the “Brazil is the big brother“And speculation about which celebrity will be locked up is getting closer. Over the past month, several names have appeared on the lists and some have even spoken out loud, denying that they are on the list.”BBBIt turns out, according to Paolo Pacheco, journalist at the Observatório da TV portal, that this was a strategy of the head of reality, AttractiveTo get rid of the press and even who was invited to the house.
Big Boss has only started sharing cute spoilers in the past few days. Over the weekend, he left a big mystery for the audience to try to figure out some of the names of the “Camarote” group:2022-22 / who has / also has a BA / country has / has a recurring name / what about her / has two letters in the name / has it comes and goes / has a mother / has mixed people. after this, Of course the web already has its main bets.
The publication revealed that the director has only now identified who, in fact, will be limited to joining “Big Brother”, and that some of the names mentioned by journalists were not even considered on the program. jeez! In addition, only confirmed celebrities will be notified 72 hours before the official announcement of the participants, which should take place early next week. Anxiety hit immediately!
This is because Boninho apparently wants to prevent the “Camarote” crew from preparing in advance for the program. Preferably everyone enters the game “raw”, to compete head-to-head with the non-famous. In this way, the director also intends to prevent celebrities from leaving pre-produced videos of the networks and even close advertising contracts due to their exposure in universal fact.
Manu Javase He pioneered videos – a tactic that worked very well – and left 130 recorded posts so his team had material over the three months. This, of course, moved millions of followers. still inb b 20“, Bianca Andrade He also left everything ready, but left within the first month of holding. However, she advertises her makeup line quite a lot and has built a real empire here.
In the past year, more and more celebrities have adopted Manu’s tactics and programmed content for their profiles. Including Carla DiazAnd Carol KonkaAnd Pokah e FayukBut the singer only made it to the final of the show and ended up winning third place.
While January 17 hasn’t arrived, some celebrities are pretending about the possibility of their participation. MC Loma e Douglas SouzaThey even denied that they would be in the most guarded house in Brazil. The list of quoted names also includes: lexaAnd by FerreroMC Carroll, Elaine Roche, Rodrigo SimasAnd Aline scratchBlack He, Jonathan Azevedo, Arthur AgyarAnd Thiago AbravanelAnd Doda Race, Bruna Gonsalves, Joao Gilherme and Gustavo Tobarao. And now? Who enters?
“Award-winning zombie guru. Entrepreneur. Incurable tv aficionado. Web scholar. Coffee advocate. Total internet lover. Bacon expert.”


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To commemorate the launch of Volume II of their annual Skateboarding Special in collaboration with Levi’s Skateboarding, Huck Magazine have put together this rad short video exploring San Diego with local skater Marius Syvanen.
Finnish skateboarder Marius Syvanen made the move to San Diego 20 years ago when his parents relocated for work and since then he has become deeply immersed in the skate culture of the city. This beautifully shot video, directed and shot by Jesse Cain and Jake Magee, follows Marius through San Diego as he stops off at some of his favourite spots including Pacific Drive skate shop, and discusses his passions in film photography.
You can pick up your copy of Skateboarding Special Volume II at select skate stores worldwide, and you can also preview the latest edition HERE. Enjoy the video below and head over to Huck Magazine for more.

domain: artistic


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Agnes Canon’s War
WINNER: Chanticleer 2013 Laramie Awards, Best in Category
FINALIST: Women Writing the West, 2015 Willa Award for Historical Fiction
“Agnes Canon would have been a force to be reckoned with!”
“I saw a woman hanged on my way to the Pittsburgh docks.”
Agnes Canon is tired of being a spectator of life, a small-town schoolmarm and an invisible daughter among seven sisters, meat for the marriage market. The rivers of her Pennsylvania countryside flow west, and she yearns to flow with them, see new lands, know the independence that is the usual province of men. This is a story of a woman’s quest for freedom, both social and intellectual, and her evolving understanding of what freedom means. She learns that freedom can be the scent and sound of unsettled prairies, the glimpse of a cougar, the call of a hawk. The struggle for freedom can test the chains of power, poverty, gender, or the legalized horror of slavery. And, to her surprise, she discovers it can be found within a marriage, a relationship between a man and a woman who are equals in everything that matters.
It’s also the story of Jabez Robinson, a man who’s traveled across the continent and seen the beauty of the country and the ghastliness of war, as he watches his nation barrel toward disaster. Faced with deep-seated social institutions and hard-headed intransigence, he finds himself helpless to intervene. Jabez’s story is an indictment of war in any century or country, and an admission that common sense and reasoned negotiation continue to fail us.
As Agnes and Jabez struggle to keep their community and their lives from crumbling about them, they must face the stark reality that whether it’s the freedom of an African from servitude, of the South from the North, or of a woman from the demands of social convention, the cost is measured in blood and chaos.
“One of the most favorable signs of the times, was that the ladies had been persuaded to give up corsets.”
~ Margaret Fuller Woman in the 19th Century, 1845


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Emma Verhoeven and Dewi Kruijk dromen ervan om succesvol te zijn in de betoverende wereld van design. Maar hoe verkrijgen ze de sleutel tot de design bubbel? Of vinden ze de moed en middelen om hun eigen weg naar succes te plaveien?
Gedreven door nieuwsgierigheid en ambitie (en maatschappelijke verwachtingen) vertellen twee jonge ontwerpers een meeslepend verhaal van hoop, conflict en creatie en nemen je mee op hun conceptuele zoektocht in het vinden van hun plek in de abstracte wereld van form en function.
Ervaar de epiloog van dit moderne sprookje in het laatste weekend van de Dutch Design Week.
|za||28 okt.||19:30 - 21:00|
Grafische vormgeving: Emma Verhoeven, Dewi Kruijk
Teksten: Emma Verhoeven, Dewi Kruijk
Dank aan: Gianni Jorissen
Organized by Emma Verhoeven & Dewi Kruijk
Dewi Kruijk is a conceptual designer with a strong affection for product design. She graduated at the Design Academy in Eindhoven in the department Man and Communication and Man and Mobility.
Kruijk’s work is characterized by her love for ambiguity. In her design process she always uses two starting points, often resulting in projects that find themselves on the border of the rational and emotional, the two- and three-dimensional and are deliberately aimed at triggering ambiguous thoughts among viewers. Designing products as functional and timeless skeletons, she uses them as a pedestal for her conceptual ideas but believes they could also serve as a base for a wide range of contemporary ideas over a longer period of time.
Emma Verhoeven is a multi-disciplinary communication designer living in Rotterdam. She published her first newspaper when she was 9 (De Spruitjeskrant) and graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven 15 years later, in the Man and Communication department. Emma’s work ranges from video and graphic design to technology- and object based installations, often interactive and always playful. Her projects exist in the confusing (read: exciting) field between fiction and reality, where she tempts her audience to form an autonomous opinion on programmed assumptions and mass behavior. She likes to raise critical questions but communicates them with a fair amount of irony and a touch of absurdity, trying to engage a public beyond design lovers and museum visitors.

