Eugene Delgaudio: Pennsylvania Residents Are Asked To Call PA AG to Protest Lawlessness
In a message to thousands of Pennsylvania residents sent today July 29 2013 at approximately 11 a.m. EST, both electronically and other methods, Eugene Delgaudio president of Public Advocate said in part:
(Quote) The state's Attorney General Kathleen Kane has announced that she will not allow her office to defend Pennsylvania's marriage law.,,,,,,
She told the Washington Post that she felt "obligated to drop the case" because she personally supports homosexual "marriage" and the Homosexual Agenda...............
Pennsylvania's General Counsel James Schultz publicly condemned Kane's decision as "contrary to her constitutional duty" and expressed his surprise that she would ignore the lawful will of the General Assembly "merely because of her personal beliefs."
Her unlawful declaration has already inspired one county clerk, (Mr. Bruce Hanes) in Montgomery County to vow that he will issue a homosexual "marriage" license to anyone who walks in his doors -- even in violation of the current statute!
Kathleen Kane is creating an atmosphere of lawlessness and anarchy in your state.
That's why I need you to take action immediately.
Please contact the Office of Attorney General Kathleen Kane and:
1) Demand that she do her job by defending Pennsylvania's lawfully enacted marriage statute; and
2) Advise her that she must prosecute any state employee who violates this marriage law (i.e. Mr. Bruce Hanes of the Montgomery County Register of Wills). Her Office number is 717-787-3391." (Unquote)


The world's second largest economy on the verge of structural changes
China intends to conduct a historic economic reform
Leaders of ruling party in China's begun a meeting yesterday in Beijing, State media has described as a 'historic' is designed to search for new economic reforms. According to the 'French', to the general meeting to be held in closed session for members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of 376 is the third of its kind since the transition that took place a year ago at the helm of 'began' and will last until next Tuesday, adding that senior officials will discuss important issues concerning the strengthening of reforms in General. The global Times newspaper today, entitled the President 'has high hopes for the outcome of this meeting', while the people spoke about 'new historical starting point to China.' The first two meetings usually aims to set the party and State leaders, and to determine the broad outlines of economic policy, expressed sometimes inconclusive, as happened when Deng siaobing in 1978 the modernization of the Chinese economy.
According to observers, the meeting will outline the reforms that will determine China's competitiveness in the next decade, and that these reforms must aim to open competition in the sectors controlled by public companies, from the railway to air transport through money and power and communications. The China Daily quoted Government adviser said that the meeting would pave the way towards a more sustainable economic growth thanks to the wide-ranging reforms and unprecedented. President Shi ginbing stresses and Premier Li Ke Chiang, who are in power since March, will restore the balance of growth in the second global economy to structural reforms make it less dependent on exports and investment in infrastructure.


William Wheatstone 1861 patent
Posted 20 June 2012 - 01:42 PM
Only just noticed mixture of brass and steel reed shoes. How are the reeds attached on the steel shoes?
I keep looking at these photos of the steel reed shoes and wondering how they did it. It looks like welding, but I don’t think they could do that in the 1860s? (at least not gas welding) However, if it was some sort of brazing, or solder, you’d surely see the difference in metal colour, and forge welding would surely have destroyed the slot? Better close-up photos might help as these are a bit blurred when you try to enlarge them.
Posted 03 December 2012 - 06:21 AM
Oh, yes !
... people may have, already, got entrenched in the original design (if it ain't broke- don't fix it) - not an uncommon attitude to change even today!
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Today's NYT has a good piece that discusses the likely new strategy for the Romney campaign to go "edgy" by playing up class and race. Perhaps that puts his recent birther joke into context. My first three reactions to this are:
- Class? Really? Aren't the Republicans always accusing the Democrats of playing class warfare? And don't they do this since the GOP's platform and policy recommendations always suck for the poor and increasingly hurt the middle class? That Romney's tax plans (oh, and Ryan's) are best for the rich, and only help everyone else if the trickle down that never quite trickles down do so this time.
- Race? Why should Romney be different?
- More importantly, the article seems to suggest that the Romney folks are shocked, SHOCKED, that people might be unhappy about the economy but not ditch Obama. I can guess several reasons for this:
- Voters may have noticed the Republicans who repeatedly said that they would prefer for Obama to fail than for the US to succeed.
- These same voters might remember that the Bush Administration drove the economy into this particular ditch and might remember that the economy is actually better now than when Obama came into office, even if it has not bounced back fully.
- Romney has said that we shouldn't have saved the auto industry--so how can working class Americans think that Romney has their interests at heart?
- Romney's past--running a company that took advantage of the rules to make money for itself WITHOUT BUILDING ANYTHING--makes him look like of the folks responsible for the current mess.
- That Romney's finances/tax situation make him less credible as an economic leader in these hard times.
- Some folks may have caught the info that the private sector has actually created many new jobs (even if they are not all terrific ones), but the current unemployment picture is greatly shaped by cuts in public jobs at all levels. And that the Republicans would cut more of these.
Simply put, why should people struggling in today's economy think that Romney and the Republicans would do stuff to make them better off, with the possible exception that they would no longer be blocking everything to screw over Obama? How about they run on that? Give us power and we will stop holding the US economy hostage? Oh, extortion does not sound so good. Poor optics. Ooops!
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domain: sociology


The Rimac Nevera is one of the fastest cars in the world, smashing acceleration and drag strip records for a production hypercar. Now it’s my turn to experience it with a full send run up the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb course!
Named after an electrical storm experienced in Croatia that comes in from the Adriatic, the Nevera has 4 electric motors and a 120kWh battery, producing 1,914hp and extraordinary performance figures like 0-100km/h (62mph) in just 1.97s, and 0-300km/h (186mph) in a mere 9.3s, while completing a 1/4 mile drag in just 8.6s from factory.
With Rimac driver, Miro, at the wheel of the hypercar, it’s certainly in good hands. However, there’s a lot to the technology found in the Rimac Nevera from different driving modes and adjusting the settings of the powertrain, right through to the Driver Coach and what it can do for you.
It’s full send from the start line with a 60mph burnout, before some huge slides around the first corners of the hillclimb, and then a quick switch to Track mode for the brutal acceleration up the hill from there.
The thumbnail comes with thanks to https://www.instagram.com/photocutout_/ for capturing the slide at the top of the hill so perfectly!
Thanks for watching, Tim


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It's that time again...time for another fun and inspiring Stamp of the Month Blog Hop and this month, it's time to "Live Out Loud!"
If you've arrived here from Kathleen's Bowl of Stamps, you are on the right track. If this is your first stop along our hop, simply follow the links at the end of each blog post to navigate to the next blog. This month we have almost 60 talented Close to My Heart consultants sharing their artwork.
The July Stamp of the Month, Live Out Loud, is a bold, graphic sentiment set great for scrapbook pages, but fun for cards too!
This pretty card was inspired by the amazingly creative K. Aaron Brown - if you haven't checked out her blog, be sure to take the time to do so. I flipped Aaron's original design on it's side for a little variation. The papers are from the gorgeous, new Florentine paper packet. The banner pieces are cut from the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. Other embellishments include Sweet Leaf Stitched Ribbon, Cocoa Ribbon Rounds, Just Blooms Flutter Paper Shapes and Opaques Mocha Gems. To stamp the pretty Soar sentiment, I inked the stamp completely in Creme Brulee ink and rolled it in both Sweet Leaf and Cocoa inks.
Time to hop along to Jen Patrick's blog to see what she has in store for us this month!
Remember, Live Out Loud is only available July 1st - 31st. Purchase it for just $17.95 or add it to a $50 order for just $5! Head over to my website to order it today!

domain: artistic


text:
Utilities And Bonds by John J. Murphy
ARTICLE SYNOPSIS...Utilities And Bonds
by John J. Murphy
Of all the interrelationships between markets, one that has been taken for granted for decades is the
relationship between the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Dow Jones Transportation Average.
John Murphy, vete

domain: economics


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The research was conducted by the Eating Disorders Association (EDA) which suggested that there should be more frank discussions between the children and their parents where this ailment is concerned. The exchange of opinions should be as frank as it is with the case of sexual health and drug abuse. Eating disorders such as bingeing, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa can even assume life-threatening dimensions.
The UK alone has about 1.1 million people affected by this disorder, and most of them belong to the 14 years to 25 years age group. Most children who are afflicted by this are reluctant to discuss this as it appears to be the right way of leading their life for them. The onset of eating disorders coincide with other changes which take place in a child's life, like a need for greater privacy, as a result of which this disorder often goes unnoticed.
The media is being blamed to a very great extent for this disorder, as normal sized bodies are rarely given prominence in the media. The problem starts when people start dieting with the object of losing weight, which later becomes compulsive behavior. There are also instances wherein many women are seeking help from the health service to overcome their anorexia and bulimia problems.
The waiting time to see a specialist can be as long as 8 months. This is further complicated by the fact that most youngsters wait for long periods before even thinking of seeking help. Several millions are being spent by Scotland's health service which is referring extreme cases to private hospitals. The matter is getting further complicated as most practitioners are not trained well enough to deal with the situation.

domain: medical


This page will be updated with further information shortly.
On sale dates and times
Priority booking for CBSO Members opens online: 10am Monday 26 April
General booking opens online: 10am Tuesday 27 April
We’re delighted that we’ll have live performances back on sale very soon and can’t wait to welcome audiences back to Symphony Hall. We’ve scheduled in as many performances as we can, but because of the requirements of social distancing, there will be just 600 seats on sale for each performance.
A new acoustic screen has been installed at the rear of the Symphony Hall stage, allowing a larger number of musicians to sit on the flat stage and play together while maintaining social distancing than has previously been possible. The view of the back of the stage from the Stalls will be slightly affected as a result: but it does mean that CBSO audiences will see and hear what we believe is the largest orchestra performing regularly anywhere in the UK at this time.
Government Restrictions: please note, this concert is being planned according to the latest Government guidelines and roadmap. Should the concert be unable to go ahead as live and is instead filmed, your ticket will be valid to watch the concert online. Refunds will also be available on request.


