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(Posted December 10, 2020) The Supreme Court of Virginia today issues three published opinions. All three are real eye-openers.

Back in 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that a litigant could impeach the testimony of a defense medical expert by pointing to financial records showing how much the expert received from the insurance company for consultations and testimony. The case was Lombard v. Rohrbaugh, and coined the name “Lombard materials” to indicate the relevant financial records.

Today’s decision in Graves v. Shoemaker sands a rough edge in the Lombard doctrine. In this case, a defense lawyer hired the doctor, who prepared a report favorable to the defense. The doctor billed the lawyer; the insurance company paid the bill.

The plaintiff got the doctor’s Lombard materials and sought to introduce them at trial, because they indicated over $800,000 in fees over a seven-year period. The trial judge balked, accepting the defense argument that the lawyer, not the insurer, had hired the doctor. The court allowed questioning about how many times the doctor had testified for this lawyer, but that sexy $800,000 figure wasn’t coming in.

The jury evidently liked what the doctor had to say, because in an admitted-liability case, it awarded the plaintiff a small fraction of her medical bills in damages. On appeal, the Supreme Court today reverses and orders a new trial, ruling that the court should have allowed the Lombard cross-examination. The court rules that the nature of the relationship between an expert and an insurer is the important factor; not the identity of who originally hired the expert. That identity is a relevant factor, but not determinative, as the circuit court had held.

Because a witness’s credibility is always a matter for the jury, the court finds that this error matters. On retrial, the plaintiff will get to wave the years’ worth of bills to try to convince the jury that the expert is a professional witness. (Indeed, today’s opinion describes him as a “medicolegal specialist,” a term that will no doubt come up in future cross-examinations.)

This case is noteworthy because the court finds an abuse of discretion. That’s one of the more lenient standards of appellate review, but under these circumstances, the justices couldn’t stomach the idea of keeping this long-term relationship from the jury.

The term “fair market value” is a familiar one to lawyers. It operates in many contexts, including taxation, eminent domain, and domestic relations. The law usually defines the term as “the price that a willing, non-compelled buyer would pay to a willing seller who is under no compulsion to sell.”

In many of those contexts, the courts have presided over litigation about the fair market value of a particular real parcel. In Wilburn v. Mangano, the Supreme Court today explores its use in the context of a contract stemming from a provision in a will.

A woman we’ll call Mom signed a will that left her home to her three daughters, and gave her son an option to purchase it from them within a year after the probate of Mom’s will. The will stated that the purchase price would be equal to the County tax assessment of the property. Three years later, Mom executed a codicil, changing the purchase price to “the fair market value at the time of [Mom’s] death.”

After Mom died, her son notified his sisters that he was executing the option to purchase. He also sued to invalidate the codicil, apparently believing that the assessment was much lower. The case went to trial, and the court ruled that the codicil was valid; fair market value it is.

But the son balked at paying the full fair market value. The sisters forked over an appraisal if $311,000 and demanded payment: “You want it, fine; you pay for it.” That price was too step for the prospective purchaser’s blood, so he declined to follow through with the sale.

That generated a second suit, as the sisters sued for specific performance. The brother demurred, claiming that the term “fair market value” was too vague to ensure a meeting of minds on the sale price. The sisters answered that it wasn’t too vague for all those other contexts – taxation, eminent domain – and it should serve just as well here.

The circuit court agreed with the brother. Despite the earlier final judgment that the codicil was valid, it found that the description of the purchase price was too indefinite to make a binding contract. The court dismissed the suit. Today, the justices affirm.

The Supreme Court observes that “there is no single, fixed approach to determine fair market value, as applied by appraisers or Virginia courts.” It rules that the purchase price here “cannot be known with certainty absent a more specific means for determining it being provided in the codicil.” Because there’s no precise purchase price, the son’s “strike” of his option didn’t create a binding contract, so the circuit court correctly refused to compel him to buy.

This morning I received a note from Kyle McNew, an appellate pal who perceives that this ruling may have unintended consequences in many areas. He points out that agreements to purchase at fair market value – a figure that courts have been calculating for generations in other contexts – are now void. My pal is right. If you advise clients in matters of contract, wills, employment, securities law, corporate operating agreements, and a host of other fields, you now have a lot of work to do. You need to comb through any documents that you crafted to see if you inserted the term fair market value. If it’s there, there’s a good chance that the Supreme Court just invalidated your document.

Kyle finally observes that the subtext of the court’s view during oral argument was a desire to ensure certainty in contracts. Assuming that to be a correct read, the court has just created the opposite, at least for now. In reliance on an extensive body of caselaw interpreting fair market value over the years, lawyers have for decades been building that term into agreements of various natures. All those lawyers just fainted, realizing the chaos that this ruling creates for their files. Get to work, folks!

Environmental law

Anybody with a pulse knows that environmental law has undergone massive changes in the past century. The question is whether Virginia property-rights law has kept up. We find out today, in Johnson v. City of Suffolk.

The plaintiffs in this litigation hold oyster leases in the Nansemond River, down here in Tidewater. Those leases give the oystermen the right to plant and harvest oysters in designated areas. They filed an inverse-condemnation suit, alleging that the City of Suffolk and Hampton Roads Sanitation District operated sanitary sewer and stormwater systems that were knowingly inadequate.

The result, the oystermen pleaded, was a calamity: On occasions, the systems would fail, releasing immense volumes of either stormwater or raw, untreated sewage into the river and over their oyster beds. Both types of discharges damaged the beds, and from time to time, the State Department of Health would close the river to harvesting, basically putting the oystermen out of business.

The City and the District both demurred, relying on a century-old ruling from the SCV, later affirmed by SCOTUS, Darling v. Newport News, 123 Va. 14 (1919). There, the Robes had noted that the rivers are the natural sewer for communities, and people who live on the water, and particularly those who farm oysters under it, must live with the occasional inconvenience of periodic pollution. The 21st Century trial judge agreed with this argument, perhaps feeling that a circuit court had no right to overturn Supreme Court precedent, no matter how hoary. The court dismissed the action.

The Darling decision held that the General Assembly had not restricted the “ancient and undoubted right” of localities to pollute, and its intent to do so cannot be presumed “in the absence of a clear and explicit statute indicating such purpose.” The oystermen argued on appeal that the generations of Virginia environmental law since the 1930s had done just that, prohibiting localities from polluting and stating an express public policy in favor of clean water. They also noted that the City and the District had endorsed consent orders that acknowledged the problems with their systems, in which the entities promised to, shall we say, clean up their acts.

In this context, you might expect to see a landmark decision today that embraces modern pollution-control law and technology and salutes the now-unmistakable public policy, while reversing and ordering the case back to circuit court for trial. If you expected that, you would be mistaken.

Today the Supreme Court turns its collective back on all that environmental law, all but ignores the express public policy – the policy manages only to elbow its way into a footnote on page 8 of the slip opinion, and is never seen again – and takes us back to the pollution tableau of 1919. It does so by ruling that the oystermen have only a leasehold interest; not fee simple title. That means that the City and the District are not answerable to the oystermen for the loss of their livelihoods.

The leasehold-only distinction will come as a cruel blow to the oystermen, for two reasons. First, by statute, property for eminent-domain purposes is defined expansively; it includes “any right, title, interest, estate, or claim in and to” land or personalty. The court has today placed leasehold interests on a lower tier than the statute would indicate. I can’t say whether this ruling indicates lesser eminent-domain protection for tenants going forward.

Second, during the Eisenhower Administration, the Supreme Court ruled that the taking or damaging of leased oyster beds – essentially, the very claim raised here – was compensable in an inverse condemnation proceeding. Town of Cape Charles v. Ballard Bros. Fish Co., 200 Va. 667 (1959). The court today brushes that holding aside, noting that the Ballard Bros. oyster beds were destroyed by a dredging project, an act that “differs from an asserted right to raise them in favorable environmental conditions.” This passage contains no mention of the oystermen’s original claim of a physical-invasion taking.

How you view this decision depends on your point of view. I suspect that you can discern mine quite easily. I regard threats to the environment to be among the most crucial issues of our time, and it’s dismaying to see the Supreme Court of my state treat this kind of threat so dismissively. A publication covering property rights might well describe this ruling with the headline, “Court Narrows Oyster Lease Rights.” That headline would be correct. Environmental advocates might describe it as, “Court Sides with Polluters.” That headline would be correct, too. As I see it, the court has to adopt a strained view of environmental and eminent-domain law to enable it to rule as it does.


