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For women, fashion is the most important thing in their lives and they can’t seem to leave it behind no matter what. Well, yes, nowadays fashion is an essential part of our life so nobody can leave it behind even men. The way you dress and your style express your personality in society, so you need to enhance your style day by day. In the modern world argument of beautiful and ugly doesn’t exist anymore, because a person who knows how to dress themselves is beautiful. If you know how to dress up and style yourself with trendy wardrobe essentials, then that means you are smart and you have a great sense of dressing.
For women, there is a variety of wardrobe essentials, and it’s hard to decide what to purchase next for your closet. Of course, the decision is made according to your needs, you will prioritize the essentials that you must need at the moment for your closet. If you want to welcome some amazing fashion essentials into your wardrobe, then read this blog till the end, since you’re bound to find them.
1- Buttoned A-Line Midi Skirt
This beautifully designed buttoned A-line midi skirt from STAUD is the best choice for you, so get ready to welcome it into your wardrobe. This skirt is made with high-quality fabrics such as cotton and khaki that are lightweight and skin-friendly. This skirt is made from stretch cotton and has belted waist which fits you easily without any problem. The high waist design of this skirt gives you a sophisticated and sober look with breathtaking style. With front button fastening and straight hem design, you can wear this skirt daily and wear it to your office as well. Get this amazing skirt from Farfetch deals and enhance your style in no time.
2- Silba Cross-Toe Leather Sandals
If you want new pair of sandals for summer and still don’t what to buy, then these Silba cross-toe leather sandals are the best choice for you. These flat sandals are very comfortable to wear and provide your feet support and stability with style as well. The camel brown color of these sandals is breathtaking and they are made with good quality calf leather which makes them strong sandals. The slip-on style of these sandals makes them very comfy to wear and the crossover strap at the toe makes them attractive and stylish at the same time. Get these amazing sandals right away and fill your life with comfort and move along with trends.
3- High-Waisted Wide-Leg Trousers
you have probably heard of baggy jeans but you will these high-waisted wide-leg trousers, as they have a unique design. These trousers are of sand beige color and are made with high-quality fabric such as cotton which is lightweight and skin-friendly. The pleat detailing and wide leg design of these trousers will make you surprise and provide you with an astonishing look. These high-waisted trousers enhance your outfit and you can wear them regularly without any hesitation. These trendy trousers have two side inset pockets and two rear welt pockets, so you can get fashion and easiness at the same time. You can wear these trousers with your favorite belt because of their belt loops.

domain: design


Cardinal Godfried Danneels died today and although Pope Francis called him a 'Zealous Pastor' and John Allen declared him a 'gentleman', the truth is he was a bad person. He tried to keep an abuse victim from reporting anything and was captured on tape doing it. He led the Church in Belgium for many years while known as a leading liberal who was part of the group that pushed for Pope Francis to be elected. So what do you think happened to his Church? Exactly what one would expect as this older article in the Catholic Herald shows: Belgium’s crisis of faith.
"More so even than most European countries, it looks as if Belgian Catholicism has been living off the glories of previous centuries rather than having much to say to modern society. Certainly, most of the country’s nominal Catholics seem to have little interest in it. Unless it rediscovers a sense of purpose, there is a serious risk of the Church becoming little more than a government-funded heritage agency for the preservation of ancient churches."


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While Democrats hold 42% of House seats and 44% of Senate seats, the minority party gets far fewer staffers than leadership in the Republican majority.
Each of the 170 state legislators gets one legislative assistant to handle the work of their office, but top House and Senate leaders get to determine how dozens of other partisan positions are allocated among lawmakers.
According to an analysis of staffing information by the Insider, Speaker Tim Moore and top House Republicans have a total of 45 staff members in addition to their legislative assistants. Democrats have just five.
In the other chamber, Senate leader Phil Berger and key committee chairs have 22 staffers outside of legislative assistants, while Democrats have three.
“We’re not adequately providing the support we need to the Democratic senators,” said Fred Aikens, chief of staff to Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, D-Wake. He says Democrats would like to have the benefit of staff attorneys (Republicans have two) and policy advisers who can specialize in key areas like education and health.
Aikens estimates that Republicans’ partisan staff salaries add up to $1.8 million, while Senate Democrats have a budget of around $450,000. Recently, “we asked for an additional $400,000 to get some salary equity, but they don’t seem to be too fond of giving us enough,” he said.
Pat Ryan, a spokesman for Berger, said Democrats “set the precedent for 140 years” on staffing levels between the majority and minority parties when they were in control. He says Democrats asked for and received additional personnel funds in 2019 and again this year, but much of that money went toward raises for current staffers rather than creating new positions.
This year, “we again provided them with additional funding and authorized new positions. The minority caucus chose to post a job opening for one position, which to our knowledge has not been filled, and distribute the additional funding to their existing staff.”
Aikens said the funding for two positions would have amounted to workers with $30,000 salaries.
“I need folks who can do some policy work, track this budget,” which would require a higher salary, he said.
Difference in staff budgets
Ryan argues that the majority party simply has more work to do, from preparing the budget to scheduling bills to making hundreds of appointments to boards and commissions. “The nature of being in the majority requires additional responsibilities compared to the minority, thus the need for additional staff,” he said.
In the House, Democrats have similar concerns.
“When performing our due diligence on a bill, 20 minds are better than two when parsing dense information, but we recognize there have been times the Democratic leader has had no staff,” said Democratic Leader Robert Reives, D-Chatham, who has three staffers.
Reives’ communications director, Sara Angella, puts it more bluntly. “The difference in our staff budgets is comparative to boxing above your class with a corset on and ankle weights,” she said. “You aren’t going to win, and since no one pulls punches in politics, it’s going to hurt, a lot.”
Not an even split
House Speaker Tim Moore said he hasn’t heard any complaints about the Democrats’ staffing levels, and that he’s approved requests for additional staff funding in the past.
Democrats are able to hire their own staff for the new oversight team on the Joint Legislative Commission on Government Operations, which is replacing the nonpartisan Program Evaluation Division.
But it’s not an even split: In each chamber, Republicans will hire six or seven people for the jobs, while Democrats will get two.
“It doesn’t seem to be a fair balance to me,” Aikens said. “We’re hesitant to make that staff partisan.”
He said the new staffers will likely be limited to the topic being pursued by Gov Ops leaders, which is currently a probe into the finances of the N.C. High School Athletic Association.

domain: news


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The city was historically known as Julfar. Archaeological evidence has demonstrated that the settlement known as Julfar shifted location over time as harbour channels silted up. Excavations of a sizable tell, which revealed remnants of a Sassanid Era fortification indicate that early Julfar was located in the Shamal area, not far from other sites of historical/archaeological interest such as Sheba's Palace and the largest Umm Al Nar tombs found on the Arabian Peninsula. Sources say that Julfar was inhabited by the Azd (They were a branch of the Kahlan tribe, which was one of the two branches of Qahtan (the aboriginal Arabs), the other being Himyar.) during the eighth and ninth centuries AD, and that the houses of the Azd were built of wood.
Sights in Ras Al Khaimah include the prehistoric tombs of Um An Nar and the Jazirat al-Hamra ghost town.
Jazirat al-Hamra, or the Red Island, located in Ras al Khaimah, is one of the seven emirates that form the U.A.E. It is also known as the ghost town. The story goes that this town was haunted, which is the reason why it was abandoned, and has remained uninhabited and neglected since 1968.
Occupied by the Za’ab tribe, this coastal village was created in the 14th century on a peninsula. They were also called Hadhr, which is the local name for coastal Bedouins, whose livelihood depended mainly on pearling.
The 1930s economic crises saw the decline of the natural pearl industry. Few years later, this town was deserted when the inhabitants moved out, attracted by the prospect of better living conditions offered by the local government.

