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Earlier this week, Faithlife asked this on our social media channels: “If you had 30 seconds to share something during a Super Bowl commercial slot, what would you share?” (more…)
By Timothy Keller
What is this “gospel” for which Paul is willing to glory in being a slave? What gospel would make Paul happy to lose everything in order to share it?
First, it is worth reflecting on the word itself. “Gospel”—euangeloi—is literally “good herald.” In the first century, if on a far-flung battlefield an emperor won a great victory which secured his peace and established his authority, he would send heralds—angeloi—to declare his victory, peace and authority. Put most simply, the gospel is an announcement—a declaration. The gospel is not advice to be followed; it is news, good news about what has been done.
After 40 years of marriage, John and Noël Piper wrote This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence, where they share many of the insights they’ve gained over decades of pursuing Christ together, and offer biblical insight into the purpose of marriage.
Using the Visual Copy tool in Logos 6, I’ve assembled some of the most frequently highlighted quotes from this book, as well as few quotes that stood out to me personally. These are some of the passages and sentiments that have resonated the most with people who read the book.
Here are 7 quotes on marriage from John and Noël Piper:
For more biblical insight on marriage, get yourself a copy of This Momentary Marriage, and see what John and Noël Piper can share with you and your spouse about the divine purpose of your relationship to each other.
Get the Crossway John Piper Collection to get This Momentary Marriage and 38 other popular John Piper titles!
If you each snag a copy of the book, you and your spouse (or future spouse) can read together with a Faithlife Group. Create a reading plan, and share notes about what you’re reading, right inside the text!
* * *
Did you enjoy these quote slides? They were created using Logos 6’s new Visual Copy tool. Highlight your text, select Visual Copy, and hundreds of beautiful quote backgrounds are at your fingertips for blog posts, social media, presentations, and more!
Get Logos 6 today.


Although Logan was the final film for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, it's not the last time we'll see mutants or the X-Men together.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix has begun filming, whilst The New Mutants is looking like it'll kick off its own potential franchise. In an interview with Variety, Fox CEO Stacey Snider was asked about their upcoming slate of movies - particularly in the wake of Logan, Deadpool and the so-so X-Men: Apocalypse.
Naturally, the question was raised about Wolverine being recast and a typical non-answer was given, but one interesting point that was brought up was how The New Mutants will play out in a deeply saturated film marketplace. "If we’re going to make a superhero movie, we have to ask ourselves: “What’s our version? What’s a Fox Marvel film? When you look at films like Deadpool or Logan or the upcoming New Mutants, you’ll see they have their own personality."
As Snider describes it, the film is "a haunted-house movie with a bunch of hormonal teenagers," all of whom happen to have superpowers. The film boasts a cast that includes Game of Throens alum Maisie Williams, Split's Anya Taylor-Joy, Stranger Things' Charlie Heaton and 13 Reasons Why's Henry Zaga, and if this description - The Shining meets The Breakfast Club - is anything to go by, it's going to be really something.
Josh Boone, who previously directed The Fault In Our Stars, posted on Instagram that filming is due to end this week, so expect some footage pretty soon.
The New Mutants is slated for an April 2018 release here in Ireland.


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- Physical Description: 1 online resource (1 video file (approximately 120 min.)) : sound, color
- Publisher: [United States] : Cinedigm : 1989.
|Restrictions on Access Note:||
Digital content provided by hoopla.
|Creation/Production Credits Note:||
Directed by Bruce Weber.
|Participant or Performer Note:||
Starring Chet Baker; with Joyce Night Tucker, Jack Sheldon, Vera Baker, Lawrence Trimble, Ruth Young, Carol Baker, Dick Bock, William Claxton, Flea, Hersh Hamel, Chris Isaak, Lise Marie, Andy Minsker, Cherry Vanilla, Diane Vavra.
Traveling with the elusive jazz vocalist and trumpeter Chet Baker, the filmmaker Bruce Weber weaves together the life story of a jazz great. The film uses excerpts from Italian B movies, rare performance footage and candid interviews with Baker, musicians, friends, battling ex-wives and his children in what turned out to be the last year of his life. Winner of the 1989 Critics Prize at the Venice Film Festival and nominated for an Academy Award, Let's Get Lost has become an important document in the career of the filmmaker on the life of a jazz legend. Since its release in 1989, Let's Get Lost has introduced a whole new generation of jazz enthusiasts to the timeless talent of the late Chet Baker.
|Target Audience Note:||
|System Details Note:||
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Search for related items by subject
Jazz musicians > United States > Biography.
Jazz singers > United States > Biography.
Trumpet players > United States > Biography.
Drug addicts > United States > Biography.
Baker, Chet > Friends and associates > Interviews.

domain: library


Bugatti Veyron Expensive Fast Car
Home > Vehicle wallpapers > Most expensive cars > Bugatti Veyron Expensive Fast Car
One of the most expensive cars. Bugatti Veyron fastest car wallpapers - Beautiful wallpapers of the Bugatti
Veyron luxury car. X-ray image of the Veyron, instrument panel pictures.
|2010 Bugatti Veyron||Black Bugatti Veyron||Blue Bugatti Veyron|
|Bugatti Veyron and Villa||Bugatti Veyron Picture||Bugatti Veyron Dashboard|
|Bugatti Veyron Expensive||Bugatti Veyron Interior||Bugatti Veyron Photo|
About The Bugatti Veyron - One Of The Most Expensive Cars:Average Price in 2012: $1,7 million USD
The Bugatti Veyron (codenamed EB 16.4) is a mid-engined grand touring car, designed by the German car maker
Volkswagen Group, and manufactured by French company Bugatti. The Veyron was first presented in 2005.
The Super Sport version of the Veyron is the fastest street-legal consumer car ever built, reaching a top speed of
431 km/h (268 mph). The initial model has a top speed of "only" 408.47 km/h or 253.81 mph. The Super Sport was
named Car of the Decade (2000–2009) by Top Gear.
The Veyron is powered by an 8.0L, quad-turbocharged, W16 cylinder engine, having the power of two V8 engines.
There is four valves on each cylinder for a total of 64.
The Veyron can be used in either semi- or fully automatic set up. A replacement transmission for the Veyron
costs around $120,000 USD. The engine is mated to a permanent 4WD traction system made by Haldex. The car
goes on special Michelin PAX run-flat tyres, designed specifically to allow the Veyron to reach its top speed, a set
of such tyres costing a little over US$25,000. The tyres can be removed from the rims only in France, at a cost of
"only" $70,000 USD.
|Veyron Rear View||Veyron Roadster Car||Veyron Side View|
|Veyron Car Wallpaper||Bugatti Veyron X-Ray||White Veyron Supercar|


DACA in the African Community
“UAO is a very good organization that has made sure everybody has opportunities. They are very graceful and understanding. UAO is like family to Africans in Chicago”- Matthew
When he was a child, Matthew came to the United Sates from his home country of Kenya and, through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA), has been able to lead a happy and prosperous American life. After speaking with Matthew for only a few minutes it became clear that he has taken full advantage of the DACA program, and has continued to work hard towards his own version of the American Dream. DACA, he says, has allowed him to work and go to school here in Chicago, for which he is very grateful. In addition, Matthew made it very clear that DACA status has put him at ease when it comes to the thought of deportation, allowing him to focus on the more important things in life like friends and family. While Matthew does admit that DACA is not written in stone, and that the next administration following Obama’s departure may potentialyl choose to discontinue the program, he chooses to have just as much faith in America as it has had in him. DACA, he says, has allowed him to get a taste of the American Dream, and hopes that one day he can contribute to his community as a full United States citizen.
Friday August 15th will mark the two-year anniversary of the release of the DACA. Put in place by the Obama administration in June of 2012, the program is one example of the administration’s commitment to immigration reform- a hot topic among policy makers in Washington today. As our last blog post announced, Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson recently renewed the DACA program allowing persons who qualify to remain in the United States without fear of deportation for another two years, and opening the doors to a handful of opportunities for undocumented immigrants who otherwise live in fear of the American government day in, and day out.
Recent USCIS statistics have shown that there are over 32,000 DACA applicants in the State of Illinois alone, making it the state with the 3rd largest number of total applicants in the country. While numbers indicate that close to 1,200 Nigerians applied for DACA nationwide, they are the only African nation to crack the list of the top 30 most applicants per country (Mexico tops the list at 443,500 applicants). Among the individuals who received DACA status after applying at the time of its survey, USCIS specified that 59% of DACA recipients have obtained new jobs, 21% have internships, 49% opened a bank accounts, 33% were granted a credit card, 21% obtained healthcare, and 45% overall increased their job earnings.
Here at UAO, we are committed to the advancement of all immigrants, and as a result have spent some time exploring how DACA has affected members of our own African community here in Chicago.
For more information on applying for DACA status we encourage you to reference our previous blog post and visit USCIS at the following link: http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca.
Written by Lance Greenberg, Summer 2014 Intern


