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Can a slip ring motor run through a variable frequency drive?
The main difference between slip ring and cage types is that the slip ring rotor generally has a much lower slip at full speed than the cage rotor if it is properly shorted directly at the rings. We need to check that the variable frequency drive (VFD) slip setting can go low enough. Otherwise only general things need to be considered......mainly the insulation quality of the stator since its likely you are dealing with an older motor.
The slip-ring motor has slightly different impedance response to a squirrel cage machine so the VFD control has to allow for this, but I believe most large VFD suppliers have this as standard. The slip-rings need to be short-circuited so the brushes can be removed (allowing maintenance-free operation) but this is never really a difficult procedure. There can be transient voltage issues on some VFDs (high power) but the OEM's usually have solutions for this.
The usual issues related to shaft voltages and earth brushes / insulated bearings etc. need to be considered. I would be surprised if any of the major variable frequency drives OEM's can't offer you a tried and tested solution - with minor modifications to the slip-ring motor. Of course there is also slip energy recovery which is used all the time for variable speed on slip-ring motors.
There are two types of torque that need to be examined. One is the steady state torque output - the kind when the machine is spinning merrily along at a constant speed. As long as the VFD can supply the voltage and current required to produce the torque, there's no difference between a VFD and a "line" source.
The second case is the transient (starting) torque performance. For a "standard" slip ring design, the torque is typically modified in some fashion by a control (liquid rheostat or equivalent) that effectively limits the starting current to some preset value. In the same fashion, it more-or-less controls the incoming line voltage. When operating on a VFD, the VFD "brains" do the controlling in a similar fashion. If the VFD programmer understands the application correctly, there's no visible difference in performance.
| 2019-04-18T22:23:33 |
http://www.gohz.com/can-a-slip-ring-motor-run-through-a-vfd
|
0.999775 |
Sales jobs are one of the biggest work at home options. There are direct sales jobs where a person maintains an inventory and sells the items. A good example of this type of sales job is cosmetic sales Then there are sales jobs where the person sells products that are then shipped from the main company. Most often these types of jobs are referred to as affiliate programs.
There are also opportunities to sell through online auctions. A different type of sales job is on the phone. The typical telemarketing job is becoming a popular work at home option. Sales are not for everyone, but those who work in sales find there is amazing money making potential.
Typing jobs are becoming popular as well. For many of these positions experience is required because they are in set market areas like medical or law. Typing jobs are most often called transcription.
There are not many opportunities in a work at home typing position for someone without training.
| 2019-04-19T06:17:55 |
http://www.workfromhomejobsguide.com/types-of-work-at-home-jobs/
|
0.999513 |
When talking about his kids' brief appearance on his superhero film, the 'Justice League' star reveals it was his daughter Lola who confronted director James Wan about the scene.
AceShowbiz - Filmmaker James Wan had to assure Jason Momoa's children their "Aquaman" cameo was still intact amid previous reports suggesting they had been cut from the final edit.
The former "Game of Thrones" star portrays the titular DC Comics superhero in the new movie, in which he reprises his role as the King of Atlantis from 2017's "Justice League", and his daughter Lola, 11, and son Nakoa-Wolf, 10, snagged brief appearances in crowd scenes during a shoot on the Italian island of Sicily.
Earlier this year, Jason claimed their cameos had failed to make the finished film: "They were in it but James Wan cut them out... They were these beautiful little kids in a Sicilian village and he cut them out," he told E! News back in April, revealing his kids were "so sad" at the news.
Jason encouraged them to take up the matter with the director himself, and when Lola confronted James about the confusion, he insisted their movie debuts were safe.
"My daughter rolled up (to James) like, 'You cut us out of the movie?' " Momoa recalls to Entertainment Weekly, to which James replied, "No, no, no, no, no, you're back in the movie!"
Although Jason was happy to have Lola and Nakoa-Wolf, his children with his actress wife Lisa Bonet, shoot the short scene, he has banned them from following their parents and half-sister Zoe Kravitz into Hollywood.
"They were really excited to be in it," he says. "I was like, 'Don't be so excited to be in a movie... you're not allowed to act.' "
Jason embarked on the global press tour for "Aquaman" in late November, but he has yet to see the completed movie because he is waiting to attend a U.S. premiere with his family.
"It's not that I don't want to (see the film), it's just that my babies were with me when we shot it, and they're 10 and 11 and I can't think of anything cooler than just being with them and all feeling it together (for the first time)," he explains on breakfast show "Good Morning America". "They can't really watch a lot of things I'm in, so it's a first!"
"Aquaman", which also stars Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman, opens in theatres later this month.
| 2019-04-19T10:14:04 |
https://m.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00129587.html
|
0.992979 |
I've mentioned before that I'm not in love with networking events. It's not that I don't like networking and meeting people; I just dread those first few minutes walking into a room full of strangers and trying to figure out what to do next.
However, I'm getting more comfortable now, because I'm following the two big rules of networking and the one big rule of being me.
1. Act like you're the host.
I put this into action last night at a networking event where I didn't know anyone. I ended up engrossed in conversation with one person, and out of the corner of my eye, noticed another woman standing by herself near us. I looked at her nametag (let's say her name was Guinevere) and said, "Guinevere, why don't you join us?"
It's always hard to break into established groups, especially the twosomes and threesomes, because they seem very intimate and there's no way to join without being noticed!
By acting like you're the host of the event and putting others' comfort before your own, your own comfort level will rise and you will also meet more people!
2. Focus on the other person.
A lot of people feel intimidated at networking events because they feel pressured to hand out business cards and talk about what they do in order to get new clients or customers. Of course it's awkward to walk up to someone and start talking about yourself. Who does that, anyway?
I recently spoke to a woman who was so intent on making sure everyone learned about her business that she neglected to listen to the people she was talking to. She gave fleeting attention to learning about the other women in the room, but it was obvious that she was just biding her time so she could talk about herself. When one person makes another feel unimportant and insignificant, do you think that other person will want to do business with her?
Put your attention on the person you're talking to. Ask questions and in doing so, think about what you might have to offer this person, besides your own services. Do you know someone who might be interested in doing business with her? Can you recommend a great book? Do you know someone in a similar field who would make a good contact?
Again, once you're focused on the needs of the other person, your own comfort level increases. The pressure is off to talk about yourself in a forced, unnatural way. They'll eventually get around to asking what you do, and that's just good conversation. Think of networking as meeting new people and having great conversations, rather than trying to sell stuff.
When I walk into a room and I'm uncomfortable, my instinct is to settle in next to the wine and self-medicate. I overcome that urge by playing a character - the version of myself that's confident, witty, friendly and outgoing - "me" at my best. "Me" in my comfort zone. "Me" when I'm feeling really good about myself.
I'm not pretending to be someone else. I'm just pretending to be the best version of "me." I walk up to people and introduce myself. I start conversations or join conversations already in progress. I ask questions, get to know people, and within a short time, the pretend "me" is gone and the real "me" emerges. I don't even notice it happening; it's completely organic.
Okay, this might sound strange to some of you. And don't forget, part of my background is in theater, so I'm used to playing characters (and heck, I am a character!). This might not work for everyone, but I highly recommend giving it a try!
Visualize yourself at your best and most confident, then remember that the next time you attend an event or party where you're not entirely comfortable. Put on the character of "you" and see how it fits.
Following these three rules of networking have pushed me past my discomfort, and these days I rarely feel nervous when walking into a room full of strangers.
"When I walk into a room and I'm uncomfortable, my instinct is to settle in next to the wine and self-medicate."
Ha! I can name that tune in no notes! Great tips. I will have to try that particular one out (acting in the role of "confident me," not self-medicating).
| 2019-04-23T06:16:54 |
https://www.speakschmeak.com/2007/07/my-three-rules-of-networking.html
|
0.997755 |
What a text ad means to people? For people, text ad may be a solution for a thing they are looking for, if neatly crafted. For manufacturers or service providers it is an advertisement of their products or services.
Creating an eye-catching text ad has its own components. We have to think about the ad title/headline, ad text/description, display URL, destination URL,color schemes & ad placement.
Ad title/headline: An ad title should be very brief & written in a way that it should attract viewers attention & in bold letters.
Ad text/description: Here you can tell people about your offering & compel them to take an action you want. Select words carefully & highlight important details & benefits.
Using opposite but complimentary color schemes can catch viewers attention: for example, use navy blue or royal blue color for ad title & an appropriate yellow color for ad text/description. You can try different color schemes by using color pellets.
Give your physical address or contact no.
if you are going to place your text ad in newspaper or magazine.
Display URL: A compact & meaningful URL will give viewers a clear idea of where it will take them after clicking on your link.
Destination URL: Destination URL is actual URL of your page.
Ad placement: Ads placed in certain areas of a page like above or below an article title, in the article body or at end of an article, at top left corner of a page attracts viewers attention quickly.
Spare some quality time, sit & think about your business & purpose for which you want to give a text ad of your products or services.
Prepare a list of important features of your products or services that makes your products or services unique & different from others.
Using effective words in your ad like purchase, call today, buy now, order, order today, browse, sign up or get a quote, free shipping etc. will induce viewers to take required action.
Ad should be very accurate, to-the-point & engaging.
Add prices, offers, promotions, discounts in your ad.
Including keywords in your text ads can draw attention of viewers who searched for the keyword & show that your ad relates to what they are looking for.
Create 3 to 5 write-ups of your ad & start test advertising each ad for a certain period. By doing this, you will know, which ad matter is receiving more response, clicks from the viewers. Then you can launch a full-fledged ad campaign for your products or services.
Create a fast downloading landing page on your website for which you are linking text ad. See that all information relating to your ad is included in this webpage.
Text Ad serving companies: There are many ad agencies on the web, who serve text ads for advertisers... Popular ones are ‘Google Adwords’ – a service of Google, ‘Bidvertiser’, & ‘Clicksor'. Open an account with them & start your campaign!
| 2019-04-21T06:16:39 |
http://cost-effectivemarketing.weebly.com/creating-an-eye-catching-text-ad.html
|
0.731773 |
You are encouraged to add extra comments after each item.
1. The genealogy conference I would most like to attend is - Who Do You Think You Are Live!
5. The genealogy lecture I would most like to present is - Any. I love to speak about genealogy - and I am hoping to someday break into the national conferences.
7. The photo I would most like to find is - my 3rd great grandfather, Jens Pedersen.
9. The place of worship I would most like to visit is – any church where an ancestor worshiped.
10. The cemetery I would most like to visit is - Falmouth Cemetery, Cornwall, England where my 3rd Great Grandparents Joseph John Williams and his wife Johannah Trippconey had to leave behind the graves of 7 young children to emigrate from England to the United States in 1868.
12. The brick wall I most want to smash is - who were Jens Pedersen's birth parents. He was a foundling in Denmark, born in 1807.
20. The ancestor I most want to meet in the afterlife is - This is a tough one because I don't know if I want to risk being where he might be, but I would love to see if George Burkinshaw - Born 8 April 1821, Thurgoland, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England and Died 22 December 1901, Tankersley Barnsley, Yorkshire, England was a mean and nasty of a guy as his close relative describe.
I invite you to list your genealogy "Bucket List" items in the comments, or go to the Geniaus blog and add your list to Jill's comments. If you have your own blog, please join the meme and pass it on!
I am finally getting a quick moment to talk about my recent trip to Arizona to teach at the Mesa Arizona Family History Expo. It was my first chance to teach at this particular expo and I had a great time giving four different presentations. I also had the chance to stay with family during my visit and to enjoy the warm sunshine since things recently turned cold and snowy in Utah.
Just before the trip I was given a preview copy of Lisa Louise Cooke's new book - Everything you need to know about... How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers (see this link) - to review before my upcoming class on newspaper research at the conference.
Well, after reading the book on the plane down to Phoenix, I was certainly excited about suggesting it to the class. This class is one where I explore the many different kinds of things that might be found in newspapers and show a variety of examples to get people thinking about what is out there. Then we briefly discuss some tips for searching and more ideas and many links are included in the syllabus.
Lisa's book would be a valuable addition to the class because it goes into so much more detail about the search process for newspapers. It also includes checklists and worksheets, as well as a plethora of links and a case study showing how she used newspapers to solve a research problem with her own family history. I told Lisa at the conference that it just thrills me how detailed and specific she was in providing users with such a COMPLETE reference tool for newspaper research. Can you tell that I liked it?!
I met many wonderful people at the conference, had some great chats about research and answered many questions after each of my presentations. I was so busy in fact that I hardly got to visit any vendors in the Exhibit Hall.
I am looking forward to RootsTech in a week! It will be a chance to talk with several vendors and catch up with friends I didn't get to speak with in Mesa. I also am looking forward to getting to know many of the geneabloggers and have even promised to do the 'bump' with several of them. (more about that later) It won't be as warm outside as it was in Arizona, but I am sure the conference with be hot, hot, hot!
| 2019-04-25T01:50:49 |
http://blog.branchesofourtree.com/2012/01/
|
0.991972 |
Saudi dismisses Iraq's allegations that it backs terrorism as "ludicrous"
Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal says accusations by Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that the Kingdom supports terrorism are "ludicrous".
Speaking to reporters in Jeddah, Faisal said the Kingdom had criminalised terrorism, especially that perpetrated by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and he advised Maliki to follow the policy pursued by the kingdom in eradicating terrorism.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has said that Iraq needed a government of national unity, with or without Shia Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, to counter a Sunni rebel insurgency.
Pressed in a media interview to say whether Maliki should form the broader-ranging government, which France advocated, Fabius replied: "With or withoutMaliki, but what Iraq needs is a government of national unity."
Al Jazeera's Imran Khan in Baghdad says the Iraqi government may have restricted internet access in the country.
"The war on the internet continues here in Baghdad. Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter all seem to be out." Khan said.
You can follow the latest updates from Imran Khan on Twitter @ajimran .
Iraq's conflict is the result of sectarian divisions that have been allowed to fester, and it is up to Iraq's people and leaders to resolve those differences, US President Barack Obama said on Friday.
In excerpts of longer interviews on several television networks, the president sought to place responsibility for holding off the threat posed by the ISIL, which has seized areas in the north of the country, and emphasised that US support would be limited and conditional.
Obama suggested that failure to acknowledge minority concerns coupled with uncertainty in forming a government after elections in April had left Iraq vulnerable.
"Some of the forces that have always possibly pulled Iraq apart are stronger now, (and) those forces that could keep the country united are weaker," he told NBC Nightly News.
"It is ultimately going to be up to the Iraqi leadership to try to pull the politics of the country back together again."
Local sources have told Al Jazeera's Imran Khan in Baghdad that Sunni rebels have captured Iraq's largest oil refinery.
An unknown number of Iraqi soldiers are believed to have been taken prisoner after clashes at Baiji refinery, north of Tikrit.
The mayor of a town northwest of Baghdad has said that it has fallen into the hands of ISIL fighters, the second to be captured by fighters in the mainly Sunni Anbar province.
Mayor Hussein AIi al-Aujail said the local army and police force in Rawah pulled out when the fighters took control.
He said government offices in the town, along the Euphrates river 275 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, were being sacked by the fighters.
The fall of Rawah, and the border town of Qaim on Friday, appears to be part of a new offensive.
The Beiji refinery was reportedly taken over by ISIL rebels last night but the army denied those reports today.
Al Jazeera's Omar al-Saleh reports that three staffers at the Beiji refinery told him that the refinery was under full control of rebel fighters.
However, the government continues to refutes this information.
Syrian jets have bombed rebel-held eastern areas close to the border with Iraq under the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, killing and injuring dozens in stepped up raids against the group since its Iraqi offshoot made stunning gains in northern Iraq, Reuters news agency has reported. Read out story here.
Sunni fighters led by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, the al-Qaeda breakaway group active in Syria and Iraq, have expanded their offensive in a volatile western province of Iraq, capturing three strategic towns and the first border crossing with Syria to fall on the Iraqi side.
The towns of Qaim, Rawah and Anah are the first territory seized in predominantly Sunni Anbar province, located in the west of the capital Baghdad, since fighters overran the city of Fallujah and parts of the provincial capital of Ramadi earlier this year.
The capture of Rawah on the Euphrates River and the nearby town of Anah appeared to be part of march towards a key dam in the city of Haditha that was built in 1986 and has a hydraulic power station that produces some 1,000 megawatts.
Iraqi military officials said more than 2,000 troops were quickly dispatched to the site of the dam to protect it against a possible attack by the Sunni fighters, according to the AP news agency.
Reporting from Baghdad: Imran Khan (@ajimran) and Omar Al Saleh (@AJEOmar).
Reuters has reported that Iran's top leader has rejects the possible intervention in Iraq by the US or any other outside power, accusing Washington on Sunday of trying to manipulate Iraqi sectarian differences to retake control of the country it once occupied.
In remarks published by the official IRNA news agency, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei added that Iraqis themselves could end violence in their country, where Iran has steadily built up its own influence over the past decade.
Iraqi military officials say Sunni fighters have captured two border crossings, one with Jordan and another with Syria, as they press on with their offensive in one of Iraq's most restive regions.
The officials said the fighters captured the Turaibil crossing with Jordan and the al-Walid crossing with Syria on Sunday after government forces there pulled out.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
The fighters seized another town in Iraq's western Anbar province, the fourth to fall in two days, officials also said.
Chief military spokesman, Qassim al-Moussawi, acknowledged the fall of the Anbar towns, saying government forces had made a tactical retreat and planned to retake them. He provided no further details.
Paul Bremer was the senior US diplomat in the country at the beginning of the US occupation. He says the current crisis in Iraq is the fault of the current political leadership, and defends Washington's Bush era policies.
Al Jazeera's Fergus Nicoll reports.
The Atlantic magazine has a fascinating look at how ISIL has used social media to push its message. Check out the article here goo.gl but please come back to us when you're done.
We knew exactly what strategy they were going to use, we knew the military planners. It fell on deaf ears.
@Salafi_Jihadi, a Twitter feed which is sympathetic to ISIL, states that four Nusra leaders in Syria have defected to ISIL and pledged their allegiance. Nusra and ISIL went to war last year after the leader of ISIL, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ordered the leaders of Nusra in Syria to agree to a merger.
The statement was issued yesterday. Al Jazeera cannot confirm the veracity of this report.
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has arrived in Baghdad.
Kerry is scheduled to meet Iraq's Shia prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, and top Sunni and Kurdish leaders.
According to Jan Psaki, the state department's spokeswoman, Kerry would "discuss US actions under way to assist Iraq as it confronts this threat and urge Iraqi leaders to move forward as quickly as possible with its government formation process to forge a government that represents the interests of Iraqis".
Al Jazeera's latest report on Iraq. Read it here.
Imran Khan, our correspondent in Baghdad, has written an article on what Kerry's trip to Iraq reveals about the US position.
More information from our Baghdad office. The border crossings of Turaibil (Iraq-Jordan) and al-Waleed (Iraq-Syria) in Anbar province are still under the control of armed groups. Rawa and Ana towns are also in the hands of rebels.
However tribal leaders in Haditha have stopped ISIL fighters from entering. The Iraqi army has sent reinforcements to the Haditha hydropwer dam, meanwhile.
Here's a map of the Jordan-Iraq border. Turaibil a highway crossing between the two countries. ISIL members have posted videos to Youtube saying they would turn their attention to Jordan. Jordan as posted tanks and troops near border.
This EPA picture shows Jordanian troops and tanks posted near the Iraq border. The EPA states they are near the Ruwaished crossing.
Al Jazeera's Inside Story recently looked at whether ISIL posed a threat to Iraq and Syria's neighbours.
Back to Baiji. Salah Hashim, a legal adviser to the Iraqi League, a UK-based rights group, has told Al Jazeera that the loss of the refinery will hurt the government in Baghdad. All oil production from the refinery would be channeled north, meaning a huge loss of revenue for Baghdad.
The AP news agency has suggested that the US is trying to wake up the "Awakening Councils" of Sunni militia in an attempt to defeat ISIL.
The news agency says the Obama administration is hoping to persuade Sunni armed groups known as Sahwa, or Awakening Councils, to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as they did against other al-Qaeda linked groups nearly 10 years ago.
The Sahwa programme was a US-funded scheme against Sunni violence when it was at its height in the middle of the last decade.
The agency says it is unknown how the US and its Middle East allies would urge Sunni tribes to resist ISIL without being funded, armed or assisted by US troops as they once were.
It likely will require a new government in Baghdad to support the militiamen who have been sidelined by Shia prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.
While the US hopes to reach out to members of the Sahwa, ISIL related accounts on Twitter are posting pictures claiming to be of Sahwa members pledging allegiance to rebels. This picture reportedly taken in Kirkuk shows former members of the army, police and Sahwa taking part in a repentance ceremony and pledging loyalty to ISIL.
Jordan ready to defend itself from Iraq "aggression"
The Jordanian military has said it is ready to defend itself against "any aggression" from Iraq after Sunni rebels seized large swathes of territory in the country.
"The Jordanian armed forces are capable of defending the kingdom from any aggression," border guard commander Brigadier Saber Mahayrah told reporters as they toured the border area.
"We will not allow anyone to cross illegally," he said as armoured personnel carriers, Humvees and tanks deployed to the area.
Mahayrah made his remarks two days after Jordan reinforced its border.
"The Jordanian army has dispatched more troops, tanks, rocket launchers and armoured personnel carriers to the border with Iraq," a security official told the AFP news agency on Monday.
"The army will not tolerate any kind of infiltration."
The US has accused Syria of launching airstrikes into western Iraq in an attempt to slow an insurgency fighting both the Syrian and Iraqi governments.
US Officials said the strikes appeared to be the work of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, which is locked in a bloody civil war with opposition groups.
The target of the attacks was the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has been fighting along with the rebels opposed to Assad and has since moved swiftly across the border into Iraq.
The White House said intervention by Syria was not the way to stem the insurgents, who have taken control of several cities in northern and western Iraq.
"The solution to the threat confronting Iraq is not the intervention of the Assad regime, which allowed ISIL to thrive in the first place," said Bernadette Meehan, a National Security Council spokeswoman. "The solution to Iraq's security challenge does not involve militias or the murderous Assad regime, but the strengthening of the Iraqi security forces to combat threats."
The leading UN envoy in Iraq has said "Iraq can be saved" if political leaders reach across religious and sectarian lines to bring the country together, take military action against Sunni extremists who have captured large areas, and stick to the constitution.
Nikolay Mladenov told UN reporters that the advance toward Baghdad b Sunni rebels "has stalled." But he warned that the conflict could easily become "a sectarian war."
"The situation is grave, but Iraq can be saved and the country can be brought together," Mladenov said. "It demands a security operation but it also demands a political process."
Prime minister says such a move would be "coup", in direct rebuttal of US efforts to tackle rising Sunni rebellion.
According to the caption, this video shows the aftermath of an attack by Syrian jets in al-Qaim, Iraq.
voiceover, off camera, says two rockets hit two separate areas in Rutba.
Local estimates of casualties in Rutba and al-Qaim are 60 people killed, and double that figure injured.
Reuters reports that three army helicopters have landed inside the university stadium of rebel-controlled Tikrit city, leading to fierce clashes with militants there. A source said fighting centred around the university compound. Tikrit in northern Iraq fell to Sunni rebels on June 12.
We'll have more when it comes through.
Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said the Syrian air force carried out air strikes targeting rebels on the Syrian side of the Iraq-Syria border.
Maliki told the BBC he "welcomed" any such strike against rebel fighters, but noted Baghdad did not request the aerial raids which took place on Tuesday.
The strikes came after Sunni rebels took control of the Al-Qaim border town on the Iraqi side of the frontier, providing them a strategic route into conflict-hit Syria, where an insurgency is also active.
Israel has offered to help "moderate" Arab nations threatened by a lightning offensive by Sunni rebels in Iraq, as the country's top diplomat met with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Kerry at a meeting in Paris that "the extremists currently operating in Iraq will try to challenge the stability in the entire Gulf region, first of all in Kuwait," a statement from his office said.
"Israel could provide effective and reliable assistance to moderate Arab states who are dealing with extremists," it added, without going into specific details.
Lieberman said Israeli interests were converging with moderate Arab nations "with both sides dealing with the threat of Iran, world jihad and Al-Qaeda, as well as the spill-over of conflicts in Syria and in Iraq to neighbouring countries."
"Today, there is a basis for the creation of a new diplomatic-political structure in the Middle East," his office said in the statement.
Around two thousand Iraqi Christians have entered the Kurdish city of Erbil, fleeing fighting in and around the city of Mosul.
An ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) artillery offensive against Christian villages in the north of the country on Wednesday sent thousands seeking sanctuary in the Kurdish enclave.
Having fled their homes, they are now living in a sports centre in Ankawa, a Christian area in the capital.
Many at the sports centre have told the Associated Press news agency they want to leave Iraq entirely.
"We won't have a future here in Iraq, never. Now I want to emigrate to a European country. Now, at this moment," said Iman Abdul Aziz Majid.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has ordered "all necessary measures" to protect the kingdom against any potential "terrorist threats", an apparent reference to the crisis in neighbouring Iraq.
State news agency SPA, said the monarch ordered the unspecified measures after he chaired a meeting of the country's national security council to discuss fallout from security developments in the region.
| 2019-04-26T06:09:14 |
http://live.aljazeera.com/Event/Iraq_2?Page=1
|
0.999996 |
What are risks and complications of cosmetic ear surgery?
What are the general instructions and follow-up care?
Otoplasty is performed to improve the appearance and function of the ear.
Otoplasty is safe and effective.
Otoplasty can improve one's self image.
Cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the external ear is often performed to repair cosmetic or defects resulting from injury. The most common procedure is otoplasty which is done to correct prominent ears in children. The goal of this type of surgery is to improve both the functional and cosmetic appearance of the ears. Frequently, psychological trauma is associated with such features.
You should discuss freely with your doctor your cosmetic concerns and expectations. In turn, your surgeon will discuss his/her recommendations and any particular limitations set forth by the preoperative structure of your ears, face, and skin. Preoperative and postoperative photographs will usually be taken to help with preoperative planning and to document postoperative results.
The following instructions are designed to help you, or your child, recover from cosmetic/reconstructive surgery of the ears (otoplasty) as easily as possible. Taking care of yourself, or your child, can prevent complications. It is very important that you read these instructions and follow them carefully.
Your surgery will be performed safely and with care in order to obtain the best possible results. The following complications have been reported in the medical literature. This list is not meant to be inclusive of every possible complication. It is here for your information only, not to frighten you, but to make you aware and more knowledgeable concerning this surgical procedure.
Infection of the skin or of the cartilage (chondritis) of the ear.
A cosmetic or functional result that does not meet your expectations. An unfavorable result may occur at any time following surgery, and includes inadequate correction, recurrence, contour distortions, or asymmetric correction, all of which may require secondary surgery.
Permanent or temporary numbness of the skin of the ear or face.
Scar or keloid formation, which is an overgrowth of scar tissue.
Prolonged pain, impaired healing, and the need for hospitalization.
Narrowing of the external ear canal.
Suture extrusion. When permanent sutures are used to maintain shape, they may become evident through the skin and may eventually require removal.
If the surgery is being done because of a tumor, there can be recurrence of the tumor and the need for additional surgery or other therapeutic modalities including radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
In most situations, the surgery is performed as an outpatient at either the hospital or the surgicenter. In both facilities, quality care is provided without the expense and inconvenience of an overnight stay. An anesthesiologist will monitor you throughout the procedure. Usually, the anesthesiologist will call the night before surgery to review the medical history. If he or she is unable to reach you the night before surgery, they will talk with you that morning. If your doctor has ordered preoperative laboratory studies, you should arrange to have these done several days in advance.
You should not take aspirin, or any product containing aspirin, within 10 days of the date of your surgery. Non-steroidal antiinflammatory medications (such as Advil, Naprosyn, Nuprin) should not be taken within 4-7 days of the date of surgery depending on the preparation. Many over-the- counter products contain aspirin or antinflammatory drugs. So it is important to check all medications carefully. If there is any question, please call your doctor's office or consult your pharmacist. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is an acceptable pain reliever. Usually your doctor will give you your prescriptions at the preoperative visit. It is best to have these filled prior to the date of your surgery.
You must not eat or drink anything 6 hour prior to the time of surgery. This includes even water, candy, or chewing gum. Anything in the stomach increases the chances of an anesthetic complication. Smokers should make every effort to stop smoking, or at least reduce the number of cigarettes. This will help to reduce postoperative coughing and bleeding. If you are sick or have a fever the day before surgery, call the office. If you wake up sick the day of surgery, still proceed to the surgical facility as planned. Your doctor will decide if it is safe to proceed with surgery.
It is important that you know precisely what time you are to check in with the surgical facility, and that you allow sufficient preparation time. Bring all papers and forms with you including any preoperative orders and history sheets. You should wear comfortable loose fitting clothes which do not have to be pulled over the head. Leave all jewelry and valuables at home. Remove all make-up with a cleansing cream. Thoroughly wash your face with soap and water. Do not apply make-up or cream to your face.
Do not take any medication unless instructed by your doctor or the anesthesiologist. Usually in the pre- operative holding room, a nurse will start an intravenous infusion line (IV) and you may be given a medication to help you relax.
In the operating room, the anesthesiologist will usually use a mixture of a gas and an intravenous medication to put you to sleep and to maintain your anesthetic at a safe and comfortable level. During the procedure, you will be continuously monitored including blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation (pulse oximeter), and heart rhythm (EKG). The surgical team is prepared for any emergency. In addition to the surgeon and the anesthesiologist, there will be a nurse and a surgical technician in the room.
Depending on what is required and whether or not you are also undergoing additional procedures, the surgery may take several hours. Your doctor will typically come to the waiting room to talk with any family or friends once you are safely to the recovery room.
After surgery, you will be taken to the recovery room where a nurse will monitor you. You will be able to go home the same day as the surgery once you have fully recovered from the anesthetic. This usually takes several hours. You will need a friend or family member to pick you up from the surgical facility and to take you home. He or she should spend the first night after surgery with you. When you arrive home from the surgical facility, you should go to bed and rest with your head elevated on 2-3 pillows. By keeping your head elevated above your heart, you can minimize edema and swelling. You may get out of bed with assistance to use the bathroom. It is best to eat a light, soft, and cool diet as tolerated once you have recovered fully from the anesthetic. Avoid hot liquids for several days. Even though you may be hungry immediately after surgery, it is best to go slowly to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting. Occasionally, you may vomit one or two times immediately after surgery; if it persists, your doctor may prescribe medication to settle the stomach. It is important to remember that a good overall diet with ample rest promotes healing.
You will be prescribed antibiotics after surgery, and should finish all the pills that have been ordered. Some form of a narcotic will also be prescribed (typically hydrocodone/Vicodin), and is to be taken as needed. If you require narcotics you are cautioned not to drive. In some situations your doctor may give you steroids to be taken either preoperatively and/or post-operatively. It is very important that you take this medication as prescribed, and not discontinue it prematurely. If you have nausea or vomiting post-operatively, you may be prescribed medications for nausea (anti-emesis), such as phenergan. If you have any questions or you feel that you are developing a reaction to any of these medications, you should consult your doctor. You should not take any other medication, either prescribed or over-the-counter, unless you have discussed it with your doctor.
In most situations, a bandage will have been placed to cover the wound. If you are undergoing an otoplasty, a compressive dressing will be placed. You should not remove the dressing because these are holding the external ears in the appropriate position. Your doctor will probably check the ear the next day in the office. If you experience severe pain on only one side, please call the office to report this to the doctor. It may be the first indication of a hematoma. Unless instructed otherwise, the bandages should remain in place for one week. At this time, you are asked to return to the office to have the sutures removed. We usually recommend that you wear an elastic band (ear band-it) at night for the next 6 weeks. It is best to wear the band even during the day when it is "socially acceptable". We discourage facial tanning for 6 months after surgery. If you must be in the sun you should use a number 15 or greater sun block. You may use your usual make-up anytime after surgery. Do not wear earrings or glasses (if possible) for 3 weeks.
After the bandages have been removed, clean the wound with a Q-tip soaked in hydrogen peroxide to remove all crusts. By gently removing all crusts, the wound edges will heal better with a less obvious scar. Apply polysporin ointment, or a similar antibiotic ointment of your choice, to the cleaned wound. If you develop a rash, discontinue the ointment and notify your surgeon. You may wash you face and hair after the bandages have been removed. Avoid excessive scrubbing of the wound.
Use a gentle soap and shampoo. We ask that you stay out of the pool for several weeks, and after that to wear the ear band-it for the next 6 weeks. Numbness, slight swelling, itching, and discoloration are normal complaints, and should go away with time. You should plan to stay in town for 3 weeks to allow for after-surgery (postoperative) care.
A fever greater than 101.5 degrees F which persists despite increasing the amount of fluid you drink and acetaminophen (Tylenol). A person with a fever should try to drink approximately one cup of fluid each waking hour.
Persistent sharp pain or severe one- sided pain which is not relieved by the pain medication you were prescribed.
Increased swelling or redness of the ears.
Isaacson, Glenn C., M.D. "Congenital anomalies of the ear." UptoDate. Updated Feb. 4, 2016.
What was you or your child's otoplasty surgery experience like?
Did you or your child experience any complications from otoplasty?
What steps did you take to ensure you or your child recovered quickly from otoplasty surgery?
How did you prepare yourself or your child for otoplasty surgery?
Asthma is a condition in which hyperreactive airways constrict and result in symptoms like wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Causes of asthma include genetics, environmental factors, personal history of allergies, and other factors. Asthma is diagnosed by a physician based on a patient's family history and results from lung function tests and other exams. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting bronchodilators (LABAs) are used in the treatment of asthma. Generally, the prognosis for a patient with asthma is good. Exposure to allergens found on farms may protect against asthma symptoms.
| 2019-04-23T12:16:32 |
https://www.medicinenet.com/otoplasty/article.htm
|
0.999676 |
Science fair was great. I tested 3 times, and got the results. The results were/the cone floats the best. I got these results because the weighted bottom and wide top of the cone will provide balance and buoyancy.
My hypothesis is correct,I enjoyed science fair.
| 2019-04-23T18:49:33 |
http://pirjordonmo.blogspot.com/2017/06/science-fair-2017.html
|
0.995311 |
Monkey Game Programming step by step: Monkey-X - Rpg - Leveling with XP - code example.
Monkey-X - Rpg - Leveling with XP - code example.
Here a example of how to level up a player/character by adding xp. The required level is increased every level increase.
| 2019-04-20T02:17:13 |
http://monkeygameprogramming.blogspot.com/2015/07/monkey-x-rpg-leveling-with-xp-code.html
|
0.999992 |
What Questions Should I Ask During Home Inspection?
A home is one of the most important purchases you will ever make, so the need to make sure that you are getting the best value for your hard-earned money. It is vital for you to be certain that everything in your target home is checked and evaluated before you buy a home.
Enter the value of home inspection. A home inspection is an inexpensive way to become aware of the overall condition of a home. It is important to make sure that you are not making a costly mistake of buying a home that is in need of major repairs or replacements. In line with this, you also need to know the key questions that you need to ask during the home inspection process - and I'm here to sum them up for you.
The inspector should be able to tell you if the home is in a condition that's ready for move-in, or if you still need to do some work on it.
If the inspector tries to get work fixing the problems, you may want a second opinion. The inspector should be able to tell you how to quickly fix something, or suggest an expert who can.
The inspector tries to find every problem, big or small. Asking this can help you determine which are the most pressing issues.
Have your home inspector teach you how your future systems and appliances work and what kind of maintenance you'll need to do on them.
Get an estimate of how long you have left in your systems and appliances so you can plan ahead for what you need to replace in the future.
| 2019-04-18T13:23:15 |
https://www.fortmcmurrayhomes4sale.com/blog/what-questions-should-i-ask-during-home-inspection/
|
0.999862 |
The most frequent questions I get about using Annie Sloan's products concern waxing.
Waxing should not be hard, it gives your surface the best protection, it doesn't yellow, and it's low maintenance when complete. If you're sweating while you're working with wax, you're doing it wrong.
Once you're finished with painting, when can you wax? When the paint is fully dry. Drying time is affected by your technique, humidity, and temperature. Lightly painted pieces in dry, warm but not hot, weather can take as little as an hour. Heavily painted surfaces with lots of techniques, in hot and humid climates can take more time. If you're unsure, 24 hours should do it.
1) Rule to remember - More is definitely not better. You do not need gobs of wax on your brush. Put a small amount on the brush and do a small section. If you touch the freshly waxed section, it should feel just a little slippery.
2) Work small sections and over lap a tad as you go. The mineral spirits in the wax will soften the wax from the edge of the first part you did and help to blend it with the new section.
4) A freshly waxed surface should feel slightly soft. NOT Slippery. If you see your finger marks, wipe more.
5) Apply two coats, one right after the other. Even the best are going to miss spots. Doing two coats while the wax is fresh ensures good coverage.
7) Want a smooth shiny surface? That starts before you even apply the paint. If your surface is not smooth to begin with, it won't end that way either. If you do have a smooth surface, apply the paint with a light hand, going with the grain, and sand with fine sandpaper in between coats. It won't look like a mega glossy finish when you're done, but it will have a really nice high shine.
Here are more tips from Annie on how to apply Annie Sloan Wax.
- Apply the wax with the brush in one area and move on quickly, avoiding overworking. Then use a clean or slightly waxed rag to wipe off or rub in excess wax. It’s a few swipes with a cloth and then left.
- It’s important not to overwork with your brush when waxing. Working the wax in to the paint with the brush until there is no excess is unnecessary hard work.
- You don't particularly need more force for waxing than you do for painting.
- You're better off buffing with a rag than with a brush. It's requires far less effort for the same result. If you want to buff it to a shine, leave it overnight to harden then polish. - If you're breaking a sweat, you're working it too hard!
- Washing with dish soap will not have a dramatic effect on the life of a brush. Having said that, it’s best not to use too much, too often. Just think of how well you treat the hair on your head.
- The type of bristle used on our brushes is also traditionally used for oil paints, so the brushes can withstand abrasive substances like white spirit (mineral spirit).
- It's best to avoid using anything with bleach (chlorine) in it.
| 2019-04-23T16:05:13 |
https://dovetailsllc.com/blogs/news/tips-and-tricks-for-applying-annie-sloan-soft-clear-wax-if-youre-sweating-youre-doing-it-wrong
|
0.999957 |
What Is Halloumi Cheese or Grilling Cheese?
Halloumi cheese, sometimes just called grilling cheese, is making its way up the list of popular food trends—and with good reason. Halloumi cheese is a delicious and uniquely grillable cheese. You can enjoy it in many ways.
Traditionally prepared from sheep's milk in the Greek island of Cyprus, halloumi is a soft curd-like cheese free of rennet. It is safe for vegetarians who do not eat rennet.
Many similar kinds of cheese are prepared by dairy and goat farmers in Canada and the United States. For legal proprietary reasons, these cheeses are usually called halloumi-style or grillable cheeses. Sometimes they are called grilling cheese or frying cheese, or queso de freir in Spanish. You may find them similar to Greek halloumi, but some people prefer the original.
You may not be able to find halloumi cheese in your regular grocery store, but specialty grocers such as Whole Foods will usually carry it. Trader Joe's sells a pre-sliced halloumi cheese. Many smaller co-ops and natural foods stores stock at least one halloumi as well, and specialty cheese shops are also a safe bet. If you can't find halloumi cheese locally where you live you may want to try shopping online for it.
Depending on your recipe, halloumi is not usually easy to substitute. Tofu or Indian paneer may be used in some recipes, but it won't be quite the same as halloumi or a similar grillable cheese.
What Does Halloumi Cheese Taste Like?
Halloumi served plain is firm, salty and a bit rubbery. It is perhaps most comparable to a thick feta in taste with a smoother texture, though the taste of halloumi is certainly unique.
But halloumi is not meant to be eaten plain. It should be warmed, grilled, or otherwise fired up in order to really be enjoyed. Cooked, the saltiness fades into a strong savory bite, with a slightly creamy texture. Grilled or fried, it is truly delicious.
Think of halloumi as the marshmallow of cheeses: Eaten plain, it's nothing special and even tastes a bit odd, but properly crisped over an open flame (or a grill), both halloumi and marshmallows become beautifully and pleasantly crispy and savory on the outside, sensually melted on the inside and really can't be compared to any other food experience or taste. You've really got to try it.
Try halloumi grilled, pan-fried or thinly sliced. Use it instead of mozzarella in a Caprese salad, or serve it with watermelon, as is traditional in Cyprus.
If you are ready to try halloumi cheese, you can grill it in a grill pan, or even just fry it up in a skillet with a bit of oil. It's easy to experiment with grilled halloumi cheese or traditional 3-minute fried halloumi cheese meze. You can't go wrong!
| 2019-04-19T09:03:00 |
https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-halloumi-cheese-3376845
|
0.998331 |
For problems 1 – 3 evaluate the given limit.
For problems 4 – 6 compute the derivative of the given vector function.
For problems 7 – 9 evaluate the given integral.
| 2019-04-25T04:10:02 |
http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Problems/CalcIII/VectorFcnsCalculus.aspx
|
0.999999 |
What makes some code readable and other code unreadable? I'll argue that readability, at least when it comes to source code, is not so much about how the code is arranged (in folders, on the page) or how it looks (whitespace, indentation, naming conventions). Instead, readability hinges on how easy it is to discover and modify the behavior of the running software.
Code is not poetry, prose, or a recipe in a cookbook. Source code is more like sheet music. For musicians, reading a page of sheet music pales in comparison to playing the piece, or listening to it. For programmers, merely reading source code is far less worthwhile than interacting with the running program while poking and prodding the source to see what happens.
Based on this definition, what makes code readable? My answer: minimal barriers to interacting with the running program, modifying its source, and inspecting what makes it tick. Notice that this answer contains nothing about naming conventions, or the correct length of a function. Nothing about indentation or whitespace around punctuation. No comment about comments. To me, reading code is synonymous with discovering its behavior, and style considerations only come into play when they distract or mislead away from that goal.
What makes J readable? Several design decisions stand out.
What's happening here? First, I define some data that I want to work on. I assign a string to a variable: par =: 'this is (a string (with some (nested) parentheses))'. My goal is to determine the nesting depth of its parentheses.
And finally, put it together with the s-expression string using ,: (laminate).
Being able to build up an expression like this interactively allows for easy experimentation and keeps me in-tune with the data. The fact that J is strictly interpreted isn't a benefit in itself (in fact, I'd prefer if J had the option of producing a compiled binary executable) but what's really beneficial is having the option of running code in a REPL session.
if. 1 = #y=. boxopen y do.
Here, I typed the word fread and the interpreter printed its definition. Inside the definition are more words like boxopen and freads, and I can repeat the process for those to find their definitions as well. On occasion, you might find a word which is defined in some other namespace, so to see its definition takes another step, but it's still trivial compared to e.g. Python, where the standard library and your own user-supplied definitions are bytecode-compiled and essentially hidden from you as you use the interpreter. It's almost like having ctags built in to the interpreter, but the mechanism behind it is much simpler - what you see is what's actually there. The definition isn't bytecode-compiled, it's always interpreted.
There's kind of a lot going on here. Since J evaluates from right to left, let's break it down in that order. verb is a cover word in the standard library which evalutates to 3. noun evaluates to 0, adverb evaluates to 1, and so on. These are codes for the parts of speech used by the interpreter. Next is nl_z_ which is calling the verb nl in locale z. This is the "lookup in namespace" step mentioned earlier. Finally we see the left argument to nl_z_ is the string 'rx'. This tells nl to return only those names which start with "rx", and we can see that in the result.
Other words like load and hfd (hex from decimal) are in the standard library, rather than built into the language as keywords. This makes it easy to peek into the definitions of library verbs you may already be using, and perhaps extract parts of them for some similar-but-slightly-different purpose of your own.
For me, these aspects of J's design make for a very pleasant development experience, without the need for powerful IDEs or editor plugins. A plain text editor and a terminal is usually all I need.
| 2019-04-24T19:53:00 |
https://alexshroyer.com/posts/2018-06-01-J-is-readable.html
|
0.999839 |
EER = Output Cooling in Watts ÷ Input Electric Watts.
In India the maximum star rating is five stars and a 5 star is is the best. The next best AC is a 4 star AC and the next best AC is a 3 star AC and so on.
Yes, there is a star rating for inverter AC which is calculated differently from normal ACs. The earlier EER Star Rating for normal ACs were a very easy because it is a Star Rating based on just 2 variables, the output cooling and input watts. But this same EER Star Rating could not be used for Inverter ACs where a 3rd variable comes into play, that is the speed of the compressor which results in different efficiency ratios depending on the speed of the compressor.
When the inverter AC works at a slower speed the tonnage rating of the inverter AC goes down and when it speeds up, the tonnage rating of the inverter AC goes up. So, for example, a 1.5 ton inverter AC operating from say 10% to 150% of the nominal inverter AC capacity, becomes a 0.15 ton to 2.25 ton AC, depending on the speed of the compressor. Because of this ability of inverter AC to vary its AC ton according to needs, it makes inverter ac running cost so low that inverter ACs become the cheapest AC to run in India.
The Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has come up with a new Star Rating system for Indian Air Conditioners called ISEER (Indian Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). How the ISEER Star Rating works is that it is based on the annual cooling output of an inverter AC divided by the annual consumption of electricity of the inverter AC based on the different outside average seasonal variation of temperatures across the whole of India.
The new ISEER star rating of inverter ACs takes into account the total annual cooling in watts of the inverter AC divided by the electricity in watts it consumes in a year. In addition it takes into account the outside temperatures during the different times of the year. This is because an AC requires more power to cool a room when the outside temperature is more, for example inverter AC uses more power when outside temperature is 45 degrees C than when it is 30 degrees C.
The new ISEER star rating calculation involves both an annual temperature profile and an assumption of the average usage pattern of an inverter AC. The ISEER assumes that an Air Conditioner will be used for 1600 hrs throughout the year. The annual outside temperature profile is obtained from the weather profile of 54 cities across all regions of India and is from 24 to 43 degree C.
The highest ISEER rating for an inverter AC is a 5 Star rating. The efficiency of Air Conditioners have been steadily improving in India. For example a 5 star rated AC of 2010 became a 3 Star AC in 2015 and this same AC will only be a 1 Star AC under the new ISEER Star Rating is implemented in 2018. The ISEER star rating became mandatory from 1 January 2018. From 1 Jan 2018, all air conditioner units sold in India, both inverter and non-invertor ACs, must display prominently on the AC unit and its packaging the ISEER label with a Star Rating.
Many are curious as to how much more monthly electric bill you can save by buying a 5 star inverter AC instead of a 3 star inverter AC. We have a dedicated on the Savings possible with a 5 star inverter AC.
| 2019-04-24T11:57:44 |
http://achahome.com/inverter-ac-star-rating-in-india/
|
0.999772 |
Already know the scanners you need? Please fill out the following information to generate a quote. A representative will respond with a quote within 24 Hours. We look forward to supporting you!
Here, enter the product(s) for the quote requested. A representative will provide you a quote within 24 hours.
| 2019-04-25T08:48:33 |
https://www.iotrak.com/quote
|
0.999998 |
Can LeBron dazzle against the Magic?
"They couldn't see off Orlando though. The Magic, led by center Nikola Vucevic 36 points, snapped four consecutive Los Angeles wins last week when the Lakers spun through Florida. LeBron was so miffed he ripped off 51 points the following night against the Heat."
After a slow start as the LABron Lakers, King James' new team are 9-2 in their in their last 11. He leads the team in almost every major stat - minutes, points, assists, rebounds, even steals per game - and has really upped his game during this run.
It's seen them take some significant scalps, Utah most recently and Portland when they came to the Staples Center last week, but most have been against weaker teams. But then, those are the games they'd been messing up early in the season.
They couldn't see off Orlando though. The Magic, led by center Nikola Vucevic's 36 points, snapped four consecutive Los Angeles wins last week when the Lakers spun through Florida. LeBron was so miffed he ripped off 51 points the following night against the Heat.
The Montenegrin 7-footer is a tough match-up for LA, who lack someone who can handle his speed and size combination, so that'll give the Magic some encouragement as 8.5 point underdogs in this.
Under on the total points appeals more than a side on the line though. Both of these teams trend towards unders, with nine of the Lakers last 11 games not meeting the points expectations, while 12 of Orlando's last 17 road games have also failed to add up to over.
Take the [1.98] available on the under line of 218.5 points.
The Grizzlies are among the leading teams in the Western Conference after an dogged start to the season that sees them allowing the fewest points to opponents in the league.
That their gritty style has lifted them this high bucks many of the recent trends. In a league obssessed with upping the pace, the Grizzlies produce some offensive numbers that'd have analytic experts' heads spinning.
Luckily, they make opponents post even worse ones. Their starting five is holding teams to under 88 points per 100 possessions, and as a team they're allowing just over 100 points per game in total.