domain: history


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Complications of Type 2 Diabetes and Reducing Your Risk of Developing Complications
Abnormal blood glucose (sugar) levels can lead to problems. These include the following:
- Things that can happen fast:
- Things that develop over time:
Hypoglycemia is more common in people who take insulin. It can also occur in people who take oral (by mouth) medicine. Hypoglycemia can be caused by:
- Taking too much insulin or oral diabetes medicine
- Skipping or delaying a meal, or eating a smaller meal than usual
- Exercising harder or longer than usual
Hypoglycemia can be managed by knowing symptoms and treating them right away. The symptoms include:
- Lightheadedness or fainting
- Pale skin color
- Sudden moodiness or behavior change
- Clumsy or jerky movements
- Confusion or difficulty paying attention
- Tingling sensations around the mouth
- Loss of consciousness
A blood glucose monitor can check for hypoglycemia. It should be treated if the glucose level is below the range the doctor said was safe. Even if a person has symptoms, it is best to use the glucose monitor. That way, they can be sure their symptoms are really due to hypoglycemia.
Safety ranges for glucose levels vary from person to person. The ranges are based on age and health conditions.
Hypoglycemia needs to be treated right away. The goal is to quickly raise blood glucose level to the person's safe range. Some ways to do this are eating or drinking some form of sugar, such as:
- 4 ounces (118 milliliters) fruit juice or regular soda
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 4 or 5 saltine crackers
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey or corn syrup
The person should always have some type of sugar with them. They should wait 15 minutes after eating, and then retest glucose level. If it is still too low, the treatment should be repeated. A person who passes out from hypoglycemia needs emergency treatment. At the hospital, the doctor may inject a hormone called glucagon. The doctor may also give a prescription for glucagon—for those at risk of hypoglycemia.
A person who has hypoglycemia should talk to their doctor.
Long-term hyperglycemia is the major cause of many diabetes problems. Hyperglycemia happens if there is no insulin to remove the glucose in blood. It can also happen when the body does not use insulin properly. It can be caused by:
- Taking too little insulin or oral medicine
- Eating a larger meal than usual
- Stress from an illness or from daily life
Hyperglycemia should be treated right away. This will help to avoid further problems. The symptoms include:
- Frequent urination (peeing)
- Increased thirst
- Blurred vision
- Unexplained weight loss
If not treated, hyperglycemia can lead to life-threatening ketoacidosis. This condition happens when there is not enough sugar in the cells for energy. The body starts breaking down stored fat for energy instead. Acids called ketones the build up in the blood and cause ketoacidosis. The condition is more common in type 1 diabetes, but it may occur rarely in type 2 diabetes.
Hyperosmolar Nonketotic Coma
Hyperosmolar nonketotic coma is a life-threatening problem. It happens with hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome (HHNS). In HHNS, the body tries to get rid of excess blood glucose by passing it through urine. In severe cases, seizures, coma, and death may occur.
The symptoms include:
- Very high blood glucose
- Dry mouth and thirst
- Warm, dry skin
- Lack of sweating
- Leg cramps
- Vision loss
- Seeing, thinking, or hearing things that are not real
- Weakness or strange movements on one side of the body—with or without seizures
- Frequent urination (peeing)
A person with this condition should seek medical care right away.
Long term high blood glucose levels and high blood pressure can affect the eyes. They can damage tiny blood vessels in the retina. This damage is called diabetic retinopathy.
- Blurry or double vision
- Halos, flashing lights, or black spots
- Dark or floating spots
- Pain or pressure in one or both eyes
- Trouble seeing things
Some people do not have symptoms until there is a lot of damage. It is important to see the eye doctor regularly. Diabetic retinopathy can be treated with laser therapy or surgery. Quitting smoking and controlling blood pressure is also important.
Between 20% to 40% of people with diabetes develop a types of kidney damage. This is called diabetic nephropathy.
Heart Disease and Stroke
Heart disease and strokes are more common in people with diabetes. The most common form of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD). This is blockage of the arteries to the heart muscles. This condition can lead to:
- Chest pain (angina)—Chest pain or pressure often spreads to the arms (especially the left). Pain may happen with exercise or after eating a large meal. It may get better with rest.
- Cardiomyopathy—This is a general weakening of the heart muscle. It is caused by narrowed, small blood vessels reducing blood flow through the heart. It can get worse and cause heart failure .
- Heart attack—This is caused by a blood vessel blockage in or near the heart. As a result, part of the heart muscle does not get enough oxygen and nutrients. It stops working and dies. Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain or pressure, nausea, indigestion, extreme weakness, and sweating.
A stroke can also happen if blood cannot reach the brain. This may be due to a blockage in a blood vessel. Symptoms of a stroke include:
- Sudden weakness or numbness of your face, arm, or leg on 1 side of the body
- Sudden drooping on one side of the face
- Sudden confusion, trouble talking, or trouble understanding
- Sudden lightheadedness, loss of balance, or problems walking
- Sudden problems seeing in one or both eyes or sudden double vision
- Sudden severe headache
Diabetes can also cause mild-to-severe nerve damage, called diabetic neuropathy. This happens due to long term high blood glucose levels. It damages blood vessels that bring oxygen to nerves. Symptoms range from pain or tingling, to numbness and loss of feeling.
Damage to nerves can lead to repeat injuries, poor blood flow, and poor healing. This raises the risk of foot infections that are often hard to treat. When severe, blood flow is poor and the infection persists. The foot or legmay then need to be removed.
Other problems from nerve damage may include:
- A drop in blood pressure when standing
- Diarrhea at night
- Problems emptying the bladder
- Erectile dysfunction
Type 2 diabetes can lead to foot problems. Damage to the nerves can make it hard to feel pain, heat, and cold.
Type 2 diabetes can also cause a decrease in blood flow. This means a person with a blister or foot sore might not feel it. This can lead to the foot being re-injured. It is important to check and wash feet daily.
Long term health conditions can affect mood. Depression can make it harder to manage diabetes and related problems. A person needs to be alert for signs of depression that last at least 2 weeks. They may include sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in favorite activities. It is important to contact the doctor. Depression can be treated.
Lowering the Risk of Problems from Diabetes
These steps can help promote health:
- Having regular checkups even if feeling well. The doctor can often spot early signs of problems.
- Checking blood sugars closely and keeping them at healthy levels.
- Following a healthful diet, with plenty of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Not skipping meals.
- Taking medicines (pills and/or insulin) as prescribed by the doctor.
- Not smoking. Those who smoke should talk with the doctor about quitting.
- Getting advised vaccines, such as: flu and pneumonia.
- Doing regular physical activity and exercise.
- Reaching and keeping a healthy weight.
- Telling the doctor about any possible problems from diabetes.
- Keeping track of moods. Being alert for lasting depressive symptoms.
Closely following a care plan can help prevent and treat problems due to diabetes. Sometimes this may include taking medicines, such as:
- ACE inhibitors or other medicines—for high blood pressure
- Lipid-lowering medicines
- Other medicines, as advised
- American Diabetes Association. American Diabetes Association; Professional Practice Committee: Standards of medical care in diabetes—2022. Diabetes Care. 2022;45 (Supplement_1): S3.
- Diabetes mellitus type 2. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/diabetes-mellitus-type-2-in-adults.
- Cardiovascular disease. American Diabetes Association website. Available at: https://diabetes.org/diabetes/cardiovascular-disease.
- Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome. Cleveland Clinic website. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21147-hyperosmolar-hyperglycemic-syndrome
- Hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state in adults. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/hyperglycemic-hyperosmolar-state-in-adults.
- Hypoglycemia in diabetes. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/hypoglycemia-in-diabetes.
- 9/11/2014 DynaMed Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Tovote KA, Fleer J, Snippe E, et al. Individual mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and cognitive behavior therapy for treating depressive symptoms in patients with diabetes: results of a randomized controlled trial. Deabetes Care. 2014;37(9):2427-2734.
- 12/15/2014 DynaMed Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Rawlings AM, Sharrett AR, Schneider AL, et al. Diabetes in midlife and cognitive change over 20 years: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2014;161(11):785-793.
- Mark Arredondo, MD
(C) Copyright 2023 EBSCO Information Services
This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.
To send comments or feedback to our Editorial Team regarding the content please email us at firstname.lastname@example.org.

domain: biology


ISLAMABAD: PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has presented himself for trial under Article 6 of the constitution for having supported former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf’s decision to proclaim the state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007.
Taking part in a debate in the Senate on the country’s security situation on Monday, Chaudhry Shujaat also called for trial of former army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for supporting Gen Musharraf on different occasions. He suggested that instead of Nov 3, 2007, the trial should begin from Oct 12, 1999, when Gen Musharraf, as army chief, had toppled the elected government of Nawaz Sharif.
The PML-Q president criticised the use of word “treason” for the case on which Gen Musharraf was being tried and said it was used for a person having joined hands with enemies of the country. “What message we want to give to the world by declaring that our army chief was a traitor?” asked Chaudhry Shujaat, the head of the ruling party at the time of Gen Musharraf’s rule in the country.
He was of the opinion that the word “high treason” should not be there in the constitution at all. He regretted that people who administered oath to office by a “so-called traitor” and who enjoyed ministries in the past were now talking about his trial under Article 6.
However, no lawmaker from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which was a coalition partner with the PML-Q during the Musharraf regime, spoke in support of the former military ruler.
But Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) endorsed the PML-Q chief’s opinion and said the trial of Gen Musharraf alone was against the spirit of justice. He said the former president had himself stated that he was in the air when the elected government was toppled in 1999. Therefore, he said, all those who were on the ground and worked on his behalf should be tried whether they were generals, judges or politicians.
Responding to Chaudhry Shujaat’s speech, Mushahidullah Khan of the PML-N said that political parties had differing viewpoints on the starting time of the trial of the military dictator. He said the purpose of Gen Musharraf’s trial was not to hang him or sentence him for life, but to end the culture of occupying the country through use of force and formation of political parties at the ISI office.
The PML-N senator said the person who used to show fists in the past and claimed to be a brave man had now got himself admitted to hospital instead of facing courts.
In an apparent reference to a report that Gen Musharraf’s London flat was on sale, Mr Khan said it was surprising that the former military dictator was indulging in real estate business from the hospital. How a person who had retired as a grade-22 officer earned so much money that he owned property worth billions of rupees inside and outside the country, he said.
Earlier, MQM senators staged a token walkout when they were not allowed by the chairman to respond to the speech of PPP’s Dr Karim Khawaja who criticised Altaf Hussain’s statement about division of Sindh.
The MQM and the PML-N opposed a motion moved by ANP’s Haji Adeel seeking shifting of the head office of State Bank from Karachi to Islamabad.
Meanwhile, the Senate referred the 22nd Constitution Amendment Bill jointly moved by PPP’s Sughra Imam and Raza Rabbani to the standing committee concerned. The bill seeks a bar on dual-nationals to join civil service, armed forces and the judiciary.