Convert your classic Hudson to front disc brake with our bolt on kit. This u..
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What should you do before using a radial arm saw?
A radial arm saw can be dangerous if not used properly.
- Read the owner's manual carefully.
- Make sure you understand instructions before attempting to use any tool or machine.
- Learn the applications and limitations before use.
- Refer to Woodworking Machines - General Safety Tips for general safety precautions.
What safety procedures should you follow when using a radial arm saw?
- Wear safety glasses or goggles, or a face shield (with safety glasses or goggles).
- Wear hearing protection that is suitable for the level and frequency of the noise you are exposed to in the woodworking area.
- Wear protective footwear when required.
- Feed stock against the direction of the blade (the blade should move downward when viewed by the operator).
- Only use saw blades rated at or above the speed of the saw arbour. (An arbour is the attachment from motor to blade)
- Use only the accessories designed for that specific saw and application.
- Ensure the guard consists of two parts:
- Upper hood type that covers arbour
- Lower guard that rides on the stock, adjusting automatically to the thickness being cut.
- Stand on the handle side when cross cutting. Pull the cutting head with the hand nearest the handle and maneuver the stock with the other hand.
- Make sure the hand holding the stock is never in line with the blade.
- Return the cutting head completely to the back of the saw table after each cut. The saw should be designed so that the blade will not move forward under its own weight or if the machine is vibrating.
- When ripping, make sure that the overall length of the saw table (both infeed and outfeed) is twice the length of the longest pieces of lumber.
- When ripping, make sure that the stock is fed against the direction of the blade (from the side where the saw blade rotates upward toward the operator). The blade should extend slightly into the table. The motor head must be locked at the correct height and angle.
- Clamp stock to the table on one side of the saw blade, when making mitre, bevel or compound mitre cuts. Clamping prevents the wood from sliding along the fence during the cut.
- Turn off the saw when making any adjustments or changes in the set up.
- Make measurements by placing the wood to be cut against the stop gauge. When measuring with a tape measure or ruler is necessary, turn off the saw until the measuring is complete.
What should you avoid when working with a radial arm saw?
- Do not use radial arm saws for ripping unless the spreader (riving knife) and anti-kickback devices are provided and properly adjusted.
- Do not take your hand away from the operating handle unless the cutting head is behind the fence.
- Do not remove the stock from a saw table until the blade has been returned to its "resting" position at the back of the saw table. Use a stick or brush to remove scrap from the saw table.
- Do not cut "free hand". Use the back guide or fence, or other device to keep the workpiece from moving.
- Do not use cracked or dull blades.
- Do not leave a running saw unattended - leave only after the saw has been turned off and it has come to a complete stop.
Add a badge to your website or intranet so your workers can quickly find answers to their health and safety questions.
Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information, CCOHS does not guarantee, warrant, represent or undertake that the information provided is correct, accurate or current. CCOHS is not liable for any loss, claim, or demand arising directly or indirectly from any use or reliance upon the information.


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Sen. Maria Cantwell was one of 34 US Senators to vote against a detainee bill that suspends habeas corpus and grants President Bush the power to reinterpret the Geneva Conventions as he sees fit. Here is her statement on her vote:
“We must win the war on terrorism by being smarter and tougher, and by passing legislation that makes our troops more secure. I believe the bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month met this test. The legislation voted on tonight still has critical flaws.
“The legislation voted on by the full Senate will permit the Bush Administration to undermine the Geneva Conventions, broadly expand the definition of enemy combatants, allow for coerced and secret evidence and abandon habeus corpus. For more than three years, our ability to try terrorists has been hampered by the Administration’s refusal to abide by U.S. law. The provisions in this legislation may be once again deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, only further delaying our goal of bringing the terrorists to justice.
“Short-term political goals should never come ahead of America’s long-term success in the war on terror.”
Meanwhile, Republican challenger Mike McGavick says he would have voted for the bill:
“Very simply, this legislation is a necessary piece of the long term struggle against radical Islamic terrorism. Our security depends on our military and intelligence communities possessing intelligence gathering tools, and we are in need of a system to try our terrorist enemies.”
On both moral and pragmatic grounds, Sen. Cantwell defends the basic right to habeas corpus, and opposes the use of torture. McGavick disagrees.
Sometimes, politicians are faced with simple choices. And sometimes, so are voters.

domain: news


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Labour councillors in Caerphilly have agreed to investigate the possibility of rescinding the decision to give senior managers pay rises of up to 30%.
After a near-five hour meeting, leaders of the group emerged and released a statement which said: "The Labour leadership of Caerphilly Council apologise, accept and wholly understand the concerns expressed by staff, trade unions and members of the public for the recent senior remuneration pay decision by a unanimous vote of a cross-party delegated committee.
"Following a meeting of the Labour group, it was agreed that the Labour leadership arrange an urgent meeting before Christmas with all of the trade unions to discuss and review the decision-making process that led to the outcome, and that the leadership investigate the possibility of rescinding the decision based upon independent legal advice.
"In future the full council will decide on remuneration levels for senior managers. The council leadership recognises values and thoroughly appreciates the contribution of staff at all levels of the organisation."
It came as pressure was heaped on the council for huge, secret pay rises awarded to 20 senior managers at the council, with workers at Caerphilly Council, who belong to the trade unions Unison and GMB, together with members of the public, lobbying controlling Labour group councillors as they arrived to discuss the issue at the authority’s headquarters in Ystrad Mynach.
Last week it was revealed that top managers were awarded pay rises of up to 30% at a time when most workers are on the third year of a pay freeze.
Chief executive Anthony O’Sullivan wrote an unpublished report leaked to us that recommended the increases for himself and his senior colleagues. In Mr O’Sullivan’s case the rise was one of up to £35,000, bringing his annual salary up to £158,000.
The revelations have caused unprecedented anger among council employees and local taxpayers.
Before the lobby, the council’s opposition Plaid Cymru group announced that it would seek to reverse the decision to give top officers pay rises of up to 30%.
Under the authority’s constitution, decisions cannot be rescinded for six months unless more than half the council – 37 members – support a move.
Members of the Plaid group agreed to table a motion and urged Labour councillors to back it.
There are 20 Plaid councillors and three independents, so at least 14 members of the ruling Labour group would also need to sign the motion for it to go forward.
Colin Mann, leader of the Plaid group, said: "We know that many Labour councillors are disgusted as ourselves, council employees and the public over these ridiculous rises.
"We all feel hoodwinked and therefore I appeal to Labour councillors to put party politics aside and support this motion for the good of the council’s reputation.
"I hope now that common sense will prevail and these increases will be reversed. If Labour councillors are not prepared to stand up against this ludicrous decision then we will find another way of calling an extraordinary meeting of the council."
Before the Labour group meeting began, it appeared there was a split between backbenchers and cabinet members.
Labour group secretary Hefin David told those lobbying the meeting there was a majority in favour of rescinding the pay rises, although there was resistance from the leadership.
Unison branch secretary Gary Enright said before the meeting: "This issue has been handled terribly by the council. As if the huge pay rises were not bad enough in themselves, the underhand way in which information about them has been kept secret even from the vast majority of elected councillors has been appalling.
"We will not be satisfied until these increases have been rescinded. If the administration thought it could just ignore the outrage by burying its head in the sand and saying nothing it has completely miscalculated."
Mike Payne, political officer with the GMB union, who was also present, said: "So far as we are concerned, what has happened is a complete abuse of power.
"It is outrageous that the chief executive himself wrote the report that resulted in the rises being awarded, with himself as one of the beneficiaries, and that the rises were then kept secret.
"Our members are suffering badly because of the pay freeze and are absolutely furious that the highest paid managers have received such huge increases. We are taking advice as to whether the local government code of conduct has been broken."


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Source: (2004) Family Court Review. 42(2): 203-215.
In the traditional family law and child protection litigation where the court is asked to make determinations based on the best interests of a minor, the adversarial, rights-based model often fails to serve the interests of children and families and may be more harmful than beneficial to children relative to other possible methods of dispute resolution. This article examines the shortcomings of such an adversarial, rights-based model; briefly highlights the literature on dispute resolution systems design; and then proposes a new approach to better serve the interests of children in family law and child protection cases. Author’s abstract.
Your donation helps Prison Fellowship International repair the harm caused by crime by emphasizing accountability, forgiveness, and making amends for prisoners and those affected by their actions. When victims, offenders, and community members meet to decide how to do that, the results are transformational.Donate Now

domain: literature


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Like a lot of my fellow gamers, I've been marked forever by the soundtracks of the games I played. I'm a musician at heart and I can play the guitar, so I rearrange video game music to make it sound as if a rock band was performing it. It's my own way of thanking all the talented composers that originally created it.
You can read more about CarboHydroM's story here.
Music / Random Gamer Memories
|Release date||Jan. 19, 2011|
|Source material||Super Mario Galaxy II (Wii) - Final Bowser battle theme|
This is a metal arrangement of mine, covering the final Bowser battle theme taken from the soundtrack of Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) and originally composed by Mahito Yokota.

domain: artistic


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Distal zone of the tibia
When inserting pins in the distal zone take into account the position of the
anterior tibial artery and vein. Percutaneous insertion of pins in this area is
dangerous. A minimal incision will allow preparation and safe insertion.
The peroneal bundle is located very close to the posterolateral border of
the tibia and therefore at risk if pins are inserted in this direction.
Pins at this level should be inserted as shown in the illustration from
anteromedial to posterolateral. A second pin can be inserted from medial to
anterolateral, ventral to the fibula.

domain: medical


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Justin Long & Emmy Rossum Find Love in First Trailer for 'Comet'
Since Kevin Smith's Tusk couldn't last in theaters over a couple weeks, maybe Justin Long will have better luck with a six-year spanning romance in Comet. The indie premiered at The Los Angeles Film Festival and follows a complicated relationship between the uptight Dell (Long) and a bright young girl named Kimberly (Emmy Rossum of "Shameless"). Set in a parallel universe, the film bounces back and forth over the course of an unlikely romance that lasts six years and moves from Paris to New York, but not before it all starts at Hollywood Forever during a meteor shower. This looks like a pretty great indie romance. Watch!
Here's the first trailer for Sam Esmail's Comet, originally debuted by IMDb:
Hurtling back and forth in time over six years of a passionate, complicated relationship, this high-style love story crackles with brilliant repartee and simmers with true feeling. Emmy Rossum is the bright, skeptical Kimberly, and Justin Long is the tightly wound Dell. They first meet in a random encounter at Hollywood Forever, where they've both come to watch a meteor shower. It's the start of a romantic roller coaster ride that leaps from a Paris tryst to a squabble in New York to the Hollywood Hills, taking risky and unexpected emotional turns with daredevil aplomb. Comet marks the feature film debut if director and writer Sam Esmail and after premiering at the LA Film Festival the film arrives in limited theaters on December 5th.