Marc Gasol is still their primary offensive threat, and could be playing the best ball of his NBA career. The Grizz are +9.1 in offensive rating when he's on the court. For comparison, the Warriors are +11.4 when Steph Curry plays.
The Knicks head to Memphis having won their last two, but that follows a run of one win in nine. Both victories, against Boston and New Orleans, show them improving offensively. They average under 109 points per game, but have scored at a rate of 115 in their last three.
Coach David Fizdale is returning to the city he was turfed out of just a year ago, and would love to take down his old side when they're riding high.
The Knicks' offensive burst makes the total points line of 207.5 look low here, despite Memphis' defensive prowess. The visitors have seen five overs in their last six games too as they're also allowing over 115 points per game. Even with they're tight defence, Memphis have seen four overs in their last six. Take the Total Points over at [1.91].
This season for the Jazz is striking an increasingly discordant note. They've taken a hammering from the schedule, playing 12 of 19 games on the road, a sequence that's featured some of the toughest away venues in the league.
That goes some way to explaining their last spot in the Northwest Division on 8-11, but it doesn't excuse everything. Utah are 2-5 in Salt Lake City too, a traditional fortress.
There are issues at both ends of the court, but Quin Snyder's team had built an identity based on defence, and should be up with Memphis among the tightest defences in the league. Instead, their allowing eight points more per game than last season, and it's costing them games.
game where Utah were 9.5 point home favourites, show they're some way from meeting those hopes at the moment.
The Kings have the second best home against-the-spread record in the league at 6-1-1, and are 5-3 straight-up on their own court.
Not bad, right? Well, with Sacramento, things are never straightforward. Coach Dave Joerger is getting heat from his bosses for, err, winning too many games.
It remains to be seen what comes of that situation. For now, he's in place and will continue to use veterans despite the misgivings of the front office.
They're in a tough spot coming from the Warriors game last night, an agonising loss. The fatigue from that should mean the Jazz can avenge their loss to the Kings last week and cover the line at [1.91] despite their issues. They need to start winning games like these.
| 2019-04-21T09:18:14 |
https://betting.betfair.com/us-sports/basketball/nba-picks-tips-betting-predictions-preview-sunday-november-25-2018-251118-821.html
|
0.999981 |
1. What is the Litigation about?
The Plaintiff alleges that Costco violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA") when it obtained a background reports on job applicants by using a disclosure form that allegedly was not a stand-alone form as required by the FCRA. Plaintiff alleges that the use of an allegedly non-compliant disclosure form (the "Challenged Disclosure Form") caused him harm and violated the law.
Costco disputes the Plaintiff's claim and denies all liability to Plaintiff and the Class, and has raised a number of defenses to the claims asserted. In particular, Costco maintains that the Challenged Disclosure Form fully complied with the FCRA and did not harm anyone.
The Parties are settling the Litigation to avoid further risk and expense. No court has found Costco to have violated the law in any way. No court has found that the Plaintiff or the Class could recover any certain amount in this Litigation.
Although the Court has authorized notice to be given of the proposed Settlement, the Notice does not express the opinion of the Court on the merits of the claims or defenses asserted by either side in the Litigation.
The Court in charge of this case is the Washington Superior Court in for the County of King, The Honorable Mary Rogers presiding. The Litigation is called Julius Terrell v. Costco Wholesale Corporation, Case No. 16-2,19140-1 SEA (the "Litigation"). Julius Terrell, the person who filed this Litigation, is called the Plaintiff, and Costco is called the Defendant.
2. Why is this case a class action?
Class actions are lawsuits in which the claims and rights of many people are decided in a single proceeding. In a class action, a representative Plaintiff is called a "Class Representative." The Plaintiff seeks to assert claims on behalf of all similarly situated people. The Plaintiff can thus conserve resources by asserting all the claims in one lawsuit. Class actions often involve circumstances where claimed individual damages are too small for people to proceed on their own, but where the defendant's conduct affected a number of people in the same way.
Lawyers who represent people who file class actions are called "class counsel." The lawyers who brought this case ("Class Counsel") have not yet been paid any money for their work and have paid all their expenses out of pocket. They will be paid only if they win the Litigation or if the Court approves the Settlement.
The Court did not decide this case in favor of the Plaintiff or in favor of Costco. If approved, the Settlement will stop the Litigation from being litigated any more. If the Litigation continued, there is a possibility that the Settlement Class would receive nothing. There is also the possibility that Costco would be required to pay more than it has agreed to pay as a result of the Settlement.
Class Counsel investigated the facts and law regarding the Plaintiff's claims and Costco's defenses. The Parties engaged in lengthy and arms-length negotiations to reach this Settlement. Plaintiff and Class Counsel believe that the proposed Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and in the best interests of the Settlement Class.
Both sides agree that, by settling, Costco is not admitting any liability or that it did anything wrong. Both sides want to avoid the uncertainties and expense of further litigation.
You are part of the Settlement if you applied for U.S. employment with Costco at any time from August 10, 2014, through April 17, 2017, authorized a background report, and Costco conducted a background check about you. Plaintiff alleges that Costco, to obtain background reports on job applicants, used a disclosure form that was not a stand-alone form (as the FCRA requires), but that instead contained additional information not permitted by law. If you were among the 1,510 individuals who were denied employment after review of your background report, you are considered one of the Class Members Entitled to Autopay, which means that you will get paid automatically, so long as you do not opt out of the class or object to this Settlement. If you instead were hired by Costco, you are not one of the Class Members Entitled to Autopay and, to receive a payment, you must submit a Claim Form alleging that you were harmed by the Challenged Disclosure Form.
If you have received an Email Notice or Postcard Notice, Costco's records indicate that you are a member of the Settlement Class. The Notice will tell you if you are a Class Members Entitled to Autopay (in which case you don't need to submit a Claim Form) or are not a Class Members Entitled to Autopay (in which case you do need to submit a Claim Form if you want a payment). If you are not certain as to whether you are a Class Member, you may contact the Settlement Administrator to find out. The Administrator can be reached at 1-833-380-5571. The question of class membership will be determined based on Costco's records and investigation.
The Settlement provides money for the Settlement Class Members. Costco will provide a settlement fund of $2,490,000. This money will be available for payment to about 113,839 Class Members, and will also be used to pay for any court-approved attorneys' fees, Class Representative service payment, and administration costs.
The exact amount each Class Member will receive will depend on the amount of fees, service payments and costs, as well as the number of Claim Forms returned. If Costco's records indicate that a Class Member was denied employment because of the background check conducted based on the Challenged Disclosure Form, the Class Member will be a Class Members Entitled to Autopay and will receive a payment even without submitting a Claim Form. Although the exact amount of payment will vary depending on the amount of attorneys' fees, Class Representative Service payment, administration costs, and the number of Claim Forms submitted, it is expected that Settlement Class Members will receive between $25 and $175 each, but possibly as much as $400. Class Members Entitled to Autopay would receive at least the same amount as those who submit a Claim Form and, depending on the amount of claims and uncashed checks, could possibly receive more.
The Notice you received will tell you if you are Class Members Entitled to Autopay, in which case you don't need a Claim Form. The Notice will also tell you if you are not Class Members Entitled to Autopay, in which case you need to submit a Claim Form in order to get money from the settlement.
6. How can I get a benefit?
If you are a Class Members Entitled to Autopay (you were denied employment after use of Costco's Challenged Disclosure Form), you do not need to do anything to get a payment. If you are not a Class Members Entitled to Autopay, you need to return the Claim Form that was mailed to you, postmarked on or before May 14, 2018. The completed Claim Form must be signed and dated. The deadline to file a claim has passed.
Your interest as a Class Member will be represented by the Plaintiff and Class Counsel. You will be bound by any judgment arising from the Settlement. If the Settlement is approved, and you timely return the Claim Form, the Settlement Administrator will send you a check for any money you're entitled to under the Settlement.
If you change your address, you must mail a notification of your new address to the Settlement Administrator or submit a change of address online on the Contact Us page.
7. When would I get my money?
The Court held a final approving hearing on June 15, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. at the Superior Court of King County, Seattle, Washington to decide whether to approve the Settlement. The Court approved the Settlement, and benefit checks will be mailed once any appeals are resolved and the Settlement becomes effective. We appreciate your patience.
8. What am I giving up if I stay in the Class?
Upon the Court's approval of the Settlement, all Class Members (whether or not they have timely submitted a properly completed Claim Form) who have not timely and properly opted out of the Settlement Class (as well as their spouses, heirs, and others who may possess rights on their behalf), will fully release Costco from any and all claims arising out of or relating directly or indirectly in any manner whatsoever to the facts alleged or that could have been alleged or asserted in the Litigation, including but not limited to any and all claims under 15 U.S.C § 1681b, and any analogous state law claims. This release explicitly includes claims for actual damages, statutory damages, and punitive damages, as well as for attorneys' fees and costs.
This release may affect your rights, and may carry obligations, in the future. To view the full terms of this release, which are contained in the Settlement Agreement, please visit the Important Documents page.
9. How do I get out of the Settlement?
The deadline to opt out of the Settlement was on May 14, 2018.
10. If I don't exclude myself, can I sue Costco for the same thing later?
No. Unless you excluded yourself, you give up any right to sue Costco for the claims that this Settlement resolves, even if you do not submit a Claim Form. If you have a pending lawsuit, speak to your lawyer in that case immediately.
11. If I excluded myself, can I get money from this Settlement?
No. If you excluded yourself, you are not part of the Settlement.
You may hire your own attorney to advise you, but if you hire your own attorney, you will be responsible for paying that attorney's fees.
13. How will the lawyers and Class Representatives be paid?
Class Counsel have not been paid anything for their representation of the Settlement Class to date. They have paid all expenses of litigation out of their own pockets. If they were to lose the case, they would be paid nothing.
In connection with this Settlement, Class Counsel intend to apply to the Court for payment of attorneys' fees and costs, in an amount not to exceed one-third of the total Gross Settlement Amount. The Court will evaluate whether this fee request is reasonable in light of Class Counsel's skill and the risk they undertook in bringing the Litigation. The Court may award less.
The Court has appointed the Plaintiff, Julius Terrell, as the Class Representative. Class Counsel also will seek compensation for his services to the Class Members, in an amount not to exceed $5,000. This compensation is intended to pay the Class Representative for the time and effort put into bringing this Litigation on behalf of everyone in the Settlement Class.
14. How do I tell the Court that I don't like the Settlement?
The deadline to object to the Settlement was May 14, 2018.
15. What's the difference between objecting and excluding?
Objecting is simply telling the Court that you don't like something about the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in the Settlement. Excluding yourself is telling the Court that you don't want to be part of the Settlement. If you excluded yourself, you have no basis to object because the Litigation no longer affects you.
16. Where and when will the Court decide whether to approve the Settlement?
There was a final approval hearing to consider approval of the proposed Settlement on June 15, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. at the Superior Court of King County in Seattle, Washington. The purpose of the hearing was to determine the fairness, reasonableness, and adequacy of the terms of the Settlement; whether the Settlement Class was adequately represented by the Class Representatives and Class Counsel; and whether an order and Final Judgment should be entered approving the proposed Settlement. The Court also considered Class Counsel's application for payment of attorneys' fees and expenses and Class Representatives' compensation. The Court approved the Settlement on June 15, 2018.
You were represented at the final approval hearing by Class Counsel, unless you chose to enter an appearance in person or through your own counsel. The appearance of your own attorney was not necessary to participate in the hearing.
17. Did I have to come to the hearing?
No. Class Counsel represented the Settlement Class at the final approval hearing, but you were welcome to come at your own expense.
18. May I speak at the hearing?
You were allowed to ask the Court for permission to speak at the final approval hearing. To do so, you were required to send with your objection a notice of intention to appear at the hearing as described in Question 15 above. You would not have been able to speak at the hearing if you excluded yourself.
The Notice is only a summary. For a more detailed statement of the matters involved in the Litigation or the Settlement, you may refer to the papers filed in this case during regular business hours at the office of the Clerk of the Court, King County Superior Court, 516 Third Avenue, Room E-609, Seattle, Washington, 98104, File: Terrell v. Costco Wholesale Corp., Case No. 16-2-19140-1 SEA. The full Settlement Agreement and certain pleadings filed in the case are also available on the Important Documents page or can be requested, in writing or by phone, from the Settlement Administrator.
You can continue to visit the Settlement Website for updates, call the Settlement Administrator toll-free at 1-833-380-5571, or contact the lawyers representing the Settlement Class, identified in Question 13 above. Please do not contact the Court for information.
| 2019-04-25T04:02:29 |
http://www.terrellfcrasettlement.com/faq
|
0.999355 |
Such is the pace of developments in London cycling infrastructure (planning if not actual execution) currently that a couple of details in my long blogpost of 11 days ago have already been superseded.
The most striking one is that a plan has now been produced for taking the East-West Cycle Superhighway past Buckingham Palace in a sensible manner, with the support of the Royal Parks Authority. There will be, if this goes through, a two-way segregated track on the north and west sides of the Queen Victoria Memorial linking a new cycle track on the north side of Birdcage Walk (currently the most stupidly-designed road in the area, with masses of space wasted in the middle of it, with giant pedestrian islands and dead areas between) with a widened two-way track on the north side of Constitution Hill. The segregation around the Memorial will be with bollards, removable for ceremonial purposes, unlike on most of the Superhighway, where it is with kerbs.
This all looks sensible enough, and people should respond to the consultation, supporting it, by 4 October. The question that is posed is: what was the problem before? Why was the Royal Parks Authority, until last week, bizarrely insisting there should be a gap in segregated the Cycle Superhighway in front of Buckingham Palace for 'safety, operational and aesthetic reasons', which would have caused, as Cyclists in the City pointed out, the Superhighway flow to get mixed with hundreds of gawping, snap-happy tourists on the Mall Service Road (effectively a pedestrian area, shown hatched just south of Green Park on the map above), obviously a recipe for disaster, and a position made even odder by the fact that, for the Superhighway solution in Hyde Park, the RPA was insisting that cyclists not share any of the current subdivided paths, but be routed via the roadway of South Carriage Drive.
The appointment of a new chief executive at The Royal Parks, which is responsible for the roads around Buckingham Palace, has been key to resolving the dispute.
Previous chief executive Linda Lennon was a fierce critic of many aspects of Transport for London’s 18-mile “Crossrail for cyclists” that passes through Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park as it links Barking and Acton.
The Royal Household is understood never to have objected to the plans.
Mr Johnson said: “This is the final jigsaw piece in what will be one of the world’s great cycling routes. I am absolutely delighted that we and the Royal Parks have been able to reach agreement and I pay tribute to the agency’s new chief executive, Andrew Scattergood, his staff and TfL officers for the immense work they have put in to make it happen.
So an anti-cycling Chief Executive left, and suddenly the 'safety, operational and aesthetic' objections all disappeared and the RPA was left looking rather less like the car-oriented dinosaur that campaigners had perceived it as before (the Royal Parks of course being full of roads that are full of cars, roads used as normal parts of the through-traffic system of London, with this fact not seeming to cause the RPA any distress or sense of conflict about their purpose). Hopes are raised that, after decades of campaigners asking for it, the Outer Circle of Regent's Park might cease to be a huge gyratory for motor traffic, but might be changed so as to allow only motor access to the car parking, the zoo and residences, and to facilitate a much-needed north-westbound Cycle Superhighway, CS11.
So my message here is that often, despite outward appearances of implacable homogeneity of institutional opposition to progressive schemes, it can often turn out to be only one badly-placed person, in reality, who is causing the problem.
On the flip side, one well-placed progressive person can often galvanise an organisation and create more progress in a short time than has been achieved for many years. And I have to hand it to Cllr Phil Jones, Camden's Cabinet Member for Transport that he has, with the assistance of his officers, got Camden making better progress on actually implementing a Central London Cycling Grid (to complement the small number of built Superhighways) than all the other boroughs combined. I reported in my last post that the promised link between Royal College Street and Primrose Hill was currently stymied by bus-related arguments, but apparently these have been overcome, and Camden is now produced an attractive plan for consultation, which I recommend all London cyclists respond to favourably as well.
Once the links are complete, cyclists will be able to ride from Swiss Cottage and Camden Town to Canary Wharf, Barking or Elephant & Castle entirely on separated cycle tracks or low-traffic streets. It’s testimony to the power of the relationship between TfL and a borough genuinely committed to cycling.
Actually he could go go further. If the Mayor actually builds CS11, promised for 2016, it will be possible to go all the way from Brent Cross to Canary Wharf, Barking or Elephant & Castle on cycle tracks and low-traffic streets. So I congratulate Cllr Jones on getting his plans this far, though I have disagreed with him on the best solution for Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street, Camden's 'West End Project'.
Drawing lines on maps, declaring them cycle routes and investing heavily along the route seems to capture the imagination of cycle planners and some campaigners, even though hardly anyone cycles such a route from end to end. Some of the investment that comes from such route-based planning will be good cycling value for money. However, instead of spending all this money on CS1, there are numerous other locations in the borough where investment would have been better directed. Improving these other locations, rather than using a large pot to titivate, and not substantially make things better for people cycling would certainly be better value for money, in terms of improvements to cycling.
In Hackney, in contrast to the route-based approach, the most innovative recent work has been the creation of a Bikeability map which assesses all of the borough's streets, regarding them as a network. Incrementally improving this network, particularly where there are historic clusters of collisions, will provide the best value for limited cycle and road safety funding. Sometimes improvements may be made opportunistically.
Hackney's 'Bikeability map'. The green on minor roads represents a lower 'Bikeability skill level' than the grey-brown on (e.g) the A10 running straight N-S down the west side of the borough.
will be regarded with some very raised eyebrows in the borough and beyond.
Of course I'd not dispute that streets should be regarded as a network, and, ultimately, almost the whole network needs its quality raised for cycling, but the points that are missing from Stops' analysis are 'utility' and 'standards'. Some routes are of far more utility and importance to cyclists than others, and it is here that investment at this early stage in developing a cycle network must be concentrated, to develop what I'd describe as the 'backbone network' of obviously attractive and useful routes that is needed to pull people in to cycling. Generally, but not always, these routes will be on the main roads, where, to achieve acceptable standards of actual and subjective safety, cyclists need segregation.
Stops wishes to focus on the wider network, and implicitly, to focus on small roads, because he seems to have a horror of the idea of subdividing the space on larger roads using kerbs, which he considers to be 'pesky' things that will disadvantage pedestrians, bus passengers, or others. But the 'Bikeability map' approach that Stops praises is fundamentally discriminatory and opposed to inclusive cycling, because it accepts a general and permanent compromise between efficiency and safety that is inimical to creating to a quality cycle network with uniform provision. What this 'Bikeability' thing, in this context, is really about is classifying cyclists, not roads. The very concept of 'Bikeability' in play here is a motor-oriented one, confusing 'cycling skill' with 'willingness to cycle with motor traffic'. Brave 'skilled' cyclists (normally young men) will continue to push their way down the A10, with its bad crash rate, because it is the most efficient, useful route for them. The slow and less assertive will, if they try to cycle at all, which most of them will not, be consigned to an indirect, low-priority, hidden 'superquietway' that will not be easy to use and will not get them to the places they need to go. This is not a good approach if your aim is mass cycling. But I sense this may not be Stops', or Hackney Council's, real aim.
How will an 8 year old get through a more congested Parliament Square as a non CSH route user?
Stops likes to claim that Hackney is London's best borough for cycling. I'm sorry, but the truth is that cycling in Hackney is, by and large, crap. I've often cycled in Hackney, and I cycled through Hackney the other day. There is no provision on main roads, which are choked with buses and other heavy vehicles, and the minor road routes are slow, deprioritised, badly-maintained and uncomfortable. You are bumping over severe traffic-calming all the time, and badly-maintained surfaces, taking long ways round, trying to follow neglected or non-existent signage in obscure places, you are constantly having to give way to main roads, or even slightly more important roads, and where you meet a main road to negotiate a straight across or dog-leg junction you have no help and no protection. Hackney can't even can't keep these poor backstreet routes open. The famous one running east-west from Canonbury to London Fields is currently blocked by major digging where the railway goes over in Middleton road, and cyclists just have to use the pavement.
Cycling in Hackney is inefficient and dangerous on the backstreet routes that borough provides, and very dangerous on the direct main road routes that it does nothing to make attractive or comfortable. Contrary to Stops' frequent claim that Hackney is some sort of great cycling leader amongst London boroughs, it actually (according to TfL cycle counts) has a similar cycling level to the boroughs of Richmond upon Thames, Hounslow, Islington and Lambeth, places with very different local circumstance and policies. The 2011 census gives utility cycling actually at a higher level in Richmond upon Thames than in Hackney (though I don't put much store by census transport data, as it comes from a self-survey, and may just mean that Richmond people want to believe they cycle more than Hackneyites do).
Richmond and Hackney are very different places, the former outer London and Conservative-controlled, the latter inner London and Labour, but I think the reasons for the high (by very low UK standards) cycling levels they share are a result of similar factors. Both have within them or very close to their borders a lot of parkland and waterside space where cycling is possible, attractive and car-free (in Richmond Park and other parks and along the Thames in the case of Richmond and in Victoria Park and other parks and and along the canals in the case of Hackney). In neither case is this much to do with the roads policies of the council. Hackney is, in addition, a flat and compact borough within easy commuting distance of the City of London, and it does seem that Hackney does disproportionally well out of commuting to the centre (it is the commuting mode share that the proponents of Hackney's 'cycling success' usually quote), while cycling to school remains at only 2% of trips, not high even by UK standards, and indicating the lack of a genuinely broad-based cycling culture.
Cllr Stops' partner Rita Krishna, is strangely (or not so strangely, if you know the local situation) on the Committee of Hackney Cycling Campaign. Since she appears to share the same views as Stops, those Hackney cyclists wishing to campaign for good-quality infrastructure in their borough had best lend their support to the rival campaign, Hackney People on Bikes, which does support the policies promoted in this blog (which are also the official policies of the London Cycling Campaign). In any case, it looks like Hackney will continue to be a blockage to the development of a high-quality, inclusive cycle network for Londoners while Vincent Stops remains influential on the borough's transport policy.
I paid a visit to the Embankment on Friday to see how the East-West Superhighway construction is getting on (and to examine those pesky kerbs). Only a 500m section is currently open, between Horseguards Avenue and Westminster Bridge, and it is only accessible to westbound (or southbound) cyclists, as there is no way to reach it eastbound. However, looking at the rest of the work on the two kilometre section between the open section and Blackfriars Bridge, I expect all this length to be open by the end of the year.
Completed Superhighway section looking south (up river). The basic two-way track is 4m wide in general.
The track is smooth, machine-laid tarmac. The kerb on the river side has not been altered, though I think it has been made lower by laying of the track. The kerb on the new segregating island is chamfered, a good detail, allowing wider effective width and reducing the chance of pedal-strike.
Make no mistake, this is the proper thing, and very satisfying to see, as the first piece of truly high-quality cycle infrastructure ever built on a main road in Central London. This is the most significant thing done for cycling in London since Camden built its tracks at the turn of the century, and, before that, well perhaps the most significant infrastructure put in since the 1930s (though that was suburban, not central). It's worth re-emphasising here: this is a gain from road-space. Nothing has been lost by pedestrians (in fact a lot has been gained). A simple transfer has taken place from space dominated and, from the point of view of most people, monopolised by motor vehicles to space dedicated to active travel. We'll see a lot more of this with the rest of this Superhighway scheme, and the north-south one from Elephant and Castle to the border of Camden. The politicians and public servants, like Vincent Stops and Linda Lennon, who say they support cycling, but do not want to see this kind of thing on their patch, will in future be seen more and more as an anachronism and an impediment to the development of a more civilised, pleasant and sustainable city.
The new Superhighways and Camden's grid routes point the way to a future pattern of use of road space that gives everybody an opportunity to cycle their journeys if they wish. The discriminatory approach based on keeping direct main routes as the cycling preserve of a tiny fit and brave minority must be consigned to the dustbin of history.
I left a comment on Vincent's blog but, as it didn't agree with his opinion, he didn't allow it to be posted.
I can't say I understand his assertion that Hackney's approach is 'network based'. Since a network of roads is just a interconnected system of roads it would seem to me the only way of improving a network is improving the routes themselves.
Anyway, I intended to do an analysis on the proposed solution a few months ago, but never got round to it. Here are videos showing the cycle along the A10 and the CS1 route. The latter took two attempts as I got lost and didn't have the time to back track (but I'm sure the signage will be excellent when this is finally rolled out).
About hierarchies, is there one that includes disabled people, including tricyclists?
On technical matters, what are the minimum widths of various features? What cambers are being used? How does a disabled cyclist use crossing controls, why do not car drivers get out of their vehicles to push buttons to change signals? Why are there delays before they change, how fast is someone expected to walk across a road and is that reasonable for an older or disabled person? Do they feel threatened crossing roads because of lack of time? How long does it take for a disabled person to get from one side to another of a complex busy junction?
If there are principles designers need to be continually reminded to justify all their thinking. The devil is in the details!
Another problem with VS' opposition to a route based approach is that routes catering for the lower ability levels simply don't exist, and there's no impetus to create them.
Remove all the links and junctions on the above map requiring anything higher than Bikeability 2, and route choice becomes drastically limited. In particular, the east/west running main roads sever the vast majority of potential north/south links. Failure to focus on routes means this problem is swept aside, instead of being recognised as a critical barrier (one which can only realistically be solved by segregated lanes on at least some segments of those main roads - so it's not surprising he wants to ignore it).
| 2019-04-23T07:56:03 |
http://www.voleospeed.co.uk/2015/08/its-often-only-one-person.html
|
0.999985 |
Output operator for the class ts::Time on standard text streams.
[in] time A ts::Time object.
ts::Time::TimeError In case of operating system time error.
| 2019-04-24T16:52:24 |
http://tsduck.io/doxy/ts_time_8h.html
|
0.947129 |
8 3 encoder logic diagram The following example shows the use of a nested structure to describe a priority encoder. 1 module prio4to2 2 input wire 30 x 3 output reg 10 y 4 output reg v 5 6 always 7 if x3 Output port o0 see figure 3. For the buffer structure there are two working states when i0 is off logic 0 the output port o0 is off logic 0 and when i is on logic 1 the output port o0 Enter the analog to digital converter adc encoder known as a priority encoder. This logic creates a binary value representing the highest comparator active think of it as the opposite of a.
8 3 encoder logic diagram 264 encoder 6.3mbytes reference frame memory and the video input raster to macroblock conversion logic 3.13mbytes frame buffer for 1080p30 video so the 1024 encoder clocks equates to 8.13us. Lets briefly review some historical logic basics. Ssi small scale integration referred to ics containing a few gates or flip flops. Msi medium scale integration was used for things like counters The design can control up to 16 3 pin computer logic elements within the greenpak. We used a pair of multifunction blocks to create a pair of latchedge detector combos. 4 bit lut0 is used to mux.
8 3 encoder logic diagram Figure 3 shows the iec61508 functional safety standards. 3. An industry 4.0 design must meet iec61508 sil 2 or sil 3 standards. Source ti designing industrial control for industry 4.0 with sitara It specifically describes the quadrature encoder example personality and indicators on the fpga front panel. 3. Close the reference to the fpga bitfile. See the example host block diagram in We also analyzed the structure of multipliers in rs encoder 3. An encoder 4 9 block diagram is shown infig. 1. Since the domain is characterized by base two system so the galois.
As shown in fig 1 the hardware implementation consists of 3 major 4ki422 hw encoder pairs up with the atria logic al h264d 4ki422 hw low latency decoder for low latency end to end links. Fig Elapsed development time exclusive of user tasks is 6 to approximately 10 wks production quantities can be ready 8 wks after prototype approval. Unit cost for a swap 24a in 10k quantities stands at The devices that typically deliver this information in the form of a time varying voltage are speed sensors such as encoders and tachometers and conditioned ttlcmos signals figure 3 shows a.
It's possible to get or download caterpillar-wiring diagram from several websites. If you take a close look at the diagram you will observe the circuit includes the battery, relay, temperature sensor, wire, and a control, normally the engine control module. With an extensive collection of electronic symbols and components, it's been used among the most completed, easy and useful wiring diagram drawing program. 8 3 Encoder Logic Diagram. The wiring diagram on the opposite hand is particularly beneficial to an outside electrician. Sometimes wiring diagram may also refer to the architectural wiring program. The simplest approach to read a home wiring diagram is to begin at the source, or the major power supply. Basically, the home wiring diagram is simply utilized to reveal the DIYer where the wires are.
In a parallel circuit, each unit is directly linked to the power supply, so each system gets the exact voltage. There are 3 basic sorts of standard light switches. The circuit needs to be checked with a volt tester whatsoever points. 8 3 Encoder Logic Diagram. Each circuit displays a distinctive voltage condition. You are able to easily step up the voltage to the necessary level utilizing an inexpensive buck-boost transformer and steer clear of such issues. The voltage is the sum of electrical power produced by the battery. Be sure that the new fuse isn't blown, and carries the very same amperage.
The control box may have over three terminals. After you have the correct size box and have fed the cable to it, you're almost prepared to permit the wiring begin. Then there's also a fuse box that's for the body controls that is situated under the dash. 8 3 Encoder Logic Diagram. You will find that every circuit has to have a load and every load has to have a power side and a ground side. Make certain that the transformer nameplate power is enough to supply the load that you're connecting.
Encoder logic circuit encoder truth table diagram of encoder and decoder logic full adder logic diagram network logic diagram d latch logic diagram computer logic diagram connected to encoder decoder diagram.
| 2019-04-23T12:20:28 |
https://scoutbp.org/8-3-encoder-logic-diagram.html
|
0.999852 |
A file photo taken on April 23, 2013 shows a mock "killer robot" pictured in central London during the launching of the Campaign to Stop "Killer Robots".
MUNICH - The German military has no intention of acquiring autonomous weapons, decried as "killer robots" by critics, the head of Germany&39;s fledgling cyber command said on Thursday.
Lieutenant General Ludwig Leinhos, who heads the new Cyber and Information Space Command set up in April 2017, made the comment during a discussion about artificial intelligence on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference.
"We have a very clear position. We have no intention of procuring ... autonomous systems," Leinhos said.
He said the German military needed to prepare to defend against such weapons if they were used by other countries, but had no plans to obtain such weapons itself.
Leinhos said a broader political and legal discussion was needed on the issue, which has been in the spotlight amid rapid gains in technology that could enable more autonomous use of drones and other weapons.
Mary Wareham, who coordinates the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, told the panel 22 countries had already agreed to support a ban on autonomous weapons, and her group was trying to raise more awareness about the issue.
She said it was important to ensure continued "human control" of weapons systems, and agreements were urgently needed given how quickly technology was evolving.
"This is a game-changing technology. This is something we can do something about," Wareham said.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister and former secretary general of NATO, told the panel he strongly believed in preventing the production and use of such weapons, which he expects to create more instability.
"The use of AI and robots in warfare will drastically speed up combat," Rasmussen said. "Soon, you may see swarms of robots attacking a country ... .The robots can be easily deployed, they don&39;t get tired, they don&39;t get bored."
He said NATO needed to revamp its slow decision-making process to respond to the new, much faster-moving challenges.
| 2019-04-21T18:59:44 |
https://www.enca.com/technology/german-military-says-no-to-killer-robots
|
0.999972 |
Yogi ordered a pizza. The waitress asked How many pieces do you want your pie cut? Yogi responded, Four. I don't think I could eat eight.
| 2019-04-24T14:56:01 |
http://www.entwagon.com/cgi-bin/quotes/author.pl?auth=Yogi_Berra
|
0.999279 |
What is Cindicator (CND Coin)?
Cindicator is an A.I. based hybrid intelligence. It's decentralized and utilized for financial analysis/active asset management.
Using predictive analysis by the cindicator bot, cindicator helps traders assess the market.
CND started with a token sale launching on September 12th, 2017 and ending on the 12th of October 2017.
Before that, they started posting on medium July 19, 2016. They were blogging based on A.I. replacing financial analysts.
Since then this intelligence mechanism has been refining itself with predictive analysis of the markets.
Black swan ideologist, super forecaster, and Cindicator’s triathlon team captain.
Involved in deep psychology, human and machine consciousness, complex systems interaction, neuro-communications, and explorations beyond reasonable limits.
Founder of IT companies in development outsourcing, medicine, and financial analytics.
Cindicator was developed to create a platform where financial analysis could be paired with artificial intelligence and help benefit investors.
With the erratic behavior of so many markets, and investors going on the whims of what is happening, following the trends of a bot can help the novice become the master.
Thus, holders of large quantities of CND coin can utilize the different bots that cindicator provides.
By answering questions every day and making forecasts on many different financial institutions, the intelligence platform will generate an alpha bot.
What this means is that while you invest intellect, the platform will invest money.
Then traders and investment funds will use the average of all of the answers provided by the forecasters and enhanced by machine learning and the A.I.
At the end of the period of trading, the rewards are split.
Based on the accuracy of the forecasts and results of the trading bot, the higher the reward someone will receive.
With the power of both man and machine, the cindicator team and CND holders make smarter decisions.
Thousands of financial analysts, artificial intelligence, and machine learning create value for the community.
This comes based out of the incentives produced from the collective intelligence platform.
With the diverse group of analysts answering questions around crypto and traditional markets, these bots start to accumulate data.
Then these predictions get formatted into indicators.
Measuring more than 500,000 different predictions, the machine-learning is constantly adjusting to find the correct answers.
Three different levels get investor access to cindicator.
The crypto meter is a bot for people market measurement.
Using the price of multiple exchanges, the bot can help to detect volatility and price changes giving early indicators and real-time price movements.
Notification of arbitrage opportunities using ten different exchanges.
Display of prices and pairings for all exchanges for various coins.
To get the crypto meter bot, you need to hold 1,000,000 CND tokens.
Cindicator is a unique take on a bot for automated trading predictions.
It is a coin that has a strong community and requires the tying up of many CND tokens to reap the benefits.
We currently do not hold any CND coins but will be watching them in the future.
For larger investors, it may be a great play for using machine learning in your investment strategy.
If you liked this review and want to help support the academy donate some CND below!
What Is Ontology Coin (ONT)?
| 2019-04-19T02:58:35 |
https://globalcryptoacademy.com/coins/what-is-cindicator-cnd-coin/
|
0.998339 |
How about sports? - PTMovement Blog | SMIT vs. HIIT - which prevails?
This time I want write about at the moment very popular and widely used training methods - SMIT (Supramaximal Interval Training) and HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). I bumped into this terminology first time last summer / autumn and got very familiar with these during the trip to Florida in October. You couldn't miss noticing SMIT and HIIT even if you would have been blindfolded. I have also tried and used these training methods - during my professional career this kind of training didn't have such a fancy name.
In Finland common term for interval training is HIIT, but behind the "Great Blue Ocean" HIIT is different training method than SMIT. In this blog post I'm trying to illuminate both the differences and similarities and the benefits and possible risks that relates to interval training. At the end of the post I'm going to reveal which is better, SMIT or HIIT?
What are SMIT and HIIT?
In SMIT the effectiveness of the training exceeds VO₂ max value (= aerobic capasity*). This means that the speed or power / intensity used in training exceeds the level of aerobic capasity (it can even be 175% from VO₂ max). You are then doing training anaerobically in other words without oxygen. You are getting significant amounts of lactic acid all over your body. Because of this, the recovery parts are long to maintain high quality in training. The working part is relatively short, typically from 30 to 60 seconds, but it can last even 90 seconds (quite brutal!). Work-recovery ratio is around 1:5 and 1:8 in other words 30 second work phase is followed by 3 to 5 minutes recovery (passive total rest or super low intensity recovery).
To be short, in SMIT you can do i.e. 45 seconds maximal sprint and have 4 to 6 minutes total recovery - you don't do anything, walking at most. And you repeat this from 6 to 10 times and you have completed the training!
HIIT = you do high intensity interval training and you have low or medium intensity recovery phases in between. The recovery in HIIT is so called active recovery.
HIIT is a form of interval training in which you mix hard intensive working phases (typically around 90 to 100% from VO₂ max) with less effective recovery phases (typically around 50 to 60% from VO₂ max). The length of working and recovery can vary, but the intensity of the work interval has most affect on the work-recovery ratio. If the intensity of the training is plenty below VO₂ max, work-recovery ratio can even be 5:1, in which you push yourself i.e. 50 seconds and the resting time is 10s.
Here is an example: Run 4 minutes with rapid pace (if 10 is the maximun speed / feeling / intensity), these intervals should be done with a feeling of 8). After the running part you have 4 minutes recovery while jogging. You do 6 of these and you can go home with a smiley face.
NB! You have the same rule in both training methods: The more intense interval the longer recovery time!
SMIT and HIIT are effective and demanding training methods for active sportspersons, who want to enhance their condition and performance and capacity. Mainly because of this, I don't recommend these methods to beginners. I'm sure you'll get results and development with these methods - also beginners - but exactly because of the effectiveness and high demand intensity required the risk of injuries increases - especially with beginners. The risk of overtraining is also very common with this kind of training.
Properly used you will get phenomenal results with lactic acid tolerance and oxygen intake. To be more precise, SMIT and HIIT improves aerobic capacity (VO₂ max) and increases the ability to train closer to anaerobic threshold** (and thus burn more calories during training).
The book Fitness and Wellness, 10th ed. says that researches have shown that increasing the intensity of training is beneficial to health and exercising.¹ The research results have shown that you can increase fat burning during training by using HIIT.
It has also been shown that effective interval training improves and advances cardiac output, efficiency, oxygen transport, lactate threshold**, speed and power, fatigue resistance and exercise efficiency.
But in this, like overall in training, moderation is the key. It is not wise to build training program solely based on SMIT and / or HIIT. It is recommended that this type of training would be between 5 to 15% from the total training amount. Human body needs also aerobic training, stretching, muscle maintenance, strength and speed training, agility and skill training.
Research published in 2013 concentrated on finding endurance and speed benefits.² The researchers found that in the 3000 meters time trial SMIT improved endurance better than continuous running. Furthermore, in the speed and speed endurance training (40 meter sprint and repeated sprint ability) SMIT enabled better results than HIIT or continuous running. To sum up these researches, you can say that SMIT provides the greatest benefits for physically active individuals for concurrent improvements in endurance, speed and speed endurance.
We got familiar with SMIT and HIIT last time we had FAF International Personal Trainer -education - or at least versions of them. We had Tabata training with spinning bike (have to write about Tabata and make a video clip soon!) and speed interval training - 30 seconds work / 90 seconds recovery and this times 8. I would say that Tabata is a kind of SMIT exercise and speed intervals are like HIIT training, although these training methods don't fit to "the official definition" of SMIT and HIIT with the work-recovery ratio they have.
Lastly, I want to say that use interval training (SMIT and / or HIIT) wisely! It is very effective and training method that improves aerobic capacity rapidly. The effectiveness and intensity are the reasons why this training method is such a strenuous and lactic-acidy workout. Because of this, you have to give enough recovery time for your body so that it is able to develop and be ready for the next training session. Although interval training is excellent training method, there are no shortcuts to development. SMIT and HIIT function at their best as a small part of the complete training program to well trained sportspersons who want to have something extra to their daily routine.
I have used few journals in addition to the ones mentioned below while writing this blog post. I'll use more references in the future posts, if found necessary and needed!
You run with your friend and you chat using normal full sentences (aerobic state a.k.a. with oxygen; you use oxygen in energy production). The you decide to increase running speed at the end of your route and you sprint few times. You start to use short sentences and huff and puff quite a lot. Now you have reached the anaerobic state (without oxygen; is starts to build up lactic acid into your body, when there is not enough oxygen coming into your body; body cannot remove lactic acid from the body as fast as lactic acid is building up). This is your aerobic ceiling or VO₂ max.
In the real life you can use the Talk Test. If you can speak with full sentences as in normal discussion, your training is aerobic. But if you have to take more oxygen few times during sentences, you are training anaerobically.
The intensity of training increases so high, that the body produces more lactic acid than the body can transfer of remove. The lactic acid starts to build up in blood.
| 2019-04-25T22:08:19 |
http://www.ptmovement.fi/en/blog/smit-vs-hiit/
|
0.999955 |
A power network consists of nodes (power stations, consumers and dispatchers) connected by power transport lines. A node u may be supplied with an amount s(u) >= 0 of power, may produce an amount 0 <= p(u) <= pmax(u) of power, may consume an amount 0 <= c(u) <= min(s(u),cmax(u)) of power, and may deliver an amount d(u)=s(u)+p(u)-c(u) of power. The following restrictions apply: c(u)=0 for any power station, p(u)=0 for any consumer, and p(u)=c(u)=0 for any dispatcher. There is at most one power transport line (u,v) from a node u to a node v in the net; it transports an amount 0 <= l(u,v) <= lmax(u,v) of power delivered by u to v. Let Con=Σuc(u) be the power consumed in the net. The problem is to compute the maximum value of Con.
An example is in figure 1. The label x/y of power station u shows that p(u)=x and pmax(u)=y. The label x/y of consumer u shows that c(u)=x and cmax(u)=y. The label x/y of power transport line (u,v) shows that l(u,v)=x and lmax(u,v)=y. The power consumed is Con=6. Notice that there are other possible states of the network but the value of Con cannot exceed 6.
There are several data sets in the input. Each data set encodes a power network. It starts with four integers: 0 <= n <= 100 (nodes), 0 <= np <= n (power stations), 0 <= nc <= n (consumers), and 0 <= m <= n^2 (power transport lines). Follow m data triplets (u,v)z, where u and v are node identifiers (starting from 0) and 0 <= z <= 1000 is the value of lmax(u,v). Follow np doublets (u)z, where u is the identifier of a power station and 0 <= z <= 10000 is the value of pmax(u). The data set ends with nc doublets (u)z, where u is the identifier of a consumer and 0 <= z <= 10000 is the value of cmax(u). All input numbers are integers. Except the (u,v)z triplets and the (u)z doublets, which do not contain white spaces, white spaces can occur freely in input. Input data terminate with an end of file and are correct.
For each data set from the input, the program prints on the standard output the maximum amount of power that can be consumed in the corresponding network. Each result has an integral value and is printed from the beginning of a separate line.
The sample input contains two data sets. The first data set encodes a network with 2 nodes, power station 0 with pmax(0)=15 and consumer 1 with cmax(1)=20, and 2 power transport lines with lmax(0,1)=20 and lmax(1,0)=10. The maximum value of Con is 15. The second data set encodes the network from figure 1.
| 2019-04-22T09:58:08 |
http://poj.org/problem?id=1459
|
0.999696 |
I was recently diagnosed with parkinsonism. What causes it, and how can I cope as it progresses?
Answer From Joseph Y. Matsumoto, M.D.
Parkinsonism is any condition that causes a combination of the movement abnormalities seen in Parkinson's disease — such as tremor, slow movement, impaired speech or muscle stiffness — especially resulting from the loss of dopamine-containing nerve cells (neurons).
For drug-induced parkinsonism, discontinuing the medications that cause the condition may reverse it.
For other forms of parkinsonism, taking Parkinson's disease medications — typically a carbidopa-levodopa combination drug (Sinemet, Duopa, Stalevo) — can help.
However, these drugs aren't likely to be as effective for some forms of parkinsonism as they are for Parkinson's disease. Levodopa — which occurs naturally in the body and is always taken as a combination drug — replenishes brain dopamine, and brain dopamine loss is fundamental to Parkinson's disease. However, in other parkinsonian disorders, additional brain pathways may be affected.
Stay physically active. To the extent you're able, try to sustain your normal daily activities, exercise regularly, and incorporate physical and occupational therapy as needed.
Create a safe environment. If gait and balance become impaired, consider modifying your environment. For example, install grab bars next to your toilet or in your shower; remove obstacles, such as throw rugs; and keep frequently used items within reach.
Chou KL. Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Parkinson disease. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 23, 2017.
Parkinson disease. Merck Manual Professional Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/neurologic-disorders/movement-and-cerebellar-disorders/secondary-and-atypical-parkinsonism. Accessed June 30, 2017.
Goldman L, et al., eds. Parkinsonism. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 25th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2016. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed July 1, 2017.
Daroff RB, et al. Parkinson disease and other movement disorders. In: Bradley's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2016. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed July 6, 2017.
Halter JB, et al. Parkinson disease and related disorders. In: Hazzard's Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed July 6, 2017.
Safety at home. National Parkinson Foundation. http://www.parkinson.org/Parkinson-s-Disease/Living-Well/Safety-at-Home. Accessed June 30, 2017.
Matsumoto JY (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 18, 2017.
| 2019-04-23T09:56:16 |
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/expert-answers/parkinsonism/faq-20058490
|
0.999895 |
A.E. Marling Brood of Bones fantasy, secondary-world **** Review Smashwords Amazon Enchantress with a sleep disorder must defend her city from several natural and supernatural threats, including one that unfolds as a horrifying mystery.
Ben Rovik The Wizard that Wasn’t fantasy, secondary-world, steampunk **** Review Smashwords Amazon Podiobooks Dieselpunk done right.
Ben Rovik The Mask and the Master fantasy, secondary-world, steampunk **** Review Smashwords Amazon Two well-intentioned groups. One tragic incident.
Brian Rush The Stairway to Nowhere fantasy, thriller, urban **** Review Smashwords Amazon Near-future urban fantasy in which two opposing orders of mages must cooperate to survive, led by a pair of conflicted ex-lovers.
Brian Rush The Order Master contemporary, fantasy, SF, urban **** Review Smashwords Amazon The leader of a 700-year-old order of assassins wants out. His chance comes when he discovers that the enemy the order has been fighting are aliens, not demons.
Christine Amsden Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective contemporary, fantasy, mystery, urban **** Review Amazon Non-powered daughter of a sorcerous family attempts independence as a PI, and must solve the mystery of the vampire attacks that threaten her town.
Elizabeth Hunter A Hidden Fire fantasy, paranormal, romance, urban **** Review Amazon Free, first book in a series.
James Calbraith The Shadow of Black Wings alternate-history, fantasy, steampunk, YA **** Review Amazon Podiobooks Steampunk dragonriders. Need I say more?
L.J. Cohen The Between contemporary, fantasy, YA **** Review Smashwords Amazon Reboots the Fae.
Larry Kollar Water and Chaos fantasy, secondary-world, YA **** Review Smashwords Amazon Loyal, brave, resourceful young sorcerer's apprentice goes on a mission to thwart rogue magic users.
Larry Kollar The Sorcerer’s Daughter fantasy, secondary-world, YA **** Review Smashwords Amazon Determined young woman isn't going to let being heir to a noble house change her mind on what's really important.
Lindsay Buroker The Emperor’s Edge fantasy, secondary-world, steampunk, thriller ***** Review Smashwords Amazon Podiobooks First of the series of the same name. Free on Amazon and Smashwords.
Lindsay Buroker Torrent contemporary, fantasy, SF, urban ***** Review Smashwords Amazon Nerdy young archaeologist/treasure-hunters battle an alien monster in contemporary Arizona.
Mary Holland The Bone Road fantasy, secondary-world, SF **** Review Smashwords Amazon Podiobooks Strong, determined characters break out of their culture's prejudices and defeat a threat that nobody knew was there in this Le Guin-like social SF/fantasy.
Masha du Toit Crooks and Straights contemporary, fantasy, YA **** Review Amazon Set in an alternate South Africa, with magical people and beings and a sinister political movement that wants to control or eliminate them.
Michael J. Parry The Oaks Grove fantasy, mystery, police procedural, secondary-world **** Review Smashwords Amazon Podiobooks Philosophical troll investigates country house mystery.
Michael J. Parry The Spiral Tattoo fantasy, mystery, police procedural, secondary-world **** Review Smashwords Amazon Podiobooks A smart troll and a smart-mouthed pixie. Together, they fight crime.
Philippa Ballantine Chasing the Bard fantasy, historical **** Smashwords Amazon Podiobooks Shakespeare meets the Fae.
Ripley Patton Ghost Hand contemporary, fantasy, YA **** Review Amazon Pitch-perfect teenagers dealing with strange powers and sinister men who hunt them.
Ripley Patton Ghost Hold contemporary, fantasy, YA **** Review Amazon Book 2 in a series (read Ghost Hand first), in which things get very dire for our snarky heroine with the bodyless hand.
S. A. Hunt The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree contemporary, fantasy, secondary-world **** Review Amazon Epic portal fantasy with an Old West twist.
Sabrina Chase The Last Mage Guardian alternate-history, fantasy **** Review Amazon A bit cinematic at the end, but some people like that sort of thing. I do.
| 2019-04-18T22:51:44 |
http://csidemedia.com/gryphonclerks/indie-books-worth-reading/?genre=fantasy
|
0.998628 |
I think I've installed LibreOffice on Mac correctly - it's a bit vague - but how do I add a shortcut for just Writer to the dock on Mac? The only thing I have is a shortcut which takes me to the LibreOffice launch window thing. I only want Writer, so would just like a shortcut to that, but I can't drag it from the window onto the dock or anything. Any ideas?