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Movie stars Chris Pine and Isla Fisher were in London's Leicester Square yesterday for the UK premiere of their new animated film Rise of the Guardians.
The stars were joined on the carpet by director Peter Ramsey. The movie is a magical adventure from DreamWorks that sees Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and Jack Frost band together to try to stop a bogeyman called Pitch from taking over the world.
It also stars the voices of Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman and Jude Law. Speaking at the event, Ramsey said that he didn't have the actors in mind for the characters when he first started the project.
"We kind of went the other way around," he explained.
"We designed the characters, we were building their world and we started thinking of what the characters meant, what kind of personalities they had and then we decided to cast our characters based on those, like 'Who has the most in common with Santa Claus? Who's the perfect Tooth Fairy?' and that's how we cast our guys.
“We were able to let them be themselves because that's sort of how we cast the roles."
Actor Chris Pine plays the mischievous Jack Frost who is asked to join forces with Santa Claus and his gang.
"I think the great thing about the character is that he goes through very human things that we all go through," said Pine.
"There's a great moment in the film where Santa asks him what is his centre, what is he meant to do, what is his purpose in life, and that is a very simple and profound question everybody deals with.
“He's a kid that's felt alone all of his life and he is finally asked to join the cool gang after being disenfranchised and kicked out of it for so long. People deal with that in high school for God's sake, so I think it's a very universal theme kind of movie."
Isla Fisher takes on the role of the Tooth Fairy. She says that as the character was already created, she built her performance around the images.
"The movie's based on the Bill Joyce book, but three hundred years later, so she's already been designed and a lot of the way she looks dictated how I played her. She's part hummingbird so I made her talk very quickly," she explained.
- Rise of the Guardians is released in the UK on Friday November 30.

domain: entertainment


Q10081001 - We are experiencing problems with an Arc-1130. When we insert a new drive, it is not detected by the controller, if we reboot the system the controller rescans the disks and detects the drives, its ok. But only after a reboot. It seems the controller needs to rescan its ports to detect the disks but this causes us problems because we have to reboot the system every time.
We just found and fixed a bug on the Marvell SATA chip which uses on the Areca SATA RAID adapter. If you found no motor on the insert and remove HDD, it is same as the bug.
Please update the firmware to 1.48-91231.
Tags: ARC-1130, drive, firmware, HDD, reboot, SATA
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Dozens of bodies washed ashore Friday in Yemen after smugglers threw nearly 150 Somali migrants overboard in shark-infested waters, the latest such tragedy in one of the most lawless stretches of ocean in the world.
The Gulf of Aden between Yemen and the Horn of Africa already is notorious for Somali piracy. The hijacking of a freighter carrying a cargo of heavy weapons two weeks ago heightened concern over the chaos in a key shipping route — and prompted NATO on Thursday to send warships to help U.S. Navy vessels already patrolling the region.
The latest migrant deaths raised calls for those ships to also act against human trafficking in the same waters off Somalia, a country where there is no government control and armed groups are rampant.
"It's essentially the same problems that allow piracy and smuggling," said Roger Middleton, an expert on East Africa at the Chatham House think tank in London.
Dire economic conditions and violence in Somalia drive the waves of migrants, while the general lawlessness that gives pirates a free hand also opens the door for smugglers.
"People are very desperate," Middleton said. He welcomed the NATO deployment of ships against piracy, calling it "excellent news" that could also help in stopping human trafficking.
A hazardous journey
About 32,000 migrants have made the hazardous sea journey to Yemen this year — 22,000 of them Somalis, according to figures from the Yemeni government and the U.N. refugee agency.
Smugglers are known to cram dozens of men, women and children onto small boats and often beat and abuse the migrants during the journey, which can take up to three days. To avoid Yemeni patrols, the smugglers often dump their passengers far from shore and force them to swim the rest of the way.
In the latest instance, about 150 migrants departed Somalia on Monday, and when their vessel reached about three miles off Yemen's southern Shabwa coast, the smugglers ordered everyone off, said Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
Twelve of the passengers were put on a smaller boat to take them ashore, while the rest were forced to swim. Redmond told reporters in Geneva that 47 people were believed to have survived, but about 100 were missing and feared drowned.
As of Friday, 30 bodies have been found washed up on shore and were buried immediately in keeping with Islamic customs of quick burial, a Yemeni security official said. He estimated that up to 118 may have drowned. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media.
In a sign of how frequent such drownings are, he cautioned that it was not certain whether all the 30 came from the boat, saying he could not rule out that other smuggling incidents occurred in the past week. During the first half of September, some 165 bodies were found on the shore, the Interior Ministry said.
The UNHCR estimates at least 230 migrants have died this year and 365 remain missing, including 100 from the latest incident. In 2007, more than 1,400 were reported dead and missing, according to the rights group Medecins Sans Frontiers.
The Gulf of Aden is not the only dangerous sea crossing for migrants. Hundreds of Africans die every year trying to make the journey across the Mediterranean to Spain, Italy and Greece.
There are many reports of boat people dying at sea off Spain, usually because overcrowded vessels capsize or break apart, and survivors often throw bodies of fellow travelers overboard when they die of exposure or starvation. But Red Cross officials in Spain said they have never heard of migrants in the area being tossed into the water alive.
The Aden traffic is particularly dense, with tens of thousands crossing a single concentrated geographical area — and, as MSF said in a June report, it is "largely ignored."
"This is one of the most dramatic situations in the world," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres said in Geneva. "The way smugglers and traffickers treat people is absolutely outrageous and corresponds to one of the worst crimes that we can see in today's world."
He urged the international community to look "not only for pirates but also to look for these (human trafficking) situations in the Gulf of Aden."
NATO defense ministers agreed Thursday to send a seven-ship force to the region to deter piracy and escort U.N. food aid vessels into Somalia after the seizure two weeks ago of the Ukrainian freighter MV Faina and its cargo of 33 tanks and other heavy weapons. The NATO warships join vessels from the U.S. 5th Fleet, which already patrol the area.
Show of force
Pirates have seized more than two dozen ships this year off the Horn of Africa, but the hijacking of the Faina has drawn the most concern because of its cargo.
Six U.S. warships are surrounding the Faina to prevent pirates from unloading the cargo, and a Russian warship is headed to the region. On Friday, a spokesman for the pirates threatened to blow up the Faina in three days if no ransom is paid.
A diplomat at the NATO meeting that decided on the deployment to the Gulf of Aden said deterring human trafficking was not discussed as part of its mission. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about the deliberations.
Lt. Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the 5th Fleet, said the U.S. Navy is focused on combating smuggling as well as piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and he expected the increase in the force will help.
"We look for weapons smuggling, drug smuggling, and human smuggling," he said. "That's part of the lawful maritime order that we try to create there." He would not provide details on how U.S. ships deal with migrant boats, citing operational secrecy.
"The more ships, the more coalition assets, the more people, the more navies we have involved in this problem, that's the way this is going to end," Christensen said. "It's not something the U.S. or six ships can solve on their own down there. It requires even regional governments to get involved."


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May 24, 2011
Zhengzhou-based set-top box and GPS solutions provider ZST Digital Networks (Nasdaq: ZSTN) today announced that several Chinese government regulatory bodies, including China's Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Public Security, State Administration of Work Safety and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), have issued new regulations relating to supervision of road transport vehicles in China.
China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK) has authorized Beijing-based handset distributor Coowin Communication Technology, a subsidiary of Chinese national wholesale handset distributor Shenzhen Aisidi Industry (002416.SZ), to distribute China Telecom and Motorola Mobility's new 3G dual-mode smartphone MOTO XT882 in China.
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domain: news


BOSTON — A U.S. judge in Boston has ruled that a federal gay
marriage ban is unconstitutional because it interferes with the right
of a state to define marriage.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro
on Thursday ruled in favor of gay couples’ rights in two separate
challenges to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA.
state had argued the law denied benefits such as Medicaid to gay
married couples in Massachusetts, where same-sex unions have been legal
Tauro agreed, and said the act forces Massachusetts to discriminate against its own citizens.
federal government, by enacting and enforcing DOMA, plainly encroaches
upon the firmly entrenched province of the state, and in doing so,
offends the Tenth Amendment. For that reason, the statute is invalid,”
Tauro wrote in a ruling in a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Martha
Coakley may have been a shit candidate for Senate, but damn if she didn’t do a job here.