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The tip in sheets from Arcane Society have arrived. The tip in sheets are the signing pages autographed by the author which will be included in the collector edition of the book. See that white box? It has 500 sheets in it. There are many boxes. Many.
And before anybody asks, this is a signing mat.
It exists so we don’t damage the table or puncture the page as we are signing. We have learned the hard way.
The Arcane Society is a subscription service. You can find out more about it on their About page. The books are gorgeous and Luisa Preissler painted the covers, which are spectacular. I have seen them and Elara’s wedding dress never looked so good. I believe this will be sent out some time in 2024.
It’s probably silly, but fancy books make me so happy. So fancy.


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This beautifully modern condominium has two bedrooms, two baths and will sleep six people comfortably. Single level living at its finest. The master bedroom has a king size bed and full bathroom. The second bedroom has a queen size bed, plus a bunk bed. The additional full bath is located off the hallway. There is a fully equipped kitchen, comfortable dining area, and a spacious living room, overlooking the deck and large back yard. Enjoy the seasonal outdoor pool, tennis and basketball courts, in the summer months. Perfect accommodations for any family! This is the ideal spot for a weekend getaway or a weeklong vacation. Northbrook is conveniently located between the shopping outlets and the ski mountains; just minutes away from Cranmore, Attitash, Storyland and more!
Top Notch Vacations, LLC. Meals and Rentals Tax License# 058267

domain: travel


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Introducing Macrocosmic Quantum Theory
to Explain How Psychedelics Work Carl Johan Calleman (Chemistry, Northern New Mexico College, Espanola, NM ) C17
Research about the mechanism of action of psychedelic substances has mostly taken as its point of departure that the altered states produced can be explained as an effect on the brain in isolation from the cosmos at large - a neurological paradigm. Yet, a consistent feature discovered in recent research into the treatment of addiction, depression and compulsive-obsessive disorder using psychedelics is that the effectiveness of the therapy is strongly correlated to the spiritual experience of the individuals studied. This raises the question if the neurological paradigm is really the best one to describe how psychedelics work, since it would imply that the spiritual experience is merely an illusion created by serotonin receptors inside the brain. But then again if the spiritual experience is only an illusion how come it plays such a significant role in the healing of the mental disorders studied? In the study of psychedelics there has for a long time however existed an alternative model to the neurological, which goes back to Henri Bergson and Aldous Huxley. This is to look at the mind or brain as a 'reducing valve' that in our default state limits our experience of reality. In this view, psychedelics disengage the reducing valve and open the brain up to receive experiences that come to us at another frequency than in our default state and so generates an altered sate of consciousness. While this model in principle may account for experiences brought about psychedelics of both spiritual and cosmic nature it has until now at least been essentially a philosophical speculation. The questions as to the nature of such 'frequencies' have remained unanswered as well as how such frequencies would be related to altered states of consciousness. Yet, it is clear that all shamanic traditions, including those that employ psychedelic plants to travel to the spirit world, embrace a view of reality as inherently multidimensional in which there are different states of consciousness that exist in parallel and may be accessible for instance through the use of psychedelics. This clearly broadens the perspective outside of the neurological paradigm, but can we just ignore this possibility? In my recent book Quantum Science of Psychedelics, empirical evidence is provided in support of a multidimensional view of reality through the development of a macrocosmic quantum theory. In this, the various quantum states and wave frequencies are mathematically defined as well as how these are connected to different states of consciousness. The waves involved have according to a pre-set scheme been sequentially activated during the course of evolution. While these waves indeed are quantized, they exist on a very different scale than the objects of traditional quantum physics, such as photons and electrons. Taking such states into account it has been possible to provide an explanation for how the chemical, pharmacological, phenomenological levels are connected to the cosmic level in bringing about the psychedelic experience.

domain: psychology


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I heard Marion Deeds read from her novella Comeuppance Served Cold – just out from Tor – at one of last year’s FOGcon virtual readings. During the question period afterwards, I asked, “So is this homage to Dashiell Hammett?”
She was pleased that I picked up on the tone of the book. As she noted in the acknowledgements, Hammett’s take on the West Coast wealthy during the 1920s and 30s provided inspiration.
So while this book is fantasy – complete with magicians, shapeshifters, and a hint of the Fair Folk – it takes place in the corrupt worlds of human power that the noir and detective stories of the Prohibition years made famous.
It’s a delightful book. Some of its biggest charms are things that would be spoilers, so let me just say that if you like the idea of urban fantasy set in Hammett’s world, you won’t be disappointed.
One charm that’s not really a spoiler is that while some of the magic is intertwined with the political power dealing common to such books, the story includes the racism and other ugly reality of the non-magical side of things.
Shapeshifters are treated badly in this magical world even though many of them served valiantly in World War I, but this is in addition to, rather than an allegory for, the abusive treatment of African Americans.
One of the main characters is a Black woman who runs a speakeasy. She’s connected to the magical world – her late husband was an herbalist and her brother is a shapeshifter – but her affairs are typical of those of someone running an illegal business in ordinary human lives.
Likewise there are same sex relationships, and nasty references to those by other characters in the book.
The main character, Dolly White, is hired to “nursemaid” a young woman running wild – a common plot of noir and detective stories back in those days, though usually the person hired was not a woman.
The person who hires her is the commissioner of magic, someone close to but not exactly part of the government of Seattle. He wields a great deal of power, based in part on some magical work he did for the war effort, and assumes he has the right to all of it.
When Dolly observes that they don’t regulate and license magic in California, he snaps, “California is a hotbed of magical crime.”
His son comes across as even more unpleasant.
There’s more to Dolly than it appears in the first few pages, but that would get us into spoilers.
Another delightful feature of the book is that it is not told in chronological order. Each section is dated in reference to the first scene in the book, but there is quite a bit of jumping around over about six weeks in the fall of 1929 around the time the stock market crashed.
And that’s all I’m going to tell you. You’ll have to pick up a copy to find out more.
This is the latest in the ongoing series of novellas being published by Tordotcom. I am so glad to see novellas becoming a serious part of the publishing landscape these days.
They lend themselves to series, as with Martha Wells’s Murderbot books and Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti stories.
I wouldn’t mind reading more adventures about Dolly White. Many more.


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How can CITY CURATION help to protect and promote diversity on High Streets?
High Streets around the world are undergoing dramatic transformations. Whilst globalisation promises diversity, the domination of our High Streets by multinational brands delivers the same repetitive formats worldwide. What are the implications of these changes? What actions can be taken to counteract them? IDENTI.CITY examines current developments in inner-city High Streets and assesses socio-economic factors based on interviews with retailers, building owners, city planners and social geographers. The aim of this paper is to provide strategic recommendations to local authorities, developers, street associations and community groups. It illustrates how with CITY CURATION, the forces that impact upon prime urban locations can be managed and High Streets revitalised.


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A Croydon policeman who lied about having his iPhone stolen has avoided an immediate jail sentence.
Gareth Beard of Banstead Road, Caterham, claimed his mobile was stolen in McDonalds in the Whitgift Centre in April 2010 to get a free replacement.
The 35-year-old also entered his own crime report on the Met's Crime Reporting System (CRIS), to back up his fictious claim.
But suspicions were raised when CCTV from the McDonald's restaurant showed no trace of the officer.
The incident was reported to the Directorate of Professional Standards in June 2010, who launched an investigation but further inconsistencies in his story were found.
Southwark Crown Court heard he then changed the date of the alleged theft, but again it did not tally up with evidence gathered.
Beard denied fraud but was convicted on September 12, following a trial at the court.
He resigned from the police force the following day.
At Southwark Crown Court today he was setenced to six months in prison suspended for two years.


Abdi, M. (2015). Multi-electrode stimulation and measurement patterns versus prior information of fast 3D EIT. (Unpublished Masters thesis, City, University of London)
- Accepted Version
Download (5MB) | Preview
Electrical Impedance Tomography or as referred to as EIT, is a typical inverse problem of estimating the unknown interior material impedance properties inside a conductive medium through measurements performed at the periphery of the containing medium. Due to its inverse nature, EIT’s poor spatial resolution is still one of its biggest downfalls since meaningful images are hard to obtain without incorporating some sort of prior information about the material distribution characteristics.
Given the ill-posedness of the EIT problem coupled with the limited number of collectable boundary voltage measurements, the resulted discrete system is heavily underdetermined and ill-conditioned. Therefore, a sensible step to overcome this problem is to collect as many measurements as the number of the finite elements composing the medium. From one hand, this is not practically possible, on the other, an increased number of measurements will contribute towards unrealistically high computational overheads both for the assembly and the inversion of the resulted dense system matrix.
For any given EIT configuration, the discrete Picard’s stability criterion can be deployed as a practical measure of the system performance against noise contaminated measurements. Herein, this study includes extensive use of this measure to quantify the performance of impedance imaging systems for various injection patterns. In effect, it is numerically demonstrated that by varying electrode distributions and numbers, little improvement, if any, in the performance of the impedance imaging system is recorded. In contrast, by using groups of electrodes in the 3D current injection process, a step increase in performance is obtained. Numerical results reveal that the performance measure of the imaging system is 29% for a conventional combination of stimulation and prior information, 97% for groups of electrodes and the same prior and 98% for groups of electrodes and a more accurate prior. Finally, since a smaller number of electrodes are involved in the measurement process, a smaller number of measurements are acquired. However, no compromise in the quality of the reconstructed images is observed.
|Item Type:||Thesis (Masters)|
|Subjects:||Q Science > QA Mathematics
T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
|Divisions:||School of Engineering & Mathematical Sciences > Engineering|
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November 5, 2021
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Join us for an evening of art.
Join Artsbridge on November First Friday the 5th in front of the Armory at Marietta, OH
to create a free fall scene picture on a 5’x5′ wooden board. All ages can create one.
For more information visit www.artsbridgeonline.org