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Story Links

Erin Laschinger knew from a young age that lacrosse was going to be her sport.

“I started playing in a rec league when I was around six,” Laschinger said. “I probably picked up a stick before that, but I have played every single year since I was six years old. Growing up and being from Baltimore, and with my older sister playing at Duke, I always felt like I would play lacrosse in college.”

Though the three-time high school All-American knew that lacrosse was going to be the sport she wanted to play in college, she had a variety of athletic interests growing up.

“When I was younger, I did gymnastics,” Laschinger said. “My favorite was the uneven bars, but I liked the balance beam, too. I also swam a lot and played tennis. In middle school, I played basketball and soccer. In high school, it was tennis and track and, of course, lacrosse.”

Her training with track has come in handy in Charlottesville. Laschinger is the three-time female champion of the annual Gene Arnold Memorial Area 3 Special Olympics Pepsi 10k run. She finished second in the charity race as a first-year, but has been the first female across the finish line in each of the last three years.

“I’ve always liked to run and I still run a good amount,” Laschinger said. “In keeping with lacrosse, we do a lot of sprints, so I think that helps. My strategy in the race has been to fall behind whoever is leading and just try to keep up then try to pass them towards the end.”

On the field, Laschinger has had some moments of triumph as well, such as her freshman year when she scored a goal against George Mason.

“I remember everyone being really excited and supportive and cheering,” Laschinger said. “It was definitely really fun. I think I did a C-cut from the top and someone passed it in and I scored.”

The commerce major has scored a major victory off the field, already lining up a job after graduation.

“I’m going to be working at Evercore Wealth Management in New York,” Laschinger said. “My concentrations within my major are finance and accounting. In interned at KPMG doing accounting last summer. I got an interview for Evercore in September and then in October found out I got the job.”

Though she is very excited to head to New York City, she has thoroughly enjoyed her time on grounds and will find it hard to leave Charlottesville behind.

“I am going to miss the mix of it being a good school and there are a lot of things socially to do,” Laschinger said. “There is a lot of school spirit. We have good football and basketball, but it is not all about just those sports. There is a good balance. Charlottesville is really fun. There are great restaurants and great hiking and other outdoorsy stuff.”

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Systems & Components

You can do it

Powerful Open Architecture Systems that snap together like Lego™ Blocks to deploy quickly, may include components from dozens of vendors, are highly reliable, and measure themselves while measuring your process.
We deployed Visics’ new EASY 160, which features cameras triggered over Ethernet and strobe lights controlled by the camera. It’s a simple package that’s easily customized … lots of power with very little effort and time.
– Jim Moore
Vision and Controls Software Engineer
Preco, Inc.

Seamless Systems

Representative Examples

Just a few examples of the wide range of systems made possible by Visics key enabling products, tools, and methodologies.

  • Single Camera System
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All of the ingredients of highly reliable and discriminating Machine Vision Systems tightly coupled to your machine and enterprise environment are available from, and supported by, one capable and responsive partner.

  • Cables
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Welcome to Debrecen!

Endre Ady’s Life and Memory in Debrecen

One hundred years ago, on January 27, 1919, Endre Ady, one of the greatest poets of the Hungarian literature, died.

Ady was born into an impoverished noble family, studied law in Debrecen, but he was more attracted to bohemian life, so he became a journalist in 1898. Although he spent only three years in Debrecen, it was a defining moment in his life: because it was here that he became a journalist and poet, switching from being a law student.

Almost 150 of his writings have been published, mainly in ‘The Debrecen’ newspaper, the ‘Debrecen Inspector’ and the ‘Debrecen Morning Newspaper’.

He lived in the small courtyard room of the house at 4 Mester Street, together with a widow and his son Ernő Ember, who was also a law student. According to the stories of Teréz Piskóty, whose great-grandfather was Ady’s roommate Ernő Ember, Ady recited his poems to Teréz’s great-grandfather, standing on his bed, with the bedspread on his shoulder.

Ady’s memory is preserved in the city during the festival of poetry each April and at various sites throughout the city.

A copy of his first poetry volume, dedicated to Ilona Varga, can still be seen in the Museum of Literature, while his most famous monument is located in the Great Forest Park next to the Medgyessy Promenade. The monument is the Miklós Melocco’s suggestive work (1977) where the poet faces his own death mask.

An important part of the Great Forest is the avenue named after the poet, and in the downtown, there is Ady Park. There is also a high school named after Ady, with a 1961 bust portrait of Makris Agamemnon inside.

The memorial plaque of the former editorial office of “Debrecen – Oradea Bulletin” is hanging the Dósa Palatine Square, while a memento on the wall of the former English Queen Hotel in nearby Kossuth Street informs that Ady Endre spent his evenings in the hotel’s Bunda restaurant between 1896 and ’97.

In addition, a memorial plaque commemorates the main courtyard of the University of Debrecen.

On the 100th anniversary of the poet’s death, several exhibitions give an insight into the early life of Endre Ady in Debrecen including the “Álmodó magyarok” exhibition at the Museum of Literature or the musical literature event  “Száz titok kavarog – Ady Endre 100” (Hundred Secrets Swirling – Ady Endre 100) as the part of the Debrecen Autumn Festival.


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Style & Fashion in 2021—The Great Reset

Scenes from the Dior boutique.

Over the last 365 days, we’ve all been through a lot. A global pandemic, an uprising against racism, and the continual divide of our nation’s people. The last thing many of us were thinking about was what outfit to wear in the morning. (We’d argue as personal stylists that you should still care, but more on that later.)

The term ‘New Beginnings’ has never held as much power as it does in 2021, and it applies to anything and everything this year, including the fashion industry, consumer shopping habits, and personal style.

Jesse finds the perfect white shirt for a client.

2021 is the fresh start we all need.

It’s also the perfect time to plan a style relaunch. Athleisure and sweatsuits reigned supreme for the majority of 2020, but this year we’re determined (and so are our clients!) to become more intentional about all of it—our outfit choices, our health, and our mindsets.

Yes, chic loungewear will always hold a place in our hearts, but we’re hoping for a return to a quieter, more demure type of glamour in the new year. The kind that consists of timeless, sustainable looks that are both sophisticated and appropriate for anything you may encounter in a post-pandemic world.

We’re thinking balanced, yet dramatic sartorial choices such as the perfect pair of wide leg trousers, a classic tailored jacket, and high quality leather boots made to last a lifetime.

To sum it up—our style mantra for 2021 is ‘less is the new more.’

Jesse hits the boutiques searching for the best of the best for his clients.

We’ve all changed our shopping habits and streamlined our fashion choices in 2020, but this year it’s more important than ever to be thoughtful about personal style and what you chose to buy.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, “quality over quantity, always.”

Our process for getting there is fairly straightforward—we’re assessing, cataloging, and editing our wardrobes and those of our clients prior to shopping, re-styling timeless looks with existing pieces, and if we need to shop for fill-ins—only choosing to purchase sustainably made, high quality pieces we absolutely love.

The end goal is to feel confident and prepared for anything that comes our way in 2021, and to recapture the excitement of getting dressed!

Jesse shops at the Chanel boutique.

We’ve always been firm believers in the idea that fashion has the power to uplift, inspire, and boost your confidence. After the whirlwind that was 2020, fashion is a beautiful gift we can give ourselves each and everyday. In the same vein that optimism, hope, and positivity will push us onward and upward in 2021, striving to be the best and chicest version of yourself should also be a top priority.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can improve your personal style in 2021, follow us on Instagram @visualtherapyny, or shoot us an email at


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Vitiligo is a complex condition but it does respond to treatment, and not all treatment is costly. There is much that you can do by changing habits and products in your own home that will assist in combating your skin condition. Early treatment is vital and this blog introduces you to some of the ways in which you can control your Vitiligo, and also how to stop Vitiligo from spreading.

How to Stop Vitiligo from Spreading

Help! What? Why?

When a person first notices white spots on the body, he or she will be puzzled as to cause of the white spots or even larger white patches. Hours, days or even weeks of research will lead to an understanding that it is Vitiligo and then the questions really begin to fly. How did I get Vitiligo? Why me? What did I do?

But as those wild, frightened questions are answered, a person is obliged to face the reality that Vitiligo does spread and while the initial diagnosis could be based on a few spots on the hand or ankle that people will hardly notice, the pictures of people suffering from Vitiligo show very clearly that the condition could spread across the hand and even up the arm.