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- Is 4 cores 8 threads enough for gaming?
- Is 4 cores 4 threads enough for gaming?
- Is an 8 core processor good?
- What is the fastest processor in the world?
- Do you need more than 8 cores?
- What does an 8 core processor mean?
- What do cores and threads mean?
- Which is better cores or threads?
- Is it better to have more cores or higher GHz?
- Is 3.40 GHz good for gaming?
- Is 2 cores enough for gaming?
- Is 8 cores and 8 threads good for gaming?
- What does 8 cores 16 threads mean?
- What does 4 cores 8 threads mean?
- Do any games use 8 cores?
Is 4 cores 8 threads enough for gaming?
Four cores can still cut it but would hardly be a future-proof solution, and eight or more cores might provide a performance improvement, though all this depends mainly on how a particular game is coded and what GPU the CPU would be paired with it.
Picking the right GPU for gaming is relatively easy..
Is 4 cores 4 threads enough for gaming?
Originally Answered: Is 4 threads enough for gaming? It used to be. … I’m pretty sure 4 cores will still be able to run games for some time, but the experience will only get worse as developers will stop caring about low end systems.
Is an 8 core processor good?
amd 8 cores are great for gaming and almost as good as some haswell i5’s for gaming… and recording while gaming and amd 8 cores is good because the extra cores and they are great multitaskers(better than an i5 at multitasking imo)…
What is the fastest processor in the world?
Why It’s Great for Gaming and Overclocking: At the top of the stack is the unlocked 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900K, the world’s fastest gaming processor1, featuring up to 10 cores, 20 threads and DDR4-2933 memory speeds.
Do you need more than 8 cores?
It all depends on workload. You might want more than 8 cores, you might not. After all, there’s a reason high core count HEDT chips like AMD threadripper and Intel I9 are so popular, and it isn’t just bragging rights. It’s true that not many workloads can take advantage of more than 8 cores.
What does an 8 core processor mean?
A quad-core CPU has four central processing units, an octa-core CPU has eight central processing units, and so on. This helps dramatically improve performance while keeping the physical CPU unit small so it fits in a single socket.
What do cores and threads mean?
A thread is a virtual version of a CPU core. … These are both names for the process of breaking up physical cores into virtual cores (threads) to increase performance. For example, AMD CPUs with four cores use SMT to provide eight threads, and most Intel CPUs with two cores use hyper-threading to provide four threads.
Which is better cores or threads?
Cores will always be more important when gaming. … Even modern games can run smoothly on a quad-core, 4-threaded CPU, depending on the processor’s cache and clock speed. Threads are actually useful when you’re running multiple tasks.
Is it better to have more cores or higher GHz?
So a dual core 3.0GHz processor has 2 processing units each with a clock speed of 3.0GHz. A 6 core 3.0GHz processor has 6 processing units each with a clock speed of 3.0GHz. … Multi-core CPUs appear faster because they are able to take a much larger amount of workload than their single-core counterparts.
Is 3.40 GHz good for gaming?
full answer: A CPU frequency alone isn’t enough to determine whether you will have enough performance for gaming. Many different CPUs with wildly difference performance run at 3.4 GHz, from old single-core Pentium 4 CPUs from the early 2000s to current-generation CPUs in the Intel Core and AMD Ryzen series.
Is 2 cores enough for gaming?
Given their tendency to heavily limit the performance of more powerful graphics cards, dual-core processors are not good for gaming in 2020. That being said, if you’re not on an extremely tight budget, it is best to save up some extra money and get an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 3 processor.
Is 8 cores and 8 threads good for gaming?
Honorable. The extra threads can help but are not necessary. The sweet spot for gaming will be around 6 to 8 cores for the next few years. If more threads help will depend on how the game developer will optimize the game in terms of processor scaling.
What does 8 cores 16 threads mean?
So a processor with two cores will have four threads. A processor with eight cores will have 16 threads. A processor with 24 cores (yes, those exist), will have 48 threads. Threads are important to the function of your computer because they determine how many tasks your computer can perform at any given time.
What does 4 cores 8 threads mean?
8. In my experience, 4 cores means you can do 4 things at the same time with impunity. 8 threads just means that two threads are sharing one core (assuming they are evenly distributed), so unless your code has some parallelism built in, you may not see any speed improvement above threads == cores .
Do any games use 8 cores?
Yes games DO use 8 cores. : Amd.

domain: hobby


text:
SPEECH OF AMBASSADOR GEORGE JOHANNES
SOUTH AFRICA FREEDOM DAY - 22 MAY 2019
Members of the Diplomatic Corp
Honorary South African Consuls,
Professors of various Universities,
Colleagues and Friends,
I thank you for your presence with us here today. I would like to extend warm to:
Archbishop Pena Parra, Sostituto of the Secretariat of State;
Monsignor Joseph Murphy, Chief of Protocol of the Holy See;
Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town and his Secretary, Fr. Michael Clement;
Bishop Duncan of the Johannesburg Diocese and Fr. Patrick also from Johannesburg;
We also welcome many of our South African Sisters and Priests studying in Rome. Some of them will be returning home after completing their studies and we wish them a safe journey back home.
Last but not least, we welcome and greet many good friends and close associates from the Vatican Radio and media and we extend our greetings to all our well-wishers and friends present here today. We’ve had a number of apologies from colleagues and friends who couldn’t be here with us.
I greet you all on behalf of the People and President of the Republic of South Africa and we are happy that you have joined us as we celebrate our National Day.
Twenty five years ago in 1994, the people of South Africa stood in long queues to cast their votes. It was a historic moment for the nation as all our people were given the opportunity to vote for the first time in free and fair elections.
The peaceful and dignified historical occasion culminated in the election of President Nelson Mandela as the first black President of a democratic South Africa. That moment signified that South Africa was finally free of apartheid, a system which had been declared a crime against humanity by the United Nations.
Today is also a special day for us as we celebrate South Africa Freedom Day. It is extra special as our country has just held its sixth democratic elections which took place on the 8th May 2019. The African Union and international monitors present in South Africa described the elections as free and fair and peaceful.
The manner in which all the political parties who participated in the elections conducted themselves has once more demonstrated how deep the roots of democracy in South Africa have grown.
Today, the 22nd May is the first sitting of the new Parliament in Cape Town which will commence with the swearing in of all the elected Members of Parliament, including the nomination of President Cyril Ramaphosa who will be sworn in as President on the 25th May when we celebrate Africa Day.
The theme of the President’s inaugural speech is: “Together Celebrating Democracy: Renewal and Growth for a Better South Africa” and it reinforces the message that every citizen has a role to play in building a brighter future for all our people.
It emphasises that we must build on our achievements and intensify our efforts to tackle the triple challenges of poverty eradication, fighting inequality in all its manifestations and ending the scourge of unemployment, especially for the youth of our country.
Today, we are also celebrating another great anniversary. On 30th June 1994, twenty five years ago, President Nelson Mandela and Pope St John Paul 11 signed the historic Diplomatic Protocols which established formal diplomatic relations between South Africa and The Holy See. That remarkable historical event still resonates with our people as The Holy See had no formal contacts with the apartheid regime previously and had supported the struggle for freedom.
Since 1994, South African Ambassadors Accredited to the Holy See were based in Berne in the Swiss Federation and I was fortunate that I was one of South Africa’s Ambassadors to Switzerland from 2009 to 2015 and I presented my Letters of Accreditation to Pope Benedict XV1 in March 2009.
In 2016, I briefly spent some time as a member of a team of Peace Mediators between the Government of Mozambique and the Opposition Renamo Party.in Maputo and it was there that I was informed that I was going to be first Permanent Ambassador to The Holy See as the Government had decided to open a permanent Embassy to the Holy See.
At the beginning of May 2017, I arrived in Rome and on the 3rd June 2017, I presented my Credentials to Pope Francis.
I believe I’m probably the only Ambassador here present who presented Credentials to two successive Popes. South Africa’s decision to have a permanent Embassy to The Holy See is a reflection of our Government’s commitment to consolidate and elevate our relations with The Holy See into a powerful strategic partnership.
The newly established embassy is situated in Via Venti Settembre.
The Embassy is working towards deepening cooperation in all spheres with the institutions of The Holy See. We focus specifically on the fight against HIV and Aids, poverty eradication and peace mediation.
The Embassy will strengthen the work of the African Group of Ambassadors as part of our efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with The Holy See and Africa and to promote the African Agenda and raise the profile of the African Continent.
The Encyclical “Laudate Si” of Pope Francis resonates powerfully with our Government’s social and peoples centered policies and outlook and we fully support Pope Francis’s call to build bridges and to assist our human family wherever we can. Our aim is to build respect for each other, to respect and promote our common and integral humanity and to make a lasting contribution to the human family.
South Africa is committed to being part of humanity’s efforts to save our planet from environmental disaster, our Government is determined to intensify our struggle against human trafficking and human slavery in our country and continent and we are determined as a nation to fight against children and women’s abuse. We are committed to the care of the poor and the elderly and we will ensure that we intensify our efforts to make the world a better place for all of us to live in harmony and peace.
South Africa is proud to say that we are the only country to date which has voluntarily destroyed its nuclear and chemical weapons in 1995, nearly a quarter of a century ago. We inherited the weapons of mass destruction from the apartheid regime and we call on other countries to follow our example.
Finally, Your Excellencies, fellow South Africans and friends, enjoy this historical occasion with us and let’s hold hands to consolidate and implement our common Integral Human Development as envisaged by Pope Francis.
Enjoy the opportunity to celebrate our democracy and freedom with us. South Africa welcomes you warmly as one family and as friends who share a common world outlook and destiny.
This is the Embassy’s first public event in Rome and we promise you that you will hear more about us and from us as time goes on.
Thank you all for your attendance. God Bless and enjoy our humble hospitality!


The Pentagon has awarded Raytheon a contract worth $127 million to provide Excalibur 155mm projectiles, the Department of Defense announced Friday.
“Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded a $127,095,916 modification (P00078) to contract W15QKN-08-C-0530 for Excalibur 155mm projectiles,” the statement said.
Work is estimated to be completed by April 30, 2019.
The Excalibur 155mm Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery Projectile, also known as the M982 ER DPICM (Extended Range Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions) Projectile, is a fire and forget, smart munition. It is intended to provide the Army with a capability to attack all three key target sets, soft and armored vehicles, and reinforced bunkers, out to ranges exceeding current 155mm family of artillery munitions.