domain: entertainment


text:
More than 20 bodies found in debris of an elementary school amid widespread damage, fallen buildings
Hours after an earthquake drill, the real thing struck
Initially, Ricardo Ramos thought it was a drill when the ground began to shake on Tuesday. This was the day for it, after all.
Witness: Rumble kept increasing
Adrian Wilson, who experienced the magnitude-7.1 earthquake in Mexico firsthand, talks to Brooke Baldwin about the experience.
Photos show quake's destruction in Mexico
Reporter's tale of swaying on airport runway as the city shakes
When the earthquake hit, I was on a moving plane on the runway at Mexico City airport. I felt the plane tilt and sway as if it would crash to the ground. Looking out the window, I saw the entire airport swaying and people fleeing the building in droves.
Thousands flee as buildings sway
A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck the central Mexican state of Puebla leveling buildings as far away as the capital, about 75 miles away. CNN's Brian Todd reports.
Trump tweets: God bless people of Mexico City
A magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck the central Mexican state of Puebla, leveling buildings as far away as the capital, about 75 miles away.
No US President has spoken to the world like this
Watch leaders react to Trump's address
UNGA delegates donned their best poker faces during President Trump's sometimes biting speech in New York on Tuesday.
Exclusive: Mueller team's focus on Manafort spans 11 years
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team is reaching back more than a decade in its investigation of Paul Manafort, a sign of the pressure Mueller is placing on President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman.
Mueller's office interviewed Deputy AG Rosenstein about his role in Comey firing
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office interviewed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein over the summer about his role in President Donald Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Opinion: What Trump fears most
The latest twist in the investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia is that Paul Manafort, former head of the campaign, was wiretapped under secret court orders before and after the election -- including while he was working with Trump. The revelation more or less stops there.
Maria gains power as it nears Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Hurricane Maria, making its first landfall as a Category 5 storm, has blasted Dominica with "widespread devastation," according to the prime minister of the Caribbean island nation.
First on CNN: An inside look Sen. Menendez's vacation spot in the Dominican Republic
Federal prosecutors in Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial have painted a posh picture of the New Jersey Democrat living beyond his means on white sand beaches at resorts in the Dominican Republic, all thanks to his friend and co-defendant, Dr. Salomon Melgen.
Jimmy Kimmel on health care bill: Sen. Cassidy lied 'right to my face'
Jimmy Kimmel didn't pull any punches when it came to the Senate's new health care bill and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, saying that Cassidy lied "right to my face."
Watch Kimmel's exchange with lawmaker
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel argued the Sen. Bill Cassidy's new health care bill fails the "Kimmel Test" -- a reference to the comedian's emotional late-night monologue about how the Affordable Care Act carried protections that helped save his son from a congenital heart defect.
McCain bucked his party once on health care. Will he do it again?
Sen. John McCain bucked his party -- and his President -- in the most extraordinary fashion this summer.
The real work on health care bill is underway
Republican senators departed Washington Tuesday with the fate of their last-ditch proposal to overhaul the Affordable Care Act still hanging in the balance.
Bannon orders Breitbart to step up negative coverage of Trump-backed candidate
Governor: Trump-ites are cave dwellers
Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA), in an interview with Politico, gave a statement that inferred the term "Trump-ite" refers to someone who would "dwell in deep, dark caves."
Melinda Gates: VC industry needs to clean up act
Chipotle's recovery hopes melt with 'gritty' queso
Chipotle's queso is shaping up to be another disappointment for the struggling fast food chain.
NFLer suspended indefinitely after going AWOL
The NFL is a mess right now
MLB breaks record for most home runs in a season
Why Ric Flair's greatest legacy is his daughter
NHL veteran diagnosed with leukemia
Late night roasts Trump's Clinton tweet
Trevor Noah, Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien poke fun at President Donald Trump retweeting an edited video of him hitting a golf ball into Hillary Clinton's back, causing her to fall.
A 'family curse': First insomnia, then death
"Look, I'm so sorry to do this to you on your birthday," Hayley Webb, a television reporter in Australia, recalled her mom saying in 2012. "I have six months to live."
Singer seen on video hours before suicide
Chester Bennington's wife shared a video of him on Twitter taken 36 hours before his death.
Of the 40 million slaves in the world, one in four are children
More than 40 million people were estimated to be victims of modern slavery in 2016 -- and one in four of those were children.
Sex trafficking survivor working to end 'The Game'
Elle Snow laces up her combat boots, prepared once again, to go to war with "The Game."
I was raped 43,200 times
Karla Jacinto is sitting in a serene garden. She looks at the ordinary sights of flowers and can hear people beyond the garden walls, walking and talking in Mexico City.
Fighting modern slavery on Florida farms
Immokalee, Florida, used to be ground-zero for modern-day slavery in US agriculture. Today, slavery is all but eradicated on Florida farms.
School brings hope to child slaves in India
Sitara isn't sure how old she is. Her mother thinks 13; she reckons 15.
Family rescued from slavery in the Amazon
The Brazilian government is cracking down on ranchers who abuse their workers. CNN's Shasta Darlington met one family celebrating their newfound freedom.
How iconic 'Whose streets? Our streets!' chant has been co-opted
Opinion: STL protests show sickness and cure
I first sat down to write a piece like this three years ago, when my city, St. Louis, was wracked with the initial convulsions of what would later be known simply as "Ferguson."
Police accused of controversial 'kettling' tactics
Demonstrators have taken to the streets of St. Louis to protest the recent not-guilty verdict in the case of a former police officer accused in a fatal shooting.
Somber day at Georgia Tech after violent protests against student killing
Georgia Tech's campus didn't bear any scars Tuesday from a violent night that left a police vehicle torched and three people, at least one of them a student, in handcuffs.
Why do police shoot to kill?
Another fatal police shooting has added ammunition to the national debate over whether police are too quick to use deadly force.
Inside a gated US compound in Saudi Arabia
Women behind the wheel of a car, residents drinking alcohol and baseball as a regular pastime: It doesn't sound like the Saudi Arabia of the world's imagination.
It's been called the 'Hawaii of China,' but it may be the new Dubai
The dancing begins almost as soon as the sun sets on Sanya, in southern Hainan.
Kanye West and Miley Cyrus concerts wouldn't be the same without her
British stage designer Es Devlin's career began in 1997 with small theater productions held in function rooms above pubs. Since then her work has dramatically transformed stages and stadiums around the world.
WWI German U-boat found off Belgian coast
A sunken German WWI U-boat has been discovered in the North Sea off the coast of Belgium.
Slam dunk for Adidas as sales top Nike's Jordan line
Adidas now sells more sneakers in the U.S. than the legendary Michael Jordan does for Nike. It's a changing of the guard in the athletic apparel world -- and Wall Street has taken notice as well.
Pension fund now worth $1,000,000,000,000
Norway's giant pension fund is now worth over $1 trillion. Yes, 1 followed by 12 zeros.
'SNL' is staying live coast to coast this season
Sam Adams founder: I lived my father's American dream
When Jim Koch quit his high-paying consulting job to become a brewer, his father did not approve.
The last thing we need is a July 4th military parade
Inspired by his attendance at this year's Bastille Day parade in Paris, President Trump has apparently decided we need a similar military parade here in Washington of the Fourth of July.
Doctor: Don't be fooled by GOP health bill
There's perhaps no clearer snapshot of the disconnect in D.C. than a week in which a small group of Democratic senators comes out swinging for a single-payer healthcare system, only to be blindsided by the news that a far larger pool of Republican senators are coalescing around yet another effort -- the disastrous Graham-Cassidy bill -- to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
'Rocket man' is awkward Dad Trump's attempt to be cool
What do you do if you have just a single catchphrase -- like, say, "You're fired!" -- and you need something fresh, something resonant, to hold the public's interest? If you are President Trump, you borrow a song title from Elton John -- "Rocket Man" -- and start using it as a nickname for North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un even though it doesn't make any sense at all and makes you sound like someone's awkward dad trying to be cool.
Why Hillary Clinton is irrelevant
Hillary Clinton's latest allegations of Russian interference in the election gives the plot a personal spin.
Santorum: Paul is wrong on health care bill
On Monday, Senator Rand Paul said the Graham-Cassidy bill will not repeal Obamacare. This is the same faulty argument I heard from a few self-proclaimed principled conservatives in 1996 when we successfully challenged President Bill Clinton to keep his promise to end welfare as we know it. They said we promised in the election to end welfare -- not, as Senator Paul now puts it, to "rearrange the furniture a bit."
Lowest refinance rates in 2017 have arrived
10 household triggers for COPD
3 cards charging 0% interest until 2019
What's in the latest Obamacare repeal bill?
Trump lays out 'America First' policies at UN
President Trump's speech to the United Nations General Assembly made clear to the world and the American public that the President is sticking firmly to his "America First" vision of US foreign policy. CNN's Jim Sciutto reports.
Voting commission member calls for hard-liner's resignation after email
A member of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity is calling on a voter fraud hard-liner to resign from the panel after a controversial email he sent about the panel's makeup became public.
Opioid crisis took this 8-year-old's father away
It all started with pain killers after a dentist appointment. Now, Drake, a 32-year-old from Columbus, Ohio has struggled with opioid abuse for more than a decade.
Popular toy can pose serious eye risk, doctors warn
Just about everyone who's played with a projectile toy has gotten a version of the warning "You'll shoot your eye out!"
Fluoride exposure linked to lower IQ in kids, study says
Increased levels of prenatal fluoride exposure may be associated with lower cognitive function in children, a new study says.
When caring for a sick pet becomes too much
It was a difficult season of loss for Sean Owens' family.
Shakira shows her inner rocker to Trevor Noah on 'Carpool Karaoke'
Trevor Noah and Shakira are two rocking peas in a moving pod in this week's "Carpool Karaoke: The Series."
Who wowed on 'Dancing With the Stars'?
Season 25 of "Dancing With the Stars" kicked off Monday night with an all-new cast, and as quick as you could say "Tom Bergeron," some celeb couples had risen above the rest.
When Kim Kardashian plans to stop posing nude
Kim Kardashian West believes there is an age limit to posing nude.
Lady Gaga manages image in Netflix documentary
Backstage looks at celebrities are fraught with peril -- especially one as aware of the image she creates and projects as Lady Gaga. That's why a feature-length Netflix documentary devoted to a year in her life, "Gaga: Five Foot Two," never quite feels as spontaneous or illuminating as the access would suggest, unless you're totally gaga about Gaga.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of the greats
As of Sunday night, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is officially something of a hoarder of Emmy superlatives.
Guess Who This Tot in a Tux Turned Into!
Before this fancy little man was topping the charts, he was just another dapper little dude growing up in Chicago, Illinois. Can you guess who he is?
Taylor Swift Music Video Director Gets Restraining Order Against Ex-Employee
Taylor Swift's fave director -- who did her latest music video along with her "Bad Blood" vid -- has some bad blood with a former employee who now has to stay 100 yards away and stop harassing him online ... according to new legal docs. "Look What…
Chris Brown Strikes Settlement in Vegas Battery Case
Liziane Gutierrez, the woman Chris Brown allegedly attacked in his Vegas hotel room for taking a pic of him, made off with some loot after the two settled her lawsuit against him. We're told a settlement became official today. The question ... how…
'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town' Songwriter's Family Sues Over Grinch-Like Practices
The family of the guy who wrote "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" says they've been getting nothing but lumps of coal, when they should've been cashing in big on the holiday classic. The tune was written by Haven Gillespie way back in the 1930s.…
Enes Kanter Blasts Back After Kevin Durant's Anti-Thunder Tweets
Enes Kanter is standing up for the OKC Thunder after his former teammate Kevin Durant ripped the organization on Twitter ... saying K.D. is dead wrong. As we previously reported, Durant tweeted that he hated playing in OKC because he didn't like his…
Liza Minnelli Shoots Down Rumors, Proves She Can Still Sing!
Liza Minnelli is putting an end to the rumors she might never sing again, and she's doing it in the most awesome way! We got Liza Monday night leaving Craig's, and asked straight-up ... if her famous pipes are still in working order? Broadway…
Too Short Loved Marshawn's Dance, Hell Yeah It Demoralized Jets!
Pissed off at Marshawn Lynch dancing on the Jets' grave? DON'T BE, says legendary Oakland rapper Too Short -- cause Beast Mode was just gettin' down the only way he knows how. "It's pretty normal where we're from," Short told us…
'Black-ish' Star Jenifer Lewis Settles with LA Fitness Over Trainer Ripoff
Jenifer Lewis, the grandma on "Black-ish" just lined her pocket with $13,000 courtesy of LA Fitness after suing over a crooked gym employee. Lewis claimed in a lawsuit she met an LA Fitness front desk manager at the West L.A. club. She says they got…
Ryan Phillippe's Ex-Fiancee Filed Harassment Report, He Called Me a 'Whore'
Ryan Phillippe's former fiancee went to the LAPD last March to file a harassment report against the actor ... TMZ has learned. We've learned Paulina Slagter went to the Hollywood division of LAPD on March 26 and filed an "Annoying or Harassing…
Mexico Rocked by 7.1 Earthquake, Buildings Collapsing and Exploding
Central Mexico is trembling after a devastating 7.1 earthquake that's leveled dozens of buildings to nothing but rubble. The powerful quake struck Tuesday afternoon in the central Mexican state of Puebla, but it was felt nearly 100 miles away in…
Miami Dolphins Suspend Lawrence Timmons for Going AWOL
The Miami Dolphins have suspended Lawrence Timmons indefinitely after the star linebacker went missing from the team hotel this weekend ... and now he stands to lose MILLIONS. TMZ Sports broke the story ... the Dolphins filed a missing persons…
Kevin Hart and Eniko Parrish Do Lunch Together with Extortion, Cheating Scandal Looming
Kevin Hart and his wife, Eniko, are presenting a united front ... just days after he publicly apologized to her for the sexually charged video at the center of an alleged extortion plot. The couple went out for lunch Tuesday in Woodland Hills -- the…
Serena Williams Thanks Mom for Teaching Her 'Power of a Black Woman' in Letter
New mom Serena Williams just penned a powerful letter to her own mother -- thanking Oracene Price for showing her how to be a strong, black woman in a world filled with ignorance and hate. "I'm not sure how you did not go off on every…
Billy Bush, Wife Split After 20-year Marriage
Billy Bush and his wife of 20 years have called it quits ... TMZ has confirmed. A rep for Billy tells TMZ ... the former "Today" co-host and Sydney Davis are "separated for the moment to evaluate their life together." The rep goes on to say,…
Mariah Carey Sued For Stiffing Christmas Choir Singers
Mariah Carey went full Scrooge on a bunch of Christmas choir singers -- allegedly skipping out on nearly $70k in payments to the group -- and now they're suing. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Carey hired Broadway Inspirational Voices in…
Kevin Durant Regrets Bashing OKC Coach On Twitter, Denies Secret Account
Kevin Durant says it was "childish" and "idiotic" to slam his former OKC Thunder coach and teammates on Twitter this week ... but insists he was NOT trying to do it from a secret 2nd account. KD just addressed the situation at TechCrunch…
Ryan Phillippe Hires Lawyer to Sue Ex-GF Over Domestic Violence Claims
Ryan Phillippe has hired a high-powered civil litigator to go after the woman claiming he beat her up ... and he's using the "Taylor Swift" model of lawsuits ... TMZ has learned. Sources connected with Ryan tell us, Ryan's plan is to file either a…
Drake's OVO Crew Member's Murder Captured on Video
The murder of one of Drake's longtime friends was caught on video, and cops just released it. Anthony Soares was gunned down last week in Toronto by 2 men. The video shows Soares standing in his apartment lobby when the 2 hooded men run up from a…
David Hasselhoff's Ex-Wife Says She Deserves His Alimony for Work She Did During Marriage
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Wayne Rooney: No Driver's License? No Problem! I Got Chauffeur Money!
With his driving privileges officially suspended, Wayne Rooney did what any mega-rich star would do to get to soccer practice ... he hired a driver. Check out a stone-faced Rooney riding shotgun on his way to Everton F.C.'s training facility…


