, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com, and an Eastern Conference executive tells Holmes he’s optimistic that in a contract year, with Kobe Bryant pushing him, Hibbert will have a bounceback season.
- The Suns were badly in need of a stretch-four last season, and with the signing of Mirza Teletovic to a one-year, $5.5MM deal, Phoenix appears to have rectified that deficiency, Samuel Cooper of BrightSideOfTheSun.com writes. In the post, Cooper also breaks down Teletovic’s game using footage from last season to illustrate what he can bring to the team.
- Aaron Craft, who made 50 appearances for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate last season, has signed a deal with the Hungarian team Szolnoki Olaj, Craft’s agent Misko Raznatovic announced on Twitter (translation by Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). The 24-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for Santa Cruz during the 2014/15 campaign. It’s unknown if Craft’s pact contains any NBA outs.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.