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Occupy Oakland has many problems, but the name “Occupy” is not one of them.
Last night, about 300 people attended the Occupy Oakland GA to discuss, for three hours, whether we should change our name to “Decolonize Oakland.” 198 voted to change the name while 91 voted to keep it, reaching 68.5 percent which is just shy of the number required to allow ammendments and a revote. That is, the proposal failed. Afterward, the “decolonizers” began chanting “Decolonize Oakland,” which many “Occupiers” responded to in kind. Yeah, it was messy and feelings were hurt on both sides. It’s a movement. People take it seriously and fight for what they believe in. That doesn’t mean we can’t work together again. We probably will, so let’s keep the ultimatums to a minimum.
On the face of it, the proposal was meant to build solidarity with the struggles of Indigenous people and distance us from imperialism, colonialism and genocide. The problem, of course, is that many people in Occupy Oakland do not want to distance ourselves from the word “Occupy.” It may have negative connotations in some contexts, but plenty of words do. Nobody except a hard-core group of ideologues believes that “Occupy” is an inherently racist term, even if it has been used in racist and colonial contexts. The other problem is that many of us feel like we are already sufficiently distant from imperialism, having spent years and decades opposing US imperialism in all its forms. Some “Occupiers” have even lived under colonial occupations. We desire opportunities to raise these issues but we do not need to be lectured about our supposed blindness to genocide and racism.
Many of the arguments raised are absurd. For example, while Occupy Oakland may have been fighting for two months, “we Decolonizers” have been fighting for 500 years. Of course, there are Indigenous people invovled in Occupy Oakland, not to mention many African-Americans, Arab-Americans, Latinos and others, but they don’t count in this equation. If you don’t use the term “decolonize” then you do not really represent the oppressed. I’m not sure when the Central Committee of Oppressed People met and decided this for everybody, but there it is. And no, it doesn’t matter if the person making the argument is middle-class and white while the person receiving the argument is a Palestinian who has lived, you know, under an Apartheid-style colonial occupation.
So in the end, it wasn’t about building solidarity but about guilt-tripping and point scoring. The arguments rarely discuss the name at all and just talk about supporting the oppressed, as though Occupy Oakland does not want to do that as well. To anybody who asks, “Why are you so obsessed with terminology?” I simply respond, “Why are you?”
Let there be no mistake–and I assure you, there will be plenty of purposefully dishonest “misunderstandings” about what Occupy Oakland represents–the vast majority of us are anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist, anti-racist and have spent years working on those issues. I only say “vast majority” because I have not literally asked everybody, but Occupy Oakland has already organized against racial injustice–including an action for Troy Davis and against the criminal justice system, as well as voting in support of a march for Oscar Grant on January 1. Oh yeah, and there’s that whole “colonization” of the Plaza with the name “Oscar Grant.” People even felt bad and made posters declaring solidary with Frank Ogawa as well, so as not to look like we were dismissing the struggles of Asian-Americans. And, of course, the labor march we organized a few weeks ago included Indigenous people and Running Wolf held a tree sit-in declaring the Plaza “Ohlone Land.” So it’s not like we’re a bunch of economic determinists who don’t give a shit about anything other than downwardly mobile white yuppies.
We just want to keep the name “Occupy.” Why? Well, as one teacher said at the labor march, “Occupy Oakland has built the largest march for education in Oakland’s history.” We don’t want to run away from that legacy. If the “Decolonizers,” on the other hand, want to build an action that is even more successful than this one–or the General Strike, for that matter, which saw African-Americans in West Oakland standing on their front lawns and cheering us as we marched to the Port–proving in practice the power of their terminology, they are more than welcome. Certainly, that would be the most powerful argument for changing the name.
This might happen, but I am skeptical. We’ll also see how many “Decolonizers” turn out at tonight’s GA, but I suspect that it will be the same hundred-ish group of people that have been hanging on for the last week or two. I made an announcement at the end of last night’s GA that, “If you want to Occupy the Port, Decolonize the Port or Shut Down the Port, you should come to our Port Shut Down meeting,” which was just beginning as the GA ended. I cannot tell that many of those newer folks stuck around for it. On the other hand, a white woman who spoke before me announced that there would be a white privilege workshop Monday at 6:30pm (during our GA) a few blocks from the Plaza. That is, she was actively organizing people to leave Occupy Oakland and have a different discussion somewhere else. We’ll see if sitting around and talking about white privilege is as powerful as the West Coast Port Shut Down. Personally, I doubt it.
Do we have problems? Of course we do. The real problem is not that “everybody hates Occupy Oakland”–December 12 will definitively prove that wrong–but that we have lost our sense of purpose. Specifically, we were kicked out of the Plaza twice by the Oakland Police and now that our camp is gone nobody is quite certain what to do next. Everybody wants to occupy a foreclosed building but nobody really knows how to do it. In the meantime, the GA has nothing to do with the Port action and nobody really knows what our goals are anymore. Maybe we will have a resurgence next week but we don’t know at this point.
What we need is not a name change but a unifying sense of purpose, either a new camp or something else that gives us a reason to exist from week to week. The horrors of capitalism, unfortunately, are not enough. We need to all be working toward a common practical goal and we need to figure out that goal soon. “Decolonizers” are welcome to join us in figuring out that goal. Just because we could not reach consensus on the name change does not mean we cannot find it elsewhere.
Losing a vote doesn’t mean you need to walk away. Some of the “Occupiers” chanting against the “Decolonizers” were among the most vocal critics of the facilitation committee, having claimed that people of color felt iced-out of the process. But they’re still “Occupiers.” Some of them lost some very ugly votes and yet they’re still with Occupy Oakland. Why? Because they’re principled.
THIS is what democracy looks like for principled activists. Walking away is something else entirely.


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"Voting wisely has never been so important as it is at this time. That is why I can say without hesitation I will be voting for Catherine Voutaz. In the years that I have had the privilege of knowing Cathy I have seen her walk gracefully through difficult trials. She demonstrates kindness, empathy and compassion as she tirelessly serves those in need. Her life experience has seasoned and prepared her for this opportunity to serve in our community. "
She has already proven her ability to foresee needs we have in our community and provided opportunities for everyone to connect to helpful resources to aid us in our various challenges.
Her intelligent approach to solving some of the Major problems our community faces gives me confidence and hope. WE WILL HAVE a brighter, healthier and more stable environment to reside in if Cathy is elected. She will make sure of it. "


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By Ece Toksabay and Orhan Coskun
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan sacked the central bank governor for refusing the government’s repeated demands for rate cuts, Hurriyet newspaper on Sunday quoted Erdogan as telling a meeting with his party’s lawmakers.
Governor Murat Cetinkaya, whose four-year term was due to run until 2020, was replaced by his deputy Murat Uysal, a presidential decree published early on Saturday in the official gazette showed.
“We told him repeatedly in economy meetings that he should cut rates. We told him that the rate cut would help inflation to fall. He didn’t do what was necessary,” Erdogan was quoted as saying.
The daily Hurriyet said Erdogan gave his explanation for sacking Cetinkaya, almost a year before his term was due to end, during a consultation meeting in Istanbul with the members of his ruling AK Party.
“We weren’t on the same page,” Erdogan added.
No official reason was given for the sacking, but government sources cited Erdogan’s frustration that the bank has kept its benchmark interest rate at 24% since last September to support the ailing lira currency.
In a written statement on Saturday, Uysal said he would independently implement monetary policy instruments focused on achieving and maintaining the primary objective of price stability.
Despite the new governor’s assurance, critics say the move once again showed that Erdogan was in full control of the monetary policy, and that Turkey would witness a period of rapid rate cuts.
“The sacking of the governor of the CBRT by presidential decree shows that Erdogan is in charge of monetary policy,” said Wolfango Piccoli, of the London-based political risk consultancy Teneo.
“The decision significantly undermines whatever credibility the CBRT had left. It also signals that overall institutional degradation continues unabated,” he added.
Under Turkey’s new executive presidency, which came into effect last year, Erdogan does not need cabinet approval to change the central bank governor.
A senior Turkish economist also said Erdogan’s surprise dismissal of Cetinkaya could further undermine perceptions of the bank’s independence.
“While the debate regarding the central bank’s independence continues, removing Cetinkaya, who apparently resisted some measures, and replacing him through an unusual method will only fuel this debate,” the senior economist told Reuters.
“We will see how he can convince the markets for a rate cut at a time when the independence is increasingly doubtful.”
The central bank has kept its benchmark rate unchanged since it increased the rate by 625 basis points to 24% in September to prevent a full-blown financial crisis.
Several economists were already expecting a rate cut at a July 25 monetary board meeting as inflation fell to 15.7% in June, its lowest level in one year.
“Newspapers have cited Erdogan saying that Cetinkaya did not do what he was told on rates. It casts a shadow on Uysal, but he will be quite aggressive on rate cuts,” another Turkish economist told Reuters.