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CHICAGO — A Jackie Robinson West spokesman said the suburban village of Evergreen Park is “perceived as anti-African American” last week during an interview about the league’s attempts to get its revoked U.S. Little League title reinstated.
In the online interview with Huffington Post Live host Marc Lamont Hill, newly hired JRW spokesman Glenn Harston II answered a question about whether race played a factor in the league losing its title by saying, “The facts are that Jackie Robinson West that won the U.S. championship was an all-black team. … They shocked the world they won."
Their title was stripped, however, after an investigation into whether the JRW players actually lived within the league's boundaries. The probe followed a formal complaint filed by officials with Evergreen Park's Little League team and subsequent coverage by DNAinfo Chicago.
“They came from the lonely black district in the nation. All of this unfolded from a … whistleblower that comes from a town that is perceived as being anti-African American, and there’s a lot of racial tension coming from that town," Harston said.
Evergreen Park Mayor James Sexton dismissed the comments as an unfair characterization of his village and an “attempted diversion of the facts."
“I’m too seasoned to take offense. Consider the source. I’ve been mayor here for 13 years and elected here for 28 years, and I’ve seen this community evolve into a wonderful place for everyone to live,” Sexton said.
“The village is probably at least 30 percent minority. Our police department has more minorities than most suburban departments, and they’re in positions of authority. Fact is, the racism and things are long in the past in Evergreen Park. … People who live here don’t feel that way.”
Sexton said Harston’s statement simply aims to direct attention away from the real issue — that JRW broke Little League rules and got caught.
In February, Little League International stripped JRW’s title after it said the league “violated Little League International rules and regulations by placing players on their team who did not qualify to play because they lived outside the team’s boundaries."
Further, Little League International determined JRW leaders used a falsified boundary map for its 2014 tournament, and that JRW Little League officials met with other leagues in District 4, which includes JRW and several other South Side leagues, "to try to get the territory they wrongfully claimed was theirs for their 2014 tournament."
Little League also suspended coach Darold Butler, ousted District 4 Administrator Michael Kelly and put the league on probation until the league’s treasurer and de facto leader Bill Haley and his mother, president Anne Haley, are replaced on the board. The league remains on probation.
“Why don’t they just face up, and if what they did was wrong, it was wrong and not try to find a diversion. And that’s all they’re trying to do is create a diversion with racial issues,” Sexton said.
“The gentleman that made the complaint [against JRW], Chris Janes, has four African-American children. His wife is African American. So, what are they talking about? They don’t want to listen to the facts. They don’t want to listen to Little League. Now, they want to throw Evergreen Park under the bus.”
During the interview (watch here), Harston also mentioned that Janes faces misdemeanor charges of drunkenly attempting to enter a neighbor’s house by mistake and allegedly assaulting "an African-American woman.”
Harston also claimed that Janes “admitted” that the Evergreen Park Little League program “violated the same rules that he’s accused of us of violating. However, there was no punishment handed down to him.”
“So, where’s the equality there?” Harston asked on Huffington Post Live. “You punish little African-American boys, but the Caucasian white man didn’t get any punishment.”
On Thursday, Harston, pointing to a 2013 news report alleging Evergreen Park police make racially motivated traffic stops, said he was just "laying out the facts."
"I stand by my statement about the perception of Evergreen Park," Harston said. "You can draw your own assumptions or conclusion. It was a factual statement."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:

domain: sociology


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While walking in downtown Statesboro Friday, you might see characters from your favorite childhood book walking around as “The Jungle Book” is brought to life by local youth.
Mical Whitaker’s seventh annual production of The Jungle Book is the culmination of a weeklong camp at the Averitt Center for the Arts. The camp gives young actors and actresses a hard-working introduction into the world of theater while also learning more about the popular children’s story.
This summer, 33 aspiring performers took on the task of making costumes and learning their lines and dances during a very short time frame. Whitaker, who is the artistic director of the Statesboro Youth Theater and a Georgia Southern University professor emeritus of theater, takes on the challenge of putting together a production in a week.
“The kids come in on Monday and we do a show on Friday,” Whitaker said. “Getting 33 kids in sync for a production is a major challenge we face.”
Last month, Whitaker and his staff hosted auditions to begin casting for the production. The main characters in the play are given a month to rehearse and memorize their lines.
Throughout the week the kids will block movements, design their own costumes, learn about design making and stage geography.
“This camp is an elementary camp for a reason,” Whitaker said. “We do not expect the kids to be perfect. Our goal is for the kids to have fun while learning about the wonderful world of theater.”
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling and has been recreated into a popular, everlasting movie for every young generation to enjoy.
“Other than it being a beloved story, the kids know it well,” Whitaker said. “Some of the children come in here and know more about the story than I do. They might not know what to do, but at least they know the background of the story.”
The show is set to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Averitt Center. All of the participants in the camp will be a part of the Friday night showcase. Tickets are $5.
“I hope the kids gain the wonderful joy of creating theatre together,” Whitaker said. “If the kids learn how to work together for a common goal after this week long camp experience, then I know they took something away from this camp.”

domain: entertainment


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Girls basketball pairings show this Sunday
The pairings for the 42nd Annual IHSAA Girls Basketball State Finals presented by the Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers will be announced this Sunday (January 15) via television, radio and webstream.
The show has been moved up one week than originally scheduled due to programming conflicts among the IHSAA’s television and radio network partners. The 90‐minute television show will be carried exclusively on Fox Sports Indiana (FSI), the home of IHSAA championships, beginning at 6 p.m.
Originating from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the show will be hosted by legendary broadcaster Jerry Baker, Pat McKee and Jeremiah Johnson of Fox Sports Indiana.
For viewers outside of the Fox Sports Indiana coverage area, a live stream will be available at IHSAAtv.org. For those within the FSI coverage area, the stream will be available only on delayed basis later that evening.
Radio listeners may join Indiana Sports Talk’s Bob Lovell and Charlie Hall for their pairings show, also at 6 p.m., on any of the affiliates of the IHSAA Champions Radio Network. Originating from Emmis Communications on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis, Lovell and Hall will go in‐depth on some of the top sectionals in all four classes and collect reaction from coaches across the state.