The white spots could spread from the ankle to the feet and even up the legs. Most horrifying of all, is understanding that Vitiligo could spread across the ears, nose, chin, forehead – right across the face.

The inevitable response to such a frightening realisation would be to ask if the spread of Vitiligo could be stopped. No one minds a few white spots on the hand or ankle, but it rarely stops there, and there is no means of telling just how far the condition might spread, or just how quickly, or how slowly.

How to Stop Vitiligo from Spreading

The body’s immune system:

The body’s immune system normally aims to find and destroy any micro-organisms that invade the body, such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites by using antibodies. However, sometimes this system fails and the immune system mistakenly identifies some part of the body as a foreign “invader” and begins producing antibodies against its own healthy tissue, in this case, one’s skin. That is known as an autoimmune disease.

Not all cases of Vitiligo are as a result of an autoimmune disease. Where the Vitiligo is the segmental variety, it will usually stay on the side of the body on which it first appeared. If Vitiligo is the result of an autoimmune disease, the signs of the condition would be mirrored on both sides of the body. It is also possible to have a combination of segmental and non-segmental Vitiligo.

Being such a complex disease and dependent on so many varying factors, Vitiligo does not follow the same path for everyone who has the condition but curbing or stopping the spread is important, not only so that the condition does not cause huge embarrassment; the reality is that the results of treatment are accelerated when the condition is not spreading.

It is a difficult condition to treat at the best of times and when the white spots and splotches are spreading across the body, Vitiligo becomes a whole lot harder to treat.

Everyone has to figure out for himself or herself what works and what does not work in each particular case, but it helps to know what has been proven to stop the spread of Vitiligo, if there is to be any hope of curbing the spread.

Vitiligo starting from sun damage

Skin is a living organism:

Skin is a living thing.  The skin is active, living tissue that serves as a tough but flexible armor to keep harmful microbes, chemicals or strong rays of light away from the more sensitive inner tissues. Skin is made of many cells and so skin can grow and develop but it also responds to the environment and responds to things that hurt it.

The skin that one can see is the epidermis which is constantly shedding dead cells from its surface as new ones grow to take their places. This means that one’s skin is highly capable of changing, but similarly, it can easily be hurt and harmed.

Vigorous washing can damage the skin. Using hard wash cloths or abrasive sponges can harm the skin. Scratching an itchy patch on the skin with the finger nails is enormously damaging to the skin.

If clothing is not well rinsed after washing, the harsh chemicals used to clean lifeless fabric can irritate and damage the delicate, living skin. Labels on clothing can irritate the skin and result in early Vitiligo spots.

Take good care of your skin:

The list of what not to do is lengthy, but it can be summed up by saying: treat and care for the skin like a delicate living creature, a tender plant or a new-born baby.

Avoid using harsh soaps, scrubbing brushes and hard loofahs if you have Vitiligo. Use natural, gentle soaps. Wipe the skin tenderly and dry it carefully with a soft towel. Use mild washing powders for delicate care and rinse clothes well.

In the case of allergies that cause the skin to become itchy, take an antihistamine but do not scratch the skin. Avoid harsh rubbing of the area around the eyes as the skin around the eyes is particularly delicate. Remove any clothing labels that irritate the skin, especially at the back of the neck.

Vitilox Cream and Vitamins B12 & folic acid

Be in control of your condition:

As soon as you recognise your condition, change your habits so that you treat your skin with care, and immediately ask an expert to advise on the best Vitiligo Treatment for your condition.

One of our trained consultants will evaluate your condition when you submit your free Vitiligo Assessment, which can be found on our website, and help you choose the correct product or products for your treatment going forward.

Remember that because each person responds differently to Vitiligo, Vitiligo Treatment has a range of products to successfully treat different Vitiligo conditions.

Early Treatment is Recommended:

Early treatment is recommended. While the areas affected by Vitiligo are minimal, the condition can more easily be reversed. Small areas are typically easier to treat. Therefore, never wait too long after the first signs of de-pigmentation appear.

Remember that at Vitiligo Treatment we do not sell a one product fixes all product, but we do have a range of products required to successfully treat the many different Vitiligo Conditions that do exist.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you require any further information pertaining to this article – How to Stop Vitiligo from Spreading – or require any additional detailed information on our products.

Copyright © 2020 Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by Vitiligo Treatment

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posted in: January 2021 | 0

All things considered, Apple has had a great year, but it has been a rough ride for the App Store business:

But controversies surrounding the App Store are far from over.

Facebook vs. Apple

While all of this has been going on, a war has been brewing between Apple and Facebook over an announced iOS 14 feature that would require explicit user permission before app developers could track users across apps or websites, or access a device’s unique identifier. The feature was originally set to be mandatory for third-party developers with iOS 14, but Apple delayed the mandate until 2021 after receiving pushback from Facebook and others.

Facebook’s response can best be described as “panic.” Facebook estimates that the end of tracking could slash ad revenues in half. In its recent third-quarter investor call, the company spooked investors by calling the new feature a significant “headwind.”

With Apple’s deadline looming, Facebook is turning up the heat. The company took out ads in the 16 December 2020 editions of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, proclaiming that the company is “standing up to Apple for small businesses everywhere.”(Of note given the high profile of the ad—its headline incorrectly uses a prime mark instead of an apostrophe.)

Facebook claims that by giving users a choice in whether Facebook can track their activities, Apple is hurting small businesses, which depend on the personalized ads that Facebook offers. Presumably, if users were given such a choice, droves of them would opt out of Facebook’s creepy tracking. In a year where the COVID-19 pandemic and regional lockdowns are hammering small businesses, it’s a timely message, if a self-serving one. The Electronic Frontier Foundation called it “laughable,” siding with Apple.

The social media company didn’t stop with publishing ads. Facebook also announced it is joining Epic Games in its legal battle against Apple, providing supporting documents and other assistance to the Fortnite developer. Of course, Facebook has its own legal battles against the US Federal Trade Commission and nearly all US states and territories (see “The United States vs. Facebook,” 10 December 2020). Plus, CEO Mark Zuckerberg joined Tim Cook in the virtual hot seat in Congress earlier this year.

Cook responded to Facebook in a tweet:

Taking a page from Facebook, jailbreak app store Cydia has also filed its own lawsuit against Apple, making similar claims and demanding similar remedies as the Epic Games lawsuit. (Namely, Apple is being a monopolistic bully that should allow alternative app stores on the iPhone.) Cydia has one unique claim: it actually predates the App Store by about a year. It’s hard to see an app store predicated on jailbreaking, which exploits quickly closed security vulnerabilities, as getting a lot of traction in court. Still, it’s an indication that Cydia thinks Apple might be vulnerable.

Publishers vs. Apple

In September 2020, Epic Games and Spotify, among others, founded the Coalition for App Fairness to pressure Apple and Google to change their software distribution policies. The primary complaints are that Apple and Google compete unfairly against third-party developers (Apple Music vs. Spotify, for instance), Apple and Google’s app store fees are too high, and Apple doesn’t allow competing app stores.

New to the coalition is Digital Content Next, a trade association representing a slew of major US publishers, including:

  • Associated Press
  • Bloomberg
  • ESPN
  • The Financial Times
  • The New York Times
  • Meredith
  • NBCU
  • NPR
  • Vox
  • The Washington Post

Digital Content Next lashed out at Apple earlier this year about the deal Apple cut with Amazon that reduced the usual 30% App Store commission so Amazon could sell videos directly through its Prime Video app (see “You Can Now Make Purchases in the Amazon Prime Video iOS and Apple TV Apps,” 3 April 2020).

Publishers are unhappy with Apple for other reasons as well, including Apple’s aforementioned privacy prompts. DMG Media, which owns the UK’s Daily Mail, has suggested it may pull its iOS apps over the new privacy features.

Apple vs. Brave

You might think with all of this pressure and new regulatory scrutiny, Apple would ease up on third-party developers, but if anything, the company has doubled down. The most recent target of Apple’s ire is the iOS version of the Brave Web browser. (It’s one of our favorites here at TidBITS, and we recommend it over Google Chrome.)

Brave has a unique and somewhat controversial approach to ads. The browser blocks ads by default but lets you opt in to view Brave’s own privacy-respecting ads in exchange for a cryptocurrency called the Basic Attention Token (BAT). You can keep BAT for yourself, or you can tip it to content creators you choose.