Easiest way is to put a template into the dock.
That way, LibreOffice will create a new document when clicking on the entry in the dock.
How do I add the template to the dock? Is it a file I can search for in Finder or with Spotlight?
It's an inherent problem with the way LibreOffice is designed. Writer is not an application on it's own right it is an interface for writing and reading text documents inside the larger LibreOffice application. I experience the same issue when trying to pin LibreOffice to my task bar in Windows, I can Pin LibreOffice but not Writer.
| 2019-04-22T12:20:08 |
https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/6747/add-shortcut-to-mac-dock/
|
0.999922 |
Le Livre D’Image announced as being in competition at Cannes. Also Pierrot Le Fou featured on the official 2018 poster. Where can I get one of those?
It's rather much like the credits sequences at the end of his films. We have some audio from the ending of Contempt (with JLG as the A.D. saying "Moteur") and then afterwards some of Hans Otte's work last used by JLG in Notre musique (from Otte's The Book of Sounds).
The glimpses of image that we do get are incredible, the texture and color and movement of it. I hope this is every bit as psychedelic as Adieu au langage aside from remaining in 2D.
Another bit I spotted - in the flashing title text at the end, a few frames of on-screen text from Ici et ailleurs referencing the Arabian Nights: "Peut-être que dans mille et un jours, Shéhérazade racontera tout cela différement." / "Perhaps in a thousand and one nights, Scheherazade would recount all of this differently."
We also see what appears to be a credit for Michael Bay's 13 Hours, and my favorite French rendering of an English title ever, Les Dents de la mer aka Jaws.
The names are of extreme interest - Godard / Battagia (Jean-Pierre, Godard's assistant) / Aragno (Fabrice, Godard's DP/collaborator) / Brenez (Nicole, perhaps our finest living writer on film).
Her writing in recent years has sought to unearth all manner of unknown cinema, so it's fitting that she's credited (according to the French wiki article on the film) with 'Archéologie.' With a particular interest in experimental and politically radical filmmaking, you can see some of that influence in other names spotted in the trailer, like Hollis Frampton or La Commune (Peter Watkins, maybe, but also perhaps a 1914 film by the filmmaker & anarchist Armand Guerra).
And what a fantastic interview it is - although, on a more melancholic note, the transcript (and JLG's own words) make it clear that Godard is struggling more with his recall of words and memories these days. That having been said, he's still extremely lucid overall. I found the link between Godard, Marina Vlady, and her late husband, Vladimir Vysotsky, particularly interesting (one of Vysotsky's songs appears in Le livre d'image). Vysotsky's own story, particularly the events surrounding and leading up to his death, are pretty harrowing to read about.
It's also interesting to note that it seems like, as far as Godard and Aragno are concerned, the only officially sanctioned way of experiencing Le livre d'image is via one of the four announced installations to come hopefully later this year. While they have sold the rights elsewhere, in the U.S. for instance, they seem rather dismissive of the idea of watching it in a regular cinema setting. I'm quite thankful, of course, that we will be getting a more traditional release (particularly one that should lead to a home video edition).
Meanwhile Livre d‘Image had its Swiss premiere in a Theatre in Lausanne, pretty close to where Godard lives*. There is some kind of image installation alongside the premiere plus a Godard curated (?) small programme incl. The Moments Choisis and some other recent films of him. There is an entry for this on the Theatre website and with the Swiss Cinematheque. I am on my phone and can‘t check the links but google may help. This might be something that Fabrice Aragno mentioned in Cannes, that the film will travel with parallel art installations.
The two links missing from my yesterdays post, for those interested.
In other JLG news, Mubi is advertising that Le livre d'image will make its debut on their UK service on December 3 (and will, in the absence of proper distribution anywhere else outside festivals and gallery installations, doubtless soon-after be everywhere online). This follows the day after a single night of screenings in various UK cinemas.
That subtitling ratio seems about the same as the DCP (and, yes, quite arbitrary what gets subbed and what doesn’t). Plenty of lame puns go flying by, but also a fair bit of what presumably counts as substance for this film.
The most formally interesting thing about the film, which is presumably missing on Mubi, is the play with multichannel sound, Godard radically splitting the soundtrack front and back and down the middle. But it’s nothing that hadn’t been done more successfully and adventurously by more accomplished experimental filmmakers decades ago.
I found this rather intoxicating, but I haven't seen any of Godard's post 60s work so that might be a factor. But I for sure need to watch this again.
I think that's probably the only condition by which praise could be expected! Imagine if you'd seen those same clips, edited in the same fashion and with the same tricks of text and presentation, multiple times in multiple other Godard films, only those other times there was logical coherence and purpose in their usage. It's kinda like praising the Rolling Stones as a great rock band on the strength of "Anybody Seen My Baby"
I guess so. I'm waiting for my winter break to finally go through his films chronologically, so hopefully I'll get to Histories(s) soon.
Wow, domino really hates this, huh? I can't wait to see it myself, because, um, Sight And Sound said that Godard’s multifaceted essay film revels in the mobility and mutability of imagery in the 21st century, uncovering the violence of representation but always searching for hope in a cacaphonous world!!
I must say, I didn’t see much that was 21st century about this film. Godard has been banging this particular garbage can lid since the 1980s.
Maybe you can not see much because you are stuck in your own wormhole century? I know and understand "critics" (probably in between 50-65 years old which translates into a certain generation of cinephilia) that are fed up with Godard, mostly due to the "powerfull and influential" generation that came before them (active in the 60s - then academics, et cetera). But such snarky comments like yours (carbage can lid since the 80s) is really not doing any service. Thankfully a newer generation, especially people that are actually doing creative things, can see Godards work in their own light (i do not count myself to the newer generation).
My reply was regarding his actual last post (i.e. the garbage bin thing), and not about his tastes in cinema, as adventourus as they might be.
But Godards comments are usually funnier and (more importantly) more interesting than just thrashing someone down. As Peter Kubelka onces said (i think zeds once wrote something nice about him around here, so maybe he can live with this): Godards quotes and comments are a lot more interesting than his films.
It is not the single Godard film that is that interesting (anymore), but his palette, both in form and content, and remixing them over and over again. Its a work in progress, and not the cinematic Masterpiece in a traditional sense. (zeds all knows this, and probably better. I am just adding this as a personal response).
He didn't say anything about a "garbage bin" though. He was talking about banging on a garbage lid, ie. making a big racket. It's a similar idiom to 'banging on a pot'. I think you focused too much on the word 'garbage' and missed zedz' meaning.
Absolutely correct, sorry zeds and the others!
| 2019-04-21T00:09:23 |
http://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=619271
|
0.998417 |
What treatments are appropriate for my type of cancer?
What are the questions I should ask my radiation oncologist?
What is the radiation treatment process?
Should I follow a special diet while I am getting radiation therapy?
Does radiation therapy make me radioactive? Should I take precautions around my family and friends?
During my treatment, can I continue with my daily activities?
Can I go to work during radiation therapy?
Can I continue to take my regular medications during my radiation therapy treatment course?
At the time of your initial consultation visit with your Radiation Oncologist, you will have an opportunity to discuss which cancer treatments—radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and/or surgery—are appropriate for your specific cancer. Sometimes more than one type of cancer therapy may be appropriate for you, and often your care plan will need to be coordinated with other cancer care physicians. If radiation therapy is recommended by your Radiation Oncologist, you will also discuss which type of radiation treatment course, technique, and equipment is indicated for your particular condition.
Questions to ask your doctor or nurse, click here.
Learn more about the radiation treatment process here.
Learn more about common side effects here.
Overall, it is important to ensure adequate nutritional intake during your course of radiation therapy. Generally, no specific dietary restrictions are implemented by your Radiation Oncologist during your radiation treatments. However, for some cancer types, your doctor may ask you to make some dietary changes (e.g., avoiding certain foods) while receiving your radiation treatments.
You are not radioactive as a result of the radiation treatments if you are receiving external beam radiation therapy. However, if you are receiving the type of brachytherapy in which radioactive seeds are implanted into your body, special precautions may need to be taken due to issues of potential radiation exposure to friends and family.
For the most part, you can continue with your normal activities during radiation therapy. However, sometimes modifications in activity are required, which your Radiation Oncologist will discuss with you as needed.
No, radiation therapy does not hurt while it is being given. You cannot feel radiation while it is being delivered. However, side effects that may develop due to radiation therapy can sometimes cause discomfort or pain. Your Radiation Oncologist will help manage such side effects if they do develop.
Many people are able to work full-time during radiation therapy. Others can only work part-time or not at all. How much you are able to work depends on factors such as your cancer type, the nature of the cancer treatments that you receive, and how you feel during your treatment course. Ask your doctor what you may expect based on the treatments you are receiving.
Most medications do not interfere with radiation therapy. However, some medications may need to be held or modified during your radiation therapy. It is best to consult with your Radiation Oncologist regarding your medication regimen.
| 2019-04-24T16:14:51 |
http://oceanros.com/faqstreatment.aspx
|
0.994874 |
The former human rights lawyer won 41.4% of the vote, according to an exit poll cited by the Yonhap news agency, placing him comfortably ahead of his nearest rivals, the centrist software entrepreneur Ahn Cheol-soo and the conservative hardliner Hong Joon-pyo, both of whom have conceded defeat.
South Koreans who backed Moon, 64, will be hoping the election result will mark a clean break from the corruption scandal surrounding his disgraced predecessor Park Geun-hye.
Hours before polls closed, the national election commission forecast that turnout would exceed 80% – the highest since Kim Dae-jung was elected in 1997.
During a campaign in which Moon sought to add conservative voters to his liberal support base, the Democratic party candidate captured the public mood with vows to reform South Korea’s powerful chaebols – family-owned conglomerates – and tackle rising inequality and youth unemployment.
Moon has called for a more conciliatory approach to North Korea, after weeks of tensions over the regime’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes.
Park, who narrowly beat Moon in 2012 to become South Korea’s first female president, was impeached last December and faces possible life imprisonment for alleged bribery, extortion and other charges involving her secret confidante, Choi Soon-sil.
What were the issues in the South Korean election?
Despite tensions running high with the North, the campaign focused largely on the economy and the bribery and abuse of power scandal that brought down Moon Jae-in's predecessor, Park Geun-hye.
The Park scandal played into frustration over widening inequality in wealth and opportunities. South Korea enjoyed rapid growth from the 1970s-90s, but the rate slowed as the economy matured, and unemployment among under-30s now stands at a record 10%.
Voter anger was often directed at chaebols, the massive, family-run conglomerates that dominate the economy and are seen by many as exemplifying a cosy relationship between business and government.
While much of the campaign capitalised on public anger over the collusion between chaebols and politicians that was exposed by the Park scandal, it also offered hints that Moon would move to calm a tense Korean peninsula.
Moon, a former student activist who was imprisoned in the 1970s for protesting against Park’s father, the former dictator Park Chung-hee, declared a decade of hardline policy towards Pyongyang a failure.
His calm demeanour and moderate rhetoric on the issue stands in sharp contrast to Donald Trump’s pugnacity. But Moon has also made it clear he will not tolerate advances in Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, warning that any attack on South Korean soil would invite a devastating military response.
Once Moon has appointed a prime minister, which requires parliamentary approval, he is expected to adopt the more conciliatory approach towards North Korea advocated by the Nobel peace prize-winner Kim Dae-jung and another former president, Roh Moo-hyun, whom Moon served under as chief of staff.
That could mean negotiations to reopen the Kaesong industrial complex, a symbol of intra-Korean cooperation until its closure in early 2016, and the resumption of aid shipments cut off by Park and her predecessor Lee Myung-bak.
Conservative critics have said Pyongyang could attempt to exploit Moon’s moderation and that attempts at rapprochement could drive a wedge between Seoul and its allies in Washington.
But recent comments by Moon and Trump indicate that they may not be as far apart on North Korea as some have suggested. Trump recently described Kim Jong-un as a “smart cookie” and said he would be “honoured” to meet the North Korean leader under the right circumstances.
Moon, meanwhile, has said that he and Trump are “on the same page”, but has spoken of his desire for South Korea to seize the policy initiative from Washington after months of drift under a caretaker president. He favours a dual strategy of dialogue alongside diplomatic pressure and sanctions.
“South Koreans are more concerned that Trump, rather than … Kim Jong-un, will make a rash military move, because of his outrageous tweets, threats of force and unpredictability,” said Duyeon Kim, a visiting fellow at the Korean Peninsula Future Forum in Seoul, in Foreign Affairs magazine.
Moon will be sworn in after the country’s national election commission confirms the result on Wednesday morning. His term will begin immediately, rather than after the customary two-month transition period – an arrangement forced by Park’s abrupt departure.
Moon’s other foreign policy priority will be to repair relations with China, which opposes the deployment in South Korea of a US missile defence system – known as Thaad – and says Seoul should stop joint military drills with the US to encourage Pyongyang to halt its nuclear programme.
Liam McCarthy-Cotter, a specialist in East Asian politics at Nottingham Trent University, said the Moon campaign gave voters a clear route out of their current situation.
“The corruption and scandal that brought an end to Park Geun-hye’s presidency has left a vacuum in South Korea at a most inopportune time,” he said. “There is a need for South Korea to re-establish its strength both domestically and in the face of increasingly hostile posturing from North Korea.
| 2019-04-23T08:10:06 |
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/09/south-korea-election-moon-jae-set-to-become-president
|
0.9995 |
How do I add a Chapter to my Longform book?
Chapters are individual Longform 'books'. Once you finish writing them, you can join them together.
When the first chapter of a Longform book is published there is a link underneath to begin the next chapter, and this joins the books together automatically.
If you haven't published the first chapter yet you can still write the next chapter and join them later.
You can use a different artist for each chapter for the interior art, but they will all share the cover image of Chapter 1.
When you're on your 'your stuff' screen you can join different chapters together into the same book. They will both need to be published before you can join them.
Find the second chapter of your longform book, and click on the gear icon just below the cover, and choose 'edit details'. Once you're on the edit details screen, choose the 'part of an existing book' option and then choose the 'first chapter' book from the list. Click on 'publish' at the bottom, and ta-da! - Chapter 2 has been added to your book.
| 2019-04-18T20:20:32 |
http://help.storybird.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1799657-how-do-i-add-a-chapter-to-my-longform-book-
|
0.999999 |
This recipe was Grandma's There where some steps that only Grandma did like timing she could tell when it was ready.
Soften yeast in 1/3 cup water.
Mix egg yolks, anisette and oil to yeast in a large bowl for a electric mixer.
Add sugar then flour one cup at a time for a softer dough.
Bake at 400 degree until browned ( grandma didn't have how long to bake keep an eye on it ).
This has a powdered sugar frosting mixed thinly with milk then sprinkled with candy sprinkles.
| 2019-04-22T20:00:48 |
https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/bread/bread-sweet-bread/grandma-s-easter-bread.html
|
0.998467 |
Ariel Beresniak, CEO of Data Mining International SA, warns of the perils of bad calculations in standards used in the health sector. One example is the Quality Adjusted Life Years index (QALY) used in the UK by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which, according to a study they conducted, is flawed and should be discontinued. The company -with its broad experience in the health sector- helps companies assess their risks, prioritise and make better use of data.
Imagine your life was threatened by a disease. Now imagine that there’s a drug that can save your life but, because of a miscalculation, isn’t approved and you cannot receive it. This frightening reality was exposed by Data Mining International, the independent Swiss company that –through a European Commission research grant– came to the conclusion that the QALY index is a flawedelementintheNationalInstitute for Health and Care Excellence’s decision making process.
During the research project –won by a European research consortium lead by Data Mining International over several highly competitive projects–, they debunked the presumption that health could be expressed with a simple multiplication. Through many robust methods of analysis, the company concluded that the QALY approach did not meet the basic requirements to be considered serious scientific criteria. “The QALY approach is flawed,” says Mr. Beresniak. “We definitely, from a scientific standpoint, should not use QALY in any kind of decision making, much less in one that’s related to human life. We need to propose alternatives,” he warns.
What comes next? Mr. Beresniak warns that the first step after having confirmed the flaw in the calculation is to not use the approach outside the UK and find a better way to express the cost-effectiveness of the drug. “It is not fair for the citizen’s social security to not have access to a drug just because of this flawed approach,” says Mr. Beresniak.
Data Mining International was established in 2004. During its ten year tenure it has garnered experience in offering risk assessment programs to companies so that they may compare different strategies and objectives according to multiple criteria and can rank and assess the risk factor in their operations. Additionally, they offer services in cost-effectiveness evaluation and portfolio prioritisation. “Big companies often undertake many projects at once that require attention and resources. We have developed a unique way to prioritise them using advanced mathematical multi-criteria methods which we adapt, customise and program according to tailor-made solutions,” Mr. Beresniak states.
Data Mining International has joined the EU funded project Mobilisation and Mutual Learning Action Plans: mainstreaming Science in Society actions in research (ASSET).
Beresniak A, Medina-Lara A, Auray JP, De Wever A, Praet JC, Tarricone R, Torbica A, Dupont D, Lamure M, Duru G. Validation of the Underlying Assumptions of the Quality-Adjusted Life-Years Outcome: Results from the ECHOUTCOME European Project. Pharmacoeconomics. 2014 Sep 18.
Beresniak A, Medina-Lara A, Auray JP, De Wever A, Praet JC, Tarricone R, Torbica A, Dupont D, Lamure M, Duru G.
BACKGROUND: Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) have been used since the 1980s as a standard health outcome measure for conducting cost-utility analyses, which are often inadequately labeled as ‘cost-effectiveness analyses’. This synthetic outcome, which combines the quantity of life lived with its quality expressed as a preference score, is currently recommended as reference case by some health technology assessment (HTA) agencies. While critics of the QALY approach have expressed concerns about equity and ethical issues, surprisingly, very few have tested the basic methodological assumptions supporting the QALY equation so as to establish its scientific validity.
OBJECTIVES: The main objective of the ECHOUTCOME European project was to test the validity of the underlying assumptions of the QALY outcome and its relevance in health decision making.
METHODS: An experiment has been conducted with 1,361 subjects from Belgium, France, Italy, and the UK. The subjects were asked to express their preferences regarding various hypothetical health states derived from combining different health states with time durations in order to compare observed utility values of the couples (health state, time) and calculated utility values using the QALY formula.
RESULTS: Observed and calculated utility values of the couples (health state, time) were significantly different, confirming that preferences expressed by the respondents were not consistent with the QALY theoretical assumptions.
CONCLUSIONS: This European study contributes to establishing that the QALY multiplicative model is an invalid measure. This explains why costs/QALY estimates may vary greatly, leading to inconsistent recommendations relevant to providing access to innovative medicines and health technologies. HTA agencies should consider other more robust methodological approaches to guide reimbursement decisions.
| 2019-04-19T10:59:34 |
http://www.datamining-international.com/?author=1&paged=2
|
0.999243 |
PROBLEM: "It's not as bad as it sounds," wrote Richard Senelick of deep brain stimulation, a process that consists of "putting electrodes through a person's skull and into the most central parts of parts of their brain," and then controlling the brain's signaling via electric shocks. It's a viable treatment for Parkinson's and various neuropsychiatric disorders, like depression. And "the patient experiences little to no pain" (Senelick, again). Still, not drilling holes through the skull will always be preferable.
METHODOLOGY: At Caltech, researchers had 99 men and women rate a series of 70 computer-generated faces for attractiveness, on a scale from 0 to 7. They then applied electrodes to their foreheads and (for those who didn't end up in the control group) shocked them, mildly, for 15 minutes. Following the treatment, the participants were asked to evaluate 70 more faces, which the researchers made sure were just as attractive (or not) as the previous set.
RESULTS: The participants who received the electrical shocks found the second group of faces to be significantly more attractive than the first. fMRI scans taken before and after the stimulation showed increased activation of their prefrontal cortex, and also of the deeper midbrain region. They also experienced an increase in dopamine -- which suggests that their altered perception was caused by the activation of the midbrain's reward center.
An increase in midbrain activity was positively correlated with attractiveness ratings.
IMPLICATIONS: The treatment used here, known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDSC), is typically used to stimulate the prefrontal cortex, conveniently located right behind the forehead. The midbrain, nestled deeper back, is harder to reach -- hence the drilling. The researchers seem to have managed to activate a network wherein stimulating the prefrontal cortex indirectly caused neural activity further back, and did so strongly enough to cause behavioral changes. Today, it's thinking people are better looking than they actually are. Tomorrow, it could mean the non-invasive treatment of neurological diseases.
The full study, "Noninvasive remote activation of the ventral midbrain by transcranial direct current stimulation of prefrontal cortex," is published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.
| 2019-04-22T14:29:27 |
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/study-shocks-to-the-forehead-make-other-people-appear-more-attractive/277306/
|
0.999835 |
Now, we are ready to summarize the entire procedure of structure from motion.
Which is answering the question of where am I?
The camera person as you're moving a scene, as well as where are they?
The scene structures or scene points in the 3D space.
So we have seen a lot of theories and it's time to actually put in practice.
we have play a game of friendly basketball games with some of our friends.
And we asked our friends each to wear a GoPro camera on their head.
This is a basketball game view for our own personal perspective among our friends.
As you can imagine the cameras jiggling as we run through the space.
dimensional camera movements as we've seen, and so visualize in the following.
we see ourselves moving the three dimensional space relative to each other.
and that's the camera in front of us an optical center which we are measuring.
The orientation, the position are computed automatically.
phone camera out, take a video as if you would normally walk into a space.
position ourself in that scene.
In the following slides, we will summarize the role of procedures for computing this.
different camera of your friends as we move around the space.
of the buildings in the background from different viewpoints.
of the camera relative to each other in terms of rotation and translation.
first step is detected those feature points automatically in the pictures.
make a correspondence between them as illustrated here by the red line.
are correlated to each other through the fundamental matrix in a bilinear form.
Encoded also in the fundamental matrix is the camera calibration itself.
translation, all condensed into one three by three matrix.
we can find 8 corresponding points across 2 views.
we have a sufficient amount of constraints to solve this equation.
And this is done by forming a matrix called A times x.
the fundamental matrix F equal to 0.
And this is what we called a linear least square problem.
as a 8 point algorithm.
find the solution to the least square problems through SVD.
And we do the second SVD on the estimated f matrix itself.
point correspondences, some would be correct and many would be wrong.
as well as delete those which will become outliers the incorrect matches.
all the bad correspondences disagree with each other.
Such that our procedure start with the following.
We randomly sample 8 points in the correspondence space.
And then given 8 points, we can compute the fundamental matrix.
And illustrated here is the epipole associated with the fundamental matrix.
check if all the other points agree with this.
the points in the first image, x1.
fact lies down these epipolar line.
We said the threshold of this distance, which we call inliers.
And we count them how many points that's agree with this epipolar constraints.
And then what we do is we iterate this random sampling process several times.
the correspondents which are computed incorrectly.
which then allow us to compute a much more robust estimate of fundamental matrix.
the calibration which is K, arrive at an essential matrix, E.
And E itself contains only the rotation and translation.
to the two quantity that we care about.
The translation between the two cameras and as well the rotation between them.
compute the rotation matrix from that.
At this stage, we can estimate translation rotation up to a full four ambiguity.
linearly satisfy the constraints that we have.
And then what we need to do is pick from one of the four configurations.
assuming that each camera pose is correct.
positions therefore, the camera projection matrix is P.
And this is again, done through a least squared estimation problems.
once we have established a pair of cameras how they're oriented to themselves.
We are ready to add a third and fourth camera into this setup.
example, this image at the top right.
computed already and estimate a 3D to 2D transformation.
relative to the new three dimensional scene.
And this is again computed through the perspective-n-point algorithm.
computing this as is shown in the equation here.
of the camera as one image is arriving after the other.
We compute the relative camera position relative to the first two images.
We have computer three dimension seem structures.
In this nonlinear least square estimation called bundle adjustments.
We are measuring the errors, not in terms of the homogeneous queries of points.
we're measuring the error on the image plane itself.
by the z elements to derive as a two dimensional measurements in the plane.
location with the points measured by the self feature for example.
this minimization's non linear because we have a division by the z elements.
Also this non linear because the rotation metrics left subspace called [INAUDIBLE].
In totality we have constraints, which is measure in green here.
Which are fundamental image measurements with feature points.
And we have variables which gives rise to back rejection in image in pink here.
non-linear lease square is really central on this character called the Jacobian.
as many rows as constraints we have the image.
the variables that we're estimating.
We have color coded them, the orange ones are associated with camera rotations.
The cyan ones are associated with the camera positions themself in 3D.
we'll have variables associated with the three dimensional points in space.
the lending of least squared consists of a set of searches.
as well as update to the three dimensional points in space.
consists of Jacobians on the left.
And of course, the error functions that we were estimating on the right.
we iterate by updating our camera relative to delta x we have computed.
Here, we have straight examples.
Again, a simple example, we have three cameras and four points.
orientation positions, color coded in blue.
positions in a 2D plane here, color coded in orange.
These Jacobian matrix that we're working with are highly structured.
In fact, they consist of many sparse elements.
In this diagram, all the blocks color coded in gray are 0.
those columns associate with the point positions, P1 to P4.
only a fact of the two dimensional positions of the self in the images.
those are illustrated in the lighter blue boxes as they are graded out.
So the Jacobian matrix tells me how the camera position is moving.
how much my image points associated with that measurement is changing.
And this Jacobian matrix is highly sparse.
In practice however, we have far more points than cameras in a scene.
camera position may be the order of hundreds of thousands.
So this Jacobian matrix in fact is highly sparse as it's showing in this picture.
the Hessian itself, is also very sparse.
Recall that this is a matrix we need to invert.
In fact, this matrix instance of the form is shown here.
consists of mostly block diagonal forms.
also consists of blocks on the diagonals, 0 off the diagonal.
of these Hessians in solving the least square problem that we are looking for.
only highlight the structures here for you.
Consists of a block of A, block of B, a block of C.
In fact, if you visualize this sparse matrix, it will look like this.
labeled in the C very highly camera to camera correlation A.
A very low vector of camera to point correlation B, which are dense.
Now we are ready to put everything together into bundle adjustments.
And what it does is take the least square of solutions, which are linear.
as well as the three dimensional points.
into computed camera orientation, obtain the location in blue.
with the estimated point, computer front SIFT matches.
Here's the entire 3D reconstruction taken from the images that we saw earlier.
Here's a sequence that was taken in our lab.
as well as a drone that we're flying with GoPro on it.
of the lab space as was the camera.
the three dimensional space as well as the camera moving in the space.
of the scene as well as estimated camera positions for images itself.
as well as compute a three dimensional structure in the world.
For the final project, we will study this in a concrete setting.
we apply our two to three dimensional structures.
We're living in a very exciting time, the camera technology is rapidly improving.
Just a few years ago running around with a GoPro was unthinkable.
This technology will introduce to you is only the beginning of these revolution.
apply to many places we haven't thought about.
| 2019-04-20T02:59:59 |
https://ru.coursera.org/lecture/robotics-perception/bundle-adjustment-iii-yuawM
|
0.999574 |
Crunch these numbers, matey: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End will almost certainly sail past X-Men: The Last Stand's $123 million to set a new Memorial Day weekend box office record. For one thing, Disney, no doubt annoyed by Spider-Man 3's record-breaking debut earlier this month, is opening super-wide on a record 4,362 screens.
Factoring in Shrek the Third, the three sequels could, for the first time, push May movie receipts over the billion dollar mark, says Media By Numbers analyst Paul Dergarabedian: "Nothing would surprise me at this point. This will also probably be the first $4 billion summer and the first $10 billion year."
Last May, Poseidon Adventure sank fast. And two years ago at this time, Hollywood was freaking out at the tepid response to Kingdom of Heaven,. "Compared to the 2005 summer of the 18-weekend slump, it's amazing how everything has turned around."
"You can decry the lack of originality but look at what people are lining up for. Generally speaking, when there are more sequels, box office summer is higher," says Deragarabedian. "There were only three sequels in 2005 and the box office was way down. This year, there's 14. No matter what you think of these franchises, if they're earning 100 million each time they come out of the gate."
| 2019-04-19T07:32:31 |
https://www.wired.com/2007/05/pirates-3-on-co/
|
0.998338 |
It was a moment Lena Waithe had little interest in sharing. Sure, as a writer, Waithe wanted to tell queer narratives. But a "coming out" story? Well, she wasn't eager to revisit that chapter of her life. And she also felt like it had become a trope for every LGBTQ character.
But then she had a meeting with "Master of None" co-creators Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang as they were beginning to think about Season 2 of the Netflix comedy, in which she plays Denise, a friend of Ansari's character, Dev. A discussion about her current relationship led to questions about how Waithe had come out to her family.
"It became clear we had a lot of material for an episode," Ansari recalls in an email. "It was all interesting, hilarious and not quite like anything I'd seen on TV/film before."
The result is the Emmy-nominated "Thanksgiving" episode, which tells the story of Denise discovering her sexuality and revealing it to her friends and family over the course of five Thanksgivings spread over 22 years. Veteran actress Angela Bassett guest starred as Denise's conservative single mother.
During a recent weekday, Waithe sits next to Bassett — their affection for each other on display — to discuss the episode that was a standout among critics and viewers, who praised its nuanced narrative told from the perspective of a black lesbian — a needle in the TV haystack, to say the least. Waithe and Ansari, who co-wrote the episode, share the writing-for-a-comedy-series nomination.
A poetic turn of events when you consider she needed coaxing to even tackle it. Ansari and Yang insisted it was a story best told by Waithe herself. But she was reluctant — already at capacity with other projects.
"Aziz was just like, 'What you can do with this story... I can't duplicate that,' " Waithe recalls. So in a hotel room in London, over three days, she and Ansari wrote the episode. For the more personal moments, like the coming-out scene, Ansari would leave the room so Waithe could write alone.
Waithe says she approached the episode from a hero's perspective and also came to better understand her mother's point of view.
"I had survived that thing that I was so afraid of," she says of the coming-out experience.
Bassett, a fan of the show's first season, was lured by the episode's potential to generate conversation and understanding.
"It was poignant, it was moving and it was funny," says the actress, who was also nominated — in the guest actress category. "I think sometimes we can be judgmental, and then we lose out on time with people we love, and eventually we come back around and say, 'Was it really worth it?' "
Waithe wanted to highlight cultural expectations within the black community. Last year, the film "Moonlight" subverted ideas of black masculinity in its story of a young, gay black boy growing up in Florida. Waithe was offering a female perspective on what it means to be black and gay. In the episode, a young Denise opts to wear baggy jeans and a baseball cap instead of a dress.
"Girls get away with it for a while, actually," Waithe says. "Because it is less taboo for a girl to be a tomboy than it is for a young man to be effeminate. "But that's why I thought it was so important to show that," she says, "but also show how a mom, a black mom especially of that generation was like, 'No. Wear the dress. We'll make it fit.' There's that desire for appearances, but there's not that much worry." But when it confronts her, whether it's me coming out or me bringing another girl home, she doesn't like it too much."
Waithe credits director Melina Matsoukas and Ansari for their attention to detail in making the story resonate — from those dinner table conversations about O.J. Simpson and Sandra Bland to that photo of Jennifer Aniston taped to the ceiling of Denise's bedroom.
Though, for the record, the Aniston poster was on Waithe's bedroom wall, not the ceiling.
| 2019-04-19T15:28:51 |
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-en-st-0810-lena-waithe-master-of-none-20170809-story.html
|
0.999668 |
Answer There are three models to simulate an ESD event in the electronics industry.
The most well understood and often used model for controlling an ESD control program is the HBM. The least understood and often overlooked model is the CDM. The CDM is important to understand as well. A device may charge on its own during transportation, kitting, etc. and discharge when brought into contact with any conductor, whether grounded or not.
The most common model is the HBM. This model simulates when a discharge occurs between a human (hand/finger) to a conductor (metal rail). The equivalent capacitance is 100 picofarads (100 x 10^-12 Farads) and equivalent resistance is 1,500 ohms to simulate a human body. The typical rise time of the current pulse (ESD) through a shorting wire averages 6 nanoseconds (6x10^-9 s) and larger for a higher resistant load. The peak current through a 500 ohm resistor averages 463 mA for a 1,000 volt pre-charge voltage.
The most neglected of models that can compromise your ESD control program. Here, it is the ESDS device itself that becomes charged (sliding out of a tube/bag/sorter/etc) and when contacting a grounded conductor (table top/hand/metal tool) will discharge to that conductor and may result in damaging ESD. Using a 4 pF or 30 pF verification module which can simulate from 2 to 30 Amps peak current for non-socked and up to 18 amps for socketed devices.
Testing components to the Machine Model (MM). The tests replicate MM failures and tell you the MM ESD sensitivity levels for your Devices. The criteria (200 pF @ a nominal 0 ohms).
A source of damage for the MM is a rapid transfer of energy from a charged conductor to the conductive leads of the device. This ESD model is a 200 pF capacitor discharged through a 500 nH inductor directly into the device with no series resistor. Due to the lack of a series current limiting resistor, this model approximates a voltage source. In the real world this model represents a rapid discharge from items such as, charged board assembly, charged cables, or the conduction arm of an automatic tester. The discharge itself is a sinusoidal decaying waveform with a rise time of 5-8 nanoseconds and a period of approximately 80 nanoseconds.
Control to this model would entail knowing the ESD sensitive devices MM ESD component classification and keeping all voltages below their MM Classes voltage range.
| 2019-04-25T13:50:39 |
http://statguard.descoindustries.com/QuestionsandAnswers/ShowQuestion.aspx?i=970
|
0.999999 |
The German city of Trier is accepting a huge statue of Marx given by the Chinese government. Historian Winfried Speitkamp told DW why such monuments cause dispute in Germany.
DW: The city council of Trier has decided to accept the controversial Karl Marx statue that China offered to the city for the 200th anniversary of the political thinker. Why are parts of the population as well as some politicians against this decision?
Winfried Speitkamp: There is certainly a whole series of reasons why Trier's citizens could be against this. For one, the government of China is not a model for democracy and human rights. Secondly, as one of the fathers of Marxism and Leninism, Karl Marx is a controversial figure. His writings served as the basis for a whole state form that turned into dictatorships. Finally, it is no longer common nowadays to erect statues dedicated to people - especially such monumental ones.
Many Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels statues in the Eastern Bloc were destroyed after the fall of the Soviet Union. How should Germany be dealing with monuments dedicated to these two philosophers today?
Several monuments were either destroyed or removed. Some were musealized, installed in something like a monument park, as was the case in Budapest. That was done to cut symbolic ties with the former political system.
Some local memorial sites were kept, and elements of nostalgia can be recognized through them. In Chemnitz, the Marx monument was not only maintained because it would be too difficult to dismount it, but also because it's a local memorial site.
Along with the monuments, there are many streets still named after Karl Marx, not only in former East German cities, but especially there. That doesn't need to be interpreted in a political way, but rather as a part of tradition and history.
How are these two thinkers perceived in their German hometowns, Trier for Marx and Wuppertal for Engels? Did opinions change over the last decades?
After 1990, discussions tried to determine whether Marx and Engels were to blame for the political system that emerged in East Germany or whether their concepts were misinterpreted. This political discussion led to trying to dissociate Marx, the philosopher, from Marx, the political idealist. During this period, academia mainly avoided him and he appeared almost outdated. The complete works of Marx and Engels were pushed aside from university libraries - not only symbolically, but sometimes also physically. Scientific interest for the authors has been growing again lately. Marx is no longer perceived as the obsolete idealist of a failed system.
Why are academics re-examining Marx now?
For one, time has gone by since the fall of East Germany and the Soviet Union. People no longer believe that studying Marx comes down to supporting the East German system. Another factor is the growing criticism of capitalism and globalization. Marx is re-examined because people want to determine whether he had provided interpretations that could still apply today.
Additionally, interpretations associated with Marx are no longer perceived as menacing or revolutionary. When [left-wing German politician] Sahra Wagenknecht refers to Marx, no one fears that the revolution is around the corner. He is now a socially acceptable Marx, to some extent a "Marx light."
He also has a different meaning for certain localities where he is commemorated. The city of Trier is not accepting the statue because it wants to reinstate Marxism, but rather to underline that he was born there and therefore belongs to the city's history.
As a historian, can you nevertheless understand that critics see Marx monuments as a symbol of the oppression and tyranny of communist regimes?
As a historian, I can understand very well that such monuments can no longer be seen as impartial testimonies of history. The other way around, I can also say as a historian that such testimonies of former times should also be maintained - with some form of accompanying explanation of their background, with a distanced presentation. Nothing should be erased from history. There are limits to this of course. Monuments dedicated to criminals should not be kept, but Marx is a philosophical thinker, which is why it's worth dealing with him.
It is, however, unusual to erect a new monument. This could only be conceivable in a place such as Trier, where he was born.
During the Trier city council discussions, many politicians were opposed to the fact that China was giving the statue, because of its human rights violations. Do you think the project would have been as controversial if the city had commissioned a German sculptor to do the work?
The idea would have appeared completely absurd. Such monuments are no longer built in Germany nowadays. The connection with China has of course a touristic purpose. This was the case with the Engels statue in Wuppertal, which was also offered by the Chinese government, causing some controversy as well. These monuments attract hordes of Chinese tourists. In China, Marx and Engels are not only major thinkers, they are actively studied. It still remains strange and anachronistic to allow another country to prescribe not only what this monument should look like, but determine that it should absolutely be installed in a public space - that's not unproblematic.
Winfried Speitkamp is a history professor at Kassel University, with a focus on cultures of memory, preservation of historical monuments and political symbolism. He is taking on a new position as president of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar in April.
| 2019-04-25T00:41:50 |
https://www.dw.com/en/why-a-marx-monument-is-still-controversial-in-germany/a-37948036
|
0.997512 |
Ducks Make Red Wings Work Overtime : Hockey: Anaheim turns offensive against Detroit in physical 4-4 tie. Kariya scores twice.
The troubled Mighty Ducks were trouble for the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, taking them to overtime before settling for a 4-4 tie in front of 17,174 at The Pond of Anaheim.
Rookie Paul Kariya nearly won the game when he hit the right post in overtime after taking a drop pass from Patrik Carnback.
That was the closest call of the extra period.
The game was a turnaround for the Ducks, who have been struggling to score. Kariya and Todd Krygier each had two goals, and Shaun Van Allen set a team record with four assists and Stephan Lebeau added three.
The Red Wings, who lead the Western Conference, got four goals from four different players.
The Ducks have won only two of their last 13 games, and seem hardly in a position to make blockbuster trades.
But General Manager Jack Ferreira keeps making intriguing little moves, such as the deal for defenseman David Karpa, whom the Ducks traded for Wednesday, less than a week after the Kings rejected him as unfit after he failed a physical.
Karpa, whose right wrist is the subject of dueling medical reports between the Kings and Ducks, arrived in Anaheim on Thursday and said, "I'm ready to play."
"I hold nothing against the Kings," said Karpa, who broke the bone on top of his wrist near his thumb last season and again in a training camp fight in September while with Quebec.
"They were looking out for their organization. They just got Philippe Boucher, and he was hurt while he was in Buffalo and now he's out for the season."
The Kings' medical team said Karpa's improperly healed right wrist requires surgery and will prevent his playing this season. They the NHL to void the trade in which they sent a draft pick to Quebec.
The Ducks got an independent report from Calgary's team doctors and had their own medical team examine that report. They believe he requires surgery, but that it can wait until after the season. If not, the future-oriented Ducks can live with it.
"I think I can play right now," said Karpa, 23, a defenseman with good size who cost the Ducks a draft choice.
Karpa practiced with the Kings last Thursday before being sent home. Does he look forward to showing them he can play when the teams meet March 21?
"I'm ready to play against anybody," he said.
The Kings also were concerned about Karpa's lower back, telling him it was "a walking time bomb," he said. Karpa had surgery on his tailbone 3 1/2 years ago.
"My theory is I played with it three years," he said. "I don't know if they know what hockey players deal with. When I do play, my back feels better because the muscles get warmed up."
The Calgary consultants told him it was no problem.
| 2019-04-20T20:30:02 |
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-10-sp-41038-story.html
|
0.999999 |
Yes, we did ( being utterly dog-soppy). I am not a great lover of pedigree breeding in many cases though - when it goes to silly extremes and causes the poor dogs to have medical problems.
One of my neighbours breeds Golden Retrievers and I have been lucky enough to "babysit" the latest litter on several occasions from when they were tiny. They are absolutely adorable.
<br /><br />Good job too Stan, He was becoming more and more rattled as the group's chatting amongst ourselves tactic kicked in!
That was great, Jim and there are some other good ones linked there too. Did anyone see the Channel 4 programme the other day where they secretly filmed dogs left alone and measured their anxiety levels. Quite sobering.
Its a hard life! Not sure where the rest of the litter have gone.
<br /><br />Not interested in dogs (opened the thread so I could discard it) but when I was a decorator I often worked in homes with a daytime-abandoned dog, or there was one nearby. It was not at all unusual for some poor mutt to whine, howl, bark for an entire working day. Anxiety measuring not required.
Agreed there but the more sobering bit was when they measured the stress hormone levels of the dogs who were quite quiet and well behaved when their owners were out and found that many of them were almost as high as the those of dogs who messed or howled all day or whatever. Seems they may be better behaved but are just as stressed out.
<br /><br />Can't you just smell that delicious puppy smell?
There are a few other puppy webcams here:<br /><br />http://www.liveanimals.tv/dogs-and-puppies/<br /><br />Some of them are off air at times but worth a check.
Don't you start - my daughter is always posting tempting pictures of forlorn dogs and puppies on my Facebook page.
I'm sure that one will easily find a home.<br /><br />It's the old dogs I feel sorry for and could almost be tempted by.
| 2019-04-19T08:51:58 |
http://amazombies.co.uk/discussion/1285/the-wonder-of-dogs
|
0.999784 |
Ans: The C programming language is a standardized programming language developed in the early 1970s by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie for use on the UNIX operating system. It has since spread to many other operating systems, and is one of the most widely used programming languages.
Q:What is the output of printf("%d")?
1. When we write printf("%d",x); this means compiler will print the value of x. But as here, there is nothing after �%d� so compiler will show in output window garbage value.
2. When we use %d the compiler internally uses it to access the argument in the stack (argument stack). Ideally compiler determines the offset of the data variable depending on the format specification string. Now when we write printf("%d",a) then compiler first accesses the top most element in the argument stack of the printf which is %d and depending on the format string it calculated to offset to the actual data variable in the memory which is to be printed. Now when only %d will be present in the printf then compiler will calculate the correct offset (which will be the offset to access the integer variable) but as the actual data object is to be printed is not present at that memory location so it will print what ever will be the contents of that memory location.
3. Some compilers check the format string and will generate an error without the proper number and type of arguments for things like printf(...) and scanf(...).
Q: What is the difference between "calloc(...)" and "malloc(...)"?
1. calloc(...) allocates a block of memory for an array of elements of a certain size. By default the block is initialized to 0. The total number of memory allocated will be (number_of_elements * size).
malloc(...) takes in only a single argument which is the memory required in bytes. malloc(...) allocated bytes of memory and not blocks of memory like calloc(...).
2. malloc(...) allocates memory blocks and returns a void pointer to the allocated space, or NULL if there is insufficient memory available.
calloc(...) allocates an array in memory with elements initialized to 0 and returns a pointer to the allocated space. calloc(...) calls malloc(...) in order to use the C++ _set_new_mode function to set the new handler mode.
Q: What is the difference between "printf(...)" and "sprintf(...)"?
ANS:sprintf(...) writes data to the character array whereas printf(...) writes data to the standard output device.
Q: Compilation How to reduce a final size of executable?
ANS: Size of the final executable can be reduced using dynamic linking for libraries.
Q:Can you tell me how to check whether a linked list is circular?
If a list is circular, at some point pointer2 will wrap around and be either at the item just before pointer1, or the item before that. Either way, its either 1 or 2 jumps until they meet.
Q:"union" Data Type What is the output of the following program? Why?
Q: Write out a function that prints out all the permutations of a string. For example, abc would give you abc, acb, bac, bca, cab, cba.
*p2++ = *p1++ means copy value of *p1 to *p2 , then increment both addresses (p1,p2) by one , so that they can point to next address . So when the loop exits (ie when address p1 reaches next character to “name” ie null) p2 address also points to next location to “name” . When we try to print string with p2 as starting address , it will try to print string from location after “name” … hence it is null string ….
*p1 has value “n” ..after 4 increments , loop exits … at that time p1 value will be 2004 , p2 =3004 … the actual result is stored in 3000 - n , 3001 - a , 3002 - m , 3003 -e … we r trying to print from 3004 …. where no data is present … that's why its printing null .
| 2019-04-20T17:12:43 |
http://r4r.co.in/c/faqs/s1.shtml
|
0.998613 |
On Wednesday we are back at Lingfield, for quality looking 1M 2F class 2 handicap on the poly track .
9 runners declared for (0-105) 1M 2F handicap at Lingfield .The three main contenders look to be Franklin D ,Aleator & Freud .
FRANKLIN D : Won 1 out 2 on All Weather ,including winning class 3 (0-95) handicap over C&D at Lingfield last time .Lightly raced on the All Weather and looks open to plenty improvement .Looks fairly treated off mark 93 .
ALEATOR :Won 2 out 7 on All Weather,including winning class 3 (0-90 ) handicap over C&D at Lingfield last time.Seem to show improved form in first time blinkers.Not badly treated off 2LB higher mark ,and looks well drawn for horse that races on the pace.
FREUD : Improving sort ,winning last two starts ,including winning class 4 handicap at Chelmsford last time .Up 3LB in the weights and takes step up in class ,though still looks on fair mark ,with claimer Callum Shepherd taking off handy 5 pounds .
VERDICT : Franklin D won with bit in hand last time ,when winning over C&D in class 3 handicap , though that didn't look the strongest class 3 contest .Off 4LB higher mark In better race, odds around 2-1 look no value .
ALEATOR showed improved form last time,when winning class 3 handicap over C&D .Different tactics were used when making all in first time blinkers .With not much pace in the race ,could again take some catching from decent draw in stall 2 .Odds around 11-2 look solid each-way value .
Freud is improving sort ,and has each-way claims after winning his last two starts at Chelmsford, still looks on fair mark ,though has to prove himself in much stronger race .
| 2019-04-24T04:19:03 |
https://www.jerrysbestbets.com/2016/01/310-lingfield-10f-coral-handicap-0-105.html
|
0.999997 |
Is university like coal mining?
It is hard to criticise those university students who take a surface approach to learning - where anything that doesn't carry a direct mark is ignored - when the vice-chancellor of a British university asserts that the "primary business of the university" is the processing of marks (Both on strike and at work? Forget it, March 7). Apparently nothing worth paying for happens, other than the delivery of these marks, the "coal" from the mine of education.
I don't know which is more depressing: Peter Knight's ostensible vision of university education as a cold exchange of fees for marks and of marks for salaries - or the fact that someone in such a position of responsibility clearly wants to escalate the union action to a point where the "coal" will be unrecoverable.
· Judging from previous disputes, if our employers make a reasonable offer and academic staff call off their assessment boycott, they will then work even more hours of unpaid overtime than usual to try to ensure that students get their exam results on time. That's what makes our dispute different from those in the industries Peter Knight mentions.
If Knight threatens to stop the pay of his staff, he is less likely to get this co-operation. He should do this only if he is confident he can run his university successfully without the unpaid overtime of his academic staff. In a report published last month, it was estimated that this overtime averages nine hours a week for each member of staff. So, in effect, academic staff are currently subsiding their universities by an average of £10,000 a year.
· The tone of Peter Knight's article shocked and angered me. Although he appears happy to use an academic title, he sneers at academics for being hampered in their battle for a decent wage by their concern for their students. Clearly no such concern for staff restrains the vice-chancellors, who have awarded themselves pay rise after pay rise, while proposing to use money awarded them by the government for staff salaries for other purposes. Knight then taunts the strikers with the loss of income they have decided to bear in the hope of impressing on their employers the seriousness of their demands. Would employers who treated their staff honestly do this? Of course not. Knight makes clear that vice-chancellors are indeed not wimps or woosies - they are bullies, who think that management means using coercion as their primary weapon, secure in the knowledge that they will get their large salaries whatever mess they make of running universities. I would not advise any bright graduate to work for such people. They are rapidly destroying our once-famous university education.
· Peter Knight says a boycott of examinations and assessments "strikes at the core of the academic process". The universities' role is to provide their students with an education, the provision of a degree being a secondary consideration. It is just such mercenary attitudes as Knight's that are ruining higher education in the UK today.