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Hillsong founder met with church leaders ONE YEAR after being told of sex abuse allegations against his father
- Meeting with the Pentecostal church was held just before Christmas 1999
- Hillsong leader Brian Houston met with leaders at Sydney airport
- It came a year after allegations were raised by village pastor Barbara Taylor
- Former church leader Keith Ainge fronted the royal commission into child sex abuse on Wednesday
- He said Brian Houston reported at the meeting his father had admitted to a sex act with a minor
It took a year for Hillsong leader Brian Houston to meet with the Pentecostal church about allegations his father had molested a seven-year-old boy.
The meeting came 12 months after Pastor Barbara Taylor had raised with state executives of the Assemblies of God the matter of Frank Houston's abuse of the boy in Sydney almost 30 years earlier.
It took place at the Qantas Club at Sydney Airport three days before Christmas 1999 and was called by Hillsong pastor Brian Houston who also informed church leaders he had stood his father down, an inquiry has heard on Wednesday.
Scroll down for video
Hillsong senior pastor Brian Houston (pictured) said his father Frank Houston had confessed to abusing a seven-year-old boy decades earlier
At the time, Brian was national president of the Assemblies of God - a confederation of about 1000 evangelical churches.
Keith Ainge, former national secretary of AoG in Australia, has told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Brian Houston reported at the meeting his father had admitted to a sexual act with a minor.
Pastor Ainge said he and the others 'knew nothing of the complaints against Frank Houston' until the December 1999 meeting.
Frank (pictured) asked for forgiveness from the victim and allegedly offered them $10,000 in a McDonald's restaurant
The meeting upheld Brian Houston's decision, and agreed that Frank Houston be suspended from ministry for 12 months and be invited to enter a restorative program.
Pastor Ainge said there was not a great deal of information about the complaint except that there was 'one incident' with a minor.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pastor Taylor - who is head of a small church in Mount Druitt - said she became concerned AHA was still not getting the counselling he needed and wrote to Brian Houston in June 2000 that people were reporting to her Frank Houston was still preaching.
Brian Houston rang her and 'was very angry', she said.
Pastor Taylor kept notes from the time and in those she recorded that Brian Houston told her his father was very depressed.
He also told her a meeting had taken place between AHA, his father, and an elder of his father's church.
AHA has told the commission Frank Houston asked for forgiveness and offered him $10,000 during a meeting at a McDonald's in Thornleigh.
He was given a 'food-stained napkin' to sign, AHA said.
Pastor Taylor said she thought Brian Houston was angry because 'he had dealt with it'.
She also said as a 'village pastor' she was not kept in the loop by the executive.
In reply to questions from Mark Higgins, counsel representing Hillsong Church Ltd, she said Brian Houston had asked her that any future contact be by phone, 'because the staff opened his mail'.
The inquiry heard Brian Houston had told church leaders in a meeting that Frank Houston had admitted he had engaged in a sexual act with a minor
Outside the hearing, Brian Houston said he welcomed the royal commission process.
He reiterated an earlier statement in which he said the pain to him of his father being engaged 'in such horrific acts' was nothing compared with the pain of the victims.
He said Hillsong was resilient and there were no allegations against him or the church.
The hearing resumes on Thursday when Keith Ainge continues giving evidence.
Brian Houston is also expected to give evidence.
On Tuesday, AHA told the commission Frank Houston would stay with his family when he came to Sydney from New Zealand in the 1970s.
AHA was seven when Frank Houston would come to his room, lie on him, fondle him and masturbate him, the alleged victim told the commission.
'I would wake up petrified and I would stay very still,' he said.
He said the abuse left him feeling ashamed, and he now suffered depression.
AHA said his family was very involved in the church, and when he eventually told his mother in 1978 she told him he did not 'want to be responsible for turning people from the church and sending them to hell'.
He said the Houstons 'were considered to be almost like royalty' in the circles in which his parents moved.
The witness said when, in 1998, his mother told another church pastor of the abuse, Frank Houston apologised.
He was told if there were any problems to contact Frank or Brian Houston.
He said after two months he rang Brian and said: 'What is happening with the money I was promised? I agreed to forgive your father.'
AHA said Brian Houston said 'Yes, OK, I'll get the money for you. There's no problem. You know it's your fault all of this happened. You tempted my father'.
AHA said he replied: 'Why, did he molest you also?' He said Brian got very angry after that.
'He slammed the phone down with words to the effect "You'll be getting money".'
While acknowledging AHA's courage in appearing at the commission, Brian Houston rejected the claims that he accused him of tempting his father.
'I disagree with his perception of the phone call with me and I strongly refute that I - at any time - accused him of tempting my father. I would never say this and I do not believe this,' he said in a statement made outside the commission.
'At no stage did I attempt to hide or cover up the allegations against my father.
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Buy CRC electronic contact cleaner that is plastic safe from home depot in their lighting/electronics dept. spray into female steroe jack holding camera upside down with straw slightly inserted. Do not spray a whole lot. Then let dry a few seconds and then spray the CRC plastic safe multi purpose precision lubricant. just a little and then plug the male end into jack. You might want to hold camera upside as well since you do not want oily residue inside tape transport. Push in a couple times then remove. Wipe male end with clean paper towel and spray that end then re-insert. Put on headphones and check to see if the problem got fixed. Check that little round bolt that holds it (female stereo jack) into place and tighten if needed
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WOW this is an expensive camera, I would first HIGHLY recomend spending the money and send it to a good electronics or camera shop and have them fix it.
If this is not an option here are a couple or things you can do. Since this is a higher end camera it
should have a mic jack, if so just hook in a good microphone and it should work fine.
A couple of words of warning before tying the next solution you could permanetly mess up your
cameras sound. While this method theoretically possible, some companies intentionally make this
very hard. Often companies will use hair thin wires or wires that are so short thier is no way to
patch into them. Also, since this description doesn't use standard hardware you should disclose
this repair to anyone who might wish to buy the equipment if you decide to sell it. Also, the mic
that I've suggested may not be as good of quality as the original Sony. You can use
any mic of about the same size so long as it has wires to tie into.
If your not real familiar with electronics get a buddy with some experience repairing electronics to help.
If your really adventurous, you could take the mic assembly apart and put in a new mic. Just get a good compact mic like a KOSS M5 and splice off the end then shave the wires. Then carefully
take the mic assembly on you camera apart look for a small disk made of two magnets an a
fillament with 2 wires disconect the wires from the disk and hook them up to the shaved wires
from the KOSS microphone (one wire from a lead the other to the ground of the KOSS microphone). The KOSS mic will have 3 wires two sources/leads and a ground you might have to play around with it to figure out the wires and get it working properly. If your mic assembly has 2 mics figure out which wires are the lead by hooking them up one at a time (to the wires that originally were hooked to the internal microphones) with the ground on the other wire and trying them. Once you figure out which are the lead wires hook them each up to the old mic wires and take the other side and hook them both up to the ground. once you have it all wired back up and any splices insulated (elecrical tape should be fine) you should be able to re assemble the mic with the new microphones installed.
If the mics for the camea are intergrated into a circuit board the same method will work but
the old mics will need to be desoldered and the leads from the new mic will need to be soldered
where the old mics were. If this is the case get a buddy with some experience with electronics to help you.
Method three use an external recorder. For this method just record the sound with another external
device like a digital voice recorder then use an editing program like Sony Vegas to add the sound to your video. The hard part is syncronization. A clicker may help create sound tags to align the video with the audio with the sound.
I think this camera has manual audio control.
Use the menu system and set the audio to manual then turn down the audio completely.
Another option is to place a microphone jack into the external mic socket without a mic attached. This will mute the onboard mic.
Unfortunately, there is no external mic connection on this camcorder. The a/v jack is for viewing movies on a tv or transferring to a video recorder, etc.
I found this out through some reviews on the camera at this site: http://alatest.com/reviews/camcorder-reviews/jvc-gr-d720-mini-dv-digital-camcorder/po3-36078831,21/
Sorry to have to relay the bad news. The biggest complaint about this recorder seems to be bad sound quality, but there is nothing that can be done about it, unfortunately. Sorry, wish I had better news for you.
YES - t built in microphone and the appropriate ports to allow connection of an external microphone. GO to some eletronics store. Tell them you need a MIC with a MINI-JACK connector. mini jack is the end of the microphone - its really just the size - so. Hope this Helpedx404x
If your cam has an external mic jack and your mic has the matching connection you should be golden if they don't have the same connection try radioshack they should be able to hook you up with an adapter...If their adapter is insanely priced try monoprice.com.
im wondering why it cant be repaired down to componet level as if the servicer has a schematic its probaly not more then a cap a diode or both snf msybr sa resistor as they do have a protection curcuit on thes camcorders that wount let it distroy the Board Maybe you need another servicer??? Im not sure of your queistion on the adaptor But im sure that if you look in your owners manual it will assist you in where to call to get or buy accessorys. Good luck
yes you need to connect to the input jack:
if it wont work there is probeblya burned capacitor from the boosting

domain: hobby


text:
Mortgage Lenders Midland Tx Midland Mortgage Company Midland Mortgage is literally the worst company we have ever dealt with. I never thought I would say that considering I strongly dislike cox, but they have managed to be even worse, awful.Contents Massachusetts supreme court Creditworthy companies today Loan mortgage trading platform; obama Home loans west texas mortgage (tma) filed reports stating filed reports stating black knight: home prices rise 1% in April from March The Latest in Mortgage News – Read more.
The crime rate in Midland is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 22 crimes per one thousand residents, it is not among the communities with the very highest crime rate.
Midland, TX has a Crime Index of 1,611.88, which ranked #461 in Texas. Multi-years Midland crime count, police force, and hate crime data included as well.
Best Plastic Surgeons In Midland Texas He has been named one of the best plastic surgeons in Dallas and Collin County by D Magazine fifteen times and has been named one of the best plastic surgeons by Texas monthly eleven times. For six consecutive years, 2014 through 2019, Top10MD.com chose Dr. Watumull as one of the Top 10 Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeons in Dallas.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The country described by the Democrats running for president is mired in child poverty, riven with economic.
Crime Data in Midland. Trulia uses crime reports to provide valuable information on the relative safety of homes in the U.S. Use the map below to learn more about crime activity in and around Midland.
Midland County, TX | Crime Rates. Midland is a county located in TX, and has a population of 24,561. This region is policed by MIDLAND COUNTY.. Midland County has an overall crime rate of 3,021 per 100,000 residents.This is moderately safer than the rest of the United States, but still about average.
Mortgage Companies In Midland Links to websites outside of the Midland Mortgage website are offered for your convenience as they may contain information that may be of interest and useful to you. By clicking Continue, you will be taken to the third party’s website. By clicking Cancel, you will be returned to the Midland Mortgage website.
The crime data reveals that the overall Odessa, TX crime rates are 14% higher than in comparison to the Texas mean and are 24% higher than the nation’s mean. In regards to violent offenses, Odessa, TX has a rate that is 71% higher than the Texas average; compared to the United States, it is 97% higher than.
The Midland Police Department provides an online, interactive crime mapping program that will allow residents and visitors to input an address and view crime activity for their requested area. You can view and filter crime data to become better informed about criminal activity in your area.
Midland has an overall crime rate of 4,522 per 100,000 residents. This is moderately more dangerous than the rest of the United States, but still about average. Best Mortgage Lenders In Midland Tx Refinancing Home Loans in Midland, TX. With mortgage refinancing in Midland, TX, what the buyer really does is apply for an entirely new mortgage.
Police continued to comb through 15 different crime scenes in neighbouring Midland and Odessa, Texas. The gunman, identified by police as Seth Aaron Ator, 36, of Odessa, had been fired from his.
Odessa's violent crime rate of 806 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants is the highest in Texas by a fairly wide margin; Lubbock, the #2 city on the.

domain: geography


The AutoComplete is a textbox component that provides a list of suggestions to select from as the user types. This has several out of box features such as data binding, filtering, grouping, UI customization, accessibility, and more.
You can bind data from a variety of data sources in the array of primitive data, JSON data collections, or remote data source using different kinds of adaptors such as OData, OData V4, URL, JSON, and Web API. This uses Essential JS 2’s data manager to manage data and also has customization option for data request and processing.
Built-in filtering support with a rich set of filtering configurations is available to match all your application needs.
Provides support to filter data based on starts with, ends with, and contains.
You can customize the filter query or use your own filter libraries to set filtered data.
AutoComplete has diacritic character sensitivity. This behavior can be turned on/off.
Possibility to limit the number of suggestions to be displayed in the filtered list.
You can filter data with or without considering the casing for typed characters.
Provides option to set the number of characters required to filter.
You can configure different visual appearances for the matching text of each suggestion.
Controls the appearance of each item displayed in the suggestion list using templating.
Defines custom appearance of each suggestion item using item template.
Designs its own header for the suggestion list using header template.
Designs its own custom footer for the suggestion list using footer template.
Adds icons to each suggestion item.
Configures custom look if there is no suggestion to display.
The AutoComplete component has autofill option. This completes the word that the user types from the suggestion text. The end user can search for the items easily.
Generates a suggestion list to the users as they type in the textbox.
The width and height of the suggestion list is adjustable.
It is possible to hide the default suggestion list to bind the search result onto some other control such as grid.
Groups the suggestions based on different categories with individual header.
Developer can control whether the placeholder should float or not.
Provides responsive mode that gives adaptive redesigned UI appearance for mobile devices and recognizes touch gestures.
Fully supports WAI-ARIA accessibility that makes list view accessible to on-screen readers and assistive devices.
Follows WAI-ARIA best practices for implementing keyboard interaction.
Designed the UI element visuals such as foreground color, background color, line spacing, text, and images based on WCAG 2.0 standard.
Supports right to left (RTL) direction for users working in right-to-left languages like Hebrew, Arabic, or Persian.
Developers can customize all UI elements and control their behaviors according to the end user’s requirement using its rich set of client-side APIs.


