Sandy Johnson is about an hour and 18 minutes from her home in Bloomfield, N.J., but here, almost everyone knows her by name. Taking up her own table, Johnson sits with 10 or so daubers decorated with Betty Boop in her usual scandalous attire.
Sandy Johnson is about an hour and 18 minutes from her home in Bloomfield, N.J., but here, almost everyone knows her by name.
Taking up her own table, Johnson sits with 10 or so daubers decorated with Betty Boop in her usual scandalous attire.
Betty sits nestled between various other objects, such as a wooden bear, an elephant figurine and a miniature ladybug. These objects all surround the table's centerpiece: the bingo boards.
"A lot of friends, for my birthday and Mother's Day, gave me gifts of daubers," Johnson said, sitting in Veterans of Foreign Was Post 2540 in East Stroudsburg. "I got a bingo cushion and bingo bag for my birthday ... my grandson gives me doo-dads for good luck." Johnson also owns a necklace adorned with beads and bingo balls that she swears she will never wear.
Johnson plays bingo every day on the weekend.
For the amateur bingo player, daubers are the markers players use to check off the numbers on boards.
A single bingo board is typically a five-by-five table. Each bingo board is considered a "phase."
At bingo halls, packets are usually sold containing six, 12 or 18 bingo boards on one sheet. Each packet contains as many sheets as there are games. These packets sell from $15 to $35, depending on the bingo hall and the number of phases you purchase.
Players should only play as many boards as they can handle.
"It doesn't matter how many you play — if you're going to win, you're going to win," said Audrey Braden of Wind Gap, who plays at Central Pocono Ambulance in Tannersville.
Some bingo halls still use regular wooden boards, while other halls use electronic computers that find the numbers for the player. Most halls, however, have converted to using paper boards.
According to Johnson, New Jersey banned the wooden boards because they were unsanitary.
And these bingo boards have more power than some may think. Armed with bingo daubers, a quick memory, and a lot of luck, a bingo player may win thousands of dollars in one night. In addition to money payouts, most players view bingo as a social activity complete with a cheap meal.
"I got into it because after the loss of my parents, I was depressed ... you get to meet people here," said Johnson, a bingo player for 10 years. "You can get an affordable dinner here complete with chicken, vegetables and a biscuit for three bucks."
Braden, who has played bingo for at least 60 years, agreed.
"I play to win, to get out of the house and enjoy myself," Braden said.
Johnson travels to Pennsylvania for bingo because there are more games offered. The bingo commission in New Jersey is, in general, more strict.
"They have a book about this thick," said Johnson spreading her hands apart about six inches. "Here, the book is a couple of pages."
In New Jersey, there might be eight to 11 games played, while some halls in Pennsylvania might play up to 30 games a night. This increases the odds of winning.
"Your odds of winning are every four games," Johnson said. "Granted, some win more than once, but usually it is different people. Here you have a one-in-four shot; in Jersey you have about one in 12."
Of course, your chances of winning change with the number of people in attendance.
Edna Hartung of Mount Bethel said she wins about once a month, playing once a week.
"If you are going (to play bingo) to win, you should stay in. Go for a cheap meal and to socialize; winning is a plus," Johnson said.
Mount Pocono resident Angela Ranzie won for the first time last week playing at Central Pocono Ambulance. She has been playing for about 30 years.
"I got a headache, I was so excited," Ranzie said, laughing.
Ranzie's friend, Genevieve Cuomo of Tannersville, plays because she likes to spend time with friends and win money. But she also notes another reason to play.
"It's therapy," Cuomo said, who also plays at Central Pocono Ambulance. "It's good for your memory. Doctors say it's good for older people and keeps the mind active."
Despite the draw, the popularity of bingo seems to be decreasing lately.
"The economy is hurting everyone, not just bingo, but all over the country," said Ron Counterman, game coordinator for the VFW Post in East Stroudsburg. "As far as bingo is concerned ... if the jackpot is up, people will be out. In the bingo world, word gets out."
Similarly, June Hallett, bingo co-chair at Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Co., said, "I wish more people would come back to playing bingo, but I think the economy is hurting everyone. A lot of bingo places shut down because of low attendance."
In addition, bingo is often thought of as a game strictly for senior citizens.
"I think there is a stigma on it for young people. They think only old people come, but once they come for their mom's birthday or something, they play and win and then you see them back every week," Johnson said.
Case in point, Denise Soehngen of East Stroudsburg started to play bingo at VFW Post 2540 because of her mother, Marie.
"I used to pick up my mother and ask if I would fall asleep, but now I love it," said Soehngen. She has been playing bingo for about 20 years.
Still, the bingo crowd seems to be dwindling.
"(The popularity of bingo is) decreasing over the last three to five years. A lot of our crowd is the older population. As they die off they are not replaced with younger ones," said Linda Smith, game coordinator for Central Pocono Ambulance. "The latest problem is casinos. They are taking business."


15" Natural Burlap Fabric
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The 15" Natural Burlap Fabric features the best Jute material available. Being strong, eco-friendly and easy to work with makes this fabric perfect for use in various projects but mainly in decorative and utilitarian types of projects including Curtains, Burlap Bags, Wallpapers, Theatrical Projects, Arts, and Craft uses, Fashion Accessories, Shoes, Agricultural and Garden Use.
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Josh McRoberts (ankle) improving
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford says he expects starting power forward Josh McRoberts to return for Wednesday night's game against the Washington Wizards.
McRoberts has missed the last three games with a sprained left ankle.
Clifford said McRoberts felt "a lot better" during Tuesday's practice and "I would be confident that he'd be able to play" against Washington.
The Bobcats (39-38) trail the Wizards by one game in the race for the sixth seed in ...
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An Asian Labour Party canvasser had been abused, attacked and hit on the head with a bottle the previous day. This was a completely unprovoked attack. Two men have been arrested and I understand have been charged with racially motivated GBH. A local Police Officer was also apparently kicked in the head during the arrest of those later charged.
The canvasser had been on his way with 3 others to help out Anam Islam, the Labour Party candidate in the Forest Gate North by election, which is being held tomorrow (Thursday 14 July). I do not know if the attacker(s) were aware of the Labour Party connection but suspect this was purely yet another example of post Brexit racism.
Over 50 people turned up to the protest at very short notice including our local MP, Lyn Brown and a number of Newham Councillors. It had been organised by Anam and Forest Gate North Labour Councillors but everybody was welcome and there was a wide range of people turning up to show solidary and give support. Thank you.
Check out Newham Recorder report on this event
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Process! I had the idea of taking old world mythology and placing it in a new world setting (a while ago in college I took a class in “Universal themes” that ended up studying a lot of greco-roman mythology - I’m not really convinced that mythology is universal at all, but still interesting on its own). Also it seems like it would be a good vessel for a little social commentary. Anyway this is supposed to be the Naiad of the Rio Orinoco (with a Orinoco crocodile playing the part of the river god). These are compositional thumbnails. I like thumb 2 the most personally, A big inspiration mood-wise for this piece is Waterhouse’s the lady of shallot and I think #2 captures the mood best of the four. Thumb 4 is the most dynamic but waaaaay to cheesecake for me. I managed to throw out my back though, so I’ve got plenty of time to plan this piece out at least ;p
Which one do you guys like best?

domain: artistic


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Dear city residents and taxpayers,
Like the rest of the city council, I was elected to represent the approximately 8,100 people that live in the city of Cambridge. I will continue to represent our friends and neighbors as long as they elect me to do so.
As city leaders, our mission is to represent the people of the City of Cambridge and make decisions in their best interest. I think recent decisions made by the Cambridge City Council not to annex certain parcels into the city of Cambridge are contrary to our mission.
There are seven parcels located along 16th Avenue S.E., a city street. Six of the parcels are located in Isanti Township, and one is located in Cambridge Township. The property owners enjoy access to their properties via the city street system and are completely surrounded by Cambridge corporate limits. As these properties are not in the corporate limits of Cambridge, they do not contribute to the Cambridge coffers,where the funding for city street maintenance is derived. Additionally these property owners will not pay their fair share of the projected improvements of 16th Avenue S.E., leaving the rest of us with the bill. My argument is and has been that these properties have the same benefit as those properties already within the corporate limits, and, therefore, they should be brought in if for no other reason than to pay their fair share.
I am the only member of Cambridge City Council voting to represent city taxpayers on this issue. The council members voting not to annex these properties failed to do their job—they failed to do what is in the best interests of those they represent, city residents and city taxpayers. I am inclined to believe that many of the taxpayers in the city agree with me on this issue. Please e-mail to your Cambridge City Council. Their e-mail addresses can be found on the city’s website; www.ci.cambridge.mn.us
Robert Shogren, Councilman & taxpayer
City of Cambridge

domain: geography


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Design & Drawing: Jun Zhou
Art Director: Fenger Zhang
Client: Hunan Education Press Group CO.Ltd
The wizard gave Lanck a Rubik's Cube, but when Lanck touched the cube, he gained into a magic world! Now he is inside a Rubik's cube world, could you help him towards destiny and find 3 magic graphics on the wall?
black and white comp


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Karl Barth's Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology: Its Genesis and Development 1909-1936 (BOK)
1 099,00 1 09900
Sendes vanligvis innen 7-15 dager
'McCormack is master of this voluminous material. He is scrupulously at home in the intricate, dramatic background of Swiss socialist politics ...The result is a masterly study, often as compelling as its theme.' - George Steiner, Times Literary Supplement; 'This meticulous and definitive study ...supersedes most previous interpretations.' - Colin Gunton, Theological Book Review; 'it should quickly attain classic status. It is an exceptionally fine and erudite piece of work...The results of this painstaking attention to detail are truly ground-breaking. This is a major intellectual achievement, an interpretative act of great courage, and Barth studies will never look the same.' - Graham Ward, Expository Times. This book is a new, major intellectual biography of perhaps the most influential theologian of the twentieth century, Karl Barth. It offers the first full-scale revision of the well-known theologian Hans Urs Balthasar's seminal interpretation of Barth, which was first published in 1951. Drawing on a wealth of material, much of it unpublished during Barth's lifetime, as well as a thorough acquaintance with the best of recent German scholarship, Professor McCormack demonstrates that the fundamental decision which would control the whole of Barth's development - the turn to a new, critically realistic form of theological objectivism - was already made during the years in which Barth was at work on his first commentary on Romans. Professor McCormack further argues that the most significant subsequent decisions - both material and methodological - were made in Barth's Gottingen Dogmatics of 1924/5, and not later in the 1931 book on Anselm, as has often been alleged. Finally, he seeks to show that von Balthasar's description of a turn from dialectic to analogy, which provided the foundation for the neo-orthodox reading of Barth in the English-speaking world, fails to take seriously enough the extent to which dialectic remained a constitutive feature of Barth's outlook in the Church Dogmatics. This unique and important work provides not simply a fresh interpretation of Barth's development, but also a new paradigm for understanding the whole of Barth's theology.

domain: library


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In April’s Canadian Fashion Heroes special, FLARE profiled Calla Haynes and Mark Fast. Since then, their careers have moved at a clip speed. It was just announced that both designers have been nominated for the prestigious ANDAM Fashion Award, beating out 62 other top-tier candidates. The other nominees are France’s Alexandre Vauthier and Bouchra Jarrar, Turkey’s Hakaan Tildirim and Italy’s Francesco Scognamiglio. The contest was founded over twenty years ago by Yves Saint Laurent’s partner and prolific supporter of culture, Pierre Bergé. Vogue Paris‘ Carine Roitfeld is serving as chairwoman, overseeing a panel of judges that includes Lanvin designer Abler Elbaz, The Daily Telegraph’s stalwart fashion director Hilary Alexander and Colette’s Sarah Lerfel. The Hudson’s Bay Company is also serving as an official partner with the award–an exciting part of The Bay’s move to become an international fashion mecca. The winning designer will be announced on June 28th and receive a $300, 000 prize. Fingers Crossed for Team Fast and Haynes. Win or loose, it appears 2010 is turning into the year Canadian fashion took its place on the world stage.
Two favourite fashion flag bearers get nominated for France's ANDAM Award
FILED UNDER: Mark Fast


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DAYS TO HARVEST
Sow beets ~1/2-1″ deep after soil has warmed to around 45 degrees.
Prefers full sun
pH 6.5 – 6.8. can tolerate a pH of 6.2 – 7.
Greens 3″ and taller
Beet seeds are actually a cluster of ~2-6 seeds. Sow thinly about 1-3″ apart. After germination, snip or pull out the weaker seedlings out of the cluster.
Beets can tolerate some cold and roots can remain in the ground until a hard freeze.
Thin and use the greens as they become 2-3″ and taller. The outer beet leaves can also be harvested for continual leaf production. Small beets can be harvested around 55 days after germination.
Beets grow well when paired with beans, leeks, kohlrabi, garlic, and onions.
USES & COOKING SUGGESTIONS
This variety is usually grown for its richly colored red-purple tops. Greens can be added to brighten up a salad or steamed or sauteed to bring out their delectable, buttery flavor!

domain: agronomy


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Mosie Lister was born in Cochran, Georgia, on 8 September 1921. He was one of the original members of The Statesmen Quartet. He was their original lead singer in 1948. There is apparently no relation, other than their association with The Statesmen Quartet, between Mosie and Hovie Lister.
Like Hovie, Mosie was a Baptist minister and also a singer. In addition to being a singer, Mosie was also a songwriter with over 700 songs and arrangements to his credit. His songs have been recorded by many of the great Southern Gospel music groups as well as by individuals such as Elvis Presley and Loretta Lynn.
A few of the songs written by Mosie Lister are:
Thomas Mosie Lister, a US Navy WWII veteran, died at age 93 on 12 February 2015, and is buried in Franklin, Tennessee.
This is an especially moving version of Then I Met the Master with an aging Jake Hess singing. Jake knows he's going Home soon at this point, and it is a very emotional recording.
Then I Met the Master
Find a Grave
Wikipedia - The Statesmen Quartet
Wikipedia - Thomas Mosie Lister


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May 17, 2023
Natural History of Native Bees
May 17, 2023 7 p.m.
Location: Auburn Library, 350 Nevada St, Auburn
Presenter: Steve Peterson, Ph.D.
Steve Peterson, Ph.D., runs Foothill Bee Ranch in Foresthill. He has many years of experience managing blue orchard bees and alfalfa leafcutting bees in a diversity of crops such as almonds, cherries, plums, strawberries, alfalfa seed, carrot seed, onion seed and lettuce seed. His bees are sourced from populations native to the Sierra foothills for use in California. Steve captivated his audience at the 2022 CNPS conference when he described his research on and experience with our native pollinator, the blue orchard bee.
In person at Auburn Library, 350 Nevada St, Auburn.
We hope to also make this available on Zoom. This will be our first time trying to do a hybrid meeting. If we can pull this off, it will be at:
- Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 837 9185 1095
- We’ll post a YouTube option here if we get this set up.
If we can record this and post it on our Redbud YouTube channel afterwards, we will. If not this time, we’ll try for our next program.
Hello, looks like an in-person event, is there a cost for Redbud members? Do I just show up or where to register?
Hi Paul, For the Jennifer Jewell event March 11, tickets are $20. The link for tickets is https://jenniferjewell_gv.eventbrite.com/
That’s also in the Redbud page for this event. This is our first paid event is maybe five years or so. The speaker is very special, quite well-known, and the event is co-sponsored with Master Gardeners of Nevada County. Tickets will also be available at the door before the program. We are now doing a mix of in-person and online events. The May 17 program (See Redbud Events page) is free and in-person. Hope you can come to one or both of these!
This is an in-person event (though we are planning to try also doing Zoom; if that works, it would be hybrid). This and almost all Redbud events are free. It is open to all, both members and the general public. Just show up (and say “hi”)!

domain: hobby


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New York, 20 November 2006– On the Universal Day of the Child, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, wishes to highlight the terrible toll that war takes on the lives of children living in situations of armed conflict.
Because violence continues to be perpetrated at an alarming rate, thousands of children’s lives are adversely affected. Their resulting mental and physical traumas represent a grave threat to durable peace and sustainable development, as cultures of violence are perpetuated.
“Children deserve protection. Violations of children’s rights must stop, impunity must end”, urges Radhika Coomaraswamy.
The UN Special Representative reiterates that “for the sake of the children and the future generations, all parties in conflict must take their responsibilities seriously and ensure that the appropriate action is taken to restore a protective environment for children.”
Radhika Coomaraswamy also wishes to pay a special tribute to all the efforts made by the international community, Member States, local civil society and the UN system in trying to tackle the issues related to children in armed conflict.
Today, in more than 30 countries in the world, children continue to be directly or indirectly affected by armed conflicts. They are killed or maimed, made orphans, abducted, victims of sexual violence, deprived of education, denied access to humanitarian assistance, and uprooted from their homes.
For further information, please contact:
Laurence Gerard, Liaison Officer, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children Affected by Armed Conflict, United Nations, New York. Telephone: 1 212 963 0984 – firstname.lastname@example.org – www.un.org/children/conflict

domain: sociology


Taiwan, South Korea to extend visa-free duration
Taiwan and South Korea have agreed to extend bilateral visa-free privileges from 30 days to 90 days beginning July 1, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Relations between the two sides have been close, with frequent visits among the people over the past few years,” MOFA’s deputy spokesman Steve Hsia said June 21.
“To bring more convenience to the people, we have been actively negotiating with the Korean government on the issue. Once the new policy takes effect, tourism and exchanges among students during summer and winter vacations between both sides will be more convenient.”
His views were echoed by a parent surnamed Chang, who told the local newspaper Apple Daily that the new policy will make it easier for her children to enroll in short-term language classes in South Korea.
Taiwan and South Korea granted each other’s citizens visa-waiver privileges in 2003, while direct flights between the two were resumed in 2005.
Statistics released by the Tourism Bureau under the ROC Ministry of Transportation and Communications show that bilateral visits have grown from 550,723 in 2005 to 666,168 in 2011.


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TCM Archive Materials VIEW ALL ARCHIVES (0)
|Also Known As:||Died:|
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COMPLETE FILMOGRAPHY WITH SYNOPSIS
Art Department (feature film)
Gertrude Lawrence rises to stage stardom at the cost of happiness.
A small-town girl hits the big city in search of romance Roaring Twenties style.
Rosie is a sweet, rich and generous woman, especially when is comes to giving money. Daughters, Mildred and Edith, are worried that she will spend all their inheritance, so they plan to have Rosie put away in a home and have her legally declared insane. When Daphne,(Rosie's devoted and caring grand-daughter), over hears their plan, she vows to help her grandmother win.
A fallen woman on trial for murder is defended by the son she abandoned years earlier.
When a psychiatrist refuses to marry until her patients are cured, her fiance sets out to do the job himself.
A struggling artist fakes his own death to sell more paintings.
An updated remake of It Started With Eve (1941). A young heiress is summoned to the bedside of her dying grandfather. The man's last wish is to meet her fiance, but problems arise when the fiance is delayed and a young chemical engineer is persuaded to take his place. When the grandfather suddenly (and secretly) recovers, he uses the situation to his advantage - playing matchmaker in an attempt to ensure his granddaughter's happiness.
A middle-aged postmistress falls for an engaged man during a convention in New York.
A doctor tries to cope with his wife's newfound stardom as an advertising pitch woman.
A World War II Army psychiatrist tries to help his battle-shocked patients.
Jane's car breaks down and she makes her way to a nearby estate, owned by a mysterious man named Caligari. Soon she finds that she has become a virtual prisoner, and none of the strange inhabitants of the estate are willing or capable of helping her escape. Caligari reveals himself as a passive pervert, showing her filthy pictures, spying on her, and trying to make her talk about intimate details of her life. She attempts to free herself by the only means at her disposal.
Rich socialite, Sandra Dee meets and marries photographer Bobby Darin and attempts to "train" him to be the perfect husband. Look for a very young Stephanie Powers as the devious friend .
Third screen version of the classic romance about a woman sacrificing everything for love of a married man.
A refugee travels to Chinatown as a mail-order bride.
A swamp girl decides to go to college to improve herself.
A group of friends plot to rob a Las Vegas casino.
A small-town lawyer gets the case of a lifetime when a military man avenges an attack on his wife.
In this legendary Gershwin opera set among the black residents of a fishing village in 1912 South Carolina, Bess - a woman with a disreputable history - tries to break free from her brutish lover Crown after he becomes wanted for murder. The only person willing to overlook her past and offer her shelter is the crippled Porgy. Their relationship is threatened by the disapproval of the townspeople, the presence of her old drug supplier Sportin' Life - and the threatened return of Crown.
Educated but hot-headed Mitch Baker travels to the border town of Mission intent on avenging the death of his secret service father at the hand of contraband gang leader Newton.
When his brother is murdered, a gunfighter comes out of retirement.
A singer rises from sordid beginnings to fame and fortune... only to lose it all.
A British lawyer gets caught up in a couple's tangled marital affairs when he defends the husband for murder.
A silversmith is charged with engraving the Holy Grail.
Detective Mike Hammer fights to solve the murder of a beautiful hitchhiker with a mysterious connection to the Mob.
A big-city gambler bets that he can seduce a Salvation Army girl.
Betrayed by his manager, a master magician uses his skills to seek revenge.
Gunmen take over a suburban home to plot a presidential assassination.
Hitchhiker Johnny McBride is badly hurt and loses his memory when the car he is riding in crashes. Two years later, a clue leads him to his old home town, where he finds he is a murder suspect. Johnny tries to discover the truth about the murder, while pursued by gangsters and several seductive women.
Story of the career of Los Angeles Rams football great, Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch.
Allied soldiers race to rescue a Japanese admiral held by Chinese warlords.
A divorced socialite joins the Army hoping it will improve her love life.
A legendary pirate captures a Spanish galleon and tries to claim a countess as his bride.
A notorious outlaw tries to go straight, only to be framed by his former gang.
Expectant parents Joe and Betsy Bennett anxiously await the arrival of their new baby. Then after the baby arrives, they discover the unpleasant side of parenting: sleepless nights, extra bills and no more free time.
The storytelling shoemaker falls for a married ballerina who stars in one of his stories.
Based on the true story of the 1987 Oxford University boat race mutiny and coach Dan Topolski's miraculous training of a haggard, rag-tag team into a winning outfit.
The head of the Texas Ranger enlists two convicts to track an outlaw band.
The famed silent screen star is torn between love and his career.
The draft and the Korean War threaten a small-town romance.
A woman sets her hat for a man who's inherited a million dollars.
A telephone repairman gets mixed up with illegal gambling.
One of Davy Crockett''''s descendants leads a wagon train through perilous territory.
The FBI and Scotland Yard join forces to stop security leaks at a nuclear power plant.
Two wealthy young men try to commit the perfect crime by murdering a friend.
Claudette Colbert wakes up in the middle of the night on board a train, but she can't remember how she got there. Danger and suspense ensue.
A shy milkman gets into boxing when he turns out to have a killer punch.
A murdered nightclub star possesses a mild-mannered look-alike to bring his killers to justice.
A hypochondriac''''s imagined illnesses aren''''t enough to keep him out of the military.
A cowardly knight rescues a disguised princess from pirates.
A ship's stoker becomes obsessed with a society beauty who finds him repulsive.
An unemployed reporter tracks down a Nazi spy ring to get his job back.
Ukrainian villagers unite to fight off invading Nazis.
Baseball legend Lou Gehrig faces a crippling disease at the height of his success.
A gambling queen uses blackmail to stop a British financier from closing her Chinese clip joint.
A group of professors takes in a nightclub singer hiding from the law to protect her gangster boyfriend.
A young man is caught between his music-hating uncle and a pretty girl from a family of musicians.
A governess becomes the center of a wealthy family after her employer's wife dies.
An ambitious woman takes on her corrupt brothers and honest husband in her drive for wealth.
Two composers vie for their lady manager's heart as they head for Broadway.
A young bride is terrorized by the memories of her husband's glamorous first wife.
Classic tale of Scarlett O'Hara's battle to save her beloved Tara and find love during the Civil War.
A reporter and a detective team up to expose a ring of jewel thieves.
A female novelist doesn't realize her new friend is the wife whose husband she's trying to steal.
Please support TCMDB by adding to this information.Click here to contribute


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Reviews reflect patients' level of satisfaction with the care they received from this provider. Dr. Maitreyi Mazumdar xhas an overall rating of 1.0.
Dr. Maitreyi Mazumdar, MD is a Doctor primarily located in Boston, MA. She has 20 years of experience. Her specialties include Child Neurology and Neurology. Dr. Mazumdar is affiliated with Metrowest Medical Center - Framingham Union Hospital, Cape Cod Hospital and South Shore Hospital. She speaks English.
Find out the languages this doctor/ or staff may speak.
Learn where this doctor attended medical school.
Specialties & Expertise
Dr. Maitreyi Mazumdar has the following 2 specialties and 2 board certifications.
For the best health care, select a doctor who specializes in your medical condition.
See the board certifications this doctor has received. Board certifications provide confidence that this doctor meets the nationally recognized standards for education, knowledge and experience.
Get the facts about clinical depression, including the symptoms and related depressive disorders.
Locations & Directions
Dr. Maitreyi Mazumdar, MD is similar to these 3 Doctors near Boston, MA.

domain: medical


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Doctor X – Gekai Daimon Michiko
Review by David Cirone
Teito University Hospital is holding a special seminar on patient feelings, guiding its surgeons through polite small talk to avoid lawsuits and monster patients. A better bedside manner is encouraged for all, especially Michiko Daimon.
The bureaucratic nature of the hospital is in overdrive, the staff is busy reading patient comments from suggestion boxes as cooking expert and popular blogger Hanayama visits the hospital for treatment. Hanayama has esophageal cancer, and she’s worried about losing her appetite if she undergoes surgery.
Daimon rejects Hanayama’s home-cooked gifts, disgusted by the taste. The fact that the patient’s recipes are good but her cooking is bad makes Daimon suspicious.
Hara (Kosuke Suzuki) is assigned as lead surgeon for the procedure, but Hanayama still hasn’t given her consent. Hanayame brings her lawyer to the consultation, and Hara brings Daimon as his assistant.
Hara is on his best behavior (he took great notes at the seminar), but he’s not getting any closer to the consent they need to move forward. Frustrated by Hanayama’s complaints and worries, Daimon tells her directly that the surgery is urgent. Shocked and offended, Hanayama’s lawyer threatens a lawsuit and demands apology.
Daimon doesn’t back down, and when Hanayama suddenly takes a turn for the worse, Daimon speeeds her into surgery without the necessary consent forms. Torii wants it stopped, but director Busujima sees the situation as a win-win. Since Daimon’s not officially a hospital employee, she’ll take the blame alone if the surgery fails. But if it’s a success, the hospital’s fame will increase.
Hara believes in Michiko, and volunteers to be first assistant in the emergency procedure. Anesthesiologist Hiromi Jonouchi (Yuki Uchida) even leaves her daughter’s sports competition to stand by Daimon’s side, but warns her to not call her on weekends again.
Even though the surgery was a success, Hanayama still sues the hospital, claiming the surgery permanently damaged her sense of taste, but Daimon identifies a second tumor that other doctors overlooked. Hanayama agrees to the second surgery in Daimon’s hands.
NO SMALL TALK
Daimon seems to be the only one paying attention, and she’s the only one who pieces together the clues about Hanayama’s second tumor. Teito University Hospital may have a lot of old-school surgeons, but they can’t all be idiots. Daimon continually refuses small talk with her peers, but in this episode she doesn’t even talk medicine with them.
WITH A DASH OF COMEDY
The secret video of Daimon played during the seminar is a pretty funny, as are some of the anonymous complaints pulled from the suggestion box: “The staff is too ugly. Please hire better-looking people.”