domain: design


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Video Games, Violence & the Culture of Militarism
For years, there's been widespread speculation about the relationship between violent video games and violence in the real world. Joystick Warriors
provides the clearest account yet of the latest research on this issue. Drawing on the insights of media scholars, military analysts, combat veterans, and gamers themselves, the film trains its sights on the wildly popular genre of first-person shooter games, exploring how the immersive experience they offer links up with the larger stories we tell ourselves as a culture about violence, militarism, guns, and manhood. Along the way, it examines the game industry's longstanding working relationship with the U.S. military and
the American gun industry, and offers a riveting examination of the games themselves -- showing how they work to sanitize, glamorize, and normalize violence while cultivating dangerously regressive attitudes and ideas about masculinity and militarism.
Features Leigh Alexander, Craig Anderson, Andrew Bacevich, Nina Huntemann, Sut Jhally, Elizabeth Losh, Matt Payne, Clive Thompson, and others.
Viewer Discretion Advised: Contains Graphic Violence
A Media Education Foundation Production.
Director, Producer & Editor: Roger Sorkin
Executive Producer: Sut Jhally
Associate Producer: Nina Huntemann
Praise for the Film
really nails the perennial question of violence and video games. With a diverse array of commentators from academe, the game industry, and the military, the film refreshingly bypasses the usual tired and distracting debates about whether games cause murder. What we get is a nuanced picture of how large swaths of commercial gaming culture normalize violence, a trend that has implications that range from a loss of everyday empathy to acceptance of an increasingly militarized world. I know of no other film that takes on these issues so expertly, directly, and artfully. After watching only the first ten minutes, I had already changed my plans to use it in class this semester."
- Roger Stahl | Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia | Co-curator of TheVisionMachine.com
"Essential viewing for all. Makes a significant contribution to the urgent discussion about the impact violent entertainment has on society."
- Jo Comerford | Executive Director of the National Priorities Project
"A vivid and sometimes startling journey into gaming worlds and their most violent extremes, this film leaves little doubt about the imbrication of empire and masculinity driving the bodily habituations that video games demand. Shifting our attention from the fatigued debates about the reproduction of violence to the vaster and more damning implications entailed in the normalization of perpetual war, the film demonstrates that these forms of entertainment do not simplistically create violent users. Rather they reflect back to us the already present saturation of violence we might rather not be forced to acknowledge."
- Jasbir Puar | Associate Professor of Women's & Gender Studies at Rutgers University | Author of Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times
is sobering, articulate, and willing to ask questions and seek answers beyond the overly-reductive, blame-game red herrings of whether or not video games cause violence or create violent people. Instead, the film reveals the imbricated relationships between games, the commodification and aestheticization of violence, the fantasies of control and interactivity, the military-industrial-entertainment complex, as well as race, gender, class, and nation. In short, Joystick Warriors
takes seriously video games -- from developers to players to politicians -- as participants in and producers of cultures of violence, militarism, and fear. A must see for classroom, community, and gamers especially."
- Edmond Chang | Assistant Professor of English at Drew University
offers a visually stunning, highly insightful and very provocative critical exploration of the immensely popular FPS genre of video games and their connections to contemporary narrations of militarism and masculinity. This is a fabulous resource for teaching about the geopolitics of video games and makes a very timely and valuable contribution to the emerging debates around video games and popular culture."
- Marcus Power | Professor of Geography at Durham University | Editor of Cinema and Popular Geo-Politics
"Smart, engaging, and thought-provoking, Joystick Warriors
delivers the latest research on video games and brings much-needed attention to what happens when people regularly engage in virtual killing. It could not be more timely or important."
- Nancy Carlsson-Paige | Professor Emerita at Lesley University | Author of The War Play Dilemma
presents a much more nuanced and productive discussion of violent video games and their effects than the traditional question of whether violent game exposure increases aggression."
- Bruce D. Bartholow | Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri
"As a media literacy educator, Joystick Warriors
is a necessity for my classroom. Using powerful examples and expert analysis, the movie weaves through a detailed critical analysis of the videogame industry and their products."
- Alexis Ladd | Instructor at Wheelock College | Co-founder of the Massachusetts Media Literacy Consortium
combines incredible insightfulness with accessibility. Even as someone who devotes my career to studying the normalization of violence and the gendered dynamics of that normalization, I found this video strikingly original and deeply engaging. Whether or not video games encourage violence, they normalize violence and glorify tough masculinity - and this video shows how, even to doubters."
- Laura Sjoberg | Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida | Author of Gender, Justice, and the Wars in Iraq
"This documentary offers a more nuanced perspective on violent games that goes beyond the now stale discussions of addiction and aggression."
- David Nieborg | Department of Media & Culture Studies at the University of Amsterdam
"The conversation about violent video games has been hijacked by high profile tragedies, such as school shootings. Paradoxically, this has allowed the multiple effects of violent games to be overlooked. This video brings some of the complexities back into the conversation."
- Douglas A. Gentile | Associate Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University | Co-Author of Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents
is an unflinching and thought-provoking examination of violence and video games. Avoiding the cliched narratives that tend to define the debate, the documentary steps back to reflect on a much deeper level about the role of militarism in our culture. Gender, guns, the military-industrial complex and a host of issues are tied together in a revealing analysis of why digital violence, and war more generally, have a profound effect on who we as as human beings. A fantastic resource."
- Ian Shaw | Lecturer on Human Geography | University of Glasgow
"More than a dissection of violence in video games, Joystick Warriors
examines the broader cultural effects of first-person shooter games and asks what happens when belligerence becomes the go-to solution for social conflict. A powerful examination of this sector of the game industry."
- Stacy Takacs | Associate Professor and Director of American Studies at Oklahoma State University
presents a wide-ranging critical take on the role of military and violent videogames in contemporary culture. With excellent access to leading academics and commentators, interspersed with extensive in-game footage and news and pop culture sources, the film presents its argument in extremely compelling fashion."
- Nick Robinson | Associate Professor of Politics at The University of Leeds | Author of Videogames, Popular Culture and World Politics
Click here to read the complete reviews

domain: library


CBS rises to 2nd position in open data inventory
Open data makes public government (open) data easily reusable and improves government transparency
EU grant taking data science to a higher level
Article on U grant taking data science to a higher level
European study: uniform data validation rules
a European research programme aimed at improving data exchange by a uniform set of validation rules
CBS launches data ecosystem with various partners
The ecosystem encompasses a broad and diverse group of companies, academic institutions and government bodies
CBS, OCW and DUO launch Departmental Data Centre
the centre will address the growing need for information products in the policy cycle
Statistical software R the key focus at CBS conference
R is an open-source software specifically developed for the purpose of statistics production and data analysis
First Departmental Data Centre launched
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs launched the ‘CBS/EZ Departmental Data Centre’
Data security a permanent item on the agenda of NSIs
Safe and reliable exchange of information, data, software and services between member states and Eurostat, and between member states themselves has a high priority
The accuracy of growth rates with classification errors
Evaluating the accuracy of growth rates in the presence of classification errors.
CBDS promotes international knowledge exchange
real-time and regional statistics (e.g. Urban Data) and the use of new data sources such as Big Data
CBS Urban Data Centre/The Hague launched
innovative developments in the area of Sustainable Development Goals
Topological anonymity in networks
Statistics Netherlands has been investigating Network data as a source of new statistics. This implies new questions in the area of statistical disclosure control. In this paper a theory for...
The importance of reliable data in times of crisis
The COVID-19 crisis has brought with it a great need for reliable data, and national statistical offices (NSOs) are playing an important role in this regard.
International experts apply yardstick to Statistics Netherlands
Just recently, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) was the subject of an official Peer review, executed by the European Statistical System (ESS).


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On Wednesday, May 23, and Wednesday, May 30, another five megaloads of Earth-ravaging, energy-sucking, water-poisoning, climate-wrecking, life-killing Alberta tar sands processing parts will probably rumble through Spokane and Spokane Valley streets on their way to the largest industrial carbon extraction project in the world. While most of America sleeps, satiated on its oil-derived opulence, obesity, and overpopulation, interior Northwest activists will take to the streets to express our outrage that our city, state, and federal governments facilitate First Nations genocide, boreal forest and wetland destruction, and global climate chaos through Big Oil’s abuse of our subsequently deteriorating roads and bridges.
Occupy Spokane and Wild Idaho Rising Tide invite you to your likely last opportunity (for now) to stand up to ExxonMobil/Imperial Oil, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the hauler Mammoet, and their contracted megaload convoys of industry-colluded state troopers, pilot truck drivers, and flaggers. Whose streets and rights? You know the 99 percent’s answer and what you must do to regain our democracy, public infrastructure, and civil liberties from corporations who value profits over people and the planet.
Meet fellow protesters to strategize and mobilize our resistance by 11:30 pm at the Occupy Spokane Clubhouse, 1808 East Sprague Avenue in Spokane, or for the demonstration at 11:30 pm at East Third Avenue and South Regal Street. Moscow activists are carpooling from the corner of Second and Washington streets, near Moscow City Hall, at 9:30 pm. Bring some or all of your friends, protest signs, strong voices, mic check chants, musical instruments, and ideas for actions. The next seven generations of humans and Earth co-habitants are depending on you to stop the reckless expansion of Alberta tar sands operations. The world is waiting and watching, Spokane!

domain: news


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Renata is a valuable member of the Whispers, a group of rebels fighting against the brutal king who conquered the kingdom of Puerto Leones and its people, the Moria. When Dez, the leader of Renata’s unit and the boy she loves, is captured on a mission gone awry and taken to the palace as a prisoner, Ren must try to rescue him and complete their mission.
The Moria are a magically gifted people, and Ren is what they call a Robári. Her gift is the ability to steal memories; it’s a dangerous power that, in the extreme, can turn people into hollow shells, void of personality and identity. As a child, Ren was kidnapped and held captive by King Ferdinand, who forced her to use her powers to support his Inquisitors, wreaking havoc on the lives of her people. Though she was rescued by the Whispers, her sense of belonging among them is tenuous, and her guilt and inability to face her memories of that time consume her. Returning to the palace to rescue Dez means confronting her past head-on—and uncovering secrets that could change everything.
Zoraida Córdova’s Incendiary is a satisfying fantasy novel set in a world that draws much from the history of medieval Spain. From the novel’s explosive beginning, Córdova’s pacing is efficient and propulsive, every move advancing both the story and the emotional development of her characters. This world works on both macro and micro levels; we understand its alliances and rivalries, but we also feel its heat and dust.
Anchored in Ren’s deeply personal journey, Incendiary tells a tale of love and war with a thrilling, epic scope.


