It is estimated that 30% of the U.S. population uses herbs for medicinal purposes. Ginseng root extract (GRE) is one of the most popular herbal products and is used by more than 6 million Americans each year. Ginseng has been a part of Eastern medicine for more than 4,000 years and is purported to prevent and treat diabetes. There are 11 commercially available species of ginseng, but most reports evaluated Asian (*Panax ginseng)* or American (*Panax quinquefolius L.)* ginseng. The physiological effects of ginseng are attributed to its triterpene β-glycosides, known as ginsenosides; more than 150 types of ginsenosides have been identified ([@B1]).

Data from studies conducted in animal models and cell culture systems have shown that ginseng extract and specific ginsenosides have beneficial effects on insulin action and glucose metabolism. In diabetic mice, treatment with *P. ginseng* radix or *P. ginseng* (Korean ginseng) stimulates insulin release and improves glucose tolerance and glycemic control ([@B2],[@B3]). Ginsenoside Re increases insulin sensitivity (IS) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes ([@B4]) and in *ob/ob* mice when administered intraperitoneally ([@B2]). It is not clear whether consumption of ginseng or ginsenosides affects IS and glucose homeostasis in humans. Most studies conducted in human subjects only evaluated the effect of a single oral dose of ginseng. Of these studies, most ([@B5]--[@B7]), but not all ([@B8]), found that a single dose lowered blood glucose area under the curve (AUC) during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Two studies evaluated the effect of more prolonged daily treatment with GRE or ginsenoside Re on glycemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes ([@B9],[@B10]). However, the interpretation of the results from these studies is unclear because of confounding factors that could have influenced the outcome measures, such as changes in body weight and physical activity, changes in diabetes medications, and large drop-out rates.

The purpose of the current study was to conduct a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the therapeutic potential of ginseng therapy in overweight and obese subjects with impaired glucose tolerance or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Subjects were randomized to 4 weeks of treatment with GRE (Korean red ginseng), ginsenoside Re, or placebo. The euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp procedure in conjunction with stable isotopically labeled tracer infusion and the frequently sampled modified OGTT (FSOGTT) were used to determine *1*) oral glucose tolerance; *2*) glucose and fatty acid kinetics; *3*) insulin action in adipose tissue, liver, and skeletal muscle; and *4*) β-cell function. Because of variability among ginseng products, we confirmed that our ginseng extract and ginsenoside Re had biological effects on insulin-mediated glucose uptake in isolated muscle strips (D.H. Han and J.O. Holloszy, submitted for publication).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS {#s5}
===========================

Study subjects {#s6}
--------------

Fifteen overweight and obese adults (1 man, 14 women; age: 46 ± 3 years, BMI 34 ± 2 kg/m^2^) participated in this study. Subjects were identified from the Washington University Volunteer for Health database and completed medical evaluation, blood tests, and a 2-h OGTT. Subjects were required to have a new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance and be overweight and/or obese. Potential participants who had any serious medical illnesses were excluded. Subjects had stable weight and were sedentary for at least 3 months before the study. The study was approved by the Human Research Protection Office of Washington University School of Medicine, and written informed consent was obtained from all subjects.

Experimental protocol {#s7}
---------------------

### Body composition. {#s8}

Body fat mass and fat-free mass (FFM) were determined by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 4500; Waltham, MA).

### FSOGTT. {#s9}

Subjects were admitted to the Clinical Research Unit at 0700 h after subjects fasted overnight. A catheter was inserted into a hand vein, which was heated to 55°C by using a thermostatically controlled box, to obtain arterialized blood samples. Blood samples were obtained to determine plasma glucose, C-peptide, and insulin concentrations before (−15 min and 0 min) and after (10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240, and 300 min) consuming a 75-g glucose drink.

### Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure. {#s10}

In the evening on the day of admission, subjects consumed a standard meal, containing 15 kcal/kg FFM at ∼1800 h, and then fasted until completion of the clamp procedure. At 0600 h, a catheter was inserted into an antecubital vein of one arm for intravenous infusion, and another catheter was inserted in a vein in the opposite hand, which was heated to 55°C by using a thermostatically controlled box, to obtain arterialized blood samples. At ∼0700 h, a primed, continuous infusion of \[6,6-^2^H~2~\]glucose (infusion rate: 0.25 μmol · min^−1^ · kg^−1^; priming dose: 22.5 μmol/kg), and a primed, continuous infusion of \[1,1,2,3,3-^2^H~5~\]glycerol (infusion rate 0.08 μmol · min^−1^ · kg^−1^; priming dose 1.2 μmol/kg) was maintained for 7 h. At 210 min, insulin was infused at a rate of 50 mU · m^2^ body surface area (BSA)^−1^ · min^−1^ (initiated with a two-step priming dose of 200 mU · m^2^ BSA^−1^ · min^−1^ for 5 min followed by 100 mU · m^2^ BSA^−1^ · min^−1^ for 5 min) for 210 min. Dextrose (20%), enriched with \[6,6-^2^H~2~\]glucose to ∼2.5%, was infused to maintain a plasma glucose concentration of 100 mg/dL. The infusion rates of \[^2^H~2~\]glucose and \[^2^H~5~\]glycerol were decreased by 75% during the clamp procedure (from 210 to 420 min) to account for the decline in hepatic glucose production and rate of glycerol release into plasma. Blood samples were obtained before the start of the infusions to determine background plasma glucose and glycerol tracer-to-tracee ratios (TTRs) and every 10 min during the final 30 min of the basal and clamp periods to determine glucose, free fatty acid and insulin concentrations, and substrate kinetics.

Intervention {#s11}
------------

After baseline studies were completed, subjects were randomly assigned to 4 weeks of treatment with either: *1*) placebo capsules (*n* = 5); *2*) Korean red ginseng extract (Spectrum Laboratories, Gardena, CA) (3 g/day for 2 weeks and then 8 g/day for 2 weeks, *n* = 5); *3*) ginsenoside Re (AIPOP, Gangdown-Do, Korea) (250 mg/day × 2 weeks followed by 500 mg/day × 2 weeks, *n* = 5) ([Supplementary Data](http://care.diabetesjournals.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.2337/dc10-2299/-/DC1)). The relative content of ginsenoside Re in the GRE used in this study was 13.7 ± 1.4%, which is similar to the ginsenoside Re content reported in previous studies ([@B8],[@B11]). We confirmed that the batches of ginseng and ginsenoside Re used in this study had biological activity by demonstrating that incubation with ginseng and ginsenoside Re markedly improved insulin-mediated glucose uptake in isolated epitrochlearis muscles obtained from diet-induced insulin resistant rodents (D.H. Han and J.O. Holloszy, unpublished finding) and rectus abdominus strips obtained from obese subjects undergoing gastric bypass surgery (D.H. Han and J.O. Holloszy, unpublished observations). Randomization to group assignment was performed by The Barnes-Jewish Hospital research pharmacist by using a fixed randomization scheme generated by the Moses-Oakford algorithm, with a block size of three and an allocation ratio of 1:1:1. All subjects, investigators, and laboratory personnel performing the analyses were blinded to group allocation until completion of all primary outcome measures. Subjects were seen once per week by a member of the research team during the intervention to assess compliance by history and pill counts and to check for potential adverse events. Subjects consumed \>90% of assigned pills, and no adverse events were reported. At the end of the 4-week period, all baseline studies were repeated. Subjects ingested their study medication (placebo, ginseng, or ginsenoside Re) in the morning 30 min before the start of the FSOGTT and hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure.

Sample processing and analyses {#s12}
------------------------------

Plasma glucose was measured by using an automated glucose analyzer (YSI, Yellow Springs Instruments, Yellow Springs, OH). Plasma insulin and C-peptide concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. Plasma glucose and glycerol TTRs were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry ([@B12]).

Plasma ginsenoside Re content was evaluated at every time point during the FSOGTT. An aliquot of 100 μL plasma was acidified with perchloric acid (35%) and centrifuged at 1,100*g* for 30 min. The supernatant was added to a solid-phase cartridge (Oasis HLB 1 cc; Waters Corporation, Milford, MA). After the sample was absorbed by the cartridge, the cartridge was washed with 4 mL water. Ginsenosides were eluted with 1 mL 95% methanol in water and evaporated in a SpeedVac (Savant Instruments, Inc., Farmingdale, NY) at 40°C. The residue was reconstituted in 100 μL 95% methanol. After centrifugation at 20,000*g* for 15 min, ginsenoside Re, Rb~1~, and Rb~2~ content in the supernatant was evaluated by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, as described previously ([@B13]). A standard curve was generated using ginsenoside Re of known concentration. This method has a detection limit of 8.0 ng/mL (8.4 nmol/L), which is the minimal concentration of ginseng that is necessary to demonstrate biological activity in vitro ([@B4]).

Calculations {#s13}
------------

### FSOGTT. {#s14}

Total AUC for glucose, insulin, and C-peptide during the first 120 min of the FSOGTT were calculated by using the trapezoidal method. Whole-body IS (*S*~i~) was estimated from the FSOGTT by using the oral glucose minimal model, which measures the overall effect of insulin to stimulate glucose disposal ([@B14]). β-Cell function was evaluated by determining the disposition index (DI), which represents the insulin secretory response in relationship to IS, calculated as the product of the β-cell responsivity index (Φ~o~) and *S*~i~ ([@B15]). DI could not be determined in three subjects (two in the placebo group and one in the ginsenoside Re group), because plasma samples from two subjects were lost and our modeling program was not able to adequately curve-fit the data from one subject.

### Tracer kinetics. {#s15}

Steele's equation for steady-state conditions was used to calculate glucose rate of appearance (*R*~a~), glucose rate of disappearance (*R*~d~), and glycerol *R*~a~ during the final 30 min of the basal period and the clamp ([@B16]). The hepatic IS index was determined as the product of the basal hepatic glucose production rate and basal plasma insulin concentration ([@B17]).

Statistical analyses {#s16}
--------------------

All outcome measures were analyzed by using a three-way (group × condition) ANOVA with repeated measures using a 3 × 2 factorial design in which the groups are placebo, ginseng extract, and ginsenoside Re and the conditions are basal and high insulin periods during the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Significant *F* ratios from each analysis were followed by post hoc comparisons by the Neuman-Keuls procedure, using the appropriate error terms. A *P* value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. All data are reported as means ± SE.