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Judge Dredd is a skirmish tabletop miniatures game for two or more players set in the Judge Dredd universe created by legendary comic creators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. In it, Street Judges patrol the towering City Blocks and crammed streets of the vast megalopolis Mega-City One, a city full of criminals, gangs, crazies, and murderers. Only the uncompromising resolve of the Judges stands in the way to total lawlessness.
In Judge Dredd, players take control of a small team of Judges or Perps as they fight for justice or survival in the mean streets of Mega-City One and beyond.
This book contains all the rules you need to play Judge Dredd, including scenarios, weapon rules, and profile lists to create your own patrol of Judges and criminal gangs for them to sentence.
The Judge Dredd rulebook contains everything you need to know about playing the game and includes rules for fighting within buildings and using vehicles. As well as a number of scenarios, there are rules for developing your chosen faction in a series of linked games.

domain: entertainment


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This is incredible
Technology is currently being developed that would allow a computer to translate brain signals into speech.
If you know anyone that has ever had a major stroke, or dealt with ALS - you understand what a game changer this can be
The NY Times wrote the article:
Now, scientists are reporting that they have developed a virtual prosthetic voice, a system that decodes the brain’s vocal intentions and translates them into mostly understandable speech, with no need to move a muscle, even those in the mouth.
The new system, described on Wednesday in the journal Nature,deciphers the brain’s motor commands guiding vocal movementduring speech — the tap of the tongue, the narrowing of the lips — and generates intelligible sentences that approximate a speaker’s natural cadence.

domain: news


Title (german): VOB Vergabe- und Vertragsordnung für Bauleistungen - Teil C: Allgemeine Technische Vertragsbedingungen für Bauleistungen (ATV) - Estricharbeiten
Title (english): German construction contract procedures (VOB) - Part C: General technical specifications in construction contracts (ATV) - Laying of floor screed
Document type: Standard
Publication date: 2012-09
ATV DIN 18353 "Laying of floor screed" has been kept at the status of the April 2010 edition by the German Committee for construction contract procedures (DVA). Only the reference to the VOB/A has been updated in clause 0. It applies for the manufacture of screed from screed material, including the required separating, insulation and protective layers.
Document: referenced in


Once you can keep the plane up for 24 hours, you can go anywhere
Non-manned solar powered planes is already capable of remaining airborne for many days since a few years ago. The problem with manned planes is twofold - the crew adds considerable weight, and it gets really cold in the night - and there's still not enough capacity in the batteries to fly and heat all the night at the same time. So no heating. And it gets pretty cold up there.


12 Sep 2007
Alcatel-Lucent's CDMA base station 2400 is a high-performance, microcell-type unit that enables wireless operators to enhance the coverage and performance of their CDMA networks. This "zero footprint" base station - which can be deployed in locations such as utility poles and the sides of buildings - allows mobile operators to quickly and cost-effectively fill coverage holes and add capacity in high-traffic areas such as shopping malls and city centers.
It supports cdma2000 1X, 1xEV-DO and Revision A services, enabling both high-quality voice and high-speed data services such as streaming video, web browsing, VoIP and more.
Web site: www.alcatel-lucent.com


H OUSING AND COMMUNITY
OUSING AND COMMUNITY
May 28, 2008
Commissioners' Conference Room
Commissioner Stewart presided with Commissioners Bill Fleenor, Bobby Green, Sr, Joe Inman, Peter Sorenson, Faye Stewart and DeWanda McKinley present. Bill Dwyer was excused. County Administrator Jeff Spartz, County Counsel Teresa Wilson and Recording Secretary Melissa Zimmer were also present.
1. PUBLIC COMMENTS
2. COMMISSIONERS' REMONSTRANCE
3. REGULAR BUSINESS
a. REPORT/Review of Audit Report.
Larry Abel, HACSA, reported their budget situation is grim. He said their public housing operating subsidy is being pro rated at 81 percent, or a $321,000 reduction and their Section 8 Administrative fee has been prorated by 86 percent or a $287,000 reduction. He indicated they are receiving enough Section 8 housing assistance to fully fund their 2,639 vouchers. He noted they havenít received their budgets for this calendar year
b. REPORT/Final Report to the Board on the Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) Results for Fiscal Year 2007.
Chuck Hauk, HACSA, reported that every year since 1998 HUD has evaluated HACSA in four major areas: physical status, financial condition, management proficiency and resident satisfaction. He indicated they went up from a 92 to a 95 score. He commented that it was a concerted effort by everyone.
c. ORDER 08-5-28-1H/In the Matter of Authorizing the Executive Director or Deputy Director to Enter into a Purchase Agreement for Hawthorn Apartments in Eugene.
Jim McCoy, HACSA, explained that this item authorizes HACSA to purchase the Hawthorn Apartments in Eugene. He said the complex is located at 29th and Willamette and consists of 35 units and was originally constructed in 1982 by a group of private investors. He noted the owner of the project approached Shelter Care, to sell the project to them. He said they looked at a number of alternatives. He added that the best one from an efficiency point of view with public resources for affordable housing was for HACSA to step in with the existing mortgage, borrowing low assistance money from the city of Eugene to refurbish the project and bring it up to current accessibility standards. He said when the existing mortgage is paid off, then HACSA would sell it and put the money into Shelter Care.
McCoy indicated that his attorney wrote the purchase option.
Wilson stated that County Counsel hadnít evaluated the purchase option.
Green supported the item. He thought it was an opportunity for more stable ownership.
MOTION: to approve ORDER 08-5-28-1H.
Green MOVED, Sorenson SECONDED.
d. ORDER 08-5-28-2H/In the Matter of Authorizing the Executive Director or Deputy Director to Assume 99% Limited Partnership Interest of Housing Outreach Fund in Richardson Bridge Limited Partnership.
McCoy reported that the Richard Bridge apartments were built in 1992. He indicated that it was his first project at HACSA. He said they will end up with the project and it will cost them one dollar. He asked the Board to accept the 99 percent to be sold off and to operate it as a fully owned HACSA project.
MOTION: to approve ORDER 08-5-28-2H.
Green MOVED, Fleenor SECONDED.
4. CONSENT CALENDAR
a. Approval of Minutes:
February 20, 2008, HACSA, 9:00 a.m.
MOTION: to approve the Consent Calendar.
Green MOVED, Fleenor SECONDED.
5. EXECUTIVE SESSION as per ORS 192.660
There being no further business, Commissioner Stewart adjourned the meeting at 9:55 a.m.


Oil price falls toward $94 on supply increase
The price of oil fell Thursday after data showed that inventories of crude continued to rise in early April.
Benchmark oil for May delivery was down 17 cents to $94.47 per barrel at late afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract finished up 44 cents at $94.64 a barrel on the Nymex on Wednesday.
The American Petroleum Institute said crude inventories rose by 5.06 million barrels to 390.7 million barrels for the week ending April 5.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Energy Department said supplies grew by 300,000 barrels, or 0.1 percent, for the week to 388.9 million barrels. That puts U.S. oil supply at its highest level since July 1990.
While supplies are increasing, demand forecasts are being trimmed. An OPEC report on global oil demand predicted an increase of 800,000 barrels in 2013, down by 40,000 barrels from last month’s estimate.
Brent crude, which sets the price of oil used by many U.S. refineries to make gasoline, fell 25 cents to $105.54 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.
In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:
- Wholesale gasoline fell 0.3 cent at $2.862 per gallon.
- Natural gas added 4.1 cents to $4.164 per 1,000 cubic feet.
- Heating oil lost 0.8 cent to $2.94 per gallon.


Floyd Mayweather, as you most certainly already know, has never been shy about discussing money matters in public, the more money the better. He kept to that tradition in a big way on a recent episode of Kevin Hart's Cold As Balls podcast, telling the comedian that if he so chose he could fight in the UFC octagon and get paid billions of dollars to do so.
As Money himself tells it, the UFC would be so eager to put Mayweather on one of their cards that they would be willing to shell out ten figures to make it happen. Here's Floyd:
"I can go get a deal right now from the UFC. Probably 3-fight, 4-fight, billion-dollar deal if that's what I wanted."
Some outlets quote Mayweather as saying that he could ink a "$3 billion or $5 billion-dollar deal" rather than the above, but in any case it's clear that he thinks he's worth a hefty sum to the UFC accountants. Another podcast highlight was Mayweather describing fellow fighter Conor McGregor as a "knock-off" of himself.
Taking his talents to UFC is an idea that both Mayweather and UFC's own Dana White have both floated in the past, but in actual likelihood the odds of it happening any time soon don't seem especially high. For one thing, Mayweather says he doesn't need the money:
"My life is great. Smart investments. I can buy whatever I want to buy, every month."
That's undoubtedly true, but a billion-dollar paycheck might prove hard to say no to, especially if you consider that his career earnings up to this point come to about $1.1 billion. As such, the hypothetical ten-figure check would be the most he's ever earned for a fight by far.
That's in a career that's been distinguished by some extremely big paydays. He's been earning at least seven figure purses going back to 2005, and soon after that he brought home eight figures when he earned $25 million to fight Oscar De La Hoya in 2007. Of course, those fights pale in comparison to the money he earned to face off against Manny Pacquiao in 2015, which brought him $250 million, or Conor McGregor (his "Caucasian knock-off" of himself) in 2017. For the more recent fight, Mayweather earned an incredible $300 million.
Then, of course, there are the millions he reportedly earns even in his relatively few endorsement deals. It all adds up to Mayweather often being cited as the highest paid pro athlete in the world, but a ten figure fight – if it did ever happen – would fire him even further into that stratosphere.


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Taking a look in the mirror every morning or once it’s time to wind down for bed, can be harder for some than others. Self-confidence and low self-esteem can be an issue for many and looking in the mirror can only make it worse.
However, there are some positive steps that can be taken in order to help boost this self-confidence that one may be lacking when one looks in the mirror. Here are some helpful tips that anyone can start implementing from now on.
How To Boost Self-Confidence When Looking In The Mirror
Say daily affirmations
Daily affirmations are a great way to help boost self-confidence, especially when many of us can deal with negative, internal thoughts of ourselves.
These daily affirmations don’t need to be too complex. They can focus on the simple goals in life like ‘I deserve happiness’ or ‘I am healthy’.
Saying these in the mirror may feel weird at first, but they can quickly become more normal once they’re said daily. Try to stick to it so that it creates a habit that will continue throughout life. It’s always good to have some daily positive thoughts being fired our way.
Look after the smile
A smile is one of the most influential parts of a face and when it comes to the smile, the quality of teeth can impact confidence in it. Seeing a dentist regularly is a great way of keeping on top of oral health hygiene and making sure that the teeth are glistening white.
Dentists have the power and technology to do a lot nowadays. Even those with oral health that has seen better days can get that perfect smile.
Stop negative thoughts as soon as they enter
Negative thoughts can enter the brain at any time and it’s self-sabotage that can be common with anyone, no matter how confident they may be.
A good habit to practice is stopping any negative thoughts that come into the brain. As soon as they enter, stop them in their tracks and replace them with something positive.
Give a compliment
Compliments are often given by other people but why can’t we give them to ourselves too? It’s often the case that we self-critique ourselves instead of building ourselves up. With that in mind, give a compliment. It doesn’t need to be anything to do with the visual appearance but could be a personality trait or quality that others often compliment on.
Note down these compliments so they can be repeated when needed.
Avoid looking when feeling low
It’s important to be aware when looking in the mirror, that sometimes it’s not good to do so. Whether it’s a low self-esteem day or those times when it’s simply not going to help, avoid looking in the mirror. Spend time, working on how to feel better internally without needing that visual validation from a reflection.
Boost self-confidence for mental wellness this year
Self-confidence can have a significant influence on mental well-being. With that said, focus efforts on boosting this to improve mental health this year and beyond.

domain: health


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Global BPO provider CSS Corp has announced plans to expand operations in Costa Rica by adding 100 more people to its payroll.
Chennai, India-based company currently has 760 employees in the Central American country and is running two delivery centers.
It first installed its office in Heredia in 2013, saying it was looking for bilinguals to provide tech support services to its clients in North America. Then in December 2017, it launched another delivery center in Tres Ríos, a small town about 12 km east of capital San Jose.
“Costa Rica’s central time zone makes it a favorable location for real-time collaboration globally,” says Jayagopi Andhoor, country head and vice president at CSS Corp, adding that the new hires will be taken on board over the next three months.
Global service providers are increasingly bolstering their operations in Costa Rica in recent months. British tobacco firm BAT and brewer Bacardi have also expanded their shared services centers in the country.
With more than 7000 engineers and 18 global locations, CSS Corp claims to be harnessing the power of AI, automation, analytics, cloud, and digital to improve customer experience.

domain: economics


text:
45% adrenaline, 25% schoolyard game, 20% circus acrobatics and 10% foam ball to the face: Dodge, dip, duck, dive…and fly. With dodge ball’s addition of a trampoline playing field the game is given a fun, challenging twist.
On March 13 Sky Zone held a tournament of about a dozen teams, 5-8 players each, to duke it out for a cash prize of $500. And so they battled, women and men alike,through the bracket to make it to the top spot and the grand prize. Though not yet announced, more tournaments lie ahead in 2013. Not into the intensity of cash dodge ball? Sky Zone has two separate playing fields open daily for those seeking a taste (or a practice session).
70 Pawtucket AveEast

domain: sports


The designated authorities referred 1,149 people to the prosecution for non-compliance with the preventive and precautionary measures in place in the country to contain the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19). Among them, 603 people were referred to the prosecution for not wearing masks, 532 for not adhering to the safe distance, and 14 for not downloading the Ehteraz app.
The measures are in line with the Cabinet decision and Decree Law No 17 of 1990 on infectious diseases, and the precautionary measures in force in the country to contain the spread of Covid-19. The authorities called on the public to adhere to the precautionary measures in place to ensure their safety and the safety of others.
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Qatar Airways to operate triple daily flights from Abu Dhabi commencing July 10
Dukhan Bank launches Qatar's 'first-of-its-kind' feature for private banking customers
Cesco participates in Millipol Qatar 2022
Qatar bans use of single-use plastic bags
Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue discusses confronting hate speech
Cabinet lauds outcome of Amir's Iran, Turkey visits and European Tour
Tickets go on sale for winner-takes-all FIFA World Cup 2022 play-offs at Qatar’s Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
What is Proctology: Everything you need to know
Qatar expresses sadness and regret over shooting incident in elementary school in the US


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Are you looking for real estate deals but are tired of the bidding war for deals on the MLS? Would you like pre-negotiated deals coming straight to your email with no competition? I focus on finding off-market deals that most investors would completely overlook. My strategy helps me find massively discounted deals with ZERO competition. Sign up at the link (in the image) today to start receiving deals in your email and reach your investment goals 10X faster.
Visit www.carolinawholesaleproperty.com to find deals
or text show contact info
desire flip location, property type you want and price range
do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers

domain: finance


2020 Chrysler 300 Overview
The 2020 Chrysler 300 is a full-size sedan with two engine options: a 292-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 engine and a more powerful 363-hp, 5.7-liter V-8. Both engines are mated to the same eight-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel drive comes standard, while all-wheel drive is available.
See other Chrysler models
Four trims are available: Touring, S, Limited, and C. The S is tuned to produce 300-hp with the 3.6-liter V-6.


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Dive into Amsterdam’s charm with a captivating open boat canal cruise, and discover the benefits of booking with GetYourGuide. Explore this unique experience and make your reservation today!
As a seasoned travel writer, I’ve had the privilege of exploring some of the most picturesque corners of the world. But there’s something about Amsterdam that keeps calling me back. Its rich history, stunning architecture, and the intricate network of canals that wind through the city make it a traveler’s paradise.
This time, I decided to delve deeper into the heart of Amsterdam’s charm with an Open Boat Canal Cruise, and I couldn’t have chosen a better partner for this adventure than GetYourGuide.
Setting Sail with GetYourGuide
Before I take you on this delightful journey through Amsterdam’s waterways, let me introduce you to GetYourGuide. This booking platform is a treasure trove for travelers seeking incredible experiences, and it’s no different when it comes to Amsterdam.
Whether you’re looking for skip-the-line tickets to iconic attractions or unique, off-the-beaten-path adventures, GetYourGuide has you covered. They even offer exclusive GetYourGuide Originals, which are specialized tours designed to provide the ultimate exploration experience.
Now, let’s embark on our canal cruise adventure.
A Quaint Beginning
Our voyage began in the heart of Amsterdam, near the bustling Dam Square. The open boat, a charming vessel with a rustic yet elegant ambiance, awaited us at the dock. As we boarded, the friendly crew welcomed us with warm smiles. I instantly knew we were in for a treat.
Cruising Through History
As the boat glided into the calm waters of the Herengracht canal, I couldn’t help but be awed by the elegant canal houses that lined our path. These iconic structures, with their distinctive gabled facades and ornate details, are a testament to Amsterdam’s rich history.
Did you know that some of these houses are so narrow because taxes were based on the width of the frontage? The guide on board shared fascinating tidbits like these about each building, adding depth to the experience.
A Feast for the Senses
One of the highlights of this cruise was undoubtedly the sensory feast it offered. The gentle lapping of water against the boat, the melodic chimes of church bells in the distance, and the tantalizing scent of fresh stroopwafels from a nearby vendor created a symphony of sensations that immersed us in the essence of Amsterdam. It’s worth noting that you can often purchase these delicious Dutch treats from vendors along the canals, adding an extra layer of authenticity to your experience.
Hidden Gems of Amsterdam Open Boat Canal Cruise
Our guide, a local Amsterdam enthusiast, made sure we didn’t miss the city’s hidden gems. We sailed down narrow canals that are inaccessible to larger vessels, revealing secret courtyards, quaint bridges, and tucked-away gardens.
It felt like we were uncovering Amsterdam’s best-kept secrets. A tip for travelers: Keep your camera ready, as you never know when you’ll stumble upon a picturesque scene that’s Instagram-worthy.
Art on Water
Amsterdam is a city synonymous with art, and our cruise did not disappoint in this regard. Passing under the iconic Magere Brug, or “Skinny Bridge,” I marveled at the ever-changing art installations that adorned the canal banks.
Amsterdam’s vibrant art scene was on full display. If you’re an art lover, consider visiting some of the city’s world-renowned museums like the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, which are conveniently located near the canal ring.
Evening Magic at the Amsterdam Open Boat Canal Cruise
As the sun began its descent, the city took on a magical glow. The shimmering reflections on the water lent an ethereal quality to the surroundings. It was the perfect setting for romance, and I couldn’t help but think that this cruise would be an ideal choice for couples seeking a memorable date night. Pro tip: Evening cruises tend to be less crowded, offering a more intimate experience.
The Benefits of Booking with GetYourGuide
Now, let’s talk about why booking this open boat canal cruise through GetYourGuide is the smart choice for travelers. First and foremost, the convenience of booking online means you can secure your spot well in advance. No need to worry about long queues or disappointment on the day of your adventure.
Secondly, GetYourGuide offers a price guarantee, ensuring you get the best value for your money. You won’t find these tours at a lower price elsewhere. Plus, their flexible cancellation policy provides peace of mind in case your plans change. When booking through GetYourGuide, you can also access exclusive deals and discounts, making your Amsterdam adventure even more budget-friendly.
So, dear readers, if you’re planning a trip to Amsterdam and want to experience its soul from a unique perspective, I wholeheartedly recommend booking the Open Boat Canal Cruise with GetYourGuide. It’s a journey that will immerse you in the city’s history, charm, and beauty like no other. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to create lasting memories.
In the words of Vincent van Gogh, “I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.” Let Amsterdam be the canvas for your dreams, and GetYourGuide your guide to turning them into reality. Book your canal cruise now and paint your own masterpiece of memories in this enchanting city. Amsterdam awaits you, and with GetYourGuide, the journey promises to be nothing short of extraordinary.

domain: travel


Do you know these warning lights?
We asked how many you can identify without resorting to Google?
Here are the answers - drop us an email to let us know your score out of 16.
2. Engine Management Light
4. Glow Plug / Diesel Pre-Heat Plug Warning
5. Traction Control
6. Fuel Light
8. Coolant / Anti-Freeze
9. Hazard Lights
10. Heated windscreen / Rear screen
11. Air Bag
12. Tyre Pressure
13. Fog Light (Rear)
15. ABS = Anti-lock braking system
16. Seat belt


Hello friends, Its been awhile since we've checked in. We've been all over the place since we released our last record. Here's what we've all been up to:
Daniel has been working and living in New York City, developing new music and generally being a rad dude.
Patrick lives in LA and is on tour forever this summer, mostly with the Phoenix, AZ band Dear and the Headlights. He's also playing in Cossack, Rock Dove and Mouse Kills Tiger. You can see tour dates for all of his shows at myspace.com/phinneytaylor.
Max is currently living in San Francisco and working on music. He's also recording and mixing different bands in the Bay Area. E-mail him at firstname.lastname@example.org if you want him to work on your record.
To respond to some of the questions we've been getting:
Are you playing any shows in the future? Maybe at some point, but now that we're no longer living in the same area, we have no plans to put together material for more shows.
Will the Tenebre 12" be released on CD? No. We like it on vinyl, and are trying to cut down on plastic waste. Those who want a digital copy can order it separately (in high quality mp3 or .wav format). The digital copy comes free with the vinyl.
How can I order the 12" or digital download? Go to soundcyst.com for the vinyl/digital bundle. There are also copies of the vinyl at various stores in the Bay Area, including Amoeba, Streetlight, and Metamusic.
Thanks for your support! We'll see you all again soon. love, -Tenebre
So our new record has been out for over a week now! Many of you already got your copies. The record is being stocked at Amoeba in San Francisco, with some other Bay Area stores stocking the record in the coming weeks.
You can still order the 12" at www.soundcyst.com and get a free digital download with your order.
Anybody who buys our record in stores or by hand can e-mail us (email@example.com) or Soundcyst (firstname.lastname@example.org) to get a free digital copy of the record.
Hello, So, after long deliberations, our record is finally here and ready to see release.
Tenebre 12" 1. Dust 2. Freedom 3. Platinum Standard 4. Soft Eyes 5. Sun Song First copies will be shipped out/available in stores Tuesday, August 19th.
We are still selling preorders here up until the day of the release. For those of you who haven't checked our last entry, we are giving away a special CD along with the LP titled Sun Song, which includes both material from the new record and older demos that never saw an official release. There have been only 300 of these made and are mostly available in Japan. We've been able to accommodate all preorders so far with a CD, but we can only accommodate another five preorders with CDs.
Additionally, all preorders come with digital downloads of the new album along with a download of our old full length, In Everything Give Thanks. Lots of music. After preorder season is finished we will still bundle the record with a digital download, but only of the new record.
For the time being, enjoy the new song we posted. It will be the last for a very, very long time. love, -The guys


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It must be hard to be nominated for a Golden Globe and go home empty-handed, but looking dazzling while losing is always a great consolation prize. Scandalist was absolutely in awe of the gorgeous gowns that floated down the red carpet last night at the Golden Globes. The ladies of Tinseltown did not disappoint – even if they left disappointed.
We’ve selected our Top 10 Best Dressed Losers from last night’s awards show for your viewing pleasure below. Anne Hathaway may have crumbled (so we imagine) after losing Best Actress to double-winner Kate Winslet, but at least she still looked stunning in her Armani Privé gown while weeping in a bathroom stall.
[Photos: Getty Images]

domain: celebrity


text:
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domain: chemistry


Hamas, Hezbollah leaders meet in Lebanon to discuss Israel
A Hamas delegation met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon on Saturday.
The delegation was headed by the head of the Gaza-based terrorist organization’s political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri, and deputy Hamas leader in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya. According to recent reports, al-Hayya’s standing within the terrorist group is on the rise. Al-Arouri is responsible for Hamas’s terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria.
Hezbollah-affiliated media outlets reported that the sides discussed the recent developments in the Palestinian arena, namely events in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The sides also reportedly discussed the future of the conflict with Israel and the political situation in the Middle East.
Several months ago, Hamas leader abroad Khaled Mashaal visited Lebanon in the aftermath of the December 10 explosion at the Burj al-Shemali refugee camp near Tyre. Killed in the blast was a Hamas engineer named Hamza Ibrahim Shahine, whose funeral turned into a gun battle between gunmen from Fatah and Hamas, reportedly leaving three people dead. Mashaal didn’t meet with Nasrallah at the time, and the belief is that the Assad regime’s animosity toward several of Hamas’s leaders was the reason why.
Read More: JNS


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Motherwell railway station
|This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008)|
|Scottish Gaelic: Tobar na Màthar|
|Motherwell railway station at Platforms 1 and 2. Trains running on the West Coast Main Line stop here.|
|Local authority||North Lanarkshire|
|Managed by||First ScotRail|
|Owned by||Network Rail|
|Number of platforms||4|
|Live arrivals/departures and station information
from National Rail Enquiries
|Annual rail passenger usage*|
|Passenger Transport Executive|
|PTE||Strathclyde Partnership for Transport|
|National Rail – UK railway stations|
|A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z|
|* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Motherwell from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.|
|UK Railways portal|
Motherwell railway station serves Motherwell in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), and is served also by Argyle Line trains of the Glasgow suburban railway network. It is the penultimate stop on the northbound WCML before Glasgow. There are four platforms of various length in use at Motherwell. The station is located next to the town's main shopping arcade, Motherwell Shopping Centre. Ticket Gates will be introduced in 2013.
The current Motherwell station was built to replace an earlier station which was opened by the Caledonian Railway at nearby Orbiston. As Orbiston station was quite some distance from the rapidly expanding Motherwell town centre, the decision was taken to build a station at 'Lesmahagow Junction', the point where the Motherwell Deviation branch of the Caledonian Railway Main Line met the lines to Mossend, Hamilton and Lesmahagow. This new site was conveniently in the heart of the town.
The current station was built by British Rail during the 1970s on the site of the original to coincide with the electrification of the West Coast Main Line. It has four through platforms, crossed by two overbridges with the main buildings being above the level of the line between Platforms 2 and 3. At platform level between Platforms 2 and 3 there is also a First ScotRail traincrew depot, staff car park and an office of the British Transport Police. These are accessible via a gated rampway leading to street level.
Beyond Platform 4 are some electrified sidings used for the stabling of trains overnight. Diagrams are nominally worked so that these units will only stay at Motherwell for one night before returning to their allocated depot.
Local services departing to and from the station are provided by First ScotRail and the majority of northbound services serve Glasgow Central (either terminating at the High Level station or passing through the Low Level station en route to Dalmuir or Milngavie), whilst southbound Argyle Line services terminate at Lanark or Carstairs.
All Glasgow bound/originated long distance services operated by Virgin Trains, East Coast, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express pass through Motherwell, bound for various destinations in England, although not all stop here.
Motherwell is unusual in that Glasgow Central can be reached via trains from three different platforms going in two different directions. Glasgow is generally north-west of Motherwell, but trains can depart via the West Coast Main Line and Motherwell Deviation going North, or by the Hamilton Circle going South. The same can also be said for services to Lanark, which is south-east of Motherwell. Trains can depart towards Lanark going south via Shieldmuir, or initially north, via Holytown.
Platform 1 is used for all southbound InterCity services as well as local services to Carstairs and Edinburgh. Services to Lanark alternate between this and Platform 4 every half hour. Lanark departures from this platform travel via Shieldmuir.
Platform 2 is used for all northbound InterCity services to Glasgow Central as well as local northbound services to Glasgow Central from Edinburgh and Carstairs. Services from Lanark to Glasgow Central via Bellshill also use this platform.
Platform 3 is used by all services to Cumbernauld as well as all services from Lanark to Glasgow Central via Hamilton. Services on the Hamilton Circle line to Glasgow which have arrived via Bellshill also use this platform. One train a day from Edinburgh via Shotts terminates here.
Platform 4 is used by all services on the Hamilton Circle to Glasgow which have arrived via Hamilton, as well as those terminating here to return via Hamilton. Services to Lanark alternate between this and Platform 1 every half hour. Lanark departures from this platform travel via Holytown.
During times of disruption such as the closure of the West Coast Main Line between Uddingston and Law Junction for engineering works, Virgin Trains services and those of CrossCountry can be diverted along the Hamilton Circle and Wishaw Deviation (and sometimes the line to Edinburgh via Shotts) and will use Platforms 3 and 4. Trains provided by East Coast will generally be suspended in this event as their drivers do not have the required route knowledge. In general, a replacement bus service will operate from Motherwell, and passengers from Glasgow are advised to travel to Edinburgh via Glasgow Queen Street.
The following services call at Motherwell,
ScotRail run most services from Motherwell, The service pattern is:
- hourly to Lanark via Holytown
- hourly to Lanark via Shieldmuir
- hourly to Cumbernauld via Coatbridge Central (starts here)
- half-hourly to Milngavie via Hamilton & Central Low Level
- half-hourly to Dalmuir via Bellshill
- every two hours to Edinburgh Waverley via Carstairs and to Central High Level.
A small number of peak period Argyle Line services via Hamilton are extended to/from Cumbernauld, whilst a single return service to/from Edinburgh via Shotts also operates (departing early morning eastbound to Edinburgh, returning late evening).
CrossCountry run a 2-hourly service to both Glasgow Central & Edinburgh via the East Coast Main Line. Services continue through to Newcastle, Leeds and Derby to Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads and Plymouth.
First Transpennine Express
First TransPennine Express provide 4 daily services, There are 2 to Glasgow Central and 2 to Manchester Airport, These are operated by either Class 350s or Class 185 Desiros
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Motherwell railway station.|