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The Australian metropolis of Brisbane moved nearer to touchdown the 2032 Olympics on Thursday after profitable the approval of the Worldwide Olympic Committee’s government board and the selection can be put to a closing vote subsequent month.
Queensland state capital Brisbane had been the popular host, chosen in February, and the board’s proposal now goes to the IOC session earlier than the Tokyo Olympics subsequent month.
“It’s within the arms of IOC members to vote now on July 21,” IOC President Thomas Bach mentioned.
If Brisbane is elected, as anticipated, it could develop into the third Australian metropolis after Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000 to host the summer time Olympics.
“Sport is seen by many governments all over the world as important to the long-term improvement of their international locations and areas,” Bach mentioned.
“The Brisbane 2032 Olympic mission reveals how forward-thinking leaders recognise the ability of sport as a strategy to obtain lasting legacies for his or her communities.”
A number of cities and international locations had publicly expressed an curiosity within the 2032 Video games together with Indonesia, Budapest, China, Doha and Germany’s Ruhr valley amongst others.
However in a brand new course of that doesn’t brazenly pit cities towards one another, Brisbane had already moved forward of any rivals in February, having gained reward from the IOC.
The state of Queensland hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Video games.
The IOC overhauled its bidding guidelines in 2019 to scale back prices and make the method simpler for cities. There are not any official candidate cities campaigning forward of the vote as has been the case prior to now.
As a substitute the IOC places the popular host to a vote at its session.

domain: geography


text:
Erwin Redl is a master at adapting LED lights into intense large-scale art installations. He's exhibited his work throughout the world, illuminating museum spaces like a sci-fi dance club.
Check out the gallery above to see how Erwin Redl manipulates LED lights for his installations, and be sure to spin through the related articles below.
Implications - LED lights not only offer eco-friendly benefits, but they are easily customizable and ultimately extremely cool. With this in mind, creations like Erwin Redl's amazing installations set the stage for a whole new kind of aesthetic that is only going to get more and more popular as LED lights are becoming increasingly common and widespread all over the world.


text:
Where Is the Market Headed?
We all know the stock market can be unpredictable. We all want to know, “What’s next for the financial markets?”
Have A Question About This Topic?
Have you considered the special tax treatment on company stock held in a 401(k) plan?
Simple steps may help you foil hackers and protect your privacy.
This video discusses issues related to your retirement accounts when you move on from your job.