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Pre-order Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War III
Warhammer 40K is probably one of the most famous tabletop games on the market. The franchise isn't limited to tabletop games, and a wide range of video games has developed around it. From third-person shooters to strategy games, the franchise is ripe for the digital medium. Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War III is the series' latest offering in the strategy game genre. At its core, it's an attempt to mix the last two games in the franchise, combining large army combat with more focused, fast-paced, skirmish-heavy gameplay. We tried out the multiplayer beta, and what we played looks promising.
Dawn of War III has three playable races: Eldar, Orks and Space Marines. The Eldar have powerful units but can rarely afford to spend them carelessly, so they often depend on quality over quantity. They have many mobility options, including the ability to teleport almost anything, which makes them flexible in a way the other races aren't. Orks are all about numbers and mobility. They can upgrade in the field using a resource called Scrap; since their units are more disposable, they're better spent in rushing wave attacks. Space Marines are powerful and technologically advanced but require a heavy investment of resources. From what we've seen, they're the most "balanced" of the three races. They can excel at everything but need someone who can make the best use of their power.
The core gameplay will feel familiar to fans of RTS games. You have to build up your bases and capture resource points so you can continue to build your base faster than your opponents. You do this by creating structures and buying and upgrading units using the resources of Requisition and Power, and most things require a bit of both. The bulk of your units is disposable, though they come in all shapes and sizes. Each race has its own mix of abilities, and you'll need to figure out what is necessary for a good fight. Is it worth deploying melee-oriented offense troops to keep foes off your squishy backline, or are long-distance snipers or stealth recon units the way to go?
Dawn of War III has a regimented early game. Your goal is to destroy the enemy's power core, but "zerg rush" tactics are not going to find much success here. The power core is defended by turrets, which are defended by a shield generator. Any attempt to approach the power core without first disabling its defenses will lead to massive casualties. This forces the flow of battle around breaking down your enemy's defenses before you can attack their vulnerable center. It encourages longer but more meaningful matches. You're unlikely to lose a fight right off the bat because you didn't prepare for an early-game rush, but it also doesn't make those early-game rushes unimportant. An enemy who disables your shield generator early gains a massive advantage. You have to deploy more defensive forces to protect the now-vulnerable turret, and a wise enemy can exploit that. It's a good balance between limiting early aggression without making it worthless.
Probably the most significant factor in a battle in Dawn of War III is your elites, or named hero units. Each race has multiple units it can bring into battle. You have to set your elite units before the game starts, and your selection determines the doctrines, or passive abilities, that are available to your army. For example, deploying Imperial Knight Solaria allows you to either have your infantry units move and fire at the same time or improve Whirlwind missiles to create a damage-over-time cycle. Deploying Gabriel Angelos gives Dreadnoughts the ability to make a barrier or have drop pods heal an area around them when they land. Doctrines can significantly change how your army fights, even before the elites exist on the battlefield.
Elites must be summoned with Elite Points, which are earned over time while fighting, though you can use upgrades to earn additional points faster. This is an important factor because not all elites are created equal. To use my earlier examples, Angelos is a low-level elite who specializes in crowd control, so he can create barriers or stun entire groups of enemies, but he isn't the very best at damage. This means you can summon him earlier in battle to give you the advantage early on. On the other hand, Solaria requires a bunch of points to deploy but brutalizes entire armies on her own. Deciding when and where to spend your points is critical.
A major factor in Dawn of War III is its mix of macro and general command gameplay. Elites effectively control the flow of battle even when they're not on the field. When you don't have elites, you're focusing on building and controlling resources for when they appear. You can launch offenses and work against the enemies with your more disposable forces, but any soldier is best backed up by an elite who can optimize their combat capabilities. You perform lower-impact preparation and building of resources with your troops, and that's followed by massive elite-backed pushes against enemy forces. Knowing when and where to deploy your elites is critical to victory. It's not entirely a new thing for RTSes, but it's a significant part of the experience.
As such, Dawn of War III also expects a lot of micromanagement of individual skills. Your elites are only as effective as you make them. If you deploy an elite and use their skills willy-nilly, you'll find them to be little more than expensive, nonthreatening targets. On the other hand, careful use can make a smaller fighting force brutalize a larger, unprepared one. You need to learn how to position your forces. Bunching up might be faster, but it means one good AoE attack can clear half of your forces in a single shot.
All in all, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War III looks to be aiming for polish over distinction. A lot of the features we've seen in our multiplayer beta have existed in one form or another in many RTSes. It will be difficult to say how everything balances out before the final version, but the beta feels good. The races are interesting, and the more structured flow of combat helps it feel like a fight, not a rout, even when you're on the losing side. Fans of the franchise have a lot to look forward to when Dawn of War III comes out exclusively for the PC on April 27.
More articles about Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III


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The live ACTION bus data feed through the NXTBUS system is now publicly available allowing developers to produce apps so that passengers can track their bus from their smart phone or android device, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Shane Rattenbury, announced today.
“ACTION’s new NXTBUS system, which allows people to track bus departure times, has been proving popular with bus passengers since it went fully live in July,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“Refinements have been made to the system over the past few months and the data is now ready to be released. This data tracks the location of buses and how far away they are from the next stop.
“There has been a strong level of interest from developers with 30 registering an expression of interest for the live data feed, including 28 locals.
“Having the live data feed now means they can look to develop mobile phone applications which would provide ACTION passengers with another means of tracking their bus. ACTION will provide a link on their website to any apps that are developed.
“Currently ACTION passengers can access NXTBUS data from the ACTION website or via its direct URL which is NXTBUS website. This real time passenger information can be accessed from mobile phones, laptops, tablets or computers.
“Passengers can get live results for the next 90 minutes. They can also see if the bus is wheelchair accessible and/or equipped with bike racks.
“Nearly 1,300 requests a day are being made for live bus data via the NXTBUS SMS and web services, with over 191,000 requests being made since July.
“In the coming months a subscription service will be launched, allowing you to subscribe to email and/or SMS alerts for your selected route or bus stop.”
For access to the data feed visit action.act.gov.au and complete the online form provided.
Media Release: Shane Rattenbury MLA, 15 December 2014
This page was last updated on 13 August 2022


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When we open our ears – and it may take a dozen listenings before we stop hearing this album in terms of what we expect these songs to sound like, or, for the fans, in terms of the performances we think should have been included – the rewards and surprises of Hard Rain are nearly inexhaustible.
~Paul Williams (Bob Dylan: Performing Artist, Vol 2: The Middle Years 1974-1986)
Hindsight shows that this album introduces the ragged, postmodern Bob Dylan, right from the grungy instrumental ground-pawing ahead of the start of the first number. Moreover the running order now seems surprisingly well thought out. It represents, too, the late phase of the historic Rolling Thunder Revue tour and captures the distinctive, bare-wired sound of Dylan’s existential gypsy band. Stand-out track is ‘Idiot Wind’, which, as Dylan grows ever more engaged, bursts open and pours out its brilliant venom.
~Michael Gray (The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia)
The 3 best all time (from any artist) officially released concert albums are obviously “Hard Rain”, “Bob Dylan Live 1966, The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert” & “Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue”. They are all brilliant. Today “Hard Rain” is the best of the lot.
The album received an awful lot bad criticism upon its release, and surprisingly still does. To my ears it has always sounded amazing. Listening to other bootlegs from Rolling thunder 2 & watching the Hard Rain movie (and outtakes), one could easily wish that more songs had been included, and he’d put out a double album. But it is what it is, and it’s incredible. It is also (as noted by Paul Williams) inexhaustible, it still sounds fresh & wonderful today.
Well, Jann, I’ll tell you something. There’s not too much of a change in my singing style, but I’ll tell you something which is true… I stopped smoking. When I stopped smoking my voice changed… So drastically, I couldn’t believe it myself. That’s true. I tell you, you stop smoking those cigarettes (laughter)… and you’ll be able to sing like Caruso.
~Bob Dylan (to Jann Wenner Nov 1969)
Anyway, on Nashville Skyline you had to read between the lines. I was trying to grasp something that would lead me on to where I thought I should be, and it didn’t go nowhere – it just went down, down, down.
~Bob Dylan (to Jonathan Cott, Sept 1978)
Released 49 years ago, it surely is one of his most controversial albums.. “Embracing” classic Country music & kicking off the “Country Rock” genre.
I’ve always liked this album… not a masterpiece, but a solid Dylan album.
#1 – Girl from the North Country (with Johnny Cash)
The message isn’t in the words, …. I don’t do anything with a sort of message.
I’m just transferring my thoughts into music. Nobody can give you a message like that.
~Bob Dylan (to Ray Coleman, May 1965)
Dylan’s third album reflects his mood in August-October 1963. It is also a product for his need to live up to and expand on the role he found himself in, topical poet, the restless young man with something to say, singing to and for a new generation.
~Paul Williams (Bob Dylan Performing Artist I: The Early Years 1960-1973)
Released January 13, 1964 – 54 years ago today… it is one of his weakest albums from the 60’s.. and still a fantastic album.
“The Times They Are A-Changin'” @ The White House in Feb 2010:
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll – 5/7/65 – Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England:
Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Bury the rag deep in your face
For now’s the time for your tears
(The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll)
The story I took out of the newspaper and I only changed the words.
~Bob Dylan (to Steve Allen, Feb 1964)
“I wrote my fourth album [“Another Side of Bob Dylan”] in Greece, but that was still an American album.”
~Bob Dylan (to Robert Shelton June 1978)
“Tom Wilson, the producer, titled it that,” [Another Side of Bob Dylan] “I begged and pleaded with him not to do it. You know, I thought it was overstating the obvious. I knew I was going to have to take a lot of heat for a title like that and it was my feeling that it wasn’t a good idea coming after The Times They Are A- Changin’, it just wasn’t right. It seemed like a negation of the past which in no way was true. I know that Tom didn’t mean it that way, but that’s what I figured that people would take it to mean, but Tom meant well and he had control, so he had it his way. I guess in the long run, he might have been right to do what he did. It doesn’t matter now.”
~Bob Dylan (to Cameron Crowe Sept. 1985)
“His writing and control of atmosphere on songs like ‘To Ramona’ and ‘Spanish Harlem Incident’ come across as early flashes of the creative explosion that he was to go through in 1965–66. A great minor album, and his last solo album until the 1990s.”
~Michael Gray (The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia)
“On this album, I took a few steps backward, but I also took a bunch of steps forward because I had a lot of time to concentrate on it. I also had the band sounding like I want it to sound. It’s got that organ sound from ‘Blonde on Blonde’ again. That’s something that has been missing.”
~Bob Dylan (to Robert Hilburn – May 1978)
Jonathan Cott interview – Sept. 1978: Jonathan Cott: What do you think of all the criticisms of Street Legal? Bob Dylan: I read some of them. In fact, I didn’t understand them. I don’t think these people have had the experiences I’ve had to write those songs. The reviews didn’t strike me as being particularly interesting one way or another, or as compelling to my particular scene. I don’t know who these people are. They don’t travel in the same crowd, anyway. So it would be like me criticizing Pancho Villa.
First of all… “Street-Legal” is a fantastic album. I have never “understood” all the criticism it got.. and still gets, and I even dig the original overall sound & production.


