Halo Floors, offered under the CBC Flooring family of products, represents one of the most dynamic and refreshing luxury vinyl tile product lines in the industry.

Trying to get from SSA to Sao Paulo on Monday. Revenue fares $450. Gol has a ticket bookable with AA, SSA- GRU/CGH-GIG. Separate legs not bookable. We have checked luggage. Can we pick up the luggage in GRU and get lost on the way? Or too...

Discover Taurus and Aquarius compatibility in love, friendship, and more. Uncover their unique strengths, challenges, and potential for a balanced relationship

US President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney debate on October 16, 2012 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Undecided voters asked questions during a town hall format.; Credit: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

There continue to be questions about how moderators approach Presidential debates and about whether the extra time President Obama has received in the first two debates indicates moderator bias in his favor. 

I had chalked up the concerns to Republican hyper-partisanship, such as we saw with many Democrats criticizing Jim Lehrer for his moderating — as though Obama would’ve won the first debate if only Lehrer had asserted himself more.   However, even CNN has been doing significant follow-up on its own Candy Crowley’s performance in debate number two. 

Maybe it’s not just hardcore GOP loyalists who are questioning Crowley’s decision-making on when to cut in and when to allow the candidates to take more time. I thought she did pretty well, but there are plenty of critics.

As someone who has moderated hundreds of debates, I thought I’d share my thoughts on what we’ve seen so far in this election. Though I’ve never moderated a Presidential debate, with its incredible level of attention, concern about rules, and demands by campaigns, there are certain fundamentals regardless of the office or issue at stake.

Time Doesn't Matter...Too Much
First, as strange as this may sound, the time taken by each candidate has little to do with who has an advantage.   Yes, it’s always possible for a candidate to use another minute to fire off the defining line of the night. However, the well-practiced zingers or essential policy explainers are not left to the end of a candidate’s statement, as the clock is running out. 

I’m sure Mitt Romney wasn’t thinking after the last debate, “If only I would’ve had that extra 90-seconds, and Obama hadn’t gotten 90 more than he deserved.”  Both men front-loaded their major talking points and were going to get them in. Neither man could legitimately say he didn’t have a chance to make his strongest points. At some point, a time advantage could make a difference in who wins or loses, but an extra 90-seconds in a debate longer than 90-minutes isn’t going to do it.

Serving The Audience
As a moderator, you also have to think about what best serves your audience. I never guarantee candidates equal time, as it’s my job to serve the listeners, not their campaigns. I strive to get close to equal time, but can’t make any guarantee. Some speakers get to the point succinctly and have their points well put together. Others are messier in their arguments and eat up time just building up any head of steam. 

If the moderator holds to a strict time limit, you run the risk of frustrating listeners by cutting off the rambler just as the candidate is getting to the point. There are methods a moderator can use to help guide the speaker toward being more succinct, but there’s no guarantee the person will be able to comply.

Isn’t this inherently unfair to the succinct speaker? No. The purpose of the debate is to allow the ideas to compete.  It’s not a boxing match that’s about landing punches in a given time. The succinct debater has a big advantage, regardless of how much time the candidate has. That’s why Mitt Romney’s victory in the first debate was so lopsided — he won on the conciseness and clarity of his answers, coupled with Obama’s inability to get to his central points.  Obviously, there are those who thought Obama’s arguments were still more compelling than Romney’s, and that Romney lacked essential details.  However, for most viewers of the first debate, it was stylistically no contest.

Equal Time Is Not A Guarantee
When candidates are allowed to talk to each other directly, it’s very difficult to assure equal time. Even CNN’s clock that registers elapsed time for each candidate is subject to squishiness. Unless a debate is extremely formal, with carefully controlled time limits and a ban on candidates following-up with each other, you’re only going to have an approximation of time balance. I thought Crowley did pretty well to land the second debate with the balance she did. I’m not sure I could get it that close for a debate of that length. She had the added challenge of trying to determine when to cut in on President Obama’s lengthier answers. Also, Romney’s speaking rhythm allows more space for interruption. It’s tougher to break in on Obama.