The primary outcome of this study was insulin-stimulated glucose uptake during the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure. Based on our previous data evaluating the reproducibility of assessing glucose kinetics during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure ([@B16]), we estimated that five subjects in each group would be needed to detect a 25% improvement in insulin-stimulated glucose disposal, with a power of 0.8 and an α-value of 0.05. A treatment effect of 25% was chosen because this is the effect often observed after weight loss ([@B18]) or thiazolidinedione therapy ([@B19]). All values are means ± SE.

RESULTS {#s17}
=======

Subject characteristics and metabolic variables {#s18}
-----------------------------------------------

Study subject characteristics and metabolic variables before and after treatment are shown in [Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}. Body weight and body composition and metabolic variables did not change after the intervention in any group.

######

Study subject characteristics and metabolic variables before and after treatment

                                      Before       After        Before       After        Before       After
  ----------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
  Sex (male/female)                   1/4          ---          0/5          ---          0/5          ---
  Race (African American/Caucasian)   2/3          ---          1/4          ---          3/2          ---
  Weight (kg)                         88 ± 8       90 ± 7       98 ± 11      98 ± 11      89 ± 4       91 ± 5
  BMI (kg/m^2^)                       31 ± 1       32 ± 1       35 ± 3       35 ± 3       36 ± 2       37 ± 2
  Fat mass (% body wt)                40 ± 3       40 ± 4       40 ± 5       40 ± 4       43 ± 2       43 ± 2
  Glucose (mg/dL)                     94.1 ± 1.8   95.6 ± 3.2   96.0 ± 6.6   98.2 ± 3.7   94.5 ± 2.4   95.5 ± 4.3
  Insulin (μU/mL)                     7.3 ± 1.4    8.0 ± 1.8    11.1 ± 4.0   12.1 ± 3.5   11.2 ± 1.3   11.9 ± 2.4
  HbA~1c~ (%)                         5.9 ± 0.2    5.9 ± 0.1    5.5 ± 0.1    5.7 ± 0.1    5.8 ± 0.8    5.9 ± 0.1
  Total cholesterol (mg/dL)           214 ± 21     202 ± 15     164 ± 27     165 ± 27     206 ± 32     204 ± 26
  Triglyceride (mg/dL)                130 ± 24     120 ± 27     135 ± 36     128 ± 29     126 ± 23     139 ± 31
  HDL cholesterol (mg/dL)             47 ± 5       46 ± 5       46 ± 6       44 ± 5       52 ± 6       50 ± 6
  LDL cholesterol (mg/dL)             140 ± 20     132 ± 12     88 ± 20      96 ± 21      143 ± 27     126 ± 19

Data are means ± SE.

FSOGTT {#s19}
------

Insulin and glucose AUC during the first 120 min after ingestion of the glucose load were not different between groups at baseline and did not change after therapy in any group ([Fig. 1*A* and *C*](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). Values for *S*~i~ ([Fig. 1*B*](#F1){ref-type="fig"}) and DI ([Fig. 1*D*](#F1){ref-type="fig"}) were not different between groups at baseline and did not change after the intervention.

![Glucose (*A*) and insulin (*C*) AUC obtained during the first 2 h of the 5-h FSOGTT, and IS (*B*) and DI (*D*), assessed by the FSOGTT before (white bars) and after (black bars) treatment with placebo, ginseng, or ginsenoside Re. Values are means ± SE.](1071fig1){#F1}

Basal substrate kinetics {#s20}
------------------------

Basal glucose *R*~a~ after the intervention was not different than values obtained before intervention in the placebo (725 ± 21 versus 682 ± 33 μmol/min), ginseng (865 ± 69 versus 780 ± 99 μmol/min), and ginsenoside Re (635 ± 69 versus 638 ± 99 μmol/min) groups. Similarly, glycerol *R*~a~ after the intervention was not different in the placebo (156 ± 8 versus 165 ± 12 μmol/min), ginseng (250 ± 42 versus 248 ± 49 μmol/min), or ginsenoside Re (242 ± 25 versus 221 ± 22 μmol/min) groups. The hepatic IS index after therapy was not different than values obtained before therapy in the placebo, ginseng, and ginsenoside Re groups ([Fig. 2*A*](#F2){ref-type="fig"}).

![Hepatic IS index (*A*), insulin-mediated increase in glucose *R*~d~ (*B*), insulin-mediated suppression of glucose *R*~a~ (*C*), and insulin-mediated suppression glycerol *R*~a~ (*D*) during the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure before (white bars) and after (black bars) treatment with placebo, ginseng, or ginsenoside Re therapy. Values are means ± SE.](1071fig2){#F2}

Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure {#s21}
-------------------------------------------

Mean plasma glucose concentrations during the last 30 min of the insulin infusion after treatment were the same as values obtained before treatment in the placebo (96 ± 1 and 93 ± 1 mg/dL), ginsenoside Re (97 ± 1 and 97 ± 1 mg/dL), and ginseng (99 ± 1 and 99 ± 1 mg/dL) groups. Mean plasma insulin concentrations during the last 30 min of insulin infusion after treatment were also the same as values obtained before treatment in the placebo (78 ± 5 and 76 ± 7 μU/mL), ginsenoside Re (88 ± 7 and 89 ± 7 μU/mL), and ginseng (78 ± 12 and 76 ± 10 μU/mL) groups.

Insulin infusion increased the rate of glucose disposal in all groups, but the percent increase above basal was not affected by placebo, ginsenoside Re, or ginseng therapy ([Fig. 2*B*](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Endogenous glucose production rates decreased in all groups during insulin infusion but the relative suppression in glucose *R*~a~ did not change with treatment in any group ([Fig. 2*C*](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). The decrease in glycerol *R*~a~ during insulin infusion was also the same after as before therapy in all groups ([Fig. 2*D*](#F2){ref-type="fig"}).

Plasma ginsenoside concentration {#s22}
--------------------------------

Plasma concentrations of ginsenoside Re, Rb~1~, and Rb~2~ were not detectable in blood samples obtained from 30 min to 6 h after ingesting the morning dose of ginseng or ginsenoside Re during the day of the FSOGTT and from 30 min to 7.5 h after ingesting the morning dose of ginseng or ginsenoside Re during the day of the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure. The method used to assess ginsenoside concentrations has a lower limit of detection of 8.0 ng/mL (8.4 nmol/L), which is below the minimal concentration of ginsenoside Re and Rb~1~ necessary to increase IS in vitro (4).

CONCLUSIONS {#s23}
===========

Ginseng is a popular herbal therapy that is purported to be effective in both the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Data from studies conducted in animal models have identified ginsenoside Re as a component of ginseng that affects IS and improves glycemic control ([@B2]). Therefore, we conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study to determine whether treatment with ginseng or ginsenoside Re improves oral glucose tolerance, β-cell function, and IS in humans. Only subjects with impaired glucose tolerance or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, who presumably have more reversible metabolic dysfunction, were studied to increase our ability to detect a beneficial effect of therapy. Moreover, we used specific sources of ginseng and ginsenoside Re that we found improved skeletal muscle IS in vitro in rodent and human muscle strips. Our data demonstrate that 4 weeks of oral ginseng and ginsenoside Re therapy do not improve oral glucose tolerance, β-cell function, or multiorgan IS. These results refute the popular notion that ingestion of ginseng and its putative active ginsenoside component has beneficial metabolic effects on glucose homeostasis.

Data from studies conducted in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and in obese, insulin-resistant rodent models have found that GRE and several ginsenoside species (Re, Rb~1~) improve insulin-stimulated glucose disposal ([@B2],[@B20]). In most of these animal studies, ginseng and ginsenosides were given intraperitoneally. Oral administration of ginseng or ginsenosides has also been reported to improve oral glucose tolerance and increase insulin-stimulated glucose disposal ([@B21],[@B22]). However, the results from these studies are confounded by concomitant weight loss, so it is unclear whether the improvements in IS occurred because of weight loss or because of the insulin-sensitizing properties of ginsenosides. Few studies have evaluated the effect of ginseng in human subjects, and the interpretation of data from these studies is difficult because of differences in experimental design and contradictory results among studies. A single dose of oral ginseng given ∼40 min before glucose ingestion reduced the glucose AUC during an OGTT by ∼20% in some studies ([@B23]) but had no beneficial effect in others ([@B8]). Longer term oral ginseng therapy was evaluated in subjects with type 2 diabetes in two studies. In one study, ginseng treatment (6 g/day for 12 weeks) lowered plasma insulin concentration but did not change HbA~1c~ ([@B10]), whereas ginseng treatment (100--200 mg/day for 8 weeks) in the other study was associated with a decrease in fasting plasma glucose concentration ([@B9]). However, the interpretation of the results from both studies is confounded by either a large drop-out rate ([@B10]) or concomitant weight loss ([@B9]). Oral ginseng therapy (3 g/day for 14 days) did not improve insulin-mediated glucose disposal, assessed by using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure, in subjects with indinavir-induced skeletal muscle insulin resistance ([@B24]).