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For the Challah Birds
- 1/4 recipe Gluten Free Honey Oat Challah (enough for 6 small challah rolls)
- 12 whole cloves
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
For the Nests
- 2 very large Fuji Apples, cored
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
The Grand Finale
- Honey for drizzling
Imagine you're family or guests sitting down to the first Rosh Hashanah meal. There's so much tradition and symbolism wrapped up in it. At your place are the traditional apples and honey already set up for you, with a little beautiful challah bird to dip into the honey after the Hamotzi blessing is said. These Challah Birds with Apple Honey Nests look complicated to make, but once you know how they're fairly simple to put together. You can make multiples of this recipe to have enough for more guests if you choose.
For the Challah BirdsPreheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Set aside. Divide the challah dough into 6. To make the birds, dust a little flour on the pastry board. Form a long rope around 14-inches long. Make a knot in the dough. Form one end into a birds head by pinching the tip to become a beak. [caption id="attachment_9977" align="alignnone" width="271"] Pre-baking and egg wash.[/caption] Form the other end into a tail by flattening the end, then cutting straight across to make it flat and even. Make 4 small slits in the tail to simulate feathers. Place two cloves, round side out, into each of the birds heads for eyes. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and water. Brush the birds with the egg wash. [caption id="attachment_9978" align="alignnone" width="233"] Egg washed and ready to go into the oven.[/caption] Bake for around 15 minutes until browned and cooked through.
For the Apple NestsTrim the top and bottom of each apple, reserving the trimmed pieces. [caption id="attachment_9979" align="alignnone" width="242"] Cored, with the top and bottom sliced off. Reserve the sliced pieces to dice.[/caption] Using a large spiralizer, spiralize two Fuji apples using the smallest "noodle" setting. Transfer into a large bowl. Reserve any remaining pieces that were not spiraled into noodles. Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, oil and sugar. Toss to combine, being careful not to break the noodles. Dice the remaining apple pieces. Set Aside. Divide the noodles into six piles on the prepared baking sheet. Using a finger, make an indent into the center of the pile and form the apple pile into a small circle. Divide the diced apples into six portions and place one portion into each apple "nest". [caption id="attachment_9980" align="alignnone" width="225"] Apple nests pre-baking.[/caption] Bake for 45 minutes, until the apples are soft, golden brown, and slightly caramelized. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
The Grand FinalePlace an apple nest on a plate. Drizzle with honey, then place an apple bird on top. Repeat with the remaining nests and birds and prepare to enjoy.
- You can use gluten free or traditional challah for the challah birds.
- This recipe can be doubled or tripled.
- If you don't have a spiralizer, you can cut the apples into thin strips and form them into a nest. You should still dice a portion of the apple to place into the center of the nest.
- You can use the rest of the challah recipe to make larger round challahs for Rosh Hashanah, or you can make more smaller rolls and birds.

domain: food


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DORCHESTER, S.C. (WCBD) – Dorchester Paws is asking the public for help after taking in 50 dogs in the past seven days.
The shelter, which is outdated and already over-capacity, is only supposed to hold 75 dogs at any given time.
Dorchester Paws said that more people are surrendering their pets lately, and fewer people are reclaiming pets taken in by the shelter.
Over 667 animals have been taken in by Dorchester Paws since the beginning of the year.
The average length of stay for dogs has increased as well. Most dogs stay for an average of 35 days, but 49 dogs currently at Dorchester Paws have been at the shelter for over 40 days each.
Dorchester Paws is asking the community to foster or adopt a pet if they can.
Anyone interested in fostering a pet should email firstname.lastname@example.org or visit the shelter any day between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. To adopt, visit the shelter any day between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Those who are not able to foster are adopt can help by sharing photos of some recent intakes in hopes of reuniting them with their owners.

domain: pet


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19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are: sexual immorality (including adultery and fornication), impurity, lust, [The works of the flesh are sin, and the wages of sin are death. From the Word of the Lord within: "Consequence-free sin does not exist; the consequences are truly staggering. There is a war you must win: sin must be overcome; the fleshly lusts war against your soul."]
20 Idolatry (including covetousness), sorcery, hatred, arguments, jealousy, anger, ambition, divisiveness, factions, [From the Word of the Lord within: "Do not be misled; anger must be eliminated to enter the kingdom."]
21 Envy, drunkenness, revelry (partying), and the like; which I say beforehand, as I have said before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.4 [All men do works of the flesh because their hearts are defiled until they have been crucified on the inward cross of self-denial, and in no way shall there enter into heaven anything that is defiled. Rev 21:27. Fruit of the flesh includes: sexual immorality, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, jesting, profanity, adultery, lack of restraint, sorcery, hatred, arguments, jealousies, rage, selfish ambition, divisiveness, envies, murders, drunkenness, revelries (partying), evil thoughts, fornications, wickedness, deceit, blasphemy, pride, anger, boasting, flattery, immodesty, immorality, and foolishness; any of these disqualify any man from heaven.]
21 For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, [The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked...Jer 17:9]
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lack of restraint, an evil eye [envy], blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. [..for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth...Gen 8:21]
23 All these evil things come from within a man, and defile him."3 [Every man's heart starts filled with evil, filled with sin, defiled, and disqualified for heaven. Unless your heart is cleansed and purified by the Lord's Spirit that destroys sin within man, every man walks according to the ways of the world and the god of this world, fulfilling their desires and lusts of their flesh according to their thoughts, according to their evil imagination, according to their carnal minds that are enmity against God and cannot be subject to the law of God. Every man is judged by their words and works, including those who claim to be Christians; God shows partiality to no man. From the word of the Lord within: "Only a heart that is purged of sin is acceptable to God. Everyone is expecting Jesus to be their excuse. If you are still sinning, you belong to sin and not to Me. See myself — thus no sin has a place in me. You are without excuse O man. Sin in believers is intolerable. The pure is innocent of all defilement." You can think you are a Christian and call Him "Lord," but if you die still sinning, you are banned from heaven. All defiled men are banned from heaven. When purified by grace, men are translated into heaven while on earth and then forever. To be freed of sin, even the desire to sin, you must obey the Lord's spoken commands that you expose yourself to hear, by waiting on Him in humble silence as you listen and watch; that is the one thing needed. Luke 10:39-42.]
3 But as becomes the saints, do not let sexual immorality, all uncleanness, or covetousness, be named among you even once.
5 For of this you can be sure, that no sexually immoral, or impure, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. [The peoples of the earth have ignored these perfectly clear behaviors, (sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness), that exclude any and all from the kingdom. From the Word of the Lord within: "Ephesians 5:5-6: This the void of the earth, made perfectly clear. Those who are immoral have no inheritance in God's kingdom." Paul just told us that covetousness is idolatry. So whatever we value or want without genuine need, we worship; and how one spends their free time defines their devotion. From the Word of the Lord within: "you must learn to hate everything you worship."]
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words. For because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.1 [Paul warns you not to be deceived by anyone who tells you differently, (e.g., that your sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness is excused by believing in Jesus), which is what the preachers of Christianity do; but even the demons believe in Jesus. It is only by waiting on the Lord to hear and obey his commands that one can become pure, free of sexual immorality, and free of covetousness. From the Word of the Lord within: "The way is clear: listen and obey."]
|1 Corinthians 6:9-10,15:50|
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor passive male homosexual partners, nor dominant male homosexual partners, [From the word of the Lord within: "sexual desires can be overcome."]
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor scammers; these will not inherit the kingdom of God.1
50 Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption. [A man still in his flesh walks according to the ways of the world, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the thoughts of his mind. The man of the flesh with its corruption must be crucified and incorruption put on; then the kingdom can be entered, and all this must occur while you are still on the earth to avoid being banned from heaven when you die. "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit." Mat 12:33. From the Word of the Lord within: "A tree that is holy is a good one."]
|Romans 2:12 |
12 For all [the non-Jews] who sin* without the law will also perish without the law; and all [the Jews] who sin under the law will be judged by the law; [Paul is telling us we must become free of sin before we die, or we will perish; to become free of sin is the gospel of Jesus Christ — go to all nations and preach repentance with release from the bondage (remission) of sin. Paul is writing to very mature Christians in Rome. Paul is telling Christians that if they sin, they will perish. All who sin, (continue to sin), will perish — all means all, even those who believe in Jesus. The only way you can escape the consequences of sin is by following the moral commandments of the law, denying yourself, and picking up your cross to follow Jesus every day. If you do, you will not perish; instead you will have the life of God that is without beginning or end, and you will become free of sin to enter the Kingdom of God to be in union with God, while on earth and then forever.

domain: literature


Here’s my new favorite fact about our sprawl: the 28-county region that the U.S. Census bureau considers to be metro Atlanta has a bigger land area than the entire state of Massachusetts (8,376 square miles vs. 7,800).
If that’s not mind blowing enough for you, consider this: Our regional footprint will expand even more over the next half century, with Atlanta spreading all the way to Chattanooga and eventually engulfing Charlotte.
According to projections by a team of researchers at North Carolina State University and published at Plos One this week, sprawl in the southeastern U.S. will continue over the coming decades, with urbanization increasing by 101 percent to 192 percent by 2060.
The researchers used not only population projections, but also calculations for “urban extent,” i.e. new development. Don’t conflate this use of “urban” with the notion of walkable urbanism; most of this will, in the words of the researchers, be “business as usual,” auto-centric, low-density building and infrastructure. What will this mean for us? “A new, completely connected megalopolis … extending from Raleigh, to Atlanta.” Economists and demographers have talked about a regional pairing of “Char-lanta” for a while. Evidently, we will literally be connected one day.
Of course, we all can guess that as sprawling metropolises converge with each other, it will turn our terrible traffic into something apocalyptic. It’s also likely to create an environmental mess. Note the researchers: “Not only will habitats and corridors for wildlife be eliminated, but the continuous urban corridor will have a warmer climate than surrounding rural areas.”
So, before you complain about the heat and traffic this weekend, just think what it will be like in 2060.
Development in the Southeast, 2009
Projected Development in the Southeast, 2060