text:
Dirty hands do the devil’s business
I spend a lot of time on Antidote writing about hard-to-get information and new ways to use data to find the monsters lurking in health care's basement. But we never should forget the havoc that can be wrought by simply forgetting to wash one's hands.
Ajibike Oyewumi, the general manager for quality improvement at Lagoon Hospitals in Nigeria, noted at an event to mark World Hand Hygiene Day, a World Health Organization pet project, that thousands of people in Nigeria die every year in from hospital-acquired infections.
How many "swine flu" or H1N1 stories talked about the need to regularly wash one's hands?
When hunting for why something has gone wrong at a hospital or in a school or even in a whole country, don't forget to look for whether basic sanitation guidelines are being followed.

domain: medical


text:
I’m only 35 minutes by train from the centre of Edinburgh. I’m privileged to have been to many cities at home and abroad, and it is one of the most attractive anywhere.
Sure its not “big” like Paris, London or New York, but big is not necessarily beautiful. “Les petits sont souvent les meilleures” to quote Obelix.
“The small ones are often the best” is how I would translate that. Obelix the philosopher.
And this is not parochialism. At least I don’t think it is. I spent most of my childhood in Edinburgh (13 years) and I dislike lots of things about the city. Mostly that’s about social attitudes, however, and does not affect the attractiveness of the place to an outsider. I’ve lived in plenty other places, so I hope that gives me perspective.
As well as some stunning physical aspects – a castle on a hill, right in the city centre – it has heritage by the truckload and some great pubs and restaurants.
I travel over there about 4-5 times every week, and perhaps being an outsider living in the sticks has helped me to appreciate it.
© iain taylor 2011

domain: travel


text:
Police at Coors Field had to deal with a drunk guy earlier this week. This video, originally posted on Facebook, shows a guy in jorts and a tank top get into it with security at a Rockies game. The cops just want him to shut up for a minute and the dude just wants to pretend he knows about the rights of an American who just wants to stand on his American legs. What do you think, Internet Lawyers? Excessive force or just a dumb kid who needs to learn to shut his mouth?
Kyle Lowry hit a prayer of a half-courter to send Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to overtime.
Thomas Hickey absolutely leveled Jonathan Drouin with a hit during the second period of the Islanders-Lighting game Tuesday night.
Sounds like Ryback is done with WWE.
Unique name, gotta see who shares it.
Not a good look.
Talking sports going at it as hard as he can.
Thunder 98, Spurs 97 might have set a record for most missed calls in the final :13 in NBA history. It’s easy watching the video to (…)
With baseball likely canceling games due to Zika virus fears, are the Olympics next?


Terror groups train PoK orphans for militancy : Report
13 November 2005
The Indian Express
Press Trust of India
London: Pakistan-based terror outfits, exploiting human misery, are taking children orphaned by earthquake in PoK off the streets to train them to carry out militant activities in J-K, a Sunday Times report claimed today. The report was quoting Pakistan’s leading human rights organisation, Ansar Burney Welfare Trust. The organisation said that Pakistan-based militant groups active in J-K were taking orphans off the streets and putting them in training camps. It claimed to have evidence that sympathetic government officials were passing children on to the jihadis to be looked after, according to the report. Advertisement The paper noted that the popularity of the Islamic militants has risen sharply since the earthquake struck on October 8, as they were among the first to arrive with aid at some of the worst affected villages. But, according to human rights campaigners they are using their newfound popularity to smuggle weapons and recruit the young and vulnerable. ‘‘We have heard from very reliable sources and seen with our own eyes that orphaned and lost children are being taken by jihadi organisations in northern Pakistan to be trained,’’ said Fahad Burney, of the Trust. Jamaat-ud Dawa, a jihadi group in Pakistan, has called for orphans to be handed over for an ‘‘Islamic education’’. Another hazard facing children is pneumonia, which is taking its toll among the 750,000 survivors living in the tent camps. Action Against Hunger, a charity, said it was now seeing one or two cases every day, and was aware of some children dying from the illness.


text:
Governments should help fund independent journalism as part of efforts to combat false information online, a group of leaders from social media companies, media organisations and academia has said.
In its report, the High Level Expert Group on Fake News, set up by the European Commission, urged technology companies, authorities and publishers to adhere to a code of conduct and better share data on disinformation in order to tackle the problem.
But it stopped short of calling for immediate state regulation of social media platforms.
While similar recommendations have been made in the past, the report was described by contributors as significant because representatives from Facebook, Twitter and Google were among the signatories.
The study comes in response to allegations that trolls intentionally posted false information on social media with the intention of influencing a series of elections and political events in Europe, such as the Brexit referendum, the refugee crisis and the French presidential elections.
The report recommended that among a raft of measures to tackle the problem, EU member states should increase investment in training journalists, supporting fact-checkers and improving the public’s “media and information literacy”.
It also suggested authorities support “substantial media pluralism” through a combination of supporting freedom of expression and providing “appropriate forms” of “indirect and potentially direct support” for private sector media organisations.
Despite its name, the group also called for an abandonment of the term “fake news”, saying it was a “restrictive and misleading” term that been “appropriated and used misleadingly by powerful actors to dismiss coverage that is simply found disagreeable”.
Madeline de Cock Buning, chairwoman of the group, called the recommendations a “great leap forward”.
“I am very pleased with our results, especially the commitment of all stakeholders, including online platforms, on the steps we advise the Commission to take,” she said.
Stephen Rae, editor-in-chief of Independent News and Media and one of the High Level Group’s 39 members, said the report was an “important first step in a pan European approach” to the spread of false information.
“This report recommends that European countries adopt a concerted and co-ordinated approach to address the growing disinformation online.
“The big tech platforms will have to adhere to a Code of Conduct aimed at diminishing the amount of disinformation online and promoting quality content,” he said.
The group’s recommendations will be used in the preparation of new EC plans to tackle the spread of disinformation, which are due to be published in spring.


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A Kritzerland Christmas III
On Dec.1, "A Kritzerland Christmas III,"the third annual holiday cabaret evening presented by Bruce Kimmel's Kritzerland Records, in conjunction with associate producer Adryan Russ, offered an effervescent salute to the holiday season. A splendid ensemble of seasoned performers served up an irresistible potpourri of melodic yuletide delights.
Michael Sterling's classy supper club, Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal in North Hollywood, once again hosted Kimmel and company for a festive evening of food, drinks and musical merriment.
The no-muss, no-fuss presentation, superbly helmed by pianist-musical director Richard Allen, immediately set a jubilant tone with a little-known but jaunty number called "Be a Santa," from Jule Styne's 1961 Broadway musical "Subways are For Sleeping." The number, a genuine charmer, was crooned as a duet by buoyant Dan Callaway and radiant Ashley Fox Linton.
Callaway later delivered a bravura rendition of the gorgeous traditional hymn "O Holy Night" and the divine "Count Your Blessings" from the Bing Crosby film classic, "White Christmas." Linton returned for a lovely number called "Winter Was Warm," from the classic 1962 animated television special "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol." This show was written by the songwriting duo for "Funny Girl," Styne and Bob Merrill. Linton also offered a warmly resonant rendition of the poignant Carpenters song, "Merry Christmas Darling."
In all, 15 stand-alone songs and four medleys were featured, as each member of the cast of nine had opportunities to sing the diverse numbers -- some well-known, some less so, but all well chosen. The bill of fare was by and large drawn from Kimmel's CD collections of holiday tunes on his Kritzerland label. Most of the songs originated in musicals created for stage, film, or TV.
An interesting change of pace occurred when Kimmel, who always hosts the Kritzerland evenings and offers intriguing tidbits about the songs and the shows, stepped up to perform the sprightly but goofy "Turkey Lurkey Time." Seeing this in the program immediately raised a question as to what he would do with this song, which is from the 1968 Burt Bacharach/Hal David show "Promises Promises," where it was a number for a sexy trio of female singer/dancers, including the immortal Donna McKechnie (Cassie of the original "A Chorus Line").
How in the world would the decidedly un-leggy Kimmel transform this goofy trio number into a solo for himself? He chose to satirize the bizarre lyrics ("Tom turkey ran away but he just came home... A loosey, goosey Christmas to you") by reciting them, sans music or dance. What he did wouldn't have served well as an audition for "Hamlet" or a Samuel Beckett play, and it did not suggest Kimmel might have replaced Kristen Chenoweth in the 2010 Broadway revival of "Promises." But his nutty gambit offered plenty of chuckles.
Fifteen-year-old dynamo Sarah Staitman sang "Jingle Bells," which was sung within a sprightly medley that also included the vintage rock hits "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Jingle Bell Rock," (shades of Brenda Lee in her prime).
The evening's elegantly gowned guest star, golden-voiced Terri White, deserved the enthusiastic welcome she received when she entered to deliver a pair of evergreen Christmas ballads -- "This Christmas Waltz" written by Sammy Cahn and Styne for Frank Sinatra, and the World War II Bing Crosby favorite, "I'll Be Home for Christmas," a deeply moving paean to our American troops overseas. White is an impeccable vocalist and a sparkling personality.
The splendid Lisa Livesay generated fun in Kimmel's delightful song, "This Christmas," lightly kidding the celebration of differing religious faiths during the holidays. She sparkled in Frank Loesser's wistful classic "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" She offered a lively take on "Sleigh Ride."
Stellar baritone Robert Yacko, who has excelled in myriad Southland musical theater roles ranging from "Company" to "Parade," offered a gorgeous rendition of the Judy Garland classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," written for the film, "Meet Me in St. Louis." Kimmel offered the interesting fact that Garland and director Vicente Minnelli persuaded songwriter Hugh Martin to alter the original lyrics to this song, which they had deemed too depressing.
Yacko also scored strongly in "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," from the 1963 Meredith Willson tuner, "Here's Love," adapted from the 1947 classic film "Miracle on 34th Street." He was likewise excellent in "Penny to Penny" from one of many musicals based on Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," and in the Kay Starr standard "Man With the Bag."
Other fine moments included a rendition of Eartha Kitt's saucy "Santa Baby," gleefully interpreted here by Kelsey Scott. She was also superb in the lovely "The Gift," which features lyrics by Kritzerland's multi-talented co-producer Russ, and music by Brad Ellis, as well as in Mel Torme's evergreen "The Christmas Song."
Prodigiously talented nine-year-old Hadley Belle Miller sparkled in her spirited interpretation of "That's What I Want for Christmas," which Shirley Temple sang in "Stowaway."
The superbly talented Jenna Lea Rosen lit up the finale, a wisely chosen pair-up, mixing "Happy Holidays" with the immortal Bing Crosby gem, "White Christmas." Her pair of numbers was followed by the crowd-pleasing encore number, an audience singalong collaboration on "Jingle Bells."
Capping the evening off with a free CD, "Simply," featuring Sandy Bainum, offered to each guest, as well as delicious trays of Christmas cookies, Kritzerland and Christmas proved to be a felicitous holiday combination, almost four weeks early.
"A Kritzerland Christmas III" was performed Dec. 1 at Sterling’s Upstairs at the Federal, 5303 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. For information and tickets, call 818-754-8700 or visit www.msapr.net/Sterling-s-at-The-Federal.html.