domain: economics


text:
Google blocks ads from Trademark Terminal operator Abtach following USPTO action
- Google confirms to WTR that it has suspended Abtach’s ads account
- Pakistan-based company were target of USPTO show-cause order last year
- Abtach allegedly operates controversial low-cost trademark agencies
Dozens of allegedly fraudulent low-cost trademark filing websites have been blocked by Google from advertising on its global platform after a scathing USPTO show-cause order targeting Pakistan-based IT company Abtach, WTR can reveal. While concern remains that brand owners are being targeted by bad actors on Google, the search giant confirms that “many additional sites” have also been suspended.
Back in November 2021, the USPTO initiated one of the biggest anti-fraud crackdowns in its history with the publication of a strongly worded show-cause order to Pakistan-based company Abtach Ltd, the operator of numerous controversial low-cost trademark filing websites. The most prominent of these is Trademark Terminal, a platform that WTR first reported on in February 2021, with further evidence revealing that it was linked to unusual activity on thousands of US trademark applications and that a related entity allegedly defrauded one victim out of nearly $150,000.
The Abtach executives allegedly conducted “an egregious scheme to deceive and defraud applicants for federal trademark registrations by improperly altering official USPTO correspondence, overcharging application filing fees, misappropriating the USPTO’s trademarks, and impersonating the USPTO”. The order further reveals dozens of websites operated by Abtach, all of which claimed to be based in the United States (WTR has repeatedly highlighted that Trademark Terminal and its sister websites appeared to be based in Pakistan). The order confirms – using the office's own internal data – that trademark filings were submitted “from IP addresses corresponding to an internet service provider in Karachi, Pakistan”.
An issue raised in the USPTO order is how Abtach advertised “extensively via search engines”, with ads “touting falsely low fees and timeframes to register a trademark”. In some cases, Google ads would falsely claim the service is “endorsed by the USPTO”, with one example revealed in the order below:
WTR revealed how Abtach appeared to have spent thousands of dollars on Google Ads earlier in 2021. We found that common trademark-related search terms (such as ‘trademark registration’, ‘how to apply for a trademark’ and ‘file trademark’) sometimes featured results with paid-for ads from Abtach websites above the sites of official agencies and legitimate companies and firms. For example, one Google search result (see below) identified by WTR from mid-2021 featured two ads from Abtach-operated websites (Trademark Terminal and Trademark Falcon), one ad from another Pakistan-based company accused of fraud (USPTO Trademarks), and one ad from another accused of being a “scam” (Trademark Plus).
Of course, most paid ads on trademark-related Google searches are not related to suspicious platforms – with the leading advertisers for those relevant terms on Google in the United States being LegalZoom and Trademark Engine, two legitimate low-cost service providers. However, allegedly fraudulent entities have spent big on Google, with data finding that Trademark Terminal was – at its peak – spending an estimated $16,000 a month on hundreds of trademark-related keywords. Talking this week to WTR, The Ideas Law Firm managing partner Ryan Bethell said this advertising activity allowed Abtach (and other entities) to operate effectively. “I would imagine most, if not all victims first arrived at Abtach fraudulent websites via paid search,” he says. “Google was financially benefiting from those crimes, and they have certainly helped increase their signal.”
Positively, though, Google swung into action after the USPTO issued the show-cause order. In a comment to WTR, a Google spokesperson revealed that the company “blocked all ads for the sites listed in the USPTO's order the day after it was issued and continue to monitor for fraud and abuse in this space”, adding: “Google takes its responsibility as an advertising platform seriously and invests substantial resources in fighting fraud and abuse to protect consumers at scale. As a result of these efforts, we have suspended many additional sites engaged in similar behaviour."
It is understood the ad block is for all Google search platforms globally. The move comes at a time of increasing digital fraud, with the number of Google ad accounts being disabled for policy violations increasing by 70% in 2020 from 1 million to over 1.7 million (according to Google’s 2021 Ads Safety report).
Abtach-operated websites blocked by Google
The below websites are those listed in the USPTO's show-cause order as allegedly operated by Abtach and conducting fraudulent activities. It is understood this list has been used by Google in its ban on running ads on its global search engines.
- Trademark 999
- Trademark Axis
- Trademark Eminent
- Trademark Excel
- Trademark Falcon
- Trademark Fusion
- Trademark Kingdom
- Trademark Nation
- Trademark Regal
- Trademark Profs
- Trademark Target
- Trademark Terminal
- US Trademark Pros
- US Trademark Solutions
As well as low-cost trademark filing agencies, the USPTO listed the following digital platforms – mostly logo and website design agencies – that it claims are also owned by Abtach Ltd and are often used to provide trademark services:
While banning ads directing traffic to the websites listed by the USPTO is a good first step, Bethell says that more needs to be done. “It wouldn't be difficult to detect the virtually identical websites and ad copy these fraud entities are using, or the IP addresses they are coming from, and ban the new sites that are popping up too,” he claims, with concern raised at some current ads that use misleading terms commonly used by fraudulent entities. It is understood those ads have been reported (Google recommends that any ads from bad actors should be reported with objective evidence of fraud).
For now, a key element of Abtach’s allegedly fraudulent activity – the ability to reach victims via Google search – appeared to have been muted. Time will tell whether more websites will emerge to avoid the Google ban or if this suspension will be the death knell of such nefarious campaigns.


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If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and are uncomfortable getting an abortion, the good news is that there are other options that you can choose from. There are typically three options for an unplanned pregnancy: abortion, parenting, and adoption.
If you already know abortion is not for you, then read the article below on the remaining two options to help you make an informed decision on how to move forward.
Unfortunately, babies don’t come with an instruction manual or FAQ; however, a few important things to think about while you’re weighing your decision:
Do I have a support system in place if I were to raise the baby?
Do I have a way to provide a home for the baby?
Is there a way to further my education or career goals if I have a baby?
This may seem daunting, but you do not have to have the answers to all of these questions right away! Whether you have the support of a partner/family or you are considering single-parenting, there are options and resources available to help you if you decide to parent.
It’s natural that you have a lot of questions or concerns about becoming a parent, but our team is equipped to help you navigate this journey as you consider your options. Contact us today for a no-cost appointment where you can ask questions about the possibility of parenting.
As the parent, you are in the driver’s seat of what adoption could possibly look like. Each situation is unique, so you can tailor your adoption plan to be closed or as open as you’re comfortable with, all depending on the type of relationship you would want with your child:
Open Adoption– Open adoption is where the adoptive family and birth parents have in-person visits with each other.
Closed Adoption- This means that all the details of you, the biological mother, are completely sealed and unavailable for inquiry.
Semi-Open- Birth Parents and Adoptive Parents will exchange non-identifying information and communication through their adoption agency for minimal contact.
In many cases, the adoption agency or adoptive family can assist with the health costs of pregnancy and legal costs of adoption. If this is an option that you’re interested in exploring, we also offer no-cost appointments where you can ask all your adoption-related questions in a pressure-free environment.
While you may not be considering an abortion, it’s still important to know that women “who have multiple surgical abortions using a curet are at risk of scarring of the inner lining of the uterus. This condition is associated with difficulty in becoming pregnant in the future.”
Repeat abortions can also weaken the cervix, which can potentially impact the ability to get pregnant in the future.
You are not alone in this journey, and you have complete control over your decision. Mosaic Health is here to walk beside you as you decide what is best for your pregnancy.
We can also help connect you to other resources in the community like Safe Families, which can offer even more support depending on your situation.
Contact us today!


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The situation of a modern spiritual aspirant is at least in one way very different than millennia of predecessors. Where those who came before have had to often search for years to find a genuine teacher, now everyone with some basic computer skills can find a hundred teachers in a day! Of course, there are some frauds, but there are also many authentic teachers, with real lineages, who are easy to find and pay a visit.
In the past, the aspirant suffered from a lack of real teachers, but now we suffer from too many. We have a new disease called “spiritual congestion.” People are naturally afraid of feeling left out, or that they might be missing out on something. So they learn from this teacher, or that one, this tradition, or that, all the while, the student gradually becomes filled with teachers that seem and feel extraordinary until the poor aspirant doesn’t know what to do, where to go, or who to pray to.
There is no doubt that from the summit of the mountain all paths look the same in at least one way: they all go to the top. But that is useless information for someone stuck at the base of the mountain because they are not able to decide where to start. One person tells them that this is the best path, right here, and another argues, “That’s nonsense, this is the best path, over here!” Every time the aspirant finally settles on a path, someone yells from below, “Oh God, what a bad path you chose. I wouldn’t even recommend that way for someone I hated! Climb this path over here.” On and on this goes until the desperate student finally gives up.
The only solution is to see the path with different eyes. All of these traditions come from different cultures with different values and lineages, so, naturally, they can be exclusive, at least superficially. Instead of focusing on the apparent differences that developed in these traditions over hundreds or thousands of years of separation, we must instead try to see those great and ancient mysteries at the heart of each tradition. Only then will we see that they have but one heart in common, and we will learn to see with eyes of truth instead of division.
As we look to the heart of each tradition, we will come to a great truth. There is only one true and ancient spiritual tradition that is at once mother and father to all other diverse paths and traditions in this world. Wherever we can find a spiritual path that is producing enlightened masters, we will also find this ancient and venerable tradition at its heart. Its truths are so simple and universal that no matter if you learned it from another master, or realized it yourself from your own enlightenment, its truths stayed the same. The Yogis in their caves, the Daoists in their grottos, and the Buddhists in their temples all follow this same tradition in their own way, however it may have come down to them.
So far as I have seen and been allowed to see, all traditions hold that there are three awakenings which we must always be working towards: Deity, Energy, and Awareness. Deity is that supreme and original divinity through whom and by whom all things are divine. In ever tradition, the aspirant must work to realize the inner deity by recognizing the outer deity. Energy is the awakening that purifies and exalts as kindling the inner fire, awakening the dormant powers that lie in all people. Awareness is the awakening of our inherent clarity and lucidity: the purifying of the mind to its original state of gnosis (knowledge) of truth.
These are the original three pillars of the spiritual path which support every authentic tradition and lineage. Some schools employ all three at the same time, while others move you through them one at a time, step by step. Many traditions also put more emphasis on one of these awakenings than the others, but all three are necessary if the student is to attain a holistic and balanced realization. Those who focus too much on deity will neglect the energy and awareness, giving an ecstatic enlightenment over which they have no control. Those who only cultivate energy for the sake of magic powers and long life so often fall short of true enlightenment, having failed to gain any true knowledge of the self and reality. Those who only train the mind gain frail bodies and neglect the many spirits who come to the aid of an adept and saint, as did they also lack the power to spiritually aid their fellow brothers and sisters of humanity.
To illustrate this, let us imagine a fruit tree. Such a tree will require three basic things: (1) the Sun, (2) nutrients, and (3) health. We can imagine that such a fruit tree, possessing all three of these things, is strong and tall, standing proud against the sun, full of aromatic and delicious fruit, with strong and healthy branches, and a great trunk that supports the whole tree. Now suppose that the Sun is much like deity to the fruit tree, and, in fact, if such trees could tell us who they worship, I should think that they would really say that it is the Sun. The Sun guides the growth of the tree whether the tree acknowledges it or not, much like deity does for us.
Now, if the Sun is the deity of our tree, the nutrients and water are the energy. Without the proper nutrients it may appear strong and healthy, but it will produce no fruit and be of little benefit to those around it. Let us also imagine that awareness is a tree free of disease, infestation, and all such hidden pests and killers which would lurk beneath the surface of the tree, like our own vices, lusts, and ignorance hide within us. What will happen if our tree has plenty of good soil and is disease-free, yet lacks the deity of sunlight? It will grow frail, have sparse leaves, and may not even produce fruit. Now, again suppose that it has ample sunlight but took root in sandy, rocky soil, where it will lack nutrients, its own energy. Its growth will be stunted, and if it fruits at all, it will be coarse and bitter fruit.
Finally, imagine our fruit tree has taken root in great soil and good sunlight. It grows large and beautiful, and all goes well until some pest or disease begins to take hold of it. For years, all may be fine as the tree grows and produces fruit — until a strong storm blows through and easily rips it in half. At first, everyone is in disbelief that such a beautiful tree fell so easily — until someone walks to the fallen tree and sees that the entire core of the tree was rotten. This is like the aspirant who tries hard to have faith and cultivate energy but neglects training the mind to recognize truth. Gradually, the pests of evil thoughts, desires, and lusts alongside the disease of ignorance wears down and weakens our soul’s resilience until, one day, a storm blows through our life, and what appeared to be a strong, saintly person on the outside is immediately uprooted. Unless one treats the infected tree with the medicines of reason, virtue, and awareness, it will gradually fall away.
The aspirant, then, should strive towards the Sun of their divinity through prayers, offerings, and constant remembrance of the divine. The energy should be cultivated through regular meditation, in order to nourish and water the soul, while the mind is purified through virtue, philosophy, and the gradual cultivation of awareness. Then, the aspirant will be treading the path walked by so many masters before, regardless of clothing, language, culture, or tradition; a friend to all who walk the path.


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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Are you itching to dive into the different types of travel rewards credit cards and which ones are right for you and your travel goals?
Then, you’ve landed in the right place!
In this guide, you’ll also get answers to your questions about paying credit card annual fees and meeting minimum spend requirements to earn signup bonuses. Let’s get started!
The Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking:
Credit Cards Part 2
Step 1- Know the types of credit cards & the miles and points they earn.
Not all miles and points earned with credit cards are created equal.
Some travel rewards cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the American Express Gold, earn points that can be transferred to airlines and hotels.
While other credit cards, like the Blue Cash Preferred, earn cashback rewards.
In this post, we’ll be looking closely at transferable points credit cards and co-branded credit cards.
You can find out more about cash back rewards cards in this guide.
Take a look at the chart below to compare each type of credit card.
Stop and think:
- What types of credit cards do you currently have?
- What type would like to apply for?
- If you have a transferable points credit card, do you know who its airline and hotel transfer partners are?
Step 2- Understand bank rules.
Banks have application rules and you have to do your best with whatever information is known.
In particular, travel hacking beginners should pay careful attention to Chase’s 5/24 Rule.
This rule points to Chase denying credit card applications for anyone who has applied for 5 or more credit cards from any bank within a 24-month period.
Chase’s Ultimate Rewards Program earns high-value, beginner-friendly points you can transfer to airline and hotel partners. And, you’ll need a Chase Ultimate Rewards earning credit card to take advantage of this program.
In addition, Chase offers several co-branded credit cards, like the United Explorer Card or the World of Hyatt Visa Card.
Every bank has its rules, but Chase’s 5/24 rule is special.
Consider that American Express allows customers to earn the welcome bonus on a specific credit card only once per lifetime. You can also have no more than 5 American Express cards at a time.
Whereas Citibank allows customers to apply for only 1 Citi credit card within an 8-day period and no more than 2 Citi credit cards in a 65-day period.
The gigantic difference between these rules and Chase’s 5/24 rule is they don’t extend to credit cards from any bank, just their own.
It’s for this reason, beginners must first look at the Chase Ultimate Rewards family of credit cards, followed by the co-branded cards offered by Chase.
- If your goal is to earn and redeem miles and points for award travel, again and again, your first credit card(s) should be:
- the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred,
- Ink Preferred,
- Ink Cash,
- Ink Unlimited,
- Chase co-branded cards,
- Chase Freedom Flex, and/or
- Chase Freedom Unlimited.
Stop and Think:
- How does the 5/24 rule affect you?
- How many credit cards have you applied for in the last 24 months?
- Do you already have Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card?
Step 3- Should you pay the annual fee on your credit card?
This is such a common question and concern. Who likes paying annual fees to the banks?!
Travel rewards credit cards typically have annual fees. The good thing is the fee is can be waived in the first year, leaving many of us wondering whether or not to pay it when the fee is due the following year.
To keep or cancel is a different decision for each person, but the question is the same.
- What value am I getting out of this card and is that enough to justify the fee?
Many cards come with bonus categories, an anniversary bonus, lounge access, award discounts, a free night certificate, and/or waived baggage fees. When you consider these benefits (and many others), paying the fee may make sense for you. Or it may not.
For example, American Express only allows the welcome bonus once per lifetime on each of their cards. It might be better to keep the card, take advantage of the card’s perks, and continue to build the age of your credit accounts which improves your credit score.
Or maybe you have another American Express card in mind and need to close a card in order to qualify for a new card. It’s important to have a plan and do what’s right for you.
Step 4- Which credit cards should you apply for?
Chase’s 5/24 rule may determine the first few credit cards you apply for, but what other credit cards are right for you?
Go back to your travel goal.
- Which airlines operate the route you need from your departure airport? Use the airport Wikipedia pages and Google Flights to help you.
- What hotel points will you need to book your trip?
- Are there other bank application rules that dictate your next move?
Step 5- How do you meet the minimum spend and earn the welcome bonus?
Oh no! That minimum spend is $3k in 3 months! Another card is $4k in 3 months! How can I afford to meet thousands of dollars in minimum spend on a tight budget?
This can seem like a legitimate obstacle and it certainly should be considered seriously. There’s no sense in applying for a credit card and missing the welcome bonus because you didn’t meet the minimum spend.
The most important fundamental of travel hacking is about spending wisely and making your money work for you. It’s NOT about spending more. Exactly the opposite!
You’re redirecting the money you already spend and putting it toward the minimum spend. You absolutely shouldn’t spend money you can’t afford to pay off at the end of the month.
Put away your cash. Put away your debit card. Use your credit card for ALL your bills and everyday expenses that accept credit card payments.
Use a budgeting tool or deduct your transactions from your bank account as you would with your debit card so the money in your account accurately shows what you’ll have after paying your bill in full at the end of the month.
Questions to ask yourself (& answer!):
- What’s your budget and what do you normally spend on everything from your bills to groceries to haircuts for your kids?
- How much of this can be paid with a credit card?
Use this information to figure out how much minimum spend you can handle at one time.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, track your expenses for a month before applying for any credit cards.
The majority of people who’ve done this have been surprised when they realized how much minimum spend they could actually handle.
Which travel rewards credit cards would you like to apply for?
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domain: finance


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Using machine learning models and techniques, Google's Android Security Center removed more than 700,00 malicious apps in 2017, many of them apps that displayed adult ads to children or attempted to capture user devices to use as slaves in DDoS attacks.
Andrew Ahn, the product manager for Google Play, made the announcement, adding that 99% of harmful apps were identified and expelled before anyone could install them.
After placing all of its technology around malware scanning and detection under the Google Play Project last year, Google's operating system began to perform scans on installed apps. Users with Android devices can manually trigger scans on their phones via the updates section.
The measure came following the revelation that apps aimed at children were display ads meant for adults and that some copycat apps were exploiting device weaknesses to perform DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks.
The quantity of apps removed in 2017 represent a 70% increase over the amount in 2016.
The most popular type of apps used to deceive users were copycat apps, with features, logos, and promotional copy similar to popular mainstays, often with fake or paid reviews, something Google is actively cracking down on.
Potentially harmful applications (PHAs) act as trojan horses for malware to phish a users’ personal information or commit SMS fraud by firing off texts without a user’s knowledge.
“While small in volume, PHAs pose a threat to Android users and we invest heavily in keeping them out of the Play Store,” Ahn said.