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TCP is widely used in the communications between servers in data centers. However, TCP has scaling limit that its ability to provide fair sharing at bottleneck link is reduced as the number of competing flows increases. Such limit is common in current data center networks and causes unfairness among TCP flows on a small time scale. The unfairness would add unpredictable delay to short flows, which would affect the user experiences of soft real-time applications. In this paper, we propose a simple and cost-effective method - shrinking MTU - to improve the fairness among TCP flows. Through model analysis and extensive simulations, the fairness on a small time scale is improved and the completion time of short flows is reduced by decreasing MTU size.


text: Ice formation on a wind turbine alters the airfoil profiles of the blades and causes degradation in the aerodynamic performance of the wind turbine and the resulting power production losses. Since the blade profile plays a significant role in the icing of a blade, power production losses due to icing can be minimized by optimizing the blade profile against icing. In this study, blade profiles are optimized in order to minimize power production losses. A Gradient based aerodynamic shape optimization method is developed together with the Blade Element Momentum method and an ice accretion prediction tool in order to minimize the power production losses of horizontal axis wind turbines under various icing conditions. In an optimization study performed for the AeolosH 30 kW and NREL 5 MW wind turbines exposed to icing conditions up to 1 h, the power loss due to icing is reduced by about 4%.


text:
IN THE DIM lighting of the room, I can see the colors bounce along the walls, flickering off and on again, like dancing stars in the distant sky. There are vague shadows, both the monstrous and the whimsical, silhouettes appearing again and again, then fading again into the darkness.
Off in the corner a man stands, leaning on his staff, below him a woman is kneeling, she’s staring down, her hooded head bowed slightly, eyes casting a benevolent gaze downward. Around them three more come, one is holding an animal on his shoulder, the others carry staves, they look as if they have traveled a long way.
I sit in my chair, surveying the scene, knowing that they will not move, the only movement in the room is from the dancing lights on the large tree that sits to my left.
Well, I guess large would be an overstatement, it was a good size tree, I’ll tell you that much. The lights had taken forever to string onto it, and still, deep inside I was wondering why I had taken all of the time to string lights that only I would see.
The somewhat to scale Nativity set was on a table that I never used over in the corner. Well, okay, I sometimes throw my keys onto it, but aside from that it never gets used. I wasn’t the one who had picked it out in the first place…but that’s a different story.
“Collin?” It was Connie speaking, my sister who was on the phone I was holding to my ear.
“Yeah, I’m here.” I answer.
Yes, my parents named us Collin and Connie Doyle. I guess they thought it was cute or something, truth is I never really asked them. I really wish I had when I still could, I couldn’t get an answer anymore.
“Okay, just checking, you get awful quiet sometimes.” She chuckled a little, but I knew that she didn’t really think it was funny. I think she knew what I was thinking about. “Just so you know, Amy is kind of sad you couldn’t come visit us this year—she really has a thing for you, uncle.”
I smiled. I had to. “Amy is also five years old, of course she loves visitors.”
“Especially the kind that will play with her for hours on end, including things that you know I don’t like.”
There was that. I didn’t see what was the matter with swinging her around by her arms, slinging her over my shoulder and endless piggyback rides, but Connie didn’t’ approve of such things in the house.
“Well…I guess so.” I can hear Amy in the background over the phone, she’s talking to her Dad about something, and I can hear Frank responding to her. I try to put the picture in my mind, I think Connie is sitting at the kitchen table, behind her is the kitchen, and off to the side is the living room. Connie, almost my twin, with her light brown hair pulled back into a careless ponytail, and her thumb and index finger rubbing her brow right above her crystal sea blue eyes. I like to think that she’s in her Christmas robe, the one she wears when she doesn’t care who’s around, the one with snowmen and snowflakes scattered randomly across the soft fabric. In front of her is the ceremonial evening hot chocolate, a dollop of melted whipped cream plopped on top of it, gradually sinking into the warm beverage. Her cell phone, an iPhone or a Droid—I can’t remember which one she got. She told me about it when she had purchased it.
“You doing okay, Collin?”
Ah, the question. The one I was waiting for ever since she called.
“Better than the last couple of years. Okay, I guess.” I respond. I really didn’t feel like getting into this again—I was about as over it as I was going to get, but I still didn’t see the need in dredging it up again. I know how they say that he best therapy you can get is talking to other people about what happened, and that kind of releases everything. It does help, I won’t lie—but that doesn’t mean that it still won’t hurt.
“You want to talk about it?”
I rub the back of my neck, “Nah, not right now. If I’m not mistaken, it’s well past Amy’s bed time.”
To tell you the truth I can’t always remember the exact time difference between Tennessee where I live, and Wisconsin, where she lives. All I know is that I need a good excuse. I just hope she doesn’t see it for what it is.
She sighs, and I can picture her looking at the large clock that hangs in the kitchen, one of those cat clocks that seem to be a horror movie fixture, the kind where the eyes move back and forth and the tail swings like a pendulum. Freaky thing, I know, but that’s Connie’s sense of humor. She’s probably the only person who finds stuff like that amusing.
“Yeah, but that’s fine. It’s almost Christmas, I’m not quite as strict this time of year.” He heard he take a sip of a something; what he imagined was hot chocolate.
“What? The bedtime Nazi is letting up?”
“Yes. She also sleeps a lot longer in the day when I let her exhaust herself. She still has a bedtime, don’t worry about that, but I occasionally allow her to indulge. I’ll blame it on Frank, if nothing else.”
“Sounds good to me.” I smile. Connie had loosened up since the previous years, she used to be a real “rules and regulations or die” kind of person. I had always teased her about it, but hadn’t done it in a long time. I think she was really starting to let go in a lot of areas. “But what would Dad ever say?”
“That I shouldn’t be so loose.” She chuckled again, “He would probably say: ‘rules are very important! It’s all about the rules.’ Something like that.”
I nod, he would. That he would.
“You miss them?” I ask.
A pause. “Yeah. A lot.”
The Christmas lights twinkle in my tree, reminding me more of a lake at sunset, shimmering orange and blue and red and purple—such a beautiful mix. How long ago had it been I sat on a dock and watched a sunset over a lake? How long had it been since I sat there with somebody beside me, watching it in awe, captivated, and ecstatic to paint it sometime.
For a moment, I can still see her, but then the thought vanishes, like an echo falling into blackness.
“What do you think they would do?” I ask. “Would they want me to still decorate and everything, or would they tell me not to worry about it?”
Connie shifted the phone, I can hear it, “What do you mean?”
“I decorated again this year. Nothing fancy, just a tree and a Nativity scene—you know, the one that we always used to put up.”
“Yes,” she replies.
“I put it up because of them…and because of Lisa. Even though I really don’t feel like it.”
“What do you mean?”
I sigh. “It really just doesn’t feel like Christmas, you know? I see the lights on houses—speaking of which, you should see the elaborate job that the folks across the street did—and I hear the Christmas music in the store. Bing Crosby, Sinatra, Andy Williams, couple other people I could care less about—but it’s just not connecting.”
She sighs, but in understanding.
“I’m not even listening to Christmas music. I just don’t feel like it. I haven’t watched a Christmas movie all season—but I still have the tree and the lights up. Call me a Grinch, I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem to be that time of year yet. It hasn’t for a while.”
“You think it’s because of Lisa?”
I see blood on my hands, and concrete below me, a white hand with blackened fingertips lying deathly still on the dark stain that runs across the painted line. Then it’s gone.
“I don’t know.” I say. I think she’s right but I don’t say. I look at the Christmas lights dancing on the wall, their shine bouncing back and forth, and I think of that dock again, the earthy smell around me, and the faint whisper of fruit, shampoo washed hair.
“You sure you don’t want to talk about it?” She asks now, with more concern in her voice. That was Connie though; she knew exactly what I was thinking. She always did.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I will say that I could use some prayer, y’know? It…uh…it still hurts a lot. Might be the tree, might be the wreath for all I know—it all brings it back. Some of it anyway.”
“I will.” She says. “We will, Frank and I.”
“How’s he doing anyway?” I ask, not just to change the subject—which believe me I want to do—but because I am interested, and I’m tired of focusing on my problems. Heaven knows I got plenty of them.
“He’s doing good, the new church is really liking him, he’s only been here a year but they have really taken to his style of preaching. I think they know that he really cares, too. He’s just started going through the Gospel of Mark.”
I knew he would do well, Frank was a good expositor, he knew how to break down the Bible into sections and feed it to the people, and he had a style that made everything interesting. I was happy for them when they took their new church, and I’m glad they are doing well. I just wish I could make it up there to see them.
“That’s good. I’m glad for you guys.” I say, and I mean it.
I look out the window that stares into the street from my living room. I see the house across the street—of course it’s hard not to—decked out with all manner of lights. They have lights going on the walls and the roof, which I can honestly say I haven’t seen anywhere except for television. Their front yard houses a herd of deer and a menagerie of snowmen inflatable decorations, all lead by a huge plastic rendition of the classic Frosty the Snowman, the bane of all Scrooges. On their roof was a Santa that could stand to lose a few, with four emaciated reindeer pulling a wooden sleigh that they had somehow mounted. How long it took to put up the grand display was beyond me, and I dare not ask what the electric bill is for it.
“Well, I gotta go. I think it’s almost bedtime for me.” I say.
I hear Connie begin to laugh into a sip of hot chocolate (or whatever it is) and quickly gulp it back down. “I guess so. Remember, if you want to talk, just gimme a call.”
“Of course.” I tell her. “Give my love to Amy and tell Frank to keep going. He needs to put more sermons on the Internet.”
“Will do. Love you, and merry Christmas, Collin.”
“Love you too, sis. Have a good week.”
We hang up and I set the phone down on my coffee table, inhabited by a cup of the good old black stuff, and a bottle of ibuprofen sits off to the side, closed up tight. Something about this time of year always gives me some off the wall headaches.
Her hair cascades around her head, like she’s floating in water, a speck of red dots her eye; those beautiful eyes stare up at me, not exactly blank, but so very unrecognizing, so very vague. It fades out.
I pick up the cup of coffee, held by a battered old mug with none other than Donald Duck staring back at me. He looks somewhat exasperated, and I try to remember where in the wide world I picked up this cup. I have no idea.
I sip from it, tasting the cold bitterness of the brew sluice down my near-parched throat. It’s not the best pot I’ve ever made, that much is for sure.
“Merry Christmas, Lisa.” I say to the tree, with the lights twinkling like the sunset. “Merry Christmas, dear.”
End of Part 1