Apple had allowed this functionality in Brave for a while but suddenly cried foul, claiming that Brave was violating rules against giving others money without giving Apple a cut and performing tasks for cash. The latter rule is intended to prevent developers from offering rewards for things like positive App Store reviews.

Instead, with version 1.22 of Brave for iOS, the browser no longer rewards users with BAT for viewing ads. The company encourages users to enable ads anyway, promising that it will use the proceeds to support publishers. Brave says that a future update to its desktop browser will let iOS users extract the BAT they earned.

It’s yet another unfortunate example of Apple’s App Store policies limiting innovation.


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DVCS (git)

How to : Undo the last Git commit

Hi folks, From last phpXperst seminar I am too much encouraged to using git for my version control system. Rifat Nabi bhai’s excellent session helps me lot to understand git basics. From then on I am a big fan of git. Some days ago I make a commit in one of my project and later…

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How to : Export/Import GPG key

Hi there, Today I made a clean install of Fedora 18 in my laptop. Previously I used Ubuntu 12.10, there I used a GPG key and I dont wanna make new one. So before install Fedora 18 I export my key pair (public and secret). To export key pair you need to do the followings,…

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GPG key with Git

Hi all, Hows going on? Hope fine. Today I had a rush of work, though I manage some time to upgrade my skills with Git. As now my dream is contribute any opensource project (basically linux). So I need a GPG key to gain trust of other people around over my code. I searched for…

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Reflection – Sunday, June 19, 2016

Carol A. Hand

Let me look deep enough
to see the sacred spark of life
deep within
now masked on the surface
by a protective covering
forged from fear and suffering

I would prefer to shift my gaze
yet we’ve met for some reason
beyond my ken
Perhaps if I can see deeply enough
we’ll be able to unlock our hearts
to joy and love again

If you see your inner beauty
reflected back by
loving eyes
maybe we’ll both awake
and feel our joyful peaceful spirits

Photo: Reflection (Pixabay)

For some of the neighbors and colleagues I’ve encountered

Copyright Notice: © Carol A. Hand and carolahand, 2013-2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Carol A. Hand and carolahand with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

25 thoughts on “Reflection – Sunday, June 19, 2016

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  1. Oh, Carol, this brought tears to my eyes, and I’m almost at a loss for words. Wow and wow again! This is so incredibly beautiful and insightful and profound! You have such a great and loving heart, and it comes from the great suffering you’ve endured. For it is said that our souls must be gouged out, like the wood of a violin, so that they can make the sweetest and truest of sounds. What a blessing on this Sabbath are your thoughts and words. Love and hugs, Natalie 🙂 ❤

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Such profound truth, Carol!

    To connect with the “Other” is to expose our souls; to become vulnerable. Such is the nature of unconditional love. If loving others was easy, hatred would find no space to seed and grow.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you for your kindness and crucial insights, Rosaliene. It’s not easy to allow one’s self to be vulnerable in the presence of others, especially those who don’t appear to have empathy! But as you point out, how else can we give love the “space to seed and grow” within ourselves and others?

      Liked by 2 people

  3. As I was checking my email before heading off to work I saw a notice that you had another blog post. My first thought was that I didn’t have enough time to relish it. To read through it slowly. But I really wanted to give it a peak. So glad I did. Thanks so much for the smile’s.

    Liked by 1 person

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Berman Lazar

Mr. Lazar Berman is a researcher at the IDF's Dado Center for Interdisciplinary Military Studies. He commanded a Bedouin unit during his active IDF service, and is a captain the IDF reserves. He holds an MA in military operations from Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program, where he wrote his thesis on IDF innovation.


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What are the benefits of being Xiaoyanfei often

by GuoxinWei on June 26, 2021

　　Among the exercises, there are some movements that are very good. Among them, Xiao Yanfei is one. If one insists on practicing Xiao Yanfei, it can bring a lot of benefits to people, such as exercising the waist, abdomen, back, and buttocks. In addition to the above benefits, what other benefits can be gained by being Xiaoyanfei? Let's follow the editor to understand it.

　　The benefits of Xiaoyanfei

　　Xiaoyanfei movement is a comprehensive training movement for a person to exercise our waist, abdomen, back, buttocks, neck and legs. Although this action is relatively simple, the effect of the exercise is also very good. We can exercise well to these parts during the exercise. In addition, Xiaoyanfei's action has a high safety factor and is suitable for a wide range of people, so this action is becoming more and more popular.

　　Xiaoyanfei standard action

　　step one

　　Xiaoyanfei movement requires us to lie on the yoga mat to complete. First, we straighten our legs and lie on the ground to relax our body and keep our legs still.

　　Step 2

　　Use both hands to open, head backwards, feet up to form a small half circle, making our body feel like a flying bird taking off. Keep this action still for 40 seconds, then relax in place for 20 seconds, then restart this action, you can complete three sets a day.

　　How much Xiaoyanfei does every day is effective

　　Generally speaking, if Xiaoyanfei completes 50 movements a day, he can achieve a better fitness effect. When doing the Xiaoyanfei movement, we need to lie on the yoga mat first, let our head lean back, as far back as possible, while our legs are opened and upturned, in this way, our body It becomes an action like a swallow opening and taking off. This is also the origin of the name of Xiao Yanfei's action. When our body forms a two-headed movement, we can relax and let our body lie down and start the movement again.


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# high technology news 276 | flexible smartphones and a new planet for life

The new year is, of course, good, but the newshigh technology - on schedule. Today we will tell you whether last year’s Olivier is so dangerous and whether it is possible to get to Mars if you constantly dance around the Christmas tree. Actually, of course not, but are you now intrigued?

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one. Prepare money - from January 1 in Russia decreasedduty-free threshold for purchases in foreign online stores. Yes, now you have to pay if the total amount of goods ordered during the month in foreign online stores exceeds 500 euros, or the total weight of orders exceeds 31 kg.

Who will help charge fees? Of course, "Mail of Russia"! From now on, she will perform customs operations with goods purchased for personal use. To do this, the company will work with the electronic system of the Federal Customs Service (FCS): report who ordered what and how much, including taking into account the total weight and cost of goods for one month.

For the buyer, little will change - just byordering on the website of a foreign online store, he will pay not only the cost of the goods (and delivery, if it is paid), but also the fee, which is calculated automatically. The duty will be 30% of the value of the goods, but not less than 4 euros per kilogram over the limit.

2 Meanwhile, news from a parallel universe -at CES showed a working flexible smartphone! Royole brought the FlexPai, the first fully functional flexible smartphone. You all right read. A little-known company has bypassed Samsung and is demonstrating at CES a fully working gadget with a flexible, folding screen in half. And what's more, this device is already being sold.

The FlexPai device is a7.8-inch flexible smartphone, powered by Snapdragon processor 855. And since the new product is already on sale, then we may also have the first device available for purchase based on a new mobile chipset. They say the screen is capable of 200,000 bends. This is how many times you have to accidentally sit on it!

True, some decisions still raise questions. For example, the device does not have a mechanism that would block the screen when the gadget is in an expanded state. And in general, the device is very unusual, a compromise, and in some aspects is very controversial. While it all looks very coarse.

3 And Hyundai showed a rescue vehiclewith four legs. He will be able to drive on roads, step over wide cracks and even climb small walls. Yes, such a thing would be useful when driving through the Moscow courtyards uncleared of snow.

Each of the four legs of an unusual carequipped with a wheel with individual drive. Limbs are able to move in different directions - this flexibility is provided by moving mechanisms in the pelvic, knee and tibial areas of the robot. The wheels can rotate 360 degrees around the vertical axis. Straight cyborg some!

Engines robotized car connectedto the battery with a capacity of 66 kWh., and while driving on ordinary roads, the Hundai Elevate is almost indistinguishable from ordinary cars, since the limbs are folded under the body. That's how Skynet hides among us!

four. Speaking of aliens - Kepler telescope helpedfind another exoplanet fit for life! Exoplanet K2-288Bb is located at a distance of 226 light years from Earth, namely in the constellation Taurus. There are two red dwarfs of different sizes, distant from each other. The exoplanet revolves around the smallest of them - it creates conditions where water can exist in a liquid form. A year on this planet is only one month away from Earth.

Kepler completed work at the end of October lastyear due to lack of fuel. Stopping his work does not mean that scientists will stop looking for exoplanets. Instead of the failed device, the search will be carried out by the TESS telescope. A similar study is being conducted by the Hubble Observatory, which will later be replaced by the James Webb telescope.