domain: artistic


text:
Radio NOVA has received permission from the BAI to expand its transmission coverage up the east coast of Ireland. The station has now built a significant booster station at Balbriggan, to bring its signal even further north of Dublin. The increased coverage, on 100.1 FM, is available to listeners from April 15th.
NOVA CEO Kevin Branigan said, “We’ve been eager to expand our coverage for some time and have publicly expressed this in recent months. We now cover even further up the east coast than before, adding tens of thousands of potential new listeners. We are the only Dublin station that extends into the sizeable commuter belt area of Meath, Kildare and Wicklow and we now cover more of this extensive area than before”.
NOVA is the only Dublin radio station also licenced to cover the extensive commuter belt region around Dublin, which includes parts of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. NOVA’S new 100.1 FM frequency will give enhanced coverage to people in the region, including the towns of Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk.
NOVA has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2010. It recently celebrated its highest daily listenership to date*. The station broadcasts on 100.3 from 3 Rock, 100.5 into Kildare and 95.7 into Wicklow.
(01) 524 1100
* JNLR Ipsos/MRBI 2014/4. Daily Listenership, Dublin Commuter Belt


text:
Tunisian film, The Man Who Sold His Skin has come home with two awards from Venice International Film Festival.
The film, which was written and directed by Tunisian filmmaker, and screenwriter, Kaouther Ben Hania received the Edipo Re Award, one of the festival’s collateral prizes, while the film’s lead, Syrian actor Yahya Mahayni scored the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor after his exceptional performance.
The film features Mahyani, who plays a young and impulsive Syrian, Sami Ali, who left his country for Lebanon to escape the war, where he meets one of the world’s most sulfurous contemporary artists. To be able to travel to Europe and live with the love of his life, Ali accepts to have his back tattooed by the artist, played by Flemish actor Koen De Bouw. However, after turning his body into a prestigious piece of art, Ali comes to realize that his decision may have compromised his freedom.
Director Kaouther Ben Hania took inspiration from the real-life story of Belgian artist Wim Delvoye, who produced the piece Tim, for which he tattooed the back of Tim Steiner, a former tattoo parlor owner from Zurich. Steiner agreed that after his death, the piece could be taken from his back and sold as a unique art piece. Ben Hania saw Delvoye’s human artwork in Paris’ Louvre museum which galvanizes her idea for the masterpiece film. “The original work of art was just a starting point,” she told The National. “Many movies start with an image, then you have to have a story with an emotional journey.”
The movie made its premiere at the Venice International Film Awards last week. The world’s oldest film festival is one of the first major events to physically take place since the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.


text:
The setting of the Gears of War story is the planet of Sera. It has been described by Epic Games as being a lot like our planet Earth. It was a thriving world. There was something like "a Renaissance" occurring. Architectural wonders were being built. Then Imulsion was discovered and things took a turn for the worse.*
The planet of Sera has seen a lot of war. Little has been revealed about this world or how humans came to live on it. It is unknown if humans originated from this planet in the Gears universe or if the planet was colonized some centuries ago by space travelers. The major conflicts began with the Pendulum Wars, 6 weeks of peace, then E-Day. Much of the planet was ravaged by the Locust and was destroyed with Hammer of Dawn strikes in an attempt to stop the Locust. Some islands of Sera went untouched. When the Hollow was flooded, the COG and some Stranded went to remote islands that were unaffected by war. Thinking that there was no more threat of war being over, the Lambent stepped in. The Lambent were more relentless than the Locust. This new conflict forced people into hiding at sea. Knowing that the Imulsion was the cause of the Lambent, it was not a fight to death. Later Adam Fenix reavealed that the Imulsion is killing Sera, and soon the whole planet will be a planet of nothingness.
Delta Squad was informed of this in a video message. Adam Fenix then describes the Imulsion that threatens Sera as not the miracle fuel that everyone thought it to be, but instead, the substance was some kind of "parasite," a colony of living organisms bent on destroying all life on Sera. Damon Baird theorized in the Gears novels that Imulsion has mutagenic properties and wonders if the creatures associated with the Locust Horde are mutations of indigenous life.
sera and Ares?
The name "Sera" is actually an anagram of Ares. Ares is the Greek deity of war and son of the deities Zeus and Hera. This name seems fitting for the home planet of the Gears of War and a planet that is war torn.

domain: literature


text:
Botswana has some awesome proper wilderness ..
Great value for money to hike in big 5 territory for a wilderness experience like no other
Kruger National Park
Coastal scenery like no other, a truly wonderful experience
Tsitsikamma national Park, Tsitsikamma, South Africa
5 days of hiking through the Drakensberg that will leave you breathless from the amazing rivers, mountains and scenery!
Goshen Farm Drakensberg Gardens Resort Road, Underberg, 3257, South Africa


text:
‘Thermal Touch’ will turn any surface into an AR touch screen
May 23, 2014
Metaio (as in meta I/O) has developed a prototype of a system called “Thermal Touch” that the Germany-based company says would allow a user of a future wearable headset to make any object touchable.
The prototype system combines a thermal infrared and standard camera connected to a tablet PC (in the future, Metaio assumes, these cameras would be built into augmented reality (AR) glasses).
The system identifies the object based on the heat signature left by a person’s finger touching a surface or object. Metaio’s software could then add relevant AR images, allowing the user to “interact with digital content in an all-new tactile way.”
For example, you could get directions by touching a static map in an airport, or get more information (video, etc.) from a book by touching text on a page.
Metaio will demonstrate Thermal Touch at the 2014 Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara, CA, May 27–May 29. Metaio is offering a $200.00 discount with code METAIO4AWE at registration.
Thermal Touch is a vision of the near future for wearable computing user interfaces. By fusing information from an infrared and standard camera, nearly any surface can be transformed into a touch screen.


text: A violent storm unlike any other is coming, it is destroying a tower on the bridge on the left. The fleeting man was in the tower that is closer to our view. He saw what happened to the other towers and the one in the back is falling as well. The situation is a desperate one since it is impossible to fight Nature. All he can do is get on his horse and alert the other towers to tell the men to flee.


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In a shocking incident caught on camera, a Delhi man was allegedly stabbed 50 times by a gang of bikers on Thursday evening after he tried to stop them from assaulting a boy who had thrown water balloons on them.
The man in the video is identified as Ashish and was wearing a black shirt. He was surrounded by nearly 20 men around 4 pm in south Delhi's Khanpur area while he was returning home from the gym, NDTV reported. The unidentified men stabbed and thrashed him with rods.
Ashish, who is in mid-twenties, was first stopped by two men at Duggal colony. They were joined in by men on another 10 bikes who assaulted him. However, the onlookers just stood there watching and did not try to help the victim.
Soon after the brazen attack came to light, locals alleged that the police came to the crime scene only an hour after the incident occurred. A complaint has been filed against the biker gang, NDTV reported.
The CCTV footage further shows the biker fleeing the scene with rods and knives, while Ashish was left bleeding on the ground.
The locals admitted him to a nearby hospital. He is currently under treatment in the critical care unit with over 50 knife wounds.
According to the locals, Ashish was attacked by the bike-borne gang over a past altercation. On Thursday, he tried to stop them from beating a boy who was throwing water balloons at them during Holi celebrations.
A few days ago, a Lady Shri Ram college student alleged that she was hit by a semen-filled balloon. This led to multiple protests in the national capital to highlight the growing concern over the safety of citizens during the occasion of Holi.

domain: law


text:
Smashing It celebrates the exceptional works and words of 31 leading working-class artists in Britain. Featuring writing, lyrics and images by Wiley, Maxine Peake, Malorie Blackman, Riz Ahmed and many more, it also includes reflections from artists on how class has impacted their working lives.
Come behind the scenes to find out how they overcame obstacles - from the financial to the philosophical - to forge careers in the arts and get inspiration to launch your own project. Smashing It empowers those who will be a part of tomorrow's bigger picture.
Contributors: Riz Ahmed, Sabeena Akhtar, Travis Alabanza, Anthony Anaxagorou, Raymond Antrobus, Malorie Blackman, Michaela Coel, Emma Dennis-Edwards, Maureen Duffy, Jenni Fagan, Marvell Fayose, Salena Godden, Hassan Hajjaj, Omar Hamdi, Kerry Hudson, Rabiah Hussain, Fran Lock, David Loumgair, Lisa Luxx, Paul McVeigh, Bridget Minamore, Courttia Newland, Aakash Odedra, Maxine Peake, Rebecca Strickson, Chimene Suleyman, Joelle Taylor, Monsay Whitney, Wiley, Madani Younis
`An inspiring book full of fight, fire and light. Absolutely necessary for anyone interested in the arts to devour these pages to learn, create, laugh and, obviously, smash it.' Kate Tempest
`Empowering ... the bible for the next generation of artists from marginalised backgrounds.' Nikesh Shukla
`Incredible; warmth and wit radiate through these pages. It offers urgent inspiration for those from working class backgrounds and a revealing read for those who aren't. A must-read.' Yomi Adegoke