text:
Breakfast: ½ cantaloupe, 4 oz snap peas
Lunch: Salad – 1 head of romaine, 10 sun-dried tomatoes, 1 avocado, 1 tomato, ½ red pepper, 1 c. walnuts, cayenne pepper
Supper: Smoothie – 2 frozen bananas
Evening: “Popcorn” – ¾ of a head of cauliflower (dehydrated), onion, nutritional yeast
For the past few days, as I’ve mentioned in other posts, my general happiness and energy have been consistently above normal and it’s mountain spring refreshing. I’ve been able to let little things slide that would normally irritate me; I’ve been more accepting and less pouty (to the point that I’ve got zero pout going on) about situations that are out of my control; and today I genuinely laughed off something that would have caused a negative down-spiral. I do suppose that could also be a sign of having been broken and going crazy….
Just kidding. It’s absolutely not. When these unfortunate things are coming at me, instead of thinking those horrible “if only…” thoughts, I’m thinking “I can do it.” It’s no ripping open my sweater to reveal the “S” beneath while the theme from Rocky plays in the background kind of feeling, it’s just the realization that I can. You know, more like The Average Joe Superman.
The greatness I’ve been feeling has been too, well, enjoyable for me to just let it come to an end in a mere 5 days. While I’m not going to fool you into thinking that I’m going to just convert to raw for the rest of my life, I have decided that the two-thirds idea I was flirting with earlier will be my new normal afterwards. No rules, though – just a general idea because I want to be able to do whatever I want, and yeah… I wanna feel this good forever.

domain: psychology


This research project aims to identify viral indicators that may be used to predict the safety of shellfish more effectively than E. coli.

Shellfish transmitted diseases tend to be of viral origin and usually cause outbreaks of gastroenteritis or infectious hepatitis.

The main reason for this is that many bivalve shellfish species, such as oysters and mussels, are produced in shallow, inshore estuaries that are often contaminated with human sewage. Bivalve shellfish are filter feeders.

This means that, in the process of feeding, they can concentrate and retain human pathogens derived from sewage contamination.

The risk to the consumer from the accumulation of human enteric viruses, such as Norovirus (NV) and hepatitis A (HAV) in shellfish, is increased by the fact that many species are eaten raw or lightly cooked, and also because the whole animal is consumed.

Monitoring of the virological quality of shellfish and/or the waters in which they grow would be both desirable and beneficial. However the main viruses of concern, NV and HAV, are non-culturable or very difficult to culture in the laboratory.

Their detection relies upon use of complex molecular methods, which are technically difficult, time consuming, costly, poorly standardised and restricted to a few specialist laboratories.

It is for these reasons that commensal enteric bacteria, such as faecal coliforms and E. coli, have been adopted as surrogate indicator organisms to assess the quality of shellfish flesh and to predict the risk of exposure to enteric pathogenic viruses.

Across the EU, the criteria laying down the microbiological standards for bivalve molluscs are set out in European Directive 91/492/EEC.

These regulations make use of E. coli to assess the faecal contamination of shellfish, to instigate appropriate control measures (e.g. depuration or relaying in clean waters) and to set end product standards.

However, the continuing occurrence of NV and HAV associated diseases linked to the consumption of shellfish that are fully compliant with end product standards suggests that reliance on the traditional faecal indicators does not adequately protect the shellfish consumer.

The project aimed to evaluate and validate the use of viral indicator organisms as alternatives to the recommended microbial contamination indicator, E. coli, in sewage contaminated shellfish and shellfish sold for direct human consumption.
A comprehensive review of existing sources of information was undertaken. This included scrutiny of published scientific/technical journals and analysis of existing in-house data.

This approach allowed the most promising candidate viral indicators to be identified.

The second phase of the research was to optimise methods to detect these viral indicators in the laboratory to permit their application to the complex matrix that constitutes shellfish tissue.

This was followed by the evaluation and validation stage, where selected alternative indicators were tested on 'real' samples during intensive series of field trials.

All samples were analysed for pathogenic viruses (NV and HAV) and E. coli. This allowed the performance of the alternative indicators to be compared both with the current microbiological indicator (E. coli) and the actual pathogens of interest in shellfish harvesting areas and as an endproduct test in shellfish available for human consumption.

Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the Food Standards Agency Research webpage.


text:
I posit that large prices of suicidal behavior by the adolescent Hispanic female stated for the high-level studies shall be understood just like the a social sensation, a product or service of specific parts of a brief history, tradition, ideology, otherwise social norms away from a certain neighborhood, and that therapy treatments has to take family and you can cultural issues on the believe. For over a good ong cultural and you will racial minority youthfulness on All of us, Latinas have the high rates out of self-destructive choices than the African Western and non-Hispanic Light teenage women. However, most other research shows that the emotional profiles regarding suicidal Latina teenage girls and chance facts to own Hispanic suicidal decisions might not become one to unlike low-Latina self-destructive adolescent girls. Exclusive state from adolescent Latinas involves the overlap away from cultural and you may familial activities (i.age., familism, acculturation, relatedness, self-reliance, an such like.) into developmental, personal, and you can individual items seem to from the self-destructive practices. According to which record, family-dependent treatments be seemingly the most appropriate method of the fresh new prevention and therapy of Hispanic suicidal ladies. Issues accused within the Latina suicidal behavior and community-oriented treatments that are included with the new teenage and her friends is actually advised.
Suicidal choices certainly Hispanic childhood has been considered to be higher when compared with low-Hispanic Grayscale young people (Locations having Problem Handle and you will Cures [CDC], 2003, 2006; Drug use and you will Psychological state Properties Administration [SAMSHA], 2003). Although data do not identify Latino young people from the nation out-of resource otherwise community, Latino step one youthfulness of one another sexes demonstrate consistently highest costs away from suicidal ideation, arrangements, and you may decisions than just the non-Hispanic alternatives, except for the category away from childhood appointed as “Other” (which has Indigenous American young people). In spite of the more than mediocre account out of suicidal conclusion certainly one of Hispanic youthfulness, their genuine pricing off suicides is lower than that from low-Hispanic Light and you may Indigenous Western teenagers, however, more than those of low-Latina Black colored youngsters.
Suicidal Decisions in the Latinas: Explanatory Cultural Situations and you can Implications to own Input
Even in the event these types of records establish findings off their epidemiological and you may logical look and findings produced by of many urban mental health clinicians handling Latino communities, empirical literature describing it dramatic change is pretty simple. With our present state of real information, we are not yet able to explain, with high level of empirical confidence, precisely what the causes are one to identify as to the reasons the fresh pricing out-of suicidal ideation and initiatives is highest certainly one of Latino youthfulness. On this page, we really do not purport presenting causes produced from rigorous, first-hand empirical research. As an alternative, i put knowledge from earlier lookup that have scientific observations and you can theoretic accounts-an educated education offered at this day and age-so you’re able to boost the insights in order to beginning to develop preventive treatments and you can providers to attenuate suicidal conclusion certainly one of Hispanic youthfulness. Until the empirical degree base are sufficiently advanced level, we should instead trust our very own best informed suggestions. Our very own attract is found on adolescent Latina female for their much high costs regarding suicidal conclusion than the lady and you can people round the ethno-social organizations.
New endeavor on the developing Latina teenage might be best recognized since a complicated overlap of forces-developmental process, social and you may peer class affairs, cultural way of living and you may bicultural pressures, book private properties (we.e., individual experience, emotional and you can psychological state, etc.), and you will friends character and interactions. Together with her, these pushes come together to check this lady psychological and you can emotional capabilities sometimes to withstand and you can eliminate issues when you look at the transformative means, drawing into personal resiliencies and you may mental pros, or even yield on it maladaptively, form the fresh new stage to own suicidal decisions (Moscicki & Crosby, 2003). A discussion of each and every ones forces on the first areas for the papers kits the foundation to have offered upcoming lookup and you may avoidance and you will intervention software. An abstract model having look one incorporates the newest sociocultural and nearest and dearest environment, developmental procedure, and you can personal psychology could have been complex by Zayas, Lester, Cabassa, and you will Fortuna (2005); not, the brand new design will not talk about entry factors to own preventive software otherwise healing interventions which have suicidal Hispanic teens.