Moderating Is A Balancing Act
Moderators are always trying to balance a need to move on to the next topic with allowing a candidate to answer an opponent’s charge. Sometimes, you open that door for a candidate, only to regret it later when the politician starts into a monologue, instead of confining the response to the previous challenge. Sometimes moderators, having gotten burned, will become less tolerant of such expansive rebuttals, as the debate goes on. Moderators are always juggling competing goals, and it’s a difficult job (at least for me).

Unfortunately, there are those who think debate moderators attempt to influence the outcome of the debate and the performances of the candidates. Maybe I’m naïve, but I can’t imagine any journalist who’s worked hard enough to get to the position of Presidential debate moderator subordinating his or her career in an effort to getting someone elected. Mainstream political journalism is like national sports reporting. You really don’t care who wins the Super Bowl, you want great story lines to explore with your audience. Yes, sports reporters have affinities for the hometown teams of their youth, but that can’t compete with the professional goal of covering great stories. 

Yes, most journalists in mainstream media probably have a stronger cultural and political affinity for Obama, as he’s more like them. However, it doesn’t mean a journalist is going to sacrifice the better story to intentionally provide a benefit to the President.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

J. Martinez & Company offers an explanation of the differences between Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee and High Mountain.

I took this shot about a year ago when I had a very different editing style. A ton of faded blacks and, believe it or not, a subtle green tint (unknowingly inherited from the preset I was using at the time). Re-editing it now, I’m happy with the way my style has evolved, though I can already sense that I’m on the brink of evolving it again. And I’m okay with that. ???? (at London, United Kingdom)

Newly elected Senate Republican leader John Thune (R-S.D.) reiterated his openness on Wednesday to potentially allowing recess appointments to skirt around the traditional confirmation process and quickly install President-elect Trump’s […]

Depending on which country you live in, the first Harry Potter movie features Harry, Ron, and Hermione talking about a different magical object.

Google Fonts - Different emoticons are shown when no fonts are found.

/via Thomas Park

[The Conversation Africa] Turmoil following presidential and parliamentary elections in Mozambique has been severe. Preliminary official results from the 2024 elections indicated a landslide win by the ruling party, Frelimo. These results are widely contested, with various reports of irregularities.

It's good to have a record of the things you posted and when you posted it. On August 12 of this year, I tweeted this: "When the NYT makes Trump sound like a reasonable candidate that a sane person might vote for, remember this day." I included a screen shot of the front page of the NYT on Jan 7, 2021. One in three Trump voters still watch mainstream news, which follows the lead of the NYT, and if they had been straight with us, perhaps enough people who like Trump's style would have realized the danger, and voted in a conservative way, ie to conserve the Constitution. Because of how they covered it, we now get to re-run the 2016 experiment all over again.

But, as Heather Cox Richardson points out in Jon Stewart's weekly podcast (a must-listen) -- we have more experience too, and perhaps will know better how to deal with Trump and know that his bark is often worse than his bite. I have to say as the new reality sinks in, I'm not as scared as I was on Election Night last week or even Election Night in 2016. A lot of people will sell out this time who didn't before. But the problems of climate change have gotten worse in the intervening years, and people feel it in their bones, pocketbooks and fears. You think inflation was bad? This will be far worse and it's happening now, and nothing we can do at a human scale will make it go away.

We're dealing with a very unusual drought in the eastern US now. Fires are breaking out where we never used to have them. Yeah this shit is real, and even people who don't believe in science are feeling it.

As someone once said, you should never waste a good crisis. A lot of other people feel compelled to move. Unfortunately some are moving to the wrong place, as they always do. Making change isn't easy, but is possible, if you understand how people move. As they try to figure out what the Dem's failed at, that's it.

Skate to where the puck will be, not where it was, as another famous philosopher once said. And people don't listen to their friends, they listen to their competitors (which I said, sadly, but then put that fact to use to get various standards to fly by without debate). There is a method to human madness, in other words, imho.

Okay, that headline is a lot, but it is about as succinct a summary as I can provide. Sora News 24 has the full story.

A taishoku daikou is a company that a worker in Japan will hire to inform his/her current employer that he is quitting. This is apparently a thriving industry in Japan for cultural reasons that elude my understanding.