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What can be done if I want to sleep better? I’m restless nightly and get no sleep. I just want to sleep better! If that sounds like something you would say, this article is just right for you. Keep reading for some effective ways to conquer insomnia.
If you’re having trouble getting to sleep at night, you may benefit from a brief massage administered by a spouse, significant other, or friend. This helps you relax and get drowsy. Let go of your thoughts and just enjoy your massage and relax.
Set your alarm so that you get up an hour earlier. You may feel groggy in the morning; however, you will be ready for bed sooner at night. Missing that an hour or so of sleep may be all you need to get a full night’s rest the next day.
Stay away from the computer prior to bed. In particular, avoid stimulating video games. Using them will cause you not to be tired.
To get a better night’s sleep and prevent insomnia, try to make your sleeping area as comfortable as you can. Noise and light levels must be adjusted properly so that the body is able to relax and sleep naturally. Your alarm clock should not have a bright display. Get a decent mattress that supports your body well.
Create a soothing ritual at bedtime to help you cope with insomnia. As you perform each step, your body recognizes your impending bedtime and begins to wind down. The result should be that you feel sleepy when you go through the rituals of the routine, making insomnia a thing of the past.
A lot of individuals afflicted with arthritis also suffer insomnia. Arthritis can be so painful that it interferes with sleep. If you have arthritis, you might be helped by light stretching or yoga followed by a warm bath and an OTC pain reliever at bedtime.
Be certain your bedroom is quiet and dark. Even LED lights on your clock can be problematic. Get rid of any and all noise. If you’ve got noise coming from outdoors, look into earplugs to help, or you could play a relaxing CD to drown out the sound.
Try to calm your thoughts when you go to bed. Too many thoughts can make it difficult, or even impossible, to get a healthy, restful night’s sleep. It is important to distract your mind. You can try to listen to sounds that replicate thunderstorms or rain to help distract your mind.
Get a different mattress if you have one that isn’t as firm as you’d like. The firmer the mattress, the better it supports you. When you sleep on a good mattress, you are sure to feel better overall in the morning. An expensive mattress can be hard to afford, but a sleepless night is even worse!
Don’t “make” yourself sleep if you aren’t ready. Go up to bed when you are tired. This may seem contradictory, but sometimes waiting it out is more effective than trying to force it.
Avoid activities that are too stimulating before you go to sleep. Anything like video games, watching television and arguing all stimulate your brain. They’ll make it tougher to fall asleep. Relax with meditation or yoga instead.
If you have a lot of trouble with sleeping every night, then it may help you to wake up at different times. Adjust your alarm by 30 minutes to see how it impacts your ability to fall asleep at night. Once your body gets into the new routine, you can gradually adjust your wake up time back to normal.
Don’t drink anything for several hours prior to going to sleep. Taking in too much fluids before bedtime makes you have to urinate at night. Getting up frequently to use the restroom can be very disruptive to the quality of your sleep. Drink an appropriate amount of liquid earlier in the day to make sure your body has what it needs.
You may have trouble sleeping due to a lack of tryptophan. This is found in tuna, cottage cheese and turkey. If that fails, try 5-HTP supplements. Serotonin is produced from tryptophan, and it makes you drowsy.
Now you’ll sleep better and feel amazing every day. Be proactive and start using these tips today. You’ll find a good sleep is just around the corner once you do.

domain: health


In the aftermath of the U.S. attack on the Syrian army positions overlooking and commanding the Dier A-Zor airfield – the airfield, whose daily “Berlin air-bridge” style flights, are the sole lifeline to a city long besieged by ISIS – the Russian U.N. Ambassador asked a pertinent rhetorical question at the United Nations Security Council: Who is running U.S. policy: Is it the Pentagon or the White House?
There was no official response, of course, but one was not necessary: the New York Times editorial board gave us the answer in its verdict of Sept. 15: Praising the U.S. Secretary of State for his energetic, but “quixotic” diplomacy, the “Board” wrote:
“The [Syria ceasefire] agreement also has powerful critics inside the Obama administration, including Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.On Tuesday, Pentagon officials refused to say whether they would comply with their part of the deal, which calls on the United States to share information with the Russians on Islamic State targets in Syria if the cease-fire holds for seven days. This would be an unusual and possibly risky collaboration with a Russian regime that has become increasingly adversarial and could profit from learning American military secrets.”


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Knowing what to look for and what tools to use when conducting OSINT for supply chain risk management can give organizations a competitive edge, resilience to cyberattacks and protection from non-compliance.
Organizations today cannot work in isolation. You must utilize resources from diverse suppliers in different locations to get a competitive edge. Doing business with third-party vendors can introduce numerous benefits, such as cutting costs, saving time and providing your customers with high-quality products and services. However, this comes with a price: Security!
Expanding the supply chain will require doing business with many vendors, which will expand your attack surface and increase your risk exposure. Many risks are impacting your supply chain. A recent study by WTW, which surveyed 800 senior decision-makers across different industries worldwide to understand their supply chain risks and challenges, found that the main factors underlying supply chain risks can be summarized as follow:
- Economic uncertainty (32%)
- Inflation (26%)
- Cyber risks were rated by 34% of respondents as highly impactful and by 54% as moderately impactful on supply chains
The increased complexity of today's global supply chain networks necessitates assessing the risks associated with your external vendors. Open-source intelligence (OSINT) can provide investigative capabilities to mitigate many dangers associated with the supply chain at a cost-effective price. However, before we start discussing how OSINT can help avoid many supply chain risks, it is worth examining the technological risks impacting the supply chains of global organizations.
Technological risks impacting modern supply chains
The WTW survey found that cyber risks are among the top risk factors impacting the supply chain. The most prominent cyberthreats are:
- Cyberattacks against the supply chain: Cyberattacks such as those using malware, ransomware and other malicious programs could disrupt normal supply chain operations and impact accessing critical systems and resources of third-party vendors.
- Data breach: A successful cyberattack can lead to breaching suppliers' sensitive information or exposing trade secrets to unauthorized parties. This can result in compliance violations and paying huge fines as penalties and legal fees.
- IT infrastructure failure: A cyberattack against the supply chain can lead to network outages or loss of electricity, which will impact IT infrastructure and cease normal work operations.
- Integration challenges: Integrating different IT systems to work harmoniously can be challenging when each vendor has different software and IT platforms. This fact will also lead to more security vulnerabilities in outdated IT systems and software.
- Manual process: Some vendors may still use manual processes to fill some work needs. This increases the visibility problem across the supply chain as not all supplier work processes can be audited.
- Skill gaps: Not all vendors across the supply chain will have the same technological knowledge, especially in emerging technologies, such as AI, IoT and blockchain, as the rest. The talent gap will prevent full collaboration across the supply chain.
How can OSINT be used to mitigate global supply chain risks and vulnerabilities?
OSINT can be helpful to lower supply chain attacks through the following:
OSINT can be used to gather wide arrays of information to determine supply chain risk. Here’s a list of various assessments to perform on suppliers and some OSINT tools to use:
- Checking supplier corporate information: Open Corporates, Annual Reports and SEC are examples to find information about your supplier corporations.
- Financial information: EDGAR | Company Filings
- Global financial stability: Check the financial stability of the countries where our suppliers operate. There are many sources to get such information, such as International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
- Commercial partners: Factiva provides high-quality business content from 200 countries and in 26 languages by integrating more than 35,000 sources from the Dow Jones Interactive and Reuters Business Briefing.
- Compliance issues: The GDPR Enforcement Tracker website to see a current list of all companies that were subject to fines and penalties because they have breached the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- Public reputation: Inspect vendors social media profiles and read customers feedback regarding their products and services to assess their reputation and how they handle customers feedback.
- Verifying vendor physical location: Use Google Maps and Google Street View (if the address is supported) to verify the current address of a vendor. We can also check a vendor's registered physical address in Open Corporates and Crunchbase to verify their address.
Investigating vendors’ executives and key stockholders
Your suppliers could have legal issues or participate in illegal activities in some countries that are subject to sanctions. Investigating supplier top management and key stockholders is necessary before engaging in any business relation with them. There are numerous resources to investigate individuals' backgrounds. The following are some resources to start with:
- List of countries sanctioned by the USA: Check the Office of Foreign Assets Control for a detailed list of sanctions programs and country information.
- List of individuals and companies blocked by the USA: Check OFAC website’s SDN list (specially designated nationals and blocked persons).
- Search for a person's social media profile: Once you find the first account, for example a person's Facebook account, you can search for similar accounts having the same username on other social media platforms. instantusername.com and usersearch.org allow searching for a particular username across many social media websites.
- Use people search engines: Find information about any individual, such as their address, employment history, social media profiles, contact information and criminal records. Tools to use include Truth Finder, Unmask for people search and Numberbook to fetch caller ID.
Discover technological infrastructure utilized by suppliers
Some foreign suppliers may not be transparent with you regarding their IT systems. For example, some suppliers may fear losing your partnership contract if they disclose using outdated IT infrastructure. OSINT can help us discover suppliers' IT infrastructure through various means. The easiest one is checking the supplier country's local job websites and reading the job posts announced by this supplier. For example, in Figure 1, I was able to find many IT systems used by a specific company by checking its job posts and reading a few of its employees' work profiles on LinkedIn (see Figure 2).
Figure 1 | Job vacancy websites can reveal important information about any company internal IT infrastructure
Figure 2 | Employees work experience on LinkedIn can reveal technical information about suppliers' IT infrastructure and cybersecurity defenses
Cyber risks associated with suppliers
Regardless of the security solutions you are using to protect your IT environment, a vulnerability in your supply chain can make you prone to cyber risks. For instance, many high-profile data breaches happened because of supply chain vulnerabilities. The most noticeable incidents caused by supply chain vulnerabilities are:
- SolarWinds attack: Threat actors exploited the update mechanism of SolarWinds network management solution and inserted a malicious code within it. The malware was distributed to all clients using this software and resulted in accessing their IT environment and data. Among the victims were government agencies and high-profile private organizations.
- Kaseya attack: Kaseya is a managed service provider (MSP) that provides remote management software. The attack, which took place in 2021, resulted in distributing ransomware to all corporate clients using the Kaseya software solution.
To find information about corporations that previously suffered from a data breach, we can check these resources:
- For California-based companies, check State of California Department of Justice Data Security Breaches
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts data breach reports
- Delaware data security breach database
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services list data breaches that impact protected health information affecting 500 or more individuals
- Have I been pwned tells you if a particular supplier email address, phone number or password was included in a previous data breach (see Figure 3). F-secure provides similar functionality.
- Identity Theft Resource Center, this website allows finding previous breaches related to a particular company
- DLA Piper provides a list of all data protection laws worldwide
Figure 3 | https://haveibeenpwned.com Allows you to check if your email was included in previous data breaches
Dark web monitoring
Dark web networks, such as Tor and I2P, are commonly utilized by cybercriminals to sell leaked information. These places should be monitored for exposed information related to suppliers and for any malicious signs that impact your organization's supply chain.
As we saw, OSINT can be utilized as an early warning system to prevent different risks to your supply chain. For instance, by using OSINT techniques, you can detect early signs of threats within your entire supply chain, such as:
- Political instability in your suppliers’ countries
- Monitor the financial situation of your suppliers; for example, avoid dealing with suppliers who could be exposed to bankruptcy
- Prevent cyber risks against your organization before they happen by monitoring darknets for leaked supplier information that may affect your supply chain security
- Avoid non-compliance status by avoiding dealing or using software components from suppliers with high-risk profiles (located in sanctioned countries or have weak security controls to protect their IT assets).
The breadth of publicly available resources makes leveraging OSINT a must for any organization operating on a global stage and wants to incorporate resources from diverse third-party suppliers into its products/services lines. OSINT will help organizations gain a competitive edge while enhancing their resilience to cyberattacks.Dark web research OSINT research Social media