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Chic home office space with a glass desk, a gold desk lamp, and a small gallery wall
Small Space Solutions: Sources for Clear Glass & Acrylic Desks | Apartment Therapy Wisteria
grid wired glass desk! absolutely love this for an architectural company
Glass and Chrome Colton Mix & Match Desk | World Market Very reasonable and nice quality. They have 15% off shipping. I love a glass desk as it really is visually unobstructive in a room.
Pottery Barn desk - comes in 3 finishes - on sale for $299! http://rstyle.me/n/ebfhan2bn
b is for bonnie studio desk accessories as seen on @Best Friends for Frosting | photos by Courtney Dox Photography
50 Inspirational Workspaces & Offices | Part 22
My home office (vittsjö desk from IKEA)
What's on our holiday wish list? This glam setup. #myLivingSpaces | Photo: Tie the Knot by Tessa | Wall art: anewalldecor
Dose of Design: Love it! - Glass desk This would be less busy for my sandblasting to be shown.
I could put my working books like this under my table! Takes away the need for some of my shelving!
In love with the see through desk


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A Chinese scientist claims to have helped create the first genetically modified children in the world – twins born this month, by nature.
Reports have caused shock and indignation in the scientific community all over the world, although there is no conclusive evidence yet to confirm.
In the above video you will find another similar experiment that gives hope that humanity can revive missing animal species such as mammoth.
China is the largest clone manufacturing factory in the world
He Jianyu, a researcher at South China University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, has announced that it has implanted into an embryo that has been genetically engineered to ban the genetic pathway that will allow the infection of the cells with the AIDS virus.
The video says two boys born after the experiment are healthy and are now home with their parents. According to the teachings, genomic DNA sequencing was successful and the mutation would be passed on to future generations.
The results of Hu's work have not been published and the twins have not been tested by other scientists.
Still, the idea that what he said is true. Until now, human genome editing techniques are used only for scientific research and do not apply to live people. There is evidence of side effects that pose serious concerns about the safety of this technology.
Documents published in the Clinical Trials Register in China show that Hu has used the CRISPR-Cas9 tool to modify the genome that disables the gene called CCR5 that produces HIV-active proteins to enter the cells. The girl's father is carrying the AIDS virus while the mother is not. However, the absence of CCR5 significantly increases the risk of disease, such as Western Nile fever and influenza.
That was it 16 out of 22 embryos tested, of which 11 were implanted in six women before successful pregnancies in twins.
According to critics of his actions, there is currently no critical medical need for such a modification of the human genome, because reducing the risk of HIV transmission is also achieved through traditional health care facilities. And concerns are that technology can prevent regulations and violate ethical standards for genetic modification of humans.
Creating children with modified genes is inconsistent with guidelines issued by the Chinese Ministry of Health in 2003, but does not violate any laws. At the same time, AIDS is the main problem in a country where more than a billion people live.
The reports on the first modified genome children are based on how researchers in the field are preparing for a major international meeting in Hong Kong to be held from 27 to 29 November.
The key objective of the meeting is to reach consensus on ethical standards, how to proceed with genome editing in ova, sperm or human embryos.
"I understand that my work will be controversial, but I think families need this technology and I am ready to take criticism for them," he said.
Why did CRISPR's genetically engineered children. Explanatory film Jiankui He.https: //t.co/P1UfKv85Byhttps: //t.co/lDR6ZU2jaJ
– Ryota IINO 飯 野 亮 太 (@ yahoo) November 26, 2018
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For the latest news from Vesti.bg, follow our site at Instagram.

domain: medical


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April finds the Food Shelf in full swing, planning ways to augment the supply of fresh food, clothing and assistance for community members in need.
But, we are also looking for a new home, hoping to find a first-floor space of about 600 square feet with room for parking and receipt of large food orders.
As emergency pandemic grant assistance from the Foodbank expires, we appreciate all those in our community who strengthen the safety net for those in need. The Charlotte Food Shelf is grateful to be a beneficiary of the Farm Stand Together program. Meaghin Kennedy reports this small nonprofit will provide gift cards allowing those with food insecurity to shop at selected local farmstands.
Children benefit from the Shoe In program. This program uses donations to the food shelf to subsidize the purchase of sneakers, required for gymnasium floors. If your child is in need of “no mark” sneakers, please contact Betsy Lloyd, Charlotte Central School counselor.
Also, used clothing donated to the Grange in April helps Charlotte children. Those doing spring cleaning can put aside donations of gently used items of children’s clothing for this purpose.
For those who look forward to gardening season, please remember the food shelf as you plan your spring planting. If you grow, consider planting an extra row. Locally grown produce helps offset rising food prices. We hope that this lovely Charlotte tradition will continue to provide healthy leafy greens and vegetables to those in need.
The food shelf is grateful for monetary contributions from Lisa Crispin and Robert Downing, Stephen and Lynne Hale, Deborah Cook and the Hannaford Fight Hunger Bag Program. We also extend a big thank you to Rayne Herzog, the general manager of the Shelburne Athletic Club and the 18 vigorous participants in the 14-day My Zone Challenge, whose efforts resulted in a much appreciated donation.
Donations of foodstuffs are also much appreciated; we thank Stewart’s Bread, the Minkler family and Will Perry, and all who contributed to Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s monthly food drive.
As the food shelf looks for a new home, we remain grateful for the many years the Congregational Church has provided space to us in their basement. Please email Peggy Sharpe, food shelf secretary, with any leads.
The Charlotte Food Shelf remains committed to providing dignified access to healthy food and assistance to those in need. We remind the community that if you or someone you know in Charlotte or North Ferrisburgh is facing utility shut-off or an unexpected hardship, help is available. All request and grants are kept private, and are available by simply calling 802-425-3252 or by filling out a request form. Request forms are available during food shelf open hours or on our website.
The food shelf is open for food distribution from 4-6 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. Our address is 403 Church Hill Road behind the Congregational Church in Charlotte.
Masking is encouraged during the ongoing pandemic and its new virus variants. For emergency food, please call John at 802-425-3130. If you cannot come to the Food Shelf due to COVID symptoms, or seek further information about the Food Shelf, please call 802-425-3252.
Monetary donations are appreciated, tax deductible, and can be addressed to: Charlotte Food Shelf, Inc., P.O. Box 83, Charlotte VT 05445.

domain: food


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Thread: Couple of Arkansas bucks
07-14-2011, 09:09 PM #1
- Join Date
- Nov 2008
- Bella Vista, Arkansas
Couple of Arkansas bucks
Here are a couple of bucks that were in the yard this morning. Hope to see them when the season opens .
07-16-2011, 03:12 PM #2
Nice looking deer, hopefully they'll be around come hunting season.Visit our web site
2 06 Martin Slayers, 63 & 55#s Nitrous C X QuikTune 3000s and HHA OL 5519s on both.
04 Martin Cougar Elite Nitrous C X Quiktune 1000
07-16-2011, 03:33 PM #3
- Join Date
- May 2010
Nice,very nice...id love to see my backyard look like that!well hopefully they decide to hang around,and you get a shot on one.good luck
07-17-2011, 06:57 AM #4
Cant beat that for the back yard!!That course was so easy I even missed a target !!
By Gator eye in forum Jokes ForumReplies: 2Last Post: 10-30-2009, 10:40 AM
By gamoboy in forum General Archery ForumReplies: 7Last Post: 01-05-2009, 02:18 PM
By NJLungbuster in forum Bowhunting forumReplies: 12Last Post: 08-28-2008, 10:02 PM
By BUNNYMAN in forum General Archery ForumReplies: 61Last Post: 10-10-2007, 07:09 PM
By bow-regard in forum Tournament DiscussionsReplies: 1Last Post: 06-25-2004, 02:52 PM

domain: hobby


Stricken cruise liner the Costa Concordia was today re-floated off the Italian island where it capsized killing 32 people.
The rusting hulk of the
luxury vessel had been resting on a temporary platform since being righted almost a year ago.
In what has become one of the largest salvage operations in history, air was today pumped into 30 large metal boxes, or sponsons, attached around the hull of the 114,500 tonne ship.
The air forced out the water in the sponsons, lifting the vessel off the underwater platform.
Engineers now hope to tow the vessel away and break it up for scrap.
Franco Porcellachia, the engineer in charge of the salvage, said at a news conference that the hulk had been raised two metres out of the water.
Tug boats attached with cables to the ship then started shifting it away from the shore. "I would say we are halfway through our plan to move the ship," Porcellachia said.
Later today, the vessel will be stabilised with chainsand cables. Work will start again tomorrow to prepare it for towing within days to Genoa in northern Italy, to be scrapped.
Porcellachia said the sixth deck of the ship had started to emerge today , and once that was fully above the water the other decks would become visible in quick succession.
"When deck 3 re-emerges we are in the final stage and ready for departure," Porcellachia said. The wreck is due to depart Giglio on July 21.
The 290-metre Costa Concordia ran aground on rocks near the Tuscan holiday island of Giglio on January 13, 2013.
The ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, is on trial on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck as he sailed too close to shore to "salute" the port, and abandoning ship.
He is fighting the charges.
Once the Concordia has left Giglio, the search will continue for the body of the last person who was aboard the Concordia the night it sank and has not been accounted for.
"We are undertaking an operation that will close a dramatic chapter for our country," Italian Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti said at the news conference.
Paying for the disaster, including breaking up the vessel and repairing the damage to Giglio, is likely to cost the ship’s owner and operator Costa Crociere, a unit of Carnival Corp, more than 1.5 billion euros ($2.05 billion), its chief executive said last week.
The cruise liner will be demolished and scrapped in Genoa by a consortium including oil services company Saipem and Genoa-based companies Mariotti and San Giorgio.