· The University and College Employers' Association's claim that the average academic earns £40,657 (Pre-emptive strike, March 7) can only be explained by an ageing workforce. There must be more senior lecturers and professors earning £39k or more than lecturers, whose pay ranges from £24k to £37k. I was amused that, on the day I saw the email about the strike, I was sent information about part-ownership affordable housing that requires a minimum single income of £40,000. On an average career path, an academic can hope to earn this after eight years. Do we really think it reasonable that those teaching our brightest young people cannot afford their own home?
| 2019-04-25T19:51:57 |
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/mar/14/letters.educationguardian
|
0.98744 |
Among the many methods of wood working and carpentry, wood turning done on a wood lathe is the most common. The following are some useful tips for wood turning done with the help of a wood lathe.
A beginner who has just taken up wood turning always has one big difficulty, i.e. what to turn? Here are a few suggestions. The easiest thing that can be turned by any beginner is a simple bowl. To make a simple bowl, one requires a 3.5'' thick piece of ambrosia maple wood in a dry state. The tools that are needed for turning are a bowl gouge and spindle gouge.
A simple bowl is made using the faceplate turning technique. It is always advisable to start turning the bowl from the bottom, which is known as the tail stock of the bowl and proceed upwards. You can easily rough cut the bowl first in what ever shape you want and then add the applicable finishing touches. You carry out the same technique to produce objects like ring boxes and then moving on to lidded and hinged ring boxes. You will need a small square scraper in addition to the spindle gouge to make the ring box.
Oil finish polishes not only protect the wood in all weathers but also tend to improve the finish of the surface of the wood. It is essential to polish the surface of your object with a sand paper before applying the finish to it. The buffing wheels can be easily attached to lathe machines. A wood finish, aided with the finishing touch of a buffing wheel further improves the quality of the surface of the wood. Make use of tools such as measuring tools, shear scrapers and cryogenically treated turning tools. Many new tools such as profile scrappers and versatile Irish grind are also being introduced.
Wood turning with the help of a wood lathe can be a highly recreational and artistic hobby but it is important to follow some safety rules like wearing protective eye goggles or a face shield. While working with a lathe it is also important to wear proper attire and make use of respirators. It is also recommended that one uses the wood conservatively as a whole tree is cut to make available a piece of wood for wood turning purposes. Learn to value the wood. And last but not least, practice as much as you can on waste pieces of wood before taking up a bigger piece of wood of superior quality.
| 2019-04-18T19:15:49 |
http://www.allansart.co.uk/woodturningringboxes4.html
|
0.999643 |
Many organizations are leaving their data vulnerable to theft because they spend too much of their security budgets on network security and too little on Web application security.
That's the conclusion of the "State of Application Security " survey carried out by the Ponemon Institute and published last month. The survey was sponsored by Imperva and WhiteHat Security, two California-based companies that sell Web application security solutions.
The survey says that of the top ten data breaches in 2009, 93 percent of the records were stolen as a result of attacks on Web applications and their databases, while only 7 percent of the data breaches were network related, according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse data. But the report found that 43 percent of enterprise security budgets is allocated to network and host security measures such as firewalls, VPNs and IPS equipment, while just 18 percent is allocated to address the threat posed by insecure Web applications. "I guess it's analogous to saying you've got a problem with people breaking into your building through the windows, so you keep on buying stronger doors," said Brian Contos, chief security strategist at Imperva, commenting on the survey.
The implication is that although Web applications are highly vulnerable, many enterprises have yet to alter their security priorities to take them in to account, says Shlomo Kramer, CEO of Imperva. "The cyber threat landscape has shifted from bringing down networks to stealing data, and it's time to stop fighting yesterday's war," he said when the survey results were announced.
It is perhaps no more surprising that the majority of data is stolen from databases than that bank robbers tend to rob banks -- that is, after all, where the data is. But just as banks tend to take good security measures precisely because they have large amounts of cash, Kramer's point is that Web applications (and their databases) need more resources spent to beef up their security because today's hackers want data and vulnerabilities in Web applications offer them a way to get it.
Imperva and WhiteHat Security may have an interest in talking up the threats of Web applications and talking down the threat of network intrusion, but is Kramer's contention that blackhats are far less interested in breaking into corporate networks than they were in the past true?
That's a tricky question to answer, but if it is the case then it may simply be because breaking in to networks has become relatively hard - precisely because of the effort that has been made (and the money that has been spent) to secure them.
Whatever the answer to this question, it remains the case that Web applications pose a threat to enterprise security - the SANS Institute rates Internet-facing Web sites that are vulnerable to attack as the second highest cyber-security risk to enterprises. It points out that "attacks against Web applications constitute more than 60 percent of the total attack attempts observed on the Internet." But the Institute highlights that the purpose of most of these attacks is not to steal the data that sits behind these Web applications. "These vulnerabilities are being exploited widely to convert trusted Web sites into malicious websites serving content that contains client-side exploits."
The number one cyber security threat to enterprises, according to SANS, is client-side software such as Adobe Flash and Reader that remains unpatched. Such software can be exploited "to propagate the infection and compromise other internal computers and sensitive servers incorrectly thought to be protected from unauthorized access by external entities. In many cases, the ultimate goal of the attacker is to steal data from the target organizations and also to install back doors through which the attackers can return for further exploitation."
Clearly, then, securing both your network and your Web applications should be key priorities. What this comes down to is a problem of resource allocation: if you spend too much of your security budget on your network, hackers will steal data via your Web applications, but if you spend too much on your Web applications, there won't be enough of your budget left to prevent them stealing data by breaking in to your network. It's as simple as that.
If you decide to allocate more of your security budget to Web application security, important steps to take (if you are not already doing so) include regular scanning for known vulnerabilities and coding errors using a specialized Web vulnerability scanner, or even full scale penetration testing.
These steps are only effective, it's important to remember, if they are accompanied by measures to ensure that developers fix any vulnerabilities that are discovered in a timely fashion. The Ponemon report recommends incentivizing developers because in many cases they don't consider fixing vulnerabilities to be as important as their other responsibilities, such as adding new features. It suggests holding developer teams responsible if they don't fix vulnerabilities in a reasonable space of time and recognizing and rewarding them when they do.
The report also recommends deploying shielding technologies such as Web application firewalls that can quickly be configured to protect against newly discovered vulnerabilities as an interim measure until the necessary patches or updates can be applied.
| 2019-04-20T12:41:50 |
http://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/netsecur/article.php/3885381/Web-Application-Security-Are-You-Doing-Enough.htm
|
0.999822 |
How to merge two background sprites so that there won't be a line between the merging sides?
Hello guys, I am making a 2D platformer game in which I will be adding background sprites. And while doing so, I will be joining many(let's say two) sprites to make it look like one long background. However, when I join two background sprites, a line is visible at the joining point, making it evident that I merged two sprites there. How do I make it look like it is a single image? How do I remove the line between them? Please help me fix this. Any help would be very much appreciated.
| 2019-04-23T21:08:45 |
https://answers.unity.com/questions/1464984/how-to-merge-two-background-sprites-so-that-there.html
|
0.999997 |
Could there ever be any logical basis for the thought: "I am untrustworthy"?
I assume your worry is not about whether you are untrustworthy in some areas, or in some sorts of enterprises. As Peter Lipton says, if you are dishonest as a general rule, then plainly you can know that about yourself. And all of us have excellent reason to think that we are not good at many things.
But if your question is whether you could have any good grounds for thinking that you are untrustworthy in some very general way (for example, epistemically--in the way you generate beliefs about the world), then I think the answer is also yes. Most skeptical arguments seem to me to give at least some reason for thinking that we are epistemically untrustworthy. Most philosophers these days are not won over by skeptical concerns, but that is not to say that they regard such concerns as logically impossible or incoherent. I think, moreover, that the field of moral psychology gives us some reasons for thinking that we may be somewhat untrustworthy in other areas, as well.
Nor we do we need a weatherperson to tell which way the wind blows.
Is it true today what I will do tomorrow?
If on Tuesday you play chess, then if you had said on Monday "Tomorrow I will play chess" you would have said something true. It's easy to think that the truth of that future tense statement as uttered on Monday constrains what you can do on Tuesday; that is, it's easy to think that the claim's truth on Monday restricts your freedom. It seemed as if you had a choice about whether to play chess on Tuesday — but really you didn't, since it was already true the day before that you will play chess! Most philosophers reject this threat to our freedom. To many, it seems like a piece of verbal trickery. Yet there are disagreements amongst them about what precisely the trick is.
| 2019-04-22T00:43:45 |
http://askphilosophers.org/comments/recent?page=711
|
0.99996 |
The dog saw the same tree, but the shadows made the tree appear to have wide eyes and open jaws - textbook aggressive posture for a dog. My friends' dog went ballistic. She had seen something abstract and interpreted it as something meaningful to her. Could that be art appreciation?
I'm not a dog (some will differ with that opinion ) but I suspect that the animal tries to search for patterns in order to understand what they're looking at just like human beings do and for some reason it appeared to be something threatening.
No, that sounds like the makings of a crime scene.
Although it may come about accidently, I have no problem with the idea of a solitary person making music or creating some form of art .
Just inadvertantly humming or murmuring a monotone and noticing it could please and easily develop into a string of different tones and pitches (a melody of sorts).
If amused, it would be repeated and become more.
With a stick in hand, again inadvertantly, one might doodling in the dirt, notice that it looked like something or had a pattern. Same as above on development.
I believe that one creates art and music to please themselves first and foremost so being alone wouldn't be a detriment.
No. The fact that we evolved from social animals (apes) laid the grown work for all that we have become. I think that if we were solitary creatures, the need for food and shelter would take up so much time that we would not have the surplus of time and energy to create art, music etc. Those "higher-pursuits" would just not be practicle for a lone man, struggling for survival.
I saw a post earlier complaining about how there's little philosophy discussion here, so I thought I would try to start one that was completely absent of religion or Atheistic thought.
Say man never reproduced in large numbers and ended up solitary like many different animals in nature, would there still be art, music and literature? Would man bother to be creative if there was nobody else around? If man and woman only came together to mate, would there be a society of humankind at all?
I doubt if mankind would have survived the stone age as solitary animals. We are such weak pitiful creatures physically compared to all the creatures that considered us lunch. With out banding together early man would had little success as hunters and would probably have become extinct long ago.
Banding together also allowed sharing of ideas, aided in the development of our brain, and language skills....So no, I don't think even if man had survived as a solitary animal there would be any art or music and certainly not literature. There is no literature without language.
The answer was in Paul Tillich (the courage to Be).
So the problem is one of the import of Paul Tillich's concepts in social progress. We have to look into the ideas we are considering of history up to the Angst point in time at Now. There is something that means true Progress, and it is not merely a bigger, better, faster America or whichever nation we are in.
We are asking the question whether a personal relationship with God is available for any individual to consider the progress of vainer mterial explanations. For such a person Progress is real in the capacity to find relations with the fellow human being.
In such a structure its a measure of the Art, books the worlds is reading, and the sense of day-to-day sensory and auditory feelings that atest to the true human's progress.
Leftydan, are you meaning that the social grouping as a result would need to study itself through Anthropology? Or is the anthroplogy, as an indeed now rational investigation, to be filled with speculation or superstition for one's ancestors? Maybe there could be some atheism but that would certainly open to broad subjective alteration, either that or there would be objectivism stifling and rigorously abusing changes for new thought, nit belief but thought. Maybe the beliefs would hold so dearly be enforced by collective demarcation scaring death into the members.
| 2019-04-25T08:24:55 |
http://www.city-data.com/forum/religion-spirituality/555774-philosophical-question-about-man-4.html
|
0.999044 |
TO RESUME my story in narrative form.
I was awakened at ten o'clock on the 19th, after a long and delicious sleep, by Davies's voice outside, talking his unmistakable German. Looking out, in my pyjamas, I saw him on the quay above in conversation with a man in a long mackintosh coat and a gold-laced navy cap. He had a close-trimmed auburn beard, a keen, handsome face, and an animated manner. It was raining in a raw air.
The commander smiled broadly at me, and I inclined an uncombed head, while, for a moment, the quest was a dream, and I myself felt unutterably squalid and foolish. I ducked down, heard them parting, and Davies came aboard.
'We're to meet him at the inn for a talk at twelve,' he said.
His news was that the Blitz's steam-cutter had come in on the morning tide, and he had met von Brüning when marketing at the inn. Secondly, the Kormoran had also come in, and was moored close by. It was as clear as possible, therefore, that the latter had watched us, and was in touch with the Blitz, and that both had seized the opportunity of our being cooped up in Bensersiel to take further stock of us. What had passed hitherto? Nothing much. Von Brüning had greeted Davies with cordial surprise, and said he had wondered yesterday if it was the Dulcibella that he had seen anchored behind Langeoog. Davies had explained that we had left the Baltic and were on our way home; taking the shelter of the islands.
'Supposing he comes on board and asks to see our log?' I said.
We resolved abruptly on an important change of plan, replaced the log and charts in the rack as the first logical step. They contained nothing but bearings, courses, and the bare data of navigation. To Davies they were hard-won secrets of vital import, to be lied for, however hard and distasteful lying was. I was cooler as to their value, but in any case the same thing was now in both our minds. There would be great difficulties in the coming interview if we tried to be too clever and conceal the fact that we had been exploring. We did not know how much von Brüning knew. When had our surveillance by the Kormoran begun? Apparently at Wangeroog, but possibly in the estuaries, where we had not tired a shot at duck. Perhaps he knew even more - Dollmann's treachery, Davies's escape, and our subsequent movements - we could not tell. On the other hand, exploration was known to be a fad of Davies's, and in September he had made no secret of it.
It was safer to be consistent now. After breakfast we determined to find out something about the Kormoran, which lay on the mud at the other side of the harbour, and accordingly addressed ourselves to two mighty sailors, whose jerseys bore the legend 'Post', and who towered conspicuous among a row of stolid Frisians on the quay, all gazing gravely down at us as at a curious bit of marine bric-à-brac. The twins (for such they proved to be) were most benignant giants, and asked us aboard the post-boat galliot for a chat. It was easy to bring the talk naturally round to the point we wished, and we soon gained some most interesting information, delivered in the broadest Frisian, but intelligible enough. They called the Kormoran a Memmert boat, or 'wreck-works' boat. It seemed that off the western end of Juist, the island lying west of Norderney, there lay the bones of a French war-vessel, wrecked ages ago. She carried bullion which has never been recovered, in spite of many efforts. A salvage company was trying for it now, and had works on Memmert, an adjacent sand-bank. 'That is Herr Grimm, the overseer himself,' they said, pointing to the bridge above the sluice-gates. (I call him 'Grimm' because it describes him exactly.) A man in a pilot jacket and peaked cap was leaning over the parapet.
'What's he doing here?' I asked.
They answered that he was often up and down the coast, work on the wreck being impossible in rough weather. They supposed he was bringing cargo in his galliot from Wilhelmshaven, all the company's plant and stores coming from that port. He was a local man from Aurich; an ex-tug skipper.
v We discussed this information while walking out over the sands to see the channel at low water.
'Did you hear anything about this in September?' I asked.
'Not a word. I didn't go to Juist. I would have, probably, if I hadn't met Dollmann.' v What in the world did it mean? How did it affect our plans?
'Look at his boots if we pass him,' was all Davies had to suggest.
The channel was now a ditch, with a trickle in it, running north by east, roughly, and edged by a dyke of withies for the first quarter of a mile. It was still blowing fresh from the north-east, and we saw that exit was impossible in such a wind.
The next scene: von Brüning, Davies, and I, sitting over coffee and Kümmel at a table in a dingy inn-parlour overlooking the harbour and the sea, Davies with a full box of matches on the table before him. The commander gave us a hearty welcome, and I am bound to say I liked him at once, as Davies had done; but I feared him, too, for he had honest eyes, but abominably clever ones.
I had impressed on Davies to talk and question as freely and naturally as though nothing uncommon had happened since he last saw von Brüning on the deck of the Medusa. He must ask about Dollmann - the mutual friend - at the outset, and, if questioned about that voyage in his company to the Elbe, must lie like a trooper as to the danger he had been in. This was the one clear and essential necessity, where much was difficult. Davies did his duty with precipitation, and blushed when he put his question, in a way that horrified me, till I remembered that his embarrassment was due, and would be ascribed, to another cause.
'Herr Dollmann is away still, I think,' said von Brüning. (So Davies had been right at Brunsbüttel.) 'Were you thinking of looking him up again?' he added.
Our host smiled, gazing thoughtfully at Davies, who was miserable. I saw a chance, and took it mercilessly.
'We can call on Fräulein Dollmann, at least, Davies,' I said, with a meaning smile at von Brüning.
'Grosse Gott! In that.' He nodded towards the window whence the Dulcibella's taper mast could be seen pointing demurely heavenwards.
'She's a splendid sea-boat,' said Davies, indignantly.
'A thousand pardons!' said von Brüning, laughing.
'Herr Dollmann knew the way,' said Davies, doggedly. 'He kindly offered to pilot me through, and I wouldn't have gone otherwise.' There was an awkward little pause.
'He led you well, it seems?' said von Brüning.
'Ah!' said the other, with interest.
'Is that where the Medusa gave you the slip?' asked von Brüning, still studying Davies with a strange look, which I strove anxiously to analyze.
'I don't know; I didn't go that way.' The commander looked more and more puzzled.
'Well done, Davies,' I thought. He had told his story well, using no subtlety. I knew it was exactly how he would have told it to anyone else, if he had not had irrefutable proof of foul play.
The commander laughed, suddenly and heartily.
Davies frowned and glared at me. I was merciful and changed the subject.
'Besides,' I said, 'we've left our anchor and chain out there.' And I made confession of my sin.
'Oh, there's no hurry,' I said, partly from policy, partly because the ease of the shore was on me. To sit on a chair upright is something of a luxury, however good the cause in which you have crouched like a monkey over a table at the level of your knees, with a reeking oil-stove at your ear.
Davies looked blank, but von Brüning had turned to me.
I described the affair in detail, and with what humour I could. Our host was amused, and apologetic for the islanders.
The word 'wrecks' had set me tingling. Was it another test? Impossible to say; but audacity was safer than reserve, and might save trouble in the future.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Davies's tell-tale face growing troubled with inward questionings.
'It's a magnificent place for sailing,' said Davies, looking wistfully out over the storm-speckled grey of the North Sea. He underwent some more chaff, and the talk passed to our cruising adventures in the Baltic and the estuaries. Von Brüning cross-examined us with the most charming urbanity and skill. Nothing he asked could cause us the slightest offence; and a responsive frankness was our only possible course. So, date after date, and incident after incident, were elicited in the most natural way. As we talked I was astonished to find how little there was that was worth concealing, and heartily thankful that we had decided on candour. My fluency gave me the lead, and Davies followed me; but his own personality was really our tower of strength. I realized that as I watched the play of his eager features, and heard him struggle for expression on his favourite hobby; all his pet phrases translated crudely into the most excruciating German. He was convincing, because he was himself.
'Are there many like you in England?' asked von Brüning once.
'Like me? Of course - lots,' said Davies.
'We haven't seen many yachts about, said Davies, politely.
For my part, I made no pretence of being a Davies. Faithful to my lower nature, I vowed the Germans were right, and, not without a secret zest, drew a lurid picture of the horrors of crewless cruising, and the drudgery that my remorseless skipper inflicted on me. It was delightful to see Davies wincing when I described my first night at Flensburg, for I had my revenge at last, and did not spare him. He bore up gallantly under my jesting, but I knew very well by his manner that he had not forgiven me my banter about the 'charming daughter'.
'You speak German well,' said von Brüning.
'I have lived in Germany,' said I.
'Yes,' said I, thinking ahead. 'Civil Service,' was my prepared answer to the next question, but again (morbidly, perhaps) I saw a pitfall. That letter from my chief awaiting me at Norderney? My name was known, and we were watched. It might be opened. Lord, how casual we have been!
That was how the question of our future intentions was raised, prematurely by me; for two conflicting theories were clashing in my brain. But the contents of the letter dogged me now, and 'when at a loss, tell the truth', was an axiom I was finding sound. So I answered, 'Pretty soon, in about a week. But I'm expecting a letter at Norderney, which may give me an extension. Davies said it was a good address to give,' I added, smiling.
I felt myself being hurried.
I translated my cruel question.
'Yes,' said Davies, with simple pathos.
'Or take the first fair gale to Dover,' laughed the commander.
'I like this coast,' said Davies. 'And - we want to shoot some ducks.' He was nervous, and forgot himself. I had already satirized our sporting armament and exploits, and hoped the subject was disposed of. Ducks were pretexts, and might lead to complications. I particularly wanted a free hand.
'Thanks, very much,' said Davies, uneasily.
'Thanks, very much,' said I, as heartily as I could.
Our party broke up soon after this.
It had been a puzzling interview, but the greatest puzzle was still to come. As we went towards the door, von Brüning made a sign to me. We let Davies pass out and remained standing.
'I was not in earnest,' I said. 'I have never seen the Dollmanns; I thought they were friends of yours,' I added, looking him straight in the eyes.
'What's wrong with them?' I said, point-blank.
I saw that to press him further was useless.
'Thanks; I'll remember,' I said.
'And look here,' he added, as we walked down the passage, 'if you take my advice, you'll omit that visit to the Medusa altogether.' He gave me a steady look, smiling gravely.
'How much do you know, and what do you mean?' were the questions that throbbed in my thoughts; but I could not utter them, so I said nothing and felt very young.
Outside we joined Davies, who was knitting his brow over prospects.
Von Brüning was ready with a new proposal.
It was impossible to refuse, but a sense of being personally conducted again oppressed me; and the last hope of a bed in the inn vanished. Davies was none too effusive either. A tug meant a pilot, and he had had enough of them.
'He objects to towage on principle,' I said.
'Just like him!' laughed the other. 'That's settled, then!' A dogcart was standing before the inn door in readiness for von Brüning. I was curious about Esens and his business there. Esens, he said, was the principal town of the district, four miles inland.
Had the words a deeper meaning?
'Do you ever catch an Englishman?' I asked, recklessly. 'Oh, very rarely; your countrymen don't come so far as this - except on pleasure.' He bowed to us each and smiled.
'Not much of that to be got in Bensersiel,' I laughed. 'I'm afraid you'll have a dull afternoon. Look here. I know you can't leave your boat altogether, and it's no use asking Herr Davies; but will you drive into Esens with me and see a Frisian town - for what it's worth? You're getting a dismal impression of Friesland.' I excused myself, said I would stop with Davies we would walk out over the sands and prospect for the evening', sail.
He jumped up, and the cart rattled off through the mud, crossed the bridge, and disappeared into the dreary hinterland.
| 2019-04-21T05:09:54 |
http://www.bluemoment.com/riddleofthesands/16.html
|
0.999999 |
Harbhajan slapped with 11 match ban..
06 January , 2008. Sydney: Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was tonight banned for three Test matches after the ICC Match Referee Mike Procter upheld the Australian charge that he had racially abused their all-rounder Andrew Symonds, a decision against which the Indian team will appeal within 24 hours.
Procter gave a marathon six-and-a-half hour hearing to Harbhajan, who denied the charge and was supported by skipper Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, manager Chetan Chauhan and media manager M V Sridhar during the deliberations.
Procter also heard Symonds, who was backed by Australian captain Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke along with team manager Steve Bernard, who attended the hearing to testify against the Indian spinner.
After the hearing, which went beyond 2 am (Sydney time), there was no official word about the verdict but informed sources said that the three-Test ban was being slapped on Harbhajan, who is fully backed by the BCCI and the team.
The appeal will be made to the Commissioner of Appeals and pending the appeal, the off-spinner can continue to play.
After the hearing, Sridhar had said that they had not ruled out returning home, but the BCCI later played down the threat.
Meanwhile, the Indians have also filed a complaint against Australian spinner Brad Hogg for using abusive language during the ill-tempered second cricket Test.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will lodge a protest with the International Cricket Council (ICC) against erring umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor, who stood in the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), said team manager Chetan Chauhan here Sunday. The controversial decisions, from both umpires, cost India the Test match, which they lost by 122 runs.
India captain Anil Kumble accused Australia of unsportsmanlike conduct after the top-ranked team tied its record of 16 straight Test cricket victories with a 122-run win in Sydney.
Michael Clarke, who claimed a low catch that helped trigger India's batting collapse, took three wickets in the penultimate over of the five-day Test yesterday to win a match that had been marred by contentious umpiring decisions.
``Only one team was playing with the spirit of the game, that's all I can say,'' Kumble said at his post-match news conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Kumble indicated to reporters that he was upset at the refusal of Australia's batsmen to walk when they were clearly out, and by its fielders claiming some catches that should not have been appealed.
Kumble and rival captain Ricky Ponting agreed before the series that they would accept the word of the fielder in catches that were taken close to the ground. Clarke's catch to dismiss Sourav Ganguly was millimeters above ground level, making it difficult to judge even with the aid of television replays.
Ponting, whose team took a 2-0 lead in the four-Test series, said the match had been contested fairly by both teams.
``I have absolutely no doubt about this match being played in the right spirit,'' Ponting said.
After being set 333 to win from 72 overs yesterday, India collapsed to be 210 all out.
Formal Complaint Rahul Dravid's innings was ended on 38 by an incorrect decision by West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor. He gave him out caught behind amid mass appealing from the Australians even though television replays showed the ball missing Dravid's bat.
Dravid's dismissal was one of several decisions to go against the Indians, the first being on day one when man of the match Andrew Symonds was given not out by Bucknor. Symonds, who was on 30 at the time, went on to make an unbeaten 162 and later told reporters that he should have been given out, caught behind.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India will lodge a formal complaint about the umpires with the International Cricket Council, which appoints the match officials.
| 2019-04-23T15:10:34 |
http://www.liveindia.com/cricket/06jan08.html
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0.999305 |
Many years ago a young Kansas City artist struggled to get his cartoons published in city newspapers. His offerings, however, were met with rejection after rejection. “Forget it,” editors told him. “You have no talent. Get a real job.” But the artist felt that he did have talent and he refused to compromise his career.
The artist was Walt Disney, and you know the rest of the story. Disney went on to establish the most expansive entertainment empire in the world, with amusement parks spanning the globe, major film and television companies, and countless spinoff products. Over the years Walt, Mickey, and their entertainment progeny have provided limitless joy for hundreds of millions of children and their families. If you have every visited one of the Disney parks or watched Disney films or television, you can thank Walt Disney for trusting his talent.
Everyone has a bankable talent. You came to Earth for a purpose. On the deepest level you are here for a spiritual purpose: to discover your identity and your value in the cosmic plan. You also have a form of expression in the world: to serve others while fulfilling yourself. Do not stop until you have tapped into your talent and expressed it. It is why you are here.
In biblical times, a “talent” was a high-value unit of currency, about 80 pounds of silver, equal to the wages paid to a man for about 20 years of work. Translate that into the dollar amount for 20 years of work today, and you will understand its huge worth.
The biblical parable of the talents tells of a householder who left home for a long time and gave three servants talents to use wisely. When the master returned, he found that two of the servants had invested their talents and generated a significant return. The third servant, however, had simply hidden his talent in the ground and made no use of it whatsoever. The master was highly displeased with this servant, and cast him out.
The parable teaches that talents are valuable only if you use them. If you “hide your light under a basket,” the light doesn’t get to do what it was created to do. If you ignore or deny your talents, the world misses the blessing you were born to bring to it, and you miss the spiritual and material rewards you deserve.
A more modern wayfarer, Cesar Millan grew up poor in Mexico in a house with no running water. Young Cesar was shy and unpopular, and other kids made fun of him because he spent time with dogs; they laughingly calling him “El Perrero,” or “dog boy.” In 1990 at age 21 Cesar crossed the border into the United States as an illegal immigrant, paid for by his father’s $100 investment in his son’s better future. Speaking no English, homeless, and penniless, Milan walked the streets panhandling, and hung out in a park. There Milan befriended people walking their dogs and helped them improve their pets’ behaviors. Eventually Cesar got a job in a dog grooming shop, where he helped tame an aggressive Cocker Spaniel. The owners liked him and gave him a key to the store so he could get off the streets and have a place to sleep and shower.
Milan moved to Los Angeles, where he worked hard in a car wash. The owner gave him a van to start a mobile dog-training business. Cesar met actress Jada Pinkett (who later became actor Will Smith’s wife) and helped her with her dog. Pinkett was so impressed that she introduced Cesar to her Hollywood friends and paid for him to get a tutor for a year to improve his English. In 2004 the National Geographic Channel gave Cesar Milan his own television show, which became a hit and fueled his worldwide reputation as “The Dog Whisperer.” Milan’s show, broadcast in 80 countries, has spawned five best-selling books, a line of pet products, several dog sanctuaries, and generous charity donations.
One has to wonder what the world would be like without the gifts bestowed by Walt Disney, Cesar Millan, and Stephen Jobs, who quit college to design fonts, and eventually built the Apple empire. Do you believe you have less to offer than them? You may not be interested or destined to build an empire, but you can build a kingdom of heaven raising your child, waitressing in a restaurant, or helping the elderly. God has given everyone a unique talent to serve and find reward, including you.
The beginning of a new year is a perfect time to take stock of your talents. What comes easily and naturally to you? What would you do even if you weren’t getting paid for it? What do people compliment you for? These are all clues to your talent. This year don’t bury your talent or hide it under a basket. It’s why you’re here.
| 2019-04-24T19:54:38 |
http://www.happyherald.com/article-2028-trust-your-talent.html
|
0.999999 |
I recently posted a few stories (here) that raise the same question: under what circumstances is the state justified in imposing sanctions for conduct not related to the practice of law.
As I said in one of my recent posts, there is a case in Illinois that suggests the answer depends on whether the conduct leads to the conclusion that the attorney should not be trusted to do what attorney's do.
Using this analysis, it can be argued, for example, that a lawyer who who steals money should not be trusted to handle other people's money or affairs.
Now comes the story of a lawyer who put glue in his tenant’s locks and let the air out of her tires. The lawyer's defense: he was acting as a landlord, not as a lawyer.
So, is this conduct that should subject the lawyer to sanctions? Under what rule?
If the conduct is "criminal", maybe the state can base the decision on rule 8.4(b) which considers misconduct to commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other respects. Is that a strong argument?
This is an awful standard. First, it is not based on any specific rule; second, it is based on the notion of either an "appearance of impropriety" or an effect on "the image of the profession" or both; and, third, it suggests that lawyers are bound by a duty to abide by "good morals."
I have never liked the use of a standard based on an appearance of impropriety or the image of the profession, which is such a vague and subjective standard.
In terms of the appearance of impropriety, there are essentially three approaches: some states hold it should not be used as a standard for discipline; others hold that it can be used as a factor when used in addition to other more clearly defined standards; and others still hold it can be used as a factor on its own.
The approach that considers the appearance of impropriety as a stand-alone standard for discipline has been rejected by the drafters of the Model Rules repeatedly, but many courts continue to cite the phrase, either as a standard in and of itself or as a factor to be considered in addition to another standard. One would think that the use of the phrase has lost its popularity, but some research suggests the opposite.
The notion of "good morals" is also problematic for many reasons. First of all, who decides what is to be considered "good morals" and what is the basis for that decision? This is the same problem when we deal with a standard based on the "dignity of the profession." Who decides what is "dignified"? This notion was rejected in an old case in Illinois that holds that "we do not intend to imply that attorneys must conform to conventional notions of morality in all questions of conscience and personal life."
According to the story, the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board found misconduct but has not yet determined the appropriate discipline.
| 2019-04-22T09:58:35 |
http://bernabepr.blogspot.com/2019/03/lawyer-gets-sanctions-for-conduct-as.html
|
0.998967 |
What size/output stove do I need?
Choosing the correct heat output will be fundamental to your future enjoyment of your wood burning or multi fuel stove and its potential running costs. Just because you have a big space or a big hearth to take a big stove, don’t be lured into thinking that you actually need a big stove. If you have to pay for your wood then you should ensure that your stove doesn't cost any more to run than it needs to.
As all wood burning and multi fuel stoves are designed to work best with the right fuel load it is better not to choose a stove which has a much bigger output than you really need. Choosing a big stove and reducing the fuel load to compensate means that the fire-chamber may not reach the correct operating temperature and thus the body – the bit that radiates the heat in a traditional radiant stove and helps convect the heat in a contemporary convection stove – may not be able to do its job properly. What you'll get by doing this is a lacklustre fire and disproportionally poor heat output.
Reducing the temperature in the fire-chamber will also have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the flue's up-draught making the flue gases rise slower consequently slowing them down further, all of which could create problems with creosote and condensates. You'll more than likely also have problems keeping the glass clean as a low fire-chamber temperature reduces the effectiveness of the stove's Airwash system which relies on the exceptional heat to burn off any dry particulates which may settle on the glass. For more information on the benefits of a good up-draught Click Here.
From an environmental viewpoint choosing a big stove and then reducing the fuel load and thus the fire-chamber temperature also means that you will simply end up producing more smoke (and therefore more soot) and more pollution. If you live in a UK Smoke Control Area, even with a DEFRA Smoke Exempt stove (also known as a Defra Approved stove) you could leave yourself open to prosecution through the creation of nuisance smoke. For further information on UK Smoke Control Areas and your legal obligations Click Here.
Conversely, choosing a stove which is too small and then having to stoke it up like the Flying Scotsman to get warm on very cold days could potentially permanently damage your stove and flue system through over-heating of the bodywork and stove and flue components.
Apart from the size and volume of the room, to estimate the right heat output you need you will also have to consider whether your room is well or poorly insulated. Large window areas, other ambient heat (eg central heating in other parts of the house), single story buildings, strong prevailing winds etc, are all important considerations. An understanding of how well your house is (or isn't) insulated will enable you to choose one of the three insulation categories (A, B or C) in the table below which you'll need to choose to help you make the best calculation.
You will also need to consider how you are going to 'live' with your stove. In a typical square sized living room, with a typical sized stove, the stove will be placed in the fireplace and this doesn't usually present a problem. If though, you have a long living room (typically say, two rooms knocked together) in theory the calculations to heat that volume of room will determine that you need a stove with twice the heat output of the individual stoves needed to heat the original rooms before they were knocked together. For example this could mean one 10kW stove as opposed to two 5kW stoves. But beware... in theory we know that the 10kW stove will heat that particular space – but how do you begin to live with it? See the diagram below to see what we mean. A 10kW stove is an extremely powerful stove and one that's probably too hot to sit in front of for any length of time.
A typical UK/Irish living room (approximately square) which will normally take a 5kW output stove to provide good even heat on the coldest of days. Placed in the chimney breast this stove should be easy to 'live' with because the radiant heat in front of the stove is no overpowering.
A typical long UK/Irish room (usually two rooms knocked together) which in theory requires a 10kW output stove. However, although the 10kW radiant stove will eventually heat the whole room it will become very difficult to be anywhere near the stove once the room is up to full temperature.
Similar long room, this time with the stove at the end. Again, in theory this room requires a 10kW output stove but although the radiant stove will eventually heat the room it is neither a practical or comfortable solution. Either the stove's output should be reduced or a change to a convecting-type stove is required.
For typically sized living rooms, one view is, that it is better to have a slightly larger stove than shown by the calculation result, perhaps rounding the calculation up to no more than an additional 1kW. Remember, the standard industry calculation shown below is only a rule of thumb and is not exactly scientific. This little bit of extra heat output will afford you some flexibility when it is particularly cold without ever over-firing or slow burning. Some of The Stove Yard's customers want the little bit of extra output so that they can avoid running the central heating at particular times of the year, like late Spring and early Autumn, letting the excess heat permeate into the hall and other adjoining rooms. However, do please check out our diagram above on 'Stove output versus practicality and comfort'.
We must not forget that there’s also the aesthetics to consider too. For example, if you have a large imposing fireplace, then you could be forgiven for thinking that a smaller stove of the correct kW rating will not be visually appropriate. In this case you may like to consider a 'slimline wide-bodied' stove which where the firebox has been squashed and stretched to create a bigger impression without actually increasing the heat output (they take longer logs too). The Hunter slimline models shown on this website are a good example of this as are both the Esse 100 and 200 models (only available from The Stove Yard's Cheshire showroom). Alternatively, you could specify a stove with an optional canopy (eg Yeoman) or log-box (eg Dunsley) to maximise the stove's overall visual impact.
So in the end choosing the correct output of stove for you will be a combination of theory (you have to start somewhere), practicality, personal preference and perhaps some compromise along the way. Experienced installers will also be able to offer their opinion and advice onsite which will have been arrived at over many years and through involvement in many, many installations.
This is based on the standard industry calculation using a multi fuel stove or wood burner to heat a room to a comfortable temperature (22Cº) when it's 0Cº outside and it generally works pretty well.
Firstly, multiply the room Length x Width x Height (in metres) and divide the total by one of the three figures listed below, depending on your interpretation of the insulation standard of the room where the stove will be operating. The three figures (10, 15 and 25) are based on the approximate volume of air that 1kW of heat produced by a stove in various insulated room situations would warm, from virtually no insulation (eg Victorian house) to state-of-the-art insulation (eg modern dwelling). This will provide you with a good estimate of the heat output that you'd need from your stove and taking into account the considerations outlined in the section above this should help you arrive at the ideal output for your particular requirements.
To ensure that your new stove is installed and operating safely and efficiently we recommend that customers use a Hetas registered installer, which is our industry’s equivalent of Corgi (now Gas Safe). Scotland has its own scheme which is also recognised by Hetas. Installations of wood burning and multi fuel stoves and systems are subject to the requirements of local building regulations and by law are notifiable to your local authority. Hetas registered installers can self-certificate their work thus avoiding the need for costly and time-consuming building notice applications.
At the Stove Yard all of the installers we work with locally in Cheshire are Hetas Registered Installers. At The Stove Yard in County Down, where the Hetas Registered Installer Scheme has yet to be adopted, our installer teams already fit to Hetas standards as well as the strict requirements of local Building Control and Building Regulations Document J (England & Wales) and Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 / Amendment 2006 / Amendment No 2 2006. In fact such is our concern for Best Practice where the installation of wood burning and multi fuel stoves and boiler stoves is that we recently presented a seminar on stove installation for the benefit of our local Building Control Officers.
| 2019-04-23T14:22:09 |
https://www.thestoveyard.com/resource-centre-home/what-size-stove-
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0.993832 |
Individuals that would like to enhance their performance by improving their working relationships with colleagues, clients or their team.
What is the crucial question when persuading other people?
How can you influence people around you?
| 2019-04-21T22:47:28 |
http://gbclearning.co.uk/course-schedule/?administrate_checkout_event_id=1449&event_currency=GBP
|
0.999783 |
Imagine a training set with 10 input features. The first two are mass (M) and accelertion (A) and the rest are all useless or irrelevant. The output is Force (F) which of course is equal to M*A.
It seems to me that an ANN architecture has no easy way to just multiply these two features together and give the answer.
If the input vector was [1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0] and the weights were all initialized to 1, then you would get (1*M) + (1*A). This doesn't provide the necessary straightforward multiplication.
The ANN will obviously figure out the mapping somehow, but will it always do so in a very over-complicated way?
Is this a limitation in some respects or am I misunderstanding something important about ANN's?
Yes, the network will probably approximate some sort of multiplication, but it is unlikely to generalize outside the range of inputs you train it on.
You may have more luck learning and generalizing the rule by using a quadratic neuron, which is capable of multiplying inputs. RNTNs introduced here do something to that effect.
I suggest a neuron which does something like $f(x) = a(x^TWx + b^Tx + c)$, where $a$ is the activation function (possibly linear).
As Shimao said, a NNet will be able to learn some sigmoid based approximation of multiplication, but it will likely fail for new values that fall outside of the range of the training set.
Remember that a 3 layer feedforward neural net is a universal approximator, given a sufficient number of neurons. So you might end up having to resort to having one neuron per training example, in which case your NNet isn't really "learning" anything, it is just acting as a lookup table.
A NNet can easily learn the second function, and then reverse transfrom the output.
Is a machine learning model just a mathematical equation?
What is the simplest way to classify airplan manuvers?
| 2019-04-19T20:29:43 |
https://stats.stackexchange.com/questions/340653/simplest-way-for-ann-to-learn-f-ma
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0.999854 |
The Facts: The Placebo Effect is a verified phenomenon occurring in our minds and bodies. Studies suggest as much as 80 percent of the effect of antidepressants can be attributed to the placebo effect.
Reflect On:The placebo effect is not something simply to dismiss as an annoyance in medicine, it IS an effect and it is coming from our brain body connection and consciousness. Is this not a power we could hone?
For example, if two people have a head ache and one takes tylenol while the other is given a pill that contains nothing (sugar), both could report that the pill was successful and the headache is gone. The difference is, the one that was given the pill which contained nothing still believed that they were given a tylenol that would alleviate their headache. In doing so, their headache was cured because of what they believed to be true. This has happened on numerous occasions, many studies have shown that the placebo effect is real and highly effective.
The placebo practice is known, but widely dismissed in medicine. The placebo effect should be a major topic of study in medical schools. Unfortunately drug companies study patients who respond to the placebo effect with the goal of eliminating them from early clinical trials. It bothers pharmaceutical manufacturers that in most of their clinical trials the placebos prove to be just as effective as their chemical ridden drugs.
Examining the placebo effect would give rise to a whole new category under science, which would probably be consciousness. This is why it's not examined thoroughly, the power of our perception and its ability to create our reality and even change our biology would open the door to a multitude of other questions, possibilities and potentialities for the human race. These potentialities would most likely wipe out many industries on the planet, from health all the way down to energy. These concepts are also heavily examined and illustrated by quantum physics.
A Baylor School of Medicine study, published in 2002 in the New England Journal of Medicine, looked at surgery for patients with severe and debilitating knee pain. Many surgeons know there is no placebo effect in surgery, or so most of them believe. The patients were divided into three groups. The surgeons shaved the damaged cartilage in the knee of one group. For the second group they flushed out the knee joint, removing all of the material believed to be causing inflammation. Both of these processes are the standard surgeries people go through who have severe arthritic knees. The third group received a "fake" surgery, the patients were only sedated and tricked that they actually had the knee surgery. For the patients not really receiving the surgery, the doctors made the incisions and splashed salt water on the knee as they would in normal surgery. They then sewed up the incisions like the real thing and the process was complete. All three groups went through the same rehab process, and the results were astonishing. The placebo group improved just as much as the other two groups who had surgery.
Another great example of the placebo effect came from the United States Department of Health and Human Services in 1999. The report discovered that half of severely depressed patients taking drugs improve compared to the thirty-two percent taking a placebo. Don't forget about all of the side effects and dangers that have been associated with antidepressants every year. Don't forget that the 'depression industry' alone is a multi billion dollar one(1).
A 2002 article published in the American Psychological Association's prevention & treatment, by University of Connecticut psychology professor Irving Kirsch titled, "The Emperor's New Drugs," made some more shocking discoveries (source)(source). He found that 80 percent of the effect of antidepressants, as measured in clinical trials, could be attributed to the placebo effect. This professor even had to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get information on the clinical trials of the top antidepressants.
It's interesting because as far back as 1999, statistics professor Jessica Utts at UC Irvine, published a paper showing that parapsychological experiments have produced much stronger results than those showing a daily dose of aspirin helping to prevent heart attacks. Utts also showed that these results are much stronger than the research behind various drugs like antiplatelets, for example.
A growing body of scientific research suggests that our mind can play an important role in healing our body — or in staying healthy in the first place. . . There are now several lines of research suggesting that our mental perception of the world constantly informs and guides our immune system in a way that makes us better able to respond to future threats. That was a sort of 'aha' moment for me — where the idea of an entwined mind and body suddenly made more scientific sense than an ephemeral consciousness that's somehow separated from our physical selves.
There isn't just one placebo effect, but many. Placebo painkillers can trigger the release of natural pain-relieving chemicals called endorphins. Patients with Parkinson's disease respond to placebos with a flood of dopamine. Fake oxygen, given to someone at altitude, has been shown to cut levels of neurotransmitters called prostaglandins (which dilate blood vessels, among other things, and are responsible for many of the symptoms of altitude sickness.
It means that through the power of belief, your biological body can react in a necessary way to target whatever ailment you are experiencing. Thoughts, feelings, and emotions are directly responsible for changing your biology. If we look at depression for example, we are told the main cause of it is a chemical deficit in the brain. But if thoughts, feelings and emotions can release different chemicals in the brain, why not just work on the patients feelings to induce a different chemical state? If our feelings, emotions and thoughts are directly correlated with our biology, why aren't we putting more resources into this research? Why is this not practiced by the medical industry? Why do we completely turn a blind eye to it?
The human race has been trained, and programmed to believe that external medicines are necessary for all ailments. I'm not saying that some medical applications are not valid, I'm just saying the human race completely ignores the power of non-physical phenomenon. We continue to believe that we need something outside of ourselves to heal, when everything points to the fact that this is not entirely true. Our own biological system and the human being is very capable of healing itself. We just don't know how, we don't believe it, we are not exposed to it.
Changing your biology with belief is not an easy process, because most of us don't truly believe we can. We are going up against years of perceptual manipulation that have formed our thoughts and beliefs. Your beliefs shape your perception, and your perception is what creates real phenomenon. If you change the way you perceive things, the things you perceive change. We are powerful beings, and have abilities that have yet to be unlocked. I believe that these types of realities will continue to emerge and will be implemented in the future. The placebo effect demonstrates, from a biological standpoint, that what you believe indeed becomes your reality. For one to be able to use this, they must believe it. One must perceive it as real as the perceive their own hand real, the sun real, the stars real. It's not about believing, it's about knowing.
The true nature of reality has yet to be discovered, but we continue to progress in our understanding. As we progress we realize how obsolete our current way of functioning really is. It's time to evolve past our archaic ideas and false beliefs, and step into a new understanding of reality. We are capable of so much more, or potential is limitless.
Nikola Tesla once said that "the day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence." In fact, Vedic philosophy heavily influenced Nikola Tesla's ideas about free energy. You can read more about that here.
To summarize the current contrast between material science and post material science, is to look at the points made in a document that was co-authored by r. Gary Schwartz, professor of psychology, medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and surgery at the University of Arizona, Mario Beauregard, PhD, from the University of Arizona, and Lisa Miller, PhD, from Columbia University. It was presented at an international summit on post-materialist science, spirituality, and society. They (and hundreds of other scientists) have come to several conclusions which you can view in their Manifesto For Post-Material Science.
When it comes to mind/matter interaction, which is part of non-material science, measurements can and have been made in both blind and double blind peer-reviewed literature. To learn more about and examine these concepts, feel free to browse through a selected list of downloadable peer-reviewed journal articles reporting studies of psychic phenomena, mostly published in the 21st century, you can click HERE. It is the home of Dr. Dean Radin, Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
| 2019-04-23T05:03:55 |
https://operationdisclosure.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-strange-power-of-placebo-effect.html
|
0.999868 |
Has Seagate Realized That Patent Infringement Lawsuits Won't Help It Stay Afloat?
Why Is The NY Times Threatening An Aggregator For Accurately Indicating NY Times Stories?
The NY Times was just recently involved in a intellectual property fight with newspaper publisher Gatehouse Media, over the use of Gatehouse headlines and ledes as part of an aggregator it had set up. Apparently, part of what the NYTimes learned from this episode was that it should go after other aggregators using questionable claims. It's now threatening the site Newser for using a small version of its "T" logo to link to stories from the NY Times. It's pretty difficult to see how this is trademark infringement. Using a small logo hardly implies endorsement. It's just accurately labeling where the news is from. It's difficult to see how that's "confusing" at all. This reminds me of a point made recently by Eric Goldman concerning the AP's "hot news" lawsuit, where he notes that aggregators are put in a tricky position: if they don't properly attribute the content, they may face a copyright infringement lawsuit, but if they do properly attribute the content, they may face a trademark infringement lawsuit. Isn't intellectual property great?
if they don't properly attribute the content, they may face a copyright infringement lawsuit, but if they do properly attribute the content, they may face a trademark infringement lawsuit.
How about a third option: just don't bother linking to companies who love lawsuits, and linking to someone who knows just a tad bit more about technology than a bunch of old farts?
I'd like a patent infringement suit, with a side of arsenic.
Yes, it IS great but only if you have enough lawyers and money to make all the rules go your way.
So if they use small plain text they are fine, but if they use a recognizable symbol for the Times to point to the Times they are infringing by driving traffic to them.
They need to beat some sense into their lawyers. Perhaps a short contract permitting the use of logo and a token payment for the Aggregator for driving traffic to the Times website.
How about "no"? Because I'd think Fair Use would cover this sort of usage of a company logo.
Fair Use does cover this sort of thing. however THe Times, or the Associated Press or Gatehouse or whoever will still file the lawsuit and the usually much smaller competitor will have to find the money to defend it.
The American legal system is so screwed up in that you only have rights if you have hundreds or millions of dollars.
Why doesn't someone set up an online freedom union, which could be joined by all sorts of sites whos purpose is to aggregate and make available existing content, then, as soon as one of them gets hit with a ridiculous charge like this, all the others would post a few stories on it, and promptly block all stories from the offending company.
result would be huge amount of negative stories and impact, and reduced traffic throughput.
They charge you to read their website anyway. Welcome to the 21st century. I'll get my news from a new media source and to hell with the Times. Why don't they just belly up or become a gossip rag?
The NY Times is about to go belly up. This seems like a desparation move. I for one would love to see them fall. I don't know why anyone reads the lefty publication anyways. That's what they get for being biased.
Just wait until they try this with FARK (if they haven't already). The negative reaction from that would be immense.
Should the NYT give away its content for free? Away from long tails, can anybody explain why? Away from news agregators that just "quote", who is actually gonna pay for credible information generation?
| 2019-04-18T14:41:46 |
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090226/0145203911.shtml
|
0.999924 |
Am I as good as so and so?
Do they think I am doing enough?
Self-doubt has a way of motivating us and equally de-motivating us. It can bring up feelings such as guilt, fear, shame, not-enoughness, failure to mention a few. Although self-doubt is often cognitive, it triggers emotion and we often take action around it with little to no understanding of what is going on underneath those thoughts and feelings!
Self-doubt can trigger us into proving ourselves to ourselves or others or avoiding showing up as less than to someone or ourselves through not engaging.
Its the way we manage self-doubt that is important and why it's present and what is it doing for us?
I see two key reactions to self-doubt.
One there are those with a lot of self-doubts who become high achiever or work harder than others, they can also burn themselves out using this approach.
Then there are those who can be classed as "lazy" (although I do dispute anyone being considered lazy!) as a way to avoid being outed as not enough! They can avoid disappointing themselves and others but they can also become avoidant not just of achievements but of any chance of failure in any area of their lives!
This is where self-doubt needs to be addressed, whether it's motivating us or de-motivating us. Whether it has now escalated to the ineffective way of doing things, with a constant chasing or avoiding feeling!
Whatever it takes to survive the situation, that's what we will do and if we have practice avoiding or proving, that's what we will default to! However, when we work on our self-doubt we can be less triggered and more effective in responding rather than surviving challenging situations.
Coaching for self-doubt is highly effective when a person is doing well but does not feel great. When a person is very self-critical or self-destructive.
Here are some key steps to combating self-doubt, starting NOW!
* Face the fear, look at it and break it down into small actionable steps!
When I work with people around self-doubt I usually find a commonality, those who avoid failure by not engaging actively in life or work OR more commonly those who avoid failure by doing too much and ensuring they never fall behind. Do you have a sense of which you might default to?
If your way of managing self-doubt is either approach, then coaching is a viable option to help you feel more confident, self-assured and discerning with your interpretation of a situation.
Book a free consultation here, to discuss coaching for you and your goals!
| 2019-04-18T22:46:11 |
https://www.silewalsh.com/articles/coaching-overcome-self-doubt
|
0.999327 |
What are the benefits of using Release Strategy in SAP MM?
Making SAP MM's Release Strategy feature part of procurement processes can provide better business controls and reduce typical procurement headaches.
Procurement planners seeking better checks and controls in the procurement process can use the Release Strategy feature in SAP MM. Release Strategy provides a series of electronic approval capabilities available for different procurement elements such as purchase requisitions, requests for quotation, purchase orders, quantity or value contracts, or scheduling agreements.
Setting up a release strategy in the SAP MM module establishes the business rules that the company must follow to approve purchase of a material or service. For example, a maintenance engineer creates a purchase requisition for spare parts that are needed to keep equipment functioning properly. The estimated purchase value of these spare parts is $25,000. The company's procurement policy specifies that the purchase requisition will need to be successively approved by three authorities, such as maintenance supervisors or maintenance managers, before the procurement manager is able to convert it into a purchase order to formally begin the procurement process. Only after the final maintenance manager's approval will the purchase requisition be available for approval by the general manager.
With the release strategy in place, each approving supervisor or manager is assigned a release code, which is an ID that helps control the flow of procurement elements to the relevant releasing authorities. The release strategy can be set up in the configuration that best suits the business needs of the company. While the above example would require release or approval by three authorities based on an estimated purchase value of $25,000, it would also be possible to set up a release strategy in which only two people need to approve if the estimated purchase value of items is less than $15,000. Similarly, it is possible to create a release strategy that differentiates procurement of maintenance spares from procurement of critical raw or packing materials required for production processes.
It is also possible to integrate the release strategy with SAP Business Workflow to further optimize the entire procurement process. Without the SAP Business Workflow in place, the approving authority with the relevant release code needs to run a report in the system that brings up a list of all procurement elements that are awaiting approvals.
Has SAP MM's Release Strategy made the procurement process easier for your enterprise?
Procurement planners are now able to have better checks and balances in the procurement process as the Release Strategy feature captured in SAP MM provides sequential electronic approvals in different procurement elements like purchase requisitions, scheduling agreements, quotation requests, purchasing orders as well as quantity or value contracts. The system also comes with a feature that allows the procurement process to go through only after the management team has approved it.
Would the purchasing documents need higher management approval after a specific value because designing approval matrix is a difficult step that demands a simple release.
| 2019-04-19T04:51:00 |
https://searchsap.techtarget.com/answer/What-are-the-benefits-of-using-Release-Strategy-in-SAP-MM
|
0.999987 |
People near Albany, N.Y., began noticing the strange bat behavior at least two years ago: Droves of the normally nocturnal mammals were seen flying around on brisk winter days when they should have been hibernating in caves for the season. The state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) teamed up with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to investigate and made an alarming discovery: Bat populations throughout northeastern New York State, Connecticut, Maine and Vermont had thinned by as much as 97 percent in area bat caves and emaciated survivors were found hanging near cave entrances where it is typically too cold for them to stay the entire winter. The only clue to the mysterious phenom was a white, powdery organism on the muzzles, ears and wings of the dead and dying bats.
Scientists have since linked the deaths of more than 100,000 of the smaller species of brown bats, northern bats, tricolored bats, Indiana bats and small-footed Myotis, along with larger brown bats in the U.S. Northeast to a condition they dubbed "white-nose syndrome." These researchers suspect that, since the winter of 2006, the ailment may have contributed to a steep decline in the bat populations at many caves in the affected states; in the most extreme case, about 1,750 of 1,800 of the flying mammals were found dead. Bat declines at many surveyed hibernation caves exceeded 75 percent.
"If you apply this across [the northeastern U.S.] there could be 200,000 dead bats and possibly even more," says David Blehert, a USGS microbiologist and lead author of a paper on the syndrome published today in Science.
USGS scientists are working with New York State environmental and health officials to pinpoint the exact cause and consequences of the fatalities. A breakthrough came in April when Blehert identified the white organism on the critters' noses as a type of geomyces fungus, one of a group of organisms that live in soil, water and air and reproduce at refrigerator temperatures of 39 degrees Fahrenheit (four degrees Celsius), the temp in most bat caves.
"When bats are torpid [in a hibernating state], they drop their temperatures down to the ambient temperatures of the caves," Blehert says. This makes the dormant bats susceptible to infection by this fungus.
But researchers are in the dark about the source of geomyces. They don't know if its spores were carried to the bat caves by animals or the wind or if it was in these caves all along and recently spread to spots where the bats hibernate.
It is also unclear whether the fungus is killing the bats or is a contributing factor in their deaths. Most of the victims were also rail-thin and some were found outside of their caves, indicating they may have starved to death after an apparently futile attempt to find food (insects, primarily) in the winter.
"Fungi are opportunistic pathogens," Blehert says, "they don't usually attack and kill otherwise healthy animals."
One thing is certain, Blehert says, "Before the identification of white-nose syndrome, mass mortality events in bats as a result of disease were very rare."
Blehert and his colleagues are now attempting to determine whether the dead bats went into hibernation emaciated or filled with enough food to sustain them throughout the winter. "If they're entering with less than a full tank of gas," he notes, "we have to consider whether the insect populations that they feed on are down." Bats are meant to remain in a torpid state throughout the hibernation period, rousing only every two weeks or so to groom or drink water.
Another possibility, he says, is that the fungus killed them indirectly by causing so much skin irritation it prevented them from getting enough sleep. The longer they are awake during hibernation, the more fat they burn, which gives them less time to sustain their bodies without refueling.
Thomas Kunz, a biology professor and director Boston University's Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, is also studying the mysterious bat deaths. "The mortality is unprecedented in my experience," he says, "and I've been working with bats for 40 years."
Blehert's work is groundbreaking, Kunz says, in that it has provided researchers with an understanding of the fungus, although the syndrome is most likely a secondary effect of some other underlying cause for the deaths. "This is serious in the sense that we're dealing with an unknown," he says, but he does not believe that the fungus itself is the pathogen.
Kunz and his team are approaching the mystery from three different angles: The first is to study the body weights of hibernating bats in different geographic areas by collecting samples of the creatures from three caves in the affected areas and from three caves in Ohio and Pennsylvania, where white-nose syndrome does not appear to have struck. Similar to Blehert's approach, this will inform Kunz and his team of whether the bats in the areas hit by the syndrome are beginning hibernation with the right amount of stored fat. If not, this might signal that pesticides are diminishing local insect populations, possibly choking off a primary food source for the bats.
The second angle is to determine whether the animals are storing the right type of fat (unsaturated fatty acids obtained by eating insects) for their dormancy, Kunz says. A lack of unsaturated fatty acids could again lead the scientists back to suspect declining local insect populations from insecticide use. A third area to investigate is whether the bats' immune systems are being suppressed for some reason, making them more susceptible to fungal infection. "There's no smoking gun at this point," Kunz says, but he and his colleagues are collecting bat samples at this time and hope to have some results by December.
One possible bright spot is that some of the lesions on dead bats that Blehert and his colleagues examined had begun to heal before the bats died, which indicates that the bats are capable of fighting the infection to some extent. The researchers plan to spend this winter studying the effect of this fungus on healthy bats in the lab. Blehert says he will be surprised if the fungus alone was the sole culprit behind the plummeting bat population. "I'm not sure a fungus," he says, "can kill an otherwise healthy animal."
| 2019-04-26T05:19:01 |
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bat-white-nose-syndrome/?error=cookies_not_supported&code=94d55c99-ecdf-411b-a2e0-bc76072e6f63
|
0.998611 |
Returns a table object of a subject store (additional data list).
The above will return a table with one column (the "city" column), with all the rows from the "my_store123" subject store where the value under the "country" column is 'UK'. That table object returned, will be stored in the "table" variable in the above example.
The Table object is like a Matrix structure (an Array of arrays).
Access to a specific row in the Table object, using the "table" variable from the example above, is done like this: table[<row index>]. For example, table will return the first row. table will return the second row, and so on.
Access to a specific cell in the table object, is done first by accessing the relevant row, and then the relevant column (which will direct us to the actual value stored in that row and column in our table / matrix): table[<row index>][<column index>]. For example, table will return the value stored in the cell located in the 3rd row and first column of the table (Remember, rows and columns, indexes are zero-based).
If referring to the example above, table will return the value stored in the 3rd row under the "city" column (as our table object has only one column which is the "city" column). I could access the same cell by using the actual column name instead of its index, like this: table["city"].
| 2019-04-26T06:37:42 |
https://support.dooblo.net/hc/en-us/articles/360000291789-GetTableFromStore
|
0.9998 |
A crewmember or seaman who suffers an injury or illness while in the service of the vessel is entitled to maintenance and cure. Maintenance is money to pay for food and lodging expenses on a daily basis that the seaman will require during the time he is receiving medical care for his injury or illness. Cure represents the medical treatment a seaman is entitled to receive for his injury or illness. A crewmember's or seaman's employer is responsible to provide maintenance and cure to a seaman.
Often times, the cruise ship employers provide maintenance by arranging for a crewmember to stay at a hotel close to the area where the medical treatment is being provided. At the hotel, the cruise ship company also provides the meals for the seaman.
The crewmember often times ask why they are not receiving additional money for maintenance benefits while they are on medical leave staying at a hotel the employer has provided. The answer to that question is the employer's obligation under the maintenance doctrine, unless the employer also has an obligation to provide unearned wages, is to provide for food and lodging expenses only. The employer can do this by providing the hotel with meals included, instead of giving the seaman money in order for the seaman to pay for his food and lodging expenses. Although this is a convenience to the employer, because it reduces bookkeeping functions to keep track of all of the payments of maintenance and cure to seamen on medical, the seaman also often times suffers by this arrangement. Often times, the food and lodging accommodations are very bad. The seaman is required to eat at the same place all of his meals every day, often times for many months during the time he or she has received medical care and treatment. The amount of money allocated for three meals per day is often times inadequate for the seaman to have a good diversity of food available to him on a daily basis, and does not leave any additional money for the seaman to obtain any type of snacks or additional drinks in between the three meals being provided at the hotel. Often times, the seaman will complain that the food provided at the hotels the cruise ship company picks for them to stay at is very poor, and there are many complaints about the sanitary conditions of the places where the seaman are being provided their food and lodging accommodations. The cruise lines take a hard nose approach with respect to complaints, especially when the seaman or crewmember is represented by a lawyer.
Another aspect of the maintenance and cure that the cruise ship company abuses is they do not provide the seaman with additional money on a daily basis for the seaman to obtain personal items needed when staying at a hotel, such as shaving cream, deodorant and other personal items. In addition, the cruise ship company does not provide the seaman with any money to allow the crewmember to use the phone to contact and speak with his family. Often times, the seaman or crewmember is housed at a location far away from their home, and the cruise ship company has isolated them from their family, and has not allowed a family member to be present with the crewmember during the medical care and treatment. This happens even when medical recommendations are for family member to assist the crewmember during this convalescence. The cruise ship companies are very cold in their approach towards the seaman during their maintenance and cure time.
Our firm often has to fight hard to get seaman their maintenance and cure benefits, and to try to rectify these abuses in the maintenance and cure process.
A crewmember or a seaman must also be careful when applying for a job with a shipping company, including a cruise ship company. The seaman or crewmember is subjected to a pre-employment physical examination, and also must fill out a form which asks many questions regarding the past medical history of the crewmember. Often times, the crewmembers do not understand these forms, or are rushed. Many times the doctor conducting a pre-employment physical examination assist the crewmember quickly with these forms and routinely checks off no to any past medical problems even if a crewmember or seaman has suffered some type of medical issue in the past. Regardless, the crewmember must pass the physical examination in order to get the job, which is designed to determine whether the crewmember is fit for employment or not. Often times the forms are not relied upon at all when the employers are making the decision to hire a crewmember or not.
The significance of these forms is that there is maritime law that has developed addressing an employer's argument that a seaman intentionally failed to disclose a prior medical problem, where the employer argues that had it been properly informed of the medical condition it would not have employed the crewmember. Accordingly, when the crewmember suffers an injury or illness with respect to a medical problems that arguably is similar to a prior medical problem not disclosed, the ship owner/employer tries to deny maintenance and cure to the crewmember on the basis that the crewmember intentionally failed to disclose the prior medical problem, and had the crewmember been honest he would not have been employed.
A maritime doctrine has developed to address this defense asserted by the ship owner or employer as to the obligation to provide maintenance and cure when a seaman arguably failed to disclose a prior medical condition.
An employer of a seaman does have a right to investigate a seaman's claim for maintenance and cure benefits. There are defenses the employer may rely upon to defend a maintenance and cure action. One of these defenses is that the injured crewmember willfully concealed a pre-existing medical condition from the employer.
The doctrine that has developed to address this issue is called the "McCorpen Doctrine".
There must be a connection between what information was not disclosed by the crewmember and the injury or illness that is claimed by the crewmember for which the employer is denying maintenance and cure based on the failure to disclose material medical information.
I have read many cases addressing this issue, and it is very difficult for an employer to convince the court that a seaman intentionally concealed information to the extent that the employer can deny maintenance and cure benefits. Maintenance and cure is an ancient doctrine entitled to protect seamen, and it is an automatic obligation imposed upon an employer when a seaman gets injured regardless of any fault. This obligation is automatic and technicalities should not be utilized by the ship owner to deny maintenance and cure. Any ambiguities or doubts as to the right to a seaman to receive maintenance and cure must be resolved in favor of the seaman.
Maintenance and cure is an important obligation on the part of an employer/seamen, one that is designed to protect seamen injured while in the service of the ship. This entitles the seaman to medical care and treatment, and is the most important right of a seaman. It is an obligation that is automatically imposed on the employer of the seaman with the contract of employment. The obligation is so strict that case law has held that the employer may not take away this right by contract. However, the Courts have missed this critical point, which is that an employer should not be able to alter the maintenance and cure obligations by contract. There is emergent case law which has allowed employers to alter their obligations under the maintenance and cure doctrine. Many employers have put into the contract restrictions on the maintenance and cure obligations, including restrictions on the amount of maintenance a crewmember is entitled to receive. The shipowners have recently gone further and subjected maintenance and cure claims to arbitration, taking away a critical enforcement procedure of the crewmember to obtain his or her maintenance and cure, which is to go into a Court of law and file an emergency motion to compel maintenance and cure. There is case law that gives the judge the authority to grant injunction relief to a seaman in order to provide maintenance and cure required on an emergency basis. By taking away the right of the seaman to go into court, and instead forcing a seaman to rely on the arbitration process, the courts have taken away a critical weapon a seaman had in their arsenal to enforce maintenance and cure rights. We are seeing an emergent trend where the cruise ship companies are using the arbitration process to delay maintenance and cure benefits to crewmembers, realizing that the key mechanism to enforce the maintenance and cure obligations have been taken away from the seamen, including the court's power to award attorney's fees and punitive damages when an employer acts willfully, arbitrarily and capriciously in denying maintenance and cure benefits.
Our firm has assisted thousands of crewmembers over the years in obtaining their maintenance and cure benefits, their retirement benefits, as well as pursuing claims for personal injuries and wrongful death under the Jones Act and general Maritime Law of the United States. We continue to assist crewmembers in pursuing such claims, whether in a court of law with a jury trial, or under the recently involving arbitration procedures that the employers and cruise ship companies are requiring for resolution of any disputes the seamen may have with their employer. We continue to fight the employer and cruise ship companies attempts to take away the seamen's right to pursue claims in a court of law with a right to a jury trial, and argue that mandatory arbitration in a seaman's employment contract is improper and illegal. We will continue to fight that battle, and hopefully the Supreme Court of the United States will ultimately look at this critical issue for seamen, and declare that it is illegal to deny a seaman his rights under the Jones Act and general Maritime law of the United States by inserting mandatory arbitration agreements in take it or leave it seaman's employment contracts.
Brett Rivkind has always been considered a leading expert in the field of Maritime Law. He has acted as past President of the Florida Bar Admiralty Committee. He has lectured on maritime issues to lawyers and judges. He was invited by the United States Congress to appear at Congressional Hearings addressing Maritime Safety laws. He spoke at the Congressional Hearings as a Maritime Legal Expert.
Brett Rivkind continues to actively act as a safety advocate for passengers and crewmembers harmed at sea. He represents passengers and crewmembers in all types of maritime incidents and disasters. He is currently representing passengers in the Costa Concordia case. He handles cases involving injuries and accidents suffered by passengers on cruise ships, as well as all types of boating accidents.
| 2019-04-24T18:44:36 |
https://www.rivkindlaw.com/crewmembers-seamen-failure-to-disclose-to-employer-a-prior-medic.html
|
0.99821 |
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Friday defended its decision to make a $400 million cash delivery to Iran contingent on the release of American prisoners, saying the payment wasn't ransom because the Islamic Republic would have soon recouped the money one way or another.
In a conference call with reporters, senior administration officials said it made no sense not to use the money as leverage to ensure that four U.S. citizens were freed, especially as Washington was uncertain until the very moment their plane left that Iran would live up to its word.
The administration's defense came after the State Department outlined for the first time that the Jan. 17 repayment of money from a 1970s Iranian account to buy U.S. military equipment was connected to a U.S.-Iranian prisoner exchange on the same day. Previously, President Barack Obama and other officials had denied any such linkage.
The acknowledgement kicked off a torrent of Republican criticism, who declared it evidence of a quid pro quo that undermined America's longstanding opposition to ransom payments.
"He denied it was for the hostages, but it was," Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in a speech Thursday night in Charlotte, North Carolina. "He said we don't pay ransom, but he did. He lied about the hostages, openly and blatantly."
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Obama "owes the American people a full accounting of his actions and the dangerous precedent he has set."
The money came from an account used by the Iranian government to buy American military equipment in the days of the U.S.-backed shah. The equipment was never delivered after the shah's government was overthrown in 1979 and revolutionaries took American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The two sides have wrangled over that account and numerous other financial claims ever since.
The Jan. 17 agreement involved the return of the $400 million, plus an additional $1.3 billion in interest, terms that Obama described as favorable compared to what might have been expected from a tribunal set up in The Hague to rule on claims between the two countries. U.S. officials have said they expected an imminent ruling on the claim and settled with Tehran instead.
At an Aug. 4 news conference at the Pentagon, Obama said nothing nefarious occurred.
"We do not pay ransom for hostages," he said.
In a conference call with reporters, two senior administration officials intimately involved with the financial and prisoner negotiations sought to refute what they described as false reports about what happened. They weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.
There was no way that Washington could have avoided repaying the money to Iran in the short-term, one of the officials insisted.
The 1981 Algiers Accord between the U.S. and Iran that set up the tribunal made repayment mandatory, and allowed for either claimant to seize assets in international courts if the other reneged on a ruling, the official said. Iran had lived up to its commitment by repaying $2.5 billion awarded for claims by U.S. citizens and companies.
A ruling on the military fund was expected soon, the official said, as Iran asked last year for the tribunal to hear its case and Tehran and Washington had been negotiating proposals for a hearing. Given that interest rates in the early years of the fund were as high as 20 percent, the official said Iran stood to receive a much more substantial award than $1.3 billion in interest. As a result, the U.S. opted to settle with Iran.
The second American official argued that if there was any quid pro quo, it was the exchange of U.S. and Iranian prisoners. Washington released seven Iranians, mostly dual Iranian-American nationals convicted of sanctions violations, as part of the deal.
But even that trade-off faced several difficulties on the busy diplomatic weekend in January that also included the Iranians complying with last year's nuclear accord and the U.S. lifting many oil, trade and banking sanctions on Iran — context, the official said, that played into the administration's decision making with the $400 million.
He said the wife of one of the prisoners, Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, went "incommunicado" for several hours even though Iran had agreed to allow her to join her husband on the plane.
At another point, a prisoner in Virginia who was part of the package refused to accept his pardon, leading Iran to threaten to pull out of the deal. Iran also became miffed when it learned that the prisoners being released in the United States didn't want to travel to Iran, the official said. Iran asked the U.S. to pressure them into leaving, but the American negotiators refused, he said.
The various demands led the U.S. to believe there was a possibility the American prisoners would be returned to Iran's notorious Evin prison, the official said.
And that is why the U.S. decided to use the settlement money as leverage, the official said.
But Friday's explanation, while more detailed than previous tick-tocks of the diplomacy, still didn't answer why the administration insisted for seven months that the money and the prisoners never became part of a common negotiation.
"Reports of link between prisoner release & payment to Iran are completely false," State Department spokesman John Kirby tweeted earlier this month.
The explanation is also unlikely to stem the flood of Republican criticism for the changing narrative.
Republican Sen. John McCain, himself a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said the administration "paid ransom to the world's number one state sponsor of terrorism and has been trying to deny it ever since."
| 2019-04-24T00:26:36 |
http://inrealworld.com/story/gop-slams-obama-after-explanation-of-400m-payment-to-iran/0001371/
|
0.997335 |
'Tis the season to be angry. The president is angry at the Democrats for not allocating enough money to build the border wall. The Democrats are angry at the president for wanting one.
| 2019-04-24T08:06:10 |
https://townhall.com/columnists/suzannefields/2018/12/28/looking-forward-in-anger-n2538110
|
0.9991 |
James Murdoch's day of evidence has raised serious questions for ministers, including claims - based on emails revealed to the Inquiry - that Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt acted as a "cheerleader" for News Corporation's bid for the 61% of BSkyB shares it didn't own. Labour has called for Mr Hunt's resignation.
The internal News Corp emails - detailing phone calls between Mr Murdoch and Mr Hunt and regular contacts between News Corp's public affairs director, Frederic Michel, and Mr Hunt's special adviser, Adam Smith - overshadowed the issue of phone hacking, which had previously dominated the Leveson Inquiry, and which ultimately led News Corp to abandon the bid.
Pulling the threads together, Robert Jay QC suggested that Mr Hunt's backing for the BSkyB bid had been a quid pro quo for the Sun newspaper's support of the Tories at the last election. "Absolutely not," said Mr Murdoch.
It was one of the most dramatic days so far in the long drawn-out inquiry - and it heralds several more, as Jeremy Hunt, David Cameron and other cabinet ministers are called to give evidence.
A source close to Mr Hunt has said he will make his case at the inquiry, maintaining that the BSkyB bid process was very rigorous and there was "nothing inappropriate" in the dialogue between his adviser and Mr Michel.
Yet Mr Murdoch's five hours of testimony to Lord Justice Leveson also highlighted the sharp contrast between his hands-off attitude over phonehacking at the News of the World and his hands-on role in the News Corp bid for BSkyB, in which he was constantly seeking to make his case to ministers.
For the first hour or so, questioned closely about the phone-hacking scandal, James Murdoch was wary and subdued, seemingly semi-detached from events at News International, the UK newspaper arm of his father's global empire.
Yet after the morning break, when questioning turned to BSkyB and its relations with the government, we saw a different James Murdoch, very much in command of a business he was passionate about.
Whether lobbying over TV football rights or the proposed deal to let News Corp buy all the shares in BSkyB, he was clearly at the centre of things.
The difference was noted by the former TV and newspaper mogul Lord Hollick, who tweeted: "At Sky, Murdoch master of the detail, intimately involved in all key decisions. Stark contrast with ignorance and detachment at NI."
It raises the question as to what would have happened if James Murdoch had taken the same forceful action over phone hacking as he did over BSkyB's affairs.
Unlike Rupert, James was never a newspaper man. Even when he was made chairman of the company (just as the full scale of the phone-hacking scandal was emerging), he didn't embrace the sometimes grubby world of tabloid papers.
He told the inquiry, in effect, that he'd left it to the News of the World's editor and legal manager to clear up the mess, and they had not made it clear to him what was really going on.
As in his earlier evidence to MPs on the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee, Mr Murdoch denied being told the significance of the "For Neville" email, which showed that phone hacking was not the work of 'one rogue reporter' as the company had maintained.
He said again that he hadn't read down the email chain that would have made this clear.
The inquiry also heard that he hadn't inquired too closely, even when News International faced paying hundreds of thousands of pounds in damages and legal costs to Gordon Taylor of the Professional Footballers' Association and the PR expert Max Clifford.
Either it was a cover-up or it was a failure of governance at the company, suggested Robert Jay QC. It was neither, Mr Murdoch insisted.
Lord Justice Leveson expressed surprise at the company chairman's apparent lack of interest: "Did you not ask: 'How did this happen? Why didn't we pick it up? Why didn't we pick this up internally before the police intervened?'"
After the break, the contrast between the hands-off James Murdoch and the hands-on James Murdoch became apparent.
And now it's his father's turn to give evidence.
| 2019-04-25T21:55:02 |
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17830099
|
0.999999 |
Are the TISA Trade Talks a Threat to Net Neutrality, Data Protection, or Privacy?
On December 17th a US proposal for online commerce in a major trade negotiation, the Trade in Services Agreement ("TISA")1 leaked. A flurry of press releases and opinion pieces claim that TISA is a threat to the Internet. The headlines are lurid: "TISA leak: EU Data Protection and Net Neutrality Threatened" and "Leaked TISA text exposes US threat to privacy, civil rights". Yet the authors of these screeds are far removed from the negotiations and not actively following them; their comments generally assume the 8-month-old text from one country is a reliable base to use to make assumptions about the end result of unfinished negotiations involving more than 40 countries. Because I've spent years in Geneva regularly meeting with and advising negotiators on the networked economy2 I have a very different perspective. Frankly, I believe most commenters have got the main issues wrong and largely missed the significance of the worst feature of the proposal — the extremely broad national security exception.
Assertion 1: The US (and/or TISA itself) is out to undermine privacy protections worldwide. This is based on the assumption that because the leaked proposal doesn't provide safeguards for data protection the US doesn't want any in TISA.
It was agreed more than two years ago3 that TISA would be a "GATS+"4 or "GATS 2.0" agreement and would 'carry forward' that agreement's exceptions5, which allow countries to preserve their right to deal with data protection/privacy, national security, and the like to ensure that national law in these areas is not inadvertently overridden by world trade agreements. If TISA were to provide anything contrary to GATS it could result in cases against TISA countries in the dispute settlement system6 of the WTO. There's no way any country would put themselves in that position.
Why didn't the US include all the exceptions in the proposal? That's for them to say but an obvious answer is that given the above they didn't need to.
Assertion 2: The obligations the US proposes on data and hardware localisation and the free flow of data undermine consumer rights, privacy and data protection.
The proposal would make unrestricted free flow of data obligatory and ensure countries may not oblige network infrastructure, servers, or data to be hosted locally nor block services from other countries except in limited circumstances. Commentators make various arguments against this but they miss the context: This was the first truly detailed proposal made in TISA related to online commerce and was made before provisions in many areas of TISA was even close to final. That means all the other countries would know this was a starting, not an ending, position; "horizontal" provisions like this are always subject to changes as the 'sectoral'9 chapters are finalised.
I think the right question to ask is: Are these principles the right place to start? I believe they are for many reasons, but lets take just one: free expression and civil liberties.
Commentators have suggested the proposal would undermine both because countries can better protect their nationals' data if it is kept locally. However, data security is not defined by geography but by legal protections and the sophistication of the software, hardware, and procedural mechanisms that secure it. Would you rather have your data hosted in China, or Switzerland?
Freedom House's 2014 edition of their "Freedom on the Net” report highlights local hosting requirements as one of the biggest threats to users and increasing regulation of online media as a key reason for the decline in Internet Freedom.
The US has yet to decide internally on net neutrality so nobody should be surprised it didn't propose one 8 months ago.
This idea is always popular and while it might have been largely true for part of the last century — and I'm quite sure US negotiators would love for it to be true today — it isn't, especially in a negotiation with many countries involved. The largest economy in the negotiations is the EU, not the US.
The Real Problem: The proposed national security exception.
I was deeply disappointed to see that the criticism of the US proposal mostly misses what I see as its worst feature: the very broad national security exception. I heard negative feedback from TISA countries within days of them receiving the proposal — and was given to understand that the exception so broad it makes all commitments on the Internet optional.16 Trade agreements always have a national security exception but the trend is for them to keep expanding, primarily due to US insistence.17 Countries are increasingly resorting to digital protectionism18 using national security as the rationale, in large part reacting to the Snowden revelations. Proposing a broad exception is a strategic mistake, not just for trade, but for free expression and human rights online more broadly.
I believe that trade policy can play a profoundly beneficial role in protecting a permissionless-innovation and human-rights centric Internet. The great tragedy is the debate on such critical issues is driven largely by suspicion and doubt because it is based on a leak instead of a more open discussion of the concepts the leaked proposal contains. Doubly unfortunate is that US trade officials won't be able to comment on their proposal because if they were to do so they'd be breaking federal law, risk being fired, and could face prosecution with penalties that could include a prison sentence.19 Similarly, the other countries won't discuss the proposal publicly either because the US considers the proposal so secret. This is all ludicrous. Such extreme secrecy is as obsolete as it is counterproductive: look at Switzerland, who publish their trade offers in a timely manner for all to see20 without it constraining their freedom to negotiate extensive free trade agreements worldwide.
Perhaps on the need for a fundamental rethink of secrecy in trade talks we will find one thing we can all agree on.
1 The most complete description of TISA, its structure, and the negotiating path is from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in 4 languages at http://www.seco.admin.ch/themen/00513/00586/04996/index.html?lang=en. Switzerland is also refreshingly open about its positions; you can retrieve their TISA proposals at the bottom of the page.
2 Though always couched so as to avoid being accused of violating confidences (which can make conversations maddening, surreal, amusing — and sometimes all three at once).
3 And has been widely acknowledged in interviews and public statements by the negotiating states. For an excellent overview of what several trade Ambassadors in Geneva think of TISA, as well as a good overview of how TISA came about and why, a video of a presentation on TISA at an ICTSD event makes good viewing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBYDNZVmYR4#t=36m10s.
4 GATS is the General Agreement on Trade in Services, part of the WTO agreements. The text is online here: http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/26-gats_01_e.htm. The exceptions referenced are in Articles XIV and XIVBis.
5 See supra note 4.
6 A form of international court that allows parties to the WTO agreements to seek redress on other countries that breach their obligations. Its decisions are binding. More information is here: http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/disp1_e.htm.
7 Use of a GATS-like exception would be a key element of this approach. Whatever you may think of this approach — which is the one most of industry supports, for what it is worth — it has a long pedigree. An excellent overview of the exceptions and their use in disputes in trade law for non-specialists can be found on the Social Science Research Network, A. Mitchell and D Ayres, "General and Security Exceptions Under the GATT and the GATS," 2011, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1951549.
9 It is a feature of trade agreements like this that different 'sectors' have their own sections in the agreements. An example of a sector is 'Financial Services' or 'Professional Services' — and the leak has a section on the latter immediately after the US proposal which is separate from it.
10 For an analysis of the commercial damage data localisation requirements cause see "The Costs of Data Localisation: Friendly Fire on Economic Recovery," European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), 2014 at http://www.ecipe.org/media/publication_pdfs/OCC32014__1.pdf.
11 For an excellent resume on the harms data localisation efforts and related proposals can do to the Internet, see "Technological Sovereignty: Missing the Point? An Analysis of European Proposals after June 5 2013", Transatlantic Dialogues on Security and Freedom in the Digital Age, 24 November 2014, at http://www.digitaldebates.org/tech_sovereignty/. A video recording of a panel discussion on the subject is available here: http://www.newamerica.net/events/2014/digital_borders_and_technological_sovereignty.
12 Italics inserted by the author for emphasis.
14 For an excellent and comprehensive discussion of the two concepts from a computer science perspective see the online resource maintained by Professor Scott Jordan of the University of California Irvine Computer Science Department entitled "Net Neutrality" at https://www.ics.uci.edu/~sjordan/research/net neutrality.html.
15 For that reason I expect that TISA won't have much to say on the subject though I hope I'm proven wrong; I think a positive obligation in TISA for countries to respect that principle would be a phenomenal benefit.
16 I want to be clear that these impressions were conveyed in a manner that ensured no negotiator could be accused by the US of breaking the veil of confidentiality. I won't go into detail for obvious reasons.
17 The US was a main demandeur of the original GATS national security exception and its bilateral trade deals show a clear trend for them to become more and more expansive. For an example see the US-Korea FTA 2003, Article 23(2) at http://www.ustr.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/agreements/fta/korus/asset_upload_file476_12722.pdf with the US proposal as leaked and GATS Article XIVbis http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/26-gats_01_e.htm#articleXIVb. The trend is very clear.
18 For an excellent overview of why this problem is so significant - including to consumers - I recommend Chandler, A., The Electronic Silk Road: How the Web Binds the World Together in Commerce, Yale University Press, 2013. For those who want a quicker read, See S. Donnan, "Digital Trade: Data Protectionism," Financial Times, 4th August 2014 at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/93acdbf4-0e9b-11e4-ae0e-00144feabdc0.html.
19 As an example of the seriousness with which the current US Administration views disclosure of classified information, the only person yet imprisoned over U.S. torture allegations is John Kiriakou, for disclosing the programs to the press see inter alia http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/9/7362757/the-man-who-fought-cia-torture-is-still-in-prison-john-kiriakou.
20 See note 1 for an example of Swiss openness as it relates to TISA. Harvard University's Global Trade Negotiations Home Page on Switzerland gives a good resume of the Swiss approach to globalised trade: http://www.cid.harvard.edu/cidtrade/gov/switzerlandgov.html.
Local Time: Thursday, April 18, 2019 05:58 AM PDT – Page Load: 0.3615 Sec.
| 2019-04-18T12:58:24 |
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20141230_are_tisa_trade_talks_threat_to_net_neutrality_data_protection
|
0.999967 |
Figure 4.4 (A-B) Incomplete contact wound.
loose-contact wounds making it difficult to differentiate the two. In near-contact wounds, the muzzle of the weapon is not in contact with the skin, being held a short distance away. The distance, however, is so small that the powder grains emerging from the muzzle do not have a chance to disperse and mark the skin, producing the powder tattooing that is the sine qua non of intermediate-range wounds. In near-contact wounds, there is an entrance wound, surrounded by a wide zone of powder soot overlying seared, blackened skin (Figure 4.5). The zone of searing is wider than that seen in a loose-contact wound. The soot in the seared zone is baked into the skin and cannot be completely wiped away. Small clumps of unburned powder may be present in the seared zones.
In near-contact angled wounds (Figure 4.6), just as in angled contact wounds, soot radiates outward from the muzzle creating two zones: the pear-shaped, circular, or oval blackened seared zone and the light-gray fan-shaped one. The location of the blackened seared zone to the entrance hole is different from that seen in angled contact wounds, however. In near-contact angled wounds, the bulk of the blackened, seared zone is on the same side as the muzzle, i.e., pointing toward the weapon. This is the opposite of what is found in angled contact wounds.
Figure 4.5 (A-B) Near-contact wound with wide zone of powder soot overlying seared blackened skin.
Figure 4.6 Angled near-contact wound with blackened seared zone on same side as muzzle, i.e., pointing toward the weapon.
contact wound from an angled near-contact wound. Thus, if both the bullet and the zone point in the same direction, an angled contact wound has occurred; if, however, the zone is on one side of the wound with the bullet going the other way, an angled near-contact wound has taken place.
This interpretation assumes the ideal presentation of contact and near-contact angled wounds. Things are never as simple as one might wish, however. Thus, in angled contact wounds, the entrance wound should be present at the base of the seared, blackened zone. By increasing the angle between the barrel and the skin, however, this entrance will move toward the center of the zone. This same picture can also be produced by a near-contact angled wound if the distance from muzzle to target is approximately 5 mm. In such an instance one cannot always differentiate between a contact and a near-contact angled wound. When the distance from muzzle to target increases to 10 mm in near-contact angled wounds, there is usually no difficulty differentiating it from an angled contact wound. The seared, blackened zone on the side of the muzzle is much wider than it is on the opposite side. Powder grains may be seen in the seared zone on the side opposite to the muzzle.
| 2019-04-20T02:30:14 |
https://www.guwsmedical.info/contact-wounds/nearcontact-wounds.html
|
0.998623 |
The saying goes that "The French have a hundred sauces to disguise a few foods - and the Americans have a hundred foods disguised only by white sauce!"
1. Hollandaise and Béarnaise: Both are available in glass jars. You should be able to find them in your local gourmet shop or supermarket.
2. Madeira, Armoricaine, Newburg, Supreme, et al: These, too, are available in jars or frozen, and will transform the humble hamburger or leftover into a gourmet's dream.
3. Bottled Meat Sauces: Diable, Robert or Cumberland sauce, Worcestershire, and a wide range of mustards from Devilled to Bahamian to Dijon. Wash your hands thoroughly, use a judicious few tablespoons of whatever you fancy, and rub it thoroughly into chops and steaks. This replaces the marinades which used to take hours.
5. Basting Sauces: Here you begin to be a gourmet chef, for a basting sauce is largely invention based on experience as you grow proficient with recipes. Basting sauces are used with fish, meat and poultry. Generally, they are melted butter blended with herbs - or spices - or fruit and fruit peels - with or without a dash of cooking wine. The precise ingredients depend upon the final flavor desired: tangy, sultry, or sweetish.
The basting sauce should be made at the start of the cooking operation, placed over the lowest possible heat, allowed to sit and grow acquainted with itself. A quarter pound of butter makes an adequate basting sauce; half a pound is sometimes better-if you can bring yourself to it!
The basic procedure is to combine butter chunks and desired seasonings or flavorings in a small saucepot (a stainless steel one-cup measure with a handle is satisfactory), and to obtain the full savory blend by simmering gently during the first steps of searing meat or poultry, firming the fish flesh, etc. A basting sauce is used to moisten and flavor a dish during its cooking; it is brushed directly onto roasting meat or poultry with a pastry brush at 10 or 15 minute intervals, or poured over fish and broiled dishes every 5 minutes for quick cookery.
For long cooking roasts, when the basting sauce has all been used, a roaster baster will pick up pan juices for moistening the dish.
6. Wine & Wine Sauces: "The better the wine, the better the dish" is the gourmet standard ... although it's not necessary to buy fine vintage drinking wines for use in the kitchen. If you have good local wine, do use it for cooking.
Never buy cooking wine or liquor purely on a price basis; the cheap brands do not have sufficient alcoholic content to create a flambee dish - and will not have enough flavor to remain in the sauce. White wines can be used for any recipes, but red wines can only be used for dark meats . . . when they will not discolor the dish.
At table, the only standard today is flavor, and red or white wines are served interchangeably. Traditionally, red is for meat and white is for chicken or fish - but these days, you can do as you please!
When wine is added directly to a dish during cooking, lower the heat immediately or the meat will toughen.
7. Fats and Oils: For true gourmet cooking, there is no substitute for butter unless particularly specified. Sweet butter is preferable, because the amount of salt varies in commercial brands; if salt butter is used, decrease the amount of salt in a recipe and check seasoning just before you serve.
Butter is absolutely essential for sauces and basting, but cannot be used for frying; at high temperatures, it decomposes chemically and burns.
For Deep-Fat Frying, use liquid or hydrogenated oils such as Crisco. These can be re-used once or twice, if you allow sediment to settle and decant (pour off) the clear top fat after each frying. Once frying fat has been used for fish, it cannot be used for anything else! If you enjoy fried foods, it's wise to have two fat kettles - one for fish, and one for everything else.
For all Italian, Spanish or Latin-American dishes, a tablespoon of olive oil should replace butter in starting the dish.
Lard is excellent for greasing baking potatoes or pan-frying fish. It cannot be re-used, but is inexpensive enough to discard and start fresh next time. Bacon grease is equally good for baking potatoes or to saute fish, and can be smeared thickly over chicken breasts or squab before roasting. Because of its positive flavor, only tangy herbs will combine with it for added taste.
No gourmet cook ever uses margarine for anything.
8. Meat Glazes: For a handsome browned surface to meat or poultry, mix a tablespoon of commercial gravy coloring with two table spoons of water. Paint all exposed parts of the poultry or meat before placing in the oven.
9. Shallots are a small onion bulb resembling garlic in formation of cloves, but very mild in flavor. Typically French, they are not always available but make all the difference in a sauce if they can be had. Minced scallions (spring onions) are an acceptable substitute - and in moments of stress, a tablespoon of grated white onion will equal 2 minced shallots.
10. Grated orange and lemon peel are readily available in jars; a teaspoon equals the grated rind of a whole medium- sized fruit.
11. Garlic can be bought powdered (a quarter teaspon equals a fresh clove), but a garlic press will produce a much better flavor from a peeled garlic clove.
Onion and garlic juice are also available; use them purely for flavoring, as many dishes are better with sauteed pieces of onion. Onion flakes are good for home-cooking, but not sufficient for gourmet results.
Good luck with your quick gourmet sauces!
| 2019-04-25T09:04:22 |
http://www.allthingsfrugal.com/n.sauces.htm
|
0.999644 |
Summary: An Armstrong County man likes his wine ... and his shots. Reporter: Shannon Perrine, WTAE Channel 4 Airtime: 2 minutes, 2 seconds on May 31 Highlights: * When anchor Andrew Stockey alerts us to "a scare on the Allegheny River." He continues, "Three people -- including a 3-year-old child -- are close by when shots are fired from ashore." * When Perrine explains, as she points to everything but the grassy knoll, "David Check tells us he was firing his gun. He fired right over in this direction. The boaters were way over there, he says. He was trying to protect one thing: this -- his garden. The peaceful scene disrupted by a groundhog." * When Check says, "I have a, sort of a thing, about groundhogs. So I go and get a rifle and I shoot the groundhog and next thing, there's a guy over here with a boat. And he's [shouting],'Whoa whoa whoa whoa!'" * When Perrine reports, "State police charged David Check with recklessly endangering another person and terroristic threats. He said the couple in the boat with the 3-year-old were angry, swearing at him when the shots were fired." * When Check says, with indignation, "You had to hear this guy's mouth. And I'm going, 'What the heck is your problem?' And he's got a little baby in the boat!" * When Check adds, "[My wife] says, 'David, don't, don't!' And I said, 'What?' And I turned around and there's two groundhogs up here. So, needless to say, I got a vendetta on groundhogs. So I did them." * When Perrine reveals, "Last week, David says the same couple was fishing right here, getting their lures too close to his boat cover. So he asked them to stop. He said he did it again Sunday before the shots were fired. Police said Mr. Check also had been drinking." * When Check not-so-candidly tells Perrine, "Now I admit, that I do like my little bit of wine occasionally, you know. And it was a holiday, so I had a little bit of wine in the morning. No if, ands or buts." * When Perrine asks Check, "Do you have any concern that if you had had a few drinks, and you [were] using the gun, [it] might be a little dangerous?" Check answers, without hesitation, "Not a chance. No, no. You see me sitting here now? That's as lucid as I was that morning." * When Perrine concludes, "Mr. Check does have a preliminary hearing coming up in about a week. He says he will fight these charges." What We Learned: I think we have our poster guy for all the politicians whose platforms included support of our Second Amendment rights! Unanswered Question: Won't somebody please think of the groundhogs? News Value: 2. Not much news value, but enough entertainment value to keep me watching. I feel so guilty.
| 2019-04-24T22:10:50 |
https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/this-just-in-june-10-17/Content?oid=1343860
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0.987145 |
BAGHDAD, May 13 -- Iraq's Interior Ministry has taken its first steps to rein in the Facilities Protection Service, a unit of 4,000 building guards that U.S. officials say has quietly burgeoned into the government's largest paramilitary force, with 145,000 armed men and no central command, oversight or paymaster.
Last month, Interior Minister Bayan Jabr accused the Facilities Protection Service, known as the FPS, of carrying out some of the killings widely attributed to death squads operating inside his ministry's police forces. A senior U.S. military official, speaking on condition that he not be identified further, said Saturday he believed that members of the FPS, along with private militias, were the chief culprits behind Iraq's death squads.
L. Paul Bremer, then U.S. administrator of Iraq, signed an order establishing the Facilities Protection Service in 2003, aiming to free American troops from guarding Iraqi government property and preventing the kind of looting that erupted with the entry of U.S. forces and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
Initially given only three days of training, the guards were assigned to protect Iraq's ministries and other sites under government control. Bremer's September 2003 order put the guards under the command and pay of the ministries they protected, not of the interior or defense ministries, which handle the rest of Iraq's security forces. The order also allowed private security firms to handle the contracting of FPS guards for the ministries.
Although the FPS guards are not police officers, they were allowed to wear variations of the blue uniform of Iraqi police. Many witnesses and survivors of death squad-style attacks have said the assailants were dressed in police uniforms.
FPS guards often are seen roaming Baghdad's streets, holding Kalashnikov assault rifles and crowded into the backs of pickup trucks, some marked with insignia of the FPS or of the various government ministries they serve.
Increasingly, U.S. and Interior Ministry officials describe the FPS units as militias, each answering only to the ministry or private security firm that employs it. Ministries were carved out along largely sectarian lines, with many under the control of Shiite religious parties that lead Iraq's government.
When Jabr last month acknowledged death squads were at work within the Interior Ministry, he pointed his finger as well at the FPS, telling the BBC and Newsweek that the service was "out of control."
U.S. officials training Iraq's security forces say they have no more control over the FPS than the Interior Ministry does. "Negative. None. Zero," said Lt. Col. Michael J. Negard, a spokesman for the U.S. training of Iraqi forces.
In an e-mail, the senior U.S. military official said: "Our sense is that we have pretty good situational awareness of the activities of the National Police units (i.e. the former Commandos and Public Order units)." The official pointed out that there are American military advisers with each battalion of the national police, as well as in brigade and division headquarters.
"It could be that some members of the units are sneaking out at night and undertaking extracurricular activities," the official wrote. "However, that is generally unlikely, and the suspicion is that the elements carrying out the killings are either from various militia elements or security units working for other ministries," referring to ministry-level units of the FPS.
However, one former adviser in Iraq said he believes that at least some of the death squads come from the special police commando squads that the United States helped establish.
| 2019-04-21T09:21:00 |
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/13/AR2006051300843.html
|
0.999993 |
Initially, Dmitry is a man of little moral; always seeking happiness by creating love affairs with multiple women, and feeling no remorse in his dishonesty towards his wife. When its cold your freezing 4. Youth may very well include the coming of age, and also be the next step in life towards adulthood. After giving it a second thought it might well be that you'll find that all mentioned topics aren't overcome yet. The people providers and researches have recommended case management services for homeless people.
In 1995 Anna became a full-time book writer and left her column and journalism. We learn about their stories and what they have seen and heard. What is the moral of this passage to you? The view of the whole picture can sometimes contrast very much with the view of the details. In that year she was given the title of the third woman in New York Times history to write a column for the Op-Ed page. A Modest Proposal, Begging, Homelessness 862 Words 3 Pages caring towards her daughter or a mother who bickers non-stop? Question: How does the author feel about her own home? Every day in cities and towns across the country, men, women, and children dressed in clouts walk the streets up and down, often talking to visions and begging for money. Answer: It is everything to her. Answer: Of course, you can never really know what someone else is thinking unless you ask them, so my first answer is that you should strike up a conversation with a person you think may be homeless and find out.
When they are not connected it may seem they are independent and whole, but when examined closely it is obvious they are really relying on each other to function properly. The sheer beauty of this book is that it has to be re-discovered by reading it or -- even better in this case -- having it read to you. We should feel compassion for the homeless. Myth: Homeless people are lazy. Seems as if every busy road, or a bridge homeless people. In the first paragraph Quindlen asks Ann if she is homeless.
Ascher argues that we should pay more attention to the homeless by helping them. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan—the third-highest civilian award—by the Government of India in 1992 for his fervent efforts. The poverty of being unwanted and uncared for is the greatest poverty. Homelessness, Poverty, Squatting 1655 Words 7 Pages change or food. Answer: To express her opinion. However while covering a story of homelessness, she meets a woman in a bus terminal and she soon gets a different outlook. Actually these two texts tell about different case but they are still talking about knowledge of people.
Anna has no legal obligation to donate her kidney, which would require surgery and carries a risk of health problems. Narratives give you a straight to the point feeling while the descriptive give you a more vivid detailed visual. Anna owns the collage by: 9. She talks about the topic of abortion in a way that one feels they have had to make the decision of whether or not a person is pro-choice or pro-life. To prove to me that this was true, she rummaged through a tote bag and a manila envelope and finally unfolded a sheet of typing paper and brought out her photographs.
Homeless - eQuizShow eQuizShow Homeless Vocabulary Question: What does the word rummage mean? Then that of my father's second wife, dead of the same disease that killed his first one. Beauty's perception of the world is one were humans rule everything. Why do we go through school and college just to get stuck at work all day? Hopelessly Quindlen terminates that our module of being place has adjusted. Since the two were young, Elsa and Anna have always been the best of friends and loved each other dearly. His fortunes and misfortunes are mixed with lovely dialogues he has with other horses. Her luxury brand retails globally in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Bader writes an article that educates us on the increasing plight of homeless students on campus. Many believe this is a choice for those without shelter and this is not true. These two texts want to tell us that we must appreciate everything that we get. We should know their needs as well. Ann pulls out a photo but not a weapon I sensed Quindlen had ambushed me. With this unexpected twist she accuses society's mechanisms in general but she doesn't show us any consequences or solutions. I want to help and Inspire others and In general just make this world a more positive and loving place.
He refers to the many routes one can take to become homeless. She died before its publication in November 1877. It was all about her feeling of fear. She is an older sister and a daughter, as well as a wife and mother. They can seek help and advice from homeless shelters, churches and other charitable places. Home is where memories are made.
First my mother's, 22 years ago, listing her accomplishments: two daughters, three sons. With enough effort put out, you get more resources for people. She uses her voice indirectly rather than directly when talking about the personal experience of abortion. Essay, Essays, Poverty 1539 Words 7 Pages Case management has served a purpose for helping the homeless. And will Anna have any suggestions that might help? But the definition of being homeless is often taken wrong.
When Anna sues her parents for emancipation. Quindlen describes the dance floor as the great divide between the sexes to show how different men and women really are She describes the empty space inthe center as a trap door dividing the sexes. We all know that a horse is physically stronger than a human, but Beauty is trapped in his moral. Many have had drug issues or mental health issues that leave them unable to understand this issue fully. By using these different types of strategies Quindlen is able to achieve a greater influence over her audience.
| 2019-04-24T20:39:24 |
http://ronbarceloviveahora.com/homeless-essay-by-anna-quindlen.html
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0.999872 |
The main idea of this post is to describe on how to integrate YouTrack Issue Tracking System by Jetbrains (www.jetbrains.com/youtrack/) with TestLink v1.9 (http://www.teamst.org/) a popular Test Case Management Tool.
By the time of writing this article, the official wiki of YouTrack : http://confluence.jetbrains.net/display/YTHB/Integration+with+TestLink was last updated on Mar 30, 2011. The data it contained was invalid for TestLink v1.9.
Type a name you desire.
Please make sure Not to include a '/' at last.
In Issue Tracker Integration select the newly created Issue Tracker and make sure to tick on Active.
Now click on Test Execution and navigate to a Test Case that was already executed.
You will now see a new column as BUG management.
Click the BUG icon and Link a YouTrack item or Access to YouTrack directly and create a new issue.
After linking, you will see a new column Relevant bugs and you will also see the YouTrack ID as well as the State of that Item.
Make sure you incorporate only top quality information and articles inside your website. Though it may be crucial that you submit everyday, you don't desire to publish garbage everyday. If you do that, your potential customers will end up disgusted along and stop reading! When you are at a loss for the purpose to write down a day, just think of your area of interest matter and think about a few of the typical concerns around it. Then response one of those particular very hot questions carefully for any preferred and useful article. Generate some how-to videos that happen to be relevant to your small business. This should help you out because there are a lot of individuals out there who use the internet to figure out how to conduct a a number of task. By creating how-to video lessons, you are going to aid a person by using a specific project and also in return they will likely now understand about your enterprise. If you'd similar to a natural cover up that helps for stopping your acne breakouts, consider this dish! Blend soil turmeric with neem (Azadirachta indica) and coconut oils and lightly put it to use to acne breakouts-prone regions. Let it sit for a minimum of twenty minutes then rinse it well with tepid water. You'll discover your pimples clears up right away! It really is present with hear scary testimonies about those who have shed lots of body weight just to later get it all again with more pounds extra on. Don't permit these testimonies frighten you from the plan, but rather let other people's failures inspire you to be one of those who is a winner. Exercising is an extremely significant area of the weight-loss process meaning that you should find approaches to keep yourself encouraged to get some exercise regularly. One great way to achieve this is to recognize a number of physical exercises that you simply really take pleasure in performing, and after that develop a typical schedule for these actions that you are capable of adhere to. Some pursuits you might enjoy involve rollerblading, swimming, backpacking, and dance. When focusing on personal development, you must learn how to accept modify. Things are consistently transforming in everyday life, and you also could not manage most of these alterations. Since adjustments will certainly happen, you could possibly also figure out how to take them and proceed. There is absolutely no use in home about how some thing had been.
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| 2019-04-24T02:28:15 |
http://www.jinath.com/2012/11/integrate-testlink-with-youtrack.html?commentPage=2
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0.999429 |
Treating Depression- Do Dietary Supplements Play a Role?
Two important epidemics are being faced on a global level. One of these problems is related to the health of your body and the other to the mind i.e. obesity and depression.
In the U.S. alone, almost 70 percent of all men and women suffer from obesity. Almost 6.7 percent of all U.S. adults have major depressive disorders. Previous studies have revealed that people who suffer from obesity or are overweight are more likely to experience depression. This has made the researchers wonder if dietary changes can help fight depression.
In a new study, the scientists decided to find out whether adopting different dietary strategies can have any effects on mental health. Because depression is considered as a common problem, finding effective ways to prevent them is important.
The results of this study appear in JAMA and offer hope that certain dietary measures can be effective in this regard. However, the overall suggestion says that making nutritional changes may not be sufficient in preventing depression.
For the trial, the investigators recruited over 1025 people with a BMI greater than 25 i.e. they were either obese or overweight.
The participants were living in four different countries i.e. Germany, Spain, Netherlands, and the U.K. The special assessments had found that all of these people were at risk of developing depression although none of them had depression at baseline.
The researchers assigned half of these people to take nutritional supplements such as omega-3 fish oil, vitamin D, folic acid, selenium, and zinc. The other group was given a placebo.
Half of the participants in this trial were also given psychological and behavioral interventions that aimed at improving their dietary habits. After one year of follow-up, the investigators found that using supplements had no protective effects against depression as compared to the placebo.
Diet and nutrition may be an important part of life but this study has successfully demonstrated how taking nutritional supplements do not help prevent depression.
Behavioral therapy has encouraged better dietary habits and yielded results that were positive but not on a significant level. The intervention did not do well as compared to the supplement regimen in preventing depression.
However, attending all sessions that the organizers recommended seemed to prevent depressive episodes in people who complied with the advice.
A suggestion was put forward that changing all the food-related behaviors and diets may help avoid depression but this may require further investigation.
A healthy dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean style diet, rich in veggies, fruits, fish, pulses, olive oil, and whole grains an low in full-fat dairy and red meat may reduce the depression risk. Secondly, people suffering from obesity, weight loss can cause a decrease in depressive symptoms.
Future studies, the team notes, should look further into how dietary patterns influence mental health outcomes and what types of dietary change are most likely to help prevent depression.
| 2019-04-20T22:42:45 |
https://news.reportshealthcare.com/2445/treating-depression-do-dietary-supplements-play-a-role/
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The Emotion Machine is a puzzling beast. From the introduction’s epigraph (“Nora Joyce, to her husband James: ‘Why don’t you write books people can read?'”), we can detect that Minsky’s objective is to present an inquiry of the mind’s workings in the plainest terms he can manage. He appeals to cultural quotations, anticipates objections as if taking questions in a public lecture, and sustains his models by decomposing paragraph-length scenarios and speculating on the machinery behind every action. There are no equations and no implementation details, and nothing more technical than a lot of high-level diagrams of boxes and arrows, which are certainly readable as a rough architectural basis for AI design, but are never identified as such.
Is this a book about artificial intelligence? Yes, but indirectly. There are some who divide the ambitions of AI research into four quadrants of goals: machines that think like humans, act like humans, think optimally/rationally, or act optimally/rationally. Much of what goes on in the design of intelligent systems is focused on optimality, or the development of superhuman performance in, for example, games of strategy or the delivery of relevant search results. In The Emotion Machine, Minsky’s primary interest is in the workings of the human mind that philosophers and laymen alike tend to view as being above the trappings of mere logic: emotions, common sense, consciousness, and the sense of self.
The bearing that the book has on AI originates from its premise that any these things can be reproduced in the form of abstract, descriptive models—which, by implication, can be implemented in a “hardware” layer other than the human brain, like a sufficiently advanced computer system. But The Emotion Machine is, from beginning to end, a book about human mental behaviour; the consequences for AI are dealt with as corollaries at most.
Is it a book for scientists? Almost certainly not: Minsky’s methodology is self-consciously unscientific. Occam’s Razor, he explains, may have led to a compact set of laws in physics, but the quest for a similar set of simplest possible explanations has done a great disservice to cognitive psychology, chaining it to the assumption that big, general words like “consciousness” correspond to singular entities that we can study and describe.
This is how Minsky justifies the complexity of a model of mental activity that involves no less than seven layers, or Ways to Think—instinctive reactions, learned reactions, deliberative thinking, reflective thinking, self-reflective thinking, and self-conscious emotions—where each layer reflects upon and adjusts the decision-making pathways of the layer immediately beneath it. Minsky likens this model to an elaboration of the Freudian axis that proceeds from id to ego to superego, with low-level drives on the bottom and high-level ideals on top. He is careful to emphasize that, were the mind a one-layer system, like a chaotic jumble of resources without any connective hierarchy, then we simply wouldn’t be able to function as expediently as we do. We ignore details all the time, and direct our consciousness towards higher-level instructions and decisions.
Minsky goes on to claim that our habit of high-level thought is responsible for the semantic ambiguity of “suitcase words” like “emotions”, “consciousness” or “the self”, which we commonly identify as monolithic sources for all sorts of concepts and operations, some of which are only distantly related. For Minsky, there is no such thing as the self: it is a convenient way for us to perceive ourselves so we don’t need to preoccupy ourselves with what goes on under the hood.
Of course, Minsky’s own models are themselves just convenient ways for us to perceive ourselves, albeit at a level of compartmentalized detail from which we can extract specific mental operations for the sake of isolated analysis. Smaller packages tell us more than big ones.
Nevertheless, the basis of this line of argument—that we think of ourselves monolithically using words like “consciousness”, but don’t have a vocabulary to reflect the structure of consciousness as a profound disunity—rests on a precarious foundation of linguistic determinism. The polysemous nature of words, particularly the words we have for high concepts, doesn’t imply that we pack all of the connotations together at once. As Minsky well knows, suitcase words don’t achieve specificity only upon disassembly, but often derive a very precise acuity of meaning from their context. The ambiguity of monolithic words correlates to, but certainly doesn’t cause, the ambiguity of monolithic thought.
What I do appreciate is Minsky’s subtle sideswipe at the discipline of philosophy, the practitioners of which commonly insist that systematic explanations of things like the mind don’t really answer their questions. I have long believed that philosophy continues to thrive as a field of questions that philosophers insist have not been answered, even in the face of more concerted efforts to the contrary. This is what we witness whenever someone like John Searle comes buzzing around the AI lab saying, yes, but that’s not really consciousness. Anything answerable, or suited for analytic discussion, immediately falls out of the discipline’s overflowing baggage claim of suitcase words. Minsky is quite correct to acknowledge that the philosophical question of what the mind actually is, or how it actually works, is a dead end of perpetual sophistry. We are much better served by trying to build models of what we do when we think, feel, perceive, or self-perceive, as we continue to refine better ways to understand ourselves.
| 2019-04-21T04:56:06 |
http://www.nicholastam.ca/2008/08/20/wednesday-book-club-the-emotion-machine/
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0.999963 |
1. Allegations of prosecutorial misconduct require a two-step analysis. First, the appellate court must determine whether the comments were outside the wide latitude allowed in discussing the evidence. Second, the court must decide whether those comments constitute plain error; that is, whether the statements prejudiced the jury against the defendant and denied the defendant a fair trial, thereby requiring reversal. The analysis can apply to prosecutorial action in contexts beyond mere comment on the evidence.
2. In the second step of the two-step analysis of allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, the appellate court considers three factors to determine whether a new trial should be granted: (1) whether the misconduct is gross and flagrant; (2) whether the misconduct shows ill will on the prosecutor's part; and (3) whether the evidence against the defendant is of such a direct and overwhelming nature that the misconduct would likely have little weight in the minds of the jurors. None of these three factors is individually controlling. Before the third factor can ever override the first two factors, an appellate court must be able to say that the harmlessness tests of both K.S.A. 60-261 (inconsistent with substantial justice) and Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705, 87 S. Ct. 824 (1967) (conclusion beyond reasonable doubt that the error had little, if any, likelihood of having changed the results of the trial), have been met.
3. Under the facts of this case, the prosecutor did not commit reversible misconduct during closing argument.
4. When a district court refuses to recuse itself from a trial upon the defendant's request, appellate courts apply a two-part test to determine whether the defendant received a fair trial or whether the defendant's due process rights were violated: (1) Did the trial judge have a duty to recuse himself or herself from this case because the judge was biased, prejudicial, or partial? (2) If the judge did have a duty to recuse and failed to do so, is there a showing of actual bias or prejudice to warrant setting aside the judgment of the trial court?
5. Under the facts of this case, the district court did not err in denying defendant's motion for change of judge.
6. The standard of review for the admission of certain autopsy photographs requires an appellate court to first determine whether they are relevant.
7. Appellate courts use an abuse of discretion standard to review claims that certain autopsy photographs are overly repetitious, gruesome, and introduced only to inflame the jury.
8. Under the facts of this case, the district court did not err in admitting certain autopsy photographs into evidence.
9. A district court's refusal to appoint new trial counsel is reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard, which asks whether any reasonable person would take the view adopted by the district court. The burden is on the party alleging the abuse.
10. To warrant the appointment of new trial counsel, a defendant must show "justifiable dissatisfaction" with appointed counsel. Justifiable dissatisfaction may be demonstrated by showing a conflict of interest, an irreconcilable conflict, or a complete breakdown in communications between counsel and the defendant. But ultimately, as long as the trial court has a reasonable basis for believing the attorney-client relation has not deteriorated to a point where appointed counsel can no longer give effective aid in the fair presentation of a defense, the court is justified in refusing to appoint new counsel.
11. Under the facts of this case, the district court did not err in denying defendant's requests for new counsel.
NUSS, J.: Marc Vincent Sappington directly appeals his convictions of first-degree felony murder and attempted aggravated robbery. Our jurisdiction is under K.S.A. 22-3601(b)(1), conviction of an off-grid crime.
Approximately 2 months before these convictions, Sappington was also convicted of crimes arising out of a different episode: three counts of first-degree murder, one count of kidnapping, and one count of aggravated burglary against four different victims. His appeal from those convictions is the subject of State v. Sappington, (No. 94,415, this day decided).
1. Did the prosecutor commit reversible misconduct during closing argument? No.
2. Did the district court err in denying Sappington's motion for change of judge? No.
3. Did the district court err in admitting certain autopsy photographs into evidence? No.
4. Did the district court err in denying Sappington's requests for new counsel? No.
FACTS David Mashak owned and operated Phase One Auto Sales, a detail and auto sales shop located in Kansas City, Kansas. On March 5, 2001, Mashak sold a 1984 Chevy Impala to A.G. for $750. Mashak's wife, Valerie Mashak, testified that in early March she accompanied Mashak to the shop when Mashak showed A.G. the car. Valerie testified that when Mashak sold the car to A.G., Mashak told A.G. to park the car because the "tags weren't right." Two days after the sale Police Officer Jason Allen stopped the Impala being driven by A.G. because the 30-day tag was altered. Due to the altered tag, Allen had the car towed to the impound lot. According to Valerie, on approximately March 10 A.G. called Mashak at home, complaining about his car being towed and asking Mashak to get it out of the impound lot.
On March 16, 2001, Mashak and Johnny Sublett, Mashak's employee and best friend, were eating lunch in the business' office around 2 p.m. when an African-American male entered the business. Mashak and Sublett were the only individuals in the shop at the time. Sublett did not know this individual; he was later identified as A.G. According to Sublett, A.G. was angry and spoke to Mashak about getting the vehicle that Mashak had sold to A.G. out of the impound lot. Mashak did not pay attention to A.G.; he continued eating his lunch. A.G. then walked out of the shop.
As soon as A.G. walked out, a different man wearing a black mask and a black Carhart or Dickie coat with a hood entered the shop. Sublett did not recognize this individual either. The man, later identified as Sappington, was carrying what Sublett described as a black AK assault rifle. As soon as Sappington entered, he started shooting. When Sublett saw the gun, he ran into the garage portion of the business and dived under a vehicle. From there, he could hear Mashak getting shot in the office and fleeing to the garage. After approximately 10 minutes, Sublett crawled out and called an ambulance. Mashak was lying on the garage floor, conscious, but dying.
Richard Turner, a customer at Loud and Clear Car Audio across the street, heard the gunshots and then saw one African-American male running out of Mashak's shop and another African-American male shooting into it. Turner and Donald Martin, the owner of Loud and Clear Car Audio, then saw two men speed away in a brown vehicle. According to Martin, a "hooded person" was driving the vehicle.
Police found Mashak and eight shell casings inside the shop. Officer Kim J. Crockett testified that AK-47 assault rifles and SKS assault rifles fire the caliber of ammunition found in the building. Seven of the shell casings were found in the office and one on the garage floor. The officers also found several bullet holes in the interior walls of the shop and in some of the vehicles parked in the garage.
Dr. Donald Pojman, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy, testified that Mashak suffered five gunshot wounds–two to the left shoulder, one to the right elbow, and two to the right side of the chest. Dr. Pojman opined that Mashak died from multiple gunshot wounds, most importantly the gunshot wound to the chest, with loss of blood the ultimate cause of death.
The next month an anonymous tip led officers to investigate Sappington as a participant in the shooting. He eventually confessed to his participation in the crime. Sappington stated that A.G. approached him about helping recover money from Phase One Auto Sales because the guys there had sold A.G. a car that had been towed because the "tags weren't right." He characterized himself and A.G. as "associates" prior to this incident. According to Sappington, A.G. said he would go into the shop first and talk to the owner and then Sappington was supposed to enter 6 seconds later as an "enforcer."
Sappington stated that his role was to hold a gun on the individuals to make sure they cooperated; there was no plan to shoot them. With a black scarf covering his face, he entered the shop and pointed the SKS rifle at the two men sitting behind the counter. Because they "quickly moved" and Sappington thought they were reaching for a gun, he shot them. He then ran out of the shop, and he and A.G. fled in a brown vehicle.
A pager registered to A.G.'s father was found at the scene which had independently led officers to investigate A.G. as a suspect. From a photo lineup, Sublett identified A.G. as the person who entered the shop on the day of the shooting, and Valerie Mashak identified him as the person who bought the car from her husband and who had called about getting it out of the impound lot. A.G. eventually confessed to his participation in the crime and implicated Sappington as the shooter.
The case against Sappington was continued a number of times over 3 years because of periods in which he alternated between competency and incompetency. Sappington was evaluated primarily by Dr. William S. Logan, a psychiatrist, who met with Sappington 13 times over that entire period. Sappington was ultimately deemed competent to stand trial in July 2004. He was tried and convicted later that month for the triple murders and other crimes committed in April 2001 (State v. Sappington, No. 94,415, this day decided). He was tried in September 2004 for the crimes in the instant case committed in March 2001.
At trial, both Sappington and A.G. recanted their confessions. Sappington testified that he had nothing to do with the shooting, that he was never at the shop and that he did not know A.G. or Mashak. He claimed that he agreed to confess to the murder because Detective Greg Lawson, who took his confession, promised that he would help Sappington avoid the death penalty in a different homicide case if he confessed to shooting Mashak. Sappington testified that he based his confession strictly upon information that Lawson gave him.
Although A.G.'s preliminary hearing testimony was consistent with his prior taped confession, when called by the State to testify at trial he stated, "I can't do this. I can't lie like this, man. This ain't right." He then testified that he did not know Sappington in March 2001 and did not know who did the shooting. As a defense witness, A.G. admitted that he had previously implicated Sappington as the shooter. However, he testified that he had gone to the shop only to talk to Mashak about getting his car out of the tow lot. While A.G. was talking to Mashak, a masked man entered the body shop and just started shooting. A.G. testified that he then ran out "scared for his life." After the shooting, his father picked him up; A.G. testified that his father would testify that the father did not pick up anyone other than A.G. at that time.
A.G. testified that he implicated Sappington only because Detective Lawson said that would mean that A.G. would remain in juvenile court for his own charges. He further testified that when Lawson walked him from the juvenile center to the police station, Lawson told him details on what to confess.
The jury convicted Sappington of one count of first-degree felony murder and one count of attempted aggravated robbery. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole eligibility for 20 years plus a consecutive term of 130 months' imprisonment, with the sentences to run consecutive to the sentences imposed in the triple murder case: consecutive sentences of three life terms for the first-degree murders, 79 months for kidnapping, and 32 months for aggravated burglary.
Issue 1: The prosecutor did not commit reversible misconduct during closing argument.
Sappington first contends that reversal and remand for new trial is required because the prosecutor improperly diluted the "beyond a reasonable doubt" burden of proof during closing argument. The State basically responds that no misconduct occurred.
"Allegations of prosecutorial misconduct require a two-step analysis. First, the appellate court must determine whether the comments were outside the wide latitude allowed in discussing the evidence. Second, the appellate court must decide whether those comments constitute plain error; that is, whether the statements prejudiced the jury against the defendant and denied the defendant a fair trial, thereby requiring reversal. State v. Elnicki, 279 Kan. 47, 58, 105 P.3d 1222 (2005) (quoting State v. Tosh, 278 Kan. 83, 85, 91 P.3d 1204 ). We have applied the test to prosecutorial action in contexts beyond mere comment on the evidence. See State v. Swinney, 280 Kan. 768, 779, 127 P.32 261 (2006) (citing cases)."
"'(1) whether the misconduct is gross and flagrant; (2) whether the misconduct shows ill will on the prosecutor's part; and (3) whether the evidence against the defendant is of such a direct and overwhelming nature that the misconduct would likely have little weight in the minds of the jurors. None of these three factors is individually controlling. Before the third factor can ever override the first two factors, an appellate court must be able to say that the harmlessness tests of both K.S.A. 60-261 (inconsistent with substantial justice) and Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705, 87 S. Ct. 824 (1967) [conclusion beyond reasonable doubt that the error had little, if any, likelihood of having changed the results of the trial], have been met.'" State v. White, 284 Kan. at 338.
"You know, one of the things we talked about in voir dire, if you will remember, we talked about this beyond a reasonable doubt concept and there's not a single one of you here can say–can go into that jury room and say, I know beyond all doubt that Marc Sappington is the one who did this. There's not a single one of the 12 of you that can go back there and say, I know beyond any doubt that Marc Sappington is the one that did this. It's not what the law is asking you to do, though. Remember our test is beyond a reasonable doubt. And is it reasonable given that evidence that we have that Marc Sappington is the one that did this? And I suggest to you the answer is, yes, it is.
Sappington argues that the italicized statement suggested to the jury that it could convict him if they merely found it was "reasonable" to conclude he was the culprit, an incorrect statement of law that lessened the State's "reasonable doubt" burden of proof. As he correctly notes, a jury may convict a defendant only if it has "no reasonable doubt as to the truth of each of the claims required to be proved by the State." PIK Crim. 3d 52.02.
"'My burden is the burden that you must consider this case beyond a reasonable doubt. It is not beyond any doubt, it is not beyond the shadow of a doubt, it is beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court found the italicized language improper. However, it held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to declare a mistrial due to this one statement. 260 Kan. at 926-28. The court concluded that when the prosecutor's argument was considered in its entirety, particularly the preceding nonitalicized language correctly stating the burden, the statements ultimately recognized that the burden of proof falls on and remains with the State. 260 Kan. at 927.
As an apparent factor in its calculus, the Banks court also observed that the district court had correctly instructed the jury: in effect, PIK Crim. 3d 52.02.
"'The State has the burden to prove the defendant is guilty. The defendant is not required to prove he is not guilty. You must presume that he is not guilty until you are convinced from the evidence that he is guilty.
"'The test you must use in determining whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty is this: If you have a reasonable doubt as to the truth of any of the claims made by the state, you must find the defendant not guilty. If you have no reasonable doubt as to the truth of any of the claims made by the State, you should find the defendant guilty.'" (Emphasis added). 260 Kan. at 927.
In affirming the conviction despite the prosecutor's improper statement, this court emphasized the "other substantial and compelling evidence going directly to [defendant's] guilt." 260 Kan. at 928.
In State v. Mitchell, 269 Kan. 349, 7 P.3d 1135 (2000), the court held that the following remark during the prosecutor's closing argument was an erroneous and misleading statement of law: "'the State's burden of proof in this type of criminal case and in any criminal case is a common sense burden.'" 269 Kan. at 360-61. It reasoned that the comment impermissibly suggested to the jury that it could convict the defendant "by using a burden of proof less than 'reasonable doubt.'" 269 Kan. at 361.
As in Banks, however, in Mitchell the court ultimately ruled that the improper remarks did not deny the defendant a fair trial essentially because of the weight of the evidence against him. Echoing part of the federal standard from Chapman v. California, this court held that the remarks had little, if any, likelihood of changing the result of the trial. 269 Kan. at 361.
"Diggs contends that the prosecutor erred by equating the 'reasonable doubt' standard with 'common sense' or 'reasonable explanation.' She argues that the burden was shifted to Diggs when the prosecutor repeatedly asked the jury to consider whether Diggs' actions were 'reasonable.
"Here, unlike State v. Mitchell, 269 Kan. 349, 357-61, 7 P.3d 1135 (2000), the prosecutor did not define reasonable doubt as 'common sense,' nor did he define it as a 'reasonable explanation.' He told the jurors that they could apply common sense to the facts in their deliberations, including the determination of whether rigor mortis had already started setting in when the EMT's arrived at the scene of the murder. It appears that the prosecutor questioned whether certain facts were 'reasonable' in order to argue to the jury that the facts did not create a reasonable doubt." 272 Kan. at 363.
The Diggs court concluded that the prosecutor's comments were within the bounds afforded counsel for argument.
"'I would submit to you that a reasonable doubt is really nothing more than a fair doubt that's based on reason and common sense and arises from the status of the evidence. It's impossible for me to prove everything to you by an absolute certainty. At the same time, a defendant should not be convicted just on speculation and conjecture, but you have much more than that in this case. You don't just have speculation or conjecture that [defendant] is guilty.'" 273 Kan. at 248.
The Finley court noted the risk "that the definition gave the jury the impression that something slightly more than suspicion or conjecture 1s sufficient to reach reasonable doubt." 273 Kan. At 249. Nevertheless, it also noted that this conclusion would ignore the first part of the prosecutor's argument. Although seemingly deciding that the prosecutor's statement was error, and therefore qualifying as misconduct, the Finley court ultimately concluded that "[i]t cannot be said the prosecutor's argument regarding the burden of proof denied [defendant] a fair trial," because the court had earlier determined that the evidence of guilt was overwhelming. 273 Kan. at 249.
More recently, in State v. Wilson, 281 Kan. 277, 286, 130 P.3d 48 (2006), the court observed that the prosecutor's closing argument was far less egregious than the prosecutor's statement in Finley: "'I want you to look at the evidence, remember all the testimony that you heard, and go back to that definition of reasonable doubt that, unfortunately, no one can say in precise words what it is. You just have to intuitively know when you see it.'" This court held that the prosecutor properly stated the law regarding reasonable doubt. 281 Kan. at 287.
In the instant case, the prosecutor did not expressly define the term "reasonable doubt" in improper language as did the Banks and Mitchell prosecutors. However, his inaccuracy is more serious than the prosecutors' statements made in Finley and Wilson, and probably Diggs, on the issue of burden of proof. To convict a defendant of a crime, the jury must find that it has no reasonable doubt as to the truth of each claim the State must prove. PIK Crim. 3d 52.02. Yet, as Sappington argues, his prosecutor's statement suggests that a jury may convict if the jury believes that it is merely "reasonable" that he committed the crime. We conclude that this misstatement dilutes the State's burden because a jury could convict due to its reasonable belief that a defendant committed a crime while still having a reasonable doubt as to guilt. Accordingly, the comment is outside the wide latitude afforded a prosecutor.
The prosecutor's misstatement of the law, however, does not necessarily amount to reversible error. Reversal is not required unless the prosecutor's actions deprived Sappington of a fair trial. State v. Tosh, 278 Kan. 83, 85, 91 P.3d 1204 (2004). The first factor to consider in the harmlessness inquiry is whether the misconduct is gross and flagrant, i.e., did it prejudice the jury against Sappington? See State v. Elnicki, 279 Kan. 47, 65, 105 P.3d 1222 (2005). We hold it did not.
As did the prosecutor in Banks, the prosecutor here did properly state the burden of proof in the sentence immediately preceding his misstatement, saying: "Remember, our test is beyond a reasonable doubt." Also, as in Banks, the overall closing argument made several clarifications on the burden of proof: that reasonable doubt is not "beyond all doubt" or "beyond any doubt." See also Finley, 273 Kan. 237 (court must read the prosecutor's erroneous statement together with his or her correct statements on the burden of proof).
Likewise, as in Banks, here the district court properly instructed the jury on the burden of proof, providing PIK Crim. 3d 52.02 on the burden of proof and reasonable doubt. Additionally, the court provided the jury with Instruction No. 8, which explained the alternate theories of murder in the first degree and reiterated that the burden of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt. A jury is presumed to have followed the instructions. State v. Horn, 278 Kan. 24, 43, 91 P.3d 517 (2004). In short, the prosecutor's conduct was not gross and flagrant.
Next, no real prosecutorial ill will has been shown. There is no indication that the prosecutor deliberately misstated the burden of proof with this isolated statement: "And is it reasonable given that evidence that we have that Marc Sappington is the one that did this? And I suggest to you the answer is yes, it is." Citing Diggs, the State argues that when placed in the context of his entire rebuttal argument, the statement was intended only to mean that it was reasonable, based upon the evidence presented at trial, to believe Sappington's confession instead of his trial testimony. In other words, the State claims that the prosecutor merely questioned whether certain facts were reasonable in order to argue that the facts did not create reasonable doubt.
The prosecutor's language is more direct and more troubling than that suggested in Diggs, making ill will a closer question. But the fact that it is merely close, and not clear, and when coupled with the language's one-time appearance during a lengthy closing argument, weighs against our finding ill will.
Lastly, the evidence against Sappington was of such a direct and overwhelming nature that the misstatement likely had little weight in the minds of the jurors. In response to Sappington's and A.G.'s trial recantation of their confessions, Detective Lawson testified that he did not tell them what to say prior to taking their statements. Although he had a good idea of the physical evidence prior to taking Sappington's confession, he did not know the "play by play" as detailed in their confessions. Moreover, he testified that he was very careful not to tell A.G. anything about Sappington's confession because he wanted to judge both suspects' credibility based upon how their statements coincided.
Lawson further denied ever promising Sappington that he would not receive a death sentence if he confessed to Mashak's killing. He also testified that after he walked A.G. the short distance from the detention center to his adjoining office building, A.G.'s attorney was present for a large portion of the interview that occurred prior to the taped confession.
Both Sappington's and A.G.'s taped confessions were played for the jury. A review of the tapes reveals that the two confessions closely paralleled each other in their detail and seem spontaneous and unrehearsed. Both men were forthcoming with little need for exploratory questions by Lawson. During their taped confessions, both Sappington and A.G. stated that they were not coerced or promised anything in exchange for their statements. When questioned by Lawson at the end of his confession, Sappington specifically stated that the officers never told him what to say and that he volunteered all of the information.
Additionally, there was considerable circumstantial evidence supporting both confessions. Both Turner and Martin testified that after hearing shots at the body shop, they saw two men leaving together in a brown vehicle. Both Sappington and A.G. volunteered in their confessions that they fled in a brown vehicle. Eight assault rifle shell casings were found at the scene; shop occupant Sublett testified that the shooter not only fired an assault rifle but also wore a black mask. Sappington confessed to shooting an assault rifle and wearing a black scarf over his face.
Sublett testified that one man entered first, argued with Mashak, and as soon as he walked out an armed man entered and began shooting. He also testified that he could tell that the two men–A.G. and the shooter–were together and were executing a plan. Sappington confessed that they had a plan: A.G. was to enter the shop first, and he was to enter seconds later as the enforcer to hold a gun on the occupants. Additionally, an anonymous source called the police and identified Sappington as A.G.'s accomplice. Both Sappington and A.G. volunteered in their confessions that Sappington was the shooter.
Supportive of a plan, or at least of A.G.'s involvement, was an officer's testimony that the pager found at the scene contained messages from A.G.'s family on the day of the shooting, stating, "don't ruin your future," "please turn around before it's too late," "don't choose lockup over Grandma, Marie, yourself, your future," and "go to [church] before it's too late." Similarly, A.G. was identified by the victim's wife as the man with whom her husband had had recent difficulty about a blue car and identified by shop occupant Sublett as the man who had entered to angrily argue about the car shortly before the shooting.
Furthermore, A.G.'s father directly contradicted A.G.'s trial testimony that his father only picked up A.G. after the incident. In the process the father corroborated many of the details of the recanted confessions–October 30, 2007which Sappington and A.G. claimed were based upon information fed to him by Detective Lawson.
The father testified that on March 16, 2001, A.G. called him sometime in the afternoon to come pick him up at an apartment building. The father further testified that he picked up both A.G. and A.G.'s friend, whom he did not know. When he got to the building, he opened his trunk from the inside of his car, and A.G. and the friend put their shoes in the trunk. The friend then sat in the back seat and A.G. sat in the front. The father dropped the friend off somewhere on a side street "off of 7th Street." He and A.G. then picked up A.G.'s mother from work, ran some errands, and took A.G. to the bus station for a planned trip to visit his sister in Texas.
Similarly, in their recanted confessions, both Sappington and A.G. independently stated that following the shooting they disposed of their vehicle and then went to an acquaintance's apartment where A.G.'s father picked them up. According to both these confessions, A.G.'s father popped the car's trunk from inside the vehicle, and then they put their shoes and the firearm in the trunk. A.G. confessed that Sappington sat in the back. According to both their confessions, A.G.'s father dropped Sappington off at 8th and Parallel streets. In A.G.'s confession, he stated that after dropping Sappington off, A.G. and his dad picked his mom up from work, went to Walmart, and then to the bus station where he left to visit his sister in Texas.
Given the jury's conviction, it obviously rejected the recantations. A.G.'s and Sappington's taped confessions were well corroborated by other testimony and evidence, and the confessions were made more telling by Sappington's and A.G.'s unusual trial stories.
In conclusion, although prosecutorial misstatement occurred in this case, reversal is not required because the prosecutor did not prejudice the jury against Sappington and deny him a fair trial. We hold that the harmlessness standards are satisfied from both K.S.A. 60-261 (not inconsistent with substantial justice) and Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705, 87 S. Ct. 824 (1967) (conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the error had little, if any, likelihood of having changed the results of the trial).
Issue 2: The district court did not err in denying Sappington's motion for change of judge.
Sappington next contends the trial judge erred by refusing to recuse himself from the instant case after making biased remarks at the sentencing hearing for the triple murder case. The State responds that the remarks were nothing more than fair characterizations of the facts of a grisly case.
"'When a district court refuses to recuse itself from a trial upon the defendant's request, this court has promulgated a two-part test to determine whether the defendant received a fair trial or whether the defendant's due process rights were violated: (1) Did the trial judge have a duty to recuse himself or herself from this case because the judge was biased, prejudicial, or partial? (2) If the judge did have a duty to recuse and failed to do so, is there a showing of actual bias or prejudice to warrant setting aside the judgment of the trial court?'" State v. Walker, 283 Kan. 587, 605, 153 P.3d 1257 (2007) (quoting State v. Alderson, 260 Kan. 445, Syl. ¶ 2, 922 P.2d 435 ).
K.S.A. 2006 Supp. 20-311d provides the procedure for a party's request for a change of judge. First, the party must file a motion for change of judge without stating in the motion the grounds for belief that the judge cannot afford the party a fair trial. The assigned judge shall then hold an informal hearing on the motion. Next, if the judge refuses to recuse, the party seeking a change of judge may then file an affidavit alleging the grounds for change of judge. K.S.A. 2006 Supp. 20-311d(a). If an affidavit is filed, the chief judge of the district shall at once determine the legal sufficiency of the affidavit. If the affidavit is found to be legally sufficient, the case shall be assigned to another judge. K.S.A. 2006 Supp. 20-311d(b).
K.S.A. 2006 Supp. 20-311d(c)(5) articulates the affidavit grounds upon which Sappington relies: "that on account of the personal bias, prejudice or interest of the judge such party cannot obtain a fair and impartial trial or fair and impartial enforcement of post-judgment remedies."
On the first day of the jury trial, Sappington fax filed a motion asking Judge Burdette to recuse himself. Judge Burdette had also presided over the July 2004 triple murder trial and subsequent sentencing. Although neither the faxed motion or the sentencing transcript is contained in the record on appeal, Sappington appears to argue in the Mashak trial transcript that the judge had described Sappington as a "homicidal time bomb" when imposing the sentences approximately 3 weeks earlier on September 2. According to defense counsel's statement in the Mashak trial transcript, at sentencing Judge Burdette had also stated that "if [Sappington] was going to ever get out again, I had no doubt he would do this again." Due to these statements, Sappington's motion alleged that the judge was prejudiced against Sappington and that this prejudice would "contaminate the jury."
Judge Burdette held an informal hearing on the matter outside the presence of the jury and denied Sappington's motion The judge stated that his statements solely addressed the sentencing of Sappington in the prior case and had "absolutely nothing to do with his guilt or innocence in this case." He further stated that he had no trouble being fair and impartial in this case. He also noted that pursuant to statute, the defense could file a more detailed motion with the chief judge of the district court if it chose to further pursue the matter.
Sappington did not file a motion with the chief judge, and did not reestablish his request for a change of judge until his motion for new trial. In denying Sappington's motion on that ground, Judge Burdette stated that Sappington failed to raise any issues necessitating the court's recusal of itself and noted that he failed to take further proceedings beyond the informal hearing.
Sappington argues to this court that the judge's reference to Sappington as a "homicidal time bomb"–or as stated in his brief as a "ticking time bomb"–evidenced the judge's hostile feeling against him and suggested that the judge "had already reached an unalterable conclusion about Mr. Sappington's character." He argues that based upon these statements, a reasonable person would have doubt about Judge Burdette's impartiality toward Sappington.
The State counters that Judge Burdette's statement in the triple murder case was made concerning the facts of that case and was given as a reason for the court's imposition of maximum, consecutive sentences. It characterizes the comment as "nothing more than a fair characterization of the facts of a grisly triple murder case where one person was dismembered, another left dead in a car in a public parking lot and the third left dead with a broken knife blade embedded in his back." Consequently, the State argues that the comment does not establish that the court was biased, prejudicial, or partial.
The first step in our analysis is to determine whether the judge had a duty to recuse from this single murder case based on his statement made during sentencing in the triple murder case. We initially observe that Sappington has failed to sufficiently designate a record to support his claim, e.g., a copy of his fax-filed motion to recuse, much less the sentencing hearing transcript. We have only the transcript of the limited discussion regarding the motion on the first day of trial. As such, this court is prevented from considering the context in which the judge made the challenged statement. A defendant possesses the burden to designate a record that affirmatively shows prejudicial error. Without such a record, an appellate court presumes the action of the trial court was proper. State v. Holmes, 278 Kan. 603, 612, 102 P.3d 406 (2004).
Moreover, Judge Burdette did not have a duty to recuse himself from this case based on his characterization of Sappington in the prior case. We acknowledge that a judge should disqualify himself or herself if the circumstances of the case "create reasonable doubt concerning the judge's impartiality, not in the mind of the judge himself, or even, necessarily, in the mind of the litigant filing the motion, but rather in the mind of a reasonable person with knowledge of all the circumstances." State v. Logan, 236 Kan. 79, 86, 689 P.2d 778 (1984). We further acknowledge that the Kansas Code of Judicial Conduct states that a judge has a duty to recuse himself or herself from a case when "the judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned." This includes instances where "the judge has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party." Rule 601A, Cannon 3E(1)(a) (2006 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 576-77).
Given that this isolated statement occurred in a completely separate case and that this court is prevented from placing it in the context in which it was made, we cannot say that a reasonable person would have reasonable doubt regarding Judge Burdette's impartiality. The statement is analogous to the judge's reference to the defendant as a "mean mother" in State v. Griffen, 241 Kan. 68, 71, 734 P.2d 1089 (1987). That particular reference was made prior to sentencing during the judge's attempt to summarize the findings of the presentence investigation report to substitute defense counsel. 241 Kan. at 71. This court concluded that the judge's remarks, while "ill-advised," did not demonstrate partiality, prejudice, or bias on his part. 241 Kan. at 71-73. Similarly, Judge Burdette's reference to Sappington as a "homicidal time bomb" in the triple murder case does not demonstrate that he was biased or prejudiced against Sappington in the instant case.
Second, even if we were to assume that Judge Burdette had a duty to recuse himself from this case, Sappington still needs to demonstrate actual bias or prejudice by the judge. This court has often rejected claims of error in denials of motions for change of judge due to a lack of demonstrated prejudice. See, e.g., Walker, 283 Kan. at 609; State v. Reed, 282 Kan. 272, 279, 144 P.3d 677 (2006); Griffen, 241 Kan. at 73. Sappington has not pointed to anything in the record, nor can we find anything there, showing that Judge Burdette exhibited bias or prejudice at trial or sentencing in the instant case. Therefore, the court did not err in denying Sappington's motion for change of judge.
Issue 3: The district court did not err in admitting certain autopsy photographs into evidence.
Sappington next contends the district court erred in admitting certain autopsy photographs into evidence because they were "overly repetitious, gruesome and only went to inflame the jury." At trial, he objected to only four of these photographs: Exhibits # 21, # 24, # 26 and # 27. The State counters that the photographs were not cumulative or overly gruesome and were used by Dr. Pojman to illustrate his testimony regarding the manner of death.
The standard of review for the admission of these photographs requires us to first determine whether they are relevant, i.e., probative. State v. Gunby, 282 Kan. 39, 47, 144 P.3d 647 (2006). See State v. Kirby, 272 Kan. 1170, 1186-88, 39 P.3d 1 (2002); State v. Ruebke, 240 Kan. 493, 517, 731 P.2d 842 (1987) (Photographs and videotape of homicide victims "had a reasonable tendency to prove or disprove a material fact in issue, or shed light upon a material fact.").
State's Exhibit # 21 is a "body shot" of the victim at the time of autopsy. Exhibit # 24 shows two lesions located on the top of the victim's left shoulder. Exhibit # 26 shows two large wounds on the left side of the torso and a large sutured incision made by medical personnel at the hospital. Exhibit # 27 is a closer view of the two injuries depicted in Exhibit # 26. In overruling Sappington's objections, the district court held that the State was allowed to show that the victim died and that Dr. Pojman, who performed the autopsy, could use these photographs to aid the jury's understanding of how Mashak died.
Dr. Pojman testified that the photographs would be useful in his testimony to help him explain to the jury the nature and location of the injuries. After describing the injuries depicted in each photograph, Dr. Pojman referred to them to explain how the injuries caused Mashak's death. Specifically, he used the photographs to explain the gunshot wounds and why he surmised that the shots went from back to front. He also used them to explain that the wounds were irregular, particularly using the photograph of the closer view of the chest wounds to better explain their irregularity to the jury. He concluded that Mashak died of multiple gunshot wounds depicted in the photographs, most important a wound to the chest, which resulted in a loss of blood.
Clearly the photographs were used to prove the manner of death and to explain medical testimony. They are relevant and admissible. See State v. Bell, 273 Kan. 49, 52-53, 41 P.3d 783 (2002) (Photographs used to prove the manner of death and the violent nature of the crime are relevant and admissible.); State v. Deal, 271 Kan. 483, 493, 23 P.3d 840 (2001) (Photographs which are relevant and material in assisting the jury's understanding of medical testimony are admissible, including photographs which aid a pathologist in explaining the cause of death.). Even though at trial Sappington did not challenge Mashak's cause of death, we have held that the prosecutor has the burden to prove all the elements of the crime charged and photographs to prove the elements of the crime, including the fact and manner of death and the violent nature of the crime, are relevant and admissible. See State v. Gholston, 272 Kan. 601, 613, 35 P.3d 868 (2001), cert. denied 536 U.S. 963 (2002).
We have reviewed the four photographs and find no abuse of discretion in their admission into evidence.
As to the other photograph about which Sappington complains, Exhibit # 22, no objection was made at trial to its admission. As such, the issue of its admission was not preserved on appeal. K.S.A. 60-404; State v. Torres, 280 Kan. at 328.
Issue 4: The district court did not err in refusing to grant Sappington's request for new counsel.
Finally, Sappington contends the court erred in denying his multiple requests for new counsel which deprived him of the opportunity to participate in his own defense. The State basically responds that his counsel did a commendable job under difficult circumstances, i.e., those created by Sappington's repeated mental problems. We independently observe that over a 3-year span, from his April 2001 arrest through his September 2004 trial, Sappington was found mentally competent, then incompetent, then competent, then incompetent, and then competent. Each of Sappington's motions to change counsel was filed during periods of competency, with the trial for Mashak's murder being conducted 2 months after his latest competency determination and trial for triple murder.
A district court's refusal to appoint new counsel is reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard, which asks whether any reasonable person would take the view adopted by the district court. State v. McGee, 280 Kan. 890, 894, 126 P.3d 1110 (2006). The burden is on the party alleging the abuse. State v. White, 284 Kan. 233, Syl. ¶ 3, 161 P.3d 208 (2007).
Furthermore, to warrant substitute counsel, a defendant must show "justifiable dissatisfaction" with appointed counsel. Justifiable dissatisfaction includes a showing of a conflict of interest, an irreconcilable conflict, or a complete breakdown in communications between counsel and the defendant. McGee, 280 Kan. at 894. But ultimately, "'[a]s long as the trial court has a reasonable basis for believing the attorney-client relation has not deteriorated to a point where appointed counsel can no longer give effective aid in the fair presentation of a defense, the court is justified in refusing to appoint new counsel. [Citation omitted.]'" State v. Ferguson, 254 Kan. 62, 70, 864 P.2d 693 (1993) (quoting State v. Banks, 216 Kan. 390, 394, 532 P.2d 1058 ).
The facts concerning Sappington's motions for change of counsel in the instant case are identical to many of those in the triple murder because certain proceedings were consolidated until shortly before the triple murder trial began in late July 2004.
After being found competent to stand trial in December 2001, Sappington filed his first pro se "Motion for Relief of Court Appointed Counsel" on March 25, 2002. He alleged that irreconcilable conflicts of interest existed, specifically that he lacked confidence in attorney Patricia Kalb's representation and that she was not providing "faithful representation." Sappington later withdrew the motion with the hope that he and Kalb "could work through the problems."
Kalb testified that she had met with Sappington the previous day to discuss their problems. She did not feel that their problems were "that serious."Kalb stated that Sappington's mental health problems had been the cause of many of the delays in this matter. She admitted that it had taken some time to get the witness statements from the State and that it had taken a while to get the transcript, but that the "more important" issue was that she and Sappington were having a "hard time" communicating regarding his theory of defense. Kalb seemed to imply that this difficulty was largely due to Sappington's mental status and stated that she had tried to convey to him her thoughts on a defense.
Within the week, the August 2003 trial was postponed because Sappington again stopped taking his medication, and he was again found incompetent. Trial was eventually rescheduled. That trial was later postponed because of Sappington's continued incompetence and Dr. Logan's characterization of his "partial malingering."
In July 2004 Sappington was once again found competent, and his trial for the triple murder began on the 19th of that month. The morning of trial, he made an oral motion to dismiss counsel, claiming that she lied when she said she would come see him and again claiming that she did not bring him documents. After counsel denied the allegations, the court denied the motion, finding counsel's representation "first rate" and adding that it felt no stone had been left unturned in his defense. Sappington renewed his motion at the close of evidence, requesting a mistrial because Kalb did not ask all of the questions that he requested. After counsel responded, the court denied the motion, and he was convicted of all charges. He renewed his position in his motion for new trial, which the court denied, stating that no one could say that counsel had not performed competently.
Sappington's trial for the Mashak charges began on September 27, 2004. As he had done the first day of trial in the triple murder case, that morning Sappington made an oral motion to dismiss counsel. He again did not believe Kalb had been adequate in her preparation, particularly in corresponding and otherwise dealing with him to build his case or decide on a defense. For other reasons, he referred to "the last motion to relieve counsel."
In response to the court's inquiry, Kalb stated that she was prepared to proceed to trial in this case. The court denied Sappington's motion, stating that Sappington's general statements did not rise to the legal threshold for the court to consider removal of counsel, especially in light of the timing of the motion. The court further stated that Sappington had failed to present arguments different from those raised in the triple murder case and in his previous motions. The court found that based upon all of its observations, Sappington was receiving the benefit of an experienced criminal defense attorney, and that it could "see nothing whatsoever that would support his contention that counsel should be removed."
When Kalb argued Sappington's motion for new trial on December 10, 2004, she asserted that he was unable to meaningfully communicate with counsel, reminding the court that he had requested new counsel before the trial in the instant case as well as in the triple murder case. The court denied Sappington's motion, observing that "we've had this issue several times" and "have discussed it at length." It held that there was "no evidence whatsoever" that Sappington was unable to communicate with his attorney at trial.
To begin our analysis, we note that in order to determine whether to appoint new counsel, the district court must conduct some sort of investigation. Here, the court satisfied this requirement by fully hearing Sappington's complaints and fully hearing his counsel's responses, both at the July 2003 motion hearing and the September 2004 trial. The court further satisfied this requirement by its own observations of counsel's performance over the course of 3 years. See State v. Collier, 259 Kan. 346, 359, 913 P.2d 597 (1996). Sappington had the same attorney, Kalb, throughout both cases. According to the record on appeal, her performance observed by the court included multiple actions to protect Sappington's rights regarding his competency to stand trial and other pretrial matters. She was especially diligent in monitoring Sappington's mental health, frequently requesting a continuance or a finding that Sappington was incompetent to stand trial at that time. Overall, the court concluded that Kalb had performed at a high level of advocacy on Sappington's behalf.
The district court was well aware of the unique circumstances of this case. Throughout this lengthy process, an overarching consideration was seeing if Sappington was capable of being found competent to stand trial. As a result, the court was quite cognizant of the substantial challenges any counsel would have faced representing Sappington. In an analogous context, the court in State v. Ferguson observed that a lack of communication between a defendant and counsel does not automatically constitute a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. 254 Kan. at 71. There, the court agreed with the State that "'lack of communication between a defendant and defense counsel due to a defendant's refusal to cooperate is not of itself basis for reversal on grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel.'" (Emphasis added.) 254 Kan. at 73-74. The Ferguson court held that under the circumstances of that case, substitution of counsel would have been futile.
The instant case admittedly is distinguishable from Ferguson because there is no evidence that any communication problems between Sappington and Kalb were deliberate on his part. In Sappington's case, however, there were multiple competency and incompetency determinations, and the district court was forced to continue trial several times after finding that Sappington was not competent to stand trial or able to assist in his own defense. Based upon these determinations and Kalb's statements at the July 2003 hearing on Sappington's motion, it is doubtful the appointment of substitute counsel would have solved the communication problems.
Another consideration is the timeliness of Sappington's motion. This court has held that a request for substitute counsel made on the first day of trial is not timely. State v. Collier, 259 Kan. at 358-59. Although, as Sappington points out, his oral trial motion was not his first request for new counsel, he has provided no explanation for his delay in making an additional request. Furthermore, Kalb's July 2003 statements, which Sappington primarily relies as evidence of a communication problem, were made over a year before his trial in this case.
Finally, Sappington has failed to point to any facts that demonstrate a "complete breakdown of communication" between him and counsel at trial. Despite his assertion to the contrary, Sappington actively participated in his defense. Unlike at the triple murder trial, he testified and, through counsel's direct examination, completely presented his theory of defense: he had absolutely no involvement in the crime. Accordingly, he recanted his confession on the stand. Moreover, counsel Kalb called A.G. to testify and elicited his testimony where he not only recanted his confession implicating Sappington but also corroborated Sappington's defense theory. Sappington does not allege that he disagreed with Kalb's trial strategy.
1REPORTER'S NOTE: Judge Richard D. Greene, of the Kansas Court of Appeals, was appointed to hear case No. 94,416 vice Justice Davis pursuant to the authority vested in the Supreme Court by K.S.A. 20-3002(c).
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Given Behavioral Safety is targeting behavior, it is good to see that in most cases there has been the desired behavior change. Only a small minority (4%) reported behavior had not improved, while some (9%) just did not know! This indicates these respondent's processes are not collating and tabulating the observation data.
Half of respondents also reported injury reductions, although in some cases this took up to 4 years to achieve. Worryingly, half (some 430 company's) indicate no impact yet! This suggests that somehow they have got the design and/or the execution of their process very wrong, indicating an independent review is warranted. Over the past 20 years, my professional peers and I have consistently seen 30% or more reductions in injuries in year one, with this eventually leading to Zero lost-time and recordable incidents.
Apart from safety behavior and injuries, many Behavioral Safety processes pay attention to other Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) to evaluate their success. The 'Observation Rate (numbers of observations completed), Near-Miss reporting, completed Corrective Actions, Participation rate (number of people involved in BBS as observers), Safety Leadership behaviors and the amount of Constructive Feedback given are used by 40-60% of companies. Less common is the number of Feedback Meetings held with the workforce and the amount of Positive Praise given. Overall, these results indicate attempts by companies to integrate their Behavioral Safety process with the wider Safety Management System, which is all to the good.
Despite some areas of opportunity highlighted by the survey responses, around 90 percent of company's believed their process was effective.
Moreover, almost 98 percent of respondents wanted their next company to have a Behavioral Safety process in place if they moved jobs.
| 2019-04-20T14:26:43 |
http://bsms-inc.com/free-behavioral-safety-resource-center/about-behavioral-safety/latest-bbs-survey-results/81-industry-survey-on-bbs-typical-results-
|
0.999624 |
- The lack of passenger barges, ferries and ships is a real irritant since that is a very good and realistic way to expand passenger networks early, especially since we now have navigable rivers. Suggest they be prioritised even if the rest of the canal vehicles aren't; I ended up importing the generic pak128 boats in the end.
- The absence of mail vehicles pre-combustion engine is a pain since mail-and-passenger work as one network; the dual income is part of what makes it so efficient.
- I can't quite find an advantage of horse-drawn trams over horse-drawn carriages. They are the same speed, practically same capacity, but can't pass each other on a single tram line (obviously), so actually seem worse. And if you're using horses, clearly congestion isn't a problem. So I can't quite work out why I should pay for them.
- Is there any way to set up a "carries anything" ferry? Was thinking of something to substitute for a rail ferry, which is quite a common (historically) situation for extending a rail network along or across bodies of water. In some uk situations, key ferries were later replaced by tunnels (R. Severn) or bridges (Firth of Forth) once the technology allowed. But since simutrans can't "carry" one vehicle on another, a ferry that would move whatever it was given would be a close approximation. I believe the Severn Ferry, though authorised to be a train ferry, was actually just of the conventional kind, although I know of at least one other UK precedent for a ferry carrying rail carriages (Langstone-St Helens IOW), as well as continental ones.
This will be resolved in 1.03.
The trouble is that we only have one person drawing most of the graphics. These are planned, but they may take some time. If anyone would like to help (or recruit others to help), this would be very, very welcome!
As above - road goods vehicles are next on the list of priorities, I am told.
Hmm, this will need looking into. In real life, horse drawn trams could carry more passengers, since the horses could pull a heavier weight on the smoother tracks. That was the reason for having them. Can anyone with historical knowledge of tram and horse omnibus capacities assist here as to the figures?
An interesting idea, but that might be some way off given the lack of graphics producing capacity. I am not sure what the official maintainers would make of this idea.
No single vehicle in Simutrans can carry more than one type of load. That is a limitation with Simutrans, not the pakset.
Only oil rigs have this capability in Simutrans - it is built into the code.
Thank you very much for testing Pak128.Britain and posting your feedback. It is most useful. Do let us know if you would like to contribute to the project (anything from graphics to research to balancing to posting screenshots would be appreciated).
Given that simutrans is mostly flat terrain, most bridges being just one level above what they are spanning, it is almost always cheaper to alter the terrain to make embankments and cuttings ($-1500/tile) than make a viaduct (($-1900/tile plus maintenance)). This somewhat links in with the bridge thread, but I have just built a railway through some rather hilly terrain, and found myself building precisely one viaduct, which was a bit of a suprise. Perhaps this is intended, however.
I'm not sure exactly what The Hood's intention was with this - perhaps it has not been balanced fully. That would rather suggest that the cost of embankments/cuttings are far too low: in reality, certainly, they are very expensive. Any other thoughts on embankment height?
Well now, there is a logic to low embankments being cheaper than bridges, but high embankments costing more (which they do if you build the sloping-sided ones rather than the brick-sided ones because of the larger base area - realistic).
1 - Simutrans is rather flat, so it's quite rare to need tall embankments, so you don't often actually need bridges.
2 - The "lower single square tile" (LSST) tool is priced to allow it to "undercut" bridges - or at least it's too cheap - it costs ($1500 +$1500) to raise a tile +2 with brick sides, which is essentially a bridge but without any maintenance - so well worth doing instead of the $1900 bridge tile. To do that in "sloping sided" embankments costs ($5000+$2500) - which is far more realistic. If a "cheap" style embankment cost $7500 per tile, the slimmer, urban-type brick sided embankment which the "LSST" tool creates ought to be more than that by a fair margin. I think the "raise single square tile" tool needs to be about $75000 a go, or better, for the +1 to be $1500 and the +2 move to be $15000.
I agree that the single square tool should increase in cost for higher embankments (I would want to take it further with partial square rais or low from or to a slope being $1500, and full square from a flat tile to a flat tile being $4500 for the first level and a higher amount for the second).
The first one is for the raise and lower land tools. The second one is for all artificial slope tools. Given those limitations, any suggestions on how they be priced?
My original idea was for terrain altering to cost a fortune - at least 10 times what it is at the moment. Hence price of bridges and tunnels. I really want to force people to consider windy terraine following tracks and roads as an option due to cost rather than just building straight flat lines (which is what I end up doing in pak128).
That's a pain! It can't distinguish between setting a "sloping" tile (ie flipping a gradient) and setting a "flat" tile (ie raising land)!
alter_land can acheive any height, the cost just goes up by the square because of the pyramid footprint involved. Which is roughly as it should be, and does indeed force circuitous routes to be taken to avoid levels changes.
And then we need to remove the bridge length limits, of course, so they get more use (in hand I think).
ahh, thank you for the insight. 10x may be slightly too much (earthworks to remove a small piece of errant terrain should not be too pricy), but I see AP's point that the set_slope price could be higher because it is a more flexible tool.
? In reality, many railways were built with substantial embankments, and this ought not be excessively expensive.
I think bridges / tunnels should be cheaper when spanning a height difference of 2, but not for 1, otherwise embankments/cuttings should be cheaper.
a +1 embankment requires 2 clicks with alter_land, so (alter_land< (brick bridge)/2) is the requirement.
In reality, many railways were built with substantial embankments, and this ought not be excessively expensive.
Yes, but almost always they were triangular in section (large base, narrow top), ie done with the alter_land tool.
If the artificial slope was much, much more expensive than alter land, people would only ever use the artificial slope in the very limited circumstances in which the alter land tool could not be used. An excessive disparity between the two should be avoided: there is no grounding in reality for any such disparity.
That was the effect I was going for. Not sure I understand why it is a problem.
there is no grounding in reality for any such disparity.
Sure there is. If you build a mound of earth, it has sloping sides. All you need is an army of labourers and some shovels.
To make a tower of earth with straight sides is far more involved. To do that takes complex engineering and requires retaining walls, careful design and structural work, foundations, etc. You would only do it where land were at a premium - or you would use an urban viaduct instead (with shops under the arches etc).
The key thing is that it must be cheaper to build a x2 high triangular embankment than a x2 high shear embankment.
A +2 high triangular embankment, once you have the starting point, costs $7500(=$5000+$2500) per tile at present (cost_alter_land=1250), so if cost_alter_land=750, becomes $4500/tile. So at a bare minumum cost_set_slope cannot be less than $2500 (giving $5000 per tile for 2+) and I would in fact argue that to preserve the "slimline" embankment for urban contexts rather than having it used everywhere, having it cost $10000 per 2+ sheer embankment tile (vs $4500 for 2+ triangular embankment tile) is a pretty fair balance.
that is a very helpful and well-reasoned response: thank you. I hadn't thought of it like that. Would it perhaps be better to have cost_alter_land a little higher, though, to discourage overly excessive earthworks?
Certainly that is an option.
I think the key thing is that the three variables are in the correct relative balance. Change the price of one and the others must alter to keep the relationship similar, so that the correct ones are the "best value" in the intended circumstances.
If the 750-1900-5000 is about the right relative balance*, then you can clearly just multiply all of them by the same multiplier, it will still balance the same.
On which logic $1500<bridge tile<$4500, and you also have to remember that bridges incur maintenance so you can't set it too close to the $4500/tile mark or it's not worthwhile building them.
1. All the various passenger carriages are confusing for us Yankees who don't quite suss the terminology. Perhaps a little overview of what all the acronyms mean -- I start my games in the the 1920's and presume these are for the various railroads?
2. In the 1920s there is a very limited number of houses and buildings available, so the cities look remarkably monotonic.
3. Am really waiting for mail trucks for a balanced transport system.
4. Overall the gameplay is good and I really love the "look" of the pak graphics. And without the irritating foolishness of the regular pak128 descriptions.
1. Sorry for the confusion - you are right though, they are the railway companies that built them. If you want to go for historical realism, build LNER locos with LNER carriages (LNER = London and North Eastern Railway) for example. It may be a good idea to produce a guide for the vehicles at some point though, as there are a lot of them. Any offers?
I have the pakset tested, yesterday with a simutrans-nightly. Not with simutrans-experim.
It looks very very nice. Vehilces and stations are very good.
But I have seen that some buildings (stations) have light-pixels.
Yes, I mean walls with lightning pixels.
The #1 issue making it difficult to lay roads and track is that the "grid" color hardly shows up against the transparent trees, and Underground mode is seemingly black-grid-lines-on-black-background... perhaps red and yellow grids more like standard pak64?
Sounds like a good suggestion to me. Does anyone know how to change it? I will investigate and perhaps do a poll with some options once I've figured it out.
In the 1920s there is a very limited number of houses and buildings available, so the cities look remarkably monotonic.
Started a game in 1830 and the cities look a lot nicer. Maybe some of the "old" buildings could have their "built until" dates extended into the early 1900s?
Similarly, Textile Mills are only built until 1840 -- so unless you start a game *very* early, you will never have one... even though surely there were already-extant mills operating much later. Lowell, Massachusetts was founded in the mid-1800s and had textile mills until the 1980s.
Maybe there needs to be some way of having "old" buildings and industries built as part of a new game even if they will not appear as new during gameplay?
there was an extension request at one stage for older buildings to be built on map generation, to simulate the fact that the cities would have been around for a long time and would not just have recent buildings. I think that Prissi said that was on his to-do list somewhere.
As to industries, note that there are lots of different versions of the same industry, with different introduction and retirement dates, and different capacities. It is only the early type textile mill that is built until 1840 - after that, a new type comes along.
The Pharmaceutical Factory occurs starting in 1860 but requires Chemicals which are not available until the Oil Refinery appears in 1909...?
I see that only the latest (1972) Paper Mill requires Chemicals, with the older ones only requiring Woodchips... perhaps the Pharmaceutical Factory can do likewise?
Ahh - the reason for that was that it was (and, I think, still is eventually) intended to have gasworks, which take an input of coal and produce an output of chemicals (albeit in a far lower proportion than coal, since most of it is turned to gas, which does not need transporting in the same way). I think that I had originally set the earlier pharmaceutical factories to accept coal, but this seemed a bit odd. You're not any good at using Blender by any chance, are you...?
| 2019-04-26T11:47:32 |
https://forum.simutrans.com/index.php/topic,2836.0.html
|
0.99641 |
Are their different types of banana plugs?
I have to use some on my charger going into power supply.
I have these left over from audio speakers.
Should or could i use use or no? Pros and cons?
There are different types, yes. Personally, I would use a type that is soldered, not a screw terminal. Less possibility for intermittency.
I tend to use something like these.
Plus you have to make sure they are the correct size. They make a few different sizes. My chargers are all 4mm.
So i got this turnigy 1080w power supply and it comes with the option of clamping down the wires (Loosen nut, put wire through post hole, screw down) or using 4 mm banana plugs.
Im no electrical expert but i would have to imagine using the clamp post would offer a more solid connection versus using a 4mm banana plug.
The banana plugs you have will be fine if they fit, just put some heat shrink round them or tape to stop them potentially sorting out. Audio plugs if they are good quality can handle heavy currents. If you've ever seen a set of speaker cables short out will outputting music at a high level you'll feel confident in those plugs. It's like a spark you see on a car battery or a.c. power.
Personally I find banana plugs aren't always very secure and some tend to push themselves out of the socket, just check that.
Sorry mate, I just realised that I wrote are secure, I meant to write aren't. I think you've made the right choice, screw terminals are very reliable.
| 2019-04-19T17:08:51 |
https://www.arrmaforum.com/threads/banana-plugs.10836/
|
0.999429 |
Forty-four holograph letters, 1842-1855 and undated, from [the Reverend] Edw[ ar]d Morgan [vicar of Syston, 1814-1869, and of Ratcliffe on the Wreak, 1818- 1867, both in co. Leicester], from Aberffraw (I), Bangor (I), Cheltenham (I), Pyle [co. Glamorgan] (I), and Syston. The names of the addressees are not ascertainable but the contents of the letters indicate that the majority were written to one person, possibly Thomas Jones of Chester, the recipient of the letters in NLW MS 12757C. Several of the letters contain advice to recipient with regard to preparatory studies, initial steps to be taken, etc., in connection with a desire he had expressed of offering himself as a candidate for Holy Orders. The college at St. Bees, the school at Cowbridge, the Mechanics' Institute, Liverpool, and St. David's College, Lampeter, are mentioned in this context. There are also numerous references to the biographies or selections of the letters of the Calvinistic Methodist clerics or ministers [Thomas] Charles, [John] Elias, Howell Harris, [David] Jones, Llangan, [Daniel] Rowland, and W[illia]m Williams, Pantycelyn, which the writer was preparing for publication or had already published. The letters also refer to correspondence of [the Reverend] Jo[hn] Humphreys [C.M. minister] in the writer's possession, the need to tell Mr. H. Griffith to proceed with a Welsh memoir of [John] Elias, the death of recipient's father, the possibility of recipient writing a memoir of his father and of the aforementioned [John] Humphreys, the writer's willingness to help recipient with his 'intended Periodical', Thomas Parry's account [Cofiant] of [the Reverend John] Davies [C.M. minister] of Nantglyn, contacting the Reverend E. Evans [? Evan Evans ('Ieuan Glan Geirionydd')], 'Jones the poet at Mold' [? the Reverend Thomas Jones ('Glan Alun')], and the Reverend W[illiam] Rees ['Gwilym Hiraethog'], with regard to William Williams, Pantycelyn, an attack on the writer's edition of the letters of [John] Elias ? by [William Williams] 'Caledfrin' (sic) in the Carnarvon Herald, a seminary for young ladies kept in Chester by Mrs. Williams 'wife of a preacher there', a subscription due from Chancellor [Henry] Raikes of Chester [Cathedral] for a copy of the biography of Howel Harris, and an article on the Reverend S[imon] Lloyd [ Methodist cleric] which the writer was preparing.
See also NLW MSS 12757C, 12837D.
Formerly known as D. E. Jenkins 44.
Preferred citation: NLW MS 12774C.
| 2019-04-18T22:29:47 |
https://archives.library.wales/index.php/letters-from-reverend-edward-morgan
|
0.999985 |
(WWR Article Summary tl;dr) Financial author Nancy Doyle has a new, easy to digest book about MONEY! "Manage Your Financial Life: Just Starting Out" is for those who are new to managing their money. She educates her readers and lays out a solid action plan for those faced with first-time financial realities.
Nancy Doyle, CFA, is the founder of "The Doyle Group." She has thirty years of experience in wealth management, investments, corporate finance, and consulting.
Doyle's first book focused on women and finances, this new book is for EVERYONE!
The lessons and information provided by Doyle, an independent consultant and founder of The Doyle Group, are helpful to those with financial knowledge as well as those truly starting anew.
“Personal finance is so much more than earning a paycheck, paying bills, and reviewing your 401(k),” says Doyle.
While written for those starting out, this book is useful to anyone who feels overwhelmed or disorganized and wants to be more engaged in managing their financial affairs. Just Starting Out provides a well-organized, well-written, and informational guide.
About the Book Manage Your Financial Life: Just Starting Out, is published by The Doyle Group, distributed by Ingram and is available for sale at Amazon.com and independent bookstores nationwide.
| 2019-04-26T11:41:12 |
https://workingwomanreport.com/author-nancy-doyles-newest-book-manage-financial-life-just-starting-helps-new-money-matters/
|
0.998963 |
1. Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
2. Stir well to combine.
3. Adjust seasoning to taste.
| 2019-04-25T14:25:55 |
https://www.martinbros.com/recipes/recipedetail?id=415
|
0.999602 |
1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In medium bowl, combine peanut butter and 1/2 cup (120g) butter; beat together until blended. Gradually stir in sugar.
2. On cutting board or flat surface, knead peanut butter mixture until smooth. Shape mixture into 48 small balls. Arrange balls on baking sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in 1-quart (1L) saucepan, melt chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 cup (60g) butter over low heat, stirring occasionally.
4. With two forks, dip balls into chocolate, covering two-thirds of each ball and leaving one side exposed to resemble buckeyes.
5. Return to baking sheet. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.
This recipe is recommended for 48 servings.
| 2019-04-22T00:32:50 |
http://www.peanutbutter.ca/en-CA/recipes/Desserts/Chocolate-PB-Bites
|
0.999993 |
Did Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom split up because she wanted marriage and children and he didn't?
Sources speculate that Katy wanted marriage and kids, but that Orlando was on a "different page"
Just when we looked at couples like Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, and Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, and we started to believe in true love again, we got the news that Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry - who (in my imagination anyway) were set for a bright future because of how nice their surnames sounded together: 'Perry & Bloom' - had split up after a year of dating.
While it's clear that things have remained amicable between 40-year-old Orlando and 32-year-old Katy, all the public has been told is that the pair were "taking respectful, loving space at this time". It might be a much more down-to-earth version of 'conscious uncoupling', but it still doesn't really divulge any information.
But sources close to the former couple are now beginning to speculate about what led to the demise of the relationship, and if their suspicions are true, it's pretty sad. According to an insider speaking to The Mirror, it was all down to the fact that Katy Perry was ready for marriage and kids, whereas Orlando was on a "different page".
"Katy and Orlando had a great time together. It was a great healing process for Orlando following his divorce from Miranda. But Katy and Orlando discovered they were on different pages," said the source.
"Katy wants children and to get married, while Orlando has been there and done that. At 32, Katy doesn't want to waste any more time. It became a strain," the source added.
Who knows if this actually is the reason behind the couple going their separate ways, but with Orlando already having a six-year-old son, Flynn, with former wife Miranda Kerr, it could make sense that he wouldn't necessarily want to do it all again.
| 2019-04-23T03:01:31 |
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/news/a50305/real-reason-katy-perry-orlando-bloom-split-marriage-kids/
|
0.998437 |
The good news? I spotted this gorgeous car the other day when I returned library books. The bad news? It reminded me of this terrible song, and now I can't get it out of my head.
In the early morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Within hours they had also attacked the U.S. forces stationed in the Philippine Islands. Five days later, the South Pasadena Review reported that Lieut. Henry G. Lee of South Pasadena was safe in Manila. Henry was a member of the 31st US Infantry Regiment, and had been posted to the Philippines in 1940.
I have seen some horrible things happen, and have had my share of narrow escapes, but I have also seen some very wonderful acts of courage, self-sacrifice, and loyalty. And I have found what I have searched for all my life—a cause and a job in which I can lose myself completely and to which I can give every ounce of my strength and my mind. And I have mentally and spiritually conquered my fear of death.
My prayer each night is that God will send you, who are suffering so much more than I am, His strength and peace. During the first few days of war I also prayed for personal protection from physical harm, but now I see that is something for which I have no right to ask, and I pray now that I may be given strength to bear whatever I must bear, and do whatever I must do so that those men under me will have every reasonable chance.
Life and my family have been very good to me and have given me everything I have ever really wanted, and should anything happen to me here it will not be like closing a book in the middle as it would have been had I been killed in the first days of the war. For in the last two months I have done a lifetime of living, and have been a part of one of the most unselfish cooperative efforts that has ever been made by any group of individuals... If the same selfless spirit were devoted to world betterment in time of peace, what a good world we would have.
I make no pretense to being anything other than a layman, who, during an intense mental and physical experience, found verse the most effective means of recording his reactions—and incidentally, of ridding himself of some otherwise almost unbearable emotions. The best I can say of the majority of these poems is that they are as true as I could make them; the worst, that they are not written by a talented nor experienced poet.
Henry's quiet modesty was upstaged by the poignant music of his poetry. While he may have defined himself as a soldier, he revealed himself as an artist. In the dark days of war, Henry's verses reflected a true poet's inner light.
Mocked at the empty years we’ve been apart.
A golden girl laughs with her dark-haired boy.
A few months before the camp was liberated, Henry and 1617 other prisoners were sent to Bilibid Prison in Manila to work as slave laborers. After several months of hard labor, illness and near starvation, Henry and the others were placed on an unmarked Japanese ship. Thinking it was a legitimate target and unaware of the POWs on board, the U.S. attacked. Henry survived.
The prisoners were loaded onto another unmarked freighter called the Enoura Maru. Lieut. Henry G. Lee was killed when the U.S. sank this ship in Formosa on January 9, 1945.
In July, 1942, Stephen Vincent Benet included Henry's letter to his parents in a popular radio series called Dear Adolf. The letter was read for broadcast by actor William Holden, a private in the US Army and Henry's former classmate at South Pasadena High School. You can listen to the broadcast here.
Although Henry's body was never brought home, his poetry book was eventually recovered. In 1948, Henry's parents Thomas and Mable G. Lee published his poems and letters in a book titled Nothing But Praise.
If Henry G. Lee's life had not been cut short by war, might he have gone on to become one of America's great literary voices? Perhaps he would have come back to South Pas, claimed his golden girl and, in his own words, worked with "the same selfless spirit devoted to world betterment in time of peace." We'll never know.
I looked at unmasked death and saw a friend.
I'm not sure what I was trying to capture when I took this photograph. I think it had something to do with all those rectangles, straight lines, angles and sharp edges broken up by the organic, freeform curve of that tree. Something grabbed in late afternoon with bright light compressing the three dimensions into flat picture plane. Something arty, referring to nature vs. city.
Or maybe I just liked that street lamp.
I never knew Cappy's back when it was more than just an iconic South Pas storefront with locked doors. I've heard some great stories about it, though. What are yours?
Okay, I confess. I barely crept over the border into Pasadena again to take this picture. It's the exact same spot where another amazing automobile was parked earlier in the month. Is this a secret portal to vintage car heaven?
I noticed several of these whimsical sculptures displayed at the school administration building. Anyone know what they are?
"You've got to throw it harder!" The grandfather said.
"I don't want to practice anymore!" The kid said.
"You're going to keep practicing and that's all there is to it!"
"I'd rather ride my bike!"
"When I was your age, I didn't even have a bike!"
"Yeah," the kid said, "that's probably why you're so mean now!"
The grandfather started laughing. The kid joined in.
"Well," the grandfather said, "you certainly know how to throw a fast ball ... with that smart-aleck mouth of yours."
"If I do," the kid said, "I get it from your side of the family."
I can't help but think with all that volleying, they picked the wrong sport.
You have to be a little insane to be a daily photo blogger. Posting every single day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and yes, even on Christmas means that while you might have occasional flashes of relavence -- posts that are thoughtful, or interesting with pictures you're proud of -- more often than not, you just have to pull something out of thin air. And that means sometimes you get into weird territory. For instance, you might do a post on your high fever, or one about the robot you found in your kitchen. Anything -- anything -- is better than breaking your stride and missing a day.
Recently, Blogger went down for almost 24 hours. Daily photo bloggers flooded Twitter and Facebook with frantic messages. We weren't worried about data being lost or security being breached or anything reasonable like that. "I haven't missed a post in almost 1050 days!" I tweeted with all the anxiety of a caffeine addict who realized she had mistakenly bought decaf. "I don't know what to do with myself!"
These roses in my front yard were completely white when we moved in a few years ago. Sure, you'll probably tell me the new pink petals have something to do with bees and cross-pollination or something equally scientific. Little Bit has a better explanation: "Magic!"
I'm not sure, but I think Don Draper might be in that building.
Actually, this wonderfully retro office was used as an exterior location in Mad Men -- along with quite a few other spots around town. In the real world, Seven J. Investment like to keep more than just the building rooted in the 20th Century: The business is listed in the phone book, but I couldn't find a company web site.
Is it possible that South Pasadena was home to one of the most infamous killers of the 20th Century? Retired LAPD Homicide Detective and New York Times bestselling author Steve Hodel thinks so ... and his evidence is extremely compelling.
Tonight at 7:00PM, the South Pasadena Public Library Community Room hosts an encore Author Night with Hodel, author of Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder. Hodel captivated a library audience back in 2008 when he revealed evidence that his very own father Dr. George Hodel was the 1947 Black Dahlia murderer.
On January 15, 1947, the body of 22 year old Elizabeth Short -- later nicknamed the Black Dahlia -- was found mutilated, bisected at the waist, drained of all blood and posed in a Los Angeles vacant lot. The crime made headlines for months as the killer taunted the police with numerous phone calls and cryptic notes. Despite a huge manhunt, the Black Dahlia case remained one of the most notorious and high-profile unsolved crimes of the 20th century.
Tonight, Hodel returns with his follow-up book Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hodel. Hodel has uncovered stunning forensic, visual and circumstantial evidence that his father was most likely "The Zodiac" serial killer who terrorized California in the late 60s and 70s with a bizarre series of murders.
George Hodel was born in 1907 and grew up in a house on South Pasadena's Monterey Road. As a child musical prodigy he was visited by Rachmaninoff. He was declared a child genius after scoring 186 on an IQ test. (Einstein himself scored 185.) At 14, George graduated from South Pasadena High School. He breezed through Cal Tech and became a notable Hollywood physician -- hobnobbing with the glitterati and making a name for himself among Los Angeles' upper crust.
In 1949, as the LAPD began investigating the Black Dahlia murder, Hodel abruptly moved to the Philippines. He returned to the United States in the late 60s, settling down in Northern California. He died in 1999.
Steve Hodel spent 24 years as a homicide detective with the LAPD. He earned one of the highest solve rates in the department. Suffice it to say, his shocking discovery is fascinating as well as horrifying.
Author Night is free to the public, presented by the library and Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library. The Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street and no tickets or reservations are necessary. Refreshments will be provided and signed hardback copies of Most Evil will be available for only $10.
Baseball fans, if you're not reading Sully Baseball -- the witty and informative blog of South Pasadena's own Paul Francis Sullivan -- you're missing out on some of the most thoughtful (and often hilarious) commentary about America's favorite pastime. Sully is an Emmy nominated TV producer, filmmaker, comedian and Red Sox fan whose savant-like knowledge of baseball would be frightening if it weren't so much fun. Not only does he write at length about all things related to baseball, he makes wonderful videos, too. This is one of my favorites.
South Pasadena has always had a fascination with baseball. Thousands of innings of Little League ball have been played across the fields of Lower Arroyo Park alone. But back in 1925, South Pasadena caught World Series fever. Mission Street merchants built an elaborate platform on the Alexander Building at the corner of Mission and Meridian for the sole purpose of announcing the games in real time. Pasadena Star News donated a telegraph operator who relayed the action directly from the ball park. An announcer on the platform gave running play-by-play commentary as a scorekeeper marked a chalkboard. Incidentally, the Pirates beat the Senators 4-3 in that series, making the Pirates the first team to overcome a 3-1 deficit during a Fall Classic. I'll bet Sully didn't know that story.
Then again, I'll bet he did.
Check out Sully Baseball right here.
We can't seem to escape the orange roadwork signs as the Fair Oaks construction project branches out to side streets. How does everyone feel about the progress so far? Feel free to rant (or rave) in comments.
It's not the very best bumper sticker I've spotted so far, but it's right up there.
As you might have noticed, Blogger was down for most of yesterday and this morning. This is the first time I have missed a post in my almost 1050 days as your trusty daily photo blogger. (It wasn't my fault!) Our pal Petrea from Pasadena Daily Photo tweeted last night that it was good for blogging addicts to be forced to take a break. I would directly quote her, but as of this moment Twitter is also down. Okay, people. Which one of you is responsible for breaking the internet?
Happy Friday the 13th, everyone.
I know what you're thinking: that's one tough puppy.
And speaking of tough puppies, South Pasadena's own Kaz Aizawa has won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for his work in Nickelodeon's T.U.F.F. Puppy. Read more about it here, and check out the winning T.U.F.F Puppy episode Toast of Tuff: Bread Dog.
Congratulations, Kaz! You're the toast of South Pas!
There are a lot of great places to take a break in South Pas. This sunny spot outside of Busters is one of my favorites.
Here's to all the moms: the great boo-boo fixers and sniffle wipers, the keepers of our embarrassing secrets and champions of our noble attempts. Here's to the ones who taught us how to say please and when to say no, the ones who put up with our whining and stayed up with our fevers, the ones who tucked us in and held us close and ultimately let us go.
I've known what it is to be hungry ... but I always went right to a restaurant.
The Friends of the South Pasadena Public library are presenting an online auction of these three paintings by Zolita Sverdlove, the celebrated South Pas artist who passed away in 2009. The pieces have been donated by her husband to be used as a Friends fundraiser. Two other paintings by Sverdlove now hang in the main reading room of the Library.
Email bids to [email protected] and make sure to mention the title of the painting.
You can take a look at the paintings up close in the Community Room tonight for the Artist Night with Diana Bryer and musician David Plenn at 7 PM. You can also check them out during the concert with the LA Clarinet Choir, David Batt, and the Lyric Opera of LA as part of the South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival on May 7th at 5:00 PM. Both events are free.
The deadline for bids is midnight on May 9, 2011 and winners will be notified on or about May 10, 2011. For more about Zolita’s art, please check out more info from the library.
Run, don't walk, to the birthday cake!
Little Bit is 6 years old today!
Today is the first of the month, and that means it's Theme Day for participating City Daily Photo bloggers. Today's theme is Mailbox.
A friend recently asked me if I had received something she had sent. I immediately checked email, blog comments, Twitter direct messages, Facebook and my phone texts. I didn't see anything from her, so I told her to resend it.
"I can't resend it," she said. "It's an actual piece of mail. You know, with a stamp on it?"
Sure enough, I found an envelope beneath a large pile of bills and an even larger pile of catalogues. Actual mail, with my name and address handwritten in ballpoint pen. In this age of spam folders, blogrolls and Evites, holding a real letter in my hand felt unique and strange. And somehow new.
Actual mail? Yeah, I predict it's the next big thing.
UPDATE: The beautiful and talented Jilly of Monty Carlo Daily Photo and Menton Daily Photo managed to photograph the exact same mailbox, halfway around the world. See for yourself.
| 2019-04-22T12:06:16 |
http://southpasadena.blogspot.com/2011/05/
|
0.999626 |
Can a pair of pants really give you smoother skin?
Here's a 21st-century claim if I've ever heard one: jeans that moisturize your legs as you wear them. GUESS's new SMART GUESS Jeancare line promises to do just that. It isn't the first collection of so-called moisturizing denim—Wrangler actually holds that title—but the question remains: do we really need this? I put the Jeancare High-Rise Jeggings With Silicone Rinse ($118; guess.com) to the test to see how they'd perform against my dry, scaly winter skin.
The jeans, for the most part, look like any other pair, and feel the same, too—except stretchier, like a legging, hence "jegging." In addition to moisturizing your legs, GUESS touts their slenderizing fit, but they weren't exactly the most flattering pants I've ever put on. They're much lighter wash than most people can pull off, other than maybe Gigi Hadid.
The fabric is infused with ginkgo extract and vitamin E, plus a lavender scent that's supposed to be released with each wear. After a few hours of wearing them, I decided to check the progress. Normally, when I take off my pants, I would notice dead skin flaking off my legs (sorry if that's TMI), but I didn't seem to have that issue with the Jeancare pants. But to the touch, my legs didn't feel any different than they normally would.
The next day, I decided to pull on the pair of jeans post-shower, without using any creams or lotions. The struggle of getting jeans on with skin still slightly was very real, but once I had them fastened around my waist, the fabric seemed to melt into my skin. It was a strange sensation, and honestly, I'm not sure if I liked it—but I hoped it meant my legs were transforming into silky-smooth stems. The lavender scent seemed a little stronger than during the previous wear (but again, do I need jeans that give off a scent?). This time when I took them off, I did notice a bit of a difference in my legs; they felt a little smoother. But was that in my head? Or was it because I used a moisturizing shaving cream in the shower? I can't be 100% sure.
The third and final time I put these babies to the test, I got pretty much the same outcome as the first time I wore them. I love how stretchy and comfy they are, but when it comes to my dry skin, these jeans didn't do much for me. So for now, I think I'll stick to my regular non-moisturizing pants.
| 2019-04-20T13:05:29 |
https://www.health.com/beauty/i-tried-jeans-that-moisturize-your-legs-as-you-wear-them
|
0.999987 |
Kitchen cabinets - what type of paint over poly?
I am planning on painting my kitchen cabinets (semi-gloss off-white/cream color). Current cabinets are just slab doors with vertical grooves cut into them, stained, with 4 coats of oil-based poly over the top. I plan to clean with Krud Kutter and then sand to scuff the poly and smooth out any imperfections (although there seem to be very few). However, 3 doors have been reproduced and are unprimed MDF.
Several questions: (1) What type and brand of primer should I use, (2) what type and brand of paint should I use (I am brushing and want to get as smooth a coat as possible, also don't want yellowing), (4) best paint brush to use (these boards seem to recommend BM 65125). I've been reading so much my head feels like it's going to explode.
I've considered insl-X CabinetCoat as well as BM Advance as the paint coat. I've sort of ruled out Advance at this point because I understand it may yellow over time, or possibly even yellow in the can, although it's supposed to have great leveling properties. I've read some first-person accounts of people using CabinetCoat, and some folks are spraying others brushing. I don't have a space where I can spray, so must brush. I have pretty good brush skills--I'd say intermediate perhaps. What I can't seem to find out is its leveling properties--although of course the manufacturer claims excellent leveling. I don't mind doing multiple coats if I can get a nice smooth finish.
Then, I was thinking that once the paint had cured well, to poly over the whole shebang for extra protection--and believe that this might possibly help with any sheen difference between the original cabinet doors and the new ones? Any thoughts on that?
Finally, I plan to paint the inside of the cabinets as well--it's dark as a cave in there. It appears to be MDF or something similar--pretty porous. I'm hoping that whatever I use on the cabinet doors can also be used inside the cabinets, but if I should really use something different, it would be good to know at the outset.
Aaagghh. I said there would be more info. Also need recommendations about what type of clear coat to use over the whole thing. Thanks again!
The newly formulated Breakthrough in Satin is about the same sheen as the waterborne alkyd Behr in semi-gloss. Perfect sheen in my opion for trim/cabinets/doors. I've only used a gallon of Breakthrough and love it. I'm sure Santiago will give you some feedback on it when he gets outta work.
These scenarios are a bit difficult to provide the best solution without seeing the kitchen. So, its best to shoot for products that will provide good adhesion. Break-through is an excellent option for cabinets. Get your sanding done, clean the cabinets and apply Break-through directly. I always suggest testing for adhesion. You'll have a difficult time finding primer products with adhesion like Break-through. You mentioned some of the old Satin Imprevo chipped around edges. I wouldn't guarantee no chipping with any product although water-base products are more flexible, oil-base paints become brittle and often crack and chip.
If you decide to prime, just test the primer to make sure it sticks better than Break-through.
The last set I did was with cover stain & BEHR White Alkyd Semi-Gloss Enamel Interior/Exterior Paint. I probably could have got away without priming as the behr was extremely sticky & dried hard. It did trash a drop cloth I was using.
| 2019-04-20T02:40:16 |
http://jackpauhl.proboards.com/thread/1217/kitchen-cabinets-type-paint-over
|
0.999864 |
Middle Eastern Jews were generally indifferent or opposed to secular Zionism coming from Europe (Zvi Ben Dror, Invisible Exile: Iraqi Jews in Exile: 149).
That's 3 errors in just one sentence.
Instead of "Invisible Exile: Iraqi Jews in Exile" -- the actual name of the article is "Invisible Exile: Iraqi Jews in Israel"
Instead of saying "Middle Eastern Jews were generally indifferent or opposed to secular Zionism coming from Europe" -- the article's claim is actually much more limited: "However, what seemed very logical in Palestine did not make much sense in Iraq, where Jews remained by and large indifferent to Zionism."
Prior to World War I, much of the Middle East was under Ottoman control, and Jews lived as Ottoman subjects with dhimmi status (people of the book). Under the Ottoman system, ethnic and religious groups had their own leadership and some autonomy over community affairs; they were protected through jizya, a poll tax. Depending on where in the region, violence against Jews was not a usual occurrence.
How much was the Jizya? Estimates vary.
The 2014 Wikipedia article on Jizya quotes scholars saying that the rate of jizya (head tax) and Kharaj tax (land tax) was more than 20% for all non-Muslim dhimmis. In the western Islamic states of Egypt and Morocco, these taxes had a minimum rate of 20% of all estimated assets and sales, while the highest rates averaged between 33% to 80% of all annual farm produce.
But according to the current Wikipedia article on Jizya, though the rate paid was not uniform, the jiyza tax was one dinar per year during the time of Mohammed, while the maximum was twelve dirhams. Muhammad Hamidullah is quoted as saying that the rate of ten dirhams per year was equivalent to the expenses of an average family for ten days. Old habits die hard, and 5 years ago, a Muslim cleric in Egypt claimed that US aid to Egypt was Jizya and that Egypt must "impose on America to pay aid as jizya, before we allow it to realize its own interests, the ones which we agree to."
What both versions do agree there are Muslim sources that advise humiliation, whether it means walking instead of riding a horse on the way to make payment or grabbing the beard of the dhimmi and hitting him in the face.
As for the claim "violence against Jews was not a usual occurrence," there is a long history of Muslim violence against Jews in then-Palestine, as there was in the rest of the Middle East.
Jewish Virtual Library also notes the flip side, that in select strategic cases -- as described by Palmach Commander Yigal Allon -- Israel did encourage Arabs to leave from the Galilee, and from Ramle-Lod to relieve pressure on besieged Jerusalem.
The Iraqi Denaturalization Law was enacted in March of 1950 when Iraqi Jews were allowed to immigrate legally to Israel if they gave up their Iraqi citizenship. In 1951, when the government realized that Iraqi Jewish registration increased after violent incidents, the government also froze Jewish assets, keeping Jewish resources in Iraq.
Now Jews began fleeing, mainly to neighboring Iran. They smuggled out whatever valuables they could to rebuild their lives. On March 3, 1950, to halt the uncontrolled flight of assets and people, Iraq passed a one-year amendment to Law 1, the Denaturalization Act. This statute revoked the citizenship of any Jew who willingly left the country. Upon exit, their assets were frozen but were still available to the emigrants for use within Iraq.
Thousands of Jews seized the opportunity to leave, believing at least that their assets, while frozen, would still be viable within Iraq until a better day. But when the one-year law expired, a successor anti-Jewish statute was enacted secretly on March 10, 1951. Law 5, known as the Law for the Control and Administration of Property of Jews Who Have Forfeited Nationality, permanently seized all the assets of Jews who had been denaturalized by the previous law and any others that would be pressured to leave the country.
Black addes that when the law was passed, the phones in Baghdad went down to keep Jews from transferring their assets to safety and the banks themselves were closed for three days.
The fact sheet emphasizes the treatment of Mizrahi Jews by Israel -- a controversial issue that has a painful history. Some of the points raised have a factual basis: the disappearance of Yeminite children - many of whom were adopted by Ashkenazi Jews and the thousands of eastern Jews who were given dangerous doses of radiation for ringworm, resulting in death or permanent medical problems. There is nothing to be gained in splitting hairs over the degree of the tragedy or over whom to assign blame.
Despite being the majority Jewish population in Israel, Mizrahim are represented in small numbers in the Israeli Parliament and in elite positions such as professorships.
While it is undeniable that Mizrahi Jews have battled for equal recognition and representation, the JVP claim again is incorrect.
"Various studies have also shown a significant reduction in the gap between the political representation of ethnic groups,” added Dahan. “The first Knesset had a negligible percentage of Mizrahi Knesset members. But this proportion grew until the 15th Knesset, elected in 1999, in which the proportion of Mizrahim was about the same as their representation in the population. The gap also decreased in the representation of Mizrahim in senior army ranks,” Dahan added."
As for other positions, Wikipedia has an article on Mizrahim with lists of prominent Mizrahi Jews in business, science, politics, the military and writing/academia.
By defining Mizrahim as “indigenous” some political groups attempt to turn Mizrahim into a political tool to counter Palestinian claims to rights and redress from Israel. While there were Sephardi Jews living in Palestine for generations prior to modern Zionism, their relationships to the land, to their Arab and Ottoman neighbors, and to the surrounding cultures were entirely different than those of the European Zionists. The advent of Zionism rendered these longstanding relationships largely irrelevant, as power passed from the hands of European colonizers to those of European Jewish Zionists.
The meaning of the vague reference to the earlier relationships of Jews to the land and the Arabs is unclear -- and as already pointed out above, there is a long history of Arab discrimination and attacks against Jews in then-Palestine itself. The existence of Arabs on the land is a result of either being descended from the Muslims who invaded and conquered the land, having immigrated from other areas in search of better opportunities, or having converted from Judaism to Islam. In none of those scenarios do Arabs have cultural/historical ties to the land that come anywhere near the ties of Jews to the land. There is a reason why people with ties to Arabia are called Arabs and those with ties to Judea are called Jews.
More interesting is how one can compare inviting Arabs back to Israel where they may be a potential terrorist threat, with Jews returning to Arab countries where they would live in danger in response to an invitation that is likely less than sincere.
Bottom line, Jewish Voice for Peace consistently takes on narratives that are either anti-Israel or pro-Arab. Nothing wrong with that -- if in fact those narratives were based in fact.