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"Never tell evil of a man, if you do not know it for certainty, and if you know it for a certainty, then ask yourself, 'Why should I tell it?'"
-- Johann Kaspar Lavater
On this past Sunday morning, Brian Stelter of CNN asked us to "practice empathy" to try to heal the divisiveness that has occurred during this long presidential campaign cycle. I agree and admit I have been thinking about this for months. I wish to offer a couple of ideas about how we might accomplish this and possibly hang on to some of our friends who so vehemently oppose our preferred candidate. At this point, nearly everyone has received one of those well-meaning emails from a friend or family member that is meant to show you the error of your thinking and that you must admit that your candidate is EVIL. A recent poll shows that 7% of Americans have lost a friend over this campaign. Of course, perhaps you don't care if you lost that particular friend and you might ask, "Why should I care about anyone whose values are so different from my own?" Actually, part of the beauty and strength of our friendships is that we rely on our friends to call us on our less than stellar behaviors. Similarly, the beauty and strength of America is that we encourage a discourse on diverse views and we allow for multiple conceptions of the good life.
In the earliest of democracies, Aristotle understood the importance of a strong middle class and argued for the value of inclusiveness:
"For the many, of whom each individual is but an ordinary person, when they meet together may very likely be better than the few good, if regarded not individually but collectively, just as a feast to which many contribute is better than a dinner provided out of a single purse." Aristotle, Politics, (1281b)
The good news about this presidential campaign is that Donald Trump has inspired millions of Americans to get involved in American politics. As a professor of philosophy whose emphasis is in political theory, I am thrilled by the fact that more of my students are paying attention to this upcoming presidential election. More than 84 million people just watched the first presidential debate and we have to thank Donald Trump for that. So, the good news is that Trump has increased dramatically the American voter's interest in presidential politics.
Of course, there is a down side to this in that he is not necessarily keeping our interest in a good way. I attribute this to the "road kill" effect: you see something grisly on the side of the road out of the corner of your eye, and you are powerless to look away as you drive past. In this campaign we seem to look forward to the next horrible thing we can hear about the other candidate. It seems that every day there is something sensational and damaging revealed about the two major party candidates. Unfortunately, watching the "road kill" politics of these past months has lead to divisive and denigrating rhetoric that has rarely been seen in the history of our country. The disapproval rating of these two candidates is the highest in American history. I can't remember a time when two candidates have been so hated. And I do mean hated.
As a professor of logic, I am deeply troubled by the lack of argument surrounding the issues of this campaign and the continual use of the ad hominem fallacy. It seems that tearing down the opposing candidate is more important than having good arguments for your own candidate. One of the best examples of this is the Trump surrogate, Kayleigh McEnany, who often appears on CNN. (My students tell me she is popular because she is "hot"). Hotness aside, even students who are just learning the logical fallacies tell me that Ms. McEnany rarely makes any point about her candidate without pivoting to attack Hillary Clinton. I concede that she is a master at using the ad hominem, red herring, and straw man fallacies to distract the audience from legitimate questions about her candidate. This has become the norm of this campaign and I have been wondering how we might overcome this.
While I support Hillary Clinton (and I hope that you will not stop reading now), I do not "hate" Trump. I am appalled by many of the things he says and I cannot tell how much of this is just said for shock value. He certainly is a showman and knows how to sell his brand and make money. His tweets are so outrageous that we are all waiting for the next one. I have friends who love these tweets and admire his willingness to "tell it like it is." Who doesn't admire political incorrectness on some level? More importantly, he has been keeping the attention of the American public focused on this campaign for over 15 months. Given the typical apathy of Americans regarding politics, this is no mean feat. Of course, there is plenty of fodder for not liking him, but that is not an argument for my candidate. Rather, let me state my case for supporting Hillary Clinton.
I know the Clintons have done some things with which I do not agree. They have been embroiled in some questionable behaviors and committed some deplorable mistakes. (Yes, I just used the word "deplorable"). But only Hillary Clinton is running for President today, so let me make a positive case for her. First, I am in awe of Hillary Clinton's many years of public service given the incredible scrutiny and downright hatred she has withstood. I agree with Bill Clinton's famous claim that budgets are not difficult, "It's just math," and Hillary's approach to the federal budget is similar. That's how most Americans balance their budgets each month without an advanced degree in economics. I not only agree with Hillary Clinton, specifically, and the Democrats, in general, on how to raise taxes, but I also agree about how to allocate those dollars in the federal budget. I support Hillary Clinton for President because you can see on her website that she has actual detailed plans on how to promote education, invest in our infrastructure, grow the economy, demonstrate care for future generations, support alternative energy projects, support our military, support common sense gun legislation, and strive for good relationships around the globe: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/feed/112-reasons-and-counting-hillary-clinton-should-be-our-next-president/
She will be strong when needed and will compromise when needed. I admire her strength and her dogged determination to do good for the American people.
So, you will notice that I have spent no time running down Trump, no time trying to defend the Clintons for the terrible mistakes they have made over the years. I just explain why I support Hillary by focusing on the values I share in common with her. During the last two semesters, I have been challenging my students to put forth positive arguments for their candidate instead of spending so much time repeating the negative claims about the opponent (which may or may not be true).
I advocate this course of action for two reasons. One, being Chair of an academic department I learned early on (fortunately) to praise and appreciate all the strengths of the wonderfully diverse faculty in my department and downplay any weaknesses. This attitude helped to create a strong and cohesive department as opposed to the typical academic department full of petty divisiveness. Of course, if someone breaks a rule or engages in unacceptable behavior then we must talk, directly, and come to the appropriate resolution. That was part of the job of being Chair--to hold people accountable. Similarly, if a political candidate crosses the line into illegal activity, we should trust that investigative journalism or the opposition party will bring it to light and the appropriate authorities will investigate and will prosecute as needed. We have processes in place to adjudicate such allegations and hold people accountable.
Two, I suggest you don't run around trying to tear down a person in an effort to garner support for your candidate. This usually turns people off rather than changing their minds. The reason it doesn't work to demonize people for their mistakes is because, who hasn't made mistakes? I learned this one while watching some of my fellow Democrats during the 2008 primary between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. I was neutral on that one because I liked both candidates (and now I have probably lost more readers). I noticed that my Democratic acquaintances would tell me the "dirt" on the other candidate in an effort to convince me to support their candidate. Rarely did anyone tell me why the candidate they favored was the best choice. I know there is plenty of empirical evidence that negative campaigning works, but should we rely exclusively on that? Isn't this something we should at least try to minimize? We know that people lie, but does that mean that we SHOULD lie? I don't think so. Let's fight the tendency to lie and to rely so heavily on negative campaigning--and notice how often those two tendencies go together! Quite often negative stories about candidates are exaggerated to the point of outright lying.
This is my recipe for talking to those who disagree with you about your candidate and my hope for how we celebrate the good (that more Americans are talking about politics) and avoid the bad (road kill politics). Speak well of the opposing candidate (as much as you can) and speak well of your own. Overlook the dirt on both candidates. There is plenty of dirt on both sides, if you want to play there. But, inevitably, you get dirty as well.
So, in an effort to stay positive, I suggest to you my mother's sage advice, "If you cannot say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I recommend Brian Stelter's advice to "practice empathy" when listening to those who oppose your candidate. Finally, following Aristotle, continue to talk to those with opposing views and invite as many people to the dinner as possible. We are "stronger together."
(Note to CNN: As a logic professor, I am very sensitive to fallacies. They hurt my ears. So, I have begun to turn the channel when Ms. McEnany starts speaking. Can you please invite surrogates who employ good arguments rather than those who rely so heavily on fallacies? To her credit, she is a very passionate advocate for her candidate.)

domain: politics


Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium
Few artists can claim exponential global domination in the past decade like Ed Sheeran, a once unknown, independent singer-songwriter gigging in the small pubs of Suffolk. Five chart-topping mathematically-inspired albums, several hiatuses, one court case and countless world tours later, the artist returns confidently to Wembley Stadium for a five-night run. Putting on a two-hour show of over 20 tracks, combining big stadium energy and more intimate track magic, it’s a winning formula for his legions of fans.
The staging is the first thing one notices: an ambitious set with a conveyor belt stage and guitar pick-shaped screens. It’s designed to make the expansive venue feel less disconnected and it actually kind of works, with Sheeran commenting it feels like he’s “in Yo Sushi”. The introduction of a band is the only mismatch, awkwardly scattered around and feeling a little bit lost in the crowd – if anything reaffirming the artist’s undeniable solo stage presence. Even a technical hiccup at the start barely throws him, as he launches into a well received acoustic rendition of The A Team instead.
Unsurprisingly, everything else is well calculated and slick – and there really is a bit of everything, from the glittering phone lights of Perfect to anthemic stadium-perfect Sing or fiddle-featuring Galway Girl. There’s some from the latest record =, most notably Bad Habits and Overpass Graffiti, but, surprisingly, it’s earlier material like Give Me Love, Lego House and Photograph that strikes a sweeter chord when converted into a grander production, simultaneously proving the singer is not bored playing any of these just yet.
The beauty of an Ed Sheeran gig is that pretty much every track is already an airplay hit. It’s hard to pick just one highlight; he even incorporates medleys just to cram more in. The singer manages to jump convincingly from up-tempo to ballad without disrupting the flow, which helps avoid the risk of blending into generic earworm pop. Armed with his signature guitar, it’s clear this is a musician who knows exactly how to get the crowd going. If anything, it begins to feel a little too polished, but his use and explanation of his loop station and live layering such as in Bloodstream and Shivers, alongside talking about his songwriting process, helps keep the evening grounded.
“You could be at Glastonbury, the Stones, Elton… but you’ve chosen this concert.” The performer addresses the magic of playing Wembley and it’s certainly translated into his energy and delivery. His very first album + features the lyrics “Won’t stop til my name’s in lights at stadium heights”, which he repeats in the closer of You Need Me, I Don’t Need You. Declaring this his favourite night of the tour so far, it’s safe to say this ambition has been truly earned and surpassed – and it’d be safer to bet those lights aren’t dimming anytime soon.
For further information and future events visit Ed Sheeran’s website here.
Watch the video for the single 2Step here:


text:
H.R. 7033 To amend the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, so as to extend the authority of the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to restore entitlement used to acquire homes subsequently taken by condemnation, destroyed by natural hazard, or otherwise disposed of for compelling reasons without fault on the part of the veteran
Scope and Content
Chester Earl Holifield (1903-1995) -- also known as Chet Holifield -- of Montebello, Los Angeles County, Calif. Born in Mayfield, Graves County, KY, December 3, 1903. Moved to Montebello in 1920 and engaged in the manufacture and selling of men's apparel 1920-1943; U.S. Representative from California 19th District, 1943-75. Congressional adviser to international conferences on uses of atomic energy, nuclear weapons testing, water desalinization, and disarmament. Upon his retirement from the House, he resumed the manufacture and selling of men's apparel; died February 6, 1995.
- From the Collection: Holifield, Chet (Person)
Language of Materials
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.
From the Collection: 89 Linear Feet (89 boxes)
Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States