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NOTE: All are welcome to pick up free compost in moderate amounts for individual use during garden open hours (see below). We also offer compost in bulk amounts. If you have a budget for bulk compost, we suggest a donation of 50 cents a pound (negotiable on a case-by-case basis). Thanks in advance! Donations from bulk compost are one of the ways Q Gardens sustains its operations.
PICK UP LOCATION: 58 East 18th Street, corner of Church Ave. and East 18th, right behind the Church B/Q station

domain: agronomy


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Botanical Garden is a nature park situated within the Japanese Village of Berjaya Hills at Bukit Tinggi. About five minutes away from Colmar Tropicale by car or shuttle bus, the garden straddles four acres of highland rainforest - only the jungle floor was cleared of its original vegetation to make way for show plants. Ryo Zan Tei Japanese Restaurant is located right after the entrance.
From there, the 1km cemented trail meanders through the garden in a loop, beginning with a sharp descent from the Ryo Zan Tei Japanese Restaurant at the entrance, then passing through neat clumps of flowers, herbs and ferns spread between the footpaths and trees. Some of the other features within the park include a jungle view deck, wooden bridge and orchid nursery.

domain: travel


By Tim Middleton
South African Trevor Noah is the extremely popular host of The Daily Show in the United States, a light-hearted look at current events, having previously been an equally successful stand-up comedian. He often makes fun of the things (as well as the ways) that people take so seriously, standing on the grounds that “I always believe that funny is serious and serious is funny. You don’t really need a distinction between them.” Perhaps a wonderful example of that is his statement that “In life only three things are certain: death, Adobe updates and taxes”. Accordingly, he lampoons presidents, politicians, the press, people of all different races, his friends and family, himself even.
Though at the time of writing he is not one himself, Trevor would no doubt also comment on how parents often behave. A regular comment made by parents when it has been brought to their attention that their child has misbehaved is a strong, direct, blunt, vehement, defensive, “My child would never do that!” Oh no, my child would never do anything wrong! Well, your child just has done that — oh, no, my child would never do that —and there are five witnesses who saw him do that — oh, no, my child would never do that — and his friends confirm they heard him admit he did that — oh, no, my child would never do that…
Why do parents defend their child even when the evidence is overwhelming? What makes parents think that their child is so unlike all others? On what grounds can parents be certain that their child will not do that? Is it because the child said he did not do that? Yet, the same parents do not trust the same child with their actions so why should they suddenly trust him for his words? Is it because he has not done it before? Maybe he has but without the parent knowing? And what makes it impossible that he might well do it? Is it because the parents have threatened him that if he does do such a thing he will be in massive trouble? Hardly the best way for a child to admit anything! Is it because the parent did not do a similar thing as a child! Yet it is a totally different world now.
Do we as parents know everything about our child? Do we know everything about his friends? Do we know who else our child encounters each day? Do we know who he speaks to online and what websites he visits? Do we know who he bumps into and engages with?
Without question, every parent will hope their child will not do that; they will pray their child will not do that; they will believe their child will not do that. There is no way, however, that any parent knows their child will not do that. They may go to such extremes to lock their child in his room and install CCTV in the child’s room, to ensure acceptable behaviour — yet the child is fully capable in today’s society to find ways to overcome such obstacles; that is no guarantee — nor indeed life!
“My child would never do that” — if it does not make us laugh it will assuredly make us weep. A number of years ago, police officers went to a home at night and asked the parents to come with them as their daughter had been involved in an accident. The parents said there must have been some dreadful mistake as their daughter was upstairs sleeping. The police insisted so the parents went upstairs and found that their daughter was not there. She had slipped out of her room without permission to go with her friends; she was found dead in a wrecked car wrapped around a lamppost.
Parents, please, never say never. Never say your child will never do something. It is quite within the realms of possibility that any child will be caught up in doing things we would not wish them to do. Refusing to believe that is flying in the face of reality and experience; it is refusing to grasp or accept the fundamental truth that within us all there is a deep-rooted natural instinct to do wrong. No-one is exempt from that, even with the greatest parenting experienced. We will never help our child if we say our child would never do that; we will only hurt our child, and ourselves, even more if we do.
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As Trevor Noah says, in Born a Crime, “You cannot blame anyone else for what you do. You cannot blame your past for who you are. You are responsible for you.” The child must be responsible for himself and face consequences. We might well heed Trevor Noah’s words that, “Often, people who can do, don’t because they’re afraid of what people that can’t do will say about them doing.” That applies to children with their parents. For Trevor, read never. Never say my child will never do that.
- Tim Middleton is the executive director of the Association of Trust Schools [ATS]. The views expressed in this article, however, are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of the ATS.
- email: email@example.com
- website: www.atschisz


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1938, 1985, Penguin, Middlesex
Story of Pinkie - a gang member in pre-WWII England - who murders a gambler who owed him money and the repercussions of that event.
I couldn't say I enjoyed the book - it was bleak and difficult to read at times - but I felt I couldn't stop reading, it sucked me in completely. It's an uncomfortable read. I did however learn a lot of 1930s British mobster lingo!
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The same month, the administrator of a WhatsApp group was arrested and later released on bail after a member of the group posted a “morphed” photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi wearing a garland of shoes.
A month earlier, following the assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, a district magistrate and a police official issued a joint order warning that WhatsApp group administrators could be slapped with criminal charges if factually incorrect or rumours were circulated in the group. Officials in Bihar followed suit, issuing similar orders against circulation of hoaxes.
These are just a few instance of ‘fake news’ on digital platforms that India had to deal with in 2017. Between June 2016 and May last year, more than 20 criminal complaints involving online content were filed, and many people were detained for content circulated on WhatsApp or published on Facebook, as per research organisation Freedom House.
As the consequences of bogus news become more pervasive, stoking resentment and violence, many South Asian countries such as Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam have sought to treat the manipulation of content as a criminal offence.
“It is not penalising, but defining ‘fake news’ which is a challenge,” said Max Smeets, Cybersecurity fellow at Stanford University. “We currently lack a common definition of fake news. Is it about fake personas, spam, data theft, seeding stories in the press or creating fake stories? We have to be clear by what we mean if we want to penalise fake news (or more generally tackle it).”
Criminalising dissemination is difficult mainly because people who disseminate the information are not necessarily aware that they are involved in this practice.
The inherent ambiguity has led certain governments to frame stringent laws to deal with the menace. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte signed stricter laws authorising punitive action resulting in a jail term of up to six months and heavy fines of up to an equivalent of Rs 2.5 lakh for publishers of fake news. But Duterte’s version of the law applies to anyone who expresses a contrarian view of the government or “causes damage to the state”. The government has set up a special task force in the national police to look into fake news, but experts say it amounts to a witch-hunt in the guise of a clampdown on fake news.
The proliferation of ‘fake news’ through misinformation and hyper-partisan content came to the fore in the run-up to the 2016 Presidential election in the United States. Facebook and Twitter have been under increasing scrutiny for allowing targeted political ads from Russia-backed entities to manipulate voters and influence elections.
Since then, “manipulation and disinformation tactics played an important role in elections in at least 17 other countries over the past year, damaging citizens’ ability to choose their leaders based on factual news and authentic debate,” as per Freedom on the Net 2017 report.
In one of the most high-profile crackdowns on the fake news in 2017, Indonesian police incarcerated administrators of organised crime ring Saracen, which peddled racist and sectarian fake news against political parties. “Indonesia had to start fighting ‘organised fake news’ organisations such as Saracen who were launching targeted fake news campaigns on behalf of political parties during the periods leading up to major elections,” said Spandana Singh, Millennial public policy fellow at New America.
With more than 800,000 followers on Facebook, the admins made millions through advertising revenue by creating memes and fake posts on their page. As a result, on January 3, Indonesia launched a separate cybersecurity task force to bring purveyors of fake news to task.
“Criminalising fake news is counterproductive,” said Sunil Abraham, executive director of the Centre for Internet and Society. “The trouble with criminalisation is the person circulating the news is ‘fooled’ and is unaware of the crime they are committing. It is very similar to copyright infringement at a non-commercial stage. Many just don’t know,” Abraham said.
“Fake news cannot be battled by the government alone. Often it is the parties in power who are involved in many fake news cases,” he said.
How do we fix this?
Of the 3.4 billion people with access to the internet, 42% live in countries where governments employ armies of “opinion shapers” to spread government views and counter government critics on social media, as per the Freedom on the Net 2017 report.
In the West, corporations are typically the ones that are expected to take up the mantle to tackle fake news. “But government censorship and corporate censorship are not the appropriate ways forward, as this impinges on freedom of speech,” Abraham said.
This raises the question as to who should fix the problem. For starters, in the European Union (EU), Germany has passed a law called the Network Enforcement Act or NetzDG advocating a crackdown on “punishable false reports”. Enforced in October 2017, the hate speech law mandates that companies remove hate speech within a certain time period, and this was created with the intention of also curbing fake news.
Policy experts say the only way forward is more collaboration among various stakeholders. In India, there are organisations such as SM Hoax Slayer and Altnews working to combat disinformation, but “stronger digital literacy, education, and transparency is the way to fight it”, Singh said. “Since there is a business model which has been established for fake news, more people may also try to join the illegal disinformation industry if it continues to prove profitable,” he said.
While existing laws are fragmented, Abraham offered a different policy view of the problem at hand. “The only way to combat bad speech is with good speech. Instead of criminalising, you can mandate public service announcements in on social media channels,” he said.
That is, if someone is using fake news to spark a riot, under the circumstances of an emergency, the government should be allowed to push actual facts around the area even in private WhatsApp groups. “A message similar to a ‘must carry’ obligation in broadcast regulation can come in,” Abraham said.
For instance, Catalan is a minority language in Spain but all Spanish language broadcasters must carry some amount of news in Catalan, Abraham said, adding this could be one way of dealing with if not eradicating fake news.
So far, the only solution to prevent rumour mongering in “sensitive” areas in India has been blocking social media sites and suspending internet services. There have been nearly 40 information communication technology (ICT) shutdowns ordered by local authorities, some lasting several months in Jammu and Kashmir, as per the Freedom on the Net 2017 report.
“Platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and the like are different from each other. This makes it difficult to set common standards for all organizations and to compare them fairly,” Smeets said.
“It is especially difficult for highly compartmentalised platforms like WhatsApp to deal with fake news, compared to a more public forum like Facebook,” he said.