We were unable to detect ginsenoside Re, Rb~1~, or Rb~2~ in plasma in our subjects, even though they were prescribed large daily oral doses of ginseng and ginsenoside Re for 30 days and ingested the last dose ∼30 min before a series of blood samples were obtained to assess blood concentrations. The method we used to measure ginsenoside Re, Rb~1~, or Rb~2~ has a threshold of detection of 8 ng/mL, which is below the minimal concentration necessary for biological activity in vitro ([@B4]). Therefore, our results suggest that ginsenoside Re is poorly absorbed from oral ingestion of ginseng or ginsenoside Re itself. The limited systemic bioavailability of ginseng Re in our subjects helps explain the discrepancy between our findings and the positive effects observed in studies that involved intraperitoneal ginseng injection ([@B2]) or in vitro incubation with ginseng ([@B4],[@B20]). Data from pharmacokinetic studies conducted in rodents and people have found that absorption of ginseng metabolites is poor after oral ingestion ([@B13],[@B25]). Plasma ginseng or ginsenoside concentrations were not reported in previous studies that found metabolic benefits of ginseng therapy in study subjects. We are aware of only one study that evaluated oral ginsenoside absorption in human subjects ([@B13]). This study was conducted in two subjects who were studied for 12 h after ingesting GRE. Ginsenoside Rb~1~ and Rb~1~ were detected at very low levels in plasma (∼5 nmol/L) in one subject, but ginseng components were not detected in the other subject. Very low levels of ginsenoside Re were found in urine for up to 3 h after ingestion. The poor absorption of orally ingested ginsenosides is likely related to its saponin ring structure, which is poorly soluble in aqueous solutions. In addition, protopanaxtriols (e.g., ginsenoside Re) are rapidly hydrolyzed to ginsenoside Rb~1~ in mildly acidic conditions, such as in the stomach, suggesting that the bioavailability of orally administered ginsenoside Re is particularly poor. Our results, in conjunction with data from other studies, suggest that oral ginsenoside products are too poorly absorbed to provide adequate systemic availability to influence metabolic function. We cannot exclude the possibility that other ginsenosides and their metabolites or nonginsenoside components of GRE are bioavailable when given enterally.

Although it is possible that our study missed a therapeutic effect of ginseng or ginsenoside Re because of the small number of study subjects, we believe that this is unlikely. We used the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure, in conjunction with stable isotopically labeled tracer infusion, to evaluate IS. We have demonstrated that this procedure is very sensitive and reproducible ([@B16]) and would allow us to detect a 25% improvement in insulin-stimulated glucose disposal in the current study with a power of 0.8. Our data did not even detect a trend toward treatment-induced improvement in any of our study outcome measures. Ginsenoside composition varies between commercially available products, so our study cannot eliminate the possibility that other ginseng products could have metabolic benefits.

In summary, despite the popular use of ginseng products to improve glucose homeostasis and treat type 2 diabetes, we found no evidence that oral ginseng or ginsenoside Re therapy improves β-cell function or IS in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance or newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Although parenteral ginseng and ginsenoside Re can markedly enhance insulin action in animal models, our data suggest that minimal bioavailability after oral ingestion limits its therapeutic efficacy in people.

Supplementary Material
======================

###### Supplementary Data

Clinical trial reg. no. NCT00781534, [clinicaltrials.gov](http://clinicaltrials.gov).

This article contains Supplementary Data online at <http://care.diabetesjournals.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.2337/dc10-2299/-/DC1>.

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants DK-31842, DK-37948, DK-56341 (Nutrition and Obesity Research Center), UL1-RR-024992 (Clinical and Translational Science Award), and RR-00954 (Biomedical Mass Spectrometry Resource), and a grant from the Longer Life Foundation.

No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

D.N.R. performed experiments, researched data, and wrote the manuscript. B.W.P. analyzed data, contributed to the discussion, and reviewed and edited the manuscript. A.O. analyzed data and contributed to the discussion. J.O.H. researched data and reviewed and edited the manuscript. K.S.P. analyzed data, contributed to the discussion, and reviewed and edited the manuscript. S.K. analyzed data, edited and reviewed the manuscript, and contributed to the discussion.

The authors thank Freida Custodio and Jennifer Shew (Washington University School of Medicine) for their technical assistance, the staff of the Clinical Research Unit (Washington University School of Medicine) for their help in performing the studies, and the study subjects for their participation.


Juniper was over Tinder. A recent college grad living in rural Connecticut, they’d been subject to the swipe-and-ghost thing a few too many times. Then, this spring, Juniper submitted an ad to @_personals_, an Instagram for lesbian, queer, transgender, and non-binary people looking for love (and other stuff). The post, titled "TenderQueer Butch4Butch," took Juniper two weeks to craft, but the care paid off: the ad ultimately garnered well over 1,000 likes—and more than 200 messages.

"I was so used to the Tinder culture of nobody wanting to text back," Juniper says. "All of the sudden I had hundreds of queers flooding my inbox trying to hang out." The response was invigorating, but ultimately Juniper found their match by responding to someone else: Arizona, another recent college grad who had written a Personals ad titled "Rush Limbaugh’s Worst Nightmare". "Be still my heart," Juniper messaged them; soon they had a FaceTime date, and spent the next three weeks writing each other letters and poems before Arizona drove seven hours from Pittsburgh to visit Juniper in Connecticut. Now they plan on moving to western Massachusetts together. (Both asked to use their first names only for this article.)

"I'm pretty sure we decided to move to the same place and live together within the first two weeks of talking. 'You're really cute, but we live in different places. Do you want to U-Haul with me up to Western Mass?'" Juniper says, giggling. "And they were like, 'Yeah, sure!' It was like no question."

Juniper (left) and Arizona met on Personals. Arizona

Kelly Rakowski, the creator of Personals, smiles when telling me about Juniper and Arizona's romance. Shortly after the pair connected via Rakowski's Instagram account, they sent her an email saying "we fell so hard and so fast (I think we still have bruises?)" and talking about the Rural Queer Butch art project they were doing. They attached several photos they made as part of the project—as well as a video. "They were like, 'It's PG.' It's totally not PG,'" Rakowski says now, sitting at a cafe in Brooklyn and laughing. "They're so in love, it's crazy."

This is, of course, exactly what Rakowski hoped would happen. A fan of old-school, back-of-the-alt-weekly personals ads, she wanted to create a way for people to find each other through their phones without the frustrations of dating apps. "You have to be present to write these ads," she says. "You're not just throwing up your selfie. It's a friendly environment; it feels healthier than Tinder." And now that the 35,000 people who follow Personals seem to agree with her, she wants to take on those apps—with an app of her own.

Kelly Rakowski created Personals after being inspired by the looking-for-love ads in the lesbian erotica magazine On Our Backs. Cait Oppermann

But unlike the services rooted in the selfie-and-swipe mentality, the Personals app will focus on the things people say and the ways others connect to them. Unsurprisingly, Arizona and Juniper are one of the poster couples in the video for the Kickstarter Rakowski launched to fund her project. If it reaches its $40,000 goal by July 13, Rakowski will be able to turn the ads into a fully-functioning platform where users can upload their own posts, "like" ads from others, and message each other in hopes of finding a match.


Q:

Can't ping CentOS7 from Win 2k12 Host

I have a service running on CentOS 7 in Oracle VM Virtual Box, but I can't ping the IP I configured in CentOS from windows.
I tried:

Disabling windows firewall
Changing network adapter to bridged mode
Setting the static IP in centOS to the IP of the Virtual Box. Host-Only network adapter in Windows.

I can ping my windows box from the CentOS virtual machine though.  Any ideas?

A:

I set adapter to bridged. Changed the IP to one a subnet of the adapter on the host server.  Changed gateway to server gateway.  Bounced services and was able to ping.
The issue was that Cent OS was trying to connect through an unused NIC.  Can't believe I didn't see it before.


President-elect Donald Trump is considering appointing former Republican primary rival Carly Fiorina, who chaired the CIA’s civilian external advisory board during the George W. Bush Administration, Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

The possible appointment of the former Hewlett-Packard executive, first reported by the New York Times, has been described as an unexpected move by some news outlets, such as the New York Post.

Fiorina visited President-elect Trump at New York’s Trump Tower Monday and praised her formal rival after meeting with him.

“It was such an honor to meet with the president elect,” she declared.

“The high quality of people that he’s named already says so much about his executive abilities,” Fiorina also told reporters, praising Trump for appointing “fantastic people” to serve in his administration.

She noted that she spoke to the incoming commander-in-chief about the ability to “reset” the way Americans interact with their government and the role that the United States plays across the world.

Fiorina will have to be confirmed by the Senate before she officially becomes the next DNI.

The Bush administration created the DNI position in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. homeland.

On its official website, the Office of DNI describes its mission as “lead Intelligence integration and forge an Intelligence Community that delivers the most insightful intelligence possible.”

The ODNI vision is identified as “a nation made more secure because of a fully integrated Intelligence Community.”

According to the U.S. government, “The DNI also acts as the principal advisor to the President and the National Security Council for intelligence matters related to the national security; and oversees and directs the implementation of the National Intelligence Program.”

It is no secret that Trump clashed with Fiorina as he did with nearly all other contenders during the contentious presidential primary debates.

In what has been described as “a bizarre twist to the race,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the last man to stand between Trump and the GOP nomination, named Fiorina as his vice-presidential “running mate” while he was still trailing behind the president-elect.

However, Fiorina endorsed the eventual winner Trump on September 8, two months before the election, telling a Washington state Republican dinner, “We must have President Trump. We can’t have President Clinton.”

Although she has never been elected to any government office, Fiorina served as chair of the CIA’s civilian external advisory board, and worked with the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Defense after the 9/11 attacks.

Citing a transition source, the New York Post notes, “Trump aides had discussed Fiorina as a possible secretary of state pick… But reports suggest the president-elect has instead settled on Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for that job.”

The Post learned from Fiorina’s chief of staff that the meeting with Trump had been “positive and productive.”

“Carly and the President-Elect discussed issues ranging from America’s strategic interests and national security challenges abroad to the geopolitical climate across the world and in China,” added the chief of staff.

Fiorina sparred with President-elect Trump during the campaign over controversial comments Trump allegedly made about her during a Rolling Stone interview.


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Q:

How to get the highlighted point from shared tooltip formatter, Highcharts

I use shared tooltip(http://api.highcharts.com/highcharts#tooltip.formatter), so that I can loop through the this.points to put all y value in the tooltip:
if (this.points) {
    $.each(this.points, function(i, point) {
        console.log(i, point);
        s += ......//use all the points to construct common tooltip,which has been done
    });

//However, after shared tooltip, how can I get the highlighted point? I use `this` but it always point to the same one.

s += //need To know The highlighted point somewhere to construct the tooltip as well

}

Before selected, the series will be like:

Is there any way inside the tooltip formatter to know which point/index is selected? In the below screenshot, blue one is selected, I need the blue point object data.