Earlier, thanks to Kepler data, astronomers foundat least 2,600 planets, 50 of which may be of the same size and temperature as the Earth. So there is much to immigrate! True, fly there quickly will not work ...

five. Would you like a quantum computer in the bedroom? IBM has it, which introduced its first commercial quantum computer to CES for use outside the laboratory. A 20-qubit system combines quantum and classical computational components in one box.

Although IBM describes it as the first fullyan integrated universal quantum computing system designed for scientific and commercial use, it is worth emphasizing that a 20-qubit machine is not yet so powerful for most commercial applications. But for Dota, there is enough power.

Of course, this box - IBM Q - is still huge,but it includes everything a company needs to start experiments with quantum computing, including all mechanisms for cooling equipment. So if you don’t have a garage yet, it’s better not to take such a thing yet. And it will cost more than the wing of the aircraft.

This is the main news from the world of high technology for the week. How do you like them? Tell us in our telegram chat. It looks like a robotic future awaits us soon, and the development of new planets is not far off.


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Finding A Kid-Friendly Chat Room Online

Finding A Kid-Friendly Chat Room Online

Chat rooms can genuinely be your kid’s best friend and are beneficial for them during their free time. Without any doubt, the chat rooms are best because, during free time, your kids can do chatting, play games, and much more.

Most parents don’t want their kids using kid chat rooms, and there are many reasons behind this. First, many think chat rooms are not secure for kids, and second, chat rooms can be time-consuming and take away from productive activities.

Social media is one of many platforms where people spend free time, but sometimes it can be a massive distraction as well. Facebook is one of the biggest social media sites on the internet, and it’s a place where kids are finding friends and places to chat. Today, many are moving away from traditional social media platforms for kids, and instead are choosing safe websites for kids in the form of online chat rooms.

On these kids’ websites, your children can play numerous kids games, meet kids their age with similar interests, and explore the world in a safe and friendly environment created just for kids.

Kid-Friendly Chat Room Online

5 best kids friendly chat rooms online

If you are looking for the best kid-friendly chat rooms online, then here are 5 trusted sites that you can use. These are not only the best sites for kids, but they are also secure to browse. Let’s dig into the details.

  1. Kidzworld: For kids, Kidzworld is best because it’s safe, and you can easily communicate with others. Here you can express your feelings and can discuss your school assignments, work, and much more. There are kid-friendly games, chat rooms, and interactive learning modules that allow children to learn and grow together.
  1. Chat Avenue: It’s the second-best free chat room for kids and is totally secure. The best thing about this site is that it’s fast and anyone can use it. Besides, you don’t need to register yourself as you can enter your nickname, which means your data can be kept secure. Other than that, they offer a free community where kids can have a long chat and can spend more time together growing socially.
  1. Blinx: Blinx is another chat room app where kids can easily play games and can share their stories. The best thing about this app is that it’s straightforward and can be used easily. Other than that, this app helps to connect with numerous online users. So, if you want to use something secure, then this website is best for you.
  1. iTwixie: It’s one of the best social sites that you can find on the internet. Not only is it great for chatting, but it also helps tweens feel good about themselves. Additionally, this website is developed, especially for those who want to work smart. If you want to measure your kid’s intelligence, then this site is best for you.
  1. Chatogo: Whether you are bored or just feeling chatty, Chatogo might be the best option for you. It’s one of the safest websites for kids. If your child is wanting to be more socially active online, then this website might be best for you. Like any other kids website, there are rules that you have to follow; otherwise, you’ll be blocked from the community.

Final verdict

If you are in need of the best kid’s website that is secure and contains chat rooms, then all these five websites should work just fine for you. Also, these websites are reliable and user-friendly, as well.


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We are Vermont’s leading Professional Aerial, Ground, Interior, and Underwater Photography/Cinematography, Data Collection, and 2D/3D Photogrammetry services provider.

Vermont Drone can help take your marketing to new heights! Literally!

From aerial and ground photography/cinematography, brand/capital advertising, TV production, TV ads, pre-roll internet video ads, residential real estate, commercial real estate, 360° images/videos, product photography, animation/CGI, marketing strategy consulting, content creation, Social Media Marketing, to Visual Media Production.

Residential Real Estate
Our professional Interior, Exterior and Aerial Photographs have become the “new standard” for agents and home sellers as it greatly enhances the buyer’s perception of the home and property.
Commercial Real Estate
Our photos and videos can greatly help increase the odds and speed of leasing or selling a commercial or industrial property.
Data Collection
Vermont Drone provides outstanding Data Collection for Mapping, Construction, Planning, Documentation, and Agriculture Data Collection to Industrial, Commercial, Agriculture, Telecoms, and Other Sectors.

Who is Vermont Drone?

We’re not just some guy with a drone. Vermont Drone’s team of local, insured FAA licensed Remote Pilots and award-winning Professional Photographers, Cinematographers, Editors/Colorists, Development Managers, Construction Consultants, and Engineers work together to exceed all your expectations and needs. Every time.

Our diverse team provides full service ground, underwater, and aerial photography/cinematography, production, and data collection services throughout Vermont, New England, and beyond. We have produced award-winning ground AND aerial photography, cinematography and imagery for all types of marketing collateral, social media, and advertising platforms, even TV.

Vermont Drone’s highly experienced and professional team allows you and your employees to continue to work without disruption or distractions! We’ll get the job done safely and correct — with minimal oversight, input, and management by your company. We’ll take care of everything from FAA compliance, OSHA/Safety compliance, scheduling, on-site photography/data capture, editing, to final delivery.

Steve Mermelstein, Vermont Drone’s Founder and Director of Photography, is a renowned photography workshop instructor and professional photographer with over 32 years of photography and model aircraft/drone flight experience. Staff sponsored by several major camera manufacturers and even named a “Top 50 US Photographer” three years in a row by Samsung USA.

Vermont Drone has been featured in newspapers, TV, and online media. See Vermont Drone In The News!

Vermont Drone News and Updates:

Vermont Drone and Generator partner to launch America’s first permanent indoor drone racing course

America’s First Permanent Tiny Whoop Indoor Drone Racing Course is launching this August by Vermont Drone at Generator! Tiny Whoop Drone Racing is a lot like a real flying Mario in a Super Mario Galaxy game. Tiny Whoops are safe, small first-person-view (FPV) quadcopters aircraft equipped with a tiny camera/video transmitter and are flown by […]

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HGTV/DIY Network Ultimate Retreat 2017

This week, Vermont Drone worked on an unique project for the cable channels, HGTV and DIY Network. Vermont Drone worked closely with the show’s producers and director to make aerial footage and photography of a newly renovated home in Colchester, VT. We also shot intros and promos starring the show’s host Jason Cameron. Cameron is […]

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Gov Phil Scott visits Vermont Drone

Vermont Governor Phil Scott visited Vermont Drone and Generator today and was very impressed! “It’s a great, modern facility,” Scott said after meeting with Vermont Drone’s Steve Mermelstein and a small selection of other Generator studio owners. Here, he said, you can make “almost anything you can think of.” Prior to being elected as Governor, […]

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Covid Update

We have an ironclad commitment to health and safety. Our focus is to keep customers and employees safe, and to continue to deliver outstanding service during these unprecedented times.

Our crews are following all health and safety precautions including frequent hand washing and gear sanitization, plus masks and physical distancing at all times. If employees feel sick, are sick or have any concerns with exposure, they will stay at home.

Wind and other weather conditions limit operational flight days. FAA/ATC coordination may also cause delays in some flight areas. For the fastest service it is important to get in queue and secure a shoot date ASAP. Please Request A Quote to automatically get added to the queue, discuss your project, and obtain pricing.

PLEASE NOTE: Indoor races and practice meetups are suspended. All Workshops are available online. Our retail shop/repair location is temporarily closed.


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This “Women In WACREN” training and community event is held in collaboration with the Eko-Konnect Research and Education Initiative, a cluster the Nigerian NREN (NgREN), the Entrepreneurship & Skills Development Centre and Faculty of Engineering of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), and the AfricaConnect2 project.

Leveraging a broader promotion of maker culture and hackerspaces in NRENs, the event is part of a program aimed at reducing current imbalances in gender participation. It will support female students and staff to improve STEM skills through experimentation with robots and electronics and learning to program these devices.