The problem is that JVP's fact sheet, isn't.
| 2019-04-21T12:26:49 |
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2019/01/jewish-voice-for-peace-sloppy-with.html
|
0.999986 |
I have been thinking a lot lately about reading, books, and the way both are changing. As more people jump on the "reading contraption" option (nook, kindle, etc), physical books seem to be getting short shrift.
I went to the park the other week and noticed, as I walked over the bridge to the green space, that someone had laid out three flat boxes filled with books, presumably for the taking, on the side of the road. This good Samaritan had created small signs from crumpled paper to designate the types of books available: drama, horror, etc. No one was around and there was no donation cup, so it was clear that someone had dumped their books at the park rather than drive to the nearest used bookstore to donate them. Perhaps this happens often, but I have a bloodhound's nose for books, and I've never seen this. People usually want something when they try to unload their books, if only to compensate for their time.
I am inclined to overstatement, but I see this as symbolic of a changing time. Why worry about paper books anymore when they are so easily obtained in e-version? Why keep a bunch of dusty books around when they can all fit into neat rectangular machine? Why, indeed, worry about books at all? What is a book? The physical codex or the story it contains? Rather than wrestle with - or even think about these questions - people have jumped on the e-reader bandwagon with alacrity, leaving books gathering dust in closing bookstores, or on the side of the road, around the country.
As I mulled over these thoughts, I found myself enjoying three reading memoirs, books that praise the value of reading and the beauty of reading physical books. Whether it's snuggling up with a parent and reading Harry Potter, joining libraries after marriage, or collecting as many books for a private collection as possible, the following memoirs describe the types of lives real books can create for their readers.
| 2019-04-25T15:47:08 |
http://www.redroomlibrary.com/2011/06/joy-of-reading.html
|
0.999998 |
Is Equifax's CEO on his way out?
As the fallout from the Equifax data breach grows, people are increasingly looking at the company's CEO. For many, the question is not whether Richard F. Smith, who has led Equifax since 2005, will step down, but when.
The size of the breach, which affected 143 million customers, and the months it took for Equifax (EFX) to disclose it, hit hard at Smith's ambitions to build the company into a big data "powerhouse," as The Wall Street Journal reported. It's also not clear when Smith found out about the breach. At an August meeting two weeks after it was discovered, he extolled the importance of data security and said protecting data was "a huge priority" for Equifax.
"I'd draw the analogy with Wells Fargo -- it seems like a fall-on-your sword kind of incident," said Brett Horn, an analyst with Morningstar.
The comparison with Wells Fargo (WFC) is apt. Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren last week called for Federal Reserve to ditch Wells Fargo's board, noting the central bank has the power to remove directors. Speaking on CNBC's "Mad Money," she linked the malfeasance at the bank with Equifax's mishandling of customer data.
"For Equifax, this means there is going to be tremendous pressure coming from Congress to do a complete replacement of senior management," said Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg in a note.
Moreover, the company is facing pressure to improve from banks, which are among some its biggest customers, Reuters reported. Banks are essential to the operations of the credit-reporting agency because they give Equifax the financial information it compiles into reports and credit scores.
The company's stock is down 27 percent since the breach was revealed.
"If you look at the latest cases of security breaches, it has cost management, or the CEO, his job," said Florencia Marotta-Wurgler, a professor law at New York University who specializes in corporate governance. For a beleaguered company, removing the CEO is one way to salvage what remains of its reputation. "It's a very strong signal to the public that the firm is taking it seriously," she said.
Equifax seem to be following a pattern that emerged over the last few years of data breaches. When Ashley Madison, the website for extramarital affairs, got hacked in 2015, the CEO resigned within a month. Target's (TGT) CEO stepped down five months after revelations of a data breach that affected 41 million Americans during the 2013 holiday season.
For that reason, investors will be watching carefully on Oct. 3, when Smith is set to testify to Congress.
A few things give the Equifax case particular gravity. Unlike breaches of email or even credit-card data, this one affected sensitive financial information, even Social Security numbers. And it's unprecedented in scope, touching nearly half of the U.S. population.
"This is a big one," said Kimberly Foss, founder and president of Empyrion Wealth Management. "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd put this at 9.9."
Still, a changeover might not happen immediately for a few reasons. Equifax's CEO is also chairman of the board, which comprises mostly retired executives. And boards typically want a succession plan in place before a CEO is given the boot, said Horn.
"To some extent it will hinge on, do they have an internal candidate to come in and take the role? I don't think that's necessarily clear," he said.
If nothing else, Equifax's board might decide to give its CEO the boot to avoid a worse fate: the prospect of government regulation. If Smith doesn't shine during his Congressional testimony, Seiberg wrote, that "raises the risk for negative legislation such as bills requiring consumers to opt-in to having credit bureaus keep their data or legislation requiring lifetime credit monitoring for free for any credit bureau that keeps a consumer's data."
| 2019-04-23T04:18:48 |
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/equifax-data-breach-ceo-richard-smith-on-his-way-out/
|
0.998254 |
Won't this break backward compatibility? What happened to "don't break userspace"?
Introducing an option to omit functionality does not break backward compatibility; just build with that option enabled (which remains the default) and existing userspace will continue to work.
These types of embedded options are intended for purpose-built systems, where the builders of the system know all the userspace code that will go into it, and can safely omit system calls or other functionality because nothing will invoke that functionality.
Devices in /dev are user-facing interfaces, yet you can compile them out or make them modular. Virtual filesystems like sysfs and proc are user-facing interfaces, yet you can compile part or all of them out. Filesystem names passed to mount are user-facing interfaces, yet you can compile them out. (Not just things like ext4; think FUSE or overlayfs, which some applications will build upon and require.) Some prctls are optional, new syscalls like BPF or inotify or process_vm_readv are optional, hardware interfaces are optional, control groups are optional, containers and namespaces are optional, checkpoint/restart is optional, KVM is optional, kprobes are optional, kmsg is optional, /dev/port is optional, ACL support is optional, USB support (as used by libusb) is optional, sound interfaces are optional, GPU interfaces are optional, even futexes are optional.
We guarantee that you can run old userspace on a new kernel, but not necessarily on a kernel built with allnoconfig.
This change only saves a few kilobytes; is that really worth it?
We're well past the point where we can just remove entire drivers or entire subsystems. A minimal kernel takes up hundreds of kilobytes; every kilobyte or fraction of a kilobyte adds up rapidly. Saving hundreds of bytes is worth a minor change; saving entire kilobytes is exceptional. Each of these changes adds up.
Why not just put more RAM and storage into your embedded system?
When you're building millions of devices, saving a few cents on each one can potentially be quite worthwhile. The alternative may not be "add more RAM and storage and run Linux"; often, it's "leave out the RAM and storage and don't run Linux".
Why use Linux for these tiny embedded systems? Why not some dedicated tiny embedded OS, or no OS at all?
Linux has a lot more longevity and generality than most embedded OSes. Most such OSes are proprietary. All of them lack the range of capabilities, drivers, and general level of code quality and review found in Linux. Most have far smaller communities (or no communities at all).
Why not run an older version of Linux, like Linux 2.0/2.2?
Do you really want to see more systems in the world running ancient and almost unsupportable kernels? Running an old kernel gives up much of the value of running Linux. Many systems will want to take advantage of some of the latest functionality, while omitting other functionality they don't need. People who approach the kernel community and ask questions about ancient kernels typically get told to run a newer kernel; let's not admonish them for wanting to follow that advice.
| 2019-04-19T15:08:48 |
https://tiny.wiki.kernel.org/faq
|
0.980298 |
What is the difference between bone cancer and leukemia?
There are many different forms of bone cancer, such as osteo sarcoma, chondro sarcoma and fibro sarcoma. These cancers refer to malignant tumors that develop in and on the bones. If the cancer arises directly from the bone, it is said to be a primary malignancy. However, bone cancer often develops a secondary cancer from the tumors in other organs of the body that have deposited the cancer cells in the bone. Examples of this include breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Bone cancer is one that is very hard to treat. This is because the bones do not respond well to chemotherapy and radiation. Patients with bone cancer experience severe pain along with a loss of strength in the affected bones. This loss of strength means that they fracture very easily. One of the most common treatments for bone cancer is amputation if the affected bone is in one of the limbs.
There is a poor outcome for secondary cancers because by the time they have spread to the bones they have also spread to other parts of the body. The cancer cells originating in the bones can also spread to other organs. In the later stages of this disease, the only treatment possible is to help control the pain and support the patient as much as possible.
Leukemia is cancer of the blood. It is diagnosed by means of a bone marrow aspiration biopsy because the red blood cells and the white blood cells develop in the bone marrow. When there is an abnormal formation of these cells, this is an indication that leukemia is present. In leukemia too many white blood cells are produced and these take over the red blood cells interfering with their job or protecting the body against foreign substances. The first symptom of leukemia in a patient may be anemia. There are also different forms of leukemia, such as ALL, AML, CLL, and CML.
The usual treatment for leukemia is chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant. Bone cancer is rarely found in children, but this is not the case with leukemia.
Primary bone cancers are called sarcomas.
Sometimes cancer cells from other parts of the body metastasize in the bones.
Leukemia is cancer of the blood and originates in the bone marrow.
If they are diagnosed early enough, some types of leukemia can be cured.
Leukemia can affect people of any age.
| 2019-04-23T00:26:23 |
http://vspages.com/bone-cancer-vs-leukemia-1377/
|
0.998988 |
Cleveland Kidnapper Could Face Murder Charges for Forced Abortions. - Yet another situation that shows the idiocy and depravity of a culture that calls evil good and good evil. If a woman decides to murder her baby, it's called "choice." If someone else decides to murder her baby, it's called "murder." What is the common denominator in both situations? A human being is being killed. To choose to kill someone, no matter how small, is to murder.
Lawless Law. - A great article from R.C. Sproul, Jr. Here's an excerpt: "The purported value of ethical relativism, the idea that there are no transcendent, binding rules for right and wrong that all humans are morally required to submit to, is that it allows us to live in peace. That is, if you have your ethics, and I have my ethics, well then there is no real need for us to fight over whose ethic wins. (So long, as, of course, our lives never actually cross.) The real value is far more sinister. We find ethical relativism appealing because we find our own guilt unappealing. Though we seek to suppress such knowledge, we all know that God is, that He is holy, that we are not, and that we are in trouble. Not the kind of pleasant thoughts one wants to go to sleep thinking on, so we suppress that truth. Do away with ethics and we do away with His holiness, our guilt, and therefore our trouble."
Strange Fire Conference. - Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Seek not, therefore, after visions, fancies, miracles, signs, and wonders, but believe when God speaks to your heart, according to all the statutes and testimonies, the precepts and promises, which are contained in the sure word of revelation.” John MacArthur is hosting a very important conference in October, which will focus on the "strange fire" of the charismatic movement. Although the conference is all ready "sold out," I'm sure they will live stream it off the website. You won't want to miss this conference.
Photo Gallery: Earth from Space. Start your day with some amazing photos of earth from the International Space Station. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).
Tweet o' Irony. Free to choose, but not free to choose.
Pic of the Day. Prince Harry of Wales laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. With it, he left the following note. Well played, Harry. Well played.
| 2019-04-25T13:50:47 |
http://www.crossencounters.us/2013/05/soup-du-jour-51013.html
|
0.999649 |
Does it matter whether I lift the same weight for three sets of 10 reps or six sets of five reps? I'm satisfied with my size, but I'd like to focus on getting stronger, pound for pound. What should I do?
You're both getting at the same idea: All sets are not created equal. Albert, your question leads into Carl's: Though the total number of repetitions is the same for both schemes (sets X reps = 30), the two approaches will yield very different results. Assuming the same tempo of reps, three sets of 10 should produce greater muscle size and endurance, while six sets of five will improve "relative strength," giving you more power per pound. That's what you're looking for, Carl. Use heavy weights and lower the weight slowly, lifting explosively. Add weight with each set and maintain perfect form. Finish with a down set of dynamic reps: Lighten the load to about half of your maximum and do 10 or more fast-paced reps to fatigue — 1 second down, no pause, explosive up. This formula can build strength without sacrificing size.
Does it matter what size Swiss ball I use for crunches?
| 2019-04-21T20:08:17 |
https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19515691/does-it-matter-whether-i-lift-the-same-weight/
|
0.998307 |
Ewen Callaway discusses ethical issues surrounding the publication of an Australian Aborigine full genome sequence from a hair sample collected about a hundred years ago by a British scientist.
"To be sequencing DNA from the hair of a deceased indigenous person is uncharted ethical territory," says Emma Kowal, a cultural anthropologist at the University of Melbourne.
Sequencing DNA from the hair of a deceased indigenous person is nothing new. Scientists have done it, for example, on Napoleon's hair. But, of course, "indigenous", is a code word for pre-European. Everyone's genome is a composite of bits that have arrived at different times from different places. There is nothing "indigenous" about any of our DNA, unless we believe in fables like that of Erichthonius. What is the use of the concept of "indigeneity"? To make cultural anthropologists feel good about their role as protectors of "indigenous people".
Of course, I believe that anthropologists should not just go ahead and get DNA from the dead. But, as far as I can tell, Haddon did not go around the world with a pair of scissors chasing after people for hair samples. Nor are there, as far as I can tell, any close relatives of the deceased that might object to his full genomic sequence (and by implication half, or a quarter of their sequence) being published. So, where is the ethical problem?
But some scientists are jittery about how others in the Aboriginal community might receive the project, and worry that it could set back efforts to engage Aboriginals in genetic research. "In a sense, every Aboriginal Australian has had something about themselves revealed to the world without their consent," says Hank Greely, who directs the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University in California.
Aboriginal Australians endured centuries of repression by European colonists, but their wariness of genetic research owes much to the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP). This 1990s international collaboration aimed to catalogue the genetic diversity of populations worldwide, but sparked concerns that indigenous peoples were being subjected to neocolonial 'bioprospecting'. "Probably the strongest opposition we ran into anywhere in the world" was in Australia, says Greely, who was an ethical adviser to the project. Plans to include Aboriginal Australian DNA were eventually scrapped, and the furore's impact continues to reverberate, says Kowal. "The damage that the HGDP has done for the prospect of doing genetic research with Aboriginal people has been significant." Researchers who work with Aboriginal Australians are now expected to obtain consent not only from the individuals concerned, but also from local and sometimes state-wide groups representing Aboriginal communities across Australia.
I believe in empirical evidence. There are dozens of human populations represented in the Human Genome Diversity Panel that have been used and re-used by scientists and amateurs like myself alike. Can any of the professional kind souls point to a single bad thing that has happened to any of these populations because of it?
What about the rights of individual Aboriginal Australians? Suppose that you are an Aboriginal Australian who wants to learn about his ancestry and origins, the same with all those Europeans, Africans, Asians, etc. who buy genetic ancestry tests or visit genealogy, archaeology, and history forums. Why should your natural desire to learn about your own past, and the natural desire of anthropologists and geneticists to learn about human history have to go through the bureaucracy of community- and state-level "representatives"?
A Danish bioethical review board did not believe it was necessary to review the project because it viewed the hair as an archaeological specimen and not a biological one, Willerslev says. However, after his team sequenced the genome, an Australian colleague put Willerslev in touch with the Goldfields Land and Sea Council, a body based in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, that represents the 5,000 or so Aboriginal Australians living in the region where Haddon collected the hair sample. In June, Willerslev flew to the region to describe his project to the organization's board and to seek its approval. He says that if the board had rejected his proposal, he would have ended the project and left the genome unpublished.
I am glad that the "Land and Sea Council" gave Willerslev its consent. But, seriously, who are they to decide whether the hair sample should be used or not?
It could be argued that Haddon's unknown hair donor did not authorize a particular use of his hair sample. But, it is ludicrous to expect people from the past to anticipate all the potential uses that their tissues may have in the future. Nor is there any evidence that the anonymous donor authorized some council representing 5,000 future Aboriginal Australians, including a few of his distant relatives to prevent it from being used.
Despite Willerslev's efforts, "I would suggest there would be a certain amount of unrest in the indigenous communities", says van Holst Pellekaan. Greely agrees that Willerslev's team should have reached out to other Aboriginal groups.
So, it is not only sufficient for the future local council to get in on the consent action, but it is proposed that the one from the next town, or halfway around Australia should be involved too.
Scientists should not victimize DNA donors or their communities, but neither should they acquiesce to a never-ending political game of "consent", whereby they must appease every busybody elected or unelected "representative" before doing their work.
"I think they did everything anyone could reasonably expect them to," counters Mark Stoneking, a molecular anthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. He published a complementary analysis of Aboriginal genomes last week, using DNA samples obtained by other scientists with the consent of the Aboriginal Australian individuals involved.
But, I would argue that they did more than anyone could reasonably expect them to. Since there is no evidence that the sample was collected illegally and unethically, and since the Danish review board approved the study, there would have been no reason not to publish the study if the "Goldfields Land and Sea Council" had objected. I would be pissed if I was a member of the research group that did all this work without intending or actually causing harm to anybody, and I was told not to publish because some council said so.
Moreover, the issue is one of basic scientific integrity: scientists should seek to understand the world as it is, including patterns of human diversity and history.
Suppose that Willerslev had reached a different conclusion, e.g., that Australian Aborigines arrived 5,000 years ago, and this was rejected by local interest groups because it clashed with their oral histories. Are scientists only to publish results that are acceptable to studied populations' traditions and mythologies, and be prevented from publishing those that falsify them?
Having a set of widely accepted guidelines for studying such samples would help to guide researchers, journals and funding agencies, says Stoneking. "Hopefully some sort of standards can be developed so everyone feels comfortable going ahead with this research," he says.
To prevent researchers from engaging in unethical behavior. We don't want scientists to get people's DNA and then use it against them in a demeaning manner, or profiting from its potential commercial uses.
The only case where the fit is not almost perfect is that of the Chuvashs, who are the most northern population. It is easy enough to discover the cause of this. Chuvash have ~1.1% South Asian, as opposed to ~8.2% in the Uzbeks. There is a north-south latitudinal cline of the "South Asian" component in middle Eurasia, and the ancestors of the Chuvash moved at the northern end of that cline; of the Uzbeks at the middle.
Notice that Turks, Uzbeks and the pair of Altai and Dolgan fall along one line, while Chuvashs, Russians, and the pair of Altai/Dolgan along another.
So, the data seems consistent with the idea that the primary source of the westward Turkic expansions was something like the Altai (pics) and Dolgan, undergoing transformations and successive admixtures all the way to the Mediterranean and eastern Europe.
MtDNA SNP multiplexes for efficient inference of matrilineal genetic ancestry within Oceania.
Ballantyne KN, van Oven M, Ralf A, Stoneking M, Mitchell RJ, van Oorschot RA, Kayser M.
Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a convenient marker for tracing matrilineal bio-geographic ancestry and is widely applied in forensic, genealogical and anthropological studies. In forensic applications, DNA-based ancestry inference can be useful for finding unknown suspects by concentrating police investigations in cases where autosomal STR profiling was unable to provide a match, or can help provide clues in missing person identification. Although multiplexed mtDNA single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays to infer matrilineal ancestry at a (near) continental level are already available, such tools are lacking for the Oceania region. Here, we have developed a hierarchical system of three SNaPshot multiplexes for genotyping 26 SNPs defining all major mtDNA haplogroups for Oceania (including Australia, Near Oceania and Remote Oceania). With this system, it was possible to conclusively assign 74% of Oceanian individuals to their Oceanian matrilineal ancestry in an established literature database (after correcting for obvious external admixture). Furthermore, in a set of 161 genotyped individuals collected in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, 87.6% were conclusively assigned an Oceanian matrilineal origin. For the remaining 12.4% of the genotyped samples either a Eurasian origin was detected indicating likely European admixture (1.9%), the identified haplogroups are shared between Oceania and S/SE-Asia (5%), or the SNPs applied did not allow a geographic inference to be assigned (5.6%). Sub-regional assignment within Oceania was possible for 32.9% of the individuals genotyped: 49.5% of Australians were assigned an Australian origin and 13.7% of the Papua New Guineans were assigned a Near Oceanian origin, although none of the Fijians could be assigned a specific Remote Oceanian origin. The low assignment rates of Near and Remote Oceania are explained by recent migrations from Asia via Near Oceania into Remote Oceania. Combining the mtDNA multiplexes for Oceania introduced here with those we developed earlier for all other continental regions, global matrilineal bio-geographic ancestry assignment from DNA is now achievable in a highly efficient way that is also suitable for applications with limited material such as forensic case work.
five individuals who were associated with four different haplotypes.
was designated as D5 by the mutation at site 16 189 (T to C).
A4, F1b, G1a, M9a, M10 and M8z, were each present in one individual.
any product from two samples (S5 and S14) (Table 3).
In order to study the genetic characteristics of the Lower Xiajiadian culture (LXC) population, a main bronze culture branch in northern China dated 4500–3500 years ago, two uniparentally inherited markers, mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome single-nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs), were analyzed on 14 human remains excavated from the Dadianzi site. The 14 sequences, which contained 13 haplotypes, were assigned to 9 haplogroups, and Y-SNP typing of 5 male individuals assigned them to haplogroups N (M231) and O3 (M122). The results indicate that the LXC population mainly included people carrying haplogroups from northern Asia who had lived in this region since the Neolithic period, as well as genetic evidence of immigration from the Central Plain. Later in the Bronze Age, part of the population migrated to the south away from a cooler climate, which ultimately influenced the gene pool in the Central Plain. Thus, climate change is an important factor, which drove the population migration during the Bronze Age in northern China. Based on these results, the local genetic continuity did not seem to be affected by outward migration, although more data are needed especially from other ancient populations to determine the influence of return migration on genetic continuity.
This seems like a tie-in to another recent post on Neolithic and Bronze Age Ukraine. I don't think even a science fiction writer could have predicted the kinds of ancient DNA results we are getting from Europe. We have genetic discontinuity between Paleolithic and Neolithic, and between Neolithic and present, and, apparently, discontinuity between Neolithic cultures themselves, and wholly unexpected links to East Asia all the way to Central Europe.
UPDATE (8 Jun 2012): The age of these remains has been questioned.
Analysis of mitochondrial mutations in the HVS-I region is an effective method for ancient human populational studies. Discontinuous haplotype data between the first farmers and contemporary Europeans has been described before. Our contribution is based on a survey initiated on the Neolithic skeletons from Hungarian archaeological sites in the Alföld. This Lowland, the Hungarian Plain, is well excavated as an important region for spread of Neolithic culture from Near East and Balkans toward Central and Western Europe, started circa 8000 years ago. HVS-I sequences from nt15977 to nt16430 of 11 such specimens with sufficient mitochondrial DNA preservation among an extended Neolithic collection were analysed for polymorphisms, identifying 23 different ones. After assigning all single-nucleotide polymorphisms, a novel, N9a, N1a, C5, D1/G1a, M/R24 haplogroups were determined. On mitochondrial control mutations at nt16257 and nt16261, polymorphic PCRs were carried out to assess their distribution in remains. Neolithic data set was compared with contemporary Vác samples and references, resulting in higher frequency of N9a in Alföld as a remarkable genetic discontinuity. Our investigation is the first to study mutations form Neolithic of Hungary, resulting in an outcome of Far Eastern haplogroups in the Carpathian Basin. It is worth further investigation as a non-descendant theory, instead of a continuous population history, supporting genetic gaps between ancient and recent human populations.
Aboriginal Australians (AA) have been somewhat of a black hole in population genetics research. So, it's great news that after today's Reich et al. paper on Denisova admixture, there is another new paper that presents the first full genome sequence of an aboriginal Australian.
I don't know why it has been so difficult to study AAs so far; my guess is that some type of politics has prevented it, similar to those that have hindered population genetics research in some Amerindian groups. Unfortunately, the current publication does not seem to represent the beginning of a new era in AA research, as the genome does not belong to a living AA, but rather to a 100-year old hair sample.
On one hand this makes sense: old DNA is preferable to fresh one when one deals with populations that have undergone admixture in recent times. I don't know how many AA have European admixture, but my guess is that, surely, pure-blooded living AA still exist, so, one could in principle obtain DNA from them.
Nonetheless, we should be thankful for the new data which provide a much needed new data point of mankind's diversity. Also, given recent developments, even a single genome may prove to be invaluable.
The supplementary material (pdf) has, as usual, most of the interesting details of the paper.
Based on how our model was set up, the European-Aboriginal Australian and African-Aboriginal Australian split times that we presented above could be no less than 2,000 and 3,500 generations ago, respectively.
So, at most the data shows that Europeans are closer related to East Asians than either of them is to Australian aboriginals. The actual ages in years are conditioned on the timing of the aforementioned events, which, in turn, have been estimated in the past using various assumptions (see my recent post on Gronau et al. 2011).
There is a series of interesting papers on Amerindian populations in the early view section of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. One of them struck my interest, because it deals with an issue that has been a familiar topos of this blog, and has, in my opinion, much greater potential applicability than the settlement of the Americas.
The basic idea of the paper is the following: the serial founder effect (SFE) is a model, whereby populations expand by successive splits, with daughter populations expanding and colonizing new territories. It is a tree model, with the nodes furthest from the root representing late founder populations, and the ones closest to the root representing early splits close (geographically and temporally) to the initial colonization impetus.
Gene identity is the probability that two random alleles from either two individuals in a population, or from two individuals from different populations will be identical. This has been used to argue for a SFE in the Americas, because it apparently matches expectations: the most basal populations are in north America, and gene identity increases toward south America.
However, the authors of the current paper show that the observed pattern is due to European admixture in native American populations; this makes the north American populations (that are more European-admixed and hence more different than the rest) appear both more basal and more diverse.
Many aspects of the pattern of neutral genetic variation in the Americas are consistent with the predictions of the serial founder effects process. The NJ tree is rooted in northern North America, it shows a northsouth pattern of internal branching, and gene identity within populations increases steadily with increasing geographic distance from Beringia. However, admixture with Europeans could account for all of these features. The tree is rooted in northern North America because the gene identities between the three northern North America populations and the other Native American populations are particularly low (Fig. 2). European admixture has contributed to this low identity, and, in principle, it could account for the position of the root. The Admixture tree (Fig. 5A) topology indicates that the north-south pattern of branching in the NJ tree might be the result of relatively high admixture in northern North America, intermediate levels in Central America and northern South America, and low levels in eastern South America. The partial correlation analyses show that the north-south increase in gene identity within populations can also be explained by geographically patterned admixture (Table 2). We conclude that geographically patterned admixture between Native Americans and Europeans has obscured our ability to reconstruct precontact evolutionary processes in the Americas.
Of course, this is an extremely important piece of work that future studies of Amerindian populations must take into account. It is no longer feasible to interpret the observed gene identity pattern in the Americas as a remnant of the migration and spread of Amerindian ancestors thousands of years ago. It is more likely a result of much more recent events, namely the different intensity of European admixture in post-1492 times.
Hunley and Healy is important not only for the Americas, however. The serial founder effect has been evoked to explain both the spread of modern humans from east Africa, as well as more recent Neolithic expansions in different parts of the world. We must now be vigilant that these patterns may, in part, be the result of latent admixture.
In the Americas, we know (from historical documents) that this admixture took place, and we have relatively unadmixed populations still in existence. But, there may very well have been admixture events before the birth of history, and many ancestral populations may no longer exist in unadmixed form. So, we may be interpreting patterns of modern human variation as the result of ancient colonization processes, oblivious to the presence of latent admixture.
For example, there is an increase in gene identity from eastern Africa through Arabia, and India, all the way to Siberia, and southward across the Americas. Hunley and Healy deal with the latter part of this cline, but the whole of it has been interpreted as evidence of an orderly Out of Africa colonization as a series of founder effects.
However, the Eurasian portion of the pattern may also be spurious: current east Africans, for example, are partially admixed, both with West Eurasians and with people from other parts of the continent. Likewise, Arabians often have African admixture, whereas South Asians have been convincingly shown to be largely 2-way mixes of West Eurasians and "Ancestral South Indians". To top it all off, we now have convincing evidence that archaic admixture may have played a role in the evolution of some living Africans: this would furthermore increase their gene diversity and contribute to a perceived Eurasian cline.
Tree models are orderly and well-behaved. It would be great if people behaved that way, because the math would be easier. But, people aren't laboratory mice that follow predefined paths in a maze: they mix with their neighbors, they split and move forward, but sometimes, they split and move backward. Hopefully, H&H's paper will lead to an increased appreciation of admixture in the human story, beyond the case of the Americas.
Recent studies have concluded that the global pattern of neutral genetic diversity in humans reflects a series of founder effects and population movements associated with our recent expansion out of Africa. In contrast, regional studies tend to emphasize the significance of more complex patterns of colonization, gene flow, and secondary population movements in shaping patterns of diversity. Our objective in this study is to examine how founder effects, gene flow, and European admixture have molded patterns of neutral genetic diversity in the Americas. Our strategy is to test the fit of a serial founder effects process to the pattern of neutral autosomal genetic variation and to examine the contribution of gene flow and European admixture to departures from fit. The genetic data consist of 678 autosomal microsatellite loci assayed by Wang and colleagues in 530 individuals in 29 widely distributed Native American populations. We find that previous evidence for serial founder effects in the Americas may be driven in part by high levels of European admixture in northern North America, intermediate levels in Central America, and low levels in eastern South America. Geographically patterned admixture may also account for previously reported genetic differences between Andean and Amazonian groups. Though admixture has obscured the precise details of precontact evolutionary processes, we find that genetic diversity is still largely hierarchically structured and that gene flow between neighboring groups has had surprisingly little impact on macrogeographic patterns of genetic diversity in the Americas.
"[The skull] has got a much more primitive appearance, even though it is only 13,000 years old," said Chris Stringer, from London's Natural History Museum, who was part of the team of researchers.
"This suggests that human evolution in Africa was more complex... the transition to modern humans was not a straight transition and then a cut off."
The researchers say their findings also underscore a real lack of knowledge of human evolution in the region.
My previous blog post on the published article here.
A thing that has troubled me in reading a few recent palaeoanthropological comparative analyses is the fact that the Omo I, the "modern" of the ~195ka Omo skulls, as well as Herto do not seem to be included. Is this a case of anthropologists guarding their data, a problem that seems to have particularly plagued paleoanthropology? This is not an idle question: how would these ~200ka and ~150ka finds, widely touted as our ancestors fare when placed in the same analysis as the skulls of Harvati et al. (2011) or Mounier et al. (2011)?
Omo II, the most "archaic" of the Omo skulls was included in Mounier et al. (2011) and seemed to be related to Skhul 5 and Jebel Irhoud 1, which would probably place it in the intermediate (archaic/modern) category. How about Omo I?
I don't know, and I'd like to see some hard numbers on exactly how modern it is compared to extant humanity. It has often been repeated, for example, that the Skhul/Qafzeh hominins from the Levant represent an early Out-of-Africa movement, but they appear, at least in the latest Harvati et al. analysis to be well within the range of modern human variation, and certainly more so than all the included African samples of similar, or even younger age.
This seems counterintuitive: if, as the current orthodox theory holds, modern humans -in the strict sense of being like living people- originated in Africa ~200ka and spread to the rest of the world ~60ka, why are the Mt. Carmel hominins apparently more modern than their African counterparts of similar age? Remember, that it has been hypothesized that Skhul/Qafzeh represent a population that may be mixing with Eurasian Neandertals, which would make them less like modern people, not more.
Moreover, if modern humans did originate in Africa ~200ka, then why did they admix with archaic Africans only ~35ka (per Hammer et al. 2011) and had not replaced archaic Africans even ~13ka? Apparently, the current narrative proposes, they replaced all archaic hominins in Eurasia in practically a few thousands of years, but they could not achieve the same in nearly 0.2My in Africa? Or, they admixed with archaic Eurasians before they admixed with their next-door neighbors, the archaic Africans? Something does not seem right.
How would Omo I and Herto fare if they had been included? Ancestral H. s. sapiens, where art thou? Let's find out.
This is a nice physical anthropological complement to the recent Hammer et al. paper on archaic admixture in Africans. It is also added to a growing list of late survivals in the African palaeoanthropological record with apparent archaic features.
As I have mentioned before, people have been too quick to generalize about "modern humans in Africa" from the early anatomically modern humans of eastern Africa, forgetting that our focus on them has been an artifact of the good geological conditions for preservation in that area, and the resulting overwhelming scientific interest in the region.
But, eastern Africa is the periphery of Sub-Saharan Africa, and we are lucky to have new finds described from West Africa and elsewhere, as in this paper.
I bet that a few years from now, we will look with amazement at the naivete of the passing Out of Africa orthodoxy that bundled all Africans into an amorphous category of "our ancestors in Africa". It is also becoming clearer that increased African genetic variation is, at least in part, due to the continent being home to multiple deeply divergent populations that persisted, in various admixtures down to the present.
Symbols: Grey diamonds. Modern humans; Black up triangles: Upper Paleolithic modern humans; Purple up triangles: Late Pleistocene African and Near Eastern hominins; Red stars: H. neanderthalensis; Red squares: H. heidelbergensis (s.l.); Black squares: H. erectus (s.l.). Ellipses indicate 95% confidence ellipses for Neanderthals (red) and modern humans (gray).
Modern human populations were characterized by more positive scores on PC 1, and there was only minimal overlap among their 95% confidence ellipses and that of the Neanderthals. The Middle-Late Pleistocene African specimens (LH 18, Singa, Djebel Irhoud 1 and 2) and the early modern human specimens from Qafzeh and Skhul fell in the intermediate zone between Neanderthals / H. heidelbergensis on one hand and modern humans on the other. Qafzeh 9 was the exception, falling on the positive end of PC 1 and close to Upper Paleolithic European specimens. The latter sample, which included some of the earliest modern human specimens in Europe (Mladec 1 and 5, Oase 2, Muierii 1, Cioclovina), clustered within the modern human range of variation, and not in the zone of overlap with the archaic specimens.
the similarity of Qafzeh 9 with Upper Paleolithic Europeans; geneticists had better stop inferring that the Skhul/Qafzeh hominids were the "first Out-of-Africa that failed"
the similarity of Qafzeh 6 with Upper Cave 1 from Zhoukoudian.
If you have Qz9 and Qz6, i.e., more than 100,000 year old West Asian skulls clustering with Upper Paleolithic Europeans and East Asians, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the naive Out-of-Africa orthodoxy that a recent Out-of-Africa push as late as 60,000 years is responsible for the peopling of Eurasia.
This is especially the case when Qafzeh 9 may be the earliest unambiguously modern human with no "ifs and buts", with Skhul and Qz6 following close behind.
Hi Dienekes, Unfortunately PLoS introduced a typo in the summary regarding the date, which should have read ~11.7–16.3 ka. Everyone please bear in mind the analysis only covered the superior cranial vault, as there was no face - I discuss the results further in my new book The Origin of Our Species.
A 3-D geometric morphometric analysis of cranial landmarks and semilandmarks was conducted using a large comparative fossil and modern human sample. The measurements were collected in the form of three dimensional coordinates and processed using Generalized Procrustes Analysis. Principal components, canonical variates, Mahalanobis D2 and Procrustes distance analyses were performed. The results were further visualized by comparing specimen and mean configurations. Results point to a morphological similarity with late archaic African specimens dating to the Late Pleistocene. A long bone cortical fragment was made available for U-series analysis in order to re-date the specimen. The results (~11.7–6.3 ka) support a terminal Pleistocene chronology for the Iwo Eleru burial as was also suggested by the original radiocarbon dating results and by stratigraphic evidence.
G was the third most popular choice in my recent poll.
We now have G2a3 from Neolithic Linearbandkeramik in Derenburg and G2a in Treilles in addition to Ötzi from the Alps. G2a folk got around. He joins Stalin and Louis XVI as a famous G2a.
It was already clear with the discovery of G2a in France and Central Europe, that this otherwise uncommon present-day haplogroup in Europe was more prominent during the Neolithic, and Ötzi's data point seals the case.
In a sense, the triple G2a finds in Neolithic Europe confirm the origins of the European Neolithic population in West Asia, but renew the mystery as to how all the rest of the "players" of the European Y-DNA scene appeared on the scene, with everything except G and I first appearing in the ancient DNA record after the end of the Neolithic.
Ötzi has been added to the ancient Y-chromosome studies page.
In my comments on the recent Hammer et al. paper on Africa, I noted that the naive Out of Africa edifice has been shattered by recent discoveries, and attempts to patch it up by postulating a little admixture here, a little admixture there are largely unconvincing. We need a radically new model, so it was a nice surprise for me to see a new paper that attempts to do just that in a quantitative manner.
We thus simulated the genealogy of 20 samples of 100-mtDNA sequences scattered over all Eurasia, and we estimated the fraction of these current lineages to be of Neanderthal ancestry by using a conservative interbreeding success of 2% for the hybrids. Among 10,000 simulations of this process, we could never observe any mitochondrial sequence of Neanderthal origin in our samples. We thus conclude that an interbreeding success smaller than 2% for Neanderthal-human hybrids is fully compatible with limited Neanderthal nuclear introgression and with no introgression of mtDNA.
This is contradicted by another recent study by Ghirotto et al. focused entirely on the problem of Neandertal mtDNA (non)-intogression. I tend to side with G. et al. on this issue, as we currently have not only 100-strong samples from around the world, but, literally, tens of thousands of mtDNA samples, and perhaps even more if we account for commercial testing: no Neandertal sequences have turned up. So, I don't think it's the case that Neandertal mtDNA admixture is so low that we're not finding it in small (100-strong) samples.
In any case, the current paper's major contribution is tackling the problem of the equidistribution of Neandertal admixture across Eurasia, despite the fact that Neandertal was a West Eurasian distributed species.
The solution is simple: extend the Neandertal range eastwards, all the way to the Altai. That way, there is no mystery why French and Chinese have the same degree of Neandertal admixture: the former picked it up en route to France, the latter in their eastward journey to China. The extension of the Neandertal range to the east is supported by the close relationship of the Denisovan genome to Neandertals as well as the Okladnikov sample from Uzbekistan, so it is not simply a kludge, but a reasonably well-supported position.
The expansion model also sidesteps the big elephant in the room: the fact that modern peoples are not necessarily descended primarily from the early modern humans who lived in the same localities as themselves. Neolithic and post-Neolithic events are increasingly thought to have shaped gene pools, so it is not clear, for example, to what extent the modern French are descended from Upper Paleolithic Europeans who ended up in France at the time when Neandertals were still in existence, and thus had the opportunity to mate with them along their route.
Although we have modeled the Asian range to extend up to the Altai region north of the Himalayas, we cannot be certain that the ancestors of East Asians migrated through this region. However, the facts that Papua New Guineans show signals of hybridization with another hominin (Denisovan) (2) and that their ancestors are likely to have followed a coastal southern route to the Pacific (19, 20) suggest that the Denisovan range must have extended more to the south and that the ancestors of East Asians may have indeed traveled north of the Himalayas, above the Denisovan range.
A northward migration route for East Asians and a southward one for Australo-Melanesians would solve the problem of "why Chinese are as Neandertal-admixed as the French" but would create a new problem of "why Papuans are also as Neandertal-admixed as the French", unless we derive everybody from the Altai.
Under our model of hybridization during range expansions, similar amounts of Neanderthal ancestry in France and China (Fig. S2) are more often observed if the geographical range of Neanderthals extended up to the Altai Mountains north of the Himalayas. Indeed, a hybridization range restricted to Europe, the Middle East, and the Caucasus region (including the brown and green areas in Fig. 1) would always lead to a much larger Neanderthal introgression level in Europe than in China (Figs. S2 and S3, light bars).
It is important to note the differences between this model and the one in the Reich et al. and Green et al. papers from last year; the latter postulated a brief, but relatively intense episode of admixture in West Asia, and the subsequent colonization of the world by (slightly Neandertal-admixed) modern humans with minimal subsequent admixture.
The Currat & Excoffier favored model, on the other hand, posits exceptionally low admixture rates (or mostly infertile hybrids) but with repeating admixture events across a large geographical range that is extended far to the east.
In any case, the C&E paper is an important contribution to the emerging new debate about human origins. The central prediction of their model, that modern human/Neandertal admixture was no easy thing is certainly consistent with everything we know about human behavior. Homogamy seems to be a tendency of our species, and heterogamy between populations separated by hundreds of thousands of years of separate evolution cannot have been frequent.
Hopefully, next year, we will see even more realistic simulation studies that include the second elephant in the room, archaic admixture in Africans. The discovery that Africans possess a degree of archaic African admixture from Homo populations that branched off before the split of modern humans and Neandertals leads to the inevitable conclusion that Eurasians (who lack this archaic African admixture) would appear closer to Neandertals based on the D-statistic used by R&G.
Happy were the days when human evolution could be viewed as a simple tree branching process, but now we have at least four players in the field (modern humans, Neandertals, Denisovans, archaic Africans) and we are bound to have new full ancient H. sapiens genomes. Things are bound to get more interesting.
with some later secondary contacts in Eastern Asia.
have followed a migration route North of the Himalayas.
With respect to point #1, I acknowledge that the C&E model does not explicitly choose either a northern or southern migration route for the ancestors of the Chinese. However, I do believe that it effectively chooses a mainly northern route. This is a simple consequence of geometry: concentric radiation of migrants results in more migrants flowing through the larger volume of the interior of the Eurasian continent (where they would have the opportunity to admix with eastern Neandertals) rather than through the narrower coastal band (where they would not).
It is also an interesting question whether the concentric model would lead to non-distinguishable admixture levels in East Asians and Australo-Melanesians, since -under the concentric migration model- the latter would mostly travel through regions of low-to-non-existent Neandertal occupation, whereas the former would not.
First, the published ancient DNA work, which showed a chasm between Mesolithic and modern mtDNA in central Europe, and seemingly non-existence of the main current European Y-haplogroup R1 in both Central Europe and France Neolithic sites (Treilles).
Second, the observation of Fst values between European and West Asian populations are approximately 1/3 of those between West and East Eurasians. If the separation between Europeans and West Asians was effected close to the time of the Upper Paleolithic colonization of Europe (40ky), and would thus have diverged genetically only slightly less than West Eurasians and East Asians have.
The issue can only be settled, of course, if we are ever lucky enough to obtain ancient DNA from Upper Paleolithic Europeans.
Recent studies have revealed that 2–3% of the genome of non-Africans might come from Neanderthals, suggesting a more complex scenario of modern human evolution than previously anticipated. In this paper, we use a model of admixture during a spatial expansion to study the hybridization of Neanderthals with modern humans during their spread out of Africa. We find that observed low levels of Neanderthal ancestry in Eurasians are compatible with a very low rate of interbreeding (<2%), potentially attributable to a very strong avoidance of interspecific matings, a low fitness of hybrids, or both. These results suggesting the presence of very effective barriers to gene flow between the two species are robust to uncertainties about the exact demography of the Paleolithic populations, and they are also found to be compatible with the observed lack of mtDNA introgression. Our model additionally suggests that similarly low levels of introgression in Europe and Asia may result from distinct admixture events having occurred beyond the Middle East, after the split of Europeans and Asians. This hypothesis could be tested because it predicts that different components of Neanderthal ancestry should be present in Europeans and in Asians.
| 2019-04-19T20:38:36 |
http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2011/09/
|
0.999995 |
Take away Professor James Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes is a plain old consulting detective, operating out of his comfortable home in 221B Baker Street.
Among the most identifiable figures in literature, he still needed a black-hearted adversary to make him special.
After champion driver Alain Prost retired, his greatest rival Ayrton Senna took to calling him up, asking him to reconsider. Racing wasn't the same without his great foe at the wheel. And as any Batman fan knows, it's all downhill after The Joker.
'When super-villains want to scare each other, they tell Joker stories,' says Trickster, a lesser crook appearing in the 1995 DC comic series Underworld Unleashed.
Those wanting to scare Barcelona tell Chelsea stories instead. John Terry standing firm with two broken ribs. The six games that have passed since Barcelona last beat them. The time Chelsea came back from 2-1 down to win 5-4 on aggregate.
'Really strong, really competitive,' was how Barcelona central defender Gerard Pique described Chelsea yesterday.
Behind the curmudgeon's mask - Barcelona's players rarely lose without laying a charge of anti-football against the victors - there appears grudging admiration between these sides.
When Barcelona captain Carles Puyol greeted his opposite number Terry before last week's match at Stamford Bridge, there was surprising warmth between the two old warriors.
As Puyol nursed a hand injury in the first-half, Terry held it almost mockingly when they came together at a corner, as if to make the point that men of their stature are not fazed by trivial wounds. Puyol, of course, played on.
As Barcelona and Chelsea will play on tonight, beauty and the beast, their styles contrasting, perfectly. The best fights, it is said, are between boxers who conflict technically, and perhaps the best football, too.
Barcelona versus Barcelona Lite would be a poor contest - as it has often proved when the Catalans face Arsenal, and even Manchester United of late - but Barcelona pitted against a nemesis, Chelsea, or any of the teams managed by Jose Mourinho (which still includes Chelsea to some extent, such is his terrifying influence) is a real match.
So they need each other. Just as Holmes needed Moriarty, 'the Napoleon of crime' as Arthur Conan Doyle styled him, so Barcelona must take their own trip over the Reichenbach Falls, locked in combat with a cunning, brutish villain, powerful, relentless, and last week seemingly impervious to attack.
Ronald Koeman, who scored the goal that won Barcelona the European Cup against Sampdoria in 1992, joined this chorus of disapproval.
As a coach he may not get the chance again. Koeman's Feyenoord team are currently third in the Dutch Eredivisie, six points off top place, but three points from sixth. This is his ninth coaching job since 1998 and while he has won three Dutch titles (Ajax 2001-02, 2003-04 and PSV Eindhoven 2006-07), recent appointments include a disappointing spell at Valencia, who fell to 15th on his watch and seven defeats in 16 matches during a brief spell at AZ Alkmaar.
High-minded principles are to be admired but a meeting of Barcelona and Koeman's current Feyenoord team would in all likelihood be a mismatch, signifying nothing.
There is little more tiresome than good football, played ineffectively. Barcelona murder teams that try to match them technically without the necessary equipment. All Chelsea have ever done to frustrate them is play to their own strengths and coach Roberto Di Matteo's gameplan is unlikely to stray too far from the tried and tested tonight.
'We have to attempt to score, because it is difficult to play for a goalless draw in Nou Camp,' he admitted.
Does this mean more dogged defending, a bank of nine resisting, quick counter attacks and some direct play up to an imposing forward, probably Drogba? More than likely. But what is wrong with that? Where does it say that football equates to Barcelona and a million lame imitations?
It is the existence of a team such as Chelsea, experienced, well-schooled, quick, physically imposing, horrible to play against at their best, that make us appreciate Barcelona's devotion to football's aesthetic qualities all the more.
Their aim is fiendishly hard to achieve (as Arsenal's recent trials have shown): they want to win every game playing beautifully, to triumph with football alone. Football skills, football thought - and fair enough, the odd example of football's dark arts - it is, at its height, a purists tingling fantasy.
And if every opponent aped it, if every team was a nod to Tottenham Hotspur under Ossie Ardiles - 'pass, pass, pass,' he would say, 'play, play, play' but unfortunately all they did was lose, lose, lose - then we would never realise how great Barcelona are.
It needs a cussed Chelsea team, marshalled by Terry, with Drogba a potent force, unplayable at his finest, to put Barcelona into relief.
It needs Pep Guardiola's often ill-tempered battles with Mourinho to remind us that truly great football is never easy, not even with Lionel Messi, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas or Andres Iniesta in the team.
Barcelona prove that a good big 'un doesn't always beat a good little 'un, but if the good little 'un falters, as Barcelona have recently, they can still lose. Not to everybody; but to Chelsea, certainly. And Real Madrid.
'We have done so well in the last few years that, at times, we don't even know who the opponents are,' Guardiola admitted.
'So if we do not beat Chelsea it is because they are a strong, strong team and this is their competition. And if they beat us, congratulations. We are ready to fight against them, to reach the final, yet we're not always going to be good.
Indeed, they are. The best players. Arguably the most outstanding club side many have seen, certainly in the modern era. And we know that because to overcome Chelsea, makes them so.
| 2019-04-25T18:22:23 |
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2134120/Barcelona-v-Chelsea-Beauty-needs-beast--Martin-Samuel.html
|
0.999673 |
LawrenceA, who is the photo of?
My avatar is Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai from the 1966 movie The Sword of Doom.
On the old set-up, the status update was the text that appeared next to your avatar on your profile page. Every week when I changed my avatar, I changed the status to a quote from that week's star. This week I'm Nick Nolte, so I put that line from 48 Hrs.
However, with this new set-up, it looks like the status updates are like they are on Facebook, where you type something like "tired from work" or "happy it's the weekend!" or some such banality. And then those who are "following" you see your status change. "Followers" used to be "friends" in the old set-up.
Because of this change to the status, I will stop changing it each week to a quote.
| 2019-04-26T09:50:57 |
http://forums.tcm.com/profile/43948-lawrencea/?do=content&type=core_statuses_reply&change_section=1
|
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