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Forced to seek his cousin in the slews of London’s underbelly, at length, Darcy discovers the major general and returns Fitzwilliam to his family. Even so, the Darcys’ troubles are far from over. During the major general’s absence from home, witnesses note Fitzwilliam’s presence in the area of two horrific murders. When Edward Fitzwilliam is arrested for the crimes, Darcy must discover the real culprit before the authorities hanged his cousin and the Fitzwilliam name knew a lifetime of shame.
The Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery
Fitzwilliam Darcy is enjoying his marital bliss. His wife, the former Elizabeth Bennet, presented him two sons and a world of contentment. All is well until “aggravation” rears its head when Darcy receives a note of urgency from his sister Georgiana. In truth, Darcy never fully approved of Georgiana’s joining with their cousin, Major General Edward Fitzwilliam, for Darcy assumed the major general held Georgiana at arm’s length, dooming Darcy’s sister to a life of unhappiness.

domain: law


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ACC, Facebook partnering to develop digital media marketing program
Austin Community College and Facebook Inc. are partnering to develop a certificate program in digital marketing.
A vital goal of the program is to help people in small businesses and job seekers gain skills that are increasingly important as more and more commerce and communication shift to online platforms. A formal announcement of the partnership is scheduled for Monday morning at Fair Market, an event venue on East Fifth Street.
“The need for digital skill sets is probably more important today in marketing and digital media strategies than ever before,” said Richard Rhodes, ACC’s president and chief executive officer. He added that the use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms can benefit not only small businesses but retailers of many varieties, political campaigns and even educational institutions like the college itself.

domain: news


Last week the BTU filed a request with the state's Department of Labor Relations saying that we were at an impasse on a number of items (see Attachment B of this document) and that we needed help in resolving these items. We look forward to the … [Read more...] about Negotiation Process: What Issues Are We Fighting For?
Boston Teachers Union News & Information
Check here for news and information updates from the Boston Teachers Union.
The Boston Herald ran a report last Saturday that wildly inflated the cost of unplaced, excessed teachers. The opening paragraph read as follows: The bill for city teachers no principal wants will hit $34 million next year and has become a sticking … [Read more...] about Fuzzy Math from the School District Inflates Cost of Unplaced Teachers
Yesterday, after 16 months of failed negotiations the BTU filed for state-sponsored Mediation with the Department of Labor Relations. Both the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald reported on our filing.We have reprinted the Herald article below in … [Read more...] about Leaked, Cropped Email from City Taints Negotiation Process
Unfortunately, negotiations have come to a halt as the School Department has refused to bargain in good faith. We are taking legal action, and we'll explain as soon we can.The school district has ceded total control of its end of the negotiations … [Read more...] about Negotiations Stalled; BTU to Take Legal Action
Regretfully, negotiations have come to a temporary halt, and we are far apart on many issues. No further sessions are scheduled, although the BTU has offered to work 24/7 to finish our negotiations.The school district does not want to settle this … [Read more...] about After 33 Meetings, Contract Negotiations Halt
See all final BTU candidate election statements. These were published with the May 2017 Boston Union Teacher newspaper. … [Read more...] about Final BTU Election Candidate Statements
Two weeks ago we reported that a well-respected Boston teacher was questioned about her statement to the Bay State Banner. While she was spoken to by her principal, we strongly suspect the directive came from his superiors, inasmuch as we now have … [Read more...] about Follow Up on School Department’s Attempt to Quash First Amendment Protections
Congratulations to the first cohort of educators awarded Fund for Teachers grants since the BTU became the local partner for this wonderful program! This summer, we are proud to have awarded 11 fellowships to 19 educators from 15 schools who will be … [Read more...] about 2017 BTU Fund for Teachers Fellows Announced
A short while ago a respected teacher leader, recently quoted in the media, was called into her administrators's office and told that she was not to speak with the media because, "contractually, all media contacts are supposed to be cleared by BPS … [Read more...] about School Department Tries to Intimidate BTU Members and Ban Them Speaking with Reporters
Hundreds of educators in over 50 schools participated last Friday, April 7, in national Unafraid Educators Coming Out Day, a day to show support to our undocumented students and families. Teacher Lily Holland at the Guild School writes: I've been … [Read more...] about Unafraid Educators Participate in National Event


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COVID-19: Travel is experiencing unprecedented interruption. We are here to help and hold out hope for when things get back to normal. Click to see our flexible booking policy and know reservations can be rebooked or cancelled at your convenience.
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Hop-On Hop-Off London - 1 Day Pass & Madame Tussauds
Remarkable London bus tour
Explore imperious London in all its grandeur. This incredible value London Hop on Hop off bus tour grants you the freedom and convenience to explore the city in depth. This tour encompasses world renowned attractions such as the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe and spectacular Westminster Abbey, as well as, of course, the inimitable Buckingham Palace. You will also see the most eminent regions of London, such as distinguished Regent Street, world celebrated Oxford Street and vibrant Piccadilly.
The Essential Tour (Blue route): Covering all the main Central London sights, this route includes a live English speaking guide! See Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral and so much more, as your live guide informs and entertains every step of the way.
The Classic Tour (Red route): Covers all the main Central London sights and visits London’s Museum Quarter.
The Grand Tour (Orange route): This route passes Madame Tussauds and Kings Cross, as well as many other Central London sights.
The Pick Up/Drop Off Route (Yellow route): Operating in the morning, this route travels from the popular hotel districts to Central London.
Please note: For travel date after 31st March 2017 free 24hrs will not be applicable.
Free Walking Tour - Special bonus
Why not follow in the footsteps of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge or take in the places where the Fab Four worked and played in London. The Walking Tour you decide to go on will surely captivate you, with it being an experience to truly remember.
Choose from the following Walking Tours:
The Royal Walking Tour including the Changing of the Guards
The Beatles London Walking Tour
Free River Thames Boat Ride
Take to the water on an enthralling River Thames Boat Ride and enjoy unique sweeping perspectives over London’s attractions and landmarks, for an altogether different London sightseeing experience.
Madame Tussauds has been making wax figures for over 150 years. Each masterpiece takes four months, and a team of 20 dedicated sculptors, to create. Over 500 precise body measurements are referenced and real head hairs are inserted one by one - all to achieve the kind of astonishing realism that has kept Madame Tussauds world renowned for over two centuries.
Some of Madame Tussauds’ original work and earliest relics are still on display in London, including the death masks she was forced to make during the French Revolution and the Guillotine that beheaded Marie Antoinette. The oldest figure on display is ‘Sleeping Beauty’, a breathing likeness of Louis XV’s sleeping mistress Madame du Barry sculpted in 1763.
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a Gray Line customer
Dec 14 2017
Convenience of the 24 plus 24 Hop on Hop Off tour made for a great way to see the City when we had limited time and have us a good sense of location to revisit places on our own.
Mr Kok Kheng Soon
Dec 01 2016
Value for money & great experience with Grayline same standard after last since many years ago.

domain: geography


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why does it linger so much? i had tuna for lunch and now my hands smell of tuna!
should this thread be about lingering smells? or fish? i dont like the radiohead song "pakt in like sardines...". i do like their other songs tho. and octopus garden.

domain: artistic


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In today’s world, it is easy to locate a reliable taxi or airport transportation at reasonable prices. Many different companies offer airport transportation and taxi services aiming to provide the best services to their clients. The primary focus of taxi and airport services pick up and drop passengers.
Taxi and airport transportation services are better than other public transport services. The airport transportation services offer their clients luxurious and comfortable vehicles providing you the most comfortable and luxurious ride. The vehicles they use are designed with splendid amenities to make the travel a memory. The other benefit of airport taxi services is that you have options to choose. When you deal with a reputable company, you can select a vehicle that suits your interests.
Another option when looking for the service provider is to ask for reference from your colleagues, family and friends. When you choose the best taxi operating company, you should ask questions for clarification on the things that are unclear to you. Always remember that your safety comes first. You ought to research about the reputation of their chauffeurs so that you can make sure you deal with the right people.
Choose a transportation company that is authorized to operate in your state. To be on the safe side, you need to inquire about their insurance policies so that you can know what to do in case you encounter something wrong during your ride. You should be more concerned about their expertise above other factors. Professional services are worth paid for by any client. Professionalism is the key to be reputable and have quality vehicles. Select a company that assures their reliability.
The airport taxi companies have trained and professional chauffeurs with many years of experience to offer their clients safe rides. Since they are qualified chauffeurs they are timely and they are familiar with the roads. If you hire taxi services there is no need to have a navigation map when in a new city. Through training they know how to treat their clients and how to take care of their luggage. They follow the flight monitoring technology to find out your arrival time so that they can pick you up on time.
The taxi and airport transportation aims at delivering services without getting late. You can only enjoy the benefits of using an airport transportation service if you choose the right company. In your search for a reputable airport transportation you need to research for the best services on the yellow pages or online. You should avoid using the first service provider you find on the yellow pages. You need to call the companies you find as your preferable choice and make inquiries.

domain: travel


On Tuesday, the NSW Government announced that logging in sections of the proposed Great Koala National Park on the Mid North Coast would be halted, while the government weighs the impact on the endangered koalas and on jobs within the timber industry.
The announcement comes after weeks of pressure from communities which accused the state government of stalling on its promise to establish the national parkland.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said that logging operations were stopped on Friday and consultation for the next steps in developing the park would begin immediately.
“The last parliament found that we could be on track to seeing koalas in the wild extinct in New South Wales,” said Sharpe.
“I don’t believe there is anyone who wants to tell their grandchildren that we used to have koalas in New South Wales but no longer do.
“We’re going to do it carefully, to work carefully with industry, to work carefully with union representatives, to work very closely with communities that are affected.”
The government said the hubs contain 42% of the recorded koala sightings in state forests in the assessment area since 2000, an area which spans more than 8,400 hectares of forest within the proposed parkland.
The proposed Great Koala National Park spans 175,000 hectares of state forests, in addition to 135,000 hectares of existing National Parks.
Grahame Douglas, president of the National Parks Association New South Wales, said he was pleased with the decision to pause logging in the identified hubs, but expressed that there were a number of vital koala habitats still in need of protection.
“The koala hubs are a good start, but we need to go a bit further than that,” said Douglas.
Furthermore, he said that some critical habitats were not recognised as koala hubs simply because they had not been surveyed.
He spoke directly about Oakes State Forest, which lies within the proposed Great Koala National Park, but is not protected from further logging.
“Oakes State Forest is the single most significant part of the public forest estate for biodiversity. Oakes State Forest is a critical stronghold for the koala, greater glider, yellow-bellied glider, Rufous scrub-bird, glossy black cockatoo, parma wallaby, spotted-tailed quoll and ancient Gondwanan frogs, yet it still intended to be logged and mapped as ‘active’ by FCNSW,” he said.
“Waiting 15 months for studies to tell us what we already know is absolutely unacceptable.”
Koala populations in NSW have declined dramatically over the past two decades, falling by more than 50 percent since 2000 largely due to the effects of bushfires, drought, and deforestation.


Catherine Bone introduces us to Del Boca Vista, a new Melbourne based band.
Brooke and Steve in the studio chatting about celebrity weird hobbies… male actors playing with barbie dolls!?
Alex, Simon, Brooke & Nathan discuss how Reality Television and Social Media can make us feel.
Justin and Callum, with special guests Steve and Jana, talk about sexism in video games and Callum takes us through the new […]


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As the Winter warmers come out and snuggling fireside with an Irish coffee beckons, Australians turn to classic comfort food. Snowfalls in Victoria encourage skiers and boarders to whip out their blades and head to the slopes, while up North and in the outback the sun still shines, albeit with much less heat.
This diverse land serves up Winter weather of eternal sunshine and biting cold, so comfort food means many things to different people in every state. However, one thing we all agree on is satisfying hunger pangs at any time of the year is an obsession of the best kind. Hearty casseroles, thick soups and slow cooked delicacies appear on menus and diners take their time, lingering over mulled wine, crusty bread and a glass of red. Here’s a list of top spots to discover delicious Winter wonders to tempt any palate.
The Denman Thredbo | NSW
Immerse yourself in the alpine lifestyle at The Denman in the picturesque Snowy Mountains for a warm, cosy winter escape. After a day on the mountain, stroll back to this classic ski chalet-style hotel and linger over a mulled wine at the bar, before devouring a hearty, hot meal at the onsite restaurant. Full of character and olde world charm, most of the rooms offer mountain views and are only a few minutes away from the village square.
Quorum Restaurant | VIC
Cosy up for a romantic Winter dinner fireside at lovingly restored, historic Quorum Restaurant in Warrnambool. Reflecting the spirit of a bygone era, Quorum radiates relaxation and charm, making it an ideal destination to celebrate any occasion with that special someone. Choose from a menu bursting with bold, warm flavours and hearty fare, such as slow braised goat with red wine, truffle infused polenta, gremolata and broccolini.
Peacock and Jones | TAS
Relax in wide armchairs beside an open fire while inhaling mouth-watering aromas floating from the kitchen, in this spacious, old sandstone warehouse nestled along Hobart’s iconic waterfront. Celebrating Tasmanian produce, delve into a comforting menu with the likes of duck breast and confit leg, served with parsnip, dukkah, baby beetroot and pickled walnut, paired with a drop from more than 60 cellared wines.
Terrace Restaurant | NSW
Watch the snowflakes flutter to the ground through floor to ceiling glass windows, while warmed by the glow of candlelit dining tables and sip on a glass of Winter red at the Terrace Restaurant at The Denman Hotel in Thredbo. Roast pumpkin tagliatelle with hazelnuts, goats cheese and sage may tempt hearty appetites as classic comfort fare, followed by tiramisu gateaux and a cheeseboard with Parmesan and poppy seed twists.
Gather Food and Wine | SA
Warm sandstone walls and exposed timber beams create a rustic, welcoming charm for diners at Gather Food and Wine in Robe. Gather’s menu features wild foraged fare alongside harvests of locally sourced produce and boutique wines, teamed with an earthy setting best enjoyed dining with family and friends or as an intimate evening for two. Classic Kingston lamb, braised and roasted with caramelised pumpkin, pumpkin seed crisp and yoghurt is sure to chase away any Winter blues.
Limones Restaurant | WA
Situated inside an old corner shop in East Fremantle,
Limones lends a touch of quaint charm to the local dining scene. An open log
fire creates a warm and intimate ambiance, while guests can also choose to dine
in one of the many
, elegantly furnished rooms for a more romantic
setting. Select from a European inspired menu with contemporary takes on
classics such as potato and ricotta gnocchi with spinach and tomato sugo, or
slow roasted pork belly with cauliflower puree, kale and jus.
Les Bistronomes | ACT
For a French themed Winter culinary journey, Les Bistronomes in Braddon beckons with its timeless style and artfully fashioned menu. A cast iron wine rack filled with international bottles extending to the ceiling and plush high-backed chairs, emanate a rich, welcoming ambiance suited to smart, casual dining. Salivate over beef burgundy with braised beef cheek in red wine, served with soft polenta, mushrooms and onions, or warm the soul with a traditional bouillabaisse and crusty bread.
Apres Bar | NSW
Finish a Winter’s day adventure by skiing up to the Apres Bar at The Denman Thredbo to unwind over a drink or two with new friends made on the slopes. Just a flight of steps away from the village square, Apres has a warm ambiance with heavy timbers, comfortable lounges and soft lighting, welcoming guests taking advantage of its ski boot friendly policy. Relax tired muscles with a First Snow Fall cocktail while grazing over tapas plates made for sharing.
Winter cold rarely hits the Northern Territory but that doesn’t mean diners don’t search for comfort food at this time of the year. Darwin locals head to Rorkes Beer Wine Food for its warm ambiance, glowing with soft light from statement fixtures and alive with the buzz of conversation, while contemplating a Mod Oz menu with the likes of spicy pork and beef meatballs and traditionally slow cooked veal Osso Bucco, served with grilled polenta.
Tensions disintegrate in the crisp Mount Tamborine air, as diners indulge in the tranquil experience at Songbirds Rainforest Retreat. Sitting on 50 acres of rainforest surrounds, this restaurant offers a combination of nature and indulgence, less than an hour from Gold Coast’s beaches. Enjoy the bush views and warm the body by an open fire, while the mind ponders a menu of Australian delights such as suckling pig with plum, fennel and black pudding.

domain: food


ASUS Sabertooth Z77 hangs on boot graphic, if reset works fine. Tags: Motherboards Asus Sabertooth Last response: May 21, 2012 3:14 AM in Motherboards Share vkramer May 20, 2012 10:51:34 PM System Info: HAF922 Mid Tower ASUS Sabertooth Z77 Mobo Intel Core I7-3770 3.4Ghz Ivy Bridge CPU Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooling G.Skill 4x4GB DDR3 1600 RAM Crucial M4 SSD Drive Corsair Power Supply Windows 7 Professional SP1 Ok so computer works fine. When i restart from windows it shuts down, then hangs at boot ASUS graphic. Then if i press the reset button, it boots up normally and proceeds to windows. any thoughts? More about : asus sabertooth z77 hangs boot graphic reset works fine kivblue May 20, 2012 11:16:07 PM Try booting up with just 2 sticks of ram instead of 4. Did you update the BIOS? Any overclock? m 0 l vkramer May 20, 2012 11:18:56 PM BIOS not updated No overclocking. m 0 l Can't find your answer ? Ask ! Get the answer vkramer May 21, 2012 3:14:48 AM Had TP Link TL-WN722N USB Wireless-N adapter in USB 3.0 slot in back. Removed it. Problem Solved m 0 l Can't find your answer ? Ask ! Publish Related resources SolvedAsus Sabertooth Z77 and Corsair HX750 works fine until computer shuts down and won't start up Forum SolvedDoes EVGA GTX 770 2GB work with Asus Sabertooth Intel z77 ATX motherboard? PC NOT BOOTING w/ GTX 770 Forum SolvedASUS z77 Sabertooth MOBO BIOS/CMOS Reset Forum SolvedASUS Sabertooth Z77 will not boot/post Water Cooled Forum SolvedBoot problem with Asus Sabertooth Z77 Forum Solved[Solved] ASUS Sabertooth z77 Boot/Post Issue Forum SolvedAsus Z77 Sabertooth VGA Error - Won't Boot Forum SolvedAsus Sabertooth Z77 not working correctly? Forum SolvedAsus Z77 boots fine, but locks up in BIOS (VGA LED) Forum Solvedasus sabertooth x79 - How to go back to clean and working bios install? (cant turn on PC after power loss without CMOS reset) Forum Asus Sabertooth Z77 not posting-boot device led Forum System hangs on soft start. Cold boot works fine Forum BRAND NEW Asus Sabertooth x79 - bios does not see DVD room, everything else is fine, (Boot Device LED , red light) Forum ASUS Sabertooth z77 will not boot anymore Forum Asus Sabertooth z77 Won't boot, BSOD Forum CrossFireX with Radeon HD 7870 OC edition on Asus Sabertooth Z77 will not work like it should Forum Asus Sabertooth Z77 - Rapid Start won't work Forum Asus Sabertooth Z77 USB 3.0 ports not working. Please help. Forum Asus Sabertooth Z77: Realtek HD Audio Microphone Jacks (Front and Rear) Not Working Forum Asus sabertooth z77 not booting Forum More resources Read discussions in other Motherboards categories BIOS Boot Chipsets ASRock Asus Chaintech DFI Elitegroup FIC Foxconn Gigabyte Intel MSI-Microstar !


DETROIT -- General Motors is considering an off-road model for the redesigned large SUVs it unveiled this month, GM's top truck engineer said.
GM for years has sold a Z71 off-road package for the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, with stronger shocks, bigger wheels and special styling cues such as larger wheel flares and badging. But they haven't been big sellers, said Jeff Luke, executive chief engineer for GM trucks.
"We are looking at, for this generation, a more off-road variant," Luke said during a media preview last month to introduce the SUVs, the first redesign for the body-on-frame trucks in eight years.
Luke said off-road capability is one reason buyers gravitate to big SUVs instead of unibody crossovers, which largely have replaced body-on-frame architectures.
Owners "just love off-roading with these vehicles," Luke said. "They look at this vehicle as more off-road capable" than crossovers, he said.
In general, Luke said GM will introduce more enhancements to the next generation of SUVs, which will go on sale by March for the 2015 model year. The outgoing SUVs have gone without major modifications or powertrain advancements since their debut in early 2006.
"In the life cycle of this product we're going to continually upgrade and add technologies, including in the powertrain area," Luke said. Asked about the possibility of an eight-speed transmission, he said simply: "Stay tuned."


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Today is the birthday of sensational Ghanaian actress, Salma Mumin and she has released some wild and tasty photos to celebrate her special day. Salma Mumin just released a birthday shoot starked na*ked covered only by sliced watermelon.
The watermelon has been designed as the brazier and panties barely covering her assets as she displays them to mark her born day.
It’s unclear the inspiration behind the photoshoot but already it has garnered wild reactions from her follows on Instagram and fast spreading to the other social media platforms.
Sharing the photos on her Instagram page, Salma Mumin wrote:
ON THIS DAY A QUEEN WAS BORN IN A BATHTUB FULL OF WATERMELONS ? ?. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME. LORD I’M THANKFUL ?? ???
For months now, it’s been alleged Salma Mumin is in a secret relationship with talented Ghanian movie producer and director, Kofi Asamoah.
But they have both come out to deny the affair but reliable information reaching Ghpage.com tells us they are lying and even Kofas is planning on marrying Salma Mumin very soon. Stay with Ghpage.com
SEE ALSO: Kofi Asamoah and Salma Mumin to wed soon

domain: celebrity


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Where to watch Preacher online in Australia
The reverend Jesse Custer has made the jump from page to screen with AMC's adaptation of Preacher. Here's where you can catch it in Australia.
We’re reader-supported and may be paid when you visit links to partner sites. We don’t compare all products in the market, but we’re working on it!
GenresAdventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
High impact violence, Blood and gore
SynopsisWARNING: CONTAINS HIGH IMPACT VIOLENCE, THEMES AND BLOOD AND GORE. Preacher is the edgy story of a conflicted preacher in a Texas town who is inhabited by a mysterious entity.
- Season 1
- Season 1 & 2
- Season 2
- Season 3
- Season 4
Cast and crew
- Ruth Negga
- Ian Colletti
- Graham McTavish
- Lucy Griffiths
- Joseph Gilgun
- Dominic Cooper
Thankfully, the show turned out to be a hit, well-received by both fans and critics. It aired for four seasons, following Rev. Custer (Dominic Cooper), Tulip O'Hare (Ruth Negga) and the sun-shy Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) as they embarked on a journey for the ages. The finale was broadcast in late 2019, so you can now binge-watch the whole thing in one go if you feel like it.
Try before you buy with these free trials
Latest streaming news
The latest instalment from the Marvel Cinematic Universe hits the small screen in highly anticipated series WandaVision.Read more…
Muggles will finally have access to the world of Hogwarts on their TVs again starting this weekend.Read more…
A Discovery of Witches season 2 is here, continuing the storyline led by witch Diana and vampire Matthew.Read more…
More guides on Finder
Where to watch Nigella Express online in Australia
What’s for dinner?
Where to watch Cats & Dogs online in Australia
Destiny is in their paws.
Where to watch The Smurfs 2 online in Australia
Get ready to get naughty!
Where to watch Fatal Vows online in Australia
When marriages fall apart, divorce can turn deadly.
Where to watch Burden of Truth online in Australia
Small town case. Big city lawyer.
Where to watch 2 Dope Queens online in Australia
Bring on the laughs!
Where to watch Spies in Disguise online in Australia
Super spy. Super fly.
Where to watch Jurassic Park online in Australia
An adventure 65 million years in the making.
Where to watch Goodfellas online in Australia
Three decades of life in the Mafia.
Where to watch Groundhog Day online in Australia
He’s having the worst day of his life. Over and over again.
Stream the best and save
All the biggest shows and movies from HBO and more on-demand.
Try Amazon Prime Video's huge library for 30 days free.
Ask an Expert

domain: entertainment


Enersize Advanced Research AB has now signed an agreement with CTRL Systems Inc. The collaboration started some time ago and last autumn it was announced that an LOI had been signed that has now been converted into a concrete agreement.
CTRL Systems has customers such as NASA, Ford, Volvo and Amazon among others and now intends to use Enersize's solution, Compressed Air Services, to provide energy optimization of industrial compressed air to the North and Central American market.
CTRL Systems has identified that there is a large market potential in energy optimization of industrial compressed air as a natural part of the American companies' increased focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. CTRL Systems is already established in compressed air optimization, in its role as a supplier of advanced sensors and instruments for data collection and analysis of, among other things, compressed air. CTRL Systems will now introduce the new services enabled by Enersize's solution in America, which is more dependent on compressed air than, for example, Europe.
- According to the U.S. Department of Energy, optimizing a compressed air system can lead to energy savings of up to 30%.
- The Compressed Air Challenge, a partnership between industry and the U.S. Department of Energy, estimates that the average industrial facility can save up to 20% on energy costs by optimizing its compressed air system.
- A study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory showed that implementing energy-efficient equipment and controls in compressed air systems can lead to energy savings of up to 50%.
- According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, improving the efficiency of compressed air systems can also result in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The agreement specifies the forms of cooperation between the companies and defines the partner and pricing model. It is CTRL Systems and Enersize's intention to deliver first-class service and complete solutions for energy optimization of industrial compressed air to their customers. Enersize will train and certify CTRL Systems for quality assurance of the services.
CTRL Systems will fully represent Enersize in the North American market and will also develop Mexico, where CTRL Systems already has operations, as a secondary market. The cooperation will be renewed annually based on the achievement of agreed goals.
"In response to the industry's increasing interest in energy efficiency and sustainability, CTRL Systems' new strategy is to provide the best solutions for energy optimization of industrial compressed air. We initiated the partnership process with Enersize because we saw their compressed air expertise, cloud-based software portfolio and certification program as unique in the market. Enersize solutions complement our portfolio in a fantastic way and will accelerate our sales. Our shared vision is an important step in building a strong and fruitful partnership with Enersize", says Benjamin Fried, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at CTRL Systems.
"CTRL Systems is a highly respected name in the industry as a supplier of advanced instruments for data capture in, for example, compressed air environments. CTRL Systems was selected to deliver leak detection technology to NASA and the International Space Station and together we will be able to deliver advanced solutions for energy optimization of industrial compressed air. Through this, we will be able to help more customers lower their energy consumption and reduce their carbon footprint while improving their bottom line. The agreement is an important step for Enersize's expansion into the important US market and I look forward to seeing many successful deals through this collaboration over time", says Johan Olsson, CEO, Enersize
For more information:
Johan OlssonBenjamin Fried
Enersize CTRL Systems


VersaDock designs and creates cutting edge and innovative modular pontoons for many types of use around the world with space, time and cost efficiency in mind.
VersaDock is a major worldwide supplier of modular floating dock systems that are recognised as the most innovative in the world today. Our key people have over 40 years of combined practical and technical industry expertise.
We will build on our strengths, which of course include a continuously developing product range, including the patented V Float drive on docking system. VersaDock leads the way in offering innovative solutions to both private, commercial, government and military customers.
We supply to:
VersaDock, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of floating docks and pontoons, will be showing the new Static […]
Getting the crews for the six international America’s Cup teams from the waterfront at Portsmouth on 22-24 July […]
VersaDock have supplied an innovative floating platform system to create the boundaries of a four-pitch canoe polo facility […]


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The Movie Report
This is a movie related website that has DVD reviews, Cinema reviews, hollywood and world-cinema gossip as well as anime and gaming topics. Enjoy.
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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in a report on Tuesday (March 9) said that migrants hit an ‘invisible wall’ when they tried to avail themselves COVID-19 treatment and vaccines.
Jagan Chapagain, IFRC Secretary-General said, “Our research reveals what we are calling an ‘invisible wall’ that has blocked migrants – particularly those undocumented or in an irregular situation – from accessing basic services. Interestingly, this wall isn’t built mainly of policies designed to exclude migrants. Instead, it is made up of inadvertent exclusions, as well as the unintended consequences of efforts to contain and control the pandemic.”
The report said that while restrictions imposed during the pandemic were aimed to control the spread of COVID-19, it had a detrimental effect on the migrant labourers as many of them lost their jobs and livelihood. This, in turn, led to worsening financial conditions as they were unable to meet their basic needs like food and shelter and affected people’s mental health.
Furthermore, researchers also found that migrants were often unable to get COVID care because they do not have a national identity or social security number which will also affect them when the vaccination drive reaches their place.
In addition, migrants also feared that if they visit any doctor, hospitals for treatment their private information may be shared with the law enforcement agencies of the country which would lead to arrest and detention. Another problem is that in many countries people need to go online to get themselves registered for vaccination which is posing problems for migrants due to ’ limited internet access or digital literacy and language barriers.
Chapagain added, “The inclusion of migrants into national COVID-19 policies does not necessarily translate into inclusive and effective access in practice. It is not only a humanitarian imperative to ensure the inclusion of all migrants, irrespective of legal status, into national COVID-19 vaccination programmes, but it is also in every country’s interests to do so. COVID-19 doesn’t care about a person’s migration status, and neither should we. Unless everyone is included, the virus will continue to circulate and mutate, potentially undermining the efficacy of all vaccinations efforts.”


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Women have never had an easy time in the world of business. Until the early 20th century, women were not allowed to have any kind of substantial employment. Even after the First World War, there was a movement to eradicate women’s roles in business because they were seen as having too much of a ‘conscience.’
Conscience has been defined as ‘the voice’ of our species’ instinctive moral sense, and that women’s instinctive moral sense is more sympathetic and compassionate towards others.
Narcissism V’s Moralistic
Having a conscience-focused workplace means thinking of others, being outwardly focused and having all employees working toward a common goal. The business world has always tried to promote the image of an entrepreneur as someone who was ruthless and unscrupulous, ensuring that many women with a conscience were painted as too ‘weak’ or moralistic to participate in the fast paced economic world.
However, the financial crisis and other events in the last decade have proved that being selfish to the point of doing harm to others, ultimately leads to economic failure.
A Narcissist’s preoccupation with themselves hinders their performance in teamwork situations and self-involved, self-preservative, self-everything –narcissists can wreak havoc in your organization. An ethical conscience requires us to be intimately bound up with others, and a good leader builds trust by considering the ‘good of all’ when making decisions.
Trust fosters collaboration, which contributes to openly sharing information, which then creates a solid
team, which provides support for all. A sense of community within the team, with a common goal, is key.
Women are the key
So we’ve come full circle realizing the damaging and detrimental effects that narcissism, self-centeredness and behaviors lacking in empathy can have on the workplace, making it unproductive. We now recognize that empathy, sympathy, compassion and conscience-driven decision making, is actually the more effective model for success in business. Qualities that are categorized as conscience-driven qualities, have been recognized as qualities most women possess!
5 ways of harnessing our inner-conscience and using it to improve business:
- Trust your instincts: As discussed, women do have an innate moral compass. So look to yourself for guidance, ensuring you are being honest and working with all of the facts (don’t convince yourself you are acting for the greater good if you know in truth you are not).
- Know your team: Understand individual team members. Develop an innate awareness of what motivates each member of your staff. There is no point providing monetary incentives or time-off to employees when they are motivated by team-building exercises or positive reinforcement.
- Talk: It’s what we do best anyway! Keeping everybody on the same page and facing in the same direction is paramount to achieving the overall goal. So ensure you communicate this to everybody. Hold daily or weekly meetings and have all team members know what each other are doing. You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.
- Equality: Don’t focus on rank: Sure there are employees who are paid more money than others but nobody is more important than another in a team environment. Make sure you make the effort to equalize the rankings – have lunch with your staff, have a chat at the photocopier and open the door for the cleaner in the morning. Everybody needs to feel from you that every cog in the wheel is valuable, important and imperative for the business to roll.
- Empathy: You need to be able to put yourself in another’s shoes. This is the most important element and why narcissistic personalities who lack empathy create such disasters. Feel for others, what they need and want and try to make their working lives more enjoyable and stress-free. Life is difficult enough so if you can ease the burden at all you will see the benefits across your whole organisation.
The belief that women with a conscience hinder business proceedings is absolutely false. Unscrupulous business strategies generate profits in the short run but they will never create sustainable, long term growth. In our increasingly interconnected world, it is important for female entrepreneurs with a conscience to participate in economics and business, instilling these fields with much-needed transparency and regulation.
About the author:
Melanie Dugan has a keen interest in the role of women in the workplace and in the world however she wouldn’t regard herself a feminist. She believes that understanding the roles of men and women and what qualities they both have is imperative if we are ever to bridge the gap between the two sexes. A biological explanation by the World Transformation Movement about when our conscious minds emerged and the result that had on the our different roles is helping her understand the truth behind why we are so different. Read a review here.

domain: sociology


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$400, American Bluenose Pitbull puppies
My name is TJ and I have one male and one female left. If interested please email. Serious inquiries only please. Male is black with white makings, the female is white with a brown coat. These puppies are good around kids and are very social.please contact for more details. $350 for the male$400 for the female. Reasonable offers may be considered, no low ballers.

domain: pet


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Now that Time Inc. staffers no longer have to worry about moving to Iowa to join Meredith, some are breathing a sigh of relief. The New York Times reports that several employees expressed confidence in the new, independent Time Inc. despite the fact that it will start off with between $500 million and $1 billion in debt. Now that’s optimism.
Rick Stengel, Time’s managing editor, was particularly upbeat. He told the Times the spinoff from Time Warner was exciting. “It’s sort of put up or shut up time,” he said. “I think great, let’s really test that hypothesis that people will pay for great content and great journalism. We can now invest our own capital.”
Other anonymous Time Inc. staffers expressed the same sentiments. One mentioned that a lot of people blamed Jeff Bewkes, CEO of Time Warner, for Time Inc. faltering. “There was a real sense that Jeff didn’t have either interest in Time Inc. and magazine publishing and didn’t have faith in it as a business going forward,” a former, anonymous Time Inc. exec, told the Times. “His focus was always the film and TV side of the company.”
We imagine the next few years are going to be rough for Time Inc., but in order to keep looking on the bright side, we think everything will work out.

domain: economics


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BARI BRAHMANA, JUNE 25, 2020 :Tightening noose over encroachers, District Magistrate Samba, Rohit Khajuria, today carried out an anti encroachment drive at village Birpur, near Balol Bridge, Bari Brahmana, Samba.
A team headed by Sub Divisional Magistrate Vijaypur, C P Kotwal, Tehsildar Bari Brahmana, Qaiser Malik, SHO Arjun Singh and other officials of revenue and police departments reached the encroachment site and pressed a JCB machine to dismantle the wall being erected over the khad land bearing khasra number 1734. The khad land is situated adjoining Balol bridge on National Highway connecting Jammu-Samba. The construction over the land was immediately stopped and notice was issued to the concerned agencies under relevant laws.
The khad land was being aggressively converted and construction on boundary walls was also carried out at the behest of some land grabbers.
District administration has warned such encroachers that any attempt to convert the title of the land without intimation to Revenue Department shall be dealt sternly.


text: First became known on her behalf portrayal of Mia within the Starz miniseries Flesh and Bone tissue. She then continued to try out Dr. Noa Kean within the CBS medical center drama Code Dark. Among her first display credits is at several 2011 shows of Boardwalk Empire. Outdoors her display credits, she’s also starred in Broadway displays like Back again on Broadway, Chaplin the Musical, and Good Work WHEN YOU CAN OBTAIN IT. Her partner, Adam Santucci, is really a music producer. Collectively they have created for the meals blog page Canned Ham. Like a solid member on Code Dark, she shows up alongside Marcia Gay Harden and Melanie Chandra.


text: Cameron Diaz Pictures at Oscars 2012 Golden Girl Cameron Diaz Arrives at the Academy Awards February 26, 2012 Share This link Cameron Diaz Pictures at Oscars 2012 Source: Getty 7 / 14 by Lisa Sugar 3 Save 0 Favorite 0 Cameron Diaz in a Gucci gown. More Photos Previous 7 / 14 Next by Lisa Sugar 3 Cameron Diaz in a Gucci gown. More Photos ‹ Back to Homepage Save 0 Favorite 0 Follow POPSUGAR Celebrity Pinterest Twitter Google + Instagram Featured Partners Orlando Bloom on Miranda Kerr Split: 'We Both Love and Cherish Each Other' Keira Knightley Wears Her Wedding Dress On the Red Carpet (For the Second Time!) Christian Slater Marries Brittany Lopez Kate Middleton Wears a Tiara on Night Out with Prince William More News at PEOPLE.com Kaley Cuoco Shows Off Slim Bikini Body on PDA-Filled Vacation With Fiance Ryan Sweeting: Pictures Paul Walker's Death Not Caused by Drag Racing, Investigation Focusing on Speed Kirstie Alley Shows Off Slim Body in Tight Dress, Blonder Hair on Good Morning America Dylan Sprouse, Fellow Disney Alum, Calls B.S. on Joe Jonas' Disney Attack In New York Essay More News at Us Weekly Demi Lovato Regrets Her 'Work Hard, Play Hard' Motto As A Teen Kim Kardashian Teaches You How To Take The Perfect Selfie Paul Walker's Crash Photos Show Severity Of Accident Inside Paul Walker's Final Hours More News at Huffington Post popsugar live! NOW Watch POPSUGAR LIVE! Now NOW Watch POPSUGAR LIVE! Now Sponsored Links Subscribe to POPSUGAR Subscribe now to get instantly addictive email delivered to your inbox! Daily Sales & Arrivals Celebrity & Entertainment Featured Shops Fitness Fashion & Beauty Living Must Have ShopStyle Search Top BrandsBillabongGracelandGuerlainButter LondonMICHAEL Michael KorsJessica SimpsonTrue ReligionNordstrom Top Searchesleather backpackelie taharibracelet watchdc shoesbaseball teebandeau bikiniankle bootsanthropologie Cameron DiazOscarsRed Carpet Link Love Gwyneth Paltrow launches her new web seriesETHeidi Montag has a whole new look — Us WeeklyIs Harry Styles dating Daisy Lowe? — Lainey GossipKanye commissions a "Warhol" of Kim — HuffPost CelebrityPamela Anderson goes brunette — PeopleJon Stewart won't give up his Jennifer Lawrence quest — BuzzFeedAre we in the age of "selfie pop"? — The Daily BeastGet in the Christmas spirit with Kelly Clarkson — Pink Is the New BlogIs the pope helping the homeless at night? — D-ListedSee Elizabeth Olsen in The Secret — JustJaredIs Rose McIver Hollywood's new rising star? — Hollywood TunaWhy were people freaking out about Selena Gomez? — The Superficial 3 Comments Sign in to leave a comment Sign in with your account Don't have an account? Create one now! chasha 1 year pretty dress, love the simplicity of it but it seems a tad too tight. She's very thin yet it looks like she can't breathe properly. not a good look. Shatakshi2305344 1 year she luks so ugly and withered now....d gown is gud but her luks don't complement it dat well.... Lushmore 1 year She looks so weird and old, what happened to her?? You Might Also Like decor shopping Sep 25, 2012 The Most Luxurious Throw Blankets For Fall Poll Jul 20, 2008 What's Tackier? the royals Oct 27, 2013 Prince George Grins at Kate in a New Christening Portrait! Bikini Dec 30, 2011 The 55 Best Bikini Moments of 2011!


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Photorefractive Keratectomy Eye Surgery
Photorefractive keratectomy, or PRK, is a type of laser eye surgery used to correct mild to moderate nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism.
All laser vision correction surgeries work by reshaping the cornea, which is the clear front “windshield” part of the eye, so that light traveling through it is properly focused onto the retina located in the back of the eye. There are a number of different surgical techniques used to reshape the cornea. During PRK, an eye surgeon uses a laser to reshape the cornea. This laser, which delivers a cool pulsing beam of ultraviolet light, is used on the surface of the cornea, not underneath the cornea, as in LASIK.
What Are the Advantages of PRK Eye Surgery?
PRK eye surgery is highly accurate in correcting many cases of nearsightedness. Approximately 80% to 90% of PRK patients have 20/20 vision without glasses or contact lenses one year after the surgery; 95% to 98% have 20/40 or better without glasses or contacts.
What Are the Disadvantages of PRK Eye Surgery?
Disadvantages of PRK eye surgery include:
- Mild discomfort, including minor eye irritation and watering, for one to three days following the procedure
- Somewhat longer time than LASIK for vision to improve to obtain maximum vision improvement; typically, patients are 80% at one month after surgery, and 95%-100% by three months after surgery. LASIK, in contrast, corrects vision much faster.
- Some patients may still require glasses after PRK, just like with LASIK.
What Are the Potential Side Effects of PRK Eye Surgery?
PRK patients typically experience mild discomfort in the first 24 to 72 hours after surgery and many experience temporary sensitivity to light. Within the first six months after surgery, other potential side effects may include:
- Loss of best vision with or without glasses
- Mild glare that may be permanent
- Mild halos around images
How Do I Prepare for PRK Eye Surgery?
Before your PRK eye surgery you will meet with an eye surgeon or a coordinator who will discuss with you what you should expect during and after the surgery. During this session your medical history will be evaluated and your eyes will be tested. Likely tests include measuring corneal thickness, refraction, corneal mapping, and eye pressure. Once you have gone through your evaluation, your surgeon will answer any questions you may have. Afterwards, you can schedule an appointment for the PRK procedure.

domain: medical


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Another problem that involves heartburn and gallbladder issues are gallstones. Gallstones come about when a cloth called bilirubin is mixed with cholesterol to make stones in the gallbladder. Women and men over the age of fifty-five, people who find themselves overweight, and people who are trying to drop pounds shortly are usually the victims of gallstones.
However there are others which are genuinely detrimental and might do lasting damage to you and your lengthy-time period health & fitness ambitions. Lets spotlight 3 of the largest culprits! If there are any stitches around the space then it’s a must to guantee that your complete space is roofed until all the stitches have been eliminated. It is rather essential that you simply additionally keep the area clean and forestall micro organism getting in.
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AÃ¯Â¿Â½ altering our water sources to ones with larger pH 5.Maintains fluidity of cell membranes Purposeful providers Charge Nurses YourÂ premium is lowered making it cheaper every week So, you need to have a child? You can even find Potassium Chloride in waters as properly, although Potassium Chloride is a used substance in the human body, eat it naturally!
What causes fire in dryers? Monocalcium Phosphate:
Garlic dietary supplements as a remedy for hypertension ought to solely be used after talking with your personal physician as garlic advantages aren’t the one side impact – some might be fairly disagreeable. It can skinny the blood and interact with other medicines you may be taking.
For those who stay in an outdated house, or an residence / house / building that has been flooded or had any sort of leak/water damage, you are nearly definitely in danger for mold / micro organism. And, when you’ve got babies or babies, or if you’re pregnant / nursing, young/growing immune programs / health may very well be at risk. Mold is particularly serious as it might cause nervous system and organ damage.


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WATERDANCES / YES POEMS
In the summer of 2021 - after long walks through the Engadine Alps and movement research in a Hamburg studio on the river Bille - Maria Zimpel films Waterdances / Yes Poems together with Claudio von Planta. Together they explore her idea of the body as a transmitter and the ecofeminist idea of the embodied nature. Nature is not separated from us but rather a dynamic force rewilding the body from within. Through Mobilising the sensuous body they search for the patterns and qualities that organise both the movements of the dancing body and of the natural surfaces. The boundaries between one and the other are watery. The choreography moves between real and imagined landscapes, explores geological surfaces and investigates the poetics of water. The film tells a non-linear story of an encounter of the body with natural landscapes
Choreography, Dance: Maria Zimpel | Director of photography: Claudio von Planta | Editor: Mathias Hollaender | Music: Holly Hock | Audio mix, field recording: Wacław Zimpel | Costumes: Ko_Ruho, Dorota Kabała, Larrisa von Planta | Scientific consultations: Jadwiga Zimpel | Subtitles: Anna Nowokuńska | Special thanks: Margrit Tischhauser, Jan Rybkowski, Melanie Zimmerman, Niklaus Bein
Information about the event
Double Bill with Probebühne EIns and Waterdances/ Yes Poems
|Location||Kampnagel - K4|
Maria Zimpel choreographer, dance artist. In her work she is exploring the limits of physically. She is creating her own dance language and modular choreographic structures based on semi-repetitive movement patterns and embodied attention in movement. She is an author of many solo and collaborative projects, shown all around the world. As a dancer she worked with radical artists such as: Rosalind Crisp, Isabelle Schad, Kat Valastur. Studied Dance, Choreography and Context at HZT (Hochschulübergreifendes Zentrum Tanz in Berlin) at University of the Arts (UdK), and Cultural Studies at Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań, Jagiellonian University Krakow, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. in 2009 she was a recipient of DanceWeb Scholarship; in 2016 her choreography noish~ was selected for the European Platform AerowavesTwenty, and Polish Dance Platform in 2017.
During the K3 residency 19/20, Maria combined the research in quantum physics and dance, exploring the idea of dance as an elementary force creating and transforming places. In her choreography Space Gives Place, the notion of place as a dance-based event was explored via dance, music, light and space design.
She is practicing GYROKINESIS® and teaches this method during the Profi Training at the K3.
Supported by the NATIONAL PERFORMANCE NETWORK - STEPPING OUT, funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media within the framework of the initiative NEUSTART KULTUR. Assistance Program for Dance, Art Station Foundation PL by Grażyna Kulczyk. In cooperation with Acziun Susch at Muzeum Susch, Art Station Foundation CH von Grażyna Kulczyk, K3 and Kampnagel.


Sunday, March 18, 2001
Game report: Red Sox 11, Reds 1
The arms: Manager Bob Boone was upbeat about Elmer Dessens, who allowed six runs (five earned) and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings. The right-hander pitched with only two days' rest and remains on track to join the starting rotation. He made some mistakes with his change-up and his fastball, but I was pleased that he maintained his velocity, Boone said.
The bats: There's not much to say when Pedro Martinez is involved. The St.Pedro's Day Massacre, said Dmitri Young, who fanned twice against the Boston ace. Aaron Boone joined Ken Griffey Jr. in stroking a pair of singles against Martinez. Michael Coleman's sixth-inning home run off Sun woo Kim accounted for Cincinnati's lone run.
The rest: Third baseman Aaron Boone made a bare-handed pickup and threw out a runner for the second day in a row, victimizing Boston's Shea Hillenbrand in the fourth inning.
Up next: Today against Minnesota at Fort Myers, 1:05 p.m. Pete Harnisch will oppose Twins left-hander Mark Redman.
UC reaches Sweet 16
Bearcats dial up defense
Stanford next for UC
XU women claim underdog role
Musketeers aim to square score
Expectations grow for Xavier
Fighting for his life
Life squad, oxygen were missing at ringside
Online pool and college hoops coverage at Cincinnati.com
Kentucky too much for Iowa
Southern Cal next for UK
Fitch key cog in UK machine
Louisville to hear Wednesday from Pitino
SULLIVAN: Knight: High risk, high reward?
Only one upset Saturday
Drama makes for great TV
Men's NCAA pairings
Men's NIT pairings
UConn women set tourney record
Women's NCAA pairings
Women's NIT pairings
Best and worst of week in sports
Gus Hoffman was racing legend, good guy
Auto racing insider
Catching up with Rick Apke
Boys basketball coverage
Girls basketball coverage
Elder beats West Hi in OT
Free throws sink Fenwick in final
Bacon close again, but no beating Alter
Lafayette comeback good present for coach
McNicholas wins state title
Beavercreek finishes with perfect season
Eastern Brown suffers 1st loss, in state final
Jackson Center wins Div. IV title
Ohio girls state championships
Return to Reds front page...