The participants wind down at the end of the 5-day training workshop in the “ICT for Girls” community day, a networking opportunity open to faculty and guests from other women tech hubs with representation from government and industry.

Workshop Goal: Teach Python in a series of practical hands-on exercises that introduce the fundamentals of physical computing with the Raspberry Pi, GPIO breadboard and sensors.

Targeted Audience: Female students and staff in computing and engineering or from other disciplines with good computer skills and interest in intelligent environments.  A programming background and knowledge of Linux or other UNIX operating system is useful but not required.

Expected Outcomes:  Over time, participants will be able to work on their own or in small teams to develop electronic or robotic projects at varying levels of complexity to solve problems.

Language: Conducted in English with bilingual trainers

  • Lunches and coffee breaks will be provided for all participants for the duration of the workshop.

  • Selected international participants who are not able to get full or partial sponsorship from their organisations to attend the workshop may be supported for travel and/or accommodation, subject to availability of resources.

Deadline for application is 10 January 2018 at


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Heartwarming Christmas Gift Ideas For Elderly Parents

It’s only two months away until Christmas time comes again. But for many of us, preparations for the perfect gift are already underway.

Now, if you’re reading this, you probably already know the grand gift you’re giving your elderly folks. It could be something for the kitchen for mom, or perhaps an accessory for dad’s toolshed in the garage. But if you want to add that extra smile on their faces and warmth in their heart, you don’t need to spend that much to do that.

This here could be a lot of fun, especially if you let your creativity run freely. But in case if you’re willing to spend a bit more, Quanta CBD has top-of-the-line affordable products that will be a great addition to the overall well-being of your beloved parents. That, in itself, is already a priceless gift they’re guaranteed to appreciate.

For Sentimental Parents: A Collection of Old Family Photos

Newsweek AMPLIFY - Christmas Gifts Elderly Parents

We all have that one relative. It’s that uncle or aunt who was, fortunately, able to collect old photos from family reunions from decades ago. We’re talking about their pre-grey hair days of the 70s and 80s when youth and Father Time were still on their side.

Or maybe you yourself managed to get hold of photographic mementos from a Disneyland family trip from a few years back. Whatever it is, it would be a nice trip to memory lane with colorful stories and anecdotes for the ages.

You can present this in a form of a scrapbook and tell little stories through these images. That’ll surely make their year.

For Foodie Parents: Cook Their Favorite For Christmas Dinner

Newsweek AMPLIFY - Christmas Gifts Elderly Parents

If you have foodies for parents, they likely took you to a wide range of restaurants of varying cuisines. You’ve likely tasted the best food and created memorable experiences out of them.

Well, a good way to give back is to cook them Christmas dinner, comprised of their favorites. Is pops a huge fan of wagyu steaks grilled to medium-rare perfection? Or maybe mom enjoys a hearty serving of some vegetarian lasagna?

Whatever it is they consider comfort food, cook it for them. Christmas gives us the opportunity to give back or pay it forward to our loved ones. And a good start would be with the people who brought us into this world.

For Hippie Parents: A ‘Mixtape’ of Their Favorite Songs

Newsweek AMPLIFY - Christmas Gifts Elderly Parents

It’s definitely a treat to grow up in a household where music constantly fills the air. For those who did, you probably recall Sunday mornings where dad would blast the stereos with an eclectic playlist, from the esteemed Mozart to the unrivaled Jimi Hendrix.

With these songs come memories and events you all hold dear. And what better way to stroll down memory lane together than a “mixtape” of these songs. Whether you have the machinery or not, it’s a nostalgic memento they would appreciate for life.

Music is still best consumed in its tangible form and a sweet gift for the parentals to enjoy.

For Adventurous Parents: Go on a Road Trip

Newsweek AMPLIFY - Christmas Gifts Elderly Parents

Having parents who have the itch to go and see new places is also a blast. That means your childhood consisted of trips in some of the world’s most iconic places, from pristine beaches to eccentric landmarks in the country.

The current health climate may have hindered travel bugs from seeing more of the world, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go on a road trip. Perhaps you can revisit the most unique roadside attractions you’ve made a pitstop to in the middle of travel.

Those spots are guaranteed to bring in that sudden rush of nostalgia with good stories and inside jokes to boot. That’ll always be a welcome emotion.

Bonus Gift: Pain Relief and Relaxation

Nothing says ‘I love you’ and ‘Happy Holidays’ at the same time that giving your parents something soothing. Especially if they’re dealing with chronic pain or arthritis, this is something they’d be grateful for.

We’re talking about Quanta CBD’s Muscle Rubs. Now, some of you are probably skeptical about cannabidiol and questions are lingering inside your head. First off, it’s non-psychotropic. It won’t get you high and buzzed. Secondly, it is all-natural and organic, a healthier alternative to pharmaceutical painkillers. Most importantly, it is completely legal.

RELATED: This is how CBD helps relieve body pain

Quanta’s muscle rubs are one of a kind. It provides much-needed relief and relaxation for any ache or sore you may be suffering from. It even works well with mosquito bites.

You can purchase this extra strength variant, but if you want a bang for your buck, this value pack of two muscle rubs for the price of one should do the trick. That should make both mom and pops happy and ready to celebrate the holidays for this rather interesting year.

Give the gift of calm and relaxation this Christmas with Quanta CBD’s ever-reliable muscle rubs.

We may earn a commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Newsweek AMPLIFY participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

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Bull of the Day: PPG Industries (PPG)

We reiterate our Outperform recommendation on PPG Industries (PPG), a major global supplier of protective and decorative coatings. The global recession adversely affected many of PPG Industries end-use markets, but the company has responded with aggressive restructuring and cost reduction measures, while further increasing its focus on cash flows.

Earnings are recovering and its strong cash position provides the financial flexibility to support earnings growth going forward. Demand improvements are likely to be led by automotive production in 2010. We expect PPG to experience healthy growth driven by strong macro trends. The company should benefit from its increasing focus on the emerging markets, especially Asia.

PPG’s share price is surging after strong second quarter results. Full year 2010 EPS estimates have shot up 11 cents over the last 7 days.

PPG INDS INC (PPG): Free Stock Analysis Report
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About Zacks Investment Research 1766 Articles

Zacks Investment Research is one of the most highly regarded firms in the investment industry. In 1978 Zacks originated the concept of utilizing earnings estimates revisions to make profitable investment decisions. Zacks offers multiple investment products and services to help investors achieve superior returns.

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Guide contents

    Thailand Guide

    2-day Thailand itinerary

    Weekend Thailand itinerary

    Thailand guide
    Profile picture for Theresa
    Feb 7th, 2020

    General tips

    --Book cheap domestic flights
    Bangkok - Don Mueang (DMK)
    Don Mueang International Airport --Domestic Airport
    --Take Ferries to and from islands.  No need to book in advance just make sure you plan the times accordingly.
    --Koh Samui, Phuket and Krabi are the only islands with airports to save time I would fly into these from one another unless you want to bus which is not that much cheaper and wastes time

    Day 1-2

    EventsSporting Events
    From the web: Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, is a large city known for ornate shrines and vibrant street life. The boat-filled Chao Phraya River feeds its network of canals, flowing past the Rattanakosin royal district, home to opulent Grand Palace and its sacred Wat Phra Kaew Temple. Nearby is Wat Pho Temple with an enormous reclining Buddha and, on the opposite shore, Wat Arun Temple with its steep steps and Khmer-style spire.

    Soi Cowboy

    Floating Market Bangkok Tour Agency
    Tour agency

    Muay Thai Live: The Legend Lives
    Performing arts group
    From the web: Live Muay Thai boxing stage show performed at a 600-seater waterfront venue.
    Plan a trip just like this one
    Your itinerary and your map, in one view. Build, organize, and map out your next best trip.

    Day 3

    Day 3-5

    From the web: Krabi, on southern Thailand’s west coast, is a province characterized by craggy, sheer limestone cliffs, dense mangrove forests, and more than a hundred offshore islands. Some of its most popular beach destinations include the Phi Phi Islands, which jut from the sea like giant rainforested boulders, and Railay Beach, accessible only by boat and a prominent rock-climbing spot.

    Tonsai Beach

    Day 5

    Chiang Mai
    EventsCultural Events
    From the web: Chiang Mai is a city in mountainous northern Thailand. Founded in 1296, it was capital of the independent Lanna Kingdom until 1558. Its Old City area still retains vestiges of walls and moats from its history as a cultural and religious center. It’s also home to hundreds of elaborate Buddhist temples, including 14th-century Wat Phra Singh and 15th-century Wat Chedi Luang, adorned with carved serpents.