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Ballet originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century. Noblemen and women were treated to lavish events, especially wedding celebrations, where dancing and music created an elaborate spectacle.
In the late 17th century Louis XIV founded the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera) within which emerged the first professional theatrical ballet company, the Paris Opera Ballet. The predominance of French in the vocabulary of ballet reflects this history. Theatrical ballet soon became an independent form of art, although still frequently maintaining a close association with opera, and spread from the heart of Europe to other nations.
In the 20th century styles of ballet continued to develop and strongly influence broader concert dance, for example, in the United States choreographer George Balanchine developed what is now known as neoclassical ballet, subsequent developments have included contemporary ballet and post-structural ballet, for example seen in the work of William Forsythe in Germany.
The etymology of the word “ballet” reflects its history. The word ballet comes from French and was borrowed into English around the 17th century. The French word in turn has its origins in Italian balletto, a diminutive of ballo (dance). Ballet ultimately traces back to Italian ballare, meaning “to dance”.


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domain: finance


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Nigerian Ports Authority
26/28, Marina Lagos
Public Notice N0.3881
Invitation to Tender for Remedial Works
The Nigerian ports Authority hereby invites reputable and competent contractors to submit tender for the under-listed projects:
|Remedial road work on road section from Army Signal Barracks to Liverpool roundabout -both sides||Lot 1|
|Remedial Works on NPA Clinic Car Park and Sports Ground Spectators Car Park at Bode Thomas, Surulere Lagos||Lot 2|
2.0 Scope of Projects
The scope of the project shall include and not limited to all Remedial Works as detailed in the Standard Bidding Document to be issued to bidders.
3.0. Tender Requirements
Interested Bidders should submit three (3) HARD COPIES) and a SOFT COPY (In MS Word/Excel/PDF) of the bid documents. The Hard Copies must be Bound, Duly signed paginated, separate by divider and arrange in the order outlined hereunder:
Mandatory Requirements (Hard/Soft Copies)
- Evidence of Certificate of Incorporation with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
- Evidence of Tax Clearance Certificate for the last three (3) years (2011, 2012 and 2013)
- Current Pension Clearance Certificate from PENCOM.
- Evidence of compliance certificate with Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Act No. 19 of 2011
Other Requirements (Hard/Soft Copies)
- Evidence of similar project executed in the past, including letters of awards, completion certificates etc.
- Company Profile to include names, qualifications and experience of key personnel.
- Evidence of Personnel registration certificate with COREN.
- All relevant information concerning contacts, addresses, telephones, fax and e-mail
address of company or representatives
- For joint ventures (JV)/Partnership, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) should be provided
4.0 Collection of Financial Tender Documents
Interested Companies are to collect the Standard Bidding Document from the Office of the General Manager, Procurement Room 029 ground floor of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Headquarters 26/28 Marina Street Lagos on the evidence of payment of non-refundable fee of N30,000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira) only for each LOT in bank draft in favour of Nigeria Ports Authority Note all tender sum from N300 million and above should be conveyed with a 2% bond of the tender price.
5.0 Submission of Technical/Financial Tender Document
Interested Bidders are to submit bid for each of the Lot desired, One (1) SOFT and Three (3) HARD Copies of “TECHNICAL and FINANCIAL” BIDS SEPARATELY (One original and Two duplicate copies) packed in SEALED envelopes and clearly marked as “Technical Bid” or “Financial Bid” Furthermore, the reverse side of each sealed envelope should bear the name and addresses of the Bidders and thereafter put the two sealed envelopes together in a bigger envelope addressed to the “The Secretary to the Tender Board, Nigerian Ports Authority and clearly Mark “invitation to tender for (TITLE/DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC PROJECT)” specifying PUBLIC NOTCE NO:3881 LOT NO; and then drop the bid in the designated Tender Box on the ground Floor, room 029 Nigerian Ports Authority Corporate Headquarters, 26/28 Marina, Lagos not later than 11.00am on Monday 1st December, 2014.
All Bids received will be opened immediately at the conference room annex no. 1 Joseph Street off Marina Street Lagos in the presence of all bidders or their representatives.
Please ensure that you sign the bid submission register in the office of the General Manager Procurement as the Authority will not be held liable for misplaced or wrongly submitted bids.
For further enquiries, please contact the “General Manager, Procurement” or e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
This is not an invitation to tender does not place any obligation on the Authority to consider any responding company for:
- Award of Contract
- Acceptance of any tender and wrongly placed tenders would not be entertained.
All costs incurred as a result of this prequalification tender invitation and any subsequent requests for information shall be borne by the bidding companies. While late submission will not be entertained and only short-listed companies will be contacted.
Nigerian Ports Authority

domain: economics


Apr 11, 2022
In this episode, Martin Butler (M1MRB) is joined by Chris Howard (M0TCH), Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Frank Howell (K4FMH), Bill Barnes (WC3B) and Leslie Butterfield (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and in the episode's feature, Ham Radio Boot Sale and Podcasters Quiz.
We would like to thank Denny Morrison (GM1BAN) , Avishay Greenberg (4X5VG) and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate


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Warming temperatures resulting from climate change have speeded up the melting of the polar ice caps, which has opened up Arctic sea routes to ships for more of the summer months. Carnival Corporation is the world’s leading cruise ship company operating in Arctic waters and many of its ships have begun their summer cruises. But the heavy fuel oil (HFO) that they burn emits large quantities of polluting and climate-changing substances, which means Carnival is effectively destroying the fragile Arctic and sub-Arctic waters that its customers pay to visit.
When burned, HFO releases greenhouse gases and other dangerous pollutants like sulphur dioxide and soot. In the Arctic and sub-Arctic, this soot settles on sea ice, rapidly accelerating its melting. The sea ice loss is devastating for Arctic wildlife and is heavily affecting Arctic communities. In addition, the damage done by HFO in cold and remote Arctic waters is virtually impossible to clean up, and the risk of an oil spill in iceberg-filled waters is considerable and poses a major threat to Arctic wildlife and coastal communities. A recent HFO spill in Rotterdam harbour is costing in excess of €90 million and is requiring a complete replacement of the sea walls through the harbour. This puts into the perspective the costs of clean up in an easy-to-access, busy harbour.
Interested in this kind of news?
Receive them directly in your inbox. Delivered once a week.
T&E’s aviation and shipping officer Lucy Gilliam said: ‘Carnival has talked a lot about its “climate values”, but such talk is meaningless when it continues to burn the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel. Carnival is destroying the delicate environment its customers are paying to see. Instead, the company should commit to using cleaner fuel now.’
The petition calls on Carnival to switch all its ships to low-sulphur diesel and to end the use and carriage of all HFO blends through the Arctic (including Canada and Alaska). It also calls for the installation of diesel particulate filters on all ships to reduce soot emissions and to take the lead in developing clean shipping technologies that will remove the dependence of cruise ships on fossil fuels.
The petition is open until 27 September 2018, and will then be delivered to Carnival Corporation’s CEO Arnold Donald at the company’s headquarters. It currently has around 70,000 signatures.