Be sure to mark your calendar for the program that is starting a ring in the community. The City of Santa Clarita is partnering with Ring to provide discounts for Santa Clarita residents on the purchase of select home security devices. During the promotional period, residents will have the opportunity to receive a $100 promotional code funded by the City and Ring, along with additional discounts generously provided by Ring. The approved $25,000 of City funding will enable 500 Santa Clarita residents to participate in the program on a first come, first served basis.
“We are proud to live in a city that is recognized as being a safe place to live and raise a family. We understand that our residents want additional peace of mind knowing their homes are safe, and we are glad this discount on Ring technology can help make that happen,” said Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste.
The program will incentivize the purchase of Ring Video Doorbells and Security Cams, which connect to the user’s smartphone or tablet via a free app (iOS/Android) when activated by the motion sensor, when someone rings the doorbell or by live viewing the camera’s video feed at any time. Residents can then see, hear and speak to anyone on their property. Optional video subscription services are available to residents who want to save their Ring videos.
“We’re excited to partner with the City of Santa Clarita to make our Security Doorbells and Cameras available to local residents at an even more affordable cost,” said Jamie Siminoff, Chief Inventor and Founder of Ring. “Even without a Ring device, Santa Clarita residents can connect with one another and stay up-to-date on local crime and safety information from their neighborhood by downloading the free Neighbors App by Ring. When neighbors, the Ring team and local leaders all work together, we can create safer communities and reduce crime in neighborhoods.”
In 2017, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station reported 384 residential burglaries in the City of Santa Clarita. The rebate program will leverage technology, community support and strategic partnerships to maximize law enforcement efforts for residential burglaries in an effort to reduce crime.
The promotional period for the program begins August 13 and will run until the funding limit is reached. To participate in the program, residents must email email@example.com beginning at 8 a.m. on August 13 with their shipping address to receive the promotional code information. Ring will then provide the discounts to Santa Clarita residents after the promotional code is redeemed at checkout, at Ring.com. Addresses will be verified to ensure the location is within city limits. Emails received prior to 8:00 a.m. on the program start date will not receive a promotional code.
Santa Clarita residents will have the opportunity to purchase the following discounted products:
One (1) product per household can be purchased with a $100 discount off the retail price. The discounted prices are:
Video Doorbell 2 – $99
Video Doorbell Pro – $149
Spotlight Cam Battery – $99
Spotlight Cam Wired – $99
Floodlight Cam – $149
A maximum of three (3) additional products per household can be purchased with a $30 discount off the retail price. The discounted prices are:
Video Doorbell 2 – $169
Video Doorbell Pro – $219
Spotlight Cam Battery – $169
Spotlight Cam Wired – $169
Floodlight Cam – $219
A maximum of (3) accessories per household can be purchased at 20 percent off the retail price.
Due to this program being on a first come, first served basis, residents are encouraged to use the promotional codes as soon as possible. Receiving a promotional code does not guarantee a discounted device. Only the first 500 codes to be redeemed at checkout will be honored. Promotional codes are valid for a single-use only and cannot be used towards previously purchased Ring products.
Residents will also need to pay an additional fee for a subscription to record and save the footage on the Ring mobile app. For more information about Ring’s products, visit Ring.com/products.
For more information about the rebate program, contact Jerrid McKenna, Assistant to the City Manager, at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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The lawyer for a Palatine teen accused of stabbing a neighbor to death wants incriminating statements made to police barred from the trial, claiming police didn't allow the juvenile to have anyone present during questioning.
Police said Melvin Paige fatally stabbed Emil Mennes, 78, of Palatine, with a letter opener on Aug. 20, 1999.
Paige, a neighbor of Mennes' in a condominium complex in the 900 block of East Wilmette Road, was 16 when police questioned him two weeks later in connection with the incident.
Investigators were required to have a parent or lawyer present during the questioning because Paige was a minor, attorney Sheldon Sorosky argued in a motion filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court.
The motion also says the statements should be suppressed because Paige was under the influence of unspecified illegal drugs and because he has a learning disability.
A hearing on the motion is scheduled for May 17 in the Rolling Meadows courthouse.
Mennes was the father of one of the victims in the 1993 Brown's Chicken and Pasta murders, but police say he was slain because Paige didn't like the way Mennes looked at him as they passed in a hallway.
Paige, now 17, is in Cook County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.


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One day they were waiters and sommeliers, attending to every whim of their well-heeled diners at one-MICHELIN-star restaurant Nouri, and the next, they found themselves in the back room as logistics managers and stock controllers preparing boxes of fresh vegetables to be sent to homes all over Singapore. Chef de parties put aside their toques to become delivery drivers, while the restaurant’s dedicated research team switched gears to develop and market a slew of new products for takeaway and delivery.
In early April as circuit breaker measures kicked in, restaurants in Singapore were forced to close their dining rooms, testing the resilience and creativity of chefs in unprecedented ways. Nouri quickly pivoted to an e-commerce shop under its sister brand and research arm, Appetite, selling a small selection of the restaurant’s rye sourdough loaf, its signature broth course and bottled sauces.
“My first priority was to preserve jobs and keep people employed. We’ve been lucky that our team has been super flexible and used to thinking outside of the box already, so when change hit, we were pretty fast to respond,” says chef-owner Ivan Brehm, who adds that his strategy has simply been to be open-minded and adaptive to “identify the cracks and go for it”.
Connecting people to producers
By chance, the chef came across an Instagram post from a friend that featured Nouri’s broth — with a twist. In the bowl also sat plump tortellini handmade by local private chef and pasta maker Lee Yum Hwa, better known as Ben Fatto.
“I realised there were a ton of local people, not just chefs, but people who were self-employed or small business owners, who were all directly impacted,” says Brehm, who then collaborated with Lee to create unique pasta dishes to be sold on the Appetite e-shop. “I figured we could use our restaurant’s database to help them, and at the same time, fulfill our need to keep active and creative in this time.”
From that collaboration, the chef was inspired to use the opportunity to put the spotlight on more local producers. This expanded to weekly collaborations with other small local artisans and businesses including The Mast’, which produces fresh house-made buffalo milk cheeses, as well as another local private chef, Annette Tan of FatFuku, which launches this week.
He also began partnering with the restaurant’s fresh fruit and vegetable supplier, Cameron Highlands-based farm collective Weeds & More, to offer a weekly selection of vegetables directly to Nouri’s customers, as well as fish from family-owned floating fish farm Tiberias Harvest just off the coast of Pulau Ubin.
View this post on Instagram
Oh snap! Something special from us this week! Organic vegetables from our partner farm, Raymond's snapper prepared by our chefs, four portions of ready-to-eat chicken breasts, and a lot of mean pantry items: Our Week 6 Selection: Spinach Chinese red cabbage Corn Tomato heirloom beef Cucumber Asparagus Snapper en papillote Chicken breast Guinea fowl rillette Turmeric and coconut curry Black pepper sauce Vegetable broth Rye sourdough loaf Order now for island-wide delivery next Tuesday, 12 May. Link in bio.
Cooking for the people — wherever they are
Even though the Circuit Breaker is set to end on 2 June, the restrictions on dining in at restaurants will not be lifted for the foreseeable future. Brehm acknowledges that even with the restaurant’s relatively successful pivot to e-commerce, takings have been down significantly.
Yet, despite the sobering reality, he says that there are a few precious lessons that the coronavirus crisis has brought home for him.
“We have been consistently limited by our four walls in the past. We were always very snarky about the idea of delivering to people’s homes, that it was beneath us in a sense, that it was not ‘fine dining’ enough,” he reflects. “Now if you think about it, going digital means you are able to hit more people. Having a virtual space is important — it is the opportunity to cater to people wherever they are.”
With the glitz and glamour of fine dining put on hold, he was also reminded of his initial call to cooking. “For many in the industry in the last few years, cooking has become related to fame and glory and less about the beauty of cooking food for people. I think a crisis like this helps bring people back to those core values and remind them of what’s important. I don’t want Covid-19 to stay, but I want this idea to stay: that first and foremost, we cook to feed people and connect producers to people.”


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Log in with Facebook to find out who you know in this Meetup.
"I've always wanted to join a book club as it seems such a lively forum for intelligent conversation. And this one occurs in my favourite place for such conversa..."
"Hi, I'm Sheila, I'm looking to meet some new people in Manchester and I love reading and books so this seemed like a fun thing to do."
Meet kindred book lovers in a local Meetup Book Club! Fiction or non-fiction, paperback or hardcover, you'll read a new book every month. Come to laugh, share stories and make new friends!
We are currently hosted by The Waterhouse (Princess Street) at 7:30pm on the first Monday of the month.
Any questions, feel free to PM or mail me through the website.
Or sign up with email
Already a member? Log in.
Meetup members, Log in

domain: literature


Drought hits 1.4 million، including children in Angola، UNICEF says
Thursday 18/May/2017 - 12:14 PM
More than 1.4 million people in Angola، including many children، have been affected by a "chronic drought" that has increased the risk of disease، a UN report said Wednesday، according to "Daily Sabah" newspaper.
Seven southern regions of Angola are affected، with the three border provinces of Cunene، Namibe and Huila hit the hardest.
The UNICEF report said severe acute malnutrition rates in Cunene were at 3.6 percent، higher than the national average of one percent.
The report said the El Nino weather phenomenon had resulted in "significant food production losses of almost 90 percent" in some areas.
"The nutrition response remains critically underfunded،" it added.
About 1.42 million people، including 756،000 children، have been affected nationwide by the shortage of rainfall.
As the dry conditions batter the southern parts of the country، recent heavy rains in the north have seen the spread of cholera that has killed 18 people.
"The cumulative number of suspected cholera cases stands at 392....In total 18 deaths have been reported،" the report said.
Drought has been ravaging large parts of southern Africa in recent years، decimating crops and water resources، leaving millions dependent on aid.
Zambia، Swaziland، Zimbabwe and South Africa have been among the worst affected countries.