    Elephant Nature Park
    Animal shelterPark
    From the web: Elephant rescue & rehabilitation center with volunteer opportunities, jungle tours & rafting.
    Planning a trip to Thailand? Try our free trip planner!

    See your itinerary and your map in one view: no more switching between different apps to keep track of your travel plans.

    Add places from guides with 1 click
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Day 84: Saga (萨嘎) – September 9th

The village itself is just like any recently renovated Chinese village, with a main street full of shops, KTV, bars and Sichuan cuisine. The coolest part about this village was that, it had a temple dedicated to the Princess Bhrikuti Devi back in 650CE, well over 1400 years ago!

Historical Note: One of the most powerful Tibetan ruler, Songtsan Gampo (棄宗弄贊), had two wives. One was the famous Wencheng Princess (文成公主) of the Tang dynasty, while the other was Princess Bhrikuti Devi of Nepal. One of his most important contributions to Tibetan history, is the fact that he introduced Buddhism into Tibet, and also invented the written Tibetan language as we know of today. Skills.

The temple, built in Nepalese style of architecture, definitely stood out even amongst monasteries. The coolest part though, is that there are TWO temples in this village that was built for the Princess’s arrival. The other temple is situated deep into the woods through several villages in a little place called Jeep Village (XXX)..hehe excuse the translation. The locals call this place, Heaven’s Valley, and we were quick to understand why. Crossing a suspension bridge towering 270m over the ravine below, we entered the village and were astonished by the lush environment it was in. Every household has a massive field, growing corn, apples, pears, some red droopy vegetable we’ve never seen, wheat. It felt like we were in a sweet piece of farmland, NOT in Tibet at all!

The landscape is really awesome, as the farmlands are all situated on the ledge of a mountain, and you can see across the valley to the next mountains where numerous other villages have their grain fields. With the clouds settling between the valleys, it really felt like a 人间仙境.

Hiking through the village for about an hour, we finally arrived at the second temple. The temple itself is not overwhelming, but we felt like archaeologists walking back into the steps of time. On our way in, we met this local villager who was on his way out. We tried to strike up a conversation, but he didn’t really understand Mandarin so we both went our separate ways. We walked about 10 steps away before he called us back to hand over to us a set of keys! Dunno, at that moment we felt this unabolished sense of trust, having the “key to the kingdom” in our hands.

The steps leading the way into the second temple is in its original form (1400+years ago!), and the temple itself is housed underneath a massive schism in the side of a mountain. When we got to the temple, unfortunately, renovations are already under way and a fresh layer of paint has been applied to most of the temple inside and out. We paid our respects, and were on our way out. One of the folklore we heard was that, the reason this village is called Jeep Village, is that this means a place of departure. Back then, it was told that the Nepalese caravan stopped here and Princess Devi dismounted her elephant and were transferred to the hands of the Tibetan entourage. Cool!

That was the end of the day, as we spent the remainder driving into the city of Saga. The city, which is situated right off the banks of Yarlung Tsangpo river, one of the most important rivers in all of Tibet which flows all the way into India!

Categories: China | Tags: | 3 Comments

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3 thoughts on “Day 84: Saga (萨嘎) – September 9th

  1. Heroko Yihe Zhao

    What do the keys do? his home ? what did u guys do with it?

  2. Heroko Yihe Zhao

    I am traveling around the globe with ur words,
    Thank you guys

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Hampshire County, West Virginia: Mountain Getaway Tips

Hampshire County, West Virginia is located less than a two-hour drive from Washington, DC. The Allegheny Mountains dot the terrain with wonderful hiking opportunities. And the South Branch Potomac River offers outdoor recreation options in a pristine landscape. You can also enjoy picturesque highlights on the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railway. Historic Capon Springs Resort, offers a relaxing reprieve, where you also can enjoy a soaking bath at the spa or play golf. With fall on the horizon, the promise of vibrant autumn foliage makes it a great time to visit. Here are some highlights of Hampshire County with tips on planning a visit!

Photo of blue skies, mountains and about 15 horses

Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad

The Mountain State of West Virginia is one of the most picturesque in the country. The Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad offers the opportunity to take in the area’s beauty and history, in multiple seating classes. The regular excursion is a 35-mile roundtrip journey starting at the Wappocomo farm and mansion that takes you south and then returns over a 3-hour ride. They also run special 8 hour day trips to the town of Petersburg. The 8 hour rides include two stops, while the 3-hour ride does not.

2 photo collage, 1st image close up of the front of train, with a blue sky, and 2nd of train with the rail way tracks and mountains in the background

Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad Seating Options: Economy, First-Class and Superior Club

Each seating class offers the opportunity to sit in a train car from a different era. While the coach carriage is more basic, with no air conditioning, it has the charm of a 1920’s carriage, with incandescent lighting over the more modern fluorescent lighting. You can also pull open the window to feel the breeze on your face. You can even poke your head out the window to watch the train wind along the South Branch Potomac River. Standard coach does not include a meal, but you have the option to purchase food like chili dogs and pork sandwiches while on the train. A pork sandwich costs $4 and a chili dog costs $3. Standard coach seats are $59. Premium coach seats are $71 and include a boxed lunch where you can select your entree at booking.

The first-class vintage cabin from 1947 includes gourmet meal service in a climate controlled carriage. First class seats cost $100. First class passengers are also free to move about the train to check out the economy carriages.

Superior Club is the Potomac Eagles’s most luxurious class – a renovated car from the 1950s with plush love seats and modern lighting. Gourmet meal service in Superior Class is served atop Chesapeake and Ohio Railway china. Superior Club seats cost $120. These seats also allow passengers to freely move about all carriages on the train.

Bell with her head stuck out of the train carriage window with mountains and blues skies

Narrated History of the Area

The train journey is narrated by Jean, a former school teacher. As you cruise past picturesque mountains, waterways, farms and silos, she regales passengers with local history and stories. The train line itself was completed in 1884 after several failed attempts to connect Green Spring and Romney. It was not extended south until the turn of the century in 1910.

Open Gondola Ride Over the Sycamore Bridge at Sunset

One of the highlights of the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad is riding in the open gondola car through the narrow passage referred to as the Trough. From there, you get a great view of soaring eagles and their nests perched atop trees. This car sits directly behind the locomotive and this type of train car was used to transport steel piping and tires, but now has bench seating for you to enjoy the ride. The conductors are happy to chat and answer questions. The other highlight was crossing the Sycamore Bridge as the sun was setting on a beautiful day!

An open train car crossing a bridge with a river underneath and mountains in the background at sunset

Pro tip: Before booking tickets on the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad site, check their Facebook page as they post specials there. Grab one of their promo codes from their Facebook page to use at the time of purchasing your train tickets!

Romney, West Virginia

Courthouse with four Greek columns and a war statue, next to the court house is the American flag and a tree with blue skies

The small town of Romney, with just 1,848 residents is the oldest town in West Virginia. This is actually a hotly disputed honor, as Shepherdstown also makes this claim. They were actually chartered on the same day, however, no time was recorded on either charter, so it remains up for debate! Either way, the town predates the state as there was no West Virginia in 1762. The town was established by order of the Virginia House of Burgesses in that year. During that time, present day West Virginia was part of Virginia.

Hotels in and Near Romney, West Virginia

If you plan to take the historic Potomac Eagle train (especially the sunset train that ends at 9pm in summer) The South Branch Inn and Koolwink are ideal to stay. Both hotels are located a short drive from the Potomac Eagle train.

For those taking the day train, you can make it part of your vacation at Capon Springs and Farms in High View, West Virginia. But that is over an hour drive from Romney. Deer sometimes go out on the roads, so we don’t recommend long night drives in this area if you can avoid it.

South Branch Inn Romney

We stayed at the South Branch Inn Romney. The 61 room hotel is a comfortable place to stay for leisure and business travelers. Their spacious suites include large jacuzzi whirlpool tubs. Soaking in the private jacuzzi is a wonderfully relaxing way to cap the day. They also have two conference rooms that can host meetings or parties.

2 photo collage, top photo, king size bed, and flat screen TV, bottom photo couch, desk and cabnet

A continental breakfast is served each morning, with offerings like Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches, fruit, oatmeal and juices. South Branch Inn has another location in Moorefield, West Virginia. But if you’re catching the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad, you are much closer staying at the South Branch Inn Romney.