Momuri is the name of one such company that has processed over 20,000 resignations. Recently a rival firm contacted Momuri and informed it that a Mormuri employee was quitting. This particular employee had, prior to his employment at Mormuri, been a customer who had hired Momuri to help him quit the job that he had at the time.

You follow that?

Photo: Lukas Bieri

Donald Trump won the election. The House and Senate are in Republican hands. That means the GOP now owns the debt and its consequences. This responsibility, while too much for past politicians, presents the opportunity of a lifetime: namely, to be the ones who put the government back on fiscal…

Carnival's budget-friendly cruises are a stark contrast from its sister brand Seabourn's luxury voyages.

Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok are obviously two very different players, but attack coach Tony Brown views them as the same when it comes to driving the Springbok attack.

After some uncertain times with John Tortorella, Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim has now become the head coach's go-to guy.

On Tuesday, Alaya posted a picture on her Instagram Stories, enjoying a day out with her BFF Manushi Chhillar.

Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong says the team can expect a difficult duel against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic. The Super Eagles will be up against their neighbours in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matchday five encounter at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan on Thursday (today). Benin Republic claimed a famous 2-1 […]

AFCON 2026Q: Benin Republic will be difficult, Super Eagles will conquer – Troost-Ekong

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou on Wednesday said he was not “indifferent” to the challenges of local government reform and that he in fact “did more than that for which the law provides”. Ioannou was reacting to claims made by Akel that the government had “not shown the necessary fervour” in its efforts to ensure a […]

Dolphins QB has no regrets about risking another concussion.

Savard, M M; Jautzy, J J; Lavoie, D; Dhillon, R S; Defliese, W. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta vol. 298, 2021 p. 43-54, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2021.01.041
<a href="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20200080.jpg"><img src="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/20200080.jpg" title="Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta vol. 298, 2021 p. 43-54, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2021.01.041" height="150" border="1" /></a>

Kabanov, P B; Abdi, W; Biggin, A J; Bilot, I; van der Boon, A; Gouwy, S; Grasby, S; Minions, N; Percival, J; Thallner, D; Twemlow, C; VandenBerg, R. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 8940, 2023, 13 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/331201
<a href="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/gid_331201.jpg"><img src="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/gid_331201.jpg" title="Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 8940, 2023, 13 pages, https://doi.org/10.4095/331201" height="150" border="1" /></a>

Super Zhewitra is a medication designed to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). It combines two active ingredients, Vardenafil and Dapoxetine, to provide a dual-action treatment. Vardenafil is a PDE5 inhibitor, which enhances erectile function, while Dapoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), helps with premature ejaculation (PE). This combination is particularly beneficial for men who experience both ED and PE, as it improves erectile quality and delays ejaculation, allowing for more satisfying sexual experiences. How Super Zhewitra Works Vardenafil (20 mg): Vardenafil is a PDE5 inhibitor, which works by increasing blood flow to the penis when sexually stimulated. This helps achieve and maintain an erection. Vardenafil is known for its quick onset of action, typically taking effect within 30 to 60 minutes of consumption. Its effects can last for about 4 to 5 hours, providing a window of time for sexual activity. Dapoxetine (60 mg): Dapoxetine is an SSRI that helps delay ejaculation. It increases serotonin levels in the brain, improving control over ejaculation. Dapoxetine is typically used for treating premature ejaculation and helps men maintain sexual performance for longer durations. Benefits of Super Zhewitra Dual Action for ED and PE: Super Zhewitra combines two active ingredients to address both erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation in a single pill, making it an efficient and convenient treatment for men facing both issues. Improved Sexual Confidence: By helping men achieve and maintain an erection while delaying ejaculation, Super Zhewitra can significantly boost sexual confidence and satisfaction. Longer Duration of Action: The effects of Vardenafil last for 4 to 5 hours, and with Dapoxetine's impact on ejaculatory control, men can enjoy more extended sexual activity without the worry of premature ejaculation. https://www.genericday.com/super-zhewitra.html

Reading depends on spoken language. This is a simple statement with profound consequences for children whose spoken language differs from the language they are expected to read. For most children, the language skills they bring to school will support learning to read, which is mainly learning to understand their spoken language in a new form: print. However, some children’s language skills differ in important ways from the classroom language variety, and teachers rarely receive sound guidance on how to enhance their literacy instruction to meet these children’s needs.

The activation of autonomic and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) systems occurs interdependently with behavioral adjustments under varying environmental demands. Nevertheless, laboratory rodent studies examining the neural bases of stress responses have generally attributed increments in these systems to be monolithic, regardless of whether an active or passive coping strategy is employed. Using the shock probe defensive burying test (SPDB) to measure stress-coping features naturalistically in male and female rats, we identify a neural pathway whereby activity changes may promote distinctive response patterns of hemodynamic and HPA indices typifying active and passive coping phenotypes. Optogenetic excitation of the rostral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) input to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) decreased passive behavior (immobility), attenuated the glucocorticoid hormone response, but did not prevent arterial pressure and heart rate increases associated with rats’ active behavioral (defensive burying) engagement during the SPDB. In contrast, inhibition of the same pathway increased behavioral immobility and attenuated hemodynamic output but did not affect glucocorticoid increases. Further analyses confirmed that hemodynamic increments occurred preferentially during active behaviors and decrements during immobility epochs, whereas pathway manipulations, regardless of the directionality of effect, weakened these correlational relationships. Finally, neuroanatomical evidence indicated that the influence of the rostral mPFC->vlPAG pathway on coping response patterns is mediated predominantly through GABAergic neurons within vlPAG. These data highlight the importance of this prefrontal->midbrain connection in organizing stress-coping responses and in coordinating bodily systems with behavioral output for adaptation to aversive experiences.

The prefrontal cortex is critical for decision-making across species, with its activity linked to choosing between options. Drift diffusion models (DDMs) are commonly employed to understand the neural computations underlying this behavior. Studies exploring the specific roles of regions of the rodent prefrontal cortex in controlling the decision process are limited. This study explored the role of the prelimbic cortex (PLC) in decision-making using a two-alternative forced-choice task. Rats first learned to report the location of a lateralized visual stimulus. The brightness of the stimulus indicated its reward value. Then, the rats learned to make choices between pairs of stimuli. Sex differences in learning were observed, with females responding faster and more selectively to high-value stimuli than males. DDM analysis found that males had decreased decision thresholds during initial learning, whereas females maintained a consistently higher drift rate. Pharmacological manipulations revealed that PLC inactivation reduced the decision threshold for all rats, indicating that less information was needed to make a choice in the absence of normal PLC processing. μ-Opioid receptor stimulation of the PLC had the opposite effect, raising the decision threshold and reducing bias in the decision process toward high-value stimuli. These effects were observed without any impact on the rats’ choice preferences. Our findings suggest that PLC has an inhibitory role in the decision process and regulates the amount of evidence that is required to make a choice. That is, PLC activity controls "when," but not "how," to act.

Six young people joined STEP OUT 2014 and an outreach in the Philippines to challenge their comfort zones, and they were not disappointed.

OM workers use London charity shop to reach out to surrounding Turkish and Kurdish communities.

The power of unity and the diversity of the body of Christ was enjoyed during an outreach in El Salvador.

You may have form the idea that celebrities are the trendiest person ever, no matter their dressing-up or making-up. Thus keep an eye on what they look is a wise means to keep pace with trend. How to make themselves different from other...

Aprilia has introduced the Tuono 457 at this year's EICMA, a bike closely related to the RS 457. While they share many features, there are notable distinctions. The Tuono 457 stands out with its unique design and colour options. Unlike the

Hollywood power couple Ben Foster and Laura Prepon have decided to part ways after six years of their marriage and the actor requested that their prenuptial agreement be upheld and that assets and debts be divided equally.

Cardinal Hugo de Sancto Caro is often given credit for first dividing the Latin Vulgate into chapters in the real sense, but it is the arrangement of his contemporary and fellow cardinal Stephen Langton who in 1205 A.D. created the chapter divisions which are used today. They were then inserted into Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in the 15th century. Robert Estienne (Robert Stephanus) was the first to number the verses within each chapter, his verse numbers entering printed editions in 1551 (New Testament) and 1571 (Old Testament - Hebrew Bible). The division of the Bible into chapters and verses has often elicited severe criticism from traditionalists and modern scholars alike. Critics charge that the text is often divided in an incoherent way, or at inappropriate rhetorical points [i.e. Isaiah chapter 53], and that it encourages citing passages out of context. Nevertheless, the chapter and verse numbers have become indispensable as technical references for Bible study.

Its been about a month since I started using Twitter, and I have to say the thing I’m most disappointed with is the fact that its so easy to miss interesting information.  Depending on how busy I am, I may have the time to spend half a day catching up to stuff on Twitter, or [...]

Choosing travel insurance is not for the faint-hearted. There are hundreds of providers, and increasingly numerous types of packages. A lot will depend upon your budget, and the type of things you want to cover against. Be careful when choosing any particular policy, and don’t presume anything (for example, check out these common reasons where […]

The post What different types of travel insurance are available? appeared first on Three Monkeys Online Magazine.

Louise Perry writes that she was betrayed by the lies of the sexual revolution. As a father of daughters this is heartbreaking to read.

It's precisely because I'm a feminist that I've changed my mind on sexual liberalism. It's an ideology premised on the false belief that the physical and psychological differences between men and women are trivial, and that any restrictions placed on sexual behavior must therefore have been motivated by malice, stupidity or ignorance.

The problem is the differences aren't trivial. Sexual asymmetry is profoundly important: One half of the population is smaller and weaker than the other half, making it much more vulnerable to violence. This half of the population also carries all of the risks associated with pregnancy. It is also much less interested in enjoying all of the delights now on offer in the post-sexual revolution era. ...

The new sexual culture isn't so much about the liberation of women, as so many feminists would have us believe, but the adaptation of women to the expectations of a familiar character: Don Juan, Casanova, or, more recently, Hugh Hefner.

It's almost as if our ancestors were wiser than we realized.

The Princess of Wales will host her Christmas carol concert this year, reflecting on "how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives".

Regardless of your job title, your role can make a difference. It comes down to leadership and understanding how to champion ideas and build trust.  Read on for advice from 12 CEOs, founders, presidents and thought leaders to learn how you maximize every opportunity to make an impact at work.

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Facebook and Walmart had one thing in common, they both built a product people loved. But their journey was different. Understanding how and why building startups is different from small businesses will help you make wiser business decisions. Here are the most important differences you need to know.

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(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 01, 2024 ) Aromatherapy Diffuser Market was valued at USD 1.87 Bn in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 3.45 Bn by 2030, at a CAGR of 9.17 % during the forecast period Aromatherapy Diffuser Market overview: The aromatherapy diffuser market has witnessed significant growth...

from Instagram https://instagr.am/p/DB48I-gSloZ/ via IFTTT

Displaying Color in LO but Printing as White Page + Black Text:

1. Format > Page Style > Area > Color to assign the BG color you want.
2. Go to File > Printer Settings > Options.
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This will cause all files to print black text with no background color. You can also use "Save" + "Delete" button from Tools - opetions - Libreoffice - Application Colors.

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Published at LXer: For those on the RPM side of the fence, Fedora 41 has hit beta, and works better in VirtualBox than ever if you're curious to try it. Read More......

La particularité de notre test, et on est les seuls au monde au moment de la levée de l'embargo de la presse mondiale, c'est que nous avons pu tester la PS5 Pro sur un télévis...

A very interesting post on how cross cultural differences between makers of airplanes Boeing and Airbus (located in small power distance countries) and pilots from South Korea (large power distance country) caused series of dangerous situations and accidents in the late 90’s. Planes produced by Airbus and Boeing are supposed to be flown by 2 …

Continue reading "How cross cultural differences caused Korean Airlines problems"

About the difference between carboyhydrates and how fiber can detox your body.

Right types of foods to eat depeniding on the type of exercise workout being done.

Four different protein foods you should include in your everyday meals, daily diet.