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Why Are We Cutting Pakistan Another Check?
Um, why is Washington cutting Pakistan another check after it was revealed that only $500 million out of previous $6.6 billion package actually went toward fighting Taliban and other terrorists? Obama appears determined to continue the Bush administration’s failed policies of the past, even as the AP reports that the aid we are sending Pakistan is being misused for other things unrelated to protecting U.S. forces in the region (like fighting India). It goes unstated that several Pakistani politicians are probably lining their pockets with America’s largesse. Even if there are strings attached, cutting Pakistan a blank check is just bad policy.
Yet that’s only the tip of the Pakistani iceberg. Predator/Reaper drone strikes are up, a short-term tactic that risks losing the ever-important war for locals’ hearts and minds.
Pakistan continues to be the primary obstacle in the region to greater peace. I remember a few years back, covering a lecture by President Pervez Musharraf who was on his “book tour” of the United States. He was feted by the press, made a Daily Show appearance, and was the talk of the town in New York. Yet he had just made a deal with the devil—he had basically cut a deal with Taliban elders in the northwest regions not to intervene if they brought some semblance of stability. Only recently he has admitted he was wrong to make such a deal but where was the pushback from U.S. officials then, when all this was going on and we were blindly backing Musharraf? I ask because we risk making the same mistakes again, with nothing to show for our billions of aid.
Meanwhile the U.S. company that will be showered with money to provide our diplomats there with security, DynCorp, cannot even keep its own employees in Afghanistan from overdosing on drugs. They are supposed to be there to train Afghan forces, not toke up every night. The company, according to the New York Times, “is being used by Washington to develop a parallel network of security and intelligence personnel within Pakistan.” There is a review underway by the Pakistani government. Between the predator strikes, the blank checks, and Dyncorp, the Obama administration’s Pakistan policy stinks to high-heaven.
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It's up to us humans to re-humanize our world. An economy that prioritizes growth and profits over humanity has led to digital platforms that "strip the topsoil" of human behavior, whole industries, and the planet, giving less and less back. And only we can save us.
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One of world's oldest sun dials discovered in EgyptBreaking News
tags: archaeology, BC, Egypt, Weather
Researchers have unearthed one of the world's oldest Egyptian sun dials - possibly dating back to 13th century BC - used by the people to tell time with the position of the Sun.
The discovery was made during archaeological excavations in the Kings' Valley in Upper Egypt by a team of researchers from the University of Basel.
The team led by Professor Susanne Bickel made the significant discovery while clearing the entrance to one of the tombs.
During this year's excavations the researchers found a flattened piece of limestone (so-called Ostracon) on which a semicircle in black colour had been drawn. The semicircle is divided into twelve sections of about 15 degrees each....
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- What departments of history are doing about lower enrollments


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Oct. 21, 2013: Siena Poll, education lawsuits
October 21, 2013
Steve Greenberg of Siena joins us with the latest poll results.
There are several lawsuits related to education in New York State that are wending their way through the legal system. We discuss them with the President of NYSUT Richard Iannuzzi and David Sciarra Executive Director of the Education Law Center.◄ Back to PodCasts


Three Quakes make Team of the Week
Team of the Week for week 19 was released on Monday and three Quakes were named to the roster. Vako had himself a night against the LA Galaxy on Friday with a goal and assist that helped him earn the Audi Index Spotlight Player. Jackson Yueill was also included in the Team of the Week with his performance against the Galaxy. Lastly, Quakes head coach, Matias Almeyda, was named Coach of the Week as he set out a Quakes team that completely dominated the Galaxy on the road. Everything about the Quakes performance was wonderful and Vako, Yueill, and Almeyda rightfully earned their spots in the Team of the Week. Read the full story here.
Earthquakes Loan Defender Jimmy Ockford to Nashville SC
The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has sent defender Jimmy Ockford to Nashville SC of the USL Championship on a short-term loan. Nashville will join Major League Soccer as an expansion club in 2020. Find out more here.


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Dr. Miguel Cardona
Secretary of Education
United States Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
Dear Secretary Cardona:
We, the undersigned Tennesseans, write out of deep concern for the safety and well-being of our children and communities to ask that you immediately intervene in the assault on local school districts being waged by TN Gov. Bill Lee, TN House Speaker Rep. Cameron Sexton, TN State Rep. Susan Lynn and others in our state leadership.
On Monday, Aug. 16, as Covid-19 rates surged in our state and many parents sent their unprotected children into unsafe school buildings for a second week, Gov. Lee issued an Executive Order that puts them even further into harm’s way. Though he has repeatedly claimed to defer to local government powers in enacting school district policy, Gov. Lee’s EO thoroughly undermines that authority by allowing Tennessee parents to opt their students out of any school district mask mandate. In the weeks prior to the governor’s order, as the state’s Covid-19 rates rose, TN House Speaker Cameron Sexton repeatedly threatened in the local media to call for a special legislative session where he would seek to ban mask mandates and divert funding from schools forced to close due to rising infection rates.
Rep. Sexton’s statements and Gov. Lee’s EO are just the latest in a string of failures by local and state leadership to protect Tennesseans, and especially our vulnerable school children. These failures are resulting in grave consequences across our state:
- On Aug. 19, Tennessee reached a new record (for the third day in a row) with 1,047 new Covid-19 cases in children 10 and under. That number more than tripled (from 332) since 14 days prior on Aug. 5. (TN DOH Downloadable Data Sets: Age)
- In the two weeks between Aug. 6 and Aug. 19 (during which school started for many Tennessee children), the state recorded 14,799 new Covid-19 cases among school-aged children (5-18 y.o.). (TN DOH Downloadable Data Sets: Cases 5-18 Years Old) This two-week period accounts for 11.5% of Tennessee’s total cases among school-aged children in the entire 18-month course of the pandemic. The total 5-18 y.o. case count on Aug. 19 was more than 230% higher than 14-days prior on Aug. 5 (601).
- Despite the dangerous misconceptions that children are not impacted by Covid-19 and the virus’s survival rate does not necessitate community and school mitigation measures, as of Aug. 19, 198 Tennessee children aged 10 and under had been hospitalized with Covid-19, and six had died. (TN DOH Downloadable Data Sets: Age Group Outcomes)
- On Aug. 19, there were 63 Tennessee children aged 10 and under hospitalized with Covid-19, with 17 in ICUs and 6 on ventilators. (TN DOH Current COVID Hospitalizations)
- On Aug. 5 at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, two children died from Covid-19.
- Tragically, a Shelby Co. teacher also died from Covid-19 on Aug. 19 after contracting the virus in her classroom.
Wilson County, just outside of Nashville, provides a stark case study, characterized a school board paralyzed with inaction due to the dereliction and political intimidation exhibited by state leadership. Parents in Wilson County have pleaded with the school board for weeks to revisit its July 12 vote to make masks in schools optional, and they have been met with near-total silence from members of the board and the Director of Schools.
In the meantime, Wilson Co. children have been sent into overcrowded classrooms with very little effort toward social distancing, lax school visitor policies, pep rallies and assemblies taking place, and few teachers, staff or students choosing to mask—all against the backdrop of a community with only a 43% vaccination rate. (Tennessean Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker)
Like in many other Tennessee counties, the results have been frightening:
- In the two-week period between Aug. 5 and Aug. 19, the new case count for school-aged Wilson Co. children (5-18 y.o.) reached 411. This two-week period accounts for more than 12% of all Wilson Co. cases among school-aged children (3,361) since the state began tracking Covid-19 data on March 12, 2020. (TN DOH Downloadable Data Sets: Cases 5-18 Years Old)
- During the week ending Aug. 13 (the first full week of school), nearly 1,100 Wilson Co. students missed valuable instructional days as the result of Covid-19 infection or exposure. (Gov. Lee has also stripped school districts of the ability to offer a virtual learning option.greater Tampa, Fla. school district) This is 5.5 percent of the county’s student body. It is more than double the percentage of students infected or quarantined in the stripped school districts of the ability to offer a virtual learning option.greater Tampa, Fla. school district, for example, where virus rates also are exploding and the student body is nearly 11 times the size of Wilson County’s.
- Based on data from both districts for the week ending Aug. 13, students in Wilson Co., where masks are optional, are 315% more likely to contract Covid-19 and 427% more likely to be quarantined than students in Metro Nashville Public Schools, where masks are required. (MNPS Covid-19 TrackerWCS Covid-19 Dashboard | MNPS Covid-19 TrackerWCS Covid-19 Dashboard)
The evidence that Covid-19 is a danger to our communities—made only more dangerous by the lack of mitigation efforts in our schools, where vast populations of children are unvaccinated—is overwhelming. Healthcare professionals and epidemiology experts across our state have been desperately sounding the alarm, warning of a healthcare system at capacity and pleading with the public and state leadership to help slow the spread of Covid-19. Outrageously, the pleas of these American heroes continue to fall on callous, deaf ears. (Tennessee Doctors Rally to Oppose Governor’s Ban of School Mask Mandates | Tennessee Healthcare Professionals' Response to Gov. Bill Lee re: Mask Mandate in Schools | TN Doctors Demand Masks in Schools)
It appears the next step in the state of Tennessee’s experiment to test how much risk we can expose our children to may be for leadership to remove the authority of local school districts to disallow in-person attendance for students who have been exposed to Covid-19. Resistant parents in our communities have continued to send their quarantined children to school, defying school district and health department policies and putting faculty, staff, peers and the community in peril as they claim violation of their civil liberties. Wilson County’s own TN District 57 Representative Susan Lynn on Thursday sent an email to TN Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey, TN Attorney General Herbert Slatery and Gov. Lee, accusing Wilson County Schools of “coercion against the unvaccinated” because the district has followed contact tracing and quarantine protocols outlined by the TN Department of Health and the CDC.
This new attempt to defy public health guidance, endanger lives and deprive children of their right to a safe and equal education is driven by an alarming deluge of vaccine and mask misinformation, much of which Rep. Lynn and other irresponsible politicians are directly accountable for spreading. Parents in our county who are refusing quarantine for their students are the same parents who have requested their children not be taught by a vaccinated teacher because the vaccinated emit harmful substances from their bodies. They are the same parents who refer in public forums to Covid-19 being their god’s way of “thinning the herd” of weak citizens who are alive only thanks to medical intervention.
Based on these factors, we have reason to believe that local school districts may soon be stripped of their authority to conduct contact tracing and issue stay-at-home orders to exposed students, thereby exponentially increasing the risk of infection for our unprotected students and for our communities and state as a whole. We implore your office to take swift action to ensure this cannot occur.
Sadly, Wilson County and Tennessee are not unique. There is a coordinated attack on medical expertise, scientific evidence and human decency being waged in local government arenas across the United States, with conspiracy theorists driven by misinformation using our children’s education as a local entry point for their dangerous, anti-government political agendas. Their insistent, treacherous intimidation of local school boards and district officials is condoned and rewarded by Tennessee state leaders like Gov. Lee, Rep. Sexton and Rep. Lynn. May the suffering of our vulnerable children weigh heavy on their conscience.
Masks—a proven effective mitigation tool for the spread of Covid-19—are not political. Medical and public health experts, who have risked their lives for 18 months fighting this pandemic, are not the enemy. Our children, and the safe, equal education they are constitutionally entitled to, are not expendable. We beg you to act on their behalf.
Gov. Bill Lee
Rep. Susan Lynn
Rep. Cameron Sexton
Dr. Penny Schwinn
Dr. Lisa Piercey
Members of the TN Senate Committee on Education
Members of the TN House Committee on Education
Members of the Wilson County School Board
Jeff Luttrell, Director of Wilson County Schools
Chuck Whitlock, Wilson County BOE Health Services Supervisor


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Stop charging fees for nonexistent services
Re “S.D. highway call boxes fade, but tax for them stays” (March 23): Remember the adage “rob Peter to pay Paul”? In today’s California government, it might well be “rob the taxpayer to pay political favors.”
Taxes and “fees” (which are one and the same) never go away. With the passing of freeway call boxes, the money collected to maintain them should have been eliminated, but our politicians see it as free money to be diverted to other “needy” projects. If these projects need more money (and they always do), why not increase the appropriate budget. Making a little sleight-of-hand maneuver and yanking the money from pot A to pot B tells the taxpayer that the government doesn’t really have to tell you where the money goes, so long as it is already being collected.
After all, it’s for a good cause, isn’t it? Or is it another greedy grab of taxpayer money?


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I don’t have too much to write about this morning.
I ran across this lovely passage in Kitcher’s Joyce’s Kaleidoscope.
“The last story of Dubliners, “The Dead,” opens with a long scene at the Morkans’ annual epiphany party, a party at which the guests make music, at which the old songs are sung around the household piano. That activity of music-making, centered on familiar songs to which the Wake alludes, again and again, was a large part of the culture Joyce knew (and the culture of my own youth, my generation probably being the last to enjoy it)—virtually everyone would join in. Considered as a musical work, a gigantic songbook, the Wake issues the same invitation. Joyce may have a fine voice, one that lilts beautifully over affecting cadences—although his tongue does occasionally trip—but he should inspire us to sing with him and not merely to listen admirably. Readers of the Wake can join in even if they feel like party guests who don’t all the words and are sometimes hazy about where the tune goes.” p. xxi
Kitchner apparently goes on to develop the musical metaphor in his reading of the Wake. I find this very satisfying.
This morning I read a bit in “The Dead.” It unfolded differently after reading the Wake and realizing that all of Joyce’s work fits together. Gabriel Conroy, the main character and the Joyce figure in the story, worries over a speech he is giving. Should he quote Browning? His audience won’t recognize it. He should quote Shakespeare or “from the Melodies.” Before the paragraph is over Gabriel is convinced that his speech “from first to last” would be “an utter failure.”
There is some self mocking going on here by Joyce. Gabriel’s attitude towards his speech is sometimes the stance Joyce takes towards his Wake. A self mocking tone surfaces throughout the Wake. But finally the “song” of the Wake is one of “kindness, generosity, patience, tolerance, forgiveness.” (Kitchner, xxii)
Yesterday I put the prelude and postlude into my table for page turns. I then practiced using the tablet for the music, adjusting the way it scrolls. The prelude by Marilyn Biery changes tempos throughout. This makes scrolling tricky but I think I have it worked out. Fortunately, I can scroll through the postlude (a fugue by Clara Schumann) with the same settings.


With reform to nation’s chemical law—the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)—basically around the corner, groups from both left and right are commenting on why we need reform and for some, why the current proposals should pass quickly. But the reasons they offer aren’t very compelling.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) exclaims in a press release:
Our nation’s chemical safety laws are outdated. Without reform, we’ll likely see a continued proliferation of costly and ineffective state-based chemical regulatory programs that confuse consumers and manufacturers alike. Congress must restore the public’s confidence in EPA’s chemical control laws, and one way of doing so is by passing S. 697.
TSCA may be old, but it has the best risk standard on the books, as I note here. And passing a major bureaucratic regulatory initiative to “restore public confidence” is, well, just plain dumb.
I do understand CEA’s position on using reform to halt bad state-level laws. But it’s not clear this reform will accomplish that task. Sure, it would be great if we could pass a law that would curb a growing patchwork of ill-conceived and dangerous state-level chemical regulations that impede interstate commerce, raise consumer prices, reduce choice, and force product reformulations resulting in inferior consumer products. And current proposals include some language to preempt such laws under certain circumstances, but overall these provisions may be too weak to make a difference.
The number one bad reason for TSCA reform comes from activist green groups. According to NRDC, we need reform to protect public health, as noted on the group’s website:
The country's main chemical safety law — the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) — makes it nearly impossible for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take regulatory action against dangerous chemicals, even those that are known to cause cancer or other serious health effects…But weaknesses in the law have left the EPA largely unable to act on known health dangers or require testing on specific chemicals that may be unsafe. …To protect public health and allow the law to work as originally intended, we need new legislation that will reform and strengthen TSCA by shifting the burden of proof from the federal government to the chemical industry.
Never mind that there is no evidence to support assertions that trace exposure to chemicals through consumer products pose risks, such as cancer or other health effects. And never mind the fact that people are living longer, healthier lives than ever before despite the fact that chemical use has gone up. As I have noted many times, TSCA reform has nothing much to do with public health since the risks at issue are too small to even measure.
Richard Denison with the Environmental Defense Fund has been one of the leading supporters of TSCA reform and worked with industry to make a host of changes to reform bills. Bloomberg BNA published Denison’s list of “reforms,” which follows below, that he says will improve the law. (Note: I numbered Denison’s list to correspond with my perspectives on each item which follows below; BNA originally used bullet points.) According to Denison, the bill’s useful provisions include:
- “allowing the EPA to obtain chemical data by ordering it; (Under TSCA the agency must issue a rule to obtain data or obtain it through negotiations with chemical manufacturers.)
- a mandate to conduct safety reviews on all chemicals in use; (TSCA has no mandate to review chemicals in commerce.)
- criteria the EPA would be required to use to prioritize and regulate chemicals; (TSCA has “broad authority and vague priorities,” Charles Auer, who managed chemicals at EPA for years told a House subcommittee.)
- judicially enforceable deadlines by which each step in the required reviews and regulatory processes must be completed; (TSCA has no process and no deadlines to review chemicals in commerce.)
- minimum number of chemicals EPA must move through the pipeline;
- an express requirement for protection of vulnerable populations; (TSCA is silent on such populations.)
- a safety standard that explicitly precludes consideration of costs.
Again, since the risks are so low, the only real thing at stake here is how much control we will give EPA over chemicals and related consumer freedom and commerce. Accordingly, here is my take of Denison’s list:
- More power for EPA to mandate industry data collection and submission simply means costly research mandates that translate into higher consumer prices, fewer resources for useful R&D, and more useless rodent testing in return for data of little value.
- More mandated government “safety reviews” is a bureaucrat’s job security program. Consumers and business get more expensive bureaucracy and posturing about chemical risks with no benefits. The only ones who gain are environmental activists who want to generate alarmist headlines for direct mail or funding of questionable government research programs.
- “Prioritization of chemicals” essentially means placing chemicals on “concern lists” largely based on political priorities and agendas, rather than a need to address serious health risks. Such listings will have adverse market implications for many valuable chemical products, causing yet more dumb retailers to pull products from store shelves, facilitating activists fear campaigns. The final result will be reduced consumer choice and higher prices for inferior products.
- Setting judicially enforceable deadlines for EPA is a joke. Government is not good at meeting deadlines—“enforceable” or not–because bureaucrats are highly unaccountable people. You can’t vote them out, you can’t fire them, nor can you levy heavy fines on them. At best, members of Congress can call them to testify at oversight hearings. Big deal.
- Setting a minimum number of chemicals that EPA must “put through the pipeline” means the agency is supposed to take actions whether or not such action is necessary. In reality none of these actions are “necessary,” so this is just another bureaucrat’s job security program and an excuse for more government action.
- “Express protection” for “vulnerable” populations is just another green marketing term to push a regulatory agenda that promises to do more harm than good for everyone—including vulnerable populations. Of course we want to be sure babies, the elderly, and the infirm of society are cared for and face no needless risks. But there are no good reasons to believe that vulnerable populations face significant risk from exposure to trace chemicals from consumer products. Exposure is simply too low, even for babies. The real risks will result from needless green regulations that ban essential chemicals needed to make useful and even life-saving products. For example, if greens have their way, EPA would regulate away the chemicals used to make plastic medical devices and supplies that are essential for such things as storing the nation’s blood supply and treating kidney dialysis patients.
- Last, but not least, Dennison applauds the idea that agencies should not consider costs when issuing regulations! The absurdity of this is beyond measure. TSCA’s current mandate that EPA consider costs and apply “the least burdensome” regulations forces the agency to consider all costs—including the costs to human health and life! It has prevented EPA from issuing regulations that could increase overall loss to human life.
At this point, all we can do is cross our fingers and hope that the “reformed” law does something good by curbing insane regulations at the state level. But before passage, lawmakers should consider whether they are trading off too much for what will likely be a modest if not overly watered down and useless preemption provision.