Koolwink Motel

The Koolwink Motel is a real throwback. The small motel has been lovingly family-run since 1936. It has been beautifully maintained and renovated over the years. Step into their quirky lobby, adorned with stylish decor and tranquil music playing, and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a hipster hotel in a big city. Rooms have fun decor – including paintings of a clown in each room.

three photo collage, first one arm chari with sunflower pillow and an art print of a lady, 2nd image front hotel painted yellow and 3rd image room with 2 double beds and arm chairs

Rates are just $67 a night for 1 person, with 1 bed. Or $79 a night for 2 people with 2 beds. The Koolwink Motel only take reservations by phone, another throwback! It is another great place to stay if you are catching the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad.

Where to Eat in Romney, West Virginia

For a quick, casual and delicious meal, head to Lost Mountain BBQ. I had their pulled pork sandwich, piled high with delicious smoked pork and tangy barbecue sauce. Bell had their brisket burrito, which also includes coleslaw. We’re often disappointed with brisket at BBQ joints, but their brisket was good – moist and flavorful. Brisket is tricky to get right, and we often find it dry at many places.

A pulled pork sandwich and fire roasted corn salad

For a side, definitely order their fire-roasted corn salad. It’s a sizable portion of fire-roasted local sweet corn, red bell peppers and onions, cilantro, lime juice and salt. It’s a seasonal side, so unfortunately you can’t get it year-round. Both their ice tea and lemonade are good, so I recommend ordering an Arnold Palmer to drink.

Kayaking or Canoeing

The South Branch of the Potomac River is a lovely setting to explore by canoe or kayak. The forested canyon is home to bald eagles and other interesting wildlife and fish. You can rent canoes and kayaks from Trough General Store and Canoe Rentals.

River, with rocks at the bottom and green trees along the bank and blue sky with a few small clouds

They’re open 5 days a week mid-April through mid-October. They close Mondays and Tuesdays. Departure times are 8am, 10am, 12pm and 2pm. For more information, check out their website, call them at (304) 822-7601 or email [email protected]

Listed on the Civil War Trails

Hampshire County is also a good place for American history buffs. Romney is a designated Civil War Trails site. Check out all the places on the West Virginia Civil War Trails. It is part of a five-state trails network that covers sites associated with the country’s greatest internal conflict. In total, there are over 1,500 sites that cover the triumphs and tragedies of soldiers and civilians in the early 1860’s.

Downtown Romney Self-Guided Walking History Tour

As Romney is the oldest town in West Virginia, it has lots of historically significant buildings. Stop at the Hampshire County Convention and Visitors Bureau in Romney. Ask for a brochure on the self-guided walking history tour of town. The office is staffed during business hours and they’re happy to assist with your questions and travel plans.

Hampshire County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Taggart Hall, 91 S. High St. Romney, WV 26757

Capon Bridge

Set in a peaceful valley, just west of Bear Mountain, Capon Bridge, West Virginia is home to just 355 people. Resting along the picturesque banks of the Cacapon River, 20 miles west of Winchester, Virginia, this is a nice place to stop for lunch in Hampshire County.

Farmer’s Daughter is a whole animal butchery and full-service grocery dedicated to sustainable sourcing. Jonathon from Capon Springs Resort said we had to try their house burger. And it is quality dry-aged beef, with fresh lettuce, tomato and onions- but a little on the small side for $8 a la carte. For us, the star was their huge daily special sandwich for $10. Packed with charcuterie, cheese, gourmet relish and delicious fresh baked bread, it was truly the perfect sandwich. It reminded me of Cochon Butcher (their sandwiches are a new New Orleans food must) because they’re reliably the best sandwiches in the Big Easy. When all the ingredients are high quality and work well together, it makes for a sandwich worth going out of your way for!

photo of a burger and a sandwich with meat and cheese

Moonshine at quirky little Flying Buck Distillery

Between Capon Bridge and Romney, West Virginia on highway 50 is the Flying Buck Distillery. Blink and you will miss it, once or even twice like we did! You can taste various flavors they are selling or even experimenting with! We were able to try a cantaloupe flavor that neither of us loved, but was interesting to say the least. They try to recycle the fruit produced by the farm into creating interesting flavors.

Bar with bottles of moon shine and a board advertising the prices

We really enjoyed the apple pie and oak flavors, which we purchased. You can purchase flavors in 750 ml, 375 ml and 100 ml bottles. The options are great because you can purchase several little bottles to give as gifts, or just to recreate the experience after returning home. We really enjoy having a drink we picked up on our travels, and reminiscing on the experience at home. Even the flavors we did not like, we could appreciate that the liquor was clean, as it did not give us headache or leave us feeling lethargic.

Flying Buck Distillery Address:

WV-50, Augusta, WV 26704

note: they are incorrectly listed on Google as being located on WV-29!

Capon Springs & Farms Resort

3 photo collage 1st, a small cottage nestled behind a flower garden, 2nd image a larger house nestled in the woods, 3rd image a large house with a water fountain out front.

Capon Springs and Farms sits on 4,500 acres of wooded land, dotted with rolling hills and fresh streams and is a beautiful spot to explore Hampshire County. For  Washington, DC residents, it is short drive (less than 2 hours) and just 30 minutes from Winchester, Virginia. The all-inclusive resort is a beautiful oasis to relax and enjoy a wide range of activities like golf, tennis and swimming. Their luxurious spa is a delightful reprieve for a soaking bath and/or massage!

Alex and Bell sneak a kiss in the the private bath with brick walls and a window

Fling Golf: A Quirky New Sport Founded in 2014

You can even try your hand at fling golf, a quirky new sport founded in 2014. It is like a cross between golf and lacrosse. There is a dedicated fling golf course adjacent to their traditional golf course. Both courses are well kept, set atop a beautiful landscape of rolling hills. We took a lesson from the owner of the resort, Jonathan, and had a fun time. It is easier to get the hang of for many (including Bell) compared to traditional golf, but the push putting is a little harder. Jonathan is passionate about fling golf and enjoys giving lessons to guests. If you catch on to fling golf quickly, you can even play it on the traditional course!

2 photo collage; 1st image, Alex with the fling golf stick preparing to fling the golf ball down the golf green; 2nd image, Alex & Bell selfie holding their fling golf sticks

Digital Detox with Lots of Outdoor Activities

The resort makes for a great city getaway for those looking for a digital detox. Rooms do not have TV’s and only the rooms in the main building have Wifi. It is ideal for people wanting a relaxing getaway by the pool or at the spa. It is also great for those wanting to play golf and to stay active with tennis, badminton, swimming or nearby hiking.

Ideal for Family Reunions

Capon Springs is a great place for family reunions. We met a nice family at breakfast who has been getting together at the resort for many years. Lots of families return the same week year each year and stay in the same room. So you can think of it a bit like timeshare, without any long term commitment.

3 photo collage: 1st image blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream, 2nd image steak, corn on cob, baked potato and salad, 3rd image, people eating at outdoor tables overlooking a golf course

Capon Spring Water is Meant to Have Health Benefits

Capon originates from a Shawnee word meaning “healing waters.” And the spring water is believed to have health benefits. It was once even the official water of the US Congress!

Pro tip- arrive with a few large empty water bottles to take some of the Capon spring water with you! The water is clear and tastes great, much better than what typically comes out of the tap. Capon Springs has no shortage of potable water and they encourage guests to take some fresh spring water with them at no additional charge.

Bell filling a large plastic bottle with Capon water from a faucet

Hampshire County Recap

The Mountain State of West Virginia offers some of the most scenic landscapes in the country. Hampshire County is a great place to relax and unwind, just a two hour drive from Washington, DC. It’s an ideal place for outdoor recreation as well as relaxing over a needed digital detox. City life often moves too fast, so the generally relaxed pace of West Virginia offers a welcome break from that. Take a scenic train ride, relax at the spa, play some golf, enjoy delicious food and drinks, and get reacquainted with the important things in life- nature and your loved ones.

Pinterest pin of mountains and river

Disclosure: We were hosted by Capon Springs and Farms, South Branch Inn and the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad as part of a collaboration with Hampshire County Tourism. We thank them for their support, and encourage you to explore their website if you have additional questions on planning a trip to Hampshire County. All photos and opinions expressed here are our own. Also, this article contains some affiliate links.

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