domain: geography


text:
By Alma Reed
When one of my friends asked if I was covering the "Reignwolf" show, I was clueless on who this band was. After a quick Instagram search I was drawn to their YouTube channel where I watched their live performance of “Are You Satisfied” and was instantly hooked.
The Cowan is a gorgeous venue with an enviable stage and a light technician beloved by all music photographers in town, which made the decision of covering the band even more desirable.
Soon I found myself in a sea of fans filled with anticipation to see what was to be one of the best shows I have seen in 2019.
The appetiser of the night was Canadian blues rock band The Blue Stones. I wasn’t familiar with this band, or so I thought until Tarek Jafar (vocals and guitar) announced their final song Black Holes which I had heard previously on Spotify. Go check it out !
I have been to shows where the opener lacked energy or the stage presence needed to keep the audience engaged before the main act. But this was obviously the perfect act to open the night. Their modern yet familiar take on blues and fast drums had me so excited that I forgot there was more to come.
I was surprised to find out that people drove from as far as Milwaukee to come see the show. But after Reignwolf’s first song it all made sense. The three piece band demands your attention and it makes you feel as if they came to play just for you. Keep in mind that these guys have played with names like Black Sabbath and are currently touring with The Who.
Jordan Cook (frontman) makes it evident that music has been part of his life for a long time. He owns the stage and it seems like his major focus is to make sure that you never forget the show. No words or photos can do justice to Reignwolf’s live performance and you should definitely go and see this band before everyone else catches on and we no longer can afford front row seats.

domain: entertainment


text:
Picture the scene: You’re up at dawn to photograph the local wildlife. Your car is miles away, and you’ve hiked in the dark. A stag pops his head up out of the foliage in the distance. You reach for your long lens, you want to make sure this is a pin-sharp killer image, and then Dang! You realize you’ve left your monopod or tripod at home! This is exactly what happened to London based photographer Hiren Vekaria when he was out photographing deer with his Nikon Z6 and 500mm lens.
Photography is largely about solving problems and so luckily Hiren was able to think quickly. He used his wife as a voice-activated camera stand! I think you’ll agree that she did a phenomenal job at keeping still and Hiren’s resulting shot of the deer is spectacular. What do you do if you don’t have a handy human to support your camera equipment on though? I tried out a few suggestions from other photographers plus a nifty one of my own!
Dollies and things on wheels:
A couple of years ago I wanted to take some interior background shots in Valencia for some composites. The building in particular is a UNESCO world heritage site and has very strict rules on photography and what they will allow. You can photograph it, but there is a no tripod no monopod rule which is heavily enforced. My hands are a bit shaky and there was no way I’d be able to handhold the exposure I needed because inside it is quite dingy (being a medieval building and all). However, I discovered that they do allow baby strollers and pushchairs inside. So I enlisted the ‘help’ of my toddler, strapped on my gorilla pod and DSLR and the StrollerCam was born! It worked remarkably well and I got the background shots that I needed and I didn’t get in trouble. I probably wouldn’t recommend the miniature assistant that came with the StrollerCam though!
For video work, anything on wheels can be used as an improvised dolly. From an office chair to a discarded skateboard. Porto-based photographer Anna Gunn of McGunn Media has resorted to several ‘of the moment’ camera supports. She tells of how she found a child’s skateboard by a rubbish bin “it was a stroke of genius” she says, “I couldn’t get the tripod low enough, and the skateboard I found was the perfect height! I even attached a string to the front to create a dolly effect”.
Most of us have used a camera bag or bean bag in a pinch, and I have definitely used a fence post in the past (I actually do own several tripods FYI, in case you were wondering!). But there were a few other ingenious suggestions as well. Anna went on to explain how she had once used her shoe to capture an extreme low angle when shooting up at a building using f16 to create a sunburst effect in the reflections. Gives a whole new meaning to the ‘hot shoe’ feature!
Texas-based photographer Janice Eddington no longer takes heavy tripods out at all on hikes, she simply brings a washer and bolt that fastens into the underside of the camera and some string. So simple, yet effective.
Finally, Jay Farmer suggested using a roll of either paper towels or toilet paper. You can squish them into whatever shape you want, a rubber band stops them unfolding and they also come in handy for other ‘uses’ when out hiking in the wilderness 😉
Have you ever had to resort to using any of these things instead of a tripod? Or have you found something even more bizarre that works?


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From a first glance at the cover, the sense is that this book is going to deliver some laughs. Dogs lying on their backs look so vulnerable and, well, silly, and this one cannot take his eyes off of his ball. The ball. What is it about balls that make dogs go so bonkers? It's a toy, yes, but it also is a connection with their human. A ball dropped at a human's feet means, "Play with me, pleeeeeez" and the message is so packed with neediness that one can never turn them down. This single-mindedness obsession is evident on the first page where our dog is waking up in his little girl's bed with a ball already in his mouth. As she dresses for school she throws the ball every chance she gets. But he knows what it means when she walks out that door and the expression on his face with a clock on the wall behind him shows how desperate he is for 'ball!" He tries to play with mom, baby, cat, and even clothes hamper. Not so much fun. He finally falls asleep and dreams of "ball!" When he hears movement near the front door he goes apoplectic as he anticipates his little girl coming in to play "ball!" This wordless picture books needs absolutely no words because EVERYTHING is in the illustrations. This is a wonderful adventure with a wonderfully insane dog and kids who know and love dogs will love it. Up to Seven. Joan Kindig
Smart, clean design and a text built around unpunctuated phrases allows room to ponder and discuss ideas and images that will hold great appeal to children. Colorful, decorative scenes on predominantly while backgrounds show how to: make a sandwich (with children and pillows), see the wind, make new friends,disappear. Inventive and quietly joyful. Up to Seven. Wendy Lukehart.
A new television almost ruins Chloe's cherished after-dinner family time with her parents and 20 siblings. White space highlights the pen and pastels in each bunny's clothes when they all discover an interactive entertainment that interests them much more than sitting quietly.


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‘Queer’ Pediatrician Admits ‘Gender Affirming Care’ Causing Bone Disease, Infertility
A California pediatrician specializing in transgender “healthcare” for children has admitted that the puberty blockers and hormones she gives her young patients have led to severe medical complications, according to a new report, in a private online seminar hosted by Dr. Erin Baroni — also known as “QueerMD” on TikTok — the pediatrician told her audience that the puberty blockers she gives her young patients carry a serious risk of the bone disease osteoporosis, while the cross-sex hormones she administers can leave both boys and girls infertile.
Baroni, a certified pediatrician, and instructor at UCLA, uses “she/they” pronouns. According to a report by Daily Mail, Baroni recently hosted a seminar with “dozens” of medical students, where she offered instruction on providing sex reassignment care for children.
Baroni reportedly admitted to giving puberty blockers to children as young as eleven and other sex reassignment treatments to children as young as seven. The pediatrician described to the students how ‘gender-affirming care’ can have devastating side effects for young patients but insisted that those complications are not something that “really impedes treatment.”
“With the bone density concerns and fertility issues … we don’t see these as things that are contraindications to treatment or something that really impedes treatment,”
“Gender affirming care” children’s doctor admits in private webinar that puberty blockers and hormones can have irreversible side effects including infertility and bone diseasehttps://t.co/bEGAUPG0mP pic.twitter.com/v1ZdNDlLgO
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 28, 2023
“[We] try to outline what we might be monitoring: risks, benefits, reversible, irreversible things, and really have a thoughtful conversation about things from a true medical and study standpoint,” Baroni said of the side effects, while still insisting that they are oftentimes worth the risk in order to treat ‘gender issues.’
“We’re always taking into account what is happening for the individual in the room… How some of these interventions and affirming things we can do are going to help that person function better, while also knowing the effects of treatment.”
According to the Daily Mail report, Baroni is originally from Texas and partly hosted the private seminar to commemorate Pride month.
She is connected to multiple clinics in the UCLA system, including locations in Santa Monica and Los Angeles. By her admission, she has provided sex reassignment care to patients aged seven to 72. Baroni’s TikTok channel, where she offers advice to medical professionals on transgender medicine, has thousands of followers.
The “QueerMD” doctor argues that the treatments are medically necessary to treat depression in people with gender dysphoria and frequently outweigh the risk of osteoporosis and infertility posed by hormonal therapies.
Hoping to pilot a trans/gender diverse health app for pts and/or their caregivers in the next year and partner with a CBO, ideally one based in SoCal, thoughts? @TheElliotPage @TransTechSocial @centerlb @wearechannelq @WPATH @TransWellnessLA
— Erin Baroni, MD (she/they) (@ErinBaroni) April 6, 2022
Absent from Baroni’s seminar is a discussion about the number of child gender dysphoria patients who grow up to regret undergoing irreversible trans treatments, including many who are now suing their former physicians.
While the exact percentage of patients who grow up to regret their decision is unknown, the Daily Mail estimates it to be upwards of 25 percent. The “Detransition” forum on Reddit currently has more than 48,100 subscribers.
In the past year, 20 Republican-led states have passed laws restricting doctors from performing trans procedures on minors.
Other stories you may want to read:
- House GOP Risks Losing Majority as Members May Target Gaetz Next - December 3, 2023
- DeSantis Rips Newsom For Debate Lies – ‘We Need Truth in This Country’ - December 3, 2023
- #BoycottDisney Trends After Elon Musk Tells CEO Bob Iger ‘Go F**k Yourself’ - December 1, 2023


A New Non-stop Flight Launched From Hanoi – London
Following Vietnam Airlines, the new non-stop flight between Hanoi and London (Gatwick) builds on its prior successes in connecting Vietnam and the UK by providing more worthwhile travel options for citizens of the two nations.
Americans, Vietnamese book most Son Doong tours for 2023
Nearly 80% of bookings for tours to the world’s largest cave Son Doong for next year have come from Vietnamese and American tourists.
Da Nang international fireworks festival back after two-year gap
The Da Nang International Fireworks Festival, one of Vietnam’s leading tourism events, will make a comeback next June and will be held along the Han River, according to Da Nang City authorities.
Vietnam’s largest tea plantation enters harvest season
Year-end is harvest season in Moc Chau, the country’s largest tea growing area, as women in conical hats work from early morning picking green tea leaves.
Top resorts to hunt sea of clouds in northern highlands of Vietnam
Surrounded by mountains in the Vietnam‘s northern highlands, 4 resorts designed with a touch of traditional ethnic minority style are perfect for those wanting to gaze across a sea of white clouds.
National Geographic Lists Laos as Breathtaking Travel Destination for 2023
National Geographic, one of the most widely-read and respected magazines in the world, has selected Laos as one of the 25 most breathtaking places one should visit in 2023.