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Krounk, Hayrenikis Djour
Koon Yeghir Balas
Hasmik Harutyunyan with the Shoghaken Ensemble
Gorunce O Dilberi
Richard A. Hagopian, Hachig Kazarian, Buddy Sarkissian
Orchestre D'Instruments Traditionnels D'Armenie
The Sharakan Early Music Ensemble, Grigor Danielian, Anna Mailian, Margarit Sarkissian
The Sharakan Early Music Ensemble, Grigor Danielian
The Hassimavourk Choir, Mihran Ghazelian, Karineh Avetissian


This post is part of an ACSblog symposium marking the one-year anniversary of the landmark decision in Citizens United v. FEC. The author, Joseph Sandler, is a member of the firm Sandler, Reiff & Young P.C. and an election law expert. Sandler participated in an ACS panel discussion and ACSblog video interview about the decision last February.
From the vantage point of its one-year anniversary, the biggest surprise about the Citizens United decision was not the decision itself nor its consequences for the 2010 campaign. Rather, it was the successful effort by Republican and conservative forces to keep secret the sources of much of the independent expenditures made possible by that decision.
The collapse of disclosure - that the new wave of independent spending was marked by secret funding - was stunning for two reasons. First, of course, in CU the Supreme Court fully upheld the provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 requiring the disclosure of contributors funding independent broadcast ads referencing federal candidates and run close in time to an election ("electioneering communications"). Indeed, as the Campaign Legal Center's Paul Ryan points out in his own post on this blog, the CU majority clearly expected that the new freedom to use corporate and union funds to pay for independent expenditures would be accompanied by full disclosure. Justice Kennedy referred to a system "that pairs corporate independent expenditures with effective disclosure" and upheld "disclosure which permits citizens and shareholders to react to the speech of corporate entities in a proper way. This transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions. ..."
Second, that disclosure was vigorously opposed by Republican and conservative leaders and groups was an even bigger surprise. Keeping the identity of donors secret would seem to run counter to the fundamental tenets of conservative and free-market philosophy.
The successful functioning of free markets requires transparency. One of the fundamental strengths of the U.S. financial system has been the transparency of securities and some derivatives markets. The evasion of transparency - the off-market trading of derivatives with opaque terms - was of course closely associated with the recent financial collapse.
Free markets in ideas - a cherished ideal of conservative thinkers generally opposed to regulation of campaign finance - similarly require transparency. One of the most powerful rationales for not restricting sources and amounts of independent campaign spending is that if the voters know who is doing the spending, they can weigh the value of the message for themselves. Without disclosure, that rationale basically disappears. Thus, in his book Unfree Speech: The Folly of Campaign Finance Reform (2001), Professor Bradley Smith, a former Republican FEC Commissioner and leading opponent of campaign reform, wrote: "[W]e, as voters, are lazy. .... Knowing the sources of a candidate's campaign funds provides us with a shorthand method for estimating a candidate's probable stand on a variety of issues. ... Contributions, in short, are a bit like endorsements. We rely on our knowledge about the endorser to make quick relatively effortless judgments on the candidate. Thus there may be modest benefits to be had from a system that provides voters with information on the sources of campaign funds, through mandatory disclosure." (p. 224)
Some conservatives have argued that donors to independent expenditure groups have a legitimate First Amendment interest in keeping their identities secret because of fear of harassment. But the Supreme Court majority rejected that very rationale in the CU decision itself, in upholding the disclosure provisions of BCRA. Further, that notion commands little sympathy from the Court's own conservatives. In Doe v. Reed, conservative groups argued that the state should be barred from disclosing the names of persons signing a petition to put a state gay rights measure on the ballot in Washington State, because of the theoretical threat of harassment or intimidation. The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that the First Amendment did not bar disclosure. Justice Scalia, in his opinion concurring in the judgment, wrote, "There are laws against threats and intimidation; and harsh criticism, short of unlawful action, is a price our people have traditionally been willing to pay for self-governance. Requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage, without which democracy is doomed. For my part, I do not look forward to a society which...campaigns anonymously..."
The collapse of disclosure resulted from the ambiguity of the language of federal campaign finance law relating to the reporting of donors to groups paying for electioneering communications and paying for independent expenditures expressly advocating the election or defeat of federal candidates. In part, the problem stemmed from the fact that the disclosure provisions of BCRA were designed for a regime in which use of corporate and union funds for these expenditures and communications were not permitted or contemplated.
The disclosure problem could be solved, of course, through new congressional action. Unfortunately, the recent "DISCLOSE" Act was larded with foolish efforts to discourage independent expenditures (such as requiring corporate executives to appear in ads their companies help fund) and provisions aimed at thwarting "evasion" that became so twisted and obsessive that labor unions would have been unfairly burdened. By the time a "clean" disclosure bill was introduced, it was too late.
The question of how to change the result of Citizens United has been extensively debated and will not be revisited here. In the short term, at least, it appears that we will be living with corporate and union independent expenditures. As citizens we should know who is paying for them. And conservatives should be the first to say so. Conservative Republicans should show fidelity to their own principles and, in the new spirit of bipartisanship, join Democrats and progressives in supporting simple and sensible legislation that would mandate full disclosure of the sources of funding of independent expenditures.


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Influenced by the Green movement on the one hand and media giants like Martha Stewart on the other, more and more Americans are buying organic and gardening. There seems to be a renewed interest in the traditions of canning, preserving and bread baking. Some are even raising chickens and goats as part of the urban farming movement. It is no surprise then that a high-powered New York City couple, on a weekend trip upstate, would see a beautiful 200-year-old farm house and imagine it as a place to dig in the dirt, collect eggs and milk, and grow their own food. In THE BUCOLIC PLAGUE, author Josh Kilmer-Purcell chronicles the first couple of years he and his partner, Dr. Brent Ridge, spent as “gentlemen farmers” at the Beekman mansion.
The Beekman mansion in Sharon, New York, was built from 1802 to 1804. In 2006, Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge came upon the house and property. It had a “for sale” sign out front, and on a whim they called the real estate agent for a tour. Of course, they fell in love with the Beekman and decided to make it their weekend home. They had visions of heirloom vegetables in neat and tidy rows and summer parties straight from the pages of Martha Stewart Living. In fact, they had visions of hosting Martha herself as Ridge worked for her at the time. What they got instead was a herd of goats, a field full of human bones, a labor-intensive garden, a house full of dead flies, and a mail-order soap business.
Despite their love of the Beekman, the life they envisioned there was not so easy to achieve. The house was in need of repairs and the grounds in need of constant maintenance. Along with their caretaker, “Farmer John,” Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge began the work to make the estate a home. But their dreams for the property are not always the same.
While Kilmer-Purcell and Ridge did make many incredible friends in Sharon, started a successful business at the Beekman, and are now the stars of a new television show about the farm, the path to success was difficult and almost cost them their relationship. Commuting from their stressful jobs in the city to their stressful work at the Beekman every week as the economy began to collapse around them made the pair tense and even angry as they questioned the viability of keeping the Beekman. Kilmer-Purcell records it all with honesty. By the end, the Beekman’s future is unclear, but the couple seems on solid ground again.
THE BUCOLIC PLAGUE explores social identity, home and belonging, relationships and career paths, the pursuit of dreams, and more without being sappy or predictable. It is witty and fun to read. Yet there are moments of real clarity and insight, and those are the highlights of the book. Over the centuries, the Beekman grounds have been used as a cemetery (or, worse, a place where the bodies of slaves were simply discarded), and in tilling the soil Kilmer-Purcell comes into physical and emotional contact with the remains of the estate's previous residents. It is when he reflects on the compelling and often sad history of the property that his writing is at its best. His comparison of the “Martha” versus “Oprah” mentalities is funny and wise as well.
Readers may wish, however, that he pursued these trains of thought a bit more in the book. THE BUCOLIC PLAGUE is a good book, but if Kilmer-Purcell had just dug a bit deeper at some of his more introspective and thoughtful ideas, it could've been great. Still, his second memoir is a charming and entertaining look at a couple (and culture) in transition and the possibilities and perils of pursuing wild dreams.
Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman on December 23, 2010
The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir


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We LOVE to travel! We've photographed weddings all around the country, and if we didn't have 3 tiny children we'd probably do it all the time.
If you'd like us to travel to your wedding outside of the greater Washington DC area then please talk to us about the details. If it's feasible then we'll gladly be there. If it's not feasible for us both to come we can also look into one of us traveling.


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It may not be common knowledge to most, but diving in Southeast Asia is actually known to be at the top of the list of must-visit places for diving aficionados.
With numerous world class dive sites spanning the region, it’s easily a paradise for many a diver. The dive sites listed below all warrant a place on your diving bucket list, so make sure you visit at least one – or as we would recommend, visit all!
1. Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Remotely located off West Papua and relatively undisturbed by human activity, Raja Ampat – meaning “four kings” – offers some of the most pristine dives in the world.
The marine ecosystem around this “last Eden” has the highest recorded marine diversity in the world, with scientists discovering some 1,500 fish species, more than 500 coral species and almost 700 mollusk species.
In short, Raja Ampat is probably the greatest dive spot in Southeast Asia – and quite possibly on earth.
Most dive sites here require the Advanced Open Water certification, and many operators offer Basic Open Water and Advanced Open Water certification courses.
Mid-October to mid-April is the best time for diving here, while May to September is also possible despite it being a light rainy season.
2. Komodo Island, Indonesia
Komodo may be best known for its deadly and unusual Komodo Dragons, but make no mistake, it’s also one of the top dive spots in the world.
Teeming with colourful schools of fish and bright florescent corals, diving in Komodo gives you the opportunity to spot manta rays, sharks, turtles, dolphins, dugong, tiny pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs and frog fish.
Advanced Open Water qualification is recommended as currents are very strong on almost every dive. Beginners may dive in calmer areas, but the sights may not be as spectacular. Dive operators in Komodo do offer both beginner and advanced courses onsite.
The months between March and October offer the best dive conditions. The best time to spot manta rays is during the rainy season between December and February.
3. Sipadan, Malaysia
Sipadan is probably the most well-known and internationally-renowned of all dive sites in Malaysia, and for good reason.
Divers can see schools of barracudas and vortex-like trevally formations, to various pelagics such as reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, whale sharks and manta rays. Not to mention countless hawksbill and greenback turtles.
An Advanced Open Water certification is recommended to dive in most sites around Sipadan and its surrounding islands – Mabul and Kapalai. A Basic Open Water certification can get you by, but most of the good dives require the advanced qualification. Courses are available by dive operators onsite.
Sipadan is also blessed with having no monsoon season, therefore diving is great all year round. However, conditions for best visibility occur between the months of March and July.
4. Layang Layang, Malaysia
Layang Layang is a remote Malaysian island situated 300km north of Sabah, and is part of the disputed Spratly Islands claimed by China, Vietnam, Philippines and Taiwan.
Beyond the geo-politics of the region, Layang Layang, or sometimes known in English as Swallow Reef, is an “elite dive spot” that’s dubbed as Southeast Asia’s “wall diving Mecca”. Due to its remote location away from human activity, Layang Layang boasts tremendous visibility of about 50 to 60 metres.
The sites allow divers to see many large creatures such as sharks, turtles and manta rays, as well as a vast array of intact, unbleached hard and soft corals. However, the main draw for most divers is undoubtedly the chance to spot elusive schools of hammerhead sharks.
Layang Layang is a spot for experienced divers, so Advanced Open Water certification is required for most sites. It is possible to get advanced certification onsite.
Dive season is from March through to August. There is the seasonal monsoon the rest of the year. Do note, also, that hammerhead mating season is between April and May (which would be the most popular period of visit, so be sure to book your accommodation well in advance).
5. Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
Well-known for muck diving, strange little critters and underwater macrophotography, the Lembeh Strait in Manado is one of the most popular dive spots in Southeast Asia.
Due to its popularity, dive guides here are extremely seasoned and well-trained and will do their best to help divers seek out the most interesting lifeforms they can find. A Basic Open Water certification is sufficient to dive in the Lembeh Strait.
Macrophotography is a big focus for most divers who visit Lembeh Strait. View the video above for a taste of what you can spot.
Dive season is all year round, but the months from December to February are rainy, although it doesn’t really affect underwater visibility and macrophotography.
6. Similan Islands, Thailand
Beneath the crystal clear waters of these unassuming islands lie one of the top dive spots in Southeast Asia, and indeed the world as well (yup, yet another one in this region).
The Similan Islands offer the best underwater visibility anywhere in Thailand, and divers can see a diverse range of fish, including schools of blue fin trevally, jack tuna, bumphead parrotfish and – if you’re lucky – manta rays and even a whale shark.
As this area is largely uninhabited, divers will either have to join a live aboard boat trip, or take long arduous day trips from Phuket or Khao Lak.
An Advanced Open Water qualification is recommended for diving here.
Dive season is from December to April, with March being the best month to visit due to calm winds and clear waters. The area is closed between the months of May and November due to the annual monsoon.


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Americans will never allow Medicare to be gutted
The political theater in the United States this week has been all about the “debt ceiling”: Congress voting not to increase it; President Barack Obama and the House Republicans meeting to discuss it; and the Treasury warning that failure to raise it will bring economic apocalypse for the United States and the world.
Elites like to accuse ordinary Americans of a lack of political sophistication, but everyone from Main Street to Wall Street is savvy enough to understand that so far, the fighting over the ceiling is pure Kabuki. As with the budget deal earlier this year, the real negotiating is unlikely to happen until the very last minute.
But everyone also understands that this summer game of brinkmanship matters because it is a proxy war being fought over a very real problem: the growing national debt and deficit. At just under 60 percent of gross domestic product, the U.S. national debt is lower than that of France, Germany and Britain. And the rest of the world still seems delighted to lend the United States money on historically generous terms.
The need to tackle the deficit (although not how to do it) has become a national truth universally acknowledged. What nearly all Americans of all political stripes also understand is that the problem with the budget deficit is health care spending – which is why the most important economic initiative of the Obama administration not directly connected to the financial crisis and its aftermath was health care reform, and why the most important new economic policy proposal from the Republicans is Representative Paul Ryan’s proposal to transform Medicare.
But here is what no one can figure out: what Americans want when it comes to sickness and the state. One of the changes Americans decided to believe in when they elected Obama in 2008 was health care reform, a central plank in his political platform. Yet when he actually acted on his health care pledge, it suddenly seemed as if the issue were anathema to voters.
Obamacare became one of the most effective rallying cries in the 2010 midterm elections, and the Republicans were emboldened to make the opposite of Obamacare – a cut in state support of health care, instead of an extension of coverage – the centrepiece of the most important conservative initiative this year, Ryan’s budget proposal.
But the right’s plan to cut back on state-supported medical coverage seems just as toxic as the left’s effort to extend it. So which is it? Do Americans love state-financed health care or loathe it?
Maybe the confusion comes not from voters but from the way politicians, policy makers and pundits are framing the debate. Everyone who has a national voice in this discussion is a citizen of that lucky slice of America that enjoys Cadillac health care coverage, paid for by someone else, be it the U.S. government, in the case of elected politicians; universities and research organizations, in the case of the policy wonks; or mainstream media companies, in the case of the pundits. For them, the health care debate is an ideological issue; it’s about the thrilling clash of ideas, or the exciting, painstaking effort to build an economic model that works.
But for most of the hard-pressed U.S. middle class – whose median wages have stagnated for the past decade – health care and the taxes that pay for it are two of the four pocketbook issues that determine the fate of their family (the other two are jobs and housing).
They are terrified of anything that further strains their budgets – including higher taxes that don’t directly translate into a personal benefit. If you are a privileged liberal, it is easy to sneer at this unwillingness to pay for state benefits for other people as selfish. But if your family isn’t poor enough to get Medicaid – the health program for low-income people – yet is struggling to get by, it makes perfect sense.
Many, on both left and right, argue that one of the absurdities of Medicare, unlike Medicaid, is that it is universal. Surely, they say, it is madness to provide equal benefits to the elderly rich and poor alike. Yet that universality is the reason Americans will never allow Medicare to be gutted, just as Europeans and Canadians will never give up their universal health care. People will pay for a good-enough system they know they can use, even if only in the final decades of life. And woe betide the politician who tries to take it away. But that does not mean, as Obama discovered, that it is easy to persuade them to pay for benefits that are not a real benefit to their family’s bottom line.


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Online casinos have become a popular alternative to brick-and-mortar casinos in recent years, thanks to technological advances that have made it possible for players to wager money from the comfort of their homes. These platforms offer a variety of casino games, and some also feature live dealers that interact with players through a video feed. While most online casinos share the same core rules, players have different preferences and should select their preferred site based on their individual needs.
One thing that all players should look for when choosing an online casino is a reliable payment system. A legitimate casino should allow players to deposit and withdraw using their preferred methods, and should have low or no transaction fees. Some sites also offer e-wallet services, which provide greater convenience and security. If you are not sure which site to choose, read reviews and recommendations from friends and family members who have experience playing in casino online.
Another important consideration is the number of available games offered by an online casino. The best online casinos will offer a wide range of games, including slots, poker, and blackjack. Some sites also feature live dealer games, which are managed by a real person through a webcam. Live dealer games are a great way to experience the thrill of traditional casino play from home, and can add a social element that is missing from most digital platforms.
A casino online should also have a range of betting limits to accommodate all types of players. While new players might be comfortable with a small bet size, experienced gamblers might prefer to place bigger bets. In addition to offering low bet sizes, a casino should also have VIP and high roller tables that offer higher stakes.
A casino online should be easy to navigate and user-friendly, with a clean design that makes it easy to find the games you want to play. It should also have a secure connection to protect player information and privacy. In addition, it should have a good customer service team to answer any questions you might have. Lastly, it should offer multiple languages and currencies to cater to a global audience. In addition, a casino online should have a mobile-friendly website that allows players to access it from their smartphones. It should also be licensed and regulated by a gaming authority in the country where it operates. This will ensure that it complies with local laws and offers its players a safe and fair environment. It will also be easier for players to identify suspicious activity and report it. It is also worth checking whether the casino has a reputation for reliability by looking at seals of legitimacy from independent regulators and audited payout certifications. While these do not guarantee safety, they are a good indicator of an honest and reliable casino.