domain: economics


Wed, May 16, 2012
So, The Person Who Brought Them To The Airport Abandoned 15, Causing A Bomb Scare
A 44-year-old American man could face animal cruelty charges after he allegedly tried to check 19 cats on to his Lufthansa flights from Fiumicino Airport in Rome to New York, Italy's ANSAnews agency reports.
His plans went awry when the airline told him that it would accept no more than four cats. So, according to ANSA, the man checked the four cats he was allowed and abandoned the remaining 15 at the airport. And, as if that wasn't enough, he also reportedly sparked a bomb scare at the airport after he left behind kitty litter and other luggage. The Post adds that even though the man left for the United States, he "could still be charged in his absence by Italian police with mistreating animals."
The New York Post reports that Lufthansa would only confirm that an incident similar to the one described did take place at its check-in counter in Rome, but had no other information.
Also: Hartzell/Red Bull, GA Coalition, Aero-Calendar, Commemorative Air Force, Sarah Brightman To ISS, Hot Air Balloon Endurance Record The pilot of a single engine Cirrus SR22 air>[...]
Gives Inside-The-Cockpit Look At The Prototype Electric Trainer Pipistrel on Monday released a video showing an inside-the-cockpit view of their new WattsUp electric trainer ... a >[...]
AD NUMBER: 2014-26-08 PRODUCT: All Airbus Model A330-200, -200F, and -300 series airplanes.>[...]
The Google Lunar XPRIZE The Google Lunar XPRIZE consists of $30 million in prizes designed to inspire pioneers to do robotic space transport on a budget. Teams from around the worl>[...]
A set of rules and procedures designed to increase the flexibility of user flight planning within published guidelines.>[...]


text:
After making that “Executive Decision“,
Tag: freddie gibbs
With Statik’s new project, Population Control dropping on October 5, he’s already shot a visual for the first single with Gangsta Gibbs and Big K.R.I.T. Here are some photos courtesy of Duck Down.
It isn’t too hard to find Freddie Gibbs these days. And today, you can find his new track which is featured on the NBA 2K12 soundtrack.
As the A3C Hip-Hop Festivial continues on in Atlanta this weekend, Freddie Gibbs brought out Freeway for a live version of their duet.
For Freddie Gibbs’ contribution to the upcoming A3C compilation project on October 4, Gary, Indiana’s finest sits comfortably in the executive chair with El Prez by his side. hhnm
LRG artist, Augor illustrates Freddie Gibbs’ inspirations for the cover art of his Cold Day In Hell. The project drops on Halloween, so you better dress warm.
Only the strong survives. And by any means, Gibbs and Freezer struggle to carry on in their new video. Freddie Gibbs’ Cold Day In Hell coming soon. os


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Italian high court finds no difference between traditional family, cohabiting couple
Catholic World News - August 11, 2009
Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, has come to the defense of the traditional family after Italy’s highest court ruled that there is “no substantial legal difference between a family founded on marriage and a family resulting from a cohabiting couple,” according to a Catholic News Service report.
“I view with concern this progressive slide toward a further privatization of the family, as if the family were irrelevant for society,” Cardinal Antonelli told Vatican Radio. “Recent sociological research in various countries has highlighted a series of benefits that the so-called traditional family brings to society, and the numerous damages which the supposed new forms of family-- like the single-parent family and cohabitation-- bring to society.”
Cardinal Antonelli, who had previously served as archbishop of Florence, was appointed president of the Pontifical Council for the Family in 2008.
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text:
I haven’t had enough time to really sit and listen to it, but from what I’ve heard so far, the new Blink-182 album, California, is surprisingly good.
Why do I say surprising?
I mean, I love Blink-182. Normally that would create these unnaturally high expectations for the album, thus setting myself up for disappointment. But, uh, they kinda did that to me with the last album. I think Neighborhoods is kinda bad. Don’t get me wrong, there are songs I like on Neighborhoods (maybe just one, actually) and there are certain things about it that I enjoy, but I think all-in-all, it’s an incredibly incoherent album. It was made with the members of the band recording parts separately from each other, sending song ideas and half-finished lyrics to other members of the band over the internet. And while some people can collaborate in this way and end up with an amazing result, that didn’t happen here. Tom DeLonge just doesn’t work well with these guys anymore, and unfortunately, it showed on Neighborhoods.
Well, prior to writing this album, Tom quit. Or was fired. I don’t know exactly what happened. The last time Blink-182 went on hiatus, he quit in an extremely shitty way, pretty much disappearing on Mark and Travis. I’m a bit more inclined to believe Mark and Travis’s version of the story than Toms at this point. But it’s honestly not all that relevant; the point is that Tom was out. Gone. Done. But unlike the last time Tom exited the band, this time the remaining members kept it going, recruiting Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba for guitar and half of the vocals.
It works! He’s a great fit for the band. While he’s not going to have the same effect on Blink’s music that Tom did, (likely skipping the spacescape sound effects Tom is so fond of) he brings something else to the band that they hadn’t had in a while, at least not when they’re not on a stage.
He brings fun back to Blink.
Now, to be honest, fun is not actually my favorite aspect of Blink-182. My favorite Blink-182 songs are the songs where they shut out all of the playfulness in favor of taking things seriously, if only briefly. My favorite album of theirs is the untitled one, (which is severely underrated by most people; it’s actually got a very unique sound,) that being an album that takes itself entirely seriously. My favorite songs off of their albums prior to that are Going Away to College, Adam’s Song, Roller Coaster, Shut up, Stay Together for the Kids, What Went Wrong, Please Take Me Home and Wendy Clear. There are a number of other songs I could add to the list, as far as favorites go, but that list covers just about every non-jokey song they ever wrote prior to the untitled release. The “fun” is clearly not the main draw for me.
All that said, it’s still a totally likeable aspect of the band. Maybe it’s not for everyone, possibly including myself, but it’s easy to see why people would fall in love with that flippant and entirely unpretentious side of them. And after spending such a long time with them making kind-of-underwhelming songs in that “serious” mindset, it’s actually nice to see them taking a different approach that is still totally Blink-182, through and through. And it’s working. The joke songs they’ve released are stupid, catchy, and funny by virtue of being kind of not funny. If that makes any sense. The other songs do seem free of dick-jokes and self-deprecating humor, and there are a lot of them, meaning that I get the Blink-182 album I want, too.
From what I’ve heard of it so far, it’s not, like, blowing me away or anything. But it is good. It is totally listenable, something that I don’t think I can say about at least half of Neighborhoods. It is, at the very, very least a completely serviceable pop-punk album with Travis Barker playing incredible drums over Mark Hoppus’s Cure-inspired lyrics and melodies; Matt Skiba being a surprisingly suitable replacement for Tom. I think that’s all I could have asked for at this point. I would love to hear an album that does for me what Blink’s untitled album does, but I don’t think continuing to have that expectation of anyone, let alone any stapled-back-together incarnation of Blink, is reasonable. I’m happy with this album so far. It doesn’t have to change my life, I’m just glad it reminds me of the fact that they already did.