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Africa/Global: Don't Be a Fossil Fool
June 13, 2016 (160613)
(Reposted from sources cited below)
From solar TVs in rural Kenya to modular concrete for windmills in
Iowa, the pace of technological advance continues to accelerate,
making renewable fuels more and more competitive with fossil fuels.
Technology alone will not be sufficient, of course. But these
trends, combined with worldwide climate activism and increasing awareness
among the public and government policy-makers, are leading even
establishment analysts to conclude that, in the words of the
Financial Times, "fossil fuel producers face a future of slow and
The extent of damage already being felt and determined by current
emissions levels means that "slow and steady" decline is by no means
enough. Resistance by policy-makers and businesses to the transition
is still formidable. Although South African activists, for example,
headline their campaign "Don't Be a Fossil Fool," the South African
government (and many others) continue to pursue such destructive and
outdated policies. Fracking is still being advanced in the United
States, the UK, and Canada as a legitimate "transition." But it is
telling that such enterprises are no longer good bets for the
rational business or investor.
This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains several articles relevant to
these developments, including news reports from Kenya, Iowa, and
South Africa, plus an analytical review from Jeremy Leggett, who
provides a monthly update in his blog on "The Great Transition."
Also of interest: a recent report by the International Energy Agency
concludes that price trends are not yet enough for renewable energy
to advance: investors also need policy support from governments to
insure that projects can be funded with adequate capital. See Green
Tech Media for June 7: http://tinyurl.com/z2dzkza
For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on Climate and related issues,
++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++
This solar-powered TV brings global news to rural Africa
By Sophie Morlin-Yron
CNN, June 3, 2016
CNN)In rural Kenya, people walk for miles in the blistering sun
after work just to watch television in the nearest town.
At 7pm, in the village restaurants, the music turns off, and the
news turns on.
In this nation of 45 million people -- where many live without
electricity -- only 30% of Kenyans have their own television.
Now a start-up has developed a 16-inch TV which runs on the sun's
rays, bringing communication to the masses.
"There are some 5 million homes in Kenya that don't have
electricity," says Jesse Moore, founder of M-KOPA Solar.
"And the product most people living off-the-grid want to get is a
The M-KOPA Solar TV connects to Kenya's digital television network
of about 30 free channels, screening soap operas, premier league
football games and marathons.
But culturally Kenyans are very engaged in politics and business,
and it is news broadcasts that attracts the most viewers, Moore
"If you travel around Kenya, you see people veraciously reading the
newspapers ... People want to consume information about their
society and about their government."
M-KOPA has sold around 5,000 sets since the launch in February, and
Moore says they are struggling to keep up with the growing demand.
"It's feeling of, 'Hey, I can live in a rural area, but I'm not cut
How it works
The new kit adds a 16" TV to the original package.
The Solar TV is an extension of a more basic solar panel kit to
power lights, radios and mobile phones, which the company has sold
to 340,000 households in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Now it can also power a TV.
Users simply fix the solar panel to a sunny area outside their home
and connect it to their television via a power cord.
Power on loan
M stands for "mobile" and KOPA is Swahili for "to borrow" -- the
business is tailored to people in less affluent areas who are unable
to buy solar panels, or a TV, up front.
"Most of our customers live at, or below, $2 per day per capita,"
Using a mobile payment system provided by partner company,
Safaricom, customers pay between 50 cents and $1.25 a day over 1 to
2 years, depending on their payment plan.
The TV and solar panel cost $500 in total -- once that is paid, the
kit is no longer on loan, and all power is free for as long as the
Mobile payment paved the way
Moore, a former aid worker from Canada, says mobile payment systems
like M-PESA are crucial to business in Africa.
"It allows everybody in this country to move money seamlessly
through their mobile phones in a way that's almost to the envy of
the UK or Canada."
Moore saw an opportunity to bring social change to remote
communities with affordable solar power kits -- and started M-KOPA
Solar in 2011 together with Nick Hughes, Chief Product Officer, and
Chad Larson, Chief Credit Officer.
Today, the company has 2,000 employees and offices in five
Don't be a fossil fool: how South Africa's coal addiction is costing
Daily Vox, May 11, 2016
For videos and photos from demonstrations, visit
For the May BreakFree demonstrations world-wide, including
disruptions of fossil-fuel facilities in Australia, Germany, Brazil,
UK, Turkey, and USA, see http://breakfree16.org
Ahead of their three-day long campaign against fossil fuels and its
impact on people's livelihood, climate change organisation, 350.org
held a press briefing to detail the structure of the campaign, Break
Free from Fossil Fuels. 350.org, together with other organisations
presented a mouthful at the briefing and THE DAILY VOX sums up the
Mzansi's [South Africa's] addiction to coal has resulted in the
doubling of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions in the past 56 years. We
are ranked the 12th largest CO2 emitter worldwide and the
environmental impacts of the coal sector are huge. 350.org is
calling on South African government to stop clinging to volatile
fossil fuels and consider a cleaner and fairer renewable energy.
From May 12 - 14, a series of events is planned by 350.org to keep
coal under the ground and lead the fight against coal mining and the
sector's corruption. The events, under the umbrella Break Free from
Fossil Fuels will include protests and a visit to South Africa's
coal mining hub, Emalahleni in Mpumalanga to raise awareness. The
campaign will speak out against fossil fuels, climate change, and
their impact of drought and hunger.
Yes fossil fuels, climate change, drought and food crisis are
connected. Here's how:
Climate crisis and fossil fuels
Coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of man-made CO2
emissions, making coal energy the greatest threat facing our
climate. People are already living the impacts of the climate
crisis, with 2014 and 2015 recorded as the hottest years. South
Africa's El Niño-induced drought is exposing weaknesses in the
state's response. 2015 was the driest year on record for SA. Harsher
and longer droughts, heat waves and extreme rainfall can't be
separated from the causal impact of climate change.
Climate change, drought and hunger
South Africa's drought is affecting millions of people and
increasing starvation. Climate change is further exposing the
problems with a corporate-controlled food system. All measures of
food prices are showing a dramatic increase in food inflation, with
year on year increase of staples particularly. The biggest increases
have been in mealie meal, samp, cooking oil and potatoes. Food
profiteering denies us the right to food under the constitution.
The hunger crisis and high food prices
Food price inflation has increased by 13.4 % since November 2015. In
January 2016, food prices had increased by 6.9%. Bread companies are
taking advantage of the drought and artificially increasing their
prices. A brown loaf now costs 5.73% more than it did last year.
While the state is responding to commercial farmers, it is not doing
enough for smaller scale farmers and poor communities. Moreover,
food inflation has eroded the value of social grants. According to
PACSA (Pietermaritzburg Agency for Community Social Action, the
total of old age pension (R1, 510 in April/October 2016) cannot
actually cover the cost of a food basket (R1,879.24 in February
2016). Moreover, a minimum food basket for a household of four costs
R2, 420.77 in February 2016. In South Africa, 27 million people earn
less than R3, 000 per month. With food price increases, particularly
of staples, hunger is going to worsen. Already, one in five children
suffers from malnutrition and learning disabilities.
The tallest wind power tower in the US, assembled in one hypnotizing
Vox, June 1, 2016
Watch the video at http://www.vox.com/2016/6/1/11820920/concrete-wind-turbine
Wind power engineering is governed by a simple fact: The higher you
go, the stronger and steadier the wind gets and the more power you
can generate. So the evolution of wind power over the years has
largely been a process of building bigger and bigger blades and
perching them atop higher and higher towers.
The turbine being assembled in this video, by MidAmerican Energy,
will be the tallest land-based wind turbine ever built in the US,
with a hub height (ground to center of blades) of 115.5 meters (379
feet) and a capacity of 2,415 kW. It's not quite up to the level of
the best turbines in Europe, but it's mainly meant as an experiment.
Wind towers in Europe now routinely reach 120 to 140 meters (over
US wind towers are catching up with Europe's
The US has not quite caught up. Since 2011, average hub height in
the US has stalled out at about 80 meters (or 262 feet):
What explains this? Part of it is the fact that US wind resources
are generally stronger, especially in the upper Midwest, which
somewhat reduces the incentive to build higher. Some of it is cost
and regulations. But a surprisingly big piece is transport.
The taller a wind tower gets, the bigger the diameter of the base.
But at this point, those giant cross sections of steel tower are
getting so big that they can't be transported via interstate. ...
Tower sections bigger than the standard (80-meter) kind have to be
transported via special trucks, and only on certain highways. It's a
(Another reason EU turbines are taller is that more of them are in
the ocean, where transport can be done by boat.)
Concrete turbine towers can get around transport restrictions
So engineers and designers have begun looking to concrete. The
advantage of concrete towers, besides the fact that concrete is an
extremely well-understood material with a well-developed industry
behind it, is that they are modular. They come in smaller pieces,
which can be transported via regular trucking and safely assembled
(Theoretically, steel could be cut in smaller pieces too, but
assembling steel pieces, i.e., welding, on site is much more
difficult and technical than snapping concrete Legos together.)
It's still a fairly new idea — only a few concrete wind towers are
currently in operation — but as the drive to push turbines ever
higher continues, it could take off.
The MidAmerican Energy turbine in Iowa is testing the concrete
model. If it succeeds, there is little limit to how tall towers
could get, though at a certain point land use considerations come
into play. Concrete is extremely carbon-intensive at present, but
there's lots of work underway to make it lighter, stronger, and
greener. (There's also work being done to develop hybrid
It would be somewhat ironic if concrete, one of the oldest and most
boring elements of industry, were the future of wind.
"State of the Transition, May 2016: Talk of Twilight
Jeremy Leggett, June 5, 2016
World records tumbled in renewable energy this month. Utilities,
facing short-term existential threat in the face of clean-energy
growth, continued to wrestle with the imperative of escaping the
energy incumbency. Oil and gas companies, facing longer term threat
to business-model viability, read dire assessments of their
prospects in places they could not have imagined possible until
recently. Investors continued to awaken to climate risk, and a
critical mass of governments stayed broadly on course for the
current and future action that the Paris Agreement requires of them.
None of this, however, happened as fast as the recent run of worldrecord
monthly average temperatures merits. Unprecedented wildfires
and die offs of coral reefs were harsh reminders this month of the
race against time that civilisation is running.
The latest solar auction, in Dubai, saw a power plant proposal come
in below 3 cents a kilowatt hour for the first time: cheaper than
any other form of power today. It remains to be seen if such a plant
can be built at a profit, but this world-first shows that the solar
industry has a cost-down roadmap with yet more mileage in it. The
cost-down megatrends of solar and wind are driving solid growth in
grid penetration by renewables. Germany generated almost all its
power from renewables one day in May. Portugal managed four straight
days of 100% renewable power. UK energy from coal hit zero for first
time in over 100 years …several times in a week.
Growth in jobs reflects the energy transition unfolding. We learned
in May that more than 8 million people now work in renewables. Solar
photovoltaics is the biggest employer with 2.8 million, while 1.1
million work in wind. In the USA the 769,000-plus people employed in
renewables - on an upward trend of 20% in 2015 - dwarf the 187,000
in oil and gas and the 68,000 in coal mining, sectors that are both
on strong downward trends.
Storage continues to race into the frame. Figures for 2015 showed
fully half the small solar PV plants installed in Germany were built
with storage. This story involves far more than the headlines
generated in April by Tesla. For example, Nissan announced a
residential battery product for Europe, scheduled for a September
Eon and RWE, the two giant German utilities who have admitted their
old business model is dead, continue to pursue radical
restructurings. Analysts are questioning whether they will have
strong enough balance sheets to execute their u-turns. In the US, a
study for the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute
showed that the top 25 investor-owned electric utilities spent over
$400 million lobbying against clean energy in the past four years.
Had they deployed that capital embracing the future rather than
defending the past, they could have accelerated the revolution
considerably. For example, had they used the cash underwriting loans
to ratepayers, they could have doubled the nation's solar capacity.
The utilities' wasteful defence of a failing status quo is as
nothing compared to that of the oil and gas industry's. But the oil
and gas giants are coming under increasing pressure, and nowhere
more so than on the risk that they are heading for stranded assets.
The latest report from Carbon Tracker calculated that the oil majors
would be worth more if they adapted their business models to reflect
a world in which governments actually succeed in their treaty
commitments to keep global warming below 2°C.
ExxonMobil and Chevron faced torrid times at their AGMs in May
staving off shareholder resolutions around stranded-asset risk. They
won majorities, but for how much longer can they? A BBC headline
suggested Exxon Mobil faces a "change or die" moment on climate. The
Royal Institution for International Affairs published an analysis
suggesting that the oil companies have ten years in which to change
strategy, or face a "short, brutish end". "Not-so-Big Oil", read the
headline of an Economist article focussing on the evaporation of
profits. The problems are not just around climate and the debt
mountain they are building. Oil discoveries slumped to a 60-year low
in 2015. The Financial Times summed up in an editorial at the end of
May under the headline: "The long twilight of the big oil
companies." "Fossil fuel producers face a future of slow and steady
decline", the leader writer argued.
Investors are reacting, albeit slowly. A report by the Asset Owners
Disclosure Project showed that 246 of the world's 500 biggest
investors, worth $14 trillion, are still ignoring climate risk
completely. The AODP rates investor behaviour in the manner of
ratings agencies, in this case assessing engagement on climate risk,
risk management, and low-carbon investment. They distinguish classes
from Leaders (A to AAA grade) through to Bystanders (D grade) and
Laggards (ungradeable). The percentage of Leaders is growing slowly,
but does not come close to matching the urgency implicit in the work
of regulators concerned about stranded assets. That said, the very
fact that ratings are now being applied should help unlock the
floodgates. So should the work of the G20's Taskforce on Climaterelated
Financial Disclosure when it reports later this year. My
prediction: expect a stampede at some point soon. The capital
markets are well known for herd behaviour.
Total is one oil and gas company that is making an effort, at least
to hedge bets. Total aims to have a fifth of its assets in lowcarbon
by 2036. Its latest move is a billion euro acquisition of a
battery company, Saft Group. During May, Total and the solar company
it majority owns, SunPower, announced a project to power Santiago's
metro with a 100 megawatt solar plant. Serving 2.2 million
passengers every day, this would be the first public transportation
system in the world to run mostly on solar energy. On a personal
note, I have often been assured by defenders of the energy
incumbency in London that "renewables can never run the tube
ExxonMobil, meanwhile, dug further into their defence of the status
quo. Their CEO told his AGM that ending oil production was "not
acceptable for humanity". Calpers, holding $1bn of ExxonMobil
shares, was among the many who took a different view: "This is their
Kodak moment", said Anne Simpson, representing the giant Californian
pension fund. "If they want to still be in business in 30 years,
they have to understand the changes that are taking place."
In the UK, fracking of shale for gas won a council go-ahead for
first time since 2011. Here too scorn descended on the industry, not
least because - unmentioned by many UK press reports - bankruptcies
among US shale frackers have now rising to more than 70 in the face
of a debt mountain that is raising fears in some quarters of a new
sub-prime crisis. The FT's Lex Column won first prize for imagery:
"The idea of the undead fascinates people", Lex's analyst wrote.
"The cult following still believes that fracking in the UK could be
profitable. Investors should allow market forces to finally kill it
A session of climate talks in Bonn was covered by less than 100
journalists, compared to the 3,500 who attended the Paris Climate
Summit. Almost unnoticed, governments kept their climate show on the
road, teeing up processes for implementing the Paris Agreement that
make success at this year's climate summit, in Marrakesh in
December, more likely. At this point it looks possible that the
treaty will actually come into force earlier than negotiators agreed
There can be little doubt that all players, governmental and nongovernmental,
will have to move faster than they expected in Paris.
The global average temperature for April broke yet another world
record. Terrifyingly, twelve months in a row have now done so.
Unprecedented impacts accompanied the unprecedented heat, most
notably a uniquely ferocious wildfire in Canada that required the
evacuation of Fort MacMurray, a city that owes its existence to the
tar sands. More than half the coral on the northern Great Barrier
Reef appears to have been killed by bleaching in unsurvivably hot
For those still resistant to the idea that the world is warming
dangerously because of greenhouse gas emissions, despite such
evidence, there should be another reason to worry now. The largest
coral reef in the continental US, off Florida, is dissolving into
the ocean in some areas. The acid doing the damage comes from carbon
dioxide from fossil fuel burning. Then there should be worries about
air pollution, from the same source. The World Health Organisation
announced it is up 8% in last 5 years, and is now the single biggest
killer in world.
AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication
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