A:

Instead of using shared tooltip, try with default one: http://jsfiddle.net/2v0ya6d5/1/
Code:
    tooltip: {
        formatter: function () {
            var series = this.point.series.chart.series, // get all series
                index = this.point.series.xData.indexOf(this.point.x), // get index
                str = '';

            // default tooltip
            $.each(series, function(i, s) {
                str += 'The value for ' + s.data[index].category +
                ' is ' + s.data[index].y + '
'
            });

            // "this" refers to the selected point:
            str+= 'Selected point? x: ' + this.x + ' y: ' + this.y;

            return str;
        }
    },


Navigation

Picking a solitary item is truly an intense occupation when you have a ton of choices to browse. That is the reason we have arranged a rundown of Best men’s Electric Shaver. By knowing that, you pick the one which suits your skin types and which hair that you will cut off. There are a lot of out there, few are great with regards to close shaving while few are great at open to shaving. Which one would it be a good idea for you to pick? We'll make sense of it soon!
All things considered, now without squandering any further time, how about we bounce on to our main best men's Electric shavers list.

1. Braun Series 7 790CC – Rocking the market since 2010

The first shaver for men is Braun Series 7 790CC. This product comes from German Tech Industry which has the same name with the product, Braun. This shaver has led the market since 2010 and until now, this product still becomes the best men’s shaver. This is the first reason why this Braun Series 7 becomes the first product that we will discuss.
The technologies that this shaver has are OptiFoil and ActiveLift. These are the trimmer that Baun series has, which these trimmers will help you to give smooth and the best experience in cutting off your growing hair. Additionally, there is also another trimmer inside the shaver. By combinating those three trimmers, all of those hairs that you will cut off will be clean smoothly and also perfectly.

Besides, those trimmers also have their own function in shaving your growing hair. OptiFoil specifically will help you to cover you skin in cutting of the growing hair. Meanwhile, the ActiveLift will cut off the growing hair, even though it is still short or even still becomes the root inside your facial skin. Added with Pulsonic, the last trimmer, this technology also will help you to cut off the develop hair on your facial skin. By having these three trimmers on one product, Braun Series is still the best men’s shaver nowadays.

With that experience, which is almost 7 years becomes the best men’s shaver, Braun Series 7 790CC can be the best solution for shaving your growing hair. But yes, the price itself is quite high compared to the other shavers. However, for the best experience that you expect, the price is still worth to pay for.

2. Wahl Professional 8061 – Best Electric Shaver for Sensitive Skin

Another best men’s electric shaver comes from Wahl. In this case, Wahl product is originally created in America, and it is purposely created for shaving things. There are lots of good things that come from this type. One of them is Dynaflex Cutting framework. This technology can help you to cut off the growing hair in several hard position on your face. For example to cut off growing hair on your jawline and also your neck. Besides, the Wahl professional also will give you the best experience of shaving by smooth way to cut off your growing hair.
Another great thing comes from Wahl is the Hypoallergenic. This thing purposely will help you in cutting your growing hair on your sensitive skin. There is a fly up trimmer that will be very useful in cutting off you mustache or any other growing hair on your sensitive skin or area.

At the end, Wahl Professional 8061 is still the best option for cutting off growing hair, for those men who have sensitive issues on their skin. The battery also is quite good, which is you can take and keep it on your bag when you are on the travelling to some far away places. By then, the price is also very competitive, which means that the price that you pay is still worth with the benefits that you will get.
Those two products are only the examples of the best men’s shaver these days. Actually, there are still many shavers that you can choose as yours. However, those two products have both quality and experience on shaving things. That is the reason why we recommend you to use those two products first before looking for the other products.
Thus, in order to find the right choice of shaving your growing hair, the specification that the shaver has will not be enough for you. Another thing that you need to focus on is the size of the product itself. The handy one will be the best choice for you, especially for those who love traveling to some far places. The small one and fit to your hand will help you to get the best experience in cutting your growing hair easily. Besides, the power or battery of the machine also needs to be counted as your specification. You need to find the good one in surviving for days. These tips are very needed for men who always bring their shaver wherever they go.

In conclusion, the choice is back again to you as a customer. You can review every machine that fit your requirements. Besides those two products that have been discussed before. By visiting those websites, you find so many relevant information and experience in having the best men’s electric shaver. At the end, hopefully by reading this article, now you know which electric shaver that really fits your requirement in cutting of your growing hair. Keep your face clean by shaving your growing hair, Dudes!

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Please note that we cannot accept payments after the last day of the year. Postmarks on or before 12/31 are accepted. Payments made after 12/31 are considered delinquent and are sent to the County for collection by law.

Ferguson Township now accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Cards for payments. The fee to the customer is 2.45 percent. Any charge from $.01 to around $125 is assessed at about $3. Anything above that amount will incur a higher fee.

State College Area School District 2015 Real Estate Tax Due Dates

Please be aware that the school adopted a referendum tax to fund the high school renovations. This amount is listed separately on the tax bill for your reference. All taxpayers are obligated to pay this additional tax. Please pay the Total Real Estate Tax amount.

September 1, 2016 - Last day to pay under discount period.

November 1, 2016 - Last day to pay under face amount period.

December 31, 2016 - Last day to pay timely for the year.

Please note that we cannot accept payments after the last day of the year. Postmarks on or before 12/31 are accepted. Payments made after 12/31 are considered delinquent and are sent to the County for collection by law.

Note: On May 20, 2014, the voters of the State College Area School District approved the referendum to fund the State High Project. See how this will affect your tax bill by visiting the tax estimator on the State College Area School District website.


Kill 'Em All: Efgartigimod Immunotherapy for Autoimmune Diseases.
Neonatal Fc receptors (FcRns) recycle IgGs by preventing their lysosome degradation. As this process also enhances half-life of pathogenic auto-IgG, inspired from the mechanisms of intravenous immunoglobulin, several inhibitors of IgG-FcRn interface have been conceived for treating autoimmune diseases. Among them, the high-affinity FcRn-binding engineered Fc molecule efgartigimod has recently completed phase I clinical trial.


Persulfate oxidation for in situ remediation of TCE. I. Activated by ferrous ion with and without a persulfate-thiosulfate redox couple.
The objective of the laboratory study is to examine the conditions under which transition metal ions (e.g., ferrous ion, Fe2+) could activate the persulfate anion (S2O8(2)-) to produce a powerful oxidant known as the sulfate free radical (SO4-*) with a standard redox potential of 2.6 V. The SO4-* is capable of destroying groundwater contaminants in situ such as trichloroethylene (TCE). Experiments using Fe2+ as an activator under various molar ratios of S2O8(2)-/Fe2+/TCE in an aqueous system indicated that partial TCE degradation occurred almost instantaneously and then the reaction stalled. Either destruction of SO4-* in the presence of excess Fe2+ or the rapid conversion of all Fe2+ to Fe3+ limited the ultimate oxidizing capability of the system. Sequential addition of Fe2+ in small increments resulted in an increased TCE removal efficiency. Therefore, it appeared that Fe2+ played an important role in generating SO4-*. An observation of oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) variations revealed that the addition of sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3) to the ferrous ion activated persulfate system could significantly decrease the strong oxidizing conditions. It was hypothesized that the thiosulfate induced reducing conditions might convert Fe3+ to a lower valence state of Fe2+, making the Fe2+ available to activate persulfate decomposition. The sequential addition of thiosulfate (S2O3(2)-), after the initial stalling of ferrous ion activated persulfate oxidation of TCE, resulted in an improvement in TCE removal. The ferrous ion activated persulfate-thiosulfate redox couple resulted in fairly complete TCE degradation in aqueous systems in a short time frame. In soil slurry systems, TCE degradation was slower in comparison to aqueous systems.


Q:

How to disable Windows 8/WinRT AppBar?

My goal is to only have an AppBar available under a certain circumstance. I am attempting to accomplish this by creating an AppBar, but leaving it disabled until that circumstance arises. However, if you set the IsEnabled attribute on an AppBar to False, when you launch your app and right-click (which typically opens the AppBar), the application crashes. Is this a bug in the framework? What is the proper way to disable an AppBar?
EDIT: It also occurs when you set Visibility to Collapsed.
More info: I am running it through the Visual Studio debugger, but a separate "Visual Studio Just-In-Time Debugger" window is popping up with the message "An unhandled win32 exception occurred in App.exe [2596]." A warning box pops up on top of that that says "A debugger is attached to App.exe but not configured to debug this unhandled exception. To debug this exception, detach the current debugger."
EDIT 2: It's not just my code. It also crashes if you just add IsEnabled="False" to the AppBar in Microsoft's own sample AppBarControl project (found here: http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsapps/XAML-AppBar-control-sample-2aa1cbb4)
EDIT 3: @G. Andrew Duthie - devhammer provided the answer I am using. I just wanted to add that I found that it is best to use this.BottomAppBar = null to disable it as opposed to setting the IsEnabled or Visibility properties. If you just set Visibility to Collapsed, then when you right-click, the app still thinks an AppBar is present even though it isn't visible, so your next regular click will be interpreted as the click that typically dismisses the AppBar, so you'll have to click a second time to actually carry out the action you were attempting.

A:

I've been playing with this for a bit (using both IsEnabled, as well as setting the Visibility property to Visibility.Collapsed), and the only way I could successfully disable the AppBar without raising the exception was to show the AppBar first. Once the AppBar has been shown, setting IsEnabled to false, or setting Visibility to Visibility.Collapsed no longer throws the exception.
However, if you create the AppBar programmatically, like so:
myAppBar = new AppBar();
StackPanel sp = new StackPanel();
sp.Orientation = Orientation.Horizontal;
Button myButton = new Button();
myButton.Content = "Click Me";
sp.Children.Add(myButton);
myAppBar.Content = sp;

but don't add it to Page.BottomAppBar until the first time you need it, you won't get the exception.
I tested using a button with the following handler:
private void Button_Click_1(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    if (this.BottomAppBar == null)
    {
        this.BottomAppBar = myAppBar;
    }
    else {
        this.BottomAppBar = null;
    }
}

When the app loads the first time, if you attempt to invoke the AppBar, nothing happens. Click the button (which adds the AppBar to Page.BottomAppBar), and invoking the AppBar will show the AppBar. Click the button again, and the AppBar is no longer shown (though myAppBar is still instantiated and ready when you need it again).
Hope that helps!

A:

If you want to still want to define your AppBar in XAML, you can programmatically close the AppBar in the code behind.  In XAML, create the bottom AppBar:
<Page.BottomAppBar>
    <AppBar Name="MyAppBar" Opened="AppBarOpened">
        ...
    </AppBar>
</Page.BottomAppBar>

Then, in the C# code behind:
private void AppBarOpened(object sender, object e)
{
    if ( CanAppBarOpen() == false)
    {
        MyAppBar.IsOpen = false;
    }
}

You'll have to implement your own check for "CanAppBarOpen()"


The General Assembly’s Transportation Committee voted 18-3 to approve a bill that would enable the lengthening of the main runway of Tweed New Haven Airport.

A 2009 state law limited the airport’s runway to 5,600 feet. Over the past few years, the airport has sought to expand the runway’s length to at least 6,000 feet in order to attract new commercial routes. Currently, Tweed is home to daily roundtrip service to Philadelphia and weekly roundtrip service to Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Hundreds of area businesses and thousands of Connecticut residents stand to benefit from improvements at the Tweed New Haven Airport,” said New Haven Mayor Toni Harp in a statement. “I’m grateful for this endorsement of enhanced airport facilities by members of the Transportation Committee.”

The bill will head to the state House and Senate for a vote. Tweed has been the subject of renewed attention by the state in recent weeks. Gov. Ned Lamont cited upgrading Tweed as part of his proposals to strengthen the state’s transportation infrastructure while the Connecticut Airport Authority and the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority established a working group to determine how to collaborate on efforts to improve the viability of the shoreline airport.


Q:

How to search for largest value in array, and return associated key in PHP

I'd like to be able to return the number 15 in this case:
Array ( [420315] => 1 [21714] => 1 [20] => 1 [1] => 1 [18] => 1 [241] => 2 [15] => 5 [1038401] => 1 [114] => 1 [293641] => 1 [387] => 1 [232] => 1 [11368] => 1 [9225] => 1 [100] => 1 [9254] => 1 [15326] => 1 [9246] => 1 [97] => 1 [9241] => 1 [14242] => 1 [9456] => 1 [366] => 1 [130] => 1 [373] => 1 )

A:

Use this
array_keys($array, max($array));

Reference for those 2 functions
http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.array-keys.php
http://php.net/manual/en/function.max.php


import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { RouterModule, Routes } from '@angular/router';

import { TabsPage } from './tabs.page';

const routes: Routes = [
  {
    path: '',
    component: TabsPage,
    children: [
      {
        path: '',
        redirectTo: '/msite',
        pathMatch: 'full'
      },
      {
        path: 'msite',
        loadChildren: () => import('../msite/msite.module').then(m => m.MsitePageModule)
      },
      {
        path: 'search',
        loadChildren: () => import('../search/search.module').then(m => m.SearchPageModule)
      },
      {
        path: 'order',
        loadChildren: () => import('../order/order.module').then(m => m.OrderPageModule)
      },
      {
        path: 'profile',
        loadChildren: () => import('../profile/profile.module').then(m => m.ProfilePageModule)
      }
    ]
  }
];

@NgModule({
  imports: [RouterModule.forChild(routes)],
  exports: [RouterModule]
})
export class TabsPageRoutingModule { }


Living with RA

There are steps you can take in your daily life to help make living with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) easier. Click on the tabs below for tips on exercise, healthy eating, and connecting with others who are living with RA. Don't forget to also give your body the rest it needs.

If you have moderate to severe RA, you don’t have to feel like you’re alone. There are plenty of resources available online that can offer support and help you connect with others who are living with your condition. These include local support groups, fundraising walks, outreach programs, online communities, and volunteer opportunities. The websites below can help you learn more about your condition and connect with the RA community.

Janssen Biotech, Inc., the maker of SIMPONI®, does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of any of the websites listed below, or the services provided by these organizations. Clicking on any of the links below will take you to a website to which Simponi.com’s privacy policy does not apply. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

Arthritis Today

The online home of the Arthritis Foundation’s Arthritis Today magazine is a great source of tips and information for people living with arthritis. It includes a community where you can share ideas, ask for advice, read blogs, play games, and more.

Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF)

The Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF) is the charity that funds research to cure arthritis. The ANRF website provides a comprehensive look at all the research projects they funded. You can also get their free report which will give you a great information overview about arthritis and some of the projects underway.

Mayo Clinic

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

NIAMS is a division of the National Institutes of Health whose primary focus is to provide research, training, and information resources on diseases of the bones, joints, muscles and skin. This website offers information and links to various resources about rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, treatment, research, and disease states.

Patients Like Me

This site allows you to share your experiences with living with RA in order to help yourself, others like you, and organizations that focus on your condition.

Selected Important Safety Information

SIMPONI® (golimumab) can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious and sometimes fatal events may occur. Possible serious side effects may include infections, lymphoma, or other cancers. To learn more about these and other serious risks, please read the Important Safety Information below and the Medication Guide, and talk with your doctor.

SIMPONI® is a once-monthly self-injectable biologic treatment for adults with:

moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with the medicine methotrexate

active psoriatic arthritis, alone or with the medicine methotrexate

active ankylosing spondylitis

Methotrexate is used as directed.

Once you and your doctor are comfortable with the self-injection process, you will inject SIMPONI® under the skin, just once a month.

SIMPONI® is used in adults with moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis (UC) when certain other UC medicines have not worked well enough or cannot be tolerated, or if it is necessary to continue taking steroid medicines:

to begin helping some of your symptoms

in people who respond to SIMPONI®, to get their UC under control (induce remission) and keep UC under control (sustain remission)

to begin to improve the way the lining of your large intestine looks to your doctor during colonoscopy

SIMPONI® is a self-injectable biologic treatment given every 4 weeks after 2 starter doses.

Once you and your doctor are comfortable with the self-injection process, you will inject SIMPONI® under the skin.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

SIMPONI® (golimumab) is a prescription medicine. SIMPONI® can lower your ability to fight infections. There are reports of serious infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that have spread throughout the body, including tuberculosis (TB) and histoplasmosis. Some of these infections have been fatal. Your doctor will test you for TB before starting SIMPONI® and will monitor you for signs of TB during treatment. Tell your doctor if you have been in close contact with people with TB. Tell your doctor if you have been in a region (such as the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys and the Southwest) where certain fungal infections like histoplasmosis or coccidioidomycosis are common.

You should not start SIMPONI® if you have any kind of infection. Tell your doctor if you are prone to or have a history of infections or have diabetes, HIV or a weak immune system. You should also tell your doctor if you are currently being treated for an infection or if you have or develop any signs of an infection such as:

fever, sweat, or chills

muscle aches

cough

shortness of breath

blood in phlegm

weight loss

warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body

diarrhea or stomach pain

burning when you urinate or urinate more than normal

feel very tired

Unusual cancers have been reported in children and teenage patients taking TNF-blocker medicines. For children and adults taking TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®, the chances for getting lymphoma or other cancers may increase. Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, a rare and fatal lymphoma, has occurred mostly in teenage or young adult males with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis who were taking other TNF blockers with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine. You should tell your doctor if you have had or develop lymphoma or other cancers.

Some people treated with SIMPONI® have developed certain kinds of skin cancer. If any changes in the appearance of your skin or growths on your skin occur during or after your treatment with SIMPONI®, tell your doctor.

Tell your doctor about all the medications you take including ORENCIA (abatacept), KINERET (anakinra), ACTEMRA (tocilizumab), RITUXAN (rituximab), or another TNF blocker, or if you are scheduled to or recently received a vaccine. People taking SIMPONI® should not receive live vaccines or treatment with a weakened bacteria (such as BCG for bladder cancer).

Reactivation of hepatitis B virus has been reported in patients who are carriers of this virus and are taking TNF-blocker medicines, such as SIMPONI®. Some of these cases have been fatal. Your doctor should do blood tests before and after you start treatment with SIMPONI®. Tell your doctor if you know or think you may be a carrier of hepatitis B virus or if you experience signs of hepatitis B infection, such as:

feel very tired

dark urine

skin or eyes look yellow

little or no appetite

vomiting

muscle aches

clay-colored bowel movements

fevers

chills

stomach discomfort

skin rash

Heart failure can occur or get worse in people who use TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®. Your doctor will closely monitor you if you have heart failure. Tell your doctor right away if you get new or worsening symptoms of heart failure like shortness of breath or swelling of your lower legs or feet.

Rarely, people using TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®, can have nervous system problems such as multiple sclerosis or Guillain-Barré syndrome. Tell your doctor right away if you have symptoms like vision changes, weakness in your arms or legs, or numbness or tingling in any part of your body.

Serious liver problems can happen in people using TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®. Contact your doctor immediately if you develop symptoms such as feeling very tired, skin or eyes look yellow, poor appetite or vomiting, or pain on the right side of your stomach.

Low blood counts have been seen with people using TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®. If this occurs, your body may not make enough blood cells to help fight infections or help stop bleeding. Your doctor will check your blood counts before and during treatment. Tell your doctor if you have signs such as fever, bruising, bleeding easily, or paleness.

Rarely, people using TNF blockers have developed lupus-like symptoms. Tell your doctor if you have any symptoms such as a rash on your cheeks or other parts of the body, sensitivity to the sun, new joint or muscle pain, becoming very tired, chest pain or shortness of breath, swelling of the feet, ankles, and/or legs.

New or worse psoriasis symptoms may occur. Tell your doctor if you develop red scaly patches or raised bumps that are filled with pus.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or are breastfeeding or have a baby and were using SIMPONI® during pregnancy. Tell your baby's doctor before your baby receives any vaccine because of an increased risk of infection for up to 6 months after birth.

Tell your doctor if you are allergic to rubber or latex. The needle cover contains dry natural rubber.

Tell your doctor if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction while taking SIMPONI® such as hives, swollen face, breathing trouble, or chest pain. Some reactions can be serious and life-threatening.

Common side effects of SIMPONI® include: upper respiratory tract infection, reaction at site of injection, and viral infections.

This site is published by Janssen Biotech, Inc., which is solely responsible for its contents. The material on this site is intended only as informational or as an educational aid and is not intended to be taken as medical advice. The ultimate responsibility for patient care resides with a healthcare professional.

The information on this site is intended for the use of patients and caregivers in the United States and Puerto Rico only. Laws, regulatory requirements, and medical practices for pharmaceutical products vary from country to country. The Prescribing Information included here may not be appropriate for use outside the United States and Puerto Rico.


Leading Democrat candidates for the presidency in 2020 called last month’s reported attack on Jussie Smollett an “attempted modern day lynching,” and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) blamed President Donald Trump.

But reports began to emerge this week from a variety of mainstream media outlets that Chicago police believe Smollett may have paid two men to stage the attack.

At the very least, what is now known is that early reports by Smollett and his representatives were likely false, including claims the assailants were white, and that they were Trump supporters.

At the time, NAACP President Derrick Johnson linked Trump to the alleged crime, saying the “rise in hate crimes is directly linked to President Donald J. Trump’s racist and xenophobic rhetoric.”

“The recent racist and homophobic attack on acclaimed actor and activist @JussieSmollett is troubling. The rise in hate crimes is directly linked to President Donald J. Trump’s racist and xenophobic rhetoric.” @DerrickNAACP — NAACP (@NAACP) January 29, 2019

NAACP Statement on Racist and Homophobic Attack on Jussie Smollett https://t.co/Hpl2E6rAXV — NAACP (@NAACP) January 29, 2019

Democrat candidates, declared and potential, weighed in on the “attempted modern day lynching”:

.@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery. This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate. — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 29, 2019

The vicious attack on actor Jussie Smollett was an attempted modern-day lynching. I’m glad he’s safe. To those in Congress who don’t feel the urgency to pass our Anti-Lynching bill designating lynching as a federal hate crime– I urge you to pay attention. https://t.co/EwXFxl5f2m — Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) January 29, 2019

What happened today to @JussieSmollett must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie. https://t.co/o8ilPu68CM — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 30, 2019

This is so heartbreaking. @JussieSmollett, you are not alone – we are with you. We must stand up and condemn this hate, bigotry & violence wherever it rears its ugly head. No one should live in fear because of the color of their skin or who they love. — Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) January 30, 2019

1/ If the reports of Jussie Smollett’s attack last night are true, and this was a racially and homophobically-motivated attack, then God-willing, justice will be swift and thorough.

https://t.co/SrZeFYpe94 — Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 29, 2019

2/ That this happens in today’s America is not surprising, but it is no less heartbreaking. This shakes us to our core. — Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 29, 2019

1/ I’m grateful to hear that Jussie Smollett is reportedly in good condition. I hope he fully recovers. I’m not sure many of us ever will. In 2019, he was violently attacked because of his race and sexual orientation. Unfortunately, he is not alone. — Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 30, 2019

2/ Black LGBTQ folks suffer violence at alarming rates. I believe we are better than this. But it’s time we enact policy solutions to prove it. — Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 30, 2019

On Saturday evening, Smollett’s attorneys pushed back against reports that people he knew were involved in the attack, continuing to describe him as a victim of a “hate crime.”

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.


Significant nitrate attenuation in a mangrove-fringed estuary during a flood-chase experiment.
Intertidal wetlands can sequester pollutants along estuarine conduits. Here we test the effectiveness of a mangrove-dominated estuary in removing dissolved nitrogen during a rain event. We intensively and simultaneously sampled surface water nutrients upstream and downstream of an estuary before, during and after a 63 mm rain event in Coffs Creek (Australia). NOx was the main form of dissolved nitrogen upstream of the estuary (∼60%), while dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) was an important form at the downstream station (∼46%) during observations. High NOx attenuation (71%) occurred during the rain event when the loads reached 31 μmol m-2 catchment area day-1. In contrast, the estuary was found to be a source of NH4+ (∼5 μmol m-2 catchment area day-1). This implies a moderate conversion of upstream NOx into NH4+ and DON along the transport pathway, likely due to tidally-driven pore water exchange within the anoxic estuarine mangrove sediments. Overall, the mangrove-lined estuary attenuated upstream total dissolved nitrogen loads, maintaining water quality and minimizing exports to the coastal ocean even during high flow conditions.


An analysis of the comparison between theseus and oberon in a midsummer nights dream a play by willi

More important, puck’s capricious spirit, magical fancy, fun-loving humor, and lovely, evocative language permeate the atmosphere of the play wild contrasts, such as the implicit comparison between the rough, earthy craftsmen and the delicate, graceful fairies, dominate a midsummer night’s dream. A midsummer night's dream william shakespeare scene 1 analysis a midsummer night's dream is a play about love and its relationship to the natural order of the world the primary theme, that love is blind, is introduced in act 1, scene 1 and reinforced throughout the play theseus, a character drawn from greek mythology, is preparing to. While he may not be one of the stars of shakespeare's 'a midsummer night's dream', theseus, the duke of athens, still plays an important part in the romantic comedy. A midsummer night’s dream questions and answers the question and answer section for a midsummer night’s dream is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. A midsummer night's dream by william shakespeare home / literature / a midsummer night's dream / characters / character analysis theseus is the duke of athens, and consequently the most powerful character in the courtly realm of the play theseus and the theme of love theseus also has the privilege of the play's opening line, which.

According to jenkins’ definition, a midsummer night’s dream (1596) is a comedy: that is, ‘a play in which the situation holds some threat of disaster but issues in the achievement of happiness. 'a midsummer night's dream' by william shakespeare i have read and studied ‘a midsummer night’s dream’, an enthralling romantic comedy that is still enjoyed the play was thought to have been written in 1595 or 1596, by william shakespeare. A midsummer night’s dream takes place in a time in which athenian law forced women to marry whomever their fathers chose, and they could be executed for disobeying when theseus compares egeus’s authority to that of a “god,” shakespeare introduces the theme of male dominance in disputes between men and women. A midsummer night's dream study guide by bridgetangelina includes 105 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades.

Comparison of a midsummer night's dream adaptations and play what is love ending of medea compare and contrast tragedy and comedy a tragedy is defined as beginning with a problem that affects everyone, ie the whole town or all the fight between titania and oberon. An introduction to a midsummer night's dream no play was ever named more appropriately than this it is a dream, - a dream composed of elves, mistakes, wild fantasies, and the grotesque. - a midsummer night's dream by william shakespeare: oberon is the root of all problems in the play “we can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them” – albert einstein oberon is one of the most important characters in the play a midsummer night's dream by william shakespeare and is the answer to the. Analysis of a midsummer night's dream by william shakespeare a midsummer nights dream is a play by william shakespeare, and i believe is mainly summed up by this line from the play ‘the course of true love never did run smooth’ this is basically saying that being in love comes with many obstacles and dilemmas.

A midsummer night’s dream assimilates this concept of transformation with images of vision and appearance, dreams, and that of a fantasy world that augments and characterizes the transformation of a particular character, scene, or the entire play. Theseus, duke of athens, and oberon, king of the fairies, are by position and by nature authoritarian yet, as the play progresses, they release their subjects from the punishments that they have. The mechanicals the mechanicals are one of three groups of characters in a midsummer night's dream (the other two are royals and faeries) mechanicals are working-class peasants and subjects of king theseus.

An analysis of the comparison between theseus and oberon in a midsummer nights dream a play by willi

As a part of the nashville shakespeare festival, the play a midsummer night’s dream by william shakespeare, was performed at the centennial park bandshell located adjacent to west end avenue this classic play written in 1596, portrays the events surrounding the marriage of theseus, the duke of. A midsummer nights dream specifically for you for only $1390/page moreover this discussion between theseus and hippolyta is used as shakespeare's mouthpiece to beg the audience to use imagination for his play at this point in the play oberon has gained control of titania and after falling in love with an ass she is thankful for her. Shakespeare’s a midsummer night’s dream has been made into four different movies one of the movies, is michael hoffman’s 1999 a midsummer night’s dream even though the shakespeare’s original play is different from hoffman’s film, the main idea that true love is not easy is still presented. The play a midsummer night's dream by william shakespeare describe how unfair women were treated in the renaissance, but in the movie directed by adrian nobel the characteristic of women were still the same, but the actions of the women were not in the renaissance they were in modern times.

Despite the dramatic ending of this short performance, the play of a midsummer night's dream is a comedy due to its happy ending with the triple marriage, the reuniting of the fairy king and queen, and the successful performance of the fake play.

A midsummer night's dream is a play about love all of its action—from the escapades of lysander , demetrius , hermia , and helena in the forest, to the argument between oberon and titania , to the play about two lovelorn youths that bottom and his friends perform at duke theseus's marriage to hippolyta—are motivated by love.

In a midsummer night's dream, shakespeare shows many different kinds of love and marriage there is the mature love of theseus and hippolyta the more frantic, passionate and unstable love of the young people and the power struggle between oberon and titania.

Analogies between the tempest and a midsummer night's dream from the tempested georg brandes there are certain analogies between the tempest and the midsummer night's dreamin both we are shown a fantastic world in which heavenly powers make sport of earthly fools. Discover the lovers from a midsummer night's dream with a character analysis of helena and demetrius discover the lovers from a midsummer night's dream with a character analysis of helena and demetrius 'midsummer's' oberon and titania character profiles the character analysis of sir john falstaff. Celebrations are planned to mark the marriage of theseus, duke of athens, and hippolyta, queen of the oberon and titania, fairy king and queen of the forest, have quarreled over titania’s refusal to give up an background to the play a midsummer night’s dream was written early in shakespeare’s career, probably between 1594 and 1596. All characters in the play are playful, careless and thoughtless, and puck: one of the central characters in the play: is significant to the plot, tone, and meaning of a midsummer nights dream, thus becoming a representative of the above-mentioned themes.

An analysis of the comparison between theseus and oberon in a midsummer nights dream a play by willi


Q:

Hyperledger Composer Identity Issue error after network restart (code:20, authorization failure)

I am using Docker Swarm and docker-compose to setup my Fabric (v1.1) and Composer (v0.19.18) networks.
I wanted to test how my Swarm/Fabric networks would respond to a host/ec2 failure, so I manually reboot the host which is running the fabric-ca, orderer, and peer0 containers.
Before the reboot, everything runs perfectly with respect to issuing identities.  After the reboot, though all of the Fabric containers are restarted and appear to be functioning properly, I am unable to issue identities with the main admin@network card.
After reboot, composer network ping -c admin@network returns successfully, but composer identity issue (via CLI or javascript) both return code 20 errors as described here:

"fabric-ca request register failed with errors [[{\"code\":20,\"message\":\"Authorization failure\"}]]"

I am guessing the issue is stemming from the host reboot and some difference in how it is restarting the Fabric containers.  I can post my docker-compose files if necessary.

A:

If your fabric-ca-server has restarted and it's registration database hasn't been persisted (for example the database is stored on the file system of the container and loss of that container means loss of the contents of that file system) then the ca-server will create a completely new bootstrap identity called admin for issuing identities and it won't be the one you have already have and therefore isn't a valid identity anymore for the fabric-ca-server. Note that it will be a valid identity for the fabric network still. So this is why you now get authorisation failure from the fabric-ca-server. The identity called admin that you currently have is not known to your fabric-ca-server anymore.


“Hmm”

By Panopticon

A sad, funny story of Sergei and Yulia –

not ‘funny ha-ha’, but funny peculiar…

One Sunday in March they decided to eat

at a nice little café, then stopped at a seat

where they both felt unwell at the very same minute –

now I think that’s quite a coincidence, ‘innit?

So an ambulance came for the pair, as requested.

But when they were studied, and prodded, and tested,

nefarious substances in them were found –

and not only there, but spread all around

old Salisbury town, up hill and down valley –

(the High Street is now known as ‘Chemical Alley’).

A passing D.S. who just happened to be there,

was poisoned like them when he went off to see where

they lived – or did he succumb at the scene?

(His bosses told two different stories on screen).

And while a good nurse who had tended them well

suffered no side effects, ‘far as I can tell,

some thirty-eight people were treated as victims,

but I think that someone was taking the mick, since

a day or two after those numbers were stated

the whole bloody lot of them evaporated.

*** Hmm. ***

The media descended like swivel-eyed dervishes,

paid no attention to church Sunday services;

campanologists’ melodies had to be quietened,

so BBC viewers could all be enlightened:

“Could you silence those chimes, my parochial friend?”

“Well I could, but at least can we hear the bell end?”

Now Boris mistakenly took that as cue

to appear on the telly, and give us his view

that the case had been cracked by his government sources,

e’en though the police had advised “Hold your horses”;

his bods back at Whitehall had worked round the clock

to identify something called ‘Doorknobichok’ TM

which he claimed had been smeared on the victims’ front door,

under cover of darkness on March 3 or 4.

‘Twas a devilish stuff that will kill you in seconds,

and was put there by Russkies (or so his boss reckons).

So lethal that only a tenth of a gram

would transport you to heaven, to visit your gran.

“So we have two deceased?” the reporters surmised;

“No, they’re not dead” said Boris, “just hoskripalised!”.

*** I thank you. ***

Then someone observed something really quite odd –

that the door didn’t seem to have bothered the plod

who was tasked with the duty of guarding the place,

long before it was clear that a poison was traced.

“So how could this be?” it was asked of the Tory,

who conferred with his colleagues, and then changed his story:

“No, it wasn’t the handle, but gas-tainted air

in the Skripals’ jalopy, ‘cause Vlad put it there!”

Then when this didn’t wash, he tried yet another –

“it was smuggled from Moscow by Yulia’s mother! (in law)”

In one last attempt to convince us that Putin

had ordered his henchmen to go put the boot in:

“They may have consumed it at breakfast, you see –

in Ricincles or Special K(GB);

for although it would seem like the plot of a thriller,

I’m convinced that our Vlad is a cereal killer!”

*** Hmmm. ***

Then a cordon was thrown around Salisbury town,

which was only a bus ride from old Porton Down

(a village connected to our alleged traitor –

for Sergei is he – but more of that later).

The government said that their duty of care,

because of the obvious dangers in there

meant they might have to pull down the café and pub,

so the locals would have to go elsewhere for grub;

And because of the contaminated front door,

their dwelling might need to be razed to the floor.

Well, this understandably raised some concerns

with the Salisbury folk, who took it in turns

to request some advice, because nobody knows

if they’d gotten the stuff on their shoes, or their clothes:

“Should we burn our belongings, or dump them at sea?”

“Nah, just wash ‘em on ‘quick rinse’ at forty degrees”.

“And what of that sinister place up the lane

where your poisons are made, is that whence it came?”

“If you don’t mind me saying, your question’s absurd,

as of Doorknobichok TMay, we never have heard,

except for the stockpiles we keep for ourselves,

and they are all safe and secure on our shelves”.

*** Oops. ***

The blame was laid squarely on Moscow and Vlad

(as we know from our Bond films that Russians are bad);

expulsion of diplomats worldwide arranged;

accusations thrown, and insults exchanged.

All cultural visits were cancelled or put off,

and Julie Assange had his internet cut off.

Then lo! and behold, our story got murky,

in a village you’ll find in a country near Turkey.

The Syrian leader, one Bashar Assad,

was repelling invaders, which made the West mad;

but just as his victory was nearing at last,

his own population he cruelly gassed –

or so we were told by the Powers That Be,

who strung us a line, didn’t want us to see

that some brave independents were taking a risk,

like Bartlett and Beeley, Stuart and Fisk,

to show us the true situation in Douma –

if the press did its job we’d have realised sooner

that far from Assad being a monster, and hated

by all of his people, he was celebrated

and trusted to stand up as their only true hope,

in the face of attacks from the U.S. and Europe.

And he wasn’t a ‘butcher’, on murderous mission,

but a family man, and a licenced optician.

*** We should’ve gone to Specsavers. ***

Emotional images filled up our screens,

showing suffering women, and babies, and teens;

they were choking on chlorine, which made us all furious –

but no men affected, which did seem quite curious…

The West didn’t wait, we accepted the claim

that the evil Assad was entirely to blame.

He was guilty of war crimes, as evidence proved –

for the good of the people, he must be removed!

Notwithstanding the signs that the Syrians may seem

broadly in favour of Mr. A’s ‘regime’

and the fact that with Russia they had some protection

from outside attacks, or their own insurrection.

Our Washington friends would insist that they need some

of Uncle Sam’s good ol’ American freedom

which had been so successful, I’m frequently told,

where nations had hardships, and oil, gas, and gold.

The narrative blaming Assad for the crimes

was reported as fact in The Sun and The Times

and most western leaders were keen to appease the

hawkish intentions of Boris and Theresa.

But a doubt did remain that the entire event

might have been a ‘false flag’, with malicious intent –

would our lovable ‘BoJo’ condone such a stunt?

Yes he would, because he’s an untrustworthy cad.

*******************************

Before we continue I think that we ought’ta

return to the poor stricken father and daughter

whose problems all started when they were infected

with poison – but how this event was connected

to wider concerns internationally,

and the threat of an outbreak of World War III

can be found in the c.v. of old Mister S.,

and the time he was caught and was made to confess

that a Brit double-agent was his part-time job,

with some colleagues betrayed for a few extra bob.

So a jail cell in Moscow was where he would stay,

till a spy swap arrangement took him to U.K.

Here he stayed for a while, but he yearned to go home,

which worried the spooks listening in on his phone.

Was this why the homesick old Russian was nobbled?

Or was it the claim that with help he had cobbled

together a dossier aimed at the POTUS,

that the Democrats hoped would dissuade U.S. voters

And result in the triumph of Hillary Clinton,

with subsequent guaranteed hell, fire and brimstone?

The plot didn’t work, and old Trump was elected,

but whatever the reason the pair were infected,

our government said “It’s clear if you ask us,

that this can be traced all the way to Damascus,

for it shows that the Russians will use any measure

to help young Assad and incur our displeasure;

The agents of Putin can poison to order

And will have no respect for law, life or border.

But nothing must stop the success of our plan

which began in Baghdad and will end in Tehran.”

*** “Highly Likely” ***

So despite all the evidence proving this crisis

was carefully staged by the West’s friends in ISIS,

these facts were ignored by the Beeb and the papers,

who called for an end to the Syrian’s capers.

This gave our P.M. all the reasons she needed

to mount an attack, with all protests unheeded,

along with her chums in the U.S. and France,

but they thoughtfully notified Vlad in advance;

for this wasn’t a true act of war, but a sham,

to convince all the voters that they had a plan.

A fortune was spent on some shiny new rockets

(replacements would benefit shareholders’ pockets);

so where shall we fire ‘em? Mrs. May scratched her head:

“Well we wouldn’t want anyone injured, or dead,

but we know where he hides his consignment of gases,

to terrorise all of his downtrodden masses,

so we’ll send in these missiles, with shock and with awe,

and we’ll blow the dumps up, which will shorten the war”.

“Won’t those missiles release all the toxins therein,

to destroy one and all – a terrible sin??”

A blank look appeared, then Theresa retorted:

“I’d not thought of that, could you please not report it?”

The bombing commenced, on irrelevant target

So the Maybot could emulate her idol, Margaret,

and show that in conflict she was strong and mighty

but meanwhile, something was stirring in Blighty…..

Our young Russian lady, whose certain demise

was expected, suddenly opened her eyes

just as Easter approached, in her hospital prison,

To be greeted with cries of “Christ, she is risen!”

And to make matters worse, she had borrowed a phone

and confirmed her good health to her cousin back home –

which scuppered the prospect that Yulia could

have been quietly forgotten, or silenced for good.

But what of her daddy, who’d been at death’s door

‘cause he’d got on the outside of A-234?

Well I’m glad to report that, despite the prognosis

that follows ingestion of such fatal doses

both he and the bobby awoke from their comas,

which filled sceptics’ nostrils with fishy aromas;

for what kind of poison, designed to be lethal

has no such effect on these three lucky people?

There were so many questions we needed to ask,

but journalists didn’t seem up to the task;

this global concern that had Doomsday advancing

took a sad second place behind ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.

And the government proved they had something to hide

by imposing a ban on reporting worldwide.

So the Skripals survived , but we still couldn’t see them,

the Powers That Be had denied them their freedom

And took them away to location unknown

without access to newspapers, TV or phone.

(I thought that their chances were now slim-to-none –

remember the plotline of ‘Capricorn One’?)

Then just as our hopes had been starting to fade

our Yulie appeared in a green English glade

and read out a statement, author unknown,

that asked if we kindly would leave her alone;

for although she was well she would like to appeal

that we give her more time to get through her ordeal;

and this sentiment really had nothing to do

with the fact that her kidnappers bloody well knew

that if they could escape from their new adversaries

they’d scoot back to Moscow and sing like canaries.

For if you think that Russia was guilty, I’ll tell you

where we can meet up, there’s a bridge I can sell you…

***************************

Epilogue

So that was the last that we saw of the pair

but it isn’t the end of this sorry affair

For although we’re not sure why the Skripals were picked on

It’s clear the official response was pure fiction

and twisted to play to the NeoCons’ plan

to annihilate Syria, to get to Iran

and to demonise Russia, who stands in the way

of a world dominated by U.S. of A.

Who’d support this assault? The U.K. and E.U. did

and lied through their teeth, ‘cause they think we’re all stupid.

But the crimes we commit on behalf of our rotten

regimes to our neighbours, will not be forgotten;

their patience will only protect us so far

then the West will provoke an unwinnable war.

And we’ll wonder how things could have got to the state

where we fear for ourselves and our own children’s fate

but forget that this land, where democracy lives

is now governed by liars, and traitors, and spivs

who will rig the roulette wheel for guaranteed wins

till we find that they’ve played us like cheap violins;

whose fake manifestos fight for our attention

with lies about justice, and healthcare, and pensions;

who’ll cheat, kill and steal, till they’ve conquered all nations

preaching hatred of Africans, Russians and Asians

and throughout their pursuits they’ll accept no dissent

and it’s all on behalf of the great one per cent.

And we’ll ask God how He could allow such a sin

And He’ll say “It was you lot who voted them in”.

*******************************

In Memory of Nash Van Drake and friends

© Panopticon

2018


The intuitively certain, however literally unproven fact of Isabel's sisterhood to him, was a link that he now felt binding him to a before unimagined and endless chain of wondering. His very blood seemed to flow through all his arteries with unwonted subtileness, when he thought that the same tide flowed through the mystic veins of Isabel. All his occasional pangs of dubiousness as to the grand governing thing of all¡ªthe reality of the physical relationship¡ªonly recoiled back upon him with added tribute of both certainty and insolubleness.

casino 440 bonus£¬For a year after that was done to me I wept every day at the same hour and for the same space of time. That is not such a tragic thing as possibly it sounds to you. To those who are in prison tears are a part of every day¡¯s experience. A day in prison on which one does not weep is a day on which one¡¯s heart is hard, not a day on which one¡¯s heart is happy.The whole party immediately descended to the half-deck, where preparations had been made for the operation. A large garrison-ensign was stretched across the ship by the main-mast, so as completely to screen the space behind. This space included the whole extent aft to the bulk-head of the Commodore's cabin, at the door of which the marine-orderly paced, in plain sight, cutlass in hand.For miles and miles I have travelled the Broom Road, and never wearied of the continual change of scenery. But wherever it leads you¡ªwhether through level woods, across grassy glens, or over hills waving with palms¡ªthe bright blue sea on one side, and the green mountain pinnacles on the other, are always in sight.On the fourth night of our visit, returning home late from paying a few calls through the village, we turned a dark corner of trees, and came full upon our goblin friend: as usual, chattering, and motioning with his hands. The doctor, venting a curse, hurried forward; but, from some impulse or other, I stood my ground, resolved to find out what this unaccountable object wanted of us. Seeing me pause, he crept close up to me, peered into my face, and then retreated, beckoning me to follow; which I did.

It results from the preceding considerations, that there is in reality nothing desired except happiness. Whatever is desired otherwise than as a means to some end beyond itself, and ultimately to happiness, is desired as itself a part of happiness, and is not desired for itself until it has become so. Those who desire virtue for its own sake, desire it either because the consciousness of it is a pleasure, or because the consciousness of being without it is a pain, or for both reasons united; as in truth the pleasure and pain seldom exist separately, but almost always together, the same person feeling pleasure in the degree of virtue attained, and pain in not having attained more. If one of these gave him no pleasure, and the other no pain, he would not love or desire virtue, or would desire it only for the other benefits which it might produce to himself or to persons whom he cared for.These arrangements completed, Captain Bob proceeded to But among all the persons and things on board that puzzled me, and filled me most with strange emotions of doubt, misgivings and mystery, was the Gunner¡ªa short, square, grim man, his hair and beard grizzled and singed, as if with gunpowder. His skin was of a flecky brown, like the stained barrel of a fowling-piece, and his hollow eyes burned in his head like blue-lights. He it was who had access to many of those mysterious vaults I have spoken of. Often he might be seen groping his way into them, followed by his subalterns, the old quarter-gunners, as if intent upon laying a train of powder to blow up the ship. I remembered Guy Fawkes and the Parliament-house, and made earnest inquiry whether this gunner was a Roman Catholic. I felt relieved when informed that he was not.Rio is a small Mediterranean; and what was fabled of the entrance to that sea, in Rio is partly made true; for here, at the mouth, stands one of Hercules' Pillars, the Sugar-Loaf Mountain, one thousand feet high, inclining over a little, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. At its base crouch, like mastiffs, the batteries of Jose and Theodosia; while opposite, you are menaced by a rock-founded fort.

russian roulette kpop£ºBut Charlie, dear Charlie, what new notions are these? I thought that man was no poor drifting weed of the universe, as you phrased it; that, if so minded, he could have a will, a way, a thought, and a heart of his own? But now you have turned everything upside down again, with an inconsistency that amazes and shocks me.

producing a number of suspender-like objects, which he dangled before the old man; £¬Though you tormented the Turks at Navarino, noble Jack, yet you came off yourself with only the loss of a splinter, it seems,¡£CHAPTER XVI. WE ENCOUNTER A GALE¡£

Read this, madam,£¬Though it is only in a very imperfect state of the world's arrangements that any one can best serve the happiness of others by the absolute sacrifice of his own, yet so long as the world is in that imperfect state, I fully acknowledge that the readiness to make such a sacrifice is the highest virtue which can be found in man. I will add, that in this condition of the world, paradoxical as the assertion may be, the conscious ability to do without happiness gives the best prospect of realizing such happiness as is attainable. For nothing except that consciousness can raise a person above the chances of life, by making him feel that, let fate and fortune do their worst, they have not power to subdue him: which, once felt, frees him from excess of anxiety concerning the evils of life, and enables him, like many a Stoic in the worst times of the Roman Empire, to cultivate in tranquillity the sources of satisfaction accessible to him, without concerning himself about the uncertainty of their duration, any more than about their inevitable end.¡£CHAPTER LXX. LIFE AT LOOHOOLOO¡£

Toward evening of the next day, they were startled by the dread summons of the boatswain and his mates at the principal hatchway¡ªa summons that ever sends a shudder through every manly heart in a frigate:£¬But there was no necessity for my exertions. Poor Tubbs, astounded at these fulminations, was already rapidly descending by the rigging.¡£But, bless me, my friend, what sort of a summer jacket is this, in which to weather Cape Horn? A very tasty, and beautiful white linen garment it may have seemed; but then, people almost universally sport their linen next to their skin.¡£


require File.expand_path(File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', 'test_helper' ))

module IntegrationTests
  class UserLoginTest < ActionController::IntegrationTest
    def setup
      super
      @site = use_site! 'site with pages'
    end

    test "A verified user logs in with valid credentials" do
      visit '/login'

      fill_in 'user_email', :with => 'a-user@example.com'
      fill_in 'user_password', :with => 'a-password-1'
      click_button 'login'

      controller.current_user.should_not be_nil
      controller.current_user.email.should == 'a-user@example.com'
    end

    test "A verified user logs in with invalid credentials" do
      visit '/login'
      fill_in 'user_email', :with => 'a-user@example.com'
      fill_in 'user_password', :with => 'a wrong password'
      click_button 'login'

      controller.current_user.should be_nil
      renders_template 'session/new'
    end

    test "An unverified user logs in with valid credentials" do
      visit '/login'
      fill_in 'user_email', :with => 'an-unverified-user@example.com'
      fill_in 'user_password', :with => 'a-password-1'
      click_button 'login'

      # FIXME we don't provide any more specific feedback?
      controller.current_user.should be_nil
      renders_template 'session/new'
    end

    test "An unverified user logs in with invalid credentials" do
      visit '/login'
      fill_in 'user_email', :with => 'an-unverified-user@example.com'
      fill_in 'user_password', :with => 'a wrong password'
      click_button 'login'

      # FIXME we don't provide any more specific feedback?
      controller.current_user.should be_nil
      renders_template 'session/new'
    end
  end
end


The interactive evolution of human communication systems.
This paper compares two explanations of the process by which human communication systems evolve: iterated learning and social collaboration. It then reports an experiment testing the social collaboration account. Participants engaged in a graphical communication task either as a member of a community, where they interacted with seven different partners drawn from the same pool, or as a member of an isolated pair, where they interacted with the same partner across the same number of games. Participants' horizontal, pair-wise interactions led "bottom up" to the creation of an effective and efficient shared sign system in the community condition. Furthermore, the community-evolved sign systems were as effective and efficient as the local sign systems developed by isolated pairs. Finally, and as predicted by a social collaboration account, and not by an iterated learning account, interaction was critical to the creation of shared sign systems, with different isolated pairs establishing different local sign systems and different communities establishing different global sign systems.


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MLS®: R2388835

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Disclaimer: Listing data is based in whole or in part on data generated by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley Real Estate Board which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy.

Sutton Group - West Coast Realty

#301-1508 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5J 1W8 604-714-1700

Disclaimer

Listing data is based in whole or in part on data generated by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley Real